Even a rainout generates a full slate of stories to tell, and that’s what happened when raceday was washed away at the PennGrade1 AMRA Illinois Nitro Nationals race at Byron Dragway on August 8-10. Qualifying for all classes (Nitro Harleys, Gas, and even Vintage Fuel!) ran to completion under a beautiful Rock River sunset—and that would be it.
Circle M Ranch Top Fuel
Riding the former Vance & Hines bike ridden at NHRA races several years ago by Doug Vancil, retired industrial designer Paul Anderson has an excellent tool to work with when he rolls into Circle M Ranch Top Fuel qualifying. Fresh off a Michigan runner-up, Anderson was ready to claim the mantle of number one qualifier. And with a 6.52 at 202 miles per hour (MPH), he did.
“Bike was running well and we were feeling pretty good about the next day,” said Anderson. “Unfortunately we had to get rained out!
“I plan on bringing a lot more than just number one qualifier to the table. Stay tuned!” Having legendary Nitro Harley builders and tuners Mike and Jack Romine in his corner certainly helps inspire confidence, and we can expect to see Anderson’s orange “Road Rage” bike in the winner’s circle soon.
Also having Mike Romine in their tuning corner is the Chris Stewart Racing team with riders Samu Kemppainen and Jordan Peterson. The pair have a win each so far this year, with Finnish rider Kemppainen winning most recently in Michigan. He qualified third at Byron with a 6.61 at 209 mph.
“This weekend we started test and tune with our basic tune-up—which has been there since Louisiana—but smoked tire right after 60 foot, so we knew we have to pull out power to get it to run hot track like that,” said Samu. “Q1 it left good but dropped hole right after 330 feet out, so we had to pull out fuel even more.
“Q2 was better and we ran 6.61 at 209, which we were happy after the struggles what we had earlier. Q3 we tuned it up but spun tire couple of times during the run and pretty much same 6.61 again. We were ready for good racing day in Sunday but weather beat us all big time.
“All and all good weekend again and I want to thank Stewart Racing, Romine Racing, Peterson Racing, Phil and Jennie to make this happen. See you all in Bowling Green. It will be first time there to me and I heard it is wild one, so looking forward to getting there.”
Peterson qualified number two with a 6.53 at 213 mph. “This weekend we started off experimenting a little bit to see what Byron Dragway was wanting,” said Jordan. “We started first round of qualifying setting the clutch up differently to make sure we got down the track and got some data. By third round of qualifying, Mike Romine had a great handle on both Stewart Racing B.A.D.D. bikes. I was feeling very confident for our team going into eliminations, but unfortunately it never came.
“This weekend for me, the excitement wasn’t going down the track but the getting stopped part. We made one test pass Friday and I blew the cross over brake line that connects the front calipers in the shutdown. After borrowing a brake line from Spencer Aguiar, we go up for first round of qualifying Saturday and blow the same brake line the instant I applied brake in the shutdown.
“My teammate Samu went to work disassembling one of the front calipers finding the pistons were bound up, causing the brake lines to explode. Second round of qualifying, someone was looking out for me because I went through the traps running 209 mph and instantly I had no front brake again, and the rear didn’t feel right but it was working well enough to get me stopped. My first thought was I boiled the fluid. This time I discovered that the push rod from the brake lever to the master cylinder had broke for the front brake. Luckily for me, my friend Mike Henry had his Top Fuel bike at the track advertising it for sale. I told him what was going on and he was all for me borrowing the parts I needed off of his bike.
“I get all the service work done and the front master cylinder on the bike and bled and I go to set the bike down to warm it up and grab the rear brake as I roll it off the stand, now I have no rear brake! I look and the exact same thing happened to the rear master cylinder that happened to the front, so how it worked to get me stopped in Q2 was all luck and why someone had to be looking out for me.
“So I put in another call to Mike Henry to borrow his other master cylinder. By this time it’s too late for a warm-up after Mike Romine and I get the second master cylinder on and bled. We are heading to the line for Q3 where we run our best run off the weekend with a 6.53 at 213 mph and both front and rear brakes work.
“I can’t thank everyone involved enough: Bikers Against Drunk Drivers (BADD) team owner Chris Stewart, tuner Mike Romine and Patty Romine, and teammates Samu Kemppainen and clutch man extraordinaire Mika Sjostedt. They are always willing to give me a hand when I need it. And of course Sluggo (Casey Jo), who we kept plenty busy packing parachutes and changing oil this weekend along with starting line duties. Also, all the people who came out and those who reach out to support us, we sure appreciate it!”
As for Henry’s bike, it sold to the Universal Fleet and Tire team. Jason Leeper was licking his chops!
