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May 28-29th - Beaver Springs Dragway

What a weekend of racing! We finally got some racing in....although it was a hot one! Since the Numidia race was rained out on May 14, we were able to complete the remaining rounds at BSD on Sunday. We had a sixteen car field initially at Numidia and the rain came after the first round. Bob Maulick had low reaction time; there were no bye-runs due to the even-numbered field. All eight first-round winners were able to compete at BSD to finish the race. Bill Wert and Randy Campbell were semi-finalists with Bud Poust taking runner-up and Marc English winning the Blue Oval Racing-sponsored event.

On Saturday at BSD we had a field of 31 cars! We had six brand-new members join (some coming from Virginia), and several "old" faces renewing their memberships. Frank Giallonardo had motor problems and Dave Blurton also had motor issues in the English Brothers Fiat; they were unable to make first round. New member Larry Martin in his 64 Nova received the first-round earned bye-run. The semi-finalists were Bud Poust and Bob Jones; runner-up was new member Richard Barnhart in his 66 GTO (running 9.20s all day long) and the winner was John Wise in the JS Autosports Chevelle. John went on to run Top Beaver and developed a water leak so he was unable to compete. River's Truck Center was the sponsor for Saturday's race.

Sunday's racing the field was lighter with 18 cars competing. Low-reaction time went to Bob English, but we had an even field first round. Semi-finalists were Bud Poust and new returning member Larry Yoder in his hemi-powered 23 T-roadster pick-up; runner up was Bob Jones in his Stray Cat Catalina and winner was Bob English in his Studebaker. Bob English then went on to run Top Beaver and lost first round. English Brothers Racing sponsored Sunday's events.

Thanks to all who came out and endured the long, hot weekend and to the sponsors of all the events. Points will be updated soon.

Our next race is Saturday, June 11, when we will make-up the Island Race, sponsored by AKL Racing. Hopefully, we'll see Anthony back on his feet at Island!

June 11th - Island Dragway

Although the weather was threatening, we had a moderate turn-out of 15 cars at Island on Saturday, June 11. We were on an accelerated schedule of one time shot and go racing. Low reaction time for an earned first-round bye run due to an uneven field went to Merritt Snyder.

Anthony Picone with a perfect reaction time was taken out of semi-final action by Merritt Snyder. Johnna Crone was beat by Chris Righetti in the semi-finals.

Final action saw Merritt and Chris facing each other with Chris winning the event.

It never did rain and racing was wrapped up by 6:30 PM. It was good to see Anthony Picone back on the track and we thank him (AKL Racing) for sponsoring the event.

Our rain-out has now been made up and we can follow the schedule here on out (that is if Mother Nature cooperates).

Our next race is Sunday, June 26 at Mason Dixon. It is a big nostalgia weekend for Mason Dixon; MANDRA members are welcome to run their program on Saturday, June 25 and then our points event on Sunday.

Hope to see many of you there!

June 26th - Mason-Dixon Dragway
Unfortunately, due to technical difficulties, the race at Mason Dixon on Sunday, June 26, was cancelled. Thank you to everyone who made the effort to be there and to Freels Racing who was the sponsor of the race; we're sorry for any inconvenience, but it was circumstances beyond the control of MANDRA. We will not be making up this race at Mason Dixon. We are trying to schedule another race to take the place of this points race. Maple Grove cannot accommodate us within their schedule (other than what we already have scheduled there); we are checking with Cecil County to see if we can get another date at their track. We will keep you all posted as we get the details firmed up. For now, our next race is July 24 at South Mountain. Enjoy the break in the race schedule and have a safe and enjoyable 4th of July holiday!

July 24th - South Mountain Raceway

"Nineteen cars and drivers ventured out in the heat and made the trek to South Mountain on Sunday, July 24. Tim Hansberry had a mishap during time trials and did not make eliminations. Tim survived okay, but his car will need a little work. That then left an even field of 18 cars. Frank Giallonardo had low reaction time, but since there was an even field, there was no first-round bye-run. We welcomed two new members John Rose in his 68 Corvette and Ray Bloom in his 41 Willys. Semi-finalist action had Anthony Picone paired against Frankie G with Frankie advancing to the finals. Bud Poust had a bye-run into the finals and beat Frankie to win top honors of the day, giving Bud his first win of the season. Thanks to FWG Racing for sponsoring the event and to everyone who sweated out the day--the thermometer read 102 degrees in the shade! Our next race is August 7 at Island Dragway (race sponsored by Walker Family Racing) where the winner will take home a "Wally" (sponsored by Merritt Snyder)."

