Bret Kepner
New Member
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2004
These results reflect the record holders, qualifiers, and final round contestants at each of the
Street Car Shootout Series events held each Tuesday at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Illinois.
All vehicles compete utilizing Department of Transportation (D.O.T.) approved tires. All other modifications are permitted. Tuesday SCSS Track Records can be set during the two official qualifying or championship rounds. The first official Street Car Shootout qualifying period begins at 6:30 PM and the second official qualifying begins at approximately 8:00 PM, (barring unforeseen circumstances). At 10:00 PM, the four quickest qualifiers meet in no-handicap eliminations advancing two winners to the championship final round. Each of the Top 16 qualifiers receives a "Fastest Street Car Qualifier" decal. The SCSS trophies and decals are presented by Gateway Raceway.com. Additionally, the two quickest Sport Tuner drivers, (open to all passenger cars except Rear-Wheel-Drive vehicles with engines of eight cylinders or more), also meet in a no-handicap championship round for trophies presented by St. Louis Street Racers.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 Gateway Raceway.com. All finalists in all categories also receive free digital images from the event courtesy of Bret Kepner Photos.com and one free entry to a future SCSS event.
GATEWAY INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY, MADISON, ILLINOIS
2009 STREET CAR SHOOTOUT SERIES TRACK RECORDS
Class Name Hometown ST Vehicle Engine ET MPH Date
RWD Mark Woodruff, Arnold, MO 69 Nova 706 Chevy 8.255 07/01/2008
RWD Mark Woodruff, Arnold, MO 69 Nova 706 Chevy 178.71 07/01/2008
4CYL Jon Huber, St. Louis, MO 79 Mustang 178 Ford 9.039 10/14/2008
4CYL Jon Huber, St. Louis, MO 79 Mustang 178 Ford 152.16 10/16/2007
TRK Kevin Autenrieth, Bethalto, IL 91 S-10 434 Chevy 9.065 07/01/2008
TRK Larry Richards, Hillsboro, MO 52 3100 427 Chevy 149.07 9/4/2007
6CYL Tony Shoaff, Mechanicsburg, IL 87 Regal 231 Buick 9.848 10/14/2008
6CYL Tony Shoaff, Mechanicsburg, IL 87 Regal 231 Buick 136.69 10/14/2008
DSL Chris Calkins, Union, MO 70 C-10 403 Chevy 9.875 9/25/2007
DSL Chris Calkins, Union, MO 70 C-10 403 Chevy 139.41 9/25/2007
RTY Eric Cheatham, Belleville, IL 93 RX-7 79 Mazda 10.048 9/26/2006
RTY Eric Cheatham, Belleville, IL 93 RX-7 79 Mazda 137.95 9/26/2006
AWD Adnan Omerovic, St. Louis, MO 95 Talon 122 Eagle 10.234 9/11/2007
AWD Adnan Omerovic, St. Louis, MO 95 Talon 122 Eagle 141.50 7/22/2008
FWD Adam Corbitt, St. Charles, MO 85 Golf 123 Volks 10.989 05/06/2008
FWD Adam Corbitt, St. Charles, MO 85 Golf 123 Volks 134.87 05/06/2008
APRIL 15th, 2009 STREET CAR SHOOTOUT SERIES QUALIFIERS
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle Engine ET MPH Date
EVENT 03 04/15/2008
1 Tim Mallicoat Collinsville IL 68 Camaro 565 Chevy 8.916 150.48
2 Raymond Arthur Edwardsville IL 67 Camaro 496 Chevy 9.129 146.89
3 Orson Johnson House Springs MO 99 Mustang 281 Ford 9.375 163.53
4 Curtis Paulfrey Brighton IL 68 Camaro 502 Chevy 10.088 135.47
5 Dan Holder O'Fallon MO 81 Camaro 540 Chevy 10.133 107.50
6 Brandon Carter High Ridge MO 03 Mustang 281 Ford 10.241 114.15
7 Mike Mester Valley Park MO 00 Firebird 402 Pont 10.371 126.62
8 Richard Cochran St. Louis MO 81 Camaro 355 Chevy 10.413 128.60
9 Jeff Longford Washington MO 67 Cougar 351 Ford 10.754 127.84
10 Ben Nungester Arnold MO 69 Camaro 400 Chevy 10.800 129.32
11 Matt Mingus Florissant MO 62 Nova 355 Chevy 10.943 123.07
12 Michael Richter St. Peters MO 08 Mustang 281 Ford 12.095 116.87
13 Aaron Hagen Fenton MO 72 Nova 350 Chevy 12.132 111.29
14 Gary Tadlock Granite City IL 03 Corvette 346 Chevy 12.195 116.97
15 Rodger Dalton Alton IL 99 Corvette 346 Chevy 12.340 121.43
16 Michael Ellebracht Maryland Hts. MO 01 Charger 372 Dodge 12.447 112.43
APRIL 15th, 2009 STREET CAR SHOOTOUT SERIES FINAL ROUND
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle R.T. ET MPH
W Tim Mallicoat Collinsville, IL 68 565 Camaro 0.000 12.610 79.73
RU Raymond Arthur Edwardsville, IL 67 496 Camaro -0.163 (foul) 9.633 145.56
The results may look the same as last week but the race was anything but a duplicate of the first victory earned by Tim “Moose” Mallicoat in the 2009 Street Car Shootout Series at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Illinois. Mallicoat, the 2007 and 2008 season champion for the SCSS program, has often proven he has the skills to win but showed that, every once in a while, even the winningest driver in SCSS racing needs a healthy dose of luck to overcome adversity.
