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May 25th Topeka Kansas National Event and Division 1 at Maple Grove. Maple Grove was rained out and rescheduled until Sept. 20, 2003 Topeka, Kansas Eliminations final results: Alan Bradshaw got his first National event win of the year to go with two divisional wins this past weekend at Topeka. There were 8 BAD's and 8 A/Fuelers in eliminations and four of each in the top half of the field. Five of eight first round match-ups pitted the same type of car against each other. The best possible matchup of the weekend was the second round race between Shelly Howard and event winner Bradshaw. Bradshaw had the lead off the starting line but Shelly was out front after 60 feet, and kept the lead until around 900 feet when the extra 5 mph that Bradshaw ran on the run caught up to Howard and Alan went on to win by 4/100ths. The semis saw Marty Thacker as the only blown car left but he red lit away his chance against Bill Reichert. Reichert made headlines in the second round when he became only the second driver to run in the 5.teens with a 5.19 lap at a whopping 277.03 mph. In the final round Reichert could not keep up the teen pace, but it was still a whale of a race, with Bradshaw taking the win 5.285/262.64 - 5.292/267.96. That puts the year's total to 11 wins for A/Fuelers to 9 wins for BAD's. No Events this weekend with the Alky cars not at Joliet at the national event there this coming weekend. Final qualifying results: 1. Bill Reichert Bar's Leaks A/FD 5.289 274.61 All results courtesy of Drag Race Central May 18th, One note on the final results in TAD including today: A/Fuelers now have won 10 events this year. The BAD's have won 9 events so far. I would have to say that is pretty good on the parity front in overall results. But the A/Fuelers do have the top 15-20 quickest runs in the class this year. The A/Fuelers have been #1 qualifier at 13 of the 19 events so far as well. Performance has proved to be in the nitro cars favour but the consistency factor has obviously played a part in the final round results. The summer is now around the corner and we will see if the trend continues. Also of note it would be nice if someone can email me the actual numbers of cars of each type that have competed so far. I do believe that it is very close to an even split this year.
Saturday May 17, 2003 Two hits were given to the Top Alcohol classes as well due to weather at Englishtown and it apparently wasn't enough for the top qualifiers in the Dragster class. The top two qualifiers went out in the first round of eliminations when both Richard Bourke and Mike Kosky went out in the first round. Number 13 qualifier Tony Bartone made the biggest noise in round one when he went 5.32 in defeating Fran Monaghan. Steven Cantrell the 16 qualifier never even made a pass in qualifying as he broke 100 feet off the line in the first session and broke as they were starting the car in the second session. His first lap, being that he staged counted towards qualifying, because David De Angelis was disqualified for crossing the center line in his only attempt. 1. Richard Bourke Bourke Bros. A/FD 5.455 270.70 In the second round, I expect A/ Fuelers Gallant and Bartone to advance as well as the blown cars of Doug Foley and Steve Lamplough. Gallant will take on Bartone in one semi and the Dude from New York (bartone) will take that one and Foley will get the win in the other semi. The final will be no contest, as Foley gets beat by the Bartone/ Boggs tuned A/ Fueler. In Alky Funny Car, Frank Manzo made a statement in the first round. How about a 262.33 mph statement! And he went 5.55 as well. Jay Payne went 5.58/259. Unheralded Mike Ferro ran 5.66 to advance and Bob Newberry was a tenth back of the top two guy surprisingly with a 5.67 to advance. Todd's Veney also advanced in the "Follow a Dream" car as he ran 5.79. Here was final qualiying in Top Alcohol Funny Car: 1. Jay Payne Valvoline Camaro 5.615 257.58
