CCRA Racer Spotlight

[Tabitha Draughon]

Carolina Class Racers Association Racer Spotlight:

We don't have to go far up the road this week as Laurinburg, NC is only a jump, hop, & a skip from Fayetteville. Blake Hickman, 22 years of age is our racer to talk about today. Blake is one of our younger racers in CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association so we look forward to having to him participate in our association for many years to come. He has been racing 15 years & as you can see from one of the pictures (stolen from his sister's Facebook page), he came up through the junior dragster ranks & was a pretty successful racer in that class. His current racecar is a 1983 Chevrolet Camaro powered by a SBC 305 CI engine built by his dad's business, Hickman's Performance which is also who Blake list as his sponsor. His most memorable win is his most recent one that was in 2021. He won Stock Eliminator at the NHRA Southeast Division 2 race at Orlando Speed World Dragway. A few of Blake's accomplishments include: 2011 & 2012 IHRA Division 9 Junior Dragster Points Champion, 4x NHRA Class Winner, & lost the 2021 NHRA Southeast Division 2 Stock Eliminator points due to a tie breaker. He gives "Special Thanks" to his mom, dad, & "I guess my sister"! He says his most epic fail is taking off in high gear 1st round of a NHRA national event at zMAX DRAGWAY. When Blake was asked about anything funny, he replies "just my driving skills"! At least he can have fun with it & that's what it's all about!!! Blake is generally found running NHRA national events & NHRA Southeast Division 2 races but he occasionally will come to support the CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association races & we are thankful for his & his dad, Buddy's support when they have time to come race with us. Blake overcame some serious medical conditions a few years ago so just to see him racing today is such an awesome sight! Praise God for healing Blake!

Blake is somewhat quite in the beginning but deep down inside, he's a great young man & has lots of laughter to offer everyone that can break inside his bubble. His daddy, Buddy, used to race as well so to see Blake following in his dad's footsteps is great. The Hickman Family is an awesome family at the track & is willing to help fellow racers in a time of need. Hickman's Performance builds several NHRA Stock Eliminator engines. All of the NHRA & NHRA Southeast Division 2 races will be over by the time the CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association is out next so we hope Blake can attend our final race of 2022.

In the meantime with us being off for several months, we look forward to seeing our racers attend the upcoming NHRA Southeast Division 2 race at GALOT Motorsports Park, NHRA national events at Maple Grove Raceway, Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, & zMAX DRAGWAY, as well as the NHRA Northeast Division race at Virginia Motorsports Park. See y'all at a track very soon!

[Tabitha Draughon]

CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association Racer Spotlight:

Let's head down to Snow Hill, NC, home of Mr. Ed McLawhorn. He is 63 years old & I'm not sure how many of those years he's been racing. 😉 His racecar is a 1966 Chevy II Wagon powered by a SBC 283 CI engine built by himself. He did not that he had the machine work hired out. Laughing, he says his sponsor is "his pocket book"! Mr. Ed recalls his biggest memory being in November 2017 when he carried his dad who had had dementia down the 1/4 mile of KDS Motorsports. The first thing that his dad asked was "how much did my 235 lbs slow him down". His dad died just a few short months later in April 2018. He would like to give "Special Thanks" to his son, Avery McLawhorn as well as his dad, Mr. Ed McLawhorn for introducing him to class racing. Ed says his most epic fail in racing was having a dead battery in the staging lanes at Coastal Plains Raceway Park Dragway. One funny story (well actually 3) that he remembers from racing is losing a ramp to an open trailer 3 times & was fortunate enough to turn around and found it in a ditch, beside a mailbox, & in the middle of the road. BTW, if y'all ever see Mr. Ed or Avery using an open trailer at the track, be sure to check their trailer ramps before they leave 🙂!!! You will find Ed competing in NHRA Southeast Division 2 & CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association races.

Ed started going to the dragstrip at 4 years old. He was right there with his dad anytime he left the driveway with his racecar. They travelled up and down the Eastern part of the country. In 1990, his dad stopped running Super Stock due to the cost of cylinder heads. He pulled his 283 CI engine out of the car & put in on an engine stand. Twenty-three years later (in 2013), Ed told his dad he had a "wild hair up his ***" & wanted to update the outdated 283 engine & put back in the wagon. The following year, they went back racing. This is an awesome testimony of family drag racing!
Ed is a very well liked gentleman around the track & is always up to help fellow racers when in need. If there isn't any work to do, he is generally is a huddle with a group of racers chatting & telling all sorts of racing stories. Even when his car was down for awhile, him & Avery would still come to the races to hang out & enjoy themselves. If I had to guess, his next race on the schedule would be the upcoming NHRA Southeast Division 2 race at GALOT Motorsports Park in September. He will be back in CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association action at our final race of 2022 in November at Coastal Plains Raceway Park Dragway.