For the second week in a row, the SCSS program was bounced from its Tuesday slot by Mother Nature; the event was held on Wednesday, April 15th. Although racers were greeted with sunny skies and a temperature of 62 degrees, the night air brought a chill and the corrected elevation plummeted to 164 feet below sea level during the final rounds. Luckily, the racing surface retained some warmth through the evening, dropping to the bare minimum needed for traction on D.O.T. tires at 59 degrees.
Initially, the event really did seem like a photocopy of the April 8th race. Mallicoat’s well-known “Hellraiser” white-on-black ’68 Camaro, fresh from its victory in the first event of the season, pulled to the starting line in the second pair of the first qualifying session and covered the first sixty feet in 1.28 seconds before charging to the finish line in 8.90 seconds at 150.48 miles per hour. Last week’s runner-up to Mallicoat, Ray Arthur and his red “Suspicion” ’67 Camaro, launched into its highest wheelstand ever, landed beautifully and thundered to a 9.12/146.89 on its first, (and only) qualifying run. Like last week, the buzz in the grandstands centered around Orson “O.J.” Johnson‘s incredible turbocharged, modular engine-powered ‘99 Mustang convertible and, like last week, O.J. continued to battle traction problems when the season’s biggest Ford hope spun furiously just off the starting line on its first effort. Johnson “pedaled” the throttle and still managed to recover with a 9.37 at a booming 163.53 mph.
Paul Schoelich, Johnson’s crewchief and owner of Lo Pro Race Cars was stymied by the wheelspin. “It’s frustrating, for sure”, said Schoelich after watching the run. “We’ve run much quicker than this in National Mustang Racers Association Drag Radial competition but, right now, we can’t figure out why it’s unloading the tires so quickly”. Meanwhile, young Curtis Paulfrey pushed his yellow Winner’s Circle Tire and Auto-sponsored ‘68 Camaro to a 10.27/134.93 to secure the fourth slot.
With the exception of a fine 10.08/135.47 improvement by Paulfrey’s 502-inch Chevy, nothing changed in the top four slots during the second and final qualifying period. In fact, Mallicoat elected to make a second shot and slowed to a 9.00/150.06. After admitting that his recently-freshened 565-inch naturally-aspirated big block wasn’t quite up to par during his romp on the first week of SCSS competition, the “Moose” seemed confused. “We’ve looked at just about everything”, said Mallicoat after the nine-flat pass, “but it’s beginning to seem like it might be the tires. They were new at the beginning of last year but my sixty-feet ETs have been really falling off. That last run was a 1.33 and that’s just about unacceptable. It’s interesting that it seems to be launching okay but the real traction loss is coming about thirty feet off the line. That’s what made me originally think it might be something in the chassis rather than the tires”.
With the same four qualifiers as in the first week of the season, eliminations held three Chevys and a lone Ford. Both Paulfrey and O.J. Johnson decided to make late timed trials after the conclusion of qualifying but before the start of eliminations. Paulfrey’s hot-and-cold Camaro slowed to a 10.32/134.55. Johnson’s red Cobra ragtop pulled to the starting line, built boost and launched cleanly…and hooked! Even crew chief Schoelich was stunned when the Ford carried the wheels to the sixty-feet mark with nary a wisp of smoke. With a 5.72/131.38 eighth-mile, the Mustang charged unabated to the finish, evoking the loudest cheers of the new season when the scoreboard relayed an 8.66 at an incredible 168.05 miles per hour! Although it wouldn’t count as an official qualifying effort, the fastest Ford pass in SCSS history certainly changed the attitudes of the Johnson/Schoelich team!
Nobody realized the importance of the 8.66 pass more than Johnson’s first-round opponent, “Moose” Mallicoat. With the “Hellraiser” slowing on each successive pass and now three tenths of a second behind the Ford, the “Moose” was clearly in trouble. When eliminations began, Mallicoat and Johnson were the first pair in the water box. The crowd rose to watch what many considered a match critical to Mallicoat’s domination of the SCSS series while Ford fans simply wanted a win light at any cost. On the launch, Mallicoat’s Camaro skated to another 1.33 sixty-feet ET but not a soul saw it. All eyes were on Johnson’s Mustang as it headed for the moon in the tallest wheelstand ever seen at a SCSS event, (Click HERE for video courtesy of 96MysticMan), finally riding the rear valance while passing the Christmas Tree! Johnson yanked his foot off the throttle at the wheelstand’s peak and returned to Earth in a shower of sparks. Mallicoat dodged the bullet with an 8.93/150.41 win but, ironically, he didn’t win because of Johnson‘s wheelstand. Unseen by all but the sharpest of eyes, Johnson actually redlighted on the run by forty-two thousandths of a second!
