FORCE, BRANCH SET THE PACE AT LUCAS OIL SERIES EVENT IN MEMPHIS

NHRA LUCAS OIL DRAG RACING SERIES - SOUTH CENTRAL DIVISION
MEMPHIS MOTORSPORTS PARK, MEMPHIS, TENN.
Friday, March 26, 2004

        MEMPHIS, Tenn. - In the first day of qualifying at the O'Reilly
NHRA Sportsman Championships, a round of the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing
Series, Ashley Force is the No. 1 qualifier in Top Alcohol Dragster and
Tate Branch leads the Top Alcohol Funny Car field.
        Force, the daughter of 12-time NHRA Funny Car champion John Force,
made a 5.454-second, 264.44 mph pass to take the top spot from Randy Meyer.
 A Yorba Linda, Calif., resident, Force is in her first year of competition
in the Top Alcohol Dragster class.  She is under the tutelage of Jerry
Darien who, along with his partner Ken Meadows, owns the car she is
driving.  Other drivers who have occupied that seat include Gary Scelzi,
Brandon Bernstein and Melanie Troxel.
        Branch, of Artesia, N.M., headed the Top Alcohol Funny Car field
with a pass of 5.763 seconds at 247.97 mph.  He outpaced the rest of the
class by a tenth of a second.  In a sport where elapsed times are measured
to the thousandth, that is a significant effort.
        Top qualifiers in other classes are David Rampy, Piedmont, Ala., in
Comp Eliminator; Buz Post, Arlington, Texas, in Super Stock; Russo,
Gonzales, La., in Stock; and Brad Personett, Elkhart, Ind., in Top
Sportsman.
        Racing continues Saturday at 9 a.m.  Gates open at 8 a.m.  Top
Alcohol Dragsters and Funny Cars are scheduled at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Tickets
are $20.  A Saturday/Sunday ticket is $30.  Children 12 and under are
admitted free with a paid adult.  For more information, call Memphis
Motorsports Park, (901) 358-7223.

        The following are Friday's qualifying results from the O'Reilly
NHRA Sportsman Championships event at Memphis Motorsports Park:

TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER
1) Ashley Force, Yorba Linda, Calif., 5.454 seconds, 264.44  mph 
2) Randy Meyer, Spring Hill, Kan., 5.475, 251.86 
3) Bill Reichert, Owosso, Mich., 5.486, 265.43 
4) Jeff Wilson, Winfield, Mo., 5.589, 248.71 
5) Lee Callaway, Channelview, Texas, 5.603, 247.43 
6) Darryl Hitchman, Hanford, Calif., 5.613, 242.06 
7) James Thompson, Vernon, Texas, 5.616, 234.98 
8) Karl Brounkowski, Magnolia, Texas, 5.653, 246.21 
NOT QUALIFIED
9) Tim Rudy, Mason, Ohio, 6.016, 245.90 
10) Todd Datweiler, Herscher, Ill., 6.402, 202.82 
11) Shelly Howard, Tulsa, Okla., 8.200, 99.57  

TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR
1) Tate Branch, Artesia, N.M., '03 Camaro, 5.763 seconds, 247.97 mph 
2) Mike Bell, Ocean View, Hawaii, '00 Firebird, 5.862, 244.52 
3) Jackie Stidham, Chickasha, Okla., '00 Camaro, 5.954, 203.16 
4) Ron Rice, Oklahoma City, '96 Daytona   6.925, 175.16 
5) Steve Burck, Corpus Christi, Texas, '98 Avenger, 7.048, 184.72 
6) Ron Morrison, Oklahoma City, '97 Camaro, 7.114, 138.24 
7) Steve Gasparrelli, West Covina, Calif., '03 Firebird, 10.141, 78.01 
8) Steve Harker, Brisbane, Australia, '99 Avenger, 10.568, 77.47  

