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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.

Drying Out

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!

Puddles!

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!

The 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!

 

                             

FAST TIMES AT FARMINGTON-OCTOBER 22, 2006

   Just like so many other race mornings this year, everyone awoke to the sound of rain hitting their trailers.  After a beautiful sunny day filled with good food and good company on Saturday at Todd Howard's house, everyone had hoped for a repeat of that weather.  The rain did give way later in the day but it just didn't come soon enough.  

   After huddling under canopies and awnings until about noon, the ECPRA Pro Stock drivers held an impromtu meeting at one of the trailers and all agreed that it was just too risky to attempt running their cars in the less than favorable conditions.  Without the heat from the sun, which didn't appear to be anywhere in sight, or a jet dryer the guys decided to call it a season. 

    With only two points separating Warren Skaggs and Damon Harmon, it would be Skaggs taking the championship for the second year in a row.  This year also marked the first award for "Driver of the Year" and that award went to Skaggs as well.  Oliver Frey took third place, Gene Collier took fourth, Tay Woykowski took fifth, Todd Howard took sixth, Denis Elliot took seventh and J.D. Curry and Brian Drew tied for eighth place.   Oll

   So with another season behind them it's time to head back to the garage and see what improvements they can make to their cars and hope for better weather next year.  Click here for photos.....

  

   

 

CB PERFORMANCE PRO-STOCK NATIONALS-AUGUST 19, 2006

   On Saturday, August 19th, the best of the best in the world of VW Pro-Stock racing gathered at O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis to compete in the CB Performance Pro-Stock Nationals event. 

   It would prove to be a long but exciting day of racing as the Volkswagens shared the track with the participants of the mini-truck event that was also being held that day.

   Qualifying rounds kicked off around noon and after two more rounds, it was Oliver Frey from Virginia in the top spot, Warren Skaggs from West Virginia in the number two position,  Damon Harmon from Texas at number three, Tay Woykowski from Virginia at number four, Gene Collier from Ohio at number five, Jason Poynter from Texas in the number six spot, Mike Ulrich in the number seven spot and Brian Drew from Ohio experienced transmission problems and failed to make the field.

   Qualifying times were as follows:     

  
  1.   Oliver Frey  9.928
    2.   
  2.   Warren Skaggs  9.994  
    3.   
  3.   Damon Harmon  10.007
    4.   
  4.   Tay Woykowski  10.097
    5.   
  5.   Gene Collier  10.699
    6.   
  6.   Jason Poynter  12.280
    7.   
  7.   Mike Ulrich  27.344
    8.   
  

   During the first round, being the number one qualifier paid off for Frey who got a bye run.  Warren Skaggs met up with Mike Ulrich and his white ghia and it was Skaggs taking the round win with a 10.091 to Ulrich's 11.408.  The next pairing was Damon Harmon and Jason Poynter who both made the long haul from Texas.  However, Jason experienced problems at the line and Damon got the automatic win.  Next up were Tay Woykowski, who incidentally was driving Damon Harmon's newly acquired Quarter Toy III car, and Gene Collier with Tay taking the win.

    

   With both east coast racers paired up against Damon Harmon's two cars, the second round was a true nail biter, especially with Skaggs closing in on Harmon's ECPRA points lead.  First out were Skaggs and Harmon who have seemed to pair up in every final round since the Pro-Stock Nationals event last year.  Out of the gate, it was Skaggs with the advantage reaction time of .099 to Harmon's .148.  At the end of the quarter mile it was Skaggs taking the win light with a 10.124 to Harmon's 10.246 but just as the win light came on, Harmon's car went into a spin and seemed to have just barely missed the wall.  It was a very close call and everyone was glad to know that Damon and the car both made it out of the spin unharmed.  Oliver Frey took the win over Tay Woykowski which left Harmon racing without a car in the final.

