Anthony Platania Wins Quick 32 Sportsman Series, Josie Brooks Captures Pro Bike & Sled Series at Empire Dragway
Anthony “The Shoe” Platania from Rochester, NY, wheeled his Dream Team 2021 Power Chassis Race Cars Top Dragster entry to the Quick 32 Sportsman Series win at Empire Dragway in Leicester, New York, this past weekend.
Charlie Emler Jr. from Spencerport, NY, won in the Top Sportsman division, but could not make the Quick 32 Sportsman Series overall Top Dragster vs. Top Sportsman final round in his 1968 Chevrolet Camaro, which is powered by a 738 cubic inch Buck Racing Engine on Nitrous.
In the Top Dragster division final, Platania defeated Brett Bennett from Avon, NY, with a 4.79 second 141.46 mph pass on a 4.79 dial-in vs. Bennett’s 4.54 seconds 151.46 mph on a 4.52 dial-in. Semi-finalists were Tyler Rudolph’s 2010 American Race Cars Dragster from Hemlock, NY and Rich Yacos’s 2018 Mike Bos Dragster from Cambria, NY and quarter-finalists were Mike Kalin, Craig Giordano, Buddy Forrest and Lucas Salemi.
The number one qualifier in the Quick 32 Sportsman Series Top Dragster division was Mike Kalin from Niagara Falls, NY, leading the field of 16 entries with a 3.88-second 187.89-mph pass in the eighth mile.
In the Quick 32 Sportsman Series Top Sportsman division, Charlie Elmer Jr. defeated Dustin Gabel’s 645 cubic inch Mopar powered 1971 Plymouth Duster from Stratford, Ontario, with a 4.24 second 166.42 mph pass on a 4.23 dial-in with a .0012 reaction time to Gabel’s 4.46 second 157.29 mph pass on a 4.46 dial-in.
Semi-finalists were Gary O’Connell from Spencerport, NY, in his Keith Black powered 2005 Chevrolet Corvette and Rob Gray’s 2003 Jerry Bickel Race Cars Chevrolet Cavalier in the Wilson & Gray Racing Team from Ingersol, Ontario.
Gary Grahner, Matt Gregoire, Doug Lynden, and Phil Sampson were the top Sportsman quarterfinalists.
Grahner led the fifteen-team field with a 4.04 second 186.41 pass for the Quick 32 Sportsman Series Top Sportsman number one qualifier.
The Pro Bike & Sled Series (PBSS) eliminator was won by Josie Brooks from Arkona, Ontario, on her 1997 GSXR 750 Pro Bike with a final round performance of 4.96 seconds at 135.99 mph on a 4.95 dial-in over the Pro Sled 2013 Arctic Cat of Bob Salerno from Utica, NY running 5.45 seconds at 127.88 mph on a 5.47 dial-in.
Josie Brooks led the Pro Bike & Sled Series with the number one qualifying time of 4.931 seconds at 138.76 mph.
Both riding Pro Bikes, Lee Burgess and Drew Nearhoof, were PBSS semi-finalists. Mike Puglia, Brian Babiak, Bill Pippard, and Brian Baker were quarter-finalists.
Brandon MacCombie from Cicero, NY won the Pro Bike & Sled Series Consolation Feature over Joel Rivera from Rochester, NY.
Mike “Hollywood” Decker won the Outlaw Pro Mod Association (NEOPMA) / Pro Modified Association (PMRA) at the Empire Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Challenge VII. In the final round, Decker defeated Kenny Lang with a 3.65-second, 202.34-mph charge to Lang’s 3.70 seconds at 204.17 mph.
The next event for the Quick 32 Sportsman Series and Pro Bike & Sled Series will be the weekend of September 13 – 14 at Empire Dragway in Leicester, NY.
Qualifying will be held Friday, September 13, at 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, September 14, at 11:00 a.m., with eliminations starting at 2:00 p.m.
Empire Dragway will offer Box and No Box Eliminators plus a Super Rod 7.0 Division on Saturday, September 14; contact the track for details.
Visit the Quick 32 Sportsman Series at www.facebook.com/quick32, the Pro Bike & Sled Series (PBSS) at www.facebook.com/probikeandsledseries and the Empire Dragway at EmpireDragway.com for more information and event updates.
Kayden Wicke continues to lead the Quick 32 Sportsman Series Championship Point Award Series with 473 points, followed closely by Anthony Platania in second with 469 points, Charlie Elmer Jr. in third with 459 points, Craig Chadderdon in fourth with 457 points, and Buddy Forrest remains in the Top Five with 440 points.
The Pro Bike & Sled Series (PBSS) Championship Point Award Series is led by Lee Burgess with 470 points, followed by Jose Brooks in second place with 460 points, Josh Costa in third place with 455 points, Bill Pippard in fourth place with 438 points and Drew Nearhoof in fifth place with 410 points.
The Championship Point Award Series Banquet, “Night of Champions” for the Quick 32 Sportsman Series and the Pro Bike & Sled Series (PBSS), will be held at the Genesee River Restaurant and Reception Center in Mount Morris, NY on Saturday, January 25, 2025.
This story was originally published on August 20, 2024.
The post Anthony Platania Wins Quick 32 Sportsman Series, Josie Brooks Captures Pro Bike & Sled Series at Empire Dragway first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
