BALDWIN, GLENN, BARNETT LEAD WINNERS AT VHRA OPENER AS FIRST-TIME PARTICIPANT WINNERS
If Krista Baldwin ever wondered how it felt to win a first Top Fuel race in her first outing, now she knows.
Baldwin, competing in her first Virtual Reality Hot Rod Association fan-vote drag racing, beat an opponent who understands the feeling all too well. The third-generation drag racer stopped No. 1 qualifier Josh Hart to win Burnyzz Top Fuel the ARP Winter Throwdown at Orange County International Raceway. Just nine months ago, Hart achieved the feat in real life by winning his debut event at the NHRA Gatornationals.
Hart snagged the early lead in a back and forth battle with Hart all Saturday, pulling out the win with a 56-percent share of the votes cast.
"Thank you to everyone who voted," Baldwin said. "It was a group effort and a great victory. I'm glad I can come out of my rookie year winning something. This is just a true testament to the fans who support me on and off the track and in the virtual world. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season, and I will see you all in 2022. Thank you to CompetitionPlus.com for putting on a classic at OCIR. I do believe I am the first in the family to take a win."
Baldwin wasn't the only first-time, first-participation winner as Dallas Glenn (Quartermax Pro Stock) and Lyle Barnett (Jerry Bickel Race Cars Pro Modified) produced wins. Veterans of the series Tim Wilkerson (McLeod Funny Car) and Steve Johnson (QuarterMileClassifieds.com Pro Stock Motorcycle) picked up wins in the five-day event, which netted over 10,000 votes casts.
Quartermax Pro Stock competitor Glenn, the NHRA's Rookie of the Year driver, scored his monumental victory by taking out Alan Prusiensky and the seemingly unbeatable defending series champion Bruno Massell Jr. before stopping Rodger Brogdon, also competing in his first VRHRA event.
Participation is limited to drivers who finish in the top twenty of NHRA points or gain one provisional start with a VRHRA world championship.
"The fact that this race is voted on by the fans is really cool," Glenn said. "It shows how much of an impact I made in my first year out, and that's all I ever wanted to do in my rookie season. Getting to drive professionally has been a dream, and I'm happy the fans are seeing how much fun we are having."
The Jerry Bickel Race Cars Pro Modified division had probably the most energized fan base of all five classes in competition. Barnett took advantage of his legion of fans and social followers to beat Mike Salinas in the final round.
Barnett's run to victory lane began with a win over Jim Whiteley, but his semi-final slugfest with Stevie "Fast" Jackson was epic, with over 750 votes cast in a race decided by just three.
Barnett learned early in the event that the key to winning VRHRA is to have a passionate fan base.
"It was an honor just to be considered and included in the 2021 ARP Bolts Winter Throwdown," Barnett said. "I would like to thank all of my friends, family, and fans for the support and votes throughout this virtual drag race. Congratulations to all the winners. We had a very strong finish to our 2021 NHRA rookie Pro Mod season, and hopefully, we can carry this momentum into 2022."
It's a phrase that has been applied to other drivers, but it seems fitting to describe Wilkerson in the fan-vote drag racing world.
There are certains in life: death, taxes, and Tim Wilkerson's domination in the fan-vote world.
Wilkerson won from the No. 1 qualifying position in McLeod Funny Car, dashing the hopes of Dale Creasy Jr., an underdog sensation.
"Poor Dale, I had to slap around another one of us independents," Wilkerson said with a laugh. "It is really cool that the NHRA fans embrace this stuff each season, and even more so that my fans are so passionate about this. They want us to win in everything. I can tell you when we won the U.S. Nationals this year, my old buddy Paul Smith came over and told me, 'I have heard some cheers in my life, but never like I heard when you won."
In last year's VRHRA, QuarterMileClassifieds.com Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Johnson emerged as a front-runner and clinched the series title. In what came as a surprise, he turned virtual reality into real life and challenged down to the end for the biker crown.
Johnson opened the fan-vote season on top, qualifying No. 1 and stopping Karen Stoffer in a race that was decided in sudden death. The racers finished regulation voting in a dead-tie. Voting was opened up until the next vote was cast and was done so in Johnson's favor handing him the victory.
In winning from the number one position, Johnson left the event with the most points available.
"This gives me hope that Santa might bring me ten horsepower over the offseason," Johnson said. "As a driver, you always think you're taking care of your fans at the ropes, and you realize you are doing what you enjoy. These fans are our lifeblood in the sport, and for me, my horsepower in winning these cool events."
The VRHRA takes a week off before returning on December 14, 2021, with the Hughes Performance Thunder in the Desert at the famed BeeLine Dragway once located in Scottsdale, Az.
POINTS STANDINGS
TF POINTS
1. KRISTA BALDWIN - 107
2. JOSH HART - 84
3. T.J. ZIZZO - 55
4. CLAY MILLICAN - 53
5. BRITTANY FORCE - 33
6. DOUG KALITTA - 31
7. JUSTIN ASHLEY - 29
8. STEVE TORRENCE - 27
9. CAMERON FERRE - 1
10. ALEX LAUGHLIN - 1
FC POINTS
POINTS
1. TIM WILKERSON - 109
2. DALE CREASY JR - 78
3. ALEXIS DEJORIA - 57
4. RON CAPPS - 56
5. JOHN FORCE - 33
6. ALEX MILADINOVICH - 30
7. PAUL LEE - 29
8. CRUZ PEDREGON - 27
9. JEFF DIEHL - 1
10.TONY JURADO - 1
PS - POINTS
1. DALLAS GLENN - 108
2. RODGER BROGDON - 79
3. BRUNO MASSEL - 57
4. GREG ANDERSON - 56
5. ERICA ENDERS - 34
6. KYLE KORETSKY - 30
7. AARON STANFIELD - 29
8. ALAN PRUSIENSKY - 28
9. KENNY DELCO - 1
10.TROY COUGHLIN JR - 1
PSM - POINTS
1. STEVE JOHNSON - 109
2. KAREN STOFFER - 82
3. ANGELLE SAMPEY - 58
4. ANGIE SMITH - 55
5. MATT SMITH - 31
6. JIANNA SALINAS - 29
7. JERRY SAVOIE - 28
8. KELLY CLONTZ - 27
9. JOE GLADSTONE - 1
10.RONALD TORNOW - 1
PM POINTS
1. LYLE BARNETT - 107
2. MIKE SALINAS - 80
3. STEVE JACKSON - 58
4. JIM WHITELEY - 54
5. RICKIE SMITH - 34
6. ERIC LATINO - 31
7. ALEX LAUGHLIN - 28
8. DOUG WINTERS - 27
9. MIKE CASTELLANA - 1
10.JOSE GONZALES - 1