LARRY'S NATIONALS AT KILKARE DRAGWAY - MAY 31, 2009

After plenty of time off over the winter, Larry's Off Road Nationals kicked off the 2009 season with a bang! The festivities started on Saturday evening with a cook-out hosted by Larry, Marti and the whole gang from Larry's. Larry even provided the entertainment, which was really fun! R.K. Smith from Hot VW's was also around shooting a couple of local cars, so be sure to look for that in an upcoming issue!

There were a few thunderstorms towards the end of the evening but by Sunday morning the clouds were gone and the sun was shining! There were seven pro-stock cars in attendance and three pro-mod cars. Pro-Stockers making appearances were Damon Harmon and Jason Poynter-both from Texas, Nobby Sigfried-from Canada,Warren Skaggs, Oliver Frey, and local boys J.D. Curry and Brian Drew. Bringing out their pro-mods were Brannon Young and also local boys Gene Collier and Aaron Creech.

Once qualifying got started it was an absolutely fantastic day of racing!

The qualifying times for round one looked like this:

Driver	E.T.	MPH
Oliver Frey	6.18	112.21
Warren Skaggs	6.27	104.01
Nobby Sigfried	6.38	107.07
Jason Poynter	6.79	102.03
Brian Drew	8.60	88.78
Damon Harmon	10.688	40.35
J.D. Curry	7.00	98.25

For round two:

Driver	E.T.	MPH
Oliver Frey	7.289	68.80
Warren Skaggs	6.34	94.09
Nobby Sigfried	17.83	33.33
Jason Poynter	9.03	51.37
Brian Drew	6.99	104.13

 

And round three:

Driver	E.T.	MPH
Oliver Frey	6.91	77.44
Warren Skaggs	6.13	111.45
J.D. Curry	6.92	96.39
Jason Poynter	6.46	106.88
Brian Drew	7.79	91.47
Damon Harmon	12.87	32.23

After qualifying wrapped up, the Pro-Stock positions were as follows:

Position	Driver
1	Warren Skaggs
2	Oliver Frey
3	Nobby Sigfried
4	Jason Poynter
5	J.D. Curry
6	Brian Drew
7	Damon Harmon

Meanwhile in the pits there was a bit of thrashing going around. Damon was doing some tranny work, Ollie was swapping out motors and Warren was making some adjustments to his wheelie bars. Never a dull moment once racing starts! Out on the track R.K. Smith was hard at work getting some magazine worthy shots!

In the first round of eliminations, Warren advanced with a bye run and an E.T. of 6.16 at 113.03 mph. Jason Poynter advanced over J.D. Curry with an E.T. of 6.35 at 107.66 to J.D.'s 11.28 at 46.21 mph. Oliver Frey advanced over the reigning points champion Damon Harmon with an E.T. of 6.26 at 107.47 mph to Damon's 6.60 at 93.33 mph. Finally local racer Brian Drew advanced over Nobby Sigfried with an E.T. of 6.96 at 98.74 mph to Nobby's 7.80 at 84.91 mph.

In the semi-finals it was Warren over Jason with an E.T. of 6.20 at 113.04 to Jason's 6.43 at 106.31 mph. Ollie advanced over Brian Drew with an E.T. of 6.35 at 110.26 mph to Brian's 7.29 at 94.13 mph.

The final round paired up Warren Skaggs and Ollie Frey and the two are no strangers to meeting in the final round. This time it would be Warren to take the win light with an E.T. of 6.21 at 111.12 mph to Ollie's 6.31 at 110.80 mph.

Warren picked up the awards sponsored by Jim Unger Racing for Low E.T. and Best MPH. A big thanks to Jim Unger for sponsoring these extras!

Also a big thanks to Bob Butler who stole his wife's big screen so that we could all see the ladder in real time and as always thanks to Larry's Off Road for hosting one of the best events of the year!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FAST TIMES AT FARMINGTON - OCTOBER 19, 2008

In usual fashion, Farmington Dragway was host to the biggest ECPRA Pro-Stock field of the year. With nine cars in attendance, including the return of a couple that had missed most of the season and two all the way from Texas, the day was sure to be an exciting one!

In attendance were Damon Harmon, Jason Poynter, Denis Elliot, Oliver Frey, Lee Street, Warren Skaggs, Alan Fore, Tay Woykowski, and Gene Collier. This race marked the debut of a brand new engine for Skaggs Racing.

