Oct 09 2012

PREVIEWING THE SUMMIT IHRA TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS - TOP DRAGSTER

Written by Larry Crum.

TOP SPORTSMAN

ts Scott Wasko It wouldn’t be Top Sportsman without starting in the Renegades Division.

What many consider one of the toughest places to race in the doorslammer world, once again the trio of Kamron Wright, Glenn Wright and Russell Marr emerged as the best of the best in the southwest. For the second year in a row young Kamron laid claim to the Renegades divisional championship with Russell Marr right on his heels while Glenn Wright – the defending World Champion in the class – came in third. And while usually this trio would enter the Summit Racing Equipment Tournament of Champions presented by AMSOIL as the clear favorites to win, one man has thrown a wrench in those plans.

Donny Urban.

The man known as “Hollywood” for his cool demeanor and impeccable skills behind the wheel, Urban made quite the splash in his debut year in Top Sportsman driving his new 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt to six wins at five different race tracks in 2012 including a big win at the Summit Sportsman Spectacular at Maryland International Raceway in July culminating with divisional championship in his first year in the class.

Urban had divisional wins at Carolina Dragway, London Dragway, Dunn-Benson Dragstrip and Farmington Dragway and added a non-points win at the big money Summit Sportsman Spectacular presented by AMSOIL to his already crowded resume. The 2009 Top Dragster World Champion from Pittsboro, N.C. then went on to edge Michael Thompson by seven points to win the Heat Wave divisional championship. Not bad for his first year behind the wheel.

But as this story began, don’t count out the boys from Texas. Glenn Wright is the defending world champion in the class and has a bad new Chevrolet Camaro hotrod to command at this year’s tournament. Glenn, from Odessa, and Marr, from Forney, both also won all of the big races in the division while Glenn’s son Kamron, driving the same machine his dad drove to the championship last year, took the divisional title by 17 points over Marr. That is quite a trio and with Urban thrown into the mix this year’s Top Sportsman battle should be one of the best yet.

But they aren’t the only pieces in this year’s puzzle. A total of 24 drivers are currently qualified for the 2012 Summit Racing Equipment Tournament of Champions presented by AMSOIL in Top Sportsman including two former world champions and five drivers that finished in the top 10 at last year’s tournament. The field consists of drivers from 12 states led by North Carolina with five drivers, Alberta, Ohio and Texas with three drivers each, Florida and Virginia with two apiece and one each from British Columbia, Colorado, Louisiana, Michigan, New York and West Virginia.

While Wright won last year’s tournament, second and third place finishers Al Burkett and Rob Harvischak are once again back to challenge for the top spot. Both drivers finished second in their division and both had at least one win during the season.

ts Kamron Wright And certainly don’t count out the other divisional champions. Calvin Butler, from Marlinton, W.Va., took the top spot in the Patriots Division behind the wheel of his ’63 Corvette off the strength of two wins at Richmond Dragway and Carolina Dragway to finish 113 points ahead of Burkett. Butler also finished eighth in last year’s tournament.

Scott Wasko also had a big year in his ’94 Lumina, taking the North Stars Division by 52 points over Harvischak. Wasko, from Columbia Station, Ohio, had one win at the Pittsburgh Nitro Jam and a pair of runner-up finishes.

Rounding out the divisional champions is Tim West from Asheville, N.C. who had a pair of runner-up finishes behind the wheel of his 2000 Monte Carlo to take the Raiders championship by eight points over Clayton Roberts and Jason Miller from Fort St. John, British Columbia who had a win at Eagle Motorplex to help him take the Border Bandits championship by 35 points over Garry Weslosky behind the wheel of his ’63 Corvette.

While Butler, Miller, Urban, Wasko, West and Wright were busy winning divisional titles, those drivers that finished just behind in the divisional race in the runner-up spot are Al Burkett (D1), Michael Thompson (D2), Rob Harvischak (D3), Russell Marr (D4), Garry Weslosky (D6) and Clayton Roberts (D9). Divisional third place finishers were Don Rudd (D1), Rich McDonough (D2), Rube Allman (D3), Glenn Wright (D4), Dean Hartley (D6) and Larry Pittman (D9).

Rounding out the Top Sportsman field are the winners of the 2012 Tournament of Champions qualifier races. Those drivers are Bob Bauer Jr. (Grand Bend), Kenneth Covington (Salt Lake), Randy Modersohn (Edmonton), Mike Sowards (Martin), Rich Whaley (Farmington) and Ricky Vedros (San Antonio SS).

