NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Qualifying at Atlanta Dragway

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.

- Brett Lyons-