Memphis Super Chevy Show Features Surprise Appearance by Top Fuel Champion Clay Millican

For the third year in a row, the AutoZone Super Chevy Show at Memphis Motorsports Park broke its own attendance record during the April 17-18 event. 

Clay Millican

 

The huge crowd saw defending WorkMat.net Nitro Coupe world champion Randy Adler of Tinley Park, IL, return to the winner's circle and also got an extra dose of Nitro as Top Fuel star Clay Millican brought his Werner Enterprises Top Fuel dragster to the events. 

Millican, who hails from nearby Drummonds, Tennessee, made a total of four test runs Saturday and Sunday.  Although none of the runs went the full quarter mile, Memphis fans were delighted to see their hometown hero and experience the thunder of a Top Fueler. 

Randy Adler

 

Adler, who won the first two national events of the Nitro Coupe season before going out early in Valdosta, GA, took his latest win at the expense of Holley, NY racer Dave Tomasino.  Adler's 57 Chevy Nitro Coupe ran a 6.580 at 211.99 mph in the final to best Tomasino, whose 6.612 second run was marred by some engine damage causing him to pull the chutes early and slow to a 167.76 mph pace. The win also boosted Adler back to the top of the points in the Mickey Thompson Nitro Coupe Challenge.

T.J. Tracey

 

Canadian racer Bruce Boland and Nitro Coupe rookie Wayne Torkelson were the semifinalists. Torkelson showed he will be a force to be reckoned with as he made a sizzling 6.333-second pass during eliminations for the fastest E.T. of the young Nitro Coupe season.

In the Top Sportsman ranks, Tennessee racer T.J. Tracey took care of business with a final-round win over Jeremy Glidewell, part of a Top Sportsman brother act from Corinth, Mississippi.  Tracey dialed his '66 Nova to a 7.07 in the finals and ran a 7.104 at 190.19 mph.  Glidewell, driving a '95 Cutlass, dialed a 7.46 and ran a breakout 7.457 at 182.67 mph. Jeremy Glidewell's brother Corey and Billy Vaughn of Knoxville, TN were the semifinalists.

Bill Houghton

 

The Chicago Outlaw Super Stock Association brought a full field of cars to the Memphis Motorsports Park AutoZone Super Chevy Show.  The cars are a fan favorite because they are street legal, but run quarter-mile times in the eight-second range.  Association founder Bill Houghton of Homer Glen, Illinois, ended up with the victory, besting Ron VanderWoud, also of Homer Glen.  Houghton took his record setting 1993 Camaro Z-28 to a 8.091-second pass at 170.60 mph in the finals; VanderWoud ran a 8.275 at 165.72 mph.

Cannonball Express

 

A field of over 400 cars was at Memphis for the AutoZone Super Chevy Show's Flowmaster bracket racing series.  The Memphis crowd also saw duels between the only two train-themed jet dragsters in the world...the "Cannonball Express" and the "Super Chief," both owned by California driver KC Jones. Jones, piloting the Cannonball Express, took three of the weekend's four races.

Before the first round of eliminations Saturday, Roger Gustin, President of AutoStar Productions, the producers of the AutoZone Super Chevy Show, presented a special "Partnership" award to racing legend Bill Taylor, President of BTE/Memphis Performance.  

Roger Gustin and Bill Taylor

 

The AutoZone Super Chevy Show makes its first-ever appearance at San Antonio Raceway April 22-24 and then moves West to the Pomona Raceway-Fairplex near Los Angeles April 28 - May 1.

WorkMat.net Nitro Coupe Results:

Round One

Driver

Reaction Time

ET

MPH

 

 Randy Adler, Tinley Park, IL, def.

.081

6.435

216.48

 

Tony "Sandman" Williams, Millington, TN, '69 Camaro

.048

7.215

152.76

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bruce Boland, Stoney Creek, Ontario (Single)

.085

6.422

216.24

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wayne Torkelson, Belpre, OH, def.

.068

6.333

219.12

 

Jerry Hicks, Deer Park, TX

BROKE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dave Tomasino, Holley, NY def.

.070

6.720

207.98

 

Jeff Merritt, Merrillsville, IN

.076

7.177

198.06

 

 

 

 

 

Round Two

 

 

 

 

 

Randy Adler def.

.026

6.370

219.26

 

Bruce Boland

.043

6.471

214.59

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dave Tomasino def,

.076

6.458

211.30

 

Wayne Torkelson

.059

13.539

61.62

 

 

 

 

 

Finals

 

 

 

 

 

Randy Adler def.

.096

6.580

211.99

 

Dave Tomasino

.114

6.612

167.76

 

Top Sportsman Eliminations Presented by ProCharger Results:

 

Driver

R/T

Dial-in

ET

MPH

Winner

T.J. Tracey, Bartlett, TN, '66 Nova

.018

7.07

7.104

190.19

Runner-Up

Jeremy Glidewell, Corinth, MS, '95 Cutlass

.038

7.46

7.457

182.67

Semis

Corey Glidewell, Corinth, MS, '95 Cutlass

 

 

 

 

 

Billy Vaughn, Knoxville, TN, '92 Camaro

       

   

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