May 30, 2025, Nitro Harley race coverage
event: PennGrade1 AMRA Ohio Nationals
when: May 16-18, 2025
where: National Trail Raceway, Hebron, Ohio, US
When the Nitro Harley-Davidson thunder subsided at National Trail Raceway following the PennGrade1 AMRA Ohio Nationals on May 16-18, towering rider Jordan Peterson was celebrating two wins and team owner Chris Stewart was thrilled by an all-Stewart Racing Top Fuel final.
“What an incredible and unexpected weekend!” said Stewart. “The Romine (tuning/building brothers Mike and Jack Romine) team, along with Samu (Finland’s Samu Kemppainen, the Top Fuel runner-up) and Jordan, absolutely crushed it.
“I can’t take much credit for this one — it was all them and the rest of the crew who put in the hard work and made it happen. It was really nice to be a part of it all and make some fantastic memories with great friends!”
Circle M Ranch Top Fuel
Peterson didn’t start off setting National Trail on fire, qualifying fifth behind number one Chris Smith, his teammate Kemppainen, multi-time champ Ryan Peery, and Michael Balch.
It was unusual qualifying sessions for the Circle M Ranch Top Fuel bikes—in fact, all of the nitro bikes. The same strong winds that wreaked havoc on the NHRA race in Joliet and sent cars into the air at Indianapolis were blowing across National Trail. The second round was run all in the left lane on Saturday, with a morning round in the right lane on Sunday.
Even in round one of eliminations, Peterson was second slowest of all round winners. Louisiana winner Peery was quickest and seemed to be the favorite, given his career record of consistency and raceday improvement.
But Paul Anderson was second-quickest and then took Peery out in E2 despite giving up .056 at the tree. “On Sunday, I had a computer board mess up in my fuel control box after Q3 in the morning and I couldn’t do anything with it,” reported Peery. “Couldn’t get fuel pressure up at the hit and my 60 foot times were not great. Rest of the fuel curve worked properly so the bike would still run consistent, just not great. Fixing the issue and will be ready for Martin, Michigan.”
Peterson beat Balch and the day was shaping up to be anybody’s race. Kemppainen advanced when Tim Kerrigan was unable to make the call.
“After our runner-up finish in Belle Rose, we headed to National Trail with high expectations,” said DayStar Machine and Cycle Concepts’s Steve Vickers, the builder and tuner of Kerrigan’s bike. “Unfortunately, we were plagued with gremlins all weekend.
“The air was not as good as Belle Rose, so we took some fuel out for Q1. We made it down the track, but only ran a 6.85. After reviewing the data, we realized that we had a malfunction with the fuel system, with even less fuel than we had planned.
“After repairing the fuel system issue, we were still too rich, and immediately dropped a hole for Q2 and Q3. Made another fuel adjustment, along with some timing, and we were able to run a 6.60 for E1 after JT (John “JT” Toth) broke coming out of the burnout.
“During our maintenance to prepare for E2, we found a broken throttle shaft. We unfortunately did not have a spare, and after welding it back together, and breaking it again during reassembly, we were done for the weekend.”
Peterson then beat number one qualifier Smith in the semis. “Overall, it was a great weekend being back on a bike, basically coming out of what felt like retirement,” said Smith. “Jay (Turner) and Dorothy (Olson) reached out a few weeks ago and offered an amazing opportunity to ride one of the best bikes in the world with the tuning efforts of Jeremy Hoy, Jay, and Rex Harris—how can you say no to that?!
“We were able to grab the number one qualifier spot, which was amazing. Unfortunately, we hurt the motor in Q3 and the bike slowed to a 6.54, and then slowed to a 6.65 in the first round of eliminations.
“Luckily we had a bye in round 2 and chose to break the beam, and then head back to the trailer and replace the rear rod, piston and cylinder. The entire team jumped in and had tools and parts slinging everywhere and we were able to make the repairs in less than 30 minutes to make the semifinals.
“Unfortunately our luck ran out there. We were out on Jordan by a slim margin (.002) until half half-track and then put a hole out and watched him cruise by. I am really looking forward to the rest of our season as I feel we have what it takes to be very successful.”
Kemppainen raced past Anderson in the other semi to set up the all-Stewart final. Samu held an .053 to .068 advantage at the tree and a great side-by-side race was on! Peterson lit the winlight with a 6.51 at 211 to Samu’s 6.53 at 212, but the Finn’s excitement was just beginning.
“On the final run, I lost all air and could not shut off bike and (pop) parachute,” said Kemppainen. “And I was so close to the wall (where the pavement is rough and channeled), I couldn’t hit hard brakes right away, so it was sandpit dirtbiking then.” Samu actually ended up on Refugee Road (which we’re told was NOT blocked!), placing himself between asphalt and bike to protect the motorcycle.
