2022 South East Gassers Association Finals
Shady Side Dragway
Shelby, NC
The South East Gassers Association wrapped up the 2022 season at Shady Side Dragway in Shelby, North Carolina.
As expected, there were plenty of potent race cars on hand and the stands were full. But the skies were overcast. One topic dominated the conversation as the event got underway, "Will the rain hold off?"
Over eighty cars filled the staging lanes to contest for the A/Gas, B/Gas, C/Gas, and Super Stock titles. In addition, the event would decide the winners in all four season-long point championships.
The South East Gassers Association tries very hard to recreate drag racing as it existed in the '50s and '60s. For that reason, no cars newer than 1967 are allowed, and only four-speed manual transmissions are permitted.
Another South East Gasser rule stipulates all the cars competing in the gasser classes must utilize a straight front axle.
Rain interrupted the eliminations early on Saturday. The Shady Side crew did their best to get the track ready for more racing.
After two hours of hard work, it looked like the track would be ready for more racing.
But a second front came through and drenched the asphalt all over again. The forecast was not promising and it was getting dark. The decision was made to postpone the eliminations to Sunday afternoon.
It rained Sunday morning, leading to the fear of another postponement. By afternoon, however, the sun came out, the track was dried and ready for racing.
Unfortunately, many competitors couldn't stay an extra day, so there were many competition singles in the four categories. All those engaged in the championship points battles remained, however. Those on hand enjoyed great racing during the afternoon.
Rick Varner had already sewen up the Super Stock Championship, but he marched on to the final round. There the Dirt Man defeated Randy Keifer in the Spine Tingler '56 Pontiac to win the final Super Stock trophy of the year.
No one was surprised when Tim Hall advanced his Scalded Dog C/Gas Rambler into the final round. Josh Pruitt's Young Blood Ford looked strong, but Hall was not to be denied as he won the race and took home the 2022 championship.
Going into the race, Colby Welsh enjoyed a slim five-point lead over Daniel Haynes in B/Gas. Not surprisingly, the pair ended up in the final.
A holeshot sealed the final, as Haynes got out first and hung on for the win, even though Welsh had a quicker ET
The win allowed Haynes to tie with Welsh for first place with 325 points each. Under South East Gasser rules, the driver who accumulates points first in a tie gets the title. Thus, Haynes won the race, but Welsh earned the 2022 Championship.
There wasn't much opportunity for a tie in A/Gas, as Leslie Horne came to Shady Side leading second place Gabriel Burrel by twenty-five points.
Burrell advanced to the final, where his Southern Flyer Model A won handly when Ben Christopher was disqualified. The win allowed Burrell to chop Leslie Horne's lead to only ten points, but that wasn't enough to keep Horne's Chick Magnet from winning the 2022 A/Gas championship.
Race winners:
Super Stock: Rick Varner/The Dirt Man (Camaro)
C/Gas: Tim Hall/Scalded Dog (Rambler)
B:/Gas: Daniel Haynes/The Patriot (Falcon)
A/Gas: Gabriel Burrell/Southern Flyer (Ford Model A)
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2022 Champions
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Super Stock: Rick Varner/The Dirt Man (Camaro)
C/Gas: Tim Hall/Scalded Dog (Rambler)
B:/Gas: Colby Welch/Moonbeam (Ford Ranchero)
A/Gas: Leslie Horne/Chick Magnet (1955 Chevrolet)
See the complete photo gallery at vintage-nitro.com/south-east-gassers-association-2022-championship/
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