The program, which was tailored to Piedmont Dragway’s weekly program, featured the Top Eliminator, Footbrake and Junior Dragster classes with all the race winners receiving a special 50th anniversary IHRA Ironman trophy.

Spaugh captured the $1,500-to-win prize for Top Eliminator with his  black Chevrolet Vega powering down the track in 5.475 seconds on a5.47 dial-in at 126.72 mph. He got off the starting line with a .008 reaction time. Final-round opponent Steven Whisnant of Dallas, N.C., fouled, going .005 too quick at the start in his 2018 Race Tech dragster to disqualify his run of 4.816 seconds at 143.67 mph.

Matt Sayers gave the Virginia boys another victory in the Footbrake class. The Vinton, Va., driver’s Chevrolet Malibu went down the track in 5.837 seconds (113.86 mph) on a 5.81-dial in. Runner-up Will Calton of Zebulon, N.C. Calton had the better reaction time .008 to .029 second, but had a tougher time getting down the drag strip at 6.66 seconds on a 6.61-dial-in at 104.77 mph.

Brian Yerger Jr. won the Junior Dragster title on a holeshot. The Morrisville, N.C. racer had a .031 reaction time to a .121 for runner-up Emma Freeman of Mt. Airy, N.C. Yerger’s winning package included a 8.021-second pass at 76.78 mph. Freeman finished with a 8.802-second run at 72.66 mph.

The IHRA Sportsman Spectacular presented by Hagerty and Moser Engineering returns to the Tar Heel State with a two-day race May 15-16 at Coastal Plains Dragway.

Thousands of dollars in round prizes are available to IHRA members in rounds 1-3. Click here for more information about the Coastal Plains event.