Drag Illustrated Issue 149, October 2019 | Page 58
DIALED IN
Great Lakes Greatness
Jamie Tupper wins storied 50K World Super Pro Challenge
M
id Michigan Motorplex hosted
the 26th annual 50k World Super Pro
Challenge on August 1-4, and just like
the previous 25 runnings, the most re-
cent gathering once again produced a
brand-new winner, as this ground-breaking event
has never once produced a repeat winner.
The thrilling final round of the 2019 running
sponsored by Todd’s Extreme Paint showcased the
talents of two extremely capable racers as Canada’s
Jamie Tupper edged out a local competitor, Lane
Ledford. Staged and ready, Tupper got the early
advantage with a .003 reaction time, with Ledford
leaving at .014. Tupper dialed a 4.55, stopping the
eighth-mile timers at 4.552 to take the win over
Ledford’s 4.869 off a 4.86 dial-in. It was an ex-
tremely close final round, and for Tupper it was the
biggest win of his career, which spans two decades
racing mainly at his local tracks in Canada, such
as St. Thomas Raceway, Grand Bend Motorplex
and Luskville Dragway.
“During one awesome weekend in Quebec I won
a pair of 10-granders and placed runner-up in the
gamblers race,” Tupper begins, “then in 2012 I was
in Memphis and won the pre-race, which was
$5,000 and won another $4,000 in the main event,
but winning Mid Michigan’s 50k is by far the cool-
est win ever! I’ve always went rounds here at Mid
Michigan, but never went all the way until now.”
Moments before the final round got underway,
Tupper was concerned whether or not he was going
to be rewarded with a giant check to hang in his
trailer, so he asked track manager Mike Ledford
if the runner-up also received a check. “No, only
the winner,” replies Ledford. “Well, I guess I’m just
gonna have to win it!” laughs Tupper, who went
out and did precisely that.
In addition to a giant check to commemorate
the occasion, Tupper is plenty excited about getting
his name added to the winner’s list on the event
T-shirt, not to mention the $50,000 in prize money.
Tupper’s current rear-engine dragster is a rela-
tively new ride for him, having just taken delivery
of the car last fall. He found immediate success in
the dragster, having won the first race he entered
with the car at Grand Bend. The Mid Michigan
race was only the fourth outing in the car. Ironi-
cally, Jamie has been co-owner of the dragster
with another racer, who only made a few passes
in the car before parking it several years ago. Last
fall, Tupper bought out his friend’s interest in the
car and began racing it himself, which has worked
out nicely thus far.
Even with such good fortune, Tupper says he’s
not the least bit tempted to become a professional
bracket racer. “I own a collision shop and retire-
ment isn’t too far off,” he says. “I bought my wife
a 2010 Corvette to race, and I have aspirations of
putting her ‘Vette in the top of the stacker, and
my dragster below and hitting the road and rac-
ing together.”
Longtime Mid Michigan track owner Mary
Ledford is proud once more that the “no repeat
winner” streak remains unbroken at this legendary
event. She fondly looks back on the day her late
husband, Jim, dreamed up this race while sitting
in a Kmart parking lot, while Mary was inside
shopping. “When I came back and he told me
about this 50k race we were gonna have I thought
he’d lost his mind!” Mary recalls. “Once word got
out that we were paying 50 grand, we actually had
several calls from nitro and alcohol Funny Car
racers wanting to enter the bracket race, because
NHRA didn’t pay this kind of money 26 years ago!
The answer, however, was a big, fat no,” she laughs.
The inaugural event attracted 418 sportsman
racers to compete for the guaranteed purse and
from then on, the race became a staple at Mid
Michigan. “It’s one of our biggest events all year,”
says Ledford.
The race is structured to never be rained out
since it runs to completion. “We had to finish it on
Monday once, but it’s gonna get finished!” smiles
Ledford.
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I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com
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Issue 149
By Van Abernethy