May 9, 2009 Atlanta Dragway Summit ET race results

"DOC” BURFORD WINS SPORTSMAN, GOES TO SEMIS IN PRO WITH STOCK VETTE

By: Amy Glover

(Commerce, GA – May 9) After a long break from the Summit ET series, racers came in ready to roll, despite the threat of scattered thunderstorms. The race track had recently hosted the Southern Nationals, as well as being a filming site for the Speed TV series Pass Time, garnering excitement for the summer season. According to JD Burford, it was “the courageous and the cabin-fevered that showed up,” perhaps eager to obtain a Mother’s Day surprise.

The Super Pro finals pitted regulars Jesse Young and Mardy Kennedy against one another. The starting line was tight, when Young (Danielsville, GA) cut a .013 light in his ’00 Undercover, while Kennedy (Auburn, GA) had a .027 reaction time in his ’67 Camaro. It all came down to the finish line, when Kennedy crossed too early, with a 6.56 elapsed time on his 6.65 dial-in, at 103.67 mph. This mattered little compared to Young’s numbers – Young ran dead-on his 4.86 dial-in, at 141.68 mph, securing victory with an excellent run. Young reported, “I ran all day with a broken rear-end…I worked until one last night on it.” Young, an absolute family man, thanked his wife and baby, and his dad for helping him work on the dragster, as well as his sponsor James D. Young Contracting. Jason James out of Taylorsville, GA finished in the semi-final round, in his ’95 Cutlass.

The Pro final was an exciting one, resting ultimately on Justin Buchanan and former Summit champion Kelly King’s skills at the Christmas tree. Buchanan’s ’72 Nova launched with a .002 light, surpassing King’s .072 light in his modified ’90 Jeep. Both men ran slower than their predictions, Buchanan (Six Mile, SC) finishing with a 7.14 ET on a 7.11 dial-in at 93.55 mph, while King (Stockbridge, GA) ran a 6.90 on his 6.89 dial-in at 96.93 mph. Buchanan’s impressive start at the tree won the night. Buchanan thanked his family – mom, dad, and sister – for the win, and made sure to say “Go Tigers!” in the spirit of his student life at Clemson University. JD “Doc” Burford, a doctor from Greenville, SC, made it to the semis in his ’07 Corvette.

Burford was kept busy, following his semi-final finish in the Pro class with the Sportsman final. “I was just hot-lapping, and didn’t seem to get out of my car for three hours!” It was student against teacher, as Burford ran against his mentor Mel Abney (Cumming, GA). Burford’s hot-lapping produced consistently impressive reaction times, his stock ‘vette leaving the starting line with a .008 green light. Abney’s ’67 Camaro launched with a .054 light, finishing with a 13.21 ET, far from his 13.05 prediction, at 107.21 mph. “Doc” Burford sealed the deal with surgical precision, running dead on his 13.10 dial-in at 99.60 mph. Burford reflected, “It was a fun day, all the racers had a great morale.” Burford thanked Mel Abney for the win: “He taught me everything there is to know about drag racing.” Mike Puckett (Norcross, GA), good friend of Burford and Abney, made it a ‘team win’ as the sole Sportsman semi-finalist in his ’90 Thunderbird SL.

Jay “Bird” Rhyne (Athens, GA) and Jimmy “Cha Cha” Heisler (Woodstock, GA) were the Motorcycle finalists, with Rhyne’s ’81 Kawasaki against Heisler’s ’00 Kawasaki. Rhyne left the line first with a .029 reaction, Heisler following with a .135 green light. Heisler just couldn’t catch Rhyne at the top end, running a 10.58 on his 10.52 dial at 125.37 mph. Rhyne ran a much tighter 12.36 on his 12.33 prediction, at 99.61 mph. Rhyne won the race without time runs, after his first bike broke during the second time trial. After buying back from a red-lit first round, Rhyne made good lights the rest of the night. Rhyne thanked Jeff Vance and Tim Sutton for their help. Howard Bowman (Homer, GA) finished in the semis, on his ’06 Harley.

The 8-12 Junior Dragster final was a big boost for 12 year old Chris Bowden (Homer, GA), who shot from fourth to first in points after tonight’s victory. The final was a dual breakout, with Charlie Smith (9 – McDonough, GA) running a 13.096 on his 13.10 dial-in at 49.07 mph. Despite Smith’s better .069 light, against Bowden’s .215, Bowden cut it slightly closer, winning with an 8.917 elapsed time on his 8.92 dial-in, at 73.12 mph. Bowden was worried about his inconsistent engine, replacing the existing carburetor for today’s race with a smaller carburetor. This proved to do the trick, as Bowden dialed the same number all day long. Bowden thanked Roy Whaley, and Jimmy Mayfield, who lent him the carburetor that made the engine run so well. Smith’s older sister Avery Smith (12 – McDonough, GA) finished in the semi-final round.

Bailey Denton (15 – McDonough, GA) and Kiley Oliver (17 – Buford, GA) made it to the final round in the 13-17 Junior Dragster class. Oliver cut a .149 light, crossing the line with a 9.45 on a 9.32 dial, at 66.94 mph. Denton pulled off a much tighter run, with a .040 reaction time, finishing with a 7.93 on a 7.90 dial at 77.63 mph. Denton’s success gained the second place in the points standings. Ricky Hebert (15 – Evans, GA) and Jordan Thurmond (16 – Statham, GA) were the semi-finalists.

Sanctioned by the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), Atlanta Dragway is located just off I-85 at Exit 149 in the Banks Crossing area of Commerce, Georgia. Information on all 2009 events, including the ORSCA OUTLAW 10.5 Racing Series on May 16-May 17, 2009, may be obtained by calling the track office (706-335-2301) or logging on to www.atlantadragway.com.