The huge crowd of V-Twin culture junkies that descended on Bowling Green, Kentucky’s Beech Bend Raceway got at least one sunny day of action in at the PennGrade1 AMRA D.C. Jones Memorial Fall Nationals.
After a full day of Harley-Davidson drag racing qualifying on Saturday, Sunday broke out with anything but sun. Rain finally eased to allow one round of Nitro-Harley and some pro gas class eliminations before returning and washing out the rest of the event.
Johnny Mancuso’s Circle M Ranch Top Fuel
Ohio racer Ryan Peery qualified number one (6.43 at 213 mph) in Johnny Mancuso’s Circle M Ranch Top Fuel and advanced handily out of round one past Michael Balch on Red Rhea’s bike. “Sometimes Mother Nature sucks!” said Peery, whose program has come together so well that he won the IHRA race the following weekend.
“We had a good consistent bike all weekend and we were ready to go rounds. Was hoping to gain some points on the points leader. It’ll all come down to Rockingham now.”
That points leader is Finland’s Samu Kemppainen, whose lead coming into Beech Bend was 1070 to Peery’s 885. He qualified just behind Ryan with a 6.488 at 215 and easily advanced past Peery’s teammate Buddy Johnson in E1.
“They said Bowling Green was fun and they certainly weren’t lying!” said Samu. “Great facilities, lots of spectators, and drag racing—who could want anything else? Well, maybe good weather all weekend, but what do you do?
“Friday’s test ‘n tune started out similarly to Byron, when we overpowered the track big time on the first run. But on the second, we got a 6.67 at 209mph, which we used to go into Saturday’s qualifying, and that brought us to a 6.69/209mph on the second run.
“We knew Q3 would be in the evening and in much cooler weather, so we added power and it worked—side by side with Jay Turner, a 6.48 time for both. Was one of the best this season, and it got us second place after Ryan’s great run of 6,43s.
“Sunday morning, the weather was already showing what was to come and luckily the track crew worked hard and we managed to get at least one elimination lap done. A 6.49 at 216 mph brought the win against Buddy Johnson. Then the rain started again and as annoying as it is, there is nothing anyone can do about it. Hopefully, the Finals in Rockingham will be run in good weather and we will have a good end to the season.
“Thanks again to everyone who makes this possible: Stewart Racing, Romine Racing, Peterson Racing, Jeff, Mika, Phil, Jennie, SPTR-Asennus Oy, and special thanks to Ryan Peery, who welded our cracked rear exhaust pipe and engine top mount—great job!!”
Jay “Bulldog” Turner qualified third .001 behind Samu with a 6.489 at 209. He also easily raced past his E1 opponent, his teammate John “JT” Toth. “Too bad we didn’t get to finish the race, but we will see everyone in Rockingham,” said Turner.
Samu’s teammate Jordan Peterson qualified fourth with a 6.51 at 215, but lost to recent IHRA winner Tracy Kile in E1.
“We tested Friday, just to get ourselves a baseline for qualifying,” said Peterson, the defending event winner. “We ran a 6.57, so that was something we could work with.
“First round (of qualifying), it wasn’t ideal conditions. Even though we thought we were pretty safe, we went out and spun the tire. We made a gear change going into second round to help calm the bike down and it certainly helped. We ran 6.51 at 215 mph to finish the session number 1.
“Going into the third session we attempted to just tickle it a little bit more because conditions were improving. The fast guys came to play. Third round moved us back to the number four spot, as the better air and better track had us drive through the clutch a little and we repeated at 6.51 at 216 mph.
“Going into first round against Tracy Kile, I was feeling pretty good how we were set up for first round. I hit the throttle, bike leaves great, it’s going perfectly straight, no sign of Tracy (Peterson had a .086 light to Kile’s .131). I tuck behind the fairing and just after the shift, without any warning, the bike drops a hole and there goes Tracy. It’s still a bit of a mystery why the bike dropped a hole, but it ended our weekend before the rain could.
