Drag Racing Action Online  Images David Smith and Phil Hutchison

If Memorial Day is the unofficial start of Summer, the annual NHRA Lucas Oil divisional at Maple Grove Raceway outside of Philadelphia PA, is the lid lifter for the Division One season.

 Over 450 racers were on hand at Maple and with a little dodging of the rain, the race was completed late Sunday night in time for everyone to make it home and enjoy Memorial Day

For the past few seasons, the track has featured a Night of Fire, or what is now known as the Night of Chaos reflecting the Koretsky family taking over the fabled track. In addition to running the Top Alcohol Dragsters and Funny Cars, Jet Dragsters and the Bone Shaker Jet Truck made passes thrilling the crowd and fireworks closed out the night. 

 And the weather? The rain that has been messing with the drag race schedule in the Northeast all spring didn’t give Maple Grove a pass. Thursday’s Test n Tune was scrubbed and most of Fridays qualifying was cancelled after persistent rains spoiled the fun.

 Saturday saw passing showers and sunshine giving the NHRA and track personnel a tough time keeping the track surface in top condition to handle the racing action.

 

TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER

After two sessions of qualifying the T/AD field was set. Qualifying #1 and setting Low ET was Old Tappan NJ racer Richard Bourke in his A/FD with a 5.257. “We missed the practice runs on Thursday due to the rain and then our first qualifier wasn’t good, and we were on the outside,” Bourke said. “So, it was a Hail Mary pass in our last qualifier, and it was good enough for #1.”

 Right behind Bourke was defending East Region champ Jackie Fricke in the Finke Equipment dragster with a 5.292. Holding down the bump at a 6.282 was the blown car of Tom Fox Jr.

 Round one went by script with all the quicker qualified cars moving on to R2.

 Round two started with Brandon Greco’s  blown car getting shut off against Fricke and Bourke beat Anthony Troyer in the McPhillips tuned Fendt sponsored A/FD.

 The rain during Saturday’s qualifying pushed the show back to later than expected and Bourke, Fricke, and the officials agreed the best thing was to run the finals Sunday under better conditions.

Under beautiful skies both Bourke and Fricke were ready to settle who was taking home the Wally. Bourke got the starting line advantage with a 0.054 light to Fricke’s 0.078 and never looked back logging a winning 5.318 to a losing 5.375 of Fricke. The win at Maple Grove was Bourke’s eighth NHRA Lucas win.

“For the past three years we have been trying to step up our game, but we were having trouble with the parts and getting a combination,” Bourke said after his win. “We had good success in the past and wanted to step it up but it took a little time.  I must thank Steve Boggs for helping with the tuning. He’s such a unselfish guy for helping us. “

 “Also, thanks go out to my wife Linda, Billy and Travis Bahl, Ted Rupanis and Danny O’Brian.”

 

 TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR

 TA/FC winner Phil Esz from Amelia Ohio must really like Maple Grove Raceway. Esz has made two trips to the Pennsylvania track and both times left with a Wally.

In the finals, it was long time D1 racer Melinda Green-King in the other lane and Green King never got a handle on the Maple Grove surface all weekend and her ’21 Camaro went up in smoke as Esz zipped to the win with a Low ET 5.590 to earn his fourth Lucas Oil Wally

“After a long few days of battling the rain with many trips to the staging lanes, UltraSonic LLC Racing overcame numerous track conditions to capture the elusive NHRA Wally trophy.

“Maple Grove has been a battle, but we have now secured a national event win and a NED win in the last two trips,” ESZ said. “Thanks to Red Line Synthetic Oil, McKinney Corp., Bullet Racing Cams, FTI Performance Goodson Tools and Supplier, TY-Drive, and Simpson Race Products.”

COMPETITION ELIMINATOR

Taking the Competition Eliminator Wally back to Piscataway NJ was Don Eckel in his ’09 Pro Start dragster. In a battle of two C/DA dragsters, reigning NED champ Steve Szupka from Northampton driving the Miskovsky Racing dragster left 0.006 too soon giving Eckel his 9th Lucas win.  

“I’d say that this weekend at Maple Grove was a bit challenging for us. Cool air and track temps made it a bit tricky for a higher hp/weight car like ours and we missed the setup on the only qualifying run and didn’t get down the track,” Eckel said. “Despite being in a bottom half qualifying spot, I felt we had a car that could run among the top ones and I knew that if we hit the setup right, we’d be competitive in eliminations. We made a couple of setup changes and until the final, they worked out pretty well.”

