Drag Racing Action Online  Images Phil Hutchison

Josh and Jessica Eastburn took two at Cecil

When the 2025 schedule came out in the spring, the NHRA Division One finale at Cecil was the last race for the D1 racers to claim points in the division. But things changed.  After the bad weather at the September Lucas race at Virginia Motorsports Park, the Cecil race ended up being the penultimate race for the year with the rained out portion of Virgina being contested in the upcoming Pennsylvania Dutch Classic at Maple Grove.

While some of the 2005 championships may or may not have been decided at Cecil, there are plenty of winners to be decided before the end of the year.

COMPETITION ELIMINATOR

Nowhere is the heat of late season competition more evident than Competition Eliminator where three drivers have a legitimate chance of taking the D1 title

“Two weeks ago, Comp looked like a race for 2nd place with Joe Carnasciale so far out in the lead with the amazing season he’s been having,” defending 2024 champ Steve Szupka said. “After my win last week down in Dallas, and Donnie Eckel winning yesterday in Cecil County, we both have been able to pull within a few rounds of Joe.

“It’s going to come down to this this week at Maple Grove and finishing the rain out of the second Virginia race. All three of us are still in eliminations for that race.”

At Cecil, it was Don Eckel III making his late season move with a decisive win over the ’06 Cobalt C/AA of Thomas Miller from nearby Nottingham PA.

Eckel from Piscataway NJ had a relatively easy trip to the finals in his ’09 Pro Start C/DA with his semifinal race with Mark Hopkins D/A Beretta his biggest challenge in eliminations. Eckel had a great 0.030 RT to Hopkins terrible 0.118 light and on the top end Eckel just took enough stripe to not trigger too much of a CIC infraction with a -0.534 under 7.006 to Hopkins’ far better -0.610 under 7.620. With the win Eckel was hit with a 0.03 second CIC penalty going into the finals.

Against Miller, Eckel once again cut the tree down with a fantastic 0.006 light to Miller’s decent 0.055 RT and took the win with a -0.548 under 6.962 for the win as Miller trailed with a slowing -0.152 under 7.558. The Cecil win was Eckel’s 10th career Lucas Wally.  

“The Cecil County track is always prepped very well and with the great weather and fast group of cars there, you knew it was going to be a dogfight,” Eckel said after his win. “Having the mineshaft rule come into play this weekend also let drivers throw a little more caution to the wind as far as hurting their index and that can make it even tougher. But races like that rarely seem to go as they would appear on paper.”

“Carpe opportunitatem, seize the opportunity, comes into play a lot in Comp and this race was no exception. As it was, coming out of the first round after having to run my buddy Steve Szupka who qualified #1, it put us in a position to do just that. I felt I drove a very good race and ran well enough that in the end, those opportunities paid off.”

SUPER STOCK

Former NHRA Lucas Stock World Champ Allison Doll brought her Portatree Firebird to Cecil and entered the Pontiac in Super Stock instead of her usual Stock Eliminator. It all worked out for the Douglas MA. driver as she didn’t have to race any other SS/JA cars in her class in a heads up during eliminations. Doll put the Pontiac in the 34th spot in a nearly 60 car field and defeated some of the division’s best including Lenny Williams, Pete D’Agnolo and Shane Oakes on her way to the final.

On the other side of the ladder Todd Hoven from Nazareth PA. had the Al Carp owned SS/BA Dodge Coronet going rounds taking out Dan Walleigh’s AMX along with Doug Linke and Joe Lisa in earlier rounds to get to face Doll for the Cecil title. Hoven, who like Doll, chose to run Super Stock as opposed to his regular Stock eliminator due to the mineshaft conditions at Cecil.

For Hoven, it was over quickly as a -0.18 red light ended his day giving Doll her 10th career Lucas win.