“We didn’t change a thing!”, exclaimed a laughing Schoelich. “We left it alone after the 8.66, did the burnout the same, the track temp was the same…I have no idea why it did that. If nothing else, we apparently got rid of the tire spin problem!”. In the other half of the semi-finals, Paulfrey strapped a huge holeshot on Arthur in an all-Camaro battle after Arthur apparently left the line at a dead idle. The yellow Chevy led Arthur’s red version most of the length of the track and, at the 1000-feet mark, was still ahead by 5.31 feet. It was only in the final 320 feet that Arthur’s nitrous oxide-aided Chevy barely passed Paulfrey to win by 19.88 feet in a 9.68/146.00 to 10.13/135.63 battle.
“That was the quickest ’Tree I’ve ever seen!”, said Arthur as he pulled in front of the main grandstands to prepare for the final round. “I never had time to get it up on the converter and I think I just stomped on the gas from an idle when the ’Tree came down. I didn’t think I’d ever catch him!”. Mallicoat went through his pre-race preparation with a far-off stare; the “Moose” knew Arthur was overdue for an eight-second pass and Mallicoat would need everything he had to hold of the most overdue racer in the series. When the two staged up for the championship dash, Arthur seemed to have his best chance to score his first SCSS trophy in his nine final-round appearances. Incredibly, he redlighted by more than a tenth of second and, even more amazingly, the “Moose” carded a perfect 0.000-second Reaction Time, (only the second in SCSS history and one year to the day after the first was recorded by Brett Marshall). Most incredible of all, however, was the fact Mallicoat’s Camaro went sideways only ten feet off the starting line forcing him to lift off the throttle and coast to a 12.61/79.73 victory!
“I got lined up in the wrong spot”, said a simultaneously frustrated and relieved Mallicoat as he celebrated a record twenty-seventh SCSS victory during winner’s circle festivities. “I knew I was a little out of the ‘groove’ and the car just went nuts as soon as I hit the throttle. I guess we’re really going to have to look at this tire issue. It may be time for some new ones before next week”. Meanwhile, Arthur laughed off his redlight even though it was came on a guaranteed win and joked with friends and fans who told him the only reason Mallicoat hit a perfect Reaction Time was because Moose was “worried” in the final. “Sure, it’s driving me nuts not having won one of these things by now”, said Arthur, “but I’m out here giving it my best shot. It’ll happen someday but, right now, I’m still having a blast just trying!”.
NOTES FROM THE SCSS: The second event of 2009 featured a wildly diverse field of naturally-aspirated, nitrous oxide-injected, supercharged and turbocharged qualifiers for the Super Sixteen but, had there been a third qualifying session, the field would’ve been substantially rearranged. Late timed trials featured an incredible number of improvements over qualifying times as the air quality became nothing short of fantastic…Dan Holder, the owner of St. Louis’ fabled Wise Speed Shop, debuted his show-quality blue-on-white supercharged 540-cubic inch ‘81 Camaro and, after qualifying with an early shut-off 10.13/107.50, returned in late timed trials to clock runs of 9.65/142.24 and 9.59/143.08...Brandon Carter’s new bronze turbocharged modular-motored ‘03 Mustang also made the field with a shut-off 10.24/114.15 but recorded late runs of 9.74/133.18 and 9.81/139.04. Carter originally campaigned a 306-inch ‘86 Mustang which ran 9.29/147 in late 2007...Richard Cochran’s black smallblock-powered ‘81 Camaro chopped exactly one second off its 2008 best to qualify with a 10.41/128.60...Jeff Longford’s ‘67 Cougar was a crowd favorite and became the 114th member of the SCSS 10-Second Club with a best-ever 10.75/127.84...Matt Mingus also joined the 10-Second Club with a 10.94/123.07 from his slick red ‘62 Nova; he also became the 205th member of the 120 MPH Club…Rodger Dalton’s black ‘99 Corvette is now also a 120 MPH Club member with a 12.34/121.43 best…Past SCSS event winner Ben Nungester made his first appearance of the season in his gorgeous orange flamed 400-inch ‘69 Camaro but suffered traction woes which kept him four tenths of a second off his normal 10.40 pace…Mike Ellebracht put the first late-model Dodge Charger in a Super Sixteen field with a best of 12.44/112.43 from his 2001 version...SCSS veteran Mike Mester’s renowned white Trans Am ran great but its driver needs a complete diagnostic check. The Valley Park, Missourian made the Super Sixteen field with an off-pace 10.37/126.62 and then got stuck in the wrong staging lane and missed the second qualifying session, wasting a career-best 9.74/137.67 which would have qualified him in the top four positions! His final run came minutes after qualifying ended in which he only added insult to injury with a 9.77/137.57…Derek Allen, racing for Waterloo (IL) High School, drove his Gator Gumbo-sponsored ‘84 350 Cutlass to his first High School Eliminator title defeating last week’s champ, Aaron Worstell’s ‘89 302 Mustang, in the final round…The SCSS now features a revised point system to determine the 2009 Season Champion. The new format will ensure a tighter point spread without detracting from strong eliminations performances. The full details can be found under the current point standings…It’s important to remember Gateway‘s weather criteria for opening the gates differ for day and night events. For daytime races, the forecasted high temperature must be 40 degrees or higher twenty-four hours before gates open. For night events, the forecasted high must be 50 degrees or higher. High winds and cloudy skies also affect whether the event will be cancelled. However, with the new option to reschedule each Tuesday program to the following day, always check Gateway Raceway.com before you head to the track.
