Gates opened at 8:00am, the track went hot around 11:00am, and in the early afternoon the crowd really started filling in. Street Outlaws and No Prep Kings celebrities, Daddy Dave Comstock and Joe Woods “Dominator”, were there signing autographs, selling merchandise, shaking hands and kissing babies. They also made a few exhibition passes and Dave lined up with Bill Lutz in a close grudge race that Dave won (video coming later). Other “as seen on TV” stars such as Stinky Pinky, LumiNasty, and Foodstamps were there among the 22 Big Tire entries racing for $10,000. If you showed up as a Street Outlaw fan, you might not have recognized a lot of the other cars, but you quickly realized how impressive these cars were as one-by-one the names you did know loaded their trailers and headed home after getting outrun. The small tire and hard tire guys skated around the track keeping the fans and staff on their toes. The facility was packed and spectators filled the three large sections of grandstands, which provided a good view of the show. There was very little downtime between rounds but when there was, Shon Webb was on the Mic entertaining the crowd.
This was a well-run event, the racers were competing for big money, and the biggest payoff for the spectators was the Big Tire final! Things got a little sketchy at around 500 feet for both drivers; at that point you could almost hear a pin drop when both cars were out of the throttle and trying to get their cars back under control. This was a driver’s race at that point and Ryan was able to finesse his Mustang across the finish line first, turn on the win light, and take home the money! Congratulations to Ryan Hendrickson in his Bullseye Turbochargers sponsored SVO Mustang he calls Foodstamps! Below, you can watch Ryan win $10,000 in one of the most incredible side by side races so far this year.
The Small Tire Shootout shaped up nicely! Jason Cantu appeared to have the quickest small tire truck/car to me, and he also made the most consistent passes of the day. Although Dan Belcher struggled to get a handle on his car earlier in the day, he got faster and faster with each round that he won. The two made their way to the finals and this matchup would have been a great one, however, it appeared that Cantu had some issues as he struggled to build boost, even attempting to spool before he was in the pre-stage beam. When the tree went green, Dan made a flawless A to B pass that would leave Cantu one pass short of a $5,000 payday. Dan’s 1969 Plymouth Roadrunner he calls Hate Tank is a crowd favorite and it was great to see Dan take home the $5,000.
This was the first event that Bill Lutz has put on. It’s my opinion that racers put on the best events and Judgement Day No Prep validates my opinion. There were a variety of classes that together paid out over $22,500. Junior Dragster paid $2,000 by itself! This is an extremely large payout for Junior Dragster. As a racer, I believe it’s our duty to encourage the passion of drag racing with our youth and it’s apparent Bill feels the same way. There was even a payout to every kid that raced in the power wheels class. It was awesome to see these little boys and girls with huge smiles driving aimlessly to nowhere as the crowd cheered. I hope these memories stay with them for a lifetime!
In an event put together in the memory of Joey Alley, it only seemed fitting to have a special moment to celebrate his life before the first round started. I was able to listen in as memories were shared, as inspiration was passed on, and as a legacy continues. It’s unfortunate that I never had the opportunity to meet Joey Alley. I hope when it’s my turn to leave this earth, that people speak about me the way his family and friends spoke about him. I’d know I lived my life right if they do.
Normally, this is where I hit the publish button and call it a night, but I want to talk about Kil-Kare Dragway for a minute. I had never been to Kil-Kare so I arrived a little ahead of the crowd to look around, meet a few people, and then get things set up. In a matter of about an hour I had already talked with about 8-10 track employees. This included the track manager, some of the crew that maintained the track, ticket booth employees, a hot blonde in the tower, the track photographer, and some random guy on a golf cart (who I think fixes things around there). Every single person, regardless of their position, treated me the same way – they were all genuinely nice, spoke with a smile, and were helpful in any way they could be. It was a refreshing experience, to be completely honest. When it was time for them to work, they worked efficiently, the track crew had cleanups done in a third of the time that I’ve seen it take other tracks. They had the right equipment that was operated by the right people. The track itself was in great shape. If I lived in the area, I’d be proud to call Kil-Kare Dragway my home track. I’m looking forward to going back for another event. I think that Bill Lutz and Kil-Kare Dragway made a perfect team, they complimented each other well. I hope they continue this event together in the future! God willing, I’ll see you again soon Kil-Kare!
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