Spring YellowBullet Nationals...A Homecoming of sorts.
/They say that there is no place like home, and after a hiatus is 2020 that took the YellowBullet Nationals away from us, last weekend felt like a true homecoming.
In 2020 we in the motorsports industry were all affected by what was happening in the world. The Covid issues that caused most of the world to shut down, also left its mark on drag racing. Whether it was postponed races, cancelled races, or even races with no spectators, it certainly took a toll. The Northeast was one of the areas that suffered tremendously.
Every year since 2014 I have made the trek to Cecil County Dragway in Maryland on Labor Day weekend. For some it’s the U.S. Nationals in Indy, but for me there is something extraordinarily special about the YellowBullet Nationals. It is the one time a year that I travel up to the east coast for an event, and in my honest opinion, it’s the best event on the east coast. For that one weekend a year, I get to see many photographers that I would not otherwise see. I get to photograph cars that compete in classes like 8.50 and Warriors that I would not otherwise get to photograph.
When the decision was made that the 2020 running of the YellowBullet Nationals would have to be rescheduled, it was a dagger to the heart that I was not ready for. The future didn’t look bright for a reschedule. No one knew when the state would open back up for business, and whether we would have two YB Nats, or just scrap 2020 altogether. Monty, Maria, & Jim had some decision making to do. Trust me when I tell you that these decisions are not easy to make either. The hundreds of thousands of dollars between payouts, track rental, staffing, etc. makes these decisions even more difficult.
Luckily, the decision was mad that in 2021 we would celebrate two, yes two, YellowBullet Nationals. The first one in May, and then back to normalcy come Labor Day weekend in September. This means that even though I didn’t get to see my east coast people in 2020, I would get to see them twice in 2021. That in itself was really a silver lining.
People ask me all the time what it’s like and why I spend so much time on the road driving to these events. For example, 72 hours before I left to take an almost 11-hour drive to Maryland, I was 11 from home in the opposite direction. I was in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Sunday morning, Chattanooga, Tennessee Sunday night, and Cecil County, Maryland on Wednesday evening. To answer that question though is pretty simple, the look on Monty’s face after not seeing each other for 18 months was exactly what made all that drive time worth it!
This was a particularly emotional weekend though. Earlier this year we lost an up-and-coming legend in the making when Blake Copson unexpectedly passed away. The final Outlaw 10.5 Champion, and Cecil really being the home of 10.5 over the past decade made the weekend tough. Blake’s family was there, and we were able to remember Blake in the way that we should. Thursday night was a remembrance for Blake, and there wasn’t a dry eye on that starting line.
Onto the action of the weekend. The decision was made long before the event that the track index classes would have to be excluded from the event. In my opinion I completely agree with this decision, and I think it actually helped the event. Classes that were being contested though were Ultra Street, X275, Pro 275, Warriors, 8.50, Top Sportsman, and Pro Mod. Action was close all weekend, and a huge $27,500 payday in Pro 275 was also up for grabs.
Ultra Street is one of the tightest and competitive radial based classes in the country. Whether it is a big cubic inch nitrous combo, or a small cubic inch turbo or blower combo, there is a chance all of them are going to be front runners throughout the weekend. We saw names like 2020 World Champion Brian Keep, drag racing young gun Haley James, and eventual event winner George Farkouh from Farks Supercars. Not only was the racing tight from top to bottom, but there was a new record set, and it was the first time that we saw an Ultra car go in the 4.40 range. Dylan Wile, who lives in Pennsylvania, and in a regular at Cecil County laid down a stellar 4.49 at 155.88. This was a race to the 40’s and see who got there first. With Ronny Rhodes on the sidelines waiting for the car to be ready, most thought that Brian Keep would be the one to drop the hammer on the 40’s or maybe even the forementioned Haley James, who ripped off a person best of a .53 early in qualifying, but it was Dylan who screamed down the track and made class history.
