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.com (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 Sam Moore, East Alton, IL 93 Mustang 352 Ford 161.25 7/18/2006
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
RTY Eric Cheatham, Belleville, IL 93 RX-7 79 Mazda 10.363 9/5/2006
RTY Eric Cheatham, Belleville, IL 93 RX-7 79 Mazda 136.02 9/5/2006
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
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
FWD Adam Corbitt, St. Charles, MO 85 Golf 122 Volks 11.473 9/5/2006
FWD Adam Corbitt, St. Charles, MO 85 Golf 122 Volks 126.95 5/30/2006
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
SEPTEMBER 5th, 2006 SX PERFORMANCE STREET CAR SHOOTOUT QUALIFIERS
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle Engine ET MPH Date
EVENT 20 9/5/2006
1 Jeff Moll Perryville MO 66 Impala 565 Chevy 9.307 151.02
2 Gary Tripp Imperial MO 69 Camaro 406 Chevy 9.557 142.93
3 Rodney Overfelt St. Louis MO 65 Mustang 436 Ford 9.696 145.16
4 Dave Brand St. Clair MO 89 S-10 370 Chevy 10.240 134.81
5 Joe Williams Maryville IL 68 Nova 468 Chevy 10.425 132.79
6 Raymond Arthur Edwardsville IL 67 Camaro 427 Chevy 11.024 121.06
7 Eric Cheatham Belleville IL 93 RX-7 79 Mazda 11.057 131.97
8 Tony Buhl Lebanon IL 89 Mustang 331 Ford 11.063 127.32
9 Charles Bewen Wildwood MO 67 Firebird 383 Pont 11.082 121.61
10 Jack Nungester Arnold MO 71 Camaro 454 Chevy 11.292 121.25
11 Tony Huff Collinsville IL 92 S-10 406 Chevy 11.415 120.88
12 Adam Corbitt St. Charles MO 85 Golf 122 Volks 11.474 125.86
13 Tim Mallicoat Collinsville IL 68 Camaro 454 Chevy 11.565 76.66
14 Jim Harris O'Fallon MO 03 Corvette 346 Chevy 11.721 126.14
15 Nathan Grant Edwardsville IL 02 Camaro 346 Chevy 11.739 117.18
16 Duane Eaton St. Ann MO 67 Chevelle 355 Chevy 11.759 114.04
SEPTEMBER 5th, 2006 SX PERFORMANCE STREET CAR SHOOTOUT FINAL ROUND
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle R.T. ET MPH
W Rod Overfelt, St. Louis, MO 1965 436 Mustang 0.239 9.444 146.53
RU Gary Tripp, Imperial, MO 1969 406 Camaro 0.091 16.420 41.72
Combining the best atmospheric conditions since April 4th, a nearly perfect track surface and the
most impressive gathering of high-horsepower machinery of the season, the 2006 SX Performance
Street Car Shootout Series returned after the August 29th rainout to present arguably the best show
of the season. Rod Overfelt, whose immaculate RR Chassis ‘65 Mustang fastback earned its first win
in the August 15th SCSS, scored again in a rematch of that battle against Gary Tripp’s potent ‘69
Camaro in the year’s eleventh Ford-versus-Chevy championship bout.
With no less than five entries in attendance capable of nine-second performances, anticipation was
high for record numbers. While the worst “air” for the event was still only 1583 feet above sea
level, the final rounds were contested in a corrected elevation of 474 feet, the best since the opening
night of the 2006 SCSS season. In only twenty-nine minutes of the official qualifying period, the
“bump spot” for the Super Sixteen field dropped into the twelve-second zone. Eventually, the field
would be capped by Missourian Duane Eaton’s primered ‘67 Chevelle at 11.75 seconds, the third
quickest SCSS program ever!
It was Jeff Moll, the owner of Race Parts
Direct.com, who made the biggest impression during the official qualifying period. The
Perryville, Missouri, racer’s legendary “White Whale” 1966 Chevy Impala made its SCSS debut at
the event and the 565-cubic inch ProCharger-equipped behemoth took the early lead with a
tire-blazing 10.71 at only 92.66 miles per hour. A new power combination was forcing the car to
unload the chassis, (subsequently losing traction), at the peak of its surprisingly high wheelstands.
Still, the car’s impressive 6.50/119.22 eighth-mile numbers hinted at its potential. “We’re trying
something completely different for us”, said Moll, “and it’s forcing us to refigure what we know about
the car. I was here with a customer, Van Burgess, for the taping of the ‘Pinks!’ TV show a few months
ago and the production company asked me if I’d be interested in racing on the show. I agreed and
we’ll be taping an episode at the Texas Motorplex in Dallas in October. We’re trying to sort out this
new setup before then. It definitely has power!”.
Moll’s second effort, however, was nothing short of extraordinary. The 4800-pound monster again left
the line with the front wheels three feet high only to lose traction twenty feet off from the start. Moll
“pedaled the car” repeatedly to regain traction and finally did hook it up by the 300-feet mark.
