With championship points on the line for the first time in 2010, week four of Atlanta Motor Speedway's Friday Night Drags featured both photo finishes and high-speed havoc as competitors fought to the finish to earn their first points of the season.
Four Friday Night Drags competitors carried over their early-season momentum to find success by defending victories from week three's non-points event on May 21 – David Armstrong (McDonough) in the Radical division, Scott Bates (Locust Grove) in the Sportsman class, Stephen Fulton (Jonesboro) in Truck, and Chuck Poole (Stockbridge) in the Truck Advanced grouping.
Meanwhile, just one 2009 Friday Night Drags champion made their way to Victory Lane on Friday, Jose Samneigo (Jonesboro) in the Pro Four class, a tribute to the quality of competition on Atlanta's pit lane drag strip.
While the previous drivers experienced success on Friday night, fan-favorite Bill "The Milkman" Patrick (Stockbridge) suffered defeat in the Truck Advanced class as his 1948 Willy's experienced an engine failure at the starting grid.
"I was trying to back bumper it," explained Patrick, the 2009 Truck Advanced champion, referring to his intention to pop a wheelie from the start, "and I hit the NOS (nitrous oxide) and blew a piston. But don't worry; we'll be back next week."
With a complete engine at home ready to be dropped into the Willy's, Patrick intends to return to Friday Night Drags on week five to "back bumper it," before handing the reigns to the Willy's to his 16-year old son Buddy the following week. Buddy tied for fourth in the 2009 Motorcycle class with two second-place finishes.
Below is a complete list of the June 4 winners:
Super Pro: Bobby Daniel (Stockbridge) in a 2010 Chevrolet Corvette
Pro: Alan Kidd (Stockbridge) in a 1963 Chevrolet Corvette
Pro Four: Jose Samniego (Jonesboro) in a 1988 Honda CRX
Street Outlaw: Jason Thomas (Stockbridge) in 1967 Chevrolet Camaro
Sportsman: Scott Bates (Locust Grove) in a 1962 Nova Wagon
Truck Advanced: Chuck Poole (Stockbridge) in a 1986 Chevrolet
Truck: Stephen Fulton (Jonesboro) in a 1972 Chevrolet C-10
Domestic Advanced: Terry Bates (Locust Grove) in a 1988 Ford Mustang
ATV: Chris Clay (Griffin) on a 2008 Polaris Outlaw
Domestic: Tommy Buffington (Hampton) in a Chevrolet Chevelle
Sport Compact: Rashid Ward (Jonesboro) in a 1999 Nissan Maxima
Tuners: Bubba Harry (Griffin) in a 1937 Ford Sedan Legends car
Super Bike: Mason Mercure (Fairburn) on a 2008 Suzuki
Radical: David Armstrong (McDonough) on a Yamaha Banshee
Motorcycle: Jason Lowery (Williamson) on a 2004 Honda
The Show N' Shine competition featured everything from new imports to classic muscle cars. Below is a complete list of the June 4 winners:
Showroom Current (1973 through current): Christy Butler in a 2010 Chevrolet Camaro
Runner-up: Stacey Huckaby in a 1997 Ford Mustang Cobra
Third-place: Keith Smith in a 2009 Mustang GT
Showroom Classic (1972 and prior): Julie Potts in a 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle
Runner-up: Seth Jenkins in a 1971 Chevrolet Cheyenne
Third-place: Gregg Prince in a 1973 Chevrolet Nova
Tuner (all sport compact vehicles): Chantell Brown in a Volkswagen Bug
Runner-up: Shannon Pittman in a 1997 Acura Integra
Current Custom (1973 through current): William Lowry in a Ford 150 XLT
Runner-up: Donald Ngugen in a 2005 Lincoln Navigator
Third-place David Dunson in a 2005 Pontiac GTO
Classic Custom (1972 and prior): Bob Richards in a 195 Chevrolet Bel Air
Runner-up: Johnny Jones in a 1941 Willy's
Third-place Bruce Russell in a 1923 T Bucket Trike
Truck: Justin Nathway in a 2007 Ford F150
Runner-Up: Brandon Pillar in a Ford 150
Third-place: Avery Harris in a Dodge Durango
Student Choice: Kat McKneely
President's Choice: Ricky McCard in a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air
Atlanta Motor Speedway's Friday Night Drags resumes on June 11 for the first of three FastLife Friday events featuring celebrity drag racing. Gates open at 6:30 p.m. and nightly drag race eliminations start 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 to enter both. Spectator tickets at Friday Night Drags are just $7 for adults and children under six are free. More information can be found atwww.atlantamotorspeedway.com.
