Saturday night, on the first of September, 2018, the 2018 Crower Cup series came to a close at Barona 1/8th Mile Dragstrip in Lakeside, California. Going into the third and final race, Rick Reynolds had a commanding lead, with RJ Simrock, Todd Ferguson, and Paul Wagner having outside shots for the championship if Rick is eliminated early.

And there was good news on that front, as Rick dropped out early, entering the cash prize Gambler and making his way to the finals, matched up against Jeff Martin. Jeff's .085 reaction time wasn't bad, but Rick's .054 was better. And when Rick right on his dial, with a 5.933 E/T on a 5.93 dial, he made it impossible for Jeff to win. Jeff would break out, and Rick would take the Gambler cash prize.

The Gambler Final, with Rick Reynolds (Near) lined up against  Jeff Martin (Far)
That just left the Crower final, where each of the three competitors would make a push to the final, but Pedro Valadez's 81 Camaro and Noel Cuevas' “Mexican Hulk” 71 Camraro were the last men standing. Both racers were nearly even off the starting line. With no clear leader, it was just two drivers trying to get as close to their dial as possible...as both go too fast, breaking out. Pedro's 6.558 E/T was closer to his 6.26 dial, only breaking out by a scant 2 thousandths of a second, beating Noel's 6.448 E/T on a 6.47 dial, giving Pedro the Crower Cup win for the night

In the Crower final, Pedro Valadez (Near) lined up against Noel Cuevas (Far).

But when the points are added up, RJ, Todd, and Paul could not get enough of a push, as Rick Reynolds and his 66 Fairlane take the Crower Cup! Rick takes home a Wally and some Crower merchandise for his troubles.

Now, come back in two weeks on the 15th for the return of the Renegade, as well as Member Track Madness! Races start at 4PM. See you there!

What happens when the NHRA Summit, Top Fuel Dragsters, and an old fashioned Nitro shootout all get together in the same place? You get Saturday, July 21st at Barona 1/8th Mile Dragstrip in Lakeside California, where the Summit Series #7, SoCal Doorslammers, and the Prolight Series all shared the stage with the Fuel Altered Top Fuel Dragsters for a night full of intense racing action.


First, we'll go over the SoCal Doorslammers, and their 6.50, 5.90, 5.50, and Run What You Brung brackets, all heads up races with dials set to the same amount leading up to the Run What You Brung, which is a straight up fastest-to-the-line drag race.


In the 6.50 class, Noel Cuevas and his 71 Camaro was up against Steve Beck Sr and his 39 Chevy. Noel got off the line quicker, and that was enough for Steve to decide he had enough. Noel finished with a 6.506 on that 6.50 limit, while Steve didn't finish at all, giving Noel the 6.50 win.


Things got a little faster in the 5.90 bracket, as Rich Wood and Rick Reynolds dueled it out. Rich's .070 reaction time gave him a head start over Rick's .109, and it was enough of a head start to give Rich the win, making up for his slightly slower 6.020 E/T compared to Rick's 5.985.


Another gear faster: In the 5.50 bracket, Lary Middlebrook's 87 Corvette matched up against Tommy Azzarella's 64 Nova. In what was the closest race of the night, Lary had a 5 thousandth's of a second advantage off the line with a .024 compared to Tommy's .029, but Tommy's E/T was 5 thousandths of a second faster, with a 5.553 beating Lary's 5.558. The winner? By a matter of tens of thousandths of seconds, Lary's 125 MPH run would take the 5.50 win.


And finally, it was left to the Fastest of the Doorslammers: The Run What You Brung bracket. No limits, just a straight up drag race, with RJ Simrock's 70 Nova going up against Travers Scott's 85 Mustang. And while with no limits, it should come out to the fastest car wins, the true race was once again at the starting line. RJ's .08 second head start off of it beat out his .01 E/T lead, stacking together to give RJ and his 156 MPH machine the Run What You Brung win.


With the Doorslammers taken care of, it's a race for NHRA Gold that's next. The 7th race of the NHRA Summit series, with the Summit Motorcycles, Summit Sportsman, Summit Pro, and Summit Super Pro all up for grabs. The series goes back to traditional bracket racing, with both racers entering in a dial, and whoever is closest to their without their E/T going under taking the win.


In the Summit Motorcycle bracket, Joe Silva was up against Russ Collins Jr. Joe would be given a 2 second head start, having the slower bike. Both bikes were on their game as they got off the starting line, with Russ barely beating Joe out with a .006 reaction time compared to Joe's .009. In the end, it was Russ' 8.838 E/T on a 8.79 dial that'd get him the Summit Motorcycles win.


