Cary Goforth, second from right, won the top award in the new Mountain Motor Pro Stock Association’s inaugural event at Rockingham Dragway on Sunday. Goforth is joined by his team.
Bob Berstch of Willis, Mich. won the fall race — the IHRA World Finals.
So when it came time to inaugurate a new series at The Rock — the Mountain Motor Pro Stock Association Series — it just seemed right that the first showdown be between these two competitors.
In the final race of a busy weekend, Cary Goforth of Holdenville, Okla., etched his name in the record books as the first winner in the Mountain Motor Pro Stock Association Series which made its debut Sunday at Rockingham Dragway.
Although it was a wire-to-wire victory for Goforth, who set the qualifying pace at a stellar 6.258 seconds, it wasn’t easy.
In fact, the Oklahoma driver crossed the finish line in the final round just .018 seconds ahead of No. 6 qualifier Bertsch.
“This is starting to feel like a home track to me,” Goforth said as he posed for pictures with his team — and his latest big trophy.
“This is awesome,” Goforth added. “We are very proud to be the first team to do this. This (was) a great event and we had a lot of fun. I am very proud of what the association has accomplished. We all now have a great place to race.”
En route to the victory in the weekend’s marquee event, Goforth cleared a major hurdle when he slipped past Montecalvo in the semifinals, 6.321 to 6.333 for the 2009 IHRA champ. In the final, Bertsch got a great jump at the start but his Ford Mustang couldn’t quite hold off Goforth’s 220.80 mile-an-hour charge in his Chevy Cobalt.
When the IHRA opted for a new format in 2010, Goforth, Bertsch, 2009 IHRA champion John Montecalvo of Center Moriches, N.Y., and two-time former champ Pete Berner of Crete, Ill., were among the mountain motor advocates left without a series in which to compete.
So, they created their own, which debuted at The Rock and next moves to U.S. 131 Dragway at Martin, Mich., May 7-8, and to Budds Creek, Md., May 14-15.
The MMPSA event was part of the 15th annual Patriot Performance Holcomb Motorsports Civil Wars Weekend at Rockingham which attracted a total of 415 race cars and crowned champions in a variety of categories including Kooks Top Street, TRZ 275 Drag Radial, King of the Street, Open Comp, Pro Tree Doorslammer, MSD Ignition 6.0 and 7.0 Index and Performance Automatic Products Footbrake classes.
In a showdown between Outlaw Pro Street heavyweights, Keith Szabo of Gainesville, Ga., got a free ticket to the Top Street title when Taylorsville’s Darrin Hoyle, a perennial Rockingham champion and the No. 1 qualifier, fouled away his chances in the final round, wasting a best-of-eliminations 4.710 at 159.91 mph.
Szabo’s winning time in the final was 4.775 at 163.75 mph, a performance that was coupled to a .003 starting line reaction.
Nevertheless, Hoyle didn’t leave the Civil Wars empty handed.
The veteran drove his 1969 Chevrolet Camaro to King of the Street honors while Neil Hawkins of Pinson, Ala., claimed the Drag Radial title in a final round showdown with Mike Freeman of Lehigh, Fla.
Other winners included Danny Towe of Lawrenceville, Ga., and Reggie Burnette Jr. of Rougemont, who split the Open Comp titles; Robert Hindman of Knoxville, Tenn., and David Holton of Moncks Corner, S.C., in Pro Tree Doorslammer; Chad Gamble of Marion, S.C., in 6.0 Index; Howard Bennett of Benson, in 7.0 Index; and Dwayne Rozier in Footbrake.
It was an excellent way to wrap up a good weekend of racing at The Rock — and start some new traditions with a brand-new series, according to Rockingham Dragway owner Steve Earwood.
“We are delighted that the MMPSA chose The Rock for its inaugural event,” Earwood said.
“Pro Stocks have been part of the Rockingham Dragway tradition since the early 1970s and many of the racers who are part of that Pro Stock tradition are competing in the first event.
“It is very gratifying to be able to once again host racers like John Montecalvo, Pete Berner, Dean and Cary Goforth, Elijah Morton and others who had so many great moments in the IHRA series,” Earwood added.
Contact sports editor David Vantress at 997-3111, ext. 14 or via email at dvantress@yourdailyjournal.com.
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