The 2012 Summit Racing Equipment Tournament of Champions will take place October 12-14 as part of the IHRA Summit Racing Equipment World Finals at Memphis International Raceway.

TOP SPORTSMAN
NAME (TOC Qual, Hometown) – 2012 Pro-Am Finals
Rube Allman (D3 3rd, South Point, OH) 1 runner-up
Bob Bauer Jr. (Grand Bend, Elma, NY) 1 win, 1 runner-up
Al Burkett (D1 2nd/Richmond, Sandston, VA) 1 win
Calvin Butler (D1 1st, Marlinton, WV) 2 wins, 1 runner-up
Kenneth Covington (Salt Lake, Grand Junction, CO)
Dean Hartley (D6 3rd, Red Deer, ALB)
Rob Harvischak (D3 2nd, Warren, OH) 1 win, 1 runner-up
Russell Marr (D3 2nd/Baton Rouge, Forney, TX) 1 win, 1 runner-up
Rick McDonough (D2 3rd, Southwest Ranches, FL) 2 wins
Jason Miller (D6 1st, Fort St. John, BC) 1 win
Randy Modersohn (Edmonton, Edmonton, ALB) 1 win
Larry Pittman (D9 3rd, Rocky Mount, NC) 1 win
Clayton Roberts (D9 2nd, Willow Spring, NC) 1 win, 1 runner-up
Don Rudd (D1 3rd, Montpelier, VA) 1 win
Mike Sowards (Martin, Clarkston, MI) 1 win
Michael Thompson (D2 2nd/Immokalee, Naples, FL) 2 wins
Donny Urban (D2 1st/Maryland, Pittsboro, NC) 5 wins, 1 runner-up
Scott Wasko (D3 1st/Pittsburgh, Columbia Station, OH) 1 win, 2 runner-ups
Garry Weslosky (D6 2nd, Sherwood Park, ALB) 1 runner-up
Tim West (D9 1st, Asheville, NC) 2 runner-ups
Rick Whaley (Farmington, Reidsville, NC) 1 win
Glenn Wright (D4 3rd/San Antonio, Odessa, TX) 1 win, 1 runner-up
Kamron Wright (D4 1st, Odessa, TX) 2 wins
Ricky Vedros (San Antonio SS, League City, TX)

TOP DRAGSTER

ihra td Steve Dweck

ihra td Jacob Elrod It is drag racing’s fastest sportsman class and this year, it is also its biggest.

This year’s Top Dragster field features a whopping 29 different drivers – four more than any other class in this year’s tournament – with two potential spots still yet to be filled making Top Dragster one of the biggest crapshoots in this year’s Summit Racing Equipment Tournament of Champions presented by AMSOIL.

Of the 29 drivers in this year’s field five are former IHRA World Champions, however only Scott Ball has a championship within the dragster class. Additionally, only three drivers from last year’s tournament top 10 are back leaving this year’s Top Dragster tournament wide open. Overall 12 states are currently represented in this year’s tournament led by North Carolina and Texas with six drivers each, Pennsylvania, Alberta and Florida with three apiece, two from Virginia and one each from Arizona, Manitoba, Michigan, Ohio, Ontario and Utah.

Leading the charge into this year’s Top Dragster tournament is a trio of superstar drivers – Steve Dweck, Jacob Elrod and Cameron Manuel.

Manuel, from Winston Salem, N.C., is the only former world champion among the three, winning the Super Rod crown in 2010. And he hasn’t missed a beat since getting behind the wheel of his Justice Racing machine winning back-to-back divisional championships including taking the 2012 Patriots Division by 17 points over Chad Traylor. This season Manuel recorded one Top Dragster final round, winning at London Dragway in early September.

Jacob Elrod is another driver that has garnered a lot of attention in 2012 racking up an impressive seven total wins in nine finals in five different classes. In Top Dragster Elrod had two wins at Mountain Park and U.S. 131 Motorsports Park and a runner-up to finish 102 points ahead of Mia Tedesco for the North Stars divisional championship. Elrod, from Harrod, Ohio, is also one of three drivers in Top Dragster currently qualified in more than one class, adding a spot in the Super Rod field as well.

