It’s a Wrap at the Summit Midwest Drags 2023 – The Results Are In!
As we cross the midpoint of the 2023 calendar, one thing is for certain: the number of drag-and-drive events have started to ramp up!
From Rocky Mountain Race Week held the last week in June, to the Miles of Mayhem event held in Canada, there are seven different events being contested, including two outside North America!
The first event to conclude in July is the Summit Racing Equipment Midwest Drags, contested from July 10th through the 14th at three different tracks.
Two time slips are required per vehicle at each stop, and the 2023 edition of the event started at Virginia Motorsports Park. The tour would move to Atco, New Jersey for day two at Atco Dragway, Cecil County Dragway in Maryland hosted day three, and finally returning to Virginia Motorsports Park for Friday’s final activities, awards and trophy presentation.
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The top of the class list is Unlimited, and Ryan Hargett’s small tire turbocharged 2011 Ford Mustang got the job done once again for a class win.
Ryan, who picked up the win in Super Street Small Block Power-Adder in 2022, knocked down a 7.46 average this year, separating himself from the second spot in Unlimited by over a second.
The runner-up slot went to Scott Muller and his 1934 3 window coupe with an 8.57 average, and Michael Peed rounded out the top three with an 8.59 average from his 1968 Chevrolet Nova.
Drag-and-drive veteran Glenn Hunter picked up another class win, using a 7.43 average to win the Pro Street Power Adder class for the third time in as many years at the Midwest Drags in his timeless 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air.
A 7.73 average got Graham Hayes the second spot in class, and Ben Neal nabbed the third spot with his 1987 Cresta.
The All Motor class went to Guy Protano, who guided his 1968 Chevrolet Camaro to a 9.14 average for the top spot.
Protano has been a decent streak in the last year, picking up the Street Race Naturally Aspirated win at Sick Week 2023, and a Super Street Big Block N/A class win at the 2022 Midwest Drags.
Franklin Perkins put his 1969 Valiant in second, and Pauly ‘C’ Castiglione rounded out the top three with his ’72 Challenger.
Riely Grabiak and her 1937 Coupe (below, with the family) picked up the victory in Hot Rod, averaging out at 10.89, nearly a full second quicker than she ran in 2022 for the top spot. Hobart Trent’s 1932 Coupe finished second.
The Manually Shift H-Pattern class was captured Michael Strausser, who posted the lone single-digit average at 9.54 for the top spot in his 2004 Ford Mustang. Anthony Lella grabbed second with his 2016 Dodge Challenger, and Gregory Black’s 1966 Mustang scored third.
Street Machine featured three indexes: 10.00, 11.00 and 12.00, and these classes featured some of the tightest racing across the board.
The 10-second class featured the closest averages for the top three for any class on Midwest Drags. Jay Grabiak’s 10.058 average would top the rest to earn the win in his 1967 Chevy II Nova, Rob Ambrose’s 2001 Chevy Camaro put together a 10.060 for second, and Roland rounded on an all-Chevrolet top three with a 10.061 average for third in his ’96 Camaro.
11.00 Street Machine had the 1987 Chevrolet Monte Carlo of David Fontaine at the top of the list courtesy of an 11.027 average, the pick-up of Ryan Watts locked up the second spot with an 11.044 average, and Andrew Grant secured third with an 11.049 average.
The 12.00 Street Machine was the closest class of the week, as just five thousandths of-a-second separated the top three finishers. Zachary Stevens landed his ’79 Chevy Camaro in the top spot, thanks to an impressive 12.009 average.
William Shackelford and his 2002 Pontiac Trans Am earned the second spot with a 12.013 average, and Scott Franks in third with a 12.014 average of his time slips.
The small tire and stock-type suspension Street Race classes had participants in both Naturally-Aspirated and Power-Adder set-ups.
The Street Race Small Block Power-Adder class was captured by Brian Acton, who wheeled his Chevy Nova to an 8.52 average for the biggest trophy. Michael Maione slid into second courtesy of an 8.56 from his ’89 Ford Mustang, and fellow-Mustang owner Brandon Ciriello locked down the number three spot with an 8.57 average.
Street Race Big Block N/A was won by Bob Perrot with his 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle thanks to a 10.90 average. Ralph Rugg finished second with an 11.63 average from his 1986 pick-up.
Street Race Small Block N/A had a few more players than their big block competitors, and Tommy Dupree posted a quicker average as well, with a 10.71 tally from his 2000 Pontiac Trans Am getting the nod for the top spot.
Nick Cestello’s 11.26 average would be second-best, while Tim Lorenz carded an 11.49 average for the number three slot.
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Sick the Magazine, Motion Raceworks, Jay Grabiak, Ryan Hargett, Zachary Stevens and David Fontaine.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com