Bret Kepner
New Member
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2004
These results reflect the record holders, qualifiers, and final round contestants at each of the
SX Performance Street Car Shootout Series events held each Tuesday at Gateway
International Raceway in Madison, Illinois.
Tuesday SCSS Track Records can be set during official qualifying or championship rounds. The
official qualifying period begins at 6:30 PM and concludes at 9:00 PM, barring unforeseen
circumstances. At 9:30 PM, the two quickest qualifers meet in a no-handicap championship round for
trophies. Each of the Top 16 qualifiers receives a "Fastest Street Car Qualifier" decal. The SCSS
trophies and decals are presented by SX Performance Fuel Systems in St. Louis, MO (6
Sunnen Drive, 314-644-3000, http://www.sx-performance.com ). Additionally, the two
quickest Sport Tuner drivers, (open to all passenger cars except Rear-Wheel-Drive vehicles with
engines of six cylinders or more), also meet in a no-handicap championship round for trophies
presented by http://www.GatewayRaceway.com and the two quickest Super Truck drivers,
(open to all trucks and utility vehicles), meet in a no-handicap championship round for trophies
presented by http://www.GatewayRaceway.com .
GATEWAY INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY, MADISON, ILLINOIS
2006 SX PERFORMANCE STREET CAR SHOOTOUT TRACK RECORDS
Class Name Hometown ST Vehicle Engine ET MPH Date
RWD Brett Heidgerken, Decatur, IL 67 Chevelle 505 Chevy 8.871 10/11/2005
RWD Brett Heidgerken, Decatur, IL 67 Chevelle 505 Chevy 153.88 10/11/2005
TRK Kevin Autenrietch, Bethalto, IL 84 S-10 355 Chevy 9.772 9/28/2004
TRK Kevin Autenrietch, Bethalto, IL 84 S-10 355 Chevy 135.39 9/28/2004
6CYL Rob Nolan, Granite City, IL 87 Regal 231 Buick 11.041 10/11/2005
6CYL Rob Nolan, Granite City, IL 87 Regal 231 Buick 124.56 4/11/2006
4CYL Joe Laramee, Decatur, IL 77 Pinto 147 Ford 10.544 4/11/2006
4CYL Joe Laramee, Decatur, IL 77 Pinto 147 Ford 129.87 4/18/2006
FWD Adam Corbett, St. Charles, MO 85 Golf 122 Volks 11.622 8/30/2005
FWD Justin Bondurant, Fenton, MO 04 Neon 146 Dodge 122.66 10/11/2005
RTY Eric Cheatham, Belleville, IL 93 RX-7 79 Mazda 11.936 8/30/2005
RTY Derek Coffman, Valley Park, MO 94 RX-7 79 Mazda 122.21 8/10/2004
DSL Phillip Blackburn, Springfield, IL 03 2500 HD 403 Chevy 11.835 8/2/2005
DSL Phillip Blackburn, Springfield, IL 03 2500 HD 403 Chevy 114.29 8/2/2005
APRIL 18th, 2006 SX PERFORMANCE STREET CAR SHOOTOUT QUALIFIERS
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle Engine ET MPH Date
EVENT 4 4/18/2006
1 Dave Odehnal Waterloo IL 93 Camaro 350 Chevy 10.443 130.07
2 Joe Laramee Decatur IL 77 Pinto 147 Ford 10.899 129.87
3 William McIntire, Jr East Alton IL 03 Mustang 281 Ford 11.221 123.75
4 Rob Nolan Granite City IL 87 Regal 231 Buick 11.324 121.84
5 Hal Marshall Collinsville IL 86 S-10 350 Chevy 11.404 114.62
6 Tony Buhl Lebanon IL 89 Mustang 331 Ford 11.852 111.45
7 Gary Bates O'Fallon MO 04 GTO 346 Pont 11.909 114.35
8 Kevin Kolkmeyer Jerseyville IL 98 Corvette 346 Chevy 11.995 117.44
9 Joe Hatleli O'Fallon IL 06 Corvette 427 Chevy 12.006 121.34
10 Joshua Lipscomb Mexico MO 80 Camaro 383 Chevy 12.075 109.75
11 Michael Faller Springfield IL 98 Camaro 346 Chevy 12.106 113.35
12 Mark Goone Chesterfield MO 03 Mustang 281 Ford 12.173 118.38
13 Aaron Messer Festus MO 68 American 302 Ford 12.247 109.03
14 Jeff Fritz Florissant MO 01 Lightning 330 Ford 12.360 89.88
15 Chris Weltig Imperial MO 01 Camaro 346 Chevy 12.456 109.73
16 Tony Huff Collinsville IL 67 Camaro 468 Chevy 12.486 108.50
APRIL 18th, 2006 SX PERFORMANCE STREET CAR SHOOTOUT FINAL ROUND
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle R.T. ET MPH
W Dave Odenahl, Waterloo, IL 1993 350 Camaro 0.288 10.384 130.73
RU Joe Laramee, Decatur, IL 1977 147 Pinto 0.000 Overstaged
For the second consecutive event, Dave Odenahl’s infamous black Camaro scored top honors in the
SX Performance Street Car Shootout Series at Gateway International Raceway. The Waterloo,
Illinois, ace survived an evening of twists, turns, rampant bad luck and bizzare occurances to secure
his fourth SCSS win in six career final round appearances.