Number four qualifier Ryan Peery was actually happy to have blown the tire off in Q3. “Yeah, you don’t hear that too much,” said Peery. “Been struggling with this thing doing 60 foot, and it’s not 60 foot at all. So finally, figured some stuff out and added more weight yesterday and got it down to like a 1.16—which is not impressive, but it did something.
“And then we added a bunch more weight for the third round of qualifying and went out there and blew the tire off. So it’s reacting, which is good. We knew what limit it reached, so we could figure out where to back it down too, so we were really excited about running today. And then Mother Nature said, ‘No.’
“Usually it’s a great 60 foot bike, and doesn’t usually pull as much on the top end as the other bikes do. But here lately, it’s been the opposite. It’s been running good in the middle, in the top end, but it’s not had any 60 foot. So finally, figured something out, and we were excited to see what it had.”
There was big gap between Peery and number five qualifier Michael Balch, who struggled to get down the track. “Q1, we missed on the clutch set-up,” said Balch. “Q2, clutch set-up was great. The bike made a move soon after the hit and I was a little behind it, so I checked up. My fault.
“Q3 the bike was set-up great. Craig Caulk and Steve Rominski did a great job turning it around and servicing it. At about 2-2.5 seconds in the run I checked up because I thought it had dropped a cylinder. The data said different. I got out of the throttle for no reason. I’m guessing Samu (in the lane next to me) was running so well that in my head I heard something on my bike that I didn’t. Craig and Steve did a great job. I’m very proud of my team. If I had done my job as a rider as well as they did as tuners and crew, we would have qualified number one.
“The track crew and venue were great, I’d definitely race there again.”
Also making passes in preparation for the NHRA was at Brainerd the following weekend was the supercharged , 4 cam Harsh V-Twin fielded by Jaska Salakari and ridden by his son Elmeri
Armon Furr Nitro Funnybikes
The Michigan Armon Furr Nitro Funnybikes final was delayed when Jordan Peterson got a metal splinter in his eye and opponent Cameron “Flash” Gunter and the Bad Apple Racing team agreed to delay their final until this event.
“My new joke is we only had to go from Iowa to Illinois to win Michigan,” laughed Peterson. “In all honesty, out of this whole deal that happened, I can’t say enough about Cameron Gunter. Instead of taking an easy win, Cameron volunteered to run our final at Byron during qualifying. I think the world of Cameron and if he ever needs anything from me he has got it. You simply can’t say enough about a competitor who wants to win the right way. Many would have taken the easy win but definitely not him and that Bad Apple crew.
“As far as the final, it was a good one. We certainly didn’t run stellar times but I got out on him and I got maybe 6 seconds (I don’t remember exactly) into the run and it dropped a hole. I left it hammer down on one hole and when I crossed the finish line woooosh there goes Cameron on by me. I start thinking ‘Shit, did he get around me before the stripe?’ I was lucky that track wasn’t any longer because he would have had me.”
Peterson was 7.08 at 177 to Gunter’s 7.04 at 197.
“I can’t thank the Romine crew enough. Mike and Patty are simply amazing people to be associated with. Owner of the bike Phil Lower and Jennie, who are just great people to be around and always willing to help.
“Jack Romine wasn’t able to make it, so we all had to step our game up to fill in for him, but those are way big shoes to fill. Even the night life suffered—everyone kept asking ‘Where’s Jack?’
“And of course Sluggo (Casey Jo), who is never disappointed that she gets to slug me in the back and is the master parachute packer 3000.”
“Jordan cuts a lot like no other,” said Gunter, who was .113 to Peterson’s .044. “As always, you got to be on the tree. We’re getting there. We’re getting close.”
Peterson won the Michigan final, but Gunter snagged number one qualifier for Byron with a 6.94 at 198. “Not our best lap ever, but it was a good hit,” said Flash.
“We wish the rain would have held off so we could run today. We think we had a little bit something for them. But, well, we’ll try next time at Bowling Green.”
Universal Fleet and Tire’s Racin’ Ray Robinson qualified with a strong 7.29 at 174 despite letting out when “it started moving around up there!”
His teammate Jason Leeper made licensing passes, then the team bought Mike Henry’s Top Fuel bike!
Hawaya Racing Pro Fuel
“Bad Apple Mary” Dangrow’s year of Hawaya Racing Pro Fuel domination continues, as she qualified number one out of the 18(!) Pro Fuel bikes at Byron with a 7.32 at 170.
“Does she own this class?” asked photographer Patrick Grant, who was around for Mary’s Rockingham win last year. “She does this season,” was the reply.
Mary also ran a .33 and .34, as she very consistently slowed a hundredth every pass. “I think the motor’s going a little soft,” said Bad Apple boss Tracy Kile.
