SHRA - 2014 Little River Dragway Results

Wendland-Graves, Drozd & Morrison Tops In Temple

Little River Dragway - Temple, TX

The 2014 MalloryPrint.com Southwest Heritage Racing Association's third of eight events brought the tour to Little River Dragway in Temple, Texas on Saturday, May 3rd. The SHRA always enjoys it's trip to this unique facility, as it is one of the oldest drag strips in Texas and always provides some exciting racing. A great turnout of racers and spectators packed into Little River Dragway and old school drag racing fans were lined up past the scoreboards on the spectator side, cold drink in one hand and a hot dog in the other, ready for some action!

Nostalgia Eliminator 1 Results:

In the first qualifying session for the 4.65 Nostalgia Eliminator 1 class, points leader Tera Wendland-Graves clicked off a "perfect" 4.65 at 147 mph with number two in points Wes Breiten right on her tail with a 4.73 at 142 mph in his "Bad O'Man" blown altered. Steve Dunkin's "Foolish Pleasure" blown slingshot dragster posted a 4.84 at 139 and teammate Ron Muncy clicked off a 4.85 at 141 mph.

(Wes Breiten)

In the final qualifying session, Chris Graves posted a strong 4.63 at 152 mph just under the index while Steve Dunkin improved by a tenth with a clean 4.74 at 145 mph. Muncy, who was celebrating his 75th birthday in Temple, also improved to a 4.80 at 144 mph. Breiten joined the mix by stepping up to a 4.69 at 147 mph while Jason O'Neill wheeled the "Bad Behavior" blown altered to a 4.86 at 142 mph. Dale McKee laid down a 5.00 in his second qualifier to round out the field of seven as the teams returned to the pits to prepare for eliminations.

(Tera Wendland-Graves)

Nostalgia Eliminator 1 Qualifying Order:

1. Tera Wendland-Graves (Commerce, Tx) - 4.65 @ 147 mph
2. Wes Breiten (Wolfe City, Tx) - 4.69 @ 147 mph
3. Steve Dunkin (Aledo, TX) - 4.74 @ 145 mph
4. Ron Muncy (Weatherford, TX) - 4.80 @ 144 mph
5. Jason O'Neill (Mesquite, Tx) - 4.86 @ 142 mph
6. Dale McKee (Heath, Tx) - 5.00 @ 135 mph
7. Chris Graves (Carrollton, Tx) - 5.97 @ 82 mph
8. Robert Lee (Montgomery, TX) - No Time

(Chris Graves)

The first round kicked off with Chris Graves set to take on the birthday boy Ron Muncy. Graves fired up the "Blown Inheritance" dragster but encountered an unexpected fuel leak and was forced to shutoff before the burnout. Muncy was given signal on the line that he was on a competition single and things got pretty wild from there. Muncy blasted off the line with both front wheels in the air and immediately made a hard turn for the wall. Muncy was out of the throttle and kept the car from slamming into the wall, but did contact the guardrail slightly with his rear slick, ending his day in Temple.

(Ron Muncy)

Steve Dunkin and Dale McKee were up next and mechanical issues plagued McKee as he too was unable to fire, while Dunkin laid down a 4.81 at 142 mph to move into the semi-finals. Wes Breiten and Jason O'Neill brought their blown altereds to life as the round continued. Both were off the line with great reaction times but O'Neill shook the tires hard while Breiten moved on with a 4.80 at 142 mph. Tera Wendland-Graves closed the round on a bye run with the best pass of the round, making it look easy with a 4.73 at 145 mph and her .0182 reaction time earned her the Good Vibrations Motorsports "Quick Reaction Time" bonus.

(Jason O'Neill)

In the semi-finals, Steve Dunkin and Wes Breiten brought their machines to the line in a great side by side race. Breiten was off the line first but had to pedal early, while Dunkin fought to keep his car off the centerline. At the stripe, Dunkin's 4.83 at 141 mph was enough to drive around Breiten's 4.91 at 143 mph. Wendland-Graves was set to take on Muncy, who was sidelined with the foul from first round. Luck was on her side as the car went into hard tire shake about 100' out and she coasted to a 6.61 at 59 mph, as Muncy would have had a prime opportunity to put the points leader on the trailer. Wendland-Graves was moving into her second final this season looking to make it two in a row, while Dunkin was in his first final and looking to take home his first career SHRA NE 1 victory.

(Steve Dunkin)

(Wes Breiten vs. Steve Dunkin)

The final round was set to be a great drag race between two blown front engine dragsters as Dunkin had the more consistent car, while Wendland-Graves had a slight performance advantage. As the cars crept into the beams the crew members stepped away and at the flash of amber Dunkin blasted off the line too soon with a -.033 red light, wasting a 4.83 at 141 mph which would have been more than enough to take out Wendland-Graves' tire shaking 6.52 at 65 mph. Dunkin would have to wait for another day to take home his first SHRA win while Wendland-Graves used solid qualifying runs and a little bit of luck to clinch her second straight NE 1 trophy.

