PEAK Team Somberly Continues on at Maple Grove

Courtesy of Rich Bailey

Duane Shields and the PEAK Racing Team usually have a great weekend with a large following of friends and fans at the Auto-Plus NHRA Nationals in Reading, PA. But this time it was a somber event at Maple Grove Raceway because it was their first race back on the tour since losing their long time teammate, Ralph Freeman, who peacefully passed away in his sleep two weeks ago.  “This was our first race back without Ralph and we really missed him a lot.” Duane said.

On Saturday night, a memorial was held in the pits for east coast racers and between 75 to 100 people showed up to say goodbye to a well-respected member of the Top Alcohol Dragster fraternity. At the Las Vegas Nationals there will be another memorial for west coast racers. That event is also planned for Saturday night.

One of the high points on the racing side was that the team hung in there and got the PEAK A/Fuel Dragster into the show. After all, seven very good teams did not make the solid sixteen car field. Duane qualified sixteenth with a 5.52 at 256 MPH. “We were number 9 after the first session, then we moved to 10th after the second, and then in the final qualifying session we smoked the tires and dropped to 16th so it didn’t put us in a very good position going into the first round,” he said.

In round one, Duane took on number one qualifier Brandon Booher, from Urbana IL. Booher ran a 5.30, so it would be a challenge, but not insurmountable to beat him. As the lights came down on the Christmas tree, Duane got the starting line advantage with an 0.54 to Booher’s 0.59 but Booher was able to overpower Shields and take a narrow lead and then maintained it all the way to the finish line.

Duane emphasized that qualifying higher would have allowed the team to advance into the next round. “We would have won the match up with number 2, 3, or 4 qualifier, so it’s just how the circumstances worked out. But I was glad to see Robin Samsel win his first ever national event. We will now move on to Vegas to try a whole new engine combination and test some other new things to get ready for 2014”

Duane would like to thank his sponsors PEAK Motor Oil, PEAK Antifreeze, Herculiner Truck Bed Liners, Blue DEF Diesel Exhaust Fluid and FINAL Charge Heavy Duty Truck Antifreeze, GRP Connecting Rods, NGK Spark Plugs, Molinari Race Products and Shortline Markets for their support.

Ralph Freeman Memorial

Ralph was born and raised in San Diego, California where he retired as a roofing contractor after selling his business. He was preceded in death by his father, mother, and sister, George, Edna Mae, and Laurie. He is survived by his twin brothers, Larry and Gary Freeman. After his retirement from roofing, he went to work as a machinist working on drive line and transmission components for race cars.

In high school, Ralph was a baseball player that was driven to win. He was competitive in all his activities. Cars and racing were a huge part of Ralph’s life. He was heavily involved in NHRA drag racing. It was there, as an owner, he was a two-time Super Comp Champion. He moved from that class to become one of the pioneering crew members in A/Fuel racing, where he worked as a clutch specialist. With Chess Bushey, and Rick Henkelman, he continued winning, collecting several Wallys along the way. In 2011, as part of Duane Shields’ racing operation, he won the Top Alcohol Dragster National Championship. It was in 2012, while being the crew chief for Duane, Ralph got his final National event win, the biggest race in the series, the U.S. Nationals.

Ralph Freeman brought laughter to this world, and touched many lives around him with his humor. He always had a way of telling it like it was, in the most comical of ways. A fierce racer he way, but his friends always came first. He enjoyed his time with the people he considered his family, living life to its fullest.

Ralph will forever be in our hearts, missed, but never forgotten. He was a true CHAMPION! A BIG guy with a BIG heart.

 

Samsel, Noakes Win First NHRA Titles at Maple Grove

Courtesy of Todd Veney/Pro Sportsman Association
Photos courtesy of David Smith

At the Auto-Plus NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway, veteran Robin Samsel won his first NHRA title of any kind in Top Alcohol Dragster and Canadian Paul Noakes did likewise in Top Alcohol Funny Car.

