The Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series is in full swing, and last weekend’s NHRA Northwest Nationals at Seattle’s Pacific Raceways brought high drama for the Sportsman racers with an assortment of repeat and first-time winners.
Ryan Warter – Comp Eliminator
Ryan Warter’s Northwest Nationals win in Comp was a long-time coming for the Milton, Wash., resident. It was his third national event win and second in the strategically arduous category, and it was his first Competition Eliminator victory at home.
“This is definitely one of the hardest races to win with the distractions and people you want to see,” said Warter. “But it’s definitely the one you want to win the most.”
Warter had a single in the first round when Jeff Lane was unable to make the call, but that only set him up for a tough second-round meeting with current points leader Cody Lane, who had defeated Warter in the final round of Comp as half of his double-up triumph at the Yellowstone Drag Strip divisional last month.
Warter got it done this time around against Lane, and in the Northwest Nationals final, his win light came on the moment Dustin Lee left .013-second too soon.
“We’d been kind of struggling getting off the starting line all weekend, and I told my dad that even if it didn’t go straight, I wasn’t going to lift,” said Warter. “I put it in third gear, looked at the scoreboard, and saw the light was on. It was pretty surreal.”
The win was particularly meaningful as it marked the 10-year anniversary of Warter’s first final round, which came in Comp at that very racetrack in 2014. It was also the first Comp win there for the family, including 2005 NHRA Northwest Hall of Fame inductee Jim Warter, who had reached the Seattle final but left empty-handed in both 1980 and 2003.
For the younger Warter, the Seattle event win was the first of the national-event variety this season, and he’ll add the trophy to a growing stack after claiming the Boise divisional win earlier this year and nearly doubling at the back-to-back Woodburn divisionals with a win and a runner-up.
Brad Burton – Super Stock
Two-time Stock world champion Brad Burton earned the 12th national event trophy of his career with a final-round defeat of Pacific Northwest legend Jody Lang. Snohomish, Wash.-resident Burton and his GT/FA ’91 Firebird first got the best of Kirsten Ball in a double-breakout, then advanced easily when Rod Stults fouled at the starting line by a bunch. Marcus Allen left first in round three, but Burton was hot on his heels and played the finish line well for the win and a bye to the 18th final of his career.
Burton reacted first by .019-second and followed through with a 9.385 on his 9.36 dial to defeat a 10.856 on a 10.83. He had nothing but kudos for Lang after their round. The two most recently met in a final at the Phoenix division race in 2023, and there Lang was the victor.
“We’ve raced far too many times,” said Burton. “He continues, year-in and year-out, to be a tough competitor. When you get up there to race him, you have to be at your best. Thankfully, the win light turned on for me at the end of the track.”
Chris Hall – Stock Eliminator
Elwood, Utah, driver Chris Hall claimed the third national event win of his career and second in Stock with a final-round defeat of Woodburn, Ore.-based Joe Sorenson. Hall left the starting line first in his B/SA ’70 Camaro and then ran closer to his dial to emerge victorious from their double-breakout match.
Hall, whose two previous national event wins came in Las Vegas, made his way to the Seattle final with win lights over Steve Adams, Vince Storms, and Gary Gandee before participating in what was likely his most intense round of the weekend to that point. Hall was a surprising .073 in his start next to Ashley Thompson – after he had been steady in the teens each round before. His critical recovery came by running dead-on his 10.50 dial with a 10.506 to defeat his opponent’s .001-second breakout pass and score the semifinals bye to the final.
Dale Green – Super Comp
Dale Green, of Pacific, Wash., scored the first national event win of his career after winning five rounds to reach the final. Green was gifted a single in the money round when smoke wafted thickly from the hood scoop of Steve Williams’ car after the burnout, and he had to shut off.
“Getting these wins; it’s tough,” said Green, who was runner-up to Ken Mostowich in Seattle in 2007. “This has been a long time coming. It was on my bucket list of things to do forever, so this is deeply appreciated. I was good when I needed to be good and lucky when I needed to be lucky.”
