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Atlanta Dragway Results
RACE DATE: October 5-6, 2002FROM: Tim Glover EVENT: Phillips Motorsports Super Eliminator Series at Atlanta Dragway PEAVY TOPS FIELD OF WINNERS AT PHILLIPS SECOND ANNUAL FALL CLASSIC SATURDAY (Commerce, GA ) No less than 11 different winners took home awards during Saturday's edition of the Phillips Motorsports Second Annual Fall Classic held at Atlanta Dragway. Early in the day, two youngsters, Valvoline / Mulberry Farms backed "Mad Matt" Gillen (11 years old) and Prestressed Transportation, Inc backed Lauren Turner (11 years old) faced off in a one round, winner takes the championship run. (They were tied after the second round of eliminations of the final Summit ET series race on September 21, and had actually drawn each other to run during round three, which would have settled the championship then, but rains came, postponing the showdown until today. Turner crossed the finish line .006 seconds ahead of Gillen, but her car was just a bit too quick, running 9.177, 70.20 on its 9.20 dial. Gillen's Valvoline Shark won with a 9.157, 71.54 on a 9.13 target. When asked what he thought when he saw the win light for his first ever track championship, Gillen exclaimed, " I don't know because I had my eyes closed!" This victory was the second track championship for his car owner and dad, Bill Gillen III. "I really didn't think I would make it this far," added Turner. Before the main race started, a Run for the Money was put on for Footbrake, Door Car and Dragster, with the winner of each getting the first round bye run, as well as some extra cash. Al Garren won Footbrake with an 8.761 on a 8.76 dial, Mark Fowler won Door Car with 5.890 on a 5.89, and Drew Phillips won Dragster with a brand new car, running 5.470 on a 5.47 target. In addition to the main races, Quick 16 Door Car, Quick 16 Dragster and Quick 32 was added to give everyone more chances to race and win. The fields filled quickly, and Bobby Mason qualified #1 in Quick 16 Dragster with a 4.670. The bump was 5.065, held by last week's winner Marty Wiles. Local racer Mark Hancock qualified #1 in Quick 16 Door Car with a 5.094, and Jimmy Loftis was on the bump spot with a 5.80. According to announcer Rick Shackleford, Larry Peavy was everywhere except the trash cans Saturday night. Peavy's Milledgeville, GA based '90 Corvette didn't have much chance to cool down near the end of the race because it was in three different eliminator finals. First, Peavy won the Door Car class against local racer Joe Rampley from Gainesville, GA. Peavy picked up the automatic win when Rampley's '92 Camaro left the starting line .006 seconds early, running 5.62, 121.96 on a 5.61. Peavy took advantage of Rampley's red light to run 5.26, 131.97 on a 5.27 target. Robert Ashley ('78 Pinto - Newberry, SC) was the lone semi-finalist. Then, Peavy then met another local racer, Mike Ramsey, in the Quick 16 Door car final. Ramsey used a big starting line advantage to defeat Peavy with his Commerce, GA based '81 Camaro, turning in an off the throttle 5.72, 120.97 (5.65 dial). Peavy's machine went 5.26, 131.97 on its 5.26 target. Joe Rampley was also a semi-finalist in Q16 Door Car, along with low qualifier Mark Hancock ('92 Firebird - Conyers, GA). Peavy didn't let the Q16 loss bother him in the Super Eliminator final, which featured a face off between Peavy and the winner of the Dragster class in a one round, King of the Hill style format. Peavy used a slight starting line advantage, coupled with a dead-on 5.260, 132.26 pass to take the Saturday Super Eliminator win against Dragster class winner David Simmons' Suwannee, GA based '00 Undercover dragster. "I couldn't have done this without my wife, Sophie," said Peavy. She then said, "He worked me to death!" The wily veteran David Simmons took the Dragster class win tonight against Milton Agee from Honea Path, SC. Somehow, Auto Start got Agee, fouling him out and handing the win to Simmons, who legged his car out the back door, running a good 5.08, 136.37 (5.07 target). "Smokey Joe" Smith ('00 Miller Dragster - Lawrenceville, GA) was the semi-final finisher. Simmons thanked George Rupert of Rupert's Alky Carbs and wife Loretta for their help. DragRaceResults.com awarded CSI merchandise to the best package of the weekend in each class. "Smokey Joe" Smith earned the Super Pro award by turning in a .001 second package Saturday against B.J. Pittman. Houston Kneece