The popular Speed TV show, ‘Pinks All Out,’ came to Atlanta Dragway this past weekend to tape an episode of its series. Well over 20,000 spectators (a one-day attendance figure rivaled only by the NHRA Southern Nationals) packed the grandstands on both sides of the track. Fans received their money’s worth during the event, which featured nearly 500 “little guy” racers vying for a spot in the 16-car field that the show revolves around.
Event winner Paul Smith Jr., an Atlanta Dragway regular from Alpharetta, said his first reaction after finding he had made the 16-car field was disbelief. His reaction times were key to his success. He needed every bit, as he squeaked out his first-round win by a mere .0015 seconds against Commerce racer Jody Blalock’s incredibly quick ’49 Hudson. In the final round setup, Smith won the first two runs against competitor “Wild” Bill Jones’ Lake City, FL-based ’71 Mustang, making a third pass unnecessary.
Smith, who competes in the Pro class at Atlanta Dragway’s Summit ET Series events, was definitely happy with the results.
“My Corvette eats Mustangs every day,” he said when asked about competing against Mustangs in the quarterfinals and the final.
A long line of fans waited for an autograph from Smith after the event.
“I have given autographs before, but never to anyone over five years old,” he said. Smith, who has been racing for five years, also mentioned this was also his first real win.
In addition to the round money, Smith was awarded $10,000 in cash for his win, and also won a toolbox filled with $8,000 worth of tools donated by Pinks title sponsor NAPA.
A diverse field made the cut, including a ’49 Hudson, a diesel powered pickup, a Corvette and the usual collection of popular Mustangs and Camaros.
Six Atlanta Dragway regulars were selected. Along with eventual winner Smith, and Blalock, also selected were Wendy Moulton of Winder, Larry Chance of Canton, Roger Kobos of Guyton, and Travis Bryant of Bowman.
Pinks All Out is a spin-off of the original program “Pinks,” which aired in 2005 with the premise of old style, “lose the race, lose your ride” pink slip racing. “All Out” is a successful effort by host and executive producer, Rich Christensen, to bring grass roots style drag racing to television. Instead of the typical “Christmas Tree” start, Christensen’s classic “arm drop” first ensures both racers are ready, and then starts them off in a style similar to 50s style drag racing. However, Pinks does use the staging portion of the “Christmas Tree” to ensure both racers are positioned correctly at the starting line.
The Atlanta Dragway program is scheduled to air on August 14 at 9 p.m. on the Speed network.
