At Knoxville Dragway in late June, with lights ablaze, the rain began to fall along with the light upon the Southeast Gassers Association RAM Clutches Nationals. That moment pushed SEGA drag racing into its summer break, awaiting its completion at the Bowl4Life Foundation Rock Revival at Rockingham Dragway in North Carolina. By the end of the two-race weekend, fans and the track were thrilled by the heads-up, clutch dumping, wheel lifting, and gear jamming action.
Friday action at a Southeast Gassers Association event is usually reserved for test and tune. But at Rockingham Dragway on July 31st, the first hit at the track in over a decade for SEGA was for a win light as the remaining eliminations for the RAM Clutches Nationals were to be completed. The action in B/Gas round one, which fired up the Friday evening action, along with A/Gas round one, looked like the first hits off the trailer of the backside no-prep action of the great Rockingham series Dig Or Die. By round two, the SEGA competitors got a grip of The Rock and the passes were some of the best of the season thus far.
Competitive highlights for the RAM Clutches Nationals showcased new finalists and winners along with championship implications. The Super Stockers, number one and two in points, paired up in one half of the semi-final matchups. Jerry Dean, the multi-time defending champion and points leader, faced Rob Walden, the number two competitor who won the last SEGA event, defeating Dean. After starting line negotiations involving illuminating staging bulbs, it was Dean advancing to the final. That final would have Tony Nowasadski in his 56’ Chevy Public Enemy Super Stocker waiting for a shot to defeat Dean as only the third driver to appear in a SEGA Super Stock final in 2026. In the Chevy versus Chevy battle, it was Jerry Dean back to winning ways while extending his points lead.
In C/Gas it has been a story of former champions battling it out between the 2024 champ, Todd Oden, and the 2025 champ, Jerren Perdue. They both would win their way to the semi-finals, with the expectation to see them both in the final once again. Jerren Perdue dispatched Randy Kiefer in his Pontiac wagon. Todd Oden dispatched himself by a red light that gave Tony Tatgenhorst the win-light. Tony, in only his second career SEGA final, would have to defeat the defending champ to earn his first career victory. Again in a Chevy versus Chevy battle between wagon and two-door Chevy II varieties, it was Tony Tatgenhorst earning his first SEGA event championship in his Wasted Wages gasser powered by its Ross Racing Engines powerplant.
For B/Gas competitors, the top competition would set the final between two Tennessee natives for the RAM Clutches Nationals that began at Knoxville Dragway. Michael Oden, an Alabamian, did try to stop Ted McKee in the semi-finals, but Ted and the Rocky Top Missile were on target, turning on the win light. The number two qualifier, Charlie Lee, in his Mustang gasser known as Tennessee Charlie, had a bye into the final due to the ladder. In a rematch of the Bama Brawl final at Holiday Raceway, where Charlie Lee won his first outing of the season. This time it was Ted McKee besting Charlie Lee for his third win of the season, starting a streak with back-to-back wins.
The quickest and fastest cars in SEGA are the A/Gas cars, and they have all been chasing Ben Christopher in his Happy Daze Chevy II gasser. In the semi-finals, those doing the chasing were Leslie Horne up against Ken Rainwater and then Greg Stelse in The Joker head-to-head with Ben. Ken Rainwater, the 2025 B/Gas champion, is gaining performance with his A/Gas combination each race, but it wasn’t enough to best multi-time A/Gas champion Leslie Horne. In the Greg and Ben pairing, certainly The Joker is no joke, but it was Ben outdriving Greg to make his fourth straight final of 2026. In another rematch from Holiday Raceway, this time Leslie didn’t red-light, but he still didn’t complete the circuits for the win-light in his lane against Ben, who earned his third straight victory.
Friday night’s test and tune session along with the completion of the RAM Clutches Nationals was just the beginning for SEGA and Rockingham Dragway. On Saturday, August 1st, the premier gasser organization contested the originally scheduled standalone race in Richmond County, North Carolina, the Bowl4Life Foundation Rock Revival.
Super Stock had three rounds of eliminations on Saturday race day to complete to crown an event champion. Dominator Dean continued his number one qualifying streak that dates back seasons at this point. Jerry marched through the field with a first-round bye, then put Tony Nowasadski on the trailer for the second time for the weekend. In the final, it would be Rob Walden in his Strych 09 Chevy Impala back in the ultimate round, creating the familiar match-up for Super Stock. The familiar theme that has been in Super Stock continued on as Jerry Dean in his Last Rebel II Chevy II won over Rob Walden, who was in the 6.70s while Jerry was able to stop the clocks with a win-light and a 6.38 elapsed time. It is Jerry’s fourth win in 2026.
