Nitro Night visited Lakeside California on the night of Saturday, June 8th at Barona 1/8th Mile Dragstrip. With it, came the AFK bracket, the So Cal Doorslammers, and the start of the Crower Cup series. After a night of super fast, nitrous filled fire spitters made the stands shake and the parking lot erupt with alarms, we had some brackets to take care of.


In the SoCal Doorslammer 6.50 bracket, Carlos Rivas and his 72 Z28 was matched up against Jeff Martin and his 74 Datsun in the finals. Carlos had a faster reaction time, but the defining factor was Jeff going against the nature of the 6.50 bracket but getting a 6.49 E/T, breaking out and giving Carlos the win.

Carlos Rivas (Near) against Jeff Martin (Far) in the 6.50 Final
The SoCal Doorbuster 5.90 bracket had track regular Rick Reynolds bring his 66 Fairlane against J.A. Vargas' 74 Vega. Rick got off the line faster, with a .137 reaction time over J.A's .394, and with an E/T of 5.948 on a 5.90 dial, there was no way for J.A. to make up those tenths of a second, giving Rick the 5.90 win.


The 5.50 finals was a matchup between Joe Bernier and his 72 Vega and Larry Middlebrook and his 87 Corvette. Larry was hot off the line, launching 11 thousandths of a second early and getting a red light foul, giving Joe the 5.50 win.


And finally with the SoCal Doorslammers, Run What You Brung, the open race with no dials between the fastest cars on the track. Duncon Patternson' 69 Camaro broke 140 MPH on it's way to a 4.750 E/T, beating Andy Ralls and his 68 C-20 and it's 4.867 dial.

Duncon Patterson (Far) against Andy Ralls (Near) in the Run What You Brung Final.
The AFX ran as well, as Ken Moveland and his 67 Chevelle made it's way to the finals against David Franklin and his 61 Ford. David got the faster start off the line, forcing Ken to play catch up. And with a 6.692 on a 6.80 dial, Ken would break out, and give David the AFK win.


And finally, in the first race of the Crower Cup series, Jeff Martin and Todd Ferguson faced off in the final. Todd got off the line faster, with a .033 reaction time compared to Jeff's .102, but he let off at the finish, getting a 6.562 on a 6.46 dial. With a .069 reaction time gap to make up, and a 6.54 dial, Jeff would need to finish under 6.609 to take the win. And with a 6.568 E/T, he did and stole the Crower Cup win.

Jeff Martin (Near) against Todd Ferguson (Far) in the Crower Cup final.
Next week, there's a big weekend planned, as the 1st Annual Barona Summer Bash hits, Friday's track rental leading to a weekend of Junior Drags and Big Money Team Races! Gates open at 9AM! See you there!

The Renegade series came back with a vengeance at Barona 1/8th Mile Dragstrip on Saturday, May 25th in sunny Lakeside, California, with the third race of the Renegade Series. Racers from all over Southern California came together, for a little test to see who can be the best, and who can get the points needed to make a push for the series championship.


In the Rengade Non-Electronic bracket, the usual competitors were absent, as Dee Dethloff and their 09 Corvette and Alan Brown and his 69 Corvette matched up, neither with any points so far in the series, and both in a good place to make a mid series run. Both had nearly even dials, Dee's 6.84 only a hair faster than Alan's 6.99. But, when the green light dropped on Alan, Dee already won, as Alan launched .012 seconds early, fouling out and giving Dee the Renegade Non Electronics win.

Dee's Corvette, burning out on way to the final.

Renegade Electronics, however, had two racers going not for their first points, but looking to add to their existing pile. John Hildebrand and his 31 Ford A-Coupe trying to improve on his 10th place position, and RJ Simrock's 01 Dragster looking to go up from his humble spot in 7th place. RJ's new dragster was impressive, but it was only a hair faster than John's vintage A-Coupe 70 years it's elder. But when the lights dropped, John would be the one to launch a little early, by a scant 3 thousandths of a second. That foul would give RJ the help in the standings with the Renegade Electronics win.
​

RJ Simrock's 01 Dragster, lining up on his way to the Renegade Electronics win.

The Renegade retreats for now, but June is looking to be quite promising, as Nitro Night hits the track on Saturday, June 8th, as well as the So Cal Doorslammers, and the start of the Crower Cup series! Races start at 4PM! See you there!

