{"id":99761,"date":"2025-03-28T18:18:22","date_gmt":"2025-03-28T18:18:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/drag-racing\/uncategorized\/peery-peterson-and-dangrow-find-nitro-harley-solutions-at-no-problem\/"},"modified":"2025-03-28T18:18:22","modified_gmt":"2025-03-28T18:18:22","slug":"peery-peterson-and-dangrow-find-nitro-harley-solutions-at-no-problem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/drag-racing\/uncategorized\/peery-peterson-and-dangrow-find-nitro-harley-solutions-at-no-problem\/","title":{"rendered":"Peery, Peterson and Dangrow Find Nitro Harley Solutions at No Problem"},"content":{"rendered":"

Maybe it\u2019s the surrounding petrochemical refineries and sugarcane fields that overactivated the Nitro Harley-Davidson field at the PennGrade1 AMRA American Motorcycle Racing Association\u2019s Cajun Nitro Nationals opener at No Problem Raceway in Belle Rose, Louisiana, on March 21-23. Whatever the cause, the \u201cTorched Head Nationals\u201d sprayed flames, sparks, and aluminum liberally on track and even in the pits! There was indeed a problem and the teams that solved this vexing nitro puzzle came out on top.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Ray Robinson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Circle M Ranch Top Fuel<\/strong><\/p>\n

Even last season, when multi-time and multi-series Circle M Ranch Top Fuel champ Ryan Peery and his bike didn\u2019t perform up to their expected standards, they did so quietly. The low key, unpainted carbon fiber bodied \u201cEleanor\u201d and its quiet rider never blew their top in a flashy display, they just quietly went back to their trailer, parts mostly intact, and prepared for the next event.<\/p>\n

The Cajun Nitro Nationals looked to be a return to the hallmark consistency that has defined Perry\u2019s career. The Ohio racer qualified number two and played his hand confidently to take the season opening win against DayStar Machine and Cycle Concepts\u2019s Tim Kerrigan in the final. Kerrigan\u2019s razor sharp .012 took the tree against Peery\u2019s still good .036, but Ryan\u2019s 1.11 60 foot made up some serious ground on Kerrigan\u2019s 1.166. Peery\u2019s 6.348 at 216 miles per hour sealed the deal like a fine coat of paint against Kerrigan\u2019s 6.44 at 218 in a very good race.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe put in a lot of hard work this off-season to be prepared for this year\u2019s opener in Louisiana,\u201d said Peery. \u201cI didn\u2019t run very well last year, chased a lot of gremlins, and wasn\u2019t as consistent as I try to be. After Rockingham last year, Eleanor needed to be gone through completely as something just wasn\u2019t right.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, we found a damaged crankshaft, but luckily we found it the good way and not the hard way. A new crank and fresh pistons and rods and we were ready for the season opener.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe track was extremely tight and the air quality was pretty good all weekend, so we expected to see some good numbers. We spun the tire in first round of qualifying, after that we consistently got down the track. We had everything on Eleanor working well and she was reacting great to all the small tweaks we made.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe made it to the finals against Kerrigan, who was running some good numbers, so we knew we needed to at least be in the .30s and cut a decent light to have a chance and that\u2019s exactly what we did\u2014a great side-by-side finals.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you to Chris, Frank, Buddy and Mindy and Jr. and Sr. And congrats to Conley Jr. on getting his Pro Fuel license.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kerrigan\u2019s TKR crew chief Steve Vickers is a Louisiana native. \u201cI enjoy going to No Problem Raceway,\u201d said Vickers. \u201cThat\u2019s home for me.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we got there, the air was very good, which caused us to overpower the track during the private test session on Thursday. After removing some fuel pressure and a little clutch, we went out for the Friday test and tune and put down a 6.37, which left us feeling confident about our tune-up.<\/p>\n

\u201cSaturday was a game changer. The air quality diminished, then add that to the fact that we had backed off on the clutch, it caused us to drop a hole. We struggled with this on Q1 and Q2. We felt certain that we would get down the track on Q3, as we made some changes, and the nighttime air was getting better. Little did we know, during the burnout for Q3, we shook loose a fuel line fitting, which caused immediate tire smoke at the hit of the throttle.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter going all three qualifying rounds, not making a full pull, we did not feel very comfortable going into eliminations. Thankfully, the changes we made for Q3 paid off. We had to square off with Jordan Peterson of Stewart Racing. We put together a 6.41, beating his 6.63.\u201d<\/p>\n

Second round put Kerrigan and Vickers up against number one qualifier and defending race winner Ricky \u201cSharkey\u201d House. Sharkey, who wins a lot at No Problem, was displaying appropriate confidence throughout the weekend, including watching Q3 from the stands. \u201cHope no one outqualifies me!\u201d he said about his 6.34 at 222. They didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

