Randy Payne in Hospital

Please keep Randy Payne (and his family) in your prayers. He is currently in intensive care (hospital in Gadsen, Alabama) with some serious health issues. Get well, Biggg!

Bogan Renfroe's Willys in November Hot Rod Magazine!

Check out the November 2008 issue of Hot Rod Magazine for an early look at Drag Racing Hall of Famer Bogan Renfroe's (GeorgiaDragRacing.com's top sponsor) Willys project. The soon to be street driven car will have all sorts of great features! Bogan is not forgetting his drag racing roots as the Willys will be painted candy apple red with "Cat Skinner" ghosted into the paint! Check out HOT ROD's Roddin' at Random PROJECT GARAGE section for more details and a couple of photos of the unfinished car.

Southern Nostalgia Festival and Night of Fire October 24-26, 2008 at SGMP

by Marvin T. Smith

South Georgia Motorsports Park presents the Southern Nostalgia Festival and Night of Fire October 24-26. This incredible event combines nostalgia drag racing, Vintage Thunder nostalgia circle track racing, a Saturday evening cackle event, a car and bike show with over 40 classes, and a swap meet into one fantastic weekend of family fun. Special guests for the event include Funny Car World Champion Shirl Greer with his restored funny car and NASCAR winternationals competition eliminator Bunky Bobo with his National Hot Rod Reunion memory lane award-winning Hemi Hurricane Willys. See Denny Fenstermakers’ restored Roger Gates California Top Fuel Dragster from the 60s. Bring the kids out for the Saturday Halloween costume contest, Halloween trailer decorating contest, and to meet Scooby Do. See front-engined dragsters, funny cars, altereds, and gassers battle on the drag strip, while vintage cars battle on the circle track. There will be a jet car and wheelstander exhibition.

Drag race classes include Top Fuel/Open Fuel ($3000 to winner), Funny Car (contact Wade Rich to participate), Super Eliminator ($2000 winner), Nostalgia Comp ($1000 winner) Gassers ($1000 winner), Nostalgia Open Comp ($1000 winner), Hot Rod Pro Eliminator 9.10 and faster 1/8 mile bracket ($800 winner), Street Rod Eliminator Bracket race 8.20 and slower ($500 winner), and Flat Head/Inline Eliminator ($500 winner). Full purse structure, schedule, and rules are posted at RaceSGMP.com. Funny Cars and exhibition cars should contact Wade Rich at (386) 209-4213 to enter.

This will be the biggest nostalgia race in the Deep South. BE THERE.

EAST COAST DRAG TIMES HALL OF FAME NEWS

.....EAST COAST DRAG TIMES HALL OF FAME.....

No matter what your preference in vehicles is, be it classic hot rods, muscle cars, nostalgia drag machines, or restored antiques, Henderson, NC is the place to be during the weekend of October 17, 18, 19, 2008. Hosted by the Vance Country Tourism Board and under the guidance of Director/Promoter Nancy Wilson, this event now in its seventh year has grown in size and stature to become one of the east coast’s premier attractions for the performance enthusiast. It’s a three day gathering that will draw an estimated 1,700 entries, some for Show & Shine and others from drag racings Golden Years, the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s. It turns the main avenue and surrounding side streets of downtown Henderson into a giant pedestrian mall as one vehicle after another stands proud for all to see.

Several cars will be returning from years past including the Pacers, S & S Team, King Kong Anglia, Jerry Baltes AA/FD, Bob Glidden’s ‘78 Ford (undefeated car), and the Tin Indian just to name a few. But that’s not all. Appearing for the first time will be Bill Jenkins Monza, Billy Lynch’s new AA/Fuel dragster, Dave Koffel’s ‘68 AXS Barracuda (won US Nationals ) as well as his 1948 Packard gasser, Johnny Rocca’s “Iron Horse” Mercury, Fermier Brothers record holding ‘62 Ford Galaxie (original restored) , Kenny Warren’s ’70 Challenger funny car along with driver Tom “Smoker” Smith, Bob Thomas’s “Strip Teaser” Ford Fairlane (fully restored), and K.S. Pitman’s 1933 AA/GS Willy’s (recreated by Rocky Pirrone, it has doors and other parts from the original car built in 1966).