Samsel, a soft-spoken 64-year-old great-grandfather from Marion, Ind., who has been racing Top Alcohol Dragsters since 1996, had two previous final-round appearances, both runner-ups in regional/divisional competition, including one earlier this year. In his first national event final, Samsel produced one of the best reaction times of his career, a .020, to get the drop on Brandon Booher, who is known for his lights but had just a .083 that time. Any other light Booher had all weekend – or any other run with that .083 reaction time – would have been enough to win, but he slowed from his earlier 5.30s to a 5.51 and fell short of Samsel's 5.56 by seven-thousandths of a second as both drivers made by far their slowest runs of eliminations.

Booher qualified No. 1 with a 5.30 that held up all weekend for low e.t. With a 5.37, Samsel wasn't far behind and qualified a career-high third behind Booher's 5.30 and defending event champ Bill Reichert's 5.31.

Heading into the final, Booher, who ran nothing but 5.30s and had a worst reaction time of .059, clearly had the upper hand. Booher, who won his first national event title in Charlotte and is third in the national standings, erased 2011 world champ Duane Shields, Canadian Jeff Veale (who set top speed with an outstanding 274.11-mph charge), and 2013 East Region champion Dan Page with times of 5.33, 5.30, and 5.36.

Samsel was just as consistent but about a tenth back with 5.47, 5.44, and 5.49 wins over Doug Foley, Richard Bourke, and friend Rich McPhillips, respectively. Bourke's full-tenth holeshot in round two made Samsel's margin of victory just two-thousandths of a second.

"This is unbelievable," Samsel said after winning the final in a race nearly as tight as the second-round match with Bourke. "I owe it to my kid [Tony]. He's always there and he's the one who makes it all happen."

In Top Alcohol Funny Car, Noakes also earned his first NHRA win, also on a final-round holeshot, with a close 5.61 to 5.59 win over Mickey Ferro, who had taken out Frank Manzo in the semifinals. Ferro had a decent .076 reaction time, but Noakes had him all the way with a .035.

"I actually saw a lot of yellow that time," Noakes said. "I didn't think it was that good."  It's his seventh major win, including six IHRA titles in 10 career final-round appearances, highlighted by a 2007 win in Grand Bend, Ont. "That probably meant a little more to me because my whole family and everybody's family there," he said, "but this is big."

With a 5.62 in the final qualifying session, Noakes qualified No. 2 behind Manzo, who had won 12 of the past 13 national events at Maple Grove and who paced the field by nearly a tenth with a 5.53. Noakes, who came within a few thousandths of beating Manzo in the final here last year, put away John Fiorini, who was making his first appearance all year, in with a 5.72 in round one. His Les Mellows-tuned Meritor/Euclid Mustang was the picture of consistency on Sunday with times of 5.62, 5.60, and 5.61 against Fred Tigges in round two, Todd Veney in the semi's, and Ferro in the final.

Ferro, who was runner-up to Manzo in Charlotte in his only other start since May, picked up from 5.60s on Friday and Saturday to three consecutive .50s on Sunday. A 5.57 took out 2013 East Region champion John Anderika in round two, a 5.58 upset nemesis Manzo in the semi's, and a 5.59 left him 28-thousandths of a second short of Noakes in the final.

"A .076 light?" Ferro said. "That sucks. You need to be in the .030s or .040s in the final. I knew I had to cut a light that time, and that's what I was thinking about going up there. You shouldn't be thinking about anything. I never saw him, but I had a feeling I lost on a holeshot. I never saw my win-light on, but when I went around the corner, they waved me over to the side where the winners go to be interviewed, and I thought, 'Thank God.' Then they pointed me back over to the other side and it was just a kick in the gut."

 

Booher's Auto-Plus Nationals Goals Include Records, Round Wins

Courtesy of NVW Motorsports Promotion
Photo courtesy of NVW MP

MOHNTON, Penn. (October 1) – The upcoming Auto-Plus Nationals will play an important role in how Illinois-based Top Alcohol Dragster team Booher Racing wraps up their break-out 2013 season. A win at the record-setting Reading event would keep the team’s national championship hopes alive. Driver and tuner Brandon Booher has more on his mind, though. He wants to leave Maple Grove Raceway with the title of first torque converter car in the five-twenties.

