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Words and photos by Bret
Kepner
6/9/04
Madison, IL, June 1, 2004
- Diversity is alive and well in Gateway International
Raceway's new Street Car Shootout program. With
six events completed, the series has crowned
five different champions and has featured 65
different qualifiers out of almost one thousand
entries.
Adding to the success of the new program is
the fact Fords and Chevrolets have each won
three of the six Shootout final rounds; Fords
have accounted for 29.2% of all qualifiers and
Chevrolets have taken 27.1% of all qualifying
positions.
The Street Car Shootout program, sponsored
by St. Louisan's Dwayne Rall and Rob Gibbons
with their Southside City Speed Shop, (5616
Gravois, 314-481-7500), 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 a $15
entry), all drivers are automatically ranked
by elapsed time using the track's CompULink
timing system. When qualifying concludes at
10:00 PM, each of the 16 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 have competed
and won Qualifier stickers in cars prepared
by their own Southside City Speed Shop!
Drag Racing Online has taken a keen interest
in the program, noting that qualifiers to date
have included 409-powered '63 Impalas, Eagle
Talons and Mitsubishi Eclipses, Ford Fairmonts,
Toyota Supras, S-10 pickups, '66 AC Cobras,
Nissan SXs, and even a few Dodge Vipers! Therefore,
DRO will maintain a regular results section
for the 2004 SCSS Street Car Shootout series.
After all, it's drag racing in its most pure
form!
SCSS SHOOTOUT RESULTS: June
1, 2004
After two weeks of rain, the 2004 SSCS Street
Car Shootout series resumed with Daryl Jauernig's
Mustang (lead photo) becoming the fifth different
entry to win. Jauernig, receiving assistance
from two-time finalist Andy Wilhoit, ran the
only 10-second pass of qualifying to lead the
field with his '89 Mustang. Matt Crittendon,
winner of the Shootout on April 20, qualified
second but could not return for the final round.
Neither could Geoff Kinney, whose '89 S-10 became
the first truck to set Top Speed of the event
in the SCSS Series, (125.26 mph), after qualifying
third. That allowed fourth qualifier Dale Starns'
'80 Malibu to run for the title against Jauernig.
With an incredible half-second holeshot, Starns
led the Ford past the half-track mark but Jauernig
nipped the Chevy just before the finish line.
- WIN: Daryl Jauernig, St. Louis, MO;
1989 302 Mustang; 0.707, 11.036, 123.47
- RU: Dale Starns, St. Louis, MO; 1980
350 Malibu; 0.121, 11.912, 114.09
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