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Saturday Results-Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series at Silver Dollar Ra ceway- Reynolds, Ga.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NHRA LUCAS OIL DRAG RACING SERIES - NHRA SOUTHEAST DIVISION
SILVER DOLLAR RACEWAY
SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 2002

Smith Extends Points Lead With Second Southeast Division Win
Reynolds, Ga.-In Saturday's final results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event being held at Silver Dollar Raceway, Top Alcohol Dragster driver Marty Thacker and Top Alcohol Funny Car driver Von Smith took home the honors.
	In Top Alcohol Dragster, Marty Thacker of Robinson, Ill. blasted into victory lane when he defeated the Wayzata, Minn. dragster of John Haley. Consistency was the flavor of the day for Thacker who used a string a elapsed times in the 5.60s to take the win. In the final Haley got the jump off the line, but Thacker was able to hold the Minn. runner with a 5.617 second pass at 253.47 mph to Haley's 5.723 second run at 248.34 mph, to get the win light.
	In Top Alcohol Funny Car Von Smith of Oak Ridge, Tenn. earned a key win when he defeated reining Southeast Division Champion Jay Payne, of Claremont, Calif. In the final Smith used a .470 reaction time and a 5.893 second pass at 244.52 mph to defeat Payne, who ran a quicker 5.874 second pass at 244.87 mph. This is the second Southeast Division win for Smith this season behind the wheel of his Jensen Audio sponsored Firebird. Smith and Payne are currently in a heated battle for Southeast Division points in the Top Alcohol Funny Car class, a battle which Smith currently leads.   
In the final qualifying at Silver Dollar Raceway, Larry Pritchett of Clarkrange, Tenn., in Competition Eliminator; Bobby Dennis of Shorter, Ala., in Super Stock; and Woodro Josey of Byron, Ga. in Stock topped their respective fields. Each driver will receive a portion of the $2500 put up by Sealer Power for the driver qualified in the top spot.
Gates at Silver Dollar Raceway will open Sunday at 8 a.m. with eliminations set to start at 10 a.m. beginning with Competition Eliminator. For more information please contact Silver Dollar Raceway at (478) 847-4414. They can also be reached via their web site at www.SilverDollarRaceway.com.

The following are Saturday's final results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Silver Dollar Raceway:
Top Alcohol Dragster Qualifying
1.	Michael Gunderson, Middleburg, Fla., 5.549 seconds, 254.23 mph 
2.	Marty Thacker, Robinson, Ill., 5.574, 252.00 
3.	Jason Cannon, Middleburg, Fla., 5.582, 252.00 
4.	Guy Kelly, Wadley, Ala., 5.597, 251.39 
5.	John Haley, Wayzata, Minn., 5.689, 247.75 
6.	Tony Bartone, Manhasset, N.Y., 5.726, 234.13 
7.	Artie Allen, Jacksonville, Fla., 5.852, 244.56 
8.	Don Fiorelli, Palm Bay, Fla., 5.885, 226.32 
	--------------------NOT QUALIFIED--------------------------------
9.	John Sullivan, Montgomery, Ala., 6.780, 208.14 
10.	Duke McDonald, Gainesville, Fla., 7.207,179.02 
First Round  Eliminations
1)	Michael Gunderson, Middleburg, Fla., 5.943 seconds, 237.80 mph def. 8) Don Fiorelli, 
	Palm Bay, Fla., 6.131, 202.42
2)	Marty Thacker, Robinson, Ill., 5.648 seconds, 244.43 mph def. 7) Artie Allen,
	Jacksonville, Fla., 5.762, 243.06
3)	Jason Cannon, Middleburg, Fla., 5.770 seconds, 247.20 mph def. 6) Tony Bartone,
Manhasset, N.Y., 5.850, 239.95
5)	John Haley, Wayzata, Minn., 5.720 seconds, 244.65 mph def. 4) Guy Kelly, Wadley,
Ala., 8.600, 91.91 
Semifinal
Thacker, 5.631 seconds, 252.19 mph def. Cannon, 5.715, 249.58
Haley, 5.656 seconds, 248.80 mph def. Gunderson, 8.551, 107.54
Final      
Thacker, 5.617 seconds, 253.47 mph def. Haley, 5.723, 248.34

