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 St. Louis Street Racers (http://www.stlsr.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 Corbitt, St. Charles, MO 85 Golf 122 Volks 11.583 5/23/2006
FWD Adam Corbitt, St. Charles, MO 85 Golf 122 Volks 126.95 5/30/2006
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
JUNE 6th, 2006 SX PERFORMANCE STREET CAR SHOOTOUT QUALIFIERS
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle Engine ET MPH Date
EVENT 10 6/6/2006
1 Tony Huff Collinsville IL 68 Nova 468 Chevy 10.308 129.44
2 Tony Buhl Lebanon IL 89 Mustang 331 Ford 10.716 128.32
3 Hal Marshall Collinsville IL 86 S-10 350 Chevy 10.863 125.59
4 George Wahby Fenton MO 74 Pinto 350 Chevy 11.101 118.31
5 Roger Butler Edmundson MO 67 Barracuda 440 Plym 11.202 122.61
6 Jim Harris O'Fallon MO 03 Corvette 346 Chevy 11.398 126.36
7 Ryan Helms Park Hills MO 04 Mustang 281 Ford 11.455 122.53
8 Kris Autram St. Charles MO 64 Nova 355 Chevy 12.057 112.54
9 Jim Brown O'Fallon MO 70 Mustang 351 Ford 12.071 111.63
10 Jim Sickler St. Louis MO 77 Electra 455 Buick 12.084 111.42
11 Kevin Goss Brighton IL 78 El Camino 406 Chevy 12.238 110.12
12 Alex Hagen Fenton MO 99 Camaro 350 Chevy 12.417 109.67
13 Aaron Hagen Fenton MO 70 Nova 350 Chevy 12.436 109.42
14 Eric Martin Scott AFB IL 90 Mustang 302 Ford 12.725 108.14
15 Senad Hadzic St. Louis MO 93 Firebird 350 Pont 12.731 106.67
16 Michael St. John Highland IL 70 Camaro 502 Chevy 12.791 110.15
JUNE 6th, 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 0.544 11.400 105.60
RU Tony Huff, Collinsville, IL 1968 468 Nova Foul Backed Out of Beams
A trend has definitely become apparent in the SX Performance Street Car Shootout Series at
Gateway International Raceway. With seven of ten events completed so far in 2006, the most recent
battle has now clearly defined a brewing Chevy-versus-Ford rivalry between two Illinois drivers who
have each earned two wins and one runner-up in the young season. For Tony Buhl and Tony Huff,
the war could last the entire year.
After last week’s five-day racing marathon, the SCSS series got back to a more relaxed pace. The
tenth event included the kick-off to the new Tuesday night timeslot for High School Eliminator and
again featured a star-studded line-up of NHRA Pro Stock competitors testing for the weekend’s
NHRA CARQUEST Auto Parts Nationals at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, IL. Three-time and
defending NHRA POWERade Pro Stock World Champion Greg Anderson drove his renowned
Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac GTO to the best performances at 6.74 seconds, 205.15 miles per
hour to prove the worth of the racing surface despite mediocre atmospheric conditions. While the
corrected elevation was up to 2198 feet above sea level when timed trials began, cooler night air
dropped the corrected altitude to 1663 feet during the final rounds.
George Wahby, whose unique LT1 Chevy-powered ‘74 Ford Pinto won its only SCSS title on
September 14th, 2004, set the early pace during qualifying with a wheelstanding 11.10/118.31 effort.
However, within twenty minutes last week’s runner-up, Tony Buhl, pushed his supercharged ‘89
Mustang to a 10.71 at 128.29 mph. Buhl was quickly followed by a rejuvenated Hal Marshall, whose
well-known ‘86 S-10 pickup hit a 10.94/125.99 to grab the second slot behind the Ford.
Tony Huff’s familiar silver ‘68 Chevy Nova didn’t make an appearance until an hour into the official
qualifying period but the 468-inch bigblock-powered rig opened with a conservative 10.36 at 129.18
mph to convincingly take the pole. The Buhl Auto Repair Ford followed only four pairs later with a
squirrelly 10.90/126.87...but Huff returned within another twenty minutes to restate his point with an
even quicker 10.30 at 129.44.
