PCMS Racing

Though the temperatures at the Hi-Line Dragstrip were close to 100 degrees last Saturday and Sunday, July 22-23, the Phillips County Motorsports (PCMS) Montana Drag Racing Association Race was still on.

Ninety-three racers participated on Saturday, while ninety-five came though on Sunday from Canada, ID, N.D., and Mont.

Among those racers was Scobey's Wayne Solberg of the Box Super Bro Class, who has been racing exclusively at the Hi-Line Dragstrip for the past six years.

"The Hi-Line Dragstrip is excellent," Solberg told the PCN. "The workers and everything is perfect. They keep things going with mostly all volunteers. It's a really, really well-operated track."

He continued praising the track for their kindness, even in a rough time.

"Everybody is so friendly," he said. "I ran out of gas on the staging lines yesterday and people were all for helping me."

He drives a 1992 Chevy Corvette that he typically dials in around 5.76 seconds and can reach 120 miles per hour.

"It's got a 502 engine and roughly 700 to 750 horsepower," Solberg said. "It weighs about 2,150 pounds."

He started out in the Sportsman class six years ago, racing a 1978 Chevy pickup truck.

Eventually, he moved up to the Super class, but the move had nothing to do with skill.

"I didn't think I was too good, I just wanted to go faster," Solberg said. "It was a big jump because then I had a foot brake take off and this one uses a delay box and it's all electronic. It took me a few years to get comfortable at all. I took some pretty good beating up until then but it's getting better."

He has learned a few things since joining the Super Pro class.

"I learned that mostly when you release the Trans brake, the burnouts are way more intense and the take offs are way more intense," he said. "You concentrate on going straight down the track rather than looking around."

Solberg won his first race in June of 2016.

"I got pretty lucky, that's what that amounted to," Solberg said. "A lot of it is luck and some of it is skill, so it works out together."

Though Solberg races alone (without a team), his grandkids may join in the near future.

"I've got some grand-daughters that might start up here in a year or so but as of right now my brother races once in a while," he said.

Though his brother wasn't racing last weekend, Solberg still had his family and friends by his side, including his wife of 38 years, Candy Solberg.

Solberg was asked what he loved most about racing.

"The competition," Solberg said. "When you get up against somebody and want to beat them, you're shaking when you're done with it. The adrenaline rush is great."

WINNER'S CIRCLE

In the Junior Dragster Class, Glasgow's Kyle Stahl swept the weekend, winning both days. Stahl nearly hit his dial in 8.13 on Sunday, with an elapsed time (ET) of 8.1313. He also reached his top speed of 79.49 that day. Laurel's Easton Kyhl was the junior class' runner up on Sunday, while Allison Lander of Sidney took second on Saturday.

In the Sportsman Class, Nick Westburg of Billings nearly won twice, taking first on Sunday with a dial in of 7.95 and elapsed time of 7.9643 and second on Saturday. Mandi Turner edged out Westburg on Saturday with a dial in of 7.65 and an ET of 7.65. Her top speed during the run was 88.44 MPH. Sunday's runner up was Havre's Bobbie Jo Wilkins who had a dial in of 7.82 and an ET of 7.80.

In the Box Super Pro Class, Dan Olson of Glasgow was Sunday's winner with a dial in of 6.41, ET of 6.43 and a top speed of 105.73. He also had the best reaction time of all championship runs with a reaction of .0073. Monty Viall of Havre was Sunday's runner up with a dial in of 6.12 and ET of 6.13. He had the fastest top speed of championship round races at 112.90 MPH.

Viall had won the Box Super Pro Class on Saturday with a dial in of 6.05 and ET of 6.06. Duane Lloyd of Glasgow was Saturday's Runner up with a dial in of 6.21 and ET of 6.34.

In the No Box Pro Class, Cole Casteel of Crosby, N.D. won Sunday's event with a dial in of 6.97 and ET of 7.00. Harlem's Brittany Niederregger was Sunday's runner up with a dial in of 6.36 and ET of 6.36. Saturday's winner was Havre's Gary Mathwich who had a dial in of 6.84 and an ET of 6.8486. Lincoln's Willie Denboer was runner up with a dial in of 7.53 and an ET of 7.52.