Dirt
PRO STICK RACING
axles are on order to replace the 35 splines that have been in the car for the past eight seasons . Other than the axle upgrade , it will be racing as usual for the Pennsylvania resident .
“ I ran a lot at my home track , Beaver Springs , for many years ,” Shaffer says as he reflects on the championship . “ I won 10 Street Stick season championships racing with my barn-find race car . Then we started racing with the Pro Stick gang and went on tour . We came close a few times , but I wasn ’ t sure I was ever going to win the title . Thanks to my wife , Leah , Matt and Caitlynn Bergenstock , for the help over the years and thanks to Eric [ Kitchen ] – the Pro Stick group is the best organization to race with .”
Despite a year of uncertainty due to CODIV-19 , the Pro Stick Racing group celebrated their 25th year of competition . Pro Stick Racing started out as a small group of racers with stick-shift muscle cars running a bracket race format . Kitchen came up
with the name “ Pro Stick ” after doodling on a napkin at his favorite ice shop in Boonsboro , Maryland .
“ I went to a race in Kentucky back in 1993 or 1994 , and raced with a group called the Ozark Mountain Super Shifters ,” Kitchen says . “ This was when delay boxes were becoming prevalent . Well , I just wanted to run against stick cars , guys without delay boxes . At that race I met Lones Combs from the Gear Jammers group based in North Carolina . After meeting Lones and talking with racing friends , I thought the idea would work around here [ Maryland ] too . I was able to convince 75-80 Dragway owner Bill Wilcom we should have a stick race .”
The very first race saw nine cars compete at the now-defunct dragstrip near Monrovia , Maryland . A few races and a few seasons later , the list included events at nearby Mason-Dixon Dragway in Boonsboro , Maryland , and a journey north to Beaver Springs Dragway in Pennsylvania . Eventually , the group traveled to Virginia , and for a brief time to New York for races .
The 2020 season consisted of nine pointsearning races at six different tracks in Pennsylvania , Maryland and Virginia . Races were held at Beaver Springs Dragway , Keystone Raceway Park , Mason-Dixon Dragway , Sumerduck Dragway , Maryland International Raceway [ MDIR ] and Eastside Speedway .
In the 25 years the group has been together , several drivers have earned more than one title including : James Smith [ 2 ], Ted McGann [ 2 ], Dan Hoyler [ 3 ], and Eric Kitchen [ 5 ]. Points weren ’ t kept during the group ’ s inaugural season .
Part of the reason for the group ’ s longevity is a fair payout to racers .
“ One of my goals was to pay out $ 1,000 to the winner ,” Kitchen says . “ We also pay second round loser . We try to give back as much as possible . That ’ s part of how we ’ ve grown the group over the years . We don ’ t race every weekend , and we do some traveling also . Guys get to see different tracks instead of staying at the same place all year .” DI
PHOTO : TODD DZIADOSZ
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