Commerce — Paul Smith Jr. of Alpharetta makes his living changing tires at a Discount Tire store. Wendy Moulton of Auburn is a stay-at-home mom. Acworth's Rick Adams is a welder, and Loganville's Mike Ghee is a contractor.

For the most part, they're just everyday folks. But last Saturday at Atlanta Dragway, they and hundreds of other local drag racers were stars for a day in a made-for-TV drag racing program, Pinks All Out, that has become an unexpected bonanza for the hosting tracks and for the Speed Channel network that hosts the show.

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Jeff Rigney of Dalton waits his turn to run. He didn't have time to repaint a replacement car door, so he wrote 'Joe Dirt Edition' on it.

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Brothers Adam (below left) and Nate Pritchett are technical experts the Speed Channel uses during the show, which drew some 25,000 fans to the Commerce track to watch the drivers compete for thousands in prizes.

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Rick Adams of Acworth puts a new belt on his 1968 Ford F100 pickup before racing.

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It's second in ratings at Speed, trailing only the NASCAR programming.

The format is simple. Organizers bring in 400-500 Saturday night drag racers and their cars, nearly all of which are prepared in the driver's backyard garage. Some still are street legal and have license plates to prove it.

The field is whittled to 16 who then run elimination races until a champion is crowned.

It's a spin-off of the original Pinks series, which saw two drivers compete in a "lose the race, lose your ride" pink slip race.

The show is the brainchild of its star, Rich Christensen, who runs as wide open as a V-8 engine on nitrous oxide.

He bounces back and forth between the starting line and the "war room" where decisions are made about which drivers get to run for the money.

And he starts each race with a dramatic arm drop reminiscent of the earliest drag races.

Co-starring are brothers Nate and Adam Pritchett, the show's technical experts. In his day job, Adam Pritchett is a pilot trainer for Atlantic Southeast Airlines.

The surprising aspect is the level of fan interest. Relying mostly on word-of-mouth advertising, the shows are attracting tens of thousands of fans at tracks across the country.

The crowd at Atlanta Dragway, some 25,000 or so, was on par with the track's major professional event, the Southern Nationals.

And the fans came not to see professionals like John Force and Tony Schumacher, but amateurs who race purely for the love of the sport.

"These people deserve a medal for putting that many people in the stands for what is basically a bracket race," said Danny O'Day, a wheelstand expert who entertained fans during breaks in the Pinks competition.

Each driver got two runs at the clock, then Christensen and the Pritchett brothers picked 16 whose times ranged from 10.30 to 10.38 seconds, thereby assuring close competition.

The fastest eight also ran an elimination race, which Ghee won in his 1971 Camaro, earning him $8,000 in cash and prizes, easily his best racing payday ever and the most media attention he'd ever gotten.

"It's a little overwhelming, but it's a dream come true," he said.

For most participants, the opportunity to be a part of the show was pay enough.

"It's fun, win or lose," said Darryl Stiles, who runs a body shop in Riverdale and races a Chevy Luv pickup.

Rick Adams, who attempted to make the show in a 1968 Ford pickup, was still running on high adrenaline when he pulled back to his pit area, which could have passed for a picnic area at the lake as family and friends sat under a tent, visiting and snacking as they passed the time.

"I was so nervous," he said. "I didn't even notice all the people in the stands."

But he couldn't miss them afterward.

"I bet 200 people have come by to look at the truck," he said.

When the final 16 were chosen, nine were from the greater Atlanta area.

Wendy Moulton, who was spending her first full day away from her 3-month-old daughter, seemed anxious as the Pinks crew attached a microphone to her fire suit.

"I'm very, very nervous," she said. "I'm excited about being on TV, but I'm nervous about the race."

She did take time to call home and check on her baby.

"I miss her bunches, but this is pretty neat," she said as she stood beside her gray-primered 1970 Camaro.

Moulton, who at 22 was the youngest participant, made it through the first round, winning her first race by a razor-thin margin of .009 seconds, then lost by a bumper to Chad Mahue of Waleska, who was wheeling a 1993 Mustang.

Soon the local hopes were resting on the shoulders of Smith, the tire changer from Alpharetta who was driving a red 1998 Corvette and wearing a bandana, baggy jeans and tennis shoes for his television debut.

When the field was reduced to two, Smith faced "Wild" Bill Jones from Lake City, Fla., in his 1971 Ford Mustang.

It was a classic matchup — hometown driver vs. out-of-town invader and Ford vs. Chevy in a winner-take-all contest.

A giant tool box filled with tools courtesy of series sponsor NAPA and $10,000 cash awaited the winner.

A grandstand full of fans rose to their feet to witness the outcome.

In the finals, the winner must win two of three races.

Smith made quick work of Jones, winning the overall event on his second pass, utilizing a reaction time that Christensen said was as quick as he'd seen on the show in some time.

Smith pulled his car to a stop in victory lane, listened to the roar of the crowd and was interviewed about his victory as the cameras rolled all around.

"This is only the second event I've ever won," he said. "The other one only paid a trophy, and there were just 15 other cars there."

The Atlanta episode of Pinks All Out will be aired on Speed on Aug. 14 at 9 p.m.