Lucas Oil Series: Div. 7 Bakersfield California. Sunday final results. Did not do so good here at Division seven's Lucas Oil event. Both my finalists in TAD were gone in the first round as Shields and Nicholson were both upset. Shields by Miersch and Nicholson by Notzka. The final round saw two familiar names though, as, Mark Niver picked up his second win of the year and did not had two wait 20 years for the win like his earlier win this year. Don Hudson r/upped for the second race in a row. His last r/u came at Vegas when David Wells defeated him. Here, it wasn't close though, as Niver ran uncontested when Hudson's car would not stage giving Niver the freebie. The two other semi finalists were of course Notzka and Miersch. In TAFC, I was wrong again in picking two strong runners, Doug Gordon and John Weaver both went out in the first round as well like my TAD picks. Ed Marx and Mark Woznichak were the finalists, and Marx got the win after the "Woz" red lit away his chance. Both cars were off from their qualifying efforts, but won the battle of attrition in the TOUGHEST division in the TAFC class. The semi final loser in this race were Mert Littlefield and Dennis Taylor. Saturday May 18, 2003 Race #4 in the six race series in Div. 7 is actually the third event to be run this year after the cancellation of the Sacramento event three weeks ago due to bad weather in the central California region. 10 cars attempted to qualify in TAD, and notable absentee is Morgan Lucas. Morgan ran Topeka two weeks ago and is entered for the national event there next weekend, so financially it makes sense to leave the car in the state of Kansas, and Howard Haight who would be running here, but is probably running this weekend at Sonoma at the Good Guys race, so Randy Eakins is in the car that Haight drove. Topping the field is newly proclaimed Div. 7 hitter Mark Niver who has a win a has been a top qualifier at every event so far this year. He ran a great 5.46 to be the only car in the 40's this weekend. In Funny Car, 14 floppers made attempts to get in the field, and Dennis Taylor leads after running a very strong 5.79/244 mph lap. Gordon, Gasparelli and the "Woz" are two, three and four. Notable's not making the field this weekend include John Patton and Brett Williamson. TAD after the final session: 1 777 A/FD Mark Niver, Scottsville AZ, Frameworks-D 5.469 255.75
255.75 ------------ Not Qualified ------------ 9 7399 A/FD Chris Lane, San Leandro CA, Hadman-BAE 6.200 221.89
221.89 In Sunday eliminations, I expect the to four to advance to the second
round, and then for Shields to defeat Mark Niver in one semi and Nicholson
go squeeze by Chris Demke in the other. In the final, it will be the
second r/u in a row for Duane, as Darren gets the win for the Edgecombe
bunch.
Funny Car after the final session: 1 714 Dennis Taylor, Anaheim Hills CA, '02 Chevy Cam 5.798 244.56
244.56 ------------ Not Qualified ------------ 9 74 Bret Williamson, Campbell CA, '01 Chevy Corvet 5.984 233.22
233.22 In Funny car, the top four should advance, but I think Weaver will
take out Mark Woznichak and Mert made two very good runs on Saturday,
but he has to beat Gasparelli and Steve is very sharp on the tree.
I'm giving the edge to Gasparelli in that 1st round match-up. In the
semis, Weaver will beat Dennis Taylor and Gordon will advance, to
the final where he will get his fourth win of the year, this time
over the Weaver gang.
Indianapolis Sunday final results. Wrong again, This time I picked Thacker and Lindert to make the finals in TAD , and Lindert lost in the first round and Thacker was ousted in round two. The finalists were Bill Riechert and Bill McCornack. Riechert won very well through eliminations, besting his 5.40 qualifying time in the semis and final round where he went 5.38/266 to defeat McCornack's 5.65/249 effort. Thacker was one semi loser and Kieth Stark was the other. In TAFC, I got the two finalists right, just not the end result. Chuck Cheeseman and Marc White Made the final round and were the class of eliminations, as they ran over .5 quicker than their competitors in both early rounds of eliminations. In the final Cheeseman had the better performance as he went 5.70/247 with a .051 light, to White's 5.74/250 and a .057 light. The two semi final losers were Jeff Craig and Steve Addleman. Saturday final qualifying results. The second event in Div. 3's six race series this weekend at Indy should be one of the toughest for Top Alcohol Dragsters in the 45 race schedule. 