Steve Dweck, from Hollywood, Fla., is another driver qualified in more than one class at the 2012 Tournament of Champions, occupying a spot in both TD and Hot Rod. In all Dweck visited six finals this season with three wins to take the Heat Wave Division championship by a narrow nine-point margin over Claude Debonis. Four of Dweck’s finals, including all three wins, came in Hot Rod leaving two runner-up finishes in Top Dragster to propel him to the title.

ihra td Cameron Manuel Top Dragster’s other multi-class qualifier is Burlington, North Carolina’s Brett Nesbitt. Nesbitt qualified in both dragster classes – TD and Quick Rod – on the strength of three wins and two runner-up finishes with one of those wins coming in Top Dragster at Richmond Dragway back in May.

Of the remaining divisional champions Edmonton, Alberta’s Tom McAvoy had the most successful season with two wins at Eagle Motorplex and Castrol Raceway to propel him to the Border Bandits championship by 61 points over Geordie Castle. Greg Slack, from Albemarle, N.C., also had a big season with one win at Rockingham Dragway in April and a runner-up to finish first in the tough Raiders Division by 32 points over David Barr.

Larry Eidson rounds out the divisional champs with a big win in the Renegades Division. Eidson, from Mineral Wells, Texas, had a mixed bag year visiting a trio of finals, but falling short in all three. Still, that tally was just enough to push Eidson over the edge and into the divisional top spot by 11 points over former Top Dragster World Champion Scott Ball.

Other former World Champions scattered throughout the field in addition to Nesbitt, Ball and Manuel include 1991 Quick Rod winner David Barr who is the highest finishing driver returning from last year’s tournament where he took fourth and three-time Top Sportsman champion Gary Bingham who snuck into the field late in the year off of the strength of two finals at the last race of the season.

While Dweck, Eidson, Elrod, Manuel, McAvoy and Slack were busy winning divisional titles, those drivers that finished just behind in the divisional race in the runner-up spot are Chad Traylor (D1), Claude Debonis (D2), Mia Tedesco (D3), Scott Ball (D4), Geordie Castle (D6) and David Barr (D9). Divisional third place finishers were Wesley Washington (D1), Jeremy West (D2), Jason Weaver (D3), Wynette Hudgins (D4), Trevor Ritchie (D6) and Gary Bingham (D9).

Rounding out the Top Dragster field are the winners of the 2012 Tournament of Champions qualifier races. What made this year’s field so large is the abundance of different drivers winning throughout the year. Those drivers include Scott Doyen (Martin), Cindy Hawk (Tucson), Chase Murray (Baton Rouge), Brett Nesbitt (Richmond), Donna Patterson (Edmonton), Todd Robinson (San Antonio SS), Kevin Romeo (Pittsburgh), Paul Snell (Salt Lake), Joseph Tinsley (San Antonio), Jamie Tupper (Grand Bend) and Nick Womack (Farmington).

The 2012 Summit Racing Equipment Tournament of Champions will take place October 12-14 as part of the IHRA Summit Racing Equipment World Finals at Memphis International Raceway.

TOP DRAGSTER
NAME (TOC Qual, Hometown) – 2012 Pro-Am Finals

Julian Scott Ball (D4 2nd, San Antonio, TX) 1 win, 1 runner-up
David Barr (D9 2nd, Candler, NC) 1 win
Gary Bingham (D9 3rd, Kings Mountain, NC) 1 win, 1 runner-up
Geordie Castle (D6 2nd, Edmonton, ALB) 1 runner-up
Claude Debonis (D2 2nd, Fort Lauderdale, FL) 1 win, 1 runner-up
Scott Doyen (Martin, Bay City, MI) 1 win
Steve Dweck (D2 1st, Hollywood, FL) 3 wins, 3 runner-ups
Larry Eidson (D4 1st, Mineral Wells, TX) 3 runner-ups
Jacob Elrod (D3 1st, Harrod, OH) 7 wins, 2 runner-ups
Cindy Hawk (Tucson, Tucson, AZ)
Wynette Hudgins (D4 3rd, Clyde, TX) 2 wins
Cameron Manuel (D1 1st, Winston Salem, NC) 1 win, 1 runner-up
Tom McAvoy (D6 1st, Edmonton, ALB) 2 wins
Chase Murray (Baton Rouge, Orange, TX) 1 win
Brett Nesbitt (Richmond, Burlington, NC) 3 wins, 2 runner-ups
Donna Patterson (Edmonton, Lorette, MAN) 1 win
Trevor Ritchie (D6 3rd, Sherwood Park, ALB) 1 runner-up
Todd Robinson (San Antonio SS, Corpus Christi, TX) 1 win
Kevin Romeo (Pittsburgh, Hounastown, PA) 1 win
Greg Slack (D9 1st, Albemarle, NC) 1 win, 1 runner-up
Paul Snell (Salt Lake, Sandy, UT)
Mia Tedesco (D3 2nd, Murrysville, PA) 3 runner-ups
Joseph Tinsley (San Antonio, Melvin, TX) 1 win
Chad Traylor (D1 2nd, King William, VA) 2 wins
Jamie Tupper (Grand Bend, Tillsonburg, ONT) 1 win
Wesley Washington (D1 3rd, King George, VA) 1 win, 1 runner-up
Jason Weaver (D3 3rd, Saxton, PA) 2 runner-ups
Jeremy West (D2 3rd/Immokalee, North Port, FL) 1 win, 1 runner-up
Nick Womack (Farmington, Lillington, NC) 1 win

