Fri, 7 Jul 2006, 11:23 AM
The Sportsman Racers Never Quit
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By Bob Frey
Photo copyright 2006 Auto Imagery, Bob Johnson, Dave DeAngelis, Robert Grice
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Even though there is a break in the action on the NHRA POWERade tour, the competition in the
sportsman classes is as intense as ever. There are very few weeks during the season when there
isn't at least one divisional event going on and this week is no exception. After finishing the
Division 4 race in Rusk, Texas last week, and with both Division 1 and D-3 having races, it'll be
time for the racers from the great Northwest to go at it this weekend in Woodburn, Oregon. That'll
give those men and women a chance to add points to their season total before the national tour
visits that part of the country in two weeks for the race in Seattle and, after that, a lot of them
will then head down the coast to Sonoma for the national event there. It's funny that we haven't
seen a lot of those folks since we left Las Vegas and that seems like a long time ago. Now, with
the national races beginning in Denver and then going west, we should see a lot of changes in the
points in the sportsman ranks since the west coast teams now get to play catch up with their
eastern counterparts. The one thing that you can always count on in the sportsman points is that
you never really know who is leading the pack until you get down to the last few races. It's kind
of like a staggered start in track and field, until they come around that final turn it really is
anybody's race.
Sean O'Bannon
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About the only thing that is certain right now is that we won't have a repeat champion in the Top
Alcohol Dragster class. Steve Torrence, the defending champ, is out of a ride right now and, now
that he has his Top Fuel license, I don't expect to see him in the sportsman ranks again in the
near future. Another thing that seems certain, for the first time in a long while we have a
supercharged car that could make a serious run for the championship. Sean O'Bannon, with three
national event final rounds and two wins to his credit already this year, is right in the thick of
things, and with his talent and resources, not to mention Norm Grimes, he should be in the chase
for the long haul. Sean has also been to the final round at a couple of divisional events and if he
could win one of the two races on the coast he could be the leader in the clubhouse by the time we
get to Indy. Spence Massey, who has done a great job with Gene Snow's car this year, also has to be
watched and, from what I hear, he'll be at Seattle and Sonoma and that should make things very
interesting. There are a host of other teams who will challenge for the championship, among them
Aaron Olivarez, Bill Reichert and Ashley Force, and that could make for one of the more competitive
seasons we've had in a long time in the dragster class.
Frank Manzo
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What can you say about Frank Manzo that hasn't already been said? He went to Lebanon Valley this
past weekend and won the race when he beat his arch-rival, Bob Newberry, on a holeshot in the final
round. At fifty-four years old (he'll love me for pointing that out) Frank just seems to be
getting better and that's almost impossible. Frank, Bob and Cy Chesterman, all current or former
world champs, should be battling right to the end this year and they should get some competition
from Jay Payne, Jackie Stidham and Bucky Austin among others. Jay runs a lot of races and he'll
probably max out before the others, Jackie doesn't run enough races (to get the maximum points or
to satisfy me) and Bucky has a big three weeks coming up beginning with the D-6 race this weekend.
A good showing over the course of those races could find the "Northwest Hitter" right back near the
top of the pack. Bucky, who has an amazing fourteen top ten finishes in his career, has done
everything you can in the class except win the Lucas Oil World Championship. Three good weeks from
Bucky could go a long way toward changing that. Another driver who has to be watched is Doug
Gordon. Along with his dad, Mike, the second-generation racer is solidly placed in the top five
right now with plenty of races still to count. Doug has a very good car and he's an excellent
driver and that's a tough combination. Of course Doug and Bucky can't both win these next three
races so it will be a vital point in the season for them.
Rodger Brogdon
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The other sportsman classes really are wide open and the interesting thing about it is it looks
like we could have some new champions this year. Of course, as I always point out in mid-season,
anything can and usually does happen. By that I mean that someone who is not even on the radar
screen right now will probably come up and win at least one of the eliminator championships.
