Photo Review: 2025 Dover Reunion

Lebanon Valley Dragway held its 17th Annual Dover Dragstrip Reunion on September 26–28. It was a weekend celebrating the legacy and memories of the legendary Wingdale, NY, dragstrip. Dino Lawrence and team once again put together a great event on a sunny, warm weekend. Report and photos by Rob McCabe of Draglist.com.

Various racing took place during the weekend, including the NODRAMA Nostalgia and SuperCar Shootout Series events each day and the Sunday program of eight Dover Eliminators and, of course, a buffet of exhibition vehicles.

Six Funny Cars, four Extreme Blown Altereds, four AA/Gassers from the Supercharged AA/Gassers of America, three front-engine dragsters, and many more were featured on Sunday in front of a packed LVD crowd.

Joey Pirrone in the Screamin’ Eagle ’77 Trans Am, coming off a semi-final finish at Funny Car Chaos a week before, ran low ET and top speed of the Funny Cars with a 6.215/226.70 in his first round against Cody Helger’s Dazed and Confused Camaro, who ran 6.470/215.02 in the losing effort—his best run of the day. Pirrone followed up with consistency, running a 6.216/226.38 in his second-round run.

Jon Wall and Jami Russell came back to Lebanon Valley Dragway with a little bit of a “different attire”—bodies different from what they usually run.

Jon was running the Boston Strangler tribute body as Rick McGarvey was in attendance, remembering Arnie Karp, Keith Hughes, and Bob Ellison. Jon ran a best of 6.398/212.99 in his second round.

Jami, coming off the B-field win at Funny Car Chaos the week before, put the 1978 Corvette body on and ran a best of 7.038/187.33 in the first round.

The big match race of the Funny Cars was between Robin Stambaugh, who took over driving duties from her brother Matt in the Generation-X Vega, and Chris Massarella in his Total Insanity Monza, who stepped in to replace Krista (originally advertised to race Robin). Massarella took it two straight, running his best ET of 6.697 and best MPH of 207.82, while Robin’s best run was in the second match at 7.105/188.53.

Troy Liebi ran low ET of the Extreme Blown Altereds with his Aftermath T-Bucket at 6.26/202.37, alongside Steve Levine’s Comp Eliminator-campaigned Little Monster small-block altered. Levine only ran this round, posting a 6.784/199.61.

Dennis Champney returned to the Valley for the second week in a row, this time bringing his Pale Rider 1940 Coupe with Time Bomb BB/FC driver “Bumblin’” Bob Toth taking over for the day after “bumbling” in his first run. In Round 2, he paired with Liebi, and Toth won with a 7.077/190.53 while Liebi wounded the motor, resulting in a cleanup by the LVD track crew.

Jim Blake brought his traditionally Top Dragster–campaigned Lil Irishman IV Bantam to round out the Altereds. Blake ran a best of 6.491 at the top speed of the day—211.12.

The Jim Oddy AA/Gassers put on a show for the LVD crowd when Alan Niespodzinski drove Jim’s ’35 Willys against Matt King in the Junkyard Dog ’34 Willys sedan. Alan ran low ET and top speed of the Gassers with a 4.818/145.72 to the eighth mile. King’s best was 5.002/137.04 in Round 1 and then 5.143/135.26 here in his losing effort.

It wasn’t all Willys for the AA/Gassers at the Dover Reunion. Fred Missall brought his Mopar Missall ’49 Coupe and ran a best of 5.70/128.65 in a losing run against King in Round 1. Missall had traction problems in Round 2 on a solo as he was slated to face Tom Fritz’s Goin’ Broke II Racing ’41 Willys Pickup, but Fritz broke before his Round 1 match with Niespodzinski and was out for the rest of the day.

Dan Cocozzolli brought his family-owned Outer Limits 429 Blown Alcohol Pontiac-powered East Coast Fueler back to the Valley to run Billy Masiello’s 396 Injected Alcohol digger. Cocozzolli ran low ET and top speed of all the front-engine dragsters with a 7.207/187.71 but lost in Round 2 on a holeshot to Masiello’s 7.266/178.56. Masiello’s best came in Round 1 with a 7.253/178.60.

Steve Bowley, representing the Back Seat Drivers, brought his blown 394 Oldsmobile Moxie slingshot to the Dover Reunion and ran a pair of 8.38/162 passes, with a best of 8.380/162.78 in Round 1 and an 8.383/162.34 in Round 2.

Nostalgia Pro Stocks were represented as Jimmy “Nine Fingers” Niemynski in his Amazing Grace ’72 Duster won the match over Bill Smrtic’s ’72 Plymouth Scamp, known as the Storm King. Niemynski ran low ET of 10.789 and top speed of 123.77. Smrtic’s best was 12.057/119.29.

The Top Sportsman match race featured two local favorites with their nitrous-assisted doorslammers: Connecticut’s Dan Hill in his ’69 Camaro against Pittsfield, Mass.’s Don Lussier in his popular nitrous-injected ’55 Bel Air. They split the match—Lussier won the first with a 7.232/188.64 after Hill red-lighted. Hill made the best run of the match in the loss with a 6.418/213.55. In Round 2, Hill got an easy win with a 6.446/213.40 after Lussier got out of shape and went bowling for timing blocks around half track.

Hudson, NY’s Mike Zibella also brought his wild blown ’71 Chevy Vega to make a couple of runs in front of the packed house. His best was 8.361/161.39.

Walter Zalak IV was making test shots with his supercharged Top Dragster, preparing for Dallas and the NHRA FallNationals and Jeg’s All-Stars. This weekend, he was running the supercharger from his dad Wally Zalak III’s Pro Mod to gain that extra edge. Zalak’s best was 6.292/217.76.

Tom Moule ran his Chevy shoebox to a couple of passes, making a best of 9.383/121.13.

 

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