{"id":101700,"date":"2025-07-14T20:18:25","date_gmt":"2025-07-14T20:18:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/drag-racing\/uncategorized\/samu-bad-apple-mary-survive-us-131-nitro-harley-battles-and-bruises\/"},"modified":"2025-07-14T20:18:25","modified_gmt":"2025-07-14T20:18:25","slug":"samu-bad-apple-mary-survive-us-131-nitro-harley-battles-and-bruises","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/drag-racing\/uncategorized\/samu-bad-apple-mary-survive-us-131-nitro-harley-battles-and-bruises\/","title":{"rendered":"Samu, Bad Apple Mary Survive US 131 Nitro Harley Battles and Bruises"},"content":{"rendered":"

Finland\u2019s\u00a0Samu Kemppainen\u00a0travels a long way to race his\u00a0Chris Stewart Racing Top Fuel Harley at\u00a0PennGrade1 AMRA races. But the flights from Finland to Michigan are a piece of cake compared to the distance between laying underneath his race bike on an Ohio public road to the winners circle at the Michigan Nitro Nationals at US 131 Motorsports Park in Martin, Michigan.<\/p>\n

Samu found himself protecting his 900 pound Nitro Harley from the asphalt of National Trail Raceway\u2019s infamous Refugee Road after sliding through the sand and gravel pit following his close, final round loss to teammate Jordan Peterson in May. The big Finn was as dusty and bruised as his motorcycle as the runner-up in that winners circle, wincing with every move.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But a month later was a whole different story. The now gleaming white, silver and black bike was the winner this time around and Samu\u2019s painful winces replaced with satisfied smiles.<\/p>\n

One racer that\u00a0Kemppainen\u00a0didn\u2019t have to worry about this time around was Stewart Racing teammate Peterson, who got a metal splinter in his eye and was at the eye doctor when\u00a0Circle M Ranch Top Fuel fired up on Sunday at noon.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cFriday, I had a clutch fiber that wouldn\u2019t fit in the basket, so I was doing a little clearance work on it,\u201d said Peterson. \u201cSaturday, I woke up and my eye felt a little sore. I have had metal in my eye several times because of my profession. It just felt like it had been scratched and not anything actually in it.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut by late Saturday I was really struggling with it and went to look in the mirror and could see the rust ring around the piece of metal. So out of desperation, went to the emergency room down the road. They actually made it worse.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSunday morning I couldn\u2019t keep either eye open. Without really any sleep, Casey and I started calling eye doctors trying to find one who would see me. One called me back and away we went. But the damage was already done and as many solutions I tried to be able to race, it was just going to be unsafe for my competition, the bikes, and myself.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cRomine racing, Stewart Racing, and Phil Lower Racing were all very supportive about sitting out for eliminations, but I still felt terrible for letting everyone down. They all work so hard to go racing and put in a ton of time, effort, and money just to sit out Sunday when both bikes were showing the potential of winning. As always, I can\u2019t thank this group enough and I will make it up to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWatching while my teammate Jordan had to leave the race due to an eye injury was really sad, but I know he will come back stronger than ever,\u201d said Samu.<\/p>\n

Peterson had qualified third behind number one\u00a0Kemppainen\u00a0(6.40 at 216 miles per hour) and Ryan Peery (6.42 at 208). Following Peterson was Jay Turner, Paul Anderson, Chris \u201cNashville\u201d Smith, Buddy Johnson, John \u201cJT\u201d Toth,\u00a0Curtis \u201cNo-Bolts\u201d Heisler, and newly licensed Hawaiian racer Spence Aguiar.<\/p>\n