Unimpressive atmospheric conditions kept record performances to a minimum and an unusual 15
miles-per-hour crosswind made for occasional finish line entertainment. With a corrected elevation
ranging from 2447 feet above sea level to 1729 feet when the final rounds were completed, the best
aspect of the event was plenty of traction for those who knew where to find it. Having hosted the
quickest eighth-mile elapsed time in drag racing history for a passenger car, (Jason Scruggs’ blast of
3.872 seconds at 194.63 mph), during the preceding weekend’s Flowmaster ADRL Gateway Drags,
the SCSS benefitted from a solid “groove” and plenty of rubber on the GIR starting line.
Early timed trials saw only Joe Hatleli’s brand new 2006 Z06 Corvette, (11.93/121.37), produce any
sub-12 second runs. Once the official qualifying period began, a series of stumbles and gaffs by
several veterans kept the low qualifying position in the same 11.90 area with Super Truck Showdown
kingpin Hal Marshall’s Chevy S-10 pickup eventually snaring the lead with a troubled 11.88/114.62.
Finally, Odenhal’s LT1-powered Z28 pulled to the line to close out the first hour of qualifying and
cruised to a 10.443 at 130.07 miles per hour to grab the pole position.
For the next hour and fifteen minutes, the other final round berth was swapped by a variety of drivers
with a series of mid-eleven-second passes, almost none of which were indicitive of the potential of
the entries but almost all of which ended in some form of disaster. Marshall was unable to find the
10.8-second performance he enjoyed the week before, struggling with shifting problems. Tony Buhl’s
10-second ‘89 Mustang was shut-off with a fuel leak and then coughed to the finish line with sub-par
11.80s. Mike Faller, the driver of the “Katfish” Camaro from Springfield, Illinois, which earned a
runner-up at the first event of 2006, and Greg “Hook-n-Ladder” Boschert, whose ‘66 Mustang
finished second in the ‘05 SCSS series standings, suffered from nitrous oxide system problems
which kept both out of the 10-second zone. In fact, it was SCSS 6-Cylinder Record Holder Rob
Nolan who kept a grip on the second qualifying position with an 11.32/121.84 effort from his
231-cubic inch ‘87 Buick Regal. Unfortunately, Nolan’s machine met with terminal engine woes on a
later pass which parked the Illinois Regal for the remainder of the event.
With less than ten minutes remaining in qualifying, the biggest news of the ‘06 SCSS program pulled
into the water box. Joe Laramee, whose turbocharged four-cylinder ‘77 Pinto had obliterated all
4-Cylinder Records only one week before, arrived late after enduring a flat tire on the 130-mile trip
from Decatur, Illinois. However, a 10.89 at 129.87 mph made the drive worth the effort...especially
when it was realized that the pass was the second quickest of the event! In the final nine minutes of
qualifying, only William McIntire’s potent ‘03 Mustang threatened the Pinto with a great 11.22/123.75.
Meanwhile, Odenahl had his own problems. A fried alternator had forced the defending event
champion to push behind the water box and recharge his battery in order to continue his second
qualifying effort. “It died right in the water!”, exclaimed the normally reserved Odenahl, “so it must’ve
been discharging the entire night. I had no warning...it just died and wouldn’t crank”. Checking the
scoreboards once he launched and realizing the 60-feet ET was far below the number required to
improve on his earlier 10.44, Odenahl eventually lifted off the throttle to a 10.80 at only 110 mph.
