When the PennGrade1 American Motorcycle Racing Association (AMRA) Harley-Davidson drag racing series came to Illinois’ Byron Dragway for the first time last year, race day was a total washout. A few sprinkles made for only the slightest of delays this time around on August 8-9, as eliminations ran through the day to great side-by-side conclusions.
Winners received special light-up, spark plug, “major prize” trophies courtesy of Nitro Bum Al Balice – a Pro Fuel racer and businessman in nearby Rockford.
Johnny Mancuso’s Circle M Ranch Top Fuel
Johnny Mancuso’s Circle M Ranch Top Fuel had a solid eight bike field, and no one was more solid on this particular weekend than Nashville’s Chris Smith.
The Jay Turner Racing team (JTR) that Smith races with has been shut out of the winner’s circle lately, but rider Smith, team boss Jay Turner, and tuner Rex Harris came out swinging at Byron. The combination qualified number one with a 6.33 at 220 miles per hour, followed by Ryan Peery’s 6.41 at 216.
“We struggled to get a handle on my tune in the early qualifying rounds,” said Smith. “Round one we left really good and had a solid 60-foot, but spun the tire at the 330 mark. So going into round two we felt safe with the launch but took some clutch and power away from the bike before the 330 to get through all the bumps without spinning or putting a hole out, and hopefully make a good clean pass. To my surprise it spun immediately at the hit.
“Sitting in the lower part of the field, I knew we had to get a clean A to B pass. When I got back to the pits, Jay said let’s cover all the bases and put a new tire on to be safe. Jay and Rex talked it over and the decision was let’s go run a .50 and get in the field.
“Prior to that round I walked down the track pretty far to look at the bumps and thought I saw a smoother patch through the bumps in a certain spot. So round three I hit the throttle and knew the bike was on a great pass. When I was able to get on the return road, Ryan was there to tell me that I ran a 6.33, which I was excited about but also didn’t think we had that much in the bike!
“My confidence was really high going into Sunday as I had been cutting good lights, but knew it would be a tough race to win with a lot of the big hitters there. We knew .40’s and .50’s would give us a great chance to win the event, so that was the plan and I had to just do my job on the tree and ride it to the smoother spot of the bumps.”
The summer has mostly belonged to Peery so far, and there was no reason to think that his performance wouldn’t rise to the occasion on raceday – until it didn’t. His tune-up struggled with those bumps in the track, causing the bike to drop a hole pass after pass.
Still, good fortune shined on Peery and he found himself in the final against Smith. But without having found the smooth line that Smith found, fortune left Peery’s side. An .052 light put him .011 ahead of Smith, but his 6.76 at 178 mph – despite being his best lap of the day – wasn’t going to do the job against Smith’s 6.53 at 216.
“Got lucky enough to ride over the bumps in the first two rounds of qualifying, but not the third round or any of eliminations,” said Peery. “Every time I looked at the data of the cylinder dropping it came after a spike in the driveshaft. Couldn’t de-tune the bike enough to get over them and stay lit.
“Congrats to Chris Smith and the JTR group. They made the right calls each round to get down the track. Consistency wins races and they had it this weekend.”
“The bike was fantastic and it was just our day,” said Smith. “It felt great because it’s been a bit since I have won a race. I keep ending up the bridesmaid it seems like. Also felt great to get the number one qualifier curse off my back in Top Fuel, as I haven’t won from the number one spot.
“Big shout-out to Rex Harris, Jay Turner and the whole Jay Turner Racing team, and my dad Frank. These guys are the reason why we are fast and why I love this sport.”
An unexpected highlight of the weekend was Baker Drivetrain founder Bert Baker making runs with JTR and earning his Top Fuel license before taking off to Sturgis.
Hawaya Racing Pro Fuel
“Bad Apple Mary” Dangrow’s reign of Hawaya Racing Pro Fuel terror continues. After qualifying number one with a 7.34, Mary gave up a whopping .117 to Richard “Have Nitro, Will Travel” Boone in the final. But Boone’s bike faltered while Mary had the winning tune-up with a 7.45.
