Dirt
SWEET 16 2.0
His blast of 3.578 at 214 in qualifying was a
thing of beauty and makes him the quickest driver
on radials. That carries some major weight and is
another great accomplishment for Pharris, who
continues to thrive in the sport. He had a car
capable of winning both the Sweet 16 and Lights
Out, and the only left for the talented star to do
is finish the job.
7. BUMP(S) OF THE CENTURY
For Radial vs. the World to have a bump of 3.69
doesn’t seem possible. A year ago, we were going
wild for the first run in the 3.60s at the end and
now that’s the bump spot? Pure madness. But
the cool thing is those types of numbers haven’t
slowed down participation. The class seems alive
and well, and people are simply motivated to
try and keep up. Where does it go from here?
Who knows, but we shouldn’t be surprised if it’s
something incredible.
As for X275, its qualifying bump of 4.34 was
just as surreal. X275 will never be the same after
this race. Whether that’s a positive or negative
depends on your perspective, but for one week-
end it proved it can hang on this type of stage.
The performances were outstanding, there are
talented drivers galore and what happens next
has us all interested.
8. STINNETT DROPS JAWS
There are a lot of grandiose adjectives when it
comes to a weekend like this, but watching a
small-block, twin-turbo Mustang blast its way
to a 3.694 at nearly 205 mph is just incredible.
That’s what Marty Stinnett did and if you can’t
appreciate that, well, you probably don’t deserve
6
7
9
to be a fan of the sport. The class is so creative,
so willing to make the most out of everything
and Stinnett is a prime example. Kudos to him
and minds like his for helping make RvW what
it continues to be.
9. RVW IS MASSIVELY UNFORGIVING
A year ago, Mark Micke turned the radial world
8
on its head literally every time
he went down the track at
Sweet 16. A 3.62 here, a 220-
mph run there. It was out of
this world. And then just last
month, Alex Laughlin rose to
the occasion and won Lights
Out 10 with a splendid perfor-
mance in all areas.
So what happened at Sweet
16 2.0? Both lost in the first
round, giving us a harsh re-
minder that this Radial vs. the World class is
no joke. It is filled to the brim with players, and
the Sweet 16 is a brutal style of racing on your
psyche. There are 75 qualifying rounds (nearly)
and it’s a war of attrition. Micke and Laughlin are
still stars – that will never be questioned – but,
man, RvW is as tough as it gets and this weekend
exemplified that.
DI DI DI
DI DI DI DI
DI DI DI
36 | D r a g
I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com
Issue 144
6. STOCK SUSPENSION SUPERIORITY
How cool is it that Brad Edwards ran 3.691 at
202.09 in a stock suspension Mustang? Yeah,
that one is rhetorical because it’s pretty dang
cool. Edwards may be “Last of the Mohicans”
with that set-up, making it all the more impres-
sive. The type of pass stunned everybody, but
further showed the ingenuity of Edwards. That
type of success is what the class has been built on
over the years and it’s awesome to see Edwards
have a weekend like he did, picking up a round
win as well.