    

   The final round of Pro-Stock action took place at about 9:20 p.m.  After a very long day everyone was anxious to see if the reigning 2005 CB Performance Pro Stock Champion, Warren Skaggs would be able to re-claim the title for another year.  However, with two east coast racers in the final it was going to be an exciting race no matter who came out the winner.  At the line, the drivers had almost identical reaction times with Warren at a .098 and Oliver at a .097.  By the end of the quarter mile though it was Oliver Frey who took the win running a 9.771 at 134.63 mph to Warren's 9.834 at 134.58 mph.  A new CB Performance Pro Stock Champ was named and his crew couldn't have been happier.  After experiencing some trying times over the past year, Oliver and his crew couldn't have been more excited. 

    

   With Damon Harmon going out in the semi-final round and Skaggs advancing to the final, Skaggs took the ECPRA points lead from Harmon with a two point advantage. With only one race left in the points series the ECPRA points championship is going to be a close one!

   Skaggs Racing would like to give a big Thank You to CB Performance, Jack Sachette of Jay-Cee Enterprises and R.K. Smith of Hot VWs for all of their hard work that went into this event! 

 

 

BUG WILD-JULY 16, 2006

   The first annual Volkswagen BugWild event was held at Roxboro Motorsports Dragway this past Sunday, July 16th.  This was the fourth race out of six for the ECPRA Pro-Stock class. Sunny skies were certainly a welcome sight for the group who had the final round at Mooresville just three weeks earlier rained out. 

   Although everyone was hoping for a full eight car field, only 6 cars were in attendance.  Damon Harmon brought his new Lummus chassis pro stocker to the east coast for the first time.  Quite a looker the car definitely proved itself performance wise throughout the day.

     Qualifying kicked off a little after noon but only three out of the six actually made successful passes in the first round.  Todd Howard's Mega Bug experienced clutch problems, Ollie Frey got a little out of the groove and had to let out early and Damon Harmon couldn't get his engine to fire.  Making successful passes were Tay Woykowski with a 6.911, Gene Collier with a 6.71 and Warren Skaggs with a 6.233.

     Onto the second round of qualifying there were still a couple of racers experiencing problems.  Todd Howard and his team were still feverishly working on the clutch and Ollie Frey broke an axle coming off the scales.  With Tay Woykowski in the right lane and Damon Harmon in the left, everyone watched anxiously in hopes of seeing Harmon's new ride go down the track.  He did make it down the track and ran an impressive 6.25 and Tay ran a career best 6.52.  Next was Warren Skaggs in the right lane and Gene Collier in the left.  Warren improved his time with a 6.20 and Gene ran a 6.72. 

     Finally in the third round of qualifying, all six cars made it down the track.  Tay ran a 6.55, Damon ran a 6.26, Ollie ran a 6.29, Gene ran a 6.67, Todd ran an 11.16 and Warren ran a 6.23.  As qualifying came to a close it was Warren Skaggs in the number one spot with a 6.20 and Damon Harmon at number two with a 6.25, which are the same positions and times that Harmon and Skaggs qualified with at the Mooresville race. 

    Qualifying order for the six car field was as follows:

  1. Warren Skaggs 6.20
  2. Damon Harmon 6.25
  3. Ollie Frey 6.29
  4. Tay Woykowski 6.52
  5. Gene Collier 6.67
  6. Todd Howard 11.16

    With the six car field paired up on an eight car ladder, Warren Skaggs and Damon Harmon both breezed through round one with a bye.  Warren ran a 6.251 and Damon ran a 6.255.  Tay Woykowski went up against Gene Collier and it was Tay taking the win light with a 6.54 to Gene's 6.62.  Ollie Frey and Todd Howard met in the other pairing and Ollie got the win with a 6.28 to Todd's 6.38.

    Going into the semi-final round in the heat of the day Warren Skaggs and Damon Harmon both really stepped things up a notch by posting numbers in the teens.  Warren faced Tay and took the win with a 6.19 to a 6.54.  Damon and Ollie were up next and even though Ollie got Damon off the tree, Damon's 6.17 was just hard to get around.  Damon took the win with Ollie posting a 6.27.

