Wed, 27 Sep 2017, 13:46 PM US 131 Motorsports Park Rolls to IHRA Division 5 Summit Team Finals Championship

Courtesy of IHRA Communications

Drivers from US 131 Motorsports Park certainly enjoyed the home track advantage in the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) Division 5 (Thunder) Summit Team Finals held last weekend at the Martin, Mich., facility.

US 131 rolled to an 89-58 win over runner-up Muncie Dragway in the competition that included some of the most iconic tracks in the Midwest.

Other tracks who participated were: Bunker Hill Dragstrip, Central Illinois Dragway, Cordova International Raceway, Eddyville Raceway Park, Grand Bend Motorplex, Great Lakes Dragaway, Marion County International Raceway, Osecola Dragway, St. Thomas Raceway Park, Ubly Dragstrip, US 41 Motorplex and Wisconsin International Raceway

Leading up to the main event, racers participated in Gambler's races and "best of" awards.

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Main Event:
Top
Kip Burkhardt from US 131 Motorsports Park won on a holeshot with a .012 reaction time to a .054 for Christine Kirbitz, also from US 131. Burkhardt had a 4.88-second elapsed time at 136.78 mph against a 4.86 dial-in. Kirbitz matched her 4.87 dial-in and finished at 137.11 mph.

Mod
Another US 131 driver, Stan Jones Jr., won at the start with a .007 reaction time against a .089 for Nate Burns from Marion County International Raceway. Jones finished with a 5.75-second pass at 122.87 mph against a 5.69 dial-in. Burns posted a 6.44-second run at 106.53 mph against a 6.42 dial-in.

Street
In an all-US 131 final, Steve Mesik won despite a perfect start by Donnie Hagar. Mesik, who had a ..012 reaction time, had an 8.10-second run at 81.82 mph against an 8.13 dial-in. Hagar went down the track in 8.77 seconds at 81.10 mph against an 8.84 dial-in.

Junior Dragster
Luke Schweimer, representing Grand Bend Motorplex, won the Junior Dragster title when final-round opponent Jordan Crowe from St. Thomas Raceway red-lighted. Schwemier finished with a 7.92 second run at 82.48 mph. Crowe matched his 9.11 dial-in time and posted a speed of 71.01 mph.

Other Results
Team Captains Race
Wisconsin International Raceway took honors with a 9.99-second run against a 9.97 dial-in, paired with a .055 reaction time. US 131 fouled at the start before a 9.66-second pass against a 9.60 dial-in.

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Friday's Gambler's Race
Top - Derek Degnitz (Wisconsin) 5.03 on a 5.02 dial-in, .023 reaction time defeated Keenan Conner (US 131) 5.13 on a 5.10 dial-in, .018 reaction time.

Mod - Tom Aretakis Jr. (Ubly) 6.38 on a 6.38 dial-in, .017 reaction time defeated Robert Long (Muncie) 6.18 on a 6.17 dial-in, .004 reaction time.

Junior - Connor McDonald (Grand Bend) 8.16 on an 8.13 dial-in, .039 reaction time defeated Lucas Boyd (Grand Bend) 7.89 on a 7.90 dial-in, .157 reaction time.

Sunday's Gambler's Race
Top - Scott Taylor (US 131) 4.71 on a 4.64 dial-in, .019 reaction time defeated Craig Vandersloot (US 131) 4.92 on a 4.84 dial-in, .026 reaction time.

Mod - Scott Overkamp (US 121) 6.00 on a 5.99 dial-in, .037 reaction time defeated Brian Fleenor (Marion County) 7.07 on a 7.08 dial-in, -.004 reaction time.

Junior - Jenna Osbourne (Muncie) 7.97 on a 7.97 dial-in, .030 reaction time defeated Samuel Peterson (US 131) 7.91 on a 7.90 dial-in, .028 reaction time.

 Special Awards 
 Best Appearing Open Bodied Car  - Greg Ruleau, Wisconsin International Raceway
 Best Engineered Open Bodied Car  - Jim Bayless, Grand Bend Motorplex
 Best Appearing Full Bodied Car  - Mark Howard, US 131 Motorsports Pak
 Best Engineered Full Bodied Car  - Randy O'Keefe, Wisconsin International Raceway 
 Best Appearing Junior Dragster  - Tyler Jones, US 131 Motorsports Park
 Best Engineered Junior Dragster  - Kyler Martz, Osceola Dragway
 Best Appearing Motorcycle  - Shane Nance, Central Illinois Dragway
 Best Engineered Motorcycle  - Josie Brooks, Grand Bend Motorplex
 Best Team Spirit  - US 131 Motorsports Park
 Best Appearing Sponsor Banner  - Grand Bend Motorplex
 Best Appearing Grandstands  - Muncie Dragway
 Best Appearing Team  - Wisconsin International Raceway
 Best Track of the Year  - Ubly Dragway

 Team Standings 
1. US 131 Motorsports Park                  89
2. Muncie Dragway                           58
3. Grand Bend Motorplex                     49
4. Bunker Hill Dragstrip                    39
5. Cordova International Raceway            30
6. Osceola Dragway                          28
7. Wisconsin International Raceway          25
8. Marion County International Raceway      23
9. US 41 Motorplex                          23
10. Saint Thomas Raceway                    19
11. Great Lakes Dragaway                    17
12. Eddyville Raceway Park                  12
13. Ubly Dragway                            12
14. Central Illinois Dragway                 3

Click HERE for Event Photos

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