Independence Day Weekend bracket series drag racing results from Gateway Motorsports Park

ST. LOUIS – Results from Gateway Motorsports Park’s E.T. Championship Series races (sixth and seventh of the 2015 season), July 2-3.

Thursday, July 2 — Gateway Motorsports Park E.T. Championship Series

Jeremy McKague, of Chamois, Missouri, fell just short of pulling off a clean sweep on Thursday night by winning the VP Racing Fuels Super Pro final, scoring another win in the Quarter-Mile Bonus Class, then finishing runner-up in the Pro class.

McKague earned a $1,200 payoff for winning the 64-car, 1/8-mile VP Racing Fuels Super Pro finale over Tim Horstmann. McKague added another $787 in prize money to his night by topping a 27-car field to claim the Quarter Mile Bonus Class over Tim Foley. The only setback to what would have been the perfect hat trick came in the Pro class, where he finished runner-up to Ron Beach Jr. Beach, driving a 1969 GTO delivered an .020 reaction time and ran 7.041 seconds (on a 7.04 second dial-in) to McKague’s reaction time of .023 and an elapsed time of 6.425 seconds on a 6.43 second dial-in to take the win. Beach earned $850 for the win while McKague’s grand total for the night was $2,387.

Ellis Buth of Warrensburg, Illinois, defeated Steve Zeuner of Imperial, Missouri, in the final round of Sportsman eliminations.  Charles Willis Sr. defeated Nick Holshauser of Edwardsville, Illinois, in the Pro Motorcycle class. Scott Leonard of Glen Carbon, Illinois, defeated Phil Humphrey of Collinsville, Illinois, in the Index Motorcycle finale and Carl Hendrixson defeated Eric Hoyer in the Trophy class.

A total of 174 entries competed in Thursday night’s event.

Friday, July 3 — Gateway Motorsports Park E.T. Championship Series and Radial Revenge Tour

Gateway Motorsport Park’s “Prelude to the Fourth” late-night special event proved to be one of the most popular outings for bracket racers in the Midwest. More than 200 bracket racers joined the MX 235 and MX275 Radial Revenge tour to produce a record-setting night of drag racing action.

The MX235 Drag Radial class was the headliner for the event. Travis Esselman, of Middletown, Georgia, scored a $2,500 win over No. 1 Qualifier Bryan Dunlap of Jonesville, Michigan. Esselman had the quickest pass at 4.98 seconds, turned in the top mile-per-hour of the meet and won the event – his first MX235 victory.

In the MX275 Drag Radial class, Shane Crowden of Olive Branch, Missouri, posted a run of 4.682 seconds/150.72 mph in his 1989 Mustang over Cecil Whitaker, whose car experienced mechanical failure.

A total of 77 cars competed in first round of the VP Racing Fuels Super Pro class which pushed the escalating payout for the night to $1,750 to win. Tim Horstmann of Festus, Missouri, produced a .004 reaction time, then ran 5.212 seconds (on a 5.21 dial-in) to defeat Clay Tyler, who fouled (“red-lit”) -.002 in the final.  Tyler’s runner-up finish netted $600 in prize money.

In the Pro class, Corey Wood ran 6.225 seconds (on a 6.21 dial-in) to defeat Bob Brooks, whose  .108 reaction killed his perfect pass of 6.140 seconds (on a 6.14 dial-in). Wood earned $850 for his win while Brooks was paid $400 for runner-up.

Danny Ratulowski, of Highland, Illinois, is a regular winner in the High School class, but on July 3 he took on 41 veterans to capture the Sportsman final over Aaron Wortsell. Ratulowski earned $350; Wortsell collected $150 for runner-up.

Perennial favorite Janie Palm of Bunker Hill, Illinois, once again won the Super Pro Bike category. Her final-round win was delivered when opponent Nick Holshauser fouled in the final round. Phil Humphrey of Collinsville, Illinois, defeated Lionel Hynes in the Index Motorcycle class. Sean Miller defeated Sam Klatch to win the rapidly-expanding Trophy class.

The next Gateway Motorsports Park E.T. Championship Series event will be held on Saturday, July 25.  The evening bracket event will serve as the nightcap to a doubleheader with the Fun Ford Series, scheduled to be held earlier in the afternoon.