Ricky Smith became our first winner of the NHRA season yesterday when he powered through the field, claiming the Wally Sunday afternoon.
When qualifying ended on Saturday, he sat at #4 with a 5.851 at 248.93 mph. First round, he went up against Steven Whiteley and posted a 5.784 at 250.23 to Whiteley’s 5.901 at 246.35. Second round brought him up against Mike Castellana. Smith ran a 5.838 at 249.03 to Castellana’s 5.907 at 245.27. In the semi’s, he ran Chip King, who struggled getting down the track and put up a 6.968 at 148.54 to Smith’s winning 5.854 at 249.39.
The final round put him up against Danny Rowe. The two manage to get the pre-stage bulbs lit before going into a staging duel, with Smith finally staging first. Rowe gets ahead of Smith and manages to stay ahead until a belt breaks, allowing Smith to drive around Rowe at the end of the track. Ricky posts a 5.829 at 249.86 to Danny’s 5.869 at 233.76.
In the shutdown area, Rowe congratulates Smith on his win.