Despite being on-and-off the throttle, the massive Impala rocketed to a 9.95 at an incredible 149.30
miles per hour to become the fourteenth member of the SCSS 9-Second Club and the fifth fastest
machine in series history!
Amazingly, Moll’s pass didn’t stay atop the field for long. Gary Tripp, whose red smallblock ‘69
Camaro made the final round in its first appearance during the August 15th event, clocked a
best-ever 9.55 at 142.93 mph to grab the lead only twenty minutes later. Rod Overfelt, who won that
August 15th event over Tripp when the Camaro pilot redlighted by twelve thousandths of a second
while Overfelt fried a transmission en route to a 37 mph victory, wheeled his show-quality
naturally-aspirated ‘65 Mustang to the line and reeled off a 9.69 at a best-ever 145.16 mph to take
second slot and knock Moll completely out of the final round.
The big white Impala returned for another attempt but again suffered from massive tirespin when the
chassis unloaded just off the line. Again, Moll pedaled the throttle in a struggle to hook it up but this
time the “Whale” grabbed the track early. Thundering through the backhalf of the track, the crowd
erupted when the scoreboard rang up an incredible 9.30 at an insane 151.02 miles per hour to
make the Chevy only the fourth vehicle to break 150 MPH in SCSS history!
The action didn’t stop there, however; Tripp, now qualified second, took another shot at the pole
position. Lined up aganst Sport Tuner standout Curtis Wyatt’s Subaru, Tripp held on as his Camaro
launched in the left lane with the front end high only to make a violently hard right turn just past the
Christmas Tree starting lights! The Chevy plowed across both lanes and only missed the right lane
retaining wall by inches but Tripp eventually brought the errant mount to a halt. Wyatt got a front row
seat for the mayhem, nearly locking the ABS system on his 12-second turbo Impreza to avoid
plowing into the rear of Tripp’s Camaro...in Wyatt’s lane! In a moment of near-genius, Wyatt had
actually waited on the starting line for the Camaro to launch first. “I saw he was a really, really fast
car”, noted Wyatt after the run, “so I let him go ahead and leave the line while I built up boost. You
never know what those high-horsepower cars will do and, in this case, I saved my own life by
waiting!”. The GIR starting line crew agreed that, had Wyatt left on time, the results could’ve been
disastrous. Tripp was well aware of the situation although confused by the cause. “We think it may
have come down from the wheelstand a bit out of the groove”, said the Imperial, Missouri, driver, “or
it may have just landed harder on the sidewall of the left tire. There was nothing on the track and we
weren’t leaking anything so it must’ve just been a freak deal. It was definitely no fun, I can tell you
that”.
Only minutes after the conclusion of the official qualifying period, Moll announced that the “Whale”
was done for the night. “We lost first gear”, explained the Chevy pilot, “and there’s no way to fix it in
time for the final round. It’s a shame because it would’ve been a great trophy race no matter who we
lined up with. There’s a bunch of serious cars here tonight!”. With Moll out, Tripp and Overfelt would
stage up in a rematch of the August 15th battle. Both drivers made timed trials after the conclusion of
qualifying. Tripp’s Camaro managed to stay in its own lane with a 9.70/139.96 but Overfelt, whose
Mustang had been revamped in the first half of the season by Dan Saitz’s Hyperformance
Automotive and Phase II Performance in St. Louis, clocked a 9.45/146.62 which would’ve qualified
for the final had the pass been made only two minutes prior!
Even as an alternate for the championship dash, Overfelt’s Mustang was no underdog. The 436-inch
“all motor” smallblock had recently received some “secret pieces” from the renowned Kuntz &
Company Ford horsepower factory in Arkansas and, with a freshened transmission, was not a
candidate to repeat its coasting performance of two weeks prior. In the final round, Tripp gained a
sizeable holeshot of fourteen hundredths of a second but the Camaro, this time in the right lane,
once again headed for the wall. Tripp fought the car for four hundred feet and again came within
inches of the concrete before throwing in the towel as Overfelt’s Ford charged to a 9.44/146.53 for
the victory. With his fourth victory in five SCSS finals, Overfelt moved into the fourth slot for all-time
wins.
“This trophy’s going straight to the cemetery!”, exclaimed a grinning Overfelt during winners’ circle
ceremonies in front of the main grandstand. However, that unusual statement was followed with a
surprising explanation. “We won our first SCSS race on August 31st, 2004, “said the St. Louisan,
“and three days later, my sister, Diane, passed away after a long struggle with Multiple Sclerosis. I
had given her the trophy from that win and she really enjoyed that. Tonight is just a few days from the
anniversaries of that first victory and her passing so I’m going to take this trophy to her again to
commemorate both. This one’s for Diane!”.
