05/05/2025
SAMOA DRAGS SEASON OPENER RESULTS: FORDS SWEEP SATURDAY; NASCA SWEEPS WEEKEND SERIES
By Codi Kirksey
(SAMOA DRAGSTRIP - Eureka, Calif.) Samoa Dragstrip held its NHRA Summit Racing Equipment ET Racing Series season-opener on May 3-4. The opening weekend featured the first two events of the championship series, set on the historic quarter-mile just outside of Eureka. The series is comprised of sixteen events this season, all to be held at Samoa Dragstrip. The most successful racers in the series will earn a bid to the NHRA Pacific Division Finals at Firebird Motorsports Park, in Chandler, Arizona, which will crown a Division Champion in Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman, and Sportsman Motorcycle E.T. Eliminators. Division Champions will receive a bid to the National Finals, held annually at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada, as part of the NHRA Nevada Nationals. The grassroots series provides an opportunity for automotive enthusiasts to compete on a local basis while affording its exceptional performers an opportunity to compete for Division and National Championships.
Super Pro E.T. Eliminator attracted the most entrants for the weekend's events, fielding sixteen-car fields on Saturday and Sunday. Jason Giacone (Eureka, Calif.) drove his Ford Mustang to a victory on Saturday, defeating Sam Ivey (Fortuna, Calif.) by less than three-hundredths of a second in the final round to take the first victory of the season. Despite his strong showing on Saturday, Giacone failed to advance from the opening round in Sunday’s event. On Sunday, the Chevrolets took their revenge. In the all-Chevrolet final round, Dave Wight (Eureka, Calif.) used a nearly perfect reaction time to drive his first-generation Camaro to the Winner’s Circle in the final round against Phillip Hopkins’s (Eureka, Calif.) third-generation Camaro.
In Pro E.T. Eliminator, Lance Ford (Arcata, Calif.) drove his ‘87 Mustang to a victory on Saturday, defeating Karl Greiner in the quarterfinals to advance to the semifinal round where a bye-run was awaiting him. In Saturday’s final round, Ford defeated Phillip Hopkins by two-hundredths of a second. In the final round of Sunday’s race, 2024 Pro E.T. Track Champion Nick Giacone (Eureka, Calif.) and Eric Giacone (Eureka, Calif.) squared off in a pair of Ford-family products. Eric took the victory in his Ranchero when Nick fouled out on the starting line in his Comet.
Sportsman E.T. Eliminator saw longtime Samoa racer Ana Toledo (McKinleyville, Calif.) wheel another Ford Mustang to victory on Saturday against 2024 Samoa Dragstrip Rookie of the Year Codi Kirksey (Brookings, Ore.) in the final round. Toledo defeated 2024 Sportsman E.T. Track Champion Bryan Goodman in the quarterfinal round with a perfect reaction time before dispatching Larry Ghidinelli en route to a victory on Saturday. On Sunday, Kirksey bounced back from his final round loss on Saturday, defeating Goodman in the quarterfinal round and Dylan Ellsworth in the semifinal round before spoiling Eric Giacone’s bid for a double-up in the final round. Kirksey’s Toyota was the slowest car entered in the field and Giacone was driving one of the quickest. Kirksey’s 6-plus-second handicapped start proved to be too much of a test for Giacone’s patience, as Giacone fouled on the starting line, handing Sunday’s Eliminator Championship to Kirksey.
Phil Nasca (Humboldt Hill, Calif.) swept the weekend in Sportsman Motorcycle E.T. Eliminator, winning Eliminator Championships in both Saturday and Sunday’s events. Four riders entered each day. On Saturday, Nasca defeated 2024 Sportsman Motorcycle Track Champion Brian Bognuda (Mirnada, Calif.) in the opening round before using a tremendous starting line advantage to defeat Dan Hrynkiewicz (Blocksburg, Calif.) in the final round. On Sunday, Nasca faced off with Tim Stephens in the opening round. Stephens broke out by eight-thousandths of a second, posting a 10.322-second pass against his 10.33-second dial-in. Nasca would then face Bognuda in the final round. Despite Bognuda’s starting line advantage, Nasca was able to pass him on the top end for the win as Bognuda’s Kawasaki slowed to a 8.35-second pass with a speed in the 120 MPH range - a far cry from his typical performances in the low 8.0-second/150 MPH range.
The NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League was also on the track Saturday and Sunday. The league allows for drivers as young as five years old to gain on-track experience and allows drivers from six to seventeen to compete against one another. Many prominent figures of professional drag racing have launched their careers from the league. On Saturday, Daniel Inman (Fortuna, Calif.) found the Winner’s Circle, notably defeating 2024’s Junior Drag Racing League 12U Track Champion Logan Johnson in the quarterfinals to earn a bye run in the semifinals. Inman faced off with number one qualifier Grant Williamson (Eureka, Calif.) in the final round. Inman captured his first Eliminator Championship before he made it to the finish line when Williamson fouled on the starting line. On Sunday, Williamson would not be shaken by his final round loss from the previous day. Williamson defeated Logan Johnson in the opening round. By virtue of the elimination ladder, Williamson had the bye run in the quarterfinals. He then defeated Robert Boynton in the semifinal round. In the final round, Williamson drew 2024 Junior Drag Racing League 17U Track Champion Isabella Fuentes-Zittel (Humboldt Hill, Calif.). Williamson posted an 8.076-second elapsed time against his 8.06-second dial in to defeat Fuentes-Zittel who lit the scoreboards at 8.216 second, breaking out on her 8.25-second dial in.
Fourteen events remain in the 2025 Championship Season at Samoa Dragstrip. The next two events are scheduled for a doubleheader weekend, on May 17-18 where the weekend’s events will kick off on Friday with O’Reilly Auto Parts Street Legal Drags. Gates open at 5:30 PM on Friday with free spectator admission and free racing for street legal vehicles from 6:00-8:00. For the Summit Series events on Saturday and Sunday, the gates open at 8:00 AM with preliminary qualifying scheduled for 10:00, with eliminations to follow. Spectator admission is $10 on Saturday and Sunday.
