DIALED IN
Stick Shift Nationals
Growth Continues
W
PHOTO: VAN ABERNETHY
By Van Abernethy
ith the 6th annual Stick
Shift Nationals now in the
books, it’s clear that the
sponsorship-generated
purse isn’t the only thing
that grows larger each year, as the car count
continues to soar in number as well. The most
recent running of what’s likely the fastest growing clutch car event around saw 72 participants
show up at North Carolina’s Farmington Dragway
to do battle for a piece of the record $16,000 in
prize money - all of which was raised by sponsor
donations.
It’s hard to imagine that such a celebrated
event attracted just 5 cars as most recently as
four years ago, but that was before the “dialing
for dollars” concept was implemented for raising
payout monies for this race. The turning point
can be traced back to when Ken Regenthal retired
June 2016
his Pro Mod car in favor of a gear jammer a few
years back, only the Quick-8 star did n’t merely
get involved in stick shift racing as a participant,
he also became directly involved in raising funds
for the once-yearly Stick Shift Nationals.
“I basically just started calling people I knew
and asking if they’d like to be a sponsor of this
race, and amazingly it continues to grow each
and every year,” explains Regenthal. His first year
efforts of sponsorship-seeking donations for the
purse resulted in $4,500, followed by $5,500 the
next year. The 5th annual running of the event in
2015 saw a whopping $12,000 raised, and many
onlookers believed that number might be the ceiling of support, but it clearly was not as sponsorship levels rose yet again to the aforementioned
$16,000 in total payout that was awarded on
May 28th, 2016, after the most recent running.
Remarkably, the entry fee for car and driver
continues to be completely free, and the payout
structure is spread deep with $3,000 awarded
to the winner, all the way down to $50 for each
round won. If you happen to lose first round,
no worries, you can enter the “second chance
race” which pays $1,000 (along with lots of round
money) and likewise is completely free to enter.
As if that wasn’t enough to generate some
excitement, local hero and drag racing engine
building legend Gene Fulton made an appearance at the event – jumping out of an airplane
and parachuting his way down to the starting line
while the National Anthem played in front of a
huge crowd of cheering fans. After removing the
parachute from his back, he promptly climbed
behind the wheel of Regenthal’s 1966 Corvette
and competed in the Stick Shift Nationals.
Fulton made a round one exit though when
he met eventual finalist, who also happens to be
Ken Regenthal’s son, Kenny Regenthal, wheeling
his popular “Bullseye” 1976 Nova. Kenny would
continue marching his way through eliminations
where he squared off against the 1966 Chevy II of
DragIllustrated.com
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