The beneficiary of Peterson\u2019s round one no-show was Toth, but he didn\u2019t get to enjoy his bye to the second round long. His bike was eating itself alive, so rather than risk a total annihilation in E2, he failed to make the call. The beneficiary this time around was his team boss Turner, who had beat Buddy Johnson in E1.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWas an honor and a privilege to be able to line up against Jay Turner,\u201d said Johnson. \u201cThat man has been a friend and mentor of mine since I started this nitro journey in 2014.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was coincidental to face him in the first round at Martin, Michigan. That\u2019s the first place I ever rode a Top Fuel Harley at. It was 2015, I think. I was there helping Jay at an IHRA event and I went down to get him from the end of the track on the pit bike and he said \u2018You ride the bike back.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I jumped on the pig and he was pegging me back from the end of the track, and at the split he asked me \u2018Do you want to go in front of the stands or behind them?<\/p>\n

\u201cI said \u2018Behind them.\u2019 They where packed and so was the staging lanes that I had to maneuver through. Jay said \u2018We going in front of everyone.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got back to the trailer and he said \u2018Well, if you can ride one at 25 mph, you can ride one at 200 plus. They are easier to ride under power.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bike is getting more and more comfortable each pass. Me and Ryan are learning a new fuel system with this bike, so each pass we are learning more. Each pass I\u2019ve made has gotten better, also.\u201d<\/p>\n

Turner then redlit in the semi against\u00a0Kemppainen, who settled into a 6.50 heat-of-the-day groove after beating\u00a0Aguiar with a 6.43 in E1 and having a bye to the semis.<\/p>\n

First year Top Fuel racer Paul Anderson was tearing up the other side of the ladder. His orange \u201cRoad Rage\u201d bike is the old Vance & Hines sponsored bike that Doug Vancil ran at NHRA several years ago. Like the Stewart Racing bikes, Anderson had the benefit of\u00a0tuning advice from Michigan Nitro Harley legends Mike and Jack Romine.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMike consults with him on the tune-up,\u201d Jack noted. \u201cRight now I work for Mike. Myself, I do whatever Mike tells me to do. I check on him and make sure he is ready for the next round.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cPaul is doing a great job. He has a couple of guys over there that asked questions and listen. They have a great attitude and as a team they are doing well.\u201d<\/p>\n

True enough. Anderson beat the Jay Turner bike ridden by Chris Smith in E1 and then\u00a0Louisiana opening round winner\u00a0Ryan Peery in a good E2 race.<\/p>\n

Peery has seen the winlight in the other lane in the last two races on days when he seemed to be a contender for the final round win. This time it was a 6.65 to 6.61 loss to Anderson, despite a .029 to .066 starting line advantage. \u201cJust some minor electrical gremlins in the fuel control box,\u201d Peery said about his pseudo-slump. \u201cEven with those issues we were right there, so overall I\u2019m not concerned.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cPaul is doing a heck of a job and getting better and better. He\u2019s turning into a consistent competitor and we need more of those. Will make for a fun second half of the season.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anderson didn\u2019t seem content to wait for the second half, putting a 6.50 at 214 on the board in his semifinal bye and giving him lane choice against\u00a0Kemppainen\u00a0in the final.<\/p>\n

And what a final! Both riders had great lights, but Samu gave up .010 to Anderson\u2019s .021. The big Finn put up a 6.50 at only 192 that was good enough to drive around Anderson\u2019s 6.51 at 214 by a mere .018!<\/p>\n

