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Attention in the Pits… Save these RC Drag Racing Dates! The 2019 RC Drag Racing season starts with the:
1. Winter Nationals – Puerto Rico February 15-17
2. Cajun Nationals- New Orleans May 25th & 26th,
3. The Super Nationals – Fort Worth August 30, 31st & September 1st, 2019
The local Texas Championship points season starts with our Test-N-Tune March 2nd… Opening Day @ TMS set for March 16th! Louisiana will be working on their local dates after the Cajuns
The 1st Annual Summit Racing Equipment RC Fall Nationals brought 132 eager driver entries to flex their muscles down the RC quarter mile. Mother Nature tried to hold us down but we prevailed in the end after a three-hour weather delay. Big thanks to our title sponsor Summit Racing Equipment and retail sales associate Berry Hansen for coming out, setting up a display tent and giving away tons of great Summit swag!
Congratulations to all of our winners and runner-ups, and all 132 participants from the Summit Racing Equipment RC Fall Nationals! Congratulations to Joel Shipman for taking home the JConcepts.net HoleShot award with a brilliant .001 reaction time in round one eliminations.
In Traxxas Pro Funny Car, in the early rounds, Manuel Garca put a holeshot win over Eric Bowman in round one. Garca then went on to earn the bye-run in round two. He went on to defeat Randy Mayhew in the semi-finals
earning him a spot in the finals. On the other side of the ladder, number 8 qualifier Scott Davis outlasted Darvionne Huddleston and Michael Mercadel in the early rounds. Davis, earned the bye-run in the semis to advance to face Garca in the finals In what was a good side by side drag race until Davis barely crossed the center line handing the win to Garca.
In Young Gunners, number 5 qualifier Christian Russell plowed through the eight-car field earning him his third event win of the season. In the early rounds, Russell defeated Colby Taylor and Jaxson Bowman to advance to the finals On the other half of the bracket, Trace Faulkner was also making his way to the finals. In the early rounds, he defeated Dallas Pfeil and Zack Shivers to earn a spot in the finals to face Russell. In the finals, Christian Russell defeated Trace Faulkner in a close race earning him his third victory of the season.
In Pro Stock, the number one qualifier and newly crowned champion Jeremy Miller outlasted his chassis builder Alex Garca in round one. In round two Miller defeated teammate Casey Baker to earn a spot in the Summit Racing Equipment Pro Stock Final. On the other side of the ladder, Ronald “RC” Jackson defeated Marcus Talamantez and Jill Miller to earn a spot in the finals also. During the finals, Jeremy Miller clicked on the red light and RC Jackson drove on to victory earning him his first RCDRL career win.
In Traxxas Sportsman Funnycar, Manuel Garca had the funny car fever at the Summit Fall Nationals. Garca outlasted Chris Markowski and Bill Wagner in the early rounds then went on to defeat Scott Davis in the semi-finals. The 2018 Champion Eric Bowman advanced to his fifth final in a row to face Garca. He earned the bye-run in round one then took out Trace Faulkner and his wife Heather Bowman in the semis. In the finals, Bowman was going after his fifth playoff victory in a row but had problems off the starting line. Manuel Garca went on to win earning the double up in Funny Car for the weekend.
In Street Eliminator, twenty-one drivers fought to make the sixteen car field. Number fifteen qualifier Randy Mayhew defeated JD Crow, Manuel Garca, and Matthew Munson to advance to the Street Eliminator Final. On the other side of the ladder, RCDRL rookie driver Duncan Jones defeated number one qualifier Kelly McCart in round one. Jones went on to defeat heavyweights Jeff Schmidt, Jr. and Zack Shivers to advance to his first RCDRL Final. In a close drag race, Duncan Jones earned his first victory defeating Randy Mayhew.
In Pro Mod, Jerry Shields defeated Mitch Vaughn in round one. In round two he faced points leader Ant Wren. He knew he had to cut a good light and outrun Wren’s Texas Hustler. When the tree dropped Sheilds cut a slightly better light than Wren. He went on to defeat Wren with a solid 1.596 to Wren’s 1.660. In the semi-finals, Shields had to cut a holeshot to steal the win over Duwayne Cooley. Cooley ran a quicker 1.432 to Sheilds slower but winning 1.452 to earn him a spot in the finals. On the other side of the ladder Summit Racing Equipment Driver, Robert St. Pierre defeated Doug Crews and Darvionne Huddleston in the early rounds. St. Pierre earned the bye-run in the semi-finals to advance to the Pro Mod Finals. In the Pro Mod Finals, Jerry Shields drove onto victory when Robert St. Pierre clicked on the red light.
In the 2.50 Index Class, Joshua Mercadel outlasted his dad Michael Mercadel in round one and defeated Piper Munson in round two. In the semi-finals, J. Mercadel defeated Jeff Schmidt, Jr. to advance to his first 2.50 Final of the season. On the other side of the ladder, Chris Markowski defeated Thuan Dinh, Matthew Munson, and Brandon Mares to advance to the 2.50 Final. In the finals, both drivers went red but Joshua Mercadel cut a worse red light and was disqualified handing the win over to Chris Markowski. With this win, Markowski is just one round away from clinching the championship.
In Top Fuel, number one qualifier David Goldstein defeated Robert St. Pierre and David Mares to advance to the Top Fuel Final. On the other side of the bracket, Willie Thomas defeated Donnie Johnson and Mitch Vaughn to earn a spot in the finals to face Goldstein. David Goldstein went on to victory when Willie Thomas became disqualified by hitting the wall and crossing the center line.
In Quick 16, eighteen drivers battled to make the sixteen car field. Points leader Jeff Schmidt, Jr. defeated Joshua Mercadel, Alex Garca, and Eric Hancock to advance to the finals. On the other side of the ladder, Joel Shipman defeated Arizona’s Jim Schander and Oklahoma’s Nacho Thacker in the early rounds. In the semi-finals, he defeated Chris Markowski in a very close race. In the finals, Jeff Schmidt, Jr was only .030 off his dial to earn the victory over Joel Shipman. With this victory, Schmidt leads the points chase by 48 points with one event to go.