In addition, the East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame pays tribute to those pioneers who helped
make drag racing the great form of motorsports it is today. This years inductees include Dan Weis, Dave Koffel, David Frye, Ewing Brothers (Ken, Gary, Wayne), Harry Coombs, Herman Lewis, Joe Gerdleman, Johnny Rocca, Mark Pressley, Pacers Team (George Snizek, Charlie “Dodge” Hagenmeyer, Otto Qualliotine, Ken “KB” Braun), Tommy Grove, Wally Bell, Distinguished Achievement Award in Drag Racing: Arnie Beswick, Posthumous Awards: Ron Lyles and Dick Swecker, Ronnie Sox Memorial Award: Herb McCandless, Thomas Woody Andrews Memorial Award: Bobby Starr, Wally Parks Motorsports Statesman Memorial Award: Robert “Bones” Balogh and Ed Iskenderian.

It’s a busy three days with opportunity to meet legendary drag racers like Hubert Platt, Phil Bonner, Pee Wee Wallace, Tommy Grove, Bunky Bobo, Tom Raley, Jim & Allison Lee,
Huston Platt, Sam Carroll, and other quarter-mile veterans who will be attending and check out the Show & Shine entries to see what has made their street rods, muscle cars, and restored antiques unique.

For additional information call Vance County Tourism at (866) 438-4565 ext. 21(toll free) / (252) 436-2222 (local) or visit http://www.kerrlake-nc.com/ and http://www.eastcoastdragtimeshalloffame.com/

Despite its Unusual Ending, KJ’s Runner-Up Finish in Concord Propels Him to the Points Lead

Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing

Event: Inaugural Carolina NHRA Nationals
Day/Date: Sunday, September 14, 2008
Location: zMAX Dragway, Concord, NC

For the first three rounds of Sunday’s final eliminations of the inaugural Carolina Nationals, in Concord, NC Kurt Johnson and the ACDelco Cobalt Racing team seemed poised to score their fourth win of the season. Starting from the No. 1 position, Johnson opened his competitive effort at zMAX Dragway with a solid 6.701-second, 207.43 mph to defeat newcomer Vinnie Deceglie.

The next step was a crucial second-round encounter with archrival Greg Anderson, who had entered the weekend as the Pro Stock points leader. Once again, Johnson proved up to the challenge, using an almost perfect .003 reaction time to gain the advantage by three hundredths of a second and never looked back, with his 6.694-second, 207.34 mph pass outdistancing Anderson’s 6.708-second effort. Defeating veteran V. Gaines in the semifinals with the quickest pass of the day at 6.688-seconds sent Johnson to the 72nd final round of his career, and fifth of the 2008 season.

The last obstacle between KJ and his 40th career national event win was a final round match-up between quasi-teammates, as he would face Justin Humphreys, who had switched to using Johnson motors for this event.

Unfortunately, when the time came, KJ was unable to start his car for the final. After quickly attempting to repair the problem, the crew resorted to pushing the car, and, much to the delight of the capacity crowd, they were able to fire the engine and roll to the line. Even so, Kurt was unable to race, as push-starting is not allowed under the NHRA rules. This allowed Humphreys to run uncontested for his first national event win. Despite the disappointment, Johnson took some solace in that another strong showing had propelled him into the championship points lead.

“That’s the first time I’ve ever had something like that happen. I hit the ignition switch to get the starter spinning, and the engine must have tried to fire right away, because it kicked back and chipped a tooth on the starter drive gear. We took it apart once we got back to the pits and found that a sliver the size of a penny nail had jammed in the armature cost us a chance at winning the race, twenty championship points, and a little bit of money.

“It’s good to have a Johnson motor in the winner’s circle – I only wish it had been the one in my car. I’m happy for Justin and his crew, and congratulate him on his first win – I just would have liked to give him a run for his money.

“Despite how things ended up, I prefer to look at it on the positive side. It could have happened earlier in the day, I could have gone red in the second round instead of that .003, or it could have been someone else in the other lane. There are a lot of things that could have gone wrong, but we made to the final, our ACDelco Cobalt ran flawlessly and we leave here with the points lead.

“Still, losing a race that way only serves to motivate me even more. I’m as hot as the headers after a run. We’ll put today behind us and move on, determined to complete the picture next week in Dallas.”