“When we arrived at Cecil, the fast weather conditions prompted us to enter the Firebird in Super Stock instead of Stock,” Doll said. “The stricter rules on horsepower averaging make it more difficult to correct a mistake late in the year, so rather than take the risk, we put the car in Super Stock. Thankfully, my brother had the extra weight needed and I already had vinyl printed and stored in the trailer, so it was a relatively easy move!”

“Once the decision to race Super Stock was made, I was really excited about it. I was especially looking forward to the opportunity to race new people. That being said, it is kind of funny that the finals were between myself and Todd Hoven, another Stock Eliminator car. Todd and I have raced many times over the years. He is a tough competitor, and we always have good races. I was fortunate to get by him on this one. I couldn’t have had the success I did this weekend without my family. My brother, Steve, brought the car to Cecil so that I could race, and my husband, Doug, made sure it was ready to go for each round. My parents, Al and Sue, couldn’t be here for this event, but they kept Portatree running while we were away. Also thank you to my in-laws, Tina and Doug, for coming to support us and helping to watch our puppy Millie! Millie keeps us on our toes every event!”

STOCK ELIMINATOR

In Stock Eliminator, 2024 D1 champ Shane Oakes from Ottsville took his FS/C ’15 COPO Camaro to a convincing win over an 86 car field. After six rounds Oakes was up against the A/SA ’68 Shelby Mustang of Ryan Horensky from Sugarloaf PA.

The race was over at the start as Horensky left just -0.001 too soon handing Oakes his 6th career Lucas win.

“I Would like to thank my wife Sara and everyone who helped thrash to make repairs to allow me to make the next round Sunday morning,” Oakes said. “Luck over skill on full display this past weekend but I keep being told a ‘win is a win’.”

SUPER COMP

Long time Super Comp racer Dave Long from Wallingford PA. picked up his fifth Lucas Oil Wally with a win over 2025 New England Nationals winner Rick Rollinson. Long had the better light with a 0.017 to Rollinson’s 0.025 and it made the difference on the top end as both drivers had nearly identical ETs. Long won with a 8.963 to the losing 8.968 of Rollinson.

“Welcome to the County, my home track,” Said Long after his win. “Been going here since my dad took me to see Dick Landy and Gas Ronda in the 60’s. We arrived Wednesday, pitted and set up for Thursday testing. It was cool and the wind was blowing.”

“Came to the race with tires that had more runs on them than they should have but I knew the track would be in excellent shape and it was. Hats off to the Cecil crew. Job well done as usual.”

“Friday made time runs in both lanes checking my reaction time in each. It all came together in Saturday’s last time run and we were ready to race.”

“First round I had Lee Ream, always a tough competitor and he also builds my torque convertors. Ran dead on. Next, I had Amanda Boicesco who has put me on the trailer so many times and we had just raced her in the finals at the Keystones in September. Needed a 8.90 and ran a 8.908.

“Sunday was a blur of win lights and great racing. In the final I had Rick, who like me, is a mature person and we called it the ‘Geezer Finals’.”

“Thanks to Mark, our division director, who ran another great race.”

SUPER GAS

Winning his second career  NHRA Lucas event was Newark DE driver Josh Eastburn. Eastburn, driving the Hoopes Motorsport Cutlass was up against Denver PA. racer Kevin Robb in the A-1 Mulch Corvette roadster.  In a double breakout. Robb had the better light with a 0.017 to Eastburn’s 0.035 but took a little too much stripe breaking out with a 9.875 to a winning 9.898 of Eastburn.  

“Yesterday was an incredible day to say the least,” Eastburn said after his win.  “To be able to win alongside my sister and to have my parents at the race, my future brother in law and most importantly my fiancé Caitie.” 

“We all have worked incredibly hard for so many years and to have a dream season like this means a lot. I wouldn’t be able to do any of this without the help of my father and all that he does for us. Also, my fiancé being such a big supporter and getting brought into our racing family and cheering me on.”

SUPER STREET

Division One JEGS Allstars rep Frank Volpe continued his winning ways with a win in Super Street at Cecil over Jay Neville.

