Wallys awarded to Bracket Racers during National Dragster Challenge

(July 11, 2010) - Most drivers competing in Brainerd International Raceway’s Bracket Drag Racing Series only get one chance a year to hoist a coveted NHRA Wally Trophy over their heads like the NHRA pros do, and that chance came Sunday.

Last weekend was the third race of the five-race Bracket Drag Racing Series, which featured the annual National Dragster Challenge. Five Wallys were up for grabs in certain classes, and 325 racers showed up to compete.

One of the Wallys went home with Alex Barmettler, after he outlasted 80 other racers in the Super Pro Class. Barmettler is one of the few Super Pro racers who ride a motorcycle, but he’s been dialed in this season and is near the top of the point standings. Riding a 1978 Kawasaki, Barmettler beat Tim Hallberg in the finals after the two were almost dead even off the starting line. Barmettler’s time was 9.498 seconds and 127.38 mph, just 25/1,000ths of a second ahead of Hallberg and his ’74 Vega.

In the Pro Class, Wally won the Wally. Driving a ’69 Nova, Wally Higby won the 64-car Pro Class with a finals win over Steve Roehrs and his ’82 Camaro. Higby beat Roehrs off the starting line by 22/1,000ths of a second and never looked back, winning with a time of 11.147 seconds and 115.36 mph.

Chuck Fenstra has been lurking toward the top of the point standings in the Sportsman Class all season and may have nabbed the No. 1 spot Sunday by winning the class – and a Wally. Driving a ’72 Chevelle, Fenstra faced off with Russ Elzy in the finals. Elzy blew Fenstra off the starting line with a reaction time of .003 seconds to Fenstra’s .124 seconds, but he drove faster than his dial-in time and lost to Fenstra, who posted a time of 12.878 seconds and 101.74 mph.

Glenn Van Zee, riding an ’08 Kawasaki ZX-10R, won the Pro Bike/Sled Class with a win over Brian Johnson and his ’05 Suzuki GSXR. Van Zee then faced off against the Street Bike Class winner, Mike Voss, for a Wally. Van Zee was quicker off the starting line, which won him the race, as he had to hold on at the finish line after posting a time of 9.005 seconds and 138.74 mph.

The final Wally went to the winner of the two Trophy Classes: Street Trophy and Comp Trophy. The Street Trophy class was won by Kyle Luberda and his 2000 Lumina, who beat Angie Anderson and her ’79 Caprice in the finals. Meanwhile, Dean Stuart, driving a ’69 Cougar, beat Chris Polley and his ’87 Mustang GT in the finals of the Comp Trophy Class, forcing a showdown between Stuart and Luberda for the Wally. Luberda was a hair quicker off the starting line, but Stuart caught him at the finish line and took home the hardware with a time of 11.620 seconds and 109.73 mph.

Wally trophies were also presented to the winners of the three Junior Dragster classes Saturday during the Junior Dragster Challenge. Those winners were Haley Heintzman in Junior Dragster Advanced, Christian Tharp in Junior Dragster Intermediate and Sarah Johnson in Junior Dragster Novice.

In Stock/Super Stock, drivers didn’t have a chance to win a Wally, but they had two chances to win the class and additional prize money that was put up by the United Sportsman Association, which is an organization of Stock/Super Stock racers. The Stock/Super Stock had elimination rounds on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday’s race was won by Scott Dugdale, who beat Craig Meseroll in the finals. During Sunday’s race, Ben Line beat Jim Chyba III in the finals.

The fourth Bracket Drag Racing Series race is Aug. 221-22. It's a Dual Event Weekend, with the Central Roadracing Association Superbike racing on the 2.5-mile Competition Road Course. Two great events for the price of a single ticket.  

Now in its 42nd 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 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. For more information, visit www.BrainerdRaceway.com, or call 1-866-444-4455.