Points Standings (as of 9/14/08)

1. Kurt Johnson - 2158
2. Greg Anderson - 2143
3. Jeg Coughlin - 2127
4. Jason Line - 2093
5. V. Gaines - 2071

HANK WILHELM TAKES THRONE IN KING OF THE TRACK EVENT

RACE DATE: September 13, 2008
FROM: Amy Glover
EVENT: Summit event at Atlanta Dragway in 2008

(Commerce, GA – September 13) As the racing season nears its end, Atlanta Dragway competitors are just getting started in defending their points standings, relentless in pursuing their mutual passion. Beautiful weather coupled with no delays kept the racers moving, leaving little time to breathe between rounds. Along with the regular winnings, tonight’s race provided a unique opportunity for racers to strut their stuff, with the King of the Track honor. The winner from the four adult classes; Motorcycle, Sportsman, Pro, and Super Pro competed to achieve the tightest package; which meant the closest dial-in time coupled with the quickest reaction time would secure the title, along with a Wally. The scoreboards were darkened, leaving no man to know who would take the throne until the suspenseful announcement – Rob Hogue’s ’68 Camaro broke out by just eight thousandths of a second, Jeff Shropshire’s ’08 ZX14 overshot his dial-in, and J.D. Burford’s Corvette lost the heat of overlapping rounds, pulling an 8.61 on an 8.58 dial. This left the title to Hank Wilhelm, who cut a .044 light, and ran a 5.17 second lap on the 5.15 dial-in time, leaving him with the crown winning .065 package.

Hank Wilhelm’s Super Pro performance lent him a great advantage in the Summit points, thanks to his all-day consistency using a 5.15 dial-in, a considerably difficult thing to achieve in the testy world of racing engines. The final round in Super Pro was all about sticking to the prediction, something Wilhelm (Commerce, GA) managed in his ’96 Ed Quay Dragster by running a 5.16 on his 5.15 dial, with a .025 light. This proved to be a tighter package against Lloyd Kaylor (Winder, GA), whose ’87 Regal left the line with an impressive .002 light, but trailed across the stripe with a 7.60 on his 7.56 dial. Wilhelm then proceeded to conquer the King of the Track contest, obtaining his second Wally, his first being won in an event just one year before. Hank’s new reign was received with a number of goodies, including an Aerospace Components, Inc. t-shirt, a $100 Aerospace Components Inc. gift certificate, winner stickers, a King of the Track Hat, and last but not least, the coveted Wally, all atop his Super Pro prize money. Hank was surrounded be cheering family and friends, yet his gratitude went to an opponent, thanking fellow racer Thomas Bell for betting $100 against Wilhelm’s father that Hank would lose in the finals. This leaves the question of whether the appreciation was for an extra $100 or a helpful jinx. Joshua Cohen (’77 Camaro – Lawrenceville, GA) and Jesse Young (’00 Undercover Dragster) ended their night in the semi-final round.

The Pro finals were dominated by Rob Hogue, whose consistency and quick reaction lent him a deadly edge before the King of the Track was determined. After cutting a .019 light, Hogue, hailing from Loganville, GA, crossed the finish line in his ’68 Camaro, dead-on at a 7.57. Justin Buchanan, of Six Mile, SC, could not overtake Hogue, beginning with his .068 light, and ending by breaking out with a 7.10 on a 7.13 dial in his ’72 Nova. Hogue notably began the season with his ’08 Super Chevy Show win, coming in after a 22 month break and no time trials. Since then, Hogue’s stayed out of the ranks, surfacing tonight with his deserved success. Hogue finished the night by thanking his wife Jennifer, and their two daughters Chloe and Kyra. Allen Clark (’73 Camaro – Buford, GA) completed his day in third place.

The Sportsman category was overtaken by double-dipper J.D. “Doc” Burford, who entered his jet black C6 Corvette in both the Sportsman and Pro classes. After being taken out in the Pro quarter-finals, Burford’s focus shifted to the Sportsman battle. Burford, out of Greenville, SC, ran an 8.61 time on his 8.59 prediction, following a .084 light. His competitor, Austell, GA’s Allen Schaffer, broke out in his ’04 Dodge Rumble Bee, finishing with a 9.868, just two thousandths of a second below his 9.87 forecast. Asked about the craziness of his double-dipping routine, an enthused Burford exclaimed, “I love the excitement of every lap down the track… it’s a tremendous release, you never lose concentration when you’re double-entered.” Burford thanked his long-time mechanics Hal Rhodes, Tom McMakin, and Dwayne Reinhardt. Scott Reynolds (Cartersville, GA) finished third-place in his ’05 Chevy truck.

