SHRA - 2014 White Walls & Drags Ardmore Dragway Results

Graves, Godwin & Rose Lead Ardmore Winners

Ardmore Dragway - May 24th, 2014

The fourth event of the 2014 MalloryPrint.com Southwest Heritage Racing Association took the tour to Ardmore Dragway to participate in the annual "White Walls & Drags" event held each spring in Ardmore, Oklahoma. A strong field of cars in all five SHRA classes showed up to do some old school drag racing over the memorial day weekend. Some new names headlined the winners circle by the day's end and points positions changed as well as the SHRA series reached it's halfway point of the season.

Nostalgia Eliminator 1 Results:

In the quickest class of the series, the 4.65 Nostalgia Eliminator 1 category, twelve cars battled for position and precious Good Vibrations Motorsports NE 1 Shootout points through two rounds of qualifying. Upon completion of two sessions, Chris Graves in the "Blown Inheritance" slingshot dragster led the field with a "perfect" 4.65 at 151 mph. Defending series Champion Steve Matthews qualified second at his hometown event with a 4.710 at 147 mph followed closely by Dumas, Texas' Clay Cunningham who wheeled his beautiful blown Fiat to a 4.716 at 142 mph. Kenny Stroud's blown Ford powered dragster posted a 4.72 at 148 mph to qualify fourth and points leader Tera Wendland-Graves rounded out the top five.

(Kenny Stroud)

Nostalgia Eliminator 1 Qualifying Order:

1. Chris Graves (Carrollton, Tx) - 4.65 @ 151
2. Steve Matthews (Marietta, Ok) - 4.710 @ 147
3. Clay Cunningham (Dumas, Tx) - 4.716 @ 142
4. Kenny Stroud (Owasso, Ok) - 4.72 @ 148
5. Tera Wendland-Graves (Commerce, Tx) - 4.75 @ 148
6. Dale McKee (Heath, Tx) - 4.89 @ 143
7. Jason O'Neill (Mesquite, Tx) - 4.900 @ 144
8. Rick Goodale (Austin, Tx) - 4.907 @ 141
9. Steve Dunkin (Aledo, Tx) - 4.93 @ 142
10. Brett Henry (Wichita, Ks) - 4.96 @ 138
11. Ted McCord (Claremore, Ok) - 5.24 @ 136
12. Gary Ballard (Wichita Falls, Tx) - 5.45 @ 126

(Brett Henry)

Kicking off the first round of eliminations was Kenny Stroud taking on Brett Henry's "Iron Mistress" nitro burning blown altered from Wichita, Kansas. Stroud took this one from start to finish, posting a 4.70 at 148 mph to take out Henry's best run of the event with a 4.87 at 144 mph. Tera Wendland-Graves snuck past Ted McCord as both cars were on and off the throttle. Wendland-Graves ran into transmission issues in high gear but had enough at the stripe to take the win with a 5.03 at 110 mph to McCord's close 5.06 at 138 mph. Steve Dunkin and Clay Cunningham were up next as Dunkin took the win after some starting line confusion, with Dunkin's 5.02 at 134 advancing. Dale McKee wheeled his blown altered to a first round winning 4.92 at 142 mph defeating Gary Ballard. As the first round continued, Chris Graves laid down the quickest run of the round with a strong 4.68 at 149 mph to take out Jason O'Neill's best run of the event, a 4.78 at 146 mph. In the final pair, Steve Matthews clicked off a clean 4.72 at 141 mph to defeat Rick Goodale's 5.51 at 139 mph.

In the second round, Steve Matthews posted a 4.71 at 147 mph in a solo pass as he was due to take on Tera Wendland-Graves who was out with transmission failure. Chris Graves moved into the semi-finals with a 4.72 at 136 mph which took out Kenny Stroud's 4.86 at 143 mph. In the final pair of the round, Steve Dunkin had a .008 reaction time and he needed it as his 4.96 at 140 mph took out Dale McKee's quicker but loosing 4.92 at 143 mph.

