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US 131 Motorsports Park Rolls to IHRA Division 5 Summit Team Finals Championship

Monday, 18 September 2017

Drivers from US 131 Motorsports Park certainly enjoyed the home track advantage in the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) Division 5 (Thunder) Summit Team Finals held last weekend at the Martin, Mich., facility.

US 131 rolled to an 89-58 win over runner-up Muncie Dragway in the competition that included some of the most iconic tracks in the Midwest.

Other tracks who participated were: Bunker Hill Dragstrip, Central Illinois Dragway, Cordova International Raceway, Eddyville Raceway Park, Grand Bend Motorplex, Great Lakes Dragaway, Marion County International Raceway, Osecola Dragway, St. Thomas Raceway Park, Ubly Dragstrip, US 41 Motorplex and Wisconsin International Raceway

Leading up to the main event, racers participated in Gambler’s races and “best of” awards.

Click HERE for Event Photos

Main Event:

 

Top

Kip Burkhardt from US 131 Motorsports Park won on a holeshot with a .012 reaction time to a .054 for Christine Kirbitz, also from US 131. Burkhardt had a 4.88-second elapsed time at 136.78 mph against a 4.86 dial-in. Kirbitz matched her 4.87 dial-in and finished at 137.11 mph.

Mod

Another US 131 driver, Stan Jones Jr., won at the start with a .007 reaction time against a .089 for Nate Burns from Marion County International Raceway. Jones finished with a 5.75-second pass at 122.87 mph against a 5.69 dial-in. Burns posted a 6.44-second run at 106.53 mph against a 6.42 dial-in.

Street

In an all-US 131 final, Steve Mesik won despite a perfect start by Donnie Hagar. Mesik, who had a .012 reaction time, had an 8.10-second run at 81.82 mph against an 8.13 dial-in. Hagar went down the track in 8.77 seconds at 81.10 mph against an 8.84 dial-in.

Junior Dragster

Luke Schweimer, representing Grand Bend Motorplex, won the Junior Dragster title when final-round opponent Jordan Crowe from St. Thomas Raceway red-lighted. Schwemier finished with a 7.92 second run at 82.48 mph. Crowe matched his 9.11 dial-in time and posted a speed of 71.01 mph.

 

Other Results

Team Captains Race

Wisconsin International Raceway took honors with a 9.99-second run against a 9.97 dial-in, paired with a .055 reaction time. US 131 fouled at the start before a 9.66-second pass against a 9.60 dial-in.

 

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Friday’s Gambler’s Race

Top — Derek Degnitz (Wisconsin) 5.03 on a 5.02 dial-in, .023 reaction time defeated Keenan Conner (US 131) 5.13 on a 5.10 dial-in, .018 reaction time.

Mod — Tom Aretakis Jr. (Ubly) 6.38 on a 6.38 dial-in, .017 reaction time defeated Robert Long (Muncie) 6.18 on a 6.17 dial-in, .004 reaction time.

Junior — Connor McDonald (Grand Bend) 8.16 on an 8.13 dial-in, .039 reaction time defeated Lucas Boyd (Grand Bend) 7.89 on a 7.90 dial-in, .157 reaction time.

 

Sunday’s Gambler’s Race

Top — Scott Taylor (US 131) 4.71 on a 4.64 dial-in, .019 reaction time defeated Craig Vandersloot (US 131) 4.92 on a 4.84 dial-in, .026 reaction time.

Mod — Scott Overkamp (US 121) 6.00 on a 5.99 dial-in, .037 reaction time defeated Brian Fleenor (Marion County) 7.07 on a 7.08 dial-in, -.004 reaction time.

Junior — Jenna Osbourne (Muncie) 7.97 on a 7.97 dial-in, .030 reaction time defeated Samuel Peterson (US 131) 7.91 on a 7.90 dial-in, .028 reaction time.

 

Special Awards

  • Best Appearing Open Bodied Car — Greg Ruleau, Wisconsin International Raceway
  • Best Engineered Open Bodied Car — Jim Bayless, Grand Bend Motorplex
  • Best Appearing Full Bodied Car — Mark Howard, US 131 Motorsports Pak
  • Best Engineered Full Bodied Car — Randy O’Keefe, Wisconsin International Raceway
  • Best Appearing Junior Dragster — Tyler Jones, US 131 Motorsports Park
  • Best Engineered Junior Dragster — Kyler Martz, Osceola Dragway
  • Best Appearing Motorcycle — Shane Nance, Central Illinois Dragway
  • Best Engineered Motorcycle — Josie Brooks, Grand Bend Motorplex
  • Best Team Spirit — US 131 Motorsports Park
  • Best Appearing Sponsor Banner — Grand Bend Motorplex
  • Best Appearing Grandstands — Muncie Dragway
  • Best Appearing Team — Wisconsin International Raceway
  • Best Track of the Year — Ubly Dragway

Team Standings

1. US 131 Motorsports Park                             89

2. Muncie Dragway                                           58

3. Grand Bend Motorplex                                 49

4. Bunker Hill Dragstrip                                     39

5. Cordova International Raceway                    30

6. Osceola Dragway                                         28

7. Wisconsin International Raceway                 25

8. Marion County International Raceway          23

9. US 41 Motorplex                                          23

10. Saint Thomas Raceway                              19

11. Great Lakes Dragaway                               17

12. Eddyville Raceway Park                             12

13. Ubly Dragway                                             12

14. Central Illinois Dragway                              3

Click HERE for Event Photos

Last modified on Tuesday, 19 September 2017