Atlanta Motor Speedway's Castrol GTX Friday Night Drags Opening Night Cancelled Due To Inclement Weather

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Marcy Scott
Trey Sanders


HAMPTON, Ga. (May 11, 2007) – Fans of Atlanta Motor Speedway's new Castrol GTX Friday Night Drags series will have to wait one more week to get their speed fix. May 18 will now serve as the opening night of the 2007 season as tonight's activities have been cancelled due to inclement weather.

Competitors were able to get their practice runs in, but storms in the area prevented track officials from getting the drag elimination rounds started.

For the 2007 season, points will be awarded each night during the 12-week season with the drag division winner taking home three points, second-place two points and the rest of the participants will be awarded one point. The competitor with the most points at the end of the season wins the championship title to be determined on September 7. All of tonight's competitors who showed up to compete were awarded one point, which will count in the season long battle.

The Show N' Shine contest did take place and trophies were awarded. Tonight's competition showcased everything from new imports to classic muscle cars; even a drag boat was entered.

Show-N-Shine winners include:

Showroom Current (1973 through current): Brian Rice (McDonough) in a 2001 SS Camaro

Showroom Classic (1972 and prior): Billy Peek (Newnan) in a 1968 Camaro RS/SS

Foreign: Brian Sheets (Locust Grove) in a 1961 Volkswagen Beetle

Current Custom (1973 through current): Jesse Olive (Hampton) in a 2005 Scion

Classic Custom (1972 and prior): Charles Chapman (McDonough) 1933 Ford



All fans and drag competitors who purchased admission for tonight's event need to bring their ticket stub or competitor wristband to the May 18 event to gain admission.

Atlanta Motor Speedway's Castrol GTX Friday Night Drags will return on May 18 featuring an all Harley-Davidson drag showcase. Pit Gates open at 6:00 p.m. Grandstand gates at 6:30 p.m. Drag practice runs start at 6:40 p.m. and nightly drag race eliminations start at 9:10 p.m. Entry for drag racing or the Show N' Shine is $20, spectator tickets are $7 for adults and children under six are free. More information can be found at www.atlantamotorspeedway.com .

Pete Dorsey's Health

Sol Stewart just sent this note about drag racer Pete Dorsey's health:


5/11/07...Received a disturbing note from DIXIE DORSEY today, PETE DORSEY's wife.
She wrote that Pete has just suffered another stroke, his fifth. This time, the stroke was termed a bleeder and Pete had to undergo neurosurgery. At present, he is at home. Doctors advise any progress will be long and slow.

Please take a moment and send Pete a "Get well soon" card and a note. Let him know
we are thinking about him.....It will help...

His address is: Pete Dorsey
1444 Cherokee Lane
Elba, Ala. 36323

SOL

Brannan-Hammes Southern Auto Classic Photos

Fred Simmons has sent us a few photos from Dick Brannan's Southern Auto Classic held last weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. I'll add more photos when I receive them.
Fred Simmons Photos

More ADRL at SGMP Photos Added

More of Marvin T. Smith's great ADRL Pro Mod photos have been added here!

WJ’s International Motorsports Hall of Fame Induction to Air this Sunday on Speed

Contact:Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing

Sugar Hill, GA, May 11, 2007 - GM Performance Parts GTO driver Warren Johnson's historic induction into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame (IMHOF) will be broadcast this Sunday, May 13 on the Speed Channel.

The one-hour program, which is scheduled to air at 1:00 p.m. (EST), will provide highlights of the ceremony held on April 26 in the Speed Channel Dome at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in Talladega, AL. Joining Johnson in receiving one of motorsports' ultimate honors were fellow 2007 inductees Junie Donleavy, Ray Hendrick, Jack Ingram, Wayne Rainey and Bruton Smith.

Please check your local listings for channel information and air times in your area.

Husband – Wife Team Ready to Race Their Way to a Championship in Atlanta Motor Speedway's Inaugural Season of Castrol GTX Friday Night Drags

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Marcy Scott
Trey Sanders

HAMPTON, Ga. (May 9, 2007) – Most testosterone packed, drag racing men are ultra-competitive and look for any opportunity they can find to flex their automotive muscles. From every direction on the compass, drag strips have historically been a refuge for men wanting to go fast and not be under the watchful eye of their wife.

Greg Mitchell has re-written the rule book and couldn't be happier. Mitchell bought his wife of 27-years, Valorie, a pristine 1955 Chevrolet Bel-Air drag car the couple plans to run at Atlanta Motor Speedway's Castrol GTX Friday Night Drags Series. To date, Valorie has inched countless men to the stripe, including Greg.

