Hjelle crowned 'King of the Track' during Bracket Drag Racing Series event

(August 25, 2009) — Travis Hjelle has been making the four-hour trek from Standquist to Brainerd International Raceway for two years to race his 1964 Chevy Nova in the Bracket Drag Racing Series against the quickest racers in the series.

Until Saturday, Hjelle hadn’t earned a trip to the Winner’s Circle, but his winless streak came to a screeching halt. He didn’t win his class but he did beat the top racers in the other nine classes to earn the title of King of the Track. For his efforts, he took home a Wally trophy and a $200 gift certificate from King of the Track sponsor Aerospace Components.

“I just got on a roll,” Hjelle said. “My lights were good and the car was deadly, which is really what you need. It wasn’t easy by any means, though.”

The annual King of the Track competition is a race within a race. After Saturday’s qualifying session, the two drivers of each class with the most series points raced against each other to represent that class. Then those 10 racers were put into a bracket format, with the winner being crowned King of the Track.

Hjelle was among 320 racers that competed last weekend in the fifth race of the seven-race Bracket Drag Racing Series at BIR. Racers compete for valuable series points with a track championship at the end of the season as the ultimate prize.

During Sunday’s elimination rounds, Hjelle wasn’t as fortunate. He lost in the first round of the Super Pro class and was eliminated in the second round of the Pro class. Chris Bishop was much more fortunate. With 81 drivers in the Super Pro class, Grand Rapids’ Bishop and his ’05 Corvette earned a finals win when Joe Schmall of Lino Lakes fouled at the starting line.

With 69 racers competing in the Pro class, Steve Roehrs of Grantsburg, Wis., outlasted the pack by driving his ‘82 Camaro to a finals win over Scott Kelley of Ramsey and his ’68 Road Runner. Roehrs’ time was 10.61 seconds at 124.88 mph.

Brad Mickle of Lino Lakes squeaked by K.C. Slyford of Thunder Bay, Ontario in the finals of the Sportsman class. Driving his ’67 Mustang, Mickle was quicker off the starting line and held off Slyford at the finish line, beating him by 73/1,000ths of a second.

Toby Giese of Kandiyohi continued to tear up the Bike 1 class. He has now won the class in three of the five series races. Mark Gode of Bloomington fell to Giese in Sunday’s final round. Riding a ’93 Suzuki GSXR 1150, Gode beat Giese off the starting line, but Giese and his ’83 Suzuki GS1100 caught him at the finish line to beat him with a time of 9.177 seconds and 132.46 mph. Gode ran 9.119 seconds and 140.44 mph.

Zack Schrupp of Mound ruined Glenn Van Zee’s bid to repeat as winner of the Bike 2 class. Van Zee, of St. Cloud, has won the class twice (including last month’s race) and now has been runner up twice. Riding an ’06 Kawasaki, Schrupp was quicker off the starting line and held on to beat Van Zee with a time of 8.890 seconds and 139.24 mph.

Mike Campbell of Brooklyn Park beat Amy Jo Luberda of Sauk Rapids off the line and then edged her out at the finish line by 87/1,000ths of a second in the finals of the Super Group class. Campbell finished with time of 8.980 seconds and 149.65 mph.

Ben Line of Cromwell had an easy win in the finals of the Stock/Super Stock class when Paul Schadt of Lindstrom fouled at the starting line.

The finals of the Comp Trophy class featured a slugfest between Dave Johnson of Princeton and DeAnna Patnaude of Sawyer. Johnson was a hair quicker off the starting line and held on to beat Patnaude by 42/1,000ths of a second.

KC Brager of Pillager committed a foul at the starting line in the final elimination round of the Street Trophy class. Brager’s foul gave John Beckenbach of Maple Lake the easy win.

In the Junior Dragster Novice class finals, Sydney Thompson of Nowthen beat Sydney Haben of Hibbing. Madeline Tharp of Corcoran beat Abby Haben of Hibbing in the finals of the Junior Dragster Intermediate class. And in the finals of the Junior Dragster Advanced class, Lindsey Ivers of Wadena beat Max Gust of Isanti.

The sixth race of the seven-race Bracket Drag Racing Series will be Sept. 12-13, with qualifying on Saturday followed by eliminations on Sunday. An open Test & Tune will be Friday.

Now in its 41st season, Brainerd International Raceway is one of North America’s largest race tracks, featuring a world-class quarter-mile drag strip, the 3.1-mile, 10-turn Donnybrooke Road Course, the new 2.5-mile, 13-turn Competition Road Course, 300 acres for rustic camping, 164 full-service RV sites and 12 on-site condos. BIR is about 120 miles north of the Twin Cities. Check out our new Web site for more information, www.BrainerdRaceway.com, or call the BIR Ticket Office at 218-824-RACE (7223).

Editors: For more information or photos, contact PR Coordinator Geoff Gorvin at 218-821-9513.

Below are the final standings in each class:

SUPER PRO
Finals: Chris Bishop of Grand Rapids def. Joe Schmall of Lino Lakes
Semifinals: Bishop had a bye; Schmall def. Mron Streit of St. Cloud

PRO
Finals: Steve Roehrs of Grantsburg, Wis., def. Scott Kelley of Ramsey
Semifinals: Roehrs def. Dave Hamilton of Hanover; Kelley had a bye

SPORTSMAN
Finals: Brad Mickle of Lino Lakes def. K.C. Slyford of Thunder Bay, Ontario
Semifinals: Mickle had a bye; Slyford def. Randy Merrill of Zimmerman

BIKE 1
Finals: Toby Giese of Kandiyohi def. Mark Gode of Bloomington
Semifinals: Giese def. Danielle Schrupp of Mound; Gode def. Ken Niesen of Brooklyn Park

BIKE 2
Finals: Zack Schrupp of Mound def. Glenn Van Zee of St. Cloud
Semifinals: Schrupp def. Ron Matich of Baxter; Van Zee def. Mike Voss

SUPER GROUP
Finals: Mike Campbell of Brooklyn Park def. Amy Jo Luberda of Sauk Rapids
Semifinals: Campbell def. Trevor Larson of Starbuck; Luberda had a bye

STOCK/SUPER STOCK
Finals: Ben Line of Cromwell def. Paul Schadt of Lindstrom
Semifinals: Line def. Terry Johnson; Schadt had a bye

COMP TROPHY
Finals: Dave Johnson of Princeton def. DeeAnna Patnaude of Sawyer
Semifinals: Johnson def. Brian Leonard of River Falls, Wis.; Patnaude def. Chevvy Borglund of Cromwell

STREET TROPHY
Finals: John Beckenbach of Maple Lake def. KC Brager of Pillager
Semifinals: Beckenbach had a bye; Brager def. Angie Anderson of Sartell

STREET BIKE TROPHY
Finals: Mike Voss of Maplewoodhad a bye

JUNIOR DRAGSTER NOVICE
Finals: Sydney Thompson of Nowthen def. Sydney Haben of Hibbing
Semifinals: Thompson had a bye; Haben def. Sarah Johnson of Nowthen

JUNIOR DRAGSTER INTERMEDIATE
Finals: Madeline Tharp of Corcoran def. Abby Haben of Hibbing
Semifinals: Tharp def. Nick Gust of Isanti; Haben def. Jordan Pratt of Otsego

JUNIOR DRAGSTER ADVANCED
Finals: Lindsey Ivers of Wadena def. Max Gust of Isanti
Semifinals: Ivers had a bye; Gust def. Kyle Lundberg of Isanti