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 http://www.GatewayRaceway.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 Brett Heidgerken, Decatur, IL 67 Chevelle 505 Chevy 153.88 10/11/2005
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
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
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
FWD Adam Corbett, St. Charles, MO 85 Golf 122 Volks 11.622 8/30/2005
FWD Justin Bondurant, Fenton, MO 04 Neon 146 Dodge 122.66 10/11/2005
RTY Eric Cheatham, Belleville, IL 93 RX-7 79 Mazda 11.936 8/30/2005
RTY Derek Coffman, Valley Park, MO 94 RX-7 79 Mazda 122.21 8/10/2004
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
MAY 9th, 2006 SX PERFORMANCE STREET CAR SHOOTOUT QUALIFIERS
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle Engine ET MPH Date
EVENT 6 5/9/2006
1 Dave Odehnal Waterloo IL 93 Camaro 350 Chevy 10.756 128.48
2 Tony Buhl Lebanon IL 89 Mustang 331 Ford 10.782 128.58
3 Brett Evans Glen Carbon IL 65 Mustang 427 Ford 10.820 105.45
4 Greg Boschert St. Louis MO 66 Mustang 331 Ford 11.140 129.03
5 Eric Hohl St. Charles MO 90 Mustang 331 Ford 11.482 116.42
6 David Starns St. Louis MO 91 Mustang 355 Ford 11.710 120.37
7 Nick Hartwig Moscow Mills MO 93 Mustang 302 Ford 11.817 120.46
8 Chris Stauffer S. Roxana IL 81 El Camino 355 Chevy 12.077 113.41
9 Matthew Meyers Wood River IL 79 Malibu Wag 355 Chevy 12.165 109.56
10 Jim Harris O'Fallon MO 03 Corvette 346 Chevy 12.231 116.78
11 Tim Girardier St. Clair MO 93 Lightning 351 Ford 12.461 110.33
12 Tony Viviano St. Charles MO 03 Mustang 281 Ford 12.581 115.92
13 Pat Anderson Glen Carbon IL 02 Firebird 346 Pont 12.655 108.95
14 Ed Croak Belleville IL 06 Corvette 346 Chevy 12.661 113.08
15 Steve Ong Wildwood MO 02 Camaro 346 Chevy 12.666 107.95
16 Dave Koshinski Bethalto IL 04 GTO 346 Pont 12.743 112.73
MAY 9th, 2006 SX PERFORMANCE STREET CAR SHOOTOUT FINAL ROUND
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle R.T. ET MPH
W Tony Buhl, Lebanon, IL 1989 347 Mustang 0.004 11.202 126.68
RU Greg Boschert, St. Louis, MO 1966 331 Mustang 0.270 13.361 104.54
After two weeks of interruptions, first from the annual NASCAR Craftsman Truck Racing series and
then by a lightning strike which rendered the track’s $40,000 timing system useless, the SX
Performance Street Car Shootout Series resumed at Gateway International Raceway but not without
a unique twist. After heavy thunderstorms earlier in the day with local weather forecasters predicting
death and destruction for the next forty-eight hours, the competitors who actually braved the dismal
forecast were greeted with a cloudless sky and 70-degree temperatures. The modest turnout
included more than a few newcomers and, for the second straight event, bizarre events created an
unusual outcome in the first SCSS event in which not a single number one qualifier won a division!
High humidity and low baromteric pressure kept the corrected elevation between 1623 feet and 1123
above sea level but racers were also faced with a relatively narrow “groove” after the previous
weekend’s All-Harley Drag Racing Association National Event. Although over three hundred
motorcycles produced 6.3-second, 220 mph performances, they left a course tough to decipher for
the SCSS series regulars.
Few high-horsepower machines took to the track during timed trials; Tim Girardier’s wild 351
Windsor-powered ‘93 Lightning pickup was the quickest at 12.20/110.79. When qualifying officially
began, however, Tony Buhl wasted no time in firing an opening 11.07-second shot at 123.75 miles
per hour from his Vortech-blown ‘89 Mustang. David Starns, whose silver 355-cubic inch ‘91 Mustang
is normally a solid ten-second player, stumbled through tire spin and transmission difficulties en
route to an 11.84 at only 93 mph and Brett Evans, whose immaculate turbocharged ‘65 Mustang
debuted at the most recent SCSS event on April 18th, simply blew the tires away while coasting to a
12.34 at only 86 mph despite an eighth-mile cloking of 7.53/102.
