Hancock Gets First “Wally” Trophy
Every race weekend is an important one, but this weekend’s event took on special significance out at the Atlanta Dragway, as the National Dragster Challenge and Junior Dragster Challenge was held on Saturday.
The annual event provides a chance for bracket racers to pick up an NHRA Wally Trophy, the ultimate prize to represent the best drag racers.
Mark Hancock of Commerce earned his first Wally in the Sportsman class, a long-overdue triumph after previously running in four other finals competing for the trophy, three of them in the motorcycle rank and one in the same ’00 Jeep Cherokee with which he won Saturday’s race.
Mark Hancock and his wife, Paula, pose with the Wally trophy Mark received for his win in the Sportsman class at the Atlanta Dragway Saturday. Photos by Amy Glover
Commerce Racer Takes Home Dragway Victory
After his competitor in the finals, Harold Wilson of Winder, fouled at the start, Mark gave a surprisingly solid run with his street car, pulling off a .004 light and a dead-on dial-in at 16.28.
Scott Reynolds of Cartersville and Jeff Wagner of Jefferson placed third.
Two-time track champion Thomas Bell of Toccoa claimed his third Wally in the Super Pro category, defeating Maysville’s Ed Nalley for the win. The round began with a staging battle, with neither man pulling through the beams first. It’s a strategy often applied against Bell, who is known for his habit of staging last.
“I don’t know why they do that,” Bell said. “I’ll burn a hole in the piston.”
If the battle was meant to intimidate, it didn’t throw Bell’s game off in the least, as he won with a .019 reaction time, running 4.77 on a 4.74 dial, alongside Nalley’s .053 light, running 6.88 on a 6.82 dial.
Jeremy Hancock of Commerce and Michael Brown of Covington placed in the semi-final round.
Pro Class winner Bruce Wilson’s victory was a full-fledged family achievement. His win-light was met with deafening screaming from his nieces and wide smiles from his racing father Jessie, mom Sue and brother Michael. Wilson secured the win with a dead-on dial of 6.68, and the better reaction time of .070 against Monroe’s Barry Camp, who turned in a .159, running a 6.40 on a 6.39 dial. Wilson, of Tallapoosa, said he was just glad not to red light, as he did in his past five races, having beaten himself on the tree.
Wilson won his first Wally at the ’01 NHRA Division Two ET finals. He said he originally planned on staying at home, if it weren’t for the Wally opportunity.
Greg Allen of Greenwood, SC, and David Simmons of Suwanee finished in the semis.
Winterville’s Steve Winn won in the Motorcycle category, making his first racing career triumph that much sweeter with the simultaneous gaining of a Wally by defeating final-round opponent Jeff Shropshire of Dallas. Winn sank Shropshire with the better package, cutting a .012 light, and tripping the win stripe with an 11.04 on a 10.90 dial, in opposition to Shropshire’s .046 light and 9.78 run on a 9.63 dial.
“I’m just happy,” Winn said, “All the hard work paid off. It’s real cool.”
Jimmy “Chacha” Heisler of Woodstock and Michael Tlapa of Loganville finished in third place.
For the second year in a row, the 13-17 Junior Dragster Challenge was won by Danielle Krause of Peachtree City, who won with an 8.00 run on a 7.91 dial and a .036 light, facing Statham’s Jordan Thurmond, who beat himself by running a hundredth of a second under his dial-in with a 7.96 on a 7.97.
Fifteen-year old Valerie Clements of Central, SC, and Jeff Osborn, also 15, of Woodstock, earned the third place trophies.
Twelve-year old Wesley Mayfield of Gainesville won in the 8-12 Junior Dragster category after Hiawassee’s Daulton Roger fouled at the line, illuminating Mayfield’s side with the win light before the finish line was reached. Ten-year old Hiawassee racer Alex Krause, brother of 13-17 winner Danielle Krause, finished in the semi-finals.
Scott Reynolds of Cartersville and Jeff Wagner of Jefferson placed third.
Two-time track champion Thomas Bell of Toccoa claimed his third Wally in the Super Pro category, defeating Maysville’s Ed Nalley for the win. The round began with a staging battle, with neither man pulling through the beams first. It’s a strategy often applied against Bell, who is known for his habit of staging last.
“I don’t know why they do that,” Bell said. “I’ll burn a hole in the piston.”
If the battle was meant to intimidate, it didn’t throw Bell’s game off in the least, as he won with a .019 reaction time, running 4.77 on a 4.74 dial, alongside Nalley’s .053 light, running 6.88 on a 6.82 dial.
Jeremy Hancock of Commerce and Michael Brown of Covington placed in the semi-final round.
It’s not what you would usually consider a high performance racing vehicle, but this Jeep Cherokee got the job done for Mark Hancock.
Wilson won his first Wally at the ’01 NHRA Division Two ET finals. He said he originally planned on staying at home, if it weren’t for the Wally opportunity.
Greg Allen of Greenwood, SC, and David Simmons of Suwanee finished in the semis.
Winterville’s Steve Winn won in the Motorcycle category, making his first racing career triumph that much sweeter with the simultaneous gaining of a Wally by defeating final-round opponent Jeff Shropshire of Dallas. Winn sank Shropshire with the better package, cutting a .012 light, and tripping the win stripe with an 11.04 on a 10.90 dial, in opposition to Shropshire’s .046 light and 9.78 run on a 9.63 dial.
“I’m just happy,” Winn said, “All the hard work paid off. It’s real cool.”
Jimmy “Chacha” Heisler of Woodstock and Michael Tlapa of Loganville finished in third place.
For the second year in a row, the 13-17 Junior Dragster Challenge was won by Danielle Krause of Peachtree City, who won with an 8.00 run on a 7.91 dial and a .036 light, facing Statham’s Jordan Thurmond, who beat himself by running a hundredth of a second under his dial-in with a 7.96 on a 7.97.
Fifteen-year old Valerie Clements of Central, SC, and Jeff Osborn, also 15, of Woodstock, earned the third place trophies.
Twelve-year old Wesley Mayfield of Gainesville won in the 8-12 Junior Dragster category after Hiawassee’s Daulton Roger fouled at the line, illuminating Mayfield’s side with the win light before the finish line was reached. Ten-year old Hiawassee racer Alex Krause, brother of 13-17 winner Danielle Krause, finished in the semi-finals.
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