SUPER STOCK

Brandon Peterson It may be the smallest field in this year’s Summit Racing Equipment Tournament of Champions presented by AMSOIL, but don’t let its size fool you.

Within the confines of the 21 competitors currently qualified for this year’s Super Stock World Championship Tournament lies a bevy of talented individuals waiting to take home the coveted championship Ironman and the No. 1 for their car for the 2013 racing season.

Among them are three former IHRA World Champions including the defending Super Stock World Champion Gianni Cantusci who learned just how prestigious – and difficult – it can be carrying the No. 1 on the side of your car for an entire season. He is joined by multi-time champions Scott Stillings and Michael Beard. Also five of last year’s top 10 drivers from the tournament are back looking for another shot at the biggest prize in sportsman drag racing.

Leading the way into this year’s championship tournament is Patriots Division champion Brandon Peterson from Randleman, N.C. Peterson, behind the wheel of his familiar ’91 Camaro, had three wins and a runner-up finish in 2012 to claim the Division 1 championship by a whopping 138 points over second place Peter D’Agnolo. Peterson had a pair of wins at Darlington Dragway to end the year and added a victory at Piedmont Dragway back in March to pull away for the win.

Mark Nowicki, from Gaylord, Mich., also had a big year on the divisional level with three wins and a runner-up finish to take the North Stars championship over Scott Stillings. Nowicki, driving a ’98 Avenger, won twice at Bradenton Motorsports Park and once at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park at the Northern Nitro Jam to take a narrow 16 point win over Stillings. Stillings, meanwhile, will be looking for his sixth career IHRA championship when he travels to Memphis coming off of another strong year where he picked up two wins and a runner-up.

And of course never count out two-time Stock World Champion Michael Beard. Beard, from Seagrove N.C., visited an incredible six final rounds this season with one win in Super Stock and another in Stock to qualify him in both classes. Beard’s season includes final round appearances at an unprecedented five different tracks with wins at Pittsburgh Raceway Park and Carolina Dragway and runner-up finishes at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park, Piedmont Dragway and Immokalee Regional Raceway. To cap it off Beard, driving his very familiar “Duck Tape” sponsored ’80 Volare, took the Heat Wave Division championship by 47 points over Michael Crumpler.

Super Stock’s other multi-class qualifier is Mark Faul who qualified in both Stock classes. Faul claimed the Border Bandits championship in Stock and finished runner-up in Super Stock by 11 points to Art Congdon. Faul had four total Pro-Am wins in 2012, two coming in Super Stock. Congdon, from Calgary, Alberta, also recorded two wins – both at Castrol Raceway – to pull away to his first divisional championship behind the wheel of his unique ’91 Calais.

Michael Beard Overall 21 drivers have earned their way into the Super Stock class with another spot still up for grabs at the Summit Sportsman Spectacular presented by AMSOIL at Memphis International Raceway. Despite only 21 drivers being qualified, the class is represented by 14 different states led by North Carolina with four drivers, Alberta, Ontario, Texas and Virginia with two drivers apiece and one each from Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania and Washington.

Rounding out the 2012 divisional champions are Gil Carty Jr. and Jeffrey Miller who claimed wins in arguably the two toughest divisions in the nation. Carty, from Wytheville, Va., had the closest battle of any driver in 2012 by claiming a narrow two-point win over the hard-charging Marvin Dunahoo. Carty had wins at Mountain Park and Richmond Dragway behind the wheel of his ’67 Nova in the early part of the year, while Dunahoo recorded two big wins late at Dunn-Benson and then at the season finale at Farmington Dragway to pull close, but ultimately fall short.

