Flashing the form that powered him to NHRA series championships in 2018 and 2019, Pfafftown’s Tii Tharpe repeated as winner of the featured Ray Price Top Fuel Challenge in Sunday’s 30th annual Jim McClure Memorial AMRA Nitro World Finals at Rockingham Dragway.

 

Although he qualified behind teammate and multiple time McClure champion Jay “Bulldog” Turner of Julian and newly crowned AMRA champion Ryan Peery of Milford, Ohio, Tharpe dominated eliminations, taking out Turner in the semifinals with quick time (6.30 seconds) and top speed of the event before stopping Peery in the final round for the second straight year.

 

The result not only denied Peery his first Ray Price trophy, it also kept him from doubling up at The Rock after earlier winning the track’s AHDRA Top Fuel title.  In the final, Tharpe stopped the timers in 6.350 seconds at 220.04 mph.  Peery trailed in 6.471 seconds at 216 mph.

 

The Tharpe-Turner semifinal easily was the best of the day.  Tharpe coupled low ET and top speed to a .062 reaction time while Turner, the 2016 and 2017 NHRA champion and NHRA winner earlier this year at Charlotte, was .066 on the ‘Tree with a time of 6.346 seconds at 216.03 mph after running 6.314, second quickest of the race, in the previous round. 

 

Other winners included Sam White of Chapin, S.C., who returned to the winners’ circle as Pro Fuel champion for the first time since 2018 by beating reigning series champ Jim Martin of Palestine, Ill., in the final; Jim Doyle of Chicopee, Mass., who scored in Nitro Funny Bike after Armon Furr, the former McClure Top Fuel champ (2017) from Orangeburg, S.C., upset series champ and defending event champ Chris Smith of Murfreesboro, Tenn., in the semis.

 

Another Murfreesboro standout, Shane Pendergrast, extended his domination of Pro Modified, and Bill Doherty of Lake Charles, La., the McClure Pro Mod winner in both 2017 and 2020, won this time in Pro Gas from the No. 1 qualifying position.  Overall, the event winners represented 10 different states.

 

The only rider able to double-up on the weekend was Casey Smith of Musella, Ga., who, after winning Pro Eliminator, also scored in Dial-In Eliminator in which he beat Kirby Shearin of Roanoke Rapids in the final.

 

Reigning series champ Gary Douglass of Staunton, Va., won Modified; David Doremus of Loveland, Ohio scored in Top Eliminator; John Terry of White House, Tenn., got the Super Gas title; David Dennick of Eighty-Four, Pa., was the last man standing in Pro Dresser, many-time series champ and Pro Gas runner-up Donnie Huffman of Lakeland, Fla., claimed Street Eliminator; and a pair of Carolinians, Bob Maier of Cleveland and Rich Stamey of Wilmington, prevailed in Super Pro and Street Dresser, respectively.

 

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Qualifying – 1. Ryan Peery, Milford, Ohio, 6.425, 213.57 mph; 2. Jay Turner, Julian, 6.445, 214.42 mph; 3. Tii Tharpe, Pfafftown, 6.464, 203.52 mph; 4. Tim Kerrigan, Novato, Calif., 6.534, 204.32 mph; 5. Jake Stordeur, Goshen, Ohio, 6.587, 200.20 mph; 6. Rich Vreeland, Danville, Pa., 6.627, 200.17 mph; 7. Frank Capone, Wakefield, Mass., 6.808, 188.20 mph; 8. Tracy Kile, Ashville, 6.835, 174.93 mph.  Did Not Qualify: John “J.T.” Toth, Charleroi, Pa.; Mark Conner, Robertsville, Mo.; Curtis Heisler, Phoenix, Ariz.; Robert Stewart, Gloucester, Va.; Jim Doyle, Chicopee, Mass.; Jimmy McMillan, Deland, Fla.

 

Round 1 – Jake Stordeur, Goshen, Ohio, .027, 9.944, 83.01 mph, def. Tim Kerrigan, Novato, Calif., foul; Jay Turner, Julian, .080, 6.311, 215.20 mph, def. Frank Capone, Wakefield, Mass., .169, 8.441, 179.09 mph; Tii Tharpe, Pfafftown, .093, 6.351, 215.37 mph, def. Rich Vreeland, Danville, Pa., .094, 6.732, 181.89 mph; Ryan Peery, Milford, Ohio, .088, 6.514, 214.79 mph, def. Tracy Kyle, Ashville, .080, 6.560, 211.69 mph.

 

Semifinals – Tharpe, .062, 6.300, 221.16 mph, def. Turner,.066, 6.346, 216.03 mph; Peery, .119, 6.393, 216.79 mph, def. Stordeur, no time.

 

FINAL – Tii Tharpe, Pfafftown, .073, 6.350, 220.04 mph, def. Ryan Peery, Milford, Ohio .099, 6.471, 216.34 mph.