Thanks to a cooperative effort between the AMRA’s Greg Baugh and the AHDRA’s Bill Rowe, Rockingham Dragway’s Halloween weekend (Oct. 28-30) running of the 31st annual Jim McClure Memorial All-Harley World Finals, featuring the Ray Price Top Fuel Challenge, will be even more spook-tacular than usual.
With no other viable options for rescheduling last week’s rained out AHDRA Fall Nitro Shootout at The Rock, the two sanctioning executives agreed to a joint program at the McClure Memorial in which Harley riders simultaneously will earn AHDRA and AMRA championship points. In addition, race winners will get trophies from both organizations.
“It’s kind of unprecedented for groups to work together like this for the benefit of the racers,” admitted Rockingham Dragway owner Steve Earwood. “It just speaks to the character of the racing community in general and Harley Nation in particular.”
Significantly, the combined event sets up a showdown between defending champions. Ryan Peery of Milford, Ohio, the 2021 NHRA U.S. Nationals Top Fuel Harley Champion, won last year’s AHDRA race at The Rock while Pfafftown’s Tii Tharpe, twice the NHRA Harley series champion, has won the last two Ray Price trophies at The McClure, beating Peery on both occasions.
Racing in Top Fuel, Pro Fuel, Funny Bike, Pro Mod, Pro Gas and a host of sportsman categories is expected to attract an international field of Harleys including a strong contingent of Carolinians including Tharpe, two-time NHRA and IHRA world champion Jay “Bulldog” Turner of Julian, Tracy Kile of Ashville, Sam White of Chapin, S.C. and Armon Furr of Orangeburg, S.C.
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