“Many thanks to Chris Stewart of Stewart Racing for letting me race this bike. It’s some top notch equipment. My teammates Samu, Jeff, and Mika for all their hard work and lending a hand when I needed. Casey for being there for any extra help I need. Of course, the Romines, who keep these bikes moving. I learn something new from them every weekend and I appreciate all their efforts.”
Having recently switched clutch plates, Bad Apple Racing’s Kile was pleased with his results. “Experimenting with the new big clutches for the first time and pretty happy with how it’s going,” said Tracy. “We were able to make changes and go quicker every round.
“Qualifying is qualifying, that’s why we race. It’s anybody’s game. I guess I was the windshield this time and Jordan was the bug.”
Byron number one qualifier Paul Anderson qualified fifth at Beech Bend with a 6.55 at 211, but had his bike shut off in the burnout. That left JTR rider Chris Smith with a solo, running 6.69 at 212. “We were looking forward to going more rounds,” said a disappointed Smith.
Buddy “Not Chopped Liver” Johnson lost in E1, but feels his program is headed in the right direction. “I’m learning more every pass, I just have to do better,” said Johnson. “And that’s a direct quote!”
Armon Furr Nitro Funnybike
Bad Apple Racing’s Cameron “Flash” Gunter qualified number one at Byron in Armon Furr Nitro Funnybike, but blew up on his very first qualifying pass at Beech Bend and was done for the weekend.
So Jordan Peterson qualified number one at Beech Bend (7.03 at 176) on the Phil Lower-owned bike, tuned by Mike Romine. Then he got the solo pass in E1 when Gunter couldn’t make it.
Former champ Jim Doyle qualified second (7.12 at 186) and advanced past Universal Fleet and Tire’s Racin’ Ray Robinson in E1 with a 6.92 at 198. “Second (round) would have been better,” said Doyle. “Rockingham will be even better.”
“I’m figuring out more about what this bike wants every time I go down the track. I’m so looking forward to Rockingham and some good numbers. Hopefully, Reggie (Japanese rider Tadashi Saitou) will be there too.
“I’m going to be the only guy to beat Jordan this year, I’m feeling confident. This bike handles so nice and is a joy to ride. The tribute part is such a hit with everyone. I’m having some fun with this bike, seeing that it is going to be the last new bike in my career.
“Forty-two years of racing professionally. It has been such an amazing ride over the years. The people I met, places I’ve been, and things I got to do because of all the traveling really made racing even more enjoyable. I been racing Harleys since I was 19 years old. Never raced a Jap bike or ever been down the track in a car.
“As I once heard John Force say ‘I don’t know how to quit!’ As Iong as I can throw my leg over the bike, I can afford to do it, and it’s still fun, I’ll keep racing. Because if it’s not fun anymore I can stay home and not have fun a lot cheaper. But for now, it’s still exciting and fun.
“I am really grateful for the help I get from my partner Emily Kendall, crew members Darren Berger, Billy Paul, Carl Mogilka, and new member Adam Branthoover. Without them, this isn’t possible.
“Oh, and it rained all the way from Bowling Green to the Massachusetts line…No bugs left on my trailer!”
Universal Fleet and Tire boss Michael “Big Train” Terry said Racin’ Ray’s bike leaned out for the race with Doyle. “Third round of qualifying, the bike was on a pass,” said Train. “Then Doyle treed him (.140 to .289), Ray caught him, then the bike put in too much fuel and lost the front cylinder.
“We’re working with the Romine team to make upgrades and get more consistent getting down the track.”
More Funnybikes, more nitro, more fun for everybody.
Hawaya Racing Pro Fuel
Curt Sexton thought he had something to compete against Hawaya Racing Pro Fuel dominator “Bad Apple Mary” Dangrow, and he was right.
“Well, I thought we were ready to play in the sandbox again after bending a rod and torching the head in Bryon, Illinois,” said Sexton. That Q1 damage prevented him from competing the rest of the weekend at Byron. “Having a problem calming down this motor.
“So we got everything back together for Bowling Green and was ready to give it a shot again. First round, went out and shook the tire really hard again and then we were back in the same situation—bent rod and torched head. So disappointed in tearing up these motors, but we were able to get a back-up motor to bring with us this time.