In the off time, we look forward to seeing our racers compete at the upcoming NHRA North Central Division 3 at Beech Bend Raceway Park, NHRA National events at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, Maple Grove Raceway, & zMAX DRAGWAY, as well as the NHRA Northeast Division race at Virginia Motorsports Park. See y'all at the track soon!

[Tabitha Draughon]

CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association Racer Spotlight:

We took an extended vacation from last week & stayed close so we could put some focus on Maury, NC's very own Avery McLawhorn this week. He is 28 years young & has only been racing for 2 years. I can tell you that in those short 2 years, I personally have watched him grow & improve each race & there's more to come. His own racecar is a 1966 Chevy II aka Money Pitt or Pain in my ***, powered by a SBC 283 CI built by his father, Ed. McLawhorn Jr. Here recently we have seen him piloting his dad's ride, a 1966 Chevy II Wagon. Avery's sponsors include: Frank Lupo Dynamic Converters, his dad Ed McLawhorn, & his wife, Samantha McLawhorn. His states that his most memorable win is TBD! 🙂 A few of Avery's accomplishments include building motors with his dad, getting the car to finally hook after all season of chasing demons, restoring his car back to full SS trim after it being a bracket car since 1990, being a member as well as a sponsor of CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association, & lastly getting his first round wins in a Super Stock car in both the CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association & NHRA Southeast Division 2 races. He would like to give "Special Thanks" to his dad, his granddad (Ed McLawhorn Sr), in which both his car & his dad's car was inherited from the elder McLawhorn in the 80's, & Frank Lup Dynamic Converters. Avery recalls two of his most epic fails being his hand slipping of his transbrake against Rick Mann in first round of Virginia Motorsports Park NHRA Northeast Division division race before Rick was fully staged & him blowing his motor at the NHRA Southeast Division 2 race at Rockingham Dragway in 2021. His funny racing story is being blamed on his crew chief/dad for leaving the spark plug wire off, not once but twice, resulting in one bad time run & the 2nd was a round loss. I bet the crew chief/dad heard about that for awhile 😉! Avery competes in NHRA Southeast Division 2, NHRA Northeast Division, & CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association races.

Avery, just like his dad, is a very well liked guy around the dragstrip. He is always willing to jump in & help fellow racers in a time of need. Avery will also help Tabitha & Leigh Anne with CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association operations at the track when needed as he has handled the staging lanes on multiple occasions. Not sure which one of the McLawhorn's will be racing at the next NHRA Southeast Division 2 at GALOT Motorsports Park but I know they will be there. And then of course, he'll participate at the CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association finale in November at Coastal Plains Raceway Park Dragway.
Although the CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association is off for a few months, there is still plenty of races left & we wish all of our racers success on & off the track. The #BIG GO at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park is currently taking place with Class Eliminations being ran today. Some of the other races coming up is the NHRA Southeast Division 2 race at GALOT Motorsports Park, national events at Maple Grove Raceway & zMAX DRAGWAY, as well as the NHRA Northeast Division race at Virginia Motorsports Park. See y'all at the track soon!!

[Tabitha Draughon]

CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association Racer Spotlight:

This week takes us up Interstate 95 to the small town of Godwin, NC, home of Eddie Longhany Jr. Eddie Jr. is 46 years old & has been racing for 35 of those years so he got started at a fairly young age. This isn't surprising at all as he comes from a strong racing background family. His race car known as White Ghost is a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro powered by a BBC 396 CI engine. His #1 bullet is built by Tilburg Racing Engines & his #2 bullet is built by Sloan Racing Engines. His sponsors include his personal business, Victory Lane Golf Carts & his 2 brother's business, Auto Plus Service Center. Eddie Jr. would like to give "Special Thanks" to his father, Ed Sr, his wife Stephanie, crew chiefs & sons, Johnson & Jennings, as well as his brothers, Jeff & Mike. He says that his most memorable win was the 2018 NHRA race at Bristol Dragway. A few of his accomplishments include being the 2015 IHRA Super Stock Champion, 2018 Bristol Dragway NHRA Champ, & his Gainesville Raceway Gatornationals Runner-up in 2019. Unfortunately for Eddie, his most epic fail came from his 2018 Gainesville Raceway Gatornationals Stock Eliminator wreck but as you see can from above, he came back the following year & marched all the way to the finals. Great comeback if you ask me!!! He states that funny cars are entertainment to him. Eddie Jr. competes in NHRA national & divisional races all over the country as well as CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association races.

