Eagerly awaiting the beginning of the points season of the O’Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags series, competitors gathered at the pit lane drag strip to collect points for the first time this season on Friday night.
Tonight’s event also featured the debut of the Peach Pass Burnout Zone, which saw New Edge Division competitor, Jacob Turner of Griffin take home the first victory in his 1995 Ford Mustang.
“My goal was to pretty much make it the best I could, without blowing the tires out”, said Turner. “My tires were pretty worn out anyway so I thought ‘what the heck, let’s make it a good one.’”
Turner’s burnout victory was so impressive that it gained the attention of ESPN reporter, Ryan McGee, who shared the photos on his Twitter account.
Turner later moved on to the finals of the New Edge Division, but popped a belt before his final round run. He quickly went to work on his Mustang doing what he could to reattach the belt before it was time to go. Turner and his Mustang miraculously pulled it all together in time to make a final run to take home the trophy.
“It may have worked its way loose because it doesn’t have an automatic tension arm,” said Turner as he explained his belt issues, “so you basically have to tighten it up as you go along. The belt must have stretched or something like that and popped off.”
“It was fun to go out for that final run”, said Turner. “It was more exciting than the first couple of rounds because of the situation I was in when everything was on the line.”
Kevin Mayo, who finished second in the points standings last year, raced his 1969 Chevy Nova to an early points lead after defeating Greg Fowler and his 1964 Chevrolet II in the final round of the QuikTrip Pro Division.
Other notable winners include Scott Charette in the Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Division, driving the 1995 Pontiac Firebird, and new competitor Nick Nicholson driving his 2014 Ford Mustang GT/CS in the Diamond Resorts Factory Street Division.
Full June 7 Results:
Super Pro: Robert Cheney (Griffin); 2014 American Dragster
QuikTrip Pro: Kevin Mayo (McDonough); 1969 Chevy Nova
Harbin’s Mechanical Services Street Outlaw: Doug Ragan (Williamson); 1998 Ford Cobra
Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman: Scott Charette (Locust Grove); 1995 Pontiac Firebird
New Edge: Jacob Turner (Griffin); 1993 Mustang
Street Performer: Brandon Sampler (Griffin); 1995 Chevrolet S10
Harding Plumbing, Heating and Cooling Domestic: David Smith (Jackson); 1990 Isuza
Street Modified: Kelly Morgan (Jonesboro); 1968 Ford Mustang
Diamond Resorts Factory Street: Nick Nicholson (Senoia); 2014 Ford Mustang GT/CS
Diesel Truck: Christian Parker (Peachtree City); 2012 Dodge Ram 2500
Starfire Automatic Gates Truck: Brian Leath (Hampton); 1976 Chevrolet 610
Tuner: Steven Mallet (Marietta); 2004 Subaru WRX
Sport Compact: Courtney Perry (Covington); 1995 Honda Civic
Super Bike: Robin Malcolm (Lithonia); 2003 Busa
Sport Bike: Bryan Berube (Stockbridge); 2013 Suzuki Hayabusa
US Marine Corps Motorcycle: Dylan Nisaff (McDonough); 2017 Suzuki 750
Cruiser/Dirt Motorcycle: Robert Thomas (Griffin); Harley Davidson
ATV: Wayne Cline (Griffin); Yamaha Banshee
Junior Dragsters: Gracie Haralson (Hampton); 2005 Mov. Tub Jr.
Peach Pass Burnout Zone: Jacob Turner (Griffin); 1993 Mustang
The Show-N-Shine competition featured everything from new imports to classic muscle cars and automobiles ranging as far back as the 1930s. Those vehicles then took part in the Speedway Cruise following Judging.
Below is a complete list of June 8 winners:
Classic Custom (Through 1972)
First Place: David Stubelt (Griffin), 1930 Model A Ford
Second Place: Bryant Harrell (Jackson), 1969 Chevrolet Camaro
Showroom Modern (1973 through 1999)
First Place: Chris Gallagher (Fayetteville), 1998 Trans AM
Modern Custom (1973 through 1999)
First Place: Tom Podoler (Hampton), 1999 Corvette
Second Place: Jesse Lescueur (McDonough), 2006 Corvette
Third Place: Cleston Cox (Hampton), 95 Mustang GT
Current (2000 through current)
First Place: Jenni Brown (Acworth), 2016 Mustang
Second Place: Dustin Northway (Newnan) 2005 Mustang GT
Third Place: James Binion (Newnan), 2013 Mustang GT
Trucks/SUV/Vans
First Place: Jenn & Jay Woodson (Covington), 14 Denali XL “Debo”
Second Place: Bryson Spencer (Griffin), 2001 Chevy Silverado 1500
Third Place: Lummus Brandon (Griffin) 1983 KLO
Open
First Place: Torin Spencer (McDonough), 2013 Hyundai Genesis
Second Place: Ernest Strozier (Rex), 2000 Mustang Saleen
Third Place: Stephen Kochik (Griffin), 2000 Subaru WRX
Atlanta Motor Speedway’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags & Show-N-Shine continues with week 5 action on the pit lane drag next Friday, June 14. Grandstand gates open at 6:30 p.m., and nightly drag race eliminations start just after 9:00 p.m.
Entry to drag race or for the Show-N-Shine is just $20 or competitors can purchase a combo ticket for $30. Spectator tickets are just $10, and children 5 and under are free. More information can be found at www.atlantamotorspeedway.com/drags or by calling the Atlanta Motor Speedway Ticket Office at (770) 946-4211.
AMS PR
