CCRA Racer Spotlight

[Tabitha Draughon]

CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association Racer Spotlight:

Today we are headed to Chesterfield, VA; home of Mr. Sterling A. Simmons, Jr. He is 63 years of age & has been racing for 35 of those years. His primary race car is a 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier powered by a Chevy 350 CI engine built by Tilburg. He also shares driving duties with his son, Sport, in their 2004 Pontiac GTO powered by a 346 CI engine built by Randy Daniels. Sterling's sponsor on both of his cars is his wife, Mrs. Cynthia Simmons ❤️! He would like to give "Special Thanks" to first and foremost his wife, Cynthia, of 29 years for her support, his daughter Chandler for missing a lot of her teenage time following him to the track, his son, Sterling, III (Sport) for always being his sidekick & making him so proud for now racing himself. Sterling's most memorable win is the 2021 NHRA Gatornationals Super Stock winner. Some of his accomplishments include: 1990 IHRA Division 1 Champ, 5 time division wins, 4 national event finals with 1 win, & 2 time NHRA Record Holder. He states that his most epic fail is losing 3 finals and missing a quarter final round at a national event. We asked Sterling to tell us something funny & his reply was buying a twin bed motorhome as a newlywed. (Wonder if he ended up on the couch?!?) Sterling competes in CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association, NHRA national & divisional racers, as well as some local bracket races. He joined the points for the 2022 CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association season & started out the year with a bang! Although he had about talked himself out of coming to the first race of the year at Coastal Plains Raceway Park Dragway due to increasing fuel prices, fellow racer & friend, Jeff Longhany, told him to bring the truck & open trailer & he could stay with him for the weekend. He had to make multiple stops at ATM's to get enough cash for the weekend but on Sunday evening all of that paid off when he found himself in the finals of a double race. He came out in the bridesmaid spot but he didn't have to stop at an ATM to get home this time! He is currently in the 8th position after having to miss the last race weekend due to his mother-in-law having a milestone birthday party that he surely couldn't miss but we hope to see him & Mrs. Cindy back in action at KDS Motorsports in August.

Sterling is a great friend to all of his competitors. He is willing to jump in to help a fellow racer in their time of need & also when he needs the help, his fellow racers are right there to help him out as well. Be sure to stop by Sterling's pit area at the next race & have a chat with him.

CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association will be back in action in August at KDS Motorsports. Details regarding that race will be released in the next few days. Everyone stay cool & hydrated & we'll see you at the track very soon!!!

[Tabitha Draughon]

CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association Racer Spotlight:

This week we are taking a short road trip to Louisburg, NC, home of Mr. Jim "Jim Dandy" Reynolds. Jim is 62 years young & has been racing 47 of those years. He has a shop full of race cars, all with plenty of boat flake, but this article is going to focus on his 1957 Chevy Bel-Aire aka as "Ole Bessie". "She" is powered by a SBC 400 CI engine built by H&f performance out of Wilson, NC. This car competes in NHRA Super Stock & CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association events. Jim has a couple of other SS cars as well as a few Stock Eliminator class cars. Ole Bessie was painted by Brandon White of McCreary's Body Shop in Cana, VA. His sponsors include Ace Rug Cleaning Company, Inc. & Jennifer Sue's Miniature Dachshunds. Jim would like to give "Special Thanks" to his wife Jennifer Reynolds, H&f performance, Redline Speed Shop, Robbie Draughon Powertrain Development, & Tracy & Logan Robbins. He states that his most memorable win was his last win which took place at the CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association KDS Motorsports event on 06/04/22. Some of his accomplishments include: 87 IHRA Super Stock World Champion, 2003 IHRA Division 9 Champion, multi-time track champion, 97 NHRA Pennzoil Nationals Super Stock Champ, 2-time CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association champion with his last being in 2018, & 86 bracket finals runner-up. Jim says his most epic fail would be from 1993 losing in the finals to Anthony Bertozzi (I'm thinking that's who he meant) in the Modified Eliminator Shootout when he had a bad reaction time. A funny incident from the track that he recalls was when his wife Jennifer was putting him into the waterbox & she lost her flip flop & stopped the race to retrieve it. Jim doesn't race as much as he would like due to various reasons, but he's generally a force to be reckoned with when he does show up at the track. His first race of the year was at KDS Motorsports in June & as you can see that trip paid off as he found himself holding the trophy at the end of the night. We all pick on Jim because he always post on Facebook that he plans to be at a race & then due to unforeseen circumstances he isn't able to make it so when he showed up at Kinston, we told him we were rolling out the "red carpet" for his appearance.

