Summit Motorsports Park Cometic Gasket Halloween Classic XLVIII Recap

The Cometic Gasket Halloween Classic XLVIII presented by Harland Sharp took place October 10-18, 2021 at Summit Motorsports Park.

NORWALK, OH- The Cometic Gasket Halloween Classic XLVIII presented by Harland Sharp is a time-honored week-long spirited seasonal event that Summit Motorsports Park holds annually. The event featured lots of opportunities for racing and halloween fun! Some of the activities included haunted houses, costume contests, and ghostly pit spaces & terrifying trailers. Read below for the full event recap provided by Summit Motorsports Park/ Mary Lendzion.

First Day Results

The week-long event began with move-in on Oct. 9 before the first race on Oct. 10, and as expected, the competition was wonderful into the wee hours.

Making it through several rounds of eliminations in No Box were Vic Ellinger and Mark Moreland. Ellinger paired an .011 reaction time with a 6.35 elapsed-time to earn the win, while Moreland posted an .022 reaction time and a 5.82 to runner-up.

Going all the way in Box were Jose Diaz and Brandon Lange, and Diaz dug in for the win with an .033 reaction time and a 5.79 elapsed-time against Lange, who had an .016 reaction time and a 5.85 to runner-up.

Congratulations to Ellinger and Diaz, who will go in the books as the first winners of the 2021 Cometic Gasket Halloween Classic XLVIII presented by Harland Sharp.

General RV Center Pit Vehicle Mania

Fun and frivolity were featured for the General RV Center Pit Vehicle Mania on Oct. 12 at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.

The program, part of the park’s week-long Cometic Gasket Halloween Classic XLVIII presented by Harland Sharp, saw racers competing in Golf Cart, Scooter, Mini Bike and Outlaw categories. Their vehicles could run up to 31.99 seconds in the eighth-mile.

In the Golf Cart category, Tom Aretakis Jr. defeated Bob Wendling with a 14.02 to a 15.19, while in the Scootercategory, Nick Bowman bettered Matt Palyas with a 9.75 to an 8.97.

Mini Bike competitor Marvin Walentowski made it past Craig Jarvis with a 9.51 to a 14.42, and Outlaw racer Jordin Fowler firmed up the win over Scott Dankert with a 6.82 to a 12.16.

The Runoff pitted Nick Bowman against Tom Aretakis Jr., and Bowman won when Aretakis Jr. turned on the red light.

Payouts were $300 to the winner, $100 to the runner-up, $50 to the semifinalists and $5 to first round and other round winners. Additionally, the runoff winner received a $1,000 prepaid VISA card courtesy of program sponsor General RV Center.

A Rockin’ Eve Party was arranged for all Cometic Gasket Halloween Classic XLVIII presented by Harland Sharp participants to take part in after the General RV Center Pit Vehicle Mania.

Wednesday Results

While racers traversed the track with their pit vehicles on Oct. 12, they were back to their race cars and motorcycles on Oct. 13 for the Fleenor Racing Transmissions No Box Gamblers’ Race, Callies Performance Products Box Gamblers’ Race and NHRA Speed for All Runoff as part of the Cometic Gasket Halloween Classic XLVIII presented by Harland Sharp at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.

Nick Bowman and Russ Benish made it all the way to the final round of eliminations in the Fleenor Racing Transmissions No Box Gamblers’ Race, where Bowman won with a .007 reaction time and a 6.76 elapsed time against Benish, who was .025 on the bottom end and 5.81 on the top end.

Tyler Edgar and Josh Wirth lined up for the final round of eliminations in the Callies Performance Products Box Gamblers’ Race, where Edgar won with an .031 reaction time and a 6.46 elapsed time against Wirth, who was a scant -.001 red.

Dale Boyer and Daniel Imhoff, who had each won in their categories and in an NHRA Speed For All Runoff in the Lingenfelter Performance Engineering Speed City, USA program at Summit Motorsports Park this year, took part in an additional runoff for extra prizes on Oct. 13. While the racers were close on the tree, Boyer won with a 7.67 elapsed-time against Imhoff, who turned in a 9.20.

Summit Motorsports Park congratulates these racers on their wins during the very cool Cometic Gasket Halloween Classic XLVIII presented by Harland Sharp.

Thursday Results

Spirits were soaring on the sixth day of the Cometic Gasket Halloween Classic XLVIII presented by Harland Sharp, Oct. 14, 2021 at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.

The Moser Engineering No Box Hi Rollers Race, Dornan’s Sales and Service Box Hi Rollers Race and R&R Auto Body Paint My Ride race were contested, and plenty of jokes were told over the public address system as part of Skeet Peaco Token Joke Day.

John Borland and Larry Greco Jr. motored up to the starting line for the final round of eliminations for the Moser Engineering No Box Hi Rollers Race, and Borland went to the Summit Motorsports Park Winner’s Circle with an .016 reaction time and a 6.65 in his Camaro while Greco Jr. ran to a 7.48 to finish as the runner-up in his Cutlass.

