Words and photos by Bret Kepner
7/8/04

Diversity is alive and well in Gateway International Raceway's new Street Car Shootout program. With nine events completed, the series has crowned eight different champions and has featured 90 different qualifiers out of almost 2,000 entries.

The Street Car Shootout program, sponsored by St. Louisans 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 p.m., 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 29, 2004

Fenton, Missouri's Derrick Roeslein, who scored a runner-up in the 2004 Southside City Speed Shop Street Car Shootout Series back on April 27, became the series' eighth different winner of nine completed events when he upset the most recent winner, Mike Faller, of Springfield, Ill., in an all-Chevy Camaro final round.

Roeslein's silver 2002 Camaro qualified second behind defending champ Faller's 11.23/122 blast; for the second consecutive event, the pole position changed hands seven times during the three-hour qualifying period. Faller's "Katfish" 1998 Camaro, (aka "LSWon1"), made a test run only 10 minutes before the final, but stumbled to an 11.58 with timing troubles. Despite a brilliant 0.032 reaction time in the final, however, the timing problems continued for the FastRides.com machine and the Roeslein & Associates Z28 was able to power away for the win.

Michael Shultzius annihilated his own SCSS Series 4-Cylinder Track Records with a tremendous 12.12 at 116.27 mph in his Project240.com 1989 Nissan 240SX. The 2-Litre powerhouse qualified eighth and was the only non-V8 in the 16-car field. Laurence Bass broke his tie with Granite City's Clint North and became the only competitor to earn six SCSS "Fastest Street Car Qualifier" decals so far in the 2004 series. Past SCSS Series Track Record holder Brian Orsbon drove his 2004 Dodge SRT to the quickest FWD effort of the event, a solid 13.14 at 105.76 mph, to qualify 33rd in the program.

Chevrolets now lead Fords 6 to 3 for overall wins.