SUNDAY FINAL - THAT'S A WRAP, TURN OUT THE LIGHTS A BARN-BURNER PARTY IS OVER
Keith Berry woke up Monday morning over $50,000 richer after winning one of the most entertaining drag radial heads up matches of all time. In a brand new untested car, Berry qualified in the bottom half of the field in RVW but kept turning on those win lights. In the final round, facing none other than Stevie Fast Jackson, Berry cut a .026 light to Jackson's .066 and posted a 3.93 at 192 mph to take the holeshot win over Jackson's quicker but loosing 3.89 at 194 mph. What a weekend for Berry and company as they take home the biggest payout in drag radial history back to Gainesville, Georgia.Ron Rhodes qualified seventh in X275 in his 1968 Camaro with a 4.45 at 155 mph and marched through Bob Bales, Jeff Colletta, Jamie Stanton and Tyree Smith to meet the feared Jared Johnston in the final round. Rhodes was off the line first and cruised to the win after Johnston struck the tires, posting a winning 4.44 at 158 mph to take home X275 victory at Lights Out 7.Bill Futch was your top qualifier in Outlaw Drag Radial in his 1995 Ford Mustang but met his match in round three of competition when eventual event runner up Ron Hamby took him out with a 4.22 at 177 mph
Nick Sills from Eatonton, Georgia was the number twenty two qualifier in Outlaw 632 and bowed out in first round after this big wheelstand, allowing his opponent David Lovelace to cruise on to the round one win with a 4.70 at 152 mph.After a sell out crowd, literally, on Saturday at Lights Out 7; Sunday's vibe certainly less chaotic but the stands were still full as early as 10 am. Congratulations to Duck X Productions on what has to be the largest attendance numbers in the event's history.Ryan Martin made the tow from Moore, Oklahoma and qualified 22nd in the 32 car field for RVW in his new 2002 Camaro. In round one action, Martin used a 4.22 to take out Mark Woodruff, then defeated Josh Klugger before meeting up with Stevie Fast in round three. Martin gave Stevie a solid race but came up short with a 4.07 at 194 mph to Jackson's 4.01 at 190 mph. "Scotty G" from Brooklyn, New York advanced to the third round of RVW competition in his 2002 nitrous assisted Camaro before his 4.33 came up short to eventual event winner Keith Berry's 4.00.Rich Bruder and the Bruder Brothers from New Jersey qualified third in X275 with a 4.40 at 160 and defeated John Mcdough and Kenny Hubbard before a big third round upset when Bruder lost traction off the line and Tyree Smith took him out with a 4.54 at 154 mph.Andy Reynolds of Hurst, Texas was in competition in both Nitrous X and Open Comp with his 1979 Chevy Malibu Wagon. A first round exit in Nitrous X and third round exit on Open Comp ended his week in Georgia but it was all smiles in the Reynolds camp after a fun weekend at Lights Out 7.
Jimmy Chavis of Orangeburg, South Carolina qualified sixth with a 4.86 in Nitrous X competition. Chavis advanced all the way to the semi-finals but had a backfire on the line and had the best seat in the house to watch his opponent Tim Knieriem move into the final round.Daniel Pharris of Sikeston, Missouri enjoyed a good weekend in RVW competition in his 1995 Ford Mustang. Pharris qualified 7th with a 3.92 and had top speed of qualifying at a whopping 210 mph. Pharris pulled off a huge win in third round when he used a hole shot and a 4.00 at 200 mph to take out the quicker but loosing Keith Haney's 3.94 at 192 mph. Pharris was taken out in the next round by event winner Keith Berry.Tyree Smith wheeled his beautiful 1966 Chevy Nova to the number eleven qualifying spot in X275 with a 4.52 and took out Eddie Krawiec, Charles Hull and Rich Bruder before bowing out in the semi-finals to eventual runner up Ron Rhodes. Smith's 4.52 at 155 mph just wasn't enough for Rhodes' 4.48 at 157 mph.
Barry Mitchell debuted the ex. Kyle Huettel Bad9er Camaro in Outlaw Drag Radial competition and qualified second with a 4.17 at 181 mph. Mitchell met Ron Hamby in the final round and his quicker reaction time and 4.23 at 181 mph was enough to take the holeshot win over Hamby's quicker but loosing 4.19 at 178 mph.
