While the first pairs of class cars were warming up the groove at Union Grove, the Gebharts were dragging themselves into the continental breakfast room at the Days Inn Sturtevant.
We plowed our way through assorted plates made up mostly of grains, pig parts, and high fructose corn syrup, as we planned our attack on Great Lakes Dragaway.

The Barnyard Viper's 440 block has a high fill in the water jackets, and the oil cooler is a little too small, so on hard drives it has a tendency to kill the oil. The first symptom is a 10lb. drop in pressure, the second is, it starts burning the oil. Boone had experienced both in the last fifty miles of the drive the night before, so he needed to find a parts store to get an oil change. Darren, James and Dale were trying to steal another thirty minutes or so of sleep, so that left Rachael and I to set up camp at the drag strip in advance.

There was a large amount of road construction around the motel, as well as the entrance to US-41. Apparently I was not quite as coherent as I hoped, and I screwed up our exit from the parking lot, by driving onto the wrong side of a divided road, with Rachael following along in the Belvedere blissfully unaware of the situation. I adopted an "If you're going through hell, keep on going" attitude, and promptly blew through the red light at the intersection while making a left turn, with Rachael in tow, to get us back where we were supposed to be, much to the chagrin of the trucker trying to make a right turn into the lane I just vacated!

We stopped at a convenience store a couple miles from the track, for ice, and drinks. We were about to head on over when I received a text from Opal explaining where John had pitted, and that they had saved us room for our eventual arrival. Upon entrance to the facility I was taken aback by the huge amount of spectator cars, and didn't realize right away which direction the track was running, luckily, the overzealous crowd just kept pointing further down the single track pit roads, and eventually I saw the white 67 Valiant pitted in the grass.

John had his car pretty much prepped, and ready to go to the lanes when we parked next to him. He was just waiting for the call to the lanes for Street Machine Eliminator.

By the third day of Drag Week, the process of unloading the stuff from the cars, setting up your pit spot, and preparing the cars for the drag strip becomes more a matter of routine, than the semi-controlled chaos it is at the start of the event. Rachael and Skippy started making piles of stuff behind both cars, while I went into my normal process of leaning on the front fender and bench racing with everyone within earshot.
John was teasing me about another late arrival, so I had to relay our story of a long supper, and lighting issues.
"We lost our lights momentarily as well", Opal added.
"Yeah", John explained, "We were on one of those two lanes, in a valley, with large trees overhead, running about forty-five, and the headlights just went out! I hit the dimmer switch a couple of times, and moved some wires around, then they came back on, but it had me worried."
"We saw a bunch of guys already driving out," I commented, "how's it going so far?"
"Well, Tony just ran the Javelin, and I'm sure he'll be back for another hit", John shrugged, "he only went 10.99".
"I wonder if that transmission they picked up is up to snuff?"
"Not sure", John answered, "but that guy we loaned the parts to in the Chevelle tossed his driveshaft out at the 1-2 shift...he was probably in the first ten sets of cars. Then ten minutes ago they announced that he was looking for a 1350 joint, as well as caps and bolts for the yoke!"

Typically on Drag Week, when a car breaks at the track, they send someone to the tower and have it announced over the PA. With the live feed in effect, and so popular, it also gets the info out not only to the competitors and spectators, but everyone watching the world over. Then you get it out on facebook and twitter, and you follow all the leads that this brings in. Often a spectator will walk up, without actually having anything you need, but they offer a phone number to an individual or shop that they think might be able to help, those second and third contacts are often the ones that gets you to what the racer needs to continue.

"Any of the big hitters ran yet", I asked.
"Not that I've noticed, but I haven't been watching every pair. They did announce that Jeffrey Lutz was done, as well as Schroeder with the nitrous Corvette, something about eating a lifter."
"Well, maybe Monte can get out of here at a decent hour tonight!"
"They said the guy in the seven second Chevette had to go home for personal reasons", Opal added.
"Good grief", I shook my head, "the Unlimited class is dwindling to nothing!"