2009 STREET CAR SHOOTOUT SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL POINT STANDINGS (as of APRIL 16th, 2009)
Pos Points Name Hometown ST Vehicle Engine
1 (16) Tim Mallicoat Collinsville IL 68 Camaro 565 Chevy
2 (14) Raymond Arthur Edwardsville IL 67 Camaro 496 Chevy
3 (12) Orson Johnson House Springs MO 99 Mustang 281 Ford
4 (12) Curtis Paulfrey Brighton IL 68 Camaro 502 Chevy
5 (10) Gary Tadlock Granite City IL 03 Corvette 346 Chevy
6 (5) Ryan Dunn O'Fallon MO 72 Nova 454 Chevy
7 (5) David Starns St. Louis MO 91 Mustang 355 Ford
8 (5) Kurt Borton Creve Coeur MO 82 Fairmont 325 Ford
9 (5) Brian Orsborn Granite City IL 04 Neon 146 Dodge
10 (5) Mark Yehling Granite City IL 97 Corvette 346 Chevy
NOTE: Points toward the 2009 Street Car Shootout Series Season Championship are awarded on the basis of five (5) points for qualifying in the Super Sixteen field with one (1) bonus point awarded for qualifying in the top four positions. One (1) additional point is earned for each round win during eliminations. Ties are broken by (1) the earliest date upon which the final point total is earned, (2) quickest elapsed time recorded during the current SCSS season and (3) fastest speed recorded during the current SCSS season.
APRIL 15th, 2009 STLSR.COM SPORT TUNER SHOWDOWN FINAL ROUND
The chilly weather brought out only a handful of competitors for the St. Louis Street Racing.com Sport Tuner Showdown. At the conclusion of the final qualifying session, Jim Garrison’s silver turbocharged ‘04 Dodge Neon SRT-4 led the top four, (a career-best 13.28/113.98), followed by William Rossi’s unusual ’89 Dodge Colt wagon, (14.49/95.22), Kyle Cissel’s ’04 Neon SRT-4, (15.47/94.51), and Tim Collins’ ’05 Volkswagen Jetta GLi, (16.18/90.42).
When the top qualifiers, (and later, all the alternates), were called in front of the main grandstands for eliminations, it became apparent that, for the first time in SCSS history, every Sport Tuner driver had left the property.
And…ummmm…that ended that.
APRIL 15th, 2009 GATEWAYRACEWAY.COM SUPER TRUCK SHOWDOWN FINAL ROUND
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle R.T. ET MPH
W Matthew Cox Godfrey IL 93 355 S-10 0.301 12.499 104.17
RU Nick Sneathen St. Louis MO 57 351 Ranchero 0.070 13.125 105.92
At the first event of the new season, Matthew Cox’s red-on-white 355-inch ‘93 S-10 qualified for the championship match in the GatewayRaceway.com Super Truck Showdown with a 12.77/103.36 but never appeared when the finalists were called. This week, Cox was ready. His Premiere Auto/Lowe Performance pickup began early timed trials with a best-ever 12.23/107.27 and, during the qualifying sessions, led the Super Truck field with a 12.50/105.71. His closest competitor was the incredibly popular nostalgia machine of Nick Sneathen, whose all-steel 1957 Ford Ranchero was busy reeling off a string of amazingly consistent 13.1-second runs with a best of 13.13/105.55.
In the championship dash, Sneathen put a quarter-second holeshot on the S-10 but the little Chevy made up the difference to post a 12.49/104.17 victory. “Last week, I had no idea there was such a thing as the Super Truck Showdown”, said Cox as he explained his previous week’s absence while celebrating his first win in front of the main grandstands. “I made a few runs and then went home. I really wasn’t aware of the program. When I found out about the trophies and free passes and all the other stuff, I figured I’d better stick around for this one. The truck is my daily driver; it’s on the road about forty miles each day. It’s just a mild smallblock with a small nitrous kit. Originally, I was going to build up my ’86 Monte Carlo for the track but I’ve figured out that it’ll be a lot cheaper to just make the truck my race vehicle”.
Sneathen’s wild Ranchero drew plenty of onlookers. The retro utility passenger car features primer paint, a beautifully restored dashboard, real chrome-reverse wheels, (ask your dad, kids…), and honest-to-goodness whitewall tires. “It actually belongs to my father, Denny, who’s here with us”, said Sneathen during the winner’s circle celebration in front of the main grandstands. “It’s a 351 Cleveland smallblock with a single 750 four-barrel on it and it runs pretty well for what it is”. When asked of the Rachero’s origins, Sneathen replied, “The main body is from Baltimore and the front end is from Arizona. The rest of it is from a lot of other places. It’s a work in progress and half the people who see it tell us to paint it and the other half tells us to leave it in primer. In the end, I guess that’ll be Dad’s decision”.
Photos of the April 15th Street Car Shootout Series event are now available for viewing at Bret Kepner Photos.com.
Tim “Moose” Mallicoat, Collinsville, IL 1968 565 Camaro
Ray Arthur, Edwardsville, IL 1967 496 Camaro
Matt Cox, Godfey, IL 1993 350 S-10
Nick Sneathen, St. Louis, MO 1957 351 Ranchero
Street Car Shootout Series events held each Tuesday at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Illinois.