Buhl struggled to guide the maroon Mustang in a straight line but a later 10.87/128.32 still covered
much of the lane. Hal Marshall earned a roar from his massive cheering section by chopping a
hundredth of a second off his previous career-best elapsed time with a 10.86/125.27 shot from his
white pickup. Then, Huff managed to get in a shot only two minutes before the qualifying period
ended; a stumble off the starting line slowed the Nova to a 10.52/127.55 but the Chevy was still
quicker than any of its opponents.
The final round was a rematch of last week’s championship dash in which Huff was vulnerable but
Buhl’s Ford fouled away a certain victory. More importantly, the title bout could determine if Huff
could add to his two wins in 2006 or if Buhl could match that total with a win light in the Mustang. As
the two lined up for the honors, Huff rolled into the staged beam last. As the Collinsville, Illinois
veteran put the bigblock up against the PowerGlide automatic transmission’s converter, the car
rocked ever so slightly just as the countdown started. Unfortunately, the front tires rolled back out of
the staged beam and the redlight shined immediately.
Incredibly, the race wasn’t over...yet. Buhl saw the redlight and, after a hesitation to check reality,
launched for the finish line. At halftrack, the Mustang was all over the left lane and flirting with the
centerline...the crossing of which would result in disqualification for the Ford and a win for the
redlighting Chevy! At the last possible moment, Buhl finally got out of the throttle to accept a win
which was almost being forced upon him.
“I guess we’re going to have to do some suspension work on this thing”, said Buhl during the
winner’s ceremonies in front of the main grandstand, “because it was going straight as a string all the
way through the World Ford Challenge (in May) when we ran in the 10.50s. Now, I’m fighting the car
every pass and that one just about cost us the trophy”. Buhl had no idea what had happened on the
starting line, adding, “I saw the redlight but I knew he didn’t move forward. I was confused but I
figured I’d better just make the run. I wish I could’ve made the full pass but that sure wasn’t going to
happen!”. Tony Huff could only shrug off the redlight, noting, “I knew what happened although I
wasn’t sure that I had actually rolled backwards. When the staging light didn’t come back on, I knew I
was out of the beam, though”. Huff never used the nitrous system which put him in the nine-second
zone last week, adding, “I’m going to get my physical next week and then the car will be certified for
my license runs. Within a few weeks, I’ll really be able to lean on this thing!”.
NOTES FROM THE SCSS: Although both Tony Buhl and Tony Huff have two wins and a
runner-up this year, it’s Buhl and Hal Marshall who still lead the point standings for the 2006 SCSS
Championship with seven “Fastest Street Car Qualifier” decals each. The point championship is
determined by the number of Qualifier stickers earned. An amazing eighty-seven different drivers
have earned decals in just eight events so far in 2006...Jim Harris realized a lifelong dream by
receiving a loud speech from Tech Director “Big Al” after unleashing a career-best 11.39 at 126.36
from his blue 2003 Z06 Corvette. The O’Fallon, Missouri, racer backed it up with a pair of 11.50s.
Harris also jumped past Greg Boschert and Dave Odenahl, (both out with damage this week), into
fourth place in the point standings...Roger Butler clocked the best numbers of the season for a
Chrysler product. His yellow North St. Louis-based ‘67 Barracuda coupe ran as quick as
11.20/122.61 to become the eighty-fourth member of the SCSS 120 MPH Club but had earlier
clocked an 11.25 at only 110 mph on a pass with a much better eighth-mile ET...Brothers Alex and
Aaron Hagen qualified within nineteen thousandths of a second and a quarter of a mile-per-hour of
each other. Aaron turned sixteen just days ago and made his first drag racing pass ever during the
qualifying session. Alex also broke the rearend in his pewter ‘99 Camaro...Ryan Helms’
modular-motored ‘04 Mustang became the eighty-fifth member of the SCSS 120 MPH Club while
clocking 11.40s...Crowd favorite of the event was easily Jim Sickler’s massive white 1977 Buick
Electra with 455 Buick power. The 4500-pound monster just missed the eleven-second zone...Only
Tony Buhl has earned any Ford victories for Ford in 2006; Chevy leads the ‘06 Manufacturer’s Cup
standings, five wins to two for the Blue Oval...Tony Viviano’s ‘03 Cobra stepped up from a
12.99/114.78 in qualifying to a 12.51/115.29 in late timed trials...Dean Cassidy’s ‘05 Mach I improved
from a 12.90/110.06 qualifying best to a 12.60/111.81 in late timed trials.