In the All Run Bracket, Matthew Munson and Duncan Jones were heading towards a final round collision course. Munson defeated Ted Morris, sister Piper Munson, and Eric Hancock in the early rounds. In the semi-finals, Munson defeated the nitro-powered dragster of Raymond Blanchard on a hole-shot. Duncan Jones defeated Joel Shipman, Carl Russell, and Jeff Chambers in the early rounds. Duncan was awarded the bye-run in the semi-finals to advance to his second RCDRL Final of the day. Score another one for Jones as he is a perfect 2-0 in final round competition. Jones defeated Munson in a good side by side drag race, but it was Munson going under his dial and breaking out handing the win over to Jones.
Special thanks to Kim Faulkner for her Dragtrac.com assistance. It was such a team effort to get this one in the books. Many thanks to so many members and non-members! Also great job by Jacquelyn Mares for heading up the Halloween costume contest, it was a blast!
Enjoy the rest of the photos taken from the 2018 Summit Racing Equipment RC Fall Nationals!
In both Texas and Louisiana, the RCDRL points Championships are going down this weekend Saturday, October 27th, 2018! The 5th Annual YourBatteryBuddy.com Texas Finals and the DragRace Concepts.com Louisiana Finals are set. Going down on the same day due to Mother Nature over the past few weeks, this weekend will be a nail-biting shootout till the end!
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Storms surrounded the Lone Star RC Dragway Saturday, September 15 but the winds and rain didn’t stop our 10 different class winners at the Garca Motorsports Nationals from grabbing critical championship points as the Texas division gets closer to crowning their champions.
In Top Fuel, Mitch Vaughn picked up his second victory of the 2018 Top Fuel season by outlasting a field of 9 talented drivers. In round one, Vaughn took out Donnie Johnson. In round two, Vaughn got past points leader Robert St. Pierre to earn the bye-run in the semi-finals and advance to the final round. On the other side of the ladder, defending 2017 champion David Mares defeated his son Brandon Mares in round one and was awarded the bye-run in round two. In the semi-finals, Mares defeated Willie Thomas to advance to face Vaughn in the Top Fuel final. With both teams laying down great runs and personal best et’s all day, this was a final to watch. When the tree came down both cars launched hard. Mares got off the line first and was racing to victory but at about 100 feet out, Mares dragster started to drift over to the wall and barely touched it and was disqualified. The wall tap was a tough pill to swallow for Mares but he took it like a champ. None the less, Mares went an event low 1.225 and is starting to find his grove with his CordovaResearch.com Mares Boys Racing Top Fuel Dragster. With the win, Vaughn jumps to number three in the Countdown points championship standings. Mares holds in second place and closes in on points leader St. Pierre now only down by 58 points. (#4 Mitchal Vaughn ◦.114 RT · 1.307 ET DEF. #2 David Mares ◦ .051 RT · 1.225 ET DQ)
2016 Pro Mod Champion Ant Wren picked up his seventh win of the season by outlasting the 15 car field. In round one, #1 qualifier Wren was awarded the bye-run. In the next two rounds, Wren put Mitch Vaughn and Duwayne Cooley on the trailer to advance to the finals.
In the Pro Stock class, Ronald Jackson made his new home track debut in style at the Garca Motorsports Nationals. Jackson in the early rounds outlasted the Summit Racing Equipment driver Robert St. Pierre in round one. In round two, “RC Jack” was faced off against the #2 qualifier driver and member of the Jac’D Up Racing Team, rookie driver – Jill Wydrinski Miller. Jill was lined up in the Rudis Motorsports right lane, Jackson staged up in the Denton Tattoo Company left lane. Both cars fully staged, “watch the lights” came across the PA system, and the tree dropped. Both cars launched good, Jill had the slight starting line advantage but got loose and lost control of her Hot Rod and slammed into “RC Jack’s” car sending it flying off the track. After finding his car just south of Denton Texas, RC Jack advanced to the finals. (On a side note… Jill asked me to go into extreme details of that run. We love you Jill! Lol!)
In Traxxas Pro Funny Car, Darvione Huddleston and Joshua Mercadel were on a final round collision course. The Bowman Performance powered pro funny driven by Huddleston qualified number two in the 8-car field. In round one, Crew Chief Eric Bowman gave Huddleston a tune that served notice to the rest of the field when he slapped an event low 2.152 on the board and drove past Kelli Garca. In round two, Huddleston clicked on the red-light temporary disqualifying himself from the event. Temporary because at about 115 feet down the Lone Star RC Dragway Michael Mercadel got loose and smacked the wall. By way of the “First or Worse” rule, Mercadel was disqualified and handed the win back over to Huddleston, advancing him to his first 2018 Pro Funny Car final.
In Traxxas Sportsman Funny Car, the reemerging Scott Davis was making his way through the field. Coming into the 2018 Countdown to the Championship in only the 9th position, Davis over the last two events have jumped to 4th in points. Davis advanced to the Sportsman Funny Car final by putting Zack Shivers, Carl Russell and number one qualifier Colby Taylor on the trailer during the early rounds.
ine in his debut season. Shivers grabbed the number one qualifying spot with a .004 reaction time and with that was awarded the bye-run in round one eliminations. Shivers then went on to defeat Christain Russell, and Dallas Pfeil to advance to the finals.
