The Summit Racing Mid-West Drag Racing Series, presented by J&A Service LLC, took over St Louis’ World Wide Technology Raceway on the weekend of June 28th for the thrilling KSHE 95 Night of Fire & Thunder event.
Stroud Safety Pro Mods
The Stroud Safety Pro Mod class saw an impressive turnout with 21 cars featuring a variety of power adders. The field included 10 screw blowers, six nitrous, two turbocharged, and three Procharger-equipped cars. Mark Micke’s turbo car secured the No. 1 qualifier spot for the third consecutive event, clocking in at 3.636 seconds at 215.10 mph, the fastest pass of the event. Brandon Snider’s screw-blown ’63 Corvette followed as the second qualifier with a 3.667 at 202.15 mph, while Keith Haney’s nitrous car qualified fourth with a 3.700 at 202.45 mph.
In the first round of eliminations, screw blower cars dominated, with five advancing. Mark Micke and Ed Thornton’s turbo cars, along with Keith Haney’s nitrous car, also made it to the second round. Micke delivered the quickest pass of round one with a 3.654. Ryan Bush debuted in Pro Mod eliminations as an alternate after Keith Goolsby couldn’t make E1.
Round two featured strong performances from the turbo cars, with Ed Thornton and Mark Micke both advancing. This led to a thrilling round three, with Ed and Mark running side by side, Ed posting a 3.668 to Mark’s 3.658. Snider outpaced Muenks with a 3.655, the quickest pass of the round.
However, rain disrupted the finals, postponing the final showdown between Mark and Brandon to Q2 of the next race in Martin, MI.
Pro Mod Slammers
The Pro Mod Slammers class final was also delayed due to weather, with Widener and Yeoman set to compete at a later date.
Pro Mod Debuts
Three drivers made their Pro Mod debut: Ryan Bush, moving up from Pro 4.20 in his nitrous first-gen Camaro, Robert Costa in a brand-new ‘23 Mustang with a screw blower, and Frankie Radake, who debuted his first Pro Mod.
J&A Service Top Alcohol Funny Car
In the J&A Service Top Alcohol Funny Car class, points leader and 2023 Champion Steve Macklyn continued his dominance, qualifying No. 1 with a 3.663. In the finals, Macklyn matched his qualifying run with a 3.668 to defeat Lance Van Hauen’s 3.838.
Performance Bearing Top Sportsman
The Performance Bearing Top Sportsman class featured nine cars, with Kasey Kroeker securing the No. 1 qualifier spot at 4.267 seconds. Round two saw Kroeker break, allowing Tina Pierce to advance. Rod Moore extended his points lead, moving past Tim Cunningham and Michael Chitty, who later crashed his car but escaped unharmed.
Icon Forged Pistons/Race Star Wheels Top Dragster
Anita Strasburg topped the Icon Forged Pistons/Race Star Wheels Top Dragster qualifying with a 3.719. Jeremy Maples, the current points leader, debuted a new car and power adder, qualifying 13th. The final showdown between Maples and second-place Jordan Eperjesi was postponed due to weather, with teams set to run the finals during the Smackdown at Flying H Dragstrip in September.
Race Star Wheels Pro Junior
Kennedy Hale earned the No. 1 qualifier spot with a 0.014 reaction time in the Race Star Wheels Pro Junior class. Tyler Wells emerged victorious in the event.
Zimmerman Properties Sportsman Junior
Cayden Duell took the #1 Qualifier spot with a 0.034 reaction time in the Zimmerman Properties Sportsman Junior class and went on to win the event.
The Mid-West Drag Racing Series will take an 11-week summer break, returning to US 131 in Martin, MI, the first weekend of September.
This story was originally published on July 9, 2024. 
