THE NIGHT THE LIGHTS WENT OUT IN GEORGIA|

Records & Rain Fall During Radial Rumble III

The action came fast and furious Feb. 24-26, at promoter Donald "Duck" Long's The Nighttime the Lights Went Out in Georgia, Radial Rumble III at S Georgia Motorsports Park (SGMP), only it was Mother Nature who won the final circular every bit persistent pelting showers on race day negated literally months of anticipation, trash talk and late-night wrenching.

Long fabricated the call to send anybody home shortly before iv:xxx p.m., but said all classes would exist paid in full, with the full purse divided as among all entrants remaining in contention. For instance, the 32-car Radials vs. the World field didn't get to make even 1 emptying pass, so the $26,000 total bag was divided by 32, giving each qualifier $812.50 to accept dwelling.

"It sucks; what more can you say?" Long asked rhetorically. "We idea nosotros were going to get the track dried later on it stopped raining at 3, but when information technology started again about an hour after it became obvious we just weren't going to be able to go information technology done."

Long said prior to announcing the decision he conducted a quick poll in the pits that revealed unanimous agreement amid competitors to call it a 24-hour interval.

"Nobody wanted to become home early on without racing, just everyone agreed they didn't want to endeavour and await it out, especially since we were facing a 10 o'clock curfew anyhow," he said.

With 271 entries listed among the seven official Lights Out 3 classes and dozens of index and bracket racers also in omnipresence, information technology was by far Long's biggest spring race ever.

"I really hated to see this because we had a record auto count for the February race (he promotes a like effect in Oct at SGMP), record spectator omnipresence and tons of records and personal bests out on the rails. This was an awesome event and I hate that information technology concluded with rain, but what can you do?"

Racers also contended with challenging atmospheric condition Friday, especially during round one of qualifying, as gusty winds reaching nearly forty mph blew straight down the rails from the starting line. Saturday'south action saw the best weather of the weekend with warm and dry out, only overcast skies. It also attracted a huge spectator turnout that filled the grandstands forth both sides of the all-concrete SGMP strip.

Equally mentioned, fans and racers alike were rewarded with several new records set during 3 rounds of qualifying and the first round of eliminations for six classes completed before the moisture stuff took over. Master among the new records was the 4.323-seconds pass at 185.xiii mph in the terminal circular of qualifying by Kevin Fiscus that secured top spot in the marquee Radials vs. The World class that pits elevate radial-equipped cars against machines with slick rear tires. Fiscus' run eclipsed Steve Jackson'southward previous radial-tire record past but one-thousandth of a second.

Home-land hero Jackson slipped into the number-two slot with a four.328 try, followed by Oklahoma's DeWayne Mills at iv.389 seconds. "I hate that we lost the record and won't get a gamble to get it back considering now I'll accept to hear virtually it all summer until nosotros come back here in October," Jackson said with a laugh as the rain continued falling in his pit.

A record 47 drivers made attempts at getting into the Radials vs. The World field, with Ray Royer Jr. of Strongsville, Ohio, securing the number-32 bump spot with a 4.916 laissez passer at 151.73 mph in his '85 Camaro.

Merely 30 cars vied for the 32 spots reserved in Outlaw Radial, but they put on a great testify in qualifying every bit Ricky Play a trick on earned the number-ane position with the only 4.40 run in the class all weekend at iv.492 and 167.88 mph.

In Outlaw 275 vs. 28.5X10.5, another radials vs. slicks class, Oakland, Kentucky's Joel Greathouse led the way in qualifying with a iv.565 at 162.47, representing the only iv.50 in the form. Forty-five entries fabricated attempts on the SGMP eighth mile, simply Brendan Rusell from Owasso, Oklahoma, was the last to make it into the 32-car field with a 5.568 pass at 130.57 in his '93 Mustang.

The Xtreme 275 drag radial class drew an phenomenal 61 entries and after three qualifying sessions information technology was Edison, New Bailiwick of jersey'south Rich Bruder sitting atop the list with a record 4.658-seconds run at 151.34 mph in his Procharger-equipped '88 Mustang. Based on ET, the 32nd-place bump was secured by Mississippi racer Jon Gibson with a 5.173 at 138.12 in his '02 Trans Am, but Tim Meagher and his 'ninety Mustang were inserted into the field as first alternate and remarkably got past a troubled Bruder in round one of racing before the rains came.

In Ultimate Street, Ronnie Wilson of Coral Bound, Florida, was the but driver all weekend to interruption into the five-teens, earning the pole in his 2000 Mustang with a record 5.178 pass at 131.37 mph, then going five.98 at 131.66 in winning his round-i match against number-32 starter Rusty Daughtry and his '95 Camaro.

The Leaf Leap course saw its ET record lowered no less than three times in qualifying, with Tommy Kirk turning the trick offset in his '72 Camaro with a 5.024 in the opening session, then improving to 4.979 in round two. The Northward Carolina commuter's time on meridian was short lived, even so as simply one pair later Ken Marrow Jr. of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, seized first place over the all-run, 21-motorcar field with a 4.935-seconds run at 149.93 mph.

Finally, in Outlaw 10.5, 32 cars entered and 32 qualified, with Billy Gordon leading the pack after posting 4.215 seconds and 180.12 mph with his '04 Mustang. Georgia's own Danny Lowry was shut behind with his Steve Petty-tuned '98 Mustang at iv.218, while Miami's Candido Sanchez placed third with a 4.273 in his 2000 Camaro.

Significantly, in the lonely round completed of Outlaw x.v eliminations, Lowry became the only commuter from any class in the event to surpass a number-one qualifying time as he went 4.200 at 189.70 in beating Paul Malor and setting summit speed of the come across, besides.

So the skies opened up but as Radials vs. The Globe was near to take the rails.

Presently after, form by course, Long chosen the remaining racers to the tower, where he doled out the cash and time subsequently fourth dimension expressed regret at having to pull the plug.

To that point it had been a remarkably smoothly run event with minimal delays for clean-up despite several cursory nitrous fires on the starting line, a couple of crashes (including Kevin Neal'south wild ride featured elsewhere in this effect of Drag Illustrated) and the inevitable dropping of fluids and broken parts when wheelstanding doorslammers suffer their inevitable returns to world.

"I'm sorry; I wish we could've got it in," Long said repeatedly to racers plainly disappointed past the counterfoil, merely appreciative of being treated fairly in payout. "Don't worry, though, we'll be dorsum here in October and information technology'll be a good one. I promise."

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