In the Summit Sportsman bracket Gary Harfield dueled David Puetz. Both were nearly perfectly even off the starting line, but Gary's 7.893 on a 7.89 dial beat out David's 7.673 on a 7.65 dial, giving him the Summit Sportsman win.


Next, to Summit Pro, where Rick Reynolds and his 66 Fairlane was matched up in the finals against Jeff Martin and his 74 Datsun. Rick's .035 reaction time gave him quite a head start over Jeff's .111, forcing Jeff to push his car as hard as he could. He finished with a 6.611 on a 6.63 dial, breaking out and giving Rick the Summit Pro win.


And finally, in the Summit Super Pro bracket, RJ Simrock and Noel Cuevas would meet up. Throughout the day, racers were getting absolutely insane reaction times within the hundredth of the second, but Noel broke that streak by a lone thousandth of a second. With a -.001 reaction time, Noel fouls out and gives RJ Simrock the Summit Super Pro win.


With Saturday's crazy runs over, everyone went home and waited for Sunday morning, where the NHRA Summit series would take a second shot. Sunday's sunny day served as a grand backdrop for the NHRA Summit Series #8.

In Sunday's Summit Motorcycle, Joe Silva had a second shot at the win, but Corey Wilcox's 06 Suzuki and his 6.008 E/T on a 6.00 dial would be too much for him, as Corey takes Sunday's Summit Motorcycle win.

The Summit Sportsman was a rematch of Saturday, as Gary Harfield met up with David Peutz once again. David would give it his all, but Gary's better reaction time and 8.044 E/T on a 7.99 dial was not getting beat today, giving Gary the Summit Sportsman Weekend Sweep.

Summit Pro came down to Noel Cuevos went up against Barry Brown. Barry's 66 Chevelle got a small head start with a .044 reaction time, but Noel's .050 reaction was still quick enough to secure the win while running a 6.672 E/T on his 6.67 dial, giving Noel Sunday's Summit Pro win.
​
And to wrap up a wild racing weekend, the Summit Super Pro brought back track favorite “Woody” Wood, as RJ Simrock came to try and give Woody an upset. RJ was faster off the line, but Woody's 6.614 E/T on a 6.50 would be enough to take the Summit Super Pro win, and wrap up this wild weekend of racing!

With this wild weekend done, our next event would be Friday, August 16th, when the track is open for all drivers to come and give their cars a test run, as starting at 2 PM, the track is open for test and tune. Then, on Saturday the 17th and Sunday the 18th, the NHRA Junior Dragsters are bringing the kids to the strip, starting at 10AM! See you there!

Jim "Woody" Wood, Near, against Craig Wesser in the Gambler final

In the Summit Motorcycle bracket, Joe Silva was looking to improve on his runner up performance on Saturday, while Corey Wilcox's 06 Suzuki was looking to take a Wally for itself. Of course, it's hard for Corey to get that Wally when he takes .260 seconds to get off the line. Such a gap gave Joe an easy ride to a 6.665 E/T on a 6.50 dial, and to the Summit Motorcycle win, complete with a new trophy to put on his rack.


In Summit Sportsman, Paul Wagner was looking for vengeance against Gary Harfield, but the memory of his bad .140 start haunted him dearly. Paul would be off by nearly .140 again, but this time it was too early. 132 thousandths of a second early, giving him the red light and gifting Gary Harfield the Wally and the Sportsman Sweep.


In the Summit Pro bracket, Noel Cuevas was taking a second shot at things, but Daniel Switzer wanted some NHRA gold of his own. And when Daniel starts off with a .002 reaction time, while Noel naps with a .114, it's not hard to guess who took the win. Daniel's 8.250 E/T on a 8.22 dial would take the win, and the Summit Pro Wally.

John Hildebrand (Far) against Todd Ferguson (Near) in the Summit Super Pro final


With the Summit done and gone, we look towards next week, when on Sunday, the 1st of July the Import Outlaws come to town, followed by the Crower Cup and AFX series continuing a week after on Saturday, July 8th. See you there!

The NHRA Summit hit Barona 1/8th Mile Dragstrip this April 14th and 15th, and they brought a friend! On Saturday, the SoCal Doorslammers series paid a visit as well, bringing it's own set of hard bracket racing down to the track!
​Saturday the 14th was a day filled with sunshine, warm weather, and hot racing. First, the NHRA Summit series took it's first shot at the weekend with it's Summit Motorcycle, Sportsman, Pro and Super Pro brackets.
In Summit Motorcycle, there was a family rivalry brewing as David Collins brought his 83 Kawasaki up against Russ Collins Jr's 08 Suzuki. Russ would be going first, being given nearly 3 seconds of a head start, but all that meant here was that David did not need to do anything at all, as Russ left 4 hundredths of a second early, fouling out and giving David the Summit Motorcycle win.