NOTES FROM THE SCSS: Although Tony Buhl still leads the 2006 Season Championship
point standings with his Vortech-blown ‘89 331 Mustang, Hal Marshall’s infamous Chevy S-10 failed
to qualify for the Super Sixteen field, (his 11.93 best was eighteenth), and Tony Huff has moved into
an uncontested second place. 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. If Buhl fails to qualify
at any event in which Huff makes the field, Huff would assume the lead based on his season-best
9.72 elapsed time even though both would be tied for number of decals earned...Ray Arthur’s
“Suspicion” ‘67 427 Camaro did it again, knocking off more than a tenth of second from his previous
best to qualify with an 11.02/121.06 and then wailed to a 10.85/122.82 in late timed trials after the
conclusion of the official qualifying period...Most fans figured Tony Huff was driving his familiar silver
‘68 468 Nova but the Collinsville, Illinois, veteran was actually at the wheel of his brother Dale’s new
406-inch S-10 pickup which qualified at an 11.41/120.88. The Nova was being handled by friend and
customer Joe Williams, who ran almost a full second quicker than his best in his own yellow Nova
with a 10.42/132.79 in qualifying and a 10.28/132.76 in late timed trials, all without using the nitrous
oxide injection which has put the car in the 9.70s...Ben Nungester, whose orange 10-second ‘68 355
Camaro won the August 8th title, failed to qualify when electrical problems killed his first and only
run. “The MSD box is retarding the timing when it’d supposed to be advancing it”, said Nungester,
who says he’ll be back...While Ben DNQed, his 55-year old father, Jack, made the field for the first
time ever in his slick black ‘71 454 Camaro, qualifying tenth at 11.29/121.25...Tim Mallicoat qualifed
with the second slowest speed in SCSS history, 76.66 mph, on an 11.56 half-pass in his new black
‘68 454 Camaro. The eighth-mile numbers showed low 10-second potential...Jim Harris just missed
his ‘03 Z06 Corvette’s best speed ever, (126.36), with an 11.52/126.19 early timed trial in the worst
air of the event. He later qualified at 11.72/126.14...The quickest six-cylinder competitor was John
Kellacs’ Maryville, Illinois-based VGDET-powered ‘90 300ZX at 12.74/113.60...Jesse Zirkelbach’s
white 2006 Cobra ran a best-ever 12.12/113.68 but Jesse still had to hitch a ride home to Benld,
Ilinois, after snapping a belt on his last pass...Cory Campbell’s V6-powered ‘90 Bronco II set an
all-time record for the slowest pass under power in SCSS history. The Bonne Terre, Missouri, racer
clocked an elapsed time of 58.826 seconds with the scoreboards flashing a speed of 654.38 miles
per hour. The CompULink timing system doesn’t like speeds under 10 mph; the real number was
6.58 mph.
SX PERFORMANCE STREET CAR SHOOTOUT SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP POINT
STANDINGS (as of SEPTEMBER 6th, 2006)
Pos Points Name Hometown ST Vehicle Engine
1 (15) Tony Buhl Lebanon IL 89 Mustang 331 Ford
2 (14) Tony Huff Collinsville IL 68 Nova 468 Chevy
3 (13) Hal Marshall Collinsville IL 86 S-10 383 Chevy
4 (11) Jim Harris O'Fallon MO 03 Corvette 346 Chevy
5 (8) Joe Williams Maryville IL 68 Nova 468 Chevy
6 (7) Raymond Arthur Edwardsville IL 67 Camaro 427 Chevy
7 (4) Matt Crittendon St. Louis MO 89 Mustang 306 Ford
8 (4) Rusty Schneider Owensville MO 99 Mustang 281 Ford
9 (4) Adam Corbitt St. Charles MO 85 Golf 122 Volks
10 (3) Dave Odehnal Waterloo IL 93 Camaro 350 Chevy
11 (3) Greg Boschert St. Louis MO 66 Mustang 331 Ford
12 (3) David Starns St. Louis MO 91 Mustang 355 Ford
13 (3) Joe Laramee Decatur IL 77 Pinto 147 Ford
14 (3) William Page Gillespie IL 87 Regal 231 Buick
15 (3) Brandon Carter High Ridge MO 86 Mustang 306 Ford
SEPTEMBER 5th, 2006 STLSR.COM SPORT TUNER SHOWDOWN FINAL ROUND
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle R.T. ET MPH
W Eric Cheatham, Belleville, IL 1993 79 RX7 0.451 10.363 136.02
RU Adam Corbitt, St. Charles, MO 1985 122 Golf (foul) -0.041 11.473 126.46
He finally showed up. He didn’t get disqualified. He backed up the talk with the quickest and fastest
run in the history of the St. Louis Street Racing.com Sport Tuner Showdown Series. He beat the
toughest field of Sport Compacts ever assembled. He murdered the Elapsed Time and Speed
Records.
It’s official. Eric Cheatham is on top of the world.
Having parked what was already a 10.7-second, show-quality ‘93 RX7 at the end of the 2005 season
to completely revamp the car into an even stronger piece, Cheatham’s Mazda was the subject of
much conjecture through most of the season. Cheatham insisted the car would be all-conquering
once it returned. During the first eight months of 2006, most fans wondering if it ever would show
up again.
The Belleville, Illinois, veteran finally made it to the track for the August 29th STSS series event but
low clouds and their accompanying moisture cancelled the race before Eric ever made a lap. When
he returned for the September 5th program, he was already knocked out of the limelight by the
awesome ‘85 Volkswagen Golf GTi of Adam and Dave Corbitt. Before qualifying even began, the
Polk Audio/Wheels America VW charged to an 11.55/126.87...three hundredths of a second quicker
and less than a tenth of a mile-per-hour slower than the team’s Front-Wheel-Drive Series Records.