COMP ELIMINATOR
1) David Rampy, Piedmont, Ala., '32 Bantam, A/EA, 7.358 seconds, -0.632
(under index)
2) Brian Self, Hempstead, Texas, '02 S-10, PST, 7.464, -0.626
3) Dennis Mitchell, Huntsville, Ala., '92 Cavalier, F/A, 8.218, -0.622
4) Rodger Brogdon, Tomball, Texas, '04 Cavalier, D/SM, 8.625, -0.615
5) Larry Pritchett, Clarkrange, Tenn., '04 Sunfire, B/SM, 8.191, -0.609
6) Sean Dodd, Lewisville, Texas, '02 S-10, PSTA, 7.671, -0.599
7) Brian Stufflebeam, Peoria, Ill., '23 Roadster, B/AA, 7.206, -0.594
8) Michael Johnson, Springdale, Ariz., '04 Cavalier, F/SMA, 8.901, -0.589
9) Charlie Watson, Humble, Texas, '98 Lumina, H/A, 8.871, -0.589
10) Colt Mikel, Hempstead, Texas, '02 S-10, B/TA, 8.477, -0.543

SUPER STOCK
1) Buz Post, Arlington, Texas, '01 Grand Am, SS/AM, 8.225 seconds, -1.325
(under index)
2) Robert Cruzen, Cleveland, Okla., '04 S-10, GT/TC, 10.153, -1.247
3) Ken Shawver, Bryan, Ohio, '78 Firebird, SS/KA, 10.325, -1.225
4) Tim Cole, Collierville, Tenn., '96 Corvette, SS/AX, 8.700, -1.200
5) Jim Pancake, Delaware, Ohio, '68 Barracuda, SS/AA, 8.840, -1.160
6) Everett Hill, Fayetteville, Ga., '64 Mustang, SS/M, 10.747, -1.153
7) J.W. Hames, Madison, Miss., '89 Daytona, GT/JA, 10.447, -1.153
8) Gilbert Johnson Jr., Lecompte, La., '91 Calais, GT/JA, 10.451, -1.149
9) Terry Emmons, Pasadena, Texas, '96 Firebird, SS/JA, 10.158, -1.142
10) Russell Fox, Springfield, Tenn., '66 Chevy II, SS/HA, 9.774, -1.126

STOCK ELIMINATOR
1) Floyd Russo, Gonzales, La., '01 Firebird, B/FIA, 10.411 seconds, -1.289
(under index)
2) Charles Ingram, Sante Fe, Tenn., '96 Corvette, C/FI, 10.666, -1.284
3) Dave Edwards, Washington Ct. Hs., Ohio, '78 Trans Am, I/SA, 11.326,
-1.274
4) Jerry Bennett, Hickory, Ky., '79 Aspen, G/SA, 11.029, -1.271
5) John Livingston, Murfreesboro, Tenn., '91 Camaro, F/FIA, 11.688, -1.262
6) R.J. Sledge, Boerne, Texas, '67 Fairlane, E/SA, 10.781, -1.219
7) Al Corda, Elk Mound, Wis., '02 Firebird, B/FIA, 10.482, -1.218
8) Marty Buth, Freeport, Ill., '86 Thunderbird, J/FIA, 13.145, -1.205
9) Paula Cotten, Broken Arrow, Okla., '73 Duster, G/SA, 11.151, -1.149
10) Verne Buchanan, Conway, Ark., '73 Mustang, H/SA, 11.304, -1.146

TOP SPORTSMAN
1) Brad Personett, Elkhart, Ind., '00 Firebird, 7.100 seconds, 178.71 mph
2) Don Boerma, Tinley Park, Ill., '53 Corvette, 7.299, 190.92
3) Kyle Cannon, West Helena, Ark., '03 Cavalier, 7.299, 190.51
4) T J Tracey, Bartlett, Tenn., '63 Corvette, 7.300, 190.67
5) Ryan Kuykendall, St. Louis, '99 Dakota, 7.391, 181.25
6) Jeremy Glidewell, Corinth, Miss., '94 Cutlass, 7.405, 186.20
7) Keith Raftery, Lake Charles, La., '03 Firebird, 7.435, 186.85
8) Greg Hinds, Arab, Ala., '63 Corvette, 7.468, 186.41
9) Bert Prejean, St. Amant, La., '00 Firebird, 7.493, 182.85 
10) Allen Firestone, Velma, Okla., '00 S-10, 7.516, 181.52