Points leader and 2016 Quick 16 Bracket Champion Jeff Schmidt Jr. extended his points lead at the Garca Motorsports Nationals. By just .007 seconds at the finish line, he put Michael Mercadel on the trailer in round one. In round two Schmidt Jr. defeated Robert St. Pierre when St. Pierre clicked on the red light. In the semi-finals, Joel Shipman and Schmidt Jr. faced off in a points critical matchup. Shipman was sitting in third place in the Countdown and trying to gain ground on the points leader. Schmidt Jr. was off the line first cutting a good .047 light and was only .065 off his dial to take the win over Shipman. Schmidt Jr. advanced to his fifth final round of the season. #8 Jeff Schmidt Jr. ➧ .047 RT / 2.08 Dial ( .065 off ) / 2.145 ET defeated #4 Joel Shipman ➧ .091 RT / 1.95 Dial ( .165 off ) / 2.115 ET. On the other side of the ladder, it was Norris “YourBatteryBuddy.com” Graves going after his first championship. Graves started the day in the number four spot in the playoffs and was looking to go rounds. Graves in the early rounds outlasted, Willie Thomas, received a second round bye-run and defeated Joshua Mercadel in the semi’s to ear the rights to face Schmidt Jr. in a final round clash. This one was over on the starting line when Schmidt Jr. put a holeshot on Graves the size of Texas. Something distracted the YourBatteryBuddy.com driver causing him to cut a .371 light, and it cost him the race. Here is the tale of the tape: #8 Jeff Schmidt Jr. ➧ .024 RT / 2.10 Dial ( .071 off ) / 2.171 ET defeated #2 Norris Graves ➧ .371 RT / 1.75 Dial ( .135 off ) / 1.885 ET 
In the very popular Street Eliminator class, Matthew Munson and Manuel Garca were on their own final round collision course. In the early rounds, Garca put Jonathan Waggoner, Jeff Chambers, and Mike Pfeil on the trailer to advance to his first SE final of the year. On the other side of the bracket, Munson took out Norris Graves and Jeff Schmidt Jr. in the early rounds. Munson was awarded the bye-run in the semi-final to advance to his second SE final of the year. The finals were over when the tree came down, Matthew was a little early on the tree and clicked on the red light and Manuel Garca drove on to victory! #3 Manuel Garca ➧ .111 RT / 2.88 Dial ( .015 off ) / 2.895 ET defeated #9 Matthew Munson ➧ -0.035 RT / 3.05 Dial ( .132 off ) / 3.182 ET
In the 2.50 Index class, Annalisa Poddighe was able to bring it all together at this event. She showed she had what it took to go rounds. Taking out Chris Markowski in round one is never an easy task, but she did just that. Then in round two, she faced the defending 2.50 Index champion- Eric Bowman. Poddighe cut an awesome .013 light to Bowman’s .119 light and she never looked back. (#5 Annalisa Poddighe ➧ .013 RT / 2.50 Dial ( .063 off ) / 2.563 ET defeated #2 Eric Bowman ➧ .119 RT / 2.50 Dial ( .081 off ) / 2.581 ET) Poddighe moved on to receive the bye-run in the semi-final to advance to the finals.
The All Run Bracket class, defending Champion and current points leader Chris Markowski was on his way to another showdown with Matthew Munson but this time it would be in the finals. Markowski defeated Tessa Pfeil, Duncan Jones, Kelli Garca, and Joel Shipman to advance to the finals. Matthew Munson, he had a rough road to the finals also. Munson had to get past Norris Graves, Jayme Bates, and Jeff Schmidt Jr. before being awarded a bye-run in the semi-finals to advance to face Markowski in the ALL RUN BRACKET finals. In the finals, Munson cut a great light and was on his way to victory, but broke-out and was disqualified. With his latest win, Markowski puts a choke hold on the rest of the All Run field. He leads second-place Jeff Schmidt Jr. by 143 points. #3 Chris Markowski ➧ .106 RT / 4.00 Dial ( .056 off ) / 4.056 ET defeated #21 Matthew Munson ➧ .025 RT / 3.15 Dial ( -0.120 off ) / 3.030 ET
KP Racing driver Kawaynne Pierre jumped to the early Pro Mod points lead in Saturdays RCDRL Louisiana Countdown to the Championship playoffs opener. Coming in as the #1 qualifier, KP was awarded the bye-run in round one. KP then went on to defeat Mikey Alsobrooks in the semi-finals. In the finals, KP was matched up against Regina Alsobrooks. She was no match for the KPR horsepower in this one. From the hit, KP was off the line first and never looked back.
#1 KP Kawaynne Pierre ➧ .085 RT / 1.535 ET def. #5 Regina Alsobrooks ➧ .216 RT / 1.776 ET
The RCDRL Podcast Show returns with episode #45. Host Michael Mercadel with guest Dewayne Shipman and Jeff Cheatham chat it up about the happenings around the league, the playoffs, upcoming events and talk a little fishing. Fishing? Yep- Fishing… and a funny thing happened when Michael, the League President stepped away for a few minutes. So sit back and strap in for ONE WILD 90-minute RIDE with these three dudes!
135 driver entries competed in the second round of the 2018 Countdown to the Championship Playoffs Saturday, August 25th at the Paul Miller Custom Pools RC Nationals. Emotions started early this playoff season as every point counts for those competing for class championship honors!
In Traxxas Pro Funny Car, it was once again an all Mercadel final. This time it was the reigning TPFC Champion Joshua Mercadel grabbing his second victory overall and first in Traxxas Pro Funny Car this season. Coming in as the #6 qualifier, J. Mercadel drove past #5 Randy Mayhew in round one. In round two, J. Mercadel needed a holeshot win to get past the Bowman Performance driver, Heather Bowman for the win light. (#6 Joshua Mercadel ➧ .027 RT / 2.133 ET def. a quicker but losing #2 Heather Bowman ➧ .165 RT / 2.117 ET.) In the semi-finals, J. Mercadel earned the bye-run and advanced to the final round for the second time in as many weeks.
On the other side of the ladder, Michael Mercadel was making his way through the 10-car field in hopes of another playoff win. M. Mercadel from the #4 qualifying spot defeated #7 Bill Nelson and #3 Jazmine Hernandez in the early rounds. In the semi-finals, the League President faced the Summit Racing Equipment driver and points leader Eric Bowman. This race was over about half track when the Summit Racing Equipment car smacked the wall and was DQ’ed. This win earned M. Mercadel a spot in the finals to once again face his son and teammate Joshua Mercadel. Mike was 1-4 against his son Josh this season and only 3 – 16 overall lifetime against the 4-time RCDRL champion. In the finals, Joshua had lane choice and chose the Denton Tattoo Company Lane. Mike got off the line first, but Joshua had the power to drive around him and take the win light. This win puts the defending 2017 champion in first place in the 2018 Countdown to the Championship points battle. ( #6 Joshua Mercadel ➧ .073 RT / 2.178 ET def. #4 Michael Mercadel ➧ .052 RT / 2.299 ET)
“It was awesome to meet my son again in the finals. I need to find about a tenth of a second in my funny car before the Garca Motorsports Nationals September 8th. Despite our recent success in TPFC, Josh and I both know that the Bowman Performance Team are the ones to watch.”- Michael Mercadel
In Young Gunners, it was Christian Russell outlasting his side of the ladder to advance to his second Young Gunner final of the year. Russell defeated Piper Munson and Sarah Shipman in the early rounds. He earned the bye-run in the semi-finals to advance to the finals. On the other side of the ladder, number two qualifier Dallas Pfeil was able to defeat Colby Taylor in round one. He was awarded the bye-run in round two to advance to the semi-finals where he took out the number one qualifier Trace Faulkner. In the finals, Russell was able to get the job done and pick up his second win of the season in the process. With the win, Christian Russell moved up 5 places to the number two spot in the Countdown to the Championship!
