Like Father Like Son in MMP Winner's Circle
March 12, 2006) -- Timmy Smith has grown up around drag racing. The son
of Roanoke, Alabama heavy hitter Mike Smith, Timmy followed in dad's
footsteps Saturday night (3/11) at Montgomery MotorSports Park by snagging
the Super Pro title just one week after his father won the
MMP weekly wars.
Just
to make the Smith tribe domination more complete, it was nearly a
father-son final, as former B&M world champ Ricky Jones of Manchester,
Georgia knocked off Mike in the semis. Timmy spent much of the 2005 season
overcoming injuries suffered in a hunting accident as well as an
industrial accident, but has started 2006 in high gear.
He did his job in the finals, overcoming Jones' stellar .001 reaction
time with a dead-on 5.166 run on his 5.16 dial at 130.81 miles per hour.
Ricky Jones' legendary 1984 yellow Chevrolet ran a 5.826 at 118.32 miles
per hour on a 5.83 dial for the breakout loss. Mike Smith was the lone
semi-finalist.
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In
the MMP Footbrake class on March 11, another "family tradition" racer took
the title. Ben Willis of Daviston, Alabama is the son of well-known
Footbraker Larry Willis. Ben recently stepped into the family 1990 GMC
Sonoma pickup and drove it to a win Saturday over hometown hero Jason
Cahoon of Elmore (AL).
In the Footbrake finals, Ben (who is part of the Coalburg Racing team) ran
an 8.001 on his 7.97 dial at 84.46 miles per hour. Jason dialed a 7.06 in
his Chevy S-10 but ran a 7.106 at 89.09 miles per hour. Danny Staggs of
McCalla, Alabama and J.J. Hood of Prattville (AL) were the semi-finalists.
George Howard is putting some sizzle in the Montgomery MotorSports Park
Super Pro bracket program. The basic purse structure says the Super Pro
winner each week receives $1,000 with the runner-up receiving
$300, semi-finalists $100 and 4th round winners $25 round money. But now
Howard says if there are 60 or more Super Pro cars entered in a week's
race, he'll bump the winner's purse to $1,500; if 100 or more Super Pro
cars make a race, the winner's share jumps to $2,000.
Footbrakers aren't being neglected either as they race free each week
for a $500 top prize, paying only a spectator admission. The MMP
Footbrake runner-up will receive $100 and semi-finalists $50.
Montgomery MotorSports Park is also offering a weekly Jr.
Dragster program. If eight or more Jr. Dragsters enter, the winner will
receive $100 and the runner-up $50. If fewer than eight Jr. Dragsters
are at a race, the winner and runner-up will receive trophies. The
class will be allowed the same first or second round buyback opportunity
as the other classes.
Track gates will open at 4:00pm each Saturday with time trials beginning
at 5:00pm, Sunoco Run for the Money at 6:30pm and Round One Eliminations
at 7:00pm.
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