Atlanta Dragway held their second Saturday Insanity event, giving fans some not-to-be-missed moments as racers pushed the limits in pro-mods and old school cars. The competition was intense, with three hole shot wins out of four finals, coupled with very close margins of victory.
The 6.50 index final was a run between beauty and the beast, as Mike Johnson’s ’66 Mustang faced off against Joe Rampley’s ’76 Vega Wagon. Johnson traveled all the way from Easley, S.C. to join the show, while Rampley is a much closer Gainesville local. Rampley launched with a .014 green light, Johnson following with a .027 reaction time.
The top end was a double-breakout finish, with Johnson finishing in 6.46 seconds at 105.09 mph, while Rampley stuck closer to the 6.50 index with a 6.48 ET at 104.61 mph, giving him a .01 advantage at the win stripe.
The 7.50 Index final was between Sean Garner out of Oxford in an ’89 S-10 Blazer, against Stephen Rhoads of Rutledge in a ’55 Chevy. Rhoads cut a .011 light, Garner following with a .042 green. The chase looked even, until Rhoads crossed the line in 7.55 seconds at 99.33 mph, winning with a .01 margin of victory against Garner’s 7.53 seconds run at 90.68 mph. Rhoads considered the race a tune-up for next weekend’s “Night of Fire,” and everything that could go wrong did – a blown-out dipstick, a dead battery, and a red-light loss in the first round. Rhoads overcame with victory in the final.
The Open Comp (Full Body) class final was Cobra meets Camaro, as Kennesaw’s Charlie McCulloch in a ’98 Mustang faced off against Jimmy Mason of Canon in a ’93 Chevrolet. Mason treed McCulloch with a .069 light, McCulloch trailing with a .086 reaction time. Mason ran a 7.54 on his 7.41 dial-in, at 93.09 mph, McCulloch tripping the win-light in 7.26 seconds on a 7.15 dial at 85.35 mph, with a .01 margin of victory.
The Old School class featured a handful of classic cars made to go fast. Wesley Anglin of Carlton raced a ’51 Ford truck, against Danielsville’s Tracy Simmons in an ’88 Mustang. After a nerve-wracking run in the semi-finals, where Simmons’ car lost the track groove, squirreling to the finish line, he ran to the finish in the final straight as an arrow, after cutting a .083 light. Anglin’s truck lost the advantage of the tree with a .143 light, marring his 5.84 ET (at 118.79 mph) against Simmons’ 5.87 run at 127.76 mph. Simmons won with a .03 advantage at the finish line.