Over in Pro Stock, we had 10 entries. Casey Baker took the number one spot with a quick 1.689, but it was points leader Jeremy Miller stealing the show again as he marched through the field of talented drivers. Miller defeated Willie Thomas and Robert St. Pierre in the early rounds to advance to the semi-finals. He then earned the bye-run to the finals.
On the other side of the ladder Davey Goff the number four qualifier was making his way through the field also. In round one he defeated Mason Cooley. In round two he got past JaC’D up Racing teammate Jill Miller in a great side by side race. In the semi-finals, Marcus Talamantez was standing in the way of Goff returning to the finals for the third time this season. In another good drag race, Goff’s 1.711 was able to defeat Talamantez 1.735 and just like that, Goff was going to his first playoff final third overall. In the finals, Jeremy Miller was once again ready, he cut a brilliant .013 light and never looked back and ran an event-best 1.668 down the quarter mile. Miller increased his points lead to 144 over second place Davey Goff. The Finals: (#2 Jeremy Miller .013 RT · 1.668 ET def. Davey Goff -0.023 RT · 1.727 ET)
In Traxxas Sportsman Funny Car, points leader Eric Bowman extended his points lead again by grabbing the #1 qualifying spot and advancing all the way to the finals. He received a bye-run in round 1 when Chris Hernandez was not able to get to the starting line. In round two he was awarded the competition bye-run. In the Semi-finals, Eric Bowman .104 RT / 2.392 ET def. #4 Bill Nelson .056 RT / 2.498 ET to advance to the finals. On the other side of the ladder, #6 qualifier Scott Davis made his TSFC playoff debut in solid fashion.
Davis defeated Annalisa Poddighe and Kelli Garca in the early rounds. In the semi-finals, Davis took out reigning Rookie of the Year driver Heather Bowman to advance to the finals. At the hit of the throttle, this final was over. Scott Davis clicked on the red light -.022 handing the win over to Bowman. (#1 Eric Bowman ➧ .056 RT / 2.409 ET def. #6 Scott Davis ➧ -0.022 RT / 2.440 ET MOV: .047)
Over in Street Eliminator, 19 entries tried to make the 16-car field. Number four qualifier Joel Shipman has been quietly making his way up the leaderboard all season. With three runner-up finishes in Street Eliminator this season, Shipman was determined to seal the deal. In eliminations, Kelli Garca and Matthew Munson fell to Shipman in the early rounds. In what was one of the best semi-finals of the year, Shipman faced off against JD Crow.
Both cars left the starting line within a thousandth of a second of each other and at the finish line it was Shipman turning on the win light with a Margin of Victory by a thousandth of a second… (#4 Joel Shipman ➧ .037 RT / 2.76 Dial (.036 off) / 2.796 ET def. #1 JD Crow ➧ .036 RT / 2.43 Dial ( .038 off ) / 2.468 ET – MOV: .001). On the other side of the ladder, it was the number 7 qualifier and rookie driver Zack Shivers making his way through the field. In the early rounds, Shivers took out Mike Pfeil and Tony Malone. Shivers went on to take out Jeff Schmidt in the semi-finals to face Joel Shipman in the finals. In the finals it was the rookie, Zach Shivers turning on the win light over Joel Shipman. Shipman will have to settle for the runner-up spot once again in Street Eliminator but have picked up many valuable points in the first two playoff races. (#7 Zack Shivers (R) ➧ .076 RT / 2.75 Dial ( .003 off ) / 2.753 ET def. #4 Joel Shipman ➧ .089 RT / 2.78 Dial ( .039 off ) / 2.819 ET MOV: .049
In Pro Mod, countdown contender Doug Crews came in as the number 12 qualifier. Crews was able to outlast Robert St. Pierre and Tony Malone in the first and second round. Advancing to the semi-finals, Crews faced number one qualifier, Ant Wren. In a great side by side drag race, Crews defeated Wren to advance to his first Pro Mod final. (#12 Douglas Crews ➧ .078 RT / 1.669 ET def. #1 Ant Wren ➧ .016 RT / 1.745 ET MOV: .014. On the other side of the ladder, number three qualifier Jerry Shields put Willie Thomas and Darvione Huddleston on the trailer in the early rounds. In the semi-finals, he got lucky and beat Duwayne Cooley on a first or worse rule to advance to the Pro Mod Finals. In the finals, both driers clicked on the red light, but Shields light was worse. Crews went on to victory securing his first RCDRL win. (#12 Doug Crews ➧ -0.006 RT / 1.787 ET def. #3 Jerry Shields ➧ -0.029 RT / 2.169 ET)
In the 2.50 Index class, Piper Munson the #14 qualifier battled her way through the 15-car field in hopes of winning her second index race. She was able to put Randy Mayhew and Bill Nelson on the trailer in the early rounds. In the semi-finals, she was able to get past the young, talented Brandon Mares to advance to the finals. On the other side of the ladder, Chris Markowski was on his way to another final round match-up but had to get around Jeff Schmidt, Jr., Tony Malone, and the reigning 2.50 Champion Eric Bowman to advance to the finals to face Munson. In the finals, Markowski was able to take out Munson when she clicked on the red light by only five-thousandths of a second. (#9 Chris Markowski ➧ .126 RT / 2.50 Dial (.026 off) / 2.526 ET def. #14 Piper Munson ➧ -0.005 RT / 2.50 Dial (.084 off) / 2.584 ET MOV: .073) With this win, Markowski takes over the points lead in the 2.50 Index Championship battle.