Laramee’s under-pressure performance was notable on several levels. The Pinto suddenly became
the first Sport Tuner Showdown entry to qualify for a Street Car Shootout final round and, obviously,
it was simultaneously the low qualifier in the Tuner Showdown. That made Laramee only the second
SCSS driver to race in two final rounds at the same event, (after Randy Christy’s double victory in
the Street Car Shootout and the Super Truck Showdown on June 7th, 2005).
“I’ve got gigantic jets in this motor”, said Laramee before the final round, “but we still don’t know why
it’s running out of fuel at the finish line. I launched pretty easy on the qualifying run but it shouldn’t
have slowed down three tenths from last week”. After completing the Sport Tuner Showdown, Joe
and Nick Laramee were given time to cool down if front of the grandstands before meeting Odenahl,
whose Camaro was busy recharging again for the trophy battle. The championship match was
anticlimactic; after the burnout, Laramee inched into the staging beams only to the Line-Loc button
as he prepared to bring up the RPMs on the 147-cubic inch four-cylinder. With no way to hold the car
on the line, the little Pinto rolled through the staging beams drawing a redlight start. Odenahl, at
least, had things work; he clocked Low ET and Top Speed of the Meet at 10.38/130.73.
“I was really afraid something stupid was going to happen to me in the final”, commented Odenahl
during the trophy presentation. “It was such a weird night and that little Ford is pretty darned tough. I
had to take him seriously”.
In a surprise announcement, series sponsor SX Performance Fuel Systems in St. Louis, MO (6
Sunnen Drive, 314-644-3000, http://www.sx-performance.com ), agreed to hold a special
Shootout event for all qualifiers in the April 18th Super Sixteen field during the upcoming Midnight
Madness on Friday, April 21st. SX Performance will pay each driver’s entry and post prizes,
(including a new SX Performance fuel pump), from the special program. “That’s a heck of a deal!”,
said Odenahl upon hearing of the announcement, “I guess I’ll be here Friday night!”.
NOTES FROM THE SCSS: The Gary Bates-driven Bates Brothers yellow 2004 GTO Judge
was nothing short of incredible, clocking no less than six runs in the 11.90s at over 114 mph on
narrow street tires with virtually no tire spin...2005 SCSS Season Champion Kevin Kolkmeyer broke
into the eleven-second zone with his new LS1-powered ‘98 Corvette, hitting an 11.995/117.44 and
backing it up with a 12.02...Aaron Messer, who joined the 10-Second and 120 MPH Clubs in 2005
with his ‘88 Mustang, debuted a ‘68 Rambler American with smallblock Ford power and qualified
while showing daylight under the left front wheel...Josh Lipscomb’s Mexico, Missouri-based ‘80
Camaro qualified for its third straight event, joining Hal Marshall and Tony Huff in a three-way battle
for the Season Championship Point Lead...Huff’s 10-second Nova was unable to compete so he
borrowed his brother Dale’s ‘67 468 Camaro and qualified on the bump spot!...Greg Boschert’s
nitrous problems were severe enough to keep the Flyin’ Fireman from qualifying at all, running a
dismal best of 13.54/103...although he made the field in the eleventh spot, Mike Faller lived the
ultimate nightmare; after failing to get the nitrous system to work on three straight runs, he finally hit
a 10.73 at a carrer-best 128.55 mph---twenty-three minutes after qualifying ended!...Tony Buhl’s best
run, a still-offpace 11.44/114.90, also came after qualifying was over...Shawn Vinson is the leading
contender for the 2006 “Most Expensive Tuesday Night Racer” award; the St. Charles, Missouri,
driver appeared with a 493-horsepower, twin-turbo, 335-cubic inch V12-powered 2004
Mercedes-Benz SL600 and ran a best of 12.62/110.49. Price? $134,900...Brett Evans debuted his
astonishing new turbocharged 427-powered ‘65 Mustang fastback with an easy 13.02/81 checkout
pass. Even Chevy fans agreed the car is an engineering masterpiece...Michelle Cantrell became the
quickest female in the ‘06 SCSS series so far with a 12.71/109.12 effort from her ‘87 306
Mustang...the April 18th SCSS event was the first to feature repeat winners in all three categories.
APRIL 18th, 2006 GATEWAYRACEWAY.COM SPORT TUNER SHOWDOWN FINAL
ROUND
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle R.T. ET MPH
W Joe Laramee, Decatur, IL 1977 147 Pinto 0.504 10.706 128.86
RU Jon Blalock, Hazelwood, MO 2003 122 Evolution 0.338 13.123 104.00
Before Joe Laramee’s late-arrival and subsequent 10.89/129.87 which actually raised his own SCSS
4-Cylinder Speed Record by seven hundredths of a mile per hour, Ross Randall’s 2005 Mitsubishi
Evolution 8 was again leading qualifying in the Sport Tuner Showdown Series with a 12.85/106.82.