Jim is a well-rounded, well-liked guy at the track. He is generally keeping to himself & in his pit area but if a fellow racer stops by, he's always up for some bench racing & telling past racing stories. If you are a friend of his on Facebook, he generally post older pics of him & his cars at various race tracks all up & down the East Coast. We all are hoping that Jim is planning to attend our next weekend event back at KDS Motorsports & I'm sure he is hoping to repeat his last trip there.

As stated above, CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association will be back in action next weekend, August 6th & 7th at KDS Motorsports for another triple event. Please stay as cool as possible & hydrated & we look forward to seeing y'all next weekend at the track!

[Tabitha Draughon]

CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association Racer Spotlight

Let's take a little ride up Interstate 95 to Pembroke, NC, home of Dell Britt. Dell just recently had a birthday so he is now 58 years young & has been racing for 38 of those years. He is very dedicated to drag racing as well as tractor pulling (pic included). Dell is one of those that is always working on his car to improve the performance of it. His race car is a 1970 Chevrolet Nova powered by a SBC 355 CI built by Dell himself. He competes in NHRA Stock Eliminator & CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association events. On his off weekend, he is either at a tractor pull or in his shop tinkering on something &/or cleaning, & then he'll be on the grill as it approaches suppertime. If you've never had the pleasure to eat any of his cooking, do yourself a favor & find him on his grill at the next race you see him at. You can thank me later!!!! Dell would like to give "Special Thanks" to Missy & Cody Phillips for the loaner car that he won his first IHRA Ironman with. He says his most memorable win would be the 2016 IHRA Division 9 Summit Racing Equipment Pro-Am Stock Eliminator win. Some of his accomplishments include: Rockingham Dragway Footbrake Track Champion in 2002, 2011 Carolina Thunder & Lightning Series Champ in Modified, & 2011 7th Annual Sonny Greer Memorial Race Modified winner at Darlington Dragway. Dell laughs & says his most epic fail is losing to that red bulb on the tree! As far as a funny race track story, Dell says it was meeting Jim Marshall for the first time. They were at Piedmont Dragway for an IHRA race & Dell parked very close to Jim. Apparently it was a little too close for comfort for Jim & he came out & asked Dell did he plan to stay there. I didn't hear the "end result" but I think it is safe to say Dell probably moved since him & Jim are still friends today! Dell is still waiting for his first NHRA Stock Eliminator win & I can promise everyone, when it does happen, it's going to be EPIC. He got a late start for the CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association 2022 season as his "better half" Linda had some medical issues that needed to be addressed first. We are glad Ms. Linda is on the mend & back at the track attempting to keep Dell straight.

Dell is a very well liked guy at the track & always joking & carrying on with all his racing buddies. His nickname from Mr. Phil Hilling is Spanky & you will have to ask Mr. Phil about that one. I wish I had the video to upload from his birthday gift at Farmington Dragway from the hotel staff in Mooresville, NC. Dell loves to cook while at the track & then an audience always gathers & the stories start to flow. Your belly will be hurting from laughing so much. Be sure to catch up with Dell this weekend as the CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association is back in action.

CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association will taking on KDS Motorsports this weekend for the 2nd stop of the 2022 season. This is our 2nd triple header of the year & we look forward to seeing everyone start rolling in on Friday evening.

[Tabitha Draughon]

CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association Racer Spotlight:

