NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series-Sunday from National Trail Raceway

NHRA LUCAS OIL DRAG RACING SERIES - NORTH CENTRAL DIVISION

NATIONAL TRAIL RACEWAY, HEBRON, OHIO

Sunday, September 25, 2005

THACKER, HARKER LEAD WINNERS AT NATIONAL TRAIL RACEWAY

            HEBRON, Ohio - NHRA's North Central Division closed out its 2005
Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series season this weekend at National Trail Raceway.
The race was the last of six in division competition.  Top Alcohol Dragster
driver Marty Thacker won his second race of the season and in Top Alcohol
Funny Car, Steve Harker made his first trip to the winner's circle.

            For Robinson, Ill., resident Thacker, it was his second
final-round appearance in as many days.  Racers completed a rained-out event
from Beech Bend Raceway in Bowling Green, Ky., on Saturday night and Thacker
was runner-up in that event.  In today's final-round action, he ran 5.526
seconds at 253.56 mph against defending division champ Bill Reichert of
Owosso, Mich., who red-lighted in the final.

            Harker, a resident of Brisbane, Australia, made a final-round
pass of 5.783 seconds at 248.34 mph to eclipse nine-time TAFC national
champion Frank Manzo of Morganville, N.J.  Manzo ran 5.812 seconds at 253.66
mph.

            In Comp Eliminator, Jeff Taylor, Lumberton, N.C., took the win.
He was also the winner in Saturday's final round of the Beech Bend Raceway
event.  Other racers who scored double wins were Jerry Barker, Fort Valley,
Ga., in Top Sportsman and Super Gas driver Tony Fuller of Rogers Ark.  In
Super Stock, Gary Tompa took the win at National Trail Raceway and was
joined in the winner's circle by Neal Noffsinger, Owensboro, Ky., in Stock
Eliminator, Edward Toolis Jr., Lisbon, Ohio, in Super Comp, and Dudley Gee,
Canby, Ore., in Super Street.

            Although their home division season will end after this event,
NHRA North Central Division Lucas Oil Series competitors can still earn
points toward championships at out-of-division races.

 

The following are the final results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing
Series event at National Trail Raceway:

 

TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER

Round one

1) Bill Reichert, Owosso, Mich., 5.371, 263.87 def. 8) Ken Perry, Gormley,
Ont., 5.556, 239.19

2) Ray Hack, Valpraiso, Ind., 5.485, 266.06 def. 7) Jeff Wilson, Winfield,
Mo., 10.586, 76.07

5) Jeff Bohr, Plymouth, Mich., 5.474, 263.15 def. 4) Dan Mercier, St.
Timothee, Quebec, 5.552, 262.64

6) Marty Thacker, Robinson, Ill., 5.495, 263.26 def. 3) Todd Datweiler,
Herscher, Ill., 5.553, 248.39

 

Semifinals

Reichert, 5.356, 268.01 def. Bohr, 5.430, 264.34 

Thacker, 5.574, 260.41 def. Hack, 5.672, 259.21

 

Final

Thacker, 5.526, 253.56 def. Reichert, foul

 

TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR

Round one

1) Mick Snyder, Demotte, Ind., '02 Firebird, 5.889, 247.75 def. 8) Greg
Elliott, Greenwood, Ind.,

'02 Firebird, 9.527, 90.18

2) Steve Harker, Brisbane, Australia, '99 Avenger, 5.914, 212.93 def. 9)
Andy Bohl, Racine, Wis., '00 Firebird, 6.314, 230.37

5) Frank Manzo, Morganville, N.J., '02 Firebird, 5.878, 252.61 def. 4) Danny
Townsend, Muncie, Ind., '05 Stratus, 5.821, 251.72

6) Kim Fritts, Greenup, Ill., '98 Firebird, 5.940, 246.39 def. 3) Chuck
Cheeseman, Galena, Ohio,

'02 Firebird, foul

 

Semifinals

Manzo, 5.792, 254.14 def. Snyder, 5.797, 250.00 

Harker, 5.818, 248.43 def. Fritts, 5.975, 246.44

 

Final

Harker, 5.783, 248.34 def. Manzo, 5.812, 253.66.

 

COMP ELIMINATOR

Jeff Taylor, Lumberton, N.C., '05 Grand Am, E/SM, 8.873, 146.13 def. Brad
Zaskowski, Grand Rapids, Mich., '92 Camaro, H/SM, 9.384, 141.21

 

SUPER STOCK

Gary Tompa, Saginaw, Mich., '84 Firebird, GT/H, 10.453, 119.34 def. Jimbo
Fields, Gallatin, Tenn., '68 Corvette, SS/IA, 21.044, 34.05

 

STOCK ELIMINATOR

Neal Noffsinger, Owensboro, Ky., '69 Camaro, A/SA, 10.938, 113.91 def. David
Edwards, Washington C.H., Ohio, '97 Camaro, B/FIA, 10.953, 121.09

 

SUPER COMP

Edward Toolis Jr., Lisbon, Ohio, dragster, 8.913, 173.81 def. Anthony
Valasek, Indianapolis, '65 Falcon, 8.942, 156.48

 

SUPER GAS

Tony Fuller, Rogers, Ark., '57 Corvette, 9.935, 151.07 def. Terry Burnett,
Williamsburg, Ohio, '70 Opel GT, 9.934, 147.52

 

SUPER STREET

Dudley Gee, Canby, Ore., '66 Mustang, 10.915, 136.63 def. Dave VanHorne,
Pataskala, Ohio, '72 Nova, broke

 

TOP SPORTSMAN

Jerry Barker, Fort Valley, Ga., '02 Camaro, 7.369, 174.75 def. Aaron Glaser,
Louisville, Ky., '68 Camaro, 7.071, 194.30