HAMPTON, Ga. - High-octane drag racing returned to the pit lane drag strip at Atlanta Motor Speedway Friday as the 11th season of O’Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags got under way with Week 1 action.
Eighteen racing divisions went head-to-head, with single-elimination competition determining each winner. Vehicles ranging from muscle cars all the way down to factory cars and daily drivers participated in the first of four non-points night leading up to the June 2 regular points opener.
Highlighting the evening was the side-by-side competition in the Pro Division. After three elimination rounds, only Kevin Mayo – in a 1969 Chevrolet Nova – and Dale Rodgers – driving a 1981 Pontiac Firebird – remained.
Both veterans of the drag strip, it was anyone’s race to win with season-opening bragging rights and a trophy on the line, but all Mayo was concerned about was getting his Nova across the finish line in one piece.
“I was just trying to make it go from A to B,” he said of his mindset prior to the last and deciding race of the night.
At the flash of the green starting lights, Mayo’s Nova erupted off the line, affording him an early lead that he wouldn’t relinquish over the 1/8-mile sprint to the line. By a car-length he finished ahead of Rodgers and took the Pro Division’s first trip to victory lane of the season.
“Man, it feels good,” he said. “The track is a little slick, but it feels good to take the win tonight. We pushed it hard (to get ready) all year.”
In the Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Division, Jimmy Hawk took the win in his 1966 Ford Mustang, Dave Smith won in the Harding Plumbing, Heating & Cooling Domestic Division behind the wheel of a 1968 Ford Mustang and Sobve Garcia took home the trophy in the Harbin’s Mechanical Sport Compact Division, driving a 1996 Honda Civic.
Other notable winners include David Waksman in the Street Modified Division and Steve Shaffer and Darren Lewis of Covington in the New Edge and Street Performer Divisions, respectively – both new racing classes in 2017.
Atlanta Motor Speedway’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags continues with Week 2 on May 5. For more information, visit AtlantaMotorSpeedway.com.
Atlanta Motor Speedway – Hampton, GA
Friday Night Drags – April 28, 2017
Week One Results
Pro: Kevin Mayo – 1969 Chevrolet Nova
Sportsman: Jimmy Hawk – 1966 Ford Mustang
Domestic: Dave Smith – 1968 Ford Mustang
Street Modified: David Waksman – 1994 Chevrolet Camaro
Factory Street: Brad Buongiorne – 2013 Ford Mustang GT
Tuner: Brandon Scott – 2010 Audi S5
Street Outlaw: Cliff McBurnett – 1988 Ford Mustang
New Edge: Steve Shaffer – 2017 Chevrolet Corvette
Street Performer: Darren Lewis – 1969 Chevrolet Camaro
Diesel Truck: Taylor Wilder – 1994 Dodge Ram 1500
Truck: Shelton Maynard – 1972 Chevrolet C-10
Sport Compact: Sobve Garcia – 1996 Honda Civic
Super Bike: Toney Freeman – 2012 Suzuki Hayabusa
Sport Bike: Bryan Berube – 2013 Suzuki Hayabusa
Motorcycle: Robin Malcolm – 2006 Suzuki
Cruiser: Robert Thomas – 2009 Harley-Davidson
ATV: Andres Sanchez