"We have met four times in either the quarter-finals or the finals and I have lost to her every time, including one at AMS," Greg said laughing. "But we got into drag racing cars so we could do something together and we absolutely love it."

Friends since their early teens, Greg and Valorie have raced just about everything on two wheels, four wheels and even water.

"I used to race drag boats and Harley-Davidson drag bikes," Greg said. "Valorie would actually work on the vehicles, so we were still together, but now we actually compete together, which is a lot more fun."

Valorie has no complaints Greg traded his life jacket and motorcycle leathers for two doors and a full roll cage.

"Drag boat racing is just too dangerous," said Valorie, who has been clocked at 140 mph in the eighth-mile at AMS. "People think it's not that dangerous because you are racing on water. That is just simply not the case."

Although the couple has owned numerous drag cars, they seem to have settled on two of the nicest cars to ever make a pass on Atlanta Motor Speedway's drag strip.

Greg simply described Valorie's orange and white 1955 Chevrolet Bel-Air as "rough" when they purchased it, but Valorie could only wait one day before she made a pass with it. She raced the car several times before its restoration until she blew the engine.

"The engine wouldn't turn over and she thought it had a dead battery," Greg said. "I saw a connecting rod sticking out the side of the engine block and I knew we had bigger problems.

"We wanted the car to look as street legal as possible," Greg said. "The windows roll up and the head lights and tail lights work. The bumpers are fiberglass, but we painted them to look like chrome and I custom mixed the orange paint."

Several years, countless upgrades and a tire-scorching big-block Chevrolet engine later, the duo has massaged the bow-tie into not only a nightly contender, but a pristine fan favorite.

Greg takes a big-block powered black 1970 Chevrolet Nova to the line that was built specifically to race in the same class as Valorie's drag car so the couple could race together. To date, the high-octane pair has amassed more than 20 final-round wins and counting over the last nine years, including one at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2006.

"We have raced at more than 20 tracks as far away as Houston, Texas and Atlanta Motor Speedway is definitely a first-class facility," Greg said. "We are really looking forward a full summer of racing here at AMS."

The owners of McDonough RV and Forsyth Camping Center, Greg and Valorie have developed a following from their employees and friends.

"Racing at AMS has turned into a Friday night ritual for all of us," Greg said. "All of our employees and friends come out here and support us and that really makes it a lot more fun. It is a great atmosphere."

Both Greg and Valorie plan on racing for years to come, but Greg has one order of business in the near future.

"I plan on going to Roy Hill’s drag racing school real soon so I can start beating her off the line," Greg said laughing.

The 2007 Castrol GTX Friday Night Drags Series will run May 11, 18, June 1, 8, 22, 29, August 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 and September 7. Practice drag runs begin at 6:40 p.m. and gates open at 7 p.m. Show N’ Shine car show judging begins at 8:30 p.m. with the Championship drag runs starting at 9:10 p.m.

For more information about Castrol GTX Friday Night Drags, contact the Atlanta Motor Speedway ticket office at (770) 946-4211 or visit www.atlantamotorspeedway.com

Hernandez pulls off a miracle two wins in one weekend

Courtesy AMS

MADISON, Ill./VALDOSTA, Ga. – Josh Hernandez won an unprecedented two events in two different drag racing series in two states in one weekend, continuing his dominance of the Pro Modified class behind the wheel of his Howard Moon-tuned AMS/Rage machines. The Houston-area native won his fourth straight AMS Staff Leasing win in Madison, Ill. and the rain-delayed ADRL 2006 World Final crown in Valdosta, Ga. this weekend, accomplishing a feat similar to the unsuccessful attempt by circle-track standout Tony Stewart in 1999 when he raced the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 in one day.

“I’m still in shock I think,” Hernandez said after winning the AMS Pro Mod final in Madison. “The magnitude of what has happened this weekend, the hours and hours, the miles and stress our entire team has faced – from Dave Wood and Tommy Lipar all the way to my teammate Troy [Critchley] and Howard [Moon, crew chief] and the boys, this has been an amazing accomplishment for all of them.

“It’s a testament to what we’ve spent so much time building over the past couple of years. These guys were face with having to pull off a miracle, and they really did it,” he said.

When faced with the conflicting events, the team’s original plan was to use the two qualifying attempts at the AMS Challenge event to get firmly into the field, fly to Georgia on Saturday to contest the rain-delayed ADRL World Championship match as well as the Georgia Drags, and then fly back to Illinois to complete the AMS event. When rainy conditions stole the second round of qualifying from the AMS/Rage team, leaving Hernandez holding onto an off-pace 6.191 pass for tenuous a No. 2 qualifying position, the team was forced to make difficult decisions regarding where to race on Saturday.

