LODRS
SEVERANCE CLINCHES WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP; BELLEMEUR CONTINUES TO DOMINATE
Las Vegas – In the final results from The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing 
Series, Joey Severance, raced to the event win and clinched the NHRA Lucas Oil Top Alcohol Dragster World Championship. Sean Bellemeur continued to dominate the Top Alcohol Funny Car Class.
Severance, Woodburn, Ore., locked up his 4th straight title with a final round pass of 5.266 seconds at 275.28 mph in his final round victory over Julie Nataas, Santa Barbara, Calif., who clocked in at 5.369 seconds, 271.95 mph making this Severance’s 23rd national event win.
Bellemeur, Placentia, Calif, who has already clinched his 2018 Lucas Oil World Championship, faces off with Doug Gordon, Paso Robles, Calif., in the Funny Car final clocking in at 5.517 seconds, 264.65 mph with Gordon right on his heels with 5.488, second, 269.24 mph lap for his runner up finish.
NHRA SOUTHEAST DIVISION COMES TO ROCKINGHAM DRAGWAY
ROCKINGHAM, NC – Rockingham Dragway will host the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Southeast Division on 
October 19-21. Highlighting Friday’s action is the NHRA Moser Sportsman Shootout, a specialty race within a race, with elimination rounds on Friday night.
The Lucas Oil event is one of 44 scheduled across the country where drivers in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series earn points leading to divisional and national championships as well as a chance at a share of the year-end purse of more than $519,000. Categories include Comp Eliminator, Super Stock, Stock Eliminator, Super Comp, Super Gas and Super Street. The division’s Stott’s Ford Top Sportsman Series and Hickory Enclosed Trailer Sales Top Dragster Series will run in conjunction with the event.
Gates at Rockingham Dragway open at 8 a.m. each day. Qualifying and time trials start Friday at 9 a.m. Top Dragster, Comp Eliminator and Top Sportsman qualify Friday at 11 a.m., 2 & 5 p.m. Lucas Oil Eliminations begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday.
BELLEMEUR RACES TO NHRA LUCAS OIL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
CHARLOTTE, NC – Sean Bellemeur raced to the NHRA Lucas Oil Top Alcohol Funny Car World Championship then capped it off with the event win at the NHRA Carolina Nationals presented by WIX Filers at zMAX Dragway. Megan Meyer took the honors in Top Alcohol Dragster as did three first time winners at the national event level.
Bellemeur, Placentia, Calif., clinched the championship on Saturday when he beat DJ Cox in his round two match up then knocked out Andy Bohl in the semifinals and Phil Burkart in the final round with a strong 5.403 second lap at 271.13 mph. Burkhart was out first then quickly lost traction as Bellemeur raced by for the win. The Championship is the second in Top Alcohol Funny Car for team owner Tony Bartone who won as a driver in 1996.
PRITCHETT WINS SAM FACTORY STOCK SHOWDOWN NHRA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
ENNIS, TX – In the final results from the AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals and the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series at Texas Motorplex, Leah Pritchett, Redlands, Calif., and Kevin Skinner, Grove City, Ohio, both worked their way through the field to meet up in the final round and a winner take all for the SAM Factory Stock Showdown World Championship.
Pritchett and Skinner had a close start of the line with Skinner in the lead at the 300-foot mark until his car made a quick move allowing Pritchett to go around and pull away for the win and the championship. Pritchett had a late charge in the season making this her 3rd consecutive win in the SAM Factory Stock Showdown.
Joey Severance, Woodburn, Ore., and Sean Bellemeur, Placentia, Calif., took home the wins in Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car respectively.
THE SOUTH CENTRAL DIVISION STORMS TO AN END AT THUNDER IN THE HEARTLAND
LEXINGTON, OK – Thunder Valley Raceway Park will host the Thunder in the Heartland, the final event for the 
NHRA South Central Division, on October 12-14. The event is one of 44 scheduled across the country where drivers in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series earn points leading to divisional, regional and national championships as well as a chance at a share of the year-end purse of more than $519,000.
Categories include Comp Eliminator, Super Stock, Stock Eliminator, Super Comp, Super Gas and Super Street. The division’s SDPC Raceshop Top Sportsman, Top Dragster Series and NHRA Sportsman Motorcycle Series will also be run in conjunction with the event.
Gates at Thunder Valley Raceway open at 7 a.m. each day. Qualifying and Time Trials begin Friday 9 a.m. and continue Saturday at 9 a.m. Top Dragster, Comp and Top Sportsman will make two qualifying runs on Friday and a final two on Saturday to set the fields. Eliminations for some classes will begin Saturday afternoon and continue on Sunday at 9 a.m. Specialty Shootout events will highlight Friday afternoon’s racing action.
MEYER, HOOL WIN IN GREAT BEND
GREAT BEND, KS – Megan Meyer and Kris Hool raced to victory in the second half of this weekend’s NHRA Lucas 
Oil Drag Racing Series Thunder on the Plains double header at SRCA Dragstrip.
