Rust Belt Diecast Racing

by Jim Desaulniers

Rocket Dragway

Another week has passed at Rocket Dragway with excellent crashes and history being made! "Cupcake" Josh Paufler broke the long-standing 6- consecutive win record set by “High Octane" Chey Wheeler by grabbing win 7 on Friday night! During his record setting streak, Cupcake raced to a 15-3 record, never dropping more than one heat to a single racer. Also, the new format saw a nightly shootout. Following Monday's usual MOPAR or No Car race, we saw 16 GM, Ford, Fantasy, and Foreign models battle for supremacy. The week ended in a 2-win tie between the GM and the Fantasy cars. "Triple B" Barry Porter took a victory in the race off against a tough challenger in the Shadow Jet piloted by Jim Desaulniers.

Sunday Pinks

The top 10 times following Easter Sunday Pinks

1. Mustang Boss 302 (black) 3.306

2. Camaro “Fire Chief” (red) 3.327

3. Custom Mustang “Art Series” (orange) 3.349

4. FF Monte Carlo (beige) 3.412

5. Monte Racer (grey) 3.412

6. Honda Prelude (yellow) 3.413

7. Mazda Pickup (zamac) 3.413

8. BMW Sport GT (white) 3.456

9. Corvette “Security” (yellow) 3.477

10. 1968 Mercury Cougar (orange) 3.477

11. Morris Mini “Mr. Bean” (neon green) 3.477

The track record continues to be held by Ryan in the yellow Shadow Jet at 3.241s.

Micro Mods &Friday Night Food Fights

It was Anniversary Week at Rust Belt as they celebrated 365 consecutive days of live daily diecast racing in their Facebook group. In their first year, Rust Belt ran an estimated 800 races! They celebrated with themed nights at the Sky Drop, the original track where live racing began March 15, 2020. The RB team finished the week with the debut of Friday Night Food Fights Season 2 and the premiere of their custom Micro Machines series, Micro Mods. At the Sky Drop, rookie racer Shawn DeLong ran the table and took the weekly championship, losing only once along the way and tying the track record for most consecutive podium wins.

Tecumseh Proving Grounds

Rust Belt added another new track to their weekly rotation called the Tecumseh Proving Grounds, with some classic “drag track on the garage wall” competition run by the one and only Nick Deavers. In typical Rust Belt fashion, the races were run a little differently, with both a morning and evening group. Derek Riepe in a Jaguar I-Pace and Daniel Mercado in a Lancia Delta took wins on several days, only to be unseated at the end of the week by a pair of dragsters driven by Wheeler & McMain.