While Cheatham spent the first several runs reacquainting himself with the five-speed candy blue
Mazda, the VW made run after run in the 11.50s accompanied by Corbitt’s typically awesome
“double-oh” Reaction Times. Finally, Corbitt hit an 11.47/125.86 to officially reset the team’s FWD
ET mark. Cheatham responded with an 11.41 which regained his Rotary ET Record stolen six weeks
earlier by Gary Hagner, but failed to beat Derek Coffman’s twenty-five month-old 122.21 mph Rotary
Speed Record. On the very last run of the official qualifying period, Cheatham used a slightly more
aggressive approach to hit an 11.05 at an astounding 131.97 mph.
While Corbitt and Cheatham earned the honors of battling for the championship, the rest of the
Tuner field was the toughest group of Sport Compacts ever assembled for an STSS event. The
leaders were followed by Kyle Sturgeon’s exceptional white ‘06 Neon SRT-4 from Montgomery City,
Missouri, (12.43/116.95), Patrick Jacobsmeyer, the winningest STSS driver ever, in his ‘91 Eagle
Talon, (12.61/110.51), August 22nd STSS champ Andy Lemons’ new black ‘04 SRT-4, (a great
12.65/113.85), Rick Howie’s legendary white ‘94 Civic hatchback, (12.71/116.69), Curtis Wyatt’s ‘02
Subaru Impreza, (a career-best 12.86/106.22), and Nick Stepp’s ‘05 SRT-4, (13.01/107.08).
When Corbitt and Cheatham staged up for the final round, it was the most anticipated match of the
event. It was also a chance for the VW team to tie Jacobsmeyer’s record of seven wins in the Sport
Tuner Category. The fact that Corbitt redlighted away an 11.47/126.46 by a mere eight thousandths
of a second for his first runner-up in seven final rounds was quickly overshadowed by the largest
crowd response of the race when Cheatham finally “let ‘er eat”. Nobody...not even Cheatham
himself...was ready for the 10.36 at 136.02 miles per hour which appeared on the scoreboards. As
the cheers verified, it was simply incredible!
After prying himself from the cockpit of the diminutive Mazda, basking in the light of flashbulbs in the
winner’s circle and accepting the congratulations of not only his final-round opponent but nearly
every fan remaining on the property, Eric Cheatham made what many might consider his most
important point. He fired up the RX7 and drove it home!
SEPTEMBER 5th, 2006 GATEWAYRACEWAY.COM SUPER TRUCK SHOWDOWN FINAL
ROUND
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle R.T. ET MPH
W Hal Marshall, Collinsville, IL 1986 383 S-10 0.174 12.143 114.88
RU Tony Huff, Collinsville, IL 1992 406 S-10 0.012 12.551 107.78
The fact that Hal Marshall’s name appears for the eighteenth time as the winner of
GatewayRaceway.com Super Truck Showdown does not reflect the unnerving circumstances under
which the King of Tuesday Night managed yet another victory. As hard as it may be to believe, Hal
didn’t even qualify for the final round!
Broken oil lines, faulty transmissions, and even a loose transmission line kept Hal’s best qualifying
pass to a subpar 11.93/117.57 on a night when two different killer trucks appeared. Hal’s white S-10
missed making the Super Sixteen field by eighteen hundredths of a second, knocking him to third in
the SCSS points chase. Moreover, David Brand, whose ‘89 S-10 was one of the first ten-second
trucks in the series in 2004, made his return with a brutal 10.24/134.81 which just missed resetting
Kevin Autenreitch’s two-year-old 135.39 mph Truck speed record. Then came 2006 SCSS hitter
Tony Huff, who debuted his brother Dale’s new 406-inch ‘92 S-10 with an 11.41/120.88. That kept
Hal out of the field and out of the championship final.
When Brand was forced to withdraw with a broken shifter, however, Hal was back in the game. Even
though his wounded S-10 could only muster a 12.14/114 in the final, Huff’s own transmission
problems allowed Hal to keep on winning...even when he shouldn’t have had a chance. No driver in
the history of Gateway’s Tuesday night program has won more then seven events except Hal; he’s
now at seventeen wins and four runners-up. Although Huff has a record eleven finals in SCSS
competition, (and is tied with Dave Odenahl at five wins), it was his first Super Truck Showdown final
round.
Photos of the September 5th SX Performance Street Car Shootout Series event are now available for
viewing at Bret Kepner Photos.com.