But after a 1.11 60 foot, Sharkey\u2019s bike had slowed to a 6.98 at 151 on an E1 bye. \u201cIt went fat and lost a cylinder,\u201d said House.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince we had lane choice, we noticed that the left lane had lost a little traction and we chose the right, moving Rickey out of his preferred lane,\u201d said Vickers. \u201cIt paid off, as Rickey had issues right off the line and Tim ran his quickest of the day\u20146.38 at 216 mph.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was more than issues right off the line, as House reported a hairy scene. \u201cIt spun the tire at about 50 feet,\u201d which explains why his 60 slowed to a 1.18. \u201cI peddled it and got it going, hoping he had trouble and I could catch him. But I got on the wall on the left side. I had lifted my leg to the other side to keep from crashing. Got the \u2018chute out and I was able to get off the wall. Some scary sh#t for a minute!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat round win matched us against the other \u2018TK,\u2019 Tracy Kile, of Bad Apple Racing,\u201d continued Vickers. \u201cWe stayed with our tune-up, and ran 6.39 to beat Tracy\u2019s 6.79.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had some issues during maintenance for the final. We lost a little oil pressure during the semifinal, so we had to roll in some fresh rod bearings.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen during our pit warm-up for the final, we noticed a cracked rear exhaust pipe. Ryan waited for us to do all the added work, then met us at the water box. Tim cut a .012 light, to Ryans .036, but it wasn\u2019t quite enough. Ryan\u2019s 6.38 beat Tim\u2019s 6.44.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe always want to win, but this was a good end to a hard-fought weekend,\u201d said Kerrigan. \u201cTKR would like to thank our sponsors, Red Line Racing Oils, Alten Construction, Star Racer Belts, and DayStar Machine & Cycle Concepts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finland\u2019s\u00a0Samu Kemppainen<\/a>\u00a0experienced fireworks of a different kind when sparkplugs TWICE broke free from his Chris Stewart Racing mount and decided to ignite Samu instead of the fuel, burning through his leathers and bruising the big Finn. Undaunted, he qualified third, raced to the semis and put up a strong effort against eventual winner Peery.<\/p>\n

\u201cHad a great weekend,\u201d said Samu, who qualified third. \u201cToday started with a Finland vs Finland drop when we faced Juha \u201cSushi\u201d Hintukainen. We made it to the next round with 6.77, but after the draw we noticed that the front cylinder had a 100% leak.\u201d<\/p>\n

A pit trash with Mike and Jack Romine, Jordan Peterson, and more fixed the problem and Samu was back in business in time to oust Local hero Randal \u201cFast Coon Ass\u201d Andras and set up his semifinal pairing with Peery. \u201cHe took 6.53s against our 6.60s!\u201d continued Samu. \u201cAll-in-all a great weekend that I\u2019ll remember for a long time, at least for the bruises\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andras had advanced out of round 1 by ousting Paul Anderson. His Jay Turner Racing teammate John \u201cJT\u201d Toth advanced into round 2 courtesy of a -.005 Jay \u201cBulldog\u201d Turner redlight. \u201cThe rollout here is very tight,\u201d noted Turner, who qualified fourth with a 6.50 on \u201cMaddy Too\u201d and ran what would have been a winning 6.72 against Toth after lighting the redeye.<\/p>\n

Turner was part of a special presentation during opening ceremonies on raceday when Johnny Mancuso presented him with the vintage twin engine fueler that Johnny raced and kept on the wall of his Houston Harley-Davidson dealership.<\/p>\n

Despite things being very busy at his AB Steel business, Andras will do his best to race the entire season with JTR teammates Toth and defending champ Turner.<\/p>\n

Bad Apple Racing\u2019s Kile reached his semifinal match with Kerrigan by beating Michael Balch 6.61 to 6.81 in E1, and improved with a 6.55 over Toth in 2.<\/p>\n

His teammate Jimmy \u201cMac\u201d McMillan failed to make the E1 call against Peery after his own qualifying nitro fireworks. \u201cA clutch control issue got us and torched both heads, knocking the rear off as well,\u201d said McMillan. \u201cSidelined for the race, but we\u2019re so happy to be back and with such great people!\u201d<\/p>\n

