Words and photos by Ian Tocher
Tony “Sandman” Williams never was the quickest or fastest of the Nitro Coupes at the O’Reilly Auto Parts Super Chevy Show June 3-4, at Atlanta Dragway, but at the end of the day it was his sinister-looking, deep black ’69 Camaro that pulled into victory lane.
 In just the fourth race with a new AJ 526 c.i. engine, at Atlanta Dragway, Millington, TN’s Tony “Sandman” Williams picked up his second Super Chevy Nitro Coupe win this year. |
“We were just a little bit luckier today than they were,” Williams said of final-round opponent Chris Russo and his Cedar Grove, NJ-based team. “It was really slick on that last pass, but we stayed in it and got the win light and that’s all that matters.”
Randy Adler, the 2004 Nitro Coupe champ, brought out a brand-new car in Atlanta and promptly placed his Tim McAmis-built 2006 GTO on top of the qualifying list with a 6.478-seconds pass at 220.26 mph. Adler said he could’ve gone quicker, but the track was ground flat just a couple of days before the race and there wasn’t enough traction compound applied, especially beyond the 660-foot markers. “There’s nothing there. After the eighth mile it gets scary,” he said. “That’s why everyone’s times are down a bit this weekend.”
 The AJ 481X in Randy Adler’s new McAmis-built ’06 GTO burns 15 percent nitro and powered the Tinley Park, IL, racer to the Nitro Coupe pole in Atlanta, but he lost in round one to Wayne Torkelson. |
Adler drove through the clutch in a first-round loss to Wayne Torkelson, who also debuted a new car at the Atlanta event. “The tach was at 9,500, the car wasn’t moving, and it was like a fuel car in there, there was so much clutch dust flying around,” Adler said. “He rode off into the sunset without me, so I just shut it off.”
After qualifying third in the eight-car field, Williams easily handled Jeff Merritt in the opening round, then made a solo pass in the semis when Tommy Howes was counted out at the line by the auto-start system. Meanwhile, number-four qualifier Russo received a redlight gift from Cathy Belcher in round one, then scored a come-from-behind upset of defending series champion Wayne Torkelson to reach his second straight Nitro Coupe final.