earned it with a .500 tree and dead-on with a 4 package in Footbrake during round one on Saturday with his Caprice that he drives to the race track. Their packages held up through Sunday's race. The last time Newnan, GA racer Kenny Acree raced at Atlanta Dragway was a few weeks ago, in a Dodge Diesel truck at the Hayes Mopar Meet. Today he brought his faster ride, a four second '99 Undercover dragster, and competed in Quick 16 Dragster in addition to the regular race. The move paid off for him when he took the final round win stripe .002 seconds ahead of Eva Lane from Hixson, TN. Although Lane had a .501 react with her '99 Undercover dragster, Acree was a touch closer to his dial, running 4.860, 144.24 (4.85 target). Lane went 5.009, 137.20 on a 4.99 dial. "Slammin' Sammy" Hollingsworth made it to the semi-finals with his Greenwood, SC based '97 Horton dragster, along with local racer Donny Brown, Jr. ('95 Spitzer dragster - Buford, GA). Dragsters ruled tonight in Quick 32. Mike Smith from Roanoke, AL, put his new '02 Racecraft dragster into the winner's circle again with a breakout 5.054, 135.55 (5.06 dial). His opponent, Robby Callahan from The Rock, GA, earned runner up spot with his '01 Miller dragster when he broke out more with a .02 under 5.08, 135.96. Local racer Henry Snelgrove ('98 Bos dragster - Dahlonega, GA) and Eva Lane's husband, Ron Lane ('02 Undercover dragster - Hixson, TN) finished in the semis. Jeff Taylor from Laurens, SC is no stranger to the Atlanta Dragway Footbrake winner's circle. Taylor met former Atlanta Sportsman track champ Tom Truluck in Saturday evening's final, and had Truluck covered from the starting line to the finish line, winning with a 6.97, 95.95 (6.97 target) in his '72 Nova. Truluck's ride, a '68 Firebird owned by friend Dickey Forrester, was close with a 7.38, 92.98 (7.37 dial). Toby Barnes ('68 Camaro - Peachtree City, GA) was the single semi-final finisher. Taylor had been working on his tune up for the first four rounds, which he apparently did well. He then thanked Stone Performance for building a great engine. SUNDAY The first Sunday winners were in the Run for the Money event. Dan Owens won Door Car in his '68 Camaro, which slipped a bit en route to a 6.850 on a 6.85 target. Brad Jeter, who also has competed in NHRA Pro Stock and Pro Mod, won the Dragster portion with a 4.910 on a 4.91. Toby Barnes collected the Footbrake portion in a '68 Camaro. For years, Ricky Jones has tangled with Timmy Smith's dad, Mike Smith in various final rounds. On Sunday, Jones met third generation racer Timmy Smith (who recently turned 16 years old) in the Door Car final, and took a narrow win with his '92 Camaro when Smith's '71 Vega Wagon broke out by a slim .003 seconds, 6.787, 100.23 (6.79 target). Jones' Camaro ran a safe 5.91, 116.28 on a 5.89 target. Another young racer, Atlanta Dragway's own "Hollywood" Jeremy Hancock ('67 Camaro - Conyers, GA) finished in the semis, along with Gary Adams ('72 Chevelle - Carnesville, GA). "Slammin' Sammy" Hollingsworth from Greenwood, SC said he finally broke free of a two year slump, experiencing his best finish since the 2000 Million Dollar race (where he finished in the quarter-finals). Hollingsworth's '97 Horton dragster won Dragster today against Robert Buchanan's ailing '02 Racetech dragster (which made it to the final during its very first race). Seeing Buchanan's car having problems, Hollingsworth slowed his car to a winning 5.19, 121.30 (5.06 dial). Buchanan's machine turned in a 5.93, 106.39 (5.63 target). After the race, Buchanan said his transmission went sour, and he tried to cool it down for the final, but the damage was done. Earlier in the day, he proved his ability to build a good car by putting down a .006 package in round one, a .003 package in round two, and a .004 package in round five. Phil Owens ('98 dragster - Lithia Springs, GA) finished in the semi-finals, good enough to tie him with Tracy Hardie for weekend points. Hollingsworth thanked Horton Race Cars for their help. Ricky Jones continued his momentum in the Sunday edition of Super Eliminator, winning against Sammy Hollingsworth. Both racers ran dead-on their dials, but Jones' 5.900, 116.59 was the best. Hollingsworth, who had a .005 second reaction time advantage, went 5.078, 135.14, crossing the finish line .003 seconds behind Jones' '92 Camaro. "I like this series. I believe this is going to bring bracket racing to a new level," added Jones. Footbrake winner