The 31-member drag racing team that represented Brainerd International Raceway last weekend during the NHRA West Central Summit Racing ET Finals at Bandimere Speedway in Denver placed third among the 22 teams that competed.
The four BIR racers in the Pro Bike class finished strong. Jason Clampitt and Cameron Belisle made it to the semifinals before losing, while Mike Voss and BIR owner Jed Copham advanced to the quarterfinals before getting knocked out. There were 29 riders in the Pro Bike class.
In the largest class, Pro ET, Steve Roehrs battled his way to the quarterfinals before losing. Shane Boney made it to the fifth round. There were 152 racers in the class and eight rounds of competition.
The Sportsman class had 96 racers, including BIR's Troy Luberda, who won his way to the quarterfinals before getting eliminated. Joe Moriarty Sr. and Mike Pflepson made it three rounds in the seven-round competition.
Mike Campbell battled to the third round of eliminations in the Super Pro class before getting bumped. There were 122 racers in the class and seven rounds of competition.
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In the 24-racer High School class, BIR had only one entry - Tracy Arneson, who lost in the first round.
BIR's team competed against drag racing teams from throughout the NHRA's West Central Division, which stretches from Wyoming to Wisconsin and from Colorado to Kansas, including part of Canada. Nearly 500 racers competed.
BIR's 31 drag racers earned their way onto the team by successfully competing in BIR's Bracket Drag Racing Series, which is a six-weekend, 12-race series with one weekend left (Sept. 27-28). The racers on the team are at the top of the points standings in their respective classes.
The ET Finals has five classes: Super Pro, Pro ET, Sportsman, Pro Bike and High School. At stake are individual and team honors, prize money and contingency awards. Some drivers won the chance to compete for a national championship in Pomona, Calif., during the NHRA's Auto Club Finals in November.
Drivers competing for the trip to Pomona were those selected for the Race of Champions, which is a race within a race during the ET Finals. Each team identifies one driver in each of the five classes to represent the team in the Race of Champions. Drivers are paired up in an elimination format by class to determine the class champions, which advance to compete against the top drivers from the NHRA's other six divisions for a national championship in Pomona. The five BIR teammates competing in the Race of Champions were Mike Campbell (Super Pro), Shane Boney (Pro ET), Lee Dugdale (Sportsman), Jason Clampitt (Bike/Sled), and Tracy Arneson (High School). Dugdale was the only racer to make it to the quarterfinals before getting eliminated.
