IHRA Summit Super Series at San Antonio

Words and photos by J.M. Hallas

San Antonio Raceway hosted the Nitro Funny Cars Friday, May 19, for qualifying and Saturday for eliminations. Along with the DragRacingOnline.com AA/FC Challenge it was another round of IHRA Summit Super Series bracket racing on the eighth-mile drag strip just outside of San Antonio.

While most of the south-central tracks, both circle and drag strips, were falling to rain outs, San Antonio Raceway dodged the storms to get the event in. A brief shower brought a halt to time trials, but once it passed it was back to racing. The potential for rain probably held back the car count and spectators as well.

San Antonio's Scott Ball gave his daughter Haily a birthday present with a win the Electronics (Box) finals. Ball, in his Mission Auto Dragster, squared off with Brandon Bass in his Brando Custom Paint Dragster. Bass tried to get the jump on Ball, a former track champ and World Finals champion, but went red handing the victory to Ball at the starting line.

Scott Ball (4.65) 4.737 @ 126.94 defeats Brandon Bass (4.94) 6.149 @ 78.26 (red).

On his way to the finals Ball took out Leroy O'Bryant, Aaron Cole, Brent Ritter, Greg Meuth and got a bye in the semis. Bass beat JT Taylor, Brett Zampese, Jay Fitzgerald, Jimmy Koranek and David Bills.

If you had an ‘87 Mustang winning the Foot Brake (No Box) pool, you were a guaranteed winner as a pair of ponies paired off for the payday (say that 5 times fast). Dennis Soefje (Seguin) had 3/100th in the bank on the tree, then ran near his number and carried that to the stripe over Aaron Ackridge (New Braunfels) who missed his number badly.

Dennis Soefje (6.76) 6.799 @ 98.19 defeats Aaron Ackridge (6.88) 7.095 @ 99.05

In eliminations Soefje bested Tom Posey, Silvia Zemgals, Aaron Tschoepe, Todd Zampese and took the bye in the semi finals. Ackridge trailered Harold Shimek, Nelson Friedeck, Joe Montoya, Sherman Davis and Ely Trevino.

Norman Derks (Liberty Hill), who normally runs at Little River Dragway, made the trip to San Antonio pay off with the Street class victory. Derks, in his Norman Derks Building Supply, 2006 Chrysler 300 was matched with last nights 'Top Shop' winner, Rhett Floyd in his O'Bryant Automotive, 2005 GMC Sierra. Floyd gave the race away at the start going .007 red, but Derks would have been tough to beat as he nailed his dial in.