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.<\/p>\n
\u201cBike was running well and we were feeling pretty good about the next day,\u201d said Anderson. \u201cUnfortunately we had to get rained out!<\/p>\n
\u201cI plan on bringing a lot more than just number one qualifier to the table. Stay tuned!\u201d 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\u2019s orange \u201cRoad Rage\u201d bike in the winner\u2019s circle soon.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis weekend we started test and tune with our basic tune-up\u2014which has been there since Louisiana\u2014but smoked tire right after 60 foot, so we knew we have to pull out power to get it to run hot track like that,\u201d said Samu. \u201cQ1 it left good but dropped hole right after 330 feet out, so we had to pull out fuel even more.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cQ2 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAll 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Peterson qualified number two with a 6.53 at 213 mph. \u201cThis weekend we started off experimenting a little bit to see what Byron Dragway was wanting,\u201d said Jordan. \u201cWe 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis weekend for me, the excitement wasn\u2019t 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy 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\u2019t 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I put in another call to Mike Henry to borrow his other master cylinder. By this time it\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t 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!\u201d<\/p>\n
As for Henry\u2019s bike, it sold to the Universal Fleet and Tire team. Jason Leeper was licking his chops!<\/p>\n
Number four qualifier Ryan Peery was actually happy to have blown the tire off in Q3. \u201cYeah, you don\u2019t hear that too much,\u201d said Peery. \u201cBeen struggling with this thing doing 60 foot, and it\u2019s 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\u2014which is not impressive, but it did something.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then we added a bunch more weight for the third round of qualifying and went out there and blew the tire off. So it\u2019s 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, \u2018No.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cUsually it\u2019s a great 60 foot bike, and doesn\u2019t usually pull as much on the top end as the other bikes do. But here lately, it\u2019s been the opposite. It\u2019s been running good in the middle, in the top end, but it\u2019s not had any 60 foot. So finally, figured something out, and we were excited to see what it had.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was big gap between Peery and number five qualifier Michael Balch, who struggled to get down the track. \u201cQ1, we missed on the clutch set-up,\u201d said Balch. \u201cQ2, 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cQ3 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\u2019m 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\u2019t. Craig and Steve did a great job. I\u2019m 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe track crew and venue were great, I\u2019d definitely race there again.\u201d<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
Armon Furr Nitro Funnybikes<\/strong><\/p>\n The Michigan Armon Furr Nitro Funnybikes final was delayed when Jordan Peterson got a metal splinter in his eye and opponent Cameron \u201cFlash\u201d Gunter and the Bad Apple Racing team agreed to delay their final until this event.<\/p>\n \u201cMy new joke is we only had to go from Iowa to Illinois to win Michigan,\u201d laughed Peterson. \u201cIn all honesty, out of this whole deal that happened, I can\u2019t 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\u2019t 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAs far as the final, it was a good one. We certainly didn\u2019t run stellar times but I got out on him and I got maybe 6 seconds (I don\u2019t 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 \u2018Shit, did he get around me before the stripe?\u2019 I was lucky that track wasn\u2019t any longer because he would have had me.\u201d<\/p>\n Peterson was 7.08 at 177 to Gunter\u2019s 7.04 at 197.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cJack Romine wasn\u2019t 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\u2014everyone kept asking \u2018Where\u2019s Jack?\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAnd 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.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJordan cuts a lot like no other,\u201d said Gunter, who was .113 to Peterson\u2019s .044. \u201cAs always, you got to be on the tree. We\u2019re getting there. We\u2019re getting close.\u201d<\/p>\n Peterson won the Michigan final, but Gunter snagged number one qualifier for Byron with a 6.94 at 198. \u201cNot our best lap ever, but it was a good hit,\u201d said Flash.<\/p>\n \u201cWe 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\u2019ll try next time at Bowling Green.\u201d<\/p>\n Universal Fleet and Tire\u2019s Racin\u2019 Ray Robinson qualified with a strong 7.29 at 174 despite letting out when \u201cit started moving around up there!\u201d<\/p>\n His teammate Jason Leeper made licensing passes, then the team bought Mike Henry\u2019s Top Fuel bike!<\/p>\n Hawaya Racing Pro Fuel\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cBad Apple Mary\u201d Dangrow\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cDoes she own this class?\u201d asked photographer Patrick Grant, who was around for Mary\u2019s Rockingham win last year. \u201cShe does this season,\u201d was the reply.<\/p>\n Mary also ran a .33 and .34, as she very consistently slowed a hundredth every pass. \u201cI think the motor\u2019s going a little soft,\u201d said Bad Apple boss Tracy Kile.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, the Illinois Nitro Nationals definitely went differently than we had hoped,\u201d said Dangrow. \u201cWith 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\u2019s on a carbureted bike isn\u2019t anything to sneeze at.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHowever, 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunately, 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I say racers answering the call, I\u2019m 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\u2019s 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 \u2018Flash\u2019 Gunter, Scott \u2018Bro\u2019 Peek, and Daryl \u2018Supe\u2019 Campbell to come with another trailer.