Two cars pull up to the line; one idles away with bragging rights.
inSide Drumheller set up the match for readers in its June 17 edition. At the Hanna Cruisers drag races, Shawn Bulechowsky in his Corvette, powered by a 605ci big block, squared off against the Hemisaurus, Greg Benzon’s altered 1932 Bantam.
The verdict: It was all Corvette.
Bulechowsky was able to do an 1/8-mile pass at 5.7 and 5.3 seconds respectively, beating Benzon down the track.
“I think I beat him by a quarter of a second on one and a second on the other,” said Bulechowsky.
To put it into perspective the jet car at the event did 5.1 second pass.
While Bulechowsky has the bragging rights on this particular weekend, Benzon has to wear the shame, or at least make excuses.
“I really wanted to get him in the second run in Hanna, but I couldn’t. I think he was a little down on power and he doesn’t spin the tires that much, while I am smoking the tires the whole run,” said Benzon. It’s a pretty good way to lose, but I still lost.”
Both admit traction was an issue for the drivers on the airstrip. Bulechowsky said the event organizers put down a traction substance on the blacktop, but the rain washed it away. He said he had to ease off a couple times to keep the wheels from breaking.
Benzon says he has a couple ways to get a little more bite to his tires, including modifying the car’s wing. The other solution is to dial back the power a bit.
“I just can’t take any more horsepower out of it without making significant changes, but I am not supposed to be going that way, I am supposed to be cranking it up,” said Benzon.
While Bulechowsky has bragging rights for the Hanna weekend, they are even for the season.
“Now I hammered him two in a row in Calgary (at the Father’s Day Funny Car Classic),” points out Benzon.
In fact Benzon ran a 5.3 and 5.0 in Calgary, so he has the best time over the two races.
“We’re way too even for my liking,” he chuckles.
That might be it for this year, as Benzon has put his car back into storage for the season, tied at one event apiece.
