SE: Atlanta Friday summary

NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Qualifying at Atlanta Dragway

COMMERCE, GA. --The first qualifying rounds of the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series came to a conclusion Friday afternoon at Atlanta Dragway. Drivers are looking to grab last minute points leading to divisional and national championships at this weekend's event, which is the fifth of six in the Southeast division competition. Highlighting the day was Georgia resident Ronnie Davis of Suwanee, who lead the class in Top Sportsman. He is hoping to capitalize on his pole position and take home the hardware, as he was runner-up at this event last year.

Reaching the top qualifying spot in Comp Eliminator was Glen Treadwell, Sorrento, Fla. He drove his '23 roadster down that track at 7.967 seconds to place him -.0653 under index. Looking to climb the charts are Arnie Martel of Tewksbury, Mass., in second, and Don Eberly, Brunswick, Ga., following right behind.

Bob Dennis of Shorter, Ala., ran a 10.723-second pass and -1.327 under index, which outpaced Patrick Twitchell, Cape Coral, Fla., which took him to the top of Super Stock. Doug Patrick, Boca Raton, Fla., and his '72 Cutlass covered the track at 11.816 seconds giving him the top pole in Stock Eliminator. John Livingston, Murfreesboro, Tenn., hopes to improve on his 11.787-second run that will upgrade his second position standing.

With Davis sitting comfortable in Top Sportsman, Tommy Turner of Naples, Fla., hopes to turn it up a notch Saturday by improving on his No.2 position. Eddie Careccia of Mars Hill, Fla.., has a significant lead in the Top Sportsman class by running 5.885 seconds at 239.61 mph. with John Weidner, Lake Worth, Fla., in second.

Racing continues Saturday, October 4. Gates open at 8 a.m. Final qualifying and time trials are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Top Dragster, Top Sportsman and Comp Eliminator each have two qualifying sessions, starting at 3:30 p.m. Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car qualifying sessions are scheduled at 5 and 8 p.m. Sunday, October 5, gates open at 8 a.m. with eliminations beginning at 9 a.m.

General Admission with Pit Pass: $20 Saturday, $20 Sunday, and a two-day ticket is $35. For more information please call Atlanta Dragway, (708) 335-2301 or visit www.AtlantaDragway.com.

The following are Friday's qualifying results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Southeast Division event at Atlanta Dragway:

COMP ELIMINATOR

1) Glen Treadwell, Sorrento, Fla., '23 roadster, F/EA, 7.967 seconds, -0.653 (under index)
2) Arnie Martel, Tewksbury, Mass., '34 Chevy, B/SR, 7.875, -0.555
3) Don Eberly, Brunswick, Ga., '05 Cavalier, C/AA, 7.507, -0.513
4) Jenny Treadwell, Mt. Plymouth, Fla., dragster, E/ED, 8.362, -0.508
5) Keith Roberts, Mooresville, N.C., '05 Cavalier, I/SMA, 9.242, -0.498
6) David Eaton, Merritt Island, Fla., '32 Bantam, A/AP, 6.795, -0.495
7) Jim Kimbrough, Pace, Fla., dragster, C/DA, 7.149, -0.481
8) Lonnie Johnson, Ettrick, Va., '99 Neon R/T, B/AA, 7.174, -0.466
9) Van Puckett, Monroe, Ga., '05 Cavalier, F/AA, 8.182, -0.458
10) Larry Pritchett, Clarkrange, Tenn., '07 Sunfire, A/SM, 7.974, -0.456

