Chattanooga’s Charlie Fitzsimmons got a photo of his car on the cover and a two-page spread inside this week’s National Dragster magazine for his A/SA victory at the NHRA’s Tire Kingdom Gatornationals at Gainesville, Fla., earlier this month. It was billed as the “first major victory” after 39 years of drag racing for Fitzsimmons, who recounted in the magazine that he fibbed about his age and began as a 13-year-old at the Brainerd Optimist Drag Strip. “The Gatornationals are like the Daytona 500 of drag racing,” said Optimist strip spokesman Red Harris, noting that Fitzsimmons still will compete at the local strip on occasion this year. “We’re all very proud of Charlie.” Driving a 2010 Dodge Challenger with a 370-cubic-inch engine, Fitzsimmons advanced in the March 12 semifinals past Jeff Teuton of Houma, La., who had eliminated him in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Nationals last year, and then beat Chris Stephenson of Tipton, Ind., in round seven.
Softball
• The Chattanooga State softball team, ranked No. 1 in NJCAA Division I for the third consecutive week, improved to 39-3 for the season by beating Snead State 12-4 in six innings and 4-1 on Thursday. Shelby Johnson was 4-for-4 and Andie Johnson was 3-for-4 in game one, and they each had two hits along with Courtney DeLay in game two, when MeQuilla Franklin had a two-run triple after matching DeLay’s 2-for-3 first game. Kortney Koroll homered in the opener. LSU signee Ashley Czechner raised her pitching record to 21-2 and then saved Janna Scheff’s 15th win.
• COLUMBUS, Ga. — Lee University lost 4-3 to Belhaven and 3-2 to Mobile in Southern States Athletic Conference Crossover softball games Thursday. Jennifer Ringle was 2-for-4 and she and Charlie Wooden had RBI hits in the first game for the 16th-ranked Lady Flames (30-7, 9-3), and Dominique Hannah was 2-for-3 and Jenevieve Cena and Jessa Watts had pinch-hit RBI walks in the second game, when Brittany Balough took the pitching loss despite a four-hitter. Milagros Lozada had a three-run homer in the sixth inning for Mobile (21-6, 2-3).
• HUNTLAND, Tenn. — Three-sport Sewanee freshman standout Kayla Sewell had two hits and five RBIs in the first game and sophomore Michelle Thibodeaux pitched a five-inning one-hitter in game two as the softball Tigers defeated Rust 18-2 and 8-0 Thursday night at Huntland High School. Thibodeaux was one out from a perfect game. She, Erin Polena and Sarah Hamilton had two RBIs each in game one, when Hamilton pitched a five-hitter, and Carly Warfield had two RBIs in game two for Sewanee (3-10).