Aaron McCaulla Wins Big at Todd’s Extreme Paint $50k

Aaron McCaulla became the first repeat winner in 28 years of the Todd’s Extreme Paint $50,000 on Saturday night at Mid Michigan Motorplex.

STANTON, MI – The Todd’s Extreme Paint $50,000 race is always a fan favorite to go to and this year was no exception. History was made Saturday night when the first repeat winner in 28 years was crowned the $50k champion!

Aaron McCaulla defeated Matt Cornell in the final round to go to the winners circle. Both racers were previous winners so it made for a good story. Several other winners, new and old, visited the winners circle throughout the weekend.

Read the race recap below!

Thursday

Jordan Parker was victorious over Kurt Harrington in Thursday’s $10k race. Harrington turned it -.035 to hand the win over to Parker who was .017 and ran a 4.514 on his 4.51 dial-in.

Estes and Aretakis Jr. were the semi-finalists.

On the no-box side, Tom Aretakis Jr. took the win over Jake Huntington. Aretakis Jr. had the starting line advantage, .020 to .036, and ran one above his 6.47 dial-in. Huntington broke out by .011 thou.

In the doorcar gamblers race, Joe Bauman defeated AJ Ashe after Ashe turned on the red bulb by -.002. Bauman was .007 and ran a 5.219 on his 5.21 dial-in.

Cory Mikus and Ricky Adkins were the semi-finalists.

In the dragster gamblers race, Will Crawford defeated Stacy Jones in the final round. Crawford was .032 and ran a 4.630 on his 4.62 dial-in.

Paul Wolf and John Boes were the semi-finalists.

In the FTI Appreciation race, Rob Lutzke laid down a .002 total package in the final round to take out Steve Williams. Williams turned it -.013 red at the hit.

Semi-finalists were Greg Rose and Jeff Burdess.

Friday

Will Crawford extended his weekend winners circle visits after defeating Jeff Ledford in the final round. Crawford had the starting line advantage, .017 to .022, and ran one above his 4.60 dial-in for the win.

Kelly Smith and Wes May were the semi-finalists.

On the no-box side, Kelly Smith defeated Jeff Jaquish in the final round. Smith’s .024 total made Jaquish’s mathematically ineligible from the hit.

Mardlin and Schiele were the semi-finalists.

In the Todd’s Extreme Paint Racer Appreciation Race, Kelly Smith defeated Hayden Bailey to take home the win. Smith was .028 and ran one above his 5.06 dial-in to take out Bailey.

Bill Swain was the semi-finalist.

Saturday

Aaron McCaulla became the first $50k repeat winner in 28 years after defeating Matt Cornell in the final round. Cornell had a slight starting line advantage, .044 to .051, but brokeout by .004 though trying to get there. McCaulla ran a 4.748 on his 4.74 dial-in to get to the winners circle.

Joe Bauman was the semi-finalist.

On the no-box side, Jason Kieffer defeated Joel Young in the final round. Kieffer had the starting line advantage, .033 to .042, and ran a 6.423 on his 6.40 dial-in to get the win.

Smith and Gramlich were the semi-finalists.

Sunday

Nick Folk defeated Jason Hemerline in the last final round of the weekend to visit the winners circle. Folk had the starting line advantage, .015 to .024, and ran a 4.549 on his 4.54 dial-in to take out Hemerline.

Ledford and Boes were the semi-finalists.

On the no-box side, Travis Mardlin defeated J Wistinghausen to go to the winners circle. Wistinghausen turned it -.006, handing the win over to Mardlin who was .019 and ran 6.920 on his 6.99 dial-in.

An avid racer herself, Megan Strassweg, 28, sees her two worlds collide with DragChamp – journalism and drag racing. Megan resides in Evansville, IN, and she pilots a 2015 American Dragster in the NHRA North Central Division 3 Super Comp series, along with some local bracket racing on the side. Her passion for racing began early, having grown up at the racetrack, and she remains committed to the sport.

You can reach Megan on Facebook or email at megan@dragchamp.com

You can reach Megan on Facebook or email at megan@dragchamp.com