The C/Gas category saw an upset to the Perdure-Oden stranglehold on the category with Tony Tatgenhorst earning that first SEGA win. The category would continue to see upsets with one side of those dueling former champions. Todd Oden had his woes in qualifying, damaging rear-end components. In his first-round matchup against Heath Adams in the Rusty Bullitt gasser, Todd would have more attrition matters arise with a broken transmission causing him to lose round one. That blew open the door for Jerren Perdue to take a clear points lead in race five, and he capitalized on it to the point of advancing to the final round. The number one qualifier for the category was the winner on Friday, Tony Tatgenhorst. He won his round one match-up against Allen Lovelady, then took his bye run in round two. His semi-final round pitted him and Heath Adams in a rematch of the 2025 Championship Finals final round at Shadyside Dragway, where Heath earned his first SEGA win over Tony. Again, it would be Heath firing true for the win over Tony. In the final, you had Jerren Perdue, the number two qualifier, up against Heath Adam, the number five qualifier. Jerren Perdue, in his Ghost Of Fulton’s Past Chevy II station wagon, continued to haunt the C/Gas competition, defeating Heath with a 6.08ET to a 6.24ET. Jerren has appeared in every final thus far in 2026 and earned his second win to this point in the season at The Rock.
Top competitors in B/Gas are easy to see with Charlie Lee and especially Ted McKee. The top performance continued for Ted McKee, qualifying number one, earning the round one bye, and then rocking on all the way to the final round in dominant fashion. Charlie Lee had noticed the loss of steam with each pass made on the weekend. The second-round matchup he had against Brad Wimberly in the Southern Sizzler would be his last of the weekend and possibly for the entire season, noting significant internal engine damage. Brad would lose in the semi-final round to Daniel Haynes in The Patriot Ford Falcon gasser, making an appearance in his select race capacity. Ford versus Chevy in the final with Ted up against Daniel, the 2024 category champion who is a threat each time he is behind the wheel, no matter the category or car. The former champion launched everything he had at the current points leader, but it wasn’t enough as Daniel drove to a 5.70ET to Ted’s 5.65ET. Ted in the Rocky Top Missile with his Freeman power has the points lead, has stretched it, and looks nearly unbeatable at the moment.
This SEGA fifth race of 2026 may have showcased a turning point in A/Gas drag racing. Ben Christopher certainly has been showcasing immense performance, making every final and having three straight wins. He continued that performance, qualifying number one with a 5.17ET in comparison to second-place qualifier Barry Adler in the Iron Eagle, clocked at a 5.24ET. Ben motored his Happy Daze gasser with Jason Line power through his first-round bye earned by qualifying number one and then past Greg Stelse in round two. His fifth straight final round appearance was in reach, but Ken Rainwater, who took out Greg Porter and Leslie Horne, proceeded to stop the Ben Christopher daze over A/Gas with a hole shot win. Set to face Ken Rainwater in his first A/Gas final was a competitor that is no stranger to A/Gas finals, Kenneth Phillips. He had advanced past Dean Jonas, Quian Stott with a new Falcon gasser dubbed Executioner III, and number two qualifier Barry Adler. This race day showcased that Ben can be stopped outside of the finals, familiar competitors with a new competitive ride, a competitor poised to win with a new combination, and a winning familiar face. Kenneth Phillips in his Corvette gasser, the Silver Streak II, defeated Ken Rainwater in the Instigator Chevy II.
By the end of the double‑feature weekend, fans were treated to drag racing in its purest form—real cars with four-on-the-floor manuals, naturally aspirated engines, and drivers relying on skill rather than electronic aids. That competition and that show is Southeast Gassers Association drag racing, which produced fans wanting more. For SEGA’s first time back to Rockingham Dragway and Richmond County, North Carolina, for the first time in over a decade and the first time earning points as a championship series, it was truly a rocking time for the Bowl4Life Foundation Rock Revival. Expect more for SEGA and Rockingham in 2027.
THE SOUTHEAST GASSERS ASSOCIATION REMAINING 2026 SCHEDULE
8/22 Farmington Dragway – Mocksville, NC.
9/12 Greer Dragway – Greer, SC.
10/9, 10 Gulfport Dragway – Gulfport, MS. (Double Feature)
10/31 Shadyside Dragway – Shelby, NC.
ABOUT SOUTHEAST GASSERS ASSOCIATION DRAG RACING
The ROCK Revival Rejuvenates Southeast Gassers Association 2026 Season
At Knoxville Dragway in late June, with lights ablaze, the rain began to fall along with the light upon the Southeast Gassers Association RAM Clutches Nationals. That moment pushed SEGA drag racing into its summer break, awaiting its completion at the Bowl4Life Foundation Rock Revival at Rockingham Dragway in North Carolina. By the end of the two-race weekend, fans and the track were thrilled by the heads-up, clutch dumping, wheel lifting, and gear jamming action.