For the second week in a row, however, Laramee managed to demoralize the field with one pass
and, again, no competitor was able to derail the black Pinto freight train. The final round was to be a
rematch of the April 11th bout in which Laramee unloaded a 10.54/129 on Randall’s best-ever
12.55/110. When the call came to report in front of the grandstands for the trophy dash, however,
Randall was nowhere to be found.
The first alternate, third qualifier Nathan Pitcher’s new 2006 Evolution 9 (13.27/108.39), also failed to
appear and, when Jon Blalock’s fourth-qualifying yellow ‘05 Evo 8, (a best-ever 13.30/102.49), was
paged, still nobody showed to face the Pinto. Just before the call went out for fifth qualifier Bill
Simpson’s well-known ‘91 Toyota MR2, (13.41/110.34), Blalock’s Mitsubishi finally rolled into
position. “I really have to get to my work!”, lamented Blalock, whose shift starts at 11:30 PM, “but I
decided to give it a shot”.
The “shot” was a seventeen hundredths of a second holeshot--almost identical to the reaction times
posted in the April 11th final--but Laramee’s Ford buzzed to a 10.70/128.86 to railroad the Evo’s
best-ever 13.12 at 104 mph. “If nothing else”, said Blalock while checking his timeslip during the
trophy presentation, “chasing him made me run my best times yet! You have to admit it, though...that
Pinto FLIES!”.
APRIL 18th, 2006 GATEWAYRACEWAY.COM SUPER TRUCK SHOWDOWN FINAL
ROUND
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle R.T. ET MPH
W Hal Marshall, Collinsville, IL 1986 350 S-10 0.118 11.537 115.26
RU Mark Corneglio, O’Fallon, MO 2003 330 Lightning 0.105 12.474 108.49
In the completed three events of the year, “Animal Hal” Marshall’s white S-10 pickup has been
everything but consistent. After a wild sideways launch cost him the first Super Truck Showdown title
of the year, he has come back to win two more events but, despite a best-ever 10.87/125.72 only a
week ago, things have been far from smooth.
An opening 11.88/114 confirmed what Hal already knew. “I hate to say it, but this new shifter is a
total piece of junk”, said Hal with a grimace. “I’ve got to get it out of this truck. It’s killin’ me!”. A later
11.40/110 faired only slightly better when the transmission again fell out of gear several times during
the run.
Meanwhile, two-time finalist and past STSS winner Jeff Fritz was dealing with his own problems. The
gun metal-grey Ford Lightning which had dipped deep into the 11-second zone during early season
testing was suffering from a top-end boost problem which kept him at a 12.36-second best, (albeit
the fourteenth qualifer in the Super Sixteen with the third slowest qualifying speed ever at 89.88
mph). Eventually Fritz was forced to withdraw from a final-round match with the seven-time STSS
winner.
First alternate Mark Corneglio, whose show-quality ‘03 Lightning had run 12.58/107.94, was called to
the staging area for the final round. Corneglio, who nights racing usually include his wife, Michelle, in
an equally immaculate 2003 Nissan 350Z, was just thrilled to be in the final round. “I ran some low
12s on opening day”, said Corneglio as he prepared for the trophy battle, “but this crosswind is
slowing me way down tonight”. After both machnes left the line together, Marshall’s subpar
11.53/115.26 was enough to get the job done, handling Corneglio’s 12.47/108 effort.
Still, Marshall’s win was worthy of special recognition. Entering the event, the Collinsville, Illinois,
pilot with the largest crew in SCSS racing was tied with Sport Tuner killer Patrick Jacobsmeyer for
the most final round wins and appearances, (7 wins, 3 runners-up), as the most prolific of all
Tuesday night competitors. With his record eighth victory, “Animal Hal” is now the King of Tuesday
Night Racing.
“That’s all well and good”, said Marshall after the win, “but I need to get rid of this shifter or I’ll never
see a ten-second timeslip again!”.
Dave Odenahl, Waterloo, IL 1993 350 Camaro
Joe Laramee, Decatur, IL 1977 147 Pinto
Jon Blalock, Hazelwood, MO 2003 122 Evolution
Hal Marshall, Collinsville, IL 1986 350 S-10
Mark Corneglio, O’Fallon, MO 2004 331 Lightning
SX Performance Street Car Shootout Series events held each Tuesday at Gateway
International Raceway in Madison, Illinois.
