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NHRA FMDRS: Cool racing heats up Beech Bend despite wet weather

27 August 2000

        BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - On a weekend where the Beech Bend Raceway
track record for Federal-Mogul Funny Car elapsed time (e.t.) was set and
reset four times, rain delays did not dampen the action.  The Thunder at
the Beech event, a round of the NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series,
boasted 584 cars from 32 states and two provinces in Canada.
In Federal-Mogul Funny Car, Chuck Cheeseman and Marc White traded the track
e.t. record throughout the weekend.  On Friday, Cheeseman, of Galena, Ohio,
ran 5.798 seconds for the record while White set the track speed record at
254.28 mph.  Then Saturday, White, from Glendale Hts., Ill., ran 5.787
seconds for the record and the No.1 qualifying spot.  Cheeseman reclaimed
the record with a 5.782-second pass in round-one of eliminations and in the
final against White, Cheeseman bettered the mark with a 5.771 effort, which
won the event.  White claimed runner-up points for the second consecutive
year.
Jeff Wilson would not be left out of the record race in Federal-Mogul
Dragster.  In the first round of qualifying, Wilson set both ends of the
track record with a 5.560-second, 257.19 mph pass.  Wilson went on to win
the event for the second straight year.  Wilson is well on his way to the
North Central division title with three wins and two runners-up on the
season.
"I think this will wrap up the division championship for us," said a
grinning Wilson.  "We've had our ups and downs this year, but the team has
really held it together and we've come through it all just great."
In the Federal-Mogul Funny Car title chase, Cheeseman and White are
battling it out.  With the win here, Cheeseman has three wins to White's
two.  There is one North Central divisionFederal-Mogul event to go, Sept.
22-24 at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill.
In Competition Eliminator, David Rampy of Piedmont, Ala., and Edmond
Richardson of Goodlettsville, Tenn., in Super Comp both won this event for
the second consecutive year.  Other winners are Kenny Morris,
Jeffersonville, Ind., in Super Stock; Randy Wilkes, Zanesville, Ohio, in
Stock; Donnie Peden, Edinburg, Ill., in Super Gas; and Linn Bebout, Mt.
Vernon, Ohio, in Super Street.

The following are the final results from the NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing
Series event at Beech Bend Raceway:

FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAGSTER
Round 1
1) Jeff Wilson, Winfield, Mo., 16.247 e.t., 57.10 mph def. 7) bye
2) Steve Federlin, Oregon City, Ore., 5.723, 250.04 def. 6) Dana Stripe,
Columbia, Mo., broke
5) Bill Reichert, Owasso, Mich., 5.837, 228.46 def. 3) 3) Bill McCornack,
Lexington, Ky., 8.435, 106.89
4) Gary Ward, cincinnati, Ohio, 5.864, 240.68 def. 5) Randy Bayne, Elwood,
Ind., broke

Semi-Finals
Wilson, 5.662, 250.04 def. Ward, 5.662, 250.04, red light
Federlin, 5.717, 251.44, def. Reichert, 13.739, 55.90

Final Round
Wilson, 5.624, 255.73, def. Federlin, red light

FEDERAL-MOGUL FUNNY CAR 
Round 1
1) Marc White, Glendale Hts., Ill., '99 Pontiac, 6.180 e.t., 33.20 mph def.
6) Jerry Freeman, New Market, Ala., '98 Avenger, 7.878 e.t., 122.62 mph
2) Chuck Cheeseman, Galena, Ohio, '98 Firebird, 5.782, 251.44 def. 5) Jeff
Lancaster, Hamilton, Ont., Can., '97 Firebird, broke
3) Kim Fritts, Greenup, Ill., '98 Firebird, 6.381, 202.73 def. 4) Roger
Cutler, Galesburg, Mich., '99 Firebird, red light

Semi-Finals
White, 26.244, 43.06 def. bye
Cheeseman, 5.827, 248.66 def. Fritts, 5.956, 245.94

Final Round
Cheesesman, 5.771, 251.44 def. White, 6.013, 241.97

COMP ELIMINATOR
David Rampy, Piedmont, Ala., '32 roadster, A/EA, 7.566, 166.68 def. Brian
Browell, Lafayette, Ind., '97 dragster, D/D, 7.482, 179.30

SUPER STOCK
Kenny Morris, Jeffersonville, Ind., '98 Grand Am, 9.810, 135.14 def. Larry
Stewart, Clinton, Miss., '66 Nova, 10.168, 128.58

STOCK ELIMINATOR
Randy Wilkes, Zanesville, Ohio, '00 Camaro, 11.028, 119.05 def. Bob
Robbins, Byrdstown, Tenn., '79 Malibu, 12.601, 103.45

SUPER COMP
Edmond Richardson, Goodlettsville, Tenn., '00 dragster, 8.901, 162.47 def.
Jeff Strickland, Red Bay, Ala., '99 dragster, 8.888, 166.07

SUPER GAS
Donnie Peden, Edinburg, Ill., '63 Corvette, 19.259, 50.90 def. Jimmy
Fuller, Savannah, Ga., '74 Camaro, 9.895, 148.04

SUPER STREET
Linn Bebout, Mt. Vernon, Ohio, '69 Olds, 10.893, 130.07 def. Walter
Beaumont, Naples, Fla., '72 Demon, 10.868, 123.29