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New! 04/24/04 Pro Mods and...
It was a Grand opening at South Georgia Motorsports Park
Text and photos by Marvin T. Smith
The Grand Opening event Saturday, April 24 at South Georgia Motorsports Park was an event that had to be seen to be believed. There were so many great stories at the event that it is hard to know where to begin.
Take Pro Mod, for example. Eleven cars turned out to battle for an eight-car field. Most were blown cars from the Outlaw Pro Mod circuit, but several nitrous cars were present. Because the track was so new and green, the cars ran an eighth mile instead of a quarter for this event. In the middle of the afternoon, Rodney Rosenstiel brought out his little Opel to try the track. He ran a 4.40 at 168 to warm up. I spoke with one of R. E. Smith's crew who noted that the new track had very little rubber, and would probably only hold 4.40s. He turned out to be very wrong.
Two rounds of qualifying preceded the eliminations battle. Because there was very little rubber on the new track, qualifying was a series of singles. Round one was run in the left lane, and round two was run in the right lane. After two rounds of qualifying, the bump spot was 4.42. The big story: Don Stroud's Stude ran a 3.984 at 170.77 to take the pole. Crews from two other teams told me that they did not believe that time was accurate, pointing out that the mph was very low for such a quick run and that he never ran close to that time again that night. Sour Grapes or accurate assessment? I spoke with Don in the pits, and he was really stoked! The run definitely had him excited. He pointed out that he had been close before, running a 4.01, but this was his first time in the 3s. Was the 3 a bad time or a personal best? If you had seen the John Force-like burnout and the strong run, you wanted to believe the time. We will see how long it stands as the track record. Number two qualifier was Rodney Rosenstiel at 4.18, followed by four cars in the 4.20s. Bil Clanton, fresh off a three straight crushing of Scotty Cannon at Huntsville, Alabama, was on a great pass, running 4.27 at only 143 when the rear end and the engine broke. Unfortunately although solidly qualified, they were unable to return. R. E. Smith was driving the former Mike Ashley Infinet Willys. On his first run, he shook the tires and was forced to shut off. On the second run, he ran a 4.24 at 174.62. He would continue to improve throughout the night.
Eliminations saw R. E. Smith take out a black 63 Vette with a great 4.12 at 177 (top speed of the event). Rosenstiel went 4.11 at 172 to put away the CCT Vette. Hugh Scott drove his Willys to a 4.20 at 170 win over Michael Neal's game 4.22 at 173. The Stroud Stude took a single, as the other cars were unable to return. He ran a 4.17 at 170. Only blown cars remained after round one. In round two, Smith took out Rosenstiel with a 4.21 174 to the losing 4.58 161 as Rosenstiel took the long way down the 660. Stroud took out Hugh Scott with a big holeshot, winning with a 4.20 at 171 to Scott's better 4.15 174 preventing an all Willys final. In the final, Smith took his Willys to a 4.144 176.67 win over Stroud who ran 4.193 at 171.08.
Danny O'Day was also on hand with his Superwinch 1934 Ford wheelstander. He made three full quarter mile passes that really made the crowd go wild. Sparks went everywhere! O'Day's car is a real engineering masterpiece, and is deserving of close study if you ever get the opportunity. O'Day said he has run as quick as 8.73 and as fast as 159 in the quarter on the rear wheels. Although making full quarter mile runs tonight, he was given eighth mile times. He ran a 5.86 at 120 and made a lot of fans!
Another big story concerns the great racing in Super Pro and Pro. Some really finely crafted cars turned out for the event. In a truly amazing story, Benjie Thrift took home the $3000 in Super Pro AND won the $1000 in Pro in his second car. You had to have been in the Winner's Circle to see all the high fives! Could Benjie win the track championship in both categories? Larry Jenkins won Jr. Dragster in his beautiful flamed machine. He ran in the 8's.
And then there was the Track itself, the Crowd, and Bob Frey with the NHRA Today crew. Manager Tim Pafford stated that the crowd was 9,800 and every one of them had a great time. The track is one of the most beautiful facilities for drag racing in the country. The permanent concrete grandstands were nicely engineered to put the spectators in the shade by mid-afternoon, and with the temperature expected to be 89, the stands were a great place. The track view from the stands is excellent. The track has the most modern finish line lights I have seen. They display all kinds of information, such as dial-ins, elapsed time, and mph all at the same time. During Pro Mod qualifying, the lights showed the current bump spot. The sound system for the track is excellent, even being piped into the air-conditioned restaurant. Track food was very good, but the selection is limited to hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken strips, french fries, and various candies.
Bob Frey was out with the NHRA Today crew, filming the action. Bob also announced a couple of rounds, and his style added a lot to the event, and probably kept Don Hill (the regular announcer) from losing his voice before the event finished about 11:00 PM. Don did an excellent job, and gave Bob a real run for his money. Look for coverage of the event on NHRA Today on May 9.
The first race at South Georgia Motorsports Park was a real barnburner. NHRA Division 2 Director Bill Holt was present to make sure everything ran smoothly. Next week: 300 mph jets. The Pro Mods return on May 29, and the NHRA Division Two Lucas Oil Point meet is scheduled for the first weekend in June. For a full schedule, check out SoGaMoto.com. Don't miss the action.
