LIGHTS OUT VIII
PRESENTED BY
Husbands-in-Law
After surviving one of the most horrific fires small
tire drag racing has ever witnessed in the fall of 2015 at South Georgia
Motorsports Park during No Mercy 6, Lyle Barnett’s drag racing
journey came full circle with a dominating performance at the same
venue in February of 2017 at Lights Out 8. Behind the wheel of Jason
Digby’s 1969 Dodge Dart, entered into the Leaf Spring eliminator,
Barnett parlayed a world record-setting, number one-qualifying effort
into an emotional trip to the winner’s circle at the biggest street car
race on the planet. Powered by a single 118mm turbocharged Jeff
Burns-prepped 547ci big block tuned by Pete Harrell of Harrell En-
gine & Dyno, Digby’s “Tooth Jerker” Dart produced multiple 4.20-sec-
ond laps in South Georgia, including the aforementioned Leaf Spring
record-setting 4.24-second blast, en route to a final round victory over
John McDonough.
“I made the turn off the track, and I was just glad I didn’t have my
radio on because it was pretty emotional at the starting line for my
Dad and the rest of the crew,” Barnett said. “I made the turn off the
track, and I was fist bumping and beating on the steering wheel. I got
out of the car, and there were several golf carts and a car, their head-
lights were coming at me, and it was just people pumped up. They
were happy I won. It was emotional. It’s a hell of a way to come back.”
Not surprisingly for those who know Barnett personally, he refuses
to accept too much credit for success of the tight knit small tire racing
team, insisting that it’s the collective effort of car owner Jason Digby,
his father Mark, Kevin Neal and Chad Branson that has produced
such tremendous success in such a short amount of time. - WES BUCK
74 | D r a g
I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com
- BOBBY BENNETT, COMPETITIONPLUS.COM
Pevlor Goes the Distance
While he came close to victory with a number-one qualifying effort and
semifinal finish in Ultimate Street, Shawn Pevlor’s moment of triumph came in
Nitrous X competition. In the final round, Pevlor’s hard-charging ‘93 Mustang
left the starting line first and kept the lead to claim the event win with a 4.709
at 155 mph over number-one qualifier Jeff Carpenter’s 4.779 at 148 mph.
Issue 119
From Hell
to Heaven
Hollywood’s soap opera writers couldn’t even come up a
storyline to top this one. Scotty Cannon and Alan Pittman are not
only partners on a Radial vs. The World race car but also friends, and
to their friends and family are “husbands-in-law”. A story this juicy
cannot be made up. It all begins in the mid-1990s when Cannon and
his first wife Pam divorced, only for friend Pittman to end up mar-
rying her.
For almost two years, the two longtime drag racers never spoke.
Then they made amends, and within two years were in a chassis busi-
ness together as Cannon went fuel Funny Car racing. “It’s a we thing,”
Cannon said motioning to Pittman. “I think I just used the phrase one
day, and it stuck like throwing mud up against a wall.”
If it seems it might be difficult for them to share their personal
lives, discussing their common denominator, think again. “Easy,” Can-
non said with a sly smile. “Well it’s probably going to make her mad,
but I really don’t care. It’s real easy. And it’s awful fun.”
Pittman just smiles at the notion, which is equally as crazy as the
two Pro Modified pioneers racing a doorslammer on a Drag Radial
tire. “I kind of knew we’d end up racing together one day because we
were already in business together,” Cannon said. “I never dreamed
we’d be running on a bicycle tire with a big ol’ blower and bigger ev-
erything and it would run, and run just as fast as we’ve ever run on big
tires. So half of it’s one way, and half ’s the other way I guess.”