‘One of My Top Weekends Ever’: Barney Reflects on an Unforgettable IHRA SuperSeries World Finals Run

Joe Barney has won his share of big races, but he’s hard-pressed to remember a better weekend than the recent IHRA SuperSeries World Finals at Alabama International Dragway.

Barney was the winner of Friday’s Race of Champions and followed it up with a runner-up finish to Luke Bogacki in Saturday’s main event.

“This was absolutely one of my top weekends ever,” Barney said. “I had a great time the previous weekend at Darana Raceway — Hebron, where I was undefeated in No Box for three days. This weekend, we almost did the same thing."

Barney was referring to the No Box race at Darana when he won Friday’s High Roller Race, was one of the racers remaining when Saturday’s race was called and captured Sunday’s $3,000-to-win race.

Then, to finish runner-up against champions across North America at the most prestigious bracket championship race, it was an accomplishment that Barney was extremely proud of. His path to the final included a win over Alabama racer Tucker Kay in the quarterfinal round and a bye in the semifinals. He clicked red by just -.005 in the final against Luke Bogacki.

Barney, the track champion at Kil-Kare Raceway, is a 19-year veteran of the sport. A mechanic by trade, he piloted a Chevrolet S-10 over his big weekend.

“I built it about 10 years ago, and it’s got a 414 small block with a power glide and 448 gear,” Barney said. “It’s a good truck.”

A big fan of the Pro Stock ranks, those drivers were his racing heroes coming up in the sport.

His Friday night victory was interesting because he faced Timmy Roe twice in the final rounds. Roe, in a Chevy Nova, bested Barney in the semifinal round.

Barney, who had a bye on a double-entry to the final, then drove his Chevy S-10 to the victory after Roe broke out. The winning package included a 6.311 elapsed time at 106.03 mph, as Barney also had a .036 to .056 advantage at the start. He explained how rare it was to get a rematch like that in a bracket race of that caliber.

“That doesn’t happen all the time,” Barney said. “You want it to fall your way, and when it didn’t the first time, I was in desperate mode. I was like, ‘I have to get this one.’ I know this whole place is full of very accomplished racers, so it’s a great honor to stand in the winner’s circle.”