Pennywitt puts a Tesla in AMS Friday Drags victory lane

HAMPTON - The ninth year of Atlanta Motor Speedway's Friday Night Drags opened Friday night with the 2014 season opener.

As a non-points event, opening night afforded competitors the opportunity to prepare for the 2014 drag racing season. The first points night of the year is Friday, May 30.

A new division added this year to O'Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags, the Factory Street Division, provided fans with a probable Atlanta Motor Speedway first with the victory of an all-electric car at Drags.

Kirk Pennywitt of Sharpsburg in a 2013 Tesla Model S, an all-electric vehicle, posted the first win in the Factory Street Division at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

"The Tesla is pretty fast and I figured it had a pretty good shot," said Pennywitt. "It has 443 foot-pounds of torque at 0 RPMs so it gets everything right off the line - and then there's no shifting so it never bogs down."

According to Pennywitt, the Tesla is perfect for Atlanta Motor Speedway's 1/8-mile drag strip. "It's at its fastest in that first 1/8 of a mile."

"I think I'll be back (to O'Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags) in the future," said Pennywitt. "It was my first time here and it was a lot of fun."

In the Jailhouse Brewing Company Super Pro Division, Jim Harris of Snellville in a 1968 Chevrolet Camaro knocked off the 2002 Pontiac Trans AM piloted by John Fahmy of Acworth to capture the victory.

Atlanta Motor Speedway's O'Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags continues on May 16.

Atlanta Motor Speedway - Hampton, GA
Friday Night Drags - May 9, 2014

Super Pro: Jim Harris - 1968 Chevrolet Camaro
Pro: David Craft - 1986 Chevrolet Corvette
Street Outlaw: Nieo Las Feliciano - 1984 Mazda RX7
Sportsman: Robert Blankenship - 1986 Ford Mustang
Truck: Shelton Maynard - 1972 Chevy C10
Truck Advanced: Danny Mason - 1968 Chevrolet Pick Up
Domestic: Jimmy Harter - 1966 Ford Mustang
Domestic Advanced: Samuel Wooten - 1991 Ford Mustang
Diesel Truck: Dwayne Bethune - 2006 Dodge 2500 4x4
Street Modified: Michael Gregory - 1985 Ford Mustang
Factory Street: Kirk Pennywitt - 2013 Tesla Model S
Tuner: Dominick Ciletti - 2014 Audi S4
ATV: Bradley Smith - 1987 Yamaha Banshee
Super Bike: DeMan Lewis - 2001 Suzuki GSXR 1000
Sport Bike: Jeremy Julien - 2013 KAW 2X14
Cruiser/Dirt bike: Larry Henderson - 2007 YZ 85