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Atlanta Dragway Results
RACE DATE: August 29 - 31, 2003FROM: Tim Glover EVENT: B&M Racers Appreciation Series event at Atlanta Dragway in 2003 2003 CHAMPIONS CROWNED, BOGACKI ALMOST DOUBLES ON SUNDAY AT FINAL B&M RACE FOR 2003 (Commerce, GA - August 29 - 31) While the rains came all around the area, even washing out the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis until next week, the only fluids that caused delay at the ninth annual B&M Racers Appreciation Series event at Atlanta Dragway were a couple of oildowns on Friday. This race was the final one for 2003 B&M action, and two champions were crowned. Scott Richardson from Goodlettsville, TN won the 2003 B&M Super Pro championship and Jared 'Jed' Pennington from 'Coalburg', Alabama, is the 2003 B&M Footbrake champion. Todd 'Bones' Ewing came in second in 2003 Super Pro points, and Rick Robertson, a former B&M Footbrake champ, was the second place man in 2003 B&M Footbrake action. Weekend winners featured Mike Barrett, Bennie Ulmer, Jr. and Jeff Adkinson in Super Pro. The weekend Footbrake winners included Howard Warren, 2002 Footbrake champion Doyle Kay, and Luke Bogacki, who nearly doubled up on Sunday, winning Footbrake and finishing runner up by .0017 second in Super Pro. FRIDAYFormer B&M Footbrake champ Randall Roop talked Howard Warren from Douglasville, GA into bringing his '72 Maverick to the Atlanta B&M race, and it paid off for Warren quickly, who won his first 2003 B&M Footbrake race the first day he went. Warren took on Tunnel Hill, GA racer L.C. Bigham in the final, and used a stellar .507 react and a .03 second over 7.63 second, 82.79mph run to relegate Bigham's otherwise good .03 second over 10.27, 65.55mph shot in a '72 Swinger to the runner up spot. Jared Pennington, who came into the weekend tied for first place in the 2003 B&M Footbrake points, pulled into the lead with his Fultondale, AL based '79 Malibu when he finished in the semi-finals. The other semi-finalist also drove a '79 Malibu; Rob Williams from Bradenton, FL. Warren said there were two runs where he just got lucky, and then he had two .507 reacts; the other against Doyle Kay in the quarterfinals. Mike Barrett made the tow from Maylene, AL pay off with a $15,000 win in Super Pro with his '98 Mullis dragster. Although Barrett didn't cross the finish line stripe first, his .509 react and a 4.856, 138.06mph pass spelled WIN against former B&M champion Ricky Jones' Manchester, GA based '90 Camaro. Jones' machine reacted with a .511, but broke out ever so slightly with a 5.796, 118.52mph pass (5.80 target). Chad McKee ('87 Camaro - Milton, TN) was the lone semi-finalist. SATURDAYThe Alabama Gang came back strong in Saturday Footbrake. "Finally. I was wondering if I was ever going to win one again. I've been laying down the same runs, but just haven't been winning this year," said defending B&M Footbrake champion Doyle Kay from Ashville, AL. Kay met good friend and traveling buddy Chris Wiley in final round action, and the two friends made it a very close race, with Kay taking the stripe in his '67 Chevy II by .002 seconds, reacting with a .510, and running 6.861, 94.05mph on a 6.84 dial. Wiley, who comes from Pell City, AL, turned in a dead-on 7.683, 88.29mph in his '66 Chevy II SS, but his .530 react wasn't quite enough this time. Another local racer fared well, with Greg Allen ('80 Camaro - Anderson, SC) making it to the semi-finals. Bennie Ulmer, Jr. and his dad did well at the Super Eliminator race earlier this year, and Jr. continued that trend for the B&M weekend in Super Pro. The Orangeburg, SC racer took the win light by .001 seconds in his '03 Racetech dragster, running 4.947, 139.80mph on his 4.94 target. Joseph Newberry from Silver Creek, GA was also dead on with his Mopar Parts '02 Undercover dragster, running 4.766, 145.66mph on a 4.76 target. Scott Richardson ('03 Worthy dragster - Goodlettsville, TN) inched closer to clinching his B&M Super Pro championship by making it to the semi-final round. SUNDAYThis was showdown day. Although neither Scott Richardson (Super Pro) or Jared Pennington (Footbrake) won the Sunday race, they did win enough rounds to clinch their respective championships. Three points separated Pennington from second place Rick Robertson Sunday morning. In round two, both were still in action. However, young Andy Mitchell from Milledgeville, GA, acted as a spoiler in Footbrake. Mitchell ended up running Rick Robertson in round two and three, defeating Robertson both times with his '95 Camaro Z28, thus sealing the championship for Pennington. Mitchell then had to run Pennington in round four, and took the win light there. He then had to run Doyle Kay, and bowed out of action at that time. Mitchell couldn't get an easy run Sunday! Richardson ensured his own championship by making it down to ten cars on Sunday. Luke Bogacki recently graduated from college, and is now working for Huntsville Engine and Performance. Bogacki stayed extremely busy Sunday, racing his '65 Chevy II wagon in Footbrake and his dragster in Super Pro. Thanks to help from friends Todd 'Bones' Ewing, Lucas Bendall and Paul Russell, Bogacki was able to jump out of one car and into the other to go