Joyce Welsh from Blythe, GA said she also came out of a year long slump, winning her first race in 2002 today. Welsh met local racer and former Sportsman champ Lloyd Kaylor in the final, and came out on top with an 8.21, 82.57 (8.20 target) in her '65 Chevy II. Kaylor's Winder, GA based '72 Buick GS, which he has owned since the late '70s, had run several 8.70s earlier in the day, but unfortunately for Kaylor, the dial in number on his window for the final was 8.71. Kaylor broke out with a close 8.707, 81.52. Tom Wallace broke a rearend in his '66 Belvedere Saturday, went all the way home to Carrollton, GA to get another, and finished today in the semis, along with Toby Barnes ('68 Camaro - Peachtree City, GA). Welsh gave credit to her friend and mentor, Jim Wood, for helping her win. Finally, all theCooper Trailer Sales weekend points winner's received a special Phillips "Willie" award, which was very popular among the racers. Phil Owens and Tracy Hardie finished the weekend points series with a tie in Dragster, so a coin flip determined Hardie to be the first recipient this weekend. Ricky Jones won Door Car points and Joyce Welsh won Footbrake by one point over Toby Barnes. SATURDAY SUPER ELIMINATOR CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN REACT Win: Larry Peavy '90 Corvette Milledgeville, GA 5.260 132.36 (5.26) .519 R/U: David Simmons '00 Undercover dragster Suwanee, GA 5.076 136.37 (5.07) .522 Semi: Semi: SATURDAY DRAGSTER CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN REACT Win: David Simmons '00 Undercover dragster Suwanee, GA 5.083 136.37 (5.07) .778 R/U: Milton Agee '00 Horton dragster Honea Path, SC (foul) (5.10) Semi: Joe Smith '00 Miller dragster Lawrenceville, GA Semi: SATURDAY DOOR CAR CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN REACT Win: Larry Peavy '90 Corvette Milledgeville, GA 5.264 131.97 (5.27) .531 R/U: Joe Rampley '92 Camaro Gainesville, GA 5.620 121.96 (5.61) .494 Semi: Robert Ashley '78 Pinto Newberry, SC Semi: SATURDAY FOOTBRAKE CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN REACT Win: Jeff Taylor '72 Nova Laurens, SC 6.973 95.95 (6.97) .548 R/U: Tom Truluck '68 Firebird Canton, GA 7.383 92.98 (7.37) .595 Semi: Toby Barnes '68 Camaro Peachtree City, GA Semi: QUICK 16 DRAGSTER Win: Kenny Acree '99 Undercover dragster Newnan, GA 4.860 144.24 (4.85) .508 R/U: Eva Lane '99 Undercover dragster Chattanooga, TN 5.009 137.20 (4.99) .501 Semi: Sammy Hollingsworth '97 Horton dragster Greenwood, SC Semi: Donny Brown, Jr. '95 Spitzer dragster Buford, GA QUICK 16 DOOR CAR Win: Mike Ramsey '81 Camaro Commerce, GA 5.724 120.97 (5.65) .517 R/U: Larry Peavy '90 Corvette Milledgeville, GA 5.264 131.97 (5.26) .591 Semi: Joe Rampley '92 Camaro Gainesville, GA Semi: Mark Hancock '92 Firebird Conyers, GA QUICK 32 Win: Mike Smith '02 Racecraft dragster Roanoke, AL 5.054 135.55 (5.06) .502 R/U: Robby Callahan '01 Miller dragster The Rock, GA 5.082 135.96 (5.10) .519 Semi: Henry Snelgrove '98 Bos dragster Dahlonega, GA Semi: Ron Lane '02 Undercover dragster Chattanooga, Ga JR. DRAGSTER 8-12 YEAR OLD CHAMPIONSHIP RUNOFF Win: Matt Gillen 11 years old Gainesville, GA 9.157 71.54 (9.13) .571 R/U: Lauren Turner 11 years old Lawrenceville, GA 9.177 70.20 (9.20) .615 Semi: Semi: SUNDAY SUPER ELIMINATOR CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN REACT Win: Ricky Jones '92 Camaro Manchester, GA 5.900 116.59 (5.90) .518 R/U: Sammy Hollingsworth '97 Horton dragster Greenwood, SC 5.078 135.14 (5.07) .513 Semi: Semi: SUNDAY DRAGSTER CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN REACT Win: Sammy Hollingsworth '97 Horton dragster Greenwood, SC 5.195 121.30 (5.06) .526 R/U: Robert Buchanan '02 Racetech dragster Morganton, NC 5.930 106.39 (5.63) .551 Semi: Phil Owens '98 Dragster Lithia Springs, GA Semi: SUNDAY DOOR CAR CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN REACT Win: Ricky Jones '92 Camaro Manchester, GA 5.914 116.28 (5.89) .529 R/U: Timothy Smith '71 Vega Wagon Roanoke, AL 6.787 100.23 (6.79) .537 Semi: Jeremy Hancock '67 Camaro Conyers, GA Semi: Gary Adams '72 Chevelle Carnesville, GA SUNDAY FOOTBRAKE CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN REACT Win: Joyce Welsh '65 Chevy II Blythe, GA 8.218 82.57 (8.20) .523 R/U: Lloyd Kaylor '72 Buick GS Winder, GA 8.707 81.52 (8.71) .514 Semi: Tom Wallace '66 Belvedere Carrollton, GA Semi: Toby Barnes '68 Camaro Peachtree City, GA
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