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 St. Louis Street Racing (http://www.stlsr.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 Corbitt, St. Charles, MO 85 Golf 122 Volks 11.583 5/23/2006
FWD Adam Corbitt, St. Charles, MO 85 Golf 122 Volks 126.95 5/30/2006
RTY Gary Hagner, St. Charles, MO 94 RX-7 79 Mazda 11.568 7/11/2006
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
JULY 11th, 2006 SX PERFORMANCE STREET CAR SHOOTOUT QUALIFIERS
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle Engine ET MPH Date
EVENT 13 7/11/2006
1 Tony Huff Collinsville IL 68 Nova 468 Chevy 9.775 135.37
2 Matt Crittendon St. Louis MO 89 Mustang 306 Ford 10.294 134.50
3 Orson Johnson House Springs MO 99 Mustang 347 Ford 10.839 124.40
4 Tony Buhl Lebanon IL 89 Mustang 331 Ford 10.840 126.27
5 Hal Marshall Collinsville IL 86 S-10 350 Chevy 10.965 123.64
6 Sam Moore E. Alton IL 93 Mustang 427 Ford 11.545 146.18
7 Joe Williams Maryville IL 70 Nova 454 Chevy 11.660 115.31
8 Raymond Arthur Edwardsville IL 67 Camaro 427 Chevy 11.859 115.85
9 Adnan Omerovic St. Louis MO 95 Talon 122 Eagle 11.861 120.81
10 Jim Harris O'Fallon MO 03 Corvette 346 Chevy 11.925 121.54
11 William Page Gillespie IL 87 Regal 231 Buick 12.184 112.04
12 Gary Hagner St. Charles MO 94 RX7 79 Mazda 12.553 117.13
13 Andy Park Sparta IL 69 Chevelle 454 Chevy 12.572 114.24
14 Brandon Beishiv Arnold MO 98 Camaro 346 Chevy 12.581 110.33
15 Don Albert Collinsville IL 77 Nova 454 Chevy 12.726 102.81
16 Donny Bethmann Warrenton MO 64 Chevelle 350 Chevy 12.804 107.21
JULY 11th, 2006 SX PERFORMANCE STREET CAR SHOOTOUT FINAL ROUND
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle R.T. ET MPH
W Tony Huff, Collinsville, IL 1968 454 Nova 0.297 9.903 135.27
RU Matt Crittendon, St. Louis, MO 1989 306 Mustang -0.011 (foul) 10.631 120.20
After a span of twenty-eight days without an official Tuesday event, the SX Performance Street Car
Shootout Series finally resumed at Gateway International Raceway. Collinsville, Illinois, charger
Tony Huff picked up where he left off on June 13th with his second consecutive victory while
wheeling his bigblock-powered Chevy Nova to career-best elapsed times. The championship round
featured a crowd-pleasing Ford-versus-Chevy match with Huff’s Nova overcoming the Mustang of St.
Louis superstar Matt Crittendon who was making his first competitive appearance since winning the
title to another 1989 Mustang during a filming of the popular SpeedTV show, “Pinks!”.
After GIR was closed in accordance with NHRA regulations during the week of June 20th in
prepartation for the 10th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Midwest Nationals, the filming of two episodes of
the “Pinks!” series at Gateway curtailed the SCSS series on June 27th. After closing in observance
of Independence Day on Tuesday, July 4th, returning racers were greeted by the worst atmospheric
conditions for an SCSS program yet this season. Although the temperature never rose above 84
degrees, humidity over 70% saturation kept the corrected elevation near 2400 feet above sea level
during qualifying and only allowed the altitude to barely dip below 2000 feet during the championship
finals. Heavy rains south of the racetrack resulted in a conservative turnout which allowed
competitors to make up to a dozen quarter-mile passes during the event.
The ability to make runs unhindered worked well for Huff who decided to earn his NHRA Competition
License during the meet, making all six of the required runs during the official qualifying period.
Initially, it looked to be another “Tony Show” when Tony Buhl, who had been in the last three SCSS
final rounds with Huff, pushed his supercharged ‘89 Mustang to a 10.84/126.27 at the start of
qualifying. One of Huff’s early required shut-off license runs, a 10.91 at only 94 miles per hour,
actually moved into second place and a later 10.68/104 shut-off put the silver ‘68 Nova on the pole.
As Buhl struggled with tirespin, Huff eventually hit a 10.12/132.39 to lay waste to the number one
spot...all in the first thirty-five minutes of qualifying!
