Top Eliminator West

Hello everyone,

Just wanted to let everyone know about Top Eliminator West.
We run an 8 car show, 6.30 index, 4-tenths heads up tree. Run whatcha brung is the theme. Anything goes just hit the number!
We have had a handful of Top Alcohol Racers come run with us in the past, from Larry Miner to Johnny Ahten! Most of our Competitors run Dragsters (F/E and Rear Engine), Altereds, and Funny Cars. We also allow Door slammers but have yet to have any make the cross over. We have all sorts of different combinations in competition...Nitrous, Pro-Chargers, Screws, Roots, Clutch cars, even nitro! Only rule....6.30 Index!

For those of you who can't make the Top Alcohol events, are looking for a chance to test their cars or an alternative from Top Alcohol racing for a bit, check us out! For more information hit up www.topeliminatorwest.com or you can e-mail me at buzking@sbcglobal.net. My Name is Kenny Buzdas and I am a 19 year old runner in the class from Northern California.

A complete schedule will be released soon. We do a lot of Sacramento Raceway racing at some of the largest Northern California racing events in front of thousands of fans. Sacramento now has concrete guard rails and Top Eliminator West is dedicated to good, fun racing! Hope you will join us! Let us know!! Anyone and everyone is invited!!

KB

 

Did you know Junk Yard Ed and I ran "Top Gas West" the very first weekend they ran it. He ran his dragster and I had my new altered with the Arias hemi.

Back then it was no index and as fast as you could go with no blower and no nitrous. Lena Willaims used to kick everyones butt back then. Later the index came along and the name was changed because the rules were changed to allow alky, nitro, blowers etc. Larry Kruzick used to head it up.

It was in the final at Bakersfield in 1989 that Greg Oliver crashed our brand new dragster in the final against Bill Ogle (before I got a chance to even drive it) that prompted me to order my first TA/FC. We still see a lot of the original group which includes Jim Rizzoli, Robert Rheel, Steve Hope and others.

Good ol' days.

RG

 

Randy, maybe you could bring this up to Edmonton, Medicine Hat, and Mission; we'd run with ya.

 

this is when it SUCKS to live in kansas...that sounds so fun...come on guys here in the mid west..lets do something like this...dave..620-249-5909
www.myspace.com/daveloweswr

 

Heck bring it to Pacific Raceways (SEATTLE) and Medford Oregon too.
only problem is,.. it only has a $800.00 payout,..Bump that up
to $1500.00 to $2,000.00 to the winner,..more incentive
you could easily have a 16 car field.

sound like alot of fun,.. but to run 6.30`s for only $800.00,
.not very marketable.
But what do I know.

 

why the mean picture?

Vic,

What is up with the mean spirited picture on your signature. Do you really want people to think you are an as--ole? Really doesn't come off to good with your posts.

 

Now see,..
this is exactly what I was talkin to ya about..hehehehee

Thats a cool picture,.....its Don theSnake Pruhdomme

 

We'd love to bump the purse up. But there's no money tree or government bailout money heading our way. And we are always open to purse contributors or event sponsors if your interested. All money that comes into TEW goes right back out to the racers.

And we will be bringing a Top Eliminator West race to Medford this year so stay tunned for the soon to be released schedule.

Blessings.........Ron Clevenger........Clevenger Family Racing.

 

so you runa 6.30 bracket race for 800.00 please tell me thats per pass you're getting paid? if not, when did bracket racing become a rich man sport? we are trying to get a group of f/c to runa 6.90 and get PAID for it. you guys are killing me. I guess its time to go fishing.

 

Top Eliminator (I still call it Top Gas West) operates as an organization put on and run by the racers themselves. Back when I did the newsletters almost 25 years ago we worked hard to find folks to help out with the purses, but it was very difficult. While it would be nice to get paid $10 grand to run your car it was never about the money when we ran. It was about racing the kind of car we wanted to, going fast and getting together with great friends.

This is a couple pages from the January 1981 issue of Popular Hot Rodding of my altered (the pictures were taken by Steve Reyes the summer of 1980...29 years ago AAAAUUGH!!!) Notice toward the bottom the "Top Gas West 1980" sticker on the fuel tank.

 

Cool car Randy G , those older wide cage chassis remind of the new funny car chassis with the Force upgrades just with less pipe.

 

I agree with Ron and Randy, it is not about the money, it's about the fun and accomplishment of getting down the track under non ideal conditions. I help tune one of the funny cars running in Top Eliminator even though we don't make it to every race. I remember watching Pro Comp and loved it. This is very close, I do not think there are 2 cars in this group that run the same combination. Funny cars, altereds, dragsters, late model hemis, Chevys, Fontanas, Roots and screw blowers, pro chargers, nitrous, gas, alcohol, nitro, automatics, pedal clutches, centrifugal clutches, virtually every one of these elements is present in this class. When you see a blown alcohol funny car or altered staging against a dragster it is a crowd pleaser. I hope we get more venues to run in the future.

Greg

 

What ever happened to Kruzick? After he ran his Pro Comp alky f/c, he bought my dad's wrecked A/ED URC chassis that Mark Prudhomme crashed at Pomona in 78...Kruzick repaired it and ran it as a A/ED. Not sure what happened to him after that although I know he was the king of the big block Caddy motors.....