Working to either capitalize or improve on last week’s results, the competitors of the O’Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags series congregated on a steamy Georgia night at the Atlanta Motor Speedway drag strip for week 5 competition.
One competitor who strongly focused on adding to his points lead was QuikTrip Pro Division driver Kevin Mayo from McDonough. Mayo swept all rounds in his division earning his second straight points win of the season.
“Everything was good, I swept all rounds”, explained Mayo. “The whole night was very nice.”
Mayo touched on his strategy to avoid issues at the start, “The main thing was to go in and not turn the red light on. I saw a lot of guys going in and turning on the red light, which gets you disqualified before making a start. I just wanted to sit back and not do that.”
Mayo’s week 5 win has extended his points lead, placing him at the very top of the championship standings.
A surprise victory came in the Super Pro Division, as last week’s winner, Robert Cheney in his classic 2014 American Dragster faced off against the 1955 Chevy driven by Mike Weaver. As both drivers swept through their competitors, the final faceoff between the two had fans and fellow drivers alike on their feet. Mike Weaver made the run of the night, defeating Cheney in style.
“Not much to say really”, said Weaver. “I was just determined to beat him [Cheney], so I cranked up the speed to do that.”
Other notable winners include Courtney Perry from Covington, driving the 1995 Honda Del Sol in the Sport Compact Division. Locust Grove’s Dustin Prett took home the trophy in the Street Modified Division, thanks to the muscle in his 1989 Ford Mustang.
This week’s Peach Pass Burnout Zone Competition zeroed in on the Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Division. Tonight’s victor came from nearby Locust Grove. Nick Blankenship and his Mustang put on a smoke show for the thousands in attendance during the final round of the contest, leaving them cheering for more.
Full June 15 Results:
Super Pro: Mike Weaver (Griffin), 1955 Chevy
QuikTrip Pro: Kevin Mayo (McDonough), 1969 Chevy Nova
Harbin’s Mechanical Services Street Outlaw: Daniel Harris (Griffin), 1995 Chevrolet 1-10
Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman: Scott Charette (Locust Grove), 1995 Pontiac Firebird
New Edge: Chase Ponder (Senoia), 2010 Ford Mustang
Street Performer: Brandon Sampler (Griffin), 1995 Chevrolet S-10
Harding Plumbing, Heating, and Cooling Domestic: David Smith (Jackson), 1990 Isuza
Street Modified: Dustin Prett (Locust Grove), 1989 Ford Mustang
Diamond Resorts Factory Street: Chad Greenway, 2001 Pontiac Firebird
Diesel Truck: Taylor Wilder (Locust Grove), 1994 Dodge Ram
Starfire Automatic Gates Truck: Ed Blanford (McDonough), 1968 Ford F-100
Tuner: Steven Mallet (Marietta), 2004 Subaru WRX
Sport Compact: Courtney Perry (Covington), 1995 Honda Del Sol
Super Bike: Cory Mayo (Fayetteville), 2009 Hayabusa Suzuki
Sport Bike: Robin Malcolm (Lithonia), 2006 GSXR 1000
US Marine Corps Motorcycle: Keith Stamps (Tyrone), 2002 Honda
Cruiser/Motorcycle: Robert Thomas (Griffin), Harley Davidson
ATV: Bradley Smith (Griffin), 1990 Yamaha Banshee
Peach Pass Burnout Zone: Nick Blankenship (Locust Grove), 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 15 winners:
Showroom Modern (1973 through 1999) First Place: Chris Gallagher (Fayetteville), 1998 Trans AM Second Place: Scott Gassner (Lawrenceville), 1990 Corvette ZR-1
Modern Custom (1973 through 1999) First Place: Jesse LeScueur (McDonough), 2006 Corvette Second Place: Chandler Hatchett (Griffin), 1997 Mustang SVT Cobra
Current (2000 through current) First Place: Ken Thaxton (Fayetteville), 2004 Corvette Z06 Second Place: Family First (Covington) 2016 SS Camaro Black Panther Third Place: Steven M’Keague (Dacula), 2015 Roush Mustang Trucks/SUV/Vans First Place: Morgan Bass (Newnan), 1970 C-10 Second Place: Carl Hogan (Tyrone), Ford F-250 6.0 L Third Place: Krystal (Gainsville) 1966 C-10 Open First Place: Toney Freeman (Stockbridge), 2011 Porsche Panamera
Second Place: Rick Yarbrough (McDonough), 1965 Chevelle
Third Place: Travis Alexander (Griffin), 1986 Toyota Pickup
Atlanta Motor Speedway’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags & Show-N-Shine continues with week 6 action on the pit lane drag next Friday, June 22.
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
