NHRA
NORTH CENTRAL DIVISION CONCLUDES THE SEASON AT BEECH BEND RACEWAY PARK
BOWLING GREEN, KY – Beech Bend Raceway Park host the final race in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series North Central division on August 25-27. 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.
Saturday’s action will be highlighted by the Moser Sportsman Shootout that will pit racers from seven entirely different classes against each other in head to head competition with $15,000 up from grabs. The top points earners in seven classes, along with two wild card entries will make up the 16-car field. Round one is set for 10 a.m. on Saturday. Jacob Elrod is the defending champion and has qualified in both Super Comp and Super Gas.
NHRA NORTHEAST DIVISION RETURNS TO VIRGINIA
PETERSBURG, VA – The NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Northeast Division returns to Virginia Motorsports Park for the Power in the Park on Saturday, August 26. Drivers will be racing to 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, Super Comp, Super Gas and Super Street. The division’s MXI Magnaflux Top Sportsman and Top Dragster classes will also be in action this weekend, along with the Ultimax Pro Stock Snowmobiles. Spectator admission is free. Parking is $20. For additional information please call Virginia Motorsports Park, 804-862-3174, or visit www.virginiamotorsports.com.
COWIE, WESTERFIELD, AND LANE RACE TO VICTORY IN WASHINGTON
KENT, WA – Shawn Cowie, Shane Westerfield, and Jeff Lane led the winner’s circle this past weekend during the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Northwest Division event at Pacific Raceways presented by Les Schwab Tires.
Chris Demke, Tujunga, Calif., gained a good starting line advantage but was unable to hold on as the hard charging Cowie, Surrey, B.C., cruised passed the Californian driver in the final round of Top Alcohol Dragster for the divisional event win. Cowie registered a victory pass of 5.247 seconds, 276.01 mph, Demke 5.448 seconds, 271.19 mph.
The Top Alcohol Funny Car final round featured a duel between two California standouts; Steve Gasparelli of West Covina and Westerfield of Anaheim. Westerfield took the lead from the start and pushed his Camaro down the strip for the Wally trophy. Westerfield crossed the finish line at 5.559 seconds, 266.53 mph, Gasparelli runner-upped at 5.569 seconds, 262.64 mph.
PAGE, COX LEAD WINNERS WITH SAWYER BROTHERS
RISING SUN, MD – Dan Page and DJ Cox took home the wins along with bothers Brian and Mike Sawyer at this weekend’s NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series at Cecil County Dragway.
Page, Hampstead, N.H., faced off with Josh Hart, Ocala, Fla., in the final of Top Alcohol Dragster for the third time this year. Page turned the tables this time taking the win and his first of the season with a 5.538 second, 262.79 mph pass to Hart’s 6.429, 154.79. Hart won the previous meetings in Epping, N.H., and Atco, N.J.
Cox took the early lead against Phil Burkart in Top Alcohol Funny Car and just barely held on to the hard charging Burkhart who ran quicker at 5.601, 262.08. Cox, Whiteford, Md., won with a 5.632 at 259.06 mph in his ’17 Monte Carlo. The win was Cox’s first of the season while Brukart has two this year.
ASHLEY AND LINDBERG TAKE TOP HONORS; LINE, HEATH & FISCHER SCORE FIRST WINS IN BRAINERD
BRAINERD, MN – The Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series was in full effect as Justin Ashley, Johan Lindberg, Ben Line, Brian Heath, and Brian Fischer reeled in victories Sunday evening during the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway.
In their first matchup in eliminations Ashley, Plainview, N.Y., squared off against Gord Gingles of Winnipeg, M.B. in the Top Alcohol Dragster finale. Gingles emerged from the gate first, but his dragster succumbed to mechanical issues; Ashley swung around the Canadian driver for his second career national event Wally trophy. Ashley clocked in at 5.237 seconds, 268.60 mph to Gingles 12.344 seconds, 54.22 mph.