Buhl finally received a response to his 11.07 polesitter from Greg “Hook-n-Ladder” Boschert, whose
popular stock-appearing 1966 Mustang had suffered from a mysterious fuel delivery problem during
the April 18th SCSS event which resulted in a disasterous DNQ. Still riding on narrow eight-inch
tires, Boschert engaged his new 300-horsepower nitrous oxide system and pedaled the Mustang
coupe to an 11.41 at a 129.03 mph speed...nearly three miles per hour faster than the St. Louis
fireman’s previous best.
The maroon Buhl’s Performance Ford returned fifteen minutes later and reeled off a 10.87/126.72 to
pad its advantage. Unfortunately, all three of his most serious challengers were in no position to
improve. Starns continued to struggle with a balky transmission, Evans could barely control his
huffed 427-inch smallblock, (even while clocking a 6.92/104 eighth-mile which indicated
the silver showpiece could conceivably be the quickest car on the property), and Boschert’s fuel
delivery problems returned to ruin his next three runs. Buhl took his opponents’ problems in stride,
however; a later 10.78/128.58 proved his point.
Chevy fans finally rejoiced when they saw the solid black ‘93 Camaro of Dave Odenahl pull out from
underneath the tower complex. The winner of the last two SCSS events had clocked solid
10.2-second efforts throughout April and the Waterloo, Illinois, veteran was seemingly the only hope
against the onslaught of Fords. Close observers noticed soemthing different about the LT1 Chevy,
however; Odenahl was sporting radial street tires, still mounted after having won last weekend’s King
of the Street event at Benton, Illinois. The Camaro spun hard off the line but Odenahl pedaled his
way to a 10.75/128.48 to steal the pole by four hundredths of a second while also producing the
loudest ovation from the grandstands.
Tony Buhl put his son, two-time SCSS event winner Rob Buhl, in the seat for another attempt but an
11.15/125.92 fell short. Boschert, meanwhile, discovered the source of his nightmarish fuel problem
and proved his repairs were accurate with a back-to-normal 11.14/127.51 blast. Odenahl made
another pass and found traction still lacking with a 10.88/123.58 and Tony Buhl squeezed in one
more shot at 10.86/127.68. Those two passes were followed by the most outrageous run of the event
when Evans got on-and-off the throttle multiple times while trying to keep his ‘65 Mustang away from
the wall before the car finally went sideways one last time near the finish line. The scoreboards read
10.82 seconds at only 105 miles per hour but the eighth-mile numbers, screamed to the fans by
announcer “Radical Rich” Tivitt, were 6.61 seconds at 110.87 miles per hour. If nothing else, Evans
was more than capable of low 10-second efforts if the Mustang could just hook up.
After qualifying ended, Buhl and Odenahl were called to the staging area in front of the main
grandstands but only the maroon Mustang appeared. Word quickly reached the tower that Odenahl
“heard something in the engine” on the 10.88 run and decided not to risk damage. Evans was called
as first alternate but the Glen Carbon, Illinois, turbo racer declined on the basis of the instability of
his new machine. Second alternate Boschert, however, was more than happy to pull alongside Buhl’s
Mustang.
“I finally found the problem”, said an elated Boschert before the championship dash, “but my biggest
concern right now is whether I have enough nitrous left to even make this a race. I used an awful lot
of the stuff tonight before I got everything figured out”. Buhl, preparing the family Mustang with son
Rob and teammate and 2004 SCSS Season Champion Laurence Bass, was simply concerned with
getting a win. Having scored his only SCSS event title at the opening 2005 race, Buhl noted, “I just
want to get a trophy for this year...but you know how our luck goes!”.
Just before the two pulled out for the final round, Boschert ran to Buhl and, leaning through Buhl’s
driver window, said, “The last time I raced (current SCSS point leader) Tony Huff, he had a 0.008
Reaction Time. Do me a favor and don’t cut a double-oh-eight light, okay?” Buhl chuckled and the
two headed into the water box. When Bass signaled for Buhl to begin his burnout, the maroon Ford
took a hard right toward the retaining wall. “This ain’t gonna be pretty”, said Bass as the finalists
staged.
