The 2024 TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout series as part of the NMRA True Street class gave us quite the thrill ride. The ending wasn’t what we wanted (a painful rainout of the 2024 NMRA World Finals) but throughout the season we saw exciting stick shift manual transmission drag racing. Without a chance to settle things on the race track at the final event, the results from the first two shootouts were used to determine the winner of the first-ever TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout Championship – Kyle Miller took home the title, trophy and TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout Championship ring!
The TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout takes the quickest eight H-pattern shifted manual transmission cars from the NMRA True Street class using each racer’s True Street three-run average to qualify. During eliminations the qualifying racers face off in a bracket with first and second round pairings based on random chip draw.
The first TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout Championship was awarded to the racer who made all three shootouts with the quickest qualifying elapsed-time average. Headed into the 2024 NMRA World Finals, the race for the TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout championship was down to four racers. Kyle Miller (9.3195 avg. E/T), Dannie Addair (9.3285 avg E/T), Jeff Smith (9.746 avg. E/T) and Chris Rusch (10.423 avg. E/T).
Then Hurricane Helene happened. What looked to be a blazing hot finish to the first TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout Championship was literally extinguished by the remnants of Hurricane Helene stalling out over the state of Kentucky and raining out Friday and Saturday of the NMRA World Finals. Sunday brought a better weather forecast and hopes the event could be run on an abbreviated schedule. But even with the massive efforts by the NMRA staff and track crew to get the Beech Bend Raceway surface dried out and safe for racing, persistent mist and the ground being so saturated couldn’t be overcome. NMRA officials called the race.
Without qualifying and eliminations at the World Final, the results of the first two TREMEC Stick Shift Shootouts were used to determine the winner of the TREMEC Stick Shootout Championship, with Kyle Mille in his 2004 Mustang Mach 1 clinching the title. Along with the championship ring Kyle also took back to Florida the massively glorious TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout championship trophy crafted by Jerry Barrick of Bunker Hill Fabrications.
“This was not the way I wanted to win this but I am beyond grateful to TREMEC for giving stick shift racers like me a class and opportunity to race for something more than just a win light,” says Kyle Miller. “Dannie and I along with Jeff wanted to settle this on the track. Dannie’s one of the fiercest and most energetic racers I know. We’ll get a chance to face off again and enjoy every second of it.”
“TREMEC has helped us all a lot, and racers like myself who are doing it all mostly on our own it can feel like a constant, uphill battle to keep racing. I was thrashing between work to get the car back together after a valve seat failure tore up some pistons and nicked an impeller blade on the turbo’s exhaust side. Even with serious questions about the motor I was ready to send it and see how long the car would last with no regrets. I know Dannie was in a similar situation with his car. We both agreed nothing would be held back.”