“Reaching the 5.2s is definitely one of our goals for the weekend. I would settle for another national event victory instead, but hopefully we can get both. I have to put more personal importance on the 5.2 pass. No one ever thought that a torque converter car would run in the thirties. There are very few blown cars in the country that can run in the twenties, let alone one with a torque converter,” said Brandon, who became the first torque converter-equipped race car in the 5.3-second range when he ran a 5.39 at 266 MPH in eliminations at this event in 2011.

The goal certainly isn’t out of reach. Brandon has the AB Construction entry running in the low five-thirties consistently lately, going as low as a career-best 5.320 at 275 MPH at Charlotte just weeks ago, also the site of his first national event win.

“On the other side, a win here would fuel the fire as to whether or not this team is heading out west to Vegas and Pomona. If we won out the rest of the national events, we would be a serious national title contender,” Booher added.

Brandon and his family-owned AB Construction/Torque Management team are also in regional championship contention. Though Brandon currently leads the North Central region points, challenger Bill Reichert could go around to take the title if he wins either of the two remaining Lucas Oil Series regional events, including one in Noble, Oklahoma, also held this weekend. Booher has three regional event wins on his side.

A win at the Auto-Plus Nationals will not be easy, as over twenty Top Alcohol Dragster teams from around the Midwest and east coast are entered.

“I think this year’s field could reset the record for the quickest Top Alcohol Dragster field in history,” Booher claimed. “There are 24 cars entered. A lot of those cars can run in the thirties and I could see at least four or five running in the twenties. Winning a race with a field like that would be a true accomplishment.”

TAD qualifying at the Auto-Plus NHRA Nationals, Oct. 4-6, at Maple Grove Raceway, is scheduled for 11:30 AM and 4:30 PM on Friday and 1 PM Saturday. First round of eliminations will be at 4 PM Saturday afternoon. Eliminations continue on Sunday.

Booher Racing is a Champaign, Illinois-based Top Alcohol Dragster team, competing in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. Former Junior Dragster driver Brandon Booher pilots the family-owned AB Construction blown alcohol dragster. The team owns the world record for quickest and fastest converter-equipped TAD. Booher Racing receives support from Motorsports Unlimited, Goodson Tools, Spitzer Race Cars, Bell Helmets, Torque Management. To learn more about Booher Racing, please visit www.nitronate.com/booher.

For news and results throughout the 2013 season, follow Booher Racing on Facebook (www.facebook.com/booherracing) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/booherracing).

Maddern Racing Reaches 6th Consecutive Final in Maple Grove

Courtesy of THR5 Communications
Photo courtesy of the Pro Sportsman Association/David Smith

Mohnton, PA – Chris Demke made it to the Top Alcohol Dragster final at Maple Grove Raceway and lost to Bill Reichert. That’s what the scoreboard said at the end of the day. It may be harsh, but the story of how they got there is a testament to the spirit of the crew of Maddern Racing and their fellow racers. Twice during the weekend there was a thrash to rebuild the car. Without the assistance of many strong-handed friends, the Maddern Racing Team would have been done for. 

After qualifying in the second position, Demke was paired up against Karen Stalba in the first round. A stellar 5.263/269.73 dispatched of Stalba but past the finish line something went wrong. “What I felt wasn’t good,” said Demke. “When we got back to the pits we had a ton of work to do. Due to the weather, second round was the same day and time was tight. We would have never made it without the help from a couple of Top Alcohol Funny Car teams. The guys from the Pomponio TAFC Team and Micky Ferro’s Team all pitched in and we were able to make the call for the second round.” 

The Peen Rite / OSI / 801 Racing Dragster responded to all the attention and produced a clean 5.268/272.06 run to get the win over Frank Schuster’s 5.446/262.59. The thundering 272.06 speed was top speed of the event and it was on to the semi-finals. Foul weather forced the cancellation of Sunday’s racing. Monday’s conditions saw a cool and tight racetrack begging for horsepower. The opportunity to go fast was on everyone’s mind. The car in the other lane was also a concern as the reigning champ Duane Shields was the Maddern Racing Team’s semifinals opponent. At the flash of the tree, Demke got the holeshot and Shields went up in tire smoke. The Maddern Racing Dragster was blasting down the race track until about half-track the blower let go. Demke crossed the finish line for the win with a 6.228/133.63 time and once again a broken racecar. Thrash number two was just about to begin. Crew Chief Jerry Maddern assembled the troops and Kevin Watson, Michael Demke, Ronald Mann, and clutchguy/tuner Adam Rhoades responded. They wheeled the car to the staging lanes for a sixth consecutive final round and a match up with number three in points Bill Reichert.