SUPER STOCK

1) Bob Dennis, Shorter, Ala., '90 Calais, GT/MA, 10.723 seconds, -1.327 (under index)
2) Patrick Twitchell, Cape Coral, Fla., '03 S-10, GT/TD, 10.486, -1.114
3) Terry Earwood, Deland, Fla., '87 Camaro, SS/KA, 10.444, -1.106
4) John Fogle, Norway, S.C., '05 Cavalier, GT/AA, 9.330, -1.070
5) Matt Hoover, Adamsville, Tenn., '01 S-10, GT/TC, 10.355, -1.045
6) Jonathan Richardson, Lexington, N.C., '68 Camaro, SS/AS, 8.869, -1.031
7) Gary Stinnett, Emporia, Kan., '92 Camaro, GT/AA, 9.391, -1.009
8) Mike Crutchfield, Montgomery, Ala., '08 G5, SS/DM, 9.122, -0.928
9) Robert Moore, Durham, N.C., '68 Mustang, SS/FA, 9.827, -0.923
10) Everett Hill, Fayetteville, Ga., '64 Mustang, SS/L, 10.674, -0.876

STOCK ELIMINATOR

1) Doug Patrick, Boca Raton, Fla., '72 Cutlass, L/SA, 11.816 seconds, -1.184 (under index)
2) John Livingston, Murfreesboro, Tenn., '91 Camaro, K/SA, 11.787, -1.163
3) Gregory Hill, Louisville, Ky., '71 Camaro, E/SA, 10.881, -1.119
4) Robbie Shaw, Douglasville, Ga., '01 Firebird, A/SA, 10.246, -1.054
5) Brenda Grubbs, Plant City, Fla., '69 Camaro, C/SA, 10.717, -0.983
6) Jack Zimmerman, Clemmons, N.C., '71 Challenger, B/SA, 10.596, -0.954
7) Bobby Robbins, Byrdstown, Tenn., '79 Malibu Wgn, N/SA, 12.395, -0.905
8) Brandon Wood, Thomasville, Ga., '69 Nova, B/SA, 10.647, -0.903
9) Johnny Williams, Smithfield, R.I., '71 4-4-2, F/SA, 11.255, -0.895
10) Tom Stevenson, Flowery Branch, Ga., '69 Nova, G/SA, 11.407, -0.893

TOP SPORTSMAN

1) Ronnie Davis, Suwanee, Ga., '63 Corvette, 6.835 seconds, 202.91 mph
2) Tommy Turner, Naples, Fla., '07 GTO, 6.907, 202.79
3) Jerry Barker, Fort Valley, Ga., '06 Cobalt, 6.955, 200.14
4) Billy Vaughn, Knoxville, Tenn.., '01 S-10, 7.038, 193.40
5) Matthew Buck, Lantana, Fla., '96 Firebird, 7.145, 195.00
6) Jeffrey Barker, Warner-Robins, Ga., '02 Camaro, 7.191, 190.46
7) William Thigpen, Flowery Branch, Ga., '55 Chevy, 7.411, 191.95
8) Kurt H. Damron, Fruitland Park, Fla., '09 Camaro, 7.414, 182.70
9) Bruce Duncan, Crawfordville, Fla., '95 Camaro, 7.507, 182.28
10) Bruce Thrift, Waycross, Ga., '96 Beretta, 7.530, 181.35

TOP DRAGSTER

1) Eddie Careccia, Mars Hill, Fla., dragster, 5.885 seconds, 239.61 mph
2) John Weidner, Lake Worth, Fla., dragster, 6.711, 199.55
3) Raymond Miller, Spring Hill, Fla., dragster, 6.896, 194.13
4) Stanley Albritton, Bradenton, Fla., dragster, 6.963, 188.94
5) Ronald Raymond, Ft Lauderdale, Fla., dragster, 6.976, 187.86
6) Jeffrey Burnett, Orlando, Fla., '23 roadster, 6.977, 194.16
7) Michael Fitzgerald, Hawthorne, Fla., dragster, 7.067, 186.33
8) Donny Urban, Pittsboro, N.C., dragster, 7.083, 188.70
9) Robert Nichols, Charlestown, Ind., dragster, 7.181, 186.87
10) Steve Estes, Griffin, Ga., dragster, 7.246, 185.13

-credit: nhra