McPhillips, Bartone Win at the Grove

READING, PA – Rich McPhillips and Tony Bartone took home wins in Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car at this weekend’s NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series and the Showdown at Sundown event at Maple Grove Raceway outside Philadelphia.

McPhillips, Phoenixville, Pa., qualified No. 5 and took out Dan LaPrairie in round one with a 5.387 second lap at 269.40 mph then ended No. 1 qualifier Richard Bourke’s day in the semifinals with a 5.371, 262.26 run. In the final it was McPhillips and former Lucas Oil World Champion Duane Shield out of Boulder City, Nev. with McPhillips taking the win in 5.410 seconds, 268.49 mph as Shields had problems and lifted off the throttle. This is the second win in three final rounds for McPhillips having won in Gainesville, Fla., earlier this year and losing to Shields in the Richmond, Va., final in early May.

Bartone met up with second generation driver and defending event champion Matt Gill in his final round making his quickest run of the day to defeat the Broxton, Mass., racer in 5.545 at 266.88 mph as Gill clocked in at 5.627, 252.80. Bartone, Long Island City, N.Y., ran quicker in each round posting a 5.614 in round one against John Headley and a 5.606 over DJ Cox Jr. in round two.

In Competition Eliminator, local runner Doug Doll out of Lancaster, Pa., ran down Peter Luciano, Malvern, Pa., who left first with a stellar .007 second reaction time. Doll went 7.455 at 174.10 in his ’15 dragster for his second divisional win of the year.

Defending event champion Frank Zeffiro and Ronald Proctor each scored in the MXI/Magnaflux Top Dragster and Top Sportsman classes. Zeffiro, Torrington, Conn., used a hole shot to knock out Alan O’Brien with a near perfect 6.092 on a 6.09 dial with a .010 second reaction time. O’Brien, Roncerverte, W.V., ran dead-on his dial at 6.270 but was a tick slower at the start. Proctor, Harpers Ferry, W.V., out ran Glen Puluse with a 6.834, 202.67 in his ’09 Mustang. Pulse slowed to a 7.244, 151.87 with his ’06 GTO.

The Stock and Super Stock titles went home with Allison Smyth, Uxbridge, Mass., and John Armstrong, Kingston, N.S. Smyth covered the quarter-mile in 10.206 at 129.32 mph with her ’98 Firebird to defeat Brian Martel, Fredericksburg, Va., and Armstrong drove his ’69 Corvette to a lap of 8.873, 150.83 against Charlie Bubka, Manorville, N.Y.

Rounding out the winners on this Memorial Day weekend were John Bruzzo, Oceanside, N.Y., over Walter Olt, Medfore, N.J., in Super Comp; Francis Ross, Milford, N.H., beat Mike Sawyer, Leominster, Mass., in Super Gas; Rick Mattioli, Middlesex, N.J., held on to beat Casey Cole, Lexington Park, Md., in Super Street; and Tyler Small, South Berwick, Maine, took the Ultimax Pro Stock Snowmobile trophy in beating Frank Berard Jr., Troy, N.Y.

The following are final results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Northeast Division event at Maple Grove Raceway:

TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER:
Round 1
4) Duane Shields, Boulder City, Nev., 5.386, 272.61 def. 11) John Finke, Selkirk, N.Y., 5.381, 266.16

1) Richard Bourke, Old Tappan, N.J., 5.337, 270.27 def. Tom Fox Jr., no show

3) Jeff Veale, Stoney Creek, Ont., 5.374, 271.84 def. 2) Josh Hart, Ocala, Fla., 5.573, 255.34

5)Rich McPhillips, Phoenixville, Pa., 5.387, 269.46 def. 6) Dan Mercier, LaPrairie, Quebec, 7.134, 134.03

Semifinals
McPhillips, 5.371, 263.36 def. Bourke, 5.368, 268.65

Shields, 5.308, 274.72 def. Veale, 5.434, 268.12

Final
McPhillips, 5.410, 268.49 def. Shields, 12.020, 67.34

TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR:
Round 1
2) Phil Burkart, Yorkville, N.Y., ’15 Camaro, 5.624, 262.39 def. 7) Dan Pomponio, Berlin, N.J., ’10 Monte Carlo, 5.708, 256.41

3)Matt Gill, Brockton, Mass., ’16 Camaro, 5.634, 260.86 def. 6) Marie Ferriolo, Allentown, N.J., ’14 Mustang, 6.101, 248.16

1) Tony Bartone, Long Island City, N.Y., ’16 Camaro, 5.614, 264.44 def. 8) John Headley, Newportville, Pa., ’03 Mustang, 6.051, 232.03 5)DJ Cox Jr., Whiteford, Md., ’11 Monte Carlo, 5.766, 252.00 def. 4) Tyler Scott, Exeter, Ont., ’10 Monte Carlo, 5.729, 252.24

Semifinals
Bartone, 5.606, 263.36 def. Cox Jr., foul

Gill, 5.617, 261.42 def. Burkart, 5.603, 264.23

Final
Bartone, 5.545, 266.48 def. Gill, 5.627, 252.80

COMP ELIMINATOR
Doug Doll, Lancaster, Pa., ’15 Neil & Park, E/DA, 7.455, 174.10 def. Peter Luciano, Malvern, Pa., ’10 Cobalt, L/AA, 8.767, 134.44.

SUPER STOCK
John Armstrong, Kingston, N.S., ’69 Corvette, SS/AA, 8.873, 150.83 def. Charlie Bubka, Manorville, N.Y., ’67 Camaro, SS/HA, 10.242,
127.93.

STOCK ELIMINATOR
Allison Smyth, Uxbridge, Mass., ’98 Firebird, A/SA, 10.206, 129.32 def. Brian Martel, Fredericksburg, Va., ’69 Camaro, A/SA, 10.383, 120.32.

SUPER COMP
John Bruzzo, Oceanside, N.Y., ’09 Undercover, 8.906, 171.14 def. Walter Olt, Medford, N.J., ’09 Mullis, 8.921, 163.83.

SUPER GAS
Francis Ross, Milford, N.H., ’67 Camaro, 9.905, 168.45 def. Mike Sawyer, Leominster, Mass., ’03 Cavalier, 9.887, 166.54.

SUPER STREET
Rick Mattioli, Middlesex, N.J., ’67 Camaro, 10.880, 136.57 def. Casey Cole, Lexington Park, Md., dragster, 10.875, 144.97.

MXI/MAGNAFLUX TOP DRAGSTER PRESENTED BY SELECT PERFORMANCE
Frank Zeffiro, Torrington, Conn., ’06 BOS, 6.092, 234.86 def. Alan O’Brien, Roncerverte, W.V., ’11 Racetech, 6.270, 216.10.

MXI/MAGNAFLUX TOP SPORTSMAN PRESENTED BY SELECT PERFORMANCE
Ronald Proctor, Harpers Ferry, W.V., ’09 Mustang, 6.834, 202.67 def. Glen Puluse, Woodland Park, N.J., ’06 GTO, 7.244, 151.87.

ULTIMAX PRO STOCK SNOWMOBILE
Tyler Small, South Berwick, , ’03 Ski-doo, 8.277, 154.16 def. Frank Berard Jr, Troy, N.Y., ’12 Ski-doo, 8.676, 146.24.