NHRA Summit Racing Series Northwest Divisin Finals from Pacific Raceways

            KENT, Wash. - Although it came a day later than scheduled, the
team from Woodburn Dragstrip scored the championship at the NHRA Summit
Racing Series Northwest Division Finals.  Top drivers in seven classes
representing tracks from across the region converged on Pacific Raceways to
vie for team and individual championships in the division's Summit Series
Finals.   It was the fifth team title in seven years for the Oregon track.

            Ron Pappel of Eugene, Ore., racing for Coos Bay Int'l Speedway
in Oregon, earned the win in Super Pro.  He beat Wayne Linder of Outlook,
Wash., in the final.  

Jody Lang scored double wins while representing Madras Raceway Park, another
Oregon track.  The Puyallup, Wash., racer won in the Pro and Sportsman
categories.  In the Pro final he beat Scott Lewsley of Ravensdale, Wash.,
and in the final round of Sportsman he took out McCleary, Wash., resident
Sheila Biscay.

In the Motorcycle/Snowmobile class, Mission (B.C.) Raceway Park's Stewart
Kienas scored the win over Joe Collette of Boise, Idaho.

The Race of Champions is a race within a race that pits the top points
earning drivers from each track in head-to-head competition.  The Race of
Champions winners in Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman and Motorcycle/Snowmobile
will run against the winners from the NHRA's other six divisions for a
national championship.  The run-off will take place at the NHRA Auto Club of
Southern California Finals at Pomona (Calif.) Raceway in November.  Drivers
in each category will run for a winner-take-all purse of $5,000 and each of
the 28 participants will also receive $3,500 for running in Pomona.  In the
Race of Champions, Robert Glembocki of Bend, Ore., drove his 1969 Camaro to
the win in Super Pro over Mission, B.C., racer Vicki Strell and her 1971
Demon.  In Pro, Denny Robbin, Beavercreek, Ore., won in his 1968 Nova,
taking out John Schwaller of North Bend, Ore., driving a 1970 El Camino.
The Sportsman winner, Phillip Marvetz of Bellingham, Wash., driving a 1971
Plymouth, beat Jerry Biscay of McCleary, Wash.  Mark Canty of Vancouver,
Wash., won in the Motorcycle/Snowmobile class over Kienas, who picked up the
individual win in the class.  

The High School class and two categories of Junior Dragsters that ran in the
event finished on Sunday night.  In the High School class finals, Michael
Peck Jr. of Woodinville, Wash., racing for the Pacific Raceways team, drove
his 1999 Tahoe to the win.  He beat out Eugene, Ore., resident Jim Pappel
and his 1957 Chevy.  Pappel represents Woodburn Dragstrip.  In five rounds
of eliminations, Peck's worst light of the day was a .077.  Casey DePeel of
Gladstone, Ore., took the win in the Junior Lightning category.  Racing for
Madras Raceway Park, DePeel beat out Sean McMasters of Edgewood, Wash., in
the final round.  McMasters is another member of the team from Pacific
Raceways.  In the Junior Thunder category, Covington, Wash., racer Austin
Calhoun took the win for Bremerton Raceway in Washington.  He beat out
Nicholas Carrington of Meridian, Idaho, who races for Team Firebird Raceway
in Boise, Idaho.