    So once again, as it has been with every other race this year, it was Damon Harmon and Warren Skaggs meeting in the final round.  These two seem to have had a nice friendly rivalry going on ever since the finals of the Pro Stock Nationals last year.

    With only a few spectators left in the stands the excitement was still going strong on the starting line as everyone waited to see Skaggs and Harmon battle it out again.  No matter how many times they meet up in the finals, the pair never fails to put on a good show.  As the cars rolled into the beams, Damon deep staged and then the lights fell.  Skaggs, with a reaction time of .069 got Harmon off the line who had a reaction time of .085.  When the win light appeared, it was Skaggs who was victorious and as the times appeared on the board you could hear the excitement in everyone's voice as they cheered for this closer than close final with Skaggs running a 6.202 and Harmon a 6.204.

    Now the ECPRA points battle narrows as Skaggs moves closer to defending his number one title. With only two races left there is a mere 19 points separating Skaggs from the current points leader, Damon Harmon. 

    Final round stats:

    Warren Skaggs       .069 RT, 1.329 60ft., 3.964 330, 6.202 ET, 112.625 mph

    Damon Harmon   .085 RT, 1.364 60ft., 3.999 330, 6.204 ET, 113.041 mph    

    

                                            

VW INVASION-JUNE 25, 2006

   On Sunday, June 25th, Mooresville Dragway in North Carolina was the spot for the latest stop on the 2006 ECPRA tour. Sponsored by Todd Howard's Mega Machine Shop, the 2006 VW Invasion race was a hit! Also a big hit with the ECPRA group, was the cook-out and crab fest at Todd Howard's house the night before. Todd and his Mega Machine shop crew hosted a cook-out complete with plenty of food, bench racing and a few games of hoops. The highlight of the evening though was definitely the bushel box of freshly steamed crabs that Dale Adams brought and his coaching on cracking, cleaning and eating them.

    Sunday morning came early and as the racers, vendors and show cars arrived at the track so did the dark gloomy clouds. With periods of rain and periods of sun everyone wondered if the weather would cooperate. The Pro-Stock contenders were hesitant to unload their cars until the sun finally broke through.

    After two rounds of qualifying Warren Skaggs held the number one position with a 6.20 in the 1/8 mile. With more clouds looming overhead, officials contemplated going ahead with eliminations but the guys voted to make one more qualifying pass. Everyone made one more run but Skaggs, who decided to forego another run after no one knocked him out of the number one spot.

      Qualifying Order for the 7 car field was as follows:

  1. Warren Skaggs 6.20
  2. Damon Harmon 6.25
  3. Denis Elliot 6.29
  4. Todd Howard 6.39
  5. Oliver Frey 6.54
  6. Tay Woykowski 6.60
  7. Gene Collier 6.66

     Glad that the weather had held up long enough to make it to eliminations, the Pro-Stock drivers headed to the scales with their cars and the crowd gathered in the stands to watch some heads up action. The first pairing out was Gene Collier and Damon Harmon. Although Collier got Harmon off the tree, Harmon took the win light with a 6.335 at 109.21 mph to Collier's 6.659 at 101.26 mph. The second pairing was Tay Woykowski and Denis Elliot. Elliot took the round win running a 6.609 at 105.33 mph to Woykowki's 11.985. Next was Warren Skaggs who with a bye run posted a 6.307 at 95.07 mph. Finally, Todd Howard also got to make a solo pass after Oliver Frey didn't return for eliminations due to transmission problems. Howard ran a 6.730 at 91.18 mph.

      With Skaggs, Harmon, Howard and Elliot advancing to the semi-finals the crowd was in for another exciting round of heads-up racing at its best. Worried that rain was imminent, the field of 4 returned to the staging lanes sooner than normal. The first pairing saw Todd Howard in the left lane and Warren Skaggs in the right lane. Reaction times were close with Todd getting Warren off the line by three one-thousandths of a second. But that wouldn't be enough to get around him as Warren ran a 6.294 at 108.13 mph and Todd ran a 6.586 at 104.14 mph. Denis Elliot and Damon Harmon were next up and for a few tense moments on the line some wondered if Harmon would stage. With Elliot pre-staged Harmon experienced problems getting his car started but at the last minute was able to crank it up and roll into the lights. Damon took the win with a 6.374 at 107.10 mph to Denis' 8.597 at 67.23 mph.