(Tera & Steve)

(NE 1 Final Round)

(NE 1 Winners)

Nostalgia Eliminator 1 Round 1 Results:

(W) Ron Muncy (.0186 rt) 7.58 @ 54 vs. (L) Chris Graves (No Time - Broke)
(W) Steve Dunkin (.028 rt) 4.81 @ 142 vs. (L) Dale McKee (No Time - Broke)
(W) Wes Breiten (.028 rt) 4.80 @ 142 vs. (L) Jason O'Neill (.032 rt) 7.16 @ 62
(W) Tera Wendland-Graves (.0182) 4.73 @ 145 vs. (L) Bye Run

Nostalgia Eliminator 1 Semi-Final Results:

(W) Steve Dunkin (.129 rt) 4.83 @ 141 vs. (L) Wes Breiten (.068 rt) 4.91 @ 143
(W) Tera Wendland-Graves (.0008 rt) 6.61 @ 59 vs. (L) Bye Run

Nostalgia Eliminator 1 Final Round Results:

(W) Tera Wendland-Graves (.017 rt) 6.52 @ 65 vs. (L) Steve Dunkin (-.033 rt) 4.83 @ 141

Nostalgia Eliminator 2 Results:

In the 5.00 index NE 2 class, Bee Godwin entered the event with the points lead and an undefeated streak he looked to keep intact. Godwin led both qualifying rounds with a 5.07 and solid 5.01 at 132 mph to take his first top qualifying effort of the season. Tommy Drozd wheeled his altered to a 5.05 at 131 mph which qualified number two. Rick Goodale made his SHRA debut in the blown "Texas Hill Rat" altered and went 4.98 at 141 mph just under the index in the final qualifying round. Thomas Hixson also went under the index with a 4.97 at 135 mph in the "One Wild Ride" dragster. Bruce Bruno Jr's 5.32 at 129 mph nabbed the number three qualifying spot as qualifying concluded.

(Rick Goodale)

(Bee Godwin)

Nostalgia Eliminator 2 Qualifying Order:

1. Bee Godwin (Iowa Park, Tx) - 5.01 @ 132
2. Tommy Drozd (Lake Dallas, Tx) - 5.05 @ 131
3. Bruce Bruno Jr (Wichita Falls, Tx) - 5.32 @ 129
4. Rick Goodale (Austin, Tx) - 5.38 @ 134
5. Thomas Hixson (Keller, Tx) - 5.93 @ 128

In the opening round of NE 2 action, Thomas Hixson was sleeping on the tree but his "perfect" 5.00 at 127 mph drove around Bruce Bruno Jr's 5.37 at 130 to take the win. Tommy Drozd posted a clean 5.09 at 129 mph to trailer Goodale's 5.96 at 78 mph and Bee Godwin advanced on a bye run with a 5.09 at 131 mph. Bee's .025 reaction time in first round earned him the Howards Cams "Quick Reaction Time" bonus.

(Thomas Hixson)

Semi-final action started with Hixson taking on Godwin. Hixson again laid down a "perfect" 5.00 at 137 mph coupled with a .0001 reaction time to eliminate Godwin' red-lighting 5.04 at 131 mph. Tommy Drozd benefitted from the bye run and posted a 5.11 at 134 mph to move into his third straight final in three races this season, still looking for his first career SHRA event win.

(Tommy Drozd)

The call went out from SHRA announcer Charles Faulkner to fire up the final round of NE 2 between Hixson and Drozd. Hixson was off the line with yet another .000 reaction time but started to spin the tires on the 145+ degree track which gave Drozd the advantage and his 5.22 at 125 mph drove around Hixson's 6.07 at 118 mph. Drozd claimed his first career SHRA win in Temple and assumed the class points lead moving into the fourth event of the season, May 24th at Ardmore Dragway.

(NE 2 Final Round)

(NE 2 Winners)

Nostalgia Eliminator 2 Round 1 Results:

(W) Thomas Hixson (.383 rt) 5.00 @ 127 vs. (L) Bruce Bruno Jr (.041 rt) 5.37 @ 130
(W) Tommy Drozd (.055 rt) 5.09 @ 129 vs. (L) Rick Goodale (.421 rt) 5.96 @ 78
(W) Bee Godwin (.025 rt) 5.09 @ 131 vs. (L) Bye Run

Nostalgia Eliminator 2 Semi-Final Results:

(W) Thomas Hixson (.000 rt) 5.00 @ 137 vs. (L) Bee Godwin (-.011 rt) 5.04 @ 131
(W) Tommy Drozd (.126 rt) 5.11 @ 134 vs. (L) Bye Run

Nostalgia Eliminator 2 Final Round Results:

(W) Tommy Drozd (.020 rt) 5.22 @ 125 vs. (L) Thomas Hixson (.000 rt) 6.07 @ 118

Nostalgia Eliminator 3 Results:

In the 5.50 index NE 3 class, the racing was close all day as Dusty Rose was able to wheel the "Foggy Mountain Special" front engine dragster to the top qualifying spot with a "perfect" 5.50 at 118 mph. Rose was followed closely by points leader Doug Morrison's 5.51 at 123 mph. Michael Anderson made his SHRA debut in his front engine dragster from Ovalo, Texas and qualified third with a nice 5.52 at 130 mph and Wichita Falls winner Carl Johnson also posted a 5.52 in his "Moonlight Special" altered to round out the top half of the eight car field. Dustin Bradford made his SHRA debut in his family owned roadster and qualified fifth with a 5.53 at 122 mph.

