On a night full of perfect drag racing weather, the masses gathered at Atlanta Motor Speedway for July 20 O’Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags action.
The infield was packed as kids opened up the night with the return of Kids Power Wheels Races.
After the kids showed the adults how it was done, the series regulars took to the strip to improve upon their championship standings.
Thrilling drag racing action filled the evening as each division completed runs, trickling down to the best competitors of the night.
As the event drew to a close, the final races held everyone’s attention.
In the QuikTrip Pro Division, an extremely tight battle down the strip ensued between Milner’s David Clevinger in and McDonough’s Kevin Mayo. Ultimately, Mayo came out on top.
Likewise, in the Harbin’s Mechanical Services Street Outlaw Division, Griffin’s Wayne Harris battled Locust Grove’s Arnie Cobb. The two were neck and neck down the entire strip. As the finish line light glowed, Harris was declared the winner.
“I had to have good reaction time off the light”, explained Harris. He [Cobb] came sprawling of the other end, he probably wasn’t even a bumper or a fender away from me it was that close.”
Meanwhile in the New Edge Division, a close race brewed between Newnan’s Steve Shaffer in his 2018 Chevrolet Corvette, and Fayetteville’s James Walker in his 2016 Dodge Challenger Hellcat. Walker had already won the Peach Pass Burnout Zone Competition and was ready to take home his division.
In the final round, Shaffer and Walker raced down the AMS drag strip in a battle of sports car horsepower. As all bets were on the Corvette, Walker turned the tables and drove his Hellcat to victory.
“Basically tonight I needed to hook up”, said Walker. “The whole idea for me is to get the power to the ground. I’ve been working on that for a while and it finally came together tonight. I know the car has a lot of horsepower so my focus is to really keep that power to the ground and make those runs as strong as I can.”
Below is a list of the July 20 race winners:
Super Pro: Alan Kidd (Stockbridge); 1969 Chevrolet Camaro
QuikTrip Pro: Kevin Mayo (McDonough); 1969 Chevy Nova
Harbin’s Mechanical Services Street Outlaw: Wayne Harris (Griffin); 1968 Chevrolet Camaro
Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman: David Cobb (Locust Grove); 1988 Chevrolet S10
New Edge: James Walker (Fayetteville); 2016 Dodge Challenger Hellcat
Street Performer: Brandon Sampler (Griffin); 1995 Chevrolet S10
Harding Plumbing, Heating and Cooling Domestic: David Smith (Jackson); 1990 Isuzu
Diamond Resorts Factory Street: Michael Hartley (McDonough); 2013 Ford Mustang
Starfire Automatic Gates Truck: Ed Blanford (McDonough); 1968 Ford F100
Sport Compact: Tyler Hatchett (Griffin); 1991 Honda CRX
Super Bike: Robin Malcolm (Lithonia); 2003 Busa
Sport Bike: Bryan Berube (Stockbridge); 2013 Suzuki Hayabusa
US Marines Motorcycle: Keith Stamps (Tyrone); 2002 Honda
Cruiser: Billy Mueller (Stockbridge); 2006 Harley Davidson
ATV: Wayne Cline (Griffin); Yamaha Banshee
Peach Pass Burnout Zone Competition: James Walker (Fayetteville); 2016 Dodge Challenger Hellcat
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.
Classic Custom (Through 1972):
First Place: Jon Davis (Senoia), 1964 Galaxie
Second Place: Jerry Knoulee (Tyrone), 1971 Monte Carlo
Third place: Earl Reed (McDonough), 1934 Ford Can
Showroom Modern (1973 through 1999):
First Place: Chris Gallagher (Fayetteville), 1998 Trans Am
Modern Custom (1973 through 1999):
First Place: Ryan Wilson (McDonough), 1998 Ford Mustang
Second Place: Austin lynch (Griffin), 1998 Chevy Camaro
Current (2000 through current):
First Place: Ken Thornton (Fayetteville), 2004 Chevy corvette
Second Place: Willie Whitehead (Atlanta), 2014 428i Turbo Coupe
Third Place: Rico Arnold (Hampton), 2017 Chevy Camaro
Trucks/SUV/Vans:
First Place: Blake Williams (McDonough), 1996 Chevy Silverado
Second Place: Tanner Miller (Stockbridge), 1979 Ford Bronco
Third Place: Jimmy Sims (Griffin), 2018 Titan
Open:
First Place: Warren head (Atlanta), 2016 Harley 48
Second Place: Elijah waits (Senoia), 923 AZ 5 Ton
Third Place: Francisco (McDonough), 1994 Honda Del Sol Si
Atlanta Motor Speedway’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags & Show-N-Shine returns to the pit lane drag strip next Friday, July 27th. This night will also feature special races for the powerful and thrilling jet dragsters.
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/AMS Photo
