O'Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags, the popular street-style drag racing series and one of the largest organized programs of its kind in the country, resumed with Week 5 and the official 2017 points season-opener at Atlanta Motor Speedway Friday night, as drivers strapped in for an important first night with championship points on the line.
One competitor jumping out to a fast start on the points season was Griffin's Wayne Harris, who found himself in Victory Lane behind the wheel of his 1968 Chevrolet Camaro in the Street Outlaws Division at the end of the night.
Harris, a veteran of the drag strip, was quick on the gas all night long and edged out James Wheeler, Sr. of Covington, who was making his 2017 season debut, in the night's final contest to take an early lead in the standings.
For Harris, it was all pretty simple: Get his Camaro across the finish line one-eighth of a mile down the track faster than the other guys.
"I just hoped for the best," he said. "Last time we were here, we had to go through transmission issues, so I was just worried whether I was going to stop down at the other end."
His reaction to a solid points-opener win? "I like it."
In the Pro Division, Kevin Mayo of Milner won for the second time in a row with his souped-up Chevrolet Nova to get out to an early lead in the standings, while David Waksman of Sharpsburg did the same thing in the Street Modified Division driving a 1994 Chevrolet Camaro.
Stockbridge's Tony Byrd drove his 1986 Ford Thunderbird to Victory Lane in the Super Pro Division in his season debut, and Jon Stoval of Alpharetta showed off his red 2000 Dodge Viper with a points-opener win in the Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Division.
Other notable winners to get a hot start in the battle for a championship included Ronnie Cox of Hampton in the Harding Plumbing, Heating & Cooling Domestic Division, Damon Waldrop of Stockbridge in the MetroPCS Tuner Division and Courtney Perry of Covington in the Harbin's Mechanical Sport Compact Division.
Below is a complete list of the June 2 race winners:
Super Pro
Tony Byrd (Stockbridge); 1986 Ford Thunderbird
Pro
Kevin Mayo (Milner); 1969 Chevrolet Nova
Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman
Jon Stoval (Alpharetta); 2000 Dodge Viper
Harding Plumbing, Heating & Cooling Domestic
Ronnie Cox (Hampton); 1981 Chevrolet Malibu
Harbin's Mechanical Sport Compact
Courtney Perry (Covington); 1995 Honda Del Sol
Metro PCS Tuner
Damon Waldrop (Stockbridge); 1994 Honda Civic
New Edge
Jeff Nance (Cleveland, TN); 2015 Chevrolet Corvette
Street Performer
Jody Scott (Griffin); 1995 Chevrolet
Street Modified
David Waksman (Sharpsburg); 1994 Chevrolet Camaro
Street Outlaws
Wayne Harris (Griffin); 1968 Chevrolet Camaro
Factory Street
Eric Moseley (McDonough); 2015 Dodge Challenger
Diesel Truck
Brian Sparrow (Flovilla); 2005 Ford F-250
Truck
Ed Blanford (McDonough); 1968 Ford F-100
Super Bike
Toney Freeman (Stockbridge); 2012 Suzuki Hayabusa
Sport Bike
Bryan Berube (Forest Park); 2013 Suzuki Hayabusa
Motorcycle
Robert Thomas (Griffin); Harley-Davidson
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.
Below is a complete list of the June 2 winners:
Classic Custom (Through 1972)
First Place: Tristan Cumbrun (Locust Grove); 1946 International
Modern Custom (1973 through 1999)
First Place: Caramell (Atlanta); 2011 Dodge Charger
Second Place: Keith Reid (Jonesboro); 1979 Pontiac Gran Prix
Third Place: Zachary Miller (Senoia); 1989 Ford Mustang 5.0 LX
Current Custom (2000 through current)
First Place: Logan Williamson (Senoia); Chevrolet Corvette FRC
Second Place: Steven Kochik (Stockbridge); 2008 Ford Mustang
Third Place: Marty & Kim (McDonough); 2005 Chevrolet Corvette 3LT Z51
Showroom Classic (Through 1972)
First Place: Robert Cheney (Stockbridge); 1970 Ford Boss
Second Place: Guy Cupsik (Fayetteville); 1969 Chevrolet Camaro
Showroom Modern (1973 through 1999)
First Place: Chris Gallagher (Fayetteville); 1998 Pontiac Trans Am
Second Place: Ashley Webb (Stockbridge); 2001 Jeep Wrangler
Third Place: Hulk aka "Primo" (Morrow); Dodge Charger
Showroom Current (2000 through current)
First Place: Jerry Clutter (Jonesboro); 2011 Chevrolet Corvette
Second Place: David Schmid (Peachtree City); 2017 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport
Third Place: Alrico Arnold (Hampton); 2017 Chevrolet Camaro
Tuner
First Place: Patrick Smith (McDonough); 2014 Scion FRD
Second Place: Stephen Robertson (Atlanta); 2010 BMW Z4 3.5i Turbo
Third Place: Michael Pampatan (Newman); 2005 Accura TL
Truck
First Place: Dean Devo (Atlanta); 2007 Dodge Ram
Second Place: Charles Armour (Griffin); 2012 Ford F-250
Third Place: Randy Evans (Greenville); Ford F-250 King Ranch
Open
First Place: Alex Spriggs (Griffin); 1936 Ford Cabriolet
Second Place: Stith Short (Hampton); 1955 Chevrolet
Third Place: Brandon Stephens (Covington); 2009 Harley-Davidson Steel Glide
Atlanta Motor Speedway's O'Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags & Show-N-Shine continues with Week 6 on May 9. Grandstand gates open at 6:30 p.m., and nightly drag race eliminations start 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.
