Consistency gets the win for Dicken

Words by Jeff Burk
Photos by Mike Garland

The first of four Quick-16 races at Cordova Dragway Park sponsored by Layne Speed Shop found 18 dragsters and doorslammers from Iowa and Illinois attempting to qualify for the 16 spots available on Saturday, June 18, at Cordova Dragway Park in Cordova, Ill.

Driving his dragster at this event was Cordova regular Rick Verkler, who sat on the pole after qualifying was all done with a 7.245 ET and a Top Speed of 183.27 mph. Both numbers held up for best of the meet.

But the winner at a bracket race often is not the driver of the quickest or fastest car and that was the case at this Layne Speed Shop Quick-16 race as Lane Dicken’s dragster qualified third behind Verkeler and Frank Gall with a 7.414/177.03 and then drove a near perfect race to win the event.

Dicken dialed up to a 7.46 in the first round and then gradually dialed quicker and quicker as eliminations progressed, dialing a 7.43 in both the semis and the final round and winning both.

Dicken took out Eric Carlson’s ’62 Chevy Top Sportsman in the first round when he strapped a .013 light on Carlson, who was dead late with a .113 RT. Carlson shut off on the pass, coasting to a 30+ second ET and Dicken loafed to a 7.542/145.47.

Verkler advanced out of the first round when Lacey Rosenberry in his dragster bulbed with a -.010 RT. He was going to need a good RT to beat Verkler who had a .005 light. In fact half of the field in the first round exited via the Red Light in the first round of eliminations.