Rod Overfelt, St. Louis, MO 1965 436 Mustang
Gary Tripp, Imperial, MO 1969 406 Camaro
Eric Cheatham, Belleville, IL 1993 79 RX7
Adam and Dave Corbitt, St. Charles, MO 1985 122 Golf
Hal Marshall, Collinsville, IL 1986 350 S-10
Tony Huff, Collinsville, IL 1992 406 S-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.com (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 Sam Moore, East Alton, IL 93 Mustang 352 Ford 161.25 7/18/2006
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
RTY Eric Cheatham, Belleville, IL 93 RX-7 79 Mazda 10.363 9/5/2006
RTY Eric Cheatham, Belleville, IL 93 RX-7 79 Mazda 136.02 9/5/2006
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
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
FWD Adam Corbitt, St. Charles, MO 85 Golf 122 Volks 11.473 9/5/2006
FWD Adam Corbitt, St. Charles, MO 85 Golf 122 Volks 126.95 5/30/2006
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
SEPTEMBER 5th, 2006 SX PERFORMANCE STREET CAR SHOOTOUT QUALIFIERS
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle Engine ET MPH Date
EVENT 20 9/5/2006
1 Jeff Moll Perryville MO 66 Impala 565 Chevy 9.307 151.02
2 Gary Tripp Imperial MO 69 Camaro 406 Chevy 9.557 142.93
3 Rodney Overfelt St. Louis MO 65 Mustang 436 Ford 9.696 145.16
4 Dave Brand St. Clair MO 89 S-10 370 Chevy 10.240 134.81
5 Joe Williams Maryville IL 68 Nova 468 Chevy 10.425 132.79
6 Raymond Arthur Edwardsville IL 67 Camaro 427 Chevy 11.024 121.06
7 Eric Cheatham Belleville IL 93 RX-7 79 Mazda 11.057 131.97
8 Tony Buhl Lebanon IL 89 Mustang 331 Ford 11.063 127.32
9 Charles Bewen Wildwood MO 67 Firebird 383 Pont 11.082 121.61
10 Jack Nungester Arnold MO 71 Camaro 454 Chevy 11.292 121.25
11 Tony Huff Collinsville IL 92 S-10 406 Chevy 11.415 120.88
12 Adam Corbitt St. Charles MO 85 Golf 122 Volks 11.474 125.86
13 Tim Mallicoat Collinsville IL 68 Camaro 454 Chevy 11.565 76.66
14 Jim Harris O'Fallon MO 03 Corvette 346 Chevy 11.721 126.14
15 Nathan Grant Edwardsville IL 02 Camaro 346 Chevy 11.739 117.18
16 Duane Eaton St. Ann MO 67 Chevelle 355 Chevy 11.759 114.04
SEPTEMBER 5th, 2006 SX PERFORMANCE STREET CAR SHOOTOUT FINAL ROUND
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle R.T. ET MPH
W Rod Overfelt, St. Louis, MO 1965 436 Mustang 0.239 9.444 146.53
RU Gary Tripp, Imperial, MO 1969 406 Camaro 0.091 16.420 41.72
Combining the best atmospheric conditions since April 4th, a nearly perfect track surface and the
most impressive gathering of high-horsepower machinery of the season, the 2006 SX Performance
Street Car Shootout Series returned after the August 29th rainout to present arguably the best show
of the season. Rod Overfelt, whose immaculate RR Chassis ‘65 Mustang fastback earned its first win
in the August 15th SCSS, scored again in a rematch of that battle against Gary Tripp’s potent ‘69
Camaro in the year’s eleventh Ford-versus-Chevy championship bout.
With no less than five entries in attendance capable of nine-second performances, anticipation was
high for record numbers. While the worst “air” for the event was still only 1583 feet above sea
level, the final rounds were contested in a corrected elevation of 474 feet, the best since the opening
night of the 2006 SCSS season. In only twenty-nine minutes of the official qualifying period, the
“bump spot” for the Super Sixteen field dropped into the twelve-second zone. Eventually, the field
would be capped by Missourian Duane Eaton’s primered ‘67 Chevelle at 11.75 seconds, the third
quickest SCSS program ever!
It was Jeff Moll, the owner of Race Parts
Direct.com, who made the biggest impression during the official qualifying period. The
Perryville, Missouri, racer’s legendary “White Whale” 1966 Chevy Impala made its SCSS debut at
the event and the 565-cubic inch ProCharger-equipped behemoth took the early lead with a
tire-blazing 10.71 at only 92.66 miles per hour. A new power combination was forcing the car to
unload the chassis, (subsequently losing traction), at the peak of its surprisingly high wheelstands.
Still, the car’s impressive 6.50/119.22 eighth-mile numbers hinted at its potential. “We’re trying
something completely different for us”, said Moll, “and it’s forcing us to refigure what we know about
the car. I was here with a customer, Van Burgess, for the taping of the ‘Pinks!’ TV show a few months
ago and the production company asked me if I’d be interested in racing on the show. I agreed and
we’ll be taping an episode at the Texas Motorplex in Dallas in October. We’re trying to sort out this
new setup before then. It definitely has power!”.
Moll’s second effort, however, was nothing short of extraordinary. The 4800-pound monster again left
the line with the front wheels three feet high only to lose traction twenty feet off from the start. Moll
“pedaled the car” repeatedly to regain traction and finally did hook it up by the 300-feet mark.
