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 6 Friday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway, as drivers strapped in for the second of 10 nights with points - and season championships - on the line.
Drag strip veteran Steve Shaffer of Newnan typically stands out in the crowd, thanks to his bright yellow 2017 Chevrolet Corvette. He races it in the New Edge Division and usually advances deep into each week's single-elimination competition.
But on Friday night, Shaffer's Corvette was nowhere to be seen, and he came to the race track in a different brand-new car, a 2017 Chevrolet Camaro. It turned out to be a loaner while his Corvette is in the shop, which may be the case for quite a while.
"I have a broken water pump (on the Corvette), and they don't even have any (replacements) in the United States for that model whatsoever," he explained as the night wore on. "I called GM directly, and they're going to try to figure something out."
Of course, that couldn't keep him from his weekly routine of drag racing at AMS on Friday nights. The loaner Camaro would have to do, so he was entered into the Factory Street Division to try his luck. Fortunately, the shop said it was OK.
"I told them that I'd bring it back, and they said 'as long as it has tires on it, it doesn't matter'," he said.
Though he's used to his souped-up Corvette, he couldn't complain much about the slick, new Camaro.
"The Corvette is a lot better, but this is still not bad. This is a nice car, but I had no idea (what to expect) tonight, since it's been so long since I've raced Factory (Street Division). But it ran pretty good."
That, it certainly did. After four trips down the drag strip, Shaffer emerged victorious in his first outing in the Camaro, and he couldn't have been happier.
Meanwhile, Billy and David Clevenger made the night a family affair, as the elder, Billy, took home the trophy in the Super Pro Division, and his son, David, winning in the Pro class.
Damon Waldrop of Stockbridge won for the second straight week to open the 2017 season in the MetroPCS Tuner Division, while Jeff Nance of Cleveland, TN also made it two straight in the New Edge Division.
Other notable winners include Mark Harris of Griffin in the Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Division, Mike Capozzoli of Williamson in the Harding Plumbing, Heating & Cooling Domestic Division and Toomer Everal of Stone Mountain in the Harbin's Mechanical Sport Compact Division.
Below is a complete list of the June 9 race winners:
Super Pro
Billy Clevenger (Jonesboro); 1963 Chevrolet Corvette
Pro
David Clevenger (Hampton); 1986 Chevrolet Corvette
Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman
Mark Harris (Griffin); 1978 Chevrolet Truck
Harding Plumbing, Heating & Cooling Domestic
Mike Capozzoli (Williamson); 1968 Ford Mustang
Harbin's Mechanical Sport Compact
Toomer Everal (Stone Mountain); 2005 Acura RSX
MetroPCS Tuner
Damon Waldrop (Stockbridge); 1994 Honda Civic
New Edge
Jeff Nance (Cleveland, TN); 2015 Chevrolet Corvette
Street Performer
David Moore (Stockbridge); 1979 Chevrolet Malibu
Street Modified
Kelly Morgan (Jonesboro); 1968 Ford Mustang
Street Outlaws
Robby Blankenship (Jackson); 1993 Ford Mustang
Factory Street
Steve Shaffer (Newnan); 2017 Chevrolet Camaro
Diesel Truck
Dwayne Bethune (Covington); 2006 Dodge 2500
Truck
Brian Leath (Hampton); 1972 Chevrolet C-10
Sport Bike
Bryan Berube (Forest Park); 2013 Suzuki Hayabusa
Motorcycle
Bo Price (Stockbridge)
Cruiser/Dirt Bike
Andrew Bunn (Hampton); 1999 Harley-Davidson
ATV
Omar Ruiz (Cumming); ATV
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 9 winners:
Classic Custom (Through 1972)
First Place: Frankie Hicks (Stockbridge); 1960 Chevrolet Biscayne
Modern Custom (1973 through 1999)
First Place: Tanner Miller (Henry County); 1998 Pontiac Firebird
Current Custom (2000 through current)
First Place: Ernest Strozier (Rex); 2000 Mustang Saleen
Second Place: Keith Reid (Jonesboro); 1979 Pontiac Grand Prix
Third Place: Nic Serrentino (McDonough); Ford Mustang
Showroom Classic (Through 1972)
First Place: Ken Thaxton (Fayetteville); 1967 Chevrolet Coupe
Second Place: Andy Sarratt (Social Circle); 1965 Chevrolet Corvette
Third Place: Joshua Parrott (Jonesboro); 1964 Volkswagen Beetle
Showroom Modern (1973 through 1999)
First Place: Wayne Muchow (Fayetteville); Corvette
Second Place: Chris Gallagher; 1998 Pontiac Trans Am
Third Place: Gary Lee (McDonough); 1982 Corvette
Showroom Current (2000 through current)
First Place: Logan Williamson (Senoia); 2009 Chevy Corvette FRC
Second Place: Austin Chaffin (Hampton); 2002 Ford Mustang GT
Tuner
First Place: Adam Wallace (McDonough); 2007 Mini Cooper
Second Place: Jake Jennings (Stockbridge); 2000 Honda Civic
Third Place: Andrew Manning (Stockbridge); 1991 Honda EF-Hatch
Truck
First Place: Brandon Highnote (Lagrange); 2016 Solverado
Second Place: Zach Scheidecker (Covington); Ford F-150
Third Place: Shuntavious Swindle (Franklin); 2014 GMC Sierra
Open
First Place: Paul Breedlove (Hampton); Rail Buggy
Second Place: Terry Sork (Conyers); 2001 Harley Custom
Third Place: Miranda Meredith (Locust Grove); Legend Car
Atlanta Motor Speedway's O'Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags & Show-N-Shine continues with Week 7 on June 16. 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.