Newly licensed Top Fuel pilot David Goldstein proved that while being new to the RCDRL he is no rookie within the Top Fuel ranks. Coming in as the #6 qualifier, Goldstein got past Brandon Mares in round one. In round two he faced the reigning Top Fuel Champion David Mares, and in true veteran form was able to beat the quicker but losing Mares on a holeshot. (#6 David Goldstein ➧.012 RT / 1.318 ET def. #1 David Mares ➧.093 RT / 1.305 ET MOV: .068 Holeshot Win) In the semi-finals, Goldstein was able to defeat JR Summons and advance to the finals.
On the other side of the ladder #3 qualifier Robert St. Pierre was doing damage of his own to the nine-car field. St. Pierre defeated Donnie Johnson and Duwayne Cooley in the early rounds. In round three he was awarded the competition bye-run advancing him to the finals to face Goldstein. In a much-anticipated Top Fuel final round, both drivers were staged and ready. When the tree dropped, St. Pierre was seven-thousandths of a second too quick and clicked on the red light. Goldstein left the starting line with a brilliant .012 reaction time but was not able to stay in his lane. He was disqualified by way of the first or worse rule handing the win back over to St. Pierre. Robert St. Pierre now holds a ninety-nine points lead over second-place David Mares.
In Quick 16, Chris Markowski owned the show. Markowski was able to put Joshua Mercadel and Norris Graves on the trailer during the early rounds of eliminations. In the semi-finals, he faced Oklahoma City’s Nacho Thacker and on a holeshot Markowski was able to defeat him and advance to the finals. On the other side of the ladder, Tony Malone was making his way to the finals. He took out Kelly McCart, Eric Bowman, and Jeff Schmidt to advance to the finals. In one of the closest Quick 16 finals of the year, Markowski took the win by just eight-thousandths of a second over Malone. (#8 Chris Markowski ➧ .089 RT / 2.08 Dial (.045 off) / 2.125 ET def. #3 Tony Malone ➧ .134 RT / 1.95 Dial (-0.008 off) / 1.942 ET) In the Quick 16 points battle, Markowski jumped to the number two spot and Malone moved up to the number five spot in the 2018 Countdown to the Championship.
19 talented drivers were all on the quest to go five rounds of racing in the All Run Bracket Class. Mike Pfeil the #16 qualifier who had never been out of first round this season in any class was able to get his first win in round one against Matthew Munson. He went on to put Piper Munson, JD Crow, and Kelli Garca on the trailer to advance him to the first ever final with the RCDRL. On the other side of the ladder, the bracket master Jeff Schmidt Jr. was on his way to yet another final. Schmidt was able to outlast Jayme Bates, Joel Shipman, and Carl Russell in the early rounds. In the semi-finals, Schmidt was awarded the competition bye-run advancing him to the finals. In this All Run Final Schmidt had a championship, 77 round wins this season, and lane choice over Pfeils 4 round wins. (All round wins came from today’s event.) So clearly the odds were stacked against Pfeil. Cutting his best light of the weekend, Pfeil cut a better reaction time and was closer to his dial than Schmidt and in doing so captured his very first RCDRL win in his six years with the league. Congratulations Mike for getting the monkey off your back!!!
This event JConcpts.net Holeshot Award Winner was Zack Shivers with a .001 reaction time. Best of all first-round contenders.
Once again, I would like to thank our sponsor Paul Miller Custom Pools of Keller, Texas (http://www.paulmillercustompools.com) Also, the tireless efforts of our Officials, Stat Girls, and Raffle Ladies… Another job well done!
The PaulMillerCustomPools.com RC Drag Nationals is race #2 of the 2018 RCDRL Countdown to the Championship playoffs here in Texas. “We are thrilled that Paul Miller Custom Pools have agreed to sponsor this event. The playoffs are always full of excitement and suspense”- Michael Mercadel, League President
Pilots will start to feel the pressure with every round of racing. Just 4 events to go after this weekend of racing, so boys and girls… Bring Your BEST!
Event Location: Texas Motor Speedway;
14004 Country Ln Circle Fort Worth, TX 76179
Gates Open at 6am
Test-N-Tune starts after full track setup till 10:30am
Qualifying Starts at 11am
Always Free to Watch!
One Time: $10 Track Prep Fee
Each Class Entry: $10
Paul Miller founded Paul Miller Custom Pools in 1982 in Fort Worth, Texas. Paul’s background in the swimming pool industry began in the same place nearly a decade earlier when he was working summers cleaning and maintaining pools for a small town pool service company. After continuing his education and apprenticing under a local pool builder for several years, Paul realized that he would have to set out on his own in order to fully realize his ultimate goal: To build the highest quality swimming pools using only the best materials and the most skilled craftsmen. Visit: paulmillercustompools.com or call (817) 379-9333 to learn more!
In Pro Funny Car, Mike Mercadel secured his second victory and first in the funny car ranks this season. Coming in as the #4 qualifier, M. Mercadel got pass Chad Howard on a holeshot and then went on to put event sponsor Randy Mayhew and Bill Nelson on the trailer before advancing to the finals. On the other side of the ladder, defending Pro Funny Car Champion Joshua Mercadel was making his way through the 10-car field as well in hopes of a playoff glory. J. Mercadel from the #2 qualifying spot defeated rookie driver of the year candidate Zach Shivers in round 1. In round 2 he faced the Summit Racing Equipment and points leader Eric Bowman. 
In Young Gunners, defending Champion Colt Mares held his own by advancing through the field of young talent to the finals. Mares had to get past two members of the Toad Racing team, Colby Taylor in round 1 and Zack Shivers in the semi-finals. On the other side of the ladder, number one qualifier Piper Munson was able to defeat Sarah Shipman in round 1. She was awarded the bye-run in the semifinals to advance to the finals to face Colt Mares. In the finals, Colt cut a brilliant .016 reaction time and ran a 3.077 on a 3 flat dial to take the win over Piper Munson’s .107 reaction time, 2.571 on a 2.50 dial.
