MCELRATH, BRANSON, PHILLIPS CLAIM DRAG RADIAL WINS AT THE ROCK
 
 

ROCKINGHAM – Leicester’s Jeremy McElrath qualifyied his 1998 Ford Mustang at the front of the pack and was never challenged Saturday in winning the Outlaw Drag Radial championship at the NDRRA Shootout featuring the world’s fastest street legal cars on radial tires.

McElrath qualified No. 1 at 4.915 seconds and unloaded a jaw-dropping 4.764 second run at
166.56 miles per hour in a final round victory over No. 2 qualifier Dave Cox of Conway, S.C.

Other winners included Asheboro’s Chad Branson, who scored an X275 Drag Radial title, and Clayton’s John Phillips who scored an upset victory in the Real Street class, driving his 1990 Ford Mustang past the vintage 1979 Ford Fairmont of Sophia’s Lisa Handy in the final.

Like McElrath, Branson went wire-to-wire in the X275 class, driving his 1971 Dodge past the 2004 Mustang of Raleigh’s James McDowell in the final.
 

Round-by-round results from Saturday’s National Drag Radial Racers Association Shootout at Rockingham Dragway:

OUTLAW DRAG RADIAL
Qualifying – 1. Jeremy McElrath, Leicester, 1998 Ford Mustang, 4.915, 160.23 mph; 2. Dave Cox, Conway, S.C., 1989 Chevrolet Camaro, 5.421, 146.78 mph; 3. Kevin Mullins, High Point, 1990
Ford Mustang, 5.574, 139.96 mph; 4. Joe Alvarez, Liberty, 1983 Ford Mustang, 6.034, 133.70
mph. Round 1 – Dave Cox, Conway, S.C., 1989 Chevrolet Camaro, .104, 5.331, 149.27 mph, def. Will Tate, Denton, 1989 Ford Mustang, .162, 9.310, 43.50 mph; Joe Alvarez, Liberty, 1983 Ford Mustang, .195, 5.362, 135.86 mph, def. Kevin Mullins, High Point, 1990 Ford Mustang, .163,
5.885, 148.82 mph; Jeremy McElrath, Leicester, 1998 Ford Mustang, bye.
Semifinals – McElrath, .303, 5.122, 159.64 mph, def. Alvarez, .172, 5.428, 127.91 mph; Cox, bye.
FINAL – Jeremy McElrath, Leicester, 1998 Ford Mustang, 1.390, 4.764, 166.56 mph, def. Dave
Cox, Conway, S.C., 1989 Chevrolet Camaro, broke.

X275 DRAG RADIAL
Qualifying – 1. Chad Branson, Asheboro, 1971 Dodge, 5.140, 146.97 mph; 2. James McDowell, Raleigh, 2004 Ford Mustang, 5.242, 138.60 mph; 3. Eddie Jones, Benson, 1993 Ford Mustang, 5.267, 136.93 mph; 4. Robbie Patterson, Eden, 1970 Chevy Nova, 5.335, 137.18 mph.
Round 1 – James McDowell, Raleigh, 2004 Ford Mustang, .133, 5.364, 132.18 mph, def. Jamie Williams, Carthage, 1994 Ford Mustang, .072, 5.636, 131.22 mph; Eddie Jones, Benson, 1993
Ford Mustang, .108, 5.166, 139.16 mph, def. Robbie Patterson, Eden, 1970 Chevy Nova, .069, 5.378, 136.68 mph; Chad Branson, Asheboro, 1971 Dodge, .062, 5.031, 149.27 mph, def.
Johnny Canaday, Lexington, S.C., .064, 5.596, 125.05 mph.
Semifinals – McDowell, .129, 5.218, 138.67 mph, def. Jones, .057, 5.305, 137.11 mph; Branson, bye.
FINAL – Chad Branson, Asheboro, 1971 Dodge, .109, 5.335, 117.29 mph, def. James McDowell, Raleigh, 2004 Ford Mustang, broke.

REAL STREET RADIAL
Qualifying – 1. Jonathan Atkins, Mooresville, 1999 Pontiac Trans Am, 5.630, 125.52 mph; 2.
Kevin Robinson, Blythwood, S.C., 1979 Ford Mustang, 5.694, 125.82 mph; 3. Paul Falcon,
Durham, 2001 Pontiac Formula, 5.727, 129.52 mph; 4. Lisa Handy, Sophia, 1979 Ford Fairmont, 5.776, 122.52 mph.
Round 1 – Shannon Young, Princeton, 1993 Ford Mustang, .014, 7.018, 102.88 mph, def.
Jonathan Atkins, Mooresville, 1999 Pontiac Trans Am, foul; Bryan Fendren, Dunn, 1979 Ford Mustang, .113, 6.058, 115.76 mph, def. Charles Lovings, Ruffin, 1998 Chevrolet Camaro, .224, 6.387, 99.71 mph; Darin Wasenhove, Pikeville, .143, 5.852, 119.74 mph, def. Jayme Thompson, NA, 1992 Chevrolet Camaro, .273, 6.226, 116.91 mph; John Phillips, Clayton, 1990 Ford
Mustang, .049, 5.835, 125.52 mph, def. Rodney Norman II, Creedmoor, 1995 Ford Mustang,
.034, 6.028, 124.38 mph; Paul Falcon, Durham, 2001 Pontiac Formula, .197, 5.689, 129.9 mph, def. Kevin Bortree, Denton, 1989 Ford Mustang, .172, 6.808, 111.53 mph; Kevin Robinson, Blythwood, S.C., 1979 Ford Mustang, .131, 5.645, 126.03 mph, def. Michael Howard, North Augusta, S.C., 1995 Ford Mustang, .161, 6.232, 111.61 mph; Lisa Handy, Sophia, 1979 Ford Fairmont, .286, 5.703, 124.37 mph, def. Ken Weidle, Ozark, Ala., 1989 Ford Mustang, no time.
Round 2 – Handy, .149, 5.726, 124.63 mph, def. Fendren, .352, 6.078, 116.51 mph; Robinson, .074, 5.620, 125.92 mph, def. Wasenhove, .156, 5.968, 117.69 mph; Phillips, .042, 5.661,
125.95 mph, def. Falcon, .098, 5.760, 128.80 mph; Young, bye.
Semifinals – Handy, .130, 6.193, 60.49 mph, def. Young, .592, 6.721, 106.55 mph; Phillips, .004, 5.684, 126.21 mph, def. Robinson, .132, 5.575, 126.45 mph.
FINAL – John Phillips, Clayton, 1990 Ford Mustang, .063, 5.683, 126.08 mph, def. Lisa Handy, Sophia, 1979 Ford Fairmont, .094, 5.840, 124.12 mph.