(Michael Anderson)

(Dusty Rose)

Nostalgia Eliminator 3 Qualifying Order:

1. Dusty Rose (Moore, Ok) - 5.50 @ 118
2. Doug Morrison (Gainesville, Tx) - 5.51 @ 123
3. Michael Anderson (Ovalo, Tx) - 5.522 @ 130
4. Carl Johnson (Iola, Tx) - 5.524 @ 119
5. Dustin Bradford (San Antonio, Tx) - 5.53 @ 122
6. Robert Springstead (Azle, Tx) - 6.10 @ 114
7. Gary Mitchell (Dallas, Tx) - 6.17 @ 103
8. Ron Walden (Kilgore, Tx) - 5.46 @ 120

In the opening round of NE 3 eliminations, Carl Johnson and Ron Walden got the action started. Johnson was off the line first and never trailed as his 5.55 at 111 mph knocked out Walden's 5.64 at 115 mph. Doug Morrison laid down a 5.52 at 115 mph to get around Robert Springstead's 6.39 at 106 mph. Dusty Rose coasted to the next round with a 5.76 at 95 after his opponent Dustin Bradford broke on the starting line. In the final pair, Michael Anderson broke out with a 5.34 at 131 mph giving Gary Mitchell the nod with a 6.00 at 115 mph. Carl Johnson's .013 reaction time earned him the Competition Products "Quick Reaction Time" bonus.

(Carl Johnson)

(Gary Mitchell)

The semi-finals kicked off with a great race between the two most recent event winners, Carl Johnson and Doug Morrison. Morrison took a slight starting line advantage and both drivers were playing the pedal job game at the top end, with Morrison's 5.59 at 115 mph defeating Johnson's close 5.62 at 120 mph. Morrison was moving into his second final of the season and would face the winner between Gary Mitchell and Dusty Rose. Mitchell was off the line first but was plagued by shifting issues all day, which bit him in the semis as his best of a 5.82 at 119 mph was no match for Rose' 5.70 at 100 mph. Rose was moving into his second final of the season as well, looking to take out the points leader in the final and earn his team their first SHRA event win.

In the final, Doug Morrison and Dusty Rose brought their machines to the starting line ready to crown a winner in Temple. Morrison was out first with a .002 reaction time and his 5.57 at 116 mph was enough to defeat Rose' quicker 5.55 at 118 mph as Morrison and company claimed their second NE 3 win of the season and retained their position atop the points standings.

(Doug & Dusty)

(NE 3 Final Round)

(NE 3 Winners)

NE 3 Final Round On-Board Video!

Nostalgia Eliminator 3 Round 1 Results:

(W) Carl Johnson (.013 rt) 5.55 @ 111 vs. (L) Ron Walden (.052 rt) 5.64 @ 115
(W) Doug Morrison (.029 rt) 5.52 @ 115 vs. (L) Robert Springstead (.215 rt) 6.39 @ 106
(W) Dusty Rose (.069 rt) 5.76 @ 95 vs. (L) Dustin Bradford (.348 rt) No Time - Broke
(W) Gary Mitchell (.143 rt) 6.00 @ 115 vs. (L) Michael Anderson (.257 rt) 5.34 @ 131

Nostalgia Eliminator 3 Semi-Final Results:

(W) Doug Morrison (.019 rt) 5.59 @ 115 vs. (L) Carl Johnson (.043 rt) 5.62 @ 120
(W) Dusty Rose (.072 rt) 5.70 @ 100 vs. (L) Gary Mitchell (.022 rt) 5.82 @ 119

Nostalgia Eliminator 3 Final Round Results:

(W) Doug Morrison (.002 rt) 5.57 @ 116 vs. (L) Dusty Rose (.080 rt) 5.55 @ 118

Congratulations to all our winners at Little River Dragway! The SHRA series would like to thank Mallory Screenprint & Embroidery, Good Vibrations Motorsports, Meyer Enterprises, AlkyDiggers.com, Hayden Enterprises, The Hitchin' Post Restaurant & Truck Stop, Equipment Sales & Service of Texas, Harry's Hot Rod Truck & Accessories, Robinson Restoration & Service, Competition Sales of Dallas, Howards Cams & Competition Products for their support of the 2014 racing season! The next stop on the SHRA tour takes us to Ardmore Dragway in Ardmore, Oklahoma on Saturday, May 24th where all five SHRA classes will be in action.

Click Here to see photos from Temple!

Good Vibrations Motorsports
"NE 1 Quick Reaction Time Bonus"