ROCKINGHAM, NC - Eighteen year-old Warren McBride of Derby reached his first final round Saturday at Rockingham Dragway in his short drag racing career.  Participating in only his second event in competition, McBride finished as the runner-up to Aberdeen’s Willie Lytch. 

McBride, a student at Richmond County Senior High School, drove his Derby Custom Paint Chevy Nova to an eighth mile time of 7.566 seconds at 87.70 miles per hour to the Camaro of Lytch’s winning time of 6.626, 101.41. 

Competing in the Nostalgia Bracket class at the 6^th Annual Nostalgia Drags and Sandhills Classic Street Rod Show, McBride collected the runner-up trophy and $225 in purse.

David Gambrell of Linwood won the Classic Gear Jammers class in his 1971 Plymouth Barracuda over the Oldsmobile Cutlass of Duke Snyder, Mountain, Tenn.

In the route to the final, McBride defeated Slick Hunt of Carthage, Ron Williams of Eagle Springs, David Riddle of Southern Pines, and Tommy Lumley of Charlotte.

Young McBride works part time at the Dragway and is a second generation drag racer, following the steps of his dad Phil and uncle Bert McBride.