Tuesday SCSS Track Records can be set during official qualifying or championship rounds. The
official qualifying period begins at 6:30 PM and concludes at 9:00 PM, barring unforeseen
circumstances. At 9:30 PM, the two quickest qualifers meet in a no-handicap championship round for
trophies. Each of the Top 16 qualifiers receives a "Fastest Street Car Qualifier" decal. The SCSS
trophies and decals are presented by SX Performance Fuel Systems in St. Louis, MO (6
Sunnen Drive, 314-644-3000, http://www.sx-performance.com ). Additionally, the two
quickest Sport Tuner drivers, (open to all passenger cars except Rear-Wheel-Drive vehicles with
engines of six cylinders or more), also meet in a no-handicap championship round for trophies
presented by http://www.GatewayRaceway.com and the two quickest Super Truck drivers,
(open to all trucks and utility vehicles), meet in a no-handicap championship round for trophies
presented by http://www.GatewayRaceway.com .
GATEWAY INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY, MADISON, ILLINOIS
2006 SX PERFORMANCE STREET CAR SHOOTOUT TRACK RECORDS
Class Name Hometown ST Vehicle Engine ET MPH Date
RWD Brett Heidgerken, Decatur, IL 67 Chevelle 505 Chevy 8.871 10/11/2005
RWD Brett Heidgerken, Decatur, IL 67 Chevelle 505 Chevy 153.88 10/11/2005
TRK Kevin Autenrietch, Bethalto, IL 84 S-10 355 Chevy 9.772 9/28/2004
TRK Kevin Autenrietch, Bethalto, IL 84 S-10 355 Chevy 135.39 9/28/2004
6CYL Rob Nolan, Granite City, IL 87 Regal 231 Buick 11.041 10/11/2005
6CYL Rob Nolan, Granite City, IL 87 Regal 231 Buick 124.56 4/11/2006
4CYL Joe Laramee, Decatur, IL 77 Pinto 147 Ford 10.544 4/11/2006
4CYL Joe Laramee, Decatur, IL 77 Pinto 147 Ford 129.87 4/18/2006
FWD Adam Corbett, St. Charles, MO 85 Golf 122 Volks 11.622 8/30/2005
FWD Justin Bondurant, Fenton, MO 04 Neon 146 Dodge 122.66 10/11/2005
RTY Eric Cheatham, Belleville, IL 93 RX-7 79 Mazda 11.936 8/30/2005
RTY Derek Coffman, Valley Park, MO 94 RX-7 79 Mazda 122.21 8/10/2004
DSL Phillip Blackburn, Springfield, IL 03 2500 HD 403 Chevy 11.835 8/2/2005
DSL Phillip Blackburn, Springfield, IL 03 2500 HD 403 Chevy 114.29 8/2/2005
APRIL 18th, 2006 SX PERFORMANCE STREET CAR SHOOTOUT QUALIFIERS
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle Engine ET MPH Date
EVENT 4 4/18/2006
1 Dave Odehnal Waterloo IL 93 Camaro 350 Chevy 10.443 130.07
2 Joe Laramee Decatur IL 77 Pinto 147 Ford 10.899 129.87
3 William McIntire, Jr East Alton IL 03 Mustang 281 Ford 11.221 123.75
4 Rob Nolan Granite City IL 87 Regal 231 Buick 11.324 121.84
5 Hal Marshall Collinsville IL 86 S-10 350 Chevy 11.404 114.62
6 Tony Buhl Lebanon IL 89 Mustang 331 Ford 11.852 111.45
7 Gary Bates O'Fallon MO 04 GTO 346 Pont 11.909 114.35
8 Kevin Kolkmeyer Jerseyville IL 98 Corvette 346 Chevy 11.995 117.44
9 Joe Hatleli O'Fallon IL 06 Corvette 427 Chevy 12.006 121.34
10 Joshua Lipscomb Mexico MO 80 Camaro 383 Chevy 12.075 109.75
11 Michael Faller Springfield IL 98 Camaro 346 Chevy 12.106 113.35
12 Mark Goone Chesterfield MO 03 Mustang 281 Ford 12.173 118.38
13 Aaron Messer Festus MO 68 American 302 Ford 12.247 109.03
14 Jeff Fritz Florissant MO 01 Lightning 330 Ford 12.360 89.88
15 Chris Weltig Imperial MO 01 Camaro 346 Chevy 12.456 109.73
16 Tony Huff Collinsville IL 67 Camaro 468 Chevy 12.486 108.50
APRIL 18th, 2006 SX PERFORMANCE STREET CAR SHOOTOUT FINAL ROUND
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle R.T. ET MPH
W Dave Odenahl, Waterloo, IL 1993 350 Camaro 0.288 10.384 130.73
RU Joe Laramee, Decatur, IL 1977 147 Pinto 0.000 Overstaged
For the second consecutive event, Dave Odenahl’s infamous black Camaro scored top honors in the
SX Performance Street Car Shootout Series at Gateway International Raceway. The Waterloo,
Illinois, ace survived an evening of twists, turns, rampant bad luck and bizzare occurances to secure
his fourth SCSS win in six career final round appearances.
