IHRA Vice President of Operations Skooter Peaco has experienced easier race weekends.

Over the course of the three-day event there were eighteen oil downs resulting in several hours of racing downtime.

One of those marathon oil downs transpired on race day delaying the event by nearly an hour.

Peaco searched his memory for when he’s had a more frustrating day.

 

 

IHRA Vice President of Operations Skooter Peaco has experienced easier race weekends.

Over the course of the three-day event there were eighteen oil downs resulting in several hours of racing downtime.

One of those marathon oil downs transpired on race day delaying the event by nearly an hour.

Peaco searched his memory for when he’s had a more frustrating day.

“Let’s see, other than blowing up the motor in my own race car, this would be the next most frustrating day that I've had,” Peaco admitted.

Seven oil downs were charged to the nitro classes, three of which transpired consecutively on Sunday.
 
“We sent Mike Baker [IHRA Director of Competition] around to talk to a lot of the Pro teams that blew up and tried to see if we could come to a common denominator,” Peaco said. “Most of them, I'm going to say 80%, said that the track was so good that they had to give it more power so that the tires wouldn't shake and then that was leading to their catastrophes. Now that doesn't explain the E. T. guy that blew the rear end up for sure but I'm just talking about nitro in particular.”

Yes, a bracket racer blew the drive train completely out of his Plymouth Sundance; depositing the drive shaft and rear-end housing on the starting line.

Never in his drag racing experiences has Peaco ever attended a drag race where 15 oil downs have transpired over the course of a single weekend.
 
“I was a participant at the Rockingham race that was the pollen race,” said Peaco. “I was witness to the Amalie oil down nationals in San Antonio not too long ago, but this one I'm not even sure that we have records that will come close to this. This is the league leader so far in my particular five years.”

ONE LANE BLACK TOP – IHRA announcer Bob Unkefer repeatedly referred to the professional races as “Pick 'Em Races” and he was correct to a point, as long as one picked the right lane.

Lane choice clearly made a difference in this event as only 12 of 51 professional rounds were won from the troubled left lane.

Jeff Dobbins won the Pro Stock division from the right lane, after picking up the fourth round won from the left within his class.

There were no winners in the nitro Funny Car class from the left lane.