Memphis International Raceway lived up to its reputation as one of the most sought-after racing destinations in the country over the weekend as the famous track hosted a pair of IHRA Summit Racing Equipment Pro-Am Tour Wild Card races with great results over Father’s Day weekend.
Three drivers claimed double wins during the special two-race Wild Card format highlighted by Leslie Dugas who swept the Top Sportsman category, Wes Neely (above) who doubled up in Stock Eliminator and Mark Miles who took home two wins and a runner-up finish in two different categories.
The rest of the winners from a busy Memphis weekend included Ed Smith and Matt Levatino (Top Dragster), Jimmy Hidalgo Jr. and Scott Stillings (Super Stock), Vernon Rowland (Quick Rod), John May (Super Rod) and Ricky Roe and Greg Fowler (Hot Rod). Junior Dragster winners were Kaleigh Scates and Darian Boesch (Junior Masters), Mackenzie Martin and Kenneth Hillin (Junior Advanced) and Trace Casey (Junior Beginner).
Dozens of states were represented at the Summit Racing Equipment Pro-Am Tour race at Memphis International Raceway including nine states and one Canadian province among the final round participants alone. Among the states represented in the 20 finals were Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia. Ontario, Canada was represented by duel-class competitor and Top Dragster winner Ed Smith.
Georgia native Mark Miles got the Memphis doubleheader off to a rousing start and took home the most hardware over the course of the weekend. Miles had wins in Quick Rod and Super Rod on Day 1 of the two-day race and added a runner-up finish in Super Rod on Day 2. On the weekend Miles went 12-2 in round-by-round competition and took home three trophies.
Miles’ wins included an incredibly narrow final round victory over Jeremy Mason in Quick Rod as Miles edged his opponent by five thousandths off the line with a .010 light and ran an 8.906-second lap at 173.09 mph in the 8.90 class to take the win by three thousandths at the line. That win came just moments after he took an eight thousandths margin of victory over Tommy Maedgen in the Super Rod final earlier in the day.
In IHRA’s premier doorslammer class Grandview, Texas’ Leslie Dugas swept the Top Sportsman category behind the wheel of his ’97 Olds Cutlass with a pair of narrow wins over Scooter Hampton and Marlon Goates. Dugas had reaction times of .005 and .010 in the two finals and ran near dead-on the numbers in both to take the wins.
Memphis’ other double race winner was Florence, Mississippi’s Wes Neely who drove his G/FIA ‘’88 Trans Am Stocker to wins over Sam Pourciau and Jimmy Hidalgo Jr. In both Neely’s opponents had trouble at the line with Pourcia ticking the red bulb and Hidalgo posting a half-second reaction time and running -.016 over the number.
Junior Dragster racer Trace Casey wrapped up the busy weekend with a pair of Beginner victories over Devin Johnson and Carson Russell to sweep the mini-dragster category.
The Memphis race is a precursor to the IHRA Summit Racing Equipment World Finals that will be held at MIR in October.
(Photos courtesy IHRA; Click to enlarge)
Following are the final results from the IHRA Summit Racing Equipment Pro-Am Tour presented by AMSOIL doubleheader at Memphis International Raceway:
SATURDAY
The following are Saturday’s final results from the Summit Racing Equipment Pro-Am Tour presented by AMSOIL, Renegades Division 4 day one at Memphis International Raceway:
GOOD VIBRATIONS TOP SPORTSMAN – Leslie Dugas, Grandview, Texas, ’97 Cutlass, 7.439, 184.47 def. Scooter Hampton, Odessa, Texas, ’06 GTO, 7.414, 187.21.
GOOD VIBRATIONS TOP DRAGSTER – Ed Smith, LaSalle, Ont., dragster, 18.501, 67.72 def. Jeff Bobo, Walnut, Miss., dragster, broke.
SUPER STOCK – Jimmy Hidalgo Jr., Donaldsonville, La., ’02 Firebird, SS/HA, 9.987, 124.55 def. Scott Stillings, Louisville, Ky., ’98 Grand Am, PAA-1, foul.
