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NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Saturday from Heartland Park Topeka, Topeka, Kan.


NHRA LUCAS OIL DRAG RACING SERIES - WEST CENTRAL DIVISION
HEARTLAND PARK TOPEKA
Saturday, August 27, 2005

TORRENCE, TAYLOR OUT RUN FIELDS AT HEARTLAND PARK

	TOPEKA, Kan. -Steve Torrence grabbed the number one spot and
never looked back as he out ran the field in Top Alcohol Dragster for
this weekend's NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Division Five
Championships presented by Goodyear, Napa Auto Parts, and KanEquip.
	Torrence qualified with a 5.513 second pass and ran 5.517, 5.428
and 5.382 for low elapsed time of the event in a final round victory
over Iowa racer David Wells. This is Torrence's fifth win of the year in
six final round appearances and should move him up several spots in the
national point's championship.
	California runner Dennis Taylor joined in on the fun grabbing
the win in Top Alcohol Funny Car with a 5.809 second pass to take out
fellow California racer Bernie Harrington in the final round. Taylor ran
quicker in each round of eliminations knocking off defending national
champion Cy Chesterman in round one and multi-division champion Vern
Moats in a semi-final match up.
	Kansas racers Matt Driskell and Ted Ash Jr. took home the
trophies in Super Comp and Super Street respectively. Driskell of
Wellsville, Kan., beat Bill Graham of Hutchinson, Kan., with a pass of
8.922 seconds at 183.27 mph while Ash drove his '61 Corvette to victory
over Silver Lake, Kan., resident Curt Epperson with a 10.867 second pass
at 140.65 mph. 
	In Comp eliminator it was the number three qualifier Thomas
Schmidt over Bill Riemenapp while Robert Cruzen put his Super Stock 
S-10 in the winner's circle holding off Ryan Montford of Wichita, Kan.,
with a 10.079 second, 130.04 mph run.
	Other Heartland Park Topeka winner's were Chad Loge of
Brentwood, Calif., in Stock Eliminator over Bradley Grant of Great Bend,
Kan.; Butch Kleewein beat Louie Lerette Jr. in Super Gas; and Rom
Gilligan of Fremont, Neb., in Sportsman Motorcycle over defending and
six-time West Central Division Champion Brian Johnson. 
The NHRA West Central Division racers head to Tri-State Raceway for the
next NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event, September 9-11.

The following are the final results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing
Series Division 5 Championships presented by Goodyear, Napa Auto Parts,
and KanEquip event at Heartland Park Topeka:

TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER: 
ROUND ONE
4) John Haley, Wayzata, Minn., 5.534, 254.28 def. 5) Richard Putz,
Earlville, Iowa, foul
3) James Thompson, Vernon, Texas, 5.620, 246.48 def. 6) Edwin
Schmeeckle, Gothenburg, Neb., 9.410, 88.25
2) David Wells, Lemars, Iowa, 5.532, 255.19 def. 7) Ziggy Zivkovich,
Litchfield, Minn., 5.667, 250.97
1) Steve Torrence, Kilgore, Texas, 5.517, 254.14 def. 8) Brandon Pierce,
Glendora, Calif., 5.823, 241.93

SEMIFINALS
Wells, 5.650, 254.23 def. Thompson, 5.974, 239.40
Torrence, 5.428, 255.63 def. Haley, 5.487, 257.28

FINAL
Torrence, 5.382, 261.78 def. Wells, 5.611, 253.66

TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR: 
ROUND ONE
4) Dennis Taylor, Anaheim, Calif., '02 Camaro, 5.849, 245.00 def. 5) Cy
Chesterman, Sioux City, Iowa, '02 Firebird, 5.932, 249.16
1) Vern Moats, Des Moines, Iowa, '03 Camaro, 6.022, 245.09 def. 8) Steve
Griboski, Aurora, Colo., '04 Firebird, 6.921, 145.89
2) Bernie Harrington, Apple Valley, Calif., '02 Camaro, 5.860, 242.06
def. 7) Kirk Williams, Glenwood, Iowa, '98 Firebird, 8.554, 117.39
6) Tate Branch, Artesia, N.M., '05 Stratus, 6.000, 210.11 def. 3) Shawn
Jones, Albuquerque, N.M., '04 Trans Am, 11.115, 74.09

SEMIFINALS
Taylor, 5.831, 245.09 def. Moats, 5.876, 249.49 
Harrington, 5.900, 242.28 def. Branch, 7.326, 125.86 

FINAL
Taylor, 5.809, 245.45 def. Harrington, 6.106, 194.97

COMP ELIMINATOR
Thomas Schmidt, Lindstrom, Minn., '34 Chevy, C/SR, 10.985, 82.85  def.
Bill Riemenapp, La Crosse, Wis., '99 Firebird, B/EA, foul

SUPER STOCK
Robert Cruzen, Cleveland, Okla., '03 S-10, GT/EA, 10.079, 130.04  def.
Ryan Montford, Wichita, Kan., '01 S-10, SS/TB, 9.508, 134.52

STOCK ELIMINATOR
Chad Loge, Brentwood, Calif., '70 GTX, C/SA, 10.781, 120.87  def.
Bradley Grant, Great Bend, Kan., '69 Roadrunner, C/SA, 10.906, 119.41

SUPER COMP
Matt Driskell, Wellsville, Kan., dragster, 8.922, 183.27  def. Bill
Graham, Hutchinson, Kan., dragster, 8.938, 157.17 

SUPER GAS
Butch Kleewein, North Platte, Neb., '99 Camaro, 9.886, 159.49  def.
Louie Lerette Jr, Council Bluffs, Iowa, '57 Corvette, 9.882, 150.93

SUPER STREET
Ted Ash Jr, Topeka, Kan., '61 Corvette, 10.867, 140.65  def. Curt
Epperson, Silver Lake, Kan., '63 Nova, 10.856, 139.56 

MOTORCYCLE
Tom Gilligan, Fremont, Neb., '79 Kawasaki, 9.464, 135.21  def. Brian
Johnson, Anoka, Minn., '05 Suzuki, 9.251, 138.29