An hour into the period, Crittendon’s 306-cubic inch Mustang pulled into the waterbox. Having
defeated a Colorado-based Mustang two weeks earlier on global television with his own silver LX
coupe at stake, the St. Louisan, (whose first SCSS event victory came back on April 20th, 2004),
rocketed to a 10.29 at 134.50 mph to slide into the second qualifying spot. In typical Crittendon
fashion, the “Pinks!” champ elected to wait in the pits to see if anybody could bump him out of a final
round berth.
Late in qualifying, the fans were rocked to their feet by the loudest vehicle in SCSS history coming to
life under the tower complex. The much-anticipated debut of Sam Moore in the revamped “Silva
Bullet” ‘93 Mustang began with the firing of the new Procharger-equipped 427-cubic inch smallblock
for its first burnout ever. It was on October 4th, 2005, that Moore, Bill Silva, and driver Bob Morrill
pushed the previous incarnation of the “Bullet” to the first 150 mph speed in SCSS history while
clocking a still-standing 9.09-second series record for Fords. The Holloway Chassis &
Fabrication-backed Ford nearly blew its DOT tires clear off the rims when Moore applied full power
on the maiden voyage, putting the East Alton, Illinois, racer completely sideways two hundred feet off
the starting line. Undaunted, Moore got back on the gas and thundered to the finish line on an 11.54
pass at an ungodly 146.18 miles per hour...the third fastest speed of the year...to make Moore
the seventh member of the SCSS 140 MPH Club! Incredibly, the Mustang was clocked at only 87.77
mph at the eighth-mile, producing a nearly-unbelievable 58 mph “backhalf”!
“It was the first run ever on the car and I sure didn’t want to wreck the thing but I also wanted to see
what it would do on the top end. I just eased back into the throttle and she took off! I thought maybe I
could tap that Chevy’s speed record, anway”, said Moore after the run, alluding to Brett Heidgerken’s
153.88 mph SCSS mark. “Holloway Chassis really got this thing lined out and I’m pretty confident it’s
going to run some serious numbers when it’s sorted out”. Indeed!
Huff had a surprise for the Ford fans, however, when he uncorked a career-best 9.77/135.37 in his
Nova with two minutes remaining in qualifying. Amazingly, Huff returned ten minutes later to hit a
9.86/130.51 during late timed trials to officially earn his NHRA driving credentials to run under ten
seconds flat. “The car has had a strange miss all night long”, said Huff as he prepared for the final
round with Crittendon, “and I really don’t know exactly what it is. It happens at 7200 RPM each run
and it pops like it’s backfiring through the carburetor. On the 9.86, it actually lifted up the hood! Let’s
hope it holds for one more pass”.
While Huff’s 468-inch rat motor held together for a 9.90/135.27 in the trophy dash, Crittendon
actually ended the battle by leaving the starting line a mere eleven thousandths of a second too soon
before clocking a slowing 10.63 at only 120 mph when his Ford ran out of nitrous oxide, as well. For
Huff, it was a milestone win even without his best elapsed time ever; his fourth title of 2006 gave him
the most season victories of any driver in the three-year history of the Street Car Shootout.
Matt Crittendon was still enjoying his “Pinks!” success even though the show won’t air for several
weeks. “It was so much fun I told them I’d do it again if they wanted me to come back”, said
Crittendon during trophy presentations in front of the main grandstand. “They’re going to film some
shows in Phoenix, Arizona, and one of my sponsors, Futureweld, is based there and told me they’d
pay for us to go. The St. Louis fans were fantastic and they really got behind us during the show
here. It was definitely cool!”. As for the ‘89 Mustang prize he earned, Crittendon doesn’t even
own it anymore. “I traded it to my negotiator, Bryant Storey, for an S-10 and some other stuff.
He’s also one of my sponsors, (Bryant & Co. Roofing), so I figured I’d better cut him in on the deal!”.
Storey already has plans to add a bigger nitrous system to the black 317-inch Ford to race in SCSS
competition!
NOTES FROM THE SCSS: Although Tony Buhl didn’t make the final round, he’s still tied with
Hal Marshall for the lead in the point standings for the 2006 SCSS Championship with nine “Fastest
Street Car Qualifier” decals each. The point championship is determined by the number of Qualifier
stickers earned with each driver’s best ET of the season used as a tie-breaker...Orson Johnson’s
turbocharged red ‘99 Mustang convertible stepped up to best-ever numbers while qualifying third; the
House Springs, Missouri, driver hit 10.97/124.27 and 10.83/124.40 to become the 41st member of
the SCSS 10-Second Club and the 87th member (!) of the SCSS 120 MPH Club...Because of NHRA
safety restrictions, Matt Crittendon had never made full-throttle runs in SCSS competition prior to this
event and also finally joined the 10-Second and 120 MPH Clubs...Cliff Garry’s Illinois-based
10-second ‘81 AMC Spirit (with 360 Dodge power) should have been a contender but damaged a
transmission during qualifying...Joe Williams’ bright yellow ‘70 Nova has finally gotten the bugs
worked out; a series of 11.70s and a best of 11.66/115.31 means the “Team Huff” member may be a
candidate for the “squeeze” in coming weeks...Ray Arthur returned from a sizeable engine explosion
three weeks ago to push the “Suspicion” ‘67 Camaro to an 11.85/115.85 during qualifying and an
11.80/118.33 in late timed trials...Bill Page was once again the quickest six-cylinder pilot with a best
of 12.18/112.04 from his ‘87 Buick Grand National...A total of 102 different drivers have earned
“Fastest Street Car Qualifier” decals so far this season.