“Well, the Illinois Nitro Nationals definitely went differently than we had hoped,” said Dangrow. “With the corrected altitude registering like we were in Bristol, Tennessee, we were happy with the times we ran on my bike. With altitudes that high running low 7:30’s on a carbureted bike isn’t anything to sneeze at.
“We were once again able to secure the number one qualifier position at the end of the day. Unfortunately, rain moved into the area on Sunday and the race was called.
“However, our adventure continued on our ride home. Driving on I-75 south in Kentucky, a sudden traffic back-up in the pouring rain occurred, causing multiple accidents. We were cut off by a Tractor trailer stopping in front of us and it took all the brakes we had for Tracy to get our rig stopped about six inches from the bumper of his flat bed.
“Unfortunately, the tractor trailer behind us was not able to stop and slammed into the back of our trailer, pushing the rear door well inside the trailer. I posted a call for help on Facebook to get us and the trailer off the highway and boy did the race community respond. People were calling from six-eight hours away, willing to come with their trailers and rigs to help.
“When I say racers answering the call, I’m not just talking about our drag racing community. We had calls from all types of racing. A person from the Street Outlaws community who lived nearby immediately sent a friend of hers from Candido’s Towing straight to us. They helped get us off the highway and parked in one of their lots where we waited the five hours for Cameron ‘Flash’ Gunter, Scott ‘Bro’ Peek, and Daryl ‘Supe’ Campbell to come with another trailer.
“Not only did Joshua from Candido’s Towing get us off the highway, he stayed with us for several hours to help off load the trailer. We finished up the transfer around midnight.
“So far we lost some equipment and tools, but the bikes seem to be ok. We will know more over the coming days.
“A true sign of family is when someone in need makes the call and people from all over are willing to drop everything to help. There is no better community to be a part of than the racing community.”
Michigan runner-up Curt Sexton thought he had something for Mary this weekend, but he bent a rod and torched the front cylinder head on his first and only qualifying pass of the weekend. He was done early.
Number two qualifier (7.55 at 166) was Hot Rod Carlisle on Mike and Harriet Ann Blair’s bike. “Feeling pretty good about the fact that this little crew has put this bike in the number two spot twice now!” said Carlisle. “Great day of Qualifying for the Red Eyed Racing/Havoc Racing Pro Fuel Team.
“With Mike’s tow rig tire issues, we missed Friday’s test session, so straight to qualifying. Our first pass we ran a 7.67—very respectable for this track, and a nice shake down for us.
“As Mike and (and new crewman) Miles were jelling over the maintenance duties, they slipped in a little more aggressive tune the next two passes, running a 7.61—putting us as number two qualifier—then securing that position on our final pass with a 7.55
“I also want to congratulate Bad Apple Mary on her number one qualifying spot and fellow Havoc Racing Team member Loren Potter on his number three qualifying spot mid-season of his nitro rookie season!”
Potter did indeed qualify third with a 7.73 at 164. “This is our rookie year and we struggled really hard at the beginning, damaging some parts, costing us a lot of money, and I was almost ready to quit,” said Potter.
“Thanks to a great team and great support, we stuck with it and things are finally starting to turn around for us. There’s too many people to list individually, but I wanna thank everyone who has helped us along this crazy journey we call Nitro Racing.”
White Lightning Racing’s Darren Brinkman stepped up, qualifying ninth while team boss and reigning champ Sam White was way down in 14th. “Both bikes have been finicky all season,” said Brinkman. “Trying new things means new gremlins—but twice the data though. Doesn’t help I took three years off since last riding one. Have way more laps as a wrench than I do as a pilot, but damnit man! I’m having so much fun!”
Ohio runner-up John Jenkins clocked in at 13th. “Our two-man team was able to fix a problem that was misdiagnosed after second round of qualifying,” said Jenkins. “We got no data as a Racepack connection came loose, so we would have no baseline. Shoot from the hip and hope to hit the target.
“Jason (his son) and I learned a great deal this past weekend and are working well as a team, keeping our mistakes to a minimum.”
Illinois’s racer Jim “Bad Influence” Martin, Universal Fleet and Tire’s Jason Leeper, Brian Conley Jr., Stubby Hultman, Rocky Jackson, nearby Rockford’s Al Balice, Michigan explosion victim Kyle Rogers, Mark Shones, Louis Sansone, and Hayley Caulk all put in some laps.
Rockford Liquidation Warehouse Vintage Fuel
A special addition to the Byron race was Rockford Liquidation Warehouse and the Nostalgic Dragbike Racing League Vintage Fuel—a gathering of classic fuel bikes running a race within a race. Needless to say, the bikes garnered a lot of interest both in the pits and on-track.
