It was a weekend of hot temperatures and hot cars for several Stafford County racers as the competed in the Pink’s All Out drag racing competition at Heartland Park in Topeka recently.
Lawrence and Todd Gillespie, St. John along with Todd Gillespie, of Texas, Bud O’Dell, St. John, Mike Huffman, Macksville, and Bill Richardson and Justin Harter, both of Stafford were among the hundreds of competitors for the grass roots racing event.
“It was a hot weekend, but a very enjoyable event,” said O’Dell. “We only had two mishaps.”
Lawrence Gillespie was the first of the two mishaps when his Coupe dragster got loose at about the 1/8-mile marker, spun around and grazed the wall.
“The track was pretty ‘greasy,’” Gillespie said. “It all happened pretty fast.”
Gillespie said a photographer showed him a picture he had taken of the crash.
“He (the photographer,) said when he lifted up his camera I was heading one way, and when he looked at the picture he’d taken I was heading in the other,” he said.
The coupe sustained only minor damage and ran a quicker time the next day according to Gillespie.
Jeff Gillespie had an engine blow in the burn out box ending his weekend.
Tyler Gillespie placed advancing to the All Out 16 bracket before getting beat.
“It was a fun weekend,” said O’Dell. “Todd and all the other racers deserve congratulations for their efforts.”
The Heartland races will be shown on Speed TV sometime in September.