SX PERFORMANCE STREET CAR SHOOTOUT SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP POINT
STANDINGS (as of JULY12th, 2006)
Pos Points Name Hometown ST Vehicle Engine
1 (9) Tony Buhl Lebanon IL 89 Mustang 331 Ford
2 (9) Hal Marshall Collinsville IL 86 S-10 350 Chevy
3 (8) Tony Huff Collinsville IL 68 Nova 468 Chevy
4 (6) Jim Harris O'Fallon MO 03 Corvette 346 Chevy
5 (3) Dave Odehnal Waterloo IL 93 Camaro 350 Chevy
6 (3) Greg Boschert St. Louis MO 66 Mustang 331 Ford
7 (3) David Starns St. Louis MO 91 Mustang 355 Ford
8 (3) Joe Laramee Decatur IL 77 Pinto 147 Ford
9 (3) William Page Gillespie IL 87 Regal 231 Buick
10 (2) Matt Verbeck Troy IL 68 Camaro 383 Chevy
11 (2) Rob Nolan Granite City IL 87 Regal 231 Buick
12 (2) Gary Bates O'Fallon MO 04 GTO 346 Pont
13 (2) Chris Stauffer S. Roxana IL 81 El Camino 355 Chevy
14 (2) Faisal Merghelani St. Louis MO 02 Camaro 346 Chevy
15 (2) Matthew Meyers Wood River IL 79 Malibu Wag 355 Chevy
16 (2) William McIntire, Jr East Alton IL 03 Mustang 281 Ford
17 (2) Rusty Schneider Owensville MO 99 Mustang 281 Ford
18 (2) George Wahby Fenton MO 74 Pinto 350 Chevy
19 (2) Kevin Goss Brighton IL 78 El Camino 406 Chevy
20 (2) Eric Martin Scott AFB IL 90 Mustang 302 Ford
21 (2) Michael St. John Highland IL 70 Camaro 502 Chevy
22 (2) Michael Faller Springfield IL 98 Camaro 346 Chevy
23 (2) Matt Crittendon St. Louis MO 89 Mustang 306 Ford
24 (2) Joe Williams Maryville IL 70 Nova 454 Chevy
25 (2) Raymond Arthur Edwardsville IL 67 Camaro 427 Chevy
26 (2) Don Albert Collinsville IL 77 Nova 454 Chevy
JULY 11th, 2006 STLSR.COM SPORT TUNER SHOWDOWN FINAL ROUND
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle R.T. ET MPH
W Gary Hagner, St. Charles, MO 1994 79 RX7 0.018 11.568 119.28
RU Adnan Omerovic, St. Louis, MO 1995 122 Talon 0.420 12.044 120.06
Bad air or not, the St. Louis Street Racing.com Sport Tuner Showdown Series featured some of the
most impressive performances of the 2006 season. New series records, a great qualifying war and
some major surprises marked a battle which included a stunning ending which absolutely nobody
predicted.
Adnan “Ollie” Omerovic, the most recent Sport Tuner Showdown Series winner on June 13th,
actually recorded the quickest runs of early timed trials with a best of 12.25/118.90, not far from his
exceptional 12.12/119.04 performance of three weeks ago. The Eagle Talon driver, described by one
InterNet fan as looking “like the Russian bad guy in every spy movie you ever saw”, suffered through
tirespin on most of his early efforts before he finally got the turbocharged 4G63T powerplant hooked
up and charged to an incredible 11.86 at 120.81 mph to shatter Patrick Jacobsmeyer’s long-standing
SCSS records for All-Wheel-Drive machinery. With a solid grip on the pole position and a second
consecuitve final round, Omerovic was content to watch the fight for the other final-round slot which
was an all-Collinsville, Illinois, brawl between Chris Hill’s ‘04 Impreza WRX and Phillip Holbrook’s
black ‘93 RX7.