David Collins, before making a run on his way to winning Saturday's Summit Motorcycle bracket.
In the Summit Sportsman, Kyle Phillips was aiming for the top, but David Peutz and his 68 Firebird was in his way. Kyle was eager to get a good reaction time, but he was a little too eager:launching 24 thousandths of a second early and fouling out, giving David Peutz the Summit Sportsman win.

David Puetz's 68 Firebird, burning out before a run for Summit Sportsman.
Summit Pro was next, with RJ Simrock bringing his high wheeling 70 Nova to the finals, where he'd meet up with Daniel Switzer's 15 Mustang. No red lights or break outs would befall these two, as both racers finish clean. Both got to a good start, but RJ had a small advantage, getting a .051 reaction time compared to Daniel's .080, giving RJ 29 thousandths of a second of an advantage. He would need them, as Daniel finished with a 8.290 E/T on his 8.28 dial. But, those 29 thousandths combined with a 6.410 E/T on a 6.38 dial, he was .081 thousandths of a second away from a perfect race, beating Daniel's .090 margin by a scant 9 thousandths, just barely getting the win light and the Summit Pro win.

One of RJ Simrock's signature wheelies, on his way to winning Summit Pro

And to wrap up Saturday's Summit Series, the Super Pro bracket came down to Noel Cuevas's 71 Camaro and David Butler's 74 Vegas. Both racers got off the line quick, and went down the track quicker... too quick. Both drivers would go under their dial and break out, but Noel's 6.443 was closer to their 6.38 dial than Daniel's 6.711 was to their 6.77 dial, giving Noel the lesser breakout, and the Summit Super Pro win!

Noel Cuevas' 71 Camaro, wheeling while launching off the line.


The Summit series would run again on Sunday, but Saturday wasn't done yet! The So Cal Doorslammers had to make their runs. They had 4 categories of their own, based on the set in dials: the 6.50 bracket, the 5.90 bracket, the 5.50 bracket, and the no limits, heads up racing of the Race What You Brung bracket!


Starting with the 6.50, track regulars Jim “Woody” Wood and RJ Simrock were ready to run. Both dials were matched at 6.50, thus when the lights dropped it was all about trying to get down the track as fast as you can without going under... however, both racers were a little too fast for their britches here. Woody's 6.471 was closer to 6.50 than RJ's 6.434, thus giving Woody the 6.50 win.

In the 6.50, Woody took the win with a few good jumps like this.
In the 5.90 bracket, Don Ruble Jr's 67 Nova would meet with Dennis Roach's 69 Chevelle. The heads up lights would drop, but Don would launch a hundredth of a second early, getting the red light and gift wrapping the 5.90 win to Dennis Roach.

​In the 5.90, Dennis Roach (Near) went up against Don Ruble Jr. (Far)


We're getting faster as we go along, as we go from the 100 MPH beasts of the 5.90s to the 120+s of the 5.50s! Joe Bernier's 72 Vega was no slouch, but Tommy Azzarella's 64 Nova thought it was even faster. And it was, as it rocketed down the track at 127 MPH. But it'd finish with a 5.492 E/T, going under the required 5.50 dial and breaking out, giving Joe Bernier the 5.50 win.

Joe Bernier burning out before a run in the 5.50 bracket.And now, for the fastest cars of Saturday, the no-dial in, heads up, no limits Run What You Brung bracket. Jorge Luna's 93 Probe wanted a shot of high speed glory, but Travers Scott's 85 Mustang thought it was one better. The lights dropped, and Jorge's Probe fired off, crossing the finish line with a 4.851 E/T, going 143.97 MPH... but Travers' Mustang hit 149.60 MPH, and crossed the line 4 hundredths of a second earlier, giving Travers' the Run What You Brung win, wrapping up a fast night of So Cal Doorslammers!

Jorge Luna (Left) against Travers Scott (Right) in the Run What You Brung final.
But the NHRA Summit was back on Sunday the 15th, and they brought another batch of their fast NHRA racing. The Summit Motorcycles, Pro, Super Pro, and Sportsman was there, as well as the return of the Gambler, where eliminated racers can enter for a chance at a cash prize.


For said Gambler bracket, it came down to Lee Sweiter's 92 Mustang and George Rodgers' 65 Chevy Malibu. George got a good start off the line with a .066 R/T, but Lee felt a little more dangerous, pushing his luck for a fast life. It paid off this time, as a .005 R/T gave him a crucial 6 hundredths of a second advantage down the track. One he would need, as George finished with a 6.654 E/T on a 6.63 dial. But thanks to that fast start, Lee's 9.294 E/T on a 9.22 would be enough to take home the cash from the Gambler win.