Eddie is a rather quite guy initially but once he gets to know you, he opens up & is quite the character. He generally keeps to himself at the track if he's there by himself but that isn't too often. The Longhany Family is generally is a tight knit family. They race together, have cookouts/parties together, & just simply are the true definition of what family is all about. You don't see one unless you see at least another one & most of the time, the entire family. The spouses & kids also participate in all the fun times!!! Eddie is also big into football & buying classic cars. If you ever get the chance to go to his shop, he'll show you around his collection of fine automobiles. On Sunday of our first race of 2022 at Coastal Plains Raceway Park Dragway, Eddie got sick overnight & was unable to race but then came back to pickup a win at the Saturday race at Farmington Dragway. You will see Eddie & the entire Longhany Family competing in next week's NHRA Southeast Division 2 race at GALOT Motorsports Park & hopefully he'll make it to our CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association finale in November back at Coastal Plains Raceway Park Dragway.

CCRA-Carolina Class Racers is still idle for a few months but there is lots of racing coming up in the next few weeks so we are wishing our CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association racers much success & lots of "W" lights. Some of the upcoming races to look for our CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association racers at is the NHRA Southeast Division 2 race at GALOT Motorsports Park next weekend (September 15-18), national events at Maple Grove Raceway & zMAX DRAGWAY, followed by the NHRA Northeast Division race at Virginia Motorsports Park. Hope to see everyone next weekend!

[Tabitha Draughon]

CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association Racer Spotlight

Let's travel to Jacksonville, NC this week & focus on Mr. Doyle Evans. He is 63 years young & has been racing for 40 of those years. His racecar is a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro powered by a SBC 350 CI built by Warren Engines in Clinton, NC. His sponsor is Doyle Evans Realty which obviously is his personal business & also a sponsor of CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association. Doyle would like to give "Special Thanks" to his crew chief & other driver (when the car gets ready), Mr. Don Sweeting. He states that his most memorable win was a race win at Coastal Plains Raceway Park Dragway in his own hometown, Jacksonville, NC. A runner-up finish in Super Stock at the "Little Guy Nationals" in Suffolk, VA is on the top of his accomplishments list. This list also includes being a former record holder in both SS/HA & SS/DM. That nasty red 🔴 light in the semi-finals (that all competitors hate) at Darlington Dragway tops the charts for his most epic fail. His opponent was Mr. Auston Pusey which just happened to be broke at the time. Here is the funniest story that I've read so far this year from all of our racers!!!! Doyle once hit a "rent a john" at Rockingham Dragway while it was occupied. I need more details on this story from Doyle this weekend!!! Doyle stays pretty busy within his real estate business but will find time to come racing in the CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association & some local NHRA Southeast Division 2 races.

Doyle is quite a character & you will always find him laughing & joking about something. He typically stays in his own pit area but doesn't mind getting out to mingle with his fellow races. Me personally, Doyle Evans is a fine man & always up to help anyone. I'm sure Doyle & Don will be at GALOT Motorsports Park this weekend for the NHRA Southeast Division 2 race but not sure which will be occupying the driver seat & which will be operating the 4-wheeler. Hopefully we can get both drivers back in the seat for the final CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association race at Coastal Plains Raceway Park Dragway in November.

With 2 months still idle for the CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association, there is plenty of races coming up for our racers. We plan to attend as many of those as possible to cheer our racers on! The NHRA Southeast Division 2 comes into GALOT Motorsports Park this weekend for their next to last division race of the 2022 season. There is also a NHRA national event at Maple Grove Raceway this weekend. Coming up next weekend is the NHRA national event at zMAX DRAGWAY, & then to round out the month is the NHRA Northeast Division race at Virginia Motorsports Park. Hope to see y'all at the track this weekend!