“This weekend went pretty well,” said Mary. “While the boys (Bad Apple Top Fuel teammates Jimmy “Mac” McMillian and Cameron “Flash” Gunter) were struggling for different reasons, my bike went pretty smooth.
“We discovered an issue after the last race that seems to have eliminated the gremlins that were popping up this year. I was struggling with my lights, but Tracy gave me the tune to help me recover.
“Early on in my riding, Johnny Vickers told me, ‘Sometimes the rider saves the Crew Chief and sometimes the Crew Chief saves the rider. As long as one of you does the job well, you’ll be okay.’ In the final against Richard, the Crew Chief did his job better than the rider.”
Mary had her personal best 60’ with a 1.14 in E1 on raceday.
“I want to thank the team: Randy and Brenda Jackson, Jon Wayne Stephens, Cameron Gunter, Jimmy and Stacey McMillan, Franky Schaffroth, Ken and Robin Schaffroth, Jesse Irish, Eric Stubblefield, and of course as always—Tracy Kile. Without him, Bad Apple Racing would not even exist!
“I want the thank my sponsors: Fairview Tavern, Vanson Leathers, Capone Landscape, the Bad Apple Nation who purchase our swag (every sale helps us), and Hawaya Racing Products for supporting the sport and the class.
“As always I give glory to God who continues to bless me far beyond what I deserve.”
Armon Furr Nitro Funnybike
Kenneth “Stubby” Hultman once again ran unopposed in Armon Furr Nitro Funnybike. His best of the weekend was a 7.21 at 189.
“I was a bit skeptical coming into the weekend since forecast was rain,” reported Stubby. “Thankfully, ‘The Blob’ missed us Saturday as the rain pushed more north.
“Forecast of rain Sunday wasn’t any more promising, but hey – we raced the weekend with no rain. I would have lost the bet.
“Funnybike ran wonderfully. It responded nicely to the tune I would put into it with expected results. This hasn’t always been the case. Ran really nice and straight and I was very pleased with the results. Tuning was spot on and needed more fuel. I could have gone a lot faster, but since I was unchallenged (again), I was able to play around with tuning and see what happens.
“Right lane was the lane to be in. Left lane has a hump about half track along with cracks running long ways. I don’t think anyone set records in that lane.
“The event went off without a hitch. Rounds ran pretty much on time. I do notice attendance is down – both competitors and spectators. $5.00 to $5.50 a gallon diesel fuel does not help matters. Nearly double the expense. This trip I made it home without breaking anything.
“Looking forward to Bowling Green. I will say I am about to enter the 6s!”
Nostalgia Fuel
Nostalgia Fuel was back at Byron for the second year, growing and more popular than ever.
“The AMRA’s second annual Illinois Nitro Nationals featured the inaugural Nostalgia Fuel Championship,” said Jay Rogers, who along with Al Balice helps make sure the class gets on track.
“What is Nostalgia Fuel?” continued Rogers. “It is a class intended to bring back to the track nitro-fueled motorcycles that no longer have a home amongst the current nitro categories. A home for technology that has been surpassed by current innovation and development. A class meant to showcase the machines that forged the path that has led to today’s incredible performance of the nitro classes.”
The rules for Nostalgia Fuel are as simple as possible and intended to maximize participation in the class. A couple of the more basic guidelines state that the engines must be knife and fork rods, must feature stock-like mounting conditions, and must run a minimum of 80% nitromethane as fuel unless supercharged or turbocharged.
Coming into Byron for the second stop on the Nostalgia Fuel Championship, Bryan Hess and Full Blast Engineering were sitting in first place after their hard-fought win in Humboldt at the Iowa Hog Drags and Nostalgia Reunion. Rogers was in second place, while Doug Whitmore, Jordan Henry, and Dan and Jacob Marko rounded out the top six in the class.
Byron saw a total of eleven entries, but with only five surviving the qualifying rounds as attrition was heavy. Rogers went out with damage to the front engine on his “Black Betty.” Big Al was out with a damaged front cylinder head, and the TMP motorsports guys had multiple mechanical issues ending their weekend.
