SHRA Celebrates Bee Godwin
with Capacity Crowd at Wichita Falls
September 10th - Wichita Falls, Texas
The MalloryPrint.com SHRA racing community came together in fine form at Wichita Raceway Park to celebrate the life of Bee Godwin, who we lost this past April. WRP was Godwin's home track where he had made hundreds if not thousands of runs and also served as track manager. Friends and family of Bee came in from multiple states to be a part of this special race weekend and the support from racers and fans was immense. 126 racers overflowed the pit area which set a new attendance record for the SHRA series. Among those, a series record 16 cars were entered in AlkyDigger Nostalgia Eliminator 3 competition. This event, held Saturday, September 10th, was presented by Don Hardy Racecars & Hot Rod Shop.
Nostalgia Eliminator 1
AlkyDigger Nostalgia Eliminator 1 (4.65 Index) competition was hot as five cars came into the event with a shot at the points Championship and only two events remaining. Richard Brady shot to the lead with his win two weeks prior at Texas Raceway, but had Chris Graves, Carl Johnson, Tera Graves and Jason O'Neill on his heels. Brady showed no mercy by clicking off a 4.663 at 147 mph to qualify number one for the ten car field. Tera Graves' 4.667 at 146 mph was a close second and Tommy Drozd's 4.68 at 145 secured the third spot.
(Richard Brady)
By the semi-finals, Brady and both Graves' were still in competition. Number one and two in points, Brady & Chris Graves, were set to fire up when starter issues kept the Graves' dragster from firing and Championship hopes dwindled as Brady posted a strong 4.62 at 146 mph in a solo shot to the finals. Tera Graves had a bye run in the semis after benefitting from competition bye runs after Gary Ballard and Larry Bradford broke. Graves spun the tires to an 11.80 as Brady had the advantage on paper heading into the finals.
(Tera Graves)
In the NE 1 final round, Brady was looking to extend his points lead and claim maximum points by qualifying number one and winning the race in Wichita Falls. Tera Graves had gone from sixth to third in points in the las two races and was on a late season charge to the top. At the flash of amber, Graves was out first but immediately struck the tires and had the best seat in the house to watch Brady streak to an early shut off 4.92 at 114 mph to take the team's second straight win. Congratulations to Richard Brady, Al Mallory and the rest of the MalloryPrint.com team as they hope to clinch their first NE 1 title at the final event of the season in three weeks.
(Richard Brady - NE 1 Winner)
Nostalgia Eliminator 1 Results:
(Click To Enlarge)
Nostalgia Eliminator 2
AlkyDigger Nostlagia Eliminator 2 (5.00) racing was short but sweet as a handful of SHRA regulars were unable to attend the event. Five cars were on hand and provided some great action as Garry Wheeler Jr scored his first top qualifier of the year with a 5.01 at 128 mph. Defending series Champ Bruce Dodson was number two with a 5.03 at 136 and Steve Sicking's crowd favorite blown coupe qualified third with a 5.13 at 140 mph.
(Jeff Allen)
(Jason Scott)
Dodson bowed out in round one with a red light against Jeff Allen and that opened the door for points leader Jason Scott to increase his lead and he did just that. Scott met first time finalist Allen, who also serves as Official SHRA Chaplain, in the final round of NE 2. The drivers were off the line almost dead even and Scott posted a 5.09 at 130 mph to score his third win of the season over Allen's 5.84 at 87 mph. It was all smiles in the NE 2 pits and Jason Scott will enter the SHRA Championship Finals with a comfortable points lead over Dodson and Hixson.
(Richard Brady)
Nostalgia Eliminator 2 Results:
(Click To Enlarge)
Nostalgia Eliminator 3
A series record car count in AlkyDigger Nostalgia Eliminator 3 (5.50 Index) was ready for battle and Bob Scoggins notched his first top qualifier of the year with a 5.503 followed closely by Dustin Bradford's 5.506 and points leader Josh Moseley's 5.51. The competition in NE 3 has been intense all season and the past two events have been won by SHRA rookie Bobby Bates in his first season of competition. In a powerhouse round one match up, Bates took a first round loss with a 5.47 break out to defending 2 Time Champion Dusty Rose' 5.50 at 120 mph.
(Bob Scoggins)
(Josh Moseley)
In semi-final round action, Doug Morrison and Dustin Bradford came to the line. Morrison took a slight starting line advantage and in a double break out, Morrison's 5.49 at 118 mph advanced over Bradford's close 5.46 at 124 mph. Points leader Moseley was up next alongside top qualifier Scoggins. At the starting line, Scoggins was late and despite his 5.51 at 123 mph, he came up short to Moseley's 5.53 at 114 mph as Morrison and Moseley were final round bound.
(Doug Morrison)
The NE 3 final round was a doozie as Morrison's .016 reaction time led Moseley's .028. At the stripe, Moseley's 5.48 at 118 mph broke out less than Morrison's 5.47 at 117 mph as Moseley claimed his second win of the season in four final round appearances. Moseley and company will hold a solid lead in the NE 3 standings but the battle for a spot in the top five is hot heading into the final event.
