NHRA Federal Mogul: Funny Car driver Cy Chesterman defends his title at Nebraska Motorplex

16 August 1999

        Scribner, Neb.- The 1999 NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series
champion in Federal-Mogul Funny Car was once again Sioux City, Iowa's Cy
Chesterman.  
     Chesterman has won the event now two years in a row with his Coca-Cola
sponsored Federal-Mogul Funny.
     "My crew and I knew that we were doing something right after we ended
up in the top qualifying position" Chesterman explained.  "It was just a
matter of keeping the same set up with just a few minor adjustments, and
the rest was up to the track."
     The final round of this year's Federal-Mogul Funny Car competition at
Nebraska Motorplex came down to Chesterman and the number two qualifier,
Red Wing Minnesota's Sam Blue, who recently won his first national event at
the Mopar Mile High Nationals in Denver with his Sturdiwheat Pancakes car.
     While both drivers put in solid runs, Chesterman's time of 5.967
seconds was just too much for Blue as he ran a 6.106 second time.  In
addition to the fact that Blue had to race against a driver that was ranked
number six in the country in 1998, the high altitude conditions also made
it very difficult for any driver to make it into the five second.
     Another big winner in the weekend's competition was Lawrence, Kansas
driver Rob Wendland in his In-N-Out Federal-Mogul Dragster.
     Wendland, who is racing his rookie year like a seasoned professional,
had to take on one of the top drivers in the country, David Wells of
LeMars, Iowa.  Wells was ranked tenth in the national standings in 1998 and
is gunning for the top honors in the NHRA West Central Division's
championship race.
     All Wendland, who ran a 5.834 second time, could ask after he won
against Wells, who ran a 5.881 second time was, "Where am I in the national
points now?"  Wendland is currently ranked in the ninth position, while his
teammate and fellow In-N-Out Federal-Mogul Dragster driver, Melanie Troxel
from Denver, sits in the fifth position in the current points standings.
     "I think it would be very cool if both of us [Troxel and Wendland]
could make it into the top five [national points standings] by the end of
the season" Wendland said. 
     After this weekend's event Wendland will move up in the national
points standings leaving behind his current ninth place position.    
 
     The following are final results from the NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag
Racing Series event at Nebraska Motorplex, the fifth of six races in the
NHRA West Central Division listing driver, city, state, make of car,
elapsed time in seconds and miles per hour:


FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAGSTER

Round 1

1. Rob Wendland, Lawrence, Kan., 5.767 seconds elapsed time, 244.29 miles
per hour def. 8. Ziggy Zivcovich, Litchfield, Minn., 18.217, 40.92
2. David Wells, Le Mars, Iowa, 5.828, 244.63 def. 7. Kent Nuckols,
Alburquerque, N.M., 5.960, 237.71
6. Darryl Hitchman, Hanford, Calif., 5.848, 239.68 def. 3. Mark Kinser,
Grimes, Iowa, 5.927, 213.06
5. Shelly Howard, Tulsa, Okla., 5.847, 241.67 def. 4. Troy Buff, Spring,
Texas, 5.939, 241.74

Round 2

1. Wendland, 5.815, 243.11 def. 5. Howard, 5.838, 240.06
2. Wells, 5.771, 244.96 def. 6. Hitchman, 5.825, 238.47

Final Round

1. Rob Wendland, 5.834, 242.32 def. 2. David Wells, 5.881, 244.49

FEDERAL-MOGUL FUNNY CAR 

Round 1

1. Cy Chesterman, Sioux City, Iowa, '99 Pontiac, 6.405 seconds elapsed
time, 188.67 miles per hour def. 8. Kurt Prososki, Bellveue, Neb., '96
Daytona, 7.306, 182.18
2. Sam Blue, Red Wing, Minn., '97 Achieva, 6.185, 228.42 def. 7. Robert
Kanenwisher, Confier, Colo., '98 Avenger, 6.204, 227.84
3. Vern Moats, Des Moines, Iowa, '99 Firebird, 6.096, 236.28 def. 6. Bruce
Carlson, Prior Lake, Minn., 6.449, 221.51
4. Randy Fleming, Independence, Mo., '97 Firebird, 6.119, 227.73 def. 5.
Michael Heckert, Pittsburg, '97 Pontiac, 10.007, 116.88

Round 2

1. Chesterman, 6.028, 239.10 def. 4. Fleming, 6.031, 236.90
2. Blue, 6.128, 229.70 def. 3. Moats, 6.276, 232.19

Final Round

1. Chesterman, 5.967, 239.87 def. 2. Blue, 6.106, 228.83

COMP ELIMINATOR

Eloy Lucero, Denver, C/A '95 Mustang, 7.931, 170.42 def. John Linton,
Tonkawa, Okla., D/EDragster, 7.709, 170.32

SUPER STOCK

Gary Stinnett, Emporia, Kan., GT/IA '97 Firebird, 10.653, 122.73 def. Joe
Lo Cicero, Lithonia, Ga., GT/CA '90 Camaro, 10.160, 131.32

STOCK ELIMINATOR

Edmond Richardson, Goodlettsville, Tenn., I/SA '69 Camaro, 12.338, 101.49
def. Mike Wenke, Conway Springs, Kan., B/SA '69 Mustang, 10.825, 120.80

SUPER GAS

Lanny Maples, Bixby, Okla., 10.003, 143.24 def. Paul Pittman, Bloomington,
Minn., 9.963, 153.34

SUPER COMP

Frank Kohutek, Mesquite, Texas, 8.999, 167.13 def. Scott Brown, Odessa,
Mo., 8.968, 165.80

SUPER STREET

Frank Nichols, Grand Island, '68 Camaro, 11.004, 138.44 def. Hal Bentley,
Fremont, Neb., '69 Nova, 11.010, 123.81

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