The early February SCAG Power Equipment PRO Superstar Shootout featured three Sportsman categories challenging for stunning trophies designed by Tom Patsis of Cold Hard Art, and the trio of winners at Bradenton Motorsports Park will soon have the opportunity to capitalize on their success as the 2025 season of NHRA’s Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series gets underway. Andrew Johnson claimed victory over Tommy D’Aprile in the Top Sportsman presented by FTI Performance Converters category at the specialty event, while Joe Santangelo (Super Stock) and Monty Bogan Jr. (Stock) came out on top with their own remarkable stories.
Stock Eliminator
Monty Bogan Jr. is already planning a trip back to the Superstar Shootout next year after winning the race for the second year in a row. The longtime racer’s triumph in the Stock Eliminator final round blocked Joe Santangelo from a coveted double, with Bogan wheeling his D/SA ’67 Camaro off the starting line with a .010-second reaction time and 10.756 on his 10.78 to beat a .047 and 10.271 on a 10.31.
Bogan’s victory in the double-breakout final concluded a well-played game in which he rebounded from his worst light of the weekend in the first round to methodically knock down a range of challenging opponents. Though Tony Fagnilli was better at the hit in the opening act, he broke out by a thousandth to send Bogan on his way. A second-round redlight by young Jack Line, who was making his Stock Eliminator debut, launched Bogan to the third round on a .007 paired with a 10.779 on a 10.80. Jeff Longhany was also red, fouling out by just -.006, in response to Bogan’s .029.
In the quarterfinals, Bogan was met with young – yet wildly successful – bracket racer Gage Burch, and there was a bye into the final on the line. Bogan watched Burch throw down a .007 light before clocking a .024 of his own, and at the finish line it was Bogan with the nod in a close race, 10.831 (10.81) to 11.509 (11.47).
“I love this race, man,” said Bogan, displaying a rightfully jovial grin in his post-race interview.
Santangelo’s journey to the final began with a .014 light in his defeat of Robbie Butler, followed by a killer match with former world champ Allison Doll, who was .005 at the tree to his .016 but ran .006 too quick. Round three saw Santangelo advance when Rachelle Thibert went red by -.020, and then in the quarterfinals the eventual winner and Doug Duell threw down nearly identical reaction times (.015 and .016, respectively) to put on a great show. Santangelo’s dead-on 10.349 beat Duell’s 10.381 (10.35).
Accomplished bracket racer Daniel Young was competing in the event driving a car he hadn’t been in for three years; Timothy Stickles had to bow out of the race at the last minute, and Young accepted the spot. Santangelo was a cool .006 at the tree to his challenger’s .025 in the semis and ran a smart 10.342 – right on his 10.34 dial. Young was an impressive and dead-on (though not quite enough) 10.626 on his 10.62.
Super Stock
The Super Stock final featured Santangelo gunning for that double and Pasadena, Texas, campaigner Hayden Trumble, looking for his first Superstar Shootout win. Trumble was off the starting line with a decided advantage in his FGT/D ’67 Camaro, recording a .012-second reaction time to a .034, but at the final stripe it was Santangelo and the GT/GA ’87 Chevy with good decisions and the win light. The NHRA Division 1 standout ran a dead-on 9.671 to shut down a breakout 9.656 (9.69).
On the way to the final, Santangelo was better than Canada’s John Harder on the launch to gain the upper hand early and follow through with a good showing at the stripe. In round two, Scot Lamar’s -.104 red light was the decider, and in the third round, Santangelo left with an .018 light and paired it with another dead-on pass, a 9.708, to put together a package that fellow veteran racer Doug Duell could not overcome, even with an on-target 9.056. He was .047 at the tree in his super-cool FGT/C ’68 Cuda.
Doug Engels and his SS/GA ’67 Chevy II were waiting in the quarterfinals with a bye into the money round on the line, and Santangelo was off the starting line five-thousandths ahead of his opponent’s reaction to set up a close and exciting round. Santangelo ran .04 quicker than his dial, while Engels was .05 ahead of his own number. Warming up for the final, Santangelo was .007 and 9.776 on the solo run.
On the other side of the ladder, Trumble was .010 on the tree in the first round and ran closer to his dial to emerge victorious from a double breakout with Jim Schaechter. A .021 light to Tom Schmidt’s .050 set the tone in round two, and Trumble won with a 9.658 (9.62) over an 8.700 (8.67). Trumble managed both ends of the racetrack better to get the third-round nod over Tery Elias and score a quarterfinals bye.
He was .007 on the solo run with a 9.695 in preparation for the semifinals, which turned out to be a match with former Pro Stock racer and JLine Performance founder Jason Line. Called back to his Sportsman roots to once again race Bucky Hess’s SS/AH ’68 Cuda known as “Fish Stick,” Line’s 8.39 dial had him watching Trumble leave with a wicked-quick .003, but he held up his end of the race with a crisp .004. Downtrack, Line broke out by .016, while Trumble put up a winning 9.704 (9.68).
Top Sportsman presented by FTI Performance Converters
Excalibur, a cool-as-heck ’55 Chevy that has roared with threat in both quarter-mile and eighth-mile racing, notched another accolade when Andy Johnson drove it to victory at the PRO Superstar Shootout in Bradenton. Johnson, whose father is JEGS Allstars winner, multi-time national event victor, and former NHRA Division 3 champion Lester Johnson, was a stunning .001 at the tree in round one next to Mark Buehring and got the win light, despite being unable to warm the Mickey Thompson’s with a burnout. That nudge of good fortune set the tone for the generational racer from Cynthiana, Kan., and in the second round, he powered to a very close win over Vince Hoda – the margin of victory was just .003.
A perfect .000 reaction time with an unbelievably well-played 7.313 on a 7.31 target equated to a win over Tyler Caheely’s .040 and breakout 6.811 (6.83) in the quarterfinals, and another great performance followed in the semis when opponent Jeff Brooks had a .015-second advantage out of the gate but Johnson ran right up against a 7.29 with a 7.304. Brooks was 6.652 on a 6.34.
Yet another exciting race closed the deal for Johnson in the final as his .010 light was just a touch better than Tommy D’Aprile’s .016. At the final stripe, it was a heady double-breakout that landed in the favor of Johnson’s 7.277 (7.29) over a 7.323 (7.34).
D’Aprile had a single in the first round and followed up with a .013 start and 7.317 (7.29) to knock out Aaron Steinkey’s bold .005 and 6.302 (6.26) in round two. A narrow win over Jonathan Smiddy in the quarters launched D’Aprile’s 2003 Grand Am into the semifinals, where he left the starting line on a .009 and powered to a 7.366 (7.33) to beat James Hinkle at both ends of the track and earn his place in the final.
The calendar is about to get very full for racers participating in NHRA’s Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, including Bogan, Santangelo, and Johnson. The first official races of the season are scheduled to begin this coming weekend, with the Pacific Division double-header leading off at Phoenix’s Firebird Motorsports Park, February 20-23, and Division 2 hosting their season-opener February 21-22 at Orlando Speed World Dragway.
If you find an error in this story or have anything to add, please contact WinLight News editor Kelly Wade: kelly@winlightnews.com.
