2017 Great Lakes Dragaway

Nostalgia Super Stock Inc. Starts 2017 Season
‘Chi Town Shaker’ Sets All-time Best
Great Lakes Dragaway
By Bob Wilkiewicz
Nostalgia Super Stock Inc. Staff

UNION GROVE, Wi. – Mike Therrien was discouraged. “This is so much better,” he said, after posting all-time personal best elapsed times of 10.110 and then 10.101 during the 2017 season opener for Nostalgia Super Stock Inc. at the Great Lakes Dragaway Memorial Day Classic event May 28 and 29.

A year ago, Therrien was at the same event and suffered a broken rear suspension on his Hemi-powered 1968 ‘Chi Town Shaker’ Dodge. Without much time and without much of a budget, Therrien considered just putting the car in the garage and the transmission in park.

Fortunately for both Therrien and everyone else who likes Nostalgia Super Stock racing, he was able to find a sponsor who helped with both finance and engineering to make the ‘Chi Town Shaker’ now perform better than ever.

For Nostalgia Super Stock Inc., now in its 28th consecutive season, this event became the leadoff for 2017 after a race scheduled at U.S. 36 Dragway at Osborn, Missouri for May 20 was rained out.

Therrien was joined by 14 other racers, including guests Jerry Kuenster and Marty Mumm; Kuenster with a unique W-block powered 1959 Chevrolet El Camino and Mumm with Rat Motor power in a 1965 Chevelle.

The company ran six sessions over the two days with attrition reducing the count to eight racers on Sunday for a total of 69 match race runs.

The closest contest came in Saturday’s second session as Mumm and corporation president Rich Berlisk battled with quarter-mile intervals of 9.735 and 9.736, respectively, the win going to Berlisk due to his 0.227 to 0.403 reaction time advantage off the 0.4 Pro ‘Tree.

In the same session, the final pairing of John Grinwald in the ‘Asphalt Elephant’ 1962 Dodge against Spencer Schreindl in the ‘High Tension’ 1964 Dodge produced a 0.065 to 0.118 and 8.795 to 8.809 posting in Grinwald’s favor despite Schreindl’s 156.11 mph trap speed.

Sunday’s third episode showed a 10.187 to 10.192 edge for Therrien over John Rousset in his ‘Hard Days Night’ 1963 Plymouth, which went 132.62 mph.

On Saturday, Rousset had ran 9.919 at 134.30 mph, just above his all-time personal best of 9.85.

“We committed to doing the work, doing it right and got more than I expected,” said Therrien. “I couldn’t be more pleased with how things have turned out.”

Roster

Howard Crull, Fieldon IL, 1965 Plymouth; Tom Cartwright, Indianapolis IN, 1964 Dodge; Jerry Kuenster, Lancaster WI, 1959 Chevrolet; Dennis Sherer, Roscoe IL, 1963 Ford; Gerry Gostenik, Dearborn MI, 1961 Chevrolet; Mike Therrien, Elmhurst IL, 1968 Dodge; Ryan Eads, Emden IL, 1964 Plymouth; Doug Henderson, Columbia MO. 1964 Plymouth; Bob Durling, Mooresville IN, 1963 Plymouth; John Rousset, Columbia MO, 1963 Plymouth; Marty Mumm, Cassville WI, 1965 Chevelle; Milt Schreindl, Waterford WI, 1965 Dodge; Rich Berlisk, Hartland WI, 1963 Plymouth; Spencer Schreindl, Oconomowoc WI, 1964 Dodge; John Grinwald, Watertown WI, 1962 Dodge

Saturday

Session One 2:10 p.m.
Crull single 11.32; Cartwright 12.34 v. Kuenster 12.06; Gostenik 24.47 v. Sherer 10.65; Eads 10.63 v. Therrien 10.25; Henderson 10.35 v. Durling 10.46; Mumm 9.78 v. Rousset 10.17; Schreindl, M. 9.91 v. Berlisk 9.74; Grinwald 8.77 v. Schreindl, S. 8.73

Session Two 5:06 p.m.
Gostenik single 11.16; Cartwright 12.29 v. Kuenster 12.01; Crull 11.30 v. Durling 10.4; Eads 10.42 v. Sherer 10.96; Henderson 10.32 v. Therrien 10.14; Schreindl, M. 9.92 v. Roussett 10.12; Berlisk 9.73 v. Mumm 9.73; Grinwald 8.79 v. Schreindl, S. 8.80

Session Three 7:05 p.m.
Crull 11.40 v. Gostenik 10.80; Cartwright 11.91 v. Kuenster 11.97; Sherer 10.75 single; Eads 10.30 v. Durling 10.40; Henserson 10.32 v. Rousset 9.91; Schreindl, M. 9.79 v. Therrien 10.10; Berlisk 9.87 v. Mumm broke; Grinwald 9.78 v. Schreindl 8.69

Session Four not run

Sunday

Session One 5:52 p.m.
Grinwald 8.88 v. Cartwright 12.03; Henderson 10.35 v. Durling 10.43; Rousset 9.93 v. Therrien 10.11; Schreindl, M. 9.89 v. Berlisk 9.80

Session Two 7:16 p.m.
Berlisk 9.81 v. Cartwright 12.25; Henderson 10.31 v. Durling 10.43l Rousset 10.06 Therrien 10.16; Schreindl, M. 10.13 v. Grinwald 8.88

Session Three 9:11 p.m.
Schreindl, M. 9.98 v. Cartwright 12.03; Durling 10.54 v. Henderson 15.299; Therrien 10.18 v. Rousset 10.19; Grinwald 11.08 v. Berlisk 14.27

© 2017 by Nostalgia Super Stock Inc. All rights reserved.