Johnny Brooks wins Top Sportsman at Bristol

Johnny Brooks wins Top Sportsman at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals to claim his first national event Wally.

BRISTOL – Johnny Brooks drove is beautiful ’67 Chevy II to the Top Sportsman win at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol. The win came while appearing in his first national event final round.

Driving one of the slower cars in the class didn’t deter Brooks as he mowed through the Top Sportsman field. After qualifying 19th out of 22 cars, Brooks made his way to the final with solid reactions and a consistent race car.

In the final round, Brooks battled DragChamp pre-race pick to win Dylan Stott. Brooks took a slight lead off the line, .019 to .021, but raced to the win after his .013 over 7.953 bested Stott’s .024 over 6.714.

Brooks was in the right place at the right time at Bristol Dragway. He benefited from a red-light in round one and a bye run in the semifinals. Between those runs, both of Brooks’ opponents encountered problems on the track forcing them to slow considerably.

Stott, appearing his in fourth final round, had a consistent racecar throughout the event. On his way to the final, Stott defeated 2018 event champ Jeff Brooks. The race was decided by .0013-second (approximately five inches) at the finish line.

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