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South Mountain Recap

Twenty MANDRA racers and crews rolled in to South Mountain on Sunday, October 15 for the final points race of the year. Several of our regular drivers were missing for personal reasons and we wish them all the best with the issues at hand. The points championship was not yet determined and the top contenders were there to face off. Bud Poust was leading the points race, but unfortunately had to drop out of the competition due to engine problems. This meant that Merritt Snyder would have to win two rounds in order to receive top honors. Ralph had a little mishap in the staging lanes and had to drop out of the race, so 18 cars remained for competition. And, the competition was fierce all day, but Merritt managed to win two rounds and become our 2017 Points Champion with a 25-point lead over Bud. Congratulations to Merritt on his first ever MANDRA Championship!

The semi-finals had Jim Shearer earning a bye-run into the finals where he faced Ray Bloom who beat Brian Yarrison in semi-final action. This was the first trip to the finals this year for both of these drivers. Jim was a little too anxious and red lighted giving the win to Ray on what would of been a good race to the finish. This gave Ray his first ever MANDRA win! It has been a long-time coming, but is well deserved. He also won the award for best reaction time in competition sponsored by Freels Racing. It was good to see Brian and Chase Freels and look forward to Brian running with us again next season. Jim and his family/crew dedicated the day's event to the memory of a young circle-track driver (Patrick Bryner) who recently passed away and was a good friend of the family. Congratulations to all. Thank you to Better-Half Racing and Cyclone Racing for their sponsoring the race.
It was also good to see Frank Giallonardo back on the track. He ran the trophy division and won top honors in that division. Charles Cockerham ran with MANDRA and also participated in the John Potocki Memorial Race where he went several rounds in competition. Congratulations!

Another year of racing with MANDRA is in the books. Now is the time to take a break, enjoy the upcoming holidays, and fine tune those engines for the coming year. We are going to try and hold our first membership meeting in early December. Details are being worked out and we'll keep you informed as soon as we know.

Don't forget to get your reservations in for the annual awards banquet on November 18 at Revere Tavern in Paradise, PA. It should be a great time of reminiscing and fellowship. Let me or Merritt know by November 1 if you will be able to join us.

Lastly, the updated points are attached. Remember, according to our Bylaws, 70% of the races count, so this year we dropped four races for the final points tally. Congratulations again to Merritt, Bud, and Marc English who are our top three drivers; and congratulations to all of you for another successful season."

See you all soon!
Randy

Ray Bloom South Mountain Winner

Jim Shearer South Mountain Runner Up

Brian Yarrison South Mountain Semi's

Cecil County Recap (Sept 30th)

"September 30 was a beautiful day for racing at Cecil County. Twenty-four cars came to face off in competition. Brian and Rebecca Yarrison's Checker failed to make the field due to transmission problems. Rebecca then raced the Charger and set low reaction time for her first race with the club, which gave her an earned bye run first round. Semi-final action had Bud Poust earning a bye run with the other pairing of Charlie Innerst and Bob English running each other. Bob lost to Charlie which put Charlie into the finals against Bud. Bud claimed his second win of the year, giving him a late-season comeback as a points championship contender. With only one points race left, there are three or four drivers who could ultimately win the championship. As stated in the By-laws, only 70% of the races will count towards the final points tally. This means that four races will be eliminated when calculating points. So it ain't over yet folks.....the fat lady will have to sing at South Mountain!
Bob English secured honors of low ET of the year with an 8.61. Ralph Ferraro in the 8-Ball was giving him some competition, but the best Ralph could come up with was an 8.64.

One of the highlights of the day was the Ralph Eberly Memorial Picnic where everyone enjoyed lots of good food and fellowship. Thanks to all the ladies who worked to set things up and keep the picnic running smoothly during the day.

Special thanks to Hansberry Enterprises for sponsoring the race.

Our final race of the year will be Sunday, October 15, at South Mountain with Better Half Racing as our sponsor. Remember to get your reservations made soon for the banquet! The banquet is always a great evening to reminisce about the year's activities where we recognize our top 20 drivers, our race sponsors, and special award recipients."

See you all next weekend!
Randy

Bub Poust Cecil Winner

Charlie Innerst Cecil Runner-up

Bob English Cecil Semi Finals

Beaver Springs Recap, etc.

Hi folks,

"This weekend at South Mountain will be their Glory Days event. All MANDRA cars are welcome to attend as a non-points event. Due to the fact that we probably will not have a big field of MANDRA cars, because many have other plans/commitments and some just want a weekend off of racing, we will not run our own event. All MANDRA cars will fall under Bracket II. Check out South Mountain's website or facebook page for details. You can test and tune and grudge race for a $30 entry fee if you do not want to run the program.