     Once Harmon and Skaggs made it back to their pits they were asked once again to quickly return to the starting line as storm clouds moved in overhead. With Harmon leading the points race, Skaggs would need the event win to narrow that lead. The crews went to work rushing to re-fuel, check tire pressure and cool down the engines but mother nature had other plans. Rain started to fall and despite everyone's hopes that the final round would take place, the event was called and Harmon and Skaggs split the purse 50/50.

     A big thank you to Todd Howard, Mega Machine Shop, the ECPRA, Dale Adams and Mooresville Dragway for a great weekend of fun, food and racing! Click here for pictures of the ECPRA Cook-Out and crab fest!

 

 

 

LARRY'S OFF ROAD NATIONALS-JUNE 4, 2006

    Kil-Kare dragway in Xenia, Ohio once again played host to Larry's Off Road VW Nationals on Sunday, June 4th.  Anxious for some time on the track after the last event being rained out, the ECPRA Pro-Stock drivers were happy to wake up to sunny skies. The six car field consisted of Todd Howard, Oliver Frey, Damon Harmon, Denis Elliot, Gene Collier and Warren Skaggs. 

     Qualifying rounds started early and proved to be just as exciting as eliminations.  During the third round of qualifying, Warren Skaggs and Oliver Frey put on a great show when they paired up and ran side by side runs in the teens.  Warren posted a 6.1681 to Ollie's 6.1798.  By the time qualifying was over, Damon Harmon was sitting at the top of the pack with a 6.166 at 112 mph. The complete qualifying order was as follows:

1. Damon Harmon - 6.166 at 112mph
2. Warren Skaggs - 6.168 at 110mph
3. Oliver Frey - 6.179 at 111mph
4. Denis Elliott - 6.286 at 109mph
5. Todd Howard - 6.290 at 107mph
6. Gene Collier - 6.588 at 102mph

    In the first round of eliminations both Harmon and Skaggs had a bye run due to the six car field.  Harmon ran a 6.135 at 112 mph, which was good enough to claim a new ECPRA 1/8 mile record.  Skaggs had some trouble with his car pulling to the left and ran a 7.0850 at 86.40 mph.   Ollie Frey met up with Gene Collier and Ollie took the win light with a 6.194 at 109 mph to Gene's 6.848 at 101 mph. The most memorable moment of first round elimination action though was when Todd Howard and Denis Elliot took to the lanes. With Denis getting the red light it looked like Todd had an easy win but just after the launch, the dry sump tank flew off the Mega Bug  and he was not able to return to the second round.

    The semi-final round brought Oliver Frey and Warren Skaggs back up to the line again and just like in qualifying, the pair made an impressive showing with Skaggs clocking a 6.183 at 110 mph and Ollie a 6.259 at104 mph.  Harmon experienced transmission problems but since he had a bye run it didn't cost him the round.

     With Damon's tranny problems, he would have to swap it for a new one or forfeit the race to Skaggs.  So, after an hour or so delay and some  help from Ollie Frey and Jeremy Owens the new tranny was in and Damon and Skaggs were headed to the line.  As the lights dropped it was Skaggs who left first but then his car got a bit out of the groove.  Not wanting to give up the win Skaggs stayed in as much as he could but in the end he just couldn't pull it out with Damon going past him and running a 6.1389 at 107.48 mph to Warren's 6.2351 at 109.43 mph.

     A big thank you to Larry's Off Road for sponsoring the event and for hosting the pre-race cookout the night before!  Click here for photos.........

 

 

 

 

 

 

NORTH vs. SOUTH SHOOTOUT-MAY 7, 2006

     This event would have been the kick-off to the 2006 ECPRA Pro-Stock Points series. However, mother nature just wouldn't cooperate.  After waking up to pouring rain and high winds the race was called without even opening the gates.  On hand for competition were pro-stock racers Damon Harmon, Ollie Frey, Todd Howard, Alan Fore and Warren Skaggs.   Surely the most disappointed with the weather had to be Damon Harmon who made the trip all the way from Irving, Texas.

