Schnitz Racing Southeastern Drag Bike Association
US 60 Dragway
August 16-17, 2024

SDBA 2024 Mid-Season Recap

As we close in on the back half of the Schnitz Racing SDBA 2024 season presented by Evil Swingarms, let’s reflect on where everything stands after the first three races. The 2024 has hosted nothing short of the best bracket and index racing possible, with multiple double 0 margins at each event. The points chase is in the heaviest possible point, and there are racers capable of taking over in every single class.

MPS Racing Pro ET has the defending 2023 champion, John Markham, out front, but hot on his heels are some of the best delay box racers in the country. Only 31 points or three rounds of competition separate first place from sixth place. John finds himself battling for contention with Jonathon Milam, Dustin Lee, Ronnie Woodall Jr., Warren Eldred (on a no box, true hand clutch busa) and Grady Powell. This class is tight with every single round posing a shakeup in points.

RingTuned LLC True Hand Clutch is in its first full year as a class with SDBA. This class was created from the mind of Logan Ring to bring back the old-school street ET class with a true hand clutch at its base. This class sees first and fifth separated by 40 points. The breakthrough story here is Curtis Cochran, who got his first-ever SDBA win at the season opener and has been clinging to first place ever since. It’s going to take that same effort for the back half of this season as he has Butchie Thompson, Warren Eldred, Hardy Batey, and Bam Rucker looking to take over the top spot as well.

Hard Times Parts and Service Street ET is every bit as close as the other classes. I may not be “Spooky” like Markham, but I’m fortunate to hold the points lead heading into this weekend’s event. I know everyone will be coming after me, including the top 5 racers Grady Powell (again!), Butchie Thompson, Logan Hardy and Wes Brown. I’m sure this last half of the season will be the toughest racing I’ve ever faced. (excerpt written for me by Tim Hailey Eatmyink)

Duke’s Wrecker Service Top Gas has been one of my favorite classes for watching points change. 4 time defending champion Dustin Lee (255 points) has his hands full with a host of new contenders in 2024. With only two and a half rounds of competition differentiating between first and fifth, this is a class to watch! Currently sitting in second is Ryan Miller with 229 points, Ryan is an SDBA faithful who picked up his first SDBA win this year at the Battle in Bama. Third place belongs to the always-deadly Richard McManus with 226 points. Fourth place is held by Top Gas newcomer Brian Dale with 206 points, and fifth place is in possession of Mantez Thompson Jr. with 205 points. This class could be anyone’s and I cannot wait to see who comes out on top.

Burnout Cycles V-Twin ET has an undefeated Butchie Thompson with a sizeable lead. However, the fat lady has yet to even warm up, as Lorren Potter, Frank Corbett, and Brian Harris still have a viable shot at the title. We’ve seen it before, and I’m sure we will see it again. A big change-up can happen quickly. With three races left, the Vtwin championship season is still open.

Voodoo Custom Motorcycle Components Ultra Sportsman has a 4-round spread between first and fourth. Nick “The Kid” Bowling sits out front, but he has a pool of sharks circling underneath, looking for a shot. Trailing by just a few rounds are 6.0 killer Ronnie Woodall Jr., 3-time Ultra Sportsman champion John Markham, and the always-deadly Corey Lee. Three races left between some of the best 6.0 index racers in the world, this championship chase is wide open, and I, for one, cannot wait to calculate points after each race.

MTC Engineering Super Comp sees previous champion Dustin Lee sitting in first, followed closely by defending champion Wes Brown, while John Markham sits in third, with only three rounds of racing separating first and third. Don’t get it twisted, there are still a host of other racers sitting below these three who are capable of making big waves at any time. SDBA’s MTC Engineering SuperComp has to be some of the tightest racing I’ve ever seen. At the Summer Showdown, we saw a 5.64 was good enough for the 12th qualifier, which is why you cannot count anyone out in this class.

The University of Win Proving Grounds is always an exciting class to watch. You get to see beginners and newcomers learn to race and hone their skill before jumping into one of the extremely competitive classes. Currently, we see Terrell Thompson sitting at the top with a couple of bridesmaid finishes under his belt. He is only one round ahead of Josh Ferrara with Pam Rogers (PG winner of Battle in Bama) sitting third and Gary Snelling sitting fourth. This is such a treat to watch, and I know every one of these riders is gunning for the crown.

Kentucky Knockdown at US 60 Dragway

After reviewing the current standings, there is absolutely zero doubt that you want to be at US60 this weekend, 8/16-8/17, to see where everyone picks up after the summer break. Bikes have broken and been repaired, riders have been testing, racing, and practicing and it all leads up to this weekend when fire back up to finish the season off strong. Be there!

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2024 Motorcycle Drag Racing Schedule

• April 12-13 / Brainerd Motorsports Park
• May 24-25 / Alabama International Raceway
• June 21-22 / Ethridge Motorsports Park
• August 16-17 / US 60 Dragway
• September 20-21 / Lassiter Mountain Dragway
• October 25-26 / Alabama International Raceway

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