George Rodgers (Near) against Lee Sweiter (Far) in the Gambler Final
And with the bonus money handed out, it was time for the Summit proper. In the Summit Motorcycle bracket, Corey Wilcox was up against Joshua Allen in the final. Corey had a slow start off the line with a .236 R/T, but that was likely due to Joshua leaving 72 thousandths of a second early, fouling out and giving Corey the Motorcycle win.

Corey Wilcox (Far) against Joshua Allen (Near) in the Summit Motorcycle final

In Summit Sportsman, Gary Harfield clawed his way up to the final, and there he found Saturday's champion, David Puetz, who was going for a weekend sweep. David took a chance trying to get the second win of the weekend for him. And with a reaction time of 2 thousandths of a second, he did just that. Although, getting a 7.530 E/T on a 7.52 dial certainly helped, as David speeds his way to the win and the weekend Summit Sportsman sweep.

Gary Harfield (Near) against David Puetz (Far) in the Summit Sportsman final
The Summit Pro bracket came down to Rick Reynolds and his 66 Fairlane and David Peutz and his 68 Firebird, fresh off the Summit Sportsman sweep. David tried out the same strategy he did in the Sportsman, and aimed for a super low reaction time, but he bit off more than he could chew here: launching one hundredth of a second early and getting a red light foul for it, gifting Rick Reynolds the Summit Pro win.

Rick Reynolds (Near) shortly before defeating David Puetz (Far) and taking the Summit Pro win.

And finally to close out the day, Noel Cuevas fought his way back to the Summit Super Pro final, going for a weekend sweep of his own. RJ Simrock and his 70 Nova wanted another win under his belt too, and only one of them was going to take the Super Pro win. It'd be practically a heads up race, with Noel's 6.45 dial giving him only the tiniest head start over RJ's 6.42. It was decided at the finish line, as Noel's 6.460 E/T on a 6.45 dial would be enough to beat RJ's 6.654 E/T on a 6.548 E/T on a 6.42 dial, giving Noel the Summit Super Pro weekend sweep!

Noel Cuevas (Near) against RJ Simrock (Far) in the Summit Super Pro finals. Noel would sweep the weekend series with this win.
With an exciting Summit and Doorslammers weekend finished up, we look forwards to two weeks from now, when on Friday April 27th, an open track rental is open for all cars starting at noon, Saturday April 28th has the 54th running of the San Diego Antique Drags starting at 10 AM, and Sunday has the Import Outlaws return to Barona 1/8th Mile Dragstrip, starting at 10 AM as well. See you there!

There's no April Fools at Barona 1/8th Mile Dragstrip last Saturday. That was when the Juniors blossomed up with Spring as the Junior Dragster series race #3 and #4 hit the dragstrip last Saturday, March 31st. A double header of the rising stars of Barona hit the track to give it their all.


Starting with the first batch of races, in Group 1, Tessa Clinton and her 01 Spitzer was up against Carlie Ball. Both racers had close dials and close reaction times, but Tessa's 12.556 E/T on a 12.40 E/T beat Carlie's 12.230 E/T on a 12.06 dial, giving Tessa the first Group 1 win.

Tessa Clinton, heading down the track in her 01 Spitzer on the way to winning the first Group 1 race.
In Group 2, Cy Mitchell was up against Carlie's big brother Caden, looking to make up for Carlie's earlier loss. But, Caden was a little too eager to get revenge, as he launched 42 thousandths of a second early, fouling out and giving Cy the Group 2 win.

Cy Mitchell, making his way down the track on his way to a Group 2 win.
Group 3 was up next, as Morgan Buchanan was up against Autumn Hight's 12 McGee. Autumn did their best but Morgan's .028 reaction time on top of a 8.002 E/T on a 8.00 dial was too hard to beat, giving Morgan the first Group 3 win.


And in Group 4, Hailey Pierce had an engagement with Cole Rouse, and Hailey had every plan to push it. But when the lights dropped, it'd be Cole who fired out too quickly with a -.009 R/T, fouling out and giving Hailey the Group 4 win.

Hailey Pierce, the first race's Group 4 winner, getting ready to launch.


And then everyone lined up, and did it all again! Group 1 got started with Carlie Ball making a comeback, trying to take the bracket win this time. He was up against Carleigh Garceau. Charleigh got off the line faster, but Carlie was right behind, as both racers push their vehicles out... until Carleigh finished with a 12.028 E/T on a 12.03 dial, breaking out by two thousandths of a second and losing... if Carlie didn't break out as well with a 12.047 E/T on a 12.09 dial. Carleigh was closer to their dial, so they got the win, and the second Group 1 bracket win!

