Dirt
Off the Top Bulb
Derek Clark , Glenn Ferguson pick up wins at American Door Slammer Nationals By Van Abernethy
Benson , North Carolina ’ s GALOT Motorsports Park hosted the Loose Rocker Promotions ’ 12th Annual American Door Slammer Nationals on November 16-19 , 2023 , as the event continues to attract huge racer support , with Saturday ’ s main event featuring 442 entries .
Things got kicked off on Thursday night with test and tune , as racers readied their equipment for the kickoff of eliminations on Friday , with $ 10,000 to win up for grabs . It was a challenging opening day of eliminations with parts failure and cleanups , not to mention a pair of pop-up showers that arrived despite a near-perfect weekend weather forecast . With well over 400 entries on Friday , the decision was made to split the purse after round 3 when the curfew was reached on Friday night .
While Saturday brought great weather , it also produced fresh challenges to overcome . “ We were hampered with multiple parts failures and extended delays in the action , but the GALOT staff kept pushing forward as we whittled our way down to 39 entries and once again reached our curfew ,” says Anthony Walton , Loose Rocker founder .
The decision was made to run the remaining 39 entries on Sunday morning and crown Saturday ’ s
$ 20K main event winner on Sunday . In the end , Derek Clark drove his chop-top Olds Cutlass to victory when he defeated Nick Ross , driving a Chevy Monza .
For Sunday ’ s final $ 20K thriller , veteran racer Glenn Ferguson put on a spectacular driving job on the final day . By the time the semifinals rolled around , Ferguson was still doubled , and since he wasn ’ t paired with himself , he ’ d have to hold off Gray Kimble and “ Slick ” Rick Oxford to claim at least one spot in the finals .
Not to be denied , Ferguson marched on to victory , and was crowned Sunday ’ s $ 20K champion and runner-up ! His latest win is added to a decorated career that includes more than 30 IHRA national event trophies and multiple IHRA world championships from decades past , not to mention many track championships along the way .
“ This race has become the largest top-bulb , door-car-only race in the country , and I tip my hat to the entire staff of GALOT Motorsports Park for their tireless efforts to host this event ,” commented Walton .
One final Loose Rocker event at nearby Piedmont Dragway in Julian , North Carolina , capped off the Loose Rocker schedule for 2023 , and was completed the following weekend after the GA- LOT event with the running of the 15th annual Fall Footbrake Frenzy . DI
PHOTOGRAPHS BY CHIP BRALLEY
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