Samu and the bike made it back to the winner’s circle, both very dusty and quite sore. “Luckily no damage to bike or me. Lots of cleaning but we will be ready for next race.”
No gravel, but Peterson had his clutch dust covered face in the winners circle. “It was a wild weekend, with the outcome you always hope for but is rarely achieved,” said Jordan.
“Chris Stewart has given me an amazing opportunity to ride a top-quality bike. He’s laid back and creates no pressure, where you can just have fun and enjoy racing—but at the same time wants to win.
“With the Chris Stewart Top Fuel bikes, it is the goal of any two-bike team—get on opposite sides of the ladder and meet in the finals. Overall, this was a HUGE weekend for Romine Racing.
“Going into the semifinals, all of the Romine tuned bikes were still in—Paul Anderson, and myself—with Chris Smith being the fourtth bike with Jay Turner racing. Every round we had the performance edge and I was needing that performance from the Romine’s after the second round—where my lights were not where I typically like them—and needed that E.T. to get back around the competition.
“Anybody involved with racing, knows that it is never smooth sailing. Even on successful weekends, typically it was a hard-fought battle and we had our fair share. Without the team that’s around me I don’t know how any of this could have been possible. We are always watching each other’s backs and helping each other out where we can.
“Spencer Aguiar is in the process of getting his own Top Fuel operation ready to race but couldn’t quite have everything ready for the Ohio race. He stepped in helping with the between round maintenance and he is an absolute beast, I can’t thank him enough!
“My teammates, the ‘Finland fun guys’—Samu, Mika Sjostedt (clutch man extraordinaire), and Jeff Killingsworth (not from Finland)—also stepped in when I needed them. At one point we had already run the Top Fuel bike, it was back in the pits and we were delayed at the starting line from running the Funnybike. By the time we ran the Funnybike and got back, I ran over to start my between round maintenance on the Top Fuel bike and they went down the list of everything they had already done, I said ‘Well, what am I supposed to do?’ They replied ‘Ride it!’ Just and amazing group of people you can count on.
“How can we forget Casey Jo (Sluggo) on top of the between round help. She did the running this weekend, taking me here and there, keeping an eye making sure I was where I needed to be. Every evening, she makes sure our team has a good meal to finish the night off with.
“Rex Harris is like a damn superhero! He’s there when you need him and without asking.. It’s quite time consuming getting both Top Fuel bikes back after a run, a lot of times it’s precious minutes if there are problems. But Rex has helped many times this year, giving me that extra time needed between rounds. I am typically turning off the race track and he is sitting there waiting. Thank you, Rex!”
The Bad Apple team has seen better weekends of Top Fuel racing, with Jimmy “Mac” McMillan doing a reenactment of his Louisiana explosion. Tracy Kile blew the tire at the hit nearly every qualifying pass, then pancaked the wall in E1. That resulted only in a bent pipe and Kile was back to the starting line to support his team immediately.
Juha “Sushi” Hintukainen and his ProCharged bike endured a weekend of breakage and Sushi was unable to make the call for E1. Jay Turner lost to Samu and Peery’s teammate Buddy Johnson lost to Peterson—both in E1.
Sportsman racer Robert Willis shook down an old Bob Spina bike recently purchased by Stephen Coutsourakis. Expect to see Steve getting his Fuel license soon.
The highlight reel of the weekend was accomplished by Curtis Heisler, who neglected to put in the top bolts of his wheelie bars for his E1 match with Anderson. As soon as the bike struck the bars, the bike launched skyward like a rocket, turning to one side before crashing back to earth and tossing Heisler to the centerline. There he laid motionless until racer Frank Velasco and the Nat Trail safety crew reached him.
But he was OK. Later in the day, back at his pit, the mid-60s racer was quite nonchalant about the horrifying event. “This one’s all on me,” he said. “I’ve got have some excitement.”
Looking over the bike—which was in surprisingly good shape, he continued, “Of course it’ll cost me.”
That’s racing!
Nitro Funnybike
Peterson added the Nitro Funnybike win to his weekend—his second straight on the Romine Racing prepared, Phil Lower-owned mount.
The Funnybikes seemed to struggle in Ohio, with Peterson qualified number one at only 7.02/185. He finally ran a 6 second lap with a 6.83 in round one of eliminations, then a 6.91 to take the final round win over defending champ Cameron “Flash” Gunter of the Bad Apple Racing team.