Over in Pro Stock, we had 11 entries. Jeremy Miller grabbed the #1 qualifying spot right off the trailer in round 1 qualifying. He went on to earn the bye-run in the first round, got past Robert St Pierre in round number 2 and in the semi-finals. Miller was able to drive around Davey Goff to advance to the finals. In Sportsman Funny Car, points leader Eric Bowman extended his points lead by grabbing the #1 qualifying spot and advancing all the way to the finals. He received a bye-run in round 1. Then went on to defeat Matthew Munson in round 2 and his wife Heather Bowman in the semi-finals. On the other side of the ladder, #3 qualifier Bill Nelson got past Colby Taylor in round 1 and drove past Chris Markowski in round 2. He was awarded the bye-run in semi-finals to face Bowman. This final was over at the hit of the throttle when Bill Nelson clicked on the red light -.063 handing the win over to Bowman who ran a solid 2.532 ET. 
Pro Mod had 12 entries at the Paradise RC Nationals. #1 qualifier Ant Wren had 5 wins during the regular season and showed no sign of letting off the throttle on his competition in the playoffs. Wren cruised through the field getting past Davey Goff and Zack Shivers in the early rounds before getting the bye-run into the finals. On the other side of the ladder it was defending Pro Mod Champion and #8 qualifier Darvione Huddleston taking out #5 Manuel Garca and #2 Duwayne Cooley in the early rounds before getting past #4 Tony Malone in the semi-finals. In the finals, Ant Wren had to drive around a brilliant light cut by Huddleston to win his 6th Pro Mod event of the year and in doing so extended his championship points lead to 74. (#1 Ant Wren .126 RT / 1.429 ET def. #8 Darvione Huddleston .002 RT / 1.562 ET) Marge of victory (MOV .009)
In the 2.50 Index class, Brandon Mares found the winner’s circle by mowing down his side of the 16-car field. His side of the ladder included Thuan Dinh, Mike Mercadel, and Tony Malone before advancing to the finals. On the other side of the ladder, Jeff Schmidt put #14 Norris Graves, #6 Annalisa Poddighe, and #7 Piper Munson on the trailer to earn a final round meeting with Mares. In the finals, B. Mares took out Schmidt. (#8 Brandon Mares .084 RT / 2.50 Dial .087 off ) / 2.587 ET def. #3 Jeff Schmidt .141 RT / 2.50 Dial ( .314 off ) / 2.814 ET
Top Fuel Dragster had 7 cars dueling for a win light. Defending Champion David Mares whose two sons, Brandon and Colt had already won their fair share of classes at the Paradise RC Nationals was trying to do the same. David Mares came in as the #2 qualifier. He outlasted J R Summons Jr. and Mitchal Vaughn to advance to the finals. With already having three wins during the regular season, 2016 Quick 16 Bracket Champion Jeff Schmidt is determined to get his title back in 2018. Coming into round 1 of the playoffs, #8 qualifier Schmidt was able to put Chad Howard and Douglas Crews on the trailer in the early rounds. In the semi-finals, Schmidt outlasted RCDRL first-timer, Eric Hancock to advance to the finals. On the other side of the ladder, #2 Joel Shipman was making his way to a final round showdown with Schmidt. Shipman in the early rounds got past Nacho Thacker and Kelly McCart. In the semi-finals, Shipman was able to outlast defending Quick 16 Champion Chris Markowski. In the finals, #8 Jeff Schmidt .090 RT / 2.05 Dial ( .122 off ) / 2.172 ET def. #2 Joel Shipman .119 RT / 2.79 Dial ( -0.944 off ) / 1.846 ET. Jeff Schmidt jumps to #1 in the playoffs, while Joel Shipman holds on to his #2 spot.
The All Run Bracket class had a season-low of 16 total entries, but that did not stop the fast and furious action of defending All Run Bracket Champion Chris Markowski. In the early rounds, #6 qualifier Markowski defeated Sarah Shipman, JD Crow, and Jeff Schmidt to advance to the finals. On the other side of the ladder, it was #1 qualifier Joel Shipman making his way through the field. Shipman took out David Braswell, Jayme Bates, and Jeff Chambers to advance to the final round. This one was over at the start when Shipman clicked on the red light. Markowski took the win and extended his Countdown to the Championship points lead to 86 points. Shipman jumped up four places to the #2 spot in the Countdown. #6 Chris Markowski .024 RT / 3.80 Dial (.086 off) / 3.886 ET def. #1 Joel Shipman -0.050 RT / 2.79 Dial (.046 off) / 2.836 ET
Congratulations to our 2 JCONCEPTS.NET HOLESHOT award winners, Colby Taylor and JD Crow for both cutting a .008 reaction time lights during first round eliminations to win this award. 
The makeup date for the Paradise RC Nationals is Saturday, August 18th, 2018…
It’s ON! Saturday, August 18th, 2018 the Paradise RC Nationals “TAKE TWO” Gates Open @ 6am!
This is event #9 of 14, Join us at the:
Texas Motor Speedway- 14004 Country Ln Circle Fort Worth, TX 76179 for some Fast Furious Family Fun!
* Gates open at 6am
* Test and Tune after full setup till 10:15am
* 10:30am – Official Qualifying Session 1 (Q1)
* Final Qualifying Session 2 (Q2), Immediately following Q1
* National Anthem
* Elimination Round 1
* Continuation of All Eliminations Rounds
* Awards Ceremony
* Secure Track & Clean up
Classes for Everyone:
Electric Top Fuel Dragster (3s)
Electric Pro Mod (2s)
Electric Pro Stock (1s)
Traxxas Pro Funny Car (3s)
Traxxas Sportsman Funny Car (2s)
Quick-16 Bracket
2.50 Index
Street Eliminator Bracket (2s)
All Run Bracket
Young Gunners Bracket
***Bring your FM RADIO and TUNE into the Action on 87.9FM ***
Visit HobbyTown USA, Hurst, Lewisville, Dallas, or Rockwall for all your hobby needs. HobbyTown USA is your #1 Toy and Hobby Store in North Texas! Whether you are shopping for an amazing birthday present, looking for a new fun hobby, wanting the coolest remote control vehicle, or searching for a vintage train set, they have it all!