\u201cThis weekend was something that every driver dreams of\u2014being number one in qualifying and winning the race!\u201d said\u00a0Kemppainen. \u201cEspecially since I had been in the sand pits in the last race. Chris, Mike and Jack had to do a lot of work to get the bike clean and back in race condition.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the race itself, we didn\u2019t have any problems with the bikes, only the hot weather made it challenging to find the right set-up. But I knew that this track is like Romine Racing\u2019s home track, so Q3\u2019s 6.40s at 216 mph proved it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOn Sunday, we just tried to stay in tune and adjusted the bike to the weather, The final win against Paul Anderson couldn\u2019t have been much tighter for the two of us. I enjoyed it when the races are so tight and neither of us knew if we would win!\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cRace after race it has gotten better and easier. Everyone knows their job now, I want to thank Chris and Angela Stewart Racing, Romine Racing\u2014Mike, Jack, and Patty; Peterson Racing; Phil Lower and Jennie; and of course my super crew guys\u2014Jeff Killingsworth, Mika Sj\u00f6stedt, and Casey Jo\u2014who maintain the bike as you made one of my biggest dreams come true.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat a weekend in Michigan!\u201d said team owner Chris Stewart. \u201cAfter the incredible momentum we built at National Trail with our all-Stewart Racing Top Fuel final, Samu and the entire team came into Martin ready to keep the fire lit\u2014and they delivered big time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSamu rode like a machine all weekend, and Mike and Jack Romine once again had the bike tuned to perfection. We unfortunately missed having Jordan on the track, but we\u2019re wishing him a fast recovery and look forward to having him back in the seat soon.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m incredibly proud of the entire crew for staying focused and pushing through the summer heat and tough competition. Wins like this don\u2019t come easy, and the level of effort behind the scenes is what really makes moments like this possible.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHuge thanks to our sponsors Schaeffer Oil, Bikers Against Drunk Drivers, our fans, and everyone supporting the Stewart Racing program. We\u2019re just getting started\u2014see you at the next one!\u201d<\/p>\n

Anderson also included Romine in his remarks. \u201cThanks to the hard work on our team and tuner extraordinaire Mike Romain of Romine racing, we had a pretty good run at it this weekend at US131. Congrats to Samu Kemppainen and Stewart Racing on the win.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt stings a bit to come so close\u2014especially on your home track\u2014not to have the scales tip your way, but I\u2019m confident we will stay focused and remain a competitive force on the track.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cProbably the biggest challenge of the weekend\u2014and not just for us\u2014was the track and the extreme heat, and I have to admit at 70 I don\u2019t fare as well as I used to! Until next race, take care and safe travels!\u201d<\/p>\n

Peterson\u2019s eye challenges also affected his Armon Furr Nitro Funnybike entry. Jordan qualified number one in a two-bike field. Opponent Cameron \u201cFlash\u201d Gunter and the\u00a0Bad Apple Racing team agreed to delay their final until the next race at Byron, Illinois.<\/p>\n

Hawaya Racing Pro Fuel is where the nitro hits the fan, with 15 quality bikes and riders showing up at US 131. And at the end of the weekend, \u201cBad Apple Mary (BAM)\u201d\u00a0Dangrow may have to go back to her old nickname \u201cBad Ass Mary.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bad Apple Racing\u2019s Tracy Kile didn\u2019t ride at this event, nor did his teammates Jimmy McMillan and Tadashi Reggie Saitou. That left Kile to focus on the bikes of Dangrow and Funnybiker Gunter, and it sure showed as BAM was quick off the trailer, qualified number one, and won the event.<\/p>\n

\u201cUS 131 is a great track and we looked forward to traveling to this race,\u201d said Dangrow. \u201cWe came with the plan to win it for Casper and I\u2019m really happy to say we did it. Anyone who knows our team knows we always race with all of our Nitro Hounds. We unfortunately lost one of our hounds, Casper, on June 17th after a hard fought battle with a heart tumor. So many of our racing family sent prayers and kept a check on Casper since his diagnosis back in April, and we were blessed to have him six weeks past the vet\u2019s original prognosis.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis race was also a little different for me and the team because I was sick and I did not touch a single thing on my bike the entire weekend. I rode the bike and slept until someone got me up to do it again.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe plan for Saturday was for me to qualify well enough in Q1 to grab the number one qualifier so I could sit out the rest of the day and rest up for Sunday eliminations. We ran a 7.27 in Q1, which took the pressure off of me having to run the rest of the day. I sat out round 2 then made the decision to come back out in Q3 to run the right lane for information. Thankfully our 7.27 held for the number one qualifier position, giving us a bye run in E1 on Sunday.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her 7.27 at 169.94 mph was over 2\/10ths ad 2 mph quicker\/faster than number two qualifier Hot Rod Carlisle\u2019s 7.48 at 167.<\/p>\n

