Joseph Lind started the year with a win over Kerry Drost. Eric Johns followed with two consecutive victories – the first over Jim Werre and the second over Roger Wolff – in events number 2 and 3. Roger Wolff earned his first victory in the 2011 series on May 1st as he defeated Joseph Lind. The weather interrupted the next two events, enabling Johns to maintain a 30-point lead over Lind and Wolff as we entered the month of June.

A snowmobile was victorious, as David Reese, Sr. rode his ’98 Ski Doo to 9.781 to 9.767 hole shot victory over Roger Wolff on June 5th. Two weeks later, the red light was Shane White’s friend as he downed Eric Johns in the finals. Eric’s light was red by a mere -.006, and because it happened in the final round, it caused a 20 point swing in the point total. Never-the-less, as June comes to an end, Johns still maintains a 16-point lead over Wolff.

Neither Wolff nor Johns were able to take advantage of the other’s miscues in the three events in July, as Wolff only picked up two round wins during this month while Johns scored one round win. July 2nd saw 2010 Track Champion, Mark Adams, defeat Jim Were, while Rick Tedder earned two consecutive victories and moved up into fifth place in the standings, downing Don DePeel on July 10th and Jack Britton on July 23rd. With one event remaining, Eric Johns and Roger Wolff are tied in the series with 414 points each.

With five racers entered in the final event, Rick Tedder received the first round single and Wolff and Johns both advanced into the semi-finals. In round two, Wolff defeated Tedder while Johns advanced on a single. In the finals, Wolff rocketed his Kawasaki to a .017 reaction time and 9.690 elapsed time to take the hole shot win over the quicker 9.418 of Johns’ Kawasaki. Johns had earlier earned the 10 points “A-1 Performance Package for the Points” bonus at the final event. The final standings show Wolff (484) and the 2006 Woodburn Track Champion, Eric Johns (474) in first and second, followed in order by Shane While, Jack Britton, Rick Tedder, Joseph Lind and Jim Werre.

Van Smith holds the Woodburn Dragstrip record for ET Motorcycle Track Championships with six. The 2011 Sunoco Race Fuels Bike/Sled ET Championship for Roger Wolff is his third in this series, having also earned this Championship in 2009 and 2008. In addition, Roger has earned the Woodburn Dragstrip Street Bike Championship four times (2009, 2008, 2007, and 2003) making him a seven time Motorcycle Track Champion. Roger Wolff, with his 7 track championships, now has more total motorcycle track championships than any other rider. Congratulations to Roger for another excellent season.

The multifaceted contract extension includes title rights of the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, a continued designation as the official oil of NHRA, naming rights at historic Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis and, most importantly, series sponsorship of the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series.

“Lucas Oil is an integral part of NHRA,” said NHRA president Tom Compton. “Forrest, Charlotte, and the entire company have become much more than a sponsor but true friends to the entire NHRA racing community and everyone here at NHRA. Everyone in the sport owes a debt of gratitude to Lucas Oil.”

The extension was officially signed at NHRA’s corporate headquarters in Glendora, Calif., with NHRA’s employees in the audience.

The centerpiece of the extension is the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. Through the end of the new agreement, Lucas Oil will celebrate 14 years as sponsor of one of the most important and vital series at NHRA. The NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series features eight classes, encompasses 24 regional and 19 divisional events around the country, and showcases the skills and talents of tens of thousands of racers. The NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series is also conducted at all 23 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series events with 16 showcasing the Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car categories. These NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series events are featured in 16 one-hour programs, produced in high definition and broadcast on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD. The Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car categories are where many of today’s NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series drivers got their start, including Alexis DeJoria, Courtney Force, Spencer Massey, Brandon Bernstein, and Morgan Lucas, among others.

“We are excited to announce a renewed and expanded marketing partnership with our friends at NHRA,” said Forrest Lucas, CEO of Lucas Oil Products. “The NHRA is noted for its exciting, fast-paced events with some of the most dynamic racing in sports, including the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. We are excited to continue our involvement with the NHRA family of racers.”

In addition, Lucas Oil will maintain its status as the official oil of NHRA and retain title-rights sponsorship of the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd Int’l Raceway in Brainerd. Lucas Oil also renewed its naming-rights sponsorship of historic Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis, home of the world’s most prestigious drag race, the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, held every Labor Day weekend.

