Post by sportf on May 29, 2023 22:29:29 GMT
Eddyville Race Wrap Up
Eddyville Race Wrap Up
25 Victory cars lined up to race at Eddyville, what an event! Imagine watching over 50 of the fastest cars in the Midwest, and almost half of them are on NITRO! Only here could you get this close to so many absolutely fast cars and watch some of them skate down the track at over 200MPH! And, race in front of a HUGE crowd! The spectator pop up tents lined the track, both sides, from the bleachers to the finish line! Wow, and Victory NSS is racing there!
When I pulled into the burn out box on Sunday evening for the final round in the bonus fun race, both Bob Haberburger and I lined up in front of a huge crowd, and it was awesome! I had to filter that out though, as I started my burn out. Then we both faced an array of photographers on both sides of the track. Hey, people pay to have this much fun. But then, it was on to staring the tree down, and nothing else was seen. Well, until the scoreboards went by. But, more on that in another wrap up.
Matt Mothershed had some engine problems and unfortunately had to bow out. Then, Stanley Ridout had the most odd failure, in that in the middle of his rear end, in the nice round symmetrical part, he gets a leak.......a hole from the inside to out! He'll give us a report but something in there wanted out, and that was that
Friday night Test Runs
I got 4 passes in, but could have had more. Everybody got a couple in, and we all needed it. The air was terrific and these runs allowed us all to get a little closer to our 1/8 mile indexes on this very fun track. I got to add here, I've been to a lot of tracks, but Eddyville here is just tops. We had a great snack out after our passes, plenty of bench racing, and then we went up to watch some nitro. Pretty good end to a pretty darn good day.
Saturday morning we had one test pass, and then our one qualifier. Jimmy Ferguson nailed the number one qualifier. Running his four speed, 63 Belvedere through the gears and running dead on. From this, the ladder was set and away we went.
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Round one
There were a lot of spectators here by now, and a lot of them come over to the staging lanes to see us line up.
First pair out, Dalton Bruemmer's 7.21 index gives him the lead start on David Fuzner's 6.41 index. Both cut similar lights, and David is shoving that foot feed hard, coming up on Dalton's car as the finish line was approaching. Touching the brakes as he flies past Dalton, he takes just a little too much stripe and breaks out. Dalton's 65 Plymouth goes on, T Bolt number 45 takes a break and waits for Sunday's race.
Next pair out, Fast Eddie Wheeldon's real 68 hemi dart takes on Clay Kossuth's 63 real max wedge Dodge in a 6.57 index match up. Clay just touches the gas a smite too early and the dam it bulb turns on. Eddie runs it out and both he and Clay cross the line at over 105 mph. Eddies real hemi goes on, we'll see Clay on Sunday for the bonus race.
Third pair out were last year's Champ Shawn Johnston lining up with this writer, and it's his 6.89 against my later leaving 6.73. Shawn cuts a better light than myself, but I almost catch him at the finish. I run dead on with a 9, missing the win by .0002. Yeah, I missed it by triple zero 2. Another pound of air in the front tires and I would have had him. I'm done till Sunday's race.
Fourth pair, Jim Hagenhoff's hemi powered 65 Plymouth then runs Derek Strait in his 65 Dodge, Large Marge. Large Marge leaves first and Hagenhoff is coming on strong, real strong. Large Marge sees Jim is going to take the stripe and does the only thing he can do, touch the brakes. It works out for Derek as Jim breaks out running just under his index. This weather was warm this weekend, but with little humidity in the air, the cars were ALL flying. Hard to hold to an index when the car just wants to go.
Next out, Jeff Wood takes on former Champ John Hamer. Jeff leaves a little in front of John's faster index and away they go. Jeff's slightly better light gives him a little advantage, and the race is on. Now, both of these guys are pretty much side by side at the finish and both dropped a little speed so as to not break out. But, Wood comes out a head on this one, and John will race on Sunday (and end up number one qualifier at that).
Next up Donnie Gains runs Brian Haberburger in a 64 Dodge on 64 Dodge race. Gains cuts a killer .015 light, and Brian doesn't. Gains passes Brian and hits the brakes to take the win in a nice top end run.
Bobby Westhoff is next up in his 63 Galaxy running Don Bruemmer's nuclear powered hemi 65 Plymouth. Don told me more than once, that his car leaves so violently, that it just may be trying to kill him. But he straps in anyway, and goes for another thrill ride here. Bob leaves first on his 7.37 index and Don comes on fast, really fast and takes the stripe with a little too much speed and breaks out. Bob is having one heck of a year and this round again adds to his points totaling up fast.
John Landwehr's beautiful 65 Plymouth, Sea Biscuit lines up with Jay Freihage's hemi powered Barracuda. John has new power this year and is really flying with his 6.25 index. Jay's index is the same in this Plymouth verses Plymouth battle. Jay has been fighting gremlins and this does him in on this run, when it just won't go as it should. John goes on, Jay waits for Sunday's race and tries to find something wrong in the meantime.