This week we are going to take a couple of hours trip towards the NC Coast where we visit Newport, NC; home of Mr. Al Brister. Al is 64 years of age & has been racing for 35 years. His current racecar, the RAMBLER, is a 1970 AMC AMX powered by a 360 CI engine built by Sloan Racing Engines. His sponsors include his wife Teresa & Uncle Sam! He says his most memorable win would be the bracket finals in 1999. Some of his accomplishments include: making it to the drag strip without getting lost & he married UP. He has survived a brain tumor operation, a heart attack, & growing up named Allison. Sounds like he's definitely been through it all! Al would like to give Special Thanks for his wife & sponsor, Teresa Brister, Billy & Carole Plage, & Sloan Racing Engines. He says his most epic fail is getting involved in drag racing. 😂 Al & Teresa were just here yesterday visiting Redline Speed Shop for the first time so I was able to learn a little more about them. They currently have about 10/11 cars of all makes & models; some racecars, some street cars, & others are a Work in Progress. He has raced a multitude of different cars & makes in his 35 years of racing. Al competes in NHRA Southeast Division 2 Stock Eliminator, CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association events, & some local bracket racing at KDS Motorsports & Coastal Plains Raceway Park Dragway. Teresa told me that Al has a very strong work ethnic & even took a year out of high school to go to work. That has all paid off today as he is the owner of Clarkspoon in Morehead City, NC. If any racers enjoy fishing, you might want to look up Clarkspoon as well as talk to Al at the track next time you see him. Al wasn't able to race with us this past weekend at KDS Motorsports as he tested on Friday evening, heard a noise that didn't quite sound right, & didn't want to risk tearing it up. It ended up being the torque converter bolts were loose but he said they were much easier to tighten up on the lift in his air conditioned shop at his house instead of the heat that we all endured at KDS Motorsports. Teresa didn't really like that comment as she would have rather been at the dragstrip! Al even made the comment if it weren't for Teresa wanting to go racing, he probably wouldn't ever go.

Al is a very well respected guy around the dragstrip to all of his fellow racers. He has some very fine, clean race cars. If you are friends with Al on Facebook, you can check out some of his previous racecars on his page. We are looking forward to having Al & Teresa race with us at our final CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association of the 2022 season at Coastal Plains Raceway Park Dragway in November. Hopefully by then those torque converter bolts will be tightened up!

CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association is off for a few months but in the meantime, there is plenty of racing left for our racers. We hope to see you guys & girls competing & winning at the upcoming NHRA Southeast Division 2 race at GALOT Motorsports Park, NHRA national events at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, Maple Grove Raceway, & zMAX DRAGWAY, as well as the NHRA Northeast Division race at Virginia Motorsports Park. See y'all at the track soon!

[Tabitha Draughon]

Carolina Class Racers Association Racer Spotlight:

We don't have to go far up the road this week as Laurinburg, NC is only a jump, hop, & a skip from Fayetteville. Blake Hickman, 22 years of age is our racer to talk about today. Blake is one of our younger racers in CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association so we look forward to having to him participate in our association for many years to come. He has been racing 15 years & as you can see from one of the pictures (stolen from his sister's Facebook page), he came up through the junior dragster ranks & was a pretty successful racer in that class. His current racecar is a 1983 Chevrolet Camaro powered by a SBC 305 CI engine built by his dad's business, Hickman's Performance which is also who Blake list as his sponsor. His most memorable win is his most recent one that was in 2021. He won Stock Eliminator at the NHRA Southeast Division 2 race at Orlando Speed World Dragway. A few of Blake's accomplishments include: 2011 & 2012 IHRA Division 9 Junior Dragster Points Champion, 4x NHRA Class Winner, & lost the 2021 NHRA Southeast Division 2 Stock Eliminator points due to a tie breaker. He gives "Special Thanks" to his mom, dad, & "I guess my sister"! He says his most epic fail is taking off in high gear 1st round of a NHRA national event at zMAX DRAGWAY. When Blake was asked about anything funny, he replies "just my driving skills"! At least he can have fun with it & that's what it's all about!!! Blake is generally found running NHRA national events & NHRA Southeast Division 2 races but he occasionally will come to support the CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association races & we are thankful for his & his dad, Buddy's support when they have time to come race with us. Blake overcame some serious medical conditions a few years ago so just to see him racing today is such an awesome sight! Praise God for healing Blake!

Blake is somewhat quite in the beginning but deep down inside, he's a great young man & has lots of laughter to offer everyone that can break inside his bubble. His daddy, Buddy, used to race as well so to see Blake following in his dad's footsteps is great. The Hickman Family is an awesome family at the track & is willing to help fellow racers in a time of need. Hickman's Performance builds several NHRA Stock Eliminator engines. All of the NHRA & NHRA Southeast Division 2 races will be over by the time the CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association is out next so we hope Blake can attend our final race of 2022.

In the meantime with us being off for several months, we look forward to seeing our racers attend the upcoming NHRA Southeast Division 2 race at GALOT Motorsports Park, NHRA national events at Maple Grove Raceway, Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, & zMAX DRAGWAY, as well as the NHRA Northeast Division race at Virginia Motorsports Park. See y'all at a track very soon!