The Bronx NY driver had a perfect 0.000 light in the final to Neville’s great 0.004 but Neville’s Camaro had issues right off the line slowing to a 20 second time as Volpe seeing Neville’s problems, clicked it off to a winning mid 11 second time. The win, his 5th career win, put him third in NED points.

After his Cecil win Volpe said, “I had a few issues during time runs, but I got it figured out before round one. I had good consistent lights all weekend, which was a huge help in getting me to the final against the always tough Jay Neville. I knew Jay was going to be killer, so I pulled some delay out and came up trip zip to his .004.”

“Unfortunately, his car broke during the run which gave me the win. As always, the first people to thank are my parents but especially my father and boss. After a very long week out in Texas last week, he allowed me to take more days off from our busy schedule at work and come here to Cecil. I wouldn’t even have been here if it wasn’t for him.”

“I must thank Mike Handras for his help in dialing the car, C&F Race Cars for building this great car. The team at Select Transmissions for fixing up my transmission in a hurry mid season, the Iacono family for forcing me to eat their delicious dinner, and the 100s of people this weekend that offered me help in any kind of way. Thanks to everyone, and I’m excited to see you all next season!”

HOOPES FIRE PREVENTION TOP DRAGSTER PRESENTED BY SELECT PERFORMANCE

Top Dragster winner Jessica Eastburn is having a dream season winning out of division Lucas events in Norwalk and Brainerd and adding to her points total with a win at her home track, Cecil County. The Cecil win puts the Elkton MD driver in first place in the NED and in a solid 2nd place in the Lucas national points chase to become World Champ.

Eastburn drove her blown Hoopes Motorsports dragster to the win over defending D1 champ Vince Musolino.

Both Eastburn and Musolino had great lights with Eastburn off first with a 0.003 RT to Musolino’s 0.007. Eastburn ran dead on with a zero 6.470 as Musolino had no chance with a 6.505 on his 6.47 dial in the loss.

After her fourth career Lucas win Eastburn said, “This past weekend was really special for me — I won Top Dragster at Cecil County Dragway, which also sealed my NHRA Northeast Division Championship.”

“Cecil has always been “home” for me; I’ve been racing there with my family since I was 8 years old, so it’s full of memories and sentimental value. I really wanted to do well at this race, especially since it was the last divisional event of the season and right in my backyard. I had a couple lucky rounds along the way and ended up in a tough final against Vince, who’s a really tough competitor. To come out with the win and lock up the championship at my home track was such an incredible feeling. What made it even more special was that my brother won Super Gas the same weekend — a dream finish for both of us at a track we basically grew up at.”

“My mom only makes it to one race a year, and she happened to be there for this one, so having her see both my brother and me win made it even more meaningful. It was just one of those weekends that felt like everything came full circle. Now we’re heading west to finish the season in Las Vegas and Pomona, and I’m hoping for a strong finish in the national points. There’s still some work to do out there, but it’s been such a fun year of racing. It’s bittersweet that the season’s winding down — I’m just trying to savor every moment.”

UNITED TRAILER TOP SPORTSMAN PRESENTED BY SELECT PERFORMANCE

Nearly two dozen of the quick door slammers showed up at Cecil and as it turned out, two of the quickest met in the finals. Jeff Brooks from Fredricksburg VA in his crowd-pleasing Henry J was up against the ’69 Camaro of Dan Hill from Connecticut. Brooks had qualified #2 with a 6.230 and Hill was third with a 6.377. Local racer Vonnie Mills had put her ‘Show n Tell’ Camaro on the pole with a career best 6.172 but breakage kept her from her semifinal showdown with Brooks putting him in the finals. Hill had the competition bye setting up a quick final.

Hill dial his Chevy in with a 6.41 as Brooks had a 6.39 on the window. At the green Hill had the better light with a 0.018 to Brooks 0.020 but took too much stripe breaking out with a 6.405 to the winning 6.396 of Brooks.