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cNot only did Joshua from Candido\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSo far we lost some equipment and tools, but the bikes seem to be ok. We will know more over the coming days.<\/p>\n \u201cA 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.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Number two qualifier (7.55 at 166) was Hot Rod Carlisle on Mike and Harriet Ann Blair\u2019s bike. \u201cFeeling pretty good about the fact that this little crew has put this bike in the number two spot twice now!\u201d said Carlisle. \u201cGreat day of Qualifying for the Red Eyed Racing\/Havoc Racing Pro Fuel Team.<\/p>\n \u201cWith Mike\u2019s tow rig tire issues, we missed Friday\u2019s test session, so straight to qualifying. Our first pass we ran a 7.67\u2014very respectable for this track, and a nice shake down for us.<\/p>\n \u201cAs 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\u2014putting us as number two qualifier\u2014then securing that position on our final pass with a 7.55<\/p>\n \u201cI 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!\u201d<\/p>\n Potter did indeed qualify third with a 7.73 at 164. \u201cThis 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,\u201d said Potter.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThanks to a great team and great support, we stuck with it and things are finally starting to turn around for us. There\u2019s too many people to list individually, but I wanna thank everyone who has helped us along this crazy journey we call Nitro Racing.\u201d<\/p>\n White Lightning Racing\u2019s Darren Brinkman stepped up, qualifying ninth while team boss and reigning champ Sam White was way down in 14th<\/sup>. \u201cBoth bikes have been finicky all season,\u201d said Brinkman. \u201cTrying new things means new gremlins\u2014but twice the data though. Doesn\u2019t 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\u2019m having so much fun!\u201d<\/p>\n Ohio runner-up John Jenkins clocked in at 13th. \u201cOur two-man team was able to fix a problem that was misdiagnosed after second round of qualifying,\u201d said Jenkins. \u201cWe 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cJason (his son) and I learned a great deal this past weekend and are working well as a team, keeping our mistakes to a minimum.\u201d<\/p>\n Illinois\u2019s racer Jim \u201cBad Influence\u201d Martin, Universal Fleet and Tire\u2019s Jason Leeper, Brian Conley Jr., Stubby Hultman, Rocky Jackson, nearby Rockford\u2019s Al Balice, Michigan explosion victim Kyle Rogers, Mark Shones, Louis Sansone, and Hayley Caulk all put in some laps.<\/p>\n Rockford Liquidation Warehouse Vintage Fuel<\/strong><\/p>\n A special addition to the Byron race was Rockford Liquidation Warehouse and the Nostalgic Dragbike Racing League Vintage Fuel\u2014a 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.<\/p>\n Fresh off their win at the 2025 Iowa Hog Drags and Nostalgia Reunion, Jay Rogers and his twin-engine \u201cBlack Betty\u201d 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 \u201cResurrection\u201d bike, which motored straight off the end of the track. He was bruised but OK.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cA HUGE thank you to the entire AMRA and Byron Dragway for a GREAT weekend of racing!\u201d said Rogers. \u201cGreg 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\u2014I think\u2014seamlessly. Tough break for all involved regarding the rain-out.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSpecial 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\u2014creating 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.<\/p>\n \u201cOur 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.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you once again to Keri, Bun, Anthony, Eric, Iron Mike and Nine for all of the help this weekend!<\/p>\n \u201cI want to take a minute to say thank you to some very important people. First of all, the members of our group\u2014the 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!<\/p>\n \u201cNext 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\u2014spread 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\u2019s Pin-ups<\/p>\n \u201cThanks 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.<\/p>\n Other racers in the class included Jojo Matthews on \u201cJunkyard Dog,\u201d Jordan Henry, Doug Whitmore on the \u201cHeave Dova\u201d Sportster, Dave Best, Leo and Bryan Hess, Grease on Sprinkles.<\/p>\n Shutdown Area<\/strong><\/p>\n Gasoline number one qualifiers were Charley Douglass in Pro Outlaw, Shannon Poor in Zipper\u2019s Performance Pro Bagger, Kim DeShields in Zipper\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n The Nitro Harley competitors look forward to seeing the whole Harley-Davidson drag racing family, riders and fans at the classic event: Beech Bend\u2019s Harley Drags in Bowling Green, Kentucky on September 18-21.<\/p>\n Watch all the Byron qualifying\u00a0action on\u00a0MotormainaTV.<\/a> 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 August 23, 2025. The post AMRA Nitro Harleys Settle for Qualifying at Byron<\/a> first appeared on Drag Illustrated<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Even a rainout generates a full slate of stories to tell, and that\u2019s 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\u2014and that […]<\/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-102018","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102018","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=102018"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102018\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=102018"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=102018"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=102018"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/strong>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>,\u00a0Universal Fleet and Tire<\/a>,\u00a0Rockford Liquidation Warehouse<\/a>,\u00a0Nostalgic Dragbike Racing League<\/a>,\u00a0and Johnny Mancuso\u2019s Circle M Ranch.<\/p>\n![\"Drag](\"https:\/\/dragillustrated.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/DI_flat_red-e1711481551475.png\")
<\/p>\n