SX PERFORMANCE STREET CAR SHOOTOUT SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP POINT
STANDINGS (as of JUNE 7th, 2006)
Pos Points Name Hometown ST Vehicle Engine
1 (7) Tony Buhl Lebanon IL 89 Mustang 331 Ford
2 (7) Hal Marshall Collinsville IL 86 S-10 350 Chevy
3 (6) Tony Huff Collinsville IL 68 Nova 468 Chevy
4 (4) Jim Harris O'Fallon MO 03 Corvette 346 Chevy
5 (3) Dave Odehnal Waterloo IL 93 Camaro 350 Chevy
6 (3) Greg Boschert St. Louis MO 66 Mustang 331 Ford
7 (2) Matt Verbeck Troy IL 68 Camaro 383 Chevy
8 (2) Joe Laramee Decatur IL 77 Pinto 147 Ford
9 (2) Rob Nolan Granite City IL 87 Regal 231 Buick
10 (2) Gary Bates O'Fallon MO 04 GTO 346 Pont
11 (2) David Starns St. Louis MO 91 Mustang 355 Ford
12 (2) Chris Stauffer S. Roxana IL 81 El Camino 355 Chevy
13 (2) Faisal Merghelani St. Louis MO 02 Camaro 346 Chevy
14 (2) Matthew Meyers Wood River IL 79 Malibu Wagon 355 Chevy
15 (2) William McIntire, Jr East Alton IL 03 Mustang 281 Ford
16 (2) Rusty Schneider Owensville MO 99 Mustang 281 Ford
17 (2) George Wahby Fenton MO 74 Pinto 350 Chevy
18 (2) Kevin Goss Brighton IL 78 El Camino 406 Chevy
19 (2) Eric Martin Scott AFB IL 90 Mustang 302 Ford
20 (2) Michael St. John Highland IL 70 Camaro 502 Chevy
JUNE 6th, 2006 STLSR.COM SPORT TUNER SHOWDOWN FINAL ROUND
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle R.T. ET MPH
W Brad Gross, St. Louis, MO 1999 231 Grand Prix 0.274 17.134 79.79
RU Jason Kath, Bridgeton, MO 1994 176 3000 GT -0.033 13.062 106.24
When Brad Gross won his first Sport Tuner Showdown Series title back on May 10th of 2005, he
coincidentally became the first racer ever to with the STS trophy with a six-cylinder machine. Ranked
fourth quickest of all Front-Wheel-Drive 6-cylinders in the history of the SCSS, Brad’s supercharged
‘99 Grand Prix remains the only winner with a six-banger in the series. In his first appearance of
2006, he not only managed to retain that title but won the first final round in which both drivers
were using six-cylinder powerplant and he did it against the quickest of the six-hole All-Wheel-Drive
machines, Jason Kath’s ‘94 3000GT, earning the first Sport Tuner trophy posted by new sponsor St.
Louis Street Racers.com, ( http://www.stlsr.com ).
A member of the ultra-competitive St. Louis Club Grand Prix , ( http://www.stlclubgp.com ), Brad’s
black GTP actually qualified second behind Kath’s red Mitsubishi despite a best-ever 12.85/107.62.
Kath managed a 12.80/109.99 which led the Sport Tuner qualifying while missing a “Fastest Street
Car Qualifier” decal by all of sixteen thousandths of a second. While the quickest four-cylinder entry
was the well-known canary yellow Rear-Wheel-Drive ‘91 Toyota MR2 of Bill Simpson,
(13.03/109.70), three more Grands Prix qualified under 15.00 including Brad’s brother Kyle in his
new ‘97 model.
Kath, who had scored a runner-up on May 23rd while fouling in the final against Ross Accardi’s
Eclipse, held the same five-hundredths of a second advantage after his (12.88/107.47) and Gross’
(12.93/107.53) last runs before the final. In the trophy dash, however, Kath pushed the ‘Tree once
again and came up red by a mere thirty-three thousandths of a second. To add insult to injury, Gross
immediately spun the front tires on his GP and idled through for a 17-second win. “I did it again!”,
said a disgusted Kath after the final, “and I’m having clutch problems, too. Alll night long it was either
slipping or bogging. I may have to take a look at the disc”. Gross, however, was more than willing to
take the trophy. “Between work and school, I really can’t get out to the track as much as I’d like. The
only thing I’ve really changed on the car was the addition of a ported supercharger but I’d really like
to get it down below 12.80s this year”.