Carlie Ball (Near) against Carleigh Garceau (Far) in the second Group 1 final)
In Group 2, Theresa Chatterton was up against Dylan Hegwood. Dylan would be closer to his dial with a 8.918 E/T on a 8.90 dial compared to Theresa's 9.012 E/T on a 8.97 dial, but Theresa's .040 reaction time beat out Dylan's .082 reaction by enough to make up that difference, and get Theresa the second Group 2 win.

​Dylan Hegwood (Near) in the Group 2 final against Theresa Chatterton (Far)

Group 3 rolled around next, as Jack Gates and his 05 Halfscale was matched up against Adam Shelden. Jack would go first, with an amazing .009 reaction time. Adam tried to match it, but instead launched 53 thousandths of a second early, fouling out and giving Jack the second Group 3 win

Adam Shelden (Near) against Jack Gates (Far) in the Group 3 Final.And finally, in Group 4, Dylan Oliveira, who is in his last season of Jr. Drags, brought his 13 Halfscale up to match with Nikki Rochin's 05 Halfscale. Dylan, seeking to go out with a bang, pushed his Halfscale dragster to a 8.044 E/T on a 8.00 dial, beating Nikki's 8.439 E/T on a 8.03 dial. Dylan closes out the Jr. Dragster weekend with a Group 4 win!
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Love is in the air at Barona 1/8th Mile Dragstrip; not for Hearts or Money, but for the thrill of race! Over the weekend of February 17th and 18th, on a sunny day down in Lakeside, California. Saturday saw the return of the Renegade series for their second race of the season, while Sunday saw the varied styles of the Import Outlaws running their ways up and down the track. But the weekend starts with Saturday, and the Renegade gets everything started!
First, in the Renegade Electronics class, the final came down to Daniel Munoz and his 71 Vega, and Jim “Woody” Wood, who brought his 63 Corvette. The two cars were nearly evenly matched, and when the lights went down, both were evenly matched coming off the line. It came down to the track itself, where Daniel's 6.690 E/T on a 6.67 dial just barely beats Woody's 6.432 on a 6.40 dial, giving Daniel the Renegade Electronics win.

Daniel Munoz (Near) against "Woody" Wood (Far) in the Renegade Electronics final.
Woody wasn't done yet, though, as he fought his way back into the Renegade Non-E Final to make up for his defeat. His revenge would have to come against old track favorite Wayne Johnson and his 68 Mustang. Wayne would get the head start, with his 9.11 dial compared to Woody's 6.45start, giving Woody a nice head start. But when the lights came down, Wayne launched early, getting a -0.024 reaction time. And just like that, Woody made up for his loss by taking the Non-E bracket win without so much as moving an inch.

Wayne Johnson (Near) against "Woody" Wood (Far) In the Renegade Non-E Final

With the Renegade done, we move on to Sunday with all the Import Outlaws racers, where cars from around the world gather together for some Heads Up racing! There's a number of different brackets in play here, the All Motor, Street, Motorcycles, and Turbo brackets, as well as a Round Robin event that'd lead to the winner competing for the Top 10 Ladder later. Alongside all these brackets was anybody and everybody who wanted to make a few runs down the track without partaking in competition: The Test and Tune racers.


The Round Robin ended up between Reyes Valdes and Jose Garcept. Off the line, it was clearly Reyes who had the upper hand, his 107 MPH 95 Honda leaving Jose's 96 Acura in the dust, finishing nearly a full second ahead with a 7.115 E/T and with a full 20 MPH advantage on the speedometer.


In the Import Street class, Andrew Bennett brought his 16 Camaro to the line p against Ryan LaBranche's 13 Evo. The lights dropped and Andrew was off the line first with a .267 R/T, getting a good lead over Ryan's .480 R/T. Andrew pushed that with his slightly faster car to a 7.570 E/T, beating Ryan and getting the Import Street Win.

Ryan LaBranche's 13 Evo (Near) against Andrew Bennett's 16 Camaro (far) in the Import Street Final
When the Motorcycles lined up, everyone knew the fastest and most dangerous vehicles were ready to put on a shop. And the final between Ken Henderson's 12 Kawasaki and Vince Hill's 14 Busa was no exception. Both racers had enough power in their rockets to break 110 MPH, and when they both fired off the line with nearly matching .180 and .182 reaction times, you know it was going to be a close race to the finish. Ken pulled ahead in the end with a 5.944 E/T, while Vince Hill lagged just behind with a 6.237, getting Ken Henderson the Import Motorcycles win.

