NHRA FMDRS: Record Breaking field also one of the fastest in history
26 September 1999
Joliet, Ill.- The Federal-Mogul Funny Car and Dragster fields of the
NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series event at Route 66 Raceway are
possibly the largest combined a divisional event has ever had.
Fans were treated Saturday to one of the largest, if not the largest,
combined field of dragsters and funny cars in NHRA division series history.
And as if that wasn't enough to get the fans charged up for the day's
qualifying, the runs made by both categories were so quick that the bump
times for both Federal-Mogul Dragster and Funny Car might well have been
the lowest in the history of divisional racing as well.
With an overall field of 35 cars in dragster and funny car, 17 in
dragster, 18 in funny car, it's easy to see why competition was so fierce
to make the field of eight, for tomorrow's eliminations. Some racers were
surprised by the conditions of the track Friday and didn't have their cars
properly tuned to adapt to those conditions. One racer's Federal-Mogul
Dragster, Bill Reichert's from Owosso, Mich., shook so much on Friday that
the car hit the wall at the starting line, causing minor damage to the
front and rear tires.
"After Friday's disappointing run we knew that the car had to be tuned
down a little so it would make it down the track" said Federal-Mogul
Dragster Top Qualifier, Bill Reichert, from Owosso, Mich. "After we bumped
the wall during our run Friday I knew we were being a little too
aggressive, and needed to back off just a little."
Reichert's instincts weren't just right, they were dead on. He ran a
personal best time of 5.508 seconds at 255.77 mph, which also set the pace
as the best qualifying time in Federal-Mogul Dragster which everyone else
had to follow. The qualifying time that was the bump spot was 5.724
seconds, set by injected-nitro Federal-Mogul Dragster driver Dave Hirata,
from Lowell, Ind.
Federal-Mogul Funny Car's bump spot of 5.842 seconds, was set by
Muncie, Illinois' Jeff Craig. The Winston Top Qualifier spot went to 66
time national event winner Pat Austin, from Tacoma, Wash. Austin was able
to propel himself to that position with a 5.708 second time at 250.88 mph.
The bump spot in Federal-Mogul Funny Car was so quick that two of the
best drivers in the NHRA North Central and West Central Divisions, Marc
White, and Vern Moats, respectively, were not able to make the field of
eight. White, from Glendale Hts., Ill. is the defending NHRA North Central
Division champion in Federal-Mogul Funny Car, and Moats, from Des Moines
Iowa, is a 14 time division champion.
"The competition out here is incredible," White said of the record
field of Federal-Mogul Funny Cars. "I knew the bump spot was quick, I just
couldn't get over how quick."
Gates open at 7 a.m. Sunday at Route 66 Raceway, and eliminations
begin at 8 a.m. Federal-Mogul Dragster and Funny Car have first round
eliminations beginning at 1 p.m.