All vehicles compete utilizing Department of Transportation (D.O.T.) approved tires. All other modifications are permitted. Tuesday SCSS Track Records can be set during the two official qualifying or championship rounds. The first official Street Car Shootout qualifying period begins at 6:30 PM and the second official qualifying begins at approximately 8:00 PM, (barring unforeseen circumstances). At 10:00 PM, the four quickest qualifiers meet in no-handicap eliminations advancing two winners to the championship final round. Each of the Top 16 qualifiers receives a "Fastest Street Car Qualifier" decal. The SCSS trophies and decals are presented by Gateway Raceway.com. Additionally, the two quickest Sport Tuner drivers, (open to all passenger cars except Rear-Wheel-Drive vehicles with engines of eight cylinders or more), also meet in a no-handicap championship round for trophies presented by St. Louis Street Racers.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 Gateway Raceway.com. All finalists in all categories also receive free digital images from the event courtesy of Bret Kepner Photos.com and one free entry to a future SCSS event.
GATEWAY INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY, MADISON, ILLINOIS
2009 STREET CAR SHOOTOUT SERIES TRACK RECORDS
Class Name Hometown ST Vehicle Engine ET MPH Date
RWD Mark Woodruff, Arnold, MO 69 Nova 706 Chevy 8.255 07/01/2008
RWD Mark Woodruff, Arnold, MO 69 Nova 706 Chevy 178.71 07/01/2008
4CYL Jon Huber, St. Louis, MO 79 Mustang 178 Ford 9.039 10/14/2008
4CYL Jon Huber, St. Louis, MO 79 Mustang 178 Ford 152.16 10/16/2007
TRK Kevin Autenrieth, Bethalto, IL 91 S-10 434 Chevy 9.065 07/01/2008
TRK Larry Richards, Hillsboro, MO 52 3100 427 Chevy 149.07 9/4/2007
6CYL Tony Shoaff, Mechanicsburg, IL 87 Regal 231 Buick 9.848 10/14/2008
6CYL Tony Shoaff, Mechanicsburg, IL 87 Regal 231 Buick 136.69 10/14/2008
DSL Chris Calkins, Union, MO 70 C-10 403 Chevy 9.875 9/25/2007
DSL Chris Calkins, Union, MO 70 C-10 403 Chevy 139.41 9/25/2007
RTY Eric Cheatham, Belleville, IL 93 RX-7 79 Mazda 10.048 9/26/2006
RTY Eric Cheatham, Belleville, IL 93 RX-7 79 Mazda 137.95 9/26/2006
AWD Adnan Omerovic, St. Louis, MO 95 Talon 122 Eagle 10.234 9/11/2007
AWD Adnan Omerovic, St. Louis, MO 95 Talon 122 Eagle 141.50 7/22/2008
FWD Adam Corbitt, St. Charles, MO 85 Golf 123 Volks 10.989 05/06/2008
FWD Adam Corbitt, St. Charles, MO 85 Golf 123 Volks 134.87 05/06/2008
APRIL 15th, 2009 STREET CAR SHOOTOUT SERIES QUALIFIERS
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle Engine ET MPH Date
EVENT 03 04/15/2008
1 Tim Mallicoat Collinsville IL 68 Camaro 565 Chevy 8.916 150.48
2 Raymond Arthur Edwardsville IL 67 Camaro 496 Chevy 9.129 146.89
3 Orson Johnson House Springs MO 99 Mustang 281 Ford 9.375 163.53
4 Curtis Paulfrey Brighton IL 68 Camaro 502 Chevy 10.088 135.47
5 Dan Holder O'Fallon MO 81 Camaro 540 Chevy 10.133 107.50
6 Brandon Carter High Ridge MO 03 Mustang 281 Ford 10.241 114.15
7 Mike Mester Valley Park MO 00 Firebird 402 Pont 10.371 126.62
8 Richard Cochran St. Louis MO 81 Camaro 355 Chevy 10.413 128.60
9 Jeff Longford Washington MO 67 Cougar 351 Ford 10.754 127.84
10 Ben Nungester Arnold MO 69 Camaro 400 Chevy 10.800 129.32
11 Matt Mingus Florissant MO 62 Nova 355 Chevy 10.943 123.07
12 Michael Richter St. Peters MO 08 Mustang 281 Ford 12.095 116.87
13 Aaron Hagen Fenton MO 72 Nova 350 Chevy 12.132 111.29
14 Gary Tadlock Granite City IL 03 Corvette 346 Chevy 12.195 116.97
15 Rodger Dalton Alton IL 99 Corvette 346 Chevy 12.340 121.43
16 Michael Ellebracht Maryland Hts. MO 01 Charger 372 Dodge 12.447 112.43
APRIL 15th, 2009 STREET CAR SHOOTOUT SERIES FINAL ROUND
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle R.T. ET MPH
W Tim Mallicoat Collinsville, IL 68 565 Camaro 0.000 12.610 79.73
RU Raymond Arthur Edwardsville, IL 67 496 Camaro -0.163 (foul) 9.633 145.56
The results may look the same as last week but the race was anything but a duplicate of the first victory earned by Tim “Moose” Mallicoat in the 2009 Street Car Shootout Series at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Illinois. Mallicoat, the 2007 and 2008 season champion for the SCSS program, has often proven he has the skills to win but showed that, every once in a while, even the winningest driver in SCSS racing needs a healthy dose of luck to overcome adversity.