JUNE 6th, 2006 GATEWAYRACEWAY.COM SUPER TRUCK SHOWDOWN FINAL
ROUND
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle R.T. ET MPH
W Hal Marshall, Collinsville, IL 1986 350 S-10 0.277 10.914 125.66
RU Kevin Goss, Brighton, IL 1978 406 El Camino 0.044 12.284 110.06
So, “Animal Hal” now has eleven career victories and he’s far and away the winningest driver in
SCSS history. But, would you believe this week Hal had no problems whatsoever with his little white
S-10 pickup? Of course not. However, the problem this time around was Hal.
His aforementioned career-best 10.86 at 125.27 mph was a clean pass; no transmission problems,
no traction problems...nothing. He made multiple passes in the ten-second zone and everything was
fine. That is until he decided to make one more pass after qualifying ended. As Hal left the line in the
right lane, the right rear tire spun while the left rear tire didn’t. That sent the little truck toward the
wall and Hal held on while it went everywhere but straight. Finally, with the right front fender no more
than a foot away from the concrete barrier, Hal lifted. When he was told after the run about the
traction imbalance, Hal responded, “You know, I thought it might have been a little out of the
groove when I staged. When I was staring at the wall, I was pretty sure of it. This thing has a short
wheelbase and you can’t just get out of the throttle. That’s when it really goes nuts. I had to stay in it
for a while. I didn’t want to, but that’s how I have to drive it.”
With composure regained, Hal staged up for a rematch with old rival and Gateway bracket racing
star Kevin Goss, whose supercharged smallblock El Camino Hal had last defeated on May 23rd.
After a cautious launch, Hal motored on to a 10.91 win which just missed his career-best speed by
six hundredths of a mile-per-hour.
Photos of the June 6th SX Performance Street Car Shootout Series event are now available for
viewing at Bret Kepner Photos.
Tony Buhl, Lebanon, IL 1989 331 Mustang
Tony Huff, Collinsville, IL 1968 468 Nova
Brad Gross, St. Louis, MO 1999 231 Grand Prix GTP
Jason Kath, Bridgeton, MO 1994 176 3000 GT
Hal Marshall, Collinsville, IL 1986 350 S-10
Kevin Goss, Brighton, IL 1978 406 El Camino
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 St. Louis Street Racers (http://www.stlsr.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 Corbitt, St. Charles, MO 85 Golf 122 Volks 11.583 5/23/2006
FWD Adam Corbitt, St. Charles, MO 85 Golf 122 Volks 126.95 5/30/2006
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
JUNE 6th, 2006 SX PERFORMANCE STREET CAR SHOOTOUT QUALIFIERS
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle Engine ET MPH Date
EVENT 10 6/6/2006
1 Tony Huff Collinsville IL 68 Nova 468 Chevy 10.308 129.44
2 Tony Buhl Lebanon IL 89 Mustang 331 Ford 10.716 128.32
3 Hal Marshall Collinsville IL 86 S-10 350 Chevy 10.863 125.59
4 George Wahby Fenton MO 74 Pinto 350 Chevy 11.101 118.31
5 Roger Butler Edmundson MO 67 Barracuda 440 Plym 11.202 122.61
6 Jim Harris O'Fallon MO 03 Corvette 346 Chevy 11.398 126.36
7 Ryan Helms Park Hills MO 04 Mustang 281 Ford 11.455 122.53
8 Kris Autram St. Charles MO 64 Nova 355 Chevy 12.057 112.54
9 Jim Brown O'Fallon MO 70 Mustang 351 Ford 12.071 111.63
10 Jim Sickler St. Louis MO 77 Electra 455 Buick 12.084 111.42
11 Kevin Goss Brighton IL 78 El Camino 406 Chevy 12.238 110.12
12 Alex Hagen Fenton MO 99 Camaro 350 Chevy 12.417 109.67
13 Aaron Hagen Fenton MO 70 Nova 350 Chevy 12.436 109.42
14 Eric Martin Scott AFB IL 90 Mustang 302 Ford 12.725 108.14
15 Senad Hadzic St. Louis MO 93 Firebird 350 Pont 12.731 106.67
16 Michael St. John Highland IL 70 Camaro 502 Chevy 12.791 110.15
JUNE 6th, 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 0.544 11.400 105.60
RU Tony Huff, Collinsville, IL 1968 468 Nova Foul Backed Out of Beams
A trend has definitely become apparent in the SX Performance Street Car Shootout Series at
Gateway International Raceway. With seven of ten events completed so far in 2006, the most recent
battle has now clearly defined a brewing Chevy-versus-Ford rivalry between two Illinois drivers who
have each earned two wins and one runner-up in the young season. For Tony Buhl and Tony Huff,
the war could last the entire year.