On that note regarding Dylan’s performance, I want to put something into perspective for you. In 2010 I witnessed David Wolfe laid down mid 4.40 passes in Georgia. That at the time was a World Record for Radial vs. The World. A 4.46, a 4.44, these were jaw dropping times in the radial world only 11 years ago. Now we have gotten to the point that Ultra Street is knocking on the door of what would have been RvW World Records. Something to think about, and about how much we have progressed in just a decade.
The story of the day in Ultra on Sunday really was George Farkouh though. He took his 2014 Chevy Camaro and mowed through a field of some of the toughest competitors imaginable. In E1 George faced off against veteran Chris Evans, then in E2 was able to get around Jake Conant’s 2014 Mustang. The semi-finals saw George lined up against James Smith, who was piloting the Scott Parsons ’68 Camaro. George had to then stare down the new World Record holder in the finals, Dylan Wile. Dylan was off the pace when they went “full send” and it appeared to pop, allowing George to secure victory. George was going to be tough in the finals either way, as he lit the boards with a 4.51 at 154 and change.
Pro 275 had a lot of hype coming into this race. Monty had decided to put up bring money and that drew 17 of the best Pro 275 drivers in the country. For those that don’t know, a lot of former Outlaw 10.5 drivers have made the switch to Pro 275. Names like Mo Hall, Steve Gorman, Mark Benston Jr., Tim Essick, etc. all have migrated to Pro 275 since the demise of Outlaw 10.5. New Englander Manny Buginga sat atop the qualifying ladder with a stout 3.68 before heading into eliminations. Though Manny qualified number one, he would not be a factor in the finals this time.
The finals of Pro 275 were all about the locals, and all about two of the most beautiful door cars in all of drag racing. The seasoned vet facing off again the young but seasoned “kid”. It was Steve Gorman, in the Proline powered 1967 Mustang, formally campaigned by josh Klugger, facing off against 1969 turbo Camaro of Mark Benston Jr. You really could not have asked for a better pair to face off in such an emotional moment. It was Mark that got to the stripe first though, with a 3.694 to Steve’s 3.730. I was lucky enough to be around the Winners Circle when Mark came up and was able to enjoy this victory with his fiancé Erica, the Copson family, and his own team and family. An emotional moment for the young man, along with a well-deserved victory.
Rolling into what has become one of the most controversial classes in all of drag racing, X275. X275 has skyrocketed from a consistent 4.30’s class to a front running 4.teens class now-a-days. Sixteen of the best in the world showed out for a chance to become YellowBullet Nationals champion. The field was headed up by Dom DiDonato in his turbo Mustang with a 4.16 at a staggering 174.87 mph. The top three qualifiers were all in the 4.teens. Dom was followed closely by Rob Goss and Mike Cerminaro.
While those three were all in the 4.teens, only one of them found his way to the finals at the YB Nats. That being none other than the hemi-powered Mopar of Rob Goss. If you were looking for a final with night and day combos facing off against each other, then this was the one for you. Rob was set to pull in the beams and face off against the small-block nitrous powered Camaro of Ron Rhodes. Ron qualified #4 and was locked and loaded for that Wyoming bear. Unfortunately for Ron, his ammo was a tad hot and popped about half track, while Rob rolled right on past him and showed the potential of that hemi once again when the boards lit up, Rob had just dropped a 4.14 at 172 mph. Needless to say in the following days there have been rumblings because of the performance of that Hemi. Rob dominated and took home a well-deserved victory!
Pro Mod…are you kidding me? I certainly didn’t expect to see three cars in the 50’s but the time qualifying wrapped up, but that is exactly what happened. Steve King, Jason Lee, and Jim Halsey, all wound up at a 3.59. King was 3.593, Lee 3.594, and Jim with a 3.596 and all in excess of 208 mph. Those three topped the twenty entries that were vying for a spot in the sixteen-car field. As with previous classes though, only one of them managed to roll into the finals on Sunday.