August 7th - Island Dragway

"MANDRA traveled to Island Dragway on Sunday, August 7 to participate in their 56th Anniversary celebration. Fifteen cars made it to the Walker Family Racing sponsored event. Randy Campbell earned a first-round bye-run with lowest reaction time. He then went on to the semi-finals where he met his match with Chris Righetti; the other semi-final action saw Pete Boyer dropping to Anthony Picone. This left Chris and Anthony in the finals with Chris being the victor. He won a Wally sponsored by Cyclone Racing. Special thanks to the Walker Family and Cyclone Racing for their sponsoring the day's event. Our next race is Sunday, August 21, Glory Days at Maple Grove, sponsored by Bare Bones Racing."
Randy

Righetti at Island

Pete at Island

Picones at Island

Walker Family

Randy at Island

August 21st - Maple Grove Raceway

"Twenty MANDRA cars and drivers made their way to Maple Grove on August 21 for Glory Days. The day's activities were accelerated from the get-go with the threat of rain; it was one time shot and then eliminations. Bare Bones Racing was our sponsor for the day. Bob English had the lowest reaction time during time trials, but could not make eliminations due to engine problems; therefore, Jim Shearer earned a bye-run into eliminations. The first round was completed and then the rain came and the track called it a day. The consensus among the ten drivers left after first round was to complete the race at Beaver Springs over Labor Day weekend.

The next race is Labor Day weekend with Team Ferraro as sponsor of our race on Saturday and Arc Plasma Cutting as sponsor of our race on Sunday. Sunday's race will also be the Ironman Challenge with the winner receiving an Ironman trophy. The Bare Bones sponsored Maple Grove event will also be completed sometime over the weekend. Gates open at 9AM with time trials to begin around 10AM."

September 3rd and 4th - Beaver Springs Dragway

"We had an enjoyable weekend of racing at Beaver Springs over Labor Day weekend. Twenty-six cars were present on Saturday; three didn't make eliminations due to mechanical issues. Bud Poust had low reaction time for an earned bye-run first round. Semi-finalist action saw Mike Fisher losing to Bud Poust and John Wise earning a bye-run into the finals. Bud red-lighted it away and John won his second BSD/MANDRA race of the year in the JS Motorsports Shearer Madness Chevelle. John went on to run Top Beaver and lost first round. Thanks to Team Ferraro for sponsoring the race.

On Sunday, twenty-six cars came to race in the Ironman Challenge with, again, three scratching and not making eliminations. The earned bye-run went to Bob English who had a .000 light. Charlie Innerst (in the Brian Yarrison 69 Charger) also had a .000 light second round. Semi-finals action had Randy Campbell doing battle with Marc English with Marc taking the win. Frank Giallonardo earned a bye-run into the finals and then lost to Marc in the final race of the day. It was a repeat of last year's finals in the Ironman Challenge with the results being the same! Marc, who also is no stranger to Top Beaver, went on to win the entire event, beating a bike in the finals. Way to represent MANDRA Marc! This is MANDRA's third win in Top Beaver in recent years. Thanks to Arc Plasma Cutting for sponsoring Sunday's event.

Due to time constraints and the fact that only four cars from the Maple Grove race were present, the decision was made to call the race as it was completed at Maple Grove. All winners of first round at Maple Grove will receive an additional 25 points. Thanks to Bare Bones Racing for sponsoring the Maple Grove race.

There will be a sign-up sheet (for food) at the next race for our annual Ralph Eberly Memorial Race and Picnic at Cecil County on October 22. Our annual banquet plans have been made and will be held on November 19 at Harrisburg-Hershey Holiday Inn Grantville. Reserve your tickets now at $25.00 each. Banquet reservation deadline is November 4.

Congratulations to all the winners of the weekend. The next race is Saturday, September 17 at Cecil County (MANDRA and Buicks), sponsored by D&M Engineering. Hope to see you all there!"