After last week’s five-day racing marathon, the SCSS series got back to a more relaxed pace. The
tenth event included the kick-off to the new Tuesday night timeslot for High School Eliminator and
again featured a star-studded line-up of NHRA Pro Stock competitors testing for the weekend’s
NHRA CARQUEST Auto Parts Nationals at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, IL. Three-time and
defending NHRA POWERade Pro Stock World Champion Greg Anderson drove his renowned
Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac GTO to the best performances at 6.74 seconds, 205.15 miles per
hour to prove the worth of the racing surface despite mediocre atmospheric conditions. While the
corrected elevation was up to 2198 feet above sea level when timed trials began, cooler night air
dropped the corrected altitude to 1663 feet during the final rounds.
George Wahby, whose unique LT1 Chevy-powered ‘74 Ford Pinto won its only SCSS title on
September 14th, 2004, set the early pace during qualifying with a wheelstanding 11.10/118.31 effort.
However, within twenty minutes last week’s runner-up, Tony Buhl, pushed his supercharged ‘89
Mustang to a 10.71 at 128.29 mph. Buhl was quickly followed by a rejuvenated Hal Marshall, whose
well-known ‘86 S-10 pickup hit a 10.94/125.99 to grab the second slot behind the Ford.
Tony Huff’s familiar silver ‘68 Chevy Nova didn’t make an appearance until an hour into the official
qualifying period but the 468-inch bigblock-powered rig opened with a conservative 10.36 at 129.18
mph to convincingly take the pole. The Buhl Auto Repair Ford followed only four pairs later with a
squirrelly 10.90/126.87...but Huff returned within another twenty minutes to restate his point with an
even quicker 10.30 at 129.44.
Buhl struggled to guide the maroon Mustang in a straight line but a later 10.87/128.32 still covered
much of the lane. Hal Marshall earned a roar from his massive cheering section by chopping a
hundredth of a second off his previous career-best elapsed time with a 10.86/125.27 shot from his
white pickup. Then, Huff managed to get in a shot only two minutes before the qualifying period
ended; a stumble off the starting line slowed the Nova to a 10.52/127.55 but the Chevy was still
quicker than any of its opponents.
The final round was a rematch of last week’s championship dash in which Huff was vulnerable but
Buhl’s Ford fouled away a certain victory. More importantly, the title bout could determine if Huff
could add to his two wins in 2006 or if Buhl could match that total with a win light in the Mustang. As
the two lined up for the honors, Huff rolled into the staged beam last. As the Collinsville, Illinois
veteran put the bigblock up against the PowerGlide automatic transmission’s converter, the car
rocked ever so slightly just as the countdown started. Unfortunately, the front tires rolled back out of
the staged beam and the redlight shined immediately.
Incredibly, the race wasn’t over...yet. Buhl saw the redlight and, after a hesitation to check reality,
launched for the finish line. At halftrack, the Mustang was all over the left lane and flirting with the
centerline...the crossing of which would result in disqualification for the Ford and a win for the
redlighting Chevy! At the last possible moment, Buhl finally got out of the throttle to accept a win
which was almost being forced upon him.
“I guess we’re going to have to do some suspension work on this thing”, said Buhl during the
winner’s ceremonies in front of the main grandstand, “because it was going straight as a string all the
way through the World Ford Challenge (in May) when we ran in the 10.50s. Now, I’m fighting the car
every pass and that one just about cost us the trophy”. Buhl had no idea what had happened on the
starting line, adding, “I saw the redlight but I knew he didn’t move forward. I was confused but I
figured I’d better just make the run. I wish I could’ve made the full pass but that sure wasn’t going to
happen!”. Tony Huff could only shrug off the redlight, noting, “I knew what happened although I
wasn’t sure that I had actually rolled backwards. When the staging light didn’t come back on, I knew I
was out of the beam, though”. Huff never used the nitrous system which put him in the nine-second
zone last week, adding, “I’m going to get my physical next week and then the car will be certified for
my license runs. Within a few weeks, I’ll really be able to lean on this thing!”.
