NHRA FMDRS-Sunday from Virginia Motorsports Park

27 September 1999
FEDERAL-MOGUL FUNNY CAR COMPETITORS BARTONE AND MANZO LOCKED IN A DUEL FOR
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE

        DINWIDDIE, Va. - Federal-Mogul Funny Car pilot Tony Bartone came to
Virginia Motorsports Park with one thing in mind - to steal the national
championship from the defending champion Frank Manzo.  And Manzo came from
New Jersey to stop him.
        But with his victory this weekend, Bartone, from Manhasett, N.Y.,
moved a step closer to the crown.  "It's not over by a long shot," said
Bartone.  "But we'll just keep winning rounds and let NHRA sort it out in
the end."  Bartone is now within 24 points of Manzo.
        "He's had really good luck this year," said Manzo, a Morganville,
N.J., resident.  "We've had good luck but Tony's has been a little better
every time we face him.  We've gone head-to-head four times now and four
times he's beat us."
        In the final, Manzo outran Bartone, 5.676 seconds to 5.711 seconds,
but Bartone had a much better reaction time at the starting line, giving
him the hole-shot victory.
        In the Federal-Mogul Dragster final, Smyrna, Del.'s, Ron Still beat
Bob Bears, Jr. of Clearwater, Fla.  Still made a 5.674-second, 248.20 mph
pass to Bears' 5.737-second, 232.31 mph effort.
        Winners in other categories were Tom Eckroth, Mahwah, N.J., in
Comp; Joe LoCicero, Lithonia, Ga., in Super Stock; Scott Welborn, Columbia,
S.C., in Stock; Bud Damron, Morriston, Fla., in Super Comp; Dan Northrop,
Doylestown, Pa., in Super Gas; and Scott Gardner, McAffee, N.J., in Super
Street.  

        The following are the final results from the NHRA Federal-Mogul
Drag Racing Series event at Virginia Motorsports Park:

FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAGSTER
Round 1
8) Rich McPhillips, Phoenixville, Pa., 5.653 elapsed time (e.t.), 239.65
mph def. 1) Michael Gunderson, Middleburg, Fla., 5.736 e.t., 248.93 mph
2) Ron Still, Smyrna, Del., 5.771 e.t., 246.08 mph def. 7) Michael Bartone,
Great River, N.Y., 5.963 e.t., 232.91 mph
3) Doug Foley, Tarrytown, N.Y., 5.730 e.t., 248.07 mph def. 6) Mike Kosky,
Cuddy, Pa., 6.083 e.t., 189.26 mph
5) Bob Bears, Clearwater, Fla., 5.744 e.t., 230.88 mph def. 4) Jeanie Booz,
Blooming Glen, Pa., 5.741 e.t., 245.18 mph

Round 2
Bears, 5.817 e.t., 232.19 mph def. McPhillips, 6.255 e.t., 185.82 mph
Still, 5.706 e.t., 245.05 mph def. Foley, 5.907 e.t., 192.58 mph

Final Round
Still, 5.674 e.t., 248.20 mph def. Bears, 5.7737 e.t., 232.31 mph

FEDERAL-MOGUL FUNNY CAR 
Round 1
1) Tony Bartone, Manhasset, N.Y., 5.868 e.t., 244.78 mph def. 8) Tim
Slagle, Fairfax, Va., broke
2) Frank Manzo, Morganville, N.J., 5.788 e.t., 249.63 mph def. 7) Bruce
Mullins, Fredericksburg, Va., 6.311 e.t., 221.67 mph
3) Steve Harker, Gainsville, Australia, 6.175 e.t., def. Fran Managhan,
Willow Grove, Pa., 6) 6.894 e.t., 145.44 mph
4) Melinda Green, Norfolk, Va., 6.159 e.t., 227.27 mph def. 5) Craig
English, Mt. Holly, N.J., 6.270 e.t., 234.29 mph

Round 2
Bartone, 5.821 e.t., 245.32 mph def. Green, 6.133 e.t., 225.94 mph
Manzo, 5.908 e.t., 247.97 mph def. Harker, 6.065 e.t., 238.98 mphs

Final Round
Bartone, 5.711 e.t., 248.20 mph def. Manzo, 5.676 e.t., 249.30

COMP ELIMINATOR
Tom Eckroth, Mahwah, N.J., '94 Pontiac, C/A, 7.676 e.t., 176.21 mph def.
Larry Pritchett, Clarkrange, Tenn., '97 Grand Am, D/SM, 8.157 e.t., 159.66
mph

SUPER STOCK
Joe Locicero, Lithonia, Ga., '87 Chevy Camaro, GT/CA, 10.013 e.t., 120.60
mph def. George Tamasi, Downington, Pa., '99 Pontiac Firebird, GT/GA,
10.198 e.t., 114.81 mph

STOCK ELIMINATOR
Scott Wellborn, Columbia, S.C., '68 Chevy Chevelle, G/SA, 11.637 e.t.,
110.33 mph def. Greg Rowe, Bridgeton, S.C., '85 Chevy, K/SA, 11.996 e.t.,
109.68 mph

SUPER COMP
Bud Damron, Morriston, Fla., '99 dragster, 8.907 e.t., 157.17 mph def. Jack
Sepanek, Moosic, Pa., '97 dragster, 8.977 e.t., 150.87 mph
SUPER GAS
Dan Northrop, Doylestown, Pa., '75 Vega, 9.918 e.t., 134.89 mph def. Teve
Drummond, Laurel, Del., '68 Ford Mustang, 9.871 e.t., 150.30 mph

SUPER STREET
Scott Gardner, McAffee, N.J., '89 Ford Thunderbird,10.918 e.t., 122.98 mph
def. Allen Morrissette, Chesterfield, Va., '78 Chevy Camaro, 10.928 e.t.,
127.65 mph


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