Because the six-car qualified field was short one entry, the Low Qualifier, Bowen, got a bye into the semis. On that single Bowen was again unable to get down the track.

“I shifted before I got to the 60-foot clocks but the tires spun when I hit the throttle and never quit until I lifted,” he explained.

He got a 5.5467/87.86 time slip that amazingly would get him lane choice in the semifinals.

The next pair saw Young versus Ray. Everybody in the joint (including your reporter) would have bet the house that Young would advance over Ray. They would have all lost the bet. Young left first with a .1545 RT and Ray followed with a .1847 RT. Then things got weird.

As Young explained, “At about the tree I felt something hit the front of my helmet and at the same time all I could see was sparks so I stepped of the throttle and shoved the clutch in.”

In the other lane Ray also instantly struck the tires and lifted but when he saw that Young was coasting he nailed the throttle and drove around Young with a 5.659/143.46 to his opponent’s 5.897/75.91 for what he said was his first ever round win in his career.

Young found out after the race that a bolt from the clutch access panel came loose hitting him in the helmet and the sparks he saw were coming from the clutch.

The other first round match-up featured a couple of veteran ex- IHRA/NHRA Top Fuel drivers, Paul Romine and Fred Farndon. Farndon left first with a .1097 RT followed by Romine’s .1510. Both men immediately pedaled but Romine recovered first and best and got the win with a 4.869/126.95 to Farndon’s slowing 6.311/73.92.

It started raining almost as soon as the first round was completed but it didn’t last too long and thanks to the track crews hard work and a Jet track dryer that track owner Keith Murt brought in for the race in about 2 hours the track was ready for racing again.

Paul Romine’s crew works between rounds.

The semifinals found Young returning as the quick first-round loser to race Romine, who had lane choice. Young then became the first driver in the DRO AA/FC Challenge history to return and win in the semifinals as the quick loser and advance to the final when he overcame a .088 holeshot by Romine to advance. Young had a 4.4582 to Romine’s 4.5752 to win by about .03.