IHRA Division 8 Finals Open With Gamblers Race

HARVEST, Ala. — Four racers — Kole Pritchett, Dereck Verner, Bradley Richardson and John Verner — celebrated wins as the IHRA Division 8 (South) Team Finals opened with the Thursday Gamblers race.

Pritchett combined a double-O three start with a dead-on 4.488-second pass at 147.16 mph to win the Top (Box) final. Stephen Bowen was runner-up with a solid .022 start and a 6.435-second pass at 102.39 mph on a 6.42 dial-in.

Dereck Verner had a .007 start to capture the Mod (No Box) final. His package included a 5.674-second run at 119.97 mph against a 5.64 dial-in. Jonathan Hagler was closer to his 6.16 dial-in with a 6.176 elapsed time at 110.46 mph, but Verner’s quicker reaction time, .028 faster, proved to be the difference.

In Sportsman, Richardson had a 7.463 elapsed time at 88.22 mph on a 7.40 dial-in. His final-round opponent, Cherokee Muncey, broke out with a 10.176 elapsed time at 66.79 mph. Richardson also had the better .054 to .107 reaction time

The Verner family doubled up with John’s win in the Junior Dragster final. His winning effort consisted of a 7.943-second run at 79.53 mph with a .081 reaction time. Runner-up Bailey Benda went down the track in 7.850 seconds at 83.43 mph after a .082 start.

Action continued with a Race of Champions and another Gamblers race late Friday. The main event takes place on Saturday.

Photos by: Chris Simmons