Beaver Springs recap: Mother Nature won out on Saturday which pushed the weekend to racing on Sunday and Monday. On Sunday we had twenty-four MANDRA cars, but Gary Yoder broke, so this gave Mike Volpe a first-round earned bye-run. Merritt Snyder had a bye run into the finals and Chris Righetti and Jamie Reichert were the other semi-finalist pairing with Chris winning. He then faced Merritt in the finals and won his first race of the season. Chris went on to run Top Beaver and lost first round. Congratulations to all and thank you to River's Truck Center for sponsoring the event. As a note, keep Brad McKinsey in your prayers as he is struggling with health issues.
Monday morning brought sunshine to Beaver Springs and a great day of racing with seventeen cars making first round. There was a bye-run in each round leading to the finals. Tony Picone had the first-round bye-run, Jamie Reichert second round, Gary Yoder third round, Merritt Snyder fourth round (semi-finals) which sent him into the finals for the second time this weekend. The other semi-finalist pairing pitted Bob Maulick against Gary Yoder. Bob was a victim of the Beaver Springs right lane with the sun setting behind the Christmas tree and had the worst light of his life giving Gary the win into the finals. Gary then ran out in the final round against Merritt giving Merritt the win. Merritt took home the Ironman trophy. He went on to run Top Beaver and lost first round. Thanks to Team Ferraro for sponsoring the Ironman Challenge.

Following the Monday race finals, the Maple Grove final race between Merritt Snyder and Bud Poust was run. Merritt became the victor of the Bare Bones Racing sponsored event with his second win of the season (he is the only repeat winner so far this year). It was a good weekend for Merritt and wife Barbara!
what rain"!!

This was also a bittersweet weekend for racers at Beaver Springs. Beaver Bob announced that at the end of the season, the track will change ownership. Beaver Bob has been very good to MANDRA over the years and although he says he will be around for our races, he will be missed as track owner/promoter.

We are looking forward to working with new owner, Mike McCracken, in the future; I assured him he will continue to have the support of MANDRA. We wish Bob and Donna Marie all the best as they start the next chapter of their lives.

Frankie G will be on vacation for the next ten days, so the website and facebook may not be updated until he returns. Uncle John is working on the points and as soon as they are available, we will email them to you all.

Our next points race is Saturday, September 16 at Cecil County with D&M Engineering as our sponsor. The season is winding down with only three races to go. Points are tight to say the least, with anyone in the top ten within striking distance of the championship. It has been an exciting year!

By the way....thanks to Merritt and anyone who helped with the logistics of running the club after I left on Monday. I was able to get to my grandson's first birthday party (just a little late!)! Most of the food was cold, but it was the price I had to pay!!!

See you soon,

Randy

Maple Grove

"A big field of 33 cars showed up at Maple Grove's Glory Days event on Sunday, August 20. It was a beautiful day for racing with a full agenda and hundreds of cars from several organizations. As usual, the MANDRA gang had a terrific time with an early highlight being the grudge match during first round of time trials between Ralph Ferraro and Bob English. The stakes were high (a case of Seagram's coolers) and both drivers were ready to face off in a winner-takes-all heads-up competition. Bob drilled the light (a bit too early) which gave Ralph the win. It was all in fun and got our day off to a great start.

There was a bye-run every round of eliminations. The first earned bye-run went to Tim Hansberry; second round went to Bob Calimer; third round went to Danny McArthur; fourth round went to Bud Poust; and the final bye-run went to Merritt Snyder into the finals. Dave Drissel faced Bud Poust in semi-final action with Bud taking the win. Maple Grove has a Sunday-night curfew and the final round could not be run. The final between Merritt Snyder and Bud Poust will be run sometime during the upcoming Labor Day weekend at Beaver Springs. It was a long, but enjoyable day; thanks to our sponsor Bare Bones Racing.

Points will be updated after the Labor Day weekend when we know the outcome of the final race. Points are tight and getting very interesting--at this point, there are many racers who could possibly win the coveted title of Points Champion 2017! Pictures will be loaded to the Shutterfly account in the next few days.

Our next race is Labor Day weekend at Beaver Springs. Our sponsor for Saturday's race is Team Ferraro and Sunday's race is Rivers' Truck Center. Monday is scheduled as a rain-date if necessary."

