TWO RACERS PULL INTO POINTS LEAD BY WINNING THEIR CLASS AT ATLANTA DRAGWAY
RACE DATE: September 21, 2008
EVENT: Summit ET Series event at Atlanta Dragway in 2008
By: Amy and Tim Glover
(Commerce, GA – September 21) The points season is winding down, pressuring racers to give their all in the competition. In addition to the Summit ET Series event (excluding Junior Dragster participation), fans were treated to the 20th annual NMCA race, featuring 11 different muscle car classes along with exhibition passes by Elaine Larsen in her Embry Riddle Jet Dragster. Despite a slew of obstructions, including two oil downs and some light sprinkling, the occasion wrapped up close to schedule. Randall Roop (Pro) and Jay Rhyne (Motorcycle) pulled into the Summit points lead with their wins tonight.
Fans were wowed by Elaine Larsen, who was either at her trailer signing autographs, or on the track talking to the fans from the cockpit of her Embry Riddle Jet Dragster via the public address system. She then made her fire show even more exciting by doing it to the beat of the song “We Will Rock You.” Spectators also enjoyed a muscle car show at the end of the vendor midway. The Power Mall featured many different hardware vendors including Harland Sharp rockers, TRZ Motorsports and Mahle Pistons. Nitto Tires had a huge exhibit, with all types of performance tires on display, some mentionables such as drifting tires, 14 inch wide Viper tires, off-road truck tires, and most importantly, many sizes of drag radials for the racers.
Congratulations to last week’s Summit Sportsman winner, Jim “Doc” Burford, who won the NMCA True Street 13 second class Saturday. Burford won the class with a 13.029 second average ET, calculated over three passes.
Phil Owens (Lithia Springs, GA) took over the Super Pro finals tonight, keeping his ’05 M&M dragster steady against Brian Smith (Flowery Branch, GA), whose ’04 Undercover dragster’s reaction time was .003 seconds too soon, giving Owens the win light at the starting line. Owens called it “lucky,” but one can wonder at his last win, taking place in September 2007 – making September his power month. A racing veteran of 42 years behind the wheel, Phil has come less often due to the recent rise in oil prices. Owens thanked his wife Donna, for helping him out. Robby Brown of Winder, GA, finished third in his ’98 S-10.
The Pro class gave a tight run in the finals, pitting Mustang owners Randall Roop (Canton, GA) and Eric Lewis (Cleveland, GA) against each other. Lewis beat Roop on the tree with a .039 reaction time in his ’82 model, Roop launching his ’94 model with a .041, but the top end determined the victor after Lewis broke out by going .004 of a second faster than his prediction of 6.78 seconds. Roop also broke out, but only by .003 of a second quicker than his 6.40 dial-in. Roop, of Team Ford Thunder, thanked his mom and dad, “for putting up with all this, and letting me be a little boy.” Roop noted he had a back-up car, just in case his primary car would fail, but local gas stations lacking gasoline at the pump prevented him from bringing it. He also thanked Steve Garland, who has done a lot for him, including aiding Roop in fixing his car’s overheating problem, which was keeping Roop out of success’s reach in previous races. Roop ended his evening proudly, pulling through to the number one spot in Pro points, with one race left to defend his position. Paul Smith, Jr. ended in third place with his ’98 Corvette (which won the Pinks All Out event earlier in the season).
Sportsman class featured a first time winner; Matt Wilhelm, brother of last weekend’s Super Pro winner, Hank Wilhelm. The Commerce, GA native took control in his ’98 Chevy Truck, running dead-on his 11.19 dial-in time, with a .059 green light. Wilhelm’s opposition, Cumming resident Mel Abney, overshot the run, after running 8.35 on his 8.31 seconds prediction in his ’67 Camaro. Wilhelm made a big impression on the class, winning his first race after moving from a year of junior dragsters to the “big cars.” Wilhelm thanked his brother Hank for teaching him how to race the finish line. He also thanked his dad Marty, Jacob Stats, Johnny Brown, Jeremy Hancock, and Robby Brown. Wilhelm has only been racing a few weeks, having gotten his license just four weeks ago, and plans to move on to a dragster in next year’s lineup. Jeff Wagner (’71 Duster – Winder, GA) and David Robinson (’90 Mustang – Gray Court, SC) went out in the semi-final round.
