"Rain Doesn't Stop the Dawgs" Next Race Race Tech Mad Dawg's Saturday, June 30th
"We Fly Together" Rocky Raynor Rule the Race Tech Mad Dawgs; The "Judge" & Varner Runner-Up. Gardner & Gaddy Set LOW ET 4.16 174 MPH Out of the Record 17 Entries !
Neither
lighting nor rain would hold back the Outlaw’s of the Race Tech
Race Cars Mad Dawg series at Mooresville Dragway on Saturday,
May 12th. After last year’s three of four events was
rained upon, track operator’s Mike and Mark had decided that
this first race would be run come heck or high water. Seventeen
Race Tech Mad Dawg cars were on hand for the first of five
events scheduled this year. Picking up were he left off last
year was Greensboro, NC’s Rocky Raynor in his Stroupe built Rick
Hendrick’s Chevrolet of Durham,NC sponsored 1963 Chevrolet
Corvette. Raynor and his “We Fly Together” team picked up last
year’s one and only Race Tech Mad Dawg win. This year the 706
cu.in Sonny Leonard prepared Turbo 400 Transmission entry would
continue their reign as the “Baddest” Mad Dawg at the “Dirty
MO”. It would be a three hundredths hole shot and an extra stage
of nitrous for Raynor to overcome the 632 cu.in entry of
runner-up Rick Varner. The “Judge” Pontiac GTO of Kannapolis,
NC’s Varner was four hundredths better in the 60 and 330 times,
but could hold off the hard charging top end speed of the Rock.
His 4.28 ET at 170.88 MPH time of edged out the Jerry Bickel
entry’s losing 4.30 ET at 165 MPH effort. Multi-time Piedmont
Big Dog Champion Ronnie Gardner driving “Diamond” Jack Gaddy’s
’64 Vette set the Race Tech Mad Dawg record and low ET with a
4.167 and top speed of 174.11 MPH. They came up short in the
semis against the Raynor/Harris/Dunlap Racing Team. Mark “the
Kid” Jones of Rural Hall, NC made an impressive showing going to
the semi’s driving Jim Wheatly’s Chevrolet Camaro. The
beautiful Studebaker of Jay Marshall won the wildest, longest
and baddest “Burnout” contest in round one of qualifying. The
“Hired Gun” Chris Cline driving Garry Fauble’s supercharged
“Scream” Oldsmobile took the “King Burnout” honors in round two.
Picking up the special RPM Magazine/ Pro Photo Productions “Best
Appearing” Award was Nick and Mike Cline’s ’37 Chevy. Ace paint
and body man Garry Fauble applied the award winning paint
scheme.
Race Tech Race Cars MAD DAWG Qualifying
NO. Driver TIME MPH
1 Ronnie Gardner 4.167 174.11
2 Joey Thornsberry 4.294 166.46
3 Rocky Raynor 4.311 168.50
4 Rick Varner 4.313 165.93
5 Chad Tilley 4.326 165.42
6 Mark”Kid”Jones 4.350 165.06
7 Travis Harvey 4.405 161.47
8 David Lambert 4.476 163.90
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9 Nick Cline 4.493 145.08
10 Brian Shrader 4.741 136.82
11 Jay Marshall 4.785 146.39
12 Chris Cline 4.813 149.86
13 Jeff McNally 4.843 149.82
14 Jamie Chapell 4.923 140.80
15 Dap Morrison 7.046 112.08
16 Freal Mize 8.801 62.01
17 Josh Chester -- Broke –
Race Tech Mad Dawg Round One 10:23 pm
W- #1- Ronnie Gardner .008 RT 1.035 60ft 4.181 ET 173.01 MPH
L- #5- Chad Tilley .019 RT 1.003 60ft 5.497 ET 86.90 MPH
Gardner looks like the “Superman” of old here in round one driving Gaddy’s Corvette. Tilley was with him at the start, but broke an input shaft and the rest was history 4.18 173 !
W- #3- Rocky Raynor -.017 RT 1.029 60ft 4.248 ET 171.74 MPH
L- #7- Travis Harvey -.320 RT 1.025 60ft 4.272 ET 168.83 MPH
This had the makings of a great drag race. Race Tech’s Russ Farmer had the tuned up on the 632 cu.in Nesbitt power plant. The “Carolina Kid” Travis turned it big red against Raynor. I guess its home track advantage for the “We Fly Together” team.