Jeffrey Miller won the Renegades Division by a whopping 110 points over David Latino thanks to two wins in four finals. Miller, from Pasadena, Texas, drove his ’67 Camaro to back-to-back wins at San Antonio Raceway and Dallas Raceway to claim the win.

Defending Super Stock World Champion Gianni Cantusci, from Stittsville, Ontario, snuck into the field via a third place finish in the Patriots Division. The highest additional finisher from last year’s tournament in this year’s Super Stock field is Pete D’Agnolo who came in fourth last year. D’Agnolo has to be considered a strong contender to climb a few spots thanks to several big event wins this year including a win at the Maryland Summit Sportsman Spectacular in July and a second place finish in the Patriots Division.

While Beard, Carty, Congdon, Miller, Nowicki and Peterson were busy winning divisional titles, those drivers that finished just behind in the divisional race in the runner-up spot are Peter D’Angolo (D1), Michael Crumpler (D2), Scott Stillings (D3), David Latino (D4), Mark Faul (D6) and Marvin Dunahoo (D9). Divisional third place finishers were Gianni Cantusci (D1), Richard Mace (D2), Emily Volkman (D3), Pete Peery (D4), Joe Graves (D6) and Mark Young (D9).

Rounding out the Super Rod field are the winners of the 2012 Tournament of Champions qualifier races including Jory Elliott (Grand Bend), Marion Stephenson (Immokalee) and Carroll Warling (Salt Lake).

The 2012 Summit Racing Equipment Tournament of Champions will take place October 12-14 as part of the IHRA Summit Racing Equipment World Finals at Memphis International Raceway.

SUPER STOCK
NAME (TOC Qual, Hometown) – 2012 Pro-Am Finals
Michael Beard (D2 1st, Seagrove, NC) 2 wins, 4 runner-ups
Gianni Cantusci (D1 3rd, Stittsville, ONT) 1 win
Gil Carty (D9 1st, Wytheville, VA) 2 wins
Art Congdon (D6 1st/Edmonton, Calgary, ALB) 2 wins
Michael Crumpler (D2 2nd, Elm City, NC) 1 win
Pete D’Agnolo (D1 2nd/Pittsburgh/Maryland, Rochester, NY) 1 win, 1 runner-up
Marvin Dunahoo (D9 2nd/Farmington, Roanoke, VA) 2 wins
Jory Elliott (Grand Bend, London, ONT) 1 win
Mark Faul (D6 2nd, Tacoma, WA) 4 wins
Joe Graves (D6 3rd, Edmonton, ALB) 1 runner-up
David Latino (D4 2nd/Baton Rouge, Donaldsonville, LA) 2 wins
Richard Mace (D2 3rd, Jacksonville, FL) 1 runner-up
Jeffrey Miller (D4 1st, Pasadena, TX) 2 wins, 2 runner-ups
Mark Nowicki (D3 1st/Martin, Gaylord, MI) 3 wins, 1 runner-up
Pete Peery (D4 3rd/San Antonio/San Antonio SS, Bowie, TX) 1 win, 1 runner-up
Brandon Peterson (D1 1st, Randleman, NC) 3 wins, 1 runner-up
Marion Stephenson (Immokalee, Williamsport, IN) 1 win
Scott Stillings (D3 2nd, Louisville, KY) 2 wins, 1 runner-up
Emily Volkman (D3 3rd, Coraopolis, PA) 1 win, 1 runner-up
Carroll Warling (Salt Lake, Brighton, CO)
Mark Young (D9 3rd/Richmond, Wake Forest, NC) 1 win, 1 runner-up

STOCK

I BJ Bianchi t is drag racing’s most basic class and to some, it is this sport’s most exciting class.

There is nothing more “drag racing” than two Stockers doing battle on the quarter-mile and this year’s class of Stock racers in the 2012 Summit Racing Equipment Tournament of Champions presented by AMSOIL certainly will not disappoint.

Three former Stock champions and multiple bracket racing and big money racing champions count themselves among the mix and five of the top 10 finishers in last year’s Tournament of Champions are back once again to do battle.

Among them are 2011 Stock World Champion Phil Combs, from Demosville, Ky., who barely won his way into the field with a third place finish in the North Stars Division, and runner-up and third place finisher from last year’s tournament Brent Darroch and Michael Beard.

