Three first time champions crowned at Bristol

Racers vying for a Sunoco Bracket Series championship at Bristol Dragway had to utilize all their abilities and expertise during the final race of the season on Saturday in order to secure the coveted title. With five of the six classes still undecided heading into the last event, track championships were not only awarded but definitely earned at Thunder Valley’s famed racing strip. Allen Byrd (Super Pro), Tim Griffith (Pro), Jason Nelson (Sportsman), Scott Lee (Pro Bike), Denver Maltba (Junior Dragster Division I), and Clinton Snead (Junior Dragster Division II) wrapped up the championship in their respective divisions.. For Byrd, Lee and Maltba, the titles were their first at Bristol Dragway. Byrd came into the weekend leading the Super Pro class by 67 points over Maryville’s Chris Johnson (630-563) but the absence of Johnson in the final race allowed the Kingsport native to cruise to the championship by 87 points (650-563). Saturday’s final pitted Jonesborough’s Bill Griffin against Josh Dykes with Griffin emerging the victor as he posted a .010 reaction time with a 5.672 elapsed time at 117.97 mph while Mount Carmel, Tenn. native managed a .035 light with a 4.964 E.T. at 135.14 mph. Griffith, the 2005 Bristol Dragway Driver of the Year, took matters into his own hands and successfully defended his Pro track championship by defeating Kingsport’s Alan Nelson in Saturday’s showdown. The Cedar Bluff, Va. resident steered his 1977 Nova to a .049 light with a 6.834 reaction time at 108.09 mph while Nelson flinched on the starting line and received a redlight disqualification. With the win Griffith stretched out the final difference over Bluff City’s Randy Walters to 87 points (788-701). Morristown’s Scott Lee garnered the Pro Bike championship by a mere two points over son Dustin Lee (551-549). The elder Lee succumbed to Elizabethton’s Mike Gill in the semifinals which opened the door for Dustin Lee to grab the title if he won the race. Dustin Lee, however, fell short to the defending Pro Bike champion in the face-off. Gill, a four-time Bristol Dragway champion, cut a .028 light with a 5.980 elapsed time at 105.81 mph while Lee crossed the finish line .027 second quicker than his 6.79 projected dial-in time resulting in the loss. Bluff City’s Jason Nelson seized his second straight Sportsman title by 44 points as he held off his cousin, Adam Smith (684-640).. Smith had an opportunity to catch Nelson but broke out against Bluff City’s Michelle Walters in the semifinals. Walters couldn’t continue her run as she fell to Barney Church of Boone, N.C. in the final duel of the class. Church came off the line to a .021 light with a 13.072 reaction time at 105.50 mph as Walters reacted to a .039 light with a 12.647 E.T. at 104.36 mph. The Junior Dragster Division I class was the only division that saw the lead change hands on the final day. Maltba ,of Newland, N.C., jumped from third to first by besting Bristol’s Avery Denton by only seven points (566-559). Maltba earned the top prize by reaching the finals before losing to Roan Mountain’s Jonathan Hill. Maltba drove his 2003 Barr dragster to a .152 reaction time with an 8.934 elapsed time at 72.57 mph but it wasn’t good enough as Hill hammered out a .127 light with a 9.033 E.T. at 69.76 mph. Junior Dragster Division 2 was the lone class that already had a champion determined going into the final race. Bristol’s Snead padded a large lead over his competitors and outscored Asheville’s Tony Careccia by 113 points (603-490) to earn top honors. In the final race of the season Sevierville’s Arminda Sutton outlasted Gray’s Casey Cundiff to earn her first win of the year. Sutton nailed down a .099 light with an 8.033 elapsed time at 78.70 mph. Winners of each individual class were awarded a lucrative prize package. Super Pro champion Allen Byrd took home a 28-foot enclosed Haulmark Trailer along with $2,500, while Pro class winner Griffith won a pop-up camper provided by Weekend RV Center and $1,500. Sportsman champ Jason Nelson won a four-wheeler from Atlas Honda and $750, while Pro Bike champ Scott Lee won a scooter from Atlas Honda and $750. Denver Maltba (Junior Dragster Division 1) and Clinton Snead (Junior Dragster Division 2) both won trips courtesy of First Class Travel. The champions in each of the six classes, along with the top challengers, will be honored at the Bristol Dragway Awards Banquet in February.