Despite being on-and-off the throttle, the massive Impala rocketed to a 9.95 at an incredible 149.30
miles per hour to become the fourteenth member of the SCSS 9-Second Club and the fifth fastest
machine in series history!
Amazingly, Moll’s pass didn’t stay atop the field for long. Gary Tripp, whose red smallblock ‘69
Camaro made the final round in its first appearance during the August 15th event, clocked a
best-ever 9.55 at 142.93 mph to grab the lead only twenty minutes later. Rod Overfelt, who won that
August 15th event over Tripp when the Camaro pilot redlighted by twelve thousandths of a second
while Overfelt fried a transmission en route to a 37 mph victory, wheeled his show-quality
naturally-aspirated ‘65 Mustang to the line and reeled off a 9.69 at a best-ever 145.16 mph to take
second slot and knock Moll completely out of the final round.
The big white Impala returned for another attempt but again suffered from massive tirespin when the
chassis unloaded just off the line. Again, Moll pedaled the throttle in a struggle to hook it up but this
time the “Whale” grabbed the track early. Thundering through the backhalf of the track, the crowd
erupted when the scoreboard rang up an incredible 9.30 at an insane 151.02 miles per hour to
make the Chevy only the fourth vehicle to break 150 MPH in SCSS history!
The action didn’t stop there, however; Tripp, now qualified second, took another shot at the pole
position. Lined up aganst Sport Tuner standout Curtis Wyatt’s Subaru, Tripp held on as his Camaro
launched in the left lane with the front end high only to make a violently hard right turn just past the
Christmas Tree starting lights! The Chevy plowed across both lanes and only missed the right lane
retaining wall by inches but Tripp eventually brought the errant mount to a halt. Wyatt got a front row
seat for the mayhem, nearly locking the ABS system on his 12-second turbo Impreza to avoid
plowing into the rear of Tripp’s Camaro...in Wyatt’s lane! In a moment of near-genius, Wyatt had
actually waited on the starting line for the Camaro to launch first. “I saw he was a really, really fast
car”, noted Wyatt after the run, “so I let him go ahead and leave the line while I built up boost. You
never know what those high-horsepower cars will do and, in this case, I saved my own life by
waiting!”. The GIR starting line crew agreed that, had Wyatt left on time, the results could’ve been
disastrous. Tripp was well aware of the situation although confused by the cause. “We think it may
have come down from the wheelstand a bit out of the groove”, said the Imperial, Missouri, driver, “or
it may have just landed harder on the sidewall of the left tire. There was nothing on the track and we
weren’t leaking anything so it must’ve just been a freak deal. It was definitely no fun, I can tell you
that”.
Only minutes after the conclusion of the official qualifying period, Moll announced that the “Whale”
was done for the night. “We lost first gear”, explained the Chevy pilot, “and there’s no way to fix it in
time for the final round. It’s a shame because it would’ve been a great trophy race no matter who we
lined up with. There’s a bunch of serious cars here tonight!”. With Moll out, Tripp and Overfelt would
stage up in a rematch of the August 15th battle. Both drivers made timed trials after the conclusion of
qualifying. Tripp’s Camaro managed to stay in its own lane with a 9.70/139.96 but Overfelt, whose
Mustang had been revamped in the first half of the season by Dan Saitz’s Hyperformance
Automotive and Phase II Performance in St. Louis, clocked a 9.45/146.62 which would’ve qualified
for the final had the pass been made only two minutes prior!
Even as an alternate for the championship dash, Overfelt’s Mustang was no underdog. The 436-inch
“all motor” smallblock had recently received some “secret pieces” from the renowned Kuntz &
Company Ford horsepower factory in Arkansas and, with a freshened transmission, was not a
candidate to repeat its coasting performance of two weeks prior. In the final round, Tripp gained a
sizeable holeshot of fourteen hundredths of a second but the Camaro, this time in the right lane,
once again headed for the wall. Tripp fought the car for four hundred feet and again came within
inches of the concrete before throwing in the towel as Overfelt’s Ford charged to a 9.44/146.53 for
the victory. With his fourth victory in five SCSS finals, Overfelt moved into the fourth slot for all-time
wins.
“This trophy’s going straight to the cemetery!”, exclaimed a grinning Overfelt during winners’ circle
ceremonies in front of the main grandstand. However, that unusual statement was followed with a
surprising explanation. “We won our first SCSS race on August 31st, 2004, “said the St. Louisan,
“and three days later, my sister, Diane, passed away after a long struggle with Multiple Sclerosis. I
had given her the trophy from that win and she really enjoyed that. Tonight is just a few days from the
anniversaries of that first victory and her passing so I’m going to take this trophy to her again to
commemorate both. This one’s for Diane!”.