SATURDAY NOTEBOOK - QUALIFYING IS COMPLETED BEFORE A PACKED HOUSE
Shortly after noon on Saturday, the announcement was made that Lights Out 7 was officially sold out! Literally no more cars could be parked and no more bodies could be let in the gate due strictly to safety reasons. The overwhelming response this event has created combined with very favorable weather conditions resulted in a race promoters dream come true for Donald Long. If you got a seat, you were lucky!Despite the highest air and track temperatures this event has seen in many years, the staff at SGMP has kept the track good and tight for the drag radial racers at Lights Out 7. So tight, some of the wives and girlfriends have had issues backing up their drivers!
Bubba Stanton popped the scoop off his 903 cubic inch powered 1963 Corvette on his final qualifier and missed the field with a best of 4.25 on a 4.11 thirty two car field bump spot in RVW.
Rick Thornton's Fast Forward Innovations twin turbo charged 1969 Camaro laid down a 4.02 in the heat during final qualifying then notched a first round win Saturday night with a clean 3.94 at 191 mph and looks good heading into Sunday's Radial vs. The World eliminations.Despite major parts carnage over the weekend, Jason Michalak continues to be the car to beat in Radial vs. The World and his 3.94 at 193 mph took out David Wolfe in first round. The question is, can they stretch their parts to go four hard rounds on Sunday?The biggest upset in Radial vs. The World first round eliminations saw Marty Robertson's "Bad Fish" 1968 Barracuda, who qualified on the bump with a 4.11, take out number two qualifier Dewayne Mills in round one as Mills suffered transmission issues. Marty's 4.05 barely held off Mill's 4.06 at the stripe.Dustin Parks' missed the field in X275 in Georgia with a best of 4.83 at 146 mph when the bump was held by number thirty two qualifier Dean Vallese with a 4.80. Street Outlaws star Justin Shearer and his "Crowmod" missed the field in Radial vs. The World but enjoyed his weekend in Georgia with fellow star Shawn and "Murder Nova". Shearer qualified 36th in the 32 car field.
Chad Opaleski from Ocala, Florida took an upset win in first round of RVW when Kevin Mullins went -.092 red, throwing away a 4.02 at 198 mph. Opaleski will be racing on Sunday with a 4.24 at 173 mph round win.
Earl Stanley wheeled his 1988 Ford Mustang to a first round win in X275 with his best pass of the weekend so far, a 4.53 at 156 mph to take out Eric Moore's close 4.60.
FRIDAY NOTEBOOK - THE WILD ACTION CONTINUES WITH THE BAD TO THE BONE HOT RODS
Shay Loveday send his 1963 Corvette reaching for the sky in Friday night qualifying. Loveday hasn't made a full pull all week, but his beautiful entry from Knoxville, Tennessee has been a favorite subject for photographers in Georgia.The biggest highlight of Lights Out 7 to all of the racers and fans alike is seeing Lyle Barnett out and about enjoying himself at the track. Barnett, seen here with his father Mark and drag radial tuning master Grant McCrary, suffered one of the worst fires drag radial racing has ever seen last September at No Mercy. What a pleasure to have Lyle and his family at the track this weekend in Georgia. After a big crash on Thursday night in Radial vs. The World qualifying, Kyle Huettel talks things over with crew chief Frankie Taylor. Reports indicate damage to the brand new Corvette is actually very minimal and we should expect to see team Bad9er back in competition quickly, while the team now focuses on the second team car driven by world record holder Jason Michalak.
Jason McGrane of Greenwood, Indiana is in competition this weekend with his clean 1964 Ford Fairlane and currently qualified 12th in a field of 49 Ultimate Street entries with a 5.02 at 140 mph. Romeo, Michigan's Butch Kemp leads the pack in Ultimate Street after Friday's qualifying action with a 4.79 at 144 mph in his feared 1995 Ford Mustang.
David Wolfe made his return to drag radial competition here at Lights Out 7. Wolfe's 2005 Chevy Cavalier had just two test passes on it before towing to Georgia from Ft. Worth, Texas and his best time so far of 4.14 at 190 has him just inside the thirty two car field in the 30th position with one qualifying session remaining.Mike Barry made the tow from Maryland and gave the fans some wheels up action in the heat of the day in Ultimate Street action. Barry is currently qualified 17th in his 1965 Chevy Malibu.
Rob Valden debuted a simply stunning 2014 Corvette in Radial vs. The World competition this weekend. This car has attracted a lot of attention and is currently qualified 16th with a 4.05 at 190 mph. That's right, the top half of the field is at a 4.05 bump spot, come get you some.Ron Rhodes of Middletown, Deleware is top dog in Left Spring after Friday's qualifying. Rhodes wheeled his 1968 Chevy Camaro to a strong 4.68 at 152 to lead the field into Saturday.