Bass was right. Buhl’s Mustang immediately spun the tires hard and headed for the centerline just
past the 60-feet mark. Buhl manhandled the Ford all the way down the track, flirting with
disqualification the entire distance. An 11.20 at 126.68 mph got the job done, but there was more to
the story. “I purged the nitrous just before I staged”, said Boschert after the run, “and nothing
happened. I just cringed and thought ‘I KNEW it!’ So there I am out of nitrous and I see him get
sideways. I had it floored by I just couldn’t get around him with the car dead fat”. Upon getting his
timeslip, Boschert received yet another slap...Buhl had hit the best Reaction Time in SCSS
final-round history with a brilliant 0.004! “It was pure skill”, joked an embarrassed Buhl after the final.
“I knew it was close but I didn’t think it was THAT close!”.
NOTES FROM THE SCSS: With point leaders Tony Huff and Hal Marshall not in attendance,
Dave Odenahl and Tony Buhl have made it a four-way tie for the SCSS Season Championship with
three “Fastest Street Car Qualifier” decals each. The point championship is determined by the
number of Qualifier stickers earned...Eric Hohl’s black-on-orange 331-inch ‘90 Mustang clocked a
best-ever 11.48/116.42...Ed Croak’s bright red ‘06 Z06 Corvette qualified at 12.66/113.08 but ran
12.61 after qualifying ended...Nick Hartwig’s 11.81/120.46 effort from his ‘90 302 Mustang was a
career-best and made the Troy, Missouri, racer the seventy-eighth member of the SCSS 120 MPH
Club...the best run for the ‘03 Z06 ‘Vette of tenth qualifier Jim Harris came on a pass in which he
missed fourth gear, coasting to a 12.23 at only 105, well off his normal 117 mph pace...the quickest
six-cylinder entry was Tyler Bussman’s $47,000 ‘04 BMW M3 with a 13.60/103.77 best. Unofficially,
the fastest six-cylinder was Greg Campos’ similarly-priced 2006 Cadillac CTS with a 14.02/103.12
during qualifying and a 14.20/104.17 afterward.
SX PERFORMANCE STREET CAR SHOOTOUT SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP POINT SERIES
STANDINGS (as of MAY 10th, 2006)
Pos (Points) Name Hometown ST Vehicle
1 (3) Tony Huff Collinsville IL 69 Nova 454 Chevy
2 (3) Hal Marshall Collinsville IL 86 S-10 350 Chevy
3 (3) Dave Odehnal Waterloo IL 93 Camaro 350 Chevy
4 (3) Tony Buhl Lebanon IL 89 Mustang 331 Ford
5 (2) Matt Verbeck Troy IL 68 Camaro 383 Chevy
6 (2) Joe Laramee Decatur IL 77 Pinto 147 Ford
7 (2) Rob Nolan Granite City IL 87 Regal 231 Buick
8 (2) Gary Bates O'Fallon MO 04 GTO 346 Pont
9 (2) Greg Boschert St. Louis MO 66 Mustang 331 Ford
10 (2) David Starns St. Louis MO 91 Mustang 355 Ford
MAY 9th, 2006 GATEWAYRACEWAY.COM SPORT TUNER SHOWDOWN FINAL
ROUND
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle R.T. ET MPH
W Curtis Wyatt, Granite City, IL 2002 152 WRX 0.047 13.358 106.03
RU Jon Blalock, Hazelwood, MO 2003 122 Evolution -0.061 13.530 104.33
Without Joe Laramee’s record-smashing Pinto in attandance, the Sport Tuner Showdown Series
returned to some semblance of normalcy. After making the April 18th final round as second alternate,
Jon Blalock’s silver-striped yellow ‘05 Evo 8 made a strong statement by qualifying in the number
one position with a 13.18, (at a best-ever 105.23 mph), which was more than three tenths of a
second quicker than his closest rival. A decent battle ensued throughout qualifying between Curtis
Wyatt’s blue Subaru Impreza WRX and Rob Mocher’s silver version. Mocher’s St. Charles,
Missouri-based WRX had its all-wheel-drive working to perfection with consistent 1.9-second 60-feet
ETs on its way to a best-ever 13.51/100.93 but eventually hooked a tad too hard and destroyed a
half-shaft. When qualifying concluded, Wyatt’s 13.48/104.69 best allowed his machine to become
the first Subaru to ever qualify for a Sport Tuner Showdown championship race, outqualifying
Mocher, Jeff Shepherd’s surprising ‘05 Cobalt, (13.79/103.42), Nick Wahle’s Pacific, Missouri,
non-SRT4 ‘98 Neon, (14.19/101.07), and SRT4 Dodges of Blake Oelze, (14.331/102.62), and
Russell Jenkins, (14.334/97.60).