Hill’s Subaru hit 13.45/103 and 13.37/101 early but then shocked the Tuner Showdown fans with the
first WRX pass in series history under 13.00 seconds, a 12.986 at 104.53 mph. After boiling the tires
to a series of 14-second runs, Holbrook steadily found more traction for the first serious rotary threat
of ‘06 to eventually hit 13.372/108.81. Hill recorded a 13.01/103, but Holbrook’s Mazda countered
with a 13.05 at 111.03. Neither was able to sneak in one last qualifying pass in the waning minutes
of the session but, just when it appeared that Hill would be in the final round, onto the starting line
rolled the unassuming white ‘94 RX7 of Gary Hagner for the very last qualifying run of the event.
Arriving late to the track, Hagner’s rotary was no stranger to the SCSS series. Having recorded a
12.31 at 115.32 mph in 2005, it was last season’s second quickest Wankel behind SCSS ET Record
Holder Eric Cheatham’s infamous blue RX7. When the St. Charles, Missouri-based Mazda ran 12.55
at 117.13 mph on its only qualifier to bump both Hill and Holbrook from the final round, it appeared
Omerovic’s Talon would have some serious competition for the trophy.
The competition got even more serious when Hagner took a timed trial before the final round and hit
an 11.96 at 116.93. Incredibly, Holbrook’s black RX7 ran a 12.97/110.37 in late timed trials, as well.
Still, most fans conceded the advantage to the new AWD King. When the Talon from the Gateway
DSM team, ( http://www.gatewaydsm.org/ ), pulled to the line, even Omerovic knew a holeshot was
mandatory. However, the fact that Hagner nailed the ‘Tree with a brilliant 0.011-second Reaction
Time was nowhere near as shocking as the 11.56 at 119.28 mph posted by the rotary as it
lead Omerovic’s 12.04/120.06 across the stripe. Ironically, Eric Cheatham was in attendance to
witness the fall of his ten-month-old 11.93-second SCSS Rotary ET Record, leaving Derek Coffman’s
nearly two-year-old 122.21 mph Rotary Speed Record as the oldest on the books.
“It’s a two-rotor motor with a stock factory transmission running on 17 pounds of boost”, explained
Hagner during winner’s circle ceremonies, “but even I didn’t figure it would run that well tonight. Eric
was a little upset, but he’ll get over it!”.
JULY 11th, 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 0.687 11.356 117.42
RU Don Hilderbrand, Shipman, IL 1967 455 C10 0.391 13.916 96.82
You didn’t really think he was going to lose, did you? “Animal Hal” is now up to thirteen
career victories and still has lost only ONE final round of the last thirteen events he has attended
going back to August 30th, 2005. Al took it easy during the event, qualifying his renowned white ‘86
S-10 number one in the GatewayRaceway.com Super Truck Showdown field (and fifth in the SCSS
standings) with a 10.96/123.64. The big story was the fact that Hal wasn’t the big story at all. This
time around, 54-year old Hal Marshall was the “punk kid” in the field.
The big red 1960 Ford F-100 which recorded a 12.85/107.93 to qualify second was certainly
entertaining but its driver was the story of the event. Behind the wheel was 74-year old Harry Bone,
who wheeled the 460-cubic inch beast all night. The Barnhart, Missourian easily earned the honors
of Oldest Tuesday Night competitor and became quite a hit in the pits. Let’s face it; any guy who
survives seventy-four years with the name “Harry Bone” has got to be one tough dude.
Unfortunately, Harry and his son Ron loaded up the big Ford before the final round, allowing Don
Hilderbrand’s unique ‘67 Chevy C-10 into the final as the first alternate. Powered by a 455 Olds from
a ‘76 Regency which he “bought from a guy down the street for $150”, Hilderbrand was fighting a
frustrating stumble off the starting line which kept him to a best of 13.75/97.17. “I’ve tried everything
to stop it and nothing works”, said Hilderbrand before the trophy dash, “so I just hope Hal goes easy
on me”. Hal did, but the 11.35 to 13.91 margin was anything but close. “I just went easy on it all
night, actually”, said Hal in the winner’s circle. “No point in hurting it if I don’t have to!”.
Photos of the July11th SX Performance Street Car Shootout Series event are now available for
viewing at Bret Kepner Photos.
