Mark Nettesheim and Camron Kardules claim their first Loose Rocker Promotions event wins during the 10th Annual American Doorslammer Nationals.
Feature photo credit: John DiBartolomeo
JULIAN, NC – Just one year removed from a record car count, the Loose Rocker crew returned to Piedmont Dragway to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the American Doorslammer Nationals! Another large crowd of racers swarmed the facility for their chance to cash in before Thanksgiving.
A quick drop in temperatures each night created a few adjustments to the schedule to ensure proper track conditions.
After completing second round of Thursday’s Abruzzi Warmup Race, the purse was divided among the remaining competitors instead of being held over until Sunday. The original payout created a split of less than $200 each, but Michael Beard and Anthony Walton added over $7,500 to the purse to make it an even $250 per remaining entry.
Friday’s $20,000 main event was completed after Saturday’s re-entry round, and Saturday’s $20,000 main event was finished around 6:30 PM on Sunday. All of the finalists had never staged up during a Loose Rocker final before, so four new names were added to the leaderboard after this weekend!
Summit Racing Equipment Friday $20K
Friday’s $20K saw 399 entries take the tree in round one of competition. By eighth round, only five drivers remained: Gray Kimble, Mark Nettesheim, Travis Harvey, Jamie Goodman, and Preston Mitchell.
Kimble runs dead on his dial, but is packaged up when Goodman is .020 and one above to take the win. Only 1 thou separates the pair on the tree, but Mitchell gets the .0008 margin of victory over Harvey as they both run dead on their dial ins. Nettesheim takes the tree on the bye run and waits for the semifinal.
Semifinal
After eliminating all of the local competition, the semifinal consisted of drivers from Ohio, Wisconsin, and Virginia. Mitchell’s previous .010 reaction time earns him the bye into the final. Goodman misses the tree while Nettesheim is .015 and runs two above to advance into the final.
Final
The Gibbs Race Cars Best Engineered award winner, Mitchell, stages his roadster next to Nettesheim, who would surely earn the long distance award as he traveled from Wisconsin.
Nettesheim uses a .006 starting line advantage and runs closer to his dial to earn the $20,000 victory over Mitchell.
ATI Performance Products Saturday $20K
By the seventh round, there were only seven drivers left in the running for $20K: Joe Hartsell, Mark Talmadge, Joe Hoskins, Travis Walters, Joe Gary, Camron Kardules, and Tanner Miller.
Hoskins had a significant advantage with his .005 light but breaks out 1 thou at the finish line leaving Hartsell as the winning Joe. Talmadge also has an .025 reaction time advantage, but runs too far above his dial while Kardules is dead on for the win.
Miller lets go .002 and runs two above to put together a winning package identical to Walters’ .027 light. Gary takes the tree on his bye run and moves into the semifinal.
Semifinal
Only 1 thou separate the pair of North Carolina drivers at the hit, but Miller runs closer to his dial to earn the win over Hartsell. Kardules is .009 and runs dead on with an eight to lock out Gary’s .024 reaction time.
Final
In the final, Miller has a 4 thou starting line advantage but is .012 behind at the finish line next to Kardules who is .021 and runs dead on with a zero to claim the $20,000 victory.
Two More $20K Races This Week
Although the RacerTees American Doorslammer Nationals is over, the Loose Rocker crew won’t be leaving Piedmont Dragway just yet. Friday kicks off the ATI Performance Products Fall Footbrake Frenzy XIII and the final Loose Rocker event of the season.
MotorManiaTV will continue to stream the action live as the footbrake crowd fights for two $20,000 to win races. For more information, check out the Loose Rocker Facebook page or website.
Take a look at the latest bracket racing news from DragChamp by clicking here.
Jessica was born into a family of drag racers and fell in love with the sport at a young age. She began competing at 13 and has been hooked ever since! She even met her husband at the World Footbrake Challenge VII. Jessica works full time as an Ultrasound Technologist but spends almost every weekend chasing win lights at IHRA and NHRA bracket races.
You can contact her at Jessica@dragchamp.com or on her Facebook page.
