EMcBride
Hoosier Stormtrooper
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FIGHTING TO THE FINISH
Fluidampr Super Street Class Tightest Race Entering DHRA DieselPower! Additives Sled Pulling Series’ Final Event
By DHRAOnline.com staff
Robert Miller entered this season certain it would be difficult.
He was moving up in class for the 2007 Diesel Hot Rod Association DieselPower! Additives Sled Pulling Series, competing against more experienced drivers in more competitive equipment. Winning a second series championship in two years, he figured, would be difficult, perhaps impossible.
Six months later, Miller said he was right. The season was difficult.
Here’s what he was wrong about:
Not having a chance to win a championship.
Miller, who last season won the DHRA’s Street Diesel class, moved up to Fluidampr Super Street this season. Entering the DieselPower! Additives Sled Pulling Series’ final event of the season – the September 29 event in Shelbyville, Ky. – Miller leads the class by seven points over Rod Tarr.
“We’ve got a pretty good shot at it, I think,” Miller told DHRAonline.com this week. “We’re hoping for good luck. We’ve been fortunate this year and hadn’t had anything break.”
Miller, 44, from Yadkinville, N.C., leads Tarr in points, 393-386.
The DHRA awards 55 points for a victory, and a minimum of five points for competing in a race, so if Miller wins at Shelbyville or finishes fourth or better, he will secure a second title in two seasons. It also marks the end to the Ingram domination in the class.
If Miller finishes fifth or worse, Tarr has a chance for the season title.
“We’ll probably try to do the same thing we’ve been doing all year – try to finish up top or somewhere close to the top,” Miller said.
And even though he has had similar success to last season, Miller said the jump in class has been as difficult as he expected.
“It has been a big difference,” he said. “We’re just lucky, I guess. We’ve been hitting the right marks. It’s about all you could say. I’ve had good track position and good draws on the pulls.
“That’s helped a lot. We’ve been fortunate. I hope it continues that way going into Shelbyville. There are a lot of real good guys. Anybody can win.”
The race in Fluidampr Super Street is the closest title chase in the four classes in the DieselPower! Additives Sled Pulling series, but all four classes feature tight races for at least one of the top five places, all of which pay prize money.
“There are good races going on,’ Dunbar said. “(Modified leader) Kent Crowder has his sewn up, but there are six guys that all have a chance to make it in the money for Modified. Same thing for Super Street.
“A lot of these are going to be decided in the final race.”
Entering Shelbyville, the points races break down as follows:
• In Modified, 2005 champion Kent Crowder (376.5 points) will clinch the 2007 title if he competes at Shelbyville because he is 53.5 points ahead of runner-up Curt Haisley (323 points), who has clinched at least second place. Jeremy Straley is third with 258.5 points followed by Ben Miller (fourth, 234), Terry Martin (fifth, 223) and Eric Stacey (sixth, 214). “All Kent Crowder needs to do is show up at the final pull and he wins,” Dunbar said.
• In Super Street, Miller (393) leads Tarr (386), with defending class season champion Brad Ingram in third with 330 points. Rick Smith (287 points) is fourth entering Shelbyville, followed by Bruce Balish (193). “Super Street is definitely competitive,” Dunbar said. “They (Miller and Tarr) are neck and neck, with Ingram on their heels.”
• In Street Diesel, Joel Reece has a commanding lead with 406 points, well ahead of second-place Darren Smith (360 points). Kevin Cole is third with 341 points, followed by Joe Occhipinti (fourth, 263 points), who is well ahead of a fifth-place tie between Luke Thomas and Ric Scrimmager, each of whom have 180 points. “Darren Smith and Kevin Cole, those two definitely can be battling it out for second,” Dunbar said. “Look at the fifth place spot – one of those two guys if they show up can secure a fifth-place spot.”
• In Work Stock, defending champion Dale Calendar has clinched a second consecutive season title with 450 points, 103 ahead of runner-up Jon Swartzentruber (347 points). Larry Waterman is just behind Swartzentruber with 329 points, followed Ari Squire (fourth, 272 points), Matt McIntosh (fifth, 143 points) and Mark Huckstorf (sixth, 121 points).