17 cars made attempts including one of the classes hottest drivers, Marty Thacker. The long time Alcohol Dragster pilot, but second year full time NHRA competitor, leads the pack after a 5.401/262 mph lap. Right on Marty's butt is Bill Riechart with a 5.405/267 mph shot. The field was anchored by Gary Ward with a very strong 5.61/246 mph effort. Not qualified were hitter's Dave Hirata, Ken Perry, Jeff Bohr and Tim Rudy plus a couple strong cars. In Funny Car, 12 cars made qualifying hits and Chuck Cheeseman and Marc White were the class of the field. Cheeseman leads after running 5.659/250 mph, while White ran 5.755/249 mph. Steve Addleman and Jeff Craig are right behind. Top Alcohol Dragster Qualifying final order: (courtesy Drag Race Central) 1 7 B/AD Marty Thacker, Robinson IL, Hadman-BAE 5.401 262.08 262.08 ------------ Not Qualified ------------ 9 32 B/AD Ken Perry, Toronto ON, Hadman-Fontana 5.647 253.90 253.90 In the finals Sunday, I really like the top four (sounds like a broken record right), advancing. In the semis, Thacker and Russ Lindert will take wins, and face off in the final. Marty will win his second race of the year, leaving first and outrunning Russ to take the Wally. Here is final qualifying for Funny Car at Indy: 1 10 Chuck Cheeseman, Galena OH, '02 Pontiac Firebi 5.659 250.55
250.55 ------------ Not Qualified ------------ 9 380 Ryan Sheridan, Vienna OH, '97 Chevy Camaro 6.619 212.29 212.29 In Sunday's eliminations, I don't see anyone in the bottom half getting by first round, with the best match-up being Craig and Moats, but Craig has had a bunch of good events so far this year and is pretty good on the tree, so look for him to advance. In the semis, Marc White and Chuck Cheeseman will prevail and battle in the final round. The winner here, will be Marc White who is one of the best leavers in TAFC and the "Bars Leak" team will get their first win of the year. Baton Rouge. Sunday Final eliminations results. Wow, so I end up two for four in final elimination results in the TAD class. Lee Callaway and Gene Snow both made the finals as I predicted when the day started. Lee Callaway got his first win of the year in defenseof his 2002 division title and takes over the lead this year against his final round competitor Gene Snow. Snow cut an "ICE" like light with a .001 in the final round but Callaway was right beside him with a .005 light and out ran Snow with a 5.56/253 to a losing but close 5.64/251 run. In the semis Snow took out Daryll Hitchman and Callaway defeated Shelly Howard. Wow, I just realized I got all four semi finalists right on this one. I think I hurt my right arm patting myself on the back. In TAFC, I got one finalist right, Tate Branch, and picked him to win but that did not happen. In possibly the strangest final round I can remember, both finalists (Branch and Jones) ended up with a bye in the semis (Branch was the only one supposed to get one, but Kinsley broke giving Jones a bye also). According to the rules you have to stage and take the tree when you have a bye, and both cars lined up did just that. They fired their car at the line staged took the green light and then shut down. Both backed up, restarted their rides, did burnouts this time, and raced the final. Jimmy Jones got a .05 hole shot and outran Tate Branch 6.098/234 to 6.124/236. Strange but true! Saturday final qualifying. At Baton Rouge, race #4 in Div. 4's six race schedule had eight car make runs Friday and the "Snowman" Gene Snow leads with a 5.558/237. Lee Callaway and Shelly Howard are right behind in a surprising small field of cars. Where is Alan Bradshaw who normally runs here and James Thompson. Funny Car is also small with only 6 cars trying to qualify on Friday. Todd Simpson leads with a surprisingly slow 6.08/233 effort and Jimmy Jones right behind with 6.17. Ron Morrison and Div. 4 points leader Tate Branch are in the third and fourth positions after the lone session. While I realize that there are only so many weekends in the year for scheduling races, having three div. races and one national event on the same weekend does not make sense to me. Especially three of the events within 1200 miles of each other. Final Qualifying for Top Alcohol Dragster: 1 47 A/FD Gene Snow, Fort Worth TX, Gaddy-TFX 5.558 239.23 On Sunday at Baton Rouge, Hitchman will be the only bottom half competitor to advance into the semis in TAD, but his luck will run out there, when he has to take on Gene Snow. In the other half, Shelly Howard and Lee Callaway will have a great battle, which I think Callaway will win. The final round will also go to the blown car, as Snow will smoke the tires. Funny Car final qualifying: 1 6 Tate Branch, Artesia NM, '03 Chevy Camaro 5.897 244.69 244.69 Funny car is pretty easy on paper and in reality, with only six cars to pick from and one car being dominant much like Division 6 where Bucky Austin is the class of the field. Here Tate Branch will win in the first round and get a bye into the final where he will take on Todd Simpson. There, Branch will get the win in convincing fashion to take a big lead in the Division four points standings.