Semi-final action got started with Steve Matthews and Steve Dunkin bringing their blown front engine dragsters to the line. Dunkin was off the line first but his 4.89 at 141 mph fell short to Matthews' very consistent 4.71 at 147 mph. Matthews advanced to the final to take on Chris Graves who took advantage of the bye run on a 4.75 at 146 pass to move into the finals.

Graves and Matthews brought their blown slingshot dragsters to the line under the lights at Ardmore Dragway to put a cap on the NE 1 class action. Matthews jumped the gun with a -.028 reaction time and had the best seat in the house to watch Chris Graves claim his first career SHRA win with a 4.74 at 148 mph, which catapulted Graves to third in the points standings.

(Chris Graves / Team "Blown Inheritance" - NE 1 Winner)

Nostalgia Eliminator 1 Round 1 Results:

(W) Kenny Stroud (.076 rt) 4.70 @ 148 vs. (L) Brett Henry (.246 rt) 4.87 @ 144
(W) Tera W.Graves (.064 rt) 5.03 @ 110 vs. (L) Ted McCord (.079 rt) 5.06 @ 138
(W) Steve Dunkin (.645 rt) 5.02 @ 134 vs. (L) Clay Cunningham (Foul) 15.06 @ 55
(W) Dale McKee (.304 rt) 4.92 @ 142 vs. (L) Gary Ballard (No Time - Broke)
(W) Chris Graves (.033 rt) 4.68 @ 149 vs. (L) Jason O'Neill (-.027 rt) 4.78 @ 146
(W) Steve Matthews (.024 rt) 4.72 @ 141 vs. (L) Rick Goodale (.231 rt) 5.51 @ 139

Nostalgia Eliminator 1 Round 2 Results:

(W) Steve Matthews (.022 rt) 4.71 @ 147 vs. (L) Tera W.Graves (No Time - Broke)
(W) Chris Graves (.131 rt) 4.72 @ 136 vs. (L) Kenny Stroud (.105 rt) 4.86 @ 143
(W) Steve Dunkin (.008 rt) 4.96 @ 140 vs. (L) Dale McKee (.135 rt) 4.92 @ 143

Nostalgia Eliminator 1 Semi-Final Results:

(W) Steve Matthews (.074 rt) 4.71 @ 147 vs. (L) Steve Dunkin (.023 rt) 4.89 @ 141
(W) Chris Graves (.130 rt) 4.75 @ 146 vs. (L) Bye Run

Nostalgia Eliminator 1 Final Round Results:

(W) Chris Graves (.066 rt) 4.74 @ 148 vs. (L) Steve Matthews (-.028 rt) 5.04 @ 106

Nostalgia Eliminator 2 Results:

In the 5.00 Nostalgia Eliminator 2 class, defending class Champion Bee Godwin came into the event with two wins in three races and the points lead. Ross Laird had plans to play spoiler and got off to a good start qualifying number one in the family run injected dragster with a 5.01 at 138 mph in the Ardmore, OK based "Rain Maker" entry. Thomas Hixson's "One Wild Ride" slingshot qualified number two with a 5.02 at 136 and Godwin nabbed the number three spot with a 5.03 at 135 mph pass to round of the top half of the six car field. Godwin, Drozd and Hixson are now just three points apart in the Meyer Enterprises NE 2 Shootout points standings.

