IHRA Summit Super Series at San Antonio, Texas

Points races tighten

 

Words and photos by JM Hallas

Scott Ball

 

Saturday evening, June 24, it was back to Summit Super Series Bracket Racing on the eighth mile at San Antonio Raceway. This was the sixth round of points racing on the drag strip located just east of San Antonio.

 

Coming to the midway portion of the Summit Series season, points races are already beginning to take shape. In the Electronics (Box) class it's former San Antonio Raceway promoter Todd Zampese leading the way by a couple rounds over former track and IHRA World Finals champ, Scott Ball. Todd Robinson, Greg Meuth and Mike Atkinson round out the top five.

 

In Foot Brake (No-Box) it's Dennis Soefje by a mere two points over Harold Shimick with Todd Zampese, Wendell Dockery and Joe Montoya in the top five.

 

Zach Tschoepe took over the points lead from Silvia Zemgals, who looks to back up her Street Class championship from last year. Rhett Floyd is second, Zemgals third, with Brandon Spain, Norman Derks and Ronald Gordner tied for fourth.

 

The Jr. Dragsters show Jessika Jackson leading the way over Caden Meuth, Gianni Carrola, Haily Ball and S. Bordan.

 

This weekend the Summit Super Series began a new starting time and schedule format. Instead of racing throughout the heat of the day, start time was moved back to early evening. Though still quite warm, okay hot, it wouldn't be an all-day bake in the sun.

 

Along with the IHRA Summit Super Series, action included a Nogalitos Gear Door Slammer Shootout and an open test-n-tune. A handful of heavy hitters took part in the test session including 14-time champion Mike Murillo.

 

One oil-down slowed action early in the event, but was quickly cleaned up. The night saw the worst incident when Eddie Hollon got sideways past the eighth mile, crossed lanes, over corrected and nosed his sharp-looking roadster into the wall near the quarter-mile mark. Hollon was quickly out on his own and uninjured. It ended the night for Hollon, who had just won his semi-final run in Box (Electronics).

 

The Box (Electronics) final should have had Scott Ball (San Antonio) in his Mission Racing Dragster go up against Eddie Hollon (Bulverde) in his Hollon & Fischer, ‘33 Dodge Roadster. After Hollon's earlier crash Ball had a bye run and made a symbolic pass for the win.

 

Ball defeated Paul Schneider (twice), J. Gonzales, Brent Ritter, and Jimmy Farmer to get to the finals. Hollon, who lost in round 1 to Dennis Smith, rebought and then beat Kip Scharf, Juan Garza, Bobby Mendez and Sonny Garza before his crash.

Nelson Friedeck picked up the victory in the No-Box (Foot Brake) finals in a double break-out win over Walter Dyrenfurth (Austin). Friedeck, in his Donogne Claims, Dynamic Bowling, Chevy II gave up a 100th on the tree to Dyrenfurth in his ‘69 Pontiac Firebird. Both ran it out the back door in a good side-by-side battle and broke out with Friedeck the least offender.

 

Nelson Friedeck (6.86) 6.838, 99.23 def. Walter Dyrenfurth (6.94) 6.911, 97.66 (double break out)

 

Friedeck bettered Corky Weeks, Tom Posey, J. Montoya, Mac Garcia and Roy Trevino in eliminations. Dyrenfurth lost round 1 to Art Morales, bought back in, then trailered J. Balderas, Brandon Spain, Brandon Mitchan and Anthony Montoya.