29th Jim McClure All-Harley Nitro World Finals AMRA At The Rock

Story And photos By Alan Dockery

The professional sanctioned 2020 Harley-Davidson drag racing season ended the middle of November at Rockingham Dragway with a beautiful weekend and a great race. Steve Earwood, track owner, told me months ago that he was going to make every effort to make that a great weekend for racers and fans. I was worried with it being late in the year and possibly cold.

But everything fell into place for the American Motorcycle Association’s 29th Annual Jim McClure All-Harley Nitro World Finals featuring the Ray Price Top Fuel Shootout.

Fans of nitromethane-fueled Harley race bikes were thrilled by more than two dozen roaring, flame belching machines. I think this was probably the biggest and best nitro motorcycle race of 2020. All three classes had eight-bike fields of awesome race machines.

Ain’t many better ways a biker can spend a fall weekend than at the Harley Drags. The camping crowd was down but still enough old buddies there to sit and talk with. I think lots of Saturday ride in folks showed up to at least watch qualifying. I tell folks if you can only make one day, come for qualifying since everyone runs a few times. There are lots of races at The Rock, but the Harley Drags are special.

Saturday morning was cool and clear. Great racing conditions and lots of bikes ready for a morning test and tune session. Qualifying started at noon with some cool machines in the staging lanes. I was glad to see so many folks in the stands for qualifying. They got to enjoy the gas bikes and wheelies down the strip.

Some of the machines that compete in the National Hot Rod Association Mickey Thompson Top Fuel Harley series were there. Randal Andras, from Louisiana, is the 2020 NHRA champion riding a Jay Turner Racing bike and was having a good time hanging out with fans. And at the Harley Drags fans can walk the pits to check out the machines up close.

Qualifying went smoothly with very few oil downs and issues that needed clean up. The Rock is an awesome drag strip but racing late in November meant it was going to get dark and cold early with a chance of dew on the strip. The fans who hung around until sundown got a cool show. The evening glow makes beautiful photos. The fans love watching fuel bikes shoot flames as they roar off into the darkness. After qualifying the Straightwire Band played down the main gate.

We love The Rock.

Too Many Good Stories

There were so many great stories at The Rock. I could fill this magazine with stories about the people and machines there. Phyllis McClure and family and friends were at The Rock remembering Jim for whom the race is named. Ziggy Stewart, Jim’s nephew races the last bike from Jim’s stable of Top Fuel Harleys.

Armon Furr who still runs Orangeburg Cycles, the shop made famous by his Dad, Bill Furr, was on the strip running Top Fuel and working with other teams. I remember when he was a teenager first on a fuel bike and racing in Bill’s giant shadow.

Chris Smith from Tennessee was riding a Jay Turner Racing machine in Nitro Funny Bike. He was maybe 12 years old and in the first class 25 years ago when we were teaching kids how to drag race. Yes, we ran a Junior Drag Bike series, but the tracks and insurance folks didn’t like seeing kids drag race. Now he competes in the NHRA. At The Rock Chris ran the quickest time ever in Nitro Funny Bike, 6.473 seconds.

Kersten Heling came down from Wisconsin to race in Pro Fuel. I remember when she was 15 years old and I asked if her Dad, famous Harley-Davidson dealer and nitro racer, Doc Hopkins, was going to let her race a Sportster the next year since she would be eligible. She told me she was getting his nitro race bike and he was building a new one for himself. I think Kersten may have been the youngest person ever licensed to race a nitro-fueled Harley drag bike. That is all she knew, and she had hours of seat time riding the bike back to the pits under tow.

For a couple summers, long ago, the fans were thrilled by races between Armon and Kersten. At The Rock we told stories about races over the years.

And how about that electric Harley. Donnie Huffman is a famous Harley racer from Lakeland, FL, who brought a new

Harley LiveWire to The Rock. He put Andie Rawlings of Lakeland, on that machine and she showed what it can do. During the weekend Andie ran the first 10 second passes on a LiveWire. Then she went on to win the Dial-In Eliminator Class.

AMRA Ray Price Top Fuel Shootout

Half of the Top Fuel field at The Rock competing for the AMRA Ray Price Top Fuel Trophy was from the Carolinas. Guys like Randal were riding Jay Turner Racing machines based in North Carolina. And now Johnny Vickers and his Hawaya Racing shop in the mountains is building Top Fuel Harleys. Tim Kerrigan from California debuted Johnny’s newest very impressive build. I need to ride over to Johnny’s shop and do a story for y’all on his new Top Fuelers.

There is a reason so many of the best Nitro Harley races are on the East Coast. That’s where so many are built and based.