“I was waiting on a shipment from UPS,” Gunter deadpanned about his .328 light vs. Peterson’s .074. “Mr. Peterson with Romine Racing cuts a tree like no other. There is just so much real estate to run a Romine Racing bike down. Congratulations to them for the win.”
Like his Top Fuel mount, Peterson’s Funnybike is tuned by the Romines. But the bike has a different owner.Owner Phil Lower and his girlfriend Jennie are really just some of the best people to be around,” said Jordan. “Always so positive and fun, Phil is always right there to give a helping hand with anything, and as far as a bike it is second to none, the best of the best. It is simple to look at these Romine bikes and see the organization and quality of them.
“Of course, the Romine crew. We had Patti back for this race, so everything felt more normal. Mike, Jack, Patti, Phil, and Jennie do all the between round work on this bike. I’m just the lucky guy who gets to ride it.
“With my size, it’s certainly harder to make a Funnybike or any bike go faster and quicker, and they are constantly changing or trying new things to make it even quicker than before. They had some success this weekend with the changes. They had more they wanted to try but parts were not available before the race.
“The bike was leaving much harder—I could feel that instantly—and then the time ticket backed that feeling up. The bike was on a rail. Aside from trying to hit the tree and stop the bike, I didn’t have to do anything but hang on for getting it down the track. They already have some more ideas to try for the next race in Martin Michigan.”
Peterson addressed his two pro class wins at one event. “It’s something that doesn’t happen all the time. I remember being at races as a kid where the biggest names of the sport would have a double-up victory and seeing them pointing both bikes at each other in the winner circle with their crew gathered around. I use to think that was so awesome. Never thought I’d get to enjoy that same sensation. Everybody involved I cannot thank you enough. It was amazing!”
Jack Romine added a little more detail to what they’re working on. “Mike is starting to get a handle on the clutch with the changes he made,” said Jack. “Picked up the performance a little to 6.83 but dropped a hole early. Still has never ran 200 mph. A modern day Funnybike should drop off the trailer and run 6.6 seconds. We are still struggling. We have made some more changes and we are ready for Martin and see what happens.”
A Nitro Funnybike that DID run 200 mph (201.91) at National Trail was the brand new camouflaged bike of former champ Jim Doyle. “We had JTR (Jay Turner Racing) build this new bike,” said Doyle. “The motor, RacePak, and ignition were taken from the old bike. The rest of it is new with many upgrades. The bike is very comfortable to ride and goes straight, and that makes it a joy to ride.
“Paint was done by Jimmy Cable from North Carolina. The Vansen leathers of Massachusetts were camoed by Jeff Disinger in New York, and team shirts were done by ProThings in Arizona.
“The bike is a tribute to all branches of the military with a special note to U.S. Marines that will be 250 years old this year. I did serve six years in USMC myself.”
Like McMillan in Top Fuel, Universal Fleet and Tire’s “Racin’ Ray” Robinson replayed his Louisiana head-torching display and was done for the weekend before reaching 60 feet.
Hawaya Racing Pro Fuel
“Bad Apple Mary” Dangrow and her crew continue their Hawaya Racing Pro Fuel sweep. Her number one qualifying 7.43 at 168 mph had nearly 3/10ths and almost 6 mph on the field.
That advantage didn’t stop Mary and the Bad Apple team from improving every round on raceday, running a very stout 7.25 at 170 against John Jenkins for the win in the final. She also took the tree .138 to .430 against Jenkins, and took the tree in every round all day.
“What can I say about this weekend?” said Dangrow. “It was difficult and amazing all wrapped up into one.
“We arrived early with plans to test on Friday. However with the winds and track conditions, we decided to sit tight and wait for Saturday morning qualifying.
“We went into qualifying with a familiar tune-up to see what the bike would do. However, I didn’t give us much help. I had a brain blip after sitting pre-staged for a while and left before the tree was activated. And with the wind gust blowing me toward the wall in the right lane, I let off just after the eighth mile.
“The wind gusts didn’t give up on Saturday, so second round of qualifying was run with all bikes in the left lane. With that pass we ran a 7:43 and took the number one qualifier. Q3 was postponed until Sunday morning for multiple reasons, including the wind.
“Sunday was a busy day for us starting at 10am with Q3. With the completion of Q3 we had a bracket bike running another 7:43 and keeping the number one spot.
“Pro Fuel had a 16-bike field at this event, so there were no ‘free’ passes, and every round was a round you had to fight through to win. Things got a little intense for me before E1 as I watched Tracy hit the wall in Top Fuel. My first reaction was to head straight to a scooter to go down track. As I was running to a scooter, Dorothy (Olson of JTR) grabbed me and said ‘He’s ok. He is. I have known him and raced with him for a long time and unless that man flips end over end on that bike, he is ok. He wouldn’t want you to throw away this run for that so stop, get focused and stop acting like a girl!’ We both laughed. Dorothy has an amazing way of snapping me back into focus to do what I’m supposed to do.
