Nine drivers added to IHRA Summit World Finals in Memphis

Words by Larry Crum/IHRA
Photos courtesy IHRA

It was a busy weekend across the county Sept. 21-23 as nine more drivers punched their tickets to the Summit SuperSeries World Championship at Memphis International Raceway in October and three more tracks claimed Summit Team Finals gold.

In the Carolinas six drivers advanced to the Summit Racing Equipment World Finals in Memphis next month as Carolina Dragway hosted the Division 2 East Summit Team Finals and Piedmont Dragway hosted the Division 9 Summit Team Finals, while a few hours north Pittsburgh Raceway Park hosted the Division 3 Summit Team Finals that same weekend.

In team competition host tracks Pittsburgh Raceway Park and Carolina Dragway both easily swept their Summit Team Finals presented by AMSOIL and Moser Engineering competitions, with Pittsburgh taking a six-point win over Beaver Springs Dragway and Carolina Dragway running away from Immokalee Regional Raceway to take the win. In Division 9 Greer Dragway is the only track to break through and record a team victory at an opposing track, taking the Raiders championship by four points over Fayetteville Motorsports Park.

Individually those drivers that took home the biggest prize of the weekend by advancing to the Summit Racing Equipment SuperSeries presented by AMSOIL and Moser Engineering runoff are, from Division 2 East, Top competitors Tim Butler and Sammy Hollingsworth, Mod competitors Chris Adams and Aaron Brock and Junior Dragster competitors Toni Salsgiver and Jennifer Craft. From Division 3 it was Top competitors Rich Zemrose and Sheldon Gerlach, Mod competitors Randy Biddle Jr. and John Janu and Junior Dragster competitors Randi Teed and Lewie Wrotman.

In the Heat Wave Division Tim Butler (shown), representing Bradenton Motorsports Park, defeated Sammy Hollingsworth from Union County Dragway that saw two solid lights – a .003 to a .006 in favor of Butler – and a close race as Butler ran a 4.968, 138.46 on a 4.95 dial to Hollingsworth’s 4.967 on a 4.95.

And from Division 9 it was Top competitors Chad Brewer and Chris Dean, Mod competitors Jay Norris and Scott Yates and Junior Dragster competitors Connor Caulder and Robert Vogler.

Both the winner and runner-up at each Summit Team Finals over the weekend advanced, making up the 16-car field in each of the three classes.