Tony Huff, Collinsville, IL 1968 468 Nova
Matt Crittendon, St. Louis, MO 1989 306 Mustang
Gary Hagner, St. Charles, MO 1994 79 RX7
Adnon Omerovic, St. Louis, MO 1995 122 Talon
Hal Marshall, Collinsville, IL 1986 350 S-10
Don Hilderbrand, Shipman, IL 1967 455 C-10
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 St. Louis Street Racing (http://www.stlsr.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 Corbitt, St. Charles, MO 85 Golf 122 Volks 11.583 5/23/2006
FWD Adam Corbitt, St. Charles, MO 85 Golf 122 Volks 126.95 5/30/2006
RTY Gary Hagner, St. Charles, MO 94 RX-7 79 Mazda 11.568 7/11/2006
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
JULY 11th, 2006 SX PERFORMANCE STREET CAR SHOOTOUT QUALIFIERS
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle Engine ET MPH Date
EVENT 13 7/11/2006
1 Tony Huff Collinsville IL 68 Nova 468 Chevy 9.775 135.37
2 Matt Crittendon St. Louis MO 89 Mustang 306 Ford 10.294 134.50
3 Orson Johnson House Springs MO 99 Mustang 347 Ford 10.839 124.40
4 Tony Buhl Lebanon IL 89 Mustang 331 Ford 10.840 126.27
5 Hal Marshall Collinsville IL 86 S-10 350 Chevy 10.965 123.64
6 Sam Moore E. Alton IL 93 Mustang 427 Ford 11.545 146.18
7 Joe Williams Maryville IL 70 Nova 454 Chevy 11.660 115.31
8 Raymond Arthur Edwardsville IL 67 Camaro 427 Chevy 11.859 115.85
9 Adnan Omerovic St. Louis MO 95 Talon 122 Eagle 11.861 120.81
10 Jim Harris O'Fallon MO 03 Corvette 346 Chevy 11.925 121.54
11 William Page Gillespie IL 87 Regal 231 Buick 12.184 112.04
12 Gary Hagner St. Charles MO 94 RX7 79 Mazda 12.553 117.13
13 Andy Park Sparta IL 69 Chevelle 454 Chevy 12.572 114.24
14 Brandon Beishiv Arnold MO 98 Camaro 346 Chevy 12.581 110.33
15 Don Albert Collinsville IL 77 Nova 454 Chevy 12.726 102.81
16 Donny Bethmann Warrenton MO 64 Chevelle 350 Chevy 12.804 107.21
JULY 11th, 2006 SX PERFORMANCE STREET CAR SHOOTOUT FINAL ROUND
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle R.T. ET MPH
W Tony Huff, Collinsville, IL 1968 454 Nova 0.297 9.903 135.27
RU Matt Crittendon, St. Louis, MO 1989 306 Mustang -0.011 (foul) 10.631 120.20
After a span of twenty-eight days without an official Tuesday event, the SX Performance Street Car
Shootout Series finally resumed at Gateway International Raceway. Collinsville, Illinois, charger
Tony Huff picked up where he left off on June 13th with his second consecutive victory while
wheeling his bigblock-powered Chevy Nova to career-best elapsed times. The championship round
featured a crowd-pleasing Ford-versus-Chevy match with Huff’s Nova overcoming the Mustang of St.
Louis superstar Matt Crittendon who was making his first competitive appearance since winning the
title to another 1989 Mustang during a filming of the popular SpeedTV show, “Pinks!”.
After GIR was closed in accordance with NHRA regulations during the week of June 20th in
prepartation for the 10th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Midwest Nationals, the filming of two episodes of
the “Pinks!” series at Gateway curtailed the SCSS series on June 27th. After closing in observance
of Independence Day on Tuesday, July 4th, returning racers were greeted by the worst atmospheric
conditions for an SCSS program yet this season. Although the temperature never rose above 84
degrees, humidity over 70% saturation kept the corrected elevation near 2400 feet above sea level
during qualifying and only allowed the altitude to barely dip below 2000 feet during the championship
finals. Heavy rains south of the racetrack resulted in a conservative turnout which allowed
competitors to make up to a dozen quarter-mile passes during the event.
The ability to make runs unhindered worked well for Huff who decided to earn his NHRA Competition
License during the meet, making all six of the required runs during the official qualifying period.
Initially, it looked to be another “Tony Show” when Tony Buhl, who had been in the last three SCSS
final rounds with Huff, pushed his supercharged ‘89 Mustang to a 10.84/126.27 at the start of
qualifying. One of Huff’s early required shut-off license runs, a 10.91 at only 94 miles per hour,
actually moved into second place and a later 10.68/104 shut-off put the silver ‘68 Nova on the pole.
As Buhl struggled with tirespin, Huff eventually hit a 10.12/132.39 to lay waste to the number one
spot...all in the first thirty-five minutes of qualifying!
