Cruise & Lose Moves from Spring to Summer for Its Fourth Event, Adds Two New Classes and Crowns New Winners
For the fourth year of the Cruise & Lose event, the event made a few changes from the previous events. The biggest move was the event being held in spring time to late summer, on the fourth weekend of August.
The event would put in play two of the three tracks used in 2024, with Kearney Raceway Park in Kearney, Nebraska as home base for Day One and Day Three activities, with a trip to I29 Dragway in Pacific Junction, Iowa for Day Two racing.
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Cruise & Lose would continue to carry their traditional index classes (6.5-Second, 7.5-Second, and 8.5-Second Index) into 2025. But the event would make a big change for two new classes. The Small Tire class would be dropped for a new Unlimited class, and a fourth index class, 9.5-Second, would join the roster.
The Unlimited class was a hard-fought battle, with four competitors clocking 5-second eighth-mile times on the first day, and Jarrod Aspegren would lead the pack with a 5.43 time slip from his Chevy II.
Although Aspegren gave a little of the lead back to Chad Fegley on day two with a 5.69 pass, he rebounded to secure the win on the final day with a 5.36 run, the best of the class, for a 5.49 average and the class win. Fegley’s Corvette rung up a 5.63 average for second, and Marc Grote landed third.
The quickest of the index classes is the 6.5-Second Index one, and Bill Mass led the field after the first day with a 6.54 run. He was one of three with an index-matching 6.50 run on Day Two, and Mass completed the task on Day Three with a 6.51 for a 6.523 average trading his second-place finish from 2024 for the top spot.
Shawn Slaubaugh earned second with a 6.536 average, and Jeff Mass not only finished third with a 6.55 average, he joined Bill Mass on good fortune by winning a 67/74-millimeter Forced Performance Turbo on the final day!
A former 7.5-Second Index class runner, Scott Rabourn returned with a goal to land the top spot in 2025. He clocked in on Day One with a 7.522, just .001 behind Steve Smith. But when Smith stumbled on Day Two, Rabourn used a near-perfect 7.503 to snatch the lead.
Another 7.50 pass for Rabourn on Day Three, this one a 7.509, gave him a 7.511 average and the class win. Micheal Taylor and his 7.526 average collected the second spot, and Michael Trejo scooped up third with a 7.543 average.
The 8.50-Second Index class saw Eric Gaede start the event off with a perfect 8.500 on Day One for the initial lead. But by Day Two, Gaede slowed to an 8.551, surrendering the lead to Evan Heilman, who clocked a second 8.509 for the event.
Gaede and his AMC AMX recovered on Day Three for an 8.511 pass, and when Heilman slowed to an 8.577, Gaede slid back into first with an 8.520 average. Heilman came in second with an 8.531 average, and Rudolph Zinsser was just four ten-thousandths of-a-second behind in third.
The second new class, 9.5-Second Index, or the ‘Regular Traffic’ class per Slevin, saw Spencer Mills, Zach Blackford and Jamos Jasa complete Day One separated by less than a hundred of-a-second. Blackford would take the lead on Day Two by a narrow 9.511 to 9.515 margin over Mills.
The final day would see Mills match the index with a 9.505 run, giving him a 9.536 average. Blackford was very close behind in second, compiling a 9.538 average, and a 9.65 average would earn third place for Jasa.
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Zach Slevin, Bob Jones, Jarrod Aspegren and Jamos Jasa.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com