Unimpressive atmospheric conditions kept record performances to a minimum and an unusual 15
miles-per-hour crosswind made for occasional finish line entertainment. With a corrected elevation
ranging from 2447 feet above sea level to 1729 feet when the final rounds were completed, the best
aspect of the event was plenty of traction for those who knew where to find it. Having hosted the
quickest eighth-mile elapsed time in drag racing history for a passenger car, (Jason Scruggs’ blast of
3.872 seconds at 194.63 mph), during the preceding weekend’s Flowmaster ADRL Gateway Drags,
the SCSS benefitted from a solid “groove” and plenty of rubber on the GIR starting line.
Early timed trials saw only Joe Hatleli’s brand new 2006 Z06 Corvette, (11.93/121.37), produce any
sub-12 second runs. Once the official qualifying period began, a series of stumbles and gaffs by
several veterans kept the low qualifying position in the same 11.90 area with Super Truck Showdown
kingpin Hal Marshall’s Chevy S-10 pickup eventually snaring the lead with a troubled 11.88/114.62.
Finally, Odenhal’s LT1-powered Z28 pulled to the line to close out the first hour of qualifying and
cruised to a 10.443 at 130.07 miles per hour to grab the pole position.
For the next hour and fifteen minutes, the other final round berth was swapped by a variety of drivers
with a series of mid-eleven-second passes, almost none of which were indicitive of the potential of
the entries but almost all of which ended in some form of disaster. Marshall was unable to find the
10.8-second performance he enjoyed the week before, struggling with shifting problems. Tony Buhl’s
10-second ‘89 Mustang was shut-off with a fuel leak and then coughed to the finish line with sub-par
11.80s. Mike Faller, the driver of the “Katfish” Camaro from Springfield, Illinois, which earned a
runner-up at the first event of 2006, and Greg “Hook-n-Ladder” Boschert, whose ‘66 Mustang
finished second in the ‘05 SCSS series standings, suffered from nitrous oxide system problems
which kept both out of the 10-second zone. In fact, it was SCSS 6-Cylinder Record Holder Rob
Nolan who kept a grip on the second qualifying position with an 11.32/121.84 effort from his
231-cubic inch ‘87 Buick Regal. Unfortunately, Nolan’s machine met with terminal engine woes on a
later pass which parked the Illinois Regal for the remainder of the event.
With less than ten minutes remaining in qualifying, the biggest news of the ‘06 SCSS program pulled
into the water box. Joe Laramee, whose turbocharged four-cylinder ‘77 Pinto had obliterated all
4-Cylinder Records only one week before, arrived late after enduring a flat tire on the 130-mile trip
from Decatur, Illinois. However, a 10.89 at 129.87 mph made the drive worth the effort...especially
when it was realized that the pass was the second quickest of the event! In the final nine minutes of
qualifying, only William McIntire’s potent ‘03 Mustang threatened the Pinto with a great 11.22/123.75.
Meanwhile, Odenahl had his own problems. A fried alternator had forced the defending event
champion to push behind the water box and recharge his battery in order to continue his second
qualifying effort. “It died right in the water!”, exclaimed the normally reserved Odenahl, “so it must’ve
been discharging the entire night. I had no warning...it just died and wouldn’t crank”. Checking the
scoreboards once he launched and realizing the 60-feet ET was far below the number required to
improve on his earlier 10.44, Odenahl eventually lifted off the throttle to a 10.80 at only 110 mph.
