On a weekend where the Rooftec Competition Eliminator Bonus Fund traveled outside of its NHRA Division 5 (South-central) divisional base, the D5 racers who have long supported the series displayed their prowess in sweeping both races.
Scott Linder completed the sweep by driving his A/Altered Pontiac Grand Am to the title by stopping Adam Hickey in the final round. Linder joined Taylor Chomiski in winning those events.
“I’ve been real fortunate,” said Linder, winner of the event with 41 entries vying for 32 spots. “David Reher and Brad Morgan (Reher-Morrison) take good care of me, and the engine is really trouble-free. It makes good power, and the track was really good which made it get down the track. It was a really good day for us.”
Linder didn’t have to push his Pontiac hard in the final round as Hickey fouled.
“[Hickey] had me on the tree pretty good all day,” Linder said. “It would have been good to go to the stripe, but he fouled. A win is a win.”
Linder’s road to the final round included wins over Sean Vincent, Kevin Carter, Allen Wilson, and Clint Neff.
Two streaks continued in the Rooftec Comp Eliminator Bonus Fund Series. First, no racer has won more than one event in a season since the series was created in 2021. In the last two seasons, every race winner has had to win five rounds of competition.
In Super Stock, Tyler Wudarcyzyk beat Fred Allen in the final round. He ran a 10.379 to reach the winner’s circle.
The first event at Flying H Dragstrip had its challenges over the weekend largely stemming from a rainstorm in the early hours of Friday that dumped almost two-inches of rain on the upper sportsman pit areas preventing some races from getting out. This hardship delayed Friday’s first race eliminations until Saturday as track officials worked to build new gravel roads for racers.
“The weekend was challenging,” Wudarcyzyk said. “Not because of the pits because we were parked on asphalt, but because it was a new track, and every track has its nuances.”
Stock was a stick-shifters dream as the final round whittled down to a pair of E/Stock 1966 Chevy II classics. In the end, it was Jim Parsons stopping Paul Merolla in the heads-up; no breakout final round.
Parsons, who raced the car at the 1976 NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, Ca., got the most out of his car. He purchased the Chevy II just days before he shipped off to military service and eventually a tour in Vietnam. Parson purchased the car for a little over $3000 and carried a monthly payment of $85.
“It sat for 17 years because I went road racing,” Parsons said. “Never had a heads-up final in a divisional, but Paul is a good friend. You hate to beat your friends, but that’s what you are here for.”
Other winners included Larry Demers (Top Sportsman), Darian Boesch (Top Sportsman), Kyle Rickman (Super Comp), Kris Whitfield (Super Gas), Nick Vogelsang (Super Street) and Donnie Durenberger (Sportsman Motorcycle).
