Words by Evan Jones
Photos by Phil Hutchison

Make sure to check out our coverage of the Hemi Challenge at the Dutch Classic here.

The Pennsylvania Dutch Classic is among the season’s longest races on Maple Grove Raceway’s schedule.

This year’s 39th edition was no exception as nearly 500 cars competed in nine different classes over four days. Each day, cars burned rubber from early in the morning to just after sunset.
So, the nine drivers who made their way to PPC Lubricants Victory Lane Sunday evening were there with the satisfaction of not only winning, but also having a very durable car.

One winner with local ties was Top Dragster pilot Rory Krupp (Royersford, Pa.), who drove his S&W built machine all the way. In the final, he beat Jamie Bridge (Napanee, Ontario) with a pass of 7.018 seconds at 189.84 mph, overcoming a better reaction time by Bridge.

Another regional winner came from Super Gas as Tom Goldman (Allentown, Pa.) took his 1958 Corvette past Joe Eckel (Rockaway, N.J.) in the final. Goldman got the win when Eckel fouled at the start, but still made a good pass of 9.898 at 161.69.

Maple Grove favorite Ed Foley (Warminster, Pa.) came out on top in Top Sportsman. After a little drama on the starting line, Foley and his ’03 Cougar beat David Sottile (Simsbury, Conn.) on a double-red light start in which his violation (-.009) wasn’t as bad at Sottile’s (-.008).