[Tabitha Draughon]

CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association Racer Spotlight:

Let's head down to Snow Hill, NC, home of Mr. Ed McLawhorn. He is 63 years old & I'm not sure how many of those years he's been racing. 😉 His racecar is a 1966 Chevy II Wagon powered by a SBC 283 CI engine built by himself. He did not that he had the machine work hired out. Laughing, he says his sponsor is "his pocket book"! Mr. Ed recalls his biggest memory being in November 2017 when he carried his dad who had had dementia down the 1/4 mile of KDS Motorsports. The first thing that his dad asked was "how much did my 235 lbs slow him down". His dad died just a few short months later in April 2018. He would like to give "Special Thanks" to his son, Avery McLawhorn as well as his dad, Mr. Ed McLawhorn for introducing him to class racing. Ed says his most epic fail in racing was having a dead battery in the staging lanes at Coastal Plains Raceway Park Dragway. One funny story (well actually 3) that he remembers from racing is losing a ramp to an open trailer 3 times & was fortunate enough to turn around and found it in a ditch, beside a mailbox, & in the middle of the road. BTW, if y'all ever see Mr. Ed or Avery using an open trailer at the track, be sure to check their trailer ramps before they leave 🙂!!! You will find Ed competing in NHRA Southeast Division 2 & CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association races.

Ed started going to the dragstrip at 4 years old. He was right there with his dad anytime he left the driveway with his racecar. They travelled up and down the Eastern part of the country. In 1990, his dad stopped running Super Stock due to the cost of cylinder heads. He pulled his 283 CI engine out of the car & put in on an engine stand. Twenty-three years later (in 2013), Ed told his dad he had a "wild hair up his ***" & wanted to update the outdated 283 engine & put back in the wagon. The following year, they went back racing. This is an awesome testimony of family drag racing!
Ed is a very well liked gentleman around the track & is always up to help fellow racers when in need. If there isn't any work to do, he is generally is a huddle with a group of racers chatting & telling all sorts of racing stories. Even when his car was down for awhile, him & Avery would still come to the races to hang out & enjoy themselves. If I had to guess, his next race on the schedule would be the upcoming NHRA Southeast Division 2 race at GALOT Motorsports Park in September. He will be back in CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association action at our final race of 2022 in November at Coastal Plains Raceway Park Dragway.

In the off time, we look forward to seeing our racers compete at the upcoming NHRA North Central Division 3 at Beech Bend Raceway Park, NHRA National events at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, Maple Grove Raceway, & zMAX DRAGWAY, as well as the NHRA Northeast Division race at Virginia Motorsports Park. See y'all at the track soon!

[Tabitha Draughon]

CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association Racer Spotlight:

We took an extended vacation from last week & stayed close so we could put some focus on Maury, NC's very own Avery McLawhorn this week. He is 28 years young & has only been racing for 2 years. I can tell you that in those short 2 years, I personally have watched him grow & improve each race & there's more to come. His own racecar is a 1966 Chevy II aka Money Pitt or Pain in my ***, powered by a SBC 283 CI built by his father, Ed. McLawhorn Jr. Here recently we have seen him piloting his dad's ride, a 1966 Chevy II Wagon. Avery's sponsors include: Frank Lupo Dynamic Converters, his dad Ed McLawhorn, & his wife, Samantha McLawhorn. His states that his most memorable win is TBD! 🙂 A few of Avery's accomplishments include building motors with his dad, getting the car to finally hook after all season of chasing demons, restoring his car back to full SS trim after it being a bracket car since 1990, being a member as well as a sponsor of CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association, & lastly getting his first round wins in a Super Stock car in both the CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association & NHRA Southeast Division 2 races. He would like to give "Special Thanks" to his dad, his granddad (Ed McLawhorn Sr), in which both his car & his dad's car was inherited from the elder McLawhorn in the 80's, & Frank Lup Dynamic Converters. Avery recalls two of his most epic fails being his hand slipping of his transbrake against Rick Mann in first round of Virginia Motorsports Park NHRA Northeast Division division race before Rick was fully staged & him blowing his motor at the NHRA Southeast Division 2 race at Rockingham Dragway in 2021. His funny racing story is being blamed on his crew chief/dad for leaving the spark plug wire off, not once but twice, resulting in one bad time run & the 2nd was a round loss. I bet the crew chief/dad heard about that for awhile 😉! Avery competes in NHRA Southeast Division 2, NHRA Northeast Division, & CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association races.