Other aspects include broadcast elements, on-site display, signage, ability to utilize the NHRA official logo on products, and the opportunity to conduct consumer promotions.

In addition, Lucas Oil is the primary sponsor for several NHRA Full Throttle and NHRA Lucas Oil race teams. In the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, Lucas Oil serves as the primary sponsor for five race teams: the GEICO/Lucas Oil Top Fuel dragster of driver Morgan Lucas, the MavTV/Lucas Oil Top Fuel dragster of driver Brandon Bernstein, the Lucas Oil Ford Mustang Pro Stocker of Larry Morgan, and the Lucas Oil Buells of Pro Stock Motorcycle riders Hector Arana and Hector Arana Jr. Needless to say, Lucas Oil’s footprint in NHRA is significant and touches all aspects of racing.

The first event of the year saw Gordon Cady, Jr. earn the victory over Stephanie Gross. Marty Arrigotti scored the win over James Tucker at event number 2. Tucker made his way to the finals again in the third event, but this time it was Robert Schaffer who earned the victory. It was at the fourth event of the year when Jackson met Dave Wilson in the finals and picked up his first victory for 2011. Following two rain-outs, Derrick would meet another Wilson in the finals. This time it would be Sherry, but the result was the same and Derrick had his second win of the season. By the end of May, Jackson held a 50-point lead over the rest of the pack.

Jerry Weber was the winner over Dave Wilson on June 5. The June 12th Rose Festival Drags had weather issues and could not be completed. Seven racers had advanced to the third round when racing was halted. Robert Glafka was the big winner the following week as he met and defeated Jerry Durant, Jr. in the finals. At the end of June, Jackson maintained his points lead with Robert Glafka, Robert Schaffer, and Dave
Wilson in pursuit.

The four events in July saw Gordon Cady, Jr. and Marty Arrigotti pick up their second event wins, while Dave Fowler earned his first event victory. Not to be outdone, Jackson excelled at the July 31st ET Bracket Triple Crown event for his third event victory and his points lead ballooned to an insurmountable 100 points over his fellow racers with only one event remaining. John Floyd, Jr. scored the victory at the final event in August and moved up in the standings. Special recognition is given to Tracy Herinckx, a racer who consistently went rounds without ever making it to the finals. His third-place finish is testimony to his racing skill as he was voted as the Most Improved Driver at the Awards Banquet held back in October. As the series was completed, finishing second through fifth respectively, were Gordon Cady, Jr., Tracy Herinckx, Dave Wilson, and John Floyd, Jr.

There are several racers who have been able to score consecutive track championships in the same class at Woodburn Dragstrip. Van Smith has 5 consecutive Motorcycle Championships while Robert Rhines has earned 7 consecutive championships in Heavy/Run Tuff. In 2011, Derrick Jackson has earned his 4th consecutive championship in Sportsman to go along with his 5 consecutive championships in Sport Compact Sportsman. Jackson earned his first Woodburn Dragstrip track championship in 1992. Since that time, a total of 18 track championships decorate his trophy case in addition to his multiple NHRA Northwest Division Championships. Congratulations to one of the best racers of all time, Derrick Jackson.

NHRA Helmet Expiration Dates

Label Expires
Snell 2000 1/1/2012
Snell 2005 1/1/2017
Snell 2010 1/1/2022
SFI 31.1A 1/1/2014
SFI 31.2A 1/1/2014
SFI 41.1A 1/1/2014
SFI 41.2A 1/1/2014
SFI 31.1/2005 1/1/2017
SFI 41.1/2005 1/1/2017
SFI 24.1 (JDRL only) 1/1/2015
SFI 24.1/2005 1/1/2017

Oil-Retention Devices
For Woodburn Dragstrip events racers in cars running quicker than 9.99 seconds in the ¼-mile or faster than 135 mph, it is recommended to have an oil-retention device equipped. It will be mandatory at the Division Six Summit Racing ET Finals.

