Thu, 2 Jun 2011, 06:42 PM You Have to Start Somewhere

By Bob Frey Photo copyright 2011 Auto Imagery, Inc.

Steve Domingues

For years Super Street has been referred to as an entry-level class. On other occasions some folks refer to it as the Pro Stock Motorcycle of the sportsman ranks. By that they mean that it is a class or category that doesn’t run at all of the national events. Whatever way you want to look at it there have been some very good racers who have competed in the 10.90 eliminator and they all weren’t beginners. Edmond Richardson, who has a pretty impressive résumé, has won seven times in the eliminator while his brother, Scotty, has picked up four NHRA “Wallys” while five other drivers have won three or more times in Super Street. Super Street first saw the light of day at the national events in the early 1980’s at some of the early Sportsnationals and it was contested for the first time in 1982 on the divisional level. Because of the nature of the category, that is, drivers begin there and often move up, there aren’t a lot of “legends” in Super Street. The Richardson’s seem to run and win in any class, and the Division 3 All-Star Rudy Matthews had great success running 10.90 on the divisional level. There is another racer who has done well almost exclusively in Super Street and that’s Steve Domingues. A Division 5 All-Star, Steve won his second national event at the recently completed Summer Nationals in Topeka. His classic 1967 Chevrolet Camaro is a beautiful car that could be at home in a car show or on the drag strip.

Domingues vs. Scott Cowles in the Topeka final.

For Steve, a 47-year old security specialist, Super Street is his life. Ok, so that may be a bit of a stretch, but he does enjoy racing in the 10.90 category. “I really like it,” he said while waiting out the rain at the Division 5 race in Brainerd this past weekend. “I know everyone says this, but I really think I have the best Super Street car in the country. It’s very consistent and very dialable.” As a side note, I’m sure my spell check will have a field day with “dialable,” but you know what he means. “The car just repeats, and if I do my job I can have a good day.” He had a good day at Topeka where he won his second national event in his seventh final round. And to make the day even better, he ran 10.901 in the final round, and even though his opponent, Scott Cowles fouled out, it was still a nice way to end the day. “Yeah, that’s a lot better than driving home and seeing the guy who beat you in your rear-view mirror,” Steve said. For the record, his other national event win came at the 2009 Jeg’s Sportsnationals in Columbus, Ohio, and at that race he had to go seven rounds to get the win.

Steve began racing in the Super Street ranks in 1990 and he won the Division 5 championship in 1999. After a second place finish the next year he regained the division crown in 2001 and he’s done all of that with the same car. “When I got the car it was already a race car. It was built by Holzman Race Cars and has been updated by them and Larry Larsen, the guy who ran that wild Chevy

Domingues vs. Ray Todd in the 2010 All-Star final.

Nova in Competition Eliminator at Topeka.” Steve said that one of the reasons that the car is so consistent is the fact that it has a very good engine. “Tracy Dennis at Sunset Racecraft did the engine and he does such a wonderful job. I spoke with the folks at National Dragster the other day and they said that it seems like everyone they talk to wins with one of Tracy’s engines.” The one in Steve’s car is a 582-cubic inch Chevy engine that is tuned by fellow racer Tracy Pedigo of Pedigo Performance and it enables Steve to have one of the fastest cars in the eliminator bracket. “I figure that if you’re going to race you might as well give yourself the best chance to win and that means having the best equipment available. I feel that I’ve done that.” The end result would prove that to be a very true statement since Steve has won his races with a minimum of effort. “I don’t race as much as some guys and I’ve been very fortunate at the races I do run.” That includes a final round at the second national race he attended. “I went to Topeka in 1993 and made the final round and I knew right then that this is where I wanted to be. Running against the best racers at an NHRA national event is a real challenge and I look forward to it.”

Steve Domingues

With a lot of final rounds on both the national and divisional level in Super Street the obvious question would be, does Steve intend to step up. “I have raced a little Super Gas and I do have a car that would run in the class. And another racer asked me if I would drive his car later this year in Brainerd and I may do that.” Like so many other racers Steve said that he is thinking about taking the other car on the road with him in the future. “I’m thinking about doubling-up at the races, but right now I’m content where I am.” He also has other things to think about, like trying to defend his All Star title at the upcoming Jegs All Star event. “That was a good time last year and now I get to go back as the defending champ and that should be fun.” While he did well at Chicago last year in his second All Star appearance, if there is one place Steve really enjoys going to it would have to be Heartland Park Topeka, after all, he’s won there and he’s also been runner-up at the Kansas track a couple of times. “I guess it’s just because I run there so much,” he said. “Even though it’s two hours away from my house it’s my home track. They had a Super Street series race there a few weeks before the national event and I did well at that and I made it to the semi-finals the last time I ran there last year. My car and I just love the place.” Steve often talks about his car like it’s a person. “Hey, cars have personalities and if you treat them right they’ll treat you right.”

Steve’s current car is the third ’67 Camaro that he has raced and he even had a ‘67 car that he drove on the street. “My current street car is right off the screen of ‘The Fast and The Furious.’ It’s a 350Z-car and it’s a nice ride.” But as nice as it is it can’t run 10.90, it can’t win races and All Star titles like the ’67 can, and based on what we’ve seen from Steve, like it will keep doing for years to come.

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