The 56th Running of the Antique Drags hit Barona 1/8th Mile Dragstrip down in Lakeside, California on Saturday, April 27th. Vintage muscle cars and dragsters hit the track, bringing a classic set of speed to the dragstrip.


In the Gambler bracket, Paul Wagner and his 75 Valiant matched up against Remy Reynolds. Paul took a risk and was rewarded with it, as he fired off the line with a .006 reaction time, giving him a good advantage over Remy's .070. Paul rode that .06 second advantage to a 6.874 E/T on a 6.85 dial, nailing it close enough to make Remy's victory impossible, taking the Gambler win and Gambler money.

The Gambler final, with Paul Wagner (Near) and Remy Reynolds (Far)

The Y Block Shoot Out was the headliner, the final of which came down to John Hildebrand against Dan Brandt. Dan would get quite a head start, with a 11.65 dial compared to John's 6.47, but John chased him down the track, taking the Y Block Shootout win.

ohn Hildebrand (Near) against Dan Brandt (Far) in the Y Block Shootout final

Saturday's Antique Drags were great, but on Sunday, the Import Outlaws made their way back to the track, bringing more international action to the track for some heads-up racing.


In the Import All Wheel bracket, Eddit Avglos brought his 05 Evo up against Harley Keech and his 91 Corvette. Harley got faster off the line, but Eddie's 7.528 E/T beat Harley's 8.645's handedly, taking the All Wheel win.


The Import Street bracket final came to Jorge Duran and Benny Portillo. Jorge got a good start off the line, and took that to a 8.193 E/T, beating Benny's 8.303 and taking the win.


Import Motorcycles was a race between Busas, as Brian Stirrant's 18 Busa lined up against Vince Hill's 14 Busa. They were nearly even, but the newer one was a hair faster, as Brian rides a 116 MPH run to a 6.149 E/T, beating Vince Hill's 6.362.


Next was the Extreme Outlaw bracket, where Edward Ybaria's 71 Gremlin dueled with Henry Concha's 02 S2000 in the finals. Henry launched fast, but his car could not keep up. Edward's Gremlin broke 130 MPH on the way to a 5.542 E/T, crushing Henry's 9.463 E/T and taking the Extreme Outlaw win.


Import Turbo's final matchup was between Jawad Abunaja and Steven Ganes. It was a close race, but Jawad took the win with a 6.558 E/T over Steven's 6.824.


Finally, in the Import All Motor bracket, Lavelle Sheppard and their 13 Camaro met up against Jerry Carrillo's 88 Honda in the final, where Lavelle's 6.227 E/T would be enough to take the win over Jerry's 6.943.


With the Antiques and Imports wrapped up, we turn our attention to the Renegade series, who's second race hits the track, as well as the first race of the SoCal Doorslammers series this Saturday, May 11th. Racing starts at 10AM! See you there!
​

The 2018 Racing season got off to a hot start at Barona 1/8th Mile Dragstrip down in Lakeside, California when the Renegade series returned for the 2019 season. The Renegade series is ran in it's usual two categories, the Electronics and Non-E, both due for some competitive racing.


The Renegade Electronics went first, with dozens of racers getting whittled down to just two. Gary Harfield would take on Daniel Munoz in his 71 Vega. Gary came looking for the win, getting a short head start over Daniel, but when the lights dropped, Gary left a little too early; a -.012 red light would give Daniel the Renegade Electronics win before he even had to step on the gas.

Gary Harfield (Near) against Daniel Munoz (Far) in the Renegade Electronics final.
But, Gary would not be satisfied with a finals exit via a false start, as he fought his way to redemption in the Renegade Non-E bracket, making his way to the finals against Danny Oro's 72 Pontiac. This time, he'd get off the line just fine, but it was the finish line that was a problem for Gary. Gary would finish the 1/8th of a mile in 7.694 seconds... on a 7.72 second dial. By finishing .026 seconds early, he'd disqualify himself and lose another final... if his rival, Danny Oro, didn't finish with a 7.301 on a 7.33 dial, finishing .029 seconds early, and also breaking out. The scant 3 thousandths of a second difference was what Gary needed to take the Renegade Non-E win.

Gary Harfield (Far) against Danny Oro (Near) in the Renegade Non-E Final
With the Renegades off to a good start, we'll have the Import Outlaws racing down the track next week on Saturday, the 24th. See you there!

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!
​

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!