“We got it swapped out just as everyone was in the staging lanes (for Q3).Bike was not qualified yet so I had to get it down the track. Got it in the field (in fifth) with a 7.67 putting a hole out 2.6 seconds in the run, chopped the throttle for .7 seconds and then got back in it. Tire was shaking bad but we were in the field.
“Got up Sunday morning and it was raining, so I figured we were done. We had almost everything loaded up and was ready to head home, then they said they were going to dry the track, so we unloaded everything and set back up.
“We made a couple more changes to tame this thing down some more. I knew that if we could get the tire from shaking, we would go faster.
“We were last pair out. Staged the bike and let it go. It picked the front wheel up and took off. Shook the tire again, just not as bad, but it drove on through it. This time I figured it ran a 7.40-7.35. I was surprised it ran 7.277.”
That was against Belle Rose runner-up Ken “Stubby” Hultman, who posted a losing 8.30. “It was a good pass, but I think we still got some more left on the plate,” continued Sexton.
“Mary and all the other racers seem to be getting faster, and glad to see so many bikes showing up in our class. This is really great and getting tougher to win. Good luck to all of you and see you the next time we meet.” That would be Rockingham on October 24-26.
Dangrow qualified number one with a 7.32 at 167, then ran those numbers again in her round 1 win over Kyle Rogers.
“We wanted to race!” Mary said emphatically. “I was pretty proud of Curt’s 7:27 and Hot Rod’s (Carlisle) 7:34. Pro Fuel as a class is pulling closer and closer—a great group to ride with. I’m very pleased that I was again able to get the number one qualifier and make it through first round.”
Carlisle was number two for the second straight race. Riding Mike and Harriet Ann Blair’s bike, Hot Rod raced past Louis “Angry Bird” Sansone in E1.
Illinois’s Jim “Bad Influence” Martin qualified third with a 7.526, then ran the exact same number to trailer White Lightning Racing’s Darren Brinkman.
Brinkman’s White Lightning team boss Sam White qualified fourth and beat Jay Beasley. Sixth place qualifier Keith Kelley was unable to make the E1 call, allowing Al Balice to advance.
Floridian John Jenkins qualified seventh and raced past Brian Conley Jr. Rocky Jackson qualified eighth but lost to number nine qualifier Loren Potter.
Shutdown Area
It would be great to say that pro classes would finish during qualifying for the Jim McClure Finals at Rockingham, but the Bowling Green race has been declared finished.
Pro Outlaw ran their one round to completion, with Billy Doherty blowing the tire off his Pro Modified bar bike and losing to number one qualifier Jerrick Spinal and his turbo Bagger.
Jeremy Williamson was number one qualifier in Zipper’s Performance Pro Bagger. The class was interrupted in E1 by the final shower that ended the day.
Russ Johnson qualified number one in Zipper’s Performance Modified, Robert Alther qualified number one in Huffman Performance Super Gas, John Powers number one in Pro Eliminator 10.90, Chris Hoppe in Top Eliminator, Nick Boey in Thundermax Street Bagger, Jason Crisp in Axtell Cylinders Hot Street, John Shotts in BK Electric Super Pro 10.30, and John Poett III in Thundermax Street Eliminator 11.50.
The next race is the Big One, the Jim McClure Memorial AMRA Finals at North Carolina’s Rockingham Dragway on October 24-26, 2025. The Nitro Harley competitors look forward to seeing the whole Harley-Davidson drag racing family, riders and fans there!
The Nitro Harley racers thank Bad Apple Racing, DayStar Machine and Cycle Concepts, White Lightning Racing, P and C Johnson Trucking, RP Motorsports, Hawaya Racing, Road Rage Motorcycles, Universal Fleet and Tire, and Johnny Mancuso’s Circle M Ranch.
This report was prepared by Tim Hailey. Enjoy everything there is to read, see and watch about motorcycle drag racing and more at https://www.eatmyink.com ;
This story was originally published on October 3, 2025. 