Motorcyclist Jay “Bird” Rhyne secured a solid lead in the Motorcycle points, making a comeback from a succession of defeats after winning the first two points races of the year. Rhyne (Athens, GA) ran a tighter package on his ’82 Suzuki, crossing the win stripe with a 6.37 on a 6.24 dial-in, after his .129 light. His opponent, Mario Johnson (Athens, GA), raced a much looser run in his ’04 Hayabusa, with 7.11 seconds on his 6.78 guess. Rhyne thanked Winner Circle Motorsports, and Cycle World. He performed a victory dance for getting back in the groove, but finished on a serious note. “I’ll come next weekend with my gear, and my race face on.” Steve Winn (’92 Suzuki – Winterville, GA) left in third place.
Sanctioned by the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), Atlanta Dragway is located just off I-85 at Exit 149 in the Banks Crossing area of Commerce, Georgia. Information on all 2008 events may be obtained by calling the track office (706-335-2301) or logging on to www.atlantadragway.com.
SUPER PRO CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Phil Owens ’05 M&M Dragster Lithia Springs, GA 4.74 139.41 (4.65)
R/U: Brian Smith ’04 Undercover Flowery Branch, GA 5.16 133.08 (5.19) (foul)
Semi: Robby Brown ’98 S-10 Winder, GA
———————————————————————————————————————————————
PRO CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Randall Roop ’94 Mustang Canton, GA 6.39 107.31 (6.40)
R/U: Eric Lewis ’82 Mustang Cleveland, GA 6.77 101.72 (6.78)
Semi: Paul Smith, Jr. ’98 Corvette Alpharetta, GA
———————————————————————————————————————————————
SPORTSMAN CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Matt Wilhelm ’98 Chevy Commerce, GA 11.19 62.67 (11.19)
R/U: Mel Abney ’67 Camaro Cumming, GA 8.35 83.24 (8.31)
Semi: Jeff Wagner ’71 Duster Winder, GA
Semi: David Robinson ’90 Mustang Gray Court, SC
———————————————————————————————————————————————
MOTORCYCLE BIKE HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Jay “Bird” Rhyne ’82 Suzuki Athens, GA 6.37 100.57 (6.24)
R/U: Mario Johnson ’04 Hayabusa Athens, GA 7.11 110.45 (6.78)
Semi: Steve Winn ’92 Suzuki Winterville, GA
PRO STREET CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH
Win: Vinny Budano ’68 Camaro Hicksville, NY 6.35 221.38
R/U: Chris Rini ’07 Stratus Carmel, NY 6.47 214.59
———————————————————————————————————————————————
SUPER STREET CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH
Win: Spiro Pappas ’69 Camaro Glenview, IL 6.85 206.23
R/U: Tony Nesbitt ’02 Corvette Lombard, IL 7.01 201.82
———————————————————————————————————————————————
NOSTALGIA PRO STREET CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH
Win: Kevin Parent ’69 Nova Rochtester Hills, MI 7.57 183.12
R/U: David Beeson ’74 Camaro Baton Rouge, LA 7.67 175.62
———————————————————————————————————————————————
XTREME STREET CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH
Win: Bill Trovato ’78 Olds Starfire Rochester, NY 8.03 170.97
R/U: Cameron Coble ’04 Mustang Lewisburg, TN 17.13 47.63
———————————————————————————————————————————————
PRO STOCK CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH
Win: Andy Schmidt ’85 Mustang Highland, IN 8.62 157.72
R/U: Michael DeMayo ’95 Mustang West Sunbury, PA 8.62 156.35
———————————————————————————————————————————————
STREET RACE CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH
Win: John Macaluso ’93 Mustang Port St. Lucie, FL 8.78 156.32
R/U: Tim Hendricks ’94 Pontiac Sterling, IL 9.37 150.48
———————————————————————————————————————————————
NOSTALGIA SUPER STOCK CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH
Win: TD Holland ’68 AMX Huntington, TN 10.58 122.77
R/U: Mark Artis ’63 Galaxie Frisco, TX 9.99 137.06
NOSTALGIA MUSCLE CAR CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH
Win: Jim Barr ’69 GTO Naples, FL 10.06 120.68
R/U: Keith Seymore ’74 Chevelle Troy, MI 10.52 125.86
———————————————————————————————————————————————
OPEN COMP CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH
Win: Susan McClenaghan ’01 Mustang Livonia, MI 10.71 124.81
R/U: Jamie Rickman ’79 Mustang Hornsby, TN 9.09 152.71
———————————————————————————————————————————————
MEAN STREET CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH
Win: Jeff Swanson ’88 Mustang Arlington, TN 10.09 132.19
R/U: Don Baskin ’67 Chev II Covington, TN 12.08 89.62
———————————————————————————————————————————————
LATE-MODEL EFI CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH
Win: John McPartlin ’98 Trans Am Frankfort, IL 12.01 97.24
R/U: Doug Winters ’99 Camaro Washington, MI 14.05 100.05
EVENT: Summit ET Series event at Atlanta Dragway in 2008
By: Amy and Tim Glover
(Commerce, GA – September 21) The points season is winding down, pressuring racers to give their all in the competition. In addition to the Summit ET Series event (excluding Junior Dragster participation), fans were treated to the 20th annual NMCA race, featuring 11 different muscle car classes along with exhibition passes by Elaine Larsen in her Embry Riddle Jet Dragster. Despite a slew of obstructions, including two oil downs and some light sprinkling, the occasion wrapped up close to schedule. Randall Roop (Pro) and Jay Rhyne (Motorcycle) pulled into the Summit points lead with their wins tonight.