(Pictures courtesy Guy Van Syckle, Thacker above from Joliet Divisional two weeks ago, and Manzo from Houston National which he runner-upped to Newberry)
Topeka Kansas, Race #1 in Division 5's six race Lucas Oil Series. Alan Bradshaw got his second win of the year in Randy Meyer's A/Fuel Dragster at Topeka Kansas this past weekend. Bradshaw the #1 qualifier defeated Gary Cooper in an all A/Fuel dragster final 5.61 to a slowing 7.39. It was Bradshaw's slowest run of the weekend, as he ran consistant mid 40's in wins over Chris Rickett's and David Wells in the first two rounds. In TAFC, Tate Branch took over the national points lead with his second win also this season on the Divisional trail. His win at Topeka over Cy Chesterman was a battle of #1 and #2 qualifiers. Topeka had great fields in both classes as 12 cars in both attempted to qualify for the 8 car fields. The bump spot in the dragster class was a very quick 5.53 et that was held by Rickett's. In Funny Car, Canadian Kevin Richardson anchored the field with a respectable 6.02 best.
For all the action from Mission's Lucas Oil event go here |
Englishtown,
New Jersey Sunday final results. Well
I guess I picked one right here in TAD.
At least the final round result anyway. See below, for the predictions
for this event. As expected, Tony Bartone picked up the win here at
Englishtown after downing Drag Racing School operator Douglas Foley.
Tony was the class of eliminations and every other car seemed to be
in survival mode throughout eliminations. Foley never made a pass
quicker than 6.35 through four rounds but was better than everyone
he faced due to red lights breakage or no shows. Bartone on the other
hand, did not have any competition for another reason, he was plain
fast. His slowest run in elims. was one second quicker then Foley
as a 5.34 was his slowest run. In the final he went that 5.34 to Doug
Foley's blower banging 10.06. Mark Albert and Steven Cantrell were
the other semi finalists and both red lit away their chances. In Funny
Car, I also got the right two finalists and the right winner,
but after the semis where Newberry ran a career best 5.57 to Manzo's
5.67 in the other semi final win, I actually thought the "Newb"
had a great chance for the upset. But I should have known Manzo, would
find the performance and reaction time when he needed it. In the final
Manzo ran a great 5.62 to Newberry's 5.66. The two semi finalists
who got third round loser check's were Jay Payne (red Light loss)
and Eric Laurie.
May
5, 2003 Top Alcohol Dragster
Marty
Thacker picked up his first ever National event win at the Summit
Southern Nationals this past weekend at Atlanta. In the Final he took
on Art Gallant, and it was a very close final as both cars ran 5.45's.
Thacker's .028 light was more than enough for Gallant's .089 rt. marty's
best lap of the weekend happened in the second round of elim's when
he uncorked a 5.396/262.00 shot. That was the best blown lap of the
weekend. Guy Keely another blown entry put in his best lap as well,
when he ran 5.41 in qualifying and in the first round. He lost to
Marty in the secondround, when he left before the tree was activated.
This was Gallant's first final of the year and he will be hard pressed
to repeat as champion as a bunch more cars (particularly A/F cars)
have stepped up this season.
In
Top Alcohol Funny Car, a poor turn out competed at Atlanta when
only 8 car ran in qualifying and eliminations. Take the cars away
from the tracks with poor showings and give it to either Denver or
Phoenix. Frank Manzo got his first win of the year when he defeated
Bob Newberry who was in his third final of the year. In the final
Newberry shook hard and clicked it early giving Manzo the easy win.
He would have been tough to beat though, as he was the quickest and
fastest in every round and reset the national record for top speed
when he ran 260.56 in the first round of eliminations.