Atlanta Motor Speedway's fifth points week of Friday Night Drags presented by ACDelco saw two class points leaders remain undefeated and featured a rousing spectacle, a best two-out-of-three reverse drag race.
Locust Grove's Rodney Tolbert remained undefeated in the ATV class, while Jose Samaniego of Jonesboro raced his 1988 CRX to its fifth-straight victory of 2008. Both competitors are flawless on the year with 15 points in their respective class.
For the first-time ever, Atlanta Motor Speedway's Friday Night Drags featured backwards drag racing. Delighting the crowd, a pair of track officials raced a pair of bomber cars in reverse. Rubbing paint the entire way, the crowd roared with approval as the blue-lane driver claimed the win in the rubber match.
Points will be awarded each night during the 10-week season in every class except the ACDelco Domestic and Tuner. Each division winner will take home three points, second-place two points and the rest of the participants will be awarded one point. The competitor with the most points at the end of the season wins the championship title on August 22. In the event of a tie, the competitor with the most wins will be awarded the title.
Below is a complete list of the July 18 winners:
Pro: Tony Morse (Grantville) in a 1990 Chevrolet Z24
Pro Four: Mike Chambers (Griffin) in a 1957 Volkswagen Bug
Charter Communications Street Outlaw: Danny Lowry (Griffin) in a 1998 Ford Mustang
Pep Boys Auto Sportsman: Bill Hatfield (Hampton) in a 1993 Ford Mustang
Trucks: Dwayne Bethune (Covington) in a 2006 Dodge 2500
Domestic Advanced: Neil Skipper (Covington) in a 1988 Ford Mustang
ATV: Rodney Tolbert (Locust Grove) on a 1987 Yamaha
ACDelco Domestic: Raymond Morgan (McDonough) in a 1981 Chevrolet Corvette
Tuners: Jose Samaniego (Jonesboro) in a 1988 Honda CRX
The Show N' Shine competition featured everything from new imports to classic muscle cars. Below is a complete list of the July 18 winners:
Showroom Current (1973 through current): Stacy Huckaby (Fayetteville) in a 1997 Ford Cobra
Runner-up: Kyle Pope (Senoia) in a 2002 Camaro SS
Third-place: Randall Taylor (McDonough) in a 1990 Chevrolet 454 SS
Showroom Classic (1972 and prior): Billy Poore (Locust Grove) in a 1951 Ford Victoria
Runner-up: Earl Reed (McDonough) in a Chevrolet Corvette
Third-place: Rick Butcher (Locust Grove) in a 1970 Plymouth GTX
Tuner (all sport compact vehicles): Doug Dickson (Locust Grove) in a 2005 Mitsubishi Eclipse
Runner-up: Kim Lozano (Jonesboro) in a 2001 Pontiac Sunfire GT
Third-place: Wesley McCand (Griffin) in a GMC Sonoma
Current Custom (1973 through current: Ivan Hawkins (Jonesboro) in a Corvette Z06
Runner-up: Richard Fryza (Jonesboro) in a Pontiac Firebird
Third-place: Benjamin Walker (Norcross) in a Ford Mustang
Classic Custom (1972 and prior): Phil Hibbs in a 1963 Chevrolet Corvette
Runner-up: Ken Thaxton (Fayetteville) in a 1966 Chevrolet Nova SS
Third-place: Jerry Crawford (Newnan) in a 1955 Ford Panel
Motorcycle: Earl Reed on a 2008 Harley Davidson
Runner-up: Larry Wilcox (Fayetteville) on a Harley Davidson Road King
Third-place: Richard Abercrombie (Griffin) on a Harley Davidson Chopper
President's Award (chosen by AMS president Ed Clark): Jeff Sealey in a Ford Ranger Edge
Atlanta Motor Speedway's Friday Night Drags presented by ACDelco is held every Friday night through August 22. Gates open at 6:30 p.m. and nightly drag race eliminations start around 9:00 p.m. Entry for drag racing or the Show N' Shine is $20, spectator tickets are $7 for adults and children under six are free. More information can be found at www.atlantamotorspeedway.com.
