Race Re-cap April 23rd, 2011

Paul Pommerich - GDRA Race #1 April 23rd, 2011 Winner
Tony Orts - GDRA Race #1 April 23rd, 2011 Runner-up

Final Round Video

Well race #1 on the GDRA schedule was met with a strong fist from Ole' Mother Nature herself who was determined not to allow this event to take place. A quick look a the weather showed a chance that we might be able to go rain free but have to deal with very cold and windy conditions which are not optimal for drag racing. So a decision was made and phone calls were placed leaving this up to the racers. It was determined that to get any of the 6 & 7 second cars down the track might not prove to be a wise idea and taking care of everyone's best interest... after a ton of input from the racers in all 3 classes, the 6.90 and 7.80 classes were called off in the interest of keeping everyone safe. Oddly enough, even with a lot of cars still not out of winter hibernation and some others that had testing issues early that week, there were enough cars interested in running the race in the 8 second class to make it a worth while experience.

A handful of the 8.60 cars decided to brave the conditions and showed up Saturday morning to a very wet and cold pit area. The staff at Great Lakes Dragaway did a great job all morning to get the pit area as dry as they could and then turned their focus on prepping the track to give the drivers as sticky of a surface to make sure these brave souls would be boogieing right down Broadway. At noon, the staff of the GDRA, racers, and staff of Great Lakes Dragaway all walked the track from starting line to finish line and discussed their concerns and give feedback as to weather or not the track look to be in shape for some good ole' fashion drag racing. All parties agreed and it was determined at that time, everything was a go and the race was going to go down.

Drivers like CJ Williams, Tony Orts, Kevin Deaton, Paul Pommerich, and John "John Boy" Stefiuk all showed up to give it what they had. It had been a long winter and it was now time to rock. The race went off without a hitch and the action on the track was as fast paced and balls out as where it had left off last season. In the end it would be the final round between Paul Pommerich and Tony Orts with Pommerich taking the win in a bit of a "pedal fest." Pommerich is a first time winner in the GDRA and took home a healthy cash payout to the tune of $1100!!! Tony Orts also grabbed his share of the cash in the Runner-up spot bring home $400 smackers!!! Not to shabby for a day everyone said "you gotta be crazy to race in these conditions." Ultimitly it was the amazing work and dedication of the staff at Great Lakes Dragaway to give us such an incredible track to race on. Thanks to all their hard work and effort as well as thanks to all the racers and fans for making the first event in 2011 a success.

Next event is May 21st so mark your calendars as you are not gonna want to miss all 3 exciting classes of heads up, cash payout drag racing action!!!

GDRA Race#1 --- Saturday, April 23rd

Who's ready for some hot drag racing action? Well then the Gamblers Drag Racing Association has some new things for the 2011 season and it all kicks off at Great Lakes Dragaway on Saturday, April 23rd, 2011!!!

The GDRA over the winter has added what the fans have been screaming for. More classes and faster on track action. We have added a 7.80 and the country's first 6.90 index classes to the already well proven and popular 8.60 class. The 8 and 7 second classes will share the same identical rule: no throttle stops, no delay boxes, and door cars only. The 6.90 class will follow those rules as well with one exception, delay boxes will be allowed in the cars but the "delay" must be zeroed out while in competition. All cars must pass tech and also have an oil retention device. All classes will have a 32 car qualified field, utilize a pro-tree, and a Pro Qualifying ladder. All classes will remain 100% paid out in cash which will be 100% of the racers money paid in. That's $4250 to the winner of each class based on a 32 car field payout!!! Detailed payout information can be found on our website and Facebook page.

With the growth of the series we have attracted new Marketing Partners this season and could not give our fans and racers what they want without the support of such fine companies. We would like to say thank you to the following for their support and belief in the GDRA. Our Official Marketing Partners: Powermaster Performance, ARP Racing Products, and Zimmerman Ford-Lincoln-Mercury. Our Associate Marketing Partners: Device Tech Inc, Undercover Innovations, Union of Roofers, Waterproofers, and Allied Workers, VFN Fiberglass, Victory Driveline Components, RacingJunk.com, Lawson Products, Baker Pool & Fitness, UBS Construction, Angry Beaver Racing, Outlaw Graphic Designs, FSD Designs, and Gearhead News. In addition media (pictures and video) will be provided by MC Photography, Ores Action Photography, and 10" Wide Video.

Head over to our Gamblers Drag Racing Association fan page on Facebook and be sure to "like" us on to keep up to date with all the happenings and race dates. We look forward to getting back to some good ole fashion drag racing after a long winter and hopefully make a lot of new friends. Come on out to the track and start the year off right and get ready for some bad fast door slammer action for stacks and stacks of cold hard cash. The Gamblers Drag Racing Association... The Original All Cash Payout Association!!!