No tricks, just treats at Northeast Dragway

4.90 class makes surprise appearance

On a night when the most popular question is “trick or treat?”, Northeast Dragway fans found themselves receiving just treats. Warm, balmy breezes and dry conditions held out as other regional tracks were forced to cancel due to rain.

The 4.90 Class drivers, scheduled to run at Richmond Dragway, made a beeline back to Northeast when the rain began to fall in Richmond, treating fans to heads-up racing for the second straight week.

Clarence Allen, the last to roll in, almost missed the first round of time runs, but quickly grabbed the No. 1 qualifying position with a near perfect pass of 4.901. Allen carried that momentum all the way to the final round where he defeated Chuck Charter, who fouled with a red-light start. Allen went on to run 4.954 for the win.

Jeff Moore of Elizabeth City, driving the Milton Copeland owned Chevy Nova, dominated the Top Eliminator Class. Moore met Randy Trahan in the final round where he posted a .505 reaction time and ran dead on his 6.38 dial. Trahan left with a red-light, resulting in a second-place finish for the second straight week.

Eric Whitehurst of Elizabeth City is back in top form after a recent health scare which sidelined his racing for a few weeks. Whitehurst, of Pops Boyz Racing, doubles up by running a dragster in Top Eliminator and a Camaro in the Modified Class, where he faced Otis Scott Jr. in the final round. Whitehurst had a .532 reaction time and ran 6.894 on his 6.86 dial while Scott broke out on top end.

The 2009 Street Class champion Tony Boone racked up another win with his final-round victory over John Scalise. Boone coasted to the finish line after Scalise, in his first final round appearance of the year, fouled with a red-light start.

Jody Patterson made his way to the top of a larger-than-normal Pro Bike field to claim his first win of the year. Patterson’s final-round opponent Brian Minor of Edwards experienced clutch failure off the line, allowing Patterson a effortless win.

In the Junior Dragster Class, newcomer Hannah Winslow of Edenton continued to show her abilities as she made it to the final round for the second straight week, this time facing Whitney Harden of Askewville. Both drivers left the line clean with Harden having the slight advantage. It was an all-out drag race to the finish line with Harden crossing the line a mere .096 ahead of Winslow for the closest finish of the night.

Racing action resumes this weekend beginning with the annual Racer Appreciation Day Race on Saturday. Racers will receive a free tech card with their $10 entry fee and will race for regular pay outs. Gates open at 1 p.m., time runs begin at 3 p.m., followed by eliminations at 5 p.m. Test and Tune will move from Friday to Sunday afternoon for the month of November. Gates open at noon with testing from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Log onto www.northeastdragway.net for more details and upcoming events.