“The spread over the class was just over a second or so, which kicks in a special rule for the class intended to keep things competitive and to present a good show for the fans,” said Rogers. “The NDRL’s rules for this class state that if less than twelve bikes in the field and a spread of more than .5 seconds, a chip draw will be used for round pairing.”
Hess, sitting as the number one qualifier with a mix of old school hardware and current electronics, was awarded the first-round bye and the remaining four drew for pairing. Whitmore on the Heave Dova Sportster was able to advance over Mark Angelos on his injected Evo, and Henry advanced over Paul Warner on his injected Shovelhead. With Jordan’s low ET for the round, he was awarded the bye for the next round.
In the semifinals, Whitmore suffered mechanical failure and Hess advanced to the final against Henry. Only .006 separated Hess and Henry at the start, with Hess’s 5.22 at 135 streaking to the eighth mile finish ahead of Henry’s 5.83/122.
“Jordan put up a valiant effort, but Hess was not to be denied,” noted Rogers. “After replacing a transmission, Bryan demonstrated once again what hard work and determination will do for you, cementing their lead in the championship.”
“I would like to start out by giving and huge thanks to my dad Leo and Mike Roland for all of the hard work and knowledge they put into our team, getting bikes race ready,” said Hess. “Our pit crew is amazing. We all work together and get anything done between rounds.
“A big thank you to my sponsors: Fondersewing.com, Kramer Drywall, Cherokee Fiber, Full Blast Engineering, and Roland Racing for making it possible to get to the track.
“A little bit about the bike. it’s a Bonnie Truett three-rail frame with some modifications. We run a Hilborn injected 107-inchShovelhead with Delkron cases, a Ray Price two-speed transmission, and a Maxx mini ignition.
“My dad raced this bike for many years at various AMRA and AHDRA races and at the Bonneville Salt Flats, as well as El Mirage, with many records that still stand to this day. So a lot if history with this bike.
“I want to personally thank Jay Rogers, Al Balice, Craig Caulk and also the AMRA for getting the whole Nostalgia class put together. I’m glad to be a part of it. I’ve been around drag bikes my whole entire life and grew up watching all of the pioneers of this sport, so for me to be involved with this is a really cool deal.”
“Special thanks to the AMRA, Rockford Liquidation Warehouse, The Nostalgic Dragbike Racing League, and Craig Caulk Racing for their support of this class and creating an outlet for what can be considered a museum on wheels!” finished Rogers.
Zipper’s Performance Pro Bagger
Indiana racer David “Paco” Cartwright is making a new habit of guest riding Zipper’s Performance Pro Bagger bikes.
“Saturday morning, Nick Boey had hurt his back and asked if I would like to ride his Pro-Bagger,” said Cartwright. “I had never ridden a Pro-Bagger until the prior race in Michigan, for Bert Baker.”
Paco won that U.S. 131 race on Baker’s turbo Bagger. “Bert and Nick are in a tight points race for the season championship. I had a few glitches on Saturday and ended up qualifying number four.”
Number one qualifier Jeremy Williamson broke his bike at the end of a wild wheelie. “Jeremy had broken a front wheel. So first round bye for team Boey, I spun the tire but did get some data. Bert won his first round, which matched us up in the final.”
Paco was wildly slow off the starting line but kept it together when Baker faltered for the 8.65 at 142 win. “Bert killed me on the tree but had problems mid-track as I drove around him for the win.
“Thanks to Team B2 and the whole Boey family for letting me pilot their Pro Bagger.”
Thundermax Street Bagger
Boey did ride his Thundermax Street Bagger, though, and it too went to the winners’ circle. After qualifying number one with a 9.36 at 145, Boey beat U.S. 131 winner Jimmy Maikranz in the final.
“These wins meant a lot to us as a team,” said Boey. “My dad was in a severe motorcycle accident a month before the event. As always, Chris and Marc at VTP made sure we had everything we needed to be ready for the race. Rob, Logan, and Chris with 2 Boss Performance wrenched on our bikes all weekend. It was truly a team effort.
“Paco stepped up and rode our turbo bike to the win in pro bagger after I threw out my back Saturday morning. We are looking forward to Beech Bend.”