Competition Eliminator finds Rodger Brogdon, Michael Johnson, David Rampy and Glen Treadwell at the
top of the pack but lurking back there, almost unnoticed, is Jeff Taylor. As we all know, Jeff is
the kind of guy who can string together a couple of good races, make that great races, and add a
whole bunch of points to his total in a hurry. The sleeper in the field might be Jeff Lane, one of
the most versatile and under appreciated racers in the country. Jeff will most likely make all
three of the events out west over the next three weeks and he could move right to the top of the
pack. Someday, when I have the Bob Frey Race of Champions, we'll find out how really good Jeff Lane
is. That race, by the way, will feature eight or sixteen of the toughest sportsman racers in the
country in a heads-up match to see who is the best. They'll drive Comp Cars, Super Stocks, Stock
and some of the "90" class cars and it should be a lot of fun. OK, so maybe it's only a dream but a
race that would feature Edmond and Scotty Richardson, Jeff Taylor, Peter Biondo, Kevin Helms, Gary
Stinnett, Dan Fletcher, Jeff Lane, David Rampy, Jeg Coughlin, almost any member of the Folk family
and, well, you get the idea, would be pretty cool wouldn't it? It would be fun to see just who is
the best sportsman racer in the country?
Jerry Silveus
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Speaking of which, Jim Harrington has quietly moved into top ten status in both Super Stock and
Stock and Jim has a pretty good track record over the years. Jim will mix it up with Jerry Silveus,
Jerry Emmons and Dennis Nelson for a while at the top of the pack but with the way the divisional
races are staggered, we won't get a real idea of who the Super Stock and Stock contenders are for a
while. The aforementioned misters Biondo and Stinnett are lurking there, too, so let's not count
them out. Several of the traveling sportsman racers often run up a lot of national points early in
the season since they tend to show up at almost all of the national races. Then they have to pick
and choose which divisional events to attend to round out there points totals. That's what makes
the sportsman racing so exciting and so frustrating at the same time. For now, Jimmy Hidalgo Jr.
and Clint Blezien also share a spot at or near the top of the standings and both of them are off to
very good starts this year. Now, if they can just keep it up.
Jim Repka
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The "90" categories feature a lot of familiar names, likes Erks, Castillo, Henderson and Ewing in
the Super Comp ranks and Erks and Fuqua in Super Gas. But then there is also Jim Repka in Super Gas
along with the young but talented Jason Kenny and the veteran but talented Jerry Virgadamo. Because
of the sheer number of cars in the ranks of Super Comp and Super Gas to win there really is a test.
And by that I mean winning a round, a race, a division title and the national crown. When I watch
the men and women who run in the sportsman ranks I am continually amazed at how good they are at
what they do. To be double-zero on the tree and run within thousandths of a second of the dial is
simply amazing and to win in these categories you have to do that over and over again.
This mid-season snap shot is not designed to pick any of the winners in the sportsman classes,
because I've discovered over the years that is almost impossible to do. Rather it's simply a chance
to acknowledge some, but not all, of the drivers who have done well for the first half of the
season. It's always a treat to go to a national event where all of the sportsman classes are
running and I look forward to a couple of the west coast races for that reason. That and the fact
that it means we're getting closer to sorting out who the contenders will be for the national
championships. As much attention as is paid, and rightfully so, to the professional racers, the
sportsman really are what drag racing is all about and it's a pleasure to watch the best racers in
the country go at it at the NHRA national events. Now, let the racing begin, or in the case of the
sportsman racers, let the racing continue.
NHRA: 10 Most Recent Entries [ top ]
Oct 22- NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Awards Ceremony Returns to Pechanga Resort Casino
Oct 22- NHRA Breakfast at 2026 SEMA Show Features Legends, Champs & A Rookie Talking Funny Car Showdown
Oct 22- DALLAS - Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Wrap Up
Oct 22- Five NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Drivers Currently Eligible for 2026 Rookie of the Year
Oct 22- Lucas Oil and NHRA Celebrate 25-Year Partnership with Multi-Year Extension
Oct 19- DALLAS - Sunday Video
Oct 18- DALLAS - Sunday Wrap Up
Oct 18- DALLAS - Summary of Eliminations in Super Stock
Oct 18- DALLAS - Summary of Eliminations in Competition Eliminator
Oct 18- DALLAS - Summary of Eliminations in Top Fuel