The first round of qualifying was as follows:

Driver	ET
Lee Street	6.960
Alan Fore	7.531
Warren Skaggs	6.758
Damon Harmon	N/A
Denis Elliot	6.052
Tay Woykowski	6.278
Jason Poynter	6.867
Oliver Frey	6.148
Gene Collier	7.157

 

The second round of qualifying would mean improvements for several drivers:

Driver	ET
Lee Street	6.452
Alan Fore	8.186
Warren Skaggs	6.087
Damon Harmon	7.022
Denis Elliot	6.139
Tay Woykowski	6.224
Jason Poynter	6.491
Oliver Frey	6.295
Gene Collier	N/A
Lee Street	6.452

 

And the third and final round of qualifying fell like this:

Driver	ET
Lee Street	6.390
Alan Fore	6.202
Warren Skaggs	7.601
Damon Harmon	6.109
Denis Elliot	6.107
Tay Woykowski	6.206
Jason Poynter	6.925
Oliver Frey	6.090
Gene Collier	6.446
Lee Street	6.390

The final qualifying order lined up to be a very tight field:

Driver	ET
Denis Elliot	6.052
Warren Skaggs	6.087
Oliver Frey	6.090
Damon Harmon	6.109
Alan Fore	6.202
Tay Woykowski	6.206
Lee Street	6.390
Gene Collier	6.446
Jason Poynter	6.491

In round one, Damon ran a 6.123 to top Lee's 6.392.  Alan ran a 6.188 to beat out Tay's 6.216.  Warren ran a 6.300 to advance over Jason's 6.937.  And Ollie ran an impressive 6.051 against Gene who landed a 9.023 due to some mechanical problems.  In the second round, Damon once again suffered transmission trouble, while Ollie ran another impressive pass with a 6.073.  Meanwhile, Alan Fore took Denis out of the points race with a 6.259 to Denis' 6.787.  Warren made a 6.219 in his bye run.  In the semi-final matchup Warren and Alan were the first out of the gate.  Alan got a little loose in third gear and found himself resting against the wall.  After a couple of full rotations, the car came to rest and Alan thankfully emerged unscathed.  Warren's time was a 6.081 but at the end of the track he was unaware of what had just happened behind him.  Ollie was allowed to forego the bye run so we went straight to the finals once the track was cleaned up.  In the finals, Warren ran a 6.115 to take the big win over Ollie who ran a 6.802. So in the end, Skaggs Racing made out with third place in the points race.

 

 

SEVWA BIG BUG SHOOTOUT AT PIEDMONT DRAGWAY - AUGUST 24, 2008

Piedmont Dragway and the SEVWA Big Bug Shootout was host to the next to last stop on the ECPRA Pro-Stock tour for 2008. The five car field was made up of Denis Elliot, Damon Harmon, Warren Skaggs, Oliver Frey, and Lee Street.

On Saturday evening the teams attempted to make qualifying passes but with the test and tune going on at the same time the track just wasn’t quite up to par for the pro stock cars. After one round the drivers decided to wait and make two passes on Sunday.

The second round of qualifying on Sunday proved that the field would be a tight one with three cars running a 6.23. Damon Harmon ran a 6.230, Warren Skaggs a 6.234 and Denis a 6.238.

During the third and final round of qualifying both Denis and Warren improved with Denis pulling out a 6.149 and Warren a 6.183. Oliver Frey also advanced his time with a 6.262 as did Lee Street with a 6.468.

The final qualifying order was as follows:

Driver	ET
Denis Elliot	6.149
Warren Skaggs	6.183
Damon Harmon	6.230
Oliver Frey	6.262
Lee Street	6.468

Round one was a bye run frenzy with three drivers making solo passes. Denis Elliot ran a 6.707, Warren Skaggs a 6.173, and Damon Harmon a 9.38. Oliver Frey and Lee Street faced each other in the only pairing of the round. Ollie had problems but took the win when Lee Street hit a red light. Although Ollie got a lucky break with the round win, he unfortunately had motor problems and was not able to enter the sem-final round.

Denis Elliot got a competition bye run into the final and in the only pairing of round two, Damon Harmon took the win over Warren Skaggs posting a 6.171 against Warren’s 6.207.

So the final round would match up the two points leaders of the series-Damon Harmon and Denis Elliot. As the fence was covered with fellow racers and a few spectators everyone watched anxiously to watch the East vs. West match up.

As the lights fell for the final round, it was Damon Harmon off the line first with a reaction time of .003 to Denis’ .127. Just as it looked like Denis took the lead, Damon passed him by and took the win with a 6.278 to Denis’ 6.174.