Fluidampr Super Street Class Tightest Race Entering DHRA DieselPower! Additives Sled Pulling Series’ Final Event
By DHRAOnline.com staff
Robert Miller entered this season certain it would be difficult.
He was moving up in class for the 2007 Diesel Hot Rod Association DieselPower! Additives Sled Pulling Series, competing against more experienced drivers in more competitive equipment. Winning a second series championship in two years, he figured, would be difficult, perhaps impossible.
Six months later, Miller said he was right. The season was difficult.
Here’s what he was wrong about:
Not having a chance to win a championship.
Miller, who last season won the DHRA’s Street Diesel class, moved up to Fluidampr Super Street this season. Entering the DieselPower! Additives Sled Pulling Series’ final event of the season – the September 29 event in Shelbyville, Ky. – Miller leads the class by seven points over Rod Tarr.
“We’ve got a pretty good shot at it, I think,” Miller told DHRAonline.com this week. “We’re hoping for good luck. We’ve been fortunate this year and hadn’t had anything break.”
Miller, 44, from Yadkinville, N.C., leads Tarr in points, 393-386.
The DHRA awards 55 points for a victory, and a minimum of five points for competing in a race, so if Miller wins at Shelbyville or finishes fourth or better, he will secure a second title in two seasons. It also marks the end to the Ingram domination in the class.
If Miller finishes fifth or worse, Tarr has a chance for the season title.
“We’ll probably try to do the same thing we’ve been doing all year – try to finish up top or somewhere close to the top,” Miller said.
And even though he has had similar success to last season, Miller said the jump in class has been as difficult as he expected.
“It has been a big difference,” he said. “We’re just lucky, I guess. We’ve been hitting the right marks. It’s about all you could say. I’ve had good track position and good draws on the pulls.
“That’s helped a lot. We’ve been fortunate. I hope it continues that way going into Shelbyville. There are a lot of real good guys. Anybody can win.”
The race in Fluidampr Super Street is the closest title chase in the four classes in the DieselPower! Additives Sled Pulling series, but all four classes feature tight races for at least one of the top five places, all of which pay prize money.
“There are good races going on,’ Dunbar said. “(Modified leader) Kent Crowder has his sewn up, but there are six guys that all have a chance to make it in the money for Modified. Same thing for Super Street.
“A lot of these are going to be decided in the final race.”
Entering Shelbyville, the points races break down as follows:
• In Modified, 2005 champion Kent Crowder (376.5 points) will clinch the 2007 title if he competes at Shelbyville because he is 53.5 points ahead of runner-up Curt Haisley (323 points), who has clinched at least second place. Jeremy Straley is third with 258.5 points followed by Ben Miller (fourth, 234), Terry Martin (fifth, 223) and Eric Stacey (sixth, 214). “All Kent Crowder needs to do is show up at the final pull and he wins,” Dunbar said.
• In Super Street, Miller (393) leads Tarr (386), with defending class season champion Brad Ingram in third with 330 points. Rick Smith (287 points) is fourth entering Shelbyville, followed by Bruce Balish (193). “Super Street is definitely competitive,” Dunbar said. “They (Miller and Tarr) are neck and neck, with Ingram on their heels.”
• In Street Diesel, Joel Reece has a commanding lead with 406 points, well ahead of second-place Darren Smith (360 points). Kevin Cole is third with 341 points, followed by Joe Occhipinti (fourth, 263 points), who is well ahead of a fifth-place tie between Luke Thomas and Ric Scrimmager, each of whom have 180 points. “Darren Smith and Kevin Cole, those two definitely can be battling it out for second,” Dunbar said. “Look at the fifth place spot – one of those two guys if they show up can secure a fifth-place spot.”
• In Work Stock, defending champion Dale Calendar has clinched a second consecutive season title with 450 points, 103 ahead of runner-up Jon Swartzentruber (347 points). Larry Waterman is just behind Swartzentruber with 329 points, followed Ari Squire (fourth, 272 points), Matt McIntosh (fifth, 143 points) and Mark Huckstorf (sixth, 121 points).