Avery, just like his dad, is a very well liked guy around the dragstrip. He is always willing to jump in & help fellow racers in a time of need. Avery will also help Tabitha & Leigh Anne with CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association operations at the track when needed as he has handled the staging lanes on multiple occasions. Not sure which one of the McLawhorn's will be racing at the next NHRA Southeast Division 2 at GALOT Motorsports Park but I know they will be there. And then of course, he'll participate at the CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association finale in November at Coastal Plains Raceway Park Dragway.
Although the CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association is off for a few months, there is still plenty of races left & we wish all of our racers success on & off the track. The #BIG GO at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park is currently taking place with Class Eliminations being ran today. Some of the other races coming up is the NHRA Southeast Division 2 race at GALOT Motorsports Park, national events at Maple Grove Raceway & zMAX DRAGWAY, as well as the NHRA Northeast Division race at Virginia Motorsports Park. See y'all at the track soon!!

[Tabitha Draughon]

CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association Racer Spotlight:

This week takes us up Interstate 95 to the small town of Godwin, NC, home of Eddie Longhany Jr. Eddie Jr. is 46 years old & has been racing for 35 of those years so he got started at a fairly young age. This isn't surprising at all as he comes from a strong racing background family. His race car known as White Ghost is a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro powered by a BBC 396 CI engine. His #1 bullet is built by Tilburg Racing Engines & his #2 bullet is built by Sloan Racing Engines. His sponsors include his personal business, Victory Lane Golf Carts & his 2 brother's business, Auto Plus Service Center. Eddie Jr. would like to give "Special Thanks" to his father, Ed Sr, his wife Stephanie, crew chiefs & sons, Johnson & Jennings, as well as his brothers, Jeff & Mike. He says that his most memorable win was the 2018 NHRA race at Bristol Dragway. A few of his accomplishments include being the 2015 IHRA Super Stock Champion, 2018 Bristol Dragway NHRA Champ, & his Gainesville Raceway Gatornationals Runner-up in 2019. Unfortunately for Eddie, his most epic fail came from his 2018 Gainesville Raceway Gatornationals Stock Eliminator wreck but as you see can from above, he came back the following year & marched all the way to the finals. Great comeback if you ask me!!! He states that funny cars are entertainment to him. Eddie Jr. competes in NHRA national & divisional races all over the country as well as CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association races.

Eddie is a rather quite guy initially but once he gets to know you, he opens up & is quite the character. He generally keeps to himself at the track if he's there by himself but that isn't too often. The Longhany Family is generally is a tight knit family. They race together, have cookouts/parties together, & just simply are the true definition of what family is all about. You don't see one unless you see at least another one & most of the time, the entire family. The spouses & kids also participate in all the fun times!!! Eddie is also big into football & buying classic cars. If you ever get the chance to go to his shop, he'll show you around his collection of fine automobiles. On Sunday of our first race of 2022 at Coastal Plains Raceway Park Dragway, Eddie got sick overnight & was unable to race but then came back to pickup a win at the Saturday race at Farmington Dragway. You will see Eddie & the entire Longhany Family competing in next week's NHRA Southeast Division 2 race at GALOT Motorsports Park & hopefully he'll make it to our CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association finale in November back at Coastal Plains Raceway Park Dragway.

CCRA-Carolina Class Racers is still idle for a few months but there is lots of racing coming up in the next few weeks so we are wishing our CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association racers much success & lots of "W" lights. Some of the upcoming races to look for our CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association racers at is the NHRA Southeast Division 2 race at GALOT Motorsports Park next weekend (September 15-18), national events at Maple Grove Raceway & zMAX DRAGWAY, followed by the NHRA Northeast Division race at Virginia Motorsports Park. Hope to see everyone next weekend!

