DRAGGIN’ AT 42

West Salem, Ohio's Dragway 42 played host last weekend to its 3rd Annual "Rock and Race" Nostalgia Weekend featuring two classes of pre-'73 drag racing, vintage car cruise-in, and three days of live music.

Mopars were well represented in all facets of the competition, but the Pentastar gang hogged the spotlight during Saturday's drag racing action where the Street Class final matched the 1934 Plymouth A Coupe of Frank Bremenour of Macedonia, Ohio, and the 1965 Dodge Coronet of Polk Ohio's Daniel Imhoff.

Bremenour took home the vintage reproduction of an early 1960's Dragway 42 trophy when Imhoff took a bit too much stripe, breaking out by .0150 to settle for a runner-up finish.

While Bremenour won the battle, it was Daniel Imhoff who won the war.  Imhoff had been a semi-finalist in Friday night's "Old School vs Late Model" eliminator, had the runner-up finish on Saturday, then completed the logical progression by winning his final round matchup with Tom Biesiadan's 1964 Chevy pickup to take Sunday's Street Class crown. (photo courtesy Dragway 42) [07/23/08]

MOPARS AT THE RED BARNS

The Western Michigan Mopar Club will hold their 20th annual Mopars at the Red Barns event Saturday, July 26, at the Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Point, Mich. The car show, swap meet and car corral will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain or shine. For more information go to www.gilmorecarmuseum.org. [07/23/08]

COONS CAPTURES BACK-TO-BACK WINS IN 'INDIANA SPRINT WEEK' ACTION

Team Mopar driver Jerry Coons Jr. went two-for-three on the weekend, as the USAC Sprint Car Series concluded its "Indiana Sprint Week" mini-series. Coons emerged victorious on Thursday, July 17, at Kamp Motor Speedway in Boswell, and backed it up the following night with a nail-biting win at Bloomington Speedway.

Thursday night's victory was a Coons tour de force. The driver of the Mopar-fueled Hoffman Auto Racing Kroger/Tide Sprinter led every lap, and was never seriously challenged. Also turning in a fine Kamp showing for Mopar was Brad Sweet, whose seventh-place finish was a great rebound after a violent Kokomo Speedway flip four nights earlier. Further back were Mopar men Brady Bacon, Darren Hagen and Damion Gardner, filling positions 13-15.

At Bloomington, Coons had a trying and ultimately triumphant night. After qualifying third, he was swept into a heat race tangle and flipped in the second turn. The Hoffman team repaired the damage in time for Coons to qualify in the semi-feature, and Jerry rewarded their efforts with a win in the 30-lap feature. Coons led the final seven laps in a wild scramble to the checkered flag. Other Mopar drivers struggled at Bloomington, with Sweet 12th, Hagen 14th and Bacon 17th.

Coons also finished in the top 10 in Sunday's "Indiana Sprint Week" finale at the Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, placing eighth. That was the second-best Mopar result of the evening, behind the fifth-place effort of Gardner, who had led the opening four laps on the high-banked dirt bullring.

Coons is now second in the standings. The USAC Sprint Car series resumes on Sunday evening, Aug. 3, on the high-banked asphalt of Indiana's Salem Speedway.  (photo courtesy Mopar) [07/23/08]