ROCKINGHAM, N.C. – An overnight exodus of racers concerned about a potential washout of the final day of Rockingham Dragway’s Summer Sizzler Bracket Shootout compelled track owner Steve Earwood to cut his losses and cancel Sunday’s program.
“It was a danged-if-you-do and danged-if-you-don’t situation,” Earwood said. “Weather is always an issue. I try not to make decisions based on the forecast but when the racers react to it, there’s not much you can do. In the end, I met with my core racers, those I was trying to accommodate when I put this event together, and made the best decision I could.”
Before the weather issue arose, Rowland’s Buddy Dial and Lexington’s Shannon Justice picked off the biggest shares of the purse as the Top Eliminator winners on Saturday and Friday, respectively.
Dial used a .014 package to beat Tim Phipps in the Saturday final for the win. Justice won the main event on Friday over Lumberton’s Tim Thomas and then applied an exclamation point by beating TG Paschal in the Gamblers Race.
Richard Charnock won the Saturday gambler’s race driving the Dukes Auto Salvage Chevy over the dragster of Dial.
The Footbrake titles went to veteran Steve Alford of Raleigh and Lauren Edwards of Mayesville on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Both benefitted from final round foul starts by their respective opponents.
Next major bracket race at The Rock will be the Aug. 24-26 Carolina Powerfest featuring the “blue light special.” In the interim, the track will play host the next three Saturdays to the Mass Acceleration Motorsports Street Drags featuring unlimited time trial runs and the MXA Street Car Shootout.
The track will host the “Smoke Out at The Rock” BBQ Cook-off on August 18.
Results from the Summer Sizzler bracket shootout completed Saturday at Rockingham Dragway. Hometowns are North Carolina unless otherwise indicated. Results include reaction time, track time against target time and finish line speed:
SATURDAY GAMBLERS RACE – Richard Charnock, Belvedere, S.C., def. Buddy Dial, Rowland.
FRIDAY GAMBLERS RACE – Shannon Justice, Lexington, def. T.G. Paschal, Pleasant Garden.
SATURDAY TOP ET
Round 5 – Buddy Dial, Rowland, .015, 4.804 on a 4.770, 141.45 mph, def. Richard Charnock, Belvedere, S.C., .032, 6.574 on a 6.550, 103.01 mph; Mark Arthur, Sandy Level, Va., 1970 Ford Maverick, .010, 5.750 on a 5.730, 113.75 mph, def. Lee Desist, Fayetteville, .016, 6.285 on a 6.260, 106.29 mph; David Lowe, Rowland, .026, 4.780 on a 4.770, 139.95 mph, def. Wesley Roberts, Benson, .022, 4.750 on a 4.700, 145.81 mph, Tim Phipps, Salisbury, .019, 5.184 on a 5.120, 122.18 mph, def. Terry Rucker, Benson, .539, 25.372 on a 6.320, 34.38 mph; Nicholas Key, Red Springs, .020, 5.794 on a 5.780, 116.00 mph, def. Chad Brewer, Shannon, .021, 7.763 on a 5.340, 69.87 mph; Paul Warwick, Raeford, bye.
Round 6 – Warwick, .034, 6.528 on a 6.520, 101.82 mph, def. Arthur, .034, 5.758 on a 5.730, 115.41 mph; Dial, .014, 4.798 on a 4.780, 141.16 mph, def. Lowe, .021, 4.809 on a 4.780, 143.31 mph; Phipps, .012, 5.162 on a 5.120, 135.77 mph, def. Key, .021, 5.779 breakout on a 5.790, 116.96 mph.
Semifinals – Phipps, .036, 5.344 on a 5.130, 107.59 mph, def. Warwick, no time; Dial, bye.
FINAL – Buddy Dial, Rowland, .006, 4.798 on 4.790, 142.48 mph, def. Tim Phipps, Salisbury, .021, 5.140 on a 5.120, 135.92 mph.
FRIDAY TOP ET
Round 4 – Tim Thomas, Lumberton, .022, 4.788 on 4.800, 143.89 mph, def. Austin Welch, Roxboro, foul; Shannon Justice, Lexington, .021, 4.920 on a 4.890, 132.26 mph, def. Brian Collins, Shannon, .026, 4.754 on a 4.720, 144.94 mph; Wesley Roberts, Benson, .000, 4.680 on a 4.660, 145.96 mph, def. Scott Curtis, Epping, N.H., 1985 Chevy Monte Carlo, .023, 6.275 breakout on a 6.290, 108.03 mph; Ron Phipps, Salisbury, .025, 6.139 on a 6.100, 106.55 mph, def. Dana “Red” Goins, Red Springs, 1972 Chevy Nova, .021, 6.404 on a 6.360, 105.75 mph; Harold Bell Jr., Shannon, 1965 Chevy Nova, .023, 5.436 on a 5.390, 127.01 mph, def. Terry Rucker, Benson, .016, 6.286 breakout on a 6.290, 105.32 mph; Paul Warwick, Raeford, .015, 6.503 on a 6.490, 98.51 mph, def. Holden Dial, Maxton, foul (-.003); E.J. Womack, Lillington, .003, 4.654 on a 4.650, 148.99 mph, def. Johnny Edwards, Jacksonville, 1970 Chevy Nova, .003, 6.530 breakout on a 6.550, 103.72 mph; Brent Alford, Raleigh, 1970 Chevy Nova, .011, 5.537 on a 5.530, 125.08 mph, def. Chris Dean, Sanford, .028, 4.726 on a 4.710, 139.63 mph.
