The carnage piled up on Sunday during the final day of the NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill.

Pro Street racer Mark Micke fought a stuck throttle and sideswiped the top-end retaining wall and Spiro Pappas, making test passes in his ADRL Extreme 10.5 Pontiac, caught fire and burned up his new engine and the front end of his immaculate Pontiac GTO.

Neither driver was hurt, physically.

Micke and Pappas Leave With Wounded Race Cars …

The carnage piled up on Sunday during the final day of the NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill.

Pro Street racer Mark Micke fought a stuck throttle and sideswiped the top-end retaining wall and Spiro Pappas, making test passes in his ADRL Extreme 10.5 Pontiac, caught fire and burned up his new engine and the front end of his immaculate Pontiac GTO.

Neither driver was hurt, physically.

“Hurt feelings and hurt pride,” Micke admitted were his injuries.

Earlier in the day Micke had established one end of a new world record. The crash ended his day and prevented any chance of backing up the record.

“I don’t think it’s too bad,” Micke explained. “It’s gonna need a new front end. The rear might need a little more bondo and duct tape. The car is fine and it didn’t hurt the chassis at all.”

Micke said the car will go to Jerry Bickel’s this week, and be completed in time to compete in the ADRL St. Louis event.

As for Pappas, he believes an oil leak ignited the fire on his ride. This was the first outing with the new engine.

Eyewitnesses said the engine popped just past the eighth-mile and the car subsequently caught fire. The car suffered extensive cosmetic damage. 

Pappas didn’t say definitely how long his mishap would remove him from competition.

“Hopefully forever,” said a disappointed Pappas. “Knowing me … maybe a couple of weeks.” 

 

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