FMDRS-Sunday from Columbus

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NHRA FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAG RACING SERIES - NORTH CENTRAL DIVISION
NATIONAL TRAIL RACEWAY, COLUMBUS, OHIO
Sunday, July 08, 2001

HIRATA, WHITE SCORE WINS AT NATIONAL TRAIL RACEWAY

        COLUMBUS, Ohio - The No. 2 qualifiers in both Federal-Mogul
Dragster and Federal-Mogul Funny Car went all the way today in the NHRA
Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series event at National Trail Raceway.  Dave
Hirata in F/M Dragster and Marc White in F/M Funny Car outlasted their
opponents in what turned out to be the hottest day of the event, with track
temperatures reaching 135 degrees.  It is the first divisional win of the
season for both drivers.
        Hirata, of Lowell, Ind., defeated Jeff Bohr in the first round with
a blistering 5.550-second pass.  In the second round he took on defending
division champion Jeff Wilson.  In the final round he was up against Bill
Reichert who got past the semi-finals by winning a pedaling contest with
Bill McCornack.  In that last round, Hirata ran 5.618 seconds at 255.73 mph
while Reichert was again lost power at about half-track.
        "It feels good to get that first win," said Hirata, smiling.  "It
seems like it's been a long time in coming this season but maybe this will
be the beginning of something."
        White, a resident of Glendale Hts., Ill., is fresh off a win at the
NHRA national event in St. Louis.  This week, he beat Rick Krafft in the
first round and Kim Fritts in the second.  In the final, he faced division
rival Chuck Cheeseman and beat him on a hole shot.  Cheeseman was quicker
and faster than White with a 5.966-second, 241.97 mph run but White had the
advantage off the starting line, .455 to .507.  White's final run was a
6.015-second, 240.68-mph effort.
        "We can't seem to make it run but we do seem to be able to make it
win," said White.  "We've changed everything we can think of on that car
but it doesn't work.  In the end, I'd rather be lucky than good, anyway."
        In Comp Eliminator, defending national champion Jerry Arnold of
Kalamazoo, Mich., carried his No. 1 qualifying position through to the
winner's circle, while Lawrenceburg, Ind., resident Dan Kyle took the win
in Super Stock.  The Stock winner was Rob Holmes, of Englewood, Ohio, and
in Super Comp Dave Dahlem from Tremont, Ill., took the win.  The winner in
Super Gas was Mason, Ohio, resident Jim Balcom and in Super Street it was
Dale Elam from Gahanna, Ohio who won.  Megan Taylor of Columbus, Ohio, took
home the trophy in Jr. Dragster.
-MORE-

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

FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAGSTER
Round 1
8) Marty Thacker, Robinson, Ill., 6.133 seconds, 190.70 mph def. 1) Russ
Lindert, Manteno, Ill., 5.791, 225.03 mph (red light)
2) Dave Hirata, Lowell, Ind., 5.504, 258.67 def. 7) Jeff Bohr, Plymouth,
Mich., 5.760, 244.60
3) Jeff Wilson, Winfield, Mo., 5.739, 252.85 vs. 6) Keith Stark, Danville,
Ill., 5.977, 238.13
4) Bill Reichert, Owosso, Mich., 7.124, 151.02 def. 5) Bill McCornack,
Lexington, Ky., 10.504, 71.09

Semi-Finals
Reichert, 13.18, 51.47 def. Thacker, no show
Hirata, 5.59, 254.26 def. Wilson, 11.55, 69.88

Final Round
Hirata, 5.618, 255.73 def. Reichert, 11.451, 69.55

FEDERAL-MOGUL FUNNY CAR 
Round 1
1) Chuck Cheeseman, Galena, Ohio, '00 Pontiac, 5.964 seconds, 243.28 mph
def. 8) John Reikas III, Glendale Hts., Ill., '96 Camaro, 6.312, 215.34
2) Marc White, Glendale Hts., Ill., '01 Firebird, 6.025, 241.97 def. 7)
Rick Krafft, Union Mills, Ind., '99 Avenger, 6.381, 214.54
3) Kim Fritts, Greenup, Ill., '98 Pontiac, 6.056, 238.13 def. 6) Wayne
Butler, Mantino, Ill., '98 Trans Am, 6.147, 225.03
4) Jeff Craig, Muncie, Ind., '00 Avenger, 7.719, 208.36 def. 5) Todd Veney,
Indianapolis, '98 Pontiac, 10.372, 84.59 (red light)

Semi-Finals
Cheesesman, 5.93, 241.97 def. Craig, 6.75, 235.64
White, 6.04, 243.28 def. Fritts, 6.061, 234.41

Final Round
White, 6.015, 240.68 (.455 reaction time) def. Cheeseman, 5.966, 241.97
(.507 reaction time)

COMP ELIMINATOR
Jerry Arnold, Kalamazoo, Mich., '98 dragster, 8.609, 153.07 def. Robert
Bailey, Wabash, Ind., 6.935, 192.33

SUPER STOCK
Dan Kyle, Lawrenceburg, Ind., '87 Pontiac, 10.317, 121.63 def. Jimbo
Fields, '68 Corvette, 10.449, 126.06
-MORE-

STOCK ELIMINATOR
Rob Holmes, Engelwood, Ohio, '69 Chevy, 11.983, 105.64 def. Gary Russell,
11.180, 116.59

SUPER COMP
Dave Dahlem, Tremont, Ill., '98 dragster, 8.922, 151.53 def. Jeff Hurst,
'01 dragster, 8.877, 166.07

SUPER GAS
Jim Balcom, Mason, Ohio, '68 Camaro, 11.331, 88.93 mph def. Chuck Haubiel,
Gahanna, Ohio, '27 roadster, 9.907 (red light)

SUPER STREET
Dale Elam, Gahanna, Ohio, '68 Camaro, 10.897, 120.97 def. Dustin
Richardson, Woodburn, Ind., '87 Firenza, 10.919, 140.20 (red light)

JUNIOR DRAGSTER
Megan Taylor, Columbus, Ohio, 9.536, 66.47 mph def. Jason Jones, Mt.
Gilead, Ohio, 11.757, 54.81


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