Fresh off their win at the 2025 Iowa Hog Drags and Nostalgia Reunion, Jay Rogers and his twin-engine “Black Betty” qualified number one with a 5.53 (eighth mile) at 137 mph. In the other lane on that pass, Doc Morgan had his throttle stick wide open past the finishline. Morgan bailed off his “Resurrection” bike, which motored straight off the end of the track. He was bruised but OK.
“A HUGE thank you to the entire AMRA and Byron Dragway for a GREAT weekend of racing!” said Rogers. “Greg and Julia Baugh have got it going on! We have not been a part of a sanctioned race in around 30 years as a competitor. Julia and Greg marshalled the entire event with over 200 entries—I think—seamlessly. Tough break for all involved regarding the rain-out.
“Special thanks to Al Balice, Angela Balice, Rockford Liquidation Warehouse, and the whole Nitro Bums family for bringing us the opportunity to demonstrate at a national event what we have all been working so hard on these last few years—creating a place to showcase Nostalgia Motorcycle Drag Racing. along with Rockford Liquidation Warehouse. Your support has taken us to places we may not have gone in your absence.
“Our team was thrilled with the weekend. We ran a new personal best with the 5.53 at 137.86 mph, which also ended up being both the lowest ET in our class and the fastest mph in our class for the weekend! Seems like we have a bit of a bracket bike at the moment. The last five passes have all been within .25 seconds total range with steady improvements in all metrics! Leakdown tests on the front engine continue to improve as everything settles in, and the rear engine keeps testing nearly perfect.
“Thank you once again to Keri, Bun, Anthony, Eric, Iron Mike and Nine for all of the help this weekend!
“I want to take a minute to say thank you to some very important people. First of all, the members of our group—the Nostalgic Dragbike Racing League. Directly and indirectly many of you have helped us create the Nostalgia Fuel class. Your constructive input is helping us refine the whole idea and create something meaningful. Special thanks to those of you that are showing up at the track and helping us figure this out in real time!
“Next up are the Fear No Evo Drag Racing Team sponsors. Their trust in us as a marketing partner speaks directly to what we are trying to do—spread a positive message that embraces all aspects of business done with a handshake and a smile. They are Emerson Crane Rental, Inc, American Pattern & CNC Works, Heartland Machine & Tool, Back Roads Bar & Grill, and Natanic’s Pin-ups
“Thanks to Eatmyink.com and Tom McCarthy Photography for their efforts in putting so much of what we do in print! Thank you to MotormaniaTV for the live streaming and specifically the following people that make that coverage possible: Westside Twins Motorcycle Co, Circle M Ranch, Mancuso Harley, White Lightning Racing, Stewart Racing, Baker Drivetrain, and Sandy Run Arms and Ammo.
Other racers in the class included Jojo Matthews on “Junkyard Dog,” Jordan Henry, Doug Whitmore on the “Heave Dova” Sportster, Dave Best, Leo and Bryan Hess, Grease on Sprinkles.
Shutdown Area
Gasoline number one qualifiers were Charley Douglass in Pro Outlaw, Shannon Poor in Zipper’s Performance Pro Bagger, Kim DeShields in Zipper’s Performance Modified, Jason Crisp in Axtell Cylinders Hot Street, Jimmy Maikranz in Thundermax Street Bagger, David Doremus with a perfect 9.300 in Top Eliminator, Robert Alther with a perfect 9.900 in Huffman Performance Super Gas, Heather Jendruch in BK Electric Super Pro 10.30, James Garey in Pro Eliminator 10.90, Jeremiah Disbrow in Thundermax Street Eliminator 11.50, and Dashing Tony Curtis in Baker Drivetrain Eliminator Dial-in.
The Nitro Harley competitors look forward to seeing the whole Harley-Davidson drag racing family, riders and fans at the classic event: Beech Bend’s Harley Drags in Bowling Green, Kentucky on September 18-21.
Watch all the Byron qualifying action on MotormainaTV.
The Nitro Harley racers thank Bad Apple Racing, Chris Stewart Racing, DayStar Machine and Cycle Concepts, White Lightning Racing, P and C Johnson Trucking, RP Motorsports, Hawaya Racing, JT’s Auro & Cycle, Universal Fleet and Tire, Rockford Liquidation Warehouse, Nostalgic Dragbike Racing League, and Johnny Mancuso’s Circle M Ranch.
This report was prepared by Tim Hailey. Enjoy everything there is to read, see and watch about motorcycle drag racing and more at https://www.eatmyink.com ;
This story was originally published on August 23, 2025.
The post AMRA Nitro Harleys Settle for Qualifying at Byron first appeared on Drag Illustrated.