Wyatt’s wingless Sti is a regular in the Sport Tuner Showdown Series but Blalock’s luck had finally
been turning with his Mitsubishi. Moreover, Wyatt was suffering from tire spin and, as the humidity
increased to 97% by the end of qualifying, it was only getting worse. “I run a GReddy 18G
turbocharger on it”, said Wyatt of his WRX before the final, “and it’s simply way too much turbo for
this car. I’m really having trouble getting it to hook tonight”. In the title bout, both drivers apparently
felt Reaction Time would play a key role in the outcome. Blalock pushed the ‘Tree to a redlight by a
mere sixty-one thousandths of a second, however, and was then outrun anyway by Wyatt’s 13.33,
(only two hundredths from his career-best), at a best-ever speed of 106.03 mph. “It spun in third
gear, too”, said Blalock of his second straight runner-up, “so it wasn’t very pretty on either end of the
track”. For Wyatt, the event was an example of perserverance. As a regular attendee of the Tuesday
night battles, he not only scored his first title but earned the first win for a Subaru in the process.
MAY 9th, 2006 GATEWAYRACEWAY.COM SUPER TRUCK SHOWDOWN FINAL
ROUND
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle R.T. ET MPH
W Brad Swartz, Troy, IL 2004 330 Lightning 0.271 13.204 105.00
RU Tim Zeuner, Crestwood, MO 2000 262 Xtreme 0.094 15.993 83.75
No Hal Marshall? That was the most commonly-asked question among the Super Truck Showdown
Series regulars but the winningest Tuesday night racer ever was, indeed, a no-show for the first time
in past nine events, a span stretching back to August 30th, 2005! However, the lack of “Animal Hal”
didn’t prevent the attrition which has become rampant in the Super Truck program.
Chris Stauffer’s aquamarine 355-inch ‘81 El Camino recorded a string of low 12-second runs which
culmnated in the second quickest Super Truck run of the season, (12.07/113.41). Tim Giradier’s
unique ‘93 Lightning, using a 351 Windsor powerplant from the original Ford SVO production run,
clocked an impressive 12.46/110.43 best in qualifying but had actually hit a 12.20/110.79 during
timed trials in the worst atmospheric conditions of the event. Neither made the call to the staging
area for the championship match, however, and first alternate Brad Swartz was called in to make the
run in his new ‘04 Lightning. The hunt for an opponent was tough.
Although Swartz was followed by Kevin O’Connor’s popular smoke-spewing Cummins-powered ‘04
Ram 3500 diesel, (13.90/97.25), Dinko Kovac’s wild supercharged Harley-Davidson Edition ‘02
F150, (14.61/94.15), and Corey Hall’s Hemi-powered ‘03 Dodge Ram, (14.80/90.16), it was tenth
alternate Tim Zeuner who finally pulled to the lanes. A regular in GIR’s extremely tough Saturday
bracket racing series with his Vortech V6-powered 2000 S-10 Xtreme, Zeuner’s 15.94/84 best wasn’t
going to win but, as Zuener said before the final round, “If they’re that anxious to give out a
runner-up trophy, I’ll take it!”.
Swartz, who earned a runner-up in the July 5th, 2005, Super Truck Showdown with a white ‘92
Chevy C1500 454SS pickup, was running his new Lightning for the first time. “I got it last winter”,
said Swartz before the final, “and all I’ve done is change the bottom pulley and hook it up to a
programmer”. After qualifying at 13.21/105.38, Swartz easily motored past Zuener’s holeshot-aided
15.95/83 with an even quicker 13.20 at 105.00 mph.
