Dragging the rear bumper down the drag strip might not be the quickest way to get to the finish line, but it sure is the most entertaining. That’s exactly why the Byron Dragway in Byron, Illinois, has an entire competition where the only goal is to see who can produce the most impressive wheelie. It has been dubbed the World Power Wheel Standing Championships, and has been running strong for 18 years. In this video from YouTube, we get to watch most of the 2012 competition condensed into almost four minutes of hoop hangin’ action.

• 
• 

Larry Jeleniewski won the competition with an impossibly long wheelie nearly the full length of the track in his yellow 'Cuda, while Brian Ambrosini came in third after getting all four wheels of his orange Gremlin off the ground.

Byron Dragway has the entire list of results for who won what category posted on their website, but there are a few highlights we would like to point out to you. First off, the yellow ’68 Camaro that opens the video is owned by Danny Tellman, and won the award for “Most Violent Wheelstand” – for obvious reasons. Next, look out for Greg Warner in his ’69 Chevelle at the 0:45 mark for the “Most Photogenic Wheelstand”. The third place wheelie comes up at 1:18 as Brian Ambrosini day-lights both the front and rear tires on his ’74 Gremiln. Ricky Kirkpatrick won second place over all for his ’81 Malibu wagon’s spectacular wheelie at 2:05. However, the best wheelie of the competition comes up at the 1:05 mark, when Larry Jeleniewski almost runs the full length of the track on the bumper of his yellow ’69 Barracuda.  

• 
• 
• 

Other notables from the competition include Rick Johnson in his 1960 Bel-Air for 'Weirdest Wheel Stand', and Greg Warner in his 1969 Chevelle as 'Most Photogenic' Also, Danny Tellman's hard rough splash down earned him the honor of 'Most Violent' in his 1968 Camaro.

We think the crew at Byron did a great job on picking each of these awards, and we’re already thinking about making a trip up to Illinois for the 19^th Annual World Power Wheel Standing Championships. Who wants to join us?