Week 12 action of The O’Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags and Show-N-Shine got underway on the pit-lane drag strip at Atlanta Motor Speedway Friday in the 16-week summer series.
Jon Stovall, whose bright red 2006 Dodge Viper turns heads when he runs in the Domestic Advanced class, first came to Friday Night Drags when he heard a commercial on local radio eight years ago in the series’ infancy.
“You guys ran an ad on the radio,” he said.
And that was all it took for the Fayetteville driver to be hooked. But while he has made a habit of winning as of late, it wasn’t always that way.
“I came down here and got outrun by all these kids in the tuners,” he said. “And then I went and supercharged my car and came back. I had been chasing the Mustangs and Corvettes for years, but lately, there have been more parts available, so that’s been the difference.”
With his second win in two weeks in the Domestic Advanced Division, Stovall pulled even with Kelly Kilbourne of McDonough for the overall lead in the standings with just four weeks remaining in the season. According to Stovall, the Viper tends to react better as the night gets later and outside temperature cooler.
“I like the way the car runs late at night, when the air thins out,” he said. “When it thins out, it’s just wild the way everything works.”
Stovall will use his momentum in the season’s closing weeks to try and wrap up the championship and lay claim to the coveted hardware.
In the Dynamic Towing Street Outlaw Division, Rodney Bunn of Griffin got back into the win column with his 1973 Volkswagen Bug after falling short in the Week 11 finale. Meanwhile, David Clevenger racked up his third straight win and fourth in five weeks in the Active Pest Control Pro Division with his 1986 Corvette. Bunn and Clevenger both lead their respective racing classes heading into Week 13 next Friday.
Other repeat winners Friday night included Robert Cheney of Jonesboro in the Harbin’s Mechanical Services Super Pro Division, Flynt Biles of Williamson in the Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Division, Bryan Berube of Forest Park in the Sport Bike Division, and Jamar Copes of Locust Grove in the U.S. Marines Motorcycle Division.
Below is a complete list of the July 22 Week 12 race winners:
Harbin’s Mechanical Services Super Pro Division
Robert Cheney (Jonesboro); 2012 American Dragster
Active Pest Control Pro Division
David Clevenger (Griffin); 1986 Chevrolet Corvette
Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Division
Flynt Biles (Williamson); 1979 Ford Mustang
Harding Plumbing, Heating and Cooling Domestic Division
Chris Morgan (Hampton); 1966 Ford Mustang
Domestic Advanced Division
Jon Stovall (Fayetteville); 2006 Dodge Viper
Dynamic Towing Street Outlaw Division
Rodney Bunn (Griffin); 1973 Volkswagen Bug
HeadsUpGeorgia.com Street Modified Division
Kelly Morgan (Jonesboro); 1968 Ford Mustang
Peach Pass Factory Street Division
Kiesel Madkins (Jonesboro); 2014 Chevrolet Corvette
MetroPCS Tuner Division
Lamar Childers (Griffin); 1995 Honda Civic
Mini Melts Sport Compact Division
Anthony Kampras (Hogansville); 2012 Ford Mustang
Truck Division
Owen Simmons (Loganville); 1966 Chevrolet C-10
Diesel Truck Division
Dustin Lovett (Loganville); 2004 Chevrolet 2500 HD
Super Bike Division
Lee Gilley (McDonough); 2003 GSXR 1000
Sport Bike Division
Bryan Berube (Forest Park); 2006 Suzuki
U.S. Marines Motorcycle Division
Jamar Copes (Locust Grove); 2007 Suzuki
Cruiser Division
Chris Dawson (Peachtree City); 2008 Harley-Davidson 1200
ATV/Dirt Bike Division
Carl Shoemake (McDonough); 2003 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 22 winners:
Classic Custom (Through 1972)
First Place: Booker Washington (Atlanta); 1968 Chevrolet Nova II
Modern Custom (1973 through 1999)
First Place: Terry Ison (Zebulon); Chevrolet Camaro Z28
Second Place: Jan O’Hara; 1988 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
Current Custom (2000 through current)
First Place: Steven McKeagus (Dacula); Ford Mustang RS3
Second Place: S. Bee (Covington); 2012 Chevrolet Camaro
Third Place: Daniel Ournelas (Griffin); 2004 Lincoln Aviator
Showroom Modern (1973 through 1999)
First Place: Chris Gallagher (Fayetteville); 1998 Pontiac Trans Am
Second Place: Timothy Gibson (Newnan); 1992 Chevrolet Camaro Z28
Showroom Current (2000 through current)
First Place: Mitchell Sullivan (Jonesboro); 2007 Ford Mustang GT
Second Place: Jason Zaletanski (McDounough); 2016 Nissan Maxima
Third Place: Douglas Utt (Fayetteville); 2002 Jaguars XK8 convertible
Tuner
First Place: Jose Lopez (Griffin); 2000 Toyota MR2
Second Place: Adam Wallace (McDonough); 2007 Mini Cooper
Third Place: Andrew Manning; 1994 EG Coupe
Truck
First Place: Blake Salter (Loganville); 2011 GMC Sierra 2500 Denali
Second Place: Dakota Palmisano (Gwinnett); 2005 Ford F250
Third Place: Garth Brady (Newnan); 2008 GMC Sierra
Open
First Place: Ken Moore (Griffin); 1936 Plymouth
Second Place: J.T. O’Conner (Stockbridge); U.S. Legends Car
Atlanta Motor Speedway’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags & Show-N-Shine continues with Week 13 on Friday, July 29, as drivers continue their battle for 2016 division championships. Champions will be awarded four tickets to NHRA events later this year at their choice of either zMAX Dragway in Charlotte or The Strip in Las Vegas.
The End-of-Summer Fireworks Spectacular will light up the night at O’Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags next week. AMS invites its fans to come and celebrate the end of another great summer on the drag strip, as local area schools prepare to get back in session. There is no extra cost for the fireworks show.
Grandstand gates for O’Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags open at 6:30 p.m., and nightly drag race eliminations start after 9 p.m.
Spectator tickets are just $8, and children 5 and under are free. Entry to drag race or for the Show-N-Shine and Track Cruise is just $20 or competitors can purchase a combo ticket for $30.
More information can be found at www.atlantamotorspeedway.com/drags or by calling the Atlanta Motor Speedway Ticket Office at (770) 946-4211.