Ford Vehicle

Herald news services BREMERTON, Wash. — Jerry Gossette earned a default victory on the track en route to winning the Car Club Challenge Association Bremerton Raceway driver’s championship on Saturday, Sept. 13. Gossette, a Quilcene, Wash., driver from the South County Classic Cruisers, defeated Jason Cooper of the Ford Drag Team in a sudden-death runoff when Cooper jumped too soon off the line.

Earlier, Northwest Muscle Car Association teammates Sherry Barnett of Bremerton, Wash., and Joey Perrot of Shelton, Wash., advanced to the event final, with Barnett winning out. Going into Saturday’s races, the driver’s championship for Bremerton Raceway was yet to be settled but the Ford Drag Team had clinched the team championship for a third straight year and Jason Biscay of the Ford Drag Team won the Pacific Raceways driver’s title.

Cooper, of Arlington, Wash., had finished second in points for the Pacific title, and entered the day in first place in the Bremerton standings, with Gossette right behind him. In the first round of time trials, Cooper snapped the crankshaft on his small-block Ford Maverick. With some help he hustled his car back to the pits and unhooked his tow vehicle to continue into the next round of practice.

After two rounds of eliminations, all challengers within striking distance were eliminated, except Gossette. When Cooper lost his match in the third round, and Gossette won his, the points were all tied up. Gossette only needed one more victory in the next round to claim the title, but he could not pull the win off, setting the stage for a run-off with Cooper. Cooper pulled up to the line with his pickup tow vehicle, and Gossette with his 1968 Oldsmobile Cutlass.