Round 5 – Thomas, .004, 4.799 on a 4.790, 143.76 mph, def. Alford, foul (-.001); Justice, .010, 4.890 on a 4.880, 137.37 mph, def. Warwick, .025, 6.497 on a 6.490, 101.02 mph; Womack, .017, 4.662 on a 4.640, 148.94 mph, def. Bell, .036, 5.445 on a 5.430, 127.01 mph; Phipps, .013, 6.117 on a 6.100, 110.70 mph, def. Roberts, .053, 4.669 breakout on a 4.670, 147.15 mph.
Semifinals – Justice, .022, 4.875 on a 4.880, 141.83 mph, def. Phipps, foul (-.001); Thomas, .028, 4.816 on a 4.800, 140.24 mph, def. Womack, .016, 4.707 on a 4.650, 144.75 mph.
FINAL – Shannon Justice, Lexington, .012, 4.906 on a 4.880, 135.67 mph, def. Tim Thomas, Lumberton, .008, 4.833 on a 4.800, 142.78 mph.
SATURDAY FOOTBRAKE
Round 4 – Lauren Edwards, Mayesville, 1970 Chevy Nova, .056, 6.596 on a 6.560, 102.71 mph, def. Chip Johnson, Fayetteville, .048, 8.082 on an 8.040, 81.39 mph; Austin Welch, Roxboro, .041, 5.995 on a 5.970, 108.82 mph, def. Brandon Williams, Eagle Springs, .084, 7.247 breakout on a 7.250, 93.85 mph; Brad Knight, Lancaster, S.C., .036, 6.913 on a 6.920, 100.28 mph, def. Jonathan Suratt, NA, foul; Will Walton, Jacksonville, NA, 6.811 on a 6.830, 99.23 mph, def. Willy Buie, St. Pauls, 1972 Chevy Nova, foul; Eric Watts, Rockingham, 1979 Chevy Malibu, .003, 7.395 on a 7.390, 92.06 mph, def. Kevin Locklear, Sanford, 1971 Plymouth Duster, .046, 6.567 breakout on a 6.570, 100.97 mph; Donta Crawford, Pageland, S.C., bye.
Round 5 – Welch, .035, 6.302 on a 5.970, 87.32 mph, def. Crawford, foul; Edwards, .051, 6.587 on a 6.580, 102.91 mph, def. Knight, foul; Watts, .110, 7.420 on a 7.390, 92.43 mph, def. Walton, foul.
Semifinals – Edwards, .011, 6.581 on a 6.570, 103.28 mph, def. Watts, foul; Welch, bye.
FINAL – Lauren Edwards, Mayesville, 1970 Chevy Nova, .033, 6.604 on a 6.560, 102.77 mph, def. Austin Welch, Roxboro, foul (-.002).
FRIDAY FOOTBRAKE
Round 4 – Chris Johnson, Fayetteville, 1979 Chevy Malibu, .020, 7.358 on a 7.350, 91.33 mph, def. Chip Johnson, Fayetteville, .047, 8.000 on a 7.990, 83.58 mph; Steve Alford, Raleigh, .020, 6.831 on a 6.810, 96.18 mph, def. Lauren Edwards, Maysville, 1970 Chevy Nova, .053, 6.566 on a 6.520, 103.87 mph; Ricky Bullock, Sanford, 1971 Chevy Nova, .009, 6.267 on a 6.270, 109.02 mph, def. Allen Furr, Richfield, 1962 Chevy II, foul; Trey Sikes, Hamlet, Dodge Omni, bye.
Semifinals – Alford, .037, 6.815 on a 6.810, 98.61 mph, def. Sikes, .039, 10.825 breakout on a 10.830, 60.68 mph; Bullock, .030, 6.273 on a 6.270, 108.97 mph, def. Johnson, foul.
FINAL – Steve Alford, Raleigh, .033, 6.767 on a 6.790, 100.66 mph, def. Ricky Bullock, Sanford, 1971 Chevy Nova, foul.
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