Bristol takes team title; five heading to Summit National Championship
Bristol Dragway won the NHRA Southeast Division Summit Racing Series Team Championship over Gainesville Raceway and Montgomery Motorsports Park while Timmy Smith led the list of individual winners at the Southeast Division Summit Finals at Atlanta Dragway.
The team from Bristol Dragway racked up 43 points to hold off Gainesville Raceway, with 34 points, and Montgomery Motorsports Park, who scored 30 points. Music City Dragway and Silver Dollar Raceway rounded out the top five finishing fourth and fifth with 28 and 24 respectively.
Joining Smith with individual trophies and advancing on to the NHRA Summit National Championship were Van Greer, Seth Bevins and Candy Hagadorn who each won their eliminator on Sunday. Via a special wild card drawing held early this year, Brandon Bailey will also move on to the nationals in Pomona, Calif., by winning the division’s Summit Race of Champions event in Pro ET.
Smith, Roanoke, Ala., drove his ’09 dragster to the win in Super Pro, capping it off with a 4.925 second lap at 129.82 mph to defeat Joseph Bagwell, Hendersonville, N.C., who had troubles right off the start. Greer, Kingsport, Tenn., cruised to victory in the Pro ET class when Brandon Bailey, Abingdon, Va., left early handing the win to Greer who ran it out to a 7.776 second, 88.42 mph winning pass. Greer will be coming to Pomona following in the footsteps of his father, Shirl Greer, who won the first “points based” 91 Funny Car championship.
Bevins took home the trophy in Sportsman as he was better than Russel Haskins at both ends of the track and Hagadorn won big after a close start in Super Pro Bike over Rick Scott Jr. Bevins, Albany, Ga., took the early lead in his ’86 Camaro and never looked back posting a 7.799 second, 88.05 mph run to Haskins, Marietta, Ga., who fouled at the start. Hagadorn, Venice, Fla., had one tick of an advantage at the start and held on to beat Scott, Greenbrier, Tenn., running 5.723 at 109.42 on his ’81 Suzuki to Scott’s, 5.726, 116.99.
Brendan George, Gage Burch and Brian Wilson joined Bailey with wins in Saturday’s Summit Race of Champions. George, Gainesville, Fla., won in Super Pro right at the start when Will Holloman, Four Oaks, N.C., red lighted. George had a perfect light and posted a lap of 8.798 in his ’09 Mullis for the win. Wilson, Tallapoosa, Ga., who was behind off the starting line scored the holeshot win in Super Pro Motorcycle over Scott Delong, Boynton Beach, Fla.
As a wild card, Bailey will race next month in California for the NHRA Summit National Championship with a win over Phil Greene in the Pro E.T. Race of Champions. Greene ran too quick by .015 seconds to break out as Bailey was .039 on the tree and .008 over his dial at 6.438, 106.59.
Gage Burch was a big winner over the weekend, scoring four championship titles in four classes. Burch, Palmetto, Fla., took home titles in the Race of Champions Sportsman, and defended his 2015 ROC title in the Junior Dragster 13 and up. He also won the High School Summit ET final championship, and the Junior Drag Racing League class for 13-17 year olds. In all four final rounds Burch had the starting line advantage and held on for each win.
The Southeast Division Summit Jr. Drag Racing League had additional individual championships that went to Brendan Nuttall, Rutledge, Tenn., over Madilyn Head, Cedar Hill, Tenn., in the 6-9 year old class; and Matthew Todd, Cataula, Ga., beat Vance Houston, Newland, N.C., in 10-12.
In the Jr. Race of Champions it was Cooper Hancock, Commerce, Ga., closing the deal on Jace Bynum, Camilla, Ga., in 6-9; and Ethan Ford, Jonesborough, Tenn., defeated Cannon Stiles, Winder, Ga., in 10-12
2016 Team Points | |
Bristol | 43 |
Gainesville | 34 |
Montgomery | 30 |
Music City | 28 |
Silver Dollar | 24 |
Atlanta | 20 |
Atlanta 2 | 17 |
US 19 | 13 |
Gainesville 2 | 8 |
Silver Dollar 2 | 7 |
GALOT | 6 |
Bristol 2 | 6 |
Rockingham | 3 |
The following are Saturday's final results from the 2015 NHRA Summit Racing Series Southeast Division Finals:
SUPER PRO
Timmy Smith, Roanoke, Ala., '09 American, 4.925, 129.82 def.
Joseph Bagwell, Hendersonville, N.C., '64 Chevy II, foul.
PRO ET
Van Greer, Kingsport, Tenn., dragster, 7.776, 88.42 def.
Brandon Bailey, Abingdon, Va., dragster, foul.
SPORTSMAN
Seth Bevins, Albany, Ga., '86 Camaro, 7.799, 88.05 def.
Russell Haskins, Marietta, Ga., '13 Mustang, foul.
SUPER PRO MOTORCYCLE
Candy Hagadorn, Venice, Fla., '81 SUZ, 5.723, 109.42 def.
Rick Scott Jr, Greenbrier, Tenn., dragster, 5.726, 116.99.
HIGH SCHOOL
Gage Burch, Palmetto, Fla., dragster, 8.208, 83.61 def.
Seth Bevins, Albany, Ga., '86 Camaro, 7.827, 87.37.
The following are Saturday’s final results from the 2015 NHRA Summit Racing Series Southeast Division Race of Champions:
SUPER PRO
Brendan George, Gainesville, Fla., '09 Mullis, 8.798, 39.88 def.
Will Holloman, Four Oaks, N.C., '08 Racetech, foul.
PRO ET
Brandon Bailey, Abingdon, Va., dragster, 6.438, 106.59 def.
Phil Greene, Ocala, Fla., '68 Camaro, 6.525, 102.43.
SPORTSMAN
Gage Burch, Palmetto, Fla., dragster, 7.511, 86.91 def.
Cody Spears, Mt Carmel, Tenn., '01 Formula, 9.151, 68.76.
SUPER PRO MOTORCYCLE
Brian Wilson, Tallapoosa, Ga., '01 SUZ, 7.385, 96.80 def.
Scott Delong, Boynton Beach, Fla., '06 KAW, 5.633, 118.01.
JUNIOR DRAGSTER 13 AND UP ROC
Gage Burch, Palmetto, Fla., dragster, 7.906, 81.42 def.
Jessie Daniel, Loganville, Ga., dragster, 7.905, 79.40.
JUNIOR DRAGSTER 10-12 ROC
Ethan Ford, Jonesborough, Tenn., dragster, 9.064, 70.70 def.
Cannon Stiles, Winder, Ga., dragster, 9.102, 69.69.
JUNIOR DRAGSTER 6-9 ROC
Cooper Hancock, Commerce, Ga., dragster, 14.489, 43.63 def.
Jace Bynum, Camilla, Ga., dragster, 12.208, 51.44.
The following are Sunday's final results from the NHRA Summit Racing Equipment Jr. Drag Racing League 2016 Southeast Division Junior Dragster Championship:
JUNIOR DRAGSTER 13-17
Gage Burch, Palmetto, Fla., dragster, 8.014, 76.54 def.
Josh Owens, Hampton, Tenn., dragster, 8.058, 81.66.
JUNIOR DRAGSTER 10-12
Matthew Todd, Cataula, Ga., dragster, 8.962, 72.32 def.
Vance Houston, Newland, N.C., dragster, 9.005, 65.52.
JUNIOR DRAGSTER 6-9
Brendan Nuttall, Rutledge, Tenn., dragster, 12.227, 50.66 def.
Madilyn Head, Cedar Hill, Tenn., dragster, 11.939, 46.16.