NOTES FROM THE SCSS: Although Tony Buhl still leads the 2006 Season Championship
point standings with his Vortech-blown ‘89 331 Mustang, Hal Marshall’s infamous Chevy S-10 failed
to qualify for the Super Sixteen field, (his 11.93 best was eighteenth), and Tony Huff has moved into
an uncontested second place. 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. If Buhl fails to qualify
at any event in which Huff makes the field, Huff would assume the lead based on his season-best
9.72 elapsed time even though both would be tied for number of decals earned...Ray Arthur’s
“Suspicion” ‘67 427 Camaro did it again, knocking off more than a tenth of second from his previous
best to qualify with an 11.02/121.06 and then wailed to a 10.85/122.82 in late timed trials after the
conclusion of the official qualifying period...Most fans figured Tony Huff was driving his familiar silver
‘68 468 Nova but the Collinsville, Illinois, veteran was actually at the wheel of his brother Dale’s new
406-inch S-10 pickup which qualified at an 11.41/120.88. The Nova was being handled by friend and
customer Joe Williams, who ran almost a full second quicker than his best in his own yellow Nova
with a 10.42/132.79 in qualifying and a 10.28/132.76 in late timed trials, all without using the nitrous
oxide injection which has put the car in the 9.70s...Ben Nungester, whose orange 10-second ‘68 355
Camaro won the August 8th title, failed to qualify when electrical problems killed his first and only
run. “The MSD box is retarding the timing when it’d supposed to be advancing it”, said Nungester,
who says he’ll be back...While Ben DNQed, his 55-year old father, Jack, made the field for the first
time ever in his slick black ‘71 454 Camaro, qualifying tenth at 11.29/121.25...Tim Mallicoat qualifed
with the second slowest speed in SCSS history, 76.66 mph, on an 11.56 half-pass in his new black
‘68 454 Camaro. The eighth-mile numbers showed low 10-second potential...Jim Harris just missed
his ‘03 Z06 Corvette’s best speed ever, (126.36), with an 11.52/126.19 early timed trial in the worst
air of the event. He later qualified at 11.72/126.14...The quickest six-cylinder competitor was John
Kellacs’ Maryville, Illinois-based VGDET-powered ‘90 300ZX at 12.74/113.60...Jesse Zirkelbach’s
white 2006 Cobra ran a best-ever 12.12/113.68 but Jesse still had to hitch a ride home to Benld,
Ilinois, after snapping a belt on his last pass...Cory Campbell’s V6-powered ‘90 Bronco II set an
all-time record for the slowest pass under power in SCSS history. The Bonne Terre, Missouri, racer
clocked an elapsed time of 58.826 seconds with the scoreboards flashing a speed of 654.38 miles
per hour. The CompULink timing system doesn’t like speeds under 10 mph; the real number was
6.58 mph.
SX PERFORMANCE STREET CAR SHOOTOUT SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP POINT
STANDINGS (as of SEPTEMBER 6th, 2006)
Pos Points Name Hometown ST Vehicle Engine
1 (15) Tony Buhl Lebanon IL 89 Mustang 331 Ford
2 (14) Tony Huff Collinsville IL 68 Nova 468 Chevy
3 (13) Hal Marshall Collinsville IL 86 S-10 383 Chevy
4 (11) Jim Harris O'Fallon MO 03 Corvette 346 Chevy
5 (8) Joe Williams Maryville IL 68 Nova 468 Chevy
6 (7) Raymond Arthur Edwardsville IL 67 Camaro 427 Chevy
7 (4) Matt Crittendon St. Louis MO 89 Mustang 306 Ford
8 (4) Rusty Schneider Owensville MO 99 Mustang 281 Ford
9 (4) Adam Corbitt St. Charles MO 85 Golf 122 Volks
10 (3) Dave Odehnal Waterloo IL 93 Camaro 350 Chevy
11 (3) Greg Boschert St. Louis MO 66 Mustang 331 Ford
12 (3) David Starns St. Louis MO 91 Mustang 355 Ford
13 (3) Joe Laramee Decatur IL 77 Pinto 147 Ford
14 (3) William Page Gillespie IL 87 Regal 231 Buick
15 (3) Brandon Carter High Ridge MO 86 Mustang 306 Ford
SEPTEMBER 5th, 2006 STLSR.COM SPORT TUNER SHOWDOWN FINAL ROUND
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle R.T. ET MPH
W Eric Cheatham, Belleville, IL 1993 79 RX7 0.451 10.363 136.02
RU Adam Corbitt, St. Charles, MO 1985 122 Golf (foul) -0.041 11.473 126.46
He finally showed up. He didn’t get disqualified. He backed up the talk with the quickest and fastest
run in the history of the St. Louis Street Racing.com Sport Tuner Showdown Series. He beat the
toughest field of Sport Compacts ever assembled. He murdered the Elapsed Time and Speed
Records.
It’s official. Eric Cheatham is on top of the world.
Having parked what was already a 10.7-second, show-quality ‘93 RX7 at the end of the 2005 season
to completely revamp the car into an even stronger piece, Cheatham’s Mazda was the subject of
much conjecture through most of the season. Cheatham insisted the car would be all-conquering
once it returned. During the first eight months of 2006, most fans wondering if it ever would show
up again.
The Belleville, Illinois, veteran finally made it to the track for the August 29th STSS series event but
low clouds and their accompanying moisture cancelled the race before Eric ever made a lap. When
he returned for the September 5th program, he was already knocked out of the limelight by the
awesome ‘85 Volkswagen Golf GTi of Adam and Dave Corbitt. Before qualifying even began, the
Polk Audio/Wheels America VW charged to an 11.55/126.87...three hundredths of a second quicker
and less than a tenth of a mile-per-hour slower than the team’s Front-Wheel-Drive Series Records.