Friday action at a Southeast Gassers Association event is usually reserved for test and tune. But at Rockingham Dragway on July 31st, the first hit at the track in over a decade for SEGA was for a win light as the remaining eliminations for the RAM Clutches Nationals were to be completed. The action in B/Gas round one, which fired up the Friday evening action, along with A/Gas round one, looked like the first hits off the trailer of the backside no-prep action of the great Rockingham series Dig Or Die. By round two, the SEGA competitors got a grip of The Rock and the passes were some of the best of the season thus far.
Competitive highlights for the RAM Clutches Nationals showcased new finalists and winners along with championship implications. The Super Stockers, number one and two in points, paired up in one half of the semi-final matchups. Jerry Dean, the multi-time defending champion and points leader, faced Rob Walden, the number two competitor who won the last SEGA event, defeating Dean. After starting line negotiations involving illuminating staging bulbs, it was Dean advancing to the final. That final would have Tony Nowasadski in his 56’ Chevy Public Enemy Super Stocker waiting for a shot to defeat Dean as only the third driver to appear in a SEGA Super Stock final in 2026. In the Chevy versus Chevy battle, it was Jerry Dean back to winning ways while extending his points lead.
In C/Gas it has been a story of former champions battling it out between the 2024 champ, Todd Oden, and the 2025 champ, Jerren Perdue. They both would win their way to the semi-finals, with the expectation to see them both in the final once again. Jerren Perdue dispatched Randy Kiefer in his Pontiac wagon. Todd Oden dispatched himself by a red light that gave Tony Tatgenhorst the win-light. Tony, in only his second career SEGA final, would have to defeat the defending champ to earn his first career victory. Again in a Chevy versus Chevy battle between wagon and two-door Chevy II varieties, it was Tony Tatgenhorst earning his first SEGA event championship in his Wasted Wages gasser powered by its Ross Racing Engines powerplant.
For B/Gas competitors, the top competition would set the final between two Tennessee natives for the RAM Clutches Nationals that began at Knoxville Dragway. Michael Oden, an Alabamian, did try to stop Ted McKee in the semi-finals, but Ted and the Rocky Top Missile were on target, turning on the win light. The number two qualifier, Charlie Lee, in his Mustang gasser known as Tennessee Charlie, had a bye into the final due to the ladder. In a rematch of the Bama Brawl final at Holiday Raceway, where Charlie Lee won his first outing of the season. This time it was Ted McKee besting Charlie Lee for his third win of the season, starting a streak with back-to-back wins.
The quickest and fastest cars in SEGA are the A/Gas cars, and they have all been chasing Ben Christopher in his Happy Daze Chevy II gasser. In the semi-finals, those doing the chasing were Leslie Horne up against Ken Rainwater and then Greg Stelse in The Joker head-to-head with Ben. Ken Rainwater, the 2025 B/Gas champion, is gaining performance with his A/Gas combination each race, but it wasn’t enough to best multi-time A/Gas champion Leslie Horne. In the Greg and Ben pairing, certainly The Joker is no joke, but it was Ben outdriving Greg to make his fourth straight final of 2026. In another rematch from Holiday Raceway, this time Leslie didn’t red-light, but he still didn’t complete the circuits for the win-light in his lane against Ben, who earned his third straight victory.
Friday night’s test and tune session along with the completion of the RAM Clutches Nationals was just the beginning for SEGA and Rockingham Dragway. On Saturday, August 1st, the premier gasser organization contested the originally scheduled standalone race in Richmond County, North Carolina, the Bowl4Life Foundation Rock Revival.
Super Stock had three rounds of eliminations on Saturday race day to complete to crown an event champion. Dominator Dean continued his number one qualifying streak that dates back seasons at this point. Jerry marched through the field with a first-round bye, then put Tony Nowasadski on the trailer for the second time for the weekend. In the final, it would be Rob Walden in his Strych 09 Chevy Impala back in the ultimate round, creating the familiar match-up for Super Stock. The familiar theme that has been in Super Stock continued on as Jerry Dean in his Last Rebel II Chevy II won over Rob Walden, who was in the 6.70s while Jerry was able to stop the clocks with a win-light and a 6.38 elapsed time. It is Jerry’s fourth win in 2026.