Darroch, from Monaca, Pa., has been the most successful of last year’s Stock Top 10, finishing first in the North Stars division by 54 points over Rob Bihl behind the strength of two wins and 1 runner-up finish in his all white ’94 Camaro. Darroch had wins at Mountain Park and U.S. 131 Motorsports Park to help him take the divisional crown. This year Darroch hopes to take that a step further by finishing one spot higher and claiming his first career world championship

Beard, a two-time Stock World Champion from Seagrove, N.C., finished third in last year’s tournament and picked right back up where he left off in 2012 with an incredible six final rounds this season in his various “Duck Tape” sponsored rides. In Stock Beard had one win this season at the Pittsburgh Nitro Jam to qualify him for the tournament.

B.J. Bianchi, from Palmetto, Fla., also had a strong 2012 coming off of a seventh place finish in last year’s tournament, winning the Heat Wave Division by 59 points over former Stock World Champion Myron Piatek. Driving an ’89 Mustang, Bianchi had three wins at three different tracks at Bradenton Motorsports Park, Carolina Dragway and Darlington Dragway over the course of the year.

Overall 23 drivers have earned their way into the Stock class with one spot still yet to be filled at the Summit Sportsman Spectacular at Memphis International Raceway the day before the Tournament of Champions. This year 13 different states are represented in the class lead by North Carolina with six drivers, New York with three drivers, Florida, Kentucky and Louisiana with two drivers apiece and Alberta, Arizona, British Columbia, Maryland, Pennsyviania, Texas, Utah and Washington with one qualifier each.

Brent Darroch In addition to former champions Combs and Beard 2006 Stock World Champion Myron Piatek is also qualified for this year’s field via a second place finish in the Heat Wave Division. Piatek, from Holly Hill, Fla., had two wins this season at Immokalee Regional Raceway to open the year back in February and Carolina Dragway in June.

2011 Mod ET World Champion from the Summit SuperSeries Matt Hawk, from Tucson, Ariz., will have a shot at back-to-back championships as he qualified for the Tournament of Champions with a win at the San Antonio Sportsman Spectacular in May.

Among the remaining divisional champions Jimmy Hidalgo Jr. had the biggest season racking up two wins and a runner-up finish to finish 69 points ahead of Jacob Pitt in the Renegades Division. Hidalgo, from Donaldsonville, La., had wins at San Antonio and Memphis this season behind the wheel of his wildly designed 2002 Firebird. Hidalgo’s father, Jimmy Hidalgo Sr., finished third in the division with one win and qualified first at every race in Division 4 in 2012.

Mark Faul from the Border Bandits Division joined Michael Beard as the only driver to qualify in another class in addition to Stock, with both drivers earning their way into the Super Stock field as well. In Stock Faul, all the way from Tacoma, Wash., drove his ’69 Chevelle to two wins at Eagle Motorplex and Castrol Raceway to take a 48 point divisional championship over Tom Skjonsberg.

Thomas Fletcher and Tim Sloan round out the divisional champions with Fletcher taking the Patriots Division by 24 points over Stephen McGrath and Sloan winning the Raiders Division by 24 points over Michael Lee Truell. Fletcher, from Churchville, N.Y., had one win and one runner-up behind the wheel of his ’69 Chevelle, taking the win at Skyview. Sloan drove his ’82 Camaro to a win at Farmington Dragway.

While Bianchi, Darroch, Faul, Fletcher, Hidalgo and Sloan were busy winning divisional titles, those drivers that finished just behind in the divisional race in the runner-up spot are Stephen McGrath (D1), Myron Piatek (D2), Rob Bihl (D3), Jacob Pitt (D4), Tom Skjonsberg (D6) and Michael Lee Truell (D9). Divisional third place finishers were Jeffrey Gardiner (D1), Missy Phillips (D2), Phil Combs (D3), Jimmy Hidalgo Sr. (D4), Sean Ferguson (D6) and Ed Longhany (D9).

Rounding out the Stock field are the winners of the 2012 Tournament of Champions qualifier races including Matt Hawk (San Antonio), Michael Beard (Pittsburgh), Anthony Platania (Grand Bend), Jesse Sanderson (Salt Lake) and Joel Warren (Richmond).

The 2012 Summit Racing Equipment Tournament of Champions will take place October 12-14 as part of the IHRA Summit Racing Equipment World Finals at Memphis International Raceway.