Mary\u2019s consistency stayed strong on raceday with a 7.27 at 170 on her E1 bye.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSunday morning was kinda rough with the heat, but we were there to race and the team took care of everything including making sure I had umbrellas in staging for shade. With a bye in E1 we ran a 7.27, giving us lane choice in E2.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe ran Louis (Sansone) in E2 where we stayed in the .20\u2019s running a 7.28.\u201d Sansone\u2019s losing 7.87 showed how much of a gap that Mary had on much of the field.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of the track, Louis likes to remind me that I disappoint his little girl when I beat him. She is a real cutie but I\u2019m sorry honey, I gotta do what I gotta do. You\u2019ll understand one day when you\u2019re riding against your papa.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOn to E3 against Rocky (Jackson). I love running Rocky. He and Sam (White) were the first two racers to run side-by-side with me when I started racing Pro Fuel. Rocky is one of my heroes. Like I tell everyone, Rocky could ride one of these bikes down a dirt road and probably has. We ran a 7.31 on that pass and were blessed to get past Rocky, which put us in the final against Curt Sexton.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe watched Curt all weekend chip away at his numbers like he always does. Curt is tough. Not only can he put down some quick numbers, but he can cut a heck of a light. We never take anyone we go up against lightly, but Curt is one tough tuner and rider to go into a final against.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sexton had indeed improved every round. Both paths to the final were tough, but Curt had to beat Walter \u201cHalf Again as Tall\u201d Halonski, Al Balice, and Jim \u201cBad Influence\u201d Martin to get there.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sexton had his worst light of the day against Mary\u2014a .136 to her .103. His 7.42 at 167 was down a bit from his semifinal win, but Mary\u2019s 7.35 at 172 was also slightly not as quick. But it was enough for her to win this good race.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was pretty happy when I saw my win light come on as I crossed the finish line. Inside my helmet I was thanking God for this blessing and letting Casper know it was for him!\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe day we lost Casper, Tracy said \u2018When we go into the winners circle pictures at 131, we\u2019re going to have Casper\u2019s Bad Apple shirt and his CVO (Uncle Cameron\u2019s business) shirt hanging from your bike\u2019 and that\u2019s exactly what we did.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I guess we\u2019ll start off with we had no data to work with all weekend again and qualified number three,\u201d said Sexton, who\u2019s faced this data-blind situation several times in the last year. \u201cSeems I\u2019ve been down this road before.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSunday came and won first round (against Halonski). From there on we just kept getting faster each round till the finals, and we were in reach of number one qualifier within .06 seconds.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m pretty sure we had a good tune in the bike and it should\u2019ve gone faster. I was not on my game on the tree like usual. All-in-all, we did decent for first time out for the year and not having any data. See everyone in Byron.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am extremely blessed to have Tracy Kile in my corner, both as my tuner and the love of my life,\u201d continued Mary. \u201cHow lucky am I to have someone who shares the same passion for this sport as I have and tunes my bike to boot.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI also want to send HUGE, HUGE thanks to our entire team: Randy and Brenda Jackson, Jon Wayne Stephens, Michael Hopkins, Scott \u201cBro\u201d Peek, Daryl \u201cSupe\u201d Campbell, and Cameron \u201cFlash\u201d Gunter for taking care of my entire program and for taking care of me at this event. Everyone went above and beyond to get us to Victory Lane and I definitely could not have done any of this without each and every one of them. We are a close family and that closeness really showed through at this event.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI also want to thank my sponsors: Fairview Tavern, Vanson Leathers, Capone Landscape, Ted Munsell at Trick Works LLC, Victory Fuel, and Hawaya Racing Products for their support and belief in our racing program.\u201d<\/p>\n

