It started with the Ironman Classic for the Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman and Junior Dragster classes on May 27.
J.T. Smith was right on his dial-in time to take the Super Pro (Box) win. Jordan Johnson (Footbrake), Ruel Dowlen (Sportsman) and Jacob Poss (Jr. Dragster) were other winners of the prestigious IHRA Ironman trophies at the suburban Nashville track.
Smith posted a 4.662-second run on a 4.66 dial-in at 147.50 mph to win the Super Pro final against Brandon Frame. It offset a strong start for Frame, who had a .021 to .047 advantage in reaction time, but was a little further off with a. 4.725-second pass at 146.03 mph against a 4.69 dial-in.
Johnson and final-round opponent Bo Grimes had identical .025 reaction times, but Johnson was spot-on with a 7.615-second run against a 7.61 dial-in. Grimes was close, just not close enough with a 6.324-second elapsed time and a 6.31 dial-in.
Dowlen drove his Ford to the Sportsman win. Facing a 7.53 dial, he went down the track in 7.56 seconds at 85.06 mph. Runner-up Amanda Fuqua posted a 10.74-second run at 65.32 mph against a 10.64 dial-in. She was a little better at the tree with a .020 start compared to a .035 for Dowlen.
Poss captured the Junior Dragster title when final-round opponent Bentley Wright fouled at the start. Poss, who posted a strong .019 reaction time, went down the drag strip in 8.603 seconds at 74.98 mph with an 8.53 dial-in. Wright made a solid pass at 9.290 seconds and 71.10 mph.
The IHRA Ironman was handed out for the Trophy class on Tuesday, May 30.
Thomas Kleppin captured the Ironman victory with an 8.109-second pass at 79.64 mph against an 8.08 dial-in. Runner-up Austin Fuqua broke out in the final round, but this came after he put together a perfect run in the first round of eliminations. Other winners that night included: Wade Willatt (Super Street) and Bam Rucker (Trophy Bike).
Baley Miles capped off the IHRA Ironman winners with her victory in Saturday’s $1,000-to-win Pro Bike race. Miles went down the track in 5.68 seconds at 118.33 mph as her final-round opponent Ronnie Woodall, Sr. ran under by .023.
The race was part of the Saturday program which was headlined by a $5,000-to-win race for the Super Pro class. Scotty Richardson was the big money winner with a 6.498-second run at 102.51 mph, paired with a .011 reaction time. Ron Tiedt rocketed down the strip in 5.801 seconds at 116.63 mph with a .019 reaction time in his runner-up effort.
Blake Richardson brought the family name to victory by beating Austin Boone in the Pro Footbrake final. Todd Boone took the Sportsman victory to deny Ruel Dowlen a second straight Saturday win. Other Saturday, June 3 winners included Braylon Lee (Junior Dragster) edging out Elliott Echols.
IHRA Ironman Classic races are scheduled this weekend for member tracks Brainerd Motorsports Park, Ethridge Motorsports Park,and Pacemakers Outlaw Motorsports Park.
There’s much more exciting racing action coming up at Music City Raceway. Keep up with the latest news by clicking here to check out the track’s Facebook page.
