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PRO STOCK DEBUT
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Chris Garner,
from nearby Alpharetta, GA, made his first
appearance in a Pro Stock car at the Southern
Nats. Teamed up with Mike Thomas, the former
Super Gas racer is running Finish Line engines
in a Jerry Bickel-built 2003 Cavalier. He
managed a best pass of 7.032 secs at 196.96
mph in qualifying that placed him 32nd of
33 entries, but remained pleased with the
effort. "Pro Stock is where I've always
wanted to be, right from the start," he
said. "I just had to wait a while until
I could afford it, 'cause I didn't want
to starve to go racing." |
PRO STOCK BIKE
Redlights were the order of the day for the
two-wheeled crowd at Atlanta Dragway, with eight
of the 15 Pro Stock Bike elimination pairings
being decided by premature starts. Even Angelle
Savoie, two- time defending series champion
and winner of the first two races this year,
fell prey to the angry red bulb (or LED, as
the case may be). Race winner Geno Scali actually
won all four of his elimination rounds courtesy
of false starts, making him only the second
rider to accomplish the feat. His final-round
opponent in Atlanta, Antron Brown, won at Dallas
in 1999 under the same conditions.
NEW FACE IN THE CROWD
Matthew Smith, son of NHRA
Pro Stock and Pro Mod driver Rickie Smith,
qualified for the first time in Pro Stock
Bike after missing the cut in Gainesville
and Houston. He then made it past Angelle
Savoie when she redlit in the opening round
and beat Mike Berry before finally being
stopped by Antron Brown in the semis. With
help from Red Line, Victory 1, and Web Cam,
Smith is racing a 2000 Hyabusa with a 1500
cc Suzuki engine built by Rick Ward. In
addition to cutting great lights, Smith
credited his father's help with reading
the track and conditions for his success
in Atlanta. |
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ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR
After 23 runnings of the Southern Nationals
at Atlanta Dragway, Frank Manzo (far lane) and
Bob Newberry (near lane) have accounted for
14 wins between them in Alcohol Funny Car competition.
This year was no different, with the two pairing
off in the final and number-one qualifier Manzo
earning his 52nd career win.
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