(Tommy Drozd)

Nostalgia Eliminator 2 Qualifying Order:

1. Ross Laird (Ardmore, Ok) - 5.01 @ 138
2. Thomas Hixson (Keller, Tx) - 5.02 @ 136
3. Bee Godwin (Iowa Park, Tx) - 5.03 @ 135
4. Bruce Bruno Jr (Wichita Falls, Tx) - 5.07 @ 134
5. Tommy Drozd (Lake Dallas, Tx) - 5.20 @ 131
6. Rick Taylor (Choctaw, Ok) - 6.06 @ 110

In the opening round of NE 2 eliminations, Thomas Hixson paired up with Tommy Drozd in a dragster versus altered match-up. Drozd left too soon with a -.023 reaction time while Hixson posted a solid 5.04 at 126 mph to advance. Ross Laird and Bruce Bruno Jr. were out next in a pair of young gun drivers playing for keeps. Laird blasted off the line with a .003 reaction time and his 5.08 at 125 mph was enough to take the win over Bruno Jr's 5.13 at 133 mph. Bee Godwin benefitted from a competition bye run after Rick Taylor ran into mechanical issues and was unable to make the call. Godwin lit the scoreboards with a 5.10 at 134 mph to move into the semis.

Godwin and Hixson kicked off semi-final action in Ardmore with Godwin taking a healthy starting line advantage and never trailing, as his 5.05 at 134 mph knocked out Hixson's breakout 4.98 at 138 mph. Ross Laird laid down a stout 5.01 at 138 mph on a bye run to advance him to his first SHRA final of the season at his hometown track. Now all he had to do was take out the points leader Godwin in the finals to cap off a perfect weekend.

(Ross Laird)

Godwin and Laird were both geared up for the final round as Godwin hoped to improve on his points lead while Laird was looking to play spoiler. The cars were off the line together and side by side through the traps. Laird unfortunately broke out with a 4.98 at 133 mph which crowned Godwin the event winner with a nice 5.03 at 136 mph to take his third NE 2 win of the season.

(Bee Godwin - NE 2 Winner)

Nostalgia Eliminator 2 Round 1 Results:

(W) Thomas Hixson (.314 rt) 5.04 @ 126 vs. (L) Tommy Drozd (-.023 rt) 5.24 @ 130
(W) Ross Laird (.003 rt) 5.08 @ 125 vs. (L) Bruce Bruno Jr (.013 rt) 5.13 @ 133
(W) Bee Godwin (-.013 rt) 5.10 @ 134 vs. (L) Bye Run

Nostalgia Eliminator 2 Semi-Final Results:

(W) Bee Godwin (.037 rt) 5.05 @ 134 vs. (L) Thomas Hixson (.145 rt) 4.98 @ 138
(W) Ross Laird (.074 rt) 5.01 @ 138 vs. (L) Bye Run

Nostalgia Eliminator 2 Final Round Results:

(W) Bee Godwin (.031 rt) 5.03 @ 136 vs. (L) Ross Laird (.039 rt) 4.98 @ 133

Nostalgia Eliminator 3 Results:

In the very competitive 5.50 index Nostalgia Eliminator 3 category, Doug Morrison entered the event as the defending class Champ and current points leader with two wins on the season. Morrison had a tough crowd to deal with in Ardmore as nine other drivers were in action looking to give the points leader grief and they did just that. Ardmore Dragway owner Rick Carrell himself joined the NE 3 action and proved he was no slouch, qualifying number one with a "perfect" 5.50 at 123 mph. Dusty Rose, who had been to two straight finals yet was still searching for that first elusive SHRA event win, qualified second with a 5.52 at 120 mph. Ron Walden's 5.53 earned him the number three spot while Gary Mitchell and Michael Anderson rounded out the top five after two qualifying sessions. By qualifying second, Rose claimed the points lead in the AlkyDigger.com NE 3 Shootout standings.

