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When it
comes to big races, no one does it
better than Steve Furr.
Furr, the defending Super Rod World
Champion from Harrisburg, N.C.,
traveled to Maryland International
Raceway over the weekend for the
Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman
Spectacular presented by AMSOIL and
battled his way through one of the
toughest fields of the year en route
to winning the Super Rod title and
reaching the finals in Top Dragster
as over 400 cars – a record for this
event – came to play in the IHRA’s
biggest sportsman race of the year.
Furr won the Super Rod Ironman over
Mike Daymude and reached the finals
in Top Dragster against Tommy Cable,
but heavy rains moved in just as the
pair were set to fire leaving the
only undecided race of the weekend
to be made up at a later date. The
rest of the winners from the $5,000
to win Summit Sportsman Spectacular
at MIR were Donny Urban (TS), Pete
D’Agnolo (SS), Joe Santangelo (ST),
Jake Milstead (QR) and Doug Wood
(HR).
Easily the most successful weekend
belonged to the Division 9 regular
and two-time world champion as Furr
punched his ticket to the Summit
Tournament of Champions later this
year and stands to possibly collect
over $10,000 when all is said and
done if he manages the double.
Steve Furr won in Super Rod and made
the finals in Top Dragster at MIR
Dodging spotty showers throughout
the weekend, Furr began the weekend
in the unexpected position of nearly
last on the qualifying charts
sitting in 25th place Saturday
night. Six rounds and 24 hours later
Furr sat in victory lane with his
first Sportsman Spectacular victory
of his career and a spot in the 2012
Tournament of Champions as he tries
to repeat as champion in the Super
Rod class.
Behind the wheel of his famous ’68
Camaro with the No. 1 adorning the
side, Furr defeated Steven Klock
Jr., Robert Robertson, George
Donhauser and Cameron Manuel on his
way to victory, eventually meeting
Mike Daymude in the final. With the
big win on the line Daymude left the
line first with a .016 reaction time
to Furr’s .030, but Furr was able to
make it up on the other end in the
9.90 class in a double breakout
victory, running a 9.885/157.28 to
Daymude’s 9.855/148.31.
Furr’s big weekend continued in Top
Dragster as the North Carolinian
dispatched of Tarrell Sinkler, Clint
Mills, Wayne Colbert and Sinkler
again before matching up with Tommy
Cable of Hughesville, Md. in the
final. Whittling down the nearly 60
car field to only two, Furr and
Cable were just about to fire in the
final race of the weekend when rain
moved into the area and forced the
postponement of the race. The two
will meet to decide it all later
this year.
Another former champion to visit
victory lane over the weekend was
2009 Top Dragster champ Donny Urban
of Pittsboro, N.C. who drove his
brand new 2006 Cobalt to an Ironman
in Top Sportsman. Urban, who
recently made the move to the
doorslammer class, qualified seventh
on Saturday and went six rounds on
Sunday against Mike Koontz, Bob
Phillips, Vonnie Mills and Koontz
again to take home the win and a
spot in the TOC.
Urban eliminated Koontz in round one
and came up with two more wins and
two byes on his way to the final.
Koontz, on the other hand, took the
long road to the final after his
loss through the re-entry round
where he defeated Terry Logan and
three others before meeting Urban
again in the final. But the rematch
would be short-lived as Koontz could
not get his car back for the final
allowing Urban to take a nice,
leisurely stroll to victory.
Donny Urban drove his new Cobalt to
a victory in Top Sportsman
In the Stock classes Pete D’Agnolo
of Rochester, N.Y. and Joe
Santangelo of Marlborough, Conn.
claimed wins, although they didn’t
take the same route to get there.
IHRA veteran D’Agnolo traveled the
more traditional path to victory,
qualifying 16th and powering past
Harry Golliday, Doug Hobgood, Brian
Martel, Herbie Null Jr. and Larry
Miller Jr. to pick up the win behind
the wheel of his ’67 Camaro. In the
final Miller had the advantage at
the tree with a .018 reaction time,
but he took too much at the tree
running a 9.915/128.20 on a 9.94
dial while D’Agnolo ran a spot-on
9.431/133.79 on a 9.42 dial.
In the Stock final Santangelo was
the only driver to use the re-entry
round and come out on top in the
class. Santangelo lost in round one
to Mike Longhany, but bought his way
back into the race via the re-entry
round, defeating Michelle Chiles in
the loser round and returning to
defeat A.J. Currie, Jeff Gardiner,
Mike Johnson and Myron Piatek to get
the win. In the final Piatek was
going for four in a row at MIR and
look poised to do it, but Santangelo
provided the upset bid as Piatek
took too much at the stripe by .007
and Santangelo’s 10.615/109.32 on a
10.58 proved enough to get the win
in his ’69 Camaro.
Wrapping up the weekend was Rod
category winners Jake Milstead of
Lexington Park, Md. in Quick Rod and
Doug Wood of Massillon, Ohio in Hot
Rod.
Milstead qualified 12th and provided
four flawless round against Jason
Parker, Wally Roberts, John Dustin,
Mike Harbaugh, Chad Traylor and Bo
Upton to collect the big payday. In
the final Milstead saved his best
for last, winning the QR Ironman
with a .013 package that gave Upton
no room at the stripe. Milstead
packaged a .009 reaction time with
an 8.904/157.15 in the 8.90 class to
Upton’s 8.902/170.43.
Wood capped the weekend in his ’69
Cutlass with a Hot Rod victory over
James Williamson. Wood qualified
20th and collected wins over Brian
Baker, Mark Demange, Keith Mayers,
Jamie Goodman and Casey Cole on his
way to the final. In the final
Williamson failed to show, giving
Wood an easy stroll to victory.
The third and final Summit Racing
Equipment Sportsman Spectacular
presented by AMSOIL will take place
the weekend of October 12-14 at
Memphis International Raceway one
day before the Summit Tournament of
Champions.
About Feld Motor Sports®
Feld Motor Sports®, Inc. is the
world leader in specialized arena
and stadium-based motor sports
entertainment. Feld Motor Sports,
Inc. productions include Advance
Auto Parts Monster Jam®, Monster
Energy Supercross, AMA Arenacross
Series, Nuclear Cowboyz℠, and IHRA®
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information on Feld Entertainment,
visit
www.feldentertainment.com.
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