Their friendly and professional staff is ready to help you find the perfect toy or hobby. At HobbyTown USA, they also offer repair services as needed to get you back up and playing as quickly as possible. Also, they will buy your gently used or unwanted toys, models or hobbies.
“Our job is to make sure you leave with a smile on your face!”- HobbyTown USA Texas Managment
Come visit their 4 convenient locations, Dallas, Hurst, Lewisville or Rockwall and you will be amazed at the endless amount of fun under one roof for all ages. HobbyTown USA Texas is open 7 days a week!
HobbyTown USA-Texas is back as a title sponsor with the Radio Controlled Drag Racing League Texas bunch! HobbyTown USA Texas will help close out the regular season and set up the top 10 Championship points contenders in each class category this coming weekend July 28th, 2018. What an exciting regular season the RCDRL Texas bunch has had. We have endured challenges both on and off the track. For most, the rest of the season will be a great time to play spoiler, prepare for next year and continue to try and win races and awards! 
For the competitors that will make the Top 10 in each class, it’s time to hone in your skills and fine-tune your cars… Points will be reset after this event. From the number one seed getting 2110 points, down to the number ten seed getting 2000 points. It’s about to get real! Good luck to all!
Please visit HobbyTown USA, Hurst, Lewisville, Dallas, or Rockwall for all your hobby needs. HobbyTown USA is your #1 Toy and Hobby Store in North Texas! Whether you are shopping for an amazing birthday present, looking for a new fun hobby, wanting the coolest remote control vehicle, or searching for a vintage train set, they have it all!
Their friendly and professional staff is ready to help you find the perfect toy or hobby. At HobbyTown USA, they also offer repair services as needed to get you back up and playing as quickly as possible. Also, they will buy your gently used or unwanted toys, models or hobbies.
“Our job is to make sure you leave with a smile on your face!”- HobbyTown USA Texas Managment
Come visit their 4 convenient locations, Dallas, Hurst, Lewisville or Rockwall and you will be amazed at the endless amount of fun under one roof for all ages. HobbyTown USA Texas is open 7 days a week!
Event Date & location:
HobbyTown USA Texas Summer Nationals Saturday, July 28th, 2018 at The Texas Motor Speedway 14004 Country Ln Circle Fort Worth, TX 76179
Welcome to the #44 episode of the RCDRL Podcast Show. Host Michael Mercadel with Co-host Jerry Lumar welcome double-up Supers winner Zack Shivers and Top Fuel winner Francisco Frontera to today’s show. Awesome memories were created at the 2018 RCDRL 6th Annual RockStar Powder Coat US Supernationals let’s recap the fun-filled weekend! Sit back relax and enjoy the show!
RC Drag Racing is back at the Texas Motor Speedway Saturday, July 14th, 2018! Teams and drivers will be there for the North Carrier Automotive Nationals, race #7 of 8 in the regular season.
*** Every Race Day is FREE to WATCH so come out and bring the whole family! ***
The RCDRL Texas gang gets back to racing after a 3-week break from the Super Nationals. This is race 7 of 8 of the regular season, the Countdown to the Championship Playoffs are right around the corner. Are you in the Top 10? It’s time to make your move in!
Remember, if you don’t make it in the playoffs, you can still race all season long and play blocker for your teammates and friends or simply hone your skills and prepare for a 2019 run at a championship!
Donnie Johnson and Matt Ray have been in the automotive repair business since 1975. Donnie worked alongside his friend Matthew for many years before they opened North Carrier Automotive in 1992.
North Carrier Automotive is located at 602 N. Carrier Pkwy, Grand Prairie, TX 75050. The hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm.
North Carrier Automotive can take care of all of your service needs. They are licensed and insured and also offer a one-year warranty on their service work. North Carrier Automotive does state inspections as well. You can reach Donnie or Matthew at (972)-237-0085. Tell them the RCDRL sent you!
Classes Racing this weekend…
Electric Top Fuel Dragster (3s)
Electric Pro Mod (2s)
Electric Pro Stock (1s)
Traxxas Pro Funny Car (3s)
Traxxas Sportsman Funny Car (2s)
Quick-16 Bracket
2.50 Index
Street Eliminator Bracket (2s)
All Run Bracket
Young Gunners Bracket
***Bring your FM RADIO – Tune in on the Action & Hear when Your Class is on Deck!***
Summit Racing Equipment, an industry leader in distribution of auto racing parts and equipment through catalogs, Internet and now a SUPER-STORE in Arlington Texas, was a hit at the 2018 RCDRL 6th Annual RockStar Powder Coat U.S. Supernationals. Sponsoring both Traxxas Funny Car classes Pro and Sportsman, Summit Racing sponsored two racers also. On the track, the Summit Racing drivers Eric Bowman and Robert St. Pierre overall had a good weekend.
“Summit Racing Equipment and their dedication to community involvement and partnerships with the league will be a rewarding combination in my opinion. Our goal is to promote Summit Racing Equipment and their Arlington location by way of local creative marketing and targeted store side community RC racing events. We highly value Summit Racing Equipment’s mutually beneficial involvement with the RCDRL Championship RC Drag Racing Series.” – Michael Mercadel-President of the Radio Controlled Drag Racing League.
The Summit Racing Equipment driver Robert St. Pierre of Denton Texas, in his second qualify attempt, St. Pierre cut a nice .043 reaction time (RT) and ran a 1.944-second pass down the Lone S
tar RC Dragway. His run was good enough to qualify for the 17th spot come eliminations. St. Pierre faced off against local racer, Davey Goff the number 8 qualifier in first round eliminations. When the tree dropped, St. Pierre was out of the gate first with a better reaction time than Goff and never looked back. Despite running slower on the track, St. Pierre crossed the finish line first and took the win by way of the hole-shot and advanced to Championship Sunday.