September 17th - Cecil County Dragway

"Cecil County, Maryland was the location of the D&M Engineering sponsored MANDRA race on Saturday, September 17. Twenty-five cars showed up for battle; Chris Righetti had engine problems and couldn't make eliminations, so that left us with an even number of cars for first round. Marc Longacre had low reaction time in Tim Hansberry's altered. Semi-final action had new member, Charles Cockerham, going against Bruce Thomas in his Mustang with Bruce taking the win. Merritt Snyder had an earned bye-run into the finals where he met Bruce and went on to win the champion's trophy of the day, this gave Merritt his first MANDRA win of the year. The race sponsor, Dick DeMott, was unable to attend due to illness; we thank him for his support of MANDRA and wish him the best and get-well wishes. Points are updated and there are some tight spots going into the final three races of the year. Our next race is Sunday, October 2, at South Mountain (this is the Mason Dixon make-up race sponsored by Freels Racing). Check out the Shutterfly account for updated pictures of the events. Don't forget to reserve your banquet tickets by November 4."

ATCO and South Mountain Updates

ATCO and South Mountain Updates

"MANDRA versus Mother Nature continued this past weekend when our club traveled to Atco for the Better-Half Racing sponsored event. After two rounds of time trials the rains came and the track called it a day. This race will not be made up and all racers who made time runs will be awarded 50 points. Hold on to your rain check and you can use it at a future event at Atco.

On Sunday, October 9, we were able to finally complete the Mason Dixon make-up race scheduled at South Mountain. It was a beautiful fall day with 23 making their way for the Freels Racing sponsored event. South Mountain sponsored the John Potocki Memorial Race in memory of our former MANDRA member and long-time drag racer. Gary Yoder had problems with his car, Marc English had transmission problems so he moved into driving the English Brothers Studebaker which left Dave Blurton without a ride. This made for a 21 car field for eliminations. Merritt Snyder earned the first-round bye-run; second-round earned bye-run went to Bob Maulick. Randy Campbell beat Bill Wert in the semi-finals and Tim Hansberry earned a bye-run into the finals. Tim then beat Randy in the finals. Congratulations to Tim and crew for their well-deserved win.

Points will be updated soon with some tight competition for several places. The next and final race of the season will be on Saturday, October 22 at Cecil County where the annual picnic and Ralph Eberly Memorial Race, sponsored by Hansberry Enterprises, will be run. If you did not sign up to bring something for the picnic, just bring whatever you want! There is always plenty of food to share!

SOMETHING NEW FOR THE LAST RACE OF THE SEASON: If there are any past members or friends who would like to come to Cecil County to test and tune, you are welcome to do so. You do not have to be a current member and your car does not have to fall within our rules. You will not be able to run eliminations with MANDRA, but you can test and tune for the day. Just be sure to tell the gate keeper that you are with MANDRA--the entry fee will be $40. And....you are welcome to join us for our picnic!

Remember to contact Randy (Wendy) or Merritt and reserve your banquet tickets. Deadline for reservations is November 4. The banquet will be held on Saturday, November 19 at the Harrisburg/Hershey Holiday Inn (Grantville). Cost is $25 per person. There is a block of rooms set aside for MANDRA attendees, but the rooms must be reserved by October 20 in order to ensure the discounted rate. This is a new location for our banquet this year. We hope many can make it and enjoy the evening as we wrap up the season and present awards."

Cecil County Recap

"The Ralph Eberly Memorial Race and Picnic was held at Cecil County Dragway on Saturday, October 22. We had 25 cars competing with two exhibition (test and tune) cars. Allen George came with his COPO Camaro and Bud Poust came in his twin-turbo pickup. Of course, the race was weather delayed due to Mother Nature and her persistence with slight sprinkles off and on all morning. We finally got the show underway around 11:30 AM. Anthony Picone earned the first-round bye-run. Semi-final action had Marc English falling to Mike Volpe and Randy Campbell getting beat by Bruce Thomas. Mike and Bruce then met in the final round with Bruce becoming the victor in the Hansberry Enterprises sponsored event. The picnic was a great success, like always, with lots of good food. Special thanks to the Walker Family and others who helped to set up and clean up, and to everyone else who brought food to share. Ralph always enjoyed racing at Cecil County--we're sure he was looking down with a smile.

Our 2016 racing season has now come to a close. Points are being calculated and will be updated soon. It is clear that Bud Poust is our 2016 Points Champion once again--congratulations Bud! He will be "crowned" at our banquet on November 19. The top 20 racers in points, race sponsors, and a few special awards will also be recognized. You do not have to be a points participant to come to the banquet. Everyone is welcome--family and friends. A good time is always had by all! Deadline for reservations is November 4. Contact Randy or Merritt as soon as possible if you have not already done so."