Mahnke breaks 8-second mark, Volk wins Pro Outlaw Class

Brian Mahnke became the second driver in Show & Go history to break the 8-second mark in the King Street Class last weekend, when he laid down a 7.991-second qualifying pass that made him the No. 1 qualifier going into Sunday's elimination rounds.

Mahnke, driving a '72 Camaro, earned his way to the finals for a repeat of last year's King Street finals, where he was pair up with Michael Sterling and his 1966 Chevelle. Mahnke and Sterling have raced against each other in the King Street finals in the last four Outlaw series races, with Mahnke holding a 2-1 edge over Sterling coming into this weekend. But Sterling couldn't hold off Mahnke, and basically handed him the championship when he fouled at the starting line with car problems. Mahnke's final pass of the day was 8.094 seconds and 174.96 mph.

Mahnke's performance typified the weekend's drag racing program during the 24th Annual NAPA Auto Parts Show & Go. It drag racing portion of the event was the second leg of the three-race Outlaw Street Car Series, which features the "fast five" classes: Pro Outlaw, Outlaw, King Street, Real Street Unlimited and Real Street Natural.

The Show & Go is a perennial favorite among race fans, because it features insane drag racing, a classic car show, fireworks and live music. But this year's event offered even more. BIR added the Sports Car Club of America's Jack Pine Sprints on the 2.5-mile Competition Road Course. More than 100 of the country's top amateur road racers competed in wheel-to-wheel road racing throughout the weekend, providing fans with even more exciting motorsports action. 

Back on the drag strip, Luke Volk broke 200 mph during the Street Car Showdown earlier this season (the first race of the Outlaw Series) in his 1967 Nova. He had the top speed of the weekend with a 197.59 mph qualifying pass in the Pro Outlaw Class and then knocked off Rob Meservier and his '68 Chevelle in the finals. Meservier was quicker off the starting line with a .056-second reaction time to Volk's .099, but Volk caught him at the finish line, with a time of 7.088 seconds and 194.83 mph. Meservier finished with 7.140 seconds and 197.08 mph.

The Outlaw Class final was shaping up to be a repeat of the Street Car Showdown finals, with No. 1 qualifier Mike Bauerly and Eric Wourms slugging it out. Bauerly snuck by Wourms in the Showdown finals and entered today's finals with the top speed of the weekend (188.99 mph) and the low time of the weekend (7.245 seconds). But Bauerly and his 2005 Corvette made it easy for Wourms and his '71 Chevelle by fouling at the starting line in the finals. 

In the Real Street Unlimited Class, Aaron Van Heel and his '91 Mustang Turbo earned No. 1 qualifier position, with the weekend's top speed (163.39 mph) and the low time (8.673 seconds), but he never made it past the second round of qualifying, which opened the door for Dave Hodgman, driving a '68 Chevelle, and Jesse Nelson, driving a '70 Chevelle, who faced off in the finals. Nelson, who won the Real Street Unlimited class during last year's Show & Go, was looking to repeat, but Hodgman was quicker off the starting line and never looked back, winning with a time of 9.194 seconds and 150.35 mph to Nelson's 9.999 seconds and 135.32 mph.

Charlie Todd was crowned Index Class Champion Sunday. The winners of the eight Index Classes race against each other for the title of "best of the best." Todd won the 11.50 Index Class and then earned a shot at Bryan Hansen in the finals. Hansen had knocked out David Imgrund, who won the Index Class Championship in three of the last four Outlaw series races and was runner up. 

Click here for results of the rest of the classes.