1st Round- #17 Robert St.Pierre· .021 RT, 1.745 ET, 75.10 MPH def. #8 Davey Goff .079 RT, 1.729 ET, 76.9 MPH
In round #2, St. Pierre faced off against class sponsor and chassis specialist Tony Rudis of Rudis Motorsports. Once again St. Pierre cut a better light than his competition, but the horsepower from that Rudis Motorsports entry 
proved to be too much for St. Pierre and Rudis drove around the Summit car and ended St. Pierres hopes in Pro Stock. Notable: Robert St. Pierre continued to proudly promote his new sponsor Summit Racing Equipment through-out the weekend making it to the third round in both in Top Fuel, and Pro Mod.
The Summit Racing Equipment Pro Funny car and pilot Eric Bowman was set to go rounds at the Supernationals. At Friday’s test and tune, Bowman ran personal best times and was consistent. Already the local points leader and a multi-event winner, Bowman was ready to take on the best of the best.
“I tried a new set up and ran the fastest numbers I have ever run. So needless to say going into Saturday’s qualifying I was confident.”- Eric Bowman 
In Q1 on Saturday morning, Bowman just wanted to see his hotrod go A to B. Looking to see what the track was going to give him, Bowman ran a 2.236 which at the end of the round had him sitting it the #2 spot. In Q2, he thought the track could hold the numbers and put in his ace tuneup. The track was still a little to cool, and the Summit Racing Equipment Funny car went right into tire shake and smacked the wall. Bowman would go into eliminations as the number three qualifier.
During first-round eliminations, Bowman was matched up against #14 qualifier and event title sponsor Rockstar Powder Coats very own Chad Howard. The tree dropped and Howard was late off the line with a .172 RT and a 2.250 ET to Bowmans .048 RT with a 2.192. ET. Round one was over and Bowman and the Summit Racing Equipment Traxxas Pro Funny car advanced to Championship Sunday.
E2 Sunday morning. Sunday was a new day and Bowman was against Paxton Pfeil From ProPfeil racing and defending Street Eliminator champion. Pfeil had his Pro Funny car freshened up with Bowman Power the week prior, so Eric knew that he had his work cut out for him. Bowman also knew Pfeil could chop the tree down on you, and cut a good light. When the tree came down, Bowman was early and clicked on the red-light and ended his hopes of advancing to later rounds. Paxton Pfeil .072 RT 2.229 ET def. Eric Bowmans (-).033 RT 2.198 ET.
In the End, there was a Bowman Powered pilot in the Summit Racing Equipment Pro Funny Car final. “SHE” goes by the name of Heather Bowman, wife of Eric. Heather came in as the #7 qualifier and got past #10 Kelli Garca in round 1. Heather drove around #2 Dennis Forbes in round 2. In the semi-finals, Bowman blasted past #6 Paxton Pfeil to advance to the finals. Bowman was the only female finalist, went on to defeat the 2017 Supernationals champion, and #1 qualifier Scott Davis. She also reset the Nationals ET record to boot! #7 Heather Bowman .040 RT / 2.090 ET, def. #1 Scott Davis .054 RT / 2.268 ET
Notable: Eric Bowman went on to runner-up in the Reddy Ice 2.50 Index class.
One of the biggest surprises of the weekend came in the Summit Racing Equipment Traxxas Sportsman Funny Car class. Rookie driv
er out of the Toad Racing camp Zach Shivers came in as the #13 qualifier. Zack had never won an event before but had been grinding hard to get to the Winner’s Circle since discovering the RCDRL.
#13 Shivers on paper could not have drawn a tougher competitor, #4 qualifier Eric Bowman. In a huge upset, he got past- local points leader Bowman in round one by only 7 thousandths of a second (.007) at the finish line. In round 2, he faced off against teammate Colby Taylor, and in another good old drag race, Shivers came around Taylor in the lights for the win.
It looked like lady luck was about to end for Shivers. In the semi-finals, he was matched up against #1 qualifier and 10-time RCDRL Champion Dennis Forbes of Louisiana. When the tree dropped, Zack cut a .086 reaction time to Dennis Forbes .122, and the ZACK ATTACK never looked back! Forbes had problems and had to click off, Zack went on the run a solid 2.505 ET for the win and to advance to the finals!
On the other side of the ladder, #6 qualifier Manual Garca was making his way through the field as well. Garca took out Toad Racing driver Trace Faulkner in round 1. Garca got past the “IceMan” Chris Hernandez in round 2, and in the semi-finals drove past #2 qualifier driver Scott Davis.
When the tree drop Zack was ready and out of the gate first cutting a good .055 light to Manuels sleeping .194 reaction time. Manual then had tire shake and had to click off and Zack Shivers of Brock Texas went on to win his first RCDRL event! He did it on the biggest stage out there! The Summit Racing Equipment-sponsored class at the 2018 Rockstar Powder Coat US Supernationals!Notable: Zack Shivers went on to also win the Street Eliminator class becoming the only “Doule Up” winner at the 2018 RCDRL Super Nationals! More on Street Eliminator in the coming days.Despite high winds and hot temperatures, record-setting runs were laid down at the Texas Motor Speedway RCDRL Lone Star RC Dragway. 
Record runs were set in the 21 car Dragrace Concepts Electric Top Fuel field by many drivers but in the end, Wilfredo Perez of Puerto Rico set the new national record with a blistering 1.183 in round 2 of eliminations, his 1% back up run came in the second round of qualifying with a 1.188.
In the 16 car Summit Racing Equipment Traxxas Pro Funny Car field, Heather Bowman of Irving Texas with her Bowman Powered Funny Car blazed to a record 2.091 in the semi-finals vs Paxton Pfeil. In the finals, Bowman lowered the boom running a brilliant 2.090 for the win and the new National record over Scott Davis of SDR! The 2.091 will serve as the back up 1% run.
In Rudis Motorsports Pro Stock class, the record was reset many times, but at the end of the day, it was the 1.538 by Dennis Guzman of Puerto Rico 
that walked away with the new national record. His round one, 1.552 will serve as his 1% back up run.
In Pro Mod, Johnell J. Torres Ramos of Puerto Rico took his hotrod to record numbers running a lighting fast 1.341 in Q2! Torres backed up his record within 1% with a 1.348 during Q1.
In Nitro Top Fuel, Raymond Blanchard of Greenville Texas laid down a 1.555 to grab the record in what was a fun class to watch!
