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NHRA- Sunday from Dallas

5 March 2000


NHRA FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAG RACING SERIES - SOUTH CENTRAL DIVISION
TEXAS MOTORPLEX
SUNDAY, MARCH 5, 2000

MEYERS MAKES IT TWO STRAIGHT AND SIMPSON SCORES FIRST VICTORY OF 2000

        ENNIS, Texas - Federal-Mogul Dragster pilot Jay Meyer made it two
straight wins in the NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series as he defeated
Mark Hentges by three tenths of a second.  The Freeport, Texas resident
laid down his third 5.47-second (5.478, to be exact) run of the weekend at
257.28 mph.  Hentges, of Federal-Way, Wash., made a 5.507-second pass at
257.80 mph.

        There was something of an upset in Federal-Mogul Funny Car action
today.  The upset was not so much the Ponder, Texas, resident Todd Simpson
beat veteran and consummate funny car driver, Pat Austin.  The upset was
that Austin, of Tacoma, Wash., red lit, effectively handing the win to
Simpson in what promised to be a good battle from end to end.  Simpson
continued full-throttle down the track to a 5.791-second, 249.58 mph run.

        "Maybe we got lucky when Austin red lit," said Simpson.  "But he
smoked the tires right off the line, too, so I think we'd have had him.  It
would've been a good race, though."

        In other action at the Motorplex, Brian Self of Houston won in
Comptition; Keith Mawhee of Carrollton, Texas, won in Super Stock; Ronnie
West of LaFayette, La., won in Stock; Nathan Martin of Ft. Worth, Texas,
won in Super Comp; Todd Drummond of Bay St. Louis, Miss., won in Super Gas;
and Randy Paddock of Garland, Texas, won in Super Street.
         
        The following are the final results from the O'Reilly Autoparts
Dash for Cash, a round of the NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series event
at Texas Motorplex:

FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAGSTER
Round 1
1) Shelly Howard, Tulsa, Okla., 5.772 e.t., 244.29 mph def. 8) Joe Fuentes,
Leander, Texas, no time recorded
2) Jay Meyer, Freeport, Texas, 5.476 e.t., 254.52 mph def. 7) James
Thompson Jr., Vernon, Texas, 11.793 e.t., 67.57 mph 
3) Darryl Hitchman, Hanford, Calif., 5.486 e.t., 256.41 mph def. 6) Lee
Calaway, Channelview, Texas, 6.551 e.t., 145.41 mph
4) Mark Hentges, Federal Way, Wash., 5.456 e.t., 259.14 mph def. 5) Kent
Nuckols, Albuqueque, N.M., 5.704 e.t., 252.88 mph

Semi-Finals
Hentges, 5.507 e.t., 257.73 mph def. Howard, 5.649 e.t., 254.66 mph
Meyer, 5.452 e.t., 248.89 mph def. Hitchman, 5.523 e.t., 253.80 mph

Final Round
Meyer, 5.478 e.t., 257.28 mph def. Hentges, 5.507 e.t., 257.80 mph

FEDERAL-MOGUL FUNNY CAR 
Round 1
1) Pat Austin, Tacoma, Wash., '99 Firebird, 5.712 e.t., 250.97 mph def. 8)
Richard Shaver (alternate), '95 Avenger, San Antonio, Texas, 6.170 e.t.,
195.99 mph
2) Tony Bartone, Manhassett, N.Y., '99 Chevy, 5.747 e.t., 294.44 mph def.
7) Tate Branch, Artesia, N.M., '99 Avenger, 5.866 e.t., 247.45 mph
3) Todd Simpson, Ponder, Texas, '99 Avenger, 5.855 e.t, 242.98 mph def. 6)
Michael Heckert, Pittsburg, Kan., '97 Firebird, 5.898 e.t, 215.46 mph
4) Jimmy Jones, Cleburn, Texas, '97 Camaro, 9.192 e.t., 88.43 mph def. 5)
Randy Fleming (alternate), Independence, Mo., '99 Trans Am, broke

Semi-Finals
Austin, 5.710 e.t., 251.95 mph def. Jones, 7.237 e.t., 125.55 mph
Simpson, 5.742 e.t., 247.38 mph def. Bartone, (FOUL) 5.719 e.t., 252.17 mph


Final Round
Simpson, 5.791 e.t., 249.58 mph def. Austin,(FOUL) 14.007 e.t., 77.47 mph

COMP ELIMINATOR
Brian Self, Huston, '00 S-10, 7.649 e.t., 164.32 mph def. Joey Tanksley,
Greenwell Springs, La., '92 dragster, 7.058 e.t., 187.18 mph

SUPER STOCK
Keith Mawhee, Carrollton, Texas, '98 Pontiac, 8.918 e.t., 151.36 mph def.
Randall Klein, Lincoln, Neb., '56 Nomad Wagon, 122.483 e.t., 76.40 mph

STOCK ELIMINATOR
Ronnie West, LaFayette, La., '64 Dodge, 10.684 e.t., 121.31 mph def. Harvey
Emmons, Pasadena, Texas, '69 Chevy, 11.800 e.t., 111.27 mph

SUPER COMP
Nathan Martin, Ft. Worth, Texas, '98 dragster, 8.890 e.t., 169.52 mph def.
Ty Lafferty, Amarillo, Texas, '98 dragster, 8.886 e.t., 163.99 mph

SUPER GAS
Todd Drummond, Bay St. Louis, Miss., '99 Firebird, 9.933 e.t., 152.10 mph
def. Bret Tarver, Red Oak, Texas, '97 Firebird, 9.936 e.t., 151.43 mph

SUPER STREET
Randy Paddock, Garland, Texas, '72 Nova, 10.905 e.t., 131.38 mph def. Ray
Todd, Friendswood, Texas, '68 Chevy II, 10.972 e.t., 121.90