NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series - Sunday from Brainerd International Raceway
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NHRA LUCAS OIL DRAG RACING SERIES - WEST CENTRAL DIVISION BRAINERD INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY SUNDAY, JUNE 9, 2002 SCHMEECKLE EARNS HIS FIRST VICTORY OF THE YEAR Brainerd, Minn. - In the final results from Brainerd International Raceway, Top Alcohol Dragster driver Ed Schmeeckle and Top Alcohol Funny Car racer Jay Payne took home wins. Gothenburg, Neb., resident Schmeeckle earned his first win of the season, despite competing in only his second NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series divisional event this year. At his first race, Schmeeckle qualified ninth, making Sunday's eliminations as an alternate where he defeated Gary Ormsby Jr. of Granite Bay, Calif., in the first round. This weekend, Schmeeckle faced Ormsby in the final, but took the win again with a 5.701 second, 234.27 mph run. Payne, of Claremont, Calif., ran a 5.839 second, 247.23 mph run in the final to defeat Kirk Williams and repeat as event winner at Brainerd International Raceway. With his fourth win of the season, Payne now moves into first place in the national point standings in Top Alcohol Funny Car. Winners in other categories are Lucky Snyder of Longmont, Colo., in Comp; Mike Bogina of Olathe, Kan., in Super Stock; Gene Mosbek of Elk River, Minn., in Stock; Steve Swenson of Valley Springs, S.D., in Super Comp; Bill Cawsey of Regina, Sask., in Super Gas; and Mike Anderson of St. Joseph, Minn., in Super Street. 2001 West Central Division champion Brian Johnson of Ramsey, Minn., also took the win in NHRA Kerker Motorcycle Series competition, a racing series that is held in conjunction with the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. West Central Division competition of the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series will make its next stop in Denver, at Bandimere Speedway on June 21-23. The following are final results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Brainerd International Raceway: TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER Round 1 1) Gary Ormsby Jr., Granite Bay, Calif., 5.394 seconds, 209.24 mph vs. bye 5) Ed Schmeeckle, Gothenburg, Neb., 5.681, 245.82 def. 2) Chris Ricketts, N. Kansas City, Mo., 5.852, 200.84 3) David Wells, LeMars, Iowa, 5.575, 252.49 def. 4) Ziggy Zivkovich, Litchfield, Minn., 5.921, 242.20 Semi-finals Ormsby, 5.406, 237.96 def. Wells, 5.671, 248.81 Schmeeckle, 5.659, 245.74 vs. bye Finals Schmeeckle, 5.701, 234.27 def. Ormsby, 6.068, 186.72 TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR Round 1 1) Vern Moats, Des Moines, Iowa, '01 Firebird, 6.000 seconds, 241.83 mph def. 8) Kevin Richardson