Dewayne Mills made every highlight reel in America with his jet fighter style flight at Lights Out 6, but is back this year at Lights Out 7 with a new car and it's plenty fast. During night time qualifying, Mills blasted to a stellar 3.88 at a whopping 209 mph to qualify second for the team from Oklahoma. Jason Michalak came in as the quickest man on drag radials and that trend continued in Friday night qualifying as Michalak stole the top spot in Radial vs. The World with a 3.87 blast at 196 mpg. The competition at the top of the pack is unreal and surely going to provide for some awesome racing when eliminations get underway.After his hard impact with the guardrail on Thursday, Keith Haney's team worked tirelessly to repair the car and showed up in the Friday night session. Despite spinning the tires, Haney's determination is impressive and we'll see how he fairs in eliminations currently qualified third.Shawn Ellington, aka Murder Nova from Street Outlaws, is enjoying Lights Out 7 with teammate Big Chief. They aren't quite there on performance, but for some street racers from Oklahoma, they are holding their own in the biggest drag radial race in the world.
THURSDAY NOTEBOOK - SOME CARNAGE, SOME THRILLS AND A WHOLE LOT OF FUN GOING ON IN SOUTH GEORGIA
Texas' Kyle Huettel on his first test pass of the day early on Thursday. We all know now what happened on Thursday night's qualifying session.
Jared Johnston of Raymore, Missouri has established his name and the "White Riot" team as one of the most feared racers in X275 competition. Johnston posted a 4.50 at 161 mph in the first qualifying session Thursday night, which has him currently 7th in the 52 car field.
Fort Worth, Texas' Marty Robertson in action with his wicked 1968 Barracuda with tuning from Patrick Barnhill. The team struggled on Thursday wrapping up the Radial vs. The World field in qualifying spot number 53 of 53, but rest assured, this car will step up as the weekend progresses. Ron Clark is always a fan favorite with his blown 1970 Volkswagen which does the longest burnouts and makes the most noise of almost any entry at the entire event. Clark currently sits qualified 41st with a 5.05 at 139 mph.Jeff Sitton was the first nitrous assisted drag radial car to run in the 3.80 range last fall at North Star Dragway and hadn't made a single pass since then until unloading the car for testing on Wednesday. Thursday night's second qualifying session didn't turn any big numbers with a 5.17 at 98 mph, but everyone in Radial vs. The World action knows this car is a 3.80 car waiting to pounce.Steve Jackson in Phil Shuler's "Shadow" enter Lights Out 7 as your defending event Champions. No testing needed for this bunch as they waited all day on Thursday to make their only hit of the day with a strong 3.90 at 195 mph in their blown 1993 Ford Mustang, good for the number two spot after two sessions.Dean Marinis if Whitestone, New York blasted to a 4.41 at at 158 mph in his X275 2000 Ford Mustang and currently sits second behind top qualifier Rob Goss.Rob Goss wheeled his 2009 Dodge Challenger X275 entry to the top spot with a booming 4.39 at 164 mph for low elapsed time and top speed of the meet so far.
Rick Thornton is one of many who've stuffed little radials under the tubs of a Pro Mod built machine and tested last weekend with positive numbers heading into Georgia. A best of 4.52 in qualifying so far doesn't have the team where they want to be, but the brain power and experience of this team will hopefully get their 1969 Camaro bodied Radial vs. The World entry up to the top.
Wednesday night's #1 qualifier in Radial Vs. The World, Keith Haney, posted a stellar 3.89 at 191 mph on his first pass in Georgia. Tonight things changed quickly when Haney blew the tires off and immediately shot to the left slamming into the guardrail. Reports indicate Haney is unharmed, but we will have to wait to hear whether his weekend at Lights Out 7 will continue pending damage reports.Taylor Lastor is in a new look first generation Camaro entry this year at Lights Out 7. Still shaking the bugs out, Lastor's best of 4.82 at 110 mph has him 38th in the 53 car field as he looks to improve on his position during Friday's qualifying sessions.
Baton Rouge, Louisiana based racer Jason Brock has his 2004 Ford Mustang Radial vs. The World entry in Georgia for the first time but has struggled in the first two qualifying sessions despite a strong test pass early on Thursday. A 5.11 at 185 in his best official time as he also looks to improve on Friday.