STOCK
NAME (TOC Qual, Hometown) – 2012 Pro-Am Finals
Michael Beard (Pittsburgh, Seagrove, NC) 2 wins, 4 runner-ups
B.J. Bianchi (D2 1st, Palmetto, FL) 3 wins
Rob Bihl (D3 2nd, Ashland, KY) 1 win, 1 runner-up
Phil Combs (D3 3rd, Demossville, KY) 1 win, 1 runner-up
Brent Darroch (D3 1st/Martin, Monaca, PA) 2 wins, 1 runner-up
Mark Faul (D6 1st/Edmonton, Tacoma, WA) 4 wins
Sean Ferguson (D6 3rd, Lampley, BC) 1 win
Thomas Fletcher (D1 1st, Churchville, NY) 1 win, 1 runner-up
Jeffrey Gardiner (D1 3rd, Waldorf, MD)
Matt Hawk (San Antonio SS, Tucson, AZ)
Jimmy Hidalgo Sr. (D4 3rd/Baton Rouge, Donaldsonville, LA) 1 win
Jimmy Hidalgo Jr. (D4 1st/San Antonio, Donaldsonville, LA) 2 wins, 1 runner-up
Ed Longhany (D9 3rd, Godwin, NC) 1 win
Stephen McGrath (D1 2nd, Rochester, NY) 1 win, 1 runner-up
Missy Phillips (D2 3rd, Lumberton, NC) 2 runner-ups
Myron Piatek (D2 2nd/Immokalee, Holly Hill, FL) 2 wins
Jacob Pitt (D4 2nd, Mansfield, TX) 1 win, 2 runner-ups
Anthony Platania (Grand Bend, Rochester, NY) 1 win
Jesse Sanderson (Salt Lake, West Jordan, UT)
Tom Skjonsberg (D6 2nd, Red Deer, ALB) 1 win
Tim Sloan (D9 1st/Farmington, Sanford, NC) 1 win
Michael Lee Truell (D9 2nd, Lexington, NC) 1 win, 1 runner-up
Joel Warren (Richmond, Clinton, NC) 1 win, 1 runner-up

QUICK ROD

Carey Long - Brooke Warren If you are looking for heavy hitters in the 2012 Summit Racing Equipment Tournament of Champions presented by AMSOIL, look no further than Quick Rod

Of the 22 drivers that currently make up this year’s 8.90 class, nine of them have won more than once in 2012 with six of those drivers winning at least three times on the Summit Pro-Am Tour. That is a lot of wins by a lot of different people leaving this year’s Quick Rod World Championship chase seemingly wide open.

Leading the way are the six divisional champions headed by Steve Muller and Ed McCleaft who both dominated their division. Muller, from Pinellas Park, Fla., edged Randal Langley in the Heat Wave Division by a very narrow 138 points. That is by far the most separation any Quick Rod driver managed this season. Muller used three big wins, twice at Bradenton Motorsports Park in March and once Darlington Dragway to close the year, to rack up the divisional title and a coveted first round bye in the Tournament of Champions.

McCleaft, from Shinglehouse, Pa., finished 135 points ahead of his next closest competitor Rick Stroud in the Patriots Division thanks to three wins and a runner-up finish sprinkled throughout the season. McCleaft had wins at three different race tracks – Richmond Dragway, Pittsburgh Raceway Park and Skyview Drags – and added a runner-up to the mix at Skyview to help the Pennsylvania native take the divisional crown.

Eric Goulden, from the great northwest area of Airdrie, Alberta, also had three wins on the season in the Border Bandits Division, winning three of the four races including the Edmonton Nitro Jam to finish 60 points ahead of Cody Scheu for the title.

Overall 22 drivers have earned their way into the Quick Rod class with one spot still yet to be filled at the Summit Sportsman Spectacular at Memphis International Raceway the day before the big go. The odds of the class crowning a brand new champion are pretty good as only one former champ is among the lineup. Overall 13 different states and provinces are represented in the class lead by North Carolina with four drivers, Florida and Pennsylvania with three drivers each, Alberta and Texas with two apiece and one each from Idaho, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Ontario, Oklahoma, Utah and Virginia.

That one champion that is among the group is 2008 Quick Rod title holder Brett Nesbitt who finished third in the Raiders division off of the strength of two wins and two runner-up finishes in 2012 to finish 23 points behind Carey Long. Nesbitt, from Burlington, N.C., also added a win in Top Dragster at Richmond Dragway to qualify him in two different classes at the Tournament of Champions. Nesbitt’s two wins this season came at Piedmont Dragway and London Dragway.

