Dirt
Small-Tire Racing Shows Off
Nine unforgettable moments
from ‘Sweet 16 2.0’
By Josh Hachat
W
1. RIVENBARK RUNS IT BACK
There was arguably even more pressure on Kevin
Rivenbark this time, but he handled it all in im-
pressive fashion. After going red in the semifinals
at Lights Out 10 a month prior – with what many
deemed the car to beat – Rivenbark made amends
in a major way in his ProCharger-boosted ’69
Camaro at the Sweet 16. It started with becom-
ing the first in the 3.50s, which added even more
pressure. This time, Rivenbark thrived with the
extra eyeballs on him, beating Norman Bryson
with a stout 3.63.
The guys at ProLine have taken a special inter-
est in Rivenbark and his car, and it’s been incred-
ible to see the progression on radials. But with
that comes a great deal of pressure and Rivenbark
proved he was up to the task in Valdosta, making
amends for Lights Out and proving he’s a top
performer in big-money, high-pressure moments.
2. BRUDERS ALWAYS RISE ABOVE IT ALL
Whatever Rich and Nick Bruder choose to do,
there’s usually drama and controversy not far
behind. They’ve gone from ProChargers to
turbos to nitrous to roots blowers and back to
ProCharger, but there’s something unique about
how no matter the combination, they’re going
to thrive with it. That’s a definition of a true
badass family and the fact they do it all together
makes it even better.
It was all on full display at the Sweet 16 and
Rich Bruder delivered a record-breaking 4.235
in the final round to win the $50,000 prize. It
was a dominant performance on a huge stage
and again proved whatever controversy and
drama they’re involved in within the class,
they’re going to rise above it when it counts. In
short, the Bruder Brothers still run X275 until
further notice.
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It signified just how important going fast and
being quick is to drag racers. Despite not win-
ning, it’s a run Birt will never forget. It’s a historic
pass and it’s definitely already on a T-shirt (or
should be). The ripple effects are huge, not only
for nitrous radial drivers, but also nitrous drivers
across the doorslammer ranks. That’s impressive,
and Birt and Jackson deserve a lot of credit for
making it happen.
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3. BIRT’S NITROUS BLAST HEARD ROUND
THE WORLD
As far as singular runs go, there might not be
anything that drew more talk than Marcus Birt’s
3.60 in his nitrous-assisted Corvette. You could
see the burn marks and the smoke on Facebook
mere moments after the Stevie Jackson-tuned
‘Vette made the fastest eighth-mile nitrous pass
in history. I mean, it truly is remarkable.
Nitrous cars on radials were basically left for
dead and Birt just made them all look silly with
one jaw-dropping pass.
4. MARINIS STILL A PLAYER
On the other end of the spectrum, Dean Marinis
was the only nitrous car to qualify in X275. It’s
a great story of one of the original stars and pio-
neers being involved in the historic race for the
class, and it would have been a crime if he weren’t
involved. But does it showcase a bigger issue in
the class that there’s not more nitrous parity?
We saw how Birt solved that in RvW, so we’ll
see what happens in X275, but we know Marinis
will keep parading the nitrous bandwagon to
impressive results.
5. A FEATHER IN PHARRIS’ CAP
Daniel Pharris left Georgia with the quickest pass
in RvW history. Considering what’s gone on in
the class over the last couple years, that’s a pretty
significant thing.
Issue 144
ell, the sequel was every bit
as good as the original. Donald
Long’s “Sweet 16 2.0” had every
bit the hype of the inaugural
$101,000-to-win event a year ago, even adding
an enticing touch with the inclusion of X275 and
its $50,000-to-win prize.
But unlike the second act in a movie series,
where it usually adds more but ends up feeling
bloated, the scene in Valdosta was just as thrill-
ing. We saw record runs in both Radial vs. the
World and X275, record qualifying fields and one
incredible moment after another.
It was so enthralling it was hard to narrow it
all down, but here are nine top unforgettable,
wild and awe-inspiring moments from “Sweet
16 2.0” that will have us talking until part three
comes along.