All in all it was a good day with beautiful weather and no wrecks so I would call that a success! See you at Farmington in October!

LONDON, KENTUCKY-JUNE 22ND, 2008

London Dragway in London Kentucky hosted the “Volkswagen Nationals” event on Sunday, June 22nd. This was the first time for pro-stocks at this race.

The day got off to a fantastic start with sunny skies and a mild breeze. Qualifying runs started around 12:30 with five pro-stock cars in attendance-Denis Elliot, Lee Street, Gene Collier, Damon Harmon, and Warren Skaggs. First up to the line were Denis Elliot and Damon Harmon. Something didn’t go just right for Damon though and he backed Quarter Toy 2 up and headed back to the pits without making a pass. Denis however made a very impressive run for the spectators with a 6.11 at 110.59 mph. The next three drivers all made single passes and their times were as follows:

Gene Collier-6.7249 at 103.21 mph
Warren Skaggs-6.2619 at 108.48 mph
Lee Street-6.4439 at 106.33 mph

Before anyone could get to the line for round two of qualifying, the skies opened up and dropped a nice big shower at the track. Luckily the shower didn’t last too long and as soon as it was over the track personnel went to work drying the track.

While everyone in the pits was scurrying about to clean up the puddles of water, others were making the best of it and, well actually sort of enjoying it!

After a couple of hours, the track was ready for round two of qualifying and due to the rain delay this would be the final qualifying session. Second round times were as follows:

Denis Elliot-6.22 at 109.71 mph
Gene Collier-7.52 at 101.34 mph
Warren Skaggs-6.29 at 107.65 mph
Lee Street-7.26 at 104.67
Damon Harmon-6.64 at 104.86

So at the end of qualifying, Denis Elliot held the number one spot, Warren Skaggs number two, Lee Street number three, Damon Harmon number four, and Gene Collier number five. In the first round of eliminations this would mean that on the eight car ladder Denis, Warren, and Lee all had bye runs and Damon Harmon would face Gene Collier.

The skies did cloud up a few more times but apparently someone did their “no rain dance” and it worked!

Gene and Damon were the first to the line for first round. Damon took the win with an ET of 6.61 at 102.70 mph to Gene’s 7.05 at 102.68. Next up were the three drivers with bye runs. Lee Street ran a 6.42 at 107.59, Denis Elliot 6.89 at 79.78, and Warren Skaggs a 6.26 at 107.86.
As the spectators prepared to see some real pro stock racing, the drivers were probably thinking about what an opportunity this could be to gain valuable points on the current points leader, Damon Harmon, if Denis could take the round win. As they made their way to the line, did their burnouts, staged and left the line everyone watched as Denis Elliot made the most of the opportunity before him and took the win light over Damon with a 6.41 at 106.12 to Damon’s 6.62 at 104.12. Next up Warren Skaggs took the win over Lee Street with a 6.25 at 107.94 to Lee’s 6.45 at 107.14.

So it was back to the pits to get the cars cooled off, refueled and for Warren Skaggs to work on a shifter that seemed to be getting stubborn. By about 6:00 p.m. Warren and Denis headed to the scales and then to the starting line. What a final round with the number one qualifier versus the number two qualifier. Off the tree Warren was out in front with a slight advantage but Denis ran his second quickest pass of the day with a 6.13 at 109.51 mph and took the big win over Warren’s 6.24 at 108.18 mph. This was Denis Elliot’s first pro stock win and his crew, Patrick and Peyton, were literally jumping for joy! A big congrats to Denis on a very well deserved win!

Aaron Creech and his bright blue turbo charged bug also took a big win in the bracket class! Be sure to check the photo gallery for pictures of the day’s events.

LARRY'S SPRING NATIONALS-JUNE 1st, 2008

Larry’s Spring Nationals at Kilkare Dragway in Xenia, Ohio was as always a fantastic event. Things got off to a great start on Saturday evening with the cook out hosted by Larry, Ron and the whole crew from Larry’s Off Road. Great food and good company made for a nice evening of relaxing before the big day of racing.

On Sunday, neither racers nor spectators could not have asked for a more picturesque day for racing. With today’s soaring gas prices, some wondered if the turn out would be unusually low but six pro-stock drivers made the trip with their cars and seemed eager to race.