Laramee’s under-pressure performance was notable on several levels. The Pinto suddenly became
the first Sport Tuner Showdown entry to qualify for a Street Car Shootout final round and, obviously,
it was simultaneously the low qualifier in the Tuner Showdown. That made Laramee only the second
SCSS driver to race in two final rounds at the same event, (after Randy Christy’s double victory in
the Street Car Shootout and the Super Truck Showdown on June 7th, 2005).
“I’ve got gigantic jets in this motor”, said Laramee before the final round, “but we still don’t know why
it’s running out of fuel at the finish line. I launched pretty easy on the qualifying run but it shouldn’t
have slowed down three tenths from last week”. After completing the Sport Tuner Showdown, Joe
and Nick Laramee were given time to cool down if front of the grandstands before meeting Odenahl,
whose Camaro was busy recharging again for the trophy battle. The championship match was
anticlimactic; after the burnout, Laramee inched into the staging beams only to the Line-Loc button
as he prepared to bring up the RPMs on the 147-cubic inch four-cylinder. With no way to hold the car
on the line, the little Pinto rolled through the staging beams drawing a redlight start. Odenahl, at
least, had things work; he clocked Low ET and Top Speed of the Meet at 10.38/130.73.
“I was really afraid something stupid was going to happen to me in the final”, commented Odenahl
during the trophy presentation. “It was such a weird night and that little Ford is pretty darned tough. I
had to take him seriously”.
In a surprise announcement, series sponsor SX Performance Fuel Systems in St. Louis, MO (6
Sunnen Drive, 314-644-3000, http://www.sx-performance.com ), agreed to hold a special
Shootout event for all qualifiers in the April 18th Super Sixteen field during the upcoming Midnight
Madness on Friday, April 21st. SX Performance will pay each driver’s entry and post prizes,
(including a new SX Performance fuel pump), from the special program. “That’s a heck of a deal!”,
said Odenahl upon hearing of the announcement, “I guess I’ll be here Friday night!”.
NOTES FROM THE SCSS: The Gary Bates-driven Bates Brothers yellow 2004 GTO Judge
was nothing short of incredible, clocking no less than six runs in the 11.90s at over 114 mph on
narrow street tires with virtually no tire spin...2005 SCSS Season Champion Kevin Kolkmeyer broke
into the eleven-second zone with his new LS1-powered ‘98 Corvette, hitting an 11.995/117.44 and
backing it up with a 12.02...Aaron Messer, who joined the 10-Second and 120 MPH Clubs in 2005
with his ‘88 Mustang, debuted a ‘68 Rambler American with smallblock Ford power and qualified
while showing daylight under the left front wheel...Josh Lipscomb’s Mexico, Missouri-based ‘80
Camaro qualified for its third straight event, joining Hal Marshall and Tony Huff in a three-way battle
for the Season Championship Point Lead...Huff’s 10-second Nova was unable to compete so he
borrowed his brother Dale’s ‘67 468 Camaro and qualified on the bump spot!...Greg Boschert’s
nitrous problems were severe enough to keep the Flyin’ Fireman from qualifying at all, running a
dismal best of 13.54/103...although he made the field in the eleventh spot, Mike Faller lived the
ultimate nightmare; after failing to get the nitrous system to work on three straight runs, he finally hit
a 10.73 at a carrer-best 128.55 mph---twenty-three minutes after qualifying ended!...Tony Buhl’s best
run, a still-offpace 11.44/114.90, also came after qualifying was over...Shawn Vinson is the leading
contender for the 2006 “Most Expensive Tuesday Night Racer” award; the St. Charles, Missouri,
driver appeared with a 493-horsepower, twin-turbo, 335-cubic inch V12-powered 2004
Mercedes-Benz SL600 and ran a best of 12.62/110.49. Price? $134,900...Brett Evans debuted his
astonishing new turbocharged 427-powered ‘65 Mustang fastback with an easy 13.02/81 checkout
pass. Even Chevy fans agreed the car is an engineering masterpiece...Michelle Cantrell became the
quickest female in the ‘06 SCSS series so far with a 12.71/109.12 effort from her ‘87 306
Mustang...the April 18th SCSS event was the first to feature repeat winners in all three categories.
APRIL 18th, 2006 GATEWAYRACEWAY.COM SPORT TUNER SHOWDOWN FINAL
ROUND
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle R.T. ET MPH
W Joe Laramee, Decatur, IL 1977 147 Pinto 0.504 10.706 128.86
RU Jon Blalock, Hazelwood, MO 2003 122 Evolution 0.338 13.123 104.00
Before Joe Laramee’s late-arrival and subsequent 10.89/129.87 which actually raised his own SCSS
4-Cylinder Speed Record by seven hundredths of a mile per hour, Ross Randall’s 2005 Mitsubishi
Evolution 8 was again leading qualifying in the Sport Tuner Showdown Series with a 12.85/106.82.