An hour into the period, Crittendon’s 306-cubic inch Mustang pulled into the waterbox. Having
defeated a Colorado-based Mustang two weeks earlier on global television with his own silver LX
coupe at stake, the St. Louisan, (whose first SCSS event victory came back on April 20th, 2004),
rocketed to a 10.29 at 134.50 mph to slide into the second qualifying spot. In typical Crittendon
fashion, the “Pinks!” champ elected to wait in the pits to see if anybody could bump him out of a final
round berth.
Late in qualifying, the fans were rocked to their feet by the loudest vehicle in SCSS history coming to
life under the tower complex. The much-anticipated debut of Sam Moore in the revamped “Silva
Bullet” ‘93 Mustang began with the firing of the new Procharger-equipped 427-cubic inch smallblock
for its first burnout ever. It was on October 4th, 2005, that Moore, Bill Silva, and driver Bob Morrill
pushed the previous incarnation of the “Bullet” to the first 150 mph speed in SCSS history while
clocking a still-standing 9.09-second series record for Fords. The Holloway Chassis &
Fabrication-backed Ford nearly blew its DOT tires clear off the rims when Moore applied full power
on the maiden voyage, putting the East Alton, Illinois, racer completely sideways two hundred feet off
the starting line. Undaunted, Moore got back on the gas and thundered to the finish line on an 11.54
pass at an ungodly 146.18 miles per hour...the third fastest speed of the year...to make Moore
the seventh member of the SCSS 140 MPH Club! Incredibly, the Mustang was clocked at only 87.77
mph at the eighth-mile, producing a nearly-unbelievable 58 mph “backhalf”!
“It was the first run ever on the car and I sure didn’t want to wreck the thing but I also wanted to see
what it would do on the top end. I just eased back into the throttle and she took off! I thought maybe I
could tap that Chevy’s speed record, anway”, said Moore after the run, alluding to Brett Heidgerken’s
153.88 mph SCSS mark. “Holloway Chassis really got this thing lined out and I’m pretty confident it’s
going to run some serious numbers when it’s sorted out”. Indeed!
Huff had a surprise for the Ford fans, however, when he uncorked a career-best 9.77/135.37 in his
Nova with two minutes remaining in qualifying. Amazingly, Huff returned ten minutes later to hit a
9.86/130.51 during late timed trials to officially earn his NHRA driving credentials to run under ten
seconds flat. “The car has had a strange miss all night long”, said Huff as he prepared for the final
round with Crittendon, “and I really don’t know exactly what it is. It happens at 7200 RPM each run
and it pops like it’s backfiring through the carburetor. On the 9.86, it actually lifted up the hood! Let’s
hope it holds for one more pass”.
While Huff’s 468-inch rat motor held together for a 9.90/135.27 in the trophy dash, Crittendon
actually ended the battle by leaving the starting line a mere eleven thousandths of a second too soon
before clocking a slowing 10.63 at only 120 mph when his Ford ran out of nitrous oxide, as well. For
Huff, it was a milestone win even without his best elapsed time ever; his fourth title of 2006 gave him
the most season victories of any driver in the three-year history of the Street Car Shootout.
Matt Crittendon was still enjoying his “Pinks!” success even though the show won’t air for several
weeks. “It was so much fun I told them I’d do it again if they wanted me to come back”, said
Crittendon during trophy presentations in front of the main grandstand. “They’re going to film some
shows in Phoenix, Arizona, and one of my sponsors, Futureweld, is based there and told me they’d
pay for us to go. The St. Louis fans were fantastic and they really got behind us during the show
here. It was definitely cool!”. As for the ‘89 Mustang prize he earned, Crittendon doesn’t even
own it anymore. “I traded it to my negotiator, Bryant Storey, for an S-10 and some other stuff.
He’s also one of my sponsors, (Bryant & Co. Roofing), so I figured I’d better cut him in on the deal!”.
Storey already has plans to add a bigger nitrous system to the black 317-inch Ford to race in SCSS
competition!
NOTES FROM THE SCSS: Although Tony Buhl didn’t make the final round, he’s still tied with
Hal Marshall for the lead in the point standings for the 2006 SCSS Championship with nine “Fastest
Street Car Qualifier” decals each. The point championship is determined by the number of Qualifier
stickers earned with each driver’s best ET of the season used as a tie-breaker...Orson Johnson’s
turbocharged red ‘99 Mustang convertible stepped up to best-ever numbers while qualifying third; the
House Springs, Missouri, driver hit 10.97/124.27 and 10.83/124.40 to become the 41st member of
the SCSS 10-Second Club and the 87th member (!) of the SCSS 120 MPH Club...Because of NHRA
safety restrictions, Matt Crittendon had never made full-throttle runs in SCSS competition prior to this
event and also finally joined the 10-Second and 120 MPH Clubs...Cliff Garry’s Illinois-based
10-second ‘81 AMC Spirit (with 360 Dodge power) should have been a contender but damaged a
transmission during qualifying...Joe Williams’ bright yellow ‘70 Nova has finally gotten the bugs
worked out; a series of 11.70s and a best of 11.66/115.31 means the “Team Huff” member may be a
candidate for the “squeeze” in coming weeks...Ray Arthur returned from a sizeable engine explosion
three weeks ago to push the “Suspicion” ‘67 Camaro to an 11.85/115.85 during qualifying and an
11.80/118.33 in late timed trials...Bill Page was once again the quickest six-cylinder pilot with a best
of 12.18/112.04 from his ‘87 Buick Grand National...A total of 102 different drivers have earned
“Fastest Street Car Qualifier” decals so far this season.
