In one of the coolest things to come out of the BangShift forums since their inception in 2008, multi-time Drag Week racer Kerby Suhre decided that since he wasn’t going to be able to make the event in 2014, he would help someone else make it and he did it in the neatest way possible. Suhre, completely unprovoked created what he called the “2014 Drag Week Scholarship” and while doing so came up with some guidelines for who was eligible to receive the prize which was a reimbursement of their entry fee and $250 for gas…all out of Kerby’s pocket. This guy rules.

The criteria on who was eligible to win were as follows:

1.) You have never been to Drag Week as a participant.
2.) You write a short bit about yourself and your ride on this thread. Give at least your first name and a picture of your ride.
3.) You manage to get registered in the 260-car field and then post your registration number.
4.) Your spouse (or girl/boy friend), Mom and Dad all refuse to let you spend money on something as silly as Drag Week.

The whole thing took place on THIS THREAD on the Unofficial Drag Week discussion board 

Eight guys stepped up and submitted themselves, their stories, and their cars for consideration and the whole thread is worth a read to see all of the entries and how the whole deal was received by the group. The cars ranged from Daily Driver class machines to more advanced iron and all the stories were 100% genuine, honest, and speak to the nature of the people who compete at the event. With eight names in a hat, Kerby recently drew the winner and announced the name. The guy who won was Texan Jon Smith who will be rolling in his white Fox-body Mustang. Here’s his entry story:

I heard about dragweek from BBR (James Pringle). I work with him and sit close to where we share things that we are looking at and enable each others upgrades and parts orders. I sat here at my desk the two years that James went to dragweek and watched them on the computer, with the exception of the year they came to amarillo, I went to the track that day. I have known about it for a few years now and just think it is probably the ultimate test of what I am trying to build. So now James has enabled me to enter Dragweek.

A little about the car I bought it about 3 years ago. It was sitting in front of a junkyard in Kennedale, Texas. My cousin found it and wanted to buy it. He couldn’t so I decided I would go get it.

Brought it home and started cleaning on it and get it running correctly. I missed out on racing that first year because I didn’t trust it at all.

Then I rebuild the whole frontend over a brake line breaking and finding all of the bushing in the front end dried out and falling apart. I upgraded to the newer style fox front brakes and stainless braided brake lines.

This winter I decided to upgrade the motor at this point the fastest it has ran is a 15.11. I am tired of being the slowest guy at the track. Didn’t really bother me I was having a blast getting used to the car and getting it down the track rowing the gears.
I am hoping to be alot faster this year still won’t be competitive with the dragweek guys. I am not sure what class I will be running in yet whether street race SB/NA or daily driver. Either way I intend to go and have a blast and meet some of these crazy people that I have only seen on the internet.

When I saw this thread I really couldn’t believe that someone would be that generous to do this for a newbie to all that is dragweek. Thank you very much for the chance to have a little relief to the expense that this endeavor will be.

I can’t wait till registration opens up so I can secure my slot and get ready for the ride of my life.

A big thanks goes to James Pringle “BBR” for convincing me to buy the 84 Mustang and that I could build it.

A HUGE INTERNET HIGH FIVE TO KERBY SUHRE FOR CONCEIVING THIS THING AND FOLLOWING THROUGH! CONGRATS TO JON AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING HIM HAMMER THE HOLY SNOT OUT OF THAT CAR ALL WEEK ON THE TRIP!