The following are the final qualifying results and Sunday's
elimination pairings for Federal-Mogul Dragster and Funny Car, from the
NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series event at Route 66 Raceway, the last
of six events in the NHRA North Central Division:
FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAGSTER
1. Bill Reichert, Owosso, Mich., 5.508 seconds elapsed time, 255.77 miles
per hour vs. 8. Dave Hirata, Lowell, Ind., 5.724, 252.52
2. Shawn Bowen, Montrose, Mich., 5.526, 255.73 vs. 7. Mark Kinser, Grimes,
Iowa, 5.707, 253.37
3. Darren Nicholson, Laguna Hills, Calif., 5.569, 255.68 vs. 6. Jeff Bohr,
Plymouth, Mich., 5.693, 243.85
4. Jeff Wilson, Winfield, Mo., 5.627, 250.37 vs. 5. Don Devault, Kentland,
Ind., 5.647, 254.33
FEDERAL-MOGUL FUNNY CAR
1. Pat Austin, Tacoma, Wash., '99 Firebird, 5.708 seconds elapsed time,
250.88 miles per hour vs. 8. Jeff Craig, Muncie, Ind., '96 Achieva, 5.842,
248.16
2. John Lawson, Joliet, Ill., '99 Firebird, 5.776, 248.02 vs. 7. Bob
Gottschalk, Toledo, Ohio, '99 Avenger, 5.832, 244.07
3. Danny Townsend, Muncie, Ind., '97 Firebird, 5.800, 252.28 vs. 6. Cy
Chesterman, Sioux City, Iowa, '99 Trans Am, 5.826, 252.43
4. Kim Fritts, Greenup, Ill., '98 Firebird, 5.800, 246.08 vs. 5. Todd
Paton, Ontario, Can., '99 Firebird, 5.812, 248.29
COMP ELIMINATOR
1. Jerry Arnold, Kalamazoo, Mich., E/EDragster, 8.538 (-0.592 seconds under
index)
2. Steve Ambrose, Woodhaven, Mich., I/A '23 Ford, 7.925 (-0.565)
3. Tom Snyder, Longmont, Colo., A/A '23 Chevrolet, 6.775 (-0.565)
4. Robert Bailey, Wabash, Ind., A/EDragster, 6.819 (-0.551)
5. Brian Browell, Lafayette, Ind., D/Dragster, 7.478 (-0.542)
6. Jason Coan, Greentown, Ind., F/EDragster, 8.491 (-0.539)
7. Don Stratton, Beloit, Ohio, B/SR '34 Chevrolet, 8.133 (-0.537)
8. Jason Coan, Greentown, Ind., F/EDragster, 6.843 (-0.527)
9. David Billingsley, Decatur, Ill., C/A '93 Cutlass, 7.718 (-0.512)
10. Bob Andrews, Somerset, Mich., E/Dragster, 7.560 (-0.510)
SUPER STOCK
1. Jeff Sexton, Fairborn, Ohio, SS/AX '84 Camaro, 8.926 (-1.074 seconds
under index)
2. Charlie Westcott, Parma, Mich., GT/E '96 Grand Am, 9.743 (-1.057)
3. Jerry Silveus, Van Buren, Ohio, GT/IA '99 Pontiac, 10.455 (-1.045)
4. Gordon Gillman, Marne, Mich., SS/AX '90 Buick, 8.996 (-1.004)
5. Dan Larson, St. Paul, Minn., SS/KA '85 Camaro, 10.561 (-0.989)
6. Brian Butler, Centerville, Ohio, GT/GA '90 Beretta, 10.222 (-0.978)
7. Dan Kyle, Lawrenceburg, Ind., GT/FA '87 Firebird, 10.123 (-0.977)
8. Melissa Butler, Lebanon, Ohio, GT/FA '90 Sunbird, 10.125 (-0.975)
9. Vince Impastato, Shelby Twp., Mich., GT/CA '86 Camaro, 9.726 (-0.974)
10. Joe Skinner, Columbia Station, Ohio, GT/BA '95 Cavalier, 9.597 (-0.953)
STOCK ELIMINATOR
1. Gary Russell, E. Sparta, Ohio, L/S '94 Mustang, 11.777 (-1.223 seconds
under index)
2. Bill Rink, Naperville, Ill., K/SA '74 GTO, 11.798 (-1.152)
3. Vance Cummins, Grand Haven, Mich., CT/SA '95 Dakota, 12.218 (-1.132)
4. Jennifer Dziorny, Wixom, Mich., CT/SA '94 Dakota, 12.231 (-1.119)
5. Judy McCormack, Milford, Mich., DT/SA '99 Dakota, 12.410 (-1.090)
6. Joey Wilkes, Zanesville, Ohio, F/SA '99 Firebird, 11.066 (-1.084)
7. John Foxbower, Franklin, Ohio, C/SA '68 Mustang, 10.637 (-1.063)
8. Don Holmes, Dayton, Ohio, K/SA '78 Firebird, 11.887 (-1.063)
9. Dave Edwards, Washington, Ohio, L/SA '78 Trans Am, 11.943 (-1.057)
10. Jerry Mulkey, Burbank, Wash., N/S '91 Z-28, 12.203 (-1.047)
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