Vince Hill (Far) preparing to take on Ken Henderson (Near) in the Import Motorcycles Final
In the Import Turbo bracket, Omar Campos and his 92 Civic was feeling pretty good about their odds up against Reyes Caldes and his 95 Honda. Omar got off the line first, too, with a .163 R/T compared to Reyes' .226. However, with a pop from the engine and a surprise veer to the right wall, Omar's Civic couldn't finish the race, giving Reyes the Import Turbo win, to go with his Round Robin victory.

Reyes Valdes (Near) against Omar Campos (Far) In the Import Turbo Final

And finally, in the Import All Motor bracket, Eric Lopez and his 98 CRX was up against Tristan Workman's 95 Integra. Eric got off the line first, and road that head start to a 7.154 E/T, beating Tristian's 7.427 E/T, getting the Import All Motor win and wrapping up a fast day of Import Racing.

Eric Lopez (Far)in the Import All Motor Final against Tristan Workman (Near)Now with another fast weekend of racing behind us, it's time to look forward to March. With Spring around the corner, the Renegade returns with another spring in it's step. Saturday March 3rd, the Renegade returns, with open Test and Tune to anyone wanting to bring their cars down. Gates open at 10AM, and racing continues until 4. See you there!

It's the start of a new season at Barona 1/8th Mile Dragstrip, but there was still some leftover clean up from last year. When one of the Renegade races was rained out, so was the 2017 Member Track Madness, leaving us one championship, trophy, and tickets to Pamona for the NHRA Winternationals to give out.


The way it works is simple. The Renegade Electronics and Renegade Non-E are ran as normal. Once we have winners in both brackets, they run one last race against each other, and the winner gets to be the Member Track Madness champion, and get to take home a big #1 trophy declaring them such.


First, in the Renegade Electronics, Paul Wagner and his Valiant went up against Jeff Martin and his Datsun. Both cars were nearly even at the line, but Paul was a little jumpy; he launched 3 hundredths of a second early, disqualifying himself and giving Jeff the Renegade Electronics win.

Paul Wagner (Far) against Jeff Martin (Near) in the Renegade Electronics final. [Photo by Pete Liebig]

The other half would be found via the Renegade Non-E bracket, where John McKinney and Tracy Perez were matching up. Tracy's 70 Nova would launch first off a 7.60 dial, while John's 77 Camaro would be playing catch up with a 6.54 dial. He'd have to try and make up a 2 hundredths disadvantage too, as Tracy beat John on the line. But, John's racing would come through, as he gets a 6.547 E/T on a 6.54 dial, making up that 2 hundredths lost at the line, and getting the Renegade Non-E win.

John McKinney's 77 Camaro making a run. [Photo by Pete Liebig]

With our Renegade Electronics and Non-E Champions decided, there was just one last race to decide who'd win the 2017 NHRA Member Track Madness Championship. This one was a heads up race, between John McKinney's 77 Camaro and Jeff Martin's 74 Datsun. Again, John was slower off the line, as Jeff launched 15 thousandths of a second sooner, but John would pass Jeff on the track, and finish with a 6.537 E/T, beating Jeff's 6.717 by a more than comfortable amount.
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John McKinney (Far) against Jeff Martin (Near) in the Member Track Madness final.

And with that, John McKinney wins the Member Track Madness Championship. And that was just the first Renegade of the season! In two weeks, on February 17th, the gates open at 10AM to start this again! Also, bring in your car for some Test and Tune trial runs, or try to get into the Gambler! See you there!

​It was a warm afternoon night on October 28th at Barona 1/8th Mile Dragstrip when there was anarchy in the kingdom. Drivers from all over Southern California gathered, all trying to lay claim to one throne: The King of the Track. To the king, a coveted NHRA Wally trophy is granted, as well as a Barona Drags Gold Card: Letting the King race here free for an entire year. The racers will be split into 4 categories. The Summit style Sportsman, Pro, and Super Pro categories, as well as the anything goes Gambler. The winners of those brackets will compete in a mini, 4 car bracket, with the winner of that being declared King (or Queen) of the Track.

Round 1, the Sportsman bracket, as Paul Wagner's 70 Dart went up against Peter Stoddard's 73 Nova. Peter would launch first, getting off the line decently well with a .036 light. Paul slept a bit on the line, getting a .110 launch. As Peter finished with a 9.327 E/T on a 9.2 dial, Paul still had a chance. He had to get his E/T within 5 hundredths of a second of his 7.56 dial...but his 7.619 was not, as Peter takes the Sportsman win, and gets a spot for the King of the Track.

​Peter Stoddard (Far) in his 70 Nova against Paul Wagner (Near) and his 70 Dart in the Sportsman final.

