NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Sunday from Texas Motorplex

NHRA LUCAS OIL DRAG RACING SERIES - SOUTH CENTRAL DIVISION

TEXAS MOTORPLEX, ENNIS, TEXAS

Sunday, May 1, 2005

MEYER, JONES AMONG WINNERS AT TEXAS MOTORPLEX'S NHRA LUCAS OIL EVENT

            ENNIS, Texas - NHRA South Central division Lucas Oil Drag Racing
Series competitors put another event in the books today at Texas Motorplex.
Randy Meyer set the pace in Top Alcohol Dragster, taking his first win of
the season while Jimmy Jones scored his first win of the year from the No. 7
qualifying position in Top Alcohol Funny Car.

Meyer, who claims NHRA's West Central division as his home, was the No. 1
qualifier.  The Spring Hill, Kan., racer knocked off defending South Central
division champ Ashley Force in the semis, running 5.353 seconds to her 5.438
seconds.  In the final he faced off against Aaron Olivarez, a rookie Top
Alcohol Dragster driver from Sandy, Utah.  Meyer's 5.332-second, 264.34 mph
run was more than enough to cover Olivarez who ran 5.409 seconds at 261.07
mph.

            In the first round of eliminations in Top Alcohol Funny Car,
Cleburne, Texas, resident Jones took on No. 2 qualifier Richard McClain who
was runner-up at the division's season opener at Houston Raceway Park.  In
the final round, Jones beat former division champ Tate Branch of Artesia,
N.M.  Jones ran 5.783 seconds at 252.61 mph to beat Branch who slowed to a
7.508-second run.

            In Comp Eliminator, Michael Johnson of Springdale, Ark., scored
the win while defending Super Stock national champion Larry Stewart Jr. of
Clinton, Miss., also won.  The Stock Eliminator winner was Chris Jackson of
Epps, La.; the winner in Super Comp was Phoenix's Kevin Kleineweber; the
Super Gas champ was Damon Dabbs of Garland, Texas; and Darrin Christen of
Paradise, La., won in Super Street.  A pair of Houston residents, Robert
Sanders and John Garner, won in Sportsman Motorcycle and Top Dragster,
respectively, and the Top Sportsman winner was Larry Smith of Ridgeland,
Miss.

            South Central division racers head to Red River Raceway just
north of Shreveport, La., May 20-22, for the next NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing
Series race.  It will be the track's first NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series
event.

 

The following are the final results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing
Series event at Texas Motorplex:

 

TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER

Round one

5) Ashley Force, Anaheim Hills, Calif., 5.402, 266.16 def. 4) Darryl
Hitchman, Hanford, Calif., 5.730, 229.98

1) Randy Meyer, Spring Hill, Kan., 5.434, 250.46 def. 9) Karl Brounkowski,
Magnolia, Texas, 5.598, 250.32

2) Aaron Olivarez, Sandy, Utah, 5.386, 263.46 def. 7) James Thompson,
Vernon, Texas, 6.006, 216.17

6) Lee Callaway, Channelview, Texas, 5.567, 256.41 def. 3) Gene Snow, Ft.
Worth, Texas, 5.565, 227.92

 

Semifinals

Meyer, 5.353, 263.56 def. Force, 5.438, 262.33 

Olivarez, 5.394, 261.72 def. Callaway, foul

 

Final

Meyer, 5.332, 264.34 def. Olivarez, 5.409, 261.07

 

TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR

Round one

1) Tate Branch, Artesia, N.M., '03 Camaro, 5.802, 253.71 def. 9) Burl Brown,
Gainesville, Texas,

'98 Avenger, 15.635, 77.28

7) Jimmy Jones, Cleburne, Texas, '99 Camaro, 5.836, 252.71 def. 2) Richard
McClain, Lake Dallas, Texas, '03 Firebird, 5.815, 250.46

4) Jackie Stidham, Chickasha, Okla., '00 Camaro, 5.780, 248.48 def. 5)
Brandon Lewis, Broken Arrow, Okla., '96 Achieva, 6.877, 150.66

6) Steve Burck, Corpus Christi, Texas, '98 Avenger, 5.945, 240.68 def. 3)
Kebin Kinsley, Kennedale, Texas, '98 Achieva, 7.780, 119.31

 

Semifinals

Branch, 5.780, 253.04 def. Stidham, 5.831, 252.38

Jones, 5.780, 253.61 def. Burck, 5.988, 239.31

 

Final

Jones, 5.783, 252.61 def. Branch, 7.508, 120.88

 

COMP ELIMINATOR

Michael Johnson, Springdale, Ark., '03 Cavalier, F/SMA, 8.765, 151.99  def.
Joe Shalkowski, Hawley, Texas, dragster, F/ED, 8.465, 152.23

 

SUPER STOCK

Larry Stewart Jr, Clinton, Miss., '67 Chevy II, SS/HA, 10.074, 122.07  def.
Jeff Hefler, Kennedale, Texas, '98 Grand Am, SS/AM, broke

 

STOCK ELIMINATOR

Chris Jackson, Epps, La., '69 Camaro, F/SA, 11.412, 113.55 def. Jimmie Hutto
Jr., Houston, Texas, '69 Camaro, A/SA, 10.515, 126.29

 

SUPER COMP

Kevin Kleineweber, Phoenix, dragster, 8.899, 166.46 def. Bobby Ficke,
Loreno, Texas, dragster, foul

 

SUPER GAS

Damon Dabbs, Garland, Texas, '85 Camaro, 9.904, 148.12 def. Bryan Robinson,
Iuka, Miss., '63 Corvette, 9.913, 155.22

 

SUPER STREET

Darrin Christen, Paradise, La., '66 Nova, 10.900, 130.24 def. Chucky Wier,
Halton City, Texas,

'71 Camaro, 10.955, 118.43

 

SPORTSMAN MOTORCYCLE

Robert Sanders, Houston, '04 Kawasaki, 8.467, 153.21 def. Rich Gentili,
Humble, Texas,

'83 Suzuki, foul

 

TOP SPORTSMAN

Larry Smith, Ridgeland, Miss., '94 Cutlass, 7.598, 176.33  def. Phillip
Muse, Tomball, Texas, '97 Pontiac, 7.295, 189.10

 

TOP DRAGSTER

John Garner, Houston, dragster, 7.012, 184.09 def. Robert Cool, LaPlace,
La., dragster, 7.317, 164.27