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“I’ve been building vehicles since I was 6 with my dad,” said Wilkie, a sophomore at Ypsilanti Lincoln. “I’ve been coming to races here a couple of times, but this is my first time competing. … What an adrenaline rush. It was a thrill to go down that strip like that.”

Drivers competed in different divisions, based on their average speed during practice runs. Wilkie had a run of 16.8 seconds, running at more than 81 mph. He also competed in the burn-out competition.

“You get 45 seconds to try and throw the most smoke up,” Wilkie said, explaining the burn-out. “I finished second. I blew my motor. I guarantee I’ll win it (burn-out) the next time I come here in April.”

Wilkie said he got the ’82 Chevy S10 truck he used in the burn-out from the junkyard for $500.

“It was missing a door and had no hood,” Wilkie said. “We had a motor and I got some parts. I was working on it until 3 in the morning. I’m competing on three hours of sleep, and I love every minute of it.”

Joint effort

Several students from Jim Schneider’s automotive class at St. Clair Shores Lakeview were busy Saturday morning, preparing their car for the quarter-mile run.

“It’s great to have kids involved in something like this,” Schneider said while watching them work on the 1986 Pontiac Firebird TransAm. “We put together a car during auto club after school on Thursdays so they can take it here and race. We’ve been working on this one for the last two or three years. It was donated by a local resident. The kids do all the work and I just assist them.

“The kids are into all different types of motor sports. They’re very dedicated. They’ll come to school at six in the morning, an hour and a half before school, to work on the car.”

Schneider, for liability reasons, drives the TransAm.

Schneider teaches three auto classes, one introductory and two advanced, at Lakeview. The classes are so popular, Schneider said, that more than 50 applicants were turned away.

“I love working on cars and being in the shop,” junior Shawn Quinn said. “This is my second year. I like hanging out with my friends. I want to learn how to rebuild the engine. I’ll probably be a mechanic.”

Sophomore Alex Iafrate also was working on the TransAm.

“I’m not a core class kind of guy,” Iafrate said. “I’m more hands on, so this is great for me. It’s a lot of fun being here, hanging out with my friends. I really want to be a diesel mechanic because there’s such a high demand for them.”

Third-generation drivers

Racing is the family business for Brighton senior Sean Conley and Hartland senior Stephanie Weiss.

Conley’s grandfather, Jack Conley, drives in stock car and super modified, and has raced at Daytona in the past. His father, John Conley, builds racing engines.

Weiss’ grandmother, Judy McCormack, competes in the NHRA stock eliminator division. Her father, John McCormack, also drives and is owner of McCormack Performance, an Auto Parts Shop in Walled Lake.

Weiss was celebrating her birthday at Milan, driving a 2002 Dodge three-quarter ton truck. She won her first elimination race, clocked at 16.3 seconds and 83 mph.

“I love the speed,” Weiss said. “I’m going to go to college and then go after my dream of being a Top Fuel driver.”

Sean Conley competed in a Chevy Camaro.

“I like the thrill of competing,” said Conley, who plans on driving on the two-mile road course at Waterford Hills next month.

Going fast

Mazen Mourad, a senior at Northville, competed in one of the highest divisions, needing to put on a helmet before taking the track.

“I enjoy the adrenaline rush when that light turns green,” said Mourad who went down the quarter mile in 12.2 seconds at more than 116 mph in his Subaru STI. “This is great, competing here. It gives us something to do and keeps us off the street with street racing. I wish they had more of this in my area.”

Mourad said he has put more than $7,000 into his racing with high performance parts. He works at Speed Industry in Troy, a high-end tuner shop, to fund his hobby.

“I’d like to race for a living, either drag racing or rally racing. I’ve been involved in the sport since I was 11. I love it.”