Amen!<\/p>\n

Nitro Funnybike<\/strong><\/p>\n

Defending Nitro Funnybike champ Cameron \u201cFlash\u201d Gunter is also a Bad Apple racer who suffered nitro carnage in qualifying, living up to his nickname by torching both heads like McMillan. Gunter was able to make the call for race day but fell to number one qualifier Jordan Peterson.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis win was all Mike and Jack Romine with Romine Racing, along with Phil and Jen Lower,\u201d said Peterson. \u201cWe sure missed having Patti Romine with us at the race.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut that group took care of everything on the bike from the off-season work, getting the bike there, and all the in-between round maintenance. I simply hopped on it at the starting line. So they deserve all the credit.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a short field this weekend in Funnybike with some unfortunate luck for the other racers. But we still enjoyed competing with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were struggling with some clutch issues and are looking for a much better performance at the next race,\u201d reported Jack Romine.<\/p>\n

Universal Fleet and Tire\u2019s \u201cRacin\u2019 Ray\u201d Robinson blew a chunk out of a head in qualifying, then blew the studs off in raceday warm-up.<\/p>\n

Carnage!<\/p>\n

Hawaya Racing Pro Fuel<\/strong><\/p>\n

The No Problem nitro problems slowed at Hawaya Racing Pro Fuel\u2019s door, as the carbureted class put on a great show.<\/p>\n

While staying out of the seat last year due to a medical condition, Bad Apple Racing\u2019s Kile helped tune and guide \u201cBad Apple Mary\u201d Dangrow to a late season charge that nearly won her the national championship. After a Thursday hiccup, they picked up right where they left off, qualifying number one and taking the win.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe traveled to No Problem early to do some testing on Thursday at the private track rental and ended up only making one pass off the trailer,\u201d said Dangrow. \u201cIn that pass I chattered the tire so badly it hurt my rear cylinder, which needed to be changed. It was a disappointing pass, however I have often wondered what that situation feels like when I see TK, Jimmy, or Cameron experience it. I know now and the headache that comes after.<\/p>\n

\u201cRandy and Tracy replaced the cylinder so I could try again on Friday. With a successful pass, we put the bike to bed for Saturday qualifying.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst round qualifying we ran a very happy 7.26, giving us the number one qualifier spot which held for the weekend. Bad Apple Racing had multiple bikes in all three Nitro Harley classes and one person\u2014Tracy\u2014running around tuning all of them. With me solidly in the field, Tracy asked me if I\u2019d be OK sitting out Q2 to allow him time to deal with the other three bikes and get them qualified as well. We are family and that\u2019s what we do. We came back out in Q3 and ran a solid 7.28.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith 13 Pro Fuel bikes on a 16 bike ladder, I had a bye run in E1. As the pass progressed (7.65 at 164), I knew I hurt something. We got the bike back to the pit and yep, another piston was hurt. Everyone jumped in and the bike was ready again in no time and we were off to face Rocky Jackson in E2.<\/p>\n

\u201cRocky is always a tough competitor and one of the riders I look up to. I always tell people, \u2018Rocky is so good at this he can ride one of these bikes down a dirt road.\u2019 We were able to get past Rocky and move on to E3 against Mike Blair.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe team gave me a hard time about my light (a .301!) against Blair. I don\u2019t know what I was doing. I have the same stage procedure every time but this time I lit my pre-stage and stage lights and for some reason I looked down at my bike. When I looked back up I saw the green, thought \u2018Oh shit\u2019 and hit the throttle.<\/p>\n

\u201cThankfully, TK gave me the bike to recover from that screw-up. I got back to the pits and they asked me if I wanted some coffee with that donut I was eating at the line! We were so happy to be in the final as it was not an easy race weekend by any means.\u201d<\/p>\n

The final pitted Mary against number three qualifier Kenneth \u201cStubby\u201d Hultman. Mary\u2019s light improved to an .088, but Hultman jumped out with an .062. Her 7.40 was more than enough to outrun his 8.04.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the course of the weekend, Randy Jackson\u2014with guidance from TK and some help from Jon Wayne Stephens\u2014and Michael Hopkins replaced three hurt cylinders to get me to the final. Quick turnarounds and late nights got it done.<\/p>\n

\u201cThankfully, blessings were on our side this race, and we were able to start the 2025 season and the 25th Anniversary of Bad Apple Racing off with a win in the Pro Fuel class.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith a team that races anywhere from four to seven bikes at any given race, with the hands of Tracy in every one of them, we work together to get and keep those bikes on the track. It takes a lot to manage this traveling circus and our whole team works together to make it happen.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to thank Randy and Brenda Jackson for crewing on my bike, managing my stuff, and keeping the entire team fed. Jon Wayne Stephens for picking me up at the end of the track and being Tracy\u2019s right hand man. Jimmy and Stacey McMillan, Michael Hopkins, Jake Anderson, Jason Shurtz, and Daryl Campbell, who all help hold this circus together. Julie Ledford for jumping in with both feet to help in any way that she could at her very first race, and to Tracy for his work, constant tutoring, love and support in everything we do. Most of all to God for blessing me beyond what I deserve and without him none of this would be possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like to thank my sponsors Fairview Tavern, Capone Landscaping, Vanson Leathers, Hawaya Racing Products and Victory Fuel for their support and commitment to the 2025 season.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d also like to remind everyone that MotorMania will be webcasting every AMRA race throughout the season. We have received good feedback from people all over the world about their coverage and look forward to seeing more of their work in the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I\u2019d like to congratulate Brian Conley Jr., Loren Potter, and Darren Brinkman for getting their pilot\u2019s license and joining a growing Pro Fuel Class. It\u2019s great to see a class with the growth Pro Fuel is experiencing!\u201d<\/p>\n