Of the 16 cars that made the field, it was Jason Lee in the ’69 Procharger Camaro that found himself in the finals. Looking over into the other lane was none other than Mike Decker Jr. in their 2017 blown Camaro. This was going to be a battle for the ages. As they both took the light, I don’t think anyone was prepared or expected what we saw happen. The tree dropped and the two were side-by-side the entire pass. When the boards lit up, we saw that Jason’s .003 reaction time, along with another 59 pass (3.595) was just enough to defeat Decker’s .022 light and 3.596. You read that right, it was side-by-side 3.59’s in the final of Pro Mod. Just another reason that people love Pro Mod racing! Congratulations to both teams, and a big congratulations to Jason Lee on securing the victory.
If you don’t love 8.50 racing, there is something inherently wrong with you. We are talking about real cars that look like something you would see on the street, cruising around on Saturday night if we were still allowed to do those things. This is not some random bracket class. This is heads-up racing with an 8.50 cap. So yes, you will see drivers play the top end at times, but when you look at the qualifying sheet and #1 is an 8.501 and #6 is an 8.508, you’ve got to be on your game if you are going to compete with these men and women.
In the final of the 32-car qualified field, we saw Steve Silver in his 1997 Chevrolet S10 Blazer taking on Mike Good in his 1984 Chevy Corvette. Steve was going to be a tough one to beat in the finals though, as he laid down a .001 light to Mike’s .031 light. Mike had to play catch-up, and it came back to bite him, as he went too fast with an 8.474. Steve was on the money though and backed up that .001 with an impressive 8.516 to seal the deal.
Warriors featured an A and B class. The A class of Warriors featured the top 16 qualified cars and that was led by Bill Cole of Bel Air, MD in his ’02 Pontiac. Bill set the pace for the class at a 4.13 at 176.47 mph. The #16 qualifier was Tony Oliveira in a ’69 Pontiac. We wouldn’t see either two in the finals of the A category though, as it was Scott Kline is the ’63 Chevy II matched up with Devin Yankey of Warrenton, VA. Devin was first off the line, but fell well off the pace with a 12.303 as Scott rolled to an easy victory when he blasted off a 4.513 at 161 mph. On the B-side of the Warriors division, it was the battle of the Fords. Long-time Mustang racer Lou Proto from Shelton, CT squared up against Jorge Fretts of Philly. Lou was dead late on the tree (.125) to Jorge’s .024, but had the top-end steam to make up for it and put down a 4.656 to Jorge’s 4.867.
Wrapping up the weekend was Top Sportsman, which for those that don’t know, is one of the toughest classes to get even a round win in, much less an event victory. A dominate qualifying performance put Erica Coleman in the #1 spot after qualifying. She was the only car to run in the 3’s during qualifying, but in this type of racing, that won’t always translate to event wins. Rounding out the 32-car field was Richard Rice in his 2000 Chevy S-10 at a 5.309.
Erica was eliminated early in the day on Sunday and that left the door wide open for anyone who wanted to step up and take victory. In the finals we witnessed Joey Heffernan and his love it or hate it 1969 Opal GT take on Deion Pleasants 1985 Chevy Camaro. That’s right folks, it doesn’t take a brand-new Camaro to win…I know, shocker. Today was Joey’s Day though. An .035 and a 4.590 on a 4.58 Dial was going to be tough to beat. Deion ripped an .027 light but was a few numbers too quick when he laid down a 4.928 on a 4.94 dial, handing the victory to Joey.
It was a great weekend of racing. We really couldn’t have gotten better weather, and the turnout was great. The state dropped restrictions starting that Saturday morning, and the fans showed up for sure. To say that I am looking forward to Cecil County in September would be a dramatic understatement on my part. Mikel, from Mikel Visual will be there with me again and helping to create great content as we attempt to bring you the best coverage possible. We have included a link to the galleries from the event, and make sure to check our social media channels for more great content as always. Thank you to Monty, Maria, David, Jim, and everyone involved with making YellowBullet Nationals one of the absolute MUST ATTEND events of the year.
On a side note, I did hear that we might be having two YellowBullet Nationals in 2022 as well. See all of my east coasters in September!