[Tabitha Draughon]

CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association Racer Spotlight:

This week our road trip carries us up Interstate 95S to Rowland, NC; home of Mr. Joseph Strickland. He is one of our youngest racers in the CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association as he's only 22 years young. He has only been racing 5 years but has already found the Winner's Circle in that short time. Joseph took over the driving duties of his dad's 1992 Chevrolet Camaro aka Big Bertha. Big Bertha is powered by a SBC 305 CI engine built by fellow CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association racer Robbie Draughon/Robbie Draughon Powertrain Development. His sponsor is Strickland Motorsports (dad &#129315! Joseph would like to give "Special Thanks" to his father, Marvin, his engine builder Robbie Draughon Powertrain Development, & The Riner Family. His most memorable win was his CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association win at GALOT Motorsports Park in 2021 (pic attached). When Joseph was asked about his accomplishments, his response was "none, I'm a wannabe". Well Joseph you might think that but I can tell you that you are improving each time you go down the track & your fellow racer better take notice as more wins are coming your way. His most epic fail in racing came earlier this year at the NHRA Southeast Division 2 race at Silver Dollar Motorsports Park when he broke out 4-hund after taking a tenth in the semi-finals. Boy I bet the crew chief let him hold it for that mistake!!! 😉 As far as something funny for Joseph, his said his dad thinks he needs to remove his imaginary neck brace & drive the dang stripe better. Hence, the above mistake. OOPS!!! You will find Joseph & the Strickland Motorsports Camaro competing in CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association, NHRA Southeast Division 2, & NHRA national events close to home.

Joseph is one fine young man & I know his parents/family are proud of the young man he is becoming. He will be graduating in May 2023 from UNC Charlotte with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. I have personally watched him grow up into the young man he is today & it's been a true honor. Joseph doesn't mind helping anyone if he can offer a hand in getting a fellow racer back racing or in a situation where he can learn something from it. Be sure to look for Joseph racing with the CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association at our season finale in November at Coastal Plains Raceway Park Dragway.

CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association is off for the next two months but our racers will be busy competing in numerous upcoming events & we wish them success both on & off the race track. Coming up this weekend is the NHRA national event at zMAX DRAGWAY, then next weekend we will finish off the month of September with the NHRA Northeast Division at Virginia Motorsports Park. NHRA Southeast Division 2 will finish off it's 2022 season in October at Orlando Speed World Dragway. See y'all at the track!!!

[Tabitha Draughon]

CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association Racer Spotlight:

Let's travel to Blacksburg, VA this week & introduce everyone to Darrion Houston, an up & coming new drag racer to CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association in 2023. He is 25 years old & has only been racing for 1 year & let me just say, he's eat up with it 😉! His car is a 1985 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 powered by a SBC 355/Pontiac headed 867 built by Bill Emerson of Bland, VA & his transmission of choice is a Jerico 4-speed. You might notice this car as it's been around for awhile & was previously owned by Steve McCreary of Cana, VA. Darrion list his sponsors as himself, Melton Motorsports of Mt. Airy, NC, & Houston Towing of Wytheville, VA. He would like to give "Special Thanks" to his mom & dad, his cousin Mr. George Houston for inspiring him to start racing & also starting with a stick, Brad Smith, Jake Melton, & Steve & Chad McCreary. Being that Darrion has only been racing a year now, he hasn't gotten his first win but he has went multiple rounds in various races which he should consider a small victory in such a short period of time. When he was asked about his accomplishments in racing so far, he says being able to successfully get a Super Stock Stick car down the track as there is a lot going on in the car. He says "some people cant' do it & that's why they drive automatics 😁". He got very lucky when he talks about his most epic fail in racing this year. He was at Motor Mile Dragway & after his burnout, he got way out of the groove & decided not to abort the run. His funny story from 2022 came at the Clemmons Concrete Stick Shift Nationals when he saw Jon Bowman's daughter buy a life size Barney Fife cut out from Homer Carty (he says it's a long story). We'll have to get Darrion to share this story when we see him at the track. Darrion has primarily focused on testing & Classic Gear Jammers races in 2022 but he is planning to race with CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association, Classic Gear Jammers, & NHRA Southeast Division 2 in 2023.

Darrion is a nice young man to be around & enjoys meeting all his fellow racers. He is a hands on kind of guy & is always willing to listen & learn anything new in drag racing. I look forward to seeing him improve each trip down the 1/8 mile. Darrion, CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association will welcome you to our races in 2023.

CCRA-Carolina Class Racers Association still has about 6 weeks off before our finale race of the season at Coastal Plains Raceway Park Dragway but we wish our racers nothing but success in any races they attend during this time. Some of the upcoming races are NHRA Southeast Division 2 final race at Orlando Speed World Dragway, the Dutch Classic at Maple Grove Raceway, & the Stock/SS Combo race at GALOT Motorsports Park. See y'all at the track soon!

BTW, hope everyone stays safe this week from Hurricane Ian & if anyone needs anything, please don't hesitate to let us know.