With ambition and anticipation, Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio staged its Inaugural Ken Ganley Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram World of Mopar presented by Arrington Performance, Sept. 22-24, 2023 and by all accounts, it was an extraordinary event.
Produced and presented by Summit Motorsports Park with Mopar enthusiasts in mind, it featured three days of racing, a Fun Field Car Show, swap meet, car corral, manufacturers’ midway, concert by Trainwreck Country Band and fireworks.
“We couldn’t be happier with our Inaugural Ken Ganley Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram World of Mopar presented by Arrington Performance,” said Bill Bader Jr., president of Summit Motorsports Park. “Our team spent several months organizing this event, and we all wanted it to be successful, and we are all very grateful that it was. We had a tremendous turnout, and we look forward to an even bigger event next year. The planning starts now.”
On Friday, Sept. 22, 2023, the final round of eliminations in Indy Cylinder Head No Box saw Ron Hicks of Leo, Indiana, rip off a .001 reaction time and race to a 12.45 to defeat Cory Blackford of Toledo, Ohio, who stopped the clocks at 9.89. In Box, Randy Chestnut recorded a .007 on the tree and took the win with a 6.13 over Keith Meador, who went through the traps at 6.16.
On Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, the final round of eliminations in Koffel’s Place Super Pro put the spotlight on Gene Nagy of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Cliff Motes of Logan, West Virginia. They inched into the beams before blasting off, and Nagy came out on top with a 4.70 to Motes’ 6.59. In CRT Transmissions Pro, Marcus King of Republic, Ohio and Mike Walwood of Parma, Ohio motored up to the starting line, and King secured the win with a 9.60 elapsed time to Walwood’s 9.85. AA Transmission Hemi Super Stock saw Bob Marshall of Columbus, Ohio and Ron Gallagher of Whitby, Ontario, turn on their red lights, and Marshall won as his light was a bit less red than Gallagher’s. In Mancini Racing Nostalgia Super Stock, Doug Wright of Waterford, Michigan and Mike DeChicco of Ostrander, Ohio put dial-ins on their classic cars before Wright wrapped up the win with a 9.43 to DeChicco’s 11.46. Dan Trainer of Orient, Ohio and Dan Brewer of West Milton, Ohio took the stage for the TTI Exhaust Sportsman final round of eliminations, and Trainer wrapped up the win when Brewer illuminated the red light, with a mere -.005, at the hit.
On Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, the final round of eliminations in FireCore 50 Top Gun Full-Bodied saw Jeff Goebel of Stratford, Ontario, flat-foot the pedal on his Duster to a 4.39 for the win over Chris Wheatcraft of Jamestown, Ohio, who clocked a 4.84 in his Demon. In FireCore 50 Top Gun Open-Bodied, Bryan Keller cruised to a 3.70 to earn his trip to the Summit Motorsports Park Winner’s Circle over Keith McLennan, who was .004 at the hit but had to get out of the throttle. Unfortunately, a continuous mist on Sunday evening caused the remaining rounds for other categories to be cancelled.
As an added element to the event, Manufacturers’ Choice Car Show Awards were given during a ceremony on the starting line. The winners were Jerry Imhoff’s 1970 Duster (chosen by Arrington Performance); Rick and Nicole Janosik’s 1973 Challenger (chosen by Ken Ganley Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram); Mark Charlton’s 1963 Plymouth Wagon Max Wedge (chosen by Mancini Racing); Pam and Phil Helms’ 1972 Roadrunner Satellite (chosen by Koffel’s Place); Dave Taylor’s 1962 Fury (chosen by CRT Transmissions); Bill Watkins’ 1969 Barracuda (chosen by Moto Lenz Photos); Joe and Pam Mazzola’s 1970 Barracuda (chosen by Indy Cylinder Heads); Paul and Rose Prescott’s 1969 Charger Daytona (chosen by Harland Sharp); Francis McManamon’s 1966 Belvedere II Wagon (chose by FireCore 50) and Randy Slovikosky’s 1978 Trail Duster (chosen by Dornan’s Sales & Service)
As racers and race fans who were at the event over the weekend heard, Bader Jr. has happily announced that the 2nd Annual Ken Ganley Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram World of Mopar presented by Arrington Performance will be Sept. 19-22, 2024, and as a new addition, a Gen III Hemi category will be part of the lineup.
“This event has the ingredients to be enormous, and we are eager to see where we can go from here,” said Bader Jr.
Summit Motorsports Park is at 1300 State Route 18, Norwalk, Ohio. For more information, visit summitmotorsportspark.com or call 419-668-5555.
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