STOCK ELIMINATOR – Wes Neely, Florence, Miss., ’88 Trans Am, G/FIA, 12.384, 96.49 def. Sam Pourciau, Walker, La., ’02 Camaro, B/FIA, foul.
QUICK ROD – Mark Miles, Flintstone, Ga., dragster, 8.906, 173.09 def. Jeremy Mason, Waco, Ky., dragster, 8.904, 159.46.
SUPER ROD – Mark Miles, Flintstone, Ga., ’68 Camaro, 9.945, 150.00 def. Tommy Maedgen, Troy, Texas, ’27 roadster, 9.928, 144.67.
HOT ROD – Ricky Roe, Paris, Ky., ’68 Camaro, 10.892, 135.93 def. Ray Dew, League City, Texas, ’70 Nova, 10.888, 137.47.
GOOD VIBRATIONS JUNIOR DRAGSTER MASTERS – Kaleigh Scates, Center, Texas, dragster, 8.004, 78.78 def. Justin Poindexter, Millington, Tenn., dragster, 7.940, 80.43.
GOOD VIBRATIONS JUNIOR DRAGSTER ADVANCED – Mackenzie Martin, Rockwall, Texas, dragster, 8.956, 72.75 def. Mallory Bontrager, Wylie, Texas, dragster, 8.936, 74.62.
GOOD VIBRATIONS JUNIOR DRAGSTER BEGINNER – Trace Casey, Van Vleck, Texas, dragster, 11.999, 53.43 def. Devin Johnson, Collierville, Tenn., dragster, foul.
SUNDAY
The following are Sunday’s final results from the Summit Racing Equipment Pro-Am Tour presented by AMSOIL, Renegades Division 4 day two at Memphis International Raceway:
GOOD VIBRATIONS TOP SPORTSMAN – Leslie Dugas, Grandview, Texas, ’97 Cutlass, 7.453, 185.66 def. Marlon Goates, Troy, Texas, ’97 Cutlass, 7.374, 183.99.
GOOD VIBRATIONS TOP DRAGSTER – Matt Levatino, LaPlace, La., dragster, 7.345, 178.61 def. Joanna Tinsley, Odessa, Texas, dragster, 7.494, 172.32.
SUPER STOCK – Scott Stillings, Louisville, Ky., ’98 Grand Am, PAA-1, 9.119, 135.00 def. Troy Huff, Nashville, Tenn., ’82 Camaro, SS/KA, 10.756, 124.42.
STOCK ELIMINATOR – Wes Neely, Florence, Miss., ’88 Trans Am, G/FIA, 12.332, 104.50 def. Jimmy Hidalgo Jr., Donaldsonville, La., ’04 GTO, C/FIA, 10.794, 109.31.
QUICK ROD – Vernon Rowland, Blanchard, Okla., dragster, 9.129, 136.33 def. Mark Meadows, Holly Springs, Miss., dragster, 10.398, 101.42.
SUPER ROD – John May, Dothan, Ala., ’67 Camaro, 9.916, 141.45 def. Mark Miles, Flintstone, Ga., ’68 Camaro, 9.894, 155.67.
HOT ROD – Greg Fowler, Point Pleasant, W.V., ’80 Camaro, 11.153, 117.49 def. Ken MacNicol, Hendersonville, Tenn., ’81 Grand Prix, foul.
GOOD VIBRATIONS JUNIOR DRAGSTER MASTERS – Darian Boesch, Kenner, La., dragster, 7.954, 78.20 def. Kaleigh Scates, Center, Texas, dragster, 8.011, 79.01.
GOOD VIBRATIONS JUNIOR DRAGSTER ADVANCED – Kenneth Hillin, San Antonio, Texas, dragster, 8.944, 74.47 def. Mackenzie Martin, Rockwall, Texas, dragster, 9.000, 72.57.
GOOD VIBRATIONS JUNIOR DRAGSTER BEGINNER – Trace Casey, Van Vleck, Texas, dragster, 12.075, 49.96 def. Carson Russell, Rockwall, Texas, dragster, 12.308, 52.54.
This story was originally published on June 20, 2013.