Results and photos courtesy Mike Ledford

t’s not something drag racers usually have to deal with, but the racers at Mid Michigan Motorplex also had to fight foggy conditions the first weekend in August.

The 2011 Huntsville Engine & Performance World Super Pro Challenge presented by Sunoco was a four-day series with winners every day.

The main event, worth $50,000, was delayed for nine and a half hours on Saturday, Aug. 6, meaning eliminations got started at 9:30 p.m. After two rounds the fog started to settle in, causing the track to place “spotters” at the turn-off road to be sure the racers were clear of the track before the next pair was sent. Downtime in the later rounds further complicated the problem.

The atmospheric conditions meant a challenge for the spectators too as the finish line an eighth mile away was out of sight. The crews only knew which car had won by listening to the track announcer.

The racers vowed to carry on to the finish, however, so on with the racing.

In the quarter-finals, two previous winners still had a shot at becoming the first repeat winner, but both Ricky Adkins and Lane Dicken turned on the red light, advancing Matt Cornell and Scott Hoernlein. Don Hansen had defeated a dead-on Charlie Hamma to get to the semis.

Cornell’s .003-under beat Hansen’s .011-under to move Cornell into his first final round. In the other semi, Nick Folk beat Hornlein by .006.

In the final, Folk got to the finish line first, but he broke out, handing the win to Matt Cornell and his ’89 Camaro. It was 4:01 a.m. Sunday morning.

Custom Article Framing