“It was like Candy Land out there,” added Demke. “The ambient temperature was forty-eight to fifty degrees. That produced an air density of around negative two-hundred feet. We all had high expectations.”   

Demke did his job on the starting line and grabbed the lead. Things were looking great until the supercharger decided to celebrate early and do a little dance. The chutes came out and Reichert blasted by with a 5.286/268.12 pass to take the win. With that victory, Reichert moved up in the national point standings to the second slot. 

With a string of fast times, winning rounds, and broken parts behind them, the Maddern Racing Team move on to the Vegas Regional race. After that, it’s a trip to the World Finals at Pomona. At their home track they will look to take back that second place spot. The Maddern Racing crew live life to the fullest and they love Drag Racing and going fast. Last weekend’s national event at Maple Grove Raceway involved a whole lot more. They have friends in the pits willing to help out at a moment’s notice, and the spirit of champions. 

...

About Peen Rite - Your source for quality shot peening, glass bead, and abrasive blasting services for over 45 years. We provide low cost solutions, high volume capacity, and a superior level of quality control. Equipped with many specialty machines designed to handle the cleaning and surface preparation for a wide variety of work pieces. PEEN-RITE gives you the ability to stay within your job cost estimation! 

Operational Solutions will challenge itself on a daily basis to provide a unique advanced technical service to our customers. Our team will work to identify the problem, procure the necessary parts, and implement the solution. We will accomplish this with an expertise and professionalism unparalleled in the PET bottle industry. Operational Solutions provides products and services for the PET blow molding industry.  We are the leading independent service and support organization for SIDEL, SIG, and Krones blow molding. We serve customers around the world from our facilities in Kansas City, Missouri and France. Visit us at: www.operationalsolutions.com

We believe true happiness comes from blazing down the blacktop with the pedal to the metal and our hair on fire. The whiter our knuckles get, the better. If it were up to us, cars wouldn't even have brakes, just two gas pedals. It's this never-ending need for speed that drives everything we do. We spend countless hours in the lab and lying awake at night plotting and planning how to get more speed by any means possible. After decades of research and innovation, we've developed a complete line of performance and car care products designed to ensure that your ride lives up to its potential on the street and on the track.  We know what you want. We got what you need. We are 801 Racing.  For more information on 801 racing, please visit: www.801Racing.com

TAN

Duane Shields Makes it to Semifinals at Maple Grove

Courtesy of Rich Bailey

Reading PA - Duane Shields had a respectable showing at the 28th annual Auto-Plus NHRA Nationals. The race held at Maple Grove Raceway holds a special place for Duane, who drives the PEAK Motor Oil sponsored A/Fuel Dragster. “Other than the rain, we love racing at Maple Grove Raceway because we have a big fan base here” Duane said. 

In qualifying, Duane didn’t disappoint his loyal Maple Grove fans as he qualified sixth with a strong 5.39 at 266 MPH. 

In the opening round of eliminations, Duane took on Marty Thacker. Unfortunately for Thacker, he left the line early which automatically gave the win to the PEAK Motor Oil team. Duane posted a 5.36 at 265 MPH on the run.

Moving on to the second round, Duane was matched up against Richard Bourke. At the hit, Duane was out of the gate first with a 0.033 to Bourke’s 0.078. Duane would end up winning the round at both ends of the track with a 5.31 at 264 MPH to Bourke’s close 5.34 at 263 MPH. 

In the semi-final round, Duane faced fellow west coast racer Chris Demke. As the lights of the tree came down, Duane’s car lost traction at the step, and then the throttle hung open, keeping him from trying to regain traction.  Duane was able to close the throttle by pulling it back with his foot but by this time Demke was long gone even though he popped the blower at 1000 feet. “We were disappointed that we lost the round considering Demke banged the blower. That’s the first time the throttle has ever hung open. We thought we were really making some headway and we were happy with how the car ran. It’s a fine line, we didn’t want to overpower the track so we took some power out of the tune up. We just took too much power out” Duane explained. 