And Hultman is part of that growth, with his good-looking bike and presentation backed up by his runner-up performance.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe No Problem Raceway staff was most excellent, extremely accommodating and very professionally operated,\u201d said Stubby. \u201cCombined with AMRA staff, safety and smooth transition was priority.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had mechanical trouble en route, which made for an extra-long day getting to the track. Testing went well and went into qualifying doing as expected in Q1.<\/p>\n

\u201cBetween rounds, leak down test revealed a bad cylinder. Replacing caused us to miss Q2. We ran a so-so Q3 but discovered the second cylinder now bad. We then decided to replace both cylinders to be sure we\u2019d be ready for eliminations.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot getting to bed till 2:00 am, coupled with the extra-long day driving, I woke fairly tired. In the semifinals I knew I needed to beat Jim Martin (the number two qualifier) at the light since we shared equal ETs. Pressure Cooker was on high. The race came down to my better reaction time (.098 to .144) which I was able to pull off.<\/p>\n

\u201cGoing into the finals, I was again up against Mary. She beat me in Rockingham last race of 2024. I knew she was going to be yet again another challenge as she has been running hot all weekend.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes racing results from trials and errors. We threw everything we had into the bike and hoped for the best. I have to say, I can\u2019t think of a better person to lose to. Mary is top-notch. My crew was outstanding as always. I couldn\u2019t have made it this far without them. They deserve the credit; they worked their hearts out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two-time defending champion Sam White and his White Lightning Racing team had mixed results. New teammate Darren Brinkman rode his way to his license and into the field aboard White\u2019s championship \u201cTerminator 2\u201d bike, while White struggled on \u201cT1\u201d and was broke on raceday. Brinkman lost to John Jenkins in E1.<\/p>\n

Universal Fleet and Tire\u2019s Jason Leeper qualified fifth, advanced past no-showing White, and fell to Blair in E2.<\/p>\n

Shutdown Area<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gasoline class winners were Billy Doherty in Pro Outlaw, Dwayne \u201cSmokey\u201d Gee in Zipper\u2019s Performance Pro Bagger, Nick Boey in Thundermax Street Bagger, Kim Deshields in Zipper\u2019s Performance Modified and Super Gas 9.90,, Jason Crisp in Axtell Cylinders Hot Street, Chris Martin in Top Eliminator 9.30, John Shotts in BK Electric Super Pro 10.30, Jim Clarke in Pro Eliminator 10.90, Bryce Creek in Thundermax Street Eliminator 11.50, and Michael Ogden in Baker Drivetrain Eliminator Dial-in.<\/p>\n

The Nitro Harley competitors look forward to seeing the Harley-Davidson drag racing family, riders and fans next on May 17-18 at National Trail Raceway in Hebron, Ohio.<\/p>\n

The Nitro Harley racers thank<\/strong>\u00a0Bad Apple Racing<\/a>,\u00a0Chris Stewart Racing<\/a>,\u00a0DayStar Machine and Cycle Concepts<\/a>,\u00a0Jay Turner Racing<\/a>,\u00a0White Lightning Racing<\/a>,\u00a0P and C Johnson Trucking<\/a>,\u00a0RP Motorsports<\/a>,\u00a0Universal Fleet and Tire<\/a>,\u00a0Hawaya Racing<\/a>, and Johnny Mancuso\u2019s Circle M Ranch.<\/p>\n

This story was originally published on March 28, 2025. \"Drag<\/p>\n

The post Peery, Peterson and Dangrow Find Nitro Harley Solutions at No Problem<\/a> first appeared on Drag Illustrated<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Maybe it\u2019s the surrounding petrochemical refineries and sugarcane fields that overactivated the Nitro Harley-Davidson field at the PennGrade1 AMRA American Motorcycle Racing Association\u2019s Cajun Nitro Nationals opener at No Problem Raceway in Belle Rose, Louisiana, on March 21-23. Whatever the cause, the \u201cTorched Head Nationals\u201d sprayed flames, sparks, and aluminum liberally on track and even […]<\/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-99761","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99761","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=99761"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99761\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99761"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99761"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99761"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}