An interesting race was the first round match-up between rookie White Lightning rider Darren Brinkman and Ohio runner-up John Jenkins. Brinkman\u2019s .145 light was not good, but Jenkins seemed to sit for an eternity (actually .752) before twisting the throttle. It was long enough for one to think \u201cDoes he have a problem? Will he leave at all?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jenkins joked about making a sandwich and offered an explanation. \u201cI was focused on staging and staring at the staging lights, and then he was gone and I looked down at the green light.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJohn may want to go after Jimmy John\u2019s for sponsorship after making a sandwich at the line\u2014his words\u2014in round one,\u201d laughed Brinkman. It was his first nitro round win. \u201cI\u2019m still battling me and riding,..\u201d<\/p>\n

The biggest incident of the weekend occurred in round one of Pro Fuel qualifying when Kyle Rogers had both cylinders blow right out of the case.<\/p>\n

\u201cSaturday morning we ran a test pass. Clean A to B,\u201d reported Rogers. \u201cGot the bike ready for Q1. Bike left well and around 100-200 feet out, motor decided to let Loose. Both cylinders went straight up, breaking the frame of the bike. I was knocked out until I made it almost to the wall.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAs far as health-wise, I am feeling better daily. Leg has some issues but getting better. Time to rebuild and come back better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Great advice for all of us.<\/p>\n

Gasoline class winners were Kim DeShields in Zipper\u2019s Performance Modified, Billy Doherty in Pro Outlaw, Jason Crisp in Axtell Cylinders Hot Street, Dwayne Gee in Zipper\u2019s Performance Pro Bagger, Jimmy Maikranz in Thundermax Street Bagger, Dave Doremus in Top Eliminator 9.30, Jeremy Wilson in Super Gas 9.90, Robert Mallory in BK Electric Super Pro 10.30, Larry Stevens in Pro Eliminator 10.90, John Poett in Thundermax Street Eliminator 11.50, and Kevin Winters in Baker Drivetrain Eliminator Dial-in.<\/p>\n

You can watch Sunday\u2019s eliminations at\u00a0https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/live\/mExkorZetg4?si=HSdUIUCE1bXWgOSP<\/a>\u00a0and Saturday\u2019s qualifying at\u00a0https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/live\/P2UCc_KCzvU?si=WhgDwSgyAy2NmeUc<\/a>\u00a0. On both webcasts you can hear the excellent commentary by Tom McCarthey.<\/p>\n

The Nitro Harley competitors look forward to seeing the Harley-Davidson drag racing family, riders and fans at Byron Dragway in Illinois on August 8-10.<\/p>\n

The Nitro Harley racers thank<\/strong>\u00a0Bad Apple Racing<\/a>,\u00a0Chris Stewart Racing<\/a>,\u00a0DayStar Machine and Cycle Concepts<\/a>,\u00a0White Lightning Racing<\/a>,\u00a0P and C Johnson Trucking<\/a>, RP Motorsports,\u00a0Hawaya Racing<\/a>,\u00a0JT\u2019s Auro & Cycle<\/a>, and Johnny Mancuso\u2019s Circle M Ranch.<\/p>\n

This report was prepared by Tim Hailey. Enjoy everything there is to read, see and watch about motorcycle drag racing and more at\u00a0https:\/\/www.eatmyink.com\u00a0<\/a>;<\/p>\n

This story was originally published on July 14, 2025. \"Drag<\/p>\n

The post Samu, Bad Apple Mary Survive US 131 Nitro Harley Battles and Bruises<\/a> first appeared on Drag Illustrated<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Finland\u2019s\u00a0Samu Kemppainen\u00a0travels a long way to race his\u00a0Chris Stewart Racing Top Fuel Harley at\u00a0PennGrade1 AMRA races. But the flights from Finland to Michigan are a piece of cake compared to the distance between laying underneath his race bike on an Ohio public road to the winners circle at the Michigan Nitro Nationals at US 131 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-101700","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101700","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=101700"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101700\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=101700"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=101700"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=101700"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}