Battle Drivers from Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Wisconsin for IHRA Division 5 Title~

Kip Burkhardt and Bill Swain, who battled all season long for the Top ET championship in the Lane Automotive Bracket Series, will lead the 50-driver host team when US 131 Motorsports Park plays host to the IHRA Division 5 Team Bracket Finals Sept. 24-27.

Eight other tracks will send their best to the three-day event including Mid-Michigan Motorplex at Stanton and The Ubly Dragway. Also competing will be teams from Muncie, Ind., Dragway, Great Lakes Dragaway (Union Grove, Wis.), Osceola, Ind., Dragway, US 41 Motorplex (Morocco, Ind.), Bunker Hill, Ind., Dragstrip and Marion County International Raceway (LaRue, Ohio).

Each track determines the individual makeup of its 50-driver team. US 131 has opted to send 18 Top ET drivers along with 16 from the Modified class, five from Street, six from the Master Jr. Dragster category, four from Advanced Jr. Dragster and one, track champion Aliyah Pitsch, from Beginner Jr. Dragster.

In addition to Burkhardt, Swain and Pitsch, the US 131 team also includes newly crowned Modified track champ Bill Schmidt, Street champion Donnie Hagar, who also will compete in Top ET, Master Jr. Champion Brooke Paquette and Advanced Jr. Champ Rylie Vanaken.

* * * *

MARTIN, Mich. – As host to the IHRA Division 5 Bracket Team Finals Sept. 24-27, US 131 Motorsports Park will send a team composed of the following drivers:

TOP ET – 1. Kip Burkhardt, Bronson, 396; 2. Bill Swain, Ionia, 393; 3. Donnie Hagar, Clarklake, 326; 4. Bernie VanderPloeg, Plainwell, 324; 5. Will Crawford, Saline, 321; 6. Eric Peterka, W. Bloomfield Hills, 315; 7. Rick Schneider, Westand, 307; 8. Andy Wroblewski, LaPorte, Ind., 304; 9. Tracy Muchler, Grass Lake, 278; 10. Christine Kirbitz, Holly, 266; 11. Tie, Steve VanderSloot, Portage, and Bob Payton, Fowlerville, 256 each; 13. Nathan Lash, Kendallville, IN 254; 14. Jim Davis, Berrien Springs, 246; 15. Craig VanderSloot, Kalamazoo, 242; 16. Brooke Nellis, Muskegon, 241; 17. David Marckini, Grand Rapids, 228; 18. Trevis Pitsch, Dorr, 224.
MODIFIED – 1. Bill Schmidt, Fruitport, 529; 2. Aaron Starbuck, Grand Junction, 508; 3. Mark Howard, Hamilton, 440; 4. Al Bruischart, Allegan, 369; 5. Mark Boardman, Portage, 366; 6. Tracy Muchler, Grass Lake, 360; 7. Justin Wanamaker, Kalamazoo, 357; 8. Samuel Peterson, Richland, 304; 9. Steve Mesik, Plainwell, 290; 10. Chad Six, Parma, 286; 11. Tie, Stan Jones Jr., Byron Center, and Joe Wright, Lawton, 270 each; 13. Maverick Green, Grand Haven, 252; 14. Clinton Ray, Holland, 246; 15. Tie, Kevin Groeneveld, Dorr, and Billy Meier, Mattawan, 242 each.
STREET – 1. Donnie Hagar, Clarklake, 594; 2. Kyle Wanamaker, Plainwell, 496; 3. Tyler Nelkin, W. Bloomfield Hills, 304; 4. Jake Huntington, New Boston, 264; 5. Deegan Orr, Walker, 245.
MASTER JR. DRAGSTER – 1. Brooke Paquette, Howell, 344; 2. Peyten Jimenez, Waterford, 343; 3. Tie, Lizzie Martel, Carleton, and Bryce Buehrer, West Unity, Ohio, 336 each; 5. Braden Peters, Howell, 324; 6. Bailey Burkhardt, Bronson, 295.
ADVANCED JR. DRAGSTER – 1. Rylie Vanaken, Coldwater, 333; 2. Roman Iocoangeli, Monroe, 318; 3. Nick Peters, Howell, 308; 4. Aurora Wanamaker, Plainwell, 269.
BEGINNER JR. DRAGSTER – 1. Aliyah Pitsch, Dorr, 320.

US 131 Motorsports Park, 1249 12th Street, Martin, MI
Radio Station 102.5
IHRA “THUNDER” SUMMIT TEAM FINALS SCHEDULE

If weather delays the event, it will be completed on the first available day.
Run order – Mod, Top, Juniors, Sportsman

Thursday September 24
Parking and Registration 12:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Test and Tune 2:00 pm – Dark

Friday September 25
Gates Open 8:00 am – 9:30 pm
Open Time Trial (One) 9:30 am
Gamblers Eliminations Following Time Trial
Registration Closes 9:30 pm

Saturday September 26
Gates Open 8:00 am – 9:30 pm
Team Captains Race 8:30 am
Special Awards photos 8:30 am
Team Photos 9:00 am
Gamblers Eliminations (one round) 10:00 am
Main Event Eliminations (to conclusion) Following Gamblers E1

Sunday September 27
Gates Open 8:00 am
Godspeed Ministry Service 8:15 am
Gamblers Eliminations continue 9:00 am
Track Operator Meeting 10:30 am

$20 per day, $35 for two-day pass
Schedule may change at any time. Specialty events are time and weather permitting.