Next up, in the Pro bracket Valadez's 81 Camaro went up against Noel Cuevas' 71 Camaro. Much like in the Sportsman bracket, reaction time is the biggest difference maker. Pedro got a mere 4 hundredths of a second advantage, but when the two evenly matched Camaros made their way down the track, Noel was better...but only by 1 hundredth of a second, making the 4 lost at the starting line the difference maker. Pedro takes the Pro win, and will be at the King of the Track final.

​Noel Cuevas (Near) in his  71 Camaro up against Pedro Valadez (Far) in his 81 Camaro in the Pro final.


In the Super Pro Bracket, Rick Reynolds brought his 66 Fairlane up against Vincente Generalao. Both cars were  nearly evenly matched, and on the tree, so were both racers. Rick had a slight advantage with a .040 light compared to Vincente's .055, but Vincente made it up on the track. His 5.820 E/T on a 5.80 dial was dead on compared to Rick's 5.967 E/T on a 5.91 dial. Those five hundreds of a second would give Vincente plenty of room to slide in after losing the tree, and take the Summit Super Pro win,giving Vincente a shot at King of the Track.

​Vicente Generalo's dragster (far) against Rick Reynold's 66 Fairlane (near) in the Super Pro final


And the final category left, the Gambler. RJ Simrock brought his 70 Nova and all of it's extreme launch wheelies to compete, but Todd Ferguson's 64 Falcon wanted a shot at the crown too. Todd had the slightly faster car by around a tenth of a second, as RJ launched first. But, Todd left around one hundredth of a second early, getting a red light and gifting RJ Simrock the Gambler win, and the last spot in the King of the Track final.

​RJ Simrock (Near) in his 70 Nova up against Todd Ferguson (Far) in his 64 Falcon. RJ would take the Gambler final win.


And finally, the four champions would duel it out to determine who was King this year. Peter Stoddard was doomed, with a lethargic 0.168 reaction time, and Vincente Generalao took care of himself, launching 7 thousandths of a second early and fouling out. All that were leftwere Gambler winner RJ Simrock's70 Nova and Pro winner Pedro Valadez's 81 Camaro. This finale all be about who could go the fastest. And RJ's extreme wheelies would get off the line first with a fast .014 reaction time, getting a good lead over Pedro's .092. RJ would ride that to a 6.472 E/T, beating Pedro's 6.610 and giving RJ the crown. RJ Simrock is King of the Track.

And to the winner go the spoils, as RJ gets to take home a coveted NHRA Wally Trophy, as well as a Gold Card to grant him free access to the track for an entire year. Until he has to defend this title.

​The Antique Drags hit Barona 1/8th Mile Dragstrip on Saturday, October 14th, with vintage cars and old regulars tearing up the circuit.Also being hosted was the 5th Annual Y-Block Shoot Out, brought to you by Crower, Mummert Equipment, Schneider, CEBE Farms, and JBA Speed Shop. Also, the regular events were back, but with a special twist: This time, the Gambler was being ran with a Wally on the line.

First, the AFX bracket, as David Franklin in his 61 Galaxie went up against Ken Moreland in his Chevelle. Ken would get up to the line, having an earlier start than David, but as soon as he stepped on the gas, he gave David the win, as Ken leaves 24 thousandths of a second early, giving David the AFX win.

David Franklin (Near) against Ken Moreland (far) in the AFX final.



Then, the Y-blocks split up into two different brackets, with the Y-block Sportsman coming down to Al Radcliff and Charlie Bigwell. Charlie had the faster car, his 7.59 dial making him wait over a second behind Al's 9.00 dial. And when the lights dropped, Al got to go, and Charlie lagged behind. When the green light lit up, he still lagged behind, his .610 reaction time requiring an inhuman effort to make up. And with a 7.592 on a 7.59 dial, he pushed too hard, breaking out and giving Al the Y block Sportsman win.

​Charlie Bigwell (Near) against Al Radcliff (Far) in the Y-block Sportsman final.


Soon after, Todd Ferguson took the Y-Block pro, and defeated Al heads up, leaving one last final for the Y-block shootout. The Y-block vs FE Challenge, as Todd Ferguson went up against Clint Waterhouse. Todd had a slightly faster car, but Clint was able to get off the line without issue this time, getting off the line with a quick .083 reaction... as Todd launches half a second later 10 thousandths of a second early. Todd fouls with a red light, and Clint takes the win in the Y-block vs FE Challenge.

​Todd Ferguson (Near) against Clint Waterhouse (Far) in the Y Block vs FE Challenge

And finally, there was only the Gambler left. Would Danny Ord be able to come in and go home with a Wally of his own, or will Rick Reynolds add another to his collection? Danny would get first go, launching off with his 7.38 dial first, getting an alright .089 reaction time. But, Rick and his 5.89 dial launched shortly after, as Rick was already making up ground with his .031 reaction time. Danny could see Rick fast catching up with him, threatening to cross the finish line first, as Danny had to push his car faster. And with a 7.320 E/T on a 7.38 dial, he pushed too far, breaking out as Rick finishes over his dial, giving Rick the win, and another Wally to add to his collection.
 