Fans were wowed by Elaine Larsen, who was either at her trailer signing autographs, or on the track talking to the fans from the cockpit of her Embry Riddle Jet Dragster via the public address system. She then made her fire show even more exciting by doing it to the beat of the song “We Will Rock You.” Spectators also enjoyed a muscle car show at the end of the vendor midway. The Power Mall featured many different hardware vendors including Harland Sharp rockers, TRZ Motorsports and Mahle Pistons. Nitto Tires had a huge exhibit, with all types of performance tires on display, some mentionables such as drifting tires, 14 inch wide Viper tires, off-road truck tires, and most importantly, many sizes of drag radials for the racers.
Congratulations to last week’s Summit Sportsman winner, Jim “Doc” Burford, who won the NMCA True Street 13 second class Saturday. Burford won the class with a 13.029 second average ET, calculated over three passes.
Phil Owens (Lithia Springs, GA) took over the Super Pro finals tonight, keeping his ’05 M&M dragster steady against Brian Smith (Flowery Branch, GA), whose ’04 Undercover dragster’s reaction time was .003 seconds too soon, giving Owens the win light at the starting line. Owens called it “lucky,” but one can wonder at his last win, taking place in September 2007 – making September his power month. A racing veteran of 42 years behind the wheel, Phil has come less often due to the recent rise in oil prices. Owens thanked his wife Donna, for helping him out. Robby Brown of Winder, GA, finished third in his ’98 S-10.
The Pro class gave a tight run in the finals, pitting Mustang owners Randall Roop (Canton, GA) and Eric Lewis (Cleveland, GA) against each other. Lewis beat Roop on the tree with a .039 reaction time in his ’82 model, Roop launching his ’94 model with a .041, but the top end determined the victor after Lewis broke out by going .004 of a second faster than his prediction of 6.78 seconds. Roop also broke out, but only by .003 of a second quicker than his 6.40 dial-in. Roop, of Team Ford Thunder, thanked his mom and dad, “for putting up with all this, and letting me be a little boy.” Roop noted he had a back-up car, just in case his primary car would fail, but local gas stations lacking gasoline at the pump prevented him from bringing it. He also thanked Steve Garland, who has done a lot for him, including aiding Roop in fixing his car’s overheating problem, which was keeping Roop out of success’s reach in previous races. Roop ended his evening proudly, pulling through to the number one spot in Pro points, with one race left to defend his position. Paul Smith, Jr. ended in third place with his ’98 Corvette (which won the Pinks All Out event earlier in the season).
Sportsman class featured a first time winner; Matt Wilhelm, brother of last weekend’s Super Pro winner, Hank Wilhelm. The Commerce, GA native took control in his ’98 Chevy Truck, running dead-on his 11.19 dial-in time, with a .059 green light. Wilhelm’s opposition, Cumming resident Mel Abney, overshot the run, after running 8.35 on his 8.31 seconds prediction in his ’67 Camaro. Wilhelm made a big impression on the class, winning his first race after moving from a year of junior dragsters to the “big cars.” Wilhelm thanked his brother Hank for teaching him how to race the finish line. He also thanked his dad Marty, Jacob Stats, Johnny Brown, Jeremy Hancock, and Robby Brown. Wilhelm has only been racing a few weeks, having gotten his license just four weeks ago, and plans to move on to a dragster in next year’s lineup. Jeff Wagner (’71 Duster – Winder, GA) and David Robinson (’90 Mustang – Gray Court, SC) went out in the semi-final round.
Motorcyclist Jay “Bird” Rhyne secured a solid lead in the Motorcycle points, making a comeback from a succession of defeats after winning the first two points races of the year. Rhyne (Athens, GA) ran a tighter package on his ’82 Suzuki, crossing the win stripe with a 6.37 on a 6.24 dial-in, after his .129 light. His opponent, Mario Johnson (Athens, GA), raced a much looser run in his ’04 Hayabusa, with 7.11 seconds on his 6.78 guess. Rhyne thanked Winner Circle Motorsports, and Cycle World. He performed a victory dance for getting back in the groove, but finished on a serious note. “I’ll come next weekend with my gear, and my race face on.” Steve Winn (’92 Suzuki – Winterville, GA) left in third place.
