Week 12 in the 16-week O'Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags and Show-N-Shine descended on the pit lane drag strip at Atlanta Motor Speedway Friday evening, with pure horsepower and adrenaline fueling the thrilling side-by-side action of one of the largest street-style drag racing series in the nation.
Now fully into the latter third of the season and with the championship finale on the horizon, it was crunch-time for drivers vying for drag-strip glory and the highly sought-after hardware that's awarded to the season-title winners in each of the 18 racing divisions.
With a neck-and-neck battle in the Trucks Division, Hampton's Brian Leath and Shelton Maynard entered the evening separated by just two points at the top of the standings. Maynard held a two-point advantage with two wins and one finals appearance on the season. Meanwhile, Leath had two wins of his own but needed a victory Friday night to attempt to close the gap.
With both drivers safe through the first two rounds, Leath got his chance when Maynard bowed out in the third round. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Leath drove his 1976 Chevrolet C-10 across the line first in both the semi-final and the evening's final Trucks Division race to score the full possible points amount and draw even in the standints heading into next Friday's Week 13 races.
Meanwhile, Mike Capozzoli, Courtney Perry, Jeff Nance, Bryan Berube and Jamar Copes each repeated victories from Week 11 in the Harding Plumbing, Heating & Cooling Domestic, Harbin's Mechanical Sport Compact, New Edge, Sport Bike and Motorcycle Divisions respectively.
Other notable winners included Billy Clevenger of Jonesboro in the Super Pro Division, Dale Rodgers of Oxford in the Pro Division, Neal Skipper of Covington in the Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Division and Nicolas Feliciano of Griffin in the MetroPCS Tuner Divisions.
Below is a complete list of the July 21 winners:
Super Pro
Billy Clevenger (Jonesboro); 1963 Chevrolet Corvette
Pro
Dale Rodgers (Oxford); 1981 Pontiac Firebird
Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman
Neal Skipper (Covington); 1988 Ford Mustang
Harding Plumbing, Heating & Cooling Domestic
Mike Capozzoli (Williamson); 1968 Ford Mustang
Harbin's Mechanical Sport Compact
Courtney Perry (Covington); 1995 Honda Del Sol
MetroPCS Tuner
Nicolas Feliciano (Griffin); 1986 Toyota Corolla
Street Modified
Kelly Morgan (Jonesboro); 1968 Ford Mustang
Factory Street
Eric Moseley (McDonough); 2015 Dodge Challenger
Street Outlaw
Rodney Bunn (Griffin); 1973 Volkswagen Beetle
New Edge
Jeff Nance (Cleveland, TN); 2015 Chevrolet Corvette
Street Performer
Willis Evans (Stockbridge); 1998 Chevrolet S-10
Diesel Truck
Garrett Cowart (McDonough); 2008 Ford F-250
Truck
Brian Leath (Hampton); 1976 Chevrolet C-10
Super Bike
Terrance Tyson (College Park)
Sport Bike
Bryan Berube (Forest Park); 2013 Suzuki Hayabusa
Motorcycle
Jamar Copes (Locust Grove); 2007 Suzuki 750
Cruiser
Andrew Bunn (Hampton); 1999 Harley-Davidson Ultra
ATV:
Cory Mayo (Fayetteville); Yamaha Banshee
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 July 21 winners:
Classic Custom (Through 1972)
First Place: Ashton Smith (Haralson), 1968 Chevrolet Impala
Second Place: Stith Short (Hampton); 1955 Chevrolet
Third Place: Jonathan Hall-Thompson (Fayetteville); 1968 Chevrolet Camaro
Modern Custom (1973 through 1999)
First Place: Tyler Bunn (Milner), 1995 Ford Mustang
Second Place: Tyler Hatchett (Griffin); 1995 Ford Mustang
Third Place: Blake Bragonone (McDonough); 1988 Ford F-150
Current Custom (2000 through current)
First Place: Shawn Collier (Fayetteville); 2017 Ford Mustang
Second Place: Mike Harrington (Locust Grove); 2009 Holden HSV GTS
Third Place: Dixie Turner (Hampton); 2012 Chevrolet Camaro
Showroom Classic (Through 1972)
First Place: Connie Yancey (Hampton); 1956 Jaguar XK 140
Showroom Modern (1973 through 1999)
First Place: Chris Gallagher (Fayetteville), 1998 Pontiac Trans Am
Second Place: William Shabura (Atlanta), 2012 Ford Mustang
Third Place: Jack Orkin (Grayson); 1974 MG Midget
Showroom Current (2000 through current)
First Place: Juan Gourrie (Stockbridge), 2016 Dodge Challenger
Second Place: Jordan Weaver (McDonough), 2015 Ford Mustang
Third Place: Ernest Strozier (Rex); 2016 Ford Mustang Shelby
Tuner
First Place: Donovan Hutton (Hampton), 2010 Hyundai Genesis
Second Place: Adam Wallace (McDonough); 2007 Mini Cooper
Third Place: Jose Lopez (Griffin), Toyota MR-2
Truck
First Place: Scott Ledford (Locust Grove)
Second Place: Brandon Lummus (Griffin), 1983 K-10
Third Place: Carter Lewis (Griffin), 2001 Ford F-150
Atlanta Motor Speedway's O'Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags & Show-N-Shine continues with Week 13 next Friday, July 28. 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.
