Lilley lands win for Angel Racing

By Wendy Curling

Nathan Lilley of Camden showcased his adept drag racing abilities once again Saturday night at Northeast Dragway by landing another Top Eliminator win as a “hired gun” driver.

23 year-old Lilley has racing fuel running deep in his veins and regularly demonstrates his skills whether driving his own race car or that of a long list of willing car owners.

His most recent partnership could best be described as a match made in heaven as a chance conversation led to an agreement to race for Angel’s Racing of South Mills.

Owner and namesake, Danny Angel, who fields cars in Top Eliminator, Modified and Junior Dragster, felt strongly enough about Lilley to put him into his newly purchased altered body race car and compete for the track points championship.

The deciding factor could well have been the shining star on Lilley’s racing resume when in 2009 he raced a similar type vehicle for the first time for Danny Bennett and walked away with the coveted IHRA Iron Man trophy.

Recent problems plaguing the Angel’s Racing machine, prompting the team to offer it for sale, continued Saturday when the electric shifter malfunctioned in time runs. Lilley, relying on his own abilities to shift the car manually and hit critical shift points, came through like a pro round after round.

He faced Brandi Lee Merritt of McDonald Farms Racing in the final where he posted a .021 reaction time and ran 5.58 on his 5.57 dial. Merritt left the line a little too early causing a red light foul.

When asked if the car was still for sale Danny Angel quickly replied, “Yes, but the price just went up”. There was no mention of whether the driver came with the car.

In other bracket action, Phillip Wiggins dominated the Modified Class driving his brother Leon’s Ford Mustang. Wiggins nailed the tree with a near perfect .001 reaction time in the final round while his opponent, Tim Taylor of Point Harbor, fouled with a red light start.

Tony Boone of Tyner picked up his first win of the year in the Street Class with his final round win over newcomer Jon Moore of Elizabeth City. Moore also fouled at the starting line.

Luke Boykin picked up win number two in the Pro Bike Class by besting his opponent, Joe Koltuniak, off the line with a .044 reaction time and went on to run 6.11 on his 6.05 dial.

Danielle Hill of Chesapeake climbed a little higher on the points ladder by winning all rounds including the final in the Junior Dragster class. Logan Willoughby of Elizabeth City was runner up.

Racing action continues this weekend beginning with Test and Tune Friday night from 7 to 10 p.m. Opening time for Saturday’s bracket race will move from 11 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Time runs will begin at 3, followed by eliminations at 5 o’clock.

Log onto www.northeastdragway.net for more details and upcoming events.