Nostalgia Eliminator 3 Qualifying Order:

1. Rick Carrell (Ardmore, Ok) - 5.50 @ 123
2. Dusty Rose (Moore, Ok) - 5.52 @ 120
3. Ron Walden (Kilgore, Tx) - 5.53 @ 122
4. Gary Mitchell (Dallas, Tx) - 5.54 @ 123
5. Michael Anderson (Ovalo, Tx) - 5.55 @ 128
6. Doug Morrison (Gainesville, Tx) - 5.571 @ 122
7. Carl Johnson (Iola, Tx) - 5.574 @ 120
8. Charles Cathcart (Ardmore, Ok) - 5.78 @ 116
9. Robert Springstead (Azle, Tx) - 5.95 @ 119
10. Don Holley (Aubrey, Tx) - 6.20 @ 111

In the opening round of eliminations, Rick Carrell and Doug Morrison rolled through the waterbox in a powerhouse match-up. Carrell left on Morrison by a slight margin and never trailed as his 5.53 at 121 mph took out the points leader's 5.55 at 120 mph. Gary Mitchell posted a 5.53 to take out the red lighting Robert Springstead. Dusty Rose' 5.56 at 112 mph knocked out Wichita Falls winner Carl Johnson's 5.80 at 120 mph. As eliminations continued, Ron Walden got caught sleeping at the tree but his 5.55 at 122 mph drove around Charles Cathcart's 5.76 at 117 mph to take the win. In the final pair of the round, Michael Anderson basically took a nap on the starting line but his 5.57 at 116 mph was enough to drive around Don Holley's 6.07 at 112 mph as the winners advanced to the second round.

The second round was underway with Dusty Rose taking on Gary Mitchell. Rose caught Mitchell sleeping at the tree as Mitchell's "perfect" 5.50 wasn't enough to hold off Rose' 5.56 at 117 mph as Rose moved on. Michael Anderson snuck past Ron Walden as Walden went -.087 red, while Anderson posted a 5.92 at 89 mph to advance to his first SHRA semi-final. Rick Carrell soloed into the semis on a bye with a 5.43 at 124 mph pass.

(Michael Anderson)

Carrell and Anderson fired up to start the NE 3 semi-final action. Anderson was -.081 red and his 5.20 was no factor, while Carrell posted a 5.40 at 125 mph to move into the final round. Dusty Rose benefitted from the bye run and laid down a "perfect" 5.50 at 121 mph and looked to be the car to beat heading into the final round.

In the NE 3 final, Rose lined up with Carrell to decide a champ. Could the young gun SHRA regular take out the track owner at his own facility in the money round? Yes! Rose left first and his 5.49 at 121 mph took the win as Carrell broke out worse with a 5.45 at 122 mph. Rose and the "Foggy Mountain Special" family owned team celebrated their highly anticipated first SHRA win and also took over the points lead heading to the next event, July 19th at San Antonio Raceway.

(Dusty Rose - NE 3 Winner)

Nostalgia Eliminator 3 Round 1 Results:

(W) Rick Carrell (.065 rt) 5.53 @ 121 vs. (L) Doug Morrison (.080 rt) 5.55 @ 120
(W) Gary Mitchell (.0139 rt) 5.53 @ 121 vs. (L) Robert Springstead (-.013 rt) 5.91 @ 118
(W) Dusty Rose (.022 rt) 5.56 @ 112 vs. (L) Carl Johnson (.008 rt) 5.80 @ 120
(W) Ron Walden (.248 rt) 5.55 @ 122 vs. (L) Charles Cathcart (.048 rt) 5.76 @ 117
(W) Michael Anderson (.443 rt) 5.57 @ 116 vs. (L) Don Holley (.022 rt) 6.07 @ 112

Nostalgia Eliminator 3 Round 2 Results:

(W) Dusty Rose (.064 rt) 5.56 @ 117 vs. (L) Gary Mitchell (.142 rt) 5.50 @ 123
(W) Michael Anderson (.139 rt) 5.92 @ 89 vs. (L) Ron Walden (-.087 rt) 5.85 @ 93
(W) Rick Carrell (.029 rt) 5.43 @ 124 vs. (L) Bye Run

Nostalgia Eliminator 3 Semi-Final Results:

(W) Rick Carrell (.034 rt) 5.40 @ 125 vs. (L) Michael Anderson (-.081 rt) 5.20 @ 134
(W) Dusty Rose (.052 rt) 5.50 @ 121 vs. (L) Bye Run