Michael Dalrymple – Super Gas
They say that perfection isn’t truly attainable, but Michael Dalrymple looks to be on a quest to disprove that statement. Dalrymple, of Sunnyside, Wash., has been perfect in final rounds, and they’ve all taken place at Seattle’s Pacific Raceways. Victories there in 2009 (Super Comp) and 2019 (Super Gas) were complemented this past weekend by a win over Josh Mellof in the final round, where Dalrymple was dead-on the 9.90 index with a 9.909 to his opponent’s breakout 9.885.
“I did okay today, but I had a lot of luck. The Northwest has some of the best racers in the country, so it was hard,” said Dalrymple, who started his winning ways this season with a trophy at the Las Vegas division race over three-time world champion Luke Bogacki. He was also runner-up at Woodburn (Super Comp) and Yellowstone (Super Gas).
Jeff Jackson – Super Street
Tacoma, Wash.-based Jeff Jackson scored his fifth national event trophy with a final-round victory over Francesca Ward. Jackson left first by just .001-second in his ’68 Super Street Mustang, and his carefully played 10.919 topped a breakout 10.899 for the win light. Like Dalrymple, Jackson has been perfect in national event final rounds. The win this weekend was his third in Seattle (2024, 2008, 2007), building on the two he earned at Firebird Motorsports Park in Phoenix (2000 and 2007).
“I didn’t see my win light come on, and I thought I lost,” said Jackson. “I was getting ready to go to the scales, like it was ‘just one of those days.’ But this is a very special win. My dad passed away five years ago, and this is for him.”
Robert Strohm – Top Sportsman
After racing to the final round at the Yellowstone Drag Strip Division 6 race a handful of weeks ago, Robert Strohm was primed to win. Seattle’s Strohm, who has four career division wins, claimed his first national event trophy by running closer to his dial-in than John Ermish. He set the tone with awesome starting-line skill in the first two rounds launching on a .010 in his defeat of Paul Gladden, 7.722 (7.70) to 7.121 (7.10) and then clocking a killer .005 light to set Mera Silva on the defensive. He clocked a winning 7.717 (7.69) to Silva’s 6.813 (6.78). Strohm was better at both ends of the track to oust Darren Shank and earn the bye to the final.
“It was just a great day to be winning one of these things,” said a slightly speechless Strohm.
Ed Olpin – Top Dragster
Multi-class racer Ed Olpin Sr. finally got the job done in Top Dragster, adding to a scorecard that already includes wins in Top Sportsman and Super Gas. Olpin, of Pleasant Grove, Utah, defeated Paul Gladden in the first round, then threw down a .013-second light and ran dead-on his 7.06 dial with a 7.061 to knock out Hannah Huber. He was perfectly dead-on his 7.04 target and paired it with a .004-second reaction time to push Gene Heaton into a breakout 6.992 on a 7.00 in the quarterfinals, and he was good again in the semis with a .011 and 7.034 on a 7.03 next to David Secondi’s .019 and 6.978 on a 6.96. Kacee Bootsma’s -.008 red-light start sent him ahead for an automatic win in the final, where he coasted to an 11.031.
“The Top Dragster win at a national event has eluded me for a while,” said a smiling Olpin. “It was real big to get this win, and it was a lot of fun.”
Top Alcohol Dragster and Funny Car
The alcohol classes were for first-time winners only as Casey Grisel got it done in Top Alcohol Dragster and Maddi Gordon scored in Top Alcohol Funny Car.
“They’re great people, and they’re always fun to race,” said Grisel, who squared off with defending event champion and East Coast phenom Jackie Fricke in the final. “We knew we had to bring our A-game, because this one was big.”
First-time national event winner Gordon made history as the 100th female to win in NHRA competition.
“This is just a dream,” said Gordon. “It doesn’t get any better, and I couldn’t dream any bigger than this.”
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