While each of those accomplishments (and many more not listed) are certainly remarkable, there may not be a performance in sportsman drag racing as extraordinary as Rick Baehr’s weekend on October 27-31.

Baehr, who won Mid-Michigan Motorplex’s $15,000-to-win No Box Nationals earlier this season, qualified for two elite run-offs in 2005. By virtue of a near perfect record in the Summit Super Series at his home track of Milan Dragway, the 24-year-old Baehr earned a spot in the Summit Super Series World Championship run-off. The champion of that 8-car elimination would earn a prize package valued at $50,000 (including cash, a discount toward a new sports car, a custom golf cart, an Aruba vacation package, and more). In addition, Baehr qualified for the “Chassis Chase” run-off at Norwalk Raceway Park, a unique 16-car event which pitted the top points earners for the 2005 season against one another for the prize of a new turn-key Racetech 4-link Dragster (valued at over $40,000!).

While merely qualifying for either of these prestigious events is an honor, for Baehr, a spot in both fields created a dilemma, at least when the IHRA World Finals was postponed due to rain earlier in the month. When the event was rescheduled for the weekend of October 30, Baehr was entered in the two elite events on the same weekend--over 12 hours apart (the “Chassis Chase” is part of Norwalk’s featured Halloween Classic, while the IHRA World Finals ran in Rockingham, NC).

Baehr began the weekend with two events Thursday at the Halloween Classic. By virtue of his performance earlier in the season, he was assigned a spot in the Moser “Super Axle Shootout.” That event combined racers from all classes, and included faster cars equipped with electronic delay boxes not utilized in Baehr’s Modified class. Despite that “disadvantage,” Baehr drove his Camaro to the victory, with a clutch .008 reaction and 10.537 on his 10.53 dial-in for a final round win over Vic Ellinger. Baehr was not done for the day however, as he would go on to wheel the Camaro through a 128-car field in the No-Box Hi-Roller Race, winning that seven round event as well.

The two Thursday victories set the stage for the biggest single event of Baehr’s young career-the “Chassis Chase” Friday evening at Norwalk. There, he rolled through four rounds of the toughest competition the always-tough Norwalk Raceway Park facility had to offer. In the final round, he was paired with Mike Inmon. There, Inmon laid down an amazing run: .013 and dead-on his 7.29 dial-in with a 7.290...only to fall to Baehr’s stellar .002 reaction and 6.720 on a 6.71 target by a mere .001!

With the new Racetech Dragster secured, Baehr made the tow Southbound to Rockingham Dragway for Sunday’s Summit Super Series World Championship run-off. Despite his late arrival, and only a single time trial, he battled through the first two round to square off with Keith Dunkum for the Summit Super Series No-Box World Championship. There, he completed a perfect 18-0 weekend by taking the win with an .017 reaction time and a 10.497 on his 10.45 dial after Dunkum’s uncharacteristic .105 reaction.

On the weekend, Baehr collected nearly $100,000 in cash and prizes, claimed four eliminator victories, the Chassis Chase title, and the Summit Super Series World Championship. What’s more impressive? He didn’t need a break to accomplish the feat... His .017 light in the final of the Super Series run-off was his worst reaction time of the two shootout events (At Norwalk he was .014, .003, .013, and .002--at Rockingham: .004, .015, and .017). That’s an impressive string of reaction times a local event with the aid of a delay box--to achieve the feat in the two largest no-box events of the season is nothing short of spectacular!

The staff at APD would like to congratulate 2005 IHRA Summit Super Series World Champion Rick Baehr on one of the most dominating performances in sportsman drag racing history!