Tony Buhl, Lebanon, IL 1989 347 Mustang
Greg Boschert, St. Louis, MO 1966 331 Mustang
Curtis Wyatt, Granite City, IL 2002 152 WRX Sti
Jon Blalock, Hazelwood, MO 2003 122 Evolution
Brad Swartz, Troy, IL 2004 330 Lightning
Tim Zeuner, Crestwood, MO 2000 262 Xtreme
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 http://www.GatewayRaceway.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 Brett Heidgerken, Decatur, IL 67 Chevelle 505 Chevy 153.88 10/11/2005
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
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
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
FWD Adam Corbett, St. Charles, MO 85 Golf 122 Volks 11.622 8/30/2005
FWD Justin Bondurant, Fenton, MO 04 Neon 146 Dodge 122.66 10/11/2005
RTY Eric Cheatham, Belleville, IL 93 RX-7 79 Mazda 11.936 8/30/2005
RTY Derek Coffman, Valley Park, MO 94 RX-7 79 Mazda 122.21 8/10/2004
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
MAY 9th, 2006 SX PERFORMANCE STREET CAR SHOOTOUT QUALIFIERS
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle Engine ET MPH Date
EVENT 6 5/9/2006
1 Dave Odehnal Waterloo IL 93 Camaro 350 Chevy 10.756 128.48
2 Tony Buhl Lebanon IL 89 Mustang 331 Ford 10.782 128.58
3 Brett Evans Glen Carbon IL 65 Mustang 427 Ford 10.820 105.45
4 Greg Boschert St. Louis MO 66 Mustang 331 Ford 11.140 129.03
5 Eric Hohl St. Charles MO 90 Mustang 331 Ford 11.482 116.42
6 David Starns St. Louis MO 91 Mustang 355 Ford 11.710 120.37
7 Nick Hartwig Moscow Mills MO 93 Mustang 302 Ford 11.817 120.46
8 Chris Stauffer S. Roxana IL 81 El Camino 355 Chevy 12.077 113.41
9 Matthew Meyers Wood River IL 79 Malibu Wag 355 Chevy 12.165 109.56
10 Jim Harris O'Fallon MO 03 Corvette 346 Chevy 12.231 116.78
11 Tim Girardier St. Clair MO 93 Lightning 351 Ford 12.461 110.33
12 Tony Viviano St. Charles MO 03 Mustang 281 Ford 12.581 115.92
13 Pat Anderson Glen Carbon IL 02 Firebird 346 Pont 12.655 108.95
14 Ed Croak Belleville IL 06 Corvette 346 Chevy 12.661 113.08
15 Steve Ong Wildwood MO 02 Camaro 346 Chevy 12.666 107.95
16 Dave Koshinski Bethalto IL 04 GTO 346 Pont 12.743 112.73
MAY 9th, 2006 SX PERFORMANCE STREET CAR SHOOTOUT FINAL ROUND
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle R.T. ET MPH
W Tony Buhl, Lebanon, IL 1989 347 Mustang 0.004 11.202 126.68
RU Greg Boschert, St. Louis, MO 1966 331 Mustang 0.270 13.361 104.54
After two weeks of interruptions, first from the annual NASCAR Craftsman Truck Racing series and
then by a lightning strike which rendered the track’s $40,000 timing system useless, the SX
Performance Street Car Shootout Series resumed at Gateway International Raceway but not without
a unique twist. After heavy thunderstorms earlier in the day with local weather forecasters predicting
death and destruction for the next forty-eight hours, the competitors who actually braved the dismal
forecast were greeted with a cloudless sky and 70-degree temperatures. The modest turnout
included more than a few newcomers and, for the second straight event, bizarre events created an
unusual outcome in the first SCSS event in which not a single number one qualifier won a division!
High humidity and low baromteric pressure kept the corrected elevation between 1623 feet and 1123
above sea level but racers were also faced with a relatively narrow “groove” after the previous
weekend’s All-Harley Drag Racing Association National Event. Although over three hundred
motorcycles produced 6.3-second, 220 mph performances, they left a course tough to decipher for
the SCSS series regulars.
Few high-horsepower machines took to the track during timed trials; Tim Girardier’s wild 351
Windsor-powered ‘93 Lightning pickup was the quickest at 12.20/110.79. When qualifying officially
began, however, Tony Buhl wasted no time in firing an opening 11.07-second shot at 123.75 miles
per hour from his Vortech-blown ‘89 Mustang. David Starns, whose silver 355-cubic inch ‘91 Mustang
is normally a solid ten-second player, stumbled through tire spin and transmission difficulties en
route to an 11.84 at only 93 mph and Brett Evans, whose immaculate turbocharged ‘65 Mustang
debuted at the most recent SCSS event on April 18th, simply blew the tires away while coasting to a
12.34 at only 86 mph despite an eighth-mile cloking of 7.53/102.