“No one wanted to voice the question we were asking ourselves when we got on the plane that night: were we making the right decision?” Hernandez explained.

“When we landed in Georgia, we were slapped in the face by the 90-degree muggy air, and I think the reality of what we were doing kicked in,” he said.

In the heat of the day in front of record-breaking crowds of more than 25,000 people at South Georgia Motorpark, Hernandez finished what he had started more than seven months earlier at the ADRL getwork.com World Finals, winning his very first ADRL trophy by blasting to a 3.92 pass (in eighth-mile competition). To top it off, he grabbed the No.2 qualifying spot in the Camp Motorsport Georgia Drags, only to go out in the first round of eliminations.

“It’s hard not to be greedy and want to win it all,” he said at the time, “but I know that there’s a reason for everything, and we really wanted to get that World Final trophy. The other would have been icing, but just wasn’t meant to be.”

Safely back on the ground in Illinois at around 10 p.m. Saturday evening, Hernandez and the crew were able to focus on the other task at hand – winning the AMS Pro Mod Challenge to keep his streak going.

Methodically working his way through the ladder Sunday morning, Hernandez faced off against Mike Janis in a great side-by-side drag race, taking the stripe 6.007 to Janis’ 6.078. Next, the 2005 AMS Rookie of the Year faced off against the 2006 AMS rookie of the Year, and had to use a blistering .010 reaction time to steal the holeshot win from the quicker car of Matt Hagan -- 6.273/217.35 (0.128 rt) 6.213/236.80.

“That was a close one,” he said as he hustled to service the car in short order.

Luck of the ladder paired Hernandez next with his teammate Troy Critchley, and knowing the powerhouse capabilities of the Australian Jackhammer ’70 Barracuda, he knew he would have his hands full.

“Troy and I never like to race each other, one because we’re teammates, but two, because we know what’s under the hoods and what the possibilities are. There’s no other Howard Moon Power out there, so, when we face each other, we know we’re facing the very best – and that gets us on our game,” he said.

As it turned out, Critchley fell victim to the unpredictable lanes at Gateway International Raceway, and Hernandez moved into the finals with a 6.133/235.02 to his teammate’s tire-smoking 9.158/124.80. Paired against Canadian Tony Pontieri in the final round, the crew has less than 30 minutes to freshen the motor and get back to the starting line. The AMS/Rage crew got the car to the line, but Pontieri was unable to make the call, and Hernandez ended the day shutting off the Camaro and coasting to an anti-climactic uncontested win.

“Hey, it’s drag racing, and I know how those guys must be feeling. They worked just as hard as we did to get to the finals, and I was looking forward to racing Tony [Pontieri], but, I’ll take the win – as I know he would have, too.

“What an incredible weekend. Three races in two different states in less than 24 hours and I'm getting back on the plane with two winning trophies. I've never seen this bunch of guys work so hard for so long to achieve the incredible, the impossible. The heat, the rain, the stress, the travel and the sleep deprivation failed to get in the way of these men on a mission.

“I don’t know how we will top it – I don’t know if we will even try, but I can say that I’m really looking forward to Bristol: right after I sleep for a week,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez and the entire AMS/Rage team head next to Bristol, Tenn. for the O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway, May 18-20.

AMS Pro Mods

Hernandez Eclipses the Competition, wins Fourth Straight

Courtesy AMS

MADISON, Ill. (May 6, 2007) - Josh Hernandez won his fourth straight AMS Staff Leasing Pro Modified Challenge event behind the wheel of his Howard Moon-tuned '68 Camaro Pro Mod, this time eclipsing the competition at the O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals in Madison, Ill. Keeping his round-win record perfect in the series presented by Tindle Enterprises, Hernandez is now 16-0 and has matched Mike Ashley's record for consecutive event wins set in 2005.

"What an incredible weekend," Hernandez said. "I've never seen this bunch of guys work so hard for so long to achieve the incredible, the impossible. The heat, the rain, the stress, the travel and the sleep deprivation failed to get in the way of these men on a mission, and I couldn't be more proud of all of them.

"Four wins in a row is really an amazing feat, and without a team that works so well together, it wouldn't have been possible," he said.

Flowmaster ADRL Presents the Third Annual Camp Motorsport Georgia Drags

by Marvin T. Smith
ADRL Photos


Lovers of Pro Mods gathered in Cecil, Georgia May 4 and 5 to witness one of the best ADRL events ever. Record crowds estimated to be as high as 10,000 saw record-shattering performances over two days of super action.