CECIL COUNTY DRAGWAY HOST THE NHRA NORTHEAST SHOOTOUT
RISING SUN, Md – NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Northeast division arrives at Cecil County Dragway for the Northeast Shootout on August 18-20.
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 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 the Ultimax Pro Stock Snowmobile
Super Gas world champ Mia Tedesco has winning weekend in Top Alcohol Dragster
INDIANAPOLIS – A victory and a semifinal finish at the Division 3 double-header weekend at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis finally convinced reigning Super Gas world champion Mia Tedesco she made the right call by building a brand-new CARS Vehicle Service Contracts/Schepel Motors/NGK/Lucas Oil Top Alcohol Dragster.
Tedesco crew chief “Racin’ Jason” Lynch also won in his CARS Vehicle Service Contracts/Abruzzi Transmissions & Converters/Hoosier Tires Super Gas Cutlass, making this the most successful outing of the year for Tedesco Racing.
“Until recently, it’s been kind of a struggle getting this new dragster dialed in,” Tedesco said. “We had great success in Top Alcohol the last two seasons but we still built a new car because we knew it would eventually make us even better. I think we’re finally starting to see the rewards for all the hard word and testing we’ve been doing.”
NHRA LUCAS OIL SERIES HEADS TO PACIFIC RACEWAYS
KENT, WA – The NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series regional event presented by Les Schwab Tires will take place at Pacific Raceways on August 18-20. The event is the second stop at Pacific Raceways and is one of 45 scheduled across the country where drivers in the Lucas Oil Series earn points leading to divisional, regional and national championships.
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 JBS Top Sportsman Series, Rig Rentals Top Dragster Series and the Sportsman Motorcycle Series will also run in conjunction with the event.
Tickets for the Pacific Raceways event are $20 each day, children ages 6-12 are $5 each day and kids 5 and under are admitted free with a paid adult. All tickets include a pit pass. Pacific Raceways is located at 31001 144th Ave SE, Kent, Wash. For more information, please call the track, (253) 639-5927, or visit www.PacificRaceways.com.
LARSON, VANDEVENTER LEAD WINNERS IN BRAINERD
BRAINERD, MN – In the final results from Brainerd International Raceway and the Thunder at the Lakes Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series it was Kendra Larson and Jeremiah Vandeventer leading the list of winners that took home the hardware and bragging rights.
Larson, of Starbuck, Minn., lined up against Todd Bruce, Horace, N.D., in the final of the Fineline Madcap Top Dragster with Larson taking the early lead and holding off Bruce with a lap of 7.486 seconds at 179.49 mph in his ‘07 dragster. Bruce was right behind but crossed the line second at 7.665, 169.15.
Vandeventer pulled one out over Michael Freischel in the Jerry Haas Top Sportsman as Freischel, Cottage Grove, Minn., took a huge lead off the line but gave it all back to Vandeventer, Hastings, Neb., who posted an 8.818 at 182.11 to beat Freischel’s 7.518, 177.86.
FOSTER DOUBLES UP, TEDESCO AND WOLF TAKE DRAGSTER TITLES
INDIANAPOLIS – Chris Foster grabbed not one but two NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series trophies this weekend in Top Alcohol Funny Car at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis as racers completed the postponed Lucas Oil Series event from earlier this year along with the weekend’s originally scheduled event. Mia Tedesco and Kirk Wolf each grabbed a win in the Top Alcohol Dragster class as Wolf just missed scoring a double of his own.
Foster, of Davenport, Iowa, squared off against Tony Bogolo of Hamilton, Ohio, in both Saturday and Sunday’s final rounds of Top Alcohol Funny Car. On Saturday, Foster left the start line first and kept Bogolo at bay the entire round with a 5.677, 255.92 mph pass to Bogolo’s 5.731 at 253.85. In Sunday’s rematch, Bogolo took the initial starting line advantage but Foster was able to hunt down the Ohio racer with a lap of 5.670, 255.68, and surpass him for his second Wally trophy of the weekend.