Buhl finally received a response to his 11.07 polesitter from Greg “Hook-n-Ladder” Boschert, whose
popular stock-appearing 1966 Mustang had suffered from a mysterious fuel delivery problem during
the April 18th SCSS event which resulted in a disasterous DNQ. Still riding on narrow eight-inch
tires, Boschert engaged his new 300-horsepower nitrous oxide system and pedaled the Mustang
coupe to an 11.41 at a 129.03 mph speed...nearly three miles per hour faster than the St. Louis
fireman’s previous best.
The maroon Buhl’s Performance Ford returned fifteen minutes later and reeled off a 10.87/126.72 to
pad its advantage. Unfortunately, all three of his most serious challengers were in no position to
improve. Starns continued to struggle with a balky transmission, Evans could barely control his
huffed 427-inch smallblock, (even while clocking a 6.92/104 eighth-mile which indicated
the silver showpiece could conceivably be the quickest car on the property), and Boschert’s fuel
delivery problems returned to ruin his next three runs. Buhl took his opponents’ problems in stride,
however; a later 10.78/128.58 proved his point.
Chevy fans finally rejoiced when they saw the solid black ‘93 Camaro of Dave Odenahl pull out from
underneath the tower complex. The winner of the last two SCSS events had clocked solid
10.2-second efforts throughout April and the Waterloo, Illinois, veteran was seemingly the only hope
against the onslaught of Fords. Close observers noticed soemthing different about the LT1 Chevy,
however; Odenahl was sporting radial street tires, still mounted after having won last weekend’s King
of the Street event at Benton, Illinois. The Camaro spun hard off the line but Odenahl pedaled his
way to a 10.75/128.48 to steal the pole by four hundredths of a second while also producing the
loudest ovation from the grandstands.
Tony Buhl put his son, two-time SCSS event winner Rob Buhl, in the seat for another attempt but an
11.15/125.92 fell short. Boschert, meanwhile, discovered the source of his nightmarish fuel problem
and proved his repairs were accurate with a back-to-normal 11.14/127.51 blast. Odenahl made
another pass and found traction still lacking with a 10.88/123.58 and Tony Buhl squeezed in one
more shot at 10.86/127.68. Those two passes were followed by the most outrageous run of the event
when Evans got on-and-off the throttle multiple times while trying to keep his ‘65 Mustang away from
the wall before the car finally went sideways one last time near the finish line. The scoreboards read
10.82 seconds at only 105 miles per hour but the eighth-mile numbers, screamed to the fans by
announcer “Radical Rich” Tivitt, were 6.61 seconds at 110.87 miles per hour. If nothing else, Evans
was more than capable of low 10-second efforts if the Mustang could just hook up.
After qualifying ended, Buhl and Odenahl were called to the staging area in front of the main
grandstands but only the maroon Mustang appeared. Word quickly reached the tower that Odenahl
“heard something in the engine” on the 10.88 run and decided not to risk damage. Evans was called
as first alternate but the Glen Carbon, Illinois, turbo racer declined on the basis of the instability of
his new machine. Second alternate Boschert, however, was more than happy to pull alongside Buhl’s
Mustang.
“I finally found the problem”, said an elated Boschert before the championship dash, “but my biggest
concern right now is whether I have enough nitrous left to even make this a race. I used an awful lot
of the stuff tonight before I got everything figured out”. Buhl, preparing the family Mustang with son
Rob and teammate and 2004 SCSS Season Champion Laurence Bass, was simply concerned with
getting a win. Having scored his only SCSS event title at the opening 2005 race, Buhl noted, “I just
want to get a trophy for this year...but you know how our luck goes!”.
Just before the two pulled out for the final round, Boschert ran to Buhl and, leaning through Buhl’s
driver window, said, “The last time I raced (current SCSS point leader) Tony Huff, he had a 0.008
Reaction Time. Do me a favor and don’t cut a double-oh-eight light, okay?” Buhl chuckled and the
two headed into the water box. When Bass signaled for Buhl to begin his burnout, the maroon Ford
took a hard right toward the retaining wall. “This ain’t gonna be pretty”, said Bass as the finalists
staged.
