The Circuit Drag-And-Drive Event is Completed; Parkison, Kuhn and Long Among the Class Winners
The Circuit, an event spanning three days of racing action plus nearly three hundred miles of street driving, was recently completed.
Created by ‘DragDriveRepeat’ host Michael Narx, this event is the sixth drag-and-drive event held in a still early 2024 season that continues to gain momentum for the growing segment of automotive enthusiasts.
The event started with registration and race action at Mo-Kan Dragway on Friday, April 19th, then a drive to Ozark Raceway Park where the second day of racing would be held on Saturday April 20th, followed by a racer party that event. The tour would return to Mo-Kan Dragway on Sunday, April 21st, for the final day of racing, plus crowing of class champions.
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The 2024 edition of The Circuit featured twelve classes, with both eighth-mile and quarter-mile classes contested. All participants were required to make a minimum of two runs (with the exception of the first day), before they could move to the next track. Make a total of five runs over the three days and follow the route, and you could call yourself a finisher of The Circuit.
In the eighth-mile Unlimited class, Jim Parkison dominated the class, with a best run of 5.11 on the second day leading to a 5.20 average and the class win.
The 275 Tire class is also held on an eighth-mile standard, and would be just a few steps behind the Unlimited class in terms of performance. Eric Kuhn would rise to the top of the pack, using a 5.14 on his final run on day three to compile a 5.24 average for the victory.
The 235 Tire class holds competitors to a 26-inch-tall x 8.5-inch-wide tire, and is on an eighth-mile format. Brad Long opened competition with a 5.38 pass on day one at Mo-Kan Dragway, and kept the car in the mid 5-second range to arrive at a 5.52 average and the winner spot.
The Street Race Power Adder class is run on a quarter-mile standard, allows up to an 11.5-inch measured tire tread width maximum, and an 8.50 elapsed time cap. Brian Acton’s turbocharged Chevy Nova would earn his second-straight win in the class, thanks to a solid 8.52 average.
The Gasser/Hot Rod Power-Adder class was a popular choice in 2023, so The Circuit added a Naturally-Aspirated version of it for 2024 as well. With the power-adder engaged, Patrick Melson would be the last man standing in his ’55 Chevy.
The new Gasser/Hot Rod Naturally-Aspirated class would have Bob Larson using a best pass of 11.22 to lead to the best calculation and the first-ever champion of the class.
The True Radial class, designed for competitors on a 250+ treadwear rating tire, witnessed the class move into the 9-second zone in 2024 on the hard tires. Shawn Slaubaugh would be tops in the class, using a 9.23 best run on day three to secure the lowest total and the victory.
Malachi Fox had control of the Stick Shift class from the word ‘go’ - clocking the quickest pass of the class at 10.39 and keeping the lead intact through the three days to secure the win in the Corvette.
A pair of naturally-aspirated classes based on small block / big block plus cubic inches / engine design were available, and for the second-straight year, the All-Motor Small Block showed up the big brother class. The All-Motor Small Block class was ruled by John-Paul Franks, who clocked a 9.60 best run on the final day in route to earn the victory.
The All-Motor Big Block class found one competitor in the 10-second zone, and John Daugherty would use a pair of 10-second time slip to collect the class win by a comfortable margin.
The second-biggest class was another new addition to The Circuit in 2024, the 6.50 index. The top five standing had competitors averaging within a tenth of the 6.50-second limit, and Dustin Peterson put up a stellar 6.513 average to rule the roost of the new class.
The You VS You class takes points from bracket racing and index racing to reward the most consistent racers, and had the largest field by far.
A trio of competitors completed the event with less than a tenth of-a-second spread amongst their runs, but Shelby Wears would have the best cluster to arrive at a .0379 of-a-second variance, earning Wears the win.
A full feature on this event will be upcoming in the next print issue of Sick the Magazine.
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Chris Story Foto.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com