Below are final results from the Bracket Drag Racing Series:

SUPER PRO
Finals: Alex Barmettler of Maplewood def. Tim Hallberg of Champlin
Semifinals: Barmettler def. Greg Grundman of St. Cloud; Hallberg had a bye

PRO
Finals: Wally Higby of Maple Grove def. Steve Roehrs of Frederic, Wis.
Semifinals: Higby def. Sheryl Takacs of Thunder Bay, Ontario; Roehrs def. Dan Carlson of St. Croix Falls, Wis.

SPORTSMAN
Finals: Chuck Fenstra of Crosby def. Russ Elzy of Becker
Semifinals: Fenstra def. Jerry Hieb of Maple Grove; Elzy def. Chris Anderson of Lake Bronson

PRO BIKE/SLED
Finals: Glenn Van Zee of St. Cloud def. Brian Johnson of Nowthen
Semifinals: Van Zee def. Ken Doble of Clearwater; Johnson def. Danielle Schrupp of Mound

TOP DRAGSTER
Finals: Les Feist of Clearwater def. John Bastyr of Savage
Semifinals: None

SUPER COMP
Finals: Don Westra of St. Cloud def. Glenn Gordon of Walcott
Semifinals: Westra def. Jim LaBorde of Hibbing; Gordon had a bye

SUPER GAS
Finals: John Bieringer of Sauk Centre def. Rodney Thompson of Nowthen
Semifinals: Bieringer had a bye; Thompson def. Dave Nelson of Randall

SUPER STREET
Finals: Myron Streit of St. Cloud def. Ryan Scheleck of St. Cloud
Semifinals: Streit def. Ronnie Luberda of Foley; Scheleck def. Troy Luberda of Foley

STOCK/SUPER STOCK - SATURDAY
Finals: Scott Dugdale of Circle Pines def. Craig Meseroll of Cloquet
Semifinals: Dugdale def. Ron Mattson of Cloquet; Meseroll def. Terry Johnson of Maple Grove

STOCK/SUPER STOCK - SUNDAY
Finals: Ben Line of Cromwell def. Jim Chyba III of Randall
Semifinals: Line had a bye; Chyba def. Maxine Line of Wright

TOP SPORTSMAN
Finals: Vern Laurin Jr. of Duluth def. Dick Malik of Blaine
Semifinals: None

COMP TROPHY
Finals: Dean Stuart of Minneapolis def. Chris Polley of Hawley
Semifinals: Stuart def. Dave Johnson of Princeton; Polley def. Darren Arnold of Hopkins

STREET TROPHY
Finals: Kyle Luberda of Foley def. Angie Anderson of Sartell
Semifinals: Luberda had a bye; Anderson def. Sue Seidel of Battle Lake

STREET BIKE
Finals: Mike Voss of Maplewood def. Ken Doble of Clearwater
Semifinals: Voss def. Michael Pangerl of Zimmerman; Doble def. Stan Moulzolf of Foley

JUNIOR DRAGSTER ADVANCED
Finals: Haley Heintzman of Fargo def. Christopher Takacs of Thunder Bay, Ontario
Semifinals: Heintzman def. Kellie Kastner of Clearwater; Takacs def. Cory Williams of Brainerd

JUNIOR DRAGSTER INTERMEDIATE
Finals: Christian Tharp of Brooklyn Park def. Erin Johnson of Nowthen
Semifinals: Tharp def. Max Niesen of Brooklyn Park; Johnson def. Cassidy Takacs of Thunder Bay

JUNIOR DRAGSTER NOVICE
Finals: Sarah Johnson of Nowthen def. Shelby Kastner of Clearwater
Semifinals: Johnson had a bye; Kastner def. Zach Zavadil of Clearwater

JACKPOT RACE – NO GIZMOS
Finals: Pat Haubrich of New Ulm def. Steve Brings of Howard Lake  

JACKPOT RACE – GIZMOS
Finals: Brian Johnson of Nowthen def. Dave Ulhorn of Minneapolis