INAUGURAL SATURDAY INSANITY RACE A SUCCESS

By: Amy Glover

(Commerce, GA – March 21) The first day of spring also marked the inaugural ‘Saturday Insanity’ event at Atlanta Dragway. Track Manager Ray Wilkings sought to change things up, by creating a “fun family day of testing and competition.” Throughout the day is open Test & Tune, as well as 6.50 and 7.50 Index classes, along with the new “No Box Pro Series” classes, Open Wheel and Full-Bodied. Racers also have the option of organizing a “Gambler’s Race,” pooling entry money for the purse payout, while Atlanta Dragway provides the facilities. Altogether, the event is made to reach back to racing’s roots, making it much simpler, and a lot of fun.

The new “No Box Pro Series” provides serious bracket racing without electronics, and is designed to challenge individuals to strive for consistency. The best qualifying run is chosen from a competitor’s runs, and their individual index becomes .05 seconds under that run. The series is a points series, similar to the Summit ET series, allowing competitors to qualify for the Division Finals, and run for a “Wally” and a Gold Card. Also, the Open Wheel and 6.50 Index classes start with a .400 Pro Tree, while the Full-Bodied and 7.50 Index classes start with a .500 Pro Tree.

The 6.50 Index Final was a ’76 Vega showdown, between Ed Nalley (Maysville, GA) and Joe Rampley (Gainesville, GA). Rampley launched with a .085 light, but broke out by .001 of a second, running a 6.49 at 105.62 mph. Nalley stayed on top of things, cutting a .046 light, and crossing the line with a 6.56 elapsed time at 99.83 mph. Nalley was enthused about the new event. “I can’t believe I won the first one!” Nalley thanked his new sponsor O’Reilley’s at Commerce, his tire sponsor Bill Boomhower, and all his friends. He also thanked Ray Wilkings and everyone that works at the track, “for putting on a good show. The track was phenomenal.” Matt Ward (’69 Camaro – Fair Play, SC) and Todd Mayfield (’85 Firebird – Dallas, GA) were the semi-finalists.

The 7.50 Index final was between John Norris’s ’86 Camaro and Team Ford Thunder’s Randall Roop in a ’66 Mustang. Roop, out of Canton, GA, jumpstarted the tree, with a -.008 red-light. Norris, from Royston, GA, cut a decent .075 light, crossing the finish line in 7.53 seconds at 92.33 mph. Norris (no relation to Chuck), who had never run a Pro Tree, liked the change, saying, “I’ll be back.” Norris thanked Wade Bryant automotive, Mason Racing, and everyone at the track. Gainesville’s Danny Freeman ended the night in his Mustang.

The Open Wheel category was a race for the regulars, with Jesse Young in his ’00 Undercover dragster and Keith Neal’s ’02 Spitzer dragster in the final round. Neal (Snellville, GA) left with the better reaction time of .050, against the .108 reaction Young (Danielsville, GA) launched with. However, Neal ran a 5.09 on his 4.88 index, as 128.82 mph, while Young ran much closer at the top end, crossing the win stripe in 4.89 seconds on a 4.80 index, at 130.92 mph. Young described the win as “awesome,” adding, “I hope more people come next time; it’s a good program.” Young was cheered on by his 17-month-old son Lucas, and thanked his dad David and wife Corie “for putting up with me racing.” Commerce local Jeremy Hancock finished in the semi-finals, in his ’05 M&N Dragster.

The Full-Bodied class provided a tight final between Bill Boomhower (Walhalla, SC) and Jimmy Mason (Canon, GA). Boomhower’s ’65 Plymouth left the tree with a .084 reaction time, while Mason’s ’93 Camaro left a little late with a .101 light. Mason ran a 7.20 on a 7.15 index at 96.92 mph (a .151 package), while Boomhower ran a 6.17 on a 6.11 index, at 100.10 mph (a .150 package). Boomhower’s reaction time sealed the deal, winning the run with an impressive .001 margin of victory. Boomhower said he “had a good day; I like heads-up stuff,” and joked, “I seem to do better at this than full tree racing.” Boomhower thanked 6.50 Index winner Ed Nalley, for helping with fueling, and Tim Gibson, for his transmission. Steve Adams (’78 Malibu Wagon – Buford, GA) finished in the semi-finals, along with double-entrant, double-semi-finalist Matt Ward (’69 Camaro – Fair Play, SC).

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 2009 events, including the NHRA Summit Southern Nationals on April 16-April 19, 2009, may be obtained by calling the track office (706-335-2301) or logging on to www.atlantadragway.com .

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6.50 INDEX CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH INDEX
Win: Ed Nalley ’76 Vega Maysville, GA 6.56 99.83 (6.50)
R/U: Joe Rampley ’76 Vega Gainesville, GA 6.49 105.62 (6.50)
Semi: Matt Ward ’69 Camaro Fair Play, SC
Semi: Todd Mayfield ’85 Firebird Dallas, GA
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7.50 INDEX CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH INDEX
Win: John Norris ’86 Camaro Royston, GA 7.53 92.33 (7.50)
R/U: Randall Roop ’66 Mustang Canton, GA 7.72 73.20 (7.50) (foul)
Semi: Danny Freeman ’90 Mustang Gainesville, GA
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OPEN WHEEL CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH INDEX
Win: Jesse Young ’00 Undercover Danielsville, GA 4.89 130.92 (4.80)
R/U: Keith Neal ’02 Spitzer Snellville, GA 5.09 128.82 (4.88)
Semi: Jeremy Hancock ’05 M&N Dragster Commerce, GA
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FULL-BODIED CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH INDEX
Win: Bill Boomhower ’65 Plymouth Walhalla, SC 6.17 100.10 (6.11)
R/U: Jimmy Mason ’93 Camaro Canon, GA 7.20 96.92 (7.15)
Semi: Matt Ward ’69 Camaro Fair Play, SC
Semi: Steve Adams ’78 Malibu Wagon Buford, GA
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