SX PERFORMANCE STREET CAR SHOOTOUT SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP POINT
STANDINGS (as of JULY12th, 2006)
Pos Points Name Hometown ST Vehicle Engine
1 (9) Tony Buhl Lebanon IL 89 Mustang 331 Ford
2 (9) Hal Marshall Collinsville IL 86 S-10 350 Chevy
3 (8) Tony Huff Collinsville IL 68 Nova 468 Chevy
4 (6) Jim Harris O'Fallon MO 03 Corvette 346 Chevy
5 (3) Dave Odehnal Waterloo IL 93 Camaro 350 Chevy
6 (3) Greg Boschert St. Louis MO 66 Mustang 331 Ford
7 (3) David Starns St. Louis MO 91 Mustang 355 Ford
8 (3) Joe Laramee Decatur IL 77 Pinto 147 Ford
9 (3) William Page Gillespie IL 87 Regal 231 Buick
10 (2) Matt Verbeck Troy IL 68 Camaro 383 Chevy
11 (2) Rob Nolan Granite City IL 87 Regal 231 Buick
12 (2) Gary Bates O'Fallon MO 04 GTO 346 Pont
13 (2) Chris Stauffer S. Roxana IL 81 El Camino 355 Chevy
14 (2) Faisal Merghelani St. Louis MO 02 Camaro 346 Chevy
15 (2) Matthew Meyers Wood River IL 79 Malibu Wag 355 Chevy
16 (2) William McIntire, Jr East Alton IL 03 Mustang 281 Ford
17 (2) Rusty Schneider Owensville MO 99 Mustang 281 Ford
18 (2) George Wahby Fenton MO 74 Pinto 350 Chevy
19 (2) Kevin Goss Brighton IL 78 El Camino 406 Chevy
20 (2) Eric Martin Scott AFB IL 90 Mustang 302 Ford
21 (2) Michael St. John Highland IL 70 Camaro 502 Chevy
22 (2) Michael Faller Springfield IL 98 Camaro 346 Chevy
23 (2) Matt Crittendon St. Louis MO 89 Mustang 306 Ford
24 (2) Joe Williams Maryville IL 70 Nova 454 Chevy
25 (2) Raymond Arthur Edwardsville IL 67 Camaro 427 Chevy
26 (2) Don Albert Collinsville IL 77 Nova 454 Chevy
JULY 11th, 2006 STLSR.COM SPORT TUNER SHOWDOWN FINAL ROUND
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle R.T. ET MPH
W Gary Hagner, St. Charles, MO 1994 79 RX7 0.018 11.568 119.28
RU Adnan Omerovic, St. Louis, MO 1995 122 Talon 0.420 12.044 120.06
Bad air or not, the St. Louis Street Racing.com Sport Tuner Showdown Series featured some of the
most impressive performances of the 2006 season. New series records, a great qualifying war and
some major surprises marked a battle which included a stunning ending which absolutely nobody
predicted.
Adnan “Ollie” Omerovic, the most recent Sport Tuner Showdown Series winner on June 13th,
actually recorded the quickest runs of early timed trials with a best of 12.25/118.90, not far from his
exceptional 12.12/119.04 performance of three weeks ago. The Eagle Talon driver, described by one
InterNet fan as looking “like the Russian bad guy in every spy movie you ever saw”, suffered through
tirespin on most of his early efforts before he finally got the turbocharged 4G63T powerplant hooked
up and charged to an incredible 11.86 at 120.81 mph to shatter Patrick Jacobsmeyer’s long-standing
SCSS records for All-Wheel-Drive machinery. With a solid grip on the pole position and a second
consecuitve final round, Omerovic was content to watch the fight for the other final-round slot which
was an all-Collinsville, Illinois, brawl between Chris Hill’s ‘04 Impreza WRX and Phillip Holbrook’s
black ‘93 RX7.
