2009 News!
Goodguys “Friday Night Drags”
at Zmax Dragway & /Club Picnic
The last event of 2009 was truly an unforgettable experience.
We were asked to race at the Goodguys event in Charlotte, NC.
Yes, the one and only, 4 lane Zmax Dragway.
The facilities are as huge and as impressive as advertised.
There was much excitement in the air as all of the teams
congregated outside the gate. Aussie George arrived with John,
Jim Lyle brought his abnormal “pets” and the cool dry air made
conditions right for making lots of horsepower. However, our
enthusiasm was somewhat tempered by a racing surface that
only had minimal prep. It was possibly the slipperiest track
we have ever tried to race on.
Despite anticipating only four slingshots to attend the first race
at a Goodguys event, in usual Southern Slingshot style, we gave
them more show than expected with seven teams in attendance.
Lucky spectators were witnesses to another exciting battle in the
“match-race war” that rages on (and on) between the
“Bit-N-Pieces” digger and the “Outhouse Mouse”
Will the score ever be settled?
“Snake-Bit” was one of the lucky cars to get a hold of the track
resulting in a career best ET. “Moonshine Express” fell
victim to the slick racing surface, but there is no doubt they
will be holding 6 sec time slips next year!
“Sweet As Honey,” “Justin Time,” “Pack Rat,” and the
“Money Pit” teams beat up the competition…and sometimes
each other, in the tough field of Comp 1 cars. Ken
“The Ax Man” chopped down the trees on his way
to the final round! Way to go Ken!
The attending teams were graced with the presence of other
club
members that were able to come for a visit.
“Aussie George” easily beat out everyone at the
whole event for the “Long Distance” award!
The atmosphere at Southern Slingshots is something that
words can not describe…It must be experienced!
Boomerang Lessons?
George gave some boomerang lessons for all to see...sort of.
Unfortunately, Charlie said it was too dark for his camera to
capture George’s boomerang lessons at 1:00am. It is rumored
that Charlie was too busy “hitting the deck”
to take photos anyhow…INCOMING!
George was gracious enough to repeat the lesson the
next
morning for those that were too "chicken" for the night lesson!
Time to Eat!!!!
The next day everyone traveled 60 miles North to Randleman, NC.
The home of “Moonshine Express” is a gorgeous and is
extremely well equipped to host gatherings of ANY size.
Mike and Laura hosted a picnic of epic proportions.
I bet everyone is still full from a meal that included North Carolina
Bar-B-Que that melted in you mouth and a plethora of delicious
homemade side dishes. We all then proceeded to gorge ourselves
with 5 gallons of homemade ice cream in honor of
Jim Lyle’s Birthday!
We all learned just how much talent Mike and Laura have.
Not only would you be right to say they are tough competitors
at the track, they are also gifted wood workers, builders,
chefs, hosts, and on and on! They showed us of
how to put “others first.” Thank-you!
HUGE thanks to Rick Butterworth and Dennis Ivory for
capturing
our events on film and print this year.
You both are so vital to the
future success of the club.
Your efforts and friendship are greatly appreciated!
Event Bonus Photos!!!!
The BIG Party!!!
Now that is a party room!
Ice Cream 24/7!!!!
Now that is something I have never seen....a pooped Aussie!!!
Thanks for the GREAT time Mike and Laura!
Pittsburgh Racway Park 9/19/09
Q. -What is the Southern Slingshots doing at a track
North of the Mason Dixon line?
A. - What we always do. Having fun, enjoying each other’s
friendship, and EATING! Somebody needs to show them
Yankees how we do it, right?
Have you ever experienced a day at the track with perfect weather?
Ron Beall and Charlie Overfelt showed the crowd
what REAL racing looks like.
Pro-Tree…No breakout…Beautiful vintage cars!
The battle of the mighty Big-Block Chevys featured John Crawford
and Thomas Jackson. Can you smell the fumes?
John Slagle was gracious enough to bring his awesome ride
to Pittsburgh so that we would not have an odd number of cars.
If you follow any of the Goodguys events, you probably recognize
the name and the car. John carries on the family tradition of
success
that his father (Don) began many years ago.
We found out that it was John and Niki Crawford’s
45th wedding anniversary! With some help from the
track manager, (who runs a limo service in addition to
track manager duties) we arranged for a limo to pick up the
Crawford’s at their pit area and toured the track in luxury!
In the case of all of the events we go to we always enjoy
the racing, but in the end, gathering with family
and friends is what it is REALLY all about!
Here are a few photos of some of the other cars
that were at Pittsburgh Raceway. The track management
was very pleased with our show. There is great potential
for this event to rival the best nostalgia gatherings.
As always, we are greatly indebted to the people that freely
give of their time to capture our fun on film and print.
Dennis Ivory and Rick Butterworth (our newest club members)
spend countless hours traveling, filming and finishing photo
CD’s and video DVD’s for the club. Please show your appriciation
to them for their professional work.
For video information, please contact Rick
Elk Creek Dragway 9/05/09
6 Southern Slingshots teams headed to the beautiful Elk Creek Dragway
in SW Virginia for an evening of good food, great racing,
and more fun than you can shake a stick at!
Charlie Overfelt (famous for his blown flat-head powered
altered roadster) and our own Thomas Jackson did a super
job of organizing an event that had it all!
There was enough good food to feed an army!
You can be sure when you see these cars;
the competition is going to be tough!
Thomas Jackson definitely got everyone’s attention with
BIG wheelstands and hair-raising passes every round.
Ted Hall and Mickey Clayton were perfecting
the tune-up on the super clean ‘Southern Comfort” car.
How sweet does Mike and Roberta Dimascio’s
‘Project’ look with a blown Big-Block?
Justin vs. Brad…Sibling rivalry at it best
Stewart Barbee wheeled the ‘Moonshine Express’
to it’s quickest ETs to date!
We experimented with a slightly different race format at Elk Creek.
We paired the teams according to their quickest ET.
The slower car received an advantage in the form
of a staggered pro-tree. To keep things interesting,
there was no breakout so first car to the finish line won.
The final round was a ‘family affair.’ Brad Prater’s
lightning fast reaction time proved to be too much for the
“Moonshine Express” car to win the first ever
“Southern Slingshots Shootout.”
(Im told Mike Gray continues to be reminded of this fact on a daily basis)
Everyone that was lucky enough to be there is already
looking forward to next year’s show!
Event video available in HD! Please contact Rick Butterworth.
Greer 2009 !
Some shots from the most recent event.