For Skaggs Racing this event is fairly close to home but others came from as far away as Texas, Georgia and Virginia Beach. Rounding out the field were Oliver Frey (Va. Beach), Damon Harmon (Irving, Texas), Denis Elliot (Conyers, GA), Gene Collier (Dayton, OH), Brian Drew (Hamilton, OH), and Warren Skaggs (Winfield, WV).

Qualifying got started around 11:30 and Ollie Frey and Damon Harmon were the first pairing to the starting line. As the lights on the tree fell, Ollie was down the track with an ET of 6.2134 but Damon Harmon experienced trouble with his transmission and was not able to make a pass. Next up were Gene Collier and Denis Elliot. Although Gene got out of the groove off the line he was able to keep it on the track and run an ET of 7.0259. Denis made an impressive first pass taking low ET of the round with a 6.1982. The final pairing for the first round of qualifying was Warren Skaggs and Brian Drew. Warren ran a 6.3370 and Brian a 6.6798.

As everyone made their way back to the pits to prepare for the second round of qualifying, Damon Harmon and his crew, Eddie and Shane (Boomhower), were working fast and furious to get a new transmission in the car. At about 1:00 the other five cars returned to the staging lanes for the second qualifying session. This time it would be Denis Elliot having trouble getting out of the groove. Right off the line the Superman car made a hard left towards the center line and Denis had to get out of it to be safe. The lowest ET this round went to Oliver Frey with a 6.23. Warren Skaggs experienced some shifting difficulties and came out with a 6.4972. Brian Drew improved his time from first round with a 6.6721. Gene Collier also improved with a 6.721.

After elimination rounds were already underway for the bracket classes, the pro-stocks headed to the line for one final round of qualifying. This time Damon Harmon made the call. This would prove to be the best round of qualifying for each driver. Damon improved his time to a 6.1928 and Ollie to a 6.1891. Warren Skaggs came out with a 6.2580 and Brian Drew a 6.3799. Gene Collier ran a 6.63 and Denis Elliot secured the number one qualifying position with a 6.186.

So at the end of qualifying the order was as follows:

1. Denis Elliot
2. Oliver Frey
3. Damon Harmon
4. Warren Skaggs
5. Brian Drew
6. Gene Collier

The first round of eliminations saw Warren Skaggs take the win light over Brian Drew with a 6.2841 to Brian’s 6.4971. Damon Harmon advanced over Gene Collier with a 6.21 to Gene’s 6.58. Denis Elliot and Oliver Frey both enjoyed bye runs based upon the eight car ladder and both laid down impressive 6.19 runs.

The semi-final round was quite exciting as both drivers who advanced did so on a holeshot. With a reaction time of .4289, Damon Harmon advanced over Oliver Frey with an ET of 6.21 to Oliver’s 6.19. Oliver’s reaction time was .4581. The number one qualifier, Denis Elliot, again had an impressive run of 6.19 but it just wasn’t enough to catch Warren Skaggs who got the jump on the starting line with a reaction time of .4629 to Denis’ .6230. Warren’s ET was 6.29.

This is where the story gets interesting. Almost immediately after the drivers had returned to their pits from the semi-final round, samples of fuel were taken from the cars. Damon Harmon’s fuel did not pass the test. After some discussion, a second sample of fuel was taken from Damon’s car and the drivers proceeded to head to the starting line for the final round of racing.

As those of us on the line held our breath it would be Warren Skaggs first off the line with a .4340 reaction time to Damon’s .4428. However, that small advantage would not be enough to take the win. Damon got the win light with a 6.219 to Warren’s 6.281.

Meanwhile, back in the pits, the fuel controversy was still brewing. As it turned out, the second sample taken from Damon’s car was right on the line of pass/not pass. A very heated discussion ensued but at the end of the day it was decided that Damon would keep the win and the points for the event. Warren Hill then announced that in the future if any driver’s fuel fails any portion of the fuel test, that driver will lose any round won prior to the fuel check as well as any points gained during that event. While this decision was final it seemed to do little to console those who felt that rules put into place at the pre-season meeting were not enforced. Additionally, a decision was made that Jeremy Owen would no longer be participating in any way in the fuel testing and that Warren Hill will assume that responsibility.

Even through all of the drama, this event was top notch and we appreciate Larry, Ron, and their entire team of people for once again hosting the ECPRA Pro Stocks at their annual event.

