2025 Kool April Drags (Race 1 of 5)

2025 Kool April Drags (Race 1 of 5)

What an insane weekend at the Kool April Drags at Redding Motorsports Park! We were racing against the clock and Mother Nature herself, but unfortunately, we couldn’t quite dodge her. The final didn’t happen, but no worries! Junior Vibes & Rough N Ready Racing were ready to hit it again at the Funny Car Fever event in May!

The excitement kicked off Thursday night with the CIFCA Banquet. A packed house of 61 racers, crews, and fans came together to celebrate the 2024 CIFCA Top 10—plus a little light roasting of the crew. Pete Mauriello was on point as always, and with Kin Bates Jr. as DJ? Pure magic. The crowd was hyped, the music was bumping, and everyone was having a blast!

Friday night’s qualifying?  Now that was pure chaos in the best way possible. During the very first session, Jim Maher experienced some serious tire shake on the line. It was so bad that it knocked off the main fuel line from the pump, causing a huge fireball! But Jim—being the seasoned pro he is—managed to get the car stopped safely and escape with no injuries, thanks to his onboard fire system. The car was toast, but Jim? Totally fine. Kenny Breneisen, meanwhile, seized the moment and blasted to the #1 spot after Q1 with a 6.032!

Saturday’s qualifying saw even more drama.  Marcus Lawson ran into trouble, blowing up the motor in session #2. Meanwhile, Jim Maher and Chayse Trimp were locked in a dead tie—until the tie-breaker system had a glitch on Maher’s side! Trimp, with no hesitation, snagged the System One Filters #1 spot. And shout out to Wayne Lederer, who threw down $100 for the best reaction time in the session. Shaun Bryan grabbed the cash with a killer .037 light. But the real crowd-pleaser? Jim Varner in the Reaper—his 1/8-mile burnout in the Mikes Transmission Burnout Contest was insane! That thing was clouding the track!

Round 1 of Eliminations  Oh, it was on. Alvarado broke a lifter and couldn’t make the call, giving Ortiz the free pass, but Ortiz still ran a solid 5.695, even after clicking it off early. Trimp crushed Bryan with an epic hole shot. Maher and Ortiz went toe-to-toe, but Maher took the win when Ortiz had to lift. Breneisen, meanwhile, barely edged out Varner after a crazy pedal fest—nobody was giving an inch!

Semifinals? Pure carnage. Breneisen couldn’t make the call after snapping the oil pump drive shaft on his 392 Hemi, but Shaun Bryan stepped in as the quickest alternate, and boy, did he bring the heat! He went toe-to-toe with Trimp and almost pulled off the upset—but Trimp snuck by with a .0007 margin of victory! That is how you know it’s a close race. On the other side, Ortiz had Maher beat on the tree by .050, but his car went too quick, running a 5.687 on the 5.90 index.

As Maher and Trimp were lining up for what was sure to be an epic final, Mother Nature came in with a knockout punch, calling it for the night.

The CIFCA Final went down in May at Funny Car Fever. Chayse Trimp couldn’t make it, so his dad, Tony, jumped into the driver’s seat and did not disappoint. Tony blasted off the line first with a .042 light, while Jim Maher was just a hair behind at .068. But when it came to the finish line, Maher made a valiant run, taking the stripe… but he ran too quick, clocking a 5.874 on the 5.90 index. Trimp ran it closer with a 5.928, sealing the deal with a win!

CIFCA Final