Roehrs is King of the Track;
One race left in bracket series

(Aug. 22, 2010) - During this weekend's Bracket Drag Racing Series race, Steve Roehrs proved that you can lose in the first round of eliminations but still end up with a fantastic weekend of racing.

Roehrs came into the weekend with a comfortable lead in the Pro ET Class points standings, hoping to at least win a few races in the elimination rounds to maintain his points lead. But he got a little antsy on the starting line in the first round of eliminations and fouled, earning him an early exit. 

"Racing really keeps you humble," he said of his first-round loss. "If you don't like losing, you won't last long in this sport."

Roehrs more than salvaged the weekend by finishing as  runner-up in Saturday's Jackpot Race and then following that up on Sunday by winning the annual Aerospace Components King of the Track competition, both of which were secondary races during the weekend. 

"I came out ahead money-wise and had a lot of fun, so it was a good weekend of racing," he said. "Others didn't make up much ground on me (in points), so I was able to maintain a pretty good lead."

The King of the Track competition pits the best racers in the Bracket Drag Racing Series against each other. Coming into this weekend's event, racers who were first and second in each class raced each other with the winner moving on to represent that class. Then the 11 class winners are paired up for a run-off, with the last racer standing earning the title of King of the Track and a coveted Wally trophy.

Driving his '82 Camaro, Roehrs first knocked off Myron Streit from the Super Street Class and then beat Mike Voss, who races in the Pro Bike/Sled Class. He had a bye in the semifinals and then faced Stock/Super Stock's Scott Dugdale and his '67 Chevelle. Roehrs beat Dugdale with a run of 10.263 seconds and 121.97 mph.

The competition in the Bracket Drag Racing Series was intense for the 340 cars that competed this weekend. It was the fourth race in the five-race series, leaving just one chance left for racers to move up in the points standings and closer to winning a track championship in each class. The final race in the series is Sept. 25-26.

In the Super Pro Class, Alex Barmettler was sitting on top of the points standings by a slim margin but he was unable to compete. Jim Higgins, who was in second place, moved into first after his runner-up finish, losing to Trevor Larson in the finals. Larson ran 8.908 seconds and 170.39 mph.

Dave Engler will move up significantly in the Pro Class points standings after outlasting the field of 81 cars. Driving a '70 Charger, Engler beat Mike Sonnek and his '85 Mustang in the finals with a time of 10.837 seconds and 121.39 mph.

A tight points standings in the Sportsman Class got even tighter after this weekend. Steve Stockton, driving a '65 Mustang, and Jason Sandstrom, driving a '69 Mustang, were both well behind the points leaders entering this weekend but they earned their way to the finals. Stockton was a little quicker off the starting line and held off Sandstrom with a winning time of 12.330 seconds and 99.54 mph.

In Pro Bike/Sled Class, Mike Voss and Glenn Van Zee won their way to the finals. Voss rode his Kawasaki to a finals win with a time of 9.800 seconds and 128.71 mph.

Scott Dugdale will maintain his lead in the Stock/Super Stock Class points standings, despite losing in the third round. Ben Line and Steve Hutar, a pair of racers from Cromwell, battled their way to the finals where Line drove his '69 Mustang to the win with a time of 10.794 seconds and 118.83 mph.

Corey Rinas moved up in the points standings of the Super Street Class by beating Michael Anderson in the finals. Driving a '74 Duster, Rinas had a winning time of 10.900 seconds and 122.91 mph.

Scott Schleicher made a run at points leader Dale Evens in the Super Gas Class by losing in the semifinals while Evens lost in the first round. Meanwhile, Don Westra and Russ Ginger fought their way to the finals, where Westra and his '62 Corvette disposed of Ginger with a pass of 9.943 seconds and 139.91 mph.

The points standings in the Super Comp class will certainly be decided during the final race as there's a log jam at the top. Jim LaBorde and Jimmy Paulson earned their way to the finals, where Paulson was quicker off the starting line but LaBorde caught him a quarter mile later with an 8.892-second pass at 158.32 mph.

Darren Arnold and Keith Larson both lost in the third round of eliminations in the Comp Trophy Class but will remain at the top of the points standings going into the last race. David Imgrund and John Knebel faced off in the finals, but Imgrund proved too much for Knebel and handed him the loss.

Nick Arnold widened his lead in the Street Trophy Class points standings by beating Veronica Monti in the finals. Driving an '04 Chevy Siverado, Arnold won with a time of 15.860 seconds and 69.28 mph.

Final results:

KING OF THE TRACK
Finals: Steve Roehrs ofo Frederic, Wis., def. Scott Dugdale of Circle Pines
Semifinals: Roehrs had a bye, Dugdale def. Scott Schleicher of Albany

SUPER PRO
Finals: Trevor Larson of Starbuck def. Jim Higgins of South Haven
Semifinals: Larson def. Jim Lindsen of Bloomington; Higgins had a bye

PRO ET
Finals: Dave Engler of Ramsey def. Mike Sonnek of Hutchinson
Semifinals: Engler def. Brian Schottenbayer of Zimmerman; Sonnek had a bye

SPORTSMAN
Finals: Steve Stockton of Colfax, Wis., def. Jason Sandstrom of Big Lake
Semfinals: Stockton def. Russ Elzy of Becker; Sandstrom def. Bob Gillespie of Brainerd

PRO BIKE/SLED
Finals: Mike Voss of Maplewood def. Glenn Van Zee of St. Cloud
Semifinals: Voss def. Ryan Schonthaler of Andover; Van Zee def. Jeff Arpin of Winnipeg, Manitoba

STOCK/SUPER STOCK
Finals: Ben Line of Cromwell def. Steve Hutar of Cromwell
Semifinals: Line had a bye; Hutar def. Terry Johnson of Maple Grove

SUPER STREET
Finals: Corey Rinas of Moorhead def. Michael Anderson of St. Joseph
Semifinals: Rinas had a bye; Anderson def. Myron Streit of St. Cloud

SUPER GAS
Finals: Don Westra of St. Cloud def. Russ Ginger of Honolulu
Semifinals: Westra def. Scott Schleicher of Albany; Ginger def. Jeff Kinney of Minnetonka

SUPER COMP
Finals: Jim LaBorde of Hibbing def. Jimmy Paulson of Stacy
Semifinals: LaBorde def. Don Westra of St. Cloud; Paulson def. Trevor Larson of Starbuck

COMP TROPHY
Finals: David Imgrund of Brainerd def. John Knebel of Duluth
Semifinals: Imgrund had a bye; Knebel def. Don Haataja of Brainerd

STREET TROPHY
Finals: Nick Arnold of St. Louis Park def. Veronica Monti of Long Prairie
Semifinals: Arnold def. John Hamann of River Falls; Monti had a bye

STREET BIKE
Finals: Mike Voss of Maplewood def. Ken Doble of Clearwater
Semifinals: Voss had a bye; Doble def. Donnie Durenberger of Dayton

TOP SPORTSMAN
Finals: Gary Loeffelholz of Shafer def. Craig Clark

JUNIOR DRAGSTER ADVANCED
Finals: Heather Bredeken of Starbuck def. Kellie Kastner of Clearwater
Semifinals: Bredeken def. Justin Gifferson of Hanska; Kastner had a bye

JUNIOR DRAGSTER INTERMEDIATE
Finals: Jordan Pratt of Otsego def. Erin Johnson of Nowthen
Semifinals: Pratt def. Max Niesen of Brooklyn Park; Johnson had a bye