“As we made our way through the ladder we got quicker, running a 7:32 in E1 and E2, a 7:30 in the semifinals, and running a 7:25 in the final against John Jenkins.
“I want to give a shout out to John. He got his license at the season finals in Rockingham last year and was already in his first Pro Fuel final. We’re pretty proud of him.”
Jenkins had a few things to say himself. “First I would like to thank the AMRA for providing us great venues to race, and Eatmyink for supporting and keeping fans informed of many race events,” said Jenkins.
“We came prepared to win. Seven clutch packs, five gallons of oil, spare parts and plenty of nitro. We were ready to rock.
“Qualifying was dicey due to the wind, which pushed everyone to the right. We ended up 11th out of 16, which was a bit disappointing. Eliminations we were able to run personal best of 7.49 ET and 170.21 mph to make it to the finals in spite of rookie mistakes and baking biscuits at the starting line.”
Now back to Mary. “After five rounds of racing on Sunday, we were blessed with the win and we reset the eighth mile Pro Fuel record to 4.491. Winning doesn’t suck, especially when it’s on Tracy’s birthday and our second in a row for Bad Apple’s 25th year in Nitro Harley racing—which makes it even better.
“It takes a lot to manage our little traveling circus and our whole team works together to make it happen. I want to thank Randy and Brenda Jackson for crewing on my bike and keeping the entire team fed. Jon Wayne Stephens for pegging everyone back from the end of the track and being Tracy’s right-hand man, with his hands in every bike. Jimmy and Stacey McMillan, Jake Anderson, Jason Shurtz, Scott Peek, Daryl Campbell, and Julie Ledford for jumping in to keep things rolling along. Special thank you to Tom and Jackie O’Brein for taking care of Rocky and Casper at this event so we could do our jobs.
“As always, I am especially thankful for Tracy for his work, his tuning ability, and his love and support in everything we do. And to God for blessing me beyond what I deserve and giving us the ability to do what we do.
“I’d like to thank my sponsors Fairview Tavern, Capone Landscaping, Vanson Leathers, Hawaya Racing Products, Ted Munsell at Trick Works LLC, and Victory Fuel for their support and commitment to the 2025 season.”
Two-time defending champion Sam White and his White Lightning Racing team made a step forward in what is a rebuilding year for the team. White qualified second before breaking during his round one win and failing to make the E2 call.
Rookie White Lightning rider Darren Brinkman qualified 12th and lost to Al Balice in round 1
Universal Fleet and Tire’s Jason Leeper qualified 13th and beat Jim “Bad Influence” Martin before falling to Balice in round two. Balice fell to Dangrow in the semis.
Louisiana runner-up Kenneth “Stubby” Hultman qualified ninth and lost to Louis Sansone in round one.
Stewart Racing’s nitro rookie Brian Conley Jr. didn’t have the tool for the job this weekend, qualifying last and exiting early.
Rocky Jackson qualified sixth and lost to Jenkins in round one.
And lastly, lean, mean Walter Halonski qualified tenth and went all the way to the semis before falling to Jenkins.
Shutdown Area
Tim Grindle won Pro Outlaw, Bert Baker won Zipper’s Performance Pro Bagger, Jeff Boudreaux won Thundermax Street Bagger, George Futch won Zipper’s Performance Modified, Jeremy Wilson won Super Gas 9.90, Jason Crisp won Axtell Cylinders Hot Street, Chris Hoppe won Top Eliminator 9.30 and Baker Drivetrain Eliminator Dial-in, Matt Hauser won BK Electric Super Pro 10.30, Jim Clarke won Pro Eliminator 10.90, and Austin Hughes won Thundermax Street Eliminator 11.50.
The Nitro Harley competitors look forward to seeing the Harley-Davidson drag racing family, riders and fans at beautiful U.S. 131 Motorsports Park in Martin, Michigan, on June 28-29
The Nitro Harley racers thank Bad Apple Racing, Chris Stewart Racing, DayStar Machine and Cycle Concepts, Universal Fleet and Tire, Jay Turner Racing, White Lightning Racing, P and C Johnson Trucking, RP Motorsports, Hawaya Racing, and Johnny Mancuso’s Circle M Ranch.
This report was prepared by Tim Hailey. Enjoy everything there is to read, see and watch about motorcycle drag racing and more at https://www.eatmyink.com
