John Platt Jr, 36, of Cocoa FL, made history by running the first ever 4 second pass at Sebring International Raceway Thursday night September 26, 2019. Most know the iconic Sebring as strictly a sports car/endurance track. But in recent times, the track has embraced the highly popular ‘no prep’ drag racing by using the front stretch as a drag strip. The Sebring set up is complete with a dual beam activated christmas tree and computer calculated timing.
Platt entered the race holding the track record at 5.036 he set in June of this year. The Battle at the Bridge race held this past August had a $1000 bounty on the head of the local racer for any car that could beat it. One racer came ever so close with a 5.038. Platt had hoped to break his own record that day, but the car and the track conditions wouldn’t give him the speed or the traction needed to do so. This past Thursday’s event, billed as Quick 8 at 8 was another chance for Platt to go for another record. The car and driver did not disappoint.
Platt’s first qualifying run came in at a respectable 5.07 in the 1/8 mile. It was his next pass that broke his own record at 4.993 and then backing it up with an even better 4.980. The car was more than ready for the elimination rounds and Platt was in the finals at the end of the night.
“John Platt has become a very popular competitor at Sebring and our fans and business partners appreciate the fact that he and his family regularly compete at our legendary facility,” said Sebring Drag Racing Director Matt Muha. “It was only a matter of time before someone broke the five second barrier and the fact that John broke the record and then lowered his own time again on the same night was a thrill for fans and all of us on the Raceway team that have been waiting to see a sub five-second run. Because Sebring International Raceway is a sportscar racing facility with a non-prepped drag strip shows the effort and skill John put into his record run. He’s set a new mark for others to chase and if he or any other driver lowers it again, we’ll be happy to pay out another $1000 track record bounty.”
Platt’s trip to the winner’s circle was met with cheers and applause. ‘I can’t thank the entire Sebring track personnel enough for once again putting together a great drag racing event. I wouldn’t be here without the tremendous support of Plattinum Products and Atlantic Wire & Rigging. It’s an amazing feeling to be standing here with the track record and I hope to go even quicker at an upcoming event.” said Platt.
Photo credits: Rolling Art Photography
