Story and Photos by Bret Kepner
(www.BretKepnerPhotos.com)
12/8/04

Gateway International Raceway saw what may have been the largest one-day crowd to attend a major independent national drag racing event in 2004 during the annual United Black Drag Racers Association “Black Sunday” Championships. Officials said that the attendance on the last day of the event equaled the track’s final-day crowd at the NHRA POWERade Sears-Craftsman Nationals in June.

The UBDRA, formed by St. Louis-area racers “Baby Ray" Franks, William "Cat" Jones, Robert Shipp, Nelson Taylor, Jr., and John "Goatman" Williams in the early 1980s, has hosted some version of Black Sunday since 1982. With the official incorporation of the UBDRA in 1994, the race has steadily grown to become of the largest independent drag races in the world. No less than 630 entries representing 26 states filled the GIR pits this year.

Each UBDRA Black Sunday supports the organization’s goal to benefit the community; over $100,000 has been distributed to local and national charities since the first UBDRA event. In 2004, the UBDRA’s involvement with the National Marrow Donor Program drew national attention. Jacqueline "Jackie" Donahue, sister of St. Louis-native rap star Nelly and a victim of leukemia whose search for a bone marrow transplant has gained worldwide attention courtesy of her brother, attended the event to aid the NMDP drive.

St. Louisan Jerry Bonifield (2nd from left) won $1000 Junior Dragster title for the second time in three years!

For racers, Black Sundays are also known for substantial payouts and this year included over $25,000 posted for four divisions.

The event traditionally features not only veteran heads-up campaigners and bracket racers, but also a plethora of vehicles which come out of hibernation to make Black Sunday their only appearance each year. All but a handful of machines are doorslammers and a huge percentage of the entries are manually-shifted smallblock rides which provide one of the most entertaining wheels-up displays in sportsman drag racing.

QUICK-16

The no-rules Quick-16 program included many regulars of GIR’s own Country Motors Trailer Sales eighth-mile Pro Modified series but also featured debut passes for the new machines of several renowned midwesterners. Chassis guru Jerry Haas wheeled Dean Goforth’s new 815-cubic inch Cavalier while Iowan Ed Machacek made his return to “mountain motor” Pro Stock racing with a slick new Jerry Haas-built Cavalier with state-of-the-art Sonny Leonard Hemi-Chevy power.

Wentzville, Missourian Randy Matlock hit a 4.15 for low qualifying honors but his red ‘57 Belair was unable to return for the semi-finals after banging the supercharger in a second-round holeshot defeat of Haas, 4.47/166 to 4.43/158.