Brooks said after the win, “It was a great win for the team this weekend in Cecil County, Maryland. This was our fourth Final this year and our second Divisional win of the year. We also have one Divisional runner up and one National runner up. The Cecil County win should secure the NHRA D1 Championship for us which would be our third. Our Dad passed away in July so it’s been bittersweet celebrating this year’s success without him.”

 “This is our 30th year with our sponsor, Kaeser Compressors – They are like family- always supporting us – we would never have this success without them. This weekend the car was amazing. The only thing better than the car was the track. Cecil County Dragway is the best on the circuit. My crew chief and brother Jamie had the car dialed in – all I had to do was let go of the button on time. Our goal was to win this race and clinch the D1 title – if not, it would have come down to the Virginia make up race in Reading this coming weekend.”

“Drag racing is a very tough and humbling sport. It’s an amazing feeling when a goal is achieved. It feels great to be a 14x NHRA Divisional winner with three different cars, all 1951 Henry J bodies.”

“Special thanks to Kaeser Compressors, Royal Purple, Weaver’s Transmission (Bernard Weaver), MSR Suspensions (Marc Smith), Sonny Leonard Racing Engines, Coan Torque Converters, Jerry Bickel Racecars, Paint by Jeff Hoskins, BigStuff, VP racing fuels and Hoosier Tires. Big Thanks NHRA D1 staff and the Cecil County Dragway. Also, thank you to all our fans who come out to watch or show their support on social media. Great weekend and event.”

JUNIOR DRAGSTER

Taking the 6-10 class was Connor Boyd from Bunker Hill WV over Landen Anderson. Anderson got the better light but broke out with a 8.937 on his 8.94 dial as Boyd was right on with a seven at 9.037  on his 9.03 dial.

After the race, and not a man to mince words, Boyd said, “it was a good race. I almost cried!”

The 11-18 class went down to a pair of seasoned drivers with soon to be retired from Juniors Paul Stalba against Kaden Paone.

Stalba, who ages out of the class in 2025, had a great 0.004 light to Paone’s 0.074 but did not run the number losing with a 8.033 on a 7.91 dial as Paone took the win with a 7.962 on his 7.92 dial. The difference at the stripe was a little over a foot.

After his win at Cecil Paone said “It felt good, after a few years of struggling with different motors, this new one that my PopPop (Craw Racing) built was so consistent and helped me get the win lights, can’t wait for next season”

Kaden’s mom, Ashely Kubicke adds, “I just can’t believe how amazing Kaden did, going from a broken engine the last race, eye surgery the week prior, we were set on the season ending for Kaden, but his PopPop had other plans, he built this new motor in just days to make sure Kaden would get on the track, it not only did that but it got him into the winners circle! Kaden did incredible on the tree all day, and driving the top the end like a pro! I’m so proud of him and can’t wait to see his comeback next year.”

“And he also had to race his brother Kole first round!”

After the race was over and the racers and the crowd had gone home, NHRA division director Mark Dawson had this to say, “A massive shoutout to Jim Halsey, Chad Porter, the Cecil County Dragway crew, and the D1 crew for their great work this weekend! The Cecil County team, with Jim and Chad, deserves big props for keeping the track in excellent shape despite cool temperatures, strong winds, and rain threatening Sunday’s races. Their efforts, alongside the D1 crew’s solid work to keep the event running smoothly, gave us great racing and tight points battles. Major thanks to everyone for an awesome weekend!”

Finally, Division One Coordinator Steve Rhoads adds, “Cecil County Dragway is always a must attend event no matter what time of year and this year did not disappoint. Jim, Chad, Cathy and the entire Cecil staff provided an awesome place to race. Track was killer all week with wheel standing, bumper dragging action with Pro Mod mixed it. With Disneyland weather we saw runs in the 3.50’s which was awesome, while the Lucas Oil categories provide very tight racing. Congratulations to all the winners.