For the second week in a row, the SCSS program was bounced from its Tuesday slot by Mother Nature; the event was held on Wednesday, April 15th. Although racers were greeted with sunny skies and a temperature of 62 degrees, the night air brought a chill and the corrected elevation plummeted to 164 feet below sea level during the final rounds. Luckily, the racing surface retained some warmth through the evening, dropping to the bare minimum needed for traction on D.O.T. tires at 59 degrees.
Initially, the event really did seem like a photocopy of the April 8th race. Mallicoat’s well-known “Hellraiser” white-on-black ’68 Camaro, fresh from its victory in the first event of the season, pulled to the starting line in the second pair of the first qualifying session and covered the first sixty feet in 1.28 seconds before charging to the finish line in 8.90 seconds at 150.48 miles per hour. Last week’s runner-up to Mallicoat, Ray Arthur and his red “Suspicion” ’67 Camaro, launched into its highest wheelstand ever, landed beautifully and thundered to a 9.12/146.89 on its first, (and only) qualifying run. Like last week, the buzz in the grandstands centered around Orson “O.J.” Johnson‘s incredible turbocharged, modular engine-powered ‘99 Mustang convertible and, like last week, O.J. continued to battle traction problems when the season’s biggest Ford hope spun furiously just off the starting line on its first effort. Johnson “pedaled” the throttle and still managed to recover with a 9.37 at a booming 163.53 mph.
Paul Schoelich, Johnson’s crewchief and owner of Lo Pro Race Cars was stymied by the wheelspin. “It’s frustrating, for sure”, said Schoelich after watching the run. “We’ve run much quicker than this in National Mustang Racers Association Drag Radial competition but, right now, we can’t figure out why it’s unloading the tires so quickly”. Meanwhile, young Curtis Paulfrey pushed his yellow Winner’s Circle Tire and Auto-sponsored ‘68 Camaro to a 10.27/134.93 to secure the fourth slot.
With the exception of a fine 10.08/135.47 improvement by Paulfrey’s 502-inch Chevy, nothing changed in the top four slots during the second and final qualifying period. In fact, Mallicoat elected to make a second shot and slowed to a 9.00/150.06. After admitting that his recently-freshened 565-inch naturally-aspirated big block wasn’t quite up to par during his romp on the first week of SCSS competition, the “Moose” seemed confused. “We’ve looked at just about everything”, said Mallicoat after the nine-flat pass, “but it’s beginning to seem like it might be the tires. They were new at the beginning of last year but my sixty-feet ETs have been really falling off. That last run was a 1.33 and that’s just about unacceptable. It’s interesting that it seems to be launching okay but the real traction loss is coming about thirty feet off the line. That’s what made me originally think it might be something in the chassis rather than the tires”.
With the same four qualifiers as in the first week of the season, eliminations held three Chevys and a lone Ford. Both Paulfrey and O.J. Johnson decided to make late timed trials after the conclusion of qualifying but before the start of eliminations. Paulfrey’s hot-and-cold Camaro slowed to a 10.32/134.55. Johnson’s red Cobra ragtop pulled to the starting line, built boost and launched cleanly…and hooked! Even crew chief Schoelich was stunned when the Ford carried the wheels to the sixty-feet mark with nary a wisp of smoke. With a 5.72/131.38 eighth-mile, the Mustang charged unabated to the finish, evoking the loudest cheers of the new season when the scoreboard relayed an 8.66 at an incredible 168.05 miles per hour! Although it wouldn’t count as an official qualifying effort, the fastest Ford pass in SCSS history certainly changed the attitudes of the Johnson/Schoelich team!
Nobody realized the importance of the 8.66 pass more than Johnson’s first-round opponent, “Moose” Mallicoat. With the “Hellraiser” slowing on each successive pass and now three tenths of a second behind the Ford, the “Moose” was clearly in trouble. When eliminations began, Mallicoat and Johnson were the first pair in the water box. The crowd rose to watch what many considered a match critical to Mallicoat’s domination of the SCSS series while Ford fans simply wanted a win light at any cost. On the launch, Mallicoat’s Camaro skated to another 1.33 sixty-feet ET but not a soul saw it. All eyes were on Johnson’s Mustang as it headed for the moon in the tallest wheelstand ever seen at a SCSS event, (Click HERE for video courtesy of 96MysticMan), finally riding the rear valance while passing the Christmas Tree! Johnson yanked his foot off the throttle at the wheelstand’s peak and returned to Earth in a shower of sparks. Mallicoat dodged the bullet with an 8.93/150.41 win but, ironically, he didn’t win because of Johnson‘s wheelstand. Unseen by all but the sharpest of eyes, Johnson actually redlighted on the run by forty-two thousandths of a second!
