Nostalgia Nights 3-Day Drag-and-Drive Inaugural Event in Indiana Results – Jeremy Ortiz Crowned Overall Winner
After a three-week break in events on the 2023 drag-and-drive calendar, the inaugural Nostalgia Nights was recently completed at a pair of tracks in Indiana.
Starting at Bunker Hill Dragstrip with tech inspection and a test and tune on Wednesday August 16th, competition would get underway on Thursday afternoon for the first of three days of eighth-mile racing.
Friday would take the participants on a scheduled cruise to Muncie Dragway, with a stop at RPM Transmissions along the way, before competition would hit the race track that afternoon.
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Saturday would mark the third and final day of Nostalgia Nights, with the morning cruise stopping at Modern Muscle Car Factory in route to Bunker Hill Dragstrip to see the last day of competition and crown champions.
A minimum of two runs per day were required and several classes were contested.
Jeremy Ortiz, who recently finished second in the Sick Summer Presented by TBM Brakes event, rolled his turbocharged LS-swapped 1995 Nissan to the top spot in the Small Block Power-Adder class courtesy of his 5.92 average.
That average would not only be enough to win class, but Ortiz also captured the overall top spot for the event. Chad Lee scored the second spot in the Small Block Power-Adder class, with Aaron West in third.
Troy Martin rebounded from a non-finish at Sick Summer to take a convincing victory in the Hot Rod / Gasser class. Wheeling a classic ’55 Chevrolet, Martin clocked a 6.02 average that easily covered the field. Jason Langkop put his ’55 Chevy Bel Air in second, and Larry Brooks landed third.
Chris Bice would be the lone competitor to finish in the Big Block Power-Adder category. But the ’68 Chevrolet Camaro didn’t disappoint with a 6.28 average, the third quickest of the event, earning him the class hardware.
Big Block Naturally-Aspirated witnessed the Mopar of Jeff Lingenfelter deny the rest of the field, as the ’70 Duster produced a 6.96 average for the accolades. Chris Lewis made it a Mopar 1-2 sweep with a ’68 model Dart in second place.
James Duncan would claim the win in Small Block Naturally-Aspirated thanks to a 6.86 average from his 1973 Chevrolet Nova. Luke Van Allen’s 7.05 average would lock up second, and Benjamin Desjardins tallied a 7.43 average for the third spot.
The Manual Shift H-Pattern class requires a clutch-activated manual transmission along with a H-pattern shifter, and Brian Wagner’s classic 1932 5-Window Coupe would top the field with a 6.99 average. Brandon McElroy’s ’69 Ford Mustang earned the second spot, and fellow Ford enthusiast Justin Mollenkopf’s ’64 Falcon snagged the third-place spot.
Some of the closest racing was in the index classes, with Nostalgia Nights offering a 6.50, 7.50 and 8.50 index class. In the 7.50 index class, the top three cars were separated by less than two hundredths of a second in averages! Trevor Adams would top the class with a 7.518 average from his 1966 Mustang, Chris Gosch close behind in second courtesy of a 7.525 average, and third going to James Dressler, who averaged a 7.535 in his ’99 Camaro.
The 6.50 index class found Blake Mushen’s 2021 Dodge Charger at the front of the field with a 6.56 average, the ’64 F100 pick-up of Lee Brooks landed second courtesy of his 6.59 average, and the unique Divco milk truck of Nick Cryer got third with a 6.81 average.
Glenn Steiner led the 8.50 index class, putting his 1964 Galaxie in the top spot with an 8.54 average. Daniel Shoemaker’s 8.61 average would lock up the second spot, and an 8.71 average from Clint Livengood would claim the third spot.
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Nostalgia Nights / Eric White.
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