“Despite never having to run under full power to the finish line, we were putting down solid early numbers. The final was an awesome deal running my very good friend Steve in a heads up race, and we were fortunate he red lighted because we just annihilated the tires at the hit. All racers will tell you that you need a break, and sometimes it’s just being in the right place at the right time. I know that among all of my wins, it’s the longest amount of time I’ve ever spent seeing that win light lit on the scoreboard!”

SUPER STOCK


Karl Martel from Dover, Del. drove his ‘87 Camaro, GT/HA to the win at Maple with a 9.718 on a 9.65 dial over Wilton Conn. racer Bob Lasko. Lasko ran right on his 9.51 dial but a reaction time that started with a three took him out of the running for a win. Martel’s win was his first career Lucas win and his second time in a final round.

SUPER COMP

In a dual of two of the best racers in D1, Super Comp went down to who could run the number and not break out. Jason Kenny from nearby Kutztown PA was up against Warminster PA racer Amanda Boicesco in her Relentless dragster. Kenny driving the family Jegs.com Accelerated Travel car had earlier beat Chris Garretson and Joey Cambria to get to the final and Boicesco put Tori Iacono and Shawn Fricke on the trailer on her trip to the finals

At the green, Kenny grabbed the lead with a 0.016 reaction time to Boicesco’s good 0.021 and at the stripe it was Kenny by less than a foot winning with a dead on six 8.906 to a better but later 8.904 of Boicesco.

“Great way to start the season,” Kenny said after his win.  “Got to see a lotta friends I haven’t seen in a while. Didn’t experience any race car breakage. And on-track, we had an 11-1 round record and got a Wally!

“Dad is off to Epping while I’m going to Ohio for the PGA golf tournament. Looking forward to my next race in Bristol. Thanks to the NHRA and Maple Grove staff for getting that race completed!”

 

SUPER GAS

 2024 NED Super Gas champ Keith Mayers started right where he left off, winning. Mayers from Ellendale DE took his unique Spider Quadra to a win over Jason Kenny in his ’03 Corvette roadster for his 14th career Lucas Oil win.

Kenny, who just won the Super Comp final, crushed the tree with a nearly perfect 0.002 light to Mayers 0.020 but took too much stripe on the top end breaking out with a 9.89 to a winning 9.910 of Mayers.


“Early on during time trials I had nothing but problems and didn’t get the car down the track,” Mayers said. “It seemed like every time we ran it was late. I never made it past the eighth mile, so I didn’t have any numbers to work with.”

 

The first few rounds I just raced and then I got a bye in the third round and after that it was all over.”

“The track was pretty iffy at night but since I have a heavy car it wasn’t as bad if the car was lighter. Jason told me with his car moving around, he thought he wouldn’t break out. I was chasing him the whole time. I knew he got a light on me.”

 “It’s great to win in the Alfa for a change. Now both cars have won this year.” 

SUPER STREET

Thomas Amorosi from Union, N.J. doesn’t race his ’70 Nova at NHRA events all that much but when he does, he wins. At Maple Grove Amorosi was up against the ’99 S10 of  third generation racer Taylor Nobile.

Nobile from Commack NY had beaten Johathan Leahy in her semi final race and Amorosi had a bye after beating Frank Volpe in the quarterfinals.

At the green neither driver had great reaction times, but Amorosi had the better with a 0.048 and it made the difference on the top end as Nobile who had a 0.053 light pushed the little truck too far breaking out with a 10.889.

After his win Amorosi said, “I felt bad beating Taylor in the finals  she had her entire family there. But I didn’t start racing Super Street since 2019 and I’ve won two events and runner upped. So you could say I’m lucky.”  

“I rolled in late Friday, and my class was already in the lanes. I dropped the car out of the trailer and rushed to the lanes. Mud coming off the tires. My weather station was not working due to not reupping my subscription, so I went online to get help with the air.”

Amorosi said, “This was the first time I used Pro Bracket drag radials on the car and they worked perfectly. On Sunday every pass was between a .88 or a .90.”

“I called my friends and fellow racers Anthony  and Heather Fetch throughout the event for some tuning help. He’s the one who got me in the class. I was racing brackets with the Nova, and he told me the car would be perfect for Super Street.”

The win at Maple was Amorosi’s second career Lucas win

UNITED TRAILERS TOP SPORTSMAN PRESENTED BY SELECT PERFORMANCE


Michael Daniele from Manorville, N.Y. took a bye in the finals at Maple Grove as his competition the ’68 Camaro of Don Preece from Meriden Conn was broke.