Top Alcohol Funny Car Qualifying
1.	Jay Payne, Claremont, Calif., '02 Camaro, 5.913 seconds, 246.53 mph
2.	Von Smith, Oak Ridge, Tenn., '01 Firebird, 5.923, 243.63
3.	Mark Billington, Apopka, Fla., '01 Avenger, 6.007, 240.94
4.	John Patton, Peoria Ariz., '99 Pontiac, 6.059, 239.27 
First Round  Eliminations
1)	Jay Payne, Claremont, Calif., 5.857 seconds, 241.50 mph def. 4) John Patton, Peoria,
	Ariz., 10.232, 85.76
2)	Von Smith, Oak Ridge, Tenn., 5.933, 244.21 def. 3) Mark Billington, Apopka, Fla.,
7.664, 106.59
Final
Smith, 5.893 seconds, 244.52 mph def. Payne, 5.874, 244.87 

Competition Eliminator
1.	Larry Pritchett, Clarkrange, Tenn., A/SM, '98 Pontiac, 8.044 seconds, -0.576 (under index) 
2.	Mike Saye, Johnston, S.C., G/A, '92 Cutlass, 8.684, -0.556 
3.	Charlie Watson, Humble, Texas, G/A, '96, Lumina, 8.744, -0.496 
4.	Richard Larsen, Tyrone, Ga., A/ND, Dragster, 7.309, -0.481
5.	Glen Treadwell, Sorrento, Fla., E/EA, '23-T Ford 8.759, -0.331
6.	Don Eberly, Brunswick, Ga., C/EA, '96 Cutlass, 8.625 8.93 -0.305
7.	J Allen Sherman, Donaldsonville, La., D/SMA, '90 Grand Am, 9.133, -0.267 
8.	Bobby Dennis, Shorter, Ala., H/AA, '91 Calais, 9.355, -0.235 
9.	Dick Maris, Valrico, Fla., Dragster, C/D, 7.458, -0.152 
10.	Ron Griffis, Gainesville FL A/EA, '32 Bantam, 7.984, -0.046

Super Stock
1.	Bobby Dennis, Shorter Ala., GT/MA, '97 Firebird, 10.968 seconds, -1.082 (under index) 
2.	Kenny Schindler, Hendersonville, Tenn., SS/EA, '68 Corvette, 9.777, -0.873 
3.	Steven Reynolds, Pasadena, Texas, GT/MA, '86 Monte Carlo, 11.181, -0.869 
4.	Joe LoCicero, Snellville, Ga., GT/CA, '87 Camaro, 9.867, -0.833
5.	Johnny Fogle, Norway, S.C., SS/HA, '67 Camaro, 10.073, -0.827 
6.	Larry Strunk, Odessa, Fla., SS/MA, '64 Comet, 11.325, -0.825 
7.	Jason Davis, Wetumpka Ala., GT/MA, '00 Firebird, 11.261, -0.789 
8.	Jimmy Bridges, Nashville, Tenn., SS/C, '66 Corvette, 9.573, -0.777 
9.	Bruce Campbell, Waynesville, N.C., GT/HA, '88 Firebird, 10.575, -0.775 
10.	Gilbert Johnson Jr., Lecompte, La., GT/JA, '91 Calias, 10.879, -0.771 

Stock
1.	Woodro Josey, Byron, Ga., C/SA, '98 Firebird, 10.629 seconds,  -1.071 (under index) 
2.	K/SA Brandon Wood, Tallahassee FL, '85 Camaro 11.947 12.95 -1.003
3.	Anthony Volpe Sr., New Orleans, La., K/SA, '86 Firebird, 11.998, -0.952
4.	Andy Thornburg, Wilmer, Ala., J/SA, '79 Aspen, 11.830, -0.920 
5.	Robbie Shaw, Douglasville, Ga., M/SA, '87 Formula, 12.242,  -0.908
6.	Tom Marinelli, Tallahassee, Fla., K/SA, '79 Malibu, 12.058, -0.892
7.	Don Himes, Port Charlotte, Fla., P/SA, '77 Grand Am, 12.858,  -0.892
8.	Jeff Velde, Vero Beach, Fla., B/SA, '68 Mustang, 10.658, -0.892
9.	Harold Culpepper, Pine Mountain. Valley, Ga., D/SA, '94 Camaro, 10.975,  -0.875
10.	Arnold Greene, Matthews, N.C., A/S, '69 Camaro, 10.396,  -0.854