Bass was right. Buhl’s Mustang immediately spun the tires hard and headed for the centerline just
past the 60-feet mark. Buhl manhandled the Ford all the way down the track, flirting with
disqualification the entire distance. An 11.20 at 126.68 mph got the job done, but there was more to
the story. “I purged the nitrous just before I staged”, said Boschert after the run, “and nothing
happened. I just cringed and thought ‘I KNEW it!’ So there I am out of nitrous and I see him get
sideways. I had it floored by I just couldn’t get around him with the car dead fat”. Upon getting his
timeslip, Boschert received yet another slap...Buhl had hit the best Reaction Time in SCSS
final-round history with a brilliant 0.004! “It was pure skill”, joked an embarrassed Buhl after the final.
“I knew it was close but I didn’t think it was THAT close!”.
NOTES FROM THE SCSS: With point leaders Tony Huff and Hal Marshall not in attendance,
Dave Odenahl and Tony Buhl have made it a four-way tie for the SCSS Season Championship with
three “Fastest Street Car Qualifier” decals each. The point championship is determined by the
number of Qualifier stickers earned...Eric Hohl’s black-on-orange 331-inch ‘90 Mustang clocked a
best-ever 11.48/116.42...Ed Croak’s bright red ‘06 Z06 Corvette qualified at 12.66/113.08 but ran
12.61 after qualifying ended...Nick Hartwig’s 11.81/120.46 effort from his ‘90 302 Mustang was a
career-best and made the Troy, Missouri, racer the seventy-eighth member of the SCSS 120 MPH
Club...the best run for the ‘03 Z06 ‘Vette of tenth qualifier Jim Harris came on a pass in which he
missed fourth gear, coasting to a 12.23 at only 105, well off his normal 117 mph pace...the quickest
six-cylinder entry was Tyler Bussman’s $47,000 ‘04 BMW M3 with a 13.60/103.77 best. Unofficially,
the fastest six-cylinder was Greg Campos’ similarly-priced 2006 Cadillac CTS with a 14.02/103.12
during qualifying and a 14.20/104.17 afterward.
SX PERFORMANCE STREET CAR SHOOTOUT SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP POINT SERIES
STANDINGS (as of MAY 10th, 2006)
Pos (Points) Name Hometown ST Vehicle
1 (3) Tony Huff Collinsville IL 69 Nova 454 Chevy
2 (3) Hal Marshall Collinsville IL 86 S-10 350 Chevy
3 (3) Dave Odehnal Waterloo IL 93 Camaro 350 Chevy
4 (3) Tony Buhl Lebanon IL 89 Mustang 331 Ford
5 (2) Matt Verbeck Troy IL 68 Camaro 383 Chevy
6 (2) Joe Laramee Decatur IL 77 Pinto 147 Ford
7 (2) Rob Nolan Granite City IL 87 Regal 231 Buick
8 (2) Gary Bates O'Fallon MO 04 GTO 346 Pont
9 (2) Greg Boschert St. Louis MO 66 Mustang 331 Ford
10 (2) David Starns St. Louis MO 91 Mustang 355 Ford
MAY 9th, 2006 GATEWAYRACEWAY.COM SPORT TUNER SHOWDOWN FINAL
ROUND
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle R.T. ET MPH
W Curtis Wyatt, Granite City, IL 2002 152 WRX 0.047 13.358 106.03
RU Jon Blalock, Hazelwood, MO 2003 122 Evolution -0.061 13.530 104.33
Without Joe Laramee’s record-smashing Pinto in attandance, the Sport Tuner Showdown Series
returned to some semblance of normalcy. After making the April 18th final round as second alternate,
Jon Blalock’s silver-striped yellow ‘05 Evo 8 made a strong statement by qualifying in the number
one position with a 13.18, (at a best-ever 105.23 mph), which was more than three tenths of a
second quicker than his closest rival. A decent battle ensued throughout qualifying between Curtis
Wyatt’s blue Subaru Impreza WRX and Rob Mocher’s silver version. Mocher’s St. Charles,
Missouri-based WRX had its all-wheel-drive working to perfection with consistent 1.9-second 60-feet
ETs on its way to a best-ever 13.51/100.93 but eventually hooked a tad too hard and destroyed a
half-shaft. When qualifying concluded, Wyatt’s 13.48/104.69 best allowed his machine to become
the first Subaru to ever qualify for a Sport Tuner Showdown championship race, outqualifying
Mocher, Jeff Shepherd’s surprising ‘05 Cobalt, (13.79/103.42), Nick Wahle’s Pacific, Missouri,
non-SRT4 ‘98 Neon, (14.19/101.07), and SRT4 Dodges of Blake Oelze, (14.331/102.62), and
Russell Jenkins, (14.334/97.60).