Duane would like to thank his sponsors: PEAK Motor Oil, PEAK Antifreeze, Herculiner Truck Bed Liners, Blue DEF Diesel Exhaust Fluid and FINAL Charge Heavy Duty Truck Antifreeze, GRP Connecting Rods, NGK Spark Plugs, Molinari Race Products, Sierra Ice and Shortline Markets for their support.

TAN

Chris Demke Has Fast Ideas For Maple Grove

Courtesy of THR5 Communications
Photo courtesy of the Pro Sportsman Association

Mohnton, PA – This weekend will mark the first time that Chris Demke has been to Maple Grove Raceway. It is also the farthest east that the Maddern Racing Team have ever raced. There are no worries about geography as the Peen Rite/ OSI / 801 Racing Team has physics on their mind. To be more specific, they want to go fast. 

Maple Grove is the place to go fast and that is plan for this race. Demke has a history of going fast, and not only in a Top Alcohol Dragster. In high school, Demke ran both track and cross country.  In fact, he still holds the Verdugo Hills High School record of 52.5 in the 440 yard dash. In case you were wondering, the 440 is a quarter mile. That time may not win any Drag Races, but fast is a state of mind. 

“I’ve got fast on the brain,” said Demke. “Maple Grove is a tight track and if the weather cooperates it will be amazing. That is why so many top times have been run here. I just want to go out and run hard the way I know we can.”

Besides going fast, the Maddern Racing Team has their sights on the number two spot in National points. The two are intertwined. As the season winds down, the points gained at every event are critical. They are on this mega road trip east for points and a trophy. To accomplish both, Crew Chief Jerry Maddern will rely on the knowledge and insight of this year’s racing, a rock-solid crew, and a long history of rapid acceleration. The go-fast gang of Kevin Watson, Michael Demke, Ronald Mann, and clutchguy/tuner Adam Rhoades are fueled up and ready for action. The fast syndrome is with them also, but with an eye on safety and going rounds. 

“I am excited about finishing out the season strong,” added Demke. “My guys have given me a great racecar all year long and at a track like Maple Grove I can enjoy the benefits of their hard work.”

This weekend, Chris Demke will be wearing a helmet and firesuit instead of a high school track uniform and running spikes.  The concept is the same. Go fast. It been mentioned that Chris Demke and the Maddern Racing Team want to go fast. Here’s a few more just for Maple Grove Raceway. Fast, fast, fast, fast, fast, and fast.

...

About Peen Rite - Your source for quality shot peening, glass bead, and abrasive blasting services for over 45 years. We provide low cost solutions, high volume capacity, and a superior level of quality control. Equipped with many specialty machines designed to handle the cleaning and surface preparation for a wide variety of work pieces. PEEN-RITE gives you the ability to stay within your job cost estimation! 

Operational Solutions will challenge itself on a daily basis to provide a unique advanced technical service to our customers. Our team will work to identify the problem, procure the necessary parts, and implement the solution. We will accomplish this with an expertise and professionalism unparalleled in the PET bottle industry. Operational Solutions provides products and services for the PET blow molding industry.  We are the leading independent service and support organization for SIDEL, SIG, and Krones blow molding. We serve customers around the world from our facilities in Kansas City, Missouri and France. Visit us at: www.operationalsolutions.com

We believe true happiness comes from blazing down the blacktop with the pedal to the metal and our hair on fire. The whiter our knuckles get, the better. If it were up to us, cars wouldn't even have brakes, just two gas pedals. It's this never-ending need for speed that drives everything we do. We spend countless hours in the lab and lying awake at night plotting and planning how to get more speed by any means possible. After decades of research and innovation, we've developed a complete line of performance and car care products designed to ensure that your ride lives up to its potential on the street and on the track.  We know what you want. We got what you need. We are 801 Racing.  For more information on 801 racing, please visit: www.801Racing.com

TAN

Permatex/Follow A Dream Team Heads to Maple Grove for Season Finale

Courtesy of Jay Blake

Marstons Mills, MA - Fresh off back-to-back victories at regional events and consecutive semifinal finishes in national event competition, Jay Blake's Permatex/Follow A Dream Top Alcohol Funny Car team heads to Maple Grove Raceway for the final race of the season, the Auto Plus Nationals. In each of the last two years, driver Todd Veney made his quickest run ever in the first round of eliminations at this event – 5.549 in 2010 and 5.548 last year.

