Hurley Closes Gap on Schexnayder in Unlimited, Kuhn, Willingham and Guido Hang onto Class Leads on Day 2 of Rocky Mountain Race Week
The fifth anniversary of Rocky Mountain Race Week (RMRW) 2.0 (or Race Week) got underway Pine Valley Raceway in Lufkin, Texas for day one with 231 participants.
By the time the tour moved to Ennis and Texas Motorplex, only five had waved the white flag to eliminate themselves from competition.
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Home to the first all-concrete purpose-built racetrack, Texas Motorplex would add another chapter to its 39 year history that got started in 1986 with day two of the Motion Raceworks RMRW 2.0 Presented by Sick the Magazine. Could any of the competitors take advantage of all that concrete, and blast to a better time than what they produced on Sunday night?
Jason Hurley struggled with ‘The Meltdown Firebird’ on day one, but Monday would be a turning point, as Hurley took the first to close the gap between himself and incoming Unlimited class leader Earl Schexnayder.
The Mustang of Schexnayder stayed in the low 7-second range as it was on day one, clocking a 7.26 at 197 mph. But Hurley would improve by nearly a full second over his 8.00 pass from day one, producing a 7.06 at 193 mph to move his 7.53 average a good bit closer to the 7.22 average of Schexnayder.
The bad news? Hurley destroyed the transmission in the Firebird, and as of last night was on the hunt for a new one. Schexnayder also found the limits of his Gear Vendor Overdrive unit, as after 10 years it clocked out. Schexnayder luckily got it replaced and said he’ll be at Saint Capital Raceway tomorrow.
The Hot Rod class had day one leader Walter Doyle continuing to stay at the front of the class, as his ’66 Chevelle produced an 8.62 pass on day two for an 8.63 average.
The most improved of the day in the class was Richard Jones, when his Willys clocked an 8.94, lowering his average to 9.40 for the third spot. Rod Bartholomew retains the second spot with a 9.01 average from his ’65 Ford Falcon.
Eric Kuhn strengthened his lead in the Ultimate Radial category, clocking a 7.47 at 185 mph and keeping his 2-day average at 7.48.
Three rides clocked an 8-second pass in the Pro Street class, and although Daryl Yost continued to lead the pack with an 8.78 average, Steve Farber made the most noise on day two. Farber’s ’87 Chevy Monte Carlo produced an 8.138 pass on day two, lowering his average to 8.97 and moving him from seventh to third in the standings.
Steve Willingham kept his Buick Grand National consistent from day one, lighting the boards with another 8.51 pass to retain the lead. Keith Fenstad sits second in his turbocharged Ford Fairmont with an 8.73 average, and Luna Tran in third with an 8.87 average.
The Stick Shift class continued to be a close top three, with incoming leader Richard Guido retaining the top spot with a 9.03 pass, and an 8.94 average. Billy Armstrong had the second-quickest pass in his ’66 Fairlane with a 9.11, quickening his average to a 9.14. William Hagan’s 9.03 average kept him in the second spot in the standings.
Josh Reich continued to stay at the front of the Rowdy Radial class, and his 2006 Chevy Colorado improved to a 5.68 and a 5.81 average.
The Naturally Aspirated classes kept their leaders from day one, with the Big Block side in control of Robert Voss thanks to his 10.08 average, and the Small Block contingent led by Dave Berry with a 10.10 average.
The Index class were a mix of consistency and changes, as most of the Index classes had leaders retaining their top spots, while a few saw changes at the top. In the 11-Second Index class, Kyli Moore and her GT-R stayed at the front with an 11.018 average, but Tony Hansen used a near-perfect 11.001 pass on day two to move his average to an 11.026.
Travis Boltman continued to keep his ’96 GMC pick-up at the front of the 12-Second Index class thanks to a 12.007 average. Jason Elee slide into the number two spot with a 12.029 average, and James Desrat stayed third with a 12.053 average.
Ernie Raile improved on his 13.096 from day one to a 13.041, averaging out at 13.068 to retain his 13-Second Index class lead.
Anthony Watson only moved two thousandths of-a-second from his first day pass of 14.005, giving him a 14.006 average and maintaining control of the 14-Second Index class.
Although the rest of her class slowed, Lydia Walden produced her second-straight 9.21 pass to continue leading the Junior Street class with her 1986 Ford Mustang.
After opening the week with a 10.30 pass, Chris Baker turned up the wick on his 2008 Suzuki Hayabusa for a 9.15 at 148 mph to continue leading the Motorcycle class.
The Outlaw class would be one of several with a change of leaders, but the top two are less than two thousandths of-a-second apart. Blaine Thiessen led the field after day one with an 8.547 pass, and stayed consistent with an 8.548 on day two.
But Aaron Schaffer and his ‘Silverback’ Camaro improved from his 8.558 pass on day one to an 8.534 yesterday, moving his average to a 8.546, just ahead of 8.5475 average of Thiessen.
The Gasser class saw Joe Grier run the first 10-second pass of the class, improving from his initial 12.35 to a 10.68, and his average 11.51 jumped ahead of Jason King’s 12.00 average.
Two Index classes saw the leader roles change, and the 9-Second Index class was one where the top two spots switched. Jacoby Betts’ 9.038 average now holds the lead over the close 9.046 of day one leader Vince Ruhe.
Travis Urbach and Mike Mead played musical chairs in the 10-Second Index class, with Urbach’s second-straight 10.01 pass got him a 10.017 average to pull ahead of the 10.042 average of Mead.
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of 1320 Video and RMRW – High Speed Media.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com