The pit lane drag strip at Atlanta Motor Speedway regularly draws hundreds of highly modified fast cars to test their mettle and skill each week at the O'Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags. From purpose built American Dragster Rail Cars to fine-tuned muscle cars and daily drivers, speed is the name of the game.
The fastest cars to ever compete on the eighth mile pit lane drag strip will battle this Friday Night when the Hanna Motorsports Jet Funny Cars "Top Secret Eastern Raider" and "First Strike" fire up and fly to the finish line.
"We've had some really fast cars over the years at Friday Night Drags," said AMS track President Ed Clark. "None of them compare to the drama and speed of these jet cars. It's like a rocket launch on wheels. These guys will put on an unbelievable show, but don't blink or you could miss it!"
Ken Hall is the driver of "Top Secret Eastern Raider" Jet Funny Car. Which is recognized as the highest tech jet funny car ever built. Clocking in at 290 mile per hour over a quarter of a mile, "First Strike", piloted by Rich Hanna, is a 1999 Pontiac Firebird center-driven position Jet Funny Car that rivals its counterp0art in speed and thrust.
"It's the world record holder for Jet Funny Cars," said Hanna when asked about the top speeds of "First Strike". "I've run 5.42 seconds at 295 miles per hour. That's the fastest one in the world in this category. I'm pretty proud of that."
Hanna set the exhibition record on a quarter mile track at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio. Putting it into laymen's terms, the Jet Funny Cars could easily make the three and a half hour trip to Savannah in just under an hour.
Friday night's action also includes a full night of head-to-head drag racing as well as the ever popular Show-N-Shine and track cruise.
Drivers in the 18 different divisions at the O'Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags battling for a points championship won't have to face off against the Jet Funny Cars, but their challenge intensifies as the opportunities to pick up ever important points dwindles.
The tightest division has three drivers knotted at 11 at the top of the point standings in the Harbin's Mechanical Street Outlaw division. Wayne Harris and Mike Moore have each posted a pair of wins while Daniel Harris has found victory lane once this season to sit tied atop the division.
In addition to thrilling racing and cool custom and classic cars, attendees can register to win tickets to the Taylor Swift concert in Atlanta on Friday, August 10. All Show-N-Shine entries will be automatically entered while anyone can register the Xfinity garage during the Show-N-Shine judging until 7:30 p.m. Registrations will also be accepted at the AMS ticket office from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday thru Friday until 8/3.
Gates for both spectators and Show-N-Shine participants open at 6:30 p.m., and the speedway cruise gets underway at 8 p.m. Eliminations in O'Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags Week 9 get underway, as some of the fastest racing in Georgia across 18 different divisions hits the pit lane drag strip in a high-octane battle for a trophy, bragging rights and season championship points. Competing vehicles range from supercharged cars to stock vehicles, daily drivers and even motorcycles and ATVs.
Drag racing is open to any driver and nearly any vehicle. Entry fees are just $20, and drivers are required to have a working seat belt and a DOT-approved helmet to race.
For more information, contact the Atlanta Motor Speedway ticket office at (770) 946-4211, (877) 9-AMS-TIX or visit www.atlantamotorspeedway.com.
