Beaver Springs Dragway always delivers a highly-entertaining show during their annual Labor Day weekend event , which features a lively mix of booked-in attractions , coupled with the SBRA Bracket Series , which brought out 187 sportsman cars on a Monday no less . Things got kicked off on Friday night with a record-breaking performance , headlined by the first 200 mph door car run in track history , as Pennsylvania native Andy Jensen blistered the track with a 3.77 at 200.27 mph blast , while wheeling his incredible 1968 Camaro motivated by a turbocharged small block .
“ Nobody has ever ran 200 mph in a door car at Beaver Springs , so I thought I ’ d come down here and give it a shot ,” Jensen commented , hours before his historic run .
Jensen has had a lengthy history at this picturesque , central Pennsylvania dragstrip . In fact , it ’ s where his career first got started . “ Beaver Springs is actually where I made the first pass of my life back in the mid 1980s ,” he says . “ I was driving a 1968 Camaro with a 406 and Muncie 4-speed ,
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having the time of my life running 10.60 ’ s !”
Fans poured into Beaver Springs on Friday night after word spread on social media that Jensen was on his way to Beaver Springs , and gunning for 200 mph . Those in attendance won ’ t soon forget the milestone and ensuing celebration after Jensen ’ s numbers flashed across the board .
Owner , Mike McCracken
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The high-speed entertainment went well into the night as the legendary Hanna Motorsports team was also on hand , making exhibition runs in the “ First Strike ” jet-powered Funny Car with world record holder Rich Hanna at the controls .
Beaver Springs ’ Labor Day race is well-known for its diverse lineup of entertainment , with a completely different group of cars and stars arriving each day throughout the weekend , and even spilling over to Monday .
On Saturday , fans were treated to several traveling groups that ’ ve been going strong for decades . Among them is a club known as MAN- DRA ( Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Drag Racers Association ), which is a staple attraction at many area tracks during special events , including Labor Day weekend at Beaver Springs .
At this year ’ s gathering the club presented to the winner a special Founder ’ s Day trophy honoring Ralph Eberly , who founded MANDRA in 1999 . The club has grown into a robust membership of racers , whose classy race cars are all at least 40 years old .
“ It ’ s mainly a door car club , but we recently
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PHOTOGRAPHS BY VAN ABERNETHY |