racing. Although Bogacki's "Friday Night Hooker" '65 Chevy II wagon broke out in the Footbrake final with a 7.54, 91.37mph pass on his 7.57 target, the race was over at the starting line when Chris Ellis from Greenbrier, TN turned on the big red light with his '83 Camaro Z/28. Ellis also broke out with a 6.95, 99.64mph shot (7.00 target). Bogacki then added, "I got the Q-Tip!" "He could take the return road.... in a Lumina.... and still be a threat," said announcer Hank Schmitt about Bogacki after the race. Rickey Morris ('79 Malibu - Ellenwood, GA) finished in the Sunday semi-finals. Super Pro racer Jeff Adkinson from Colquitt, GA wasn't too concerned that he had to race the red hot Bogacki in the finals. He calmly worked out a good split, got ready to race, jumped in his '02 Racetech dragster, and pulled up to the starting line. He then won with a .510 react, coupled with a 5.145, 131.88mph (5.12 dial) crossing the finish line .0017 seconds ahead of Bogacki, who had a .513 react and ran 5.153, 125.47mph on a 5.13 target. Bracket News racer Tommy Castenado went home with the semi-final portion of the purse. Adkinson celebrated his fifth win in 2003 in the winner's circle with wife Amy, daughter Kaitlin, and friend Steve Gowan, who has raced with their family for 25 years. B&M packed more into this weekend by adding a free entry GM Performance Parts True Street race, which was not open to anyone in the regular competition. Paula Hancock's husband, Mark, won the first place trophy against the famous Footbrake racer Jim Wood's wife, Martha, in final round action. Hancock's Commerce, GA based '95 Cutlass broke out with an 11.08, 63.86mph on an 11.18 dial in time. However, Wood, who hails from Laurens, SC broke out even more in her '93 Nissan, running 11.14, 63.96mph (11.26 dial). Chris Todd, Jr. ('02 Blazer Extreme - Greenville, SC) and Hank Wilhelm ('90 Firebird - Commerce, GA) were the semi-final finishers. In other weekend action, Ricky Jones from Manchester, GA won the 32 car Ray Miller Race Car 'Gun Slinger' Shootout, which netted a 2003 Miller slip joint dragster chassis. Jones won the race with his '90 Camaro (in which he has raced forever) against a red lighting 'Smoky Joe' Smith in the final. Will Jones switch to a dragster now? His answer was no. However, he was in the process of looking for a race car for his 15 year old son, Jonathan. Jones said, "This came along at the right time. I got a little luck lately. This was my third final in a row." Special awards were given out for the Best Engineered Car and Best Appearing Car. Local racer J.D. Reid from Conyers, GA won his third Best award this year with his Wilkerson Racing Engines powered '02 Undercover dragster (built with a lot of help from his mom and dad) when he got the nod for Arias Forged Pistons Best Engineered Car. Reid has already won the 2002 Southern Nationals Best Appearing Car and the 2003 Atlanta Divisional Best Engineered Car. Simon Racing Products Best Appearing Car honors went to Johnny Mullis' '65 Chevy II from Parker City, IN. Sanctioned by the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), Atlanta Dragway is located just off I-85 at Exit 149 in the Banks Crossing area of Commerce, Georgia. Information on all 2003 events, including the 23rd annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals presented by Pontiac on May 1 - 4, may be obtained by calling the track office (706-335-2301) or logging on to www.atlantadragway.com. NOTE: If you would like this report via email, please contact me, tim.glover@stork.com or call the track. FRIDAY SUPER PRO CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN Win: Mike Barrett '98 Mullis dragster Maylene, AL 4.85 138.06 (4.85) R/U: Ricky Jones '90 Camaro Manchester, GA 5.79 118.52 (5.80) Semi: Chad McKee '87 Camaro Milton, TN Semi: FRIDAY FOOTBRAKE CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN Win: Howard Warren '72 Maverick Douglasville, GA 7.63 82.79 (7.60) R/U: L.C. Bigham '72 Swinger Tunnel Hill, GA 10.27 65.55 (10.24) Semi: Jared 'Jed' Pennington '79 Malibu Fultondale, AL Semi: Rob Williams '79 Malibu Bradenton, FL SATURDAY SUPER PRO CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN Win: Bennie Ulmer, Jr. '03 Racetech dragster Orangeburg, SC 4.94 139.80 (4.94) R/U: Joseph Newberry '02 Undercover dragster Silver Creek, GA 4.76 145.66 (4.76) Semi: Scott Richardson '03 Worthy dragster Goodlettsville, TN Semi: SATURDAY FOOTBRAKE CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN Win: Doyle Kay '67 Chevy II Ashville, AL 6.86 94.05 (6.84) R/U: Chris Wiley '66 Chevy II SS Pell City, AL 7.68 88.29 (7.68) Semi: Greg Allen '80 Camaro Anderson, SC Semi: SUNDAY SUPER PRO CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN Win: Jeff Adkinson '02 Racetech dragster Colquitt, GA 5.14 131.88 (5.12) R/U: Luke Bogacki '02 Miller dragster Huntsville, AL 5.15 125.47 (5.13) Semi: Tommy Castenado '00 Undercover dragster Gulfport, MS Semi: SUNDAY FOOTBRAKE CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN Win: Luke Bogacki '65 Chevy II wagon Huntsville, AL 7.54 91.37 (7.57) R/U: Chris Ellis '83 Camaro Z28 Greenbrier, TN 6.95 99.64 (7.00) Semi: Rickey Morris '79 Malibu Ellenwood, GA Semi:
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