The Southeast Gassers Association (SEGA) delivered one heck of an event at Brainerd Motorsports Park during the Southern Nationals. There were early exits by points leaders, long-awaited wins, and a dramatic disqualification.
SEGA’s premier class, A/Gas, saw top names come loaded with fresh engines and refined setups. Chase Howard earned the top qualifying spot with a 5.21 ET and carried that performance to the final round. On the other side of the ladder, SEGA rookie Barry Adler drove his Iron Eagle Corvette past heavy hitters like Alan Pittman and Ben Christopher to reach his first final. When Howard’s transmission broke in the final, Adler capitalized, claiming a career-first SEGA victory.
B/Gas featured another major upset. Series standout Ken Rainwater was aiming for a third consecutive win and qualified first with a 5.63. In the final, a fuel pump issue handed the win to veteran Charlie Lee, who had battled his way through a stacked field with his “Tennessee Charlie” Mustang.
Ernie Smith made SEGA history with his 100th consecutive SEGA start in C/Gas. He marked the occasion by defeating top qualifier and 2024 champ Todd Oden to reach the final. But Jerren Perdue, tied with Smith in points entering the weekend, ran a string of consistent 6.05 ETs to take the win and the outright points lead.
Jerry Dean rode an undefeated streak in Super Stock competition to the Southern Nationals. The problem for Dean was that nobody told Rob Walden that was a big deal. In the final, Walden took advantage of a mechanical issue for Dean to earn his first class win.
H/Gas points leader Robert Fraizer was upset in round one by Todd Hinds on a holeshot, clearing a path for Colby Welch in the Pontiac-powered Lil’ Indian Anglia to take a second consecutive win.
In A/FX, a debut from Randy Jensen generated buzz, but the final was overshadowed by controversy. Todd Wimberly in Southern Comfort was awarded the win after a post-race technical infraction disqualified Jeffrey Ferguson in Wild-N-Wooley II, denying him his first SEGA victory.
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