While Cheatham spent the first several runs reacquainting himself with the five-speed candy blue
Mazda, the VW made run after run in the 11.50s accompanied by Corbitt’s typically awesome
“double-oh” Reaction Times. Finally, Corbitt hit an 11.47/125.86 to officially reset the team’s FWD
ET mark. Cheatham responded with an 11.41 which regained his Rotary ET Record stolen six weeks
earlier by Gary Hagner, but failed to beat Derek Coffman’s twenty-five month-old 122.21 mph Rotary
Speed Record. On the very last run of the official qualifying period, Cheatham used a slightly more
aggressive approach to hit an 11.05 at an astounding 131.97 mph.
While Corbitt and Cheatham earned the honors of battling for the championship, the rest of the
Tuner field was the toughest group of Sport Compacts ever assembled for an STSS event. The
leaders were followed by Kyle Sturgeon’s exceptional white ‘06 Neon SRT-4 from Montgomery City,
Missouri, (12.43/116.95), Patrick Jacobsmeyer, the winningest STSS driver ever, in his ‘91 Eagle
Talon, (12.61/110.51), August 22nd STSS champ Andy Lemons’ new black ‘04 SRT-4, (a great
12.65/113.85), Rick Howie’s legendary white ‘94 Civic hatchback, (12.71/116.69), Curtis Wyatt’s ‘02
Subaru Impreza, (a career-best 12.86/106.22), and Nick Stepp’s ‘05 SRT-4, (13.01/107.08).
When Corbitt and Cheatham staged up for the final round, it was the most anticipated match of the
event. It was also a chance for the VW team to tie Jacobsmeyer’s record of seven wins in the Sport
Tuner Category. The fact that Corbitt redlighted away an 11.47/126.46 by a mere eight thousandths
of a second for his first runner-up in seven final rounds was quickly overshadowed by the largest
crowd response of the race when Cheatham finally “let ‘er eat”. Nobody...not even Cheatham
himself...was ready for the 10.36 at 136.02 miles per hour which appeared on the scoreboards. As
the cheers verified, it was simply incredible!
After prying himself from the cockpit of the diminutive Mazda, basking in the light of flashbulbs in the
winner’s circle and accepting the congratulations of not only his final-round opponent but nearly
every fan remaining on the property, Eric Cheatham made what many might consider his most
important point. He fired up the RX7 and drove it home!
SEPTEMBER 5th, 2006 GATEWAYRACEWAY.COM SUPER TRUCK SHOWDOWN FINAL
ROUND
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle R.T. ET MPH
W Hal Marshall, Collinsville, IL 1986 383 S-10 0.174 12.143 114.88
RU Tony Huff, Collinsville, IL 1992 406 S-10 0.012 12.551 107.78
The fact that Hal Marshall’s name appears for the eighteenth time as the winner of
GatewayRaceway.com Super Truck Showdown does not reflect the unnerving circumstances under
which the King of Tuesday Night managed yet another victory. As hard as it may be to believe, Hal
didn’t even qualify for the final round!
Broken oil lines, faulty transmissions, and even a loose transmission line kept Hal’s best qualifying
pass to a subpar 11.93/117.57 on a night when two different killer trucks appeared. Hal’s white S-10
missed making the Super Sixteen field by eighteen hundredths of a second, knocking him to third in
the SCSS points chase. Moreover, David Brand, whose ‘89 S-10 was one of the first ten-second
trucks in the series in 2004, made his return with a brutal 10.24/134.81 which just missed resetting
Kevin Autenreitch’s two-year-old 135.39 mph Truck speed record. Then came 2006 SCSS hitter
Tony Huff, who debuted his brother Dale’s new 406-inch ‘92 S-10 with an 11.41/120.88. That kept
Hal out of the field and out of the championship final.
When Brand was forced to withdraw with a broken shifter, however, Hal was back in the game. Even
though his wounded S-10 could only muster a 12.14/114 in the final, Huff’s own transmission
problems allowed Hal to keep on winning...even when he shouldn’t have had a chance. No driver in
the history of Gateway’s Tuesday night program has won more then seven events except Hal; he’s
now at seventeen wins and four runners-up. Although Huff has a record eleven finals in SCSS
competition, (and is tied with Dave Odenahl at five wins), it was his first Super Truck Showdown final
round.
Photos of the September 5th SX Performance Street Car Shootout Series event are now available for
viewing at Bret Kepner Photos.com.
Rod Overfelt, St. Louis, MO 1965 436 Mustang
Gary Tripp, Imperial, MO 1969 406 Camaro
Eric Cheatham, Belleville, IL 1993 79 RX7
Adam and Dave Corbitt, St. Charles, MO 1985 122 Golf
Hal Marshall, Collinsville, IL 1986 350 S-10
Tony Huff, Collinsville, IL 1992 406 S-10
