Percussive sounds, flames, and blistering speeds reached by a jet-powered semi-truck dazzled an enthusiastic crowd at O'Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags.
The three-ton tow-truck turned jet semi — dubbed "Homewrecker" by its owner and driver Jerry McCart — fired up its jets for two demonstrations. Each time, the massive jet engines on Homewrecker shot a burst of flame from the rear of the semi - each time with an impressive loud "pop" - as McCart rolled to the start of the dragstrip.
Then, after the flash of the green light and not much more than a blink of the eye, Homewrecker streaked to the end of Atlanta Motor Speedway's pit lane dragstrip.
"The truck ran really well - I think I ran 171 m.p.h. in the 1/8-mile there, which is about right for the current conditions," McCart said.
The end of each run by McCart was met by a standing ovation from fans that were impressed by the powerful display.
"You feel it in your seat, in your chest, you can feel the heat and people see the speed and feel the rumble and vibration as I take off," McCart said. "It's something for all of your senses."
Morrow, Ga., native McCart houses Homewrecker just across the road from the Speedway at the Henry County Airport. Accustomed to traveling hundreds of miles to perform at venues around the country, McCart said he was thrilled to perform in what is essentially his back yard.
"This is a hometown crowd for me and I'm so thankful to everyone coming for out to see this," McCart said.
Homewrecker's demonstrations complimented a complete night of drag racing. One of the highlights was Frank Taylor of Gray, who has won multiple championships in the Super Pro division. After several years of being unable to race, Taylor returned Friday night and picked up where he left off, piloting his 1993 Chevrolet Lumina to victory in the Super Pro final round.
In the QuikTrip Pro Division, Dale Rodgers of Oxford earned back-to-back final round wins by rocketing his 1981 Firebird to the end of the dragstrip ahead of division points leader Kevin Mayo.
Below is the complete list of July 26th race winners:
Harding Plumbing, Heating & Cooling Domestic Division: David Smith (Jackson); 1990 Isuzu
South River Agency New Edge Division: James Walker (Fayetteville); 2016 Dodge Challenger Hellcat
QuikTrip Pro Division: Dale Rodgers (Oxford); 1981 Firebird
Super Pro: Frank Taylor (Gray); 1993 Chevrolet Lumina
Harbin's Mechanical Services Street Outlaw Division: Richard Corcoran (Locust Grove); 1986 Ford Mustang
Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Division: Vincent Varda (Jonesboro); 1979 Mazda RX-7
Truck Advance: Glenn Evans (McDonough); 1977 Ford F-150
Ultimate Tailgating Street Performer Division: Tory Hornsby (Senoia); 1973 Datson 240z
Super Bike Division: Toney Freeman (Stockbridge); 2008 Suzuki Hayabasa
Sport Bike: John Hoyer (Senoia); Yamaha VMax
US Marine Corps Motorcycle Division: Eric Denham (Williamson); 2008 Yamaha R6
Cruiser Division: Bobby Cole (Williamson); 2014 Harley Davidson Low Rider
Quad/Tri Division: Andre Martin (College); Banshee
Street Modified Division: Kelly Morgan (Jonesboro); 1968 Ford Mustang
Starfire Automatic Gates Truck Division: Ed Blanford (McDonough); 1968 F100
Diesel Truck Division: Brian Sparrow (Floville); 2013 Chevrolet Duramax 2500
Metro by T-Mobile Tuner Division: Jim Dean (Senoia); 1991 3002X TT
AT&T Mobility Sport Compact Division: Amanda Brown (Senoia); 2012 Ford Mustang V6
Diamond Resorts Factory Street Division: Keith Shockey (Peachtree City); 2015 SRT 392 Challenger
The Show-N-Shine competition featured everything from new imports to classic muscle cars and automobiles ranging as far back as the 1930s. Those vehicles then took part in the Speedway Cruise following judging.
Classic (1980 or older classic; restored; modified cars or trucks)
Winner: Doug Coffey (Hampton); 1967 Volkswagen Beetle
Runner Up: Sammy Weaver (Griffin); 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS
Generation X (1981 - 2008 cars)
Winner: Chris Gallagher; 1998 Trans Am
Runner Up: Pepper Norris (Stockbridge); 2003 Mustang GT
Current (2009 - current cars)
Winner: Andrea Thompson (Sacramento, Cali.); X-Men Dodge Challenger
Runner Up: Dylan Herron (McDonough); 2017 Ford Focus SEL
Trucks
Winner: Randy Evans (Greenville); 2005 Ford F-250
Runner Up: Evan Rogers (Fayetteville); Ford F-150
Open
Winner: Bobby Moreland (Newnan); 2018 Harley Electric Trike
Runner Up: Tim Hill (Hampton); Polaris Slingshot
Atlanta Motor Speedway's O'Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags & Show-N-Shine return to the pit lane dragstrip on Friday, Aug. 2 for a full slate of racing and $1 beer while supplies last.
Grandstand gates open at 6:30 p.m. and nightly drag race eliminations start just after 9:00 p.m. Entry to drag race or for the Show-N-Shine is just $20 or competitors can purchase a combo ticket for $30. Spectator tickets are just $10, and children 5 and under are free.
More information can be found at www.atlantamotorspeedway.com/drags or by calling the Atlanta Motor Speedway Ticket Office at 770-946-4211.