The Summit Racing NHRA King of the Track is a special event that is offered to all NHRA Member Tracks across the country, Canada and Puerto Rico, as a special event for their bracket racers and their bracket racing programs. Each track will have the option to host one Summit Racing King of the Track event each year. The event will feature a run-off between individual class winners with the coveted NHRA Wally trophy being awarded to the Summit Racing King of the Track winner at each NHRA member track.

“The NHRA King of the Track program is a great opportunity to support bracket racers and tracks across the country in addition to our Summit Racing Series,” said Jim Greenleaf, Summit Racing’s Motorsports and Events manager. “The program allows the tracks to put together an exciting weekend of racing as racers compete for the title ‘King of the Track.’”

The program is just one of several specialty race programs offered to NHRA Member Tracks that also include the National DRAGSTER Challenge and the NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League Challenge.

The sponsorship extends Summit’s current involvement in NHRA where the company is the title sponsor of the NHRA Summit Racing Series, which culminates in the crowning of Summit Racing Series National Champions. Summit is also the title sponsor of NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series events in Las Vegas, Atlanta, and Norwalk, Ohio. Summit also is the primary team sponsor for the Ken Black Racing Pro Stock team, featuring drivers Greg Anderson and Jason Line.

On another trip, I rode by myself to visit a girl friend in Virginia, traveling North as far as Maine, and south to South Carolina and then west across Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, returning home via northern California. Back in the day, I could usually pay for gasoline, food, and a campground to pitch my tent for between $15 and $20 dollars per day. It was in Arizona as I was heading northwest to get to the Grand Canyon that I ran low on gasoline and needed to fill up on an Indian Reservation. Talk about highway robbery, I had to pay 87 cents per gallon for supreme. (That was the highest octane gasoline available at filling stations in the day). I think that tank cost me $4.38 or something like that. But, when you are low on fuel and the next gas station is 75 miles down the road, you do what you have to do.

Memories – there are thousands of them. A group of us tourists were stopped along side the road taking pictures of a bear in Banff National Park. Most people were shooting pics from their cars with the windows down. I was using my trusty Super 8 movie camera with the camera in front of one eye and the other eye closed. It was all good until suddenly, the bear started walking toward me. Still holding the camera, I needed to move to a safe area immediately. It is really difficult trying to ride a motorcycle one-handed. I got into some severe weather situations when high winds and thunderstorms caught me in Iowa. I found a roadside rest area and took shelter under a picnic table. Later I learned that a tornado warning had been issued for this same area. There was the rainstorm in Indiana with one inch of rainfall in one hour, and the Texas thunderstorm where I took shelter in the underpass on the road that passed beneath the freeway. I sat on the motorcycle while a 4-inch deep stream of water filled the roadway beneath me. Having grown up in Oregon, I did not know the extent of the amount of water contained in a mid-west thunderstorm.

Only once did I ever crash on the motorcycle. I was in Portland when I was changing lanes and hit a street divider. I laid the bike down hard, with my left hand under the handlebars and broke a bone in my left hand. But there was one incident which led to my selling my bike, never to return to it. That experience happened one weekend when I was on the way to visit my mother in south Tillamook County. On Highway 101, traveling north between Hebo and Beaver, the Nestucca River was on my right. As I rounded the corner, I could see the Farmer Creek rest area and boat launching area to my right. I also could see a Chevy van which was coming toward me and turning to his left in front of me to go into that rest area. I quickly assessed the situation, realizing that he would be across the road before I would arrive there. I looked to my right and continued north at 60 mph. As I looked back to my projected lane of traffic, I now saw what had been hidden behind that Chevy van. It was a Volkswagon van doing exactly the same thing. When I saw him, there was maybe 50 feet until I would hit him head on. He had not seen me because his vision had been blocked by the Chevy in front of him. When he did see me, he was halfway across my lane. It was too late for me to do anything. I was just about to meet my maker. I screamed, made a quick lean to the right, and missed him by what I would estimate to be six inches. I immediately pulled to the side of the road and sat there shaking with the realization of what had just happened.

So, it was not difficult for me to decide to quit riding. Instead, I decided I would rather spend my summers at the drag strip. Two lanes with both cars heading in the same direction is much preferred to a limousine driver in south Chicago making eye contact as he enters the freeway on the right, crossing 10 lanes of traffic and laughing as he crowds into the exact space where I am. Yes, I enjoyed the memories, but sometimes, God has a way of telling us when it is time to make a life activity change. 25,000 miles – somehow that seems like a good number.