“We didn’t change a thing!”, exclaimed a laughing Schoelich. “We left it alone after the 8.66, did the burnout the same, the track temp was the same…I have no idea why it did that. If nothing else, we apparently got rid of the tire spin problem!”. In the other half of the semi-finals, Paulfrey strapped a huge holeshot on Arthur in an all-Camaro battle after Arthur apparently left the line at a dead idle. The yellow Chevy led Arthur’s red version most of the length of the track and, at the 1000-feet mark, was still ahead by 5.31 feet. It was only in the final 320 feet that Arthur’s nitrous oxide-aided Chevy barely passed Paulfrey to win by 19.88 feet in a 9.68/146.00 to 10.13/135.63 battle.
“That was the quickest ’Tree I’ve ever seen!”, said Arthur as he pulled in front of the main grandstands to prepare for the final round. “I never had time to get it up on the converter and I think I just stomped on the gas from an idle when the ’Tree came down. I didn’t think I’d ever catch him!”. Mallicoat went through his pre-race preparation with a far-off stare; the “Moose” knew Arthur was overdue for an eight-second pass and Mallicoat would need everything he had to hold of the most overdue racer in the series. When the two staged up for the championship dash, Arthur seemed to have his best chance to score his first SCSS trophy in his nine final-round appearances. Incredibly, he redlighted by more than a tenth of second and, even more amazingly, the “Moose” carded a perfect 0.000-second Reaction Time, (only the second in SCSS history and one year to the day after the first was recorded by Brett Marshall). Most incredible of all, however, was the fact Mallicoat’s Camaro went sideways only ten feet off the starting line forcing him to lift off the throttle and coast to a 12.61/79.73 victory!
“I got lined up in the wrong spot”, said a simultaneously frustrated and relieved Mallicoat as he celebrated a record twenty-seventh SCSS victory during winner’s circle festivities. “I knew I was a little out of the ‘groove’ and the car just went nuts as soon as I hit the throttle. I guess we’re really going to have to look at this tire issue. It may be time for some new ones before next week”. Meanwhile, Arthur laughed off his redlight even though it was came on a guaranteed win and joked with friends and fans who told him the only reason Mallicoat hit a perfect Reaction Time was because Moose was “worried” in the final. “Sure, it’s driving me nuts not having won one of these things by now”, said Arthur, “but I’m out here giving it my best shot. It’ll happen someday but, right now, I’m still having a blast just trying!”.
NOTES FROM THE SCSS: The second event of 2009 featured a wildly diverse field of naturally-aspirated, nitrous oxide-injected, supercharged and turbocharged qualifiers for the Super Sixteen but, had there been a third qualifying session, the field would’ve been substantially rearranged. Late timed trials featured an incredible number of improvements over qualifying times as the air quality became nothing short of fantastic…Dan Holder, the owner of St. Louis’ fabled Wise Speed Shop, debuted his show-quality blue-on-white supercharged 540-cubic inch ‘81 Camaro and, after qualifying with an early shut-off 10.13/107.50, returned in late timed trials to clock runs of 9.65/142.24 and 9.59/143.08...Brandon Carter’s new bronze turbocharged modular-motored ‘03 Mustang also made the field with a shut-off 10.24/114.15 but recorded late runs of 9.74/133.18 and 9.81/139.04. Carter originally campaigned a 306-inch ‘86 Mustang which ran 9.29/147 in late 2007...Richard Cochran’s black smallblock-powered ‘81 Camaro chopped exactly one second off its 2008 best to qualify with a 10.41/128.60...Jeff Longford’s ‘67 Cougar was a crowd favorite and became the 114th member of the SCSS 10-Second Club with a best-ever 10.75/127.84...Matt Mingus also joined the 10-Second Club with a 10.94/123.07 from his slick red ‘62 Nova; he also became the 205th member of the 120 MPH Club…Rodger Dalton’s black ‘99 Corvette is now also a 120 MPH Club member with a 12.34/121.43 best…Past SCSS event winner Ben Nungester made his first appearance of the season in his gorgeous orange flamed 400-inch ‘69 Camaro but suffered traction woes which kept him four tenths of a second off his normal 10.40 pace…Mike Ellebracht put the first late-model Dodge Charger in a Super Sixteen field with a best of 12.44/112.43 from his 2001 version...SCSS veteran Mike Mester’s renowned white Trans Am ran great but its driver needs a complete diagnostic check. The Valley Park, Missourian made the Super Sixteen field with an off-pace 10.37/126.62 and then got stuck in the wrong staging lane and missed the second qualifying session, wasting a career-best 9.74/137.67 which would have qualified him in the top four positions! His final run came minutes after qualifying ended in which he only added insult to injury with a 9.77/137.57…Derek Allen, racing for Waterloo (IL) High School, drove his Gator Gumbo-sponsored ‘84 350 Cutlass to his first High School Eliminator title defeating last week’s champ, Aaron Worstell’s ‘89 302 Mustang, in the final round…The SCSS now features a revised point system to determine the 2009 Season Champion. The new format will ensure a tighter point spread without detracting from strong eliminations performances. The full details can be found under the current point standings…It’s important to remember Gateway‘s weather criteria for opening the gates differ for day and night events. For daytime races, the forecasted high temperature must be 40 degrees or higher twenty-four hours before gates open. For night events, the forecasted high must be 50 degrees or higher. High winds and cloudy skies also affect whether the event will be cancelled. However, with the new option to reschedule each Tuesday program to the following day, always check Gateway Raceway.com before you head to the track.
