Shelby Vogel wedged her steering wheel into an ice-filled chest between runs. Greg Dinges' Chevrolet slid over sweating asphalt. And Wade Kiefer made just a single tune up pass on Sunday, preferring the shade and slight breeze in his hauler.

"I don't know if it was the driver or the car dealing with all that heat," said Dinges of his skating starts.

But on a weekend when track temperatures at the Julesburg drag strip approached 140 degrees, Kimball drivers blistered the asphalt, racking up a total of three wins, two podiums and one coveted trophy.

Vogel had the easiest path. Even before racing began on Saturday she was confident of victory in the Junior Dragster class, explaining how one of her keenest competitors fought engine problems during warm ups. On Sunday she edged Samantha Reorda--an important result, for it moved the young driver into second place for the season.

"I could probably get better," Vogel said while resting in an air conditioned trailer, pointing out her inconsistency at the lights.

Yet her performance on Saturday was strong enough for a win, as well. And with the next series race offering double points, Vogel is in position to cut into Reorda's 24 point lead.

Real drama emerged from the Super Pro ranks. Sunday's points event saw Kiefer and Dinges finish second and third, respectively. And the results could easily have been better.

Dinges fought for traction at the lights in the semifinal round. Kiefer accidentally hit the wrong switch in the finals, dulling the track-ripping torque of his Corvette's monstrous 1300 horsepower engine.

"I should have beat him," Kiefer says of his finals loss to Denver driver Earl Garczynski. "I left way late. It's just one of them things.

Still, the day put them in a tie for second in the all-important points race.

Saturday's Colorado State Championship "Wally" event was a different matter. Kiefer ran consistently quick during time trails and tied for top spot in a jackpot challenge. When real racing began, he bullied the competition up until the final round, when the veteran Kimball driver lined up against rookie Roger Rasgorshek, also of Kimball.

Rasgorshek's appearance in a championship round was a surprise, considering Saturday marked only his second weekend of competitive driving. Perched in Dinges' Camaro, however, he ran close to dial in times.

"I'm ready to go all day," he said before the final round, squinting at the sun. "As long as we've got water."

The chance for a Wally--the brass and walnut trophy honoring NHRA founder Wally Parks--had Kiefer keyed up. The prize had eluded him for four years.

"The car was running good, so it was down to me," he reported. "It made me feel better racing a rookie."

Meanwhile Dinges had jokingly told his driver "if you win, you keep the Wally, I'll take the money."

Both cars fought for grip off the line, but Kiefer reigned in his beast quicker. Drag racing is a sport of fractions, and a momentary slip often means the difference between victory and defeat, Wally or no.

Of his first ever Wally, Kiefer said "I might take a nap with it tonight, if my wife will let me."