Tii Tharpe, East Bend, NC, qualified in the number one spot with a 6.287 second pass at 225.67 mph. Tyler Wilson, Walnut Cove, NC, has moved up to riding a Jay Turner Top Fuel machine. Tracy Kile, Asheville, NC, had his Bad Apple bike there. Fans cheered for Armon Furr when he came to the line.

Tii Tharpe’s bike was the best of the field all day and won the Ray Price Top Fuel Shootout. He also won the AMRA Top Fuel National Championship.

“What an honor to win the Jim McClure nationals on the Jay Turner Racing throwback to the Judge while Phyllis McClure was in attendance. Tii said, “Thank you, Jay Turner Racing, Spevco Inc, and Samson Exhaust,” .

Nitro Funny Bikes are very similar to Top Fuel bikes, but they don’t have transmissions. They are high gear only. Sam White, Chapin, SC, competed in the class. Keith Browne, Semora, NC, qualified that awesome turbo machine in Funny Bike.

Fans like Pro Fuel bikes. They are the small nitro bikes with 120 cubic inch engines, carburetors and single speed only. But those machines still fill the air with nitromethane, rattle your chest and put down 7.30’s all day.

Sam White was riding one of Johnny Vickers bikes that has logged some miles under a few riders. He qualified it #1 with a 7.305 pass at 172.28 miles an hour. Jay Beasley, Winston Salem, NC, was riding Bobby Hoover’s pretty blue machine they call Miss Haley. Tyler Wilson, Walnut Cove, NC, is still competitive in the class. Richard Boone, Mathews, NC, and Freddy Frazier, Sanford, NC, qualified in the Pro Mod class. Boone took the 2020 AMRA Pro Mod title, too. Mike Motto, Richlands, NC, dominates Pro Street these days.

Hard Charging Sportsman Racers

There were lots of Sportsman racers at The Rock and that’s where so many of my buddies run. I know some of y’all love the smell of nitromethane. But I dig that sweet scent of VP Race Gas. These are the bikes I would most like to borrow for the weekend. The fans love the class, too; watching riders trying to hold down wheelies through the first couple gears as they run the quarter mile in under nine seconds on streetable bikes. Baggers, or what us old guys call dressers, are popular these days. Lots of them were roaring down the strip that weekend. Chris Wood, Goldsboro, NC, was runner-up in Pro Dresser. Travis Groff, Hopkins, SC, and Greg Quinn, Fountain, NC, also ran the class.

Ken Strauss, Terrell, NC, qualified at the top of the quickest index class, Top Eliminator, running a 9.312 at 142.790 against the 9.30 second index. He went on to win at The Rock and Ken also took the 2020 championship.

Shane Seymore, Charlotte, ran in the Modified Class. Continued On Page #18

Continued From Page #17

Super Gas is the popular 9.90 index class. David Minton, Trinity, NC and Chris Wood and Greg Quinn competed in Super Gas. Rick Medford, Cherokee, NC, was in the Super Pro 10.30 class. Roger Auxier III, Roseville, SC, qualified in Street Dresser.

Rick Medford also raced in the 10.90 Pro Eliminator Class. Paul Watson, Greensboro, NC; Lamond Payne, Winston Salem, and Cody Hayworth, Concord, NC, competed in the class.

Scotty Keller, Mooresville, NC, and Brian Peterson, Archdale, NC, ran in Street Eliminator against an 11.50 index.

For many years now The Carolinas’ Full Throttle Magazine has presented a $200 Big Check at the Sunday morning riders’ meeting. to recognize the Dial-In Eliminator Class rider who has the best reaction time during Saturday qualifying. Well, this time some folks gave me cash to make the pot bigger. Paul Watson from Lumbee Racing was the first to give a hundred bucks. Then Jerry Spencer of Law Tigers, pitched in. Richard Stamey and Brannon White, Mad Monkey Racing brought it to $500. I asked Randal Andras, current NHRA Top Fuel Champ, to join the presentation. He handed me a C Note to make it $600. I tell folks I remember when Randal first showed up running his street bike in ET Class. I think the check caused a few racers to push the tree and redlight. They wanted the money and to be in the photo. But Bob Drapp, Winter Haven, FL, took the cash back to orange country with a .004 reaction time. Carolina racers also in the Dial-In ET Class included Stephen Jelley from Monroe, NC; Chris Rasile from Greensboro, NC; Lucas Isles from Roanoke Rapids, NC; Scott Salisbury from Ladson, NC; Vic Allen of Southern Pines, NC; Steve Garner from Lilleton NC; Mitch Dibble from Laurinburg, NC; Ken Strauss, Josh Stamey and Ryland Mason.

It was great to see friends I’ve known for many years and make new ones at The Rock. As always you can enjoy and download our extra photos at www.fullthrottlemagazine.com.