The 2024 NMRA World Finals will see a new first: the manual transmission drag racing world will have its first-ever official TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout season champion!
Since its first occurrence in the 2013 NMRA season, the TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout has seen tremendous growth in participation and popularity. It began as an annual event, held at the NMRA Spring Break Shootout, and today takes place at three NMRA events including the series finale in September held in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
“TREMEC’s relationship with the NMRA goes back to our first events in 1999 as a series sponsor,” explains NMRA President and CEO Steve Wolcott. “When TREMEC approached NMRA about doing a manual transmission only class inside True Street, we knew it would be an instant hit. The TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout grew to three events each year and has seen some amazing competition with 8- and 9-second cars vying for the win. After talking to TREMEC’s Mike Kidd before the 2024 NMRA season, we felt the time was right to give the racer’s an added incentive and recognition for going all-out to win the Stick Shift Shootout.”
The winner of the TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout Championship will be the racer who has made all three events (or two if no racer makes all three) with the quickest overall qualifying E/T. Heading into the NMRA World Finals, three racers are vying for a chance to home the ring at Beech Bend Raceway.
ABOVE: The TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout takes the eight quickest H-pattern manual transmission racers from the NMRA True Street category (plus two alternates) and has them face off in eliminations. For the final shootout of 2024, eliminations will be run heads-up with no staggered start. First- and second-round pairings will be determined by random chip draw. The winner of the shootout itself will take home a McLeod NXT clutch kit plus $2,000 bonus money if running a TREMEC transmission and McLeod clutch. Runner up gets a $500 McLeod product voucher.
Kyler Miller – 9.3195 Average E/T
Heading into the NMRA World Finals, Kyle Miller has the current quickest qualifying E/T average with a 9.3195. At the 2024 NMRA Spring Break Shootout at Gainesville Raceway, a bad alternator took him out of competition in the first round of eliminations. At the NMRA Homecoming Event at Summit Motorsports Park, he was matched up with the slowest car in the field for first-round eliminations and left with too much ground to make up through the staggered start. His turbo 4.6L DOHC 2004 Mach 1 has been one of the quickest competitors all season, and he’s looking to break his jinx in eliminations in Bowling Green to win his first TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout and also the first ever championship.
“I think it’s awesome there will be a TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout championship winner and ring this year. Going to different tracks for an overall average and having to adapt and overcome track conditions adds a new challenge and dynamic to the competition.”
“For me to win the ring, having the lowest average E/T might sound easy since I’m coming into the final race with that in my pocket, but only by a small margin. Racing a stick shift, you have extra challenges and variables compared to running that other type of transmission. It takes a lot of concentration and a whole of things to go right on every single pass.”
“To some it might be just a ring, but it’s a ring that I will have! I’ve spent long nights in the shop working on the car to be race ready. It definitely helps having the support of people around me that keep pushing me to show up and show out!”
Dannie Addair – 9.3285 Average E/T
TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout veteran Dannie Addair is one of the quickest stick shift racers in the Midwest. But while the majority of racers around him are running overhead cam engines, Dannie’s Fox Mustang runs a pushrod Windsor V8 with a turbocharger. At the first shootout of 2024 he was number one qualifier with a 9.26 average E/T, but had traction issues leading to a first-round exit. At the second shootout at Summit Motorsports Park, he qualified with a 9.358 E/T average. After his final True Street run though, the engine blew a head gasket and he couldn’t make first call on Sunday. His 9.3285 average has him a mere hundredth of a second behind Kyle Miller, with no room to spare for either racer to have a bad pass during True Street at the NMRA World Finals.
“I think the championship ring is a great addition to the TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout. It recognizes the hard work of those that try to obtain it, and the consistent effort they put towards keeping their cars off jackstands.”
“It would mean a lot for us to win that ring. 2024 has not been an easy year for us with our cars. Winning the ring would bring 2024 to a close with a positive outcome and make overcoming all the challenges we faced and late nights spent wrenching on things worth even more.”
Jeff Smith – 9.746 Average E/T
Jeff Smith has made more TREMEC Stick Shift Shootouts than any other racer, with 19 Top 8 qualifiers and 4 shootout wins under his belt. Jeff’s 9.746 average E/T has him close enough that should either Kyle Miller or Dannie Addair have issues during True Street at the NMRA World Finals, he could take home the first TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout championship ring. Jeff’s 2004 Ford Mustang Cobra has shown it’s capable of running high 8s while being a super consistent mid- to low 9-second car. “The Pumpkin” as he calls it is definitely has a legit shot to put the ring on his finger for the TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout Championship.
“I hadn’t thought about this until now, but I just realized I’ve made more TREMEC Stick Shift Shootouts than any other competitor. I think there are only two I haven’t qualified for since I started running. One year I rolled through the beams during True Street qualifying, and another time my fuel-pump controller failed during True Street runs.”
“To be the first one to wear the TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout championship ring, well the feeling is almost indescribable. I’d probably wear it all the way back to Florida and even to bed! TREMEC has always been very supportive of my racing efforts, and I would be proud to be the first ever TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout champion.”