NHRA Federal-Mogul Sportsman Drag Racers Ready For National Showdown
25 February 2000
SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Feb. 25 -- If the first event of the 2000
racing season is any indication, this weekend's NHRA Checker Schuck's Kragen
Nationals at Firebird International Raceway in Phoenix, Arizona should be good
for near-record-breaking performance in the NHRA Federal-Mogul Sportsman
categories.
The season's inaugural event -- the AutoZone Nationals in Pomona,
California, in early February -- saw extremely tight racing in seven of the
eight Federal-Mogul categories, and the continued domination of the Federal-
Mogul Dragster class by defending national champion Rick Santos.
"It was an ideal start to what we believe will be the biggest season in
Sportsman drag racing history," said Federal-Mogul Motorsports Manager Shelley
Pepmeier. "The NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series is in its fourth season,
and racers and sponsors alike expect our classes to reach a new level of
popularity among the millions of fans who follow the sport."
This weekend's event -- the second of 23 national stops on the NHRA
schedule -- will feature competition in seven NHRA Federal-Mogul categories:
Federal-Mogul Dragster, Federal-Mogul Funny Car, Competition, Super Stock,
Super Comp, Super Gas and Super Street.
"The Federal-Mogul Series was established at a time when Sportsman racing
was ready to step up in terms of prestige and fan involvement," Pepmeier said.
"Federal-Mogul was in a similar position -- we had assembled many of the best-
known brands and product lines in the automotive industry, and we were looking
to generate greater awareness of our engineering and manufacturing
leadership."
By all accounts, both parties are stronger as a result of the Federal-
Mogul program. Sportsman competitors have enjoyed significantly larger prize
purses, increased television exposure and greater print media coverage. And
Federal-Mogul, which has tied its racing involvement to its best-known engine
brands and product lines -- Champion(R) spark plugs, Fel-Pro(R) gaskets and
Sealed Power(R) and Speed-Pro(R) engine parts -- has won the hearts of the
more than 30,000 competitors.
The NHRA Federal-Mogul Series covers all Sportsman competition on the
national and divisional levels. Racers compete for national and divisional
points titles and more than $400,000 in annual championship award bonuses.
In addition, Federal-Mogul sponsors the year-long Federal-Mogul Allstars
Competition, which rewards NHRA Sportsman racers for their success on the
divisional level. Each year, the company invites the eight Allstars point
leaders from each NHRA division to race in a single-elimination shootout at
National Trail Raceway in Columbus, Ohio. The one-day event pays out more
than $100,000 in prize money.
"The Federal-Mogul Allstars Finals is the big event for every Sportsman
competitor, with four rounds leading to thousands of dollars in prize money,"
Pepmeier said. "But even more important is the fact that earning a trip to
the Finals means major television time and the opportunity to race before tens
of thousands of appreciative fans."
Will The Dominance Continue?
Fans who follow the NHRA Federal-Mogul racing categories can't help but
know the names Rick Santos and Frank Manzo. The two have won three
consecutive Federal-Mogul national championships -- Santos in Federal-Mogul
Dragster, Manzo in Federal-Mogul Funny Car -- and would appear to be
prohibitive favorites in 2000. In fact, Santos' dominating performance -- he
ran consistently in the 5.30s -- during the AutoZone Winternationals served
notice that his supercharged, alcohol-fueled dragster is poised to take on the
newest generation of Nitro-fueled (but non-supercharged) Sportsman entries.
"Everyone who races has dreams of some day painting the number '1' on
their car; that's the biggest reward for every Sportsman drag racer," Pepmeier
said. "But every Federal-Mogul champion will tell you that when the next
season begins, that '1' becomes a bulls-eye for every other competitor in the
field."
Others wearing that "bulls-eye" in 2000 are reigning Comp champion Andy
Manna Jr., Super Stocker Jimmy DeFrank, Stock champion Don Little, Super Comp
champion Frank Kohutek and Super Gas champion Sheldon Gecker.
Headquartered in Southfield, Michigan, Federal-Mogul is an
automotive parts manufacturer providing innovative solutions and systems to
global customers in the automotive, light truck, heavy-duty, railroad, farm
and industrial markets. The company was founded in 1899. Visit the company's
web site at http://www.federal-mogul.com for more information.