Nightfall seemed to steal the advantage from the Motorcycle finals, with both Jeff Shropshire (’08 ZX14, Dallas, GA) and Tim Sutton (’83 Suzuki – Clermont, GA) running much slower than their dial-ins suggested. Shropshire’s win-light flashed, given his two-tenths difference with a 6.35 on a 6.15, against Sutton’s three-tenths difference; a 6.02 on a 5.72 target. Shropshire’s fast ride is a deceptive piece of work, remaining street legal but ever the race bike it was meant to be. Shropshire’s racing career has been steady since age 16, only taking a break for kids – Shropshire thanked his family for their support, stating, “Because they let me race.” Steven Jackson (Bogart, GA), the less fortunate ’08 ZX14 owner, finished in the semis.

Chase Mullinax 17 – Buford, GA) made it to the 13-17 Junior Dragster finals for the second consecutive weekend, this time attaining the win, amongst a group of female challengers. Mullinax and Jackie Lastinger (15 – Lilburn, GA) both dialed a 7.90, Lastinger breaking out with a 7.89 while Mullinax stayed afloat with his 7.95 time. Mullinax not only ruled the top end, but won at the tree with a .030 against Lastinger’s .100 reaction time. Kelsey Lynn (14 – Marietta, GA) and Brittany Vancica (15 – Lawrenceville, GA) finished the day in the semi-finals.

Chris Bowden (12 – Homer, GA) won the 8-12 Junior Dragster category. Before Bowden reached the win stripe, the race was decided by his opponent and points leader Wesley Mayfield’s -.013 foul. Mayfield (12 – Gainesville, GA) also broke out with an 8.84 on an 8.93, while Bowden stayed legit with a 9.55 on a 9.51 dial. Bowden had been struggling since he blew his engine in Bristol, at the NHRA O’Reilly Auto Parts Jr. Drag Racing League Eastern Conference Finals. Dad Bobby parked his Pro-class S-10 to take care of Chris, staying on top by changing the oil every round and paying attention to the many other details necessary to win. Chris remarked, “Today was the best my engine has run.” Cole Wood (11 – Jefferson, GA) left the track in third place.

The race track was visited by a testing-turned-exhibition driver Danielle Jordan. Jordan had only made a handful of passes, harnessing an animal of a supercharged, alcohol-burning front-end dragster built by Julius Hughes, with the intention of joining either the Nostalgia circuit or the Top Alcohol tour. The personable Jordan jumped right into the game, with no baby steps leading to the fast dragster, her previous experience limited to a three year tour with Don Prudhomme, as well as being an NHRA trophy girl.

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: Hank Wilhelm ’96 Ed Quay dragster Commerce, GA 5.16 124.43 (5.15)
R/U: Lloyd Kaylor ’87 Regal Winder, GA 7.60 89.97 (7.56)
Semi: Joshua Cohen ’77 Camaro Lawrenceville, GA
Semi: Jesse Young ’00 Undercover Danielsville, GA
———————————————————————————————————————————————
PRO CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Rob Hogue ’68 Camaro Loganville, GA 7.57 93.36 (7.57)
R/U: Justin Buchanan ’72 Nova Six Mile, SC 7.10 94.06 (7.13)
Semi: Allen Clark ’73 Camaro Buford, GA
———————————————————————————————————————————————
SPORTSMAN CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: J.D. Burford ’07 Corvette Greenville, SC 8.61 86.57 (8.59)
R/U: Allen Schaffer ’04 Dodge Rumble Bee Austell, GA 9.86 70.92 (9.87)
Semi: Scott Reynolds ’05 Chevy Truck Cartersville, GA
———————————————————————————————————————————————
MOTORCYCLE BIKE HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Jeff Shropshire ’08 ZX14 Dallas, GA 6.35 113.55 (6.15)
R/U: Tim Sutton ’83 Suzuki Clermont, GA 6.02 105.40 (5.72)
Semi: Steven Jackson ’08 ZX14 Bogart, GA
———————————————————————————————————————————————
8-12 JR DRAGSTER AGE HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Chris Bowden 12 Homer, GA 9.55 66.66 (9.51)
R/U: Wesley Mayfield 12 Gainesville, GA 8.84 73.72 (8.93) (foul)
Semi: Cole Wood 11 Jefferson, GA
———————————————————————————————————————————————
13-17 JR DRAGSTER AGE HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Chase Mullinax 17 Buford GA 7.95 81.28 (7.90)
R/U: Jackie Lastinger 15 Lilburn, GA 7.89 82.04 (7.90)
Semi: Kelsey Lynn 14 Marietta, GA
Semi: Brittany Vancica 15 Lawrenceville, GA