    Hopefully both the weather and the racer turn-out will be better for the next event scheduled for June 4th at Kil-Kare Dragway in Xenia, Ohio. At least three of the ECPRA Pro-Stock competitors call Kil-Kare their home track.  Skaggs Racing will see you there!    

 

SILVER DOLLAR SHOWDOWN-MARCH 12, 2006

   The Silver Dollar Raceway in Reynolds, Georgia was the setting for SEVWA's Silver Dollar Showdown on Sunday, March 12th.  Hoping for a large pro-stock field, it was a little disappointing when only three cars made it to the track on Sunday morning. 

   Texas PRA racer, David Dulany from Texas, made the long drive despite encountering transmission problems with his truck along the way.  David debuted his newly updated pro stocker complete with a sharp new bright yellow paint job.

    Alan Fore, the 2005 ECPRA Pro-Stock Runner-Up out of Greer, South Carolina, got to the track on Saturday in time to make one test run late in the evening.  One look at the flaming notchback and it was apparent that this car had been given some attention over the winter.  The interior tin work is now an eye-catching powder coated purple and other changes including a new shifter could also be seen.

    Warren Skaggs, the 2005 ECPRA Pro-Stock Champ from Winfield, West Virginia, made the long 12 hour trip anxious to test the changes he made to the car over the winter.

    Not quite the full field that everyone would have hoped for but between the sunny skies and the very attentive and excited spectators, race day was shaping up to be a great one!

    Qualifying began just before noon and the first round of pro-stocks saw Alan Fore and David Dulany paired up in the lanes.   Dulany experienced some problems mid track and did not make a complete pass.  Back in the pits, Dulany assessed the damage and determined that he would be unable to make the field.  Skaggs made a solo pass in the left lane and ran a 6.22 at 109.45 mph, immediately launching him into the number one qualifying position.

   Going into the second round of qualifying, Fore and Skaggs decided that they would make solo passes down the track.  Up first was Skaggs who took the right lane this time.  Off to a pretty good start with a 60 foot time of 1.32, the car got a little out of the groove and got loose leaving Skaggs no choice but to let out of it.  He finished this pass with a time of 7.82. 

    By this time, qualifying rounds were coming to a close and eliminations in the other classes were about to begin.  Fore and Skaggs decided that they would go ahead with one more round of qualifying.   At this point, an E.T. better than 6.22 would have taken the number one qualifier spot away from Skaggs.  However, after three qualifying attempts, Fore's best time was a 6.29   Skaggs remained consistent making a third qualifying run of 6.21.  It would be Skaggs getting lane choice in the one and only round of eliminations.

    With only two pro-stock cars in the running, Skaggs and Fore had plenty of time to let their cars cool down and make any additional preparations for the final pairing.

    Late in the afternoon both cars made their way back to the staging lanes for the final pro-stock pass of the day.  The pair would follow the Billet Racing Engines (BRE) and VW Paradise dragsters who were looking to back up their earlier times for a new world record.  However, the BRE dragster blew off some parts and oiled down the right lane, which left Skaggs and Fore spending some very hot minutes waiting in their cars.  By the time the pair made their way to the starting line, a lot of the spectators had gathered around the BRE pits to view the damage to that car first hand.

    The loss of a few spectators, however did not dampen the excitement on the starting line with number one and number two going head to head.  After burn-outs it was into the staging lights for the powerful duo.  Fore staged first and Skaggs followed.  Off the tree, Fore had the advantage with a reaction time of .048 to Skaggs' .073.  Skaggs quickly sped ahead though and took the win with his best pass of the day at 6.20 and 109.42 mph to Fore's 6.43 and 108.55 mph. 

    A big thanks to Keith Bumgarner and Kathy Jacobs of K&L Motorsports and SEVWA for putting on such a great event! Click here for photos....