For the second week in a row, however, Laramee managed to demoralize the field with one pass
and, again, no competitor was able to derail the black Pinto freight train. The final round was to be a
rematch of the April 11th bout in which Laramee unloaded a 10.54/129 on Randall’s best-ever
12.55/110. When the call came to report in front of the grandstands for the trophy dash, however,
Randall was nowhere to be found.
The first alternate, third qualifier Nathan Pitcher’s new 2006 Evolution 9 (13.27/108.39), also failed to
appear and, when Jon Blalock’s fourth-qualifying yellow ‘05 Evo 8, (a best-ever 13.30/102.49), was
paged, still nobody showed to face the Pinto. Just before the call went out for fifth qualifier Bill
Simpson’s well-known ‘91 Toyota MR2, (13.41/110.34), Blalock’s Mitsubishi finally rolled into
position. “I really have to get to my work!”, lamented Blalock, whose shift starts at 11:30 PM, “but I
decided to give it a shot”.
The “shot” was a seventeen hundredths of a second holeshot--almost identical to the reaction times
posted in the April 11th final--but Laramee’s Ford buzzed to a 10.70/128.86 to railroad the Evo’s
best-ever 13.12 at 104 mph. “If nothing else”, said Blalock while checking his timeslip during the
trophy presentation, “chasing him made me run my best times yet! You have to admit it, though...that
Pinto FLIES!”.
APRIL 18th, 2006 GATEWAYRACEWAY.COM SUPER TRUCK SHOWDOWN FINAL
ROUND
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle R.T. ET MPH
W Hal Marshall, Collinsville, IL 1986 350 S-10 0.118 11.537 115.26
RU Mark Corneglio, O’Fallon, MO 2003 330 Lightning 0.105 12.474 108.49
In the completed three events of the year, “Animal Hal” Marshall’s white S-10 pickup has been
everything but consistent. After a wild sideways launch cost him the first Super Truck Showdown title
of the year, he has come back to win two more events but, despite a best-ever 10.87/125.72 only a
week ago, things have been far from smooth.
An opening 11.88/114 confirmed what Hal already knew. “I hate to say it, but this new shifter is a
total piece of junk”, said Hal with a grimace. “I’ve got to get it out of this truck. It’s killin’ me!”. A later
11.40/110 faired only slightly better when the transmission again fell out of gear several times during
the run.
Meanwhile, two-time finalist and past STSS winner Jeff Fritz was dealing with his own problems. The
gun metal-grey Ford Lightning which had dipped deep into the 11-second zone during early season
testing was suffering from a top-end boost problem which kept him at a 12.36-second best, (albeit
the fourteenth qualifer in the Super Sixteen with the third slowest qualifying speed ever at 89.88
mph). Eventually Fritz was forced to withdraw from a final-round match with the seven-time STSS
winner.
First alternate Mark Corneglio, whose show-quality ‘03 Lightning had run 12.58/107.94, was called to
the staging area for the final round. Corneglio, who nights racing usually include his wife, Michelle, in
an equally immaculate 2003 Nissan 350Z, was just thrilled to be in the final round. “I ran some low
12s on opening day”, said Corneglio as he prepared for the trophy battle, “but this crosswind is
slowing me way down tonight”. After both machnes left the line together, Marshall’s subpar
11.53/115.26 was enough to get the job done, handling Corneglio’s 12.47/108 effort.
Still, Marshall’s win was worthy of special recognition. Entering the event, the Collinsville, Illinois,
pilot with the largest crew in SCSS racing was tied with Sport Tuner killer Patrick Jacobsmeyer for
the most final round wins and appearances, (7 wins, 3 runners-up), as the most prolific of all
Tuesday night competitors. With his record eighth victory, “Animal Hal” is now the King of Tuesday
Night Racing.
“That’s all well and good”, said Marshall after the win, “but I need to get rid of this shifter or I’ll never
see a ten-second timeslip again!”.
Dave Odenahl, Waterloo, IL 1993 350 Camaro
Joe Laramee, Decatur, IL 1977 147 Pinto
Jon Blalock, Hazelwood, MO 2003 122 Evolution
Hal Marshall, Collinsville, IL 1986 350 S-10
Mark Corneglio, O’Fallon, MO 2004 331 Lightning