Hope to see you all at the Beaver!
Randy

Maple Grove Lanes

Island Recap

"MANDRA reached the halfway point in our season Sunday, August 6, at Island Dragway's 57th anniversary race. Cyclone Racing was the race sponsor along with an NHRA Wally for the event winner. Twenty-one cars were present with all cars making the first round. Ray Bloom had the bye-run with a 005 reaction time. Great weather and a well-prepared track gave MANDRA members a great race day.

The semi-finals found Bruce Thomas getting a bye run into the finals with Bill Wert pitted against Tony Picone to determine the other finalist. Bill Wert ended the excitement early with a red light. The finals was a close race with Bruce Thomas dialed at 10:50 and Tony Picone dialed at 10.63. An elated Bruce Thomas took home the Wally with a 10.54; Tony Picone ran out with a 10.58.

As I (Merritt Snyder) left the bleachers to go back to the pits, I saw Denise Thomas and Kim Picone walking back to the pits together. They had been at the starting line to watch the race. This comradery is what makes MANDRA such a great group.

Thank you to all attendees; it was a fun race. See everyone at Maple Grove on Sunday, August 20th, for their Glory Days Race with MANDRA's race sponsor Bare Bones Racing."

Bruce Thomas Island Winner

Tony Picone Island Runner Up

Bill Wert Island Semi's

South Mountain Recap

"Sunday, July 23, MANDRA went to the Mountain at South Mountain Dragway; twenty-two cars came to compete. There was an even field, but Gary Yoder was unable to take a light first round which gave Charlie Innerst an unearned first-round bye-run. Second-round earned bye-run went to Bob Maulick who had low reaction time during time trials. Semi-final action had Bruce Thomas and Brian Yarrison paired with Brian taking the win; John Rose had a bye-run into the finals. Brian and John then faced each other in the final round of the day with John taking the win in his Corvette. Thanks to all who came out in the heat and competed and thanks to FWG Racing for sponsoring our race. Our next race is Sunday, August 6 at Island Dragway where we will compete for a Wally. Cyclone Racing is the sponsor for this race and the Wally."

John Rose South Mountain Winner

Brian Yarrison South Mountain Runner Up

Bruce Thomas South Mountain Semi's

US 13 Recap

"There were twenty two cars who traveled to US 13 Delmar, DE on Friday, June 30 to participate in the "Shakedown at D-Town" invitation-only event. Barry Macken broke and was unable to make eliminations. This gave Bud Poust an earned bye run first round. Second-round bye-run went to Pete Boyer who had low reaction time. Semi-final action saw Charlie Innerst with a bye-run into the finals and the other semi-final pairing had Tim Hansberry running against Bud Poust with Bud taking the win. Final pairing had Bud taking the win over Charlie. So far in six races, we've had six different winners. Thanks to Ray and Allison Bloom (R&A Racing) who sponsored the event and provided all the fried chicken you could eat and cold drinks for our picnic. Many thanks also to everyone who contributed to the picnic. A great time was had by all! It was good to see so many families and friends supporting our MANDRA racers. Daddy Dave and Kye Kelly signed our MANDRA winner's plaque and put on a good show. It was a late night or rather early morning for many.

Updated points are attached and pictures will be posted to the MANDRA Shutterfly account. Our next race is July 23 at South Mountain with our sponsor FWG Racing. Hope to see you all there!"

Bud Poust US13 Winner

Charlie Innerst US13 Runner Up

Tim Hansberry US13 Semi's

Numidia Recap

"We had nineteen cars including Allen George who came in his Camaro and ran time shots. Bud Poust had low-reaction time, but with an even field for eliminations, we did not have a first-round bye-run. The second round bye-run went to Carly Boyer; the third round bye-run went to Bob Maulick which moved him to the semi-finals. Carly Boyer lost to Bob Maulick in the semi-finals and Barry Macken had a bye-run into the finals. Barry then lost to Bob in the final race of the day. Congratulations to Bob Maulick and Bare Bones Racing on their first win of the year. Thanks to Blue Oval Racing (Jim Mullin) for your continued support of MANDRA in sponsoring the day's event."

"Our next race is Friday, June 30, at US13 Delmar, Delaware. Final details will be forthcoming early next week. We're looking forward to a great event as MANDRA returns to US13."

