MUTT AND JEFF

event, though they stayed and saw it through to the event’ s conclusion.“ We wanted more cars and faster cars for the second annual event, so we struck a deal with Elmer Wachter at Mason Dixon Dragway in Boonsboro, Maryland. South Mountain is a small track, and it can only do what it can do,” Griffey explains.

As expected, the event grew larger with the change of venues to a larger facility. The onceyearly event remained exclusively Pro Electronics for the first three gatherings, although they decided to include a Footbrake class for the most recent running, held in June. Car counts soared with the addition of a second class, and it was also

DIALED IN

the first ever two-day meet for the annual Mutt and Jeff race.“ We decided that if we were going to grow this deal we were going to have to step up our game, so we rented the track for two days and increased the payout from $ 1,500 to $ 4,000 and guaranteed a $ 10,000 payday for Saturday,” Burruss explains.

Lots of round money was awarded, as well as many prizes and gift certificates from sponsors. Since Mutt and Jeff Promotions specializes in fun, special recognition is given to all sorts of circumstances.“ There’ s perks for everyone, including trophies for things like the‘ worst losing package’ and‘ best losing red light,’” Griffey says.

Both promoters agree that attending PRI recently was crucial and they credit that effort with making new friends and growing their event. Longtime friend Mike Weney of S & W Race Cars was among the first to gladly assist them in sponsoring the event, and the list began growing more robust with each and every year.“ Riggeal’ s Performance Fiberglass came on board, as well as Meziere Enterprises, Mike’ s Fab Shop, Drag Race Results and so many more,” Burruss adds.

Although the Mutt and Jeff race has far exceeded their expectations, they agree that it’ s not something that just happens overnight.“ We would love to grow this into a three-day event right here at Mason Dixon. We’ ve got such a great staff and we must also thank our friends Tina Mohle, Jenn Decker, Kelly Russell and Morgan Monroe.”

The Mutt and Jeff race has turned out to be exactly as they planned: a light-hearted gathering of friends with a great family atmosphere. It began with a dream, they say, and it’ s a dream that is continuing to come true for these lifelong friends who simply wanted to make drag racing as fun as they possibly could.

By Van Abernethy

The main motivation wasn’ t because Trueblood was a drag racing enthusiast at the time, but rather, he simply owned the perfect piece of property that he had acquired years earlier. The parcel of 98 acres that adjoined Trueblood’ s childhood home came up for sale in the 1990s and he was excited at the thoughts of buying it and simply logging the property initially, not really having a long-term plan in mind. It wasn’ t until the land was cleared and reseeded that Curtis realized the dimensions were perfect for an eighth-mile drag strip.“ My background was actually in tractor pulling, but I thought this particular piece of property would be perfect for a drag strip,” Trueblood explains.

The track he constructed nearly two decades ago is one he strived to make safe and efficient, and while he declares that the track isn’ t fancy, the grounds are meticulously maintained, and the natural beauty surrounding the track creates an undeniable appeal. If you continue in an eastward direction from Hertford you’ ll be looking at the ocean in about an hour. The coastal climate

plays a favorable role in the track’ s operation throughout the year.“ We usually try to open up around February and run through late November,” says Trueblood.

It was unseasonably cold this past winter before going straight into excessive summer heat right after the 2018 racing season was getting cranked up.“ The weather has been crazy this year and there’ s just no way to predict it either,

52 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated. com Issue 135