​Rick Reynolds and daughter Remy Reynolds accepting Rick's Wally for the Gambler win.


With the Antiques done, it was time to return to modern day. And in two weeks time, comes one of the biggest events of the year. On October 28th, racers from 4 different categories will get together to determine who is the #1 King of the Track, with one last trophy and free track fees to their name if they win. See you there!

​The Barona 1/8th Mile Drags Summit Series came to a conclusion over Labor Day weekend, with Summit Race #7 on Saturday September 2nd, and the Summit Series Finale coming on Sunday September 3rd, along with the NHRA All Access Challenge on top of it, as the prestigious Wally trophies are handed out.

Saturday started off in the late afternoon, as the race started off with the Gambler. The final in which came down to Todd Ferguson and Ernesto Covurnice. Todd's 64 Falcon got the better start off the line, his .021 to Ernesto's .059 giving him nearly 4 hundredths of a second of wiggle room, and he made sure to take advantage of them. Todd got a 6.429 on a 6.39 dial, but Ernesto's 05 GTO got a 7.395 on a 7.36 dial. Good, but not good enough to overcome that reaction disadvantage, and enough to give Todd the Gambler win.

Next up, in the Summit Motorcycle bracket, Russ Collins Jr brought his 08 Suzuki to go against Gary Moore's 09 Suzuki Busa. Gary gave it a valiant effort, pushing his bike over 115 MPH, but Russ's 5.697 dial on a 5.60 E/T was too much for him, giving Russ the Saturday Summit Bikes championship.

In the Summit Sportsman bracket, Gary Harfield was bringing his Corvette up against young Remy Reynolds. The lined up, as Remy's slower car would have to go first, but her eagerness got the better of her, as she launched 4 thousandths of a second early, giving Gary the Summit Sportsman win before he even stepped on the gas pedal.

But Gary was not done today, as he also fought his way into the Summit Pro final. His opponent: Greg Crecely and his 63 Ford Falcon. This time, Greg would get the better jump off the line, giving him a .018 second advantage going down to the finish line. But, a 6.319 E/T on a 6.27 dial will not do, as Gary's 8.064 on a 8.05 dial was far closer to his dial, as Gary doubles up with the Summit Pro win.

And finally, all that was left was the fasted bracket of all, the Summit Super Pro. Track owner Rick Reynolds brought his 66 Fairlane to the line, and opposite him was Jorge Courarrubios and his 07 GTO. Rick got a head start, as Jorge's dial was over a second under Rick's 4.94. Both were near even down the line, as Jorge's 148 MPH beast was pushing to cross the finish line first. Rick got a 5.966 on a 5.94 dial, while Jorge got a 7.673 on a 4.65 dial. By 5 thousandths of a second, Jorge got the better E/T to dial, and thus, got the Summit Super Pro win.

And with Saturday wrapped up, they all went right back at it again Sunday, where the afternoon sun gave way to the start of some rain, and the NHRA All Access challenge was in effect. Every winner of the 4 Summit brackets today would bring home a coveted Wally trophy.

Starting with the Summit Motorcycles: Gary Moore seeked vengeance for Saturday's loss at the hands of Russ Collins Jr. He'd seek it against one of the same the same kin, as he faced David Collins' 83 Kawasaki in the Summit Motorcycle finals. But once again, Gary Moore was slow off the line, getting off over 1 tenth of a second late once again. David, with over a full tenth of a second of wiggle room, easily closed Gary out with a 5.855 E/T on a 5.82 dial, taking the win, and getting a Wally for the Summit Motorcycles.

The Summit Sportsman came down to a battle between David Puetz's 68 Firebird and Paul's 70 Dart. Both cars had even dials, leaving this a heads up race. Or at least, it would be a race, if Paul didn't leave .017 seconds early, red lighting and giving David the coveted Wally.

​And finally, in the Summit Super Pro bracket, Jorge Couarrubio's 07 GTO was back after his Saturday Super Pro win. It was nice, but with a Wally on the line for this one, it was a tad bit more important. Noel Cuevos was there too, also seeking Wally gold. Both racers pushed as hard as they could to finish first, as both of them beat their dials, and broke out. Jorge's 4.657 on a 4.68 dial was 23 thousandths early, but Noel's 6.427 on a 6.48 dial was 53. With a closer time, Jorge got the Summit Super Pro Sweep, and a Wally to call his own!