Marine veteran and VETMotorsports alumni sets land speed record - Speedway Digest

Marine veteran and VETMotorsports alumni set the land speed record for his class last weekend at the 2020 Firecracker Mile presented by the ECTA (formerly The East Coast Timing Association).

The event, which started July 3rd in Blytheville, Arkansas, saw some of the best land speed racers compete over Independence Day Weekend. Riders and drivers on two and four wheels competed through July 5th at former Eaker AFB 11,602 feet long runway.

Marine Corps veteran Mike Goodman competed over the weekend with the assistance of Andy Whydell, who provided the record-breaking Dodge Challenger Hellcat, setting a car-class world-record time in the 1 mile with a speed of 174.419 mph. Goodman left the event with a weekend top speed of 185.185 in the 1 1/4 mile.

The ECTA also provided assistance by raising awareness for VETMotorsports, a not-for-profit organization that provides transformative motorsports experiences for active military, National Guard, Reserve, Gold Star families, and veterans with service-connected injuries.

VETMotorsports and the ECTA will be inviting the military community to join them at the next land speed event, scheduled for October 2nd through the 4th in Blytheville, Arkansas.

“This was an amazing experience,” said Goodman. “Before leaving the Marine Corps this year, I wanted to be involved in motorsports as a vocation. I connected to VETMototsports via social media and they have introduced me to some amazing people. First and foremost, thank you to Andy (Whydell) for the opportunity to drive. Also to the ECTA for providing me an entry to compete. And lastly to Aaron Brown and the Garage Shop, who have supported my efforts by mentoring me in their shop and at the track.”

“This was just a way for us to make the Firecracker Mile even more meaningful,” said Steve Strupp, director and owner of the ECTA. “We’re hoping to get lots of veterans and others out to our land speed events to learn more about the sport and help us get more people like Goodman behind the wheel in the future.”
Goodman will be presented with a certified certificate for his record breaking attempt, as well as a commemorative BangShift.com jacket recognizing his achievement.

“Land speed racing with the ECTA is the definition of grassroots motorsports” said VETMotorsports Founder and Executive Director Peter Cline. “Goodman has taken his passion and turned it into a platform, which is incredible. We’re so excited for his successes and encourage more members of the military community involved into programs such as ours to help them achieve their goals.”

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Adam Sinclair

NHRA, IHRA, Motocross and other forms of motorsports Staff writer
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.