NHDRO Thrashes to Race the Rain

Words and photos by Tim Hailey

NHDRO, the Midwest’s largest motorcycle drag racing series, took over the legendary quarter mile of Lucas Oil Raceway for the Summer Celebration during Indy’s Motorcycle Weekend on August 8-10. But just like in Columbus, NHDRO was racing the weather on a weekend that was actually much drier than forecast....until it wasn’t, and Canada geese found the LOR wetlands more suitable than did high horsepower dragbikes. All classes will wrap up at the Fall Fury Finale in September.

Still, there was a lot of on-track action as NHDRO hustled the program along with a sunny Saturday and many rounds of competition run on Sunday.

McIntosh Machine & Fabrication Pro Street stalled after two rounds, but many favorites didn’t make it out of E1. Rob Budgell returned to action after a few years’ hiatus, this time not on his own bike but on Mark Paquette’s turbocharged Suzuki Hayabusa. Showing no signs of rust, Budgell qualified number 2 with a 7.05 but lost to John Chant on raceday when he threw a rod in third gear. Unheralded Chant then advanced when Frankie Stotz and his turbocharged Honda CBR1000RR were shut off with a leak at the starting line. Chant will meet champion Doug Gall in the semis in September.

Gabe Fredrick qualified fifth but couldn’t get down the track against Joe Robbins when it counted in E1. In a minor 9 vs 8 upset, Tyler Fisher rode Ronnie Mitchell’s “Sandra Dee” past James “Crow” Teasley, who showed his chops on a Pro Street bike this weekend.

Crow’s son Jeremy Teasley qualified number 1 on John Drake’s “No Fear” ‘Busa and had no trouble vanquishing his brother Cameron in round 1. Jeremy then went on to beat Fisher and will face Indy homeboy Justin Doucet in the semis.

Phil Stoll rode Mitchell’s “Rizzo” to a win over red-lighting Doucet in the always-intense Dunigan Pro Street Shootout on Saturday night.

Schnitz Racing Pro Comp again saw Mark Paquette qualify number 1 on his turbo-methanol Kawasaki Funnybike, though not at the incredible pace he set back in July. He’ll once again face rival Keith Lynn on his gas/turbo/nitrous Kawasaki in the final when racing resumes in September.

NHDRO offered up its largest payout ever in many classes, especially Route 21 Top Gas and Millennium Trailers Super Comp. Payouts were based on participation, but that bad forecast kept many bikes shuttered in their garages at home. A garaged racebike never collects a Big Check, so it might be time for those whose glory days are collecting dust in the corner to sell to someone who likes to race so that the NHDRO will have to dole out those $10K payslips, ya heard?