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One of the hardest things to do in all of drag racing is win an event; a racer is typically up against 15 other racers trying to achieve the same result – a spot in the winner’s circle. In 2013, NMRA Renegade star and multi-time class champion Brian Mitchell achieved a feat that was incredibly difficult, by winning every single round of racing that he competed in. That’s right – Mitchell managed to not win one event, but every single one that he attended.
While the NMRA season consisted of six events this year, Mitchell missed the event at Atlanta Dragway [2] after winning in Bradenton, Florida [3]. When he arrived at Maryland International Raceway in May, he picked up right where he left off, by ending up in the winner’s circle. He then proceeded to run the table for the rest of the season, culminating in the 2013 NMRA Renegade championship this past weekend in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
[4]For those of you following along at home, that’s 19 rounds of racing over five events without a defeat. Mitchell wasn’t always the quickest car, but when it was time to put up or shut up, he was the most consistent racer on the property. “The weekend was tough with the rain, and the schedule. Not to mention we discovered oil dripping off the plugs after every run; we didn’t get that fixed until Sunday.”
Mitchell has been competing in the Renegade class since its inception in the 1999 season, and does so in a different manner than many of his competitors. In a class where short-runner intake manifolds have become the norm, Mitchell still runs the number with a long-runner, street-oriented Holley Systemax intake.
In the final, he cruised to one of the quickest Renegade runs in history in the final round versus Alton Clements with an 8.29 at 161 MPH, just .03 off the all-time record. An outstanding feat from the six-time class champion, who can now put an undefeated season on his racing resume.