ithout question, the 2004 Street Car Shootout series Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Illinois, proved diversity is alive and well at the grassroots level of heads-up drag racing.

The Street Car Shootout program, sponsored by St. Louisans Dwayne Rall and Rob Gibbons with their Southside City Speed Shop, features a simple format. Held during GIR's Tuesday Night Street Car Drags, all entries are given a permanent driver's number and a laminated driver's ID card. During the event, (an open timed trial affair for $15 entry), all drivers are automatically ranked by elapsed time using the track's CompULink timing system. When qualifying concludes at 10:00 p.m., each of the sixteen quickest qualifiers is awarded a large "Fastest Street Car Shootout Qualifier" decal and the two quickest qualifiers (or alternates, if needed) race heads-up for Winner and Runner-Up trophies.

While the decals and trophies are provided by Rall and Gibbons, it's interesting to note that both competed...and won Qualifier stickers...during 2004 in cars prepared by their own Southside City Speed Shop! With over 3,000 total entries in 21 events last year, the series could become one of the largest of its type this season.

Drag Racing Online took a keen interest in the program, and after the phenomenal success of the 2004 program, has become directly involved in 2005 by presenting trophies to the winner and runner-up in a weekly Showdown for the Front-Wheel-Drive and All-Wheel-Drive Sport Tuner contingents, (which comprised no less than thirty percent of '04 entries!). Since DRO's fearless leader Jeff Burk is a fan of current technology, the youth (and future) of the sport, and heads-up drag racing, it seemed like a natural for the Burkster to become a part of the action!

 

SCSS STREET CAR SHOOTOUT RESULTS -- 5/31/2005

WINNER: Kevin Kolkmeyer, Jerseyville, IL, 2002 346 Camaro, 0.037, 11.522, 98.69 mph

RUNNER-UP: Greg Elliott, Dittmer, MO, 1969 383 Nova, 0.282, 12.778, 81.53 mph

Kevin Kolkmeyer (shown) proved the value of the old adage "Never give up!" while win ning his first SCSS Street Car Shootout Series title at Gateway International Raceway. Kolkmeyer, who earned a runner-up finish at the May 17th event after making the final round as an alternate, became the highest-qualified winner in the 29- event history of the SCSS program. In a bizarre turn of events, the driver of the blue 2002 Camaro from Jerseyville, IL, was again called to the staging lanes as an alternate and won the event despite qualifying no better than fifth in the sixteen-car field!  Although atmospheric conditions were not exceptional, (the corrected elevation dropped from 2200 feet above sea level to 1400 feet, while the track temperature went from 104 degrees to 81), the SCSS show was the second-quickest ever, requiring a run of 12.08 seconds to earn a "Fastest Street Car" decal.