"I'm excited about this race," said Blake, who will be in the area days in advance to speak to students at the Universal Technical Institute. "The weather's supposed to be good this year, and we're looking forward to another great weekend. It's really been a good year, and we want to end it on a great note."

Qualifying sessions are scheduled for 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. Friday and 1:30 Saturday, and the first round of eliminations is slated to go off at 4:30 Saturday afternoon. The event will be televised on ESPN2 Sunday, October 14 at 2 p.m. Eastern.

 "The air is usually killer at Maple Grove at this time of the year, so maybe we can run another all-time best this year," Veney said. "We won our last race in 2012 and got runner-up at the last one of 2011, so hopefully we can close the year out with another win."

TAN

Kon Rodz Wrapping Up 2012 Season in Reading

Courtesy of NVW Motorsports Promotion
Photos courtesy of Kon Rodz Racing

READING, Penn. (October 3, 2012) – This weekend’s Auto-Plus Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway will be the final stop on the Kon Rodz Racing 2012 tour. The Maple, Ontario, Canada-based Top Alcohol Funny Car team experienced a breakout season with driver Cassie Simonton behind the wheel.

Simonton’s season started at the Gatornationals in March, where the team struggled in qualifying and eliminations, despite strong results in preseason testing. They bounced back at the next race in Charlotte, qualifying #3 with career-best numbers in E.T. and speed. The next national event on tour, the Route 66 Nationals in Chicago, saw Simonton qualify #7 in a field full of heavy hitters. There she drove past three Top 10 cars before falling in her first final round to class legend Frank Manzo. The Kon Rodz team proved themselves to be contenders the following weekend in Norwalk, qualifying #3 and reaching the finals yet again. Cassie earned the #5 spot a couple months later at the U.S. Nationals, but didn’t make it past first round. Most recently, Simonton qualified the KonRodzRacing.com Monte Carlo #2 at the O’Reilly Nationals in Charlotte.

Cassie Simonton, crew chief Randy Anderson and the team impressed on the new regional circuit, as well. Qualifying proved to be their strong point, earning their first pole position in Chicago and taking #3 in Norwalk and Columbus.

Team owner Spiro Kontos and Cassie are proud to have the support of many quality companies, including Lucas Oil, NGK Spark Plugs, Goodson, BAE, and Goodyear Tire. Thanks also go to the dedicated, hard-working crew members who worked early mornings, hot days, and late nights during the season. The team is also extremely thankful for the support from the fans that have followed along online and trackside.

The whole 2012 season has been leading up to this final race. Providing the precipitation stays away, the conditions should make for some of the quickest runs all season. Times in the low 5.5s and even high 5.4s can be expected from the orange and purple Kon Rodz hot rod. If they can string together a few of those in eliminations, they just might be heading back to Canada with a season-ending Wally.

Cassie and the rest of the Top Alcohol Funny Car field will have two shots to qualify; 11:30 am and 3 pm on Friday. First round of eliminations will begin at 1 pm Saturday.

…

Kon Rodz Racing is a NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car team owned by Spiro Kontos, competing in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. 25-year old Cassie Simonton drives the team’s 3,000 horsepower Chevy Monte Carlo funny car. Spiro, Cassie, and the whole Kon Rodz Racing team would like to thank the following sponsors for their continued support: Lucas Oil, NGK Spark Plugs, Goodson, BAE, Goodyear Tire, Clevite, Mac Tools, Artist ButchM, ithreesixty Music Infused Apparel, and Flaming River Industries.

For more information on Kon Rodz Racing, please visit www.konrodzracing.com. Keep up with Cassie and the team on Facebook (www.facebook.com/konrodzracing) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/cassiesimonton and www.twitter.com/konrodzpr ).

TAN