Jeff Hura and Taylor Desormeau made it to the final round of eliminations for the Dornan’s Sales and Service Box Hi Rollers Race, and when the dust settled, Hura hurried to the win with a 6.07 to Desormeau’s 6.60.

John Boes and Vic Ellinger lined up alongside each other for the final round of the R&R Auto Body Paint My Ride race, and Boes pulled off the win with a 4.76 to Ellinger’s 6.35. While Boes was in his dragster, he indicated that it might be his other race car, a Corvette, that receives what is sure to be a magnificent makeover from R&R Auto Body.

Matt and Lisa Ball were the winners of the Skeet Peaco Token Joke Day presented by Mickey Thompson, which was affectionately and appropriately renamed in honor of Summit Motorsports Park announcer Skeet Peaco, who passed away last November.

Summit Motorsports Park congratulates all of these winners on their accomplishments at the Cometic Gasket Halloween Classic XLVIII presented by Harland Sharp.

Friday R&R Auto Body Pageant of Excellence

Soon after daybreak on Oct. 15, 2021, cars and motorcycles arrived in the staging lanes for the R&R Auto Body Pageant of Excellence, which is part of the Cometic Gasket Halloween Classic XLVIII presented by Harland Sharp at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.

They were admired by a panel of judges, and after some tough decisions, winners were chosen and owners proudly pulled their cars and motorcycle to the starting line to be recognized and to receive a plaque from R&R Auto Body’s Daniel Roemer and Summit Motorsports Park’s Evan Bader. Winners were:

Brennan Vickers, Best Appearing Open Body Super Pro
Curt Thompson, Best Appearing Full Body Super Pro
Frank Marley, Best Appearing Pro
Denny Nyegran, Best Appearing Bike
George Lampshire, Best Appearing Sportsman

Additionally, Ray and Julie Tartabini were recognized as Best Appearing Crew.

Summit Motorsports Park congratulates these winners and thanks them for taking part in the R&R Auto Body Pageant of Excellence at the Cometic Gasket Halloween Classic XLVIII presented by Harland Sharp. 

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Saturday Trick Flow Specialties Air Show

Cars were pulling off wild wheelies on Oct. 17, 2021 as part of the Trick Flow Specialties Air Show at the Cometic Gasket, Inc. Halloween Classic XLVIII presented by Harland Sharp at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.

Jerry Wagganer of Dearborn, Michigan went for the sky in his Camaro and won for having the Highest Wheelie.

Brian Fleenor of Bellevue, Ohio hung the front tires in his Chevelle and won for having the Farthest Wheelie.

Their fellow wheelie-loving racers also entertained everyone watching, and we’re already looking forward to next year’s show.

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Another year of the Cometic Gasket Halloween Classic presented by Harland Sharp at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio is in the books.

The racing, along with the revelry, pumpkin-carving, costumes, trick-or-treating, hayrides, haunted pit areas and more will be remembered for years to come.

So will the accomplishments of the racers who went to the final rounds of eliminations on the last day of this year’s event, Oct. 17, 2021. Featured along with the day’s scheduled races were a few races that had to be postponed earlier in the weekend.

Nick Hastings and Mickey Adams inched up to starting for the final round of eliminations in Pro, and Hastings won with a .002 reaction time and a 6.12 elapsed time against Adams, who arrived at a 5.99.

Adam Albright and Alissa Wortman wheeled all the way to the final round of eliminations in Super Pro, where Albright paired a perfect .000 reaction time with a 5.71 to defeat Wortman, who went through the traps at 5.20.

Jason Keller and Joe Novak Jr. climbed onto their very brawny bikes to battle in the final round of eliminations in Super Bike, and Keller won with a 4.90 against Novak Jr., who stopped the clocks at 5.36.

Ron Lowery and Margo Floyd landed in the Sportsman final round of eliminations, and Lowery won with an 8.54 against Floyd and her 9.41.

Adam Howard and Steve Harper made it to the final round of eliminations in Stock, and Howard walked away as the winner with a 10.04 and a better reaction time than Harper, who turned in a 7.11.

The Last Chance Race featured Brennan Vickers and Rich Etzil, and Vickers was victorious with a 4.60 and a slightly better reaction time than Etzil, who posted a 10.36.

Jason Keller and Ron Lowery outlasted the competition to race in the Halloween Classic Runoff, and Keller collected the win with a 4.89 and a better reaction time over Lowery, who trapped an 8.55.

In Moser Engineering Top Gun Shootout, Kirby McLennan landed a 4.21 and the win over Courtney Grisez, who was 4.18.

The Butcher and Son Frantic Four pitted Sean Nagy against Scott Braskett, and Nagy nabbed the win with a 3.91 to Braskett’s 4.02.

In Friday No Box, Jon Lowery lined up alongside Megan Kerns, and Lowery won with a 5.73 to Kerns’ 6.04.

Friday Box saw Randy Scheuer Jr. and Rick Adkins go for the win, and Scheuer Jr. got it with a 4.70 to Adkin’ 5.94.

Nick Hastings and Matt Dadas dove in for the Trick Flow Ultimate Performer Race, and Hastings drove to the win with a 6.06 against Dadas and his 6.14.

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