NOTES FROM THE SCSS: Although both Tony Buhl and Tony Huff have two wins and a
runner-up this year, it’s Buhl and Hal Marshall who still lead the point standings for the 2006 SCSS
Championship with seven “Fastest Street Car Qualifier” decals each. The point championship is
determined by the number of Qualifier stickers earned. An amazing eighty-seven different drivers
have earned decals in just eight events so far in 2006...Jim Harris realized a lifelong dream by
receiving a loud speech from Tech Director “Big Al” after unleashing a career-best 11.39 at 126.36
from his blue 2003 Z06 Corvette. The O’Fallon, Missouri, racer backed it up with a pair of 11.50s.
Harris also jumped past Greg Boschert and Dave Odenahl, (both out with damage this week), into
fourth place in the point standings...Roger Butler clocked the best numbers of the season for a
Chrysler product. His yellow North St. Louis-based ‘67 Barracuda coupe ran as quick as
11.20/122.61 to become the eighty-fourth member of the SCSS 120 MPH Club but had earlier
clocked an 11.25 at only 110 mph on a pass with a much better eighth-mile ET...Brothers Alex and
Aaron Hagen qualified within nineteen thousandths of a second and a quarter of a mile-per-hour of
each other. Aaron turned sixteen just days ago and made his first drag racing pass ever during the
qualifying session. Alex also broke the rearend in his pewter ‘99 Camaro...Ryan Helms’
modular-motored ‘04 Mustang became the eighty-fifth member of the SCSS 120 MPH Club while
clocking 11.40s...Crowd favorite of the event was easily Jim Sickler’s massive white 1977 Buick
Electra with 455 Buick power. The 4500-pound monster just missed the eleven-second zone...Only
Tony Buhl has earned any Ford victories for Ford in 2006; Chevy leads the ‘06 Manufacturer’s Cup
standings, five wins to two for the Blue Oval...Tony Viviano’s ‘03 Cobra stepped up from a
12.99/114.78 in qualifying to a 12.51/115.29 in late timed trials...Dean Cassidy’s ‘05 Mach I improved
from a 12.90/110.06 qualifying best to a 12.60/111.81 in late timed trials.
SX PERFORMANCE STREET CAR SHOOTOUT SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP POINT
STANDINGS (as of JUNE 7th, 2006)
Pos Points Name Hometown ST Vehicle Engine
1 (7) Tony Buhl Lebanon IL 89 Mustang 331 Ford
2 (7) Hal Marshall Collinsville IL 86 S-10 350 Chevy
3 (6) Tony Huff Collinsville IL 68 Nova 468 Chevy
4 (4) Jim Harris O'Fallon MO 03 Corvette 346 Chevy
5 (3) Dave Odehnal Waterloo IL 93 Camaro 350 Chevy
6 (3) Greg Boschert St. Louis MO 66 Mustang 331 Ford
7 (2) Matt Verbeck Troy IL 68 Camaro 383 Chevy
8 (2) Joe Laramee Decatur IL 77 Pinto 147 Ford
9 (2) Rob Nolan Granite City IL 87 Regal 231 Buick
10 (2) Gary Bates O'Fallon MO 04 GTO 346 Pont
11 (2) David Starns St. Louis MO 91 Mustang 355 Ford
12 (2) Chris Stauffer S. Roxana IL 81 El Camino 355 Chevy
13 (2) Faisal Merghelani St. Louis MO 02 Camaro 346 Chevy
14 (2) Matthew Meyers Wood River IL 79 Malibu Wagon 355 Chevy
15 (2) William McIntire, Jr East Alton IL 03 Mustang 281 Ford
16 (2) Rusty Schneider Owensville MO 99 Mustang 281 Ford
17 (2) George Wahby Fenton MO 74 Pinto 350 Chevy
18 (2) Kevin Goss Brighton IL 78 El Camino 406 Chevy
19 (2) Eric Martin Scott AFB IL 90 Mustang 302 Ford
20 (2) Michael St. John Highland IL 70 Camaro 502 Chevy
JUNE 6th, 2006 STLSR.COM SPORT TUNER SHOWDOWN FINAL ROUND
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle R.T. ET MPH
W Brad Gross, St. Louis, MO 1999 231 Grand Prix 0.274 17.134 79.79
RU Jason Kath, Bridgeton, MO 1994 176 3000 GT -0.033 13.062 106.24
When Brad Gross won his first Sport Tuner Showdown Series title back on May 10th of 2005, he
coincidentally became the first racer ever to with the STS trophy with a six-cylinder machine. Ranked
fourth quickest of all Front-Wheel-Drive 6-cylinders in the history of the SCSS, Brad’s supercharged
‘99 Grand Prix remains the only winner with a six-banger in the series. In his first appearance of
2006, he not only managed to retain that title but won the first final round in which both drivers
were using six-cylinder powerplant and he did it against the quickest of the six-hole All-Wheel-Drive
machines, Jason Kath’s ‘94 3000GT, earning the first Sport Tuner trophy posted by new sponsor St.
