NHRA
TEDESCO, MCVEY WIN; RECORDS FALL AT ALL-AMERICAN HOT ROD SHOWDOWN AT GATEWAY MOTORSPORTS PARK
MADISON, IL – More than 400 racers from the U.S. and Canada converged on Gateway Motorsports Park for the All 
American Hot Rod Showdown and the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series with Mia Tedesco and Scott McVey taking home big wins.
Tedesco of Murrysville, Pa., won the final round of Top Alcohol Dragster eliminations over Megan Meyer of Spring Hill, Kan. Tedesco set a new track E.T. (elapsed time) record of 5.269 seconds during qualifying, then eclipsed that still-new mark with a pass of 5.230 seconds in the final round of eliminations. Tedesco began eliminations as the points leader as number two in points Brandon Booher failed to qualify for the eight-car field.
The GMP win was Tedesco’s second consecutive victory and her fifth of the 2016 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series season. Tedesco also was entered in the Super Gas class and made it to the semifinal but was eliminated.
THE ALL-AMERICAN HOT ROD SHOWDOWN COMES TO GATEWAY MOTORSPORTS PARK
MADISON, IL – Gateway Motorsports Park hosts the Illinois Lottery presents the NAPA All-American Hot Rod Showdown on August 5-6. The event is one of 45 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 Top Alcohol Dragster, Top Alcohol Funny Car, Comp Eliminator, Super Stock, Stock Eliminator, Super Comp, Super Gas and Super Street. The division’s Brodix/Steve Schmidt Top Sportsman Series and Spitzer Race Cars Top Dragster Series will also run in conjunction with the event.
Gates at Gateway Motorsports Park open at 7 a.m. both days. Qualifying and time trials are Friday at 9 a.m. and continue on Saturday at 9 a.m. Top Dragster, Top Sportsman and Comp Eliminator qualify Friday at 3 and 8 p.m. and Saturday at noon. Eliminations for Top Dragster, Top Sportsman and Comp Eliminator begin Saturday at 4 p.m. Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car qualify Friday at 6 and 9 p.m. with eliminations on Saturday beginning at 6 p.m.
THE NHRA NORTHEAST DIVISION ARRIVES AT ATCO RACEWAY
ATCO, NJ – Atco Raceway hosts the NHRA Lucas Oil Points Series event on August 5-7. The event is one of 45 
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 Top Alcohol Dragster, Top Alcohol Funny Car, Comp Eliminator, Super Stock, Stock Eliminator, Super Comp, Super Gas and Super Street. The division’s MXI/Magnaflux Top Dragster and Top Sportsman Series’ presented by Select Performance will run in conjunction with the event along with the Ultimax Pro Stock Snowmobile.
Gates at Atco open at 7 a.m. every day. Time trials are Friday and Saturday at 9:30 a.m. Comp Eliminator qualify on Friday at 3 and 6 p.m. and Saturday at 10:30 a.m. with eliminations at 12:30 p.m. Top Dragster and Top Sportsman qualify at 5 and 6:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday at 11 a.m. with eliminations at 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car qualify Friday at 4 and 7:30 p.m. and Saturday at noon with eliminations at 5, 7 and 9 p.m. Eliminations will continue Sunday at 9:30 a.m. with Top Dragster and Top Sportsman at 10:30 a.m.
MASSEY, LOMBARDO WIN; FOLK AND DREXLER SCORE TWICE
TOPEKA, KS – The NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series visited the quarter mile strip in a Double-Header Weekend 
presented by Aeromotive at Heartland Park Topeka with hundreds of racers competing in head to head competition. Winners were recognized in Top Alcohol Dragster, Top Alcohol Funny Car, Comp Eliminator, Super Stock and the rest of the classes that make up the nationwide series.
The Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car finals provided fans with clear cut victories. Spencer Massey, Fort Worth, Texas, posted an easy victory as he ran unopposed at the light. John Lombardo Jr., Brea, Calif. handily defeated Kris Hool, Evansville, Wyo. Lombardo ran 5.517 seconds, 267.59 mph to defeat Hool, 5.673 seconds, 256.55 mph.
The weekend produced two double header winners. Nick Folk and Beau Drexler won their respective classes on Friday and Sunday in Super Comp and Sportsman Motorcycle Presented Harley-Davidson. Folk, Durand, Ill., 8.917, 169.98 defeated Doug Wegner, Broken Arrow, Okla., 8.892, 172.56 to take his second win of the weekend. On Friday, Folk ran 8.934, 166.05 to eek out a victory over Riley Ledbetter, Argyle, Texas, 8.932, 170.02.
LAMB, CASNER LEAD WINNERS IN SONOMA
SONOMA, CA – Justin Lamb defended his title from a year ago and Steve Casner, Sheridan, Calif., picked up his fifth national event win at this weekend’s Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals and the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series at Sonoma Raceway.
Lamb, the defending event champion, worked his way through the Super Stock field to meet up with Jimmy DeFrank, Thousand Oaks, Calif., who is the defending Stock event champion. Lamb, Henderson, Nev., went 8.654 seconds at 141.47 in his Chevy Cobalt for the win and his fifth here in Sonoma.
