MICKE OBLITERATES RVW RECORD; LEADS SWEET 16 FIELD INTO RACE DAY
One would have thought they were racing for the $101,000-to-win prize, but the reality was the match betwen Mark Micke and Stevie "Fast" Jackson was only the ninth and final qualifying session at the inaugural Duck X Productions Sweet 16 at South Georgia Motorsports Park located outside of Valdosta, Ga.
Micke made the quickest run in the history of the Radial vs. The World division, a 3.623 elapsed time at 214.79 miles per hour. Jackson wounded his engine and coasted through, ending the day as third quickest with a 3.666.
"That was the run of our lifetime," Micke said, of his final qualifying match with Stevie "Fast" Jackson. "Stevie Fast, the weather and a track like that it doesn't get any better than that. We put everything we had in that. We were not going to lose that run, period."
Controversy on the final run built when Micke and Jackson were scheduled to run the left lane, and because promoter Donald Long wanted to pair teams close in qualifying for this session, neither driver wanted to switch their scheduled lanes.
After a few moments where it appeared there would be a pair of singles, Micke acquiesced and chose the right lane to the cheer of the limited spectator attendance.
"Donald was telling us the No. 1 qualifier got lane choice. I thought, 'Cool," Micke explained.
"Then Phil [Shuler, Jackson's tuner] didn't like that and wasn't going to run us. I was like bulls***, we want to run them. That's it period. I didn't care what lane I was in. So I said, whatever, we will move over."
Micke had no doubt either lane was capable of delivering a big moment.
"I told the guys when we ran the 3.64 earlier in the day, we were going for a 3.62," Micke explained. "They all thought I was crazy as hell, but it was there. With the track those guys [SGMP team] give us, I wasn't worried at all about not getting all of it.
"It tried to go out and wheelie a bit, but since I was running Stevie Fast, there was no way I was lifting. I rode that thing out. I am so happy for our guys."
The Sweet 16 field was the quickest and fastest in Radial vs. The World history.
Second-generation drag racer Ty Tutterow anchored the field with a 3.768 elapsed time.
Interestingly, Lights Out 9 low qualifier Jeff Sitton's 3.787 wouldn't have qualified for the event.
Eliminations begin at 10 AM, EST., with Radial vs. The World hitting the track followed by the Second Chance consolation race for the 16-alternates, and rounded out by a score of No Time grudge races.