[Tabitha Draughon]

CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association Racer Spotlight

Let's travel to Jacksonville, NC this week & focus on Mr. Doyle Evans. He is 63 years young & has been racing for 40 of those years. His racecar is a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro powered by a SBC 350 CI built by Warren Engines in Clinton, NC. His sponsor is Doyle Evans Realty which obviously is his personal business & also a sponsor of CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association. Doyle would like to give "Special Thanks" to his crew chief & other driver (when the car gets ready), Mr. Don Sweeting. He states that his most memorable win was a race win at Coastal Plains Raceway Park Dragway in his own hometown, Jacksonville, NC. A runner-up finish in Super Stock at the "Little Guy Nationals" in Suffolk, VA is on the top of his accomplishments list. This list also includes being a former record holder in both SS/HA & SS/DM. That nasty red 🔴 light in the semi-finals (that all competitors hate) at Darlington Dragway tops the charts for his most epic fail. His opponent was Mr. Auston Pusey which just happened to be broke at the time. Here is the funniest story that I've read so far this year from all of our racers!!!! Doyle once hit a "rent a john" at Rockingham Dragway while it was occupied. I need more details on this story from Doyle this weekend!!! Doyle stays pretty busy within his real estate business but will find time to come racing in the CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association & some local NHRA Southeast Division 2 races.

Doyle is quite a character & you will always find him laughing & joking about something. He typically stays in his own pit area but doesn't mind getting out to mingle with his fellow races. Me personally, Doyle Evans is a fine man & always up to help anyone. I'm sure Doyle & Don will be at GALOT Motorsports Park this weekend for the NHRA Southeast Division 2 race but not sure which will be occupying the driver seat & which will be operating the 4-wheeler. Hopefully we can get both drivers back in the seat for the final CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association race at Coastal Plains Raceway Park Dragway in November.

With 2 months still idle for the CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association, there is plenty of races coming up for our racers. We plan to attend as many of those as possible to cheer our racers on! The NHRA Southeast Division 2 comes into GALOT Motorsports Park this weekend for their next to last division race of the 2022 season. There is also a NHRA national event at Maple Grove Raceway this weekend. Coming up next weekend is the NHRA national event at zMAX DRAGWAY, & then to round out the month is the NHRA Northeast Division race at Virginia Motorsports Park. Hope to see y'all at the track this weekend!

[Tabitha Draughon]

CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association Racer Spotlight:

This week our road trip carries us up Interstate 95S to Rowland, NC; home of Mr. Joseph Strickland. He is one of our youngest racers in the CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association as he's only 22 years young. He has only been racing 5 years but has already found the Winner's Circle in that short time. Joseph took over the driving duties of his dad's 1992 Chevrolet Camaro aka Big Bertha. Big Bertha is powered by a SBC 305 CI engine built by fellow CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association racer Robbie Draughon/Robbie Draughon Powertrain Development. His sponsor is Strickland Motorsports (dad &#129315! Joseph would like to give "Special Thanks" to his father, Marvin, his engine builder Robbie Draughon Powertrain Development, & The Riner Family. His most memorable win was his CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association win at GALOT Motorsports Park in 2021 (pic attached). When Joseph was asked about his accomplishments, his response was "none, I'm a wannabe". Well Joseph you might think that but I can tell you that you are improving each time you go down the track & your fellow racer better take notice as more wins are coming your way. His most epic fail in racing came earlier this year at the NHRA Southeast Division 2 race at Silver Dollar Motorsports Park when he broke out 4-hund after taking a tenth in the semi-finals. Boy I bet the crew chief let him hold it for that mistake!!! 😉 As far as something funny for Joseph, his said his dad thinks he needs to remove his imaginary neck brace & drive the dang stripe better. Hence, the above mistake. OOPS!!! You will find Joseph & the Strickland Motorsports Camaro competing in CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association, NHRA Southeast Division 2, & NHRA national events close to home.

Joseph is one fine young man & I know his parents/family are proud of the young man he is becoming. He will be graduating in May 2023 from UNC Charlotte with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. I have personally watched him grow up into the young man he is today & it's been a true honor. Joseph doesn't mind helping anyone if he can offer a hand in getting a fellow racer back racing or in a situation where he can learn something from it. Be sure to look for Joseph racing with the CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association at our season finale in November at Coastal Plains Raceway Park Dragway.

CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association is off for the next two months but our racers will be busy competing in numerous upcoming events & we wish them success both on & off the race track. Coming up this weekend is the NHRA national event at zMAX DRAGWAY, then next weekend we will finish off the month of September with the NHRA Northeast Division at Virginia Motorsports Park. NHRA Southeast Division 2 will finish off it's 2022 season in October at Orlando Speed World Dragway. See y'all at the track!!!