Nostalgia Eliminator 3 Final Round Results:

(W) Dusty Rose (.044 rt) 5.49 @ 121 vs. (L) Rick Carrell (.049 rt) 5.45 @ 122

Old School No-Electronics Results:

(Timothy Lyons & Joe Elmore Rd 1)

A series record 44 pre-79 model cars made for an intense day of racing in the Old School No-Electronics class at Ardmore Dragway. After three rounds of great nostalgia drag racing action, five drivers were remaining in the quarterfinals. Opening the quarterfinal round action, Brad Thompson and Rod Wolter brought their machines to the starting line. Wolter jumped the tree by -.007 and Thompson motored into the semi-finals in his 1966 Pontiac Tempest.

(Rickey Richardson)

As the quarterfinals continued, Joe Elmore, winner from the SHRA season opener at North Star Dragway, took out the red lighting Roger Johns to move to the semi-finals in his "Old School Special" 1963 Nova. Wichita Falls runner-up Jim Baughan benefitted from the bye run to move into the semi-finals as three drivers remained in competition.

(Roger Johns)

The semi-finals kicked off with Baughan and Elmore squaring off. Elmore had no chance in this one as he broke out with an 8.85 on an 8.93 dial, while Baughan was dead on his 6.17 dial in which earned him a trip to his second final of the season in his 1937 Chevy Coupe. Baughan was set to take on Brad Thompson who soloed into the final round in his Tempest on a bye run; this was Thompson's first SHRA final of the year.

In the Old School No-Electronics final, Baughan stuck with his 6.17 dial in and was .054 on the tree, but it was already in the bag for Baughan as Thompson was -.137 red at the starting line. Baughan racked up his second SHRA win of the season counting his Old School Electronics win in Wichita Falls. Baughan moved into second place just nine points behind Elmore with three SHRA bracket events left on the schedule.

(Jim Baughan - Old School No-Electronics Winner)

Old School Electronics Results:

(Jose Gomez & Dale Alsup Rd 1)

A solid 26 car field of Old School Electronics machines made the trip to Ardmore Dragway to do some old school bracket racing. Bobby Taylor came in as the points leader but was knocked out in round one which opened the door for the competition to rack up some points. Five drivers were left standing as the quarterfinals got underway. Dean Johnson kept his winning streak alive in his Chevy Vega by taking out Brad Curran to move into the semi-finals. Russell Cook, runner-up at the SHRA season opener at North Star Dragway, knocked out Dale Alsup who broke out and Cameron Green soloed into the semis on a bye run.

(Brad Curran)

(Russell Cook)

Russell Cook notified the SHRA between rounds that he was broke so with Cook out early, SHRA staging lane director Justin Haas moved the two remaining cars straight to the final as Dean Johnson and Cameron Green brought their cars to life and rolled through the waterbox. Both drivers were on their game at the tree, Johnson taking a slight advantage, but at the stripe Green broke out with a 6.18 on his 6.20 dial while Johnson ran a 5.41 on his 5.37 dial to take his first SHRA event win in his first SHRA event appearance. Despite Cook's early departure to mechanical failure, he assumed the points lead heading into the next SHRA bracket event scheduled for August 30th back at Ardmore Dragway.

(Dean Johnson - Old School Electronics Winner)

This put a cap on the SHRA action from Ardmore as several drivers claimed their first series wins. The MalloryPrint.com Southwest Heritage Racing Association would like to thank Mallory Screen Print & Embroidery, Good Vibrations Motorsports, Meyer Enterprises, AlkyDigger.com, Hayden Enterprises, Equipment Sales & Service of Texas, The Hitchin' Post Restaurant & Truck Stop, Robinson Restoration & Service, Harry's Hot Rod Truck & Accessories, Competition Sales of Dallas, Howards Cams and Competition Products for their support of the 2014 SHRA racing season.

Click Here to see photos from Ardmore!

(Ardmore Video Highlights by James Armstrong)