2009 STREET CAR SHOOTOUT SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL POINT STANDINGS (as of APRIL 16th, 2009)
Pos Points Name Hometown ST Vehicle Engine
1 (16) Tim Mallicoat Collinsville IL 68 Camaro 565 Chevy
2 (14) Raymond Arthur Edwardsville IL 67 Camaro 496 Chevy
3 (12) Orson Johnson House Springs MO 99 Mustang 281 Ford
4 (12) Curtis Paulfrey Brighton IL 68 Camaro 502 Chevy
5 (10) Gary Tadlock Granite City IL 03 Corvette 346 Chevy
6 (5) Ryan Dunn O'Fallon MO 72 Nova 454 Chevy
7 (5) David Starns St. Louis MO 91 Mustang 355 Ford
8 (5) Kurt Borton Creve Coeur MO 82 Fairmont 325 Ford
9 (5) Brian Orsborn Granite City IL 04 Neon 146 Dodge
10 (5) Mark Yehling Granite City IL 97 Corvette 346 Chevy
NOTE: Points toward the 2009 Street Car Shootout Series Season Championship are awarded on the basis of five (5) points for qualifying in the Super Sixteen field with one (1) bonus point awarded for qualifying in the top four positions. One (1) additional point is earned for each round win during eliminations. Ties are broken by (1) the earliest date upon which the final point total is earned, (2) quickest elapsed time recorded during the current SCSS season and (3) fastest speed recorded during the current SCSS season.
APRIL 15th, 2009 STLSR.COM SPORT TUNER SHOWDOWN FINAL ROUND
The chilly weather brought out only a handful of competitors for the St. Louis Street Racing.com Sport Tuner Showdown. At the conclusion of the final qualifying session, Jim Garrison’s silver turbocharged ‘04 Dodge Neon SRT-4 led the top four, (a career-best 13.28/113.98), followed by William Rossi’s unusual ’89 Dodge Colt wagon, (14.49/95.22), Kyle Cissel’s ’04 Neon SRT-4, (15.47/94.51), and Tim Collins’ ’05 Volkswagen Jetta GLi, (16.18/90.42).
When the top qualifiers, (and later, all the alternates), were called in front of the main grandstands for eliminations, it became apparent that, for the first time in SCSS history, every Sport Tuner driver had left the property.
And…ummmm…that ended that.
APRIL 15th, 2009 GATEWAYRACEWAY.COM SUPER TRUCK SHOWDOWN FINAL ROUND
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle R.T. ET MPH
W Matthew Cox Godfrey IL 93 355 S-10 0.301 12.499 104.17
RU Nick Sneathen St. Louis MO 57 351 Ranchero 0.070 13.125 105.92
At the first event of the new season, Matthew Cox’s red-on-white 355-inch ‘93 S-10 qualified for the championship match in the GatewayRaceway.com Super Truck Showdown with a 12.77/103.36 but never appeared when the finalists were called. This week, Cox was ready. His Premiere Auto/Lowe Performance pickup began early timed trials with a best-ever 12.23/107.27 and, during the qualifying sessions, led the Super Truck field with a 12.50/105.71. His closest competitor was the incredibly popular nostalgia machine of Nick Sneathen, whose all-steel 1957 Ford Ranchero was busy reeling off a string of amazingly consistent 13.1-second runs with a best of 13.13/105.55.
In the championship dash, Sneathen put a quarter-second holeshot on the S-10 but the little Chevy made up the difference to post a 12.49/104.17 victory. “Last week, I had no idea there was such a thing as the Super Truck Showdown”, said Cox as he explained his previous week’s absence while celebrating his first win in front of the main grandstands. “I made a few runs and then went home. I really wasn’t aware of the program. When I found out about the trophies and free passes and all the other stuff, I figured I’d better stick around for this one. The truck is my daily driver; it’s on the road about forty miles each day. It’s just a mild smallblock with a small nitrous kit. Originally, I was going to build up my ’86 Monte Carlo for the track but I’ve figured out that it’ll be a lot cheaper to just make the truck my race vehicle”.
Sneathen’s wild Ranchero drew plenty of onlookers. The retro utility passenger car features primer paint, a beautifully restored dashboard, real chrome-reverse wheels, (ask your dad, kids…), and honest-to-goodness whitewall tires. “It actually belongs to my father, Denny, who’s here with us”, said Sneathen during the winner’s circle celebration in front of the main grandstands. “It’s a 351 Cleveland smallblock with a single 750 four-barrel on it and it runs pretty well for what it is”. When asked of the Rachero’s origins, Sneathen replied, “The main body is from Baltimore and the front end is from Arizona. The rest of it is from a lot of other places. It’s a work in progress and half the people who see it tell us to paint it and the other half tells us to leave it in primer. In the end, I guess that’ll be Dad’s decision”.
Photos of the April 15th Street Car Shootout Series event are now available for viewing at Bret Kepner Photos.com.
Tim “Moose” Mallicoat, Collinsville, IL 1968 565 Camaro
Ray Arthur, Edwardsville, IL 1967 496 Camaro
Matt Cox, Godfey, IL 1993 350 S-10
Nick Sneathen, St. Louis, MO 1957 351 Ranchero
