DragChamp Top 10 List 7/24/19 Edition

Welcome to the DragChamp sportsman drag racing Top 10 List presented by In Motion Solutions.

7/24/19 – Drag racers continue to amaze me with their dedication, commitment, and execution. Each week the Top 10 List gets harder to put together as more and more racers step up with amazing performances.

Last weekend racers had numerous opportunities to stand out with big money bracket races including the SFG 300 and the King of the Creek 50’s (check our Facebook page here for final round videos from both races). NHRA racers were in action on the left coast with the Division 7 double divisional event.

In addition to those events, there were tons of great racing going on at tracks all across the U.S. And you guys and gals didn’t disappoint. There were so many doubles and near doubles that I lost count. Good thing I have DragChamp Nation to help me with the list each week.

Our purpose at DragChamp is to celebrate the sportsman racer, the weekend warrior. We created the Top 10 List in order to provide increased media attention to sportsman racers when they show out.

Remember, In Motion Solutions helps us bring this list to you each week. Make sure you support the companies that support us. Give Jeff Serra a call for all your graphic needs.

So let’s get after it and see who made the Top 10 List this week.

DragChamp Top 10 List presented by In Motion Solutions

1 – Steve Witherow

Steve grabs the one spot this week after a huge weekend at the NoLimit Promotions King of the Creek 50’s at Maryland International Raceway. Witherow got it started on Friday with a $50K win. That was followed by a win in the Saturday Gamblers race.

Not done, Witherow then claimed the King of the Creek race. To top all of that off, he footbraked his dragster to a .000 reaction on a bye run, in reverse. Here’s the video!

2 – Sean Serra

A week ago Sean claimed a $5K victory at the Quaker City Big Buck Nationals over Nick Bowman. That was followed by another terrific performance at the King of the Creek 50’s.

Serra opened the weekend with a win in the Gamblers race Thursday night. He followed that with a runner up on Sunday in the $10K finale. Three finals in 10 days is enough to lock down the two spot.

 3 – Gabe Taylor

Taylor grabbed a huge $50,000 victory Saturday night at the SFG 300 Series race at Piedmont Dragway. On his way to the final, he defeated Corey Manuel in the semifinals which prevented a weekend sweep by Manuel (see below).

Fast forward one day and Taylor was once again marching towards the finals when Manuel stopped him in the quarterfinals. Definitely an impressive outing which landed him in the three spot.

4 – Corey Manuel

Corey had a pretty good weekend at the SFG 300. In the $50K on Saturday, he drove to the final four before bowing out. Determined to finish what he started, Manuel parked his dragster in the winners circle in Sunday’s $20K. That’s worthy of the four spot this week.

5 – Rickey Nelson

 I’ve always said, you win $50K, you’ve got a spot on the list. Rickey Nelson did just that on Saturday at the King of the Creek 50’s. Nelson used a .014-pack in the final round to defeat Scotty Albrecht and claim the $50,000 victory.

 6 – Justin Cooper

Cooper had a big weekend at the NHRA Division 7 Lucas Oil double divisional event at Sonoma Raceway. Competing in Super Comp and Super Street, Cooper made three final round appearances over the weekend.

His first final came in the Super Comp Top 8 Shootout where he grabbed the win. That was followed by a win and a runner up in the 10.90 Super Street class. Cooper also made the late rounds in Super Comp at both races.

 

7 – Chris Borges

 Another racer that made a splash at the SFG 300 was Chris Borges. Borges opened the weekend with a late round finish on Friday. After warming up on Friday, Chris earned the $50K runner up on Saturday and came back on Sunday with a semifinal finish. That performance locks down the seven spot in this week’s list.

 8 – Chris Blair

Racing at Music City Raceway, Chris Blair and his son Gage had a night to remember. Chris earned a $5K win off in Super Pro and added a $2K Pro win for good measure.

Following in his Dad’s footsteps, his son Gage earned the Jr. Dragster Advanced victory. A big night for the Blair family earns them the eight spot on the list.

9 – Jeff Serra

Mr. In Motion Solutions himself slips into the nine spot this week after yet another big win. Jeff’s latest victory came on Friday night at the SFG 300. Serra claimed the $15,000 prize after defeating Shannon Justice in the final.

10 – Adam Davis, Jason Bolton, & Andy Closkey

We ran out of spots for everyone! Seriously, there were three racers who doubled up and I couldn’t choose only one so I grabbed all three. It’s my list right, I get to bend the rules every now and then.

Adam Davis continued his amazing season with yet another double. AD took home both the Pro and the Footbrake class wins at Sand Mountain Dragway on Saturday night. I’ve lost count as to how many times he’s doubled this season.

Jason Bolton earned two NHRA Wally’s over the weekend at Ardmore Dragway. In one final, Jason beat his Dad and former NHRA Summit World Champ, Brad Bolton. Two Wally’s in one weekend is pretty good!

Andy Closky also earned two Wally’s last weekend. Racing at Mission Raceway, Closky drove his Chevelle to wins in Pro and Hot Rod.

Before we wrap this up, we’d like to recognize a few more racers for their accomplishments. Check out the Shout Outs listed below. 

Shout Outs

Cadence Shelley – Racing at Ardmore Dragway in the Jr. Street and Jr. Dragster classes, Cadence went to three finals and two semifinals over the weekend.

Greg Lair – Driving his clutch equipped, 900+ cubic inch powered Top Sportsman Camaro, Lair raced to his second straight NHRA Mile High Nationals victory. He also gave one of the best post-race interviews I’ve seen.

Val Torres – With his Super Comp win on Sunday at Sonoma, the patriarch of the Torres racing family took over the Division 7 points lead and jumped to #2 in the national points chase.

Kevin Reid – Racing at the JEGS Summer Door Car Shootout, Reid claimed the $7,500 Saturday main event win and followed it with a runner up in the APD Quick 16 later that night.

Tell us what you think, did we get it right? Who did we miss? We want to hear from you. Check us out on Facebook, share it with your friends. Let’s celebrate the success of these racers.

And remember, you can contribute to this list by commenting on our Facebook post every Monday evening. Thanks to all of those that commented this week.

DragChamp, your online source for sportsman drag racing.