NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series-Sunday from Memphis Motorsports Park

NHRA LUCAS OIL DRAG RACING SERIES - SOUTH CENTRAL DIVISION
MEMPHIS MOTORSPORTS PARK, MEMPHIS, TENN.
Sunday, March 28, 2004

STIDHAM, MEYER SCORE WINS AT MEMPHIS MOTORSPORTS PARK

        MEMPHIS, Tenn. - In the final rounds from the O'Reilly NHRA
Sportsman Championships, a round of the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series
at Memphis Motorsports Park, Top Alcohol Funny Car driver Jackie Stidham
took the win while in Top Alcohol Dragster Randy Meyer scored.  Former
national champion Jeff Hefler earned his second straight win of the season.
        In a repeat of the final round at the division's last NHRA Lucas
Oil Drag Racing Series event at Houston Raceway Park, Stidham, a veteran
driver from Chickasha, Okla., squared off against defending division
champion Tate Branch.  This time, it was Stidham who took the win light. 
Stidham's 5.827-second, 243.02 mph pass was more than enough to cover
Branch's 6.132-second, 190.08 mph effort.
        Top Alcohol Dragster winner Meyer also made his second successive
final-round appearance.  This time the Spring Hill, Kan., resident went up
against rookie Top Alcohol Dragster driver Ashley Force and came out ahead.
 Although Force was the No. 1 qualifier at this event and Meyer was No. 2,
in the final round Meyer outpaced Force with a 5.447-second, 261.67 mph
pass.  Force, the daughter of 12-time NHRA Funny Car champion John Force,
ran 5.533 seconds at 258.96 mph in her first final-round appearance.  
        Mansfield, Texas, racer Hefler won his first race of the year in
Stock Eliminator.  In Houston he won in Super Stock.  At this event in
Super Stock, Buz Post, Arlington, Texas, took the win in his second
consecutive final-round appearance.  He was runner-up to Hefler in Houston.
 
        Winners in other classes were Michael Johnson, Sprindale, Ariz., in
Comp Eliminator; Lonnie Grim, Benton, Ark., in Super Comp; Mike Fuqua,
Hendersonville, Tenn., in Super Gas; and Tim Wilson, Oklahoma City, in
Super Street.  Jeremy Glidewell, Corinth, Miss., won in Top Sportsman while
the Kerker Motorcycle winner was Dale Detrie, Owatonna, Minn.  Detrie beat
NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle competitor Craig Treble in the final.
        South Central Division racers head to State Capitol Dragway in
Baton Rouge, La., for the next NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event, May
21-23.

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

TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER
Round 1
3) Bill Reichert, Owosso, Mich., 5.461, 263.56 def. 6) Todd Datweiler,
Herscher, Ill., 5.571, 253.37
2) Randy Meyer, Spring Hill, Kan., 5.391, 259.01 def. 7) Karl Brounkowski,
Magnolia, Texas, 5.730, 251.53
1) Ashley Force, Yorba Linda, Calif., 5.484, 258.62 def. 8) Lee Callaway,
Channelview, Texas, 5.723, 246.66
4) Jeff Wilson, Winfield, Mo., 5.499, 252.61 def. 5) Shelly Howard, Tulsa,
Okla., foul

Semifinals
Meyer, 5.447, 261.67 def. Reichert, 5.633, 256.65
Force, 5.531, 260.41 def. Wilson, 5.533, 249.76

Final
Meyer, 5.425, 259.56 def. Force, 5.564, 258.96

TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR
Round 1
2) Tate Branch, Artesia, N.M., Chevy Camaro, 5.778, 250.13 def. 7) Steve
Burck, Corpus Christi, Texas, Dodge Avenger, 6.492, 232.27
5) Steve Gasparrelli, West Covina, Calif., Pontiac Firebird, 5.812, 248.80
def. 4) Steve Harker, Brisbane, Australia, Avenger, foul
3) Mike Bell, Ocean View, Hawaii, Firebird, 6.079, 240.98 def. 6) Ron
Morrison, Oklahoma City, Okla., Camaro, 6.105, 237.38
1) Jackie Stidham, Chickasha, Okla., Camaro, 5.786, 246.98 def. 8) Ron
Rice, Oklahoma City, Okla., Dodge Daytona, broke

Semifinals
Branch, 5.800, 249.90 def. Bell, 6.122, 241.63
Stidham, 5.772, 247.16 def. Gasparrelli, 5.914, 246.71

Final
Stidham, 5.827, 243.02 def. Branch, 6.132, 190.08

COMP ELIMINATOR
Michael Johnson, Springdale, Ariz., '04 Cavalier, F/SMA, 9.254, 120.36 def.
Greg Williams, Carthage, Texas, '02 Cavalier, C/SMA, 14.253, 66.70

SUPER STOCK
Buz Post, Arlington, Texas, '01 Grand Am, SS/AM, 8.810, 122.99 def. Mike
Stokes, Hopkinsville, Ky., '62 Corvette, SS/CM, foul

STOCK ELIMINATOR
Jeff Hefler, Mansfield, Texas, '98 Firebird, B/FIA, 10.957, 111.92 def.
David Rampy, Piedmont Ala., '67 Camaro, F/SA, 11.509, 114.84

SUPER COMP
Lonnie Grim, Benton, Ark., Dragster, 8.955, 161.25 def. Erica Enders,
Houston, Dragster, 8.899, 178.42

SUPER GAS
Mike Fuqua, Hendersonville, Tenn., '00 Corvette, 9.931, 155.35  def.
Bernard Daniels, Ft. Worth, , Texas, '75 Vega, 9.939, 160.02

SUPER STREET
Tim Wilson, Oklahoma City, '80 Corvette, 10.892, 124.55 def. Heath
McPhetridge, Grove, Okla., '85 Camaro, 10.884, 134.82

TOP SPORTSMAN
Jeremy Glidewell, Corinth, Miss., '94 Cutlass, 7.475, 182.30 def. Larry
Smith, Ridgeland, Miss., '94 Cutlass, 7.621, 180.65

KERKER MOTORCYCLE
Dale Detrie, Owatonna, Minn., '83 Suzuki, 8.747, 147.91 def. Craig Treble,
Hensley, Ark., '02 Suzuki, 8.789, 148.80