Murray, Wilson, and Terkowski Win $15K at FRBR Independence Showdown

Twelve racers claimed wins at the FRBR Promotions 5th Annual Independence Showdown at Maple Grove Raceway.

Photos and recap provided by FRBR Promotions / BME Photography

MOHNTON, PA- FRBR Promotions held their 5th Annual Daryl Tillman Realty Group Independence Showdown, presented by Blittersdorf’s Automotive, at Maple Grove Raceway from July 5-7, 2024. This event featured Triple $15K’s for Top Bulb, Triple $5K’s for No-Box, and Triple $1K’s for Junior Dragsters. Highlights also included the Morris Performance Transmissions Saturday night Shootouts, Dash for Cash, a spectacular fireworks display, and much more!

See results below!

Friday Results

It was a sweltering weekend at Maple Grove Raceway for the Independence Showdown but that didn’t stop hundreds from battling it out for the $70K purse. Day 1 was challenged with weather and a major engine failure but the Maple Grove team won the day, ensuring the action was completed ahead of curfew.

C2 Competition Top Bulb $15K

C2 Competition Convertors and Machining Top Bulb brought big money regular Greg Hicks, former FRBR winner Cam Murray, Super Gas world champ Dan Northrop, New York’s Mike Lubniewski, Paul Kelley, MG top champ Bob Murphy, and dragster slayer Mike Barber to do battle.

Hicks ended Lubniewski’s day with a .016 pack. Kelley locked out Northrop with a .027 package. Murray (AKA George M.F. Washington) left Murphy .001 worth of room to see a win light with his .037 lap. Barber ended the round on the bye.

Kelley punched his final round ticket with a .024 total lap, beating the .026 light of Hicks. In a Ford vs Mopar matchup, Murray was .004 and a thou under forcing Barber to break out more to reach the finish line in a dead heat.

Murray was on point again in the final, with a .006 hit starting his .032 lap, better than the rare miss by Kelley who broke out trying to get there. Murray became the 2nd driver in FRBR history to win in two different classes.

RoadRunner Race Fuels No Box $5K

Roadrunner Race Fuels No Box had six competitors left in the quarter finals. Former world champ Dan Cassie, defending Maple Grove champion Nathan Mendenhall, long time hitter Jeff Stewart, young gun Kyle Robb, and D1 Bracket Finals champ Marty Flegal held two.

Cassie red lighted away his chances against Flegal. Mendenhall and Stewart left apart by just .003 with Mendenhall playing the finish line better, winning a double breakout affair by .005. Robb took care of Flegal’s second entry laying down .025 total to lock out Flegal’s Nova.

Flegal paid Robb back in the semis, pushing him out by .017 dropping to dead on after starting nearly even up front. Mendenhall carried the bye to set up the final round.

Flegal was .026 total in the final, but not even a factor as Mendenhall was .010 dead 1 to park his S10 on the dance floor.

Greiner Bros. Heating & Cooling Junior Dragster $1K

Friday’s Greiner Brothers Heating and Cooling Jr. Dragster quarter-final action saw drivers from all over the region in the final seven. They were Jordan Nelson, Madison Schonberger, Shane Dailey, Mason Dudley, JJ Schonberger, Danica Dustin, and 11.90 winner Cara Lusby.

Dustin used a .035 reaction time to gain the holeshot win against JJ Schonberger. Dudley benefited from a red light by Lusby, while Nelson was .006 to dispatch Madison Schonberger. Dailey was .020 on his single run.

Nelson turned it red to Dudley in the semis who put down a solid lap, starting .037 and running 9.05 on a 9.03. On the other side Dailey used a better reaction time to end Dustin’s day.

The final round was just the second ever instance of a Tru-start red light deciding a final round. Dudley, in just his second event in an 8.90 car was less red and claimed the coveted FRBR trophy over Dailey.

Saturday Results

Saturday’s action at the Daryl Tillman Realty Group Independence Showdown, presented by Bryan Blittersdorf’s Automotive saw the biggest fields in all three classes battle it out for their share of the weekend purse.

C2 Competition Top Bulb $15K

C2 Competition Converters & Machining Top Bulb left eight drivers. They were Florida’s Michael Carpenter in a “rent a dragster”, Erin Thimm in her husband’s vega, Erik Tenney in his 69 Dart, and the dragsters of Dale Crouch, Zach Rothenberger, David George, Jason Hoff, and former champion Chris “Spanky” Wilson.

Carpenter was .021 total to kick off the round against the dead zero run by Crouch. Rothenberger was .015 total to stop Thimm. Tenney was .018 total to slip by the .023 pack of George. Wilson ended the round winning a double breakout by .004 over Hoff.

The semis began with Wilson taking a hun starting line advantage to force Rothenberger into a breakout run. Tenney was .031 total on the drop, enough to enduce a breakout from Carpenter, who took .025 to break out .013.

Wilson claimed his 2nd FRBR trophy leaving little doubt as he was .001 dead 7 to make Tenney a spectator on the final lap. Wilson also claimed a $250 bonus from Tillman for the sub .010 pack.

RoadRunner Race Fuels No Box $5K

In Roadrunner Race Fuels No-Box seven drivers lined up in the quarter-finals. They were Dan Cassie, Jeff Allebach, Bill Wackerman, Kurt Holland, Jeffrey Santin, Rob Hochmiller, and Shannon Fordyce.