Louis Street Racers.com, ( http://www.stlsr.com ).
A member of the ultra-competitive St. Louis Club Grand Prix , ( http://www.stlclubgp.com ), Brad’s
black GTP actually qualified second behind Kath’s red Mitsubishi despite a best-ever 12.85/107.62.
Kath managed a 12.80/109.99 which led the Sport Tuner qualifying while missing a “Fastest Street
Car Qualifier” decal by all of sixteen thousandths of a second. While the quickest four-cylinder entry
was the well-known canary yellow Rear-Wheel-Drive ‘91 Toyota MR2 of Bill Simpson,
(13.03/109.70), three more Grands Prix qualified under 15.00 including Brad’s brother Kyle in his
new ‘97 model.
Kath, who had scored a runner-up on May 23rd while fouling in the final against Ross Accardi’s
Eclipse, held the same five-hundredths of a second advantage after his (12.88/107.47) and Gross’
(12.93/107.53) last runs before the final. In the trophy dash, however, Kath pushed the ‘Tree once
again and came up red by a mere thirty-three thousandths of a second. To add insult to injury, Gross
immediately spun the front tires on his GP and idled through for a 17-second win. “I did it again!”,
said a disgusted Kath after the final, “and I’m having clutch problems, too. Alll night long it was either
slipping or bogging. I may have to take a look at the disc”. Gross, however, was more than willing to
take the trophy. “Between work and school, I really can’t get out to the track as much as I’d like. The
only thing I’ve really changed on the car was the addition of a ported supercharger but I’d really like
to get it down below 12.80s this year”.
JUNE 6th, 2006 GATEWAYRACEWAY.COM SUPER TRUCK SHOWDOWN FINAL
ROUND
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle R.T. ET MPH
W Hal Marshall, Collinsville, IL 1986 350 S-10 0.277 10.914 125.66
RU Kevin Goss, Brighton, IL 1978 406 El Camino 0.044 12.284 110.06
So, “Animal Hal” now has eleven career victories and he’s far and away the winningest driver in
SCSS history. But, would you believe this week Hal had no problems whatsoever with his little white
S-10 pickup? Of course not. However, the problem this time around was Hal.
His aforementioned career-best 10.86 at 125.27 mph was a clean pass; no transmission problems,
no traction problems...nothing. He made multiple passes in the ten-second zone and everything was
fine. That is until he decided to make one more pass after qualifying ended. As Hal left the line in the
right lane, the right rear tire spun while the left rear tire didn’t. That sent the little truck toward the
wall and Hal held on while it went everywhere but straight. Finally, with the right front fender no more
than a foot away from the concrete barrier, Hal lifted. When he was told after the run about the
traction imbalance, Hal responded, “You know, I thought it might have been a little out of the
groove when I staged. When I was staring at the wall, I was pretty sure of it. This thing has a short
wheelbase and you can’t just get out of the throttle. That’s when it really goes nuts. I had to stay in it
for a while. I didn’t want to, but that’s how I have to drive it.”
With composure regained, Hal staged up for a rematch with old rival and Gateway bracket racing
star Kevin Goss, whose supercharged smallblock El Camino Hal had last defeated on May 23rd.
After a cautious launch, Hal motored on to a 10.91 win which just missed his career-best speed by
six hundredths of a mile-per-hour.
Photos of the June 6th SX Performance Street Car Shootout Series event are now available for
viewing at Bret Kepner Photos.
Tony Buhl, Lebanon, IL 1989 331 Mustang
Tony Huff, Collinsville, IL 1968 468 Nova
Brad Gross, St. Louis, MO 1999 231 Grand Prix GTP
Jason Kath, Bridgeton, MO 1994 176 3000 GT
Hal Marshall, Collinsville, IL 1986 350 S-10
Kevin Goss, Brighton, IL 1978 406 El Camino
