Two Days of Race Week Wasn’t Enough

Two Days wasn’t Enough….

I loaded the #NarxKart and drove to Race Week 2026 for Day 3 and 4. I wanted to see some #racecarfriends and gather a few stories for the folks at home. So, I hopped in and drove to Tulsa Raceway Park to meet the racers. 

Day Three - Tulsa Raceway Park makes history

I arrived to a packed parking lot of real deal streetcars that were now more than 500 street miles into one the toughest drag and drive events in the world. Race Week (also known as Rocky Mountain Race Week 2.0) was started when Hot Rod Drag Week skipped 2020. With a 340 mile drive on Day One and 160 miles on Day Two, the racers that made it to Tulsa Raceway Park had covered roads in Kansas and Oklahoma. 

The racing at Tulsa proved to be the best of the week with 61 racers submitting their best pass of the week there. 

Possibly the most historical story of the week is Blaine Theissen’s Perfect Pass in Limited Street, becoming just the 13th person in history to run a perfect 8.500 in an 8.500 limited class. Randy Seward was right on his heels with an 8.507. 

Darrin Guthrie showed that the 14.00 Index Class is as competitive as Limited Street with his Perfect Pass of 14.000.

Seth Slaubaugh and Jeremy Wilson BOTH ran 9.001s in the 9.00 Index Class, that is insane.

Wes Lovelace put down the second quickest pass in 11.00 Index with his 11.01. 

Four of the Six NA Big Block racers ran their best pass at TRP. 

Three of the Top 4 NA Small Block racers ran their best pass at TRP.

The team at Tulsa knows how to get the racers through the lanes and down a great track, and it shows. 

Route 66 to Mo-Kan Dragway didn’t Disappoint

The final day to lock in a racer average was Mo-Kan Dragway for Day Four. Mo-Kan timeslips would lock-in the racer average so Day Four was a racer’s last chance to take the next spot. The route between Tulsa and Mo-Kan was packed with awesome stops like the Hi-Way Cafe in Vinita and Gearhead Curios in Galena, where Jan Hase ripped a huge burnout on Main St for us. Galena was busy with tourists from around the country. 

Once at Mo-Kan, everyone had their gamefaces on. Forty-six racers would run their quickest pass of the week on Day Four.

The Top 7 Racers in 10.00 Index all had a 10.0xx Average with Jan Hase leading at 10.016. Matt Todd held second at 10.036. The race for Third was separated by just 0.003 between Jordan Conway and Redhat Scotty. Jan had to make repairs in the pits and missed the first round call. Matt would run too quick in Round One so the race was still anyone’s to win. Jan would lock it up once the truck was back together, knocking down a 10.02, mathematically eliminating the chance for Matt to come around him. Jordan and Scotty would swap spots all night. 

The Top 8 Racers in 12.00 Index came into Day Four with a 3-day average of 12.0xx.

Paige Coleman would come into Day Four with a stranglehold on 13.00 Index with her 13.009 Average.

Nine Thousandths would separate 2nd and 3rd in 14.00 Index.

Seven Thousandths would separate the Top Three racers in the 9.00 Index Class, with Bruce Heller’s 9.0126 average, Jeremy Wilson’s 9.0186 for Second and Seth Slaubaugh’s 9.0193 for Third.

Five Thousandths was the difference in Hot Rod between Rob Bartholomew’s 8.667 and Chris Padgett’s 8.672.

Blaine Theissen’s 8.515 led Randy Seward’s 8.518 by just 0.003 in Limited Street. The race for Third was nearly as close with Zac Freeman’s 8.599 ahead of Brandon Tapp’s 8.607. But wait, there’s more, Brad Francis’ 8.7106 was ahead of Brad Long’s 8.7113 separated 5th and 6th by just 0.0007.

Luke Cartwright was leading the Most Consistent in Tailgate with a spread of just 0.012 over Bill Cash’s 0.019.

How would these races play out at Mo-Kan???

Sometimes, two days is enough to make you want more….

For newcomers, I know single day and weekend events will light a fire in fans to attend a longer event. Our goal has been to introduce as many people to drag and drive as possible, and we feel these are the best way to do that right now. Regional Events (weekend events) are a more affordable avenue to “get your feet wet”.  They also present a great way for veteran racers add a few more events to their schedule. But, just know that you’ll leave wanting more…..

See you Soon

I can’t wait to see everyone at Route 66 Roundup next weekend at Tulsa Raceway Park. Or at Short Circuit in 4 weeks at George Ray’s Wildcat Dragstrip.

Article and Photos by Mike Narx