Pro Outlaw
Jerry Cameron was able to win Pro Outlaw on his V-Rod Destroyer when number one qualifier Billy Doherty (8.67 at 146) simply took the tree with a broken motorcycle in the final.
“The points leaders in Pro Outlaw are running some impressive numbers,” said Cameron. “After recently finding some horsepower in our Destroyer, Rick and I decided to run in the class, but still knew we were ‘bringing a knife to a gunfight.’ Special thanks to Lou Gerencer for an engine package that gave us the opportunity to be competitive.
“We made a strong pass on Saturday morning, but had a clutch failure that meant swapping out the hub and most of the clutch assembly. We struggled to duplicate that earlier pass with the new parts and changing conditions, but in the end the planets aligned and we had our first AMRA national event win.
“I need to thank Valley Racing, 2 Boss Performance, and the Boeys at B2 Racing. Thank you AMRA for your hard work in making these events successful!”
Axtell Cylinders Hot Street
Clayton Danford doesn’t always feel like he has the quickest Axtell Cylinders Hot Street bike, but he did at Byron. He qualified number one with a 9.65 and took the final against U.S. 131 double winner Jeremy “Skinnywrench” Wilson. There was .001 between the two bikes at the start, with Clayton running a 9.81 at 134 against Jeremy’s 9.96/131.
“Was a good, simple weekend,” said Danford. “Had no expectations. Just rode my motorcycle. No real issues with the bikes and got to hangout, grill and eat with the track homies on Saturday night.
“Thank you for the continued support of Axtell, BackwoodzPerformance, Water Tower Crank Services, and always the guys in the shop—Kevin Danford and Bill Harper.”
Zipper’s Performance Modified
Kimberly DeShields won her second straight Zipper’s Performance Modified race, beating number one qualifier Jeff Flora on a .157 “Riverside Avenue” holeshot. That huge gap at the start offset Flora’s 9.43 to 9.49 ET advantage, both bikes crossing the stripe at 138 mph.
“I would like to say thanks again to the AMRA for another awesome event,” said Kim. “The weather was fussy but the track staff stuck it out and we had a wonderful weekend.
“My sponsor Rolling Thunder – located in Enville, Tennessee – did a fantastic job at keeping the bike in competitive shape for this race. Our computer guy, James, who couldn’t make the race, was available to us via phone for every single pass. Thanks to Cammie for cooking all weekend and Bones for getting me started on the line. My crew chief Donnie, I appreciate everything you do.
“I also would like to thank the other Mod racers and teams. Thank you for showing up and thank you for putting your heart into every pass. The class is so competitive and the bikes are all in tip-top shape. Every pass is important.
“Again, a big shout out to Tim at Eatmyink. I appreciate the photos and the write ups at every race. Also, Motormania TV put the races online for family and friends to watch across the entire country. It means the world to my family and friends to be able to watch.
“We are all looking forward to another great weekend of racing.”
Top Eliminator 9.30
Number one qualifier David Doremus (9.301) also won his second straight Top Eliminator 9.30 race. Randy Erdman made it easy for David, posting a -.004 redlight in the final.
“The morning test run was fast, so we dialed it back a little and hit a 9.301 in Q1,” said Doremus. “Qualifying first set me up for a second-round bye and my first round guy couldn’t make it. Hate to see that happen to him.
“In the final I cut a good light and ran 9.31. Unfortunately, Randy barely went red, but it was red. Hate to see that for Randy. I think he knew he had to push the tree.
“So now I got a big sparkplug and a good picture with (his dog) Toby and Ed Durey. It was good to have Ed back at the track.
“Thanks Greg for putting on a good show and PennGrade oil for the support. Let’s not forget Benchmark Excavating.
“People ask why I’m still running. I told them it’s about the show. Spectators didn’t come to see bikes in the pits.”
Pro Eliminator 10.90 and Baker Drivetrain Eliminator Dial-in
Jim Clarke took two sparkplug trophies home from Byron, winning Pro Eliminator 10.90 and Baker Drivetrain Eliminator Dial-in. Clarke gave up .017 at the tree but ran a 10.94 on his 10.93 dial in the Eliminator final versus his opponent Steve Lacy’s 10.79 on a 10.70.
