The Southeast Gassers Association rolled into historic Brainerd Motorsports Park with temperatures soaring and championship battles beginning to take shape. By the time the final win lights flashed during the Rumble in Ringgold presented by Harbin’s Mechanical Services, fans had witnessed career milestones, first-time achievements, and a clearer picture of who the early favorites are in the 2026 SEGA championship chase.
As always, SEGA competitors stayed true to the organization’s mission of recreating the golden era of drag racing. Naturally aspirated, four-speed gassers thundered down the quarter-mile in conditions that tested both man and machine. The third stop of the season, rescheduled from its original date, delivered exactly the kind of old-school drag racing action fans have come to expect.
Ben Christopher Establishes Himself As The A/Gas Favorite
The story in A/Gas continues to revolve around Ben Christopher and the Happy Daze team.
The new Brainerd Motorsports Park racing surface proved capable of handling serious horsepower, with four racers dipping into the 5.30-second zone during qualifying. Christopher led the charge with a 5.31-second pass to secure the No. 1 qualifying spot.
Most of the top qualifiers survived deep into eliminations. Defending event champion Barry Adler looked poised for another strong performance, but a holeshot loss to Barry Lynn ended his day despite Adler’s quicker 5.39-second run.
Leslie Horne and his popular Chick Magnet ’55 Chevy continued their strong weekend by defeating Lynn and advancing to the semifinals. Horne delivered his best run of the event with a 5.33 elapsed time, but Christopher responded with the low elapsed time of race day, a blistering 5.23-second pass to punch his ticket to the final.
On the opposite side of the ladder, Kenneth Phillips made his first appearance of the season in the Silver Streak II Corvette and looked impressive. Phillips defeated reigning B/Gas champion Ken Rainwater and his Instigator gasser while dipping into the 5.20s.
The championship round featured the No. 1 and No. 2 qualifiers, both coming off impressive semifinal performances. Expectations were high for a classic side-by-side battle. Instead, Phillips encountered problems on the launch, allowing Christopher to drive away for the victory.
The win marked Christopher’s third consecutive final-round appearance and his first-ever back-to-back SEGA victories. Combined with the performance of the Jason Line-powered Happy Daze machine, Christopher has firmly established himself as the driver to beat in A/Gas.
Ted McKee Continues To Control B/Gas
B/Gas entered the weekend with plenty of attention focused on defending event winner Charlie Lee, and for good reason.
Lee continued his recent success by qualifying second and remaining one of only three racers in the 5.60-second zone. He advanced through the early rounds before running into one of the event’s biggest surprises.
Mark Jones, driving the Mini Kwik II ’37 Chevy, became the bracket-busting story of eliminations. Despite being the eighth qualifier, Jones used massive holeshots to score upset victories and advance through the field.
His Cinderella run eventually ended in the semifinals against Wayne Swafford, setting up a final-round showdown between Swafford and top qualifier Ted McKee. McKee has been nearly unstoppable in 2026. Driving the Rocky Top Missile, the Tennessee racer advanced to his third consecutive final round after opening the season with a victory.
The final ended before it truly began when Swafford turned on the red light, handing McKee his second victory of the season. More importantly, McKee now owns a commanding advantage in what remains one of SEGA’s most competitive categories.
Todd Oden And Jerren Perdue Continue Their Rivalry In C/Gas
Three races into the season, C/Gas has become a two-man show.
Defending 2025 champion Jerren Perdue and 2024 champion Todd Oden have now faced each other in every final round contested this season. The rivalry continued at Brainerd, where Oden qualified No. 1 and Perdue landed directly behind him with identical 6.06-second performances.
Fans anticipated another showdown between the division’s two heavyweights, but mechanical gremlins had other plans. Perdue suffered a dropped valve during his semifinal victory, preventing him from making the call for the final round.
That left Oden alone in the water box, but the veteran still completed the run for the fans who endured the scorching Georgia heat. The victory gives Oden his second win of the season and further confirms the turnaround of a program that struggled mightily at the beginning of 2025.
Rob Walden Ends Jerry Dean’s Dominance
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the weekend came in Super Stock.
Jerry Dean entered Brainerd carrying a remarkable seven-race winning streak and an equally impressive streak of No. 1 qualifying performances. Once again, Dean dominated qualifying, posting a 6.40-second pass while the next closest competitor could only manage a 6.78.
The field spent the day chasing Dean, and once again he advanced to the final round.
Waiting there was a familiar opponent.
Georgia native Rob Walden and his Strych 09 Chevy Impala found themselves in a rematch of the previous Brainerd final, the last event where Dean had suffered defeat.
History repeated itself.
Dean struggled with traction at the launch while Walden delivered a clean 6.76-second run to score the victory. Dean could only manage a 7.10-second pass as Walden successfully defended his home-track title and once again became the only driver capable of stopping SEGA’s most dominant Super Stock competitor.
Championship Picture Becoming Clear
While the Rumble in Ringgold produced memorable moments and breakthrough performances, perhaps the biggest takeaway was the emergence of clear championship contenders.
Christopher has become the benchmark in A/Gas. McKee continues to lead the charge in B/Gas. Oden and Perdue remain locked in one of the sport’s best rivalries in C/Gas. Meanwhile, Dean and Walden appear destined for another season-long battle in Super Stock.
The combination of extreme weather, fierce competition, and old-school drag racing authenticity made Brainerd Motorsports Park another successful stop for the Southeast Gassers Association.
With Georgia now in the rearview mirror, the focus shifts north to Knoxville Dragway for Round Four of the 2026 championship season. If the action at Brainerd was any indication, the battle for SEGA championships is only beginning to heat up.
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