Santin, already a winner this year on the FRBR trail was denied this time as he took .022 stripe to break out .001 to Cassie. Holland had the same luck, dropping to watch Allebach break out .007 taking .039. Fordyce also found a win light with the worse reaction time surviving a double breakout with Wackerman by .019. Hochmiller was on the bye.

Fordyce got away with a miss in the semis as Cassie turned it -.012. On the other half, Holland once again used the drop to his favor, feeding Hochmiller .040 stripe to watch him break out by .007.

The final round saw a very tight run where Holland was .047 total to beat the .056 total of Fordyce. It is Holland’s first FRBR win in his 2nd final round.

Greiner Bros. Heating & Cooling Junior Dragster $1K

The Greiner Brothers Heating & Cooling LLC Jr. Dragster program saw Logan Anderson, Tyler Lusby, former finalist Camden Berry, Madison Schonberger, two time finalist Ella Ketterman, Austin Bucher, 6-9 year old winner Jameson Aquino, and two time winner in Paisley Anderson.

Aquino’s day was ended on a huge starting line advantage taken by Ketterman. Logan Anderson put down a .032 total lap to lock out Bucher. Camden Berry followed suit laying down .024 total to best Schonberger’s .027 lights. Paisley Anderson was not to be outdone, running dead one for .023 total when Lusby missed the tree.

The semis was a brother sister matchup with the Anderson’s laddered to do battle. Logan got the best of the matchup leaving first with a .017 and taking 30 stripe as both slowed. Ketterman was .012 on her pass giving her more than enough of an advantage to deny Berry a second straight final.

The final round was decided at the finish line as both left with identical .062 lights. Ketterman was 2 above for the win, as Anderson let her go in hopes of pushing her out. Ella joins the Jr. Dragster two win club with the victory.

Morris Trans & Auto Top Bulb 64 Shootout

Nelson Belot defeated Jake Morris in the Morris Trans & Auto $2,500-to-win Top Bulb 64-Car Shootout.

Morris Trans & Auto No-Box 64 Shootout

Denny Maclosky picked up the Morris Trans & Auto $2,500-to-win No-Box 64-Car Shootout over Mike Greiner.

Morris Trans & Auto Junior Dragster 32 Shootout

Mason Dudley earned his second win of the weekend, capturing the Morris Trans & Auto Jr. Dragster Shootout victory over Charlie Blittersdorf.

Sunday Results

For the first time at Maple Grove all three days of the Daryl Tillman Realty Group Independence Showdown, presented by Bryan Blittersdorf’s Automotive were completed. Sunday was certainly no let down to the intense action.

C2 Competition Top Bulb $15K

The last six drivers in Top were Jeff Taylor, Bryan Balducci, Vaughn Dunn, Rick Terkowski, Steve Sisko, and Marty Martin. With that list of hitters, it was anybody’s game.

Terkowski got the action starting throwing down .019 total to force Taylor into a breakout. Balducci matched that pass with a .001 initiated .019 back getting back Martin, who missed it up front. Dunn took out the 1.1 million dollar man with a well timed drop that pushed Sisko out by .006.

Dunn’s day ended in the semis as he experienced problems allowing Terkowski to lift early and take the win. Balducci sent a message with his .006 hit and coasted across the finish line to not show his hand.

In the final round Balducci turned it -.003 to hand the win to Terkowski. Rick was ready for battle cutting a .004 light and running 1 above to be .015 total. It was Terkowski’s first FRBR win in his first final.

RoadRunner Race Fuels No Box $5K

Quarter final No-Box action saw Rob Hochmiller in the late rounds for a 2nd straight day, joined by yesterday’s winner Kurt Holland, the Barracuda of Jesse Marshall, Jeff Stewart who was still doubled, and Gabrielle Walleigh; who drove her Mustang to the track.

Marshall was -.002 to start the round, but it wouldn’t have mattered at Stewart was .005 total on his lap. Holland ended Hochmiller’s day again with a strong .012 total lap against the .022 of Hochmiller. Walleigh was .015 and 4 thou under against Stewart’s red light on his second entry.

The semi-finals started off tight with Holland and Walleigh separated by only .004. The street Mustang didn’t like hot lapping and slowed five hun, giving Holland a relatively easy win. Stewart took the bye.

In a storybook ending, Stewart sealed the deal on the father/daughter double by going .011 upfront and running dead zero against Holland’s breakout run. It is the first time in FRBR history that this combination visited the winner’s circle together.

Greiner Bros. Heating & Cooling Junior Dragster $1K

In Jr. Dragster the final eight were Mallori Stewart, Cara Lusby, Sophia Curtis, Ella Ketterman, Shane Conner, JJ Schonberger, Raegan Ketterman, and Noah James.

Stewart got the nod when James took way too much finish line in a double breakout affair. Reagan Ketterman was behind up front but ran closer to the number than Lusby to win her round. Sophia Curtis was .020 and 1 above to lock out Schonberger’s .047 hit. Yesterday’s winner Ketterman survived a three digit reaction time as Connor broke out.

Stewart dodged another bullet in the semis, getting away with a .078 light to the -.002 of Reagan. Ella had the better light over Curtis but experienced engine trouble and slowed significantly to turn on Curtis win light.

In the final Stewart went dead on with a nine, though it didn’t matter as Curtis turned it -.014 while also running dead on. This set the table for a Stewart winner’s circle if dad could seal the deal.

Congratulations to all winners and finalists from the FRBR Promotions 5th Annual Daryl Tillman Realty Group Independence Showdown, presented by Blittersdorf’s Automotive, at Maple Grove Raceway.

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