Sanctioned by the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), Atlanta Dragway is located just off I-85 at Exit 149 in the Banks Crossing area of Commerce, Georgia. Information on all 2008 events may be obtained by calling the track office (706-335-2301) or logging on to www.atlantadragway.com.
SUPER PRO CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Phil Owens ’05 M&M Dragster Lithia Springs, GA 4.74 139.41 (4.65)
R/U: Brian Smith ’04 Undercover Flowery Branch, GA 5.16 133.08 (5.19) (foul)
Semi: Robby Brown ’98 S-10 Winder, GA
———————————————————————————————————————————————
PRO CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Randall Roop ’94 Mustang Canton, GA 6.39 107.31 (6.40)
R/U: Eric Lewis ’82 Mustang Cleveland, GA 6.77 101.72 (6.78)
Semi: Paul Smith, Jr. ’98 Corvette Alpharetta, GA
———————————————————————————————————————————————
SPORTSMAN CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Matt Wilhelm ’98 Chevy Commerce, GA 11.19 62.67 (11.19)
R/U: Mel Abney ’67 Camaro Cumming, GA 8.35 83.24 (8.31)
Semi: Jeff Wagner ’71 Duster Winder, GA
Semi: David Robinson ’90 Mustang Gray Court, SC
———————————————————————————————————————————————
MOTORCYCLE BIKE HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Jay “Bird” Rhyne ’82 Suzuki Athens, GA 6.37 100.57 (6.24)
R/U: Mario Johnson ’04 Hayabusa Athens, GA 7.11 110.45 (6.78)
Semi: Steve Winn ’92 Suzuki Winterville, GA
PRO STREET CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH
Win: Vinny Budano ’68 Camaro Hicksville, NY 6.35 221.38
R/U: Chris Rini ’07 Stratus Carmel, NY 6.47 214.59
———————————————————————————————————————————————
SUPER STREET CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH
Win: Spiro Pappas ’69 Camaro Glenview, IL 6.85 206.23
R/U: Tony Nesbitt ’02 Corvette Lombard, IL 7.01 201.82
———————————————————————————————————————————————
NOSTALGIA PRO STREET CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH
Win: Kevin Parent ’69 Nova Rochtester Hills, MI 7.57 183.12
R/U: David Beeson ’74 Camaro Baton Rouge, LA 7.67 175.62
———————————————————————————————————————————————
XTREME STREET CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH
Win: Bill Trovato ’78 Olds Starfire Rochester, NY 8.03 170.97
R/U: Cameron Coble ’04 Mustang Lewisburg, TN 17.13 47.63
———————————————————————————————————————————————
PRO STOCK CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH
Win: Andy Schmidt ’85 Mustang Highland, IN 8.62 157.72
R/U: Michael DeMayo ’95 Mustang West Sunbury, PA 8.62 156.35
———————————————————————————————————————————————
STREET RACE CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH
Win: John Macaluso ’93 Mustang Port St. Lucie, FL 8.78 156.32
R/U: Tim Hendricks ’94 Pontiac Sterling, IL 9.37 150.48
———————————————————————————————————————————————
NOSTALGIA SUPER STOCK CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH
Win: TD Holland ’68 AMX Huntington, TN 10.58 122.77
R/U: Mark Artis ’63 Galaxie Frisco, TX 9.99 137.06
NOSTALGIA MUSCLE CAR CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH
Win: Jim Barr ’69 GTO Naples, FL 10.06 120.68
R/U: Keith Seymore ’74 Chevelle Troy, MI 10.52 125.86
———————————————————————————————————————————————
OPEN COMP CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH
Win: Susan McClenaghan ’01 Mustang Livonia, MI 10.71 124.81
R/U: Jamie Rickman ’79 Mustang Hornsby, TN 9.09 152.71
———————————————————————————————————————————————
MEAN STREET CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH
Win: Jeff Swanson ’88 Mustang Arlington, TN 10.09 132.19
R/U: Don Baskin ’67 Chev II Covington, TN 12.08 89.62
———————————————————————————————————————————————
LATE-MODEL EFI CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH
Win: John McPartlin ’98 Trans Am Frankfort, IL 12.01 97.24
R/U: Doug Winters ’99 Camaro Washington, MI 14.05 100.05
posted by David @ 7:31 PM
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