The seventh annual running of the NHRA Division 5 National Open, proved to be one of the best ever at Oahe Speedway. 

NHRA Super Comp

Dale Garber, of Pierre, SD, put together the best reaction time average of Super Comp eliminator with a quick .0107 average through four rounds.  Saving his worst reaction time of the day, .015 for the final, Garber was matched by Ken Zeller's identical .015 a the start.  The difference was a .004 advantage to Garber at t4eh stripe on a double breakout run.  Zeller, from Smithville, MO, ran 8.997 on his 9.00. Super Comp index, with Garber closer at 8.981.   Garber defended his 2010 title. 

Zeller added Oahe Speedway as the74th track he has competed on in his racing career.  Garber had a close call in round two against Cal Belden, of Aberdeen, SD,

giving up .002 at the start, crossing the stripe .013 ahead of Belden to take the win.  The margin of victory, .011 put Garber 2.6 feet ahead of Belden at the line. 

NHRA Super Gas

An All-Canadian final saw  first time visitor, Bill Cawsey, of Regina, Saskatchewan, and Tom Patterson, Of Lorette, Manitoba, face off for the Super Gas title.  Cawsey, running his '09 Mustang, left first on Patterson, gaining .013 at the starting line, on their 10.00 heads up index.  Cawsey's advantage went away at the stripe, breaking out by just .002 .  Patterson, on his second visit to Oahe, put together an .022 package to take the win. Patterson ran 10.000 in his first round bye.  Cawsey and Dan Mohr, of Mitchell, SD, had a dead-on 10.00 match in round two, with Mohr breaking out by .030, advancing Cawsey.   Ron Starkey, of Rapid City, SD, also ran 10.000 against a breaking out Dennis White, of Brandon, Manitoba, in round two.

NHRA Super Street

NHRA Stock/Super Stock Combo 

Doug Engels, of Watertown, SD, pulled off his second victory of the weekend,  winning the Stock/Super Combo, on Sunday.   Coming off a win, in Saturday's Koppien-Christensen Memorial Combo, Engels picked up his third win in the last two National Open weekends at Oahe Speedway.   Engels worked his way through the field, defeating Mike Corbett 's F/S  '65 Chevelle, in round one.  Corbett broke out against Engel's SS/GM  '57 Corvette. Engels advanced through round two and three, on red lights by Shannon DePoy, E/S, of Lantry, SD and Bryan Dixon, F/SA,  of Mitchell, SD.   Tracy Lindeman, K/SA, of Ethan ran .002 over his dial in round one, to win over an off pace Rick  Wessels, of Belle Fourche, SD.  Lindeman went on to take the win over 2010 Combo winner, Curt Hieb, E/SA, of Chamberlain, SD, on Hieb's red light.  Lindeman would take the bye run in the quarters.

Semi final action saw Engels chase down Brent Kopetjka, EF/S, of Norfolk, NE, taking the win on Kopetjka's breakout.  Dean Feiock, of, Pierre, SD, running his M/SA '81 Malibu, saw an .026 starting line advantage evaporate at the finish line, breaking out by .004 against Lindeman.

The final found only Engels making the call.  Lindeman withdrew with mechanical difficulties.