Daniele’s ’05 Cavalier earlier beat George Forester and Alex Thomson to make the finals as Preece beat Jeff Brooks and low qualifier Ronnie Proctor to get to the finals

After his no show for the finals Preece said, “After my run with Jeff Brooks I pulled the chutes and heard a couple of pops. I thought it was his car when he went by me. When I got it back to the pits, I went to turn it over. It didn’t sound right so we pulled the valve cover off and realized that it dropped a valve.”

HOOPES FIRE PREVENTION TOP DRAGSTER BY SELECT PERFORMANCE

Winning his first ever NHRA Wally was Huntington N.Y. racer Walter Zalak. Zalak, a third generation racer, driving his ’13 S&W dragster, posted a 6.482 on a 6.46 dial to defeat local racer Karl Stephenson from Lincoln University Pa. Stephenson’s ’18 American dragster was second off the line with a0.054 light and dipped under his 6.59 dial losing with a 6.574.

Earlier Zalak beat Doug Doll’s new car along with Bobby Vojtila’s Midnight Sun dragster to get to the money round. Stephenson defeated Chuck Krepela and David Petrofske on his side of the ladder.

“Coming to Maple Grove for the Lucas Oil Division One race to start off my 2025 season I knew it was going to be a good one after last year’s ending of runner up at the Dutch Classic,” Zalak said. “After about 3 years of really tweaking the race car and trying new things the car is finally showing the signs of improvement. The car ran a good ET and to top it all off this was only my 3rd divisional I’ve ever raced.”

“I would like to thank my dad and grandpa for not only getting my started in the racing world but having the knowledge to pass down to me. I want to thank them for helping me build the car and all there help along the way. I would also like to thank Maximum Racing Oil.  Select Performance, and Merkel Race Engines.”

8.50 INDEX

For what many wish would become a regular eliminator in D1 Ohio racer Jonathon Delarosa out of Columbus wheeled his orange ’78 Malibu to a convincing win over the ’02 Camaro of Dan Purdy who left 0.004 too soon handing Delarosa the win. Delarosa still made a race of it running a 8.514 in the win.

 Delarosa was printing time slips during eliminations putting his Chevy in the solid 8.50 range with runs between 8.504 to a 8.542.

“This past weekend at Maple Grove was unreal. Coming off our first win of the year at the Strange Engineering Outlaw Street Car Shootout, we knew how hard it is to go back-to-back—especially in this class,” Delarosa said. “Wins aren’t easy to come by, and the deeper you go, the more you start thinking your luck might run out. Heading into the weekend, I found myself leaning into a few more superstitions—same routines, double-checking every detail, just trying to hold onto that momentum any way I could.

“Then the weather came into play. It felt like Mother Nature was messing with us—getting called to the lanes only for the rain to start, heading back to the pits, then it clears up. That went on for hours. As a driver, that waiting around can really mess with your rhythm. Every racer will tell you—it’s tough to stay locked in when you’re just sitting there thinking. But through all of that, the track stayed consistent. Huge credit to NHRA and the Maple Grove crew. The surface was on point all weekend—our 60-foot times stayed within .010 no matter what lane we were in or what time it was. That kind of consistency is everything. And to cap it all off with my first NHRA Wally—that’s something I’ve dreamed about for a long time.”

“I’m beyond grateful. First and foremost, I’ve got to thank God for blessing me with the chance to do what I love. Huge thanks to my grandfather for trusting me with his ride. This LM Towing, Tioga Used Auto Parts, Ron Riegel Racing Engines powered Chevrolet is a treat to drive! Thanks to our crew for sticking with me every step of the way. Shoutout to my parents for always supporting this dream of mine, and to my girlfriend Paige for cheering me on from all the way out in California. It’s been an amazing ride lately—let’s keep this momentum going.”

JUNIOR DRAGSTER 11-18


Gabriella Held from Massapequa, N.Y. drove her  ’10 American to a win over Gabby MacLosky out of Jackson, N.J.

Held dialed her dragster in at a 8.05 and ran a winning 8.065 to the 7.941 of MacLosky running off a 7.90 dial.

JUNIOR DRAGSTER 6-10

In the finals Christian Handwerk from Edison NJ got off the line first against Paige Doney from Folsom PA. But at the stripe it was Doney taking the win with a 8.914 on a 8.90 dial to Handwerk’s 8.973 on a 8.91 dial.

Next NHRA D1 Lucas Oil Divisional July 3-6 at Lebanon Valley Dragway