The win is Casner’s first in Top Dragster presented by RacingRV’s.com as he defeated series’ hitter Peter Biondo, Maspeth, N.Y., with a lap of 6.997 at 192.69 mph. Biondo was looking for his 49th win having won in six different NHRA classes but not in Top Dragster.
LUCAS OIL WINNERS CROWNED IN MIDWEST SHOWDOWN
HEBRON, OH – Winners were crowned yesterday for the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, North Central Division, Buckeye Fuel Wars at National Trails Raceway that included Top Alcohol Dragster and Funny Car, Comp, Super Stock, Super Gas, and the rest of the classes that encompass the nationwide series.
In the Top Alcohol Dragster final round, Mia Tedesco Pittsburg, Pa., hit 5.518 seconds, 260.76 mph defeating Jared Dreher, Clinton, Ind., 5.607 seconds, 255.39 mph, by less than one-tenth of a second. Andy Bohl, Racine, Wis., marginally defeated Chris Foster of Davenport, Iowa, in the Top Alcohol Funny Car final round. Bohl ran 5.724, 257.04 separating himself from Foster, who ran 5.822, 248.93.
Fans were pleased with home state victors in Super Stock and Stock Eliminator. Mike Walter, East Canton, Ohio, outlasted Bobby Rashid, Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich., in a Midwest battle. Walter ran 10.420, 126.95 sliding past Rashid who ran 9.878, 134.70. In a battle for state bragging rights, Julie Biermann, Xenia, Ohio, narrowly bested Dick Kincaid, Navarre, Ohio, in the Stock Eliminator class. Biermann ran 11.006, 119.68 to Kincaid’s 11.276, 114.15.
LUCAS OIL WINNERS CROWNED IN SONOMA
SONOMA, CA – Champions were recognized yesterday for the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Pacific Division 
Drag Race presented by Korbel as fans at Sonoma Raceway were treated to Comp, Super Stock, Super Gas, Top Fuel Harley and the rest of the classes that encompass the nationwide series.
Multiple Californian drivers were crowned gold, including but not limited to Comp Eliminator, Super Stock, Stock Eliminator, and Super Street.
In an all Californian Comp finale, Scott McClay, Tehachapi, Calif., handily defeated Doug Lambeck of Irvine, Calif. McClay hit 7.267 seconds, 175.96 mph cruising past Lambeck, 8.420 seconds, 149.12 mph. In Super Stock, Jim Rau, Sacramento, Calif., ran 10.584, 116.22 to attain a seamless victory as Eric Bell, Chandler, Ariz., fouled at the starting line.
BOURKE, GILL WIN IN NEW ENGLAND
EPPING, NH – In the final results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series and the New England Dragway Night of Fire presented by the New England Ford Dealer and Napa Auto Parts Richard Bourke, Old Tappan, N.J., and Dan Pomponio, Berlin, N.J., took home the wins in Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car respectively.
Bourke worked his way through the field and ran 5.426 seconds at 272.17 mph in his final round victory over Josh Hart, Ocala, Fla., who clocked in at 5.669 seconds, 255.58 mph. Bourke, the No. 2 qualifier, left first and never looked back in defeating Hart who qualified No. 1.
Pomponiol faced off against Matt Gill, Brockton, Mass., and saved his best run of the weekend for the final posting a winning run of 5.626 seconds, 258.57 mph in his ’10 Monte Carlo. Gill drove to a 5.835 second, 253.09 mph lap for his runner up finish.
FIRST TIME WINNERS TAKE HOME TROPHIES AT BANDIMERE
MORRISON, CO – Three first time winners made trips to the winner’s circle this weekend along with a few repeat winners at Bandimere Speedway for the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series and the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals.
In Top Sportsman presented by RacingRVs.com it was John Baker taking home his first NHRA Wally trophy driving his Cobalt to victory with a 7.205, 194.02 pass on his 7.18 dial over Nick Johanns. Johanns broke out by just .013 seconds in his Camaro running 8.297, 165.27
Joining Baker as first time winners in their first final round appearance were Kris Whitfield and John Bianco in Super Comp and Super Street respectively. Whitefield won on a close double break out with Gary Wamboldt 9.472 to a 9.459 and Bianco took out Jason Schade with his Chevy in another double break out, 11.442 to an 11.425.
HEARTLAND PARK HOSTS WEST CENTRAL DIVISION DOUBLE-HEADER WEEKEND
TOPEKA, KS – The NHRA West Central division’s Double-Header Weekend presented by Aeromotive takes place at Heartland Park Topeka on July 28-31. The double-header is two of six events in the NHRA West Central division and of the 45 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series events scheduled across the country where drivers 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 Top Alcohol Dragster, Top Alcohol Funny Car, Comp Eliminator, Super Stock, Stock Eliminator, Super Comp, Super Gas and Super Street. The division’s Jerry Haas Race Cars Top Sportsman, Fineline Graphics & Madcap Racing Top Dragster and NHRA Sportsman Motorcycle Series presented by Harley-Davidson are also in competition.
Gates at Heartland Park open at 7 a.m. every day. The first race on the double-header starts with qualifying and time trials Thursday at 8 a.m. Top Sportsman, Top Dragster and Comp Eliminator qualify at 10:15 a.m. and 3 p.m. Eliminations begin on Friday at 8:30 a.m.
