NHRA FMDRS Heads East to Gainesville For This Weekend's Gatornationals

    GAINESVILLE, Fla., March 15 The 50th Anniversary edition
of NHRA drag racing brings its professional and Federal-Mogul sportsman
categories to Gainesville this weekend for the 32nd annual Mac Tools
Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway.  The event, which begins today with
Federal-Mogul qualifying, will be the season's first for hundreds of sportsman
drivers who compete for divisional and national points championships.
     The third of 24 national events in the annual NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag
Racing Series, the Gatornationals is another pivotal stop in the season-long
celebration of NHRA's 50th Anniversary.  Series sponsor Federal-Mogul
Corporation, a global manufacturer of automotive components, is partnering
with NHRA in several promotions and special programs to involve tens of
thousands of automotive aftermarket professionals and racing enthusiasts in
commemorating the achievement.
    One of those promotions, the Sealed Power(R) "Power Team," allows
professional engine rebuilders to qualify for three levels of exclusive NHRA
50th Anniversary premiums -- including a custom-embroidered leather jacket
with classic "biker cut," collector's trading-card set of NHRA drivers and
events, and a die-cast Top Fuel Dragster.
        "It's fitting that NHRA's 50th Anniversary coincides with what we're
confident will be the most exciting sportsman drag racing season in history,"
said Jay Burkhart, vice president of marketing for Federal-Mogul.  "The
partnership between NHRA, sportsman racers and Federal-Mogul's Sealed Power(R)
engine parts, Champion(R) spark plugs and Fel-Pro(R) gaskets brands of
underhood components is stronger than ever."
    The NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series covers all competition within
NHRA's eight largest categories: Federal-Mogul Dragster, Federal-Mogul Funny
Car, Competition Eliminator, Super Stock, Super Comp, Stock, Super Gas and
Super Street.  More than 30,000 racers are registered within the eight
"sportsman" classes.
    In addition to title sponsorship of all NHRA sportsman competition,
Federal-Mogul's strategic marketing partnership with the world's largest
motorsports sanctioning body includes the Sealed Power Low-Qualifier Award,
which rewards top qualifiers in five categories at divisional and national
events.
    Sealed Power engine parts -- Federal-Mogul's premier brand of internal
engine components -- also is an official brand of NHRA, the first marketing
partnership of its kind within the engine components category.  The Sealed
Power product family comprises a complete system of internal parts --
including pistons, piston rings, camshafts, bearings, valves and valvetrain
components, timing products and oil pumps -- for virtually any domestic or
import engine.
    One of the highlights of this weekend's event will be the renewal of a
heated rivalry between nitro-methane-fueled and alcohol-fueled Federal-Mogul
Dragsters.  "Nitro" creates significantly more horsepower than alcohol, but
nitro-burning cars are not permitted to utilize superchargers.  Supercharger-
equipped alcohol dragsters create less power but have dominated the national
championship race within the Federal-Mogul Dragster class.
    Will the same scenario play out in 2001?  The answer so far is "yes";
four-time defending Federal-Mogul Dragster champion Rick Santos, who drives an
alcohol-fueled car, has won both national events -- in Pomona, Calif., and
Phoenix -- heading into Gainesville.
    One rivalry that won't be renewed this weekend is that of Federal-Mogul
Funny Car drivers Frank Manzo and Tony Bartone.  Bartone, who won the national
championship in 1996, has moved up to the professional Funny Car category.
Manzo, who has claimed the national title in each of the past four years and
won in Gainesville last year, is expected to get plenty of competition from
Pat Austin, Jay Payne and other top drivers, however.
    "The Federal-Mogul Funny Car class has provided some of the fastest and
most exciting racing in the past several years and we certainly expect to see
the same in 2001," said Federal-Mogul Brand Manager Peter Meyers.  "Each year,
Santos and his chief rivals keep taking their engine programs to the next
level and matching their power with great driving."
    Also expected to race in Gainesville are the defending event champions in
the Federal-Mogul Dragster (Jay Meyer), Competition Eliminator (Robert
Bailey), Super Stock (Rod Lightner), Super Comp (Edmond Richardson), Stock
(Lee Bannister) and Super Gas (Dan Northrop) categories.