The second of three Street Wars nights in 2017 took center stage during Week 10 action of O'Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags and Show-N-Shine at Atlanta Motor Speedway Friday evening, as several of the Southeast's fastest drag cars went head-to-head in an all-out battle for coveted cash prizes in two separate racing divisions.
With fierce competition permeating the atmosphere on the pit-lane drag strip and a boisterous crowd that only added to the excitement, it was a full night of intense, battles and lightning-quick reactions with more than just a trophy and bragging rights on the line.
In the Hard Tire Division, it was déjà vu, as Sharpsburg's David Waksman piloted his grey Chevrolet Camaro through three preliminary rounds before finding himself in the final race, much like he did back in May, when Street Wars I debuted at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
This Friday night, Waksman lined up next to Cleveland, Tennessee's Jeff Nance, who drove a blue Chevrolet Corvette, but the final result the same as in May. Waksman used a perfectly timed start to explode off the line and beat Nance to the finish to claim the Hard Tire Street Wars II title, setting his sights on a season sweep when Street Wars III wraps up the money races Aug. 4.
The Big Tire Division featured several of the fastest cars of the evening, with more than $1,000 on the line for the winner and guaranteed cash for each of the semi-finalists as well as the runner-up.
Like the Hard Tire Division, the Street Wars I winner, John Bonner of Molena, survived through each of the first three rounds to put himself back in the final for a chance at a second-straight big-money payout.
As he came to the line, it was Rex's Jimmy Hunter waiting for him in his black 1966 Ford Mustang, and Hunter was up to the challenge.
As the green lights illuminated, setting off an eruption of horsepower and red-hot rubber, Bonner nosed ahead of Hunter through the first 100 feet, but it was the older Mustang and its vintage American muscle that proved to be faster, and Hunter denied Bonner a second straight Street Wars win, cashing in on the hefty cash prize and setting up a potential rubber match for the third and final cash-heavy contest next month.
For all other Friday Night Drags racing divisions, Friday night was the second of a three-event Street Wars championship series for the 2017 season, which also wraps up later on Aug. 4.
Adding to their Street Wars championship leads were Jody Scott of Griffin in the Street Performer Division, Brian Sparrow of Flovilla in the Diesel Truck Division, Ed Blanford of McDonough in the Truck Division and Omar Ruiz of Cumming in the ATV Division, all of whom won in their respective classes in both Street Wars I last month as well as Friday night.
Other notable winners included Tony Byrd of Stockbridge in the Super Pro Division, Dale Rodgers of Oxford in the Pro Division, Joey Cates of Senoia in the Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Division and Terry Brown of Peachtree City in the Harbin's Mechanical Sport Compact Division.
Below is a complete list of the July 8 winners:
28-Inch Big Tire Street Wars II
Jimmy Hunter (Rex); 1966 Ford Mustang
Hard Tire Street Wars II
David Waksman; 1994 Chevrolet Camaro
Super Pro
Tony Byrd (Stockbridge); 1986 Pontiac Firebird
Pro
Dale Rodgers (Oxford); 1981 Pontiac Firebird
Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman
Joey Cates (Senoia); 1984 Chevrolet Camaro
Harding Plumbing, Heating & Cooling Domestic
Donnie Henderson (Hampton); 1980 Chevrolet Malibu
Harbin's Mechanical Sport Compact
Terry Brown (Peachtree City); 2014 Ford Mustang
Metro PCS Tuner
Jose Samniego (Jonesboro); 1998 Honda Civic
Street Modified
Joe Gramling (Temple); 1993 Ford Mustang
Factory Street
Eric Moseley (McDonough); 2015 Dodge Challenger
Street Outlaw
Doug Ragan (Williamson); 1998 Ford Mustang
New Edge
Steve Shaffer (Newnan); 2017 Chevrolet Corvette
Street Performer
Jody Scott (Griffin); 1995 Chevroleet S-10
Diesel Truck
Brian Sparrow (Flovilla); 2005 Ford F-250
Truck
Ed Blanford (McDonough); 1968 Ford F-100
Super Bike
Toney Freeman (Stockbridge); 2007 Suzuki Hayabusa
Sport Bike
Bryan Berube (Forest Park); 2013 Suzuki Hayabusa
Motorcycle
Justin Goodman (Griffin); 2007 CBR 600
Cruiser
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 July 8 winners:
Classic Custom (Through 1972)
First Place: Jim Stanley (Griffin), 1969 Pontiac Firebird
Second Place: Lamar Potts (Newman), 1967 Chevrolet Chevell
Third Place: Adrian Byrd (Villa Rica), 1969 Yenko Chevelle
Modern Custom (1973 through 1999)
First Place: Brady Adams (Fayetteville), 1981 Ford Mustang Cobra
Second Place: Tyler Bunn (Milner), 1995 Ford Mustang GT
Third Place: Trevor Faulkner (Milner), 1990 BMW 325i (E30)
Current Custom (2000 through current)
First Place: Austin Chaffin (Hampton), 2002 Ford Mustang GT
Second Place: Tripp Harper (Newnan), 2017 Ford Mustang GT
Showroom Classic (Through 1972)
First Place: Jeff Wetherald (Fayetteville), 1965 Chevrolet Corvette
Showroom Modern (1973 through 1999)
First Place: Parker Stevens (Brooks), 1979 Dodge Lil Red Express
Second Place: Norman Phacker (Ellenwood), 1977 Custom Delux 10
Third Place: Chris Gallagher (Fayetteville), 1998 Pontiac Trans Am
Showroom Current (2000 through current)
First Place: Ben Clark (Peachtree City), 2016 Dodge Challenger
Second Place: Casilee Mullis (Newnan); 2017 Ford Mustang
Third Place: Ace Bailey (Locust Grove); 2011 Ford Mustang
Tuner
First Place: Jose Lopez (Griffin), 2013 Hyundai Genesis
Second Place: Steven Smith (Fayetteville)b 2003 Honda Accord
Third Place: Adam Wallace (McDonough), 2007 Mini Cooper
Truck
First Place: Terry Dark (Conyers); 2016 Dodge Ram
Second Place: Trey Hill (McDonough), 2008 Ford F-150
Third Place: Shuntavius Swindle (Franklin), 2014 GMC Sierra
Open
First Place: Timmy Flowers (LaGrange), 1987 Chevrolet Rollback
Second Place: Tony Waffle (Hampton); 1955 Chevrolet
Third Place: Alfred Vox (Covington); 2009 Harley-Davidson Steel Glide
Atlanta Motor Speedway's O'Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags & Show-N-Shine continues with Week 11 next Friday, July 14, while Street Wars III will wrap up the 2017 money races on Aug. 4. 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.
