Season opens at Northeast Dragway

By Wendy Curling

            The gates were open and the green light was on last weekend as Northeast Dragway welcomed racers to their “fast track with the hometown feel” for another action packed season of the greatest side by side racing around. Newcomers came to test their skills while returning regulars were “blowing out cobwebs” and testing new equipment.

            The track will be open Friday nights for Test and Tune and Saturday for Bracket racing until the end of November. Racers will have the month of March to get their rides dialed in before the more serious points races start in April.

             Most racers had no trouble shaking off the dust and getting back in the groove and Irvin Askew was no exception. Askew won first place in the Top Eliminator class in the Milton Copeland owned Chevy Nova by defeating Jerry Fair of Virginia Beach. Askew said it was no easy ride and his competitors made him work for every round. He had a .507 reaction time and ran 6.25 on his 6.24 dial to take the win.

              Bill Haskell of Virginia Beach went head to head with Elizabeth City’s Eric Whitehurst in the final round of Modified action. Haskell took the win as Whitehurst ran under his dial, resulting in a break out foul.

               In the Street class, Tom Cornelissen in his Ford Mustang won over the nitrous-injected Jeep Cherokee of Marcus Hughes. Cornelissen, with the better reaction time, ran 9.20 on his 9.15 dial to take the win.

               Experienced and seasoned riders prevailed in the Pro Bike class as Big Kev Richardson and Sammy Chellis ran for the trophy in the final round with Richardson claiming the win. Kevin Floyd of Elizabeth City finished third.

               Mc Donald Farms Racing had plenty to celebrate as brothers Mason Merritt and Stevie Butler finished first and second, respectively, in the Junior Dragster class. Younger brother Mason won the toss for lane choice and went on to win the race. He nailed the tree with a .516 reaction time ran 9.07 on his 8.94 dial while Stevie lost with a break out foul.

               Racing continues this weekend with Test and Tune Friday from 7 to 10 pm followed by Bracket Racing on Saturday. Gates open at 1, timed runs are from 3 to 5 with eliminations shortly after. Log onto www.northeastdragway.com for schedules, updates and track information.