The other Quick Rod driver to qualify in multiple classes is Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s Patrick Forster who also qualified in Hot Rod. In the 8.90 class Forster finished second in the North Stars Division and had two Quick Rod wins to advance him to the tournament.

Eric Goulden Waco, Kentucky’s Jeremy Mason is another driver to watch at the 2012 Tournament of Champions, winning the North Stars division by 54 points over Forster and finishing the year with three wins in four finals. Mason had a win at Mountain Park Dragway and won twice at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park, counting his first ever Nitro Jam national event victory among his accomplishments this season.

Carey Long finished first in the always tough Raiders Division, finishing 23 points ahead of Nesbitt. Long, from Timberlake, N.C., had two wins at Rockingham Dragway and Farmington Dragway and added a pair of runner-up finishes to his four final tally.

Rounding out the 2012 divisional champions is Renegades champion Dale Scates who barely squeaked out a win over Vernon Rowland, finishing 12 points ahead in the final standings. Scates, from Center, Texas, had two wins at Dallas Raceway and Memphis International Raceway and one runner-up on the season. Scates already has to be considered a major threat, winning at the host track of the IHRA Summit World Finals already this season.

While Goulden, Long, Mason, McCleaft, Muller and Scates were busy winning divisional titles, those drivers that finished just behind in the divisional race in the runner-up spot are Rick Stroud (D1), Randal Langley (D2), Patrick Forster (D3), Vernon Rowland (D4), Cody Scheu (D6) and Brett Nesbitt (D9). Divisional third place finishers were Jacob Otto (D1), John Biermann (D2), Steve Mikus (D3), Michael Pennington (D4), Blu Hayball (D6) and Brooke Warren (D9).

Despite finishing third in her division, Warren is one of the hottest drivers entering the championship tournament with two runner-up finishes early in the season culminating with a win at the final race of the year at Farmington Dragway to get her into the field via a TOC win and a third place finish in her division.

Rounding out the Quick Rod field are the winners of the 2012 Tournament of Champions qualifier races including Scotty Campbell (Pittsburgh), Corey Manuel (Richmond), Jake Milstead (Maryland) and Russ Stevenson.

The 2012 Summit Racing Equipment Tournament of Champions will take place October 12-14 as part of the IHRA Summit Racing Equipment World Finals at Memphis International Raceway.

QUICK ROD
NAME (TOC Qual, Hometown) – 2012 Pro-Am Finals
John Biermann (D2 3rd, Loxahatchee, FL)
Scotty Campbell (Pittsburgh, Avonmore, PA) 1 win
Patrick Forster (D3 2nd, Pittsburgh, PA) 3 wins, 2 runner-ups
Eric Goulden (D6 1st/Edmonton, Airdrie, ALB) 3 wins
Blu Hayball (D6 3rd, Ft. Hall, ID) 1 runner-up
Randal Langley (D2 2nd, Naples, FL) 2 runner-ups
Carey Long (D9 1st, Timberlake, NC) 2 wins, 2 runner-ups
Corey Manuel (Richmond, Winston Salem, NC) 1 win
Jeremy Mason (D3 1st/Martin, Waco, KY) 3 wins, 1 runner-up
Ed McCleaft (D1 1st, Shinglehouse, PA) 3 wins, 1 runner-up
Steve Mikus (D3 3rd/Immokalee, Ashley, MI) 1 win, 2 runner-ups
Jake Milstead (Maryland, Lexington Park, MD)
Steve Muller (D2 1st, Pinellas Park, FL) 3 wins
Brett Nesbitt (D9 2nd, Burlington, NC) 3 wins, 2 runner-ups
Jacob Otto (D1 3rd, Montpelier, VA) 1 runner-up
Michael Pennington (D4 3rd/San Antonio, Three Rivers, TX) 1 win
Vernon Rowland (D4 2nd/Baton Rouge, Blanchard, OK) 2 wins
Dale Scates (D4 1st, Center, TX) 2 wins, 1 runner-up
Cody Scheu (D6 2nd, Calgary, ALB) 1 win, 1 runner-up
Russ Stevenson (Salt Lake, South Jordan, UT)
Rick Stroud (D1 2nd, Douglas, ONT) 1 win, 1 runner-up
Brooke Warren (D9 3rd/Farmington, Clinton, NC) 1 win, 2 runner-ups