Meyer defeated her sister Rachel in a close round one battle then took out Christine Chambless to advance to the final in Top Alcohol Dragster against Dean Dubbin. Dubbin, Royalton, Minn., was out first but quickly had problems and Meyer, Olathe, Kan., sped by for the win and her second of the year stopping the clocks at 7.199, 263.82.
Hool, out of Evansville, Wyo., qualified No. 1 in Top Alcohol Funny Car and would face off with No. 2 qualifier Lance Van Hauen in the money round. Hool was out first and led from start to finish with a 5.817 second, 255.39 mph pass to Van Hauen who slowed to an 8.143, 116.99.
In Comp Eliminator it was Saturday’s runner-up Matt Harris who took it one step further for the win in defeating Chard Voges. Harris went 7.810, 172.76 to Voges’ 7.979 at 151.99 mph.
BOURGEOIS, LABBOUS LEAD WINNERS AT SILVER DOLLAR
REYNOLDS, GA – In the final results from Silver Dollar Raceway and the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, former Lucas Oil World Champion Craig Bourgeois and reigning Super Gas World Champion John Labbous led the list of winners in the winner’s circle celebration.
Bourgeois qualified No. 1 then posted the victory over Jim Kimbrough in Comp Eliminator. Bourgeois was out first then pulled away to a 6.890 second lap at 180.57 mph to Kimbrough’s 7.379, 177.79 out of the No. 3 spot.
Labbous used a .004 second reaction time to jump out in front of Rusty Cook in a battle of Corvettes. Labbous went 9.943, 159.99 in his ’63 to oust Cook and his ’99 Corvette at 9.956, 154.32.
Super Stock saw a pair of hitters face off in the final as Mike Crutchfield and Jimmy Hidalgo went to battle. Hidalgo was out first but Crutchfield ran him down at 9.156, 135.81 to Hidalgo’s 10.100, 132.91.
RAMPY LEADS WINNERS IN FIRST HALF OF DOUBLE HEADER
GREAT BEND, KS – In the first half of the double header at SRCA Dragstrip and the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Cornbelt Classis David Rampy continued his winning ways with his 61st NHRA divisional event win and Mike Town and Mark Grame grabbed their second straight wins at SRCA.
Alabama racer Rampy and Nebraska runner Matt Harris left the line together with .018 second reaction times in Comp Eliminator but Rampy had the power to pull away with a 7.631 second, 152.50 mph pass for the win in his ’32 roadster with Harris clocking in at 8.770, 125.90. The win was also Rampy’s third divisional of the year to go with this 99 NHRA national event wins.
Jason DeForrest, Andover, Minn., was out on Town, Paola, Kan., in the Super Stock final before Town laid down a 10.805 on the 10.80 dial to take the win and the NHRA Wally trophy by about two feet over the quicker DeForrest at 9.457, 131.93.
DIVISION 5 DOUBLES DOWN FOR THUNDER ON THE PLAINS AT SRCA DRAGSTRIP
GREAT BEND, KS – The NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series West Central Division arrives at SRCA Dragstrip on September 27-30, for a double-header weekend. The event combines the weather postponed Lucas Oil Cornbelt Classic from Tri-State Raceways with SRCA Dragstrip’s annual Thunder on the Plains. The event is combined with the Great Bend Airfest Airshow for an action packed weekend. NHRA categories include Top Alcohol Dragster and Funny Car, Comp Eliminator, Super Stock, Stock Eliminator, Super Comp, Super Gas and Super Street. The division’s Advance Product Design Top Sportsman, Fineline Graphics & Madcap Racing Top Dragster and NHRA Sportsman Motorcycle Series are also in competition.
For the first race of the double header, qualifying and time trials begin on Thursday at 8:45 a.m. Top Dragster, Comp and Top Sportsman qualify at 11 a.m., 3 and 6 p.m. On Friday eliminations beginning at 8:45 a.m. Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car will compete in just a single event over the weekend with opening round of qualifying set for 4 p.m. on Friday.
SOUTHEAST DIVISION HEADS TO SILVER DOLLAR RACEWAY
REYNOLDS, GA – Silver Dollar Raceway host the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Southeast Division on September 27-29. The event is one of 44 scheduled across the country where drivers in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series earn points leading to divisional and national championships as well as a chance at a share of the year-end purse of more than $519,000. Categories include Comp Eliminator, Super Stock, Stock Eliminator, Super Comp, Super Gas and Super Street. The division’s Stott’s Ford Top Sportsman Series and Hickory Enclosed Trailer Sales Top Dragster Series will also be in competition.
Gates at Silver Dollar Raceway open at 8 a.m. each day. Hickory Enclosed Top Dragster & Stott’s Ford Top Sportsman qualifies Friday at 1, 3 and 6 p.m. with Elimination rounds beginning at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
Tickets for Silver Dollar Raceway are $20 each day. Children 12 and under are admitted free with a paid adult.
Silver Dollar Raceway is located on State Highway 96 West, just west of U.S. Highway 341. For more information call the track, (478) 847-4414, or visit ww.silverdollarraceway.com.
