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The ROCK Revival Boosts Excitement for Southeast Gassers Association 2026 Season
Highlights
- SEGA returned to Rockingham Dragway for first event in 10 years
- Jerry Dean won Super Stock finals, earning his fourth 2026 victory
- Tony Tatgenhorst claimed his first SEGA win in C/Gas competition
- Ted McKee extended points lead with third B/Gas win of 2026
- Ken Rainwater ended Ben Christopher’s A/Gas winning streak
- Events featured wheel-to-wheel racing with manual transmissions only
SEGA returned to Rockingham Dragway on July 31, completing postponed Knoxville eliminations and staging the Bowl4Life Foundation Rock Revival, its first points event at the venue in over a decade.
The weekend delivered heads-up starts, manual gear changes, and wheelstands. It showcased SEGA’s purist ruleset: four-speed gearboxes, naturally aspirated engines, and minimal electronics.
Rain had halted Knoxville’s RAM Clutches Nationals. Rockingham’s Friday therefore opened with its remaining eliminations, initially tricky on a green surface before competitors adapted and posted 2026’s quickest passes.
Super Stock points leader Jerry Dean beat Rob Walden in a semifinal, then Tony Nowasadski in the final. His Chevy II, Last Rebel II, secured win number four of 2026.
The Dean–Walden bout featured a staging-light dispute, handled swiftly by officials. Nowasadski’s runner-up marked his third final of 2026, underlining strong consistency from the 1956 Chevy Public Enemy.
C/Gas featured former champions Todd Oden and Jerren Perdue. Oden red-lit in the semifinals, while Perdue advanced. Newcomer Tony Tatgenhorst capitalized, taking his first SEGA win in Wasted Wages.
Tony Tatgenhorst scored his first SEGA victory in C/Gas with the Ross Racing Engines-powered Wasted Wages.
B/Gas belonged to Tennessee. Ted McKee beat Michael Oden in the semifinals, while ladder format sent Charlie Lee straight to the final. McKee defeated Lee, sealing third win of 2026.
A/Gas remained the pace benchmark. Ben Christopher’s Happy Daze Chevy II advanced past Greg Stelse and Leslie Horne, delivering a fourth final appearance and a third straight win of 2026.
Saturday’s Bowl4Life Foundation Rock Revival reset narratives again. With a grippier surface and rising stakes, execution under SEGA’s manual-gear rules became the key differentiator across every category.
Dean completed a statement sweep. He beat Nowasadski earlier, then defeated Walden in the final with a 6.38 elapsed time, extending an already healthy points advantage entering the summer run-in.
Jerry Dean swept Rockingham’s Super Stock honors, adding a 6.38 ET in Saturday’s final to strengthen his 2026 title position.
Tatgenhorst’s momentum stalled in qualifying, and Heath Adams eliminated him in the semifinals. Perdue edged Adams for victory, his second of 2026, keeping former champions firmly in the title conversation.
McKee sustained form with top qualifying and a narrow final win over 2024 champion Daniel Haynes. A 5.65 elapsed time moved the Tennessee racer further clear in the points.
Ted McKee’s 5.65 ET in B/Gas extended his championship lead after top qualifying and a clutch final over Daniel Haynes.
A/Gas flipped. Ken Rainwater halted Christopher’s streak and reached the final, where Kenneth Phillips prevailed in his Corvette gasser, Silver Streak II, emphasizing the class’s depth and volatility.
Ken Rainwater ended Ben Christopher’s A/Gas run; Kenneth Phillips converted, winning in the Silver Streak II Corvette.
SEGA’s Rockingham return reaffirmed the venue’s relevance and the series’ identity. Packed stands, manual transmissions, and wheel-to-wheel purity signpost a compelling run to 2027 for racers and fans alike.
Visual Summary
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SEGA’s Stunning
Rockingham Revival
Rockingham Revival
High drama, new heroes, and raw four-speed drag racing return to North Carolina’s legendary strip.
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Super Stock
Jerry Dean
Back-to-back wins, extending his 2026 points lead.
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C/Gas
Tony Tatgenhorst
First career win with the Wasted Wages gasser.
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B/Gas
Ted McKee
Hot streak continues, 3rd win of 2026.
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A/Gas
Kenneth Phillips
Claims Silver Streak II’s first win of 2026.
🔥 The Spirit of Four-Speed Rivalry 🔥
Heads-up launches, wheelies, red lights and rain – SEGA brought old-school drama back to Rockingham after a decade away.
(Manual gearboxes only. No electronics. Just guts and skill.)
(Manual gearboxes only. No electronics. Just guts and skill.)
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Class Winners
10+
Years Since
Last SEGA Race
Last SEGA Race
Wheels-Up
Launches &
Red Lights
Red Lights
Miles Carter covers grassroots and regional drag-strip action, from bracket racing to street-legal shootouts. His event previews and performance-upgrade guides keep local racers up to speed on timing-slip trends, tire tech, and weekend race highlights.