Bob Maulick Numidia Winner

Barry Macken Numidia Runner Up

Pete Boyer Numidia Semi's

Recap of Cecil County

"MANDRA had twenty-eight cars at the 9th Annual Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Drags at Cecil County on June 10th. Ralph Ferraro had motor-mount problems and had to scratch in his FE dragster leaving an uneven field giving Merritt Snyder earned low-reaction bye-run first round. Bob English had an earned bye-run into the semi-finals with a perfect light. He then ran Denny Frymoyer in the semi-finals, with Denny taking the win. Cookie Monster (Bruce Thomas) took down Plum Loco (Randy Campbell) in the other semi-final action. This had Denny Frymoyer and Bruce Thomas in the finals. Denny took the win in his FE dragster; I believe this is Denny's first win with MANDRA. Congratulations to him and his crew. It was a great weekend of racing and all wrapped up by 7:30PM. Thanks to CarMikes Restoration LLC for sponsoring the race. Also thanks to John Priestley, promoter of the event; and thanks to Bruce Larsen and Rocky Pirrone for signing our MANDRA winner-event trophy and the race poster."

"Our next race is the make-up race for Numidia (sponsored by Blue Oval Racing) on Saturday, June 17. Gates open at 9AM....MANDRA's time trials will start at 11AM. This gets our program rolling before they start time trials for the other eliminators. We should wrap up our program sometime in the late afternoon. Sunday will not be a rain date. Sunday is Fathers Day...so take the day off and enjoy being pampered on Sunday! Hope to see you all there at Numidia on Saturday!"

Dennis Frymoyer Winner Cecil County

Bruce Thomas Cecil county Runner Up

Bob English Cecil County Semi's

Randy Campbell Cecil County Semi's

Recap of Beaver Springs

"MANDRA rolled into Beaver Springs Dragway with 26 cars for Saturday's event and everyone made the field! Anthony Picone had low reaction time, but due to the even field, did not receive a bye. In the second round he ran into a problem with keeping his drive shaft in the car and was out for the day. Tim Hansberry had a perfect light second round during eliminations on an unearned bye-run; Brian Freels (Freels Racing) sponsored an award for the perfect light during eliminations. It was good to see Brian and Little Man Chase back at the track, even if it was just as spectators; we hope his health issues get resolved soon and he can be back at the track in competition. Semi-final action saw Bruce Thomas and Randy Campbell running each other with Randy taking the win. The other pair in semi-final action was Marc English and Tim Hansberry; Tim broke a steering rod, giving Marc an unearned bye run. Marc then faced Randy in the finals, with Randy taking the win. He went on to go two rounds in Top Beaver before losing in the semi-finals. Thanks to Arc Plasma Cutting for the continued support of MANDRA and for sponsoring Saturday's race.

On Sunday, 26 cars again showed up for competition. With the threat of rain, we were on an accelerated time schedule--one time shot and go. Mike Volpe had low reaction time. We managed to get first round in before the rains came. An executive decision was made to call the event. Winners of the first round were awarded 125 points for the day. There were 13 cars left. We are not making up this event--it is in the books. Thanks to English Brothers Racing for their continued support as well and for sponsoring Sunday's race.

Our next race is Saturday, June 10th at Cecil County Dragway (with a rain date of June 11). This event is sponsored by CarMikes Restoration LLC. Hope to see all of you there at the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Drags and Car Show. Gates open at 8AM."

Randy Campbell Beaver Winner

Bob English Beaver Runner Up

Bruce Thomas Beaver Semi's

Tim Hansberry Beaver Semi's

Island Dragway Recap

"Eighteen cars showed up for MANDRA's opening race on Saturday, April 29, at Island Dragway. New member, John Hake, had trouble with tech, so he did not make the field. Bud Poust and Pete Boyer also had mechanical issues and did not make eliminations. Pete Boyer had a 000 light, but had to forfeit first round; therefore, Jim Shearer then received the first-round bye-run. Semi-final action had Mike Volpe racing Bob Maulick with Mike taking the win; and Bruce Thomas and Randy Campbell running each other with Randy taking the win. Final action had Mike Volpe beating Randy Campbell. Congratulations to Mike on this first win of the year and to all racers who were able to participate. Thank you to AKL Racing (Anthony and Kim Picone) for their continued support of MANDRA by sponsoring the race."

Our next non-points event is Sunday, May 7, at Thompsontown Fire Company's Springtime Shine. All MANDRA cars are invited to attend. You can register the day of the event (8AM - 4PM). Hope to see many of you there.

Our next race is Saturday, May 13, at Numidia, with Blue Oval Racing as our sponsor.

The first points standings for the season are attached. Photos have been loaded to the MANDRA Shutterfly account thanks to Dick DeMott.

Mike Volpe Winner Island Dragway

Randy Campbell Island Dragway Runner Up

Bruce Thomas Island Dragway Semi's

Bob Maulick Island Dragway Semi's