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SATURDAY
After a slow start due to Mother Nature raining on the parade early in the morning, the second day of the 2013 Mo-Power Event here at National Trail Raceway went off without a hitch throughout the day. All of the racers were eager to not only get back on the track after the morning delay, but were looking towards getting ready for final eliminations on Sunday. The Quick 16 and Ten-Oh Shootout were run here today along with gamblers races for the Box, No Box, and Hemi/Max Wedge cars. The big winner for the day was Ed Waack as he scored the first win for the Door side in the 2013 Quick 16 season. Also winning today was Roger Webb (Ten-Oh Shootout), Brett Spring (Box Gamblers), Bob Frazee (No Box Gamblers), and Casey Fauss-Johnson (Hemi/Max Wedge Gamblers).
With two qualifying session today to complete the field for the Quick 16, the pole spots from yesterday were traded back and forth during the early morning session. However, both Boomer Ellison (4.423 - Open) and Chris Wheatcraft (4.717 - Door) were able to hold onto the top spots when the final qualifying order was established. However, as it always seems to go in drag racing, the ladder in eliminations didn't go according to plan.
Waack was able to come from the #6 starting spot on the Door side of the field to reach the final round. The Harrison Township, Pennsylvania driver took his Mopar Mafia 1992 Daytona past Homer Gray in round one on a holeshot, Wheatcraft with an on the dial pass in round two, and then defeated Mark Claypoole when he left the red light glowing. On the Open side, former series champion Ron Strayer Jr. drove the Wheatcraft Motorsports 2000 Fox dragster to the final round. The North Lawrence, Ohio runner gunned down Nathanael Stilwell in round one, Brian Hurst with a five thousandths total package in round two, then teammate Ellison in the semis. In the final round, it would be the red light that found the lane of Strayer by .005. Waack won the race with a 5.505 on his 5.50 dial in.
The Ten-Oh class found the 1968 Dart of McDermott, Ohio's Webb going up against the 1933 Roadster of Shaun Bemiller from Pataskala, Ohio in the final encounter. Bemiller, the runner up yesterday in the Box Gamblers race was looking to not do that again in this final round. However, it was going to be tough as Webb had posted a perfect 10.000 in the opening round and looked dialed in all day. Off the line, it was Bemiller with the better reaction time, but he took too much stripe at the finish line and broke out. A 9.988 shined in Bemiller's lane and Webb's 10.012 was the winner.
Two great drivers and cars made up the Box final round for the day as Spring and his 1969 Dart from Newark, Ohio went up against the 1971 black Duster of Troy Vanscoy from Grove City, Ohio. Spring, who had won Super Pro here at NTR during the last points event, looked to keep riding the wave in this final round. Spring was the slower of the two cars, but it didn't matter as Vanscoy was bitten by the same red light bug that found Strayer in the Quick 16 final round. Spring won with a 7.290 on his 7.27 dial in.
A large gathering of No Box racers were waded through by the two veteran finalists on this day. Frazee and his Massillon, Ohio based 1969 GTX would go up against the always tough 1971 Duster of John Lawson from Pataskala, Ohio. Both drivers had been a part of the Ten-Oh shootout today and their final round dial ins showed it. With only one hundredth of a second between the two, Lawson left with a great .014 reaction time and was still behind off the line! Frazee was .001 off the start and won the race on a sick hole shot. Both drivers ran a 10.026, Frazee on his 9.99 dial in and Lawson on his 10.00 dial in for a three thousandths of a second margin of victory.
Finally, in the Hemi/Max Wedge final round it was the Etna, Ohio driver Fauss-Johnson driving his 1965 Coronet into the money round. Waiting for him was the 1963 Polara of Glen Smith from Mogadore, Ohio. Fauss-Johnson was the quicker of the two drivers in the final round and that may have played a role in the eventual outcome. Smith was better on the tree, but broke out at the stripe trying to stay ahead of the charging Coronet. Fauss-Johnson ran a 10.085 on his 9.85 dial in to win over the 11.489 on a 11.50 for Smith.
The final day of the Mo Power event tomorrow will have one time trial for the Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman, and Hemi/Max Wedge classes starting at 9 AM with eliminations to follow.