Story by Elvon Kauffman.
Elvon Kauffman has been drag racing since 1975. He has been a NHRA Northwest Division Bracket Champion twice – first in 1978 when he defeated fellow Woodburn racer, Joe DiFillipi at Seattle International Raceway and secondly, in 1980 when he again defeated a Woodburn racer, Ron Burch at Woodburn Dragstrip. He was the first and only World Champion in Heavy Bracket, winning with his 1970 Plymouth Road Runner 4-speed at the now defunct Ontario Motor Speedway in October, 1980.
Elvon’s variety of life experiences become the basis for the stories he shares in Straight Talk, a monthly column produced by Woodburn Dragstrip. Hopefully, you will enjoy reading them.

Philomath racer, Charles Stouder took the win at the first event by defeating Astoria racer, Samuel Burnett on April 23rd. Travis Hilton and Amanda Presser were semi-finalists at this event. The only victor at the May 15th event was Mother Nature as all racing was cancelled due to inclement weather. The third event on June 19th was special to Shawn Mayhew. The racer, who doubles as a State weight-lifting champion from Aloha, OR, met and defeated Travis Hilton in the finals. Nicholas Rose was the semi-finalist. At this point in the series, Stouder, Hilton, and Mayhew were locked in a three-way tie for first place.

Charles Stouder and Travis Hilton were up to the challenge. They met in the finals of event number 4 on July 23rd. Stouder emerged victorious and moved into the final event with a 20-point lead over Hilton. John McGrath was the semi-finalist at this event. In order to earn the championship, Hilton would need to either win the event or go at least 2 more rounds than Stouder at the final event.

The final event was won by Andrew Kirby over Rochelle Pappel. When Rochelle defeated Hilton in the first round, Travis’ chances for the championship disappeared. Stouder won the first round but fell victim to Kirby in the semi’s while Pappel defeated Mayhew. None-the-less, Stouder’s points lead extended to 30 points over Hilton for the championship. Hilton was second, with Mayhew finishing third. Samuel Burnett, Nicholas Rose, and John McGrath finished fourth through sixth, respectively.

A total of 17 racers competed in the 2011 High School Series. Congratulations to the 2011 Canby Transmission High School Champion, Charles Stouder. As champion, Stouder received a $500 voucher from Canby Transmission.

Travis began the 2011 Junior Fast Series with victories at the first two events. On April 2nd, he defeated Emily Mix and on the 9th, Spencer David (2010 Jr. Fast Champion) was the runner-up. Emily Mix appeared in her 2nd final with the same result when she was defeated by Jeffrey Taylor on April 30th. Molly Doherty earned the victory over Taylor Nielson on May 14th. Hilton picked up his third event win of the five events on May 28th when he met Nicole Fluge in the finals. Jeffrey Taylor and David Spencer appeared in their second finals of the series on June 4th with similar results as their previous appearance – Taylor had the win and David was runner-up. Halfway through the season, Hilton held a 50 point lead over Emily Mix.

Charlie Dietrich took the win over Jordon Stewart on July 2nd. Dietrich made the finals the following day and was runner-up to Taylor Nielson. Jeffrey Taylor earned victory number three on July 23rd when he defeated Kiefer Eickmann. Kiefer maintained his winning ways the following week with a victory over Taylor Nielson. At the end of July, Hilton’s lead over Jeffrey Taylor was down to 16 points. The final three events would be critical.

Travis responded with his fourth victory on August 20th which would make it difficult for anyone to catch him. Emily Mix was runner-up for the third time this season at that event. On September 11th, Spencer David took the win over Tucker Tooke-Terry and Casey Ladd met and defeated Rochelle Robnett at the final event. The 2011 Woodburn Dragstrip Junior Fast Series Championship is Hilton’s second in this class and third overall as he had won the Junior Lightning Championship in 2006. Congratulations are extended to him for his great season and to Jeffrey Taylor, Taylor Nielson, Emily Mix and Spencer David who finished second through fifth, respectively.