W- #6- Mark Jones .045 RT 1.008 4.293 ET 166.44 MPH
L- #2- Alternate- Nick Cline .049 RT 1.074 8.237 ET 58.42 MPH
Joey Thornsberry burnt his motor up in qualifying #2 and Nick Cline with his newly painted ’37 Chevy gets in the program. “Kid” Jones driving Jim Wheatley’s Bickel Camaro had the 632 cu.in bullet tuned up as he blasted to his quickest run of the day, against an out of shape Cline. Jones will have Varner next round that should be a good match of the small BIG motors!
W- #4- Rick Varner .053 RT 1.014 60ft 4.300 ET 166.41 MPH
L- #5- David Lambert .087 RT .997 60ft 4.898 ET 110.80 MPH
Battle of the local boys Lambert and Varner, the “Junkyard Dog” Lambert clicks off a .997 60ft time, but has to get lift half track. The “Judge” has the final say in this round and has been a picture on consistency clicking off another 4.30 ET 166 MPH time.
Race Tech Mad Dawg Round Two 11:37 pm
W- Rick Varner .031 RT 1.023 60ft 4.481 ET 161.29 MPH
L- Mark Jones .040 RT 1.064 60ft 4.574 ET 157.42 MPH
In the battle of the 632 power plants and Bickel race cars this could be good. Both driver’s leave together, but it’s a pedal fest starting at the 60ft mark, as Jones and Varner have trouble staying in the grove. Again Varner and the “Judge” have the final say at the stripe and go to their first Race Tech Mad Dawg finals.
W- Rocky Raynor .028 RT 1.010 60ft 4.220 ET 169.94 MPH
L- Ronnie Gardner .040 RT 1.026 60ft 5.636 ET 82.42 MPH
Give the home track edge to Raynor here. Former Big Dog champion Gardner may have got after it a little to hard here, as the low ET ’64 Vette gets sideways half track and has to abort. The “We Fly Together” Stroupe Vette goes right down broadway to Rocky’s quickest time of the night 4.22 ET at 169 MPH in the left lane. “RR” will have lane choice over the “Judge”.
Race Tech Mad Dawg Finals 12:35 am
W- Rocky Raynor .030 RT 1.047 60ft 4.28 ET 170.88 MPH
L- Rick Varner .054 RT 1.002 60ft 4.30 ET 165.15 MPH
The best run of the night came Sunday morning in the finals. Rocky’s hole shot and Sonny’s top end horsepower made the difference here folks. Varner and the “the Judge” won the 60 and 330 ft battle, but came up short by .047 (MOV) at the stripe war. Call goes out to the Raynor/Harris/Dunlap racing team as they rule the Dirty MO one more time.
Billy Varner, Jr., James Lockhart, Zachery Pauley & Joanthan Gibbs Take PBM/Erson & Drake Coatimg Series Race Wins
After breaking earlier in the day at Farmington’s MOPAR race, Billy Ray Varner, Jr. knew things had to get better and they did. Varner, Jr of Stanley, NC scored his first PBM/Erson Series TOP Eliminator win beating out the “Dog” Jimmy Rapier of Inman, SC. In the fog at 2:15 am Sunday morning Jimmy went red at the start and gave the Mopar powered Gibbons built Dragster the win. This made the first finals for the “Dirty MO Hot Rod ’55 Chevy driver Rapier at Mooresville. Door Car aces James Overcash of Statesville, NC in a Chevrolet Lumia and the “Legend” Larry Lee of Huntersville, NC in a Ford Maverick were semi-finalist. The veteran James Lockhart of Charlotte, NC got back on course taking the Foot Brake win over Michael Shane Williams of Kernersville, NC. Shane, driving Hank "the Crank" McGee's Chevrolet Nova red-lighted off the start, giving Lockhart the automatic win. The 442 Oldsmobile driver clicked off a .021 green light reaction to score his first PBM/Erson win of the year at Mooresville. David Spaugh of Mocksville, NC driving Larry Cooper's Chevelle was the lone foot brake semi-finalist. Two weeks ago Zachery Pauley of Germanton, NC had made it to his first Drake Coatings Junior Dragster finals. This past weekend he made back again, claiming his first Mooresville Dragway win over Taylor Davis from Thomasville, NC. Davis in his "Blowin Money" Dragster red-light on the start going dead-on (7.96 on a 7.96) to Pauley's winning 8.70 on a 8.70 time. Jessica Dean was the lone Drake Coating Junior semi-finalist. Third generation drag racer Jonathan Gibbs of Mooresville, NC picked up the Ace High Performance Real Street win in his Chevy Pick-Up truck. Lil' Gibbs ran a dead-on time of 10.48 on a 10.48 to beat a too quick Justin Flood of Mocksville, NC in his Chevrolet Beretta.