The Pro final featured Rickey Morris of Ellenwood up against Chad Brewer of Canton. Brewer left the starting line with a formidable .003 reaction time, followed by Morris’ weaker .102 green light. Morris couldn’t catch up, and Brewer crossed the win stripe first with a 7.28 on his 7.27 dial-in, at 91.99 mph. Morris finished with a 7.02 on his 6.97 dial, at 97.49 mph.
The Sportsman final was a re-run of the previous Summit ET race, when J.D. “Doc” Burford of Greenville, S.C., met up with buddy and mentor Mel Abney of Cumming in the last round. Abney took the advantage on the tree, reacting with a .038 green light against Burford’s later reaction time. The pursuit for the win stripe was neck-and-neck, but Burford defeated himself at the end, breaking out with a 13.15 elapsed time on a 13.17 dial-in, at 110.33 mph. Abney was the victor, crossing the line at 103.94 mph, with a 13.07 on his13.02 dial-in.
Allen Long of Ballground, and Nick Wagner of Jefferson were the Sportsman semi-finalists.
The motorcycle final featured old and new bikes, with Loganville’s Paul Cavanaugh racing his ’02 Hayabusa against Jay “Bird” Rhyne of Athens on his trusty ’81 Kawasaki. Rhyne left the line first with a .033 reaction, Cavanaugh following with a .155 green light. Cavanaugh’s Hayabusa chased Rhyne to the finish line, crossing with a 9.65 ET on a 9.60 prediction, at 147.55 mph.
Rhyne’s better reaction time determined his victory, as he finished with a 12.40 elapsed time on his 12.32 dial-in, at 94.11 mph. Howard Bowman, of Homer, finished in the semi-final round on his ’06 Harley.
In the 8-12 Junior Dragster Category, 11-year-old Austin Solesbee of Sautee went up against 11-year-old Alexander Krause of Peachtree City for the final run. Solesbee left first with a .061 light, Krause pursuing with a .106 green. Krause finished with a 9.00 ET on his 8.95 prediction at 71.29 mph, but Solesbee stole the show with a tighter 9.07 ET on a 9.03 dial, at 71.39 mph.
The final was Solesbee’s first win, making the day very special for the junior racer. Solesbee thanked his mom and dad for their help and support. Division points leader Chris Bowden, of Homer, was the category’s semi-finalist.
The 13-17 Junior Dragster final featured a mutual 7.90 dial-in duel between 15-year-old Bailey Denton of McDonough and 17-year-old Chase Mullinax of Buford. Mullinax left first with a .043 light, Denton following closely with a .067 reaction. Mullinax ran too quickly, breaking out with a 7.88 at 78.86 mph, while Denton stayed on top of things with an 8.02 ET at 63.24 mph. Denton thanked her parents, grandparents and brother for the win.
