SMITH, SHIERTS, MULLIS CLAIM TITLES IN FISH'S BIKE NATIONALS

Matt Smith, the son of Pro Stock drag racing champion Rickie Smith, led a North Carolina sweep of the major events Sunday in the Fish's Customs Autumn Bike Nationals at Steve Earwood's Rockingham Dragway.

Smith beat Chris Moore of Greer, S.C., in the final round of the Schnitz Outlaw Pro Street event to join Charlotte's Lee Shierts and Concord's Greg Mullis in the winners' circle.

Shierts upset defending series champion Barry Henson of Davie, Fla., to win the Velocity Racing World's Fastest Street Bike title and Mullis got a free pass to the Mickey Thompson 60-Inch Sport Bike title when final round opponent Vincent Demito of Collegeville, Pa., was guilty of a foul start.

Although he qualified second behind Forest City's Trevor Altman, Henson set a national record for the class in the first round when he was clocked in 7.695 seconds at 187.76 miles per hour.

Other winners were Devon Perkins of Lexington, Ky., who earned an upset victory in the wildly-popular Cycle Concepts Heavy Weights class after Charlotte's Tyrone Smith had upset points leader John Vermuelen of Clarkston, Mich., and Jeff Underwood, who ended Alan Fields undefeated season in the Honda-Suzuki of Sanford 5.60 Heads-Up class.

The expected showdown between female bike rider Angie McBride of Lewisville, and Outlaw Pro Street points leader Joseph Long of Hialeah, Fla., never materialized. Both were upset in round one, McBride by Bailey's Blake Sanders and Long by Nick Ramsey of Anderson, S.C.

Despite McBride's ousted, there was a woman champion in the event. Debbie Knebel rode her Suzuki to the Pro Bike Bracket championship and, in the process, denied Andy Lynch of West Columbia, S.C., a bracket double. Runner-up in the Pro Bracket, Lynch won the Street Bracket championship and a $500 bonus from Nitrous Express for winning the most rounds of the weekend.

It was Smith's second consecutive Outlaw victory on a Rock track on which he also prevailed in this year's Schnitz Summer Sizzler. He'll go for three-in-a-row when the bikes return Nov. 22-23 for the Lee's Performance Fall Bike Nationals.

Although four of the seven Sunday finals were decided on foul starts, Smith and Moore were having none of it in the Outlaw Pro Street final. Smith won in 7.288 seconds at 195.48 mph but Moore, who earlier had set a national record of 7.258 seconds, wasn't far behind at 7.324 seconds, 189.39 mph.

Ronald Procopio beat Marvin Ford to win the FBR Shop Quick 8 title