Drag Week is the best 5 days in hell you will ever have.

Darryl Frary

First pass I launched and proceeded to test the 8000 rpm rev limiter again by shifting to neutral instead of 2 nd

At around the same time that the call for Street Machine Eliminator to lanes four and five went out, the news spread through the pits that the route sheet to Cordova Illinois was only 150 miles. Everyone was very relieved to hear it, for sure, following the two 260 plus mile jaunts we had made so far.
I'm not sure if it was the news of the short drive, the difficulty of doing a good burnout uphill (see the dramatic morning burnout shots I've posted by photog Larry Chen), or just the energy of the large group of spectators, but many of the "one and gone" crowd made multiple passes at Great Lakes Dragaway.

John was headed to the lanes when Dale and Darren showed up, they drove in one pit lane over from us, then drove across the lush grass to pit beside the Valiant. Boone, despite making a trip to pick up oil, made it to the pits just five minutes after they did. Everyone was busy prepping their cars for our first run when we heard them announce Tony's second attempt, a 10.65 at 126.8.
"Think he'll stick with that", Dale asked me.
"I doubt it, he's been in the thirties". I shrugged.
The very next announcement was that the lanes were closed for the class cars.
"He might take that and move on", I changed my mind, "He didn't get much sleep last night, so I don't think he'll want to stick around for the all-run session".
The next announcement was that the parts needed for Daryl Yost's Chevelle were located in the pits, and he could pick them up at the tower. Once again, a timely Drag Week PA shout out for help had saved someone's day.

The very last class car to run in the first session was the flat black 72 Dart, that was leading Pro Street Power Adder. As Matt expertly traversed the tricky burnout box, and staged for a single pass, an anticipatory hush fell over the crowd. He launched the Dart at full song, and the track held it quite well, so it was immediately apparent that this run was going to be a keeper. The 7.70-185 was nearly identical to the pass Blasco made at Indy, proving that the Mopar was dialed in, and ready to defend it's lead in the class.

There was about a 15-20 minute lull between the end of the Class session, and the beginning of the SME session, while the GLD crew drug and re-sprayed the track.
Rodney Munchiando's 68 Dart GTS was in the first couple of pairs to run in the Street Machine Eliminator session. When we were loading up to leave Indianapolis, Rodney, and his buddy Rick Callahan were feverishly thrashing on the small block in the hopes of repairing whatever had slowed it to a 15.84-81. Rodney and the Dart have ran nine times on Drag Week, and we've watched as the beautifully restored A-body has steadily progressed from high 13's to mid 11's. His 11.583-115.7 blast at Union Grove would be the Dart GTS' quickest ever on Drag Week.

And that with a car WITHOUT a cowl hood! You are really making me regret not getting up there...

Always interesting to see what happens with all the other guys on the trip, I am so zoned in my my junk I miss lots of the action.

While most of the Street Machine Eliminator group were trying to make their first run count, so they could move on to Cordova, several were getting their proverbial wrists slapped for running too quick.
Adalie's first pass in the Falcon Wagon on spray was a stout 9.91-135.7, which would look real cool in the scrap book, but she couldn't turn it in for her official run. The same result was in store for Hemi Joel and the drop-top GTX, as he went 13.45-102, and would need another pass to turn in that was slower than the cut-off of 13.50.

I usually search the internet far and wide to find pictures to include in my story, and one observation I thought was appropriate for Drag Week was Dan Smith's 79 Chrysler 300. Sunday tech, through Tuesday at Indy, it's difficult to find pictures of the late B-body anywhere as it was flying completely under the collective Drag Week radar. After the accident on the way to Wisconsin that left the passenger's fender shoved back 18 inches, there are ten times as many photos of the white beast available!

Dan's 11.51-115.6 at Great Lakes left him on the Street Machine Eliminator quick 32 bump spot after the three days, and the only car of the 32 over the 11.50 cut-off for no-bar cars.

