DragChamp Top 10 List 8/21/19 Edition

Welcome to the DragChamp sportsman drag racing Top 10 List presented by In Motion Solutions.

8/21/19 – This week’s Top 10 List includes some of the biggest names in sportsman drag racing. Each week the list gets harder and harder to narrow down to just 10 racers.

Racers from across the country continue to fight for a coveted spot on the Top 10 List. A number of racers made repeat appearances on the list this week after putting together impressive performances across multiple weeks.

I’m continually amazed at the level of talent and commitment that it takes to make the DragChamp Top 10 List. Even so, several names continue to come up week after week.

See the previous Top 10 Lists here, here, and here.

Remember, In Motion Solutions helps bring this list to you each week. Make sure you support the companies that support us. Give Jeff Serra a call for all your graphic needs.

DragChamp Top 10 List Presented by In Motion Solutions

1 – Michael Beard

After a limited racing schedule over the last couple of seasons, Loose Rocker co-owner Michael Beard has jumped to the top of the ranks in 2019. The No Box racer has found his winning stride making final rounds seemingly every week.

After a string of runner up performances over the last few weeks, Beard finally found the winners circle at Quaker City Motorsports Park last weekend. Michael won the $5K No Box/Box 64-Car Shootout on Saturday.

To further illustrate his dominant run, Michael also took runner up honors in Friday’s $5K and Saturday’s $10K No Box races.

2 – Mike Donell

To say Mike has enjoyed the last week is an understatement. Last Sunday he claimed the $25K win at the SFG Buckeye Bracket Bash at Dragway 42. A week later he rolled into Quaker City and won the Friday $5K.

To finish up the weekend, Mike drove to the final of Saturday’s $10K before his .005-pack came up .001 short against Dave Galati’s .004-pack.

3 – Chad Axford

Chad is another racer that’s been on a heater lately. Just a few short weeks ago Chad made his way to Clarksville Speedway where he ran himself in the No Box final.

That kicked off an impressive run where he made numerous final rounds in No Box and Super Pro over the next few weeks. During one span, he won over 50+ rounds in a 10-day period.

Last weekend Chad drove his Nova to a win and a runner up at Middle TN Raceway to keep his weekly multiple final round/win streak alive. Learn more about Chad’s streak here, here, and here.

4 – Jake Howard

Yet another racer that continues to make finals and collect big checks. Jake has practically dominated No Box racing in Texas this season. With huge wins at the Texas Triple Tens earlier this year, Jake has continued to collect wins at other venues including the Hot August Nights a week ago.

A week prior to the Hot August Nights win, Jake claimed the Saturday No Box win at the IHRA Summit Sportsman Spectacular at Xtreme Raceway.

Last weekend Jake drove to Ardmore, OK and proceeded to whip up on the Oklahoma No Box crowd. Jake won both the No Box and the No Box Green (what the hell is No Box Green…lol) classes on Saturday.

5 – KC Pesnell

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Our policy is you win $50 grand or more, you earn a spot on the list. Well KC Pesnell did just that Saturday at the SFG 300 at Montgomery Raceway Park.

In winning the $50K, KC became the youngest main event winner in SFG history.

6 – Jeff Serra

Another week, another big win for the man behind In Motion Solutions. Jeff Serra claimed the $10K win at the Numidia 150 on Sunday. Jeff started the season with a runner up at the SFG race in Darlington.

He followed that with big wins at the $10 Grand Slam at VMP, the Loose Rocker Super Doorcar Challenge, and Colonial Classic to name a few. It seems he’s collected big checks every other week.

7 – Brett Speer

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On the NHRA side, Brett Speer had a huge day at the NHRA Lucas Oil Nationals in Brainerd. Brett made the final rounds in both Stock Eliminator and Super Stock.

Speer claimed the Super Stock win over Jason DeForrest after losing the Stock final to Chris Knudsen. The win was Speer’s third national event win in his 10th final round appearance.

8 – Jody Lang

Lang continues to prove his is one of the best racers period. After an already successful summer where he claimed wins in four straight weeks, Lang made both the Stock and Super Stock finals at the Division 6 LODRS race at Seattle. There he claimed his 51st LODRS Wally after winning Super Stock.

9 – Chris Bear

Chris was accidentally left off of the Top 10 List last week. Chris was runner up to Mike Donell in the Sunday $25K at the SFG Buckeye Bracket Bash last weekend.

Prior to that Chris won the Friday $50K at the SFG 500, made it to four cars on Sunday at the SFG 500, and topped the 7/31/19 Top 10 List after a double $15K win at the 660 Top Bulb Nationals.

10 – David “Brad” Taylor

David Taylor, aka Brad, was red hot at the SFG 300 event at Montgomery. David grabbed the Friday $15K Warm Up win and followed that with a runner up on Sunday.

Inside story on the “Brad” nickname. Late last season David won the SFG World Series of Bracket Racing and I, aka DragChamp, incorrectly listed his name as Brad in the results article.

Needless to say, I was not happy about making such a big mistake but David was very gracious about it. He’s even made it a running joke.

Shout Outs

Each week DragChamp Nation produces more nominations that spots on the list allow. With that, we select a small group of racers to give a quick shout out to.

Landon Martinez – For an 18 year old that never raced juniors, this kid is on a roll. A week ago Landon won a 16-car shootout at the Hot August Nights to claim the first entry into the Great American Guaranteed $1,000,000. The win was his first ever. A week later he rolled into Houston Raceway and picked up a Wally and the King of the Track victory.

Mark Simonian – Racing at Sonoma Raceway, Mark made four final rounds over the weekend. He won two of the four to cap off a tremendous weekend of racing.

Matt Kielman – Another racer that’s been on fire recently. After winning Super Street at the Northwest Nationals, Matt made the finals at the Division 6 Seattle LODRS event last weekend. He has also won numerous Wally’s over the last couple of months.

Charlie Kenopic – Super Gas racer Charlie Kenopic took over the NHRA national points lead with his win at the Division 1 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Cecil County over the weekend. Prior to his win at Cecil County, Kenopic was runner up at the Atco LODRS event.

Vernon Rowland – Vernon claimed the Super Gas Wally at the Lucas Oil Nationals for his second national event win of the season. He also won Super Comp at the NHRA Spring Nationals earlier this season.

Tell us what you think, did we get it right? We want to hear from you. Check us out on Facebook, share it with your friends. Let’s celebrate the success of these racers.

And remember, you can contribute to DragChamp Top 10 List by commenting on our Facebook post every Monday evening. Thanks to all of those that commented this week.

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