 

THUNDER VALLEY VOLKS RALLY-APRIL 12th and 13th, 2008

Thunder Valley Dragway at Bristol, Tennessee was the host for the First Annual Thunder Valley Volks Rally on Saturday April 12th and Sunday April 13th. Saturday was one of the most picturesque days that any racer or enthusiast could have asked for. Under sunny clear blue skies, seven Pro-Stock cars, four Pro-Mod cars, and a host of bracket cars took to the track for some fast paced action. Pro-Stocks were set to do two qualifying passes, the Pro-Mod cars were doing a Quick 8 Shoot-Out, and the bracket cars were dialing in for a Gambler's Race. With nearly 800 folks through the gates on Saturday alone, the spectators seemed anxious for some racing. R.K. Smith with Hot VW's Magazine was also on hand to provide coverage of this inaugural event.

In attendance for the Pro-Stock field were Oliver Frey, Denis Elliot, Gene Collier, Tay Woykowski, Damon Harmon, Lee Street, and Warren Skaggs. The first pair out of the gate were Lee Street and Tay Woykowski. Lee left the line a little prematurely and triggered the red light so he did not capture a time for that run. Meanwhile, everyone on the track and in the stands held their breath as Tay Woykowski got a little loose on the top end of the right lane and the car went towards the center line, then back to the right, and into the wall. Thankfully Tay walked away from the crash unhurt but he will have a little bit of work to do on the car. Since making its debut last year, Ed and Tay's fastback has been featured in Hot VW's Magazine and is undoubtedly known as one of the sharpest cars with one of the most unique paint jobs on the circuit. We wish these guys well over the coming weeks and hope to see them back in action soon!

As you might imagine, the other five drivers were somewhat hesitant to continue with qualifying at this point, especially because the wind conditions were less than optimal and it was uknown if the wind was a factor in Tay's crash. As some drivers remained belted in their cars, others were talking with track officials and discussing how to proceed. Somehow Gene Collier was elected to make the next pass down the track and without a moment's thought, he was at the starting line ready to go. When the green light fell, Gene was off with a 7 second pass but not without experiencing some problems of his own. Unfortunately his crank broke knocking him out of the rest of the competition. After talking to the other drivers, who eventually made it down the track, they all seemed to think that the track seemed a little loose on the top end. Damon Harmon experienced some starting problems with Quarter Toy 2 at the line and he was unable to make a pass.

As the Pro-Stock cars made their way back to the scales for the second and final round of qualifying for the day, things were briefly delayed for an impromptu driver's meeting. After Quarter Toy 2 failed to start during the first round of qualifying, Damon Harmon, headed to the staging lanes for the second round of qualifying in his Quarter Toy 3 car. Questioning whether or not this was a violation of the NHRA and/or ECPRA rules, ECPRA officials consulted the Bristol Dragway staff and it was determined that since Damon never actually fired Quarter Toy 2 during the first round of qualifying, he could substitute Quarter Toy 3. With that bit of controversy out of the way, the remaining five cars made their second and final qualifying pass of the day. The five car field lined up with Oliver Frey taking the coveted number one spot with a 6.215 at 110.67 mph. In the number two spot was Warren Skaggs with a 6.334 at 108.86 mpg. Rounding out the field was Denis Elliot in the number three spot with a 6.618 at 105.07 mph, Damon Harmon at number four with a 7.113 at 72.07 mph, Lee Street in the number five spot with a 7.298 at 101.74 mph, and Gene Collier in sixth place with a 7.842.

With such a windy but beautiful day coming to an end it was time to get some dinner and contemplate what the weather would bring on Sunday. No matter how many times one checked the radar or the forecast, it never seemed to show much improvement.

At the track on Sunday morning both spectators and racers were scarce. Spectators who were probably leary of the potential rain and racers who were slow to arrive at the track after waking up to such frigid temperatures in the forties. By about 9:30 or 10:00 racers began arriving and a few spectators passed through the gates. However, after taking a vote of the Pro-Stock racers and meeting with track officials, a decision was made not to go forward with that portion of the event. The consensus was that the track temperature was just too cold to attempt to send those cars down the track. As the Pro-Stock teams began leaving the dragway, sprinkles could be seen hitting the windshields of the trucks, probably making everyone rest even easier in their decision.

All in all the weekend was not a total loss. The competitors had the opportunity to run their cars at a top notch national event facility and track officials got a sample of the incredible potential that exists for a fantastic Volkswagen event. Bristol is truly one of the nicest tracks that has hosted the ECPRA Pro-Stocks and everyone seemed hopeful that something even bigger and better will be planned for 2009. A big thank you to Wes, Brandon, and the entire Bristol Dragway staff!