In Pro Extreme, there were several interesting story lines. Joshua Hernandez had a tough decision to make. There was the ADRL event in Georgia the same weekend as the AMS/NHRA event in St. Louis. Josh leads the AMS series points, but he also was in the rain delayed Kennedale Texas final round to be run in Valdosta. The National Hot Rod Association came to the rescue, and modified the schedule for the St. Louis event. If Josh could qualify in St. Louis on Friday, he could fly to Georgia to compete at the ADRL event on Saturday. Tommy Lipar stepped up with two crews and jet transportation to make the dream a reality and support Pro Mod racing to the extreme. Josh qualified in St. Louis on Friday and flew into Valdosta to compete at the ADRL event. He would go on to win the delayed Kennedale, Texas final over Dwayne Watkins, qualify for the Saturday event in the number 2 position, but unfortunately lose round one of Saturday’s event. Josh then flew back to St. Louis where he won the AMS/NHRA event on Sunday. Two out of three possible wins in one weekend is the stuff of Pro Mod legend. Thanks to the Tommy Lipar Racing team and the NHRA to make it possible.

Another story involved the amazing performance of Jason Scruggs, the current Pro Extreme record holder. On Friday night, Scruggs ripped off an incredible 3.804 at 198.67, the quickest and fastest outlaw Pro Mod run ever recorded. Could he come back Saturday and run the first eighth mile 200 mph run and/or dip into the 3.70s?? The fans were salivating over the possibility. Jason elected to pass on the second and third qualifying attempts in the heat of the day, building the suspense. In round one, he ran a subpar 4.21 at 182 mph, but took the win over a troubled Mel Eaves. All eyes were on Scruggs in round two, but his 3.974 at only 164 mph lost to Joe Baker’s holeshot aided 3.977 at 184. The quest for the magical 200 mph barrier will have to wait. Still, the fans were treated to the best performances ever!

Joe Baker then became the real story of Pro Extreme. Driving the ex-Mike Ashley, ex-R. E. Smith Batman-themed Willys which won the first ever race at South Georgia Motorsports Park, Baker battled his way to the title running consistent 3.90s. He saved his best for last running a 3.951 to beat Travis Swearingen’s 3.982 in an all Willys final. Look out for Quain Stott. He blasted out a fine 3.854 in round one for low elapsed time of eliminations.

In Pro Nitrous, Mike Castellana led qualifying with a 4.04 second run in the Western Beef 2007 Mustang (Chevy power). Twenty-eight cars attempted to qualify for the sixteen car field (oddly enough, the Pro Extreme field also had 28 cars). After three rounds of qualifying, the bump was 4.114, and fifteen cars were in the 4.0 second range. Castellana lost the first round, but teammate Shannon Jenkins won his match with low elapsed time of the round, another 4.04. Jenkins lost in round two, and Rickie Smith had the best time, a 4.06. In the semi finals, Rickie Smith ran a 4.07 to down Dennis Radford’s beautiful new Cuda, and in the match-up between Alabama’s finest nitrous racers, Johnny Pilcher ran a 4.04 to down reigning ADRL Champ Keith Baker’s 4.09. In the final, Pilcher ran low elapsed time of the event 4.029 to down Rickie Smith’s 4.045. Incredible racing!

Extreme 10.5 ran as an eight car field. Todd Tutterow led qualifying with a 4.35 on Friday night in his smallblock powered Mustang. Tutterow had an interesting weekend, crashing his second car, the Pro Extreme Willys. He then tried to qualify Troy Critchley’s Pro Extreme Corvette since Critchley was in St. Louis trying to make the AMS field. Unfortunately he couldn’t make the Pro Extreme field, but he had much better luck in Extreme 10.5, making it to the final round but losing to Mike Hill in the ex- Steve Kirk Corvette. Hill ran a 4.386 at a new ADRL record speed of 170.49 to take a holeshot win over Tutterow’s quicker 4.368. Extreme 10.5 racing is something to see!

In Extreme Motorcycle, the sixteen car field boiled down to number one qualifier Steve Drake against number two qualifier Coodee Thomas of Conyers, Georgia. Thomas fouled away a 4.44 run, but it probably wouldn’t have made any difference as Drake sped to a new ADRL record 4.373 at 165.09 mph for the win. Thomas did leave with the speed record at 165.44 mph.

Kenny Nowling put on a great event, even throwing in bands and a jet funny car on both Friday and Saturday nights. Don’t miss an ADRL event near you.

Troxel, Capps, Connolly, Smith and Hernandez Win at St. Louis

Recap