Two area drivers delivered knockouts to the rest of the field during last weekend's Brawl in Bristol at Bristol Dragway. Elizabethton's Todd McKinney earned Super Pro honors on Saturday, while Jeffrey Walls from Knoxville took home Sunday's Super Pro victory.
McKinney's 1981 Camaro edged out the dragster of Bristol, Va.'s Mike Eads in Saturday's final round. McKinney laid down a .010 reaction time and completed the run close to his dial-in, 6.167 seconds on a 6.16 dial, at 114.45 mph. Eads left the line with a .081 R.T. and ran the strip in 5.274 seconds at 130.59 mph.
Walls earned Sunday's victory when he and his opponent, Blountville's Donald Moore, both broke out by running faster than their dial-ins. Walls came off the line with a .036 light and ran a 4.966 elapsed time (4.97 dial-in) at 138.74 mph. Moore cut a .008 light, but went 5.822 seconds (5.83 dial-in) at 119.08 mph.
Van Greer of Kingsport won Saturday's Pro category when his opposition, Ricky Boyd from Willis, Va., received a red light for leaving the starting line early. Greer's 1985 Suburban thundered down the strip in 10.792 seconds at 64.08 mph. After the red light, Boyd ran an 8.077 E.T. at 82.57 mph.
Saturday's Sportsman win went to Michael Hicks of Bristol, Va. when he defeated Bluff City's Jason Nelson. Hicks broke the starting line beams with a .027 R.T. and completed his run with a 10.138 E.T. at 133.74 mph. Nelson's 11.153 E.T. at 114.54 was faster than his 11.16 dial-in and earned his Dodge Dart a disqualification.
Ben Denton picked up his third straight Junior Dragster Division I trophy during Saturday's eliminations. Denton (Bristol, Va.) earned the win over Roan Mountain's Ariel Hill. Both drivers broke-out by running faster than their dial-ins, but Denton was closer to his predicted time. Denton's 9.104 E.T. (9.11 dial-in) at 72.26 mph was enough to knock off Hill's 8.955 E.T. (9.00 dial-in) at 74.32 mph.
Mooresburg's Kellie Shortridge won Jr. Dragster Division II honors with a .022 R.T. and an 8.242 E.T. at 76.55 mph. Her opponent, Katie Dye from Cedar Bluff, Va., ran close to her dial-in (8.002 E.T. on an 8.00 dial), but her .076 R.T. handed the holeshot win to Shortridge.
Sunday's Pro final was a showdown of Bluff City residents when Randy Walters faced off against Shaun Cowan. Cowan earned the win as Walters turned on the red light at the starting line. Cowan left the line with a .132 R.T. and completed the run in 8.954 seconds at 75.17 mph. After the red, Walters raced through the line with a 7.396 E.T. at 92.66 mph.
Scott Vestal of Bristol knocked off Bluff City's Jason Nelson to earn Sunday's Sportsman trophy, while Jonesboro's Mike Conley took home Sunday's Pro Bike final. Jerry Coleman of Hurley, Va. and Piney Flats' Chris Tester earned Jr. Dragster Division I and II trophies respectively.
The hottest Fords around invade Bristol Dragway Aug. 1-3 for the O'Reilly Fun Ford Weekend Nationals. This year's event includes the Battle of the Brands, jet cars and the Car Show Spectacular.
For more information about Bristol Dragway events, please call (423) 764-DRAG or visit www.bristoldragway.com.