Chad Trayner was quick on the tree with an .089 to Clarke’s .205 in the Pro Eliminator final, but his 11.25 wasn’t enough to do the job against Clarke’s 11.07. Jim’s son Sean qualified number one (10.905) but lost to Trayner in first round.
“I sought redemption after spending Saturday overcoming persistent charging system issues and making qualifying passes at 9.6V,” said Clarke.
In Baker Eliminator, Clarke advanced through the field – including a razor tight .013 finish line win against John Hughes – all the way to the six-round final, defeating 2025 national champion Steve Lacy to claim the class victory.
Pro Eliminator, capitalizing on the momentum of Eliminator eliminations and fighting through a stacked ladder of Gleason, Hughes, points leader Pollworth, and defeating formal national champion Chad Traynor in the final round. With the win, secured an impressive double-up event victory to close out the weekend.
“Thanks to Sean, Brittany, and Victoria Clarke; Gen3 Performance Cycles, A1 Cycles, Outlaw Light, Foster Blue Water Oil, VP Racing Fuels, Line2Line Coatings, Shinko Tires Global, and Simpson Motorcycle Helmets.”
BK Electric Super Pro 10.30
Trayner also runnered-up in BK Electric Super Pro 10.30. Matt “Doogie” Hauser won despite giving up .044 at the tree to Trayner in the final. His 10.57 took that back and more against Trayner’s 10.64. Number one qualifier Cody Hayworth (10.34) lost to Chad in round 2.
“What a weekend at Byron!” said Hauser. “Taking home the Super Pro 10.30 win is an incredible feeling – and this one comes with one seriously cool trophy!
“Huge thank you to my mom and dad, Sara and the kids, and everyone who has supported me along the way. A big shoutout to all the competitors – this class is packed with great racers, and it’s an honor to race alongside you guys. And thank you to my sponsors, Motorcycle Specialties and Mosher Consulting, for helping make this possible.
“We came to race. We came to win. And now we’re bringing home the spark plug!”
Super Gas 9.90
Robert Alther took the Super Gas 9.90 win against fellow finalist Tom Krava. Alther took the tree .019 to .055 and ran 10.00 to Krava’s 10.02. Number one qualifier Mike Houser redlit against Alther in the semis.
“It’s been a minute since I’ve been in the winners’ circle,” reflected Alther. “Seems the parts breaking at the wrong times won’t allow me to finish eliminations as strong as I would like, but it’s always stiff competition here on Sunday and I appreciate all the racers that give it their all.
“I have to thank my wife Jenn and my teammates for standing behind me as always. Team R2V2 is having a good year and we’re going to continue to do so. This one’s for Bec, we love and miss you.”
Thundermax Street Eliminator 11.50
Kevin Winters took his second straight (in only his second race of the season) Thundermax Street Eliminator 11.50 win, nailing an .022 against Randy Czarnecki’s .252 in the final. Winters also outran Czarnecki 11.67 to 13.07. Number one qualifier Jeremiah Disbrow (11.503) lost to Winters in round 3.
“Byron is my home track and had family and friends attending,” reported Winters. “Qualified fifth with an 11.52 in Street Eliminator 11.50 on Saturday.
“On Sunday, went three rounds in Eliminator bracket class and beat myself with a breakout run. In 11.50, went five rounds to capture the win, second win of the season.
“Great weekend, see y’all in Bowling Green.”
Shutdown Area
A Saturday night social event at the Byron event was a Buell parade. Not a parade of Buell V-Twin motorcycles, but of golf carts and scooters celebrating a large poodle. “Buell” is the distinctive and very popular dog owned by Pro Fuel racer Loren Potter and his wife Kristy. He’s been under the weather, perhaps permanently, and the AMRA racers, crew and fans celebrated his life while still living.
The AMRA Harley-Davidson drag racing family races next at historic Beech Bend Raceway in Bowling Green, Kentucky on September 25-27.
The post AMRA Harleys Go Big in Byron first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