Wyatt’s wingless Sti is a regular in the Sport Tuner Showdown Series but Blalock’s luck had finally
been turning with his Mitsubishi. Moreover, Wyatt was suffering from tire spin and, as the humidity
increased to 97% by the end of qualifying, it was only getting worse. “I run a GReddy 18G
turbocharger on it”, said Wyatt of his WRX before the final, “and it’s simply way too much turbo for
this car. I’m really having trouble getting it to hook tonight”. In the title bout, both drivers apparently
felt Reaction Time would play a key role in the outcome. Blalock pushed the ‘Tree to a redlight by a
mere sixty-one thousandths of a second, however, and was then outrun anyway by Wyatt’s 13.33,
(only two hundredths from his career-best), at a best-ever speed of 106.03 mph. “It spun in third
gear, too”, said Blalock of his second straight runner-up, “so it wasn’t very pretty on either end of the
track”. For Wyatt, the event was an example of perserverance. As a regular attendee of the Tuesday
night battles, he not only scored his first title but earned the first win for a Subaru in the process.
MAY 9th, 2006 GATEWAYRACEWAY.COM SUPER TRUCK SHOWDOWN FINAL
ROUND
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle R.T. ET MPH
W Brad Swartz, Troy, IL 2004 330 Lightning 0.271 13.204 105.00
RU Tim Zeuner, Crestwood, MO 2000 262 Xtreme 0.094 15.993 83.75
No Hal Marshall? That was the most commonly-asked question among the Super Truck Showdown
Series regulars but the winningest Tuesday night racer ever was, indeed, a no-show for the first time
in past nine events, a span stretching back to August 30th, 2005! However, the lack of “Animal Hal”
didn’t prevent the attrition which has become rampant in the Super Truck program.
Chris Stauffer’s aquamarine 355-inch ‘81 El Camino recorded a string of low 12-second runs which
culmnated in the second quickest Super Truck run of the season, (12.07/113.41). Tim Giradier’s
unique ‘93 Lightning, using a 351 Windsor powerplant from the original Ford SVO production run,
clocked an impressive 12.46/110.43 best in qualifying but had actually hit a 12.20/110.79 during
timed trials in the worst atmospheric conditions of the event. Neither made the call to the staging
area for the championship match, however, and first alternate Brad Swartz was called in to make the
run in his new ‘04 Lightning. The hunt for an opponent was tough.
Although Swartz was followed by Kevin O’Connor’s popular smoke-spewing Cummins-powered ‘04
Ram 3500 diesel, (13.90/97.25), Dinko Kovac’s wild supercharged Harley-Davidson Edition ‘02
F150, (14.61/94.15), and Corey Hall’s Hemi-powered ‘03 Dodge Ram, (14.80/90.16), it was tenth
alternate Tim Zeuner who finally pulled to the lanes. A regular in GIR’s extremely tough Saturday
bracket racing series with his Vortech V6-powered 2000 S-10 Xtreme, Zeuner’s 15.94/84 best wasn’t
going to win but, as Zuener said before the final round, “If they’re that anxious to give out a
runner-up trophy, I’ll take it!”.
Swartz, who earned a runner-up in the July 5th, 2005, Super Truck Showdown with a white ‘92
Chevy C1500 454SS pickup, was running his new Lightning for the first time. “I got it last winter”,
said Swartz before the final, “and all I’ve done is change the bottom pulley and hook it up to a
programmer”. After qualifying at 13.21/105.38, Swartz easily motored past Zuener’s holeshot-aided
15.95/83 with an even quicker 13.20 at 105.00 mph.
Tony Buhl, Lebanon, IL 1989 347 Mustang
Greg Boschert, St. Louis, MO 1966 331 Mustang
Curtis Wyatt, Granite City, IL 2002 152 WRX Sti
Jon Blalock, Hazelwood, MO 2003 122 Evolution
Brad Swartz, Troy, IL 2004 330 Lightning
Tim Zeuner, Crestwood, MO 2000 262 Xtreme