Comparing the photo from the second checkpoint to those at the track the next day, it appears that Dan and his crew had spent a few hours in the parking lot of the motel messaging the front end back into working order.

John managed the uphill burnout with nary a problem, and the 69 Valiant hooked hard and went 10.95-121.32 in the left lane. Immediately behind John in the left lane was the 69 Valiant of Kevin Webb. While John's white version has never been called a show car, in direct comparison with Kevin's yellow one, well...John's is pretty darn nice!!

Kevin's method of getting noticed at Drag Week began last year with his silver 72 El-Camino. His program is to sit in the burnout box and annihilate the tires for the gratuity of the fans, and while the Australian contingent would consider him a rank amateur, it makes his thirteen second cars unforgettable. The small block powered, six pack scooped Valiant went 13.77 at 99 mph at Great Lakes, Kevin's best pass of Hot Rod Drag Week 2015.

The man certainly had absolutely no regard for his tires!

Or transmissions as they had to change out the overdrive transmission halfway. That Valiant is was so beat up it looked like it was used as a logging truck. But you have to give them proper respect the car completed where a lot of others failed.

He drove it out from Newark Oklahoma also, pretty big accomplishment in an old car regardless of ET

I guess he must have been changing tires the way it
sounds like he fried them... but to each his own..
I dont care if he fried the tires at each track as
long as they were still safe to run on.. its his money

Ross Dudley's Yellow 68 Road Runner was spared the need for multiple runs at Great Lakes, when Ross nailed an 11.514-118.8, that would leave them in 35th place on the Street Machine Eliminator quick 32 list...achingly close, but so far away!

The Three Shelby Dodge Turbo four cylinders made their debut attempts at the GLD tarmac next, and while the red Daytona, and the silver Shadow would join the ranks of one pass and done, the back Omni GLH of James Reeves would struggle with the launch, and return for another hit at the very tail end of the Street Machine session.

Billy, I think my stomach would hurt from laughing at you guys all week. Before Drag Week we planned on staying late at the track every day but I was really sick and just wanted to get to the next place asap. I really couldn't look for the ET I was missing with the hood taped shut. Ill never do that again

Hold you to that next year.

Now, granted, I'm far from an accomplished writer, and while I hope most of you enjoy my attempts to give you an inside, blow by blow account of Drag Week, occasionally I like to hit zoom out and give a broader view. The problem is, I simply don't have the literary tools required to do that seamlessly within the context of the chronological story. I've spent a full month of my life on Drag Weeks, and every single one of those days was uniquely different. The event, from the competitors, the track officials, the Drag Week crew, to the Hot Rod crew, and even the spectators, often forces us to adjust on the fly, to situations barely within our grasp to control.

One of the underlying themes that came to the forefront at Union Grove, was the pressure on the organizers to "put on a good show". If you've done a great deal of drag racing, you've undoubtedly, at some point, found yourself at a "show" that features jet cars, or nitro Harleys, or funny cars, playing to a packed house, and the local bracket guys suddenly become filler. To their credit, the guiding hands of the Drag Week event have studiously avoided that vibe, carefully treading between the need to promote the record shattering unlimited cars in their media outlets, while projecting a feeling among the competitors that we are 300 street cars, all in this together. It's a tightrope, and as Drag Week has grown and evolved from 40 cars, with an eight second champ to 350 cars with a top ten in the six and seven second range, it becomes more difficult to traverse with each passing year.

To peel back the curtain a little, I've been blessed with a darn near photographic memory, which allows me to go back and pull minute details, feelings, and sounds, from my past. But, like any library or pc, I need markers, and tabs to find my place, so I consult the pictures I've collected and the route sheets to take me mentally back to the point in time I wish to immerse myself in. Another awesome tool at my disposal are the replays of the live feed which has been vital to growing the event over the past three years.
Great Lakes Dragaway is a well oiled machine, with a veteran crew that knows how to put cars down the track in a quick, efficient manner. So it was odd to hear David Freiburger discreetly implore the track starter to slow things up from their usual cadence, "We need to allow the set of cars on the track to hit the finish line, before the next set start their burnout" he spoke quietly into the handset, then paused, "it's for the live feed camera crew" he explained apologetically. So, suddenly, it became less about how can we get as many passes as possible for each competitor in the time alloted, and more about feeding the beast that provides the impetus for the event as a whole. Just for the record...I'm OK with that.