Bob Haberburge then lines up with Kevin Czajkowski's beautiful Ford Fairlane, that has been flying in the nines in the quarter for years. This thing is fast. Bob runs a 6.89 index. Kevin runs a 6.09 but considered the next fastest index as his car was right there and able to do it. Bob comes out on top here, as we know. He has to, we know he went to the finals, eh?
Steve Gantz and his beautiful 65 hardtop Plymouth then line up with Curt Hoeft's rocket powered Comet. I know I say this car is beautiful and that car is beautiful, but really, we have a lot of cars that people love to watch. This is because they are real cars and they all look like they should! Well, Curt's light was about 100% better than Steve's, and that couldn't be fixed at the top end, no matter what Steve did. Steve tried to take the stripe, but the only way he could do that was to break out. Curt goes on in his Merc.
Rosie Kossuth's car started to miss, and as such bowed out giving a bye to points leader Bob Lantero. Bob's bye run along with number one qualifier Ferguson's bye took place last, and both these guys will go on to round 2.
Round 2
Bob Westhoff and his Ford are having a darn good day and this round will prove this point. Bob cuts a good light and then when Jeff Wood hits the gas, he does so a little early. The red bulb stays on, as Jeff runs down the track. Bob runs it out to find out exactly what the next round ET will probably be.
Then, points leader Bob Lantero lines up with the 7.21 index of Derek Strait with his 6.41 index. Derek cuts a light on Bob and the top end race is on. Lantero breaks out and Derek doesn't, and Derek goes on to the money round.
Curt Hoeft and his Comet then put a great light on Brian Haberburger. The black 64 Dodge of Brian's just can't reach the finish line first. Curt goes on to collect some money, total yet to be determined.
Donny Gaines then lines up with Fast Eddie Wheeldon. Wow, Donnie cuts a light nobody was going to beat this round and Eddie runs WAY under showing us how that hemi can really run. Both red cars look good screaming down the track, but only one goes on to the next round.
Shawn Johnston then goes up against Dalton Bruemmer in another Plymouth on Plymouth battle. Dalton is out in front of Shawn all the way down the track, but stays too much in front of Shawn. The break out rule puts a stop to Dalton's charge. Shawn, as we know, will go on to the final having a very good day.
Jimmy Ferguson in his 4 speed, then lines up with John Landwehr. As Ferguson launches and goes absolutely rocking and rolling down the track banging, and I mean banging, the gears a spectator says, "that guy is a one man show!". Yeah, and he also put a .015 light on John and although Landwehr gave it a shot, he wasn't going to catch the blue Plymouth with his blue Plymouth.
Money round 3
We have a number of Fords in our group, and it amazes me the number of times there is a Ford on Ford battle. It just seems to happen more than the average number of statics says it should happen. But, that is why we have a ladder, you can see it coming. So, the Rocket powered Comet of Hoeft is against the 63 Galaxy of Westhoff. Westhoff cuts a better light and BOTH break out trying to take the stripe. The air was good enough, so good, everyone could break out. But this pair both break out by a nice amount, but, like golf, you don't want a big number when you are trying to win. Hoeft wins, Bobby waits to race on Sunday.
Next Donnie Gaines runs Derek Strait. Both cut lights within .005 of each other, so not much advantage there. Both come down to the stripe, Donnie backs off just a little, when he thinks he is in front of Derek. Until the win light came on, neither would have guessed who crossed first, but that didn't matter. But Derek, with a bigger break out number, is done here, and that does matter. Donnie goes on, and on.
Shawn Johnston then lines up with Ferguson. Johnston cuts a much better light than Jimmy, Shawn finally puts an end to the torture of Jimmy's transmission. Well, since Jimmy is banging gears as good as they get, it may not be torture, but there has to be some wear and tear.
Round 4, semi final
Shawn lines up with Curt Hoeft in a Plymouth Comet battle. Curt leaves first, and does his best to stay out in front of Shawn all the way. Curt's car is running fine and true, but like last round, a break out is in the way of a win. Shawn goes to the final, Curt goes to the payout window.
Donnie Gaines gets a bye in to the finals here and the stage is all set for the final match up. At this point, Donnie has one every round, not one was given to him by mistake. Its been good so far, he doesn't know it will get better.
Final
I was talking Donnie in his trailer, after the third round win. He told me he was having a blast and then paused. He said, and I'll quote as good as I can here, "its like I have a guardian angel riding with me here" . Yeah, well, ah.......yeah. I think so too.
Donnie cuts a light on Shawn, wops the gas when he catches him early, and the show is over when the win light for Donnie comes on and Shawn breaks out.
So, the Gaine's red Dodge wins for the second time with Victory at Eddyville, two different drivers, father - son wins a couple years apart. Everybody was happy, as we always are, for who ever wins with us. Its our gang, and we are Victory NSS.