The C/Gas category saw an upset to the Perdure-Oden stranglehold on the category with Tony Tatgenhorst earning that first SEGA win. The category would continue to see upsets with one side of those dueling former champions. Todd Oden had his woes in qualifying, damaging rear-end components. In his first-round matchup against Heath Adams in the Rusty Bullitt gasser, Todd would have more attrition matters arise with a broken transmission causing him to lose round one. That blew open the door for Jerren Perdue to take a clear points lead in race five, and he capitalized on it to the point of advancing to the final round. The number one qualifier for the category was the winner on Friday, Tony Tatgenhorst. He won his round one match-up against Allen Lovelady, then took his bye run in round two. His semi-final round pitted him and Heath Adams in a rematch of the 2025 Championship Finals final round at Shadyside Dragway, where Heath earned his first SEGA win over Tony. Again, it would be Heath firing true for the win over Tony. In the final, you had Jerren Perdue, the number two qualifier, up against Heath Adam, the number five qualifier. Jerren Perdue, in his Ghost Of Fulton’s Past Chevy II station wagon, continued to haunt the C/Gas competition, defeating Heath with a 6.08ET to a 6.24ET. Jerren has appeared in every final thus far in 2026 and earned his second win to this point in the season at The Rock.
Top competitors in B/Gas are easy to see with Charlie Lee and especially Ted McKee. The top performance continued for Ted McKee, qualifying number one, earning the round one bye, and then rocking on all the way to the final round in dominant fashion. Charlie Lee had noticed the loss of steam with each pass made on the weekend. The second-round matchup he had against Brad Wimberly in the Southern Sizzler would be his last of the weekend and possibly for the entire season, noting significant internal engine damage. Brad would lose in the semi-final round to Daniel Haynes in The Patriot Ford Falcon gasser, making an appearance in his select race capacity. Ford versus Chevy in the final with Ted up against Daniel, the 2024 category champion who is a threat each time he is behind the wheel, no matter the category or car. The former champion launched everything he had at the current points leader, but it wasn’t enough as Daniel drove to a 5.70ET to Ted’s 5.65ET. Ted in the Rocky Top Missile with his Freeman power has the points lead, has stretched it, and looks nearly unbeatable at the moment.
This SEGA fifth race of 2026 may have showcased a turning point in A/Gas drag racing. Ben Christopher certainly has been showcasing immense performance, making every final and having three straight wins. He continued that performance, qualifying number one with a 5.17ET in comparison to second-place qualifier Barry Adler in the Iron Eagle, clocked at a 5.24ET. Ben motored his Happy Daze gasser with Jason Line power through his first-round bye earned by qualifying number one and then past Greg Stelse in round two. His fifth straight final round appearance was in reach, but Ken Rainwater, who took out Greg Porter and Leslie Horne, proceeded to stop the Ben Christopher daze over A/Gas with a hole shot win. Set to face Ken Rainwater in his first A/Gas final was a competitor that is no stranger to A/Gas finals, Kenneth Phillips. He had advanced past Dean Jonas, Quian Stott with a new Falcon gasser dubbed Executioner III, and number two qualifier Barry Adler. This race day showcased that Ben can be stopped outside of the finals, familiar competitors with a new competitive ride, a competitor poised to win with a new combination, and a winning familiar face. Kenneth Phillips in his Corvette gasser, the Silver Streak II, defeated Ken Rainwater in the Instigator Chevy II.
By the end of the double‑feature weekend, fans were treated to drag racing in its purest form—real cars with four-on-the-floor manuals, naturally aspirated engines, and drivers relying on skill rather than electronic aids. That competition and that show is Southeast Gassers Association drag racing, which produced fans wanting more. For SEGA’s first time back to Rockingham Dragway and Richmond County, North Carolina, for the first time in over a decade and the first time earning points as a championship series, it was truly a rocking time for the Bowl4Life Foundation Rock Revival. Expect more for SEGA and Rockingham in 2027.
THE SOUTHEAST GASSERS ASSOCIATION REMAINING 2026 SCHEDULE
8/22 Farmington Dragway – Mocksville, NC.
9/12 Greer Dragway – Greer, SC.
10/9, 10 Gulfport Dragway – Gulfport, MS. (Double Feature)
10/31 Shadyside Dragway – Shelby, NC.
ABOUT SOUTHEAST GASSERS ASSOCIATION DRAG RACING
Our mission is to bring back the authentic drag racing from the 1960’s and to put on a show the whole family will love. The 1960’s produced some of the most exciting times in drag racing history and we are doing our best to preserve that time at the track. Our cars represent the gassers of that era as closely as possible. This means exciting wheels up launches, drivers banging gears with their four speeds, as well as the car’s appearance while sitting in the pits. Follow the Southeast Gassers Association on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X.