Bill Bader Jr. and his team at Summit Motorsports Park put on one of, if not THE biggest NHRA Lucas Oil division races all season long, The Cavalcade of Stars. This event always brings out big crowds, bigger car counts, and tight fields for every class. And with it, a whole pile of unque racing machines, from Top Alcohol Dragster and Funny Car and Nitro Harley down to a 16-second Ford Temp in Stock Eliminator (yes, there really is such a thing in the NHRA). We were on the property for championship Sunday and picked out 17 different cars that caught our eye for one reason or another. If you’re a lover of grassroots NHRA sportsman racing, the Cavalcade is a must attend event!
1. David Billingsley’s ’14 Camaro was flying in Competition Eliminator running in the eight-second zone with just a four-banger under the hood!
2. Tony Bartone makes the list because he reset the track record in Top Alcohol Funny Car running a blistering 5.435 at 269.73.
3. Mick Snyder brought out his sick blown ’63 Corvette and made some low 6.2-second passes in Top Sportsman.
4. Aaron Allison’s B/Stock Firebird is totally cool because he uses the ‘man pedal’ and bangs his own gears.
5. Michael Scheel’s blown Bantam Altered was a favorite in Top Dragster because it put on a show on every seven-second pass he made.
6. Ricky Adkins’ Top Sportsman ’37 “Adkins Chevy” is his own take on a classic body style that clicked off multiple 6.50 passes.
7. Zac Ross brought out his ultra clean ’10 Drag Pak Dodge Challenger to run in Stock Eliminator under the Factory Stock/D class.
8. Mark Krupa went totally old school, running a front-engine configuration in Top Dragster, and we love it!
9. Gardner Stone was top qualifier in Stock Eliminator in this wicked white Factory Stock/A ’14 Cobra Jet and ran an 8.666, almost a full 1.04-seconds under his index.
10. Wes Leopold Jr.’s wild looking ’05 Dodge Stratus was eye-catching, running in A/Super Modified Automatic trim in Competition Eliminator action.
11. Lester Johnson’s Top Sportsman ’55 Bel Air just looks perfect, and is always at or near the top of the qualifying sheet.
12. Jim Kaekel Jr. brought out his old school musclecar with his ’70 Olds 442 10-second Stock class machine.
13. Janice Swan wins the award for “car that looks like a real life Hot Wheels” with her Super Gas ’73 Opel GT.
14. Eric Campolito’s 11-second ’96 Caprice earned the nickname “Bad Grandpa” from us this weekend for a good reason — it was hanging the hoops every pass.
15. Todd Frantz’s ’08 Pontiac G5 in Competition Eliminator was one of the cleanest, and quickest, door cars on the property. Just stunning.
16. Tom Sheehan’s Chrysler Sebring isn’t your typical 10-second GT class Super Stocker, but that’s why we love it.
17. Rickey House’s Top Fuel Harley isn’t a car, but it runs on nitromethane and clicks off passes in the 6.3-second range — and that gets it on our list!