Hill’s Subaru hit 13.45/103 and 13.37/101 early but then shocked the Tuner Showdown fans with the
first WRX pass in series history under 13.00 seconds, a 12.986 at 104.53 mph. After boiling the tires
to a series of 14-second runs, Holbrook steadily found more traction for the first serious rotary threat
of ‘06 to eventually hit 13.372/108.81. Hill recorded a 13.01/103, but Holbrook’s Mazda countered
with a 13.05 at 111.03. Neither was able to sneak in one last qualifying pass in the waning minutes
of the session but, just when it appeared that Hill would be in the final round, onto the starting line
rolled the unassuming white ‘94 RX7 of Gary Hagner for the very last qualifying run of the event.
Arriving late to the track, Hagner’s rotary was no stranger to the SCSS series. Having recorded a
12.31 at 115.32 mph in 2005, it was last season’s second quickest Wankel behind SCSS ET Record
Holder Eric Cheatham’s infamous blue RX7. When the St. Charles, Missouri-based Mazda ran 12.55
at 117.13 mph on its only qualifier to bump both Hill and Holbrook from the final round, it appeared
Omerovic’s Talon would have some serious competition for the trophy.
The competition got even more serious when Hagner took a timed trial before the final round and hit
an 11.96 at 116.93. Incredibly, Holbrook’s black RX7 ran a 12.97/110.37 in late timed trials, as well.
Still, most fans conceded the advantage to the new AWD King. When the Talon from the Gateway
DSM team, ( http://www.gatewaydsm.org/ ), pulled to the line, even Omerovic knew a holeshot was
mandatory. However, the fact that Hagner nailed the ‘Tree with a brilliant 0.011-second Reaction
Time was nowhere near as shocking as the 11.56 at 119.28 mph posted by the rotary as it
lead Omerovic’s 12.04/120.06 across the stripe. Ironically, Eric Cheatham was in attendance to
witness the fall of his ten-month-old 11.93-second SCSS Rotary ET Record, leaving Derek Coffman’s
nearly two-year-old 122.21 mph Rotary Speed Record as the oldest on the books.
“It’s a two-rotor motor with a stock factory transmission running on 17 pounds of boost”, explained
Hagner during winner’s circle ceremonies, “but even I didn’t figure it would run that well tonight. Eric
was a little upset, but he’ll get over it!”.
JULY 11th, 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 0.687 11.356 117.42
RU Don Hilderbrand, Shipman, IL 1967 455 C10 0.391 13.916 96.82
You didn’t really think he was going to lose, did you? “Animal Hal” is now up to thirteen
career victories and still has lost only ONE final round of the last thirteen events he has attended
going back to August 30th, 2005. Al took it easy during the event, qualifying his renowned white ‘86
S-10 number one in the GatewayRaceway.com Super Truck Showdown field (and fifth in the SCSS
standings) with a 10.96/123.64. The big story was the fact that Hal wasn’t the big story at all. This
time around, 54-year old Hal Marshall was the “punk kid” in the field.
The big red 1960 Ford F-100 which recorded a 12.85/107.93 to qualify second was certainly
entertaining but its driver was the story of the event. Behind the wheel was 74-year old Harry Bone,
who wheeled the 460-cubic inch beast all night. The Barnhart, Missourian easily earned the honors
of Oldest Tuesday Night competitor and became quite a hit in the pits. Let’s face it; any guy who
survives seventy-four years with the name “Harry Bone” has got to be one tough dude.
Unfortunately, Harry and his son Ron loaded up the big Ford before the final round, allowing Don
Hilderbrand’s unique ‘67 Chevy C-10 into the final as the first alternate. Powered by a 455 Olds from
a ‘76 Regency which he “bought from a guy down the street for $150”, Hilderbrand was fighting a
frustrating stumble off the starting line which kept him to a best of 13.75/97.17. “I’ve tried everything
to stop it and nothing works”, said Hilderbrand before the trophy dash, “so I just hope Hal goes easy
on me”. Hal did, but the 11.35 to 13.91 margin was anything but close. “I just went easy on it all
night, actually”, said Hal in the winner’s circle. “No point in hurting it if I don’t have to!”.
Photos of the July11th SX Performance Street Car Shootout Series event are now available for
viewing at Bret Kepner Photos.
Tony Huff, Collinsville, IL 1968 468 Nova
Matt Crittendon, St. Louis, MO 1989 306 Mustang
Gary Hagner, St. Charles, MO 1994 79 RX7
Adnon Omerovic, St. Louis, MO 1995 122 Talon
Hal Marshall, Collinsville, IL 1986 350 S-10
Don Hilderbrand, Shipman, IL 1967 455 C-10
