The 2019 Aeroquip Heads Up Series at Milan Dragway is right around the corner! As I take a closer look at this Series, I want to focus on the Drag Radial Class. Right away the standout driver in this class is Mike Barran who will be returning as the 3 Time Champion. It’s my understanding that there has never been a 4 time champion in any of the classes and this year Barran has set his goal as becoming not only this years champ, but the only 4 time champ.
Drag Radial has typically been the largest field of any class in this Series. The success of this Series has always been the racers even with little help from the track. This year it seems Milan is taking some steps in the right direction. In an effort to grow this class and fall in line with other similar events around the country, Milan has made some rule changes to their Radial Class. Drag Radial is adopting similar rules to the more common Limited Drag Radial (LDR). These new rules seem to be more uniform across the board and possibly bring in new racers that will not need to change their combo to race this Series. In addition to those rule changes, I’m also excited to hear that Kurt Johnson and Jason “Pooch” Ruckert will be prepping the track at every Heads Up event. This will significantly improve the surface for this Drag Radial class! Only time will tell how these rule changes and the track prep will affect this class as the season moves forward.
Barran runs a Big Block Twin Turbo combo which really won’t be affected by the rule changes. Unfortunately, we are already hearing rumors of racers currently in this class being forced to move to other classes such as Outlaw 10.5. I won’t know for sure until the first Heads Up Series but I believe Greg Powrie and Brad Tyson will be among those deciding to switch classes, both of these would be a huge loss for Drag Radial! (new class rules at the bottom)
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With top programs like Greg Powrie and Brad Tyson potentially leaving Drag Radial, does Barran have an easy path to his 4th Championship? Of course not! Let’s take a look at some of the other teams who would love to dethrone the champ.
Turbo:
I need to be honest, I’m excited just writing about the next three teams. If there were music, I’d ask you to cue it up so I could announce these guys like it was a cage match to the death.
Right out of the gate let’s talk about the Clements. They currently hold the record in Drag Radial at Milan with a 4.28. They took some time off to make some upgrades and are looking to come back this year with a vengeance.
JR Gibson. Yes, I just wrote an entire sentence with just his name. He’s THAT impressive. Gibson took a couple years off for his family and is back to let everyone know he only stepped out for a minute to let the other teams catch up to his program. I believe he is running the same combo as he ran a few years ago and still has a car that could lead the pack.
The father/son combo of Russ and Wes Blankenship have made some impressive improvements on their 4th Gen Camaro. It’s likely going to take a little bit of time to tame this beast but when they figure it out, they are going to hurt some feelings!
Nitrous:
One of the nitrous teams I believe that can give Barran some competition is the team of Greg Seher. These guys have no quit in them and recently started using a 3rd kit with their combo while testing in Bowling Green, Kentucky at Outlaw Street Car Reunion! This team spends a lot of time at the track and becomes more impressive with every pass!
Last year a couple teams jumped over to Outlaw 632, Dave Harmer’s team was one of them. I hear Harmer is coming back to Drag Radial with a bigger cubic inch setup that he feels can be more competitive.
Procharger:
One of my favorite cars in Drag Radial is Dale Arbogast’s Procharged Primer Nova. I think it would be foolish to look past this car and you can count on him making rounds. Impressively, this Nova sits on leaf springs and a 275.
Like the little brother that just won’t go away, Randy Darocy’s Procharged Mustang is always in the lanes and ready for action.
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New comers to the class are Aaron Johnson and Rick Reynolds. Johnson qualified in the backside of the field (with his old turbo combo) the only time he raced this class back in 2017. Johnson has a new combo that probably won’t run at the top, but will definitely keep any car at the top honest. Rick Reynolds is switching classes from OL632 to Drag Radial. Rick has already been out testing his car this year at Lights Out 10 but with the recent rule changes will be new to the 295 like many others.
Monte Kev, Rick Perry, Kevin Hecht, Troy Waterstraat, Jeff Sandlin, Mike Smith.. the list goes on and on of racers that can go rounds and that we look forward to seeing every first Friday of the month.
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Rumor is that with the rule change there are some new cars coming to compete. This sounds amazing but I’ll have to see it to believe it! I believe this Heads Up Series is one of the best around. Hopefully it continues to grow. I will keep a close eye on the Drag Radial class and keep you updated!
2019 Aeroquip Heads Up Rules – Drag Radial Rules – PDF
2019 Heads Up Series Dates:
May 3
June 7
July 5
August 2
September 6
October 4
LOCATION: Milan Dragway
10860 Plank Rd, Milan, MI 48160
TIMES: Qualifying 2 PM
Gates: Racer 11 AM | Spectator 2 PM
ADMISSION:
Crew/Spectator: $20 | Kids 12 & Under: FREE
Spectator Side Parking: Free | Pit Side Parking: $20