(NE 3 Winner - Josh Moseley)
Nostalgia Eliminator 3 Results:
(Click To Enlarge)
Old School No Electronics
Old School No Electronics welcomed 51 cars to the property and that set up some quality racing in this true footbrake class. Number two in points Jason Marshall fell in round one to Tyler Horne and number three in points Danny Kent broke in time trials. Defending Champion and points leader Jim Baughan had a chance to make serious ground, but met his match in round two as Shawn Donovan's 1968 Camaro dialed a 6.32 and took the win over Baughan's -.013 red light.
(Robert Broom Jr)
(Michael Rhea)
The final round brought Robert Broom Jr's Chevy Camaro to the line against Michael Rhea's 1969 El Camino. Rhea was climbing the points standings with every win light and ripped off a .007 reaction time in the final to Broom's close .013. At the stripe Rhea's 6.02 on a 5.97 dial was no match for Broom's 7.62 on a 7.60 dial as Broom took his first SHRA event win in Wichita Falls. Rhea's runner up finish shot him into the third points position while Baughan has his title defense all but wrapped up with a 103 point lead over Jason Marshall.
(Old School No Electronics Winner - Robert Broom Jr)
Old School Electronics
Old School Electronics found 37 cars ready for action as points leader Alex Garca hoped to hold his lead over Ricky Marshall and Dean Johnson. Johnson bowed out in round one as his 5.50 on a 5.53 dial broke out against Chris Jarvis. In round two, Marshall's 6.01 on a 6.05 dial fell to Tony Malone who posted a 5.76 on a 5.74. Garca had defeated Bobby O'Neill, Bobby Taylor and David Lancaster and rolled through the water box in round four against Brent Lancaster. Garca dialed a 6.70 and posted a losing 6.75 at 102 mph to Lancaster's 6.50 on a 6.46 dial.
(Jimmy ONeill)
(Harold Green)
Two first time SHRA racers Jimmy O'Neill and Harold Green met in the final round. O'Neill sporting a sleek 1963 Corvette while Green was wheeling a blown 1923 T altered. Green took a slight starting line advantage and posted a 5.27 on a 5.25 dial at 127 mph to claim victory over O'Neill's close 5.77 on a 5.73 dial. Congratulations to Harold Green on his winning in his debut SHRA event.
(Harold Green - Old School Electronics Winner)
Nostalgia Super Stock
Nostalgia Super Stock points were critical in Wichita Falls and the racers felt the pressure as four drivers stood a solid shot at the 2016 Championship. In the first pair of first round, points leader Vic Corlett bowed out with a 7.07 on a 7.05 dial to Mark Buchanan's .009 reaction time and 7.11 on a 7.05. In an incredible sight, number two and three in points Doug Watkins and Tony Smith followed suit losing their first round matchups. This left David Ardoin and Ronnie Smith who came into the event fourth and fifth, to make a move on the leaders.
(In The Lanes)
(David Ardoin)
Ardoin capitalized by taking out Buchanan in the semi-final to meet Damon Kuhn in the final round who had defeated Smith in the semis. The cars crept to the line as we were guaranteed a first time winner and Ardoin jumped the tree with a -.096 reaction time and Damon Kuhn wheeled his "Fugly" 1961 Plymouth Belvedere to the win with a 6.34 on a 6.41 dial to claim his first SHRA event win. Ardoin earned enough points to jump into second place just one point behind leader Corlett. Watkins and Tony Smith are within ten points of Ardoin as the top four separate by just eleven points. A battle is on for the 2016 SHRA Nostalgia Super Stock Championship!
(Nostalgia Super Stock Winner - Damon Kuhn)
It was a fantastic evening of racing as the SHRA community raced in memory of Bee Godwin. Bee's wife Sharon returned to racing action for the first time this weekend and despite a first round red light, Sharon and family had a memorable weekend that will never be forgotten. The SHRA Championship Finals, presented by Meyer Enterprises, will be contested on Saturday, October 1st at North Star Dragway in Denton, Texas. All six SHRA classes are on the bill and action will intensify with the Dooley & Sons Nostalgia Eliminator Shootout which will be held during qualifying. This race within a race offers a $500 winning purse and features the top eight best qualifiers of the season in all three AlkyDigger Nostalgia Eliminator classes. A huge evening of nostalgia drag racing action is on tap at the final event and six Champions will be crowned, we'll see you at the drags!
The SHRA would like to thank Mallory Print.com, AlkyDigger, Dooley & Sons Hot Rod Shop, Lone Star Forklift, Mears Mazda Volvo, Passtime GPS, Meyer Enterprises, Don Hardy Race Cars, Stroud Safety, Equipment Sales and Service of Texas, Neil & Parks Racing Enterprises, Bubba's Tow, Lenamond Auto Supply, Gary's Muffler, Bad Behavior Racing, Hagerty Vintage Motorsports Insurance, Competition Sales of Dallas, Harry's Hot Rod, Competition Products and Howards Cams for their support in the 2016 racing season.
Click Here to see photos from Wichita Falls!
