South Mountain Raceway – What a day to be alive and a drag racing fan!! It was a collision of action at South Mountain Raceway that saw the last day of track points, King of the Track, the State Championship, Mini Bike Madness, Trunk or Treating, AND the Vintage Eliminator Championship all converge on the track at one time!

Autumn was making an appearance with the surrounding trees beginning to change colors with an incredible show of nature, but you could say those amazing colors on the mountain would not overshadow the smiling faces and shiny cars that took over the scene as soon as you entered the gates. Okay, not all the cars are shiny, but they were all here for the same purpose, go rounds, get points, and win as much as possible! There were lots of costumed folks running around, but you have to admit, with some of the characters in this crowd you have to sometimes wonder just what is a costume and what is reality. With the number of racers on the grounds on this day, there was a lot of activity, but it wasn’t anything Announcer Supreme, Mike Bassin, couldn’t handle, as he was in the tower to provide his unique insights and historical drag racing details all day long in a manner only Mike can deliver. And trust me, there were a lot of details to cover on this day with all the points on the line in all these classes. We’ll give you the heads-up right now that the Vintage Eliminator class will be covered in their own article as it’s completed. On top of all the close racing, fans were also treated to the boss man, Mike Natoli, getting some well-deserved seat time in his hot rod. Hope to see more of this in the future as Mike deserves to have some fun along with all the hard work he and the whole crew put in so everyone has a place to race.

As the afternoon went on, racers packed up their cars after being eliminated, most going home. Those left hoped to keep the streak going and advance to the end. After a lot of close racing, when all the dust had settled, not to mention the sunshine going with it, a number of winners basked in the limelight in victory lane. The eye-catching yellow S-10 of Howard Gibbs came out on top with the PA State Championship in the Trophy class, taking the win over Jamie Talbert. In Jr. Dragster, Brayden Lefler took the top spot with his “Game Over” dragster edging Daniel White. In Vintage Eliminator (don’t forget to look for the separate article covering this class), Gene Groshon came out on top over a dominant performance by runner-up Brian Burns. The Box class saw John Binkle besting Brad McWilliams for the top spot. Steve Lenig walked (drove?) away with the No-Box win over Brian Cool. Mini Bike Madness, with it’s group of wild-looking machines produced winner Steve Lefler and runner-up Greg Mottas. That just left the King of the Track round to be run to see who would earn bragging rights as King. In the end, Steve Lenig doubled up in wins with his Vega wagon that looks fast even sitting still.

If you missed this one, you missed a lot. Get on over to South Mountain Raceway if you want to see some real old-school racing at a unique track in a beautiful setting. You won’t regret it.

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