The second part of this equation, this tightrope, has to do with the handling of those Drag Weekers who feel that their single digit ET slips entitle them to preferential treatment. In the early years, they were simply given their own lane, and allowed to cut in when they were ready to run. That model of operation was clearly outgrown by 2011, and 2012 nearly saw a few fist fights as some of the fast guys tried to muscle ahead of people who had yet to get a chance at a run. The divided session concept debuted with great success in 2013 (after I strongly lobbied for it on Bangshift following the 2012 debacle!! I'll regale you with my tales of Al Gore and I inventing the internet together later). While the class session, followed by a Daily Driver/SME session program helped immensely, it still didn't address the upper crust cars, and how to allow them quick access, on demand, to the track. Far brighter individuals than I devised a little tax shelter called "IMPOUND". From the outset, this arrangement sounded quite punitive. Impound is a reserved area for cars quicker than 8.50 which are top three in their respective class. When in impound, only the driver and passenger are allowed to work on the car, or supply parts for the car. So, it seems like a way for the Drag Week technical staff to keep a close eye on these guys to make sure they are legit street cars, right? I agree completely, and it has been a huge success, but allow me to flip this impound coin over and look at the other side...cars in impound have their own lane and immediate access to the head of the staging lanes...wow, see what they did there! It's not Alcatraz...it's a Country Club! For the record, once again, I'm OK with that.

Now that I've bored you to tears with that explanation, let me get back to Union Grove, and the "Show". The only time our boys in impound don't have access to the lanes, is during the Street Machine Eliminator session. At Great Lakes Dragaway, with a packed house of spectators, a record number of live feed viewers, and a large contingent of Impound cars who hadn't made a hit at all in the first class car group, even that small concession was beginning to chafe and gald, both on the duo in the booth, and the hitters in their gilded cage.
Not even twenty minutes into the middle, Street Machine Eliminator session, in between introducing the cars on the track and calling out ET's, Brian Lohnes began plugging the action in impound and giving accounts of who looked as though they were ready to run. Clearly the directive was given to end this session as quickly as possible, so they could roll out the big guns for the crowd. Thirty-seven minutes after the first set of Street Machine Eliminator cars started their burnout, the Gold 79 Le Mans of David Burke was spotted approaching the head of the lanes, since he was in the first four cars to go in this group, this gave the lane director the ammunition he needed and the call was given to close the back of the SME lanes. Seventeen minutes later James Reeves' Omni closed out the fifty-four minute whirlwind little guys party as Bailey's Sick Second 2.0 sat quietly waiting as the first car in the final open session, after a quick track cleanup!

Billy
If I may a quick impound story. On the final day of Drag Week 2013 I was # 33 on the outside looking in at #32 wondering how I was going to make it in. When I drove into the pits that morning deep in thought Keith Turk flagged me down and shouted " you into impound ". I just stared at him for a moment and then said " what are you crazy you known I"m a daily driver" " don't argue with me into impound". I just smiled, shrugged my shoulders and took one of the best pit spots in the place between Rick Prospero and Mike Crow.
I promptly unloaded my car, opened the headers, put on my tires and drove to the gate. The class cars were already running but the gate keeper must have had his orders because he opened up and gave me lane choice before the next class car was allowed up.
Well you can imagine how that went over. Next thing I know I have Keith in my face wanting to know what in the hell I was doing and that he had guys jumping all over him to stop me. I nicely explained to him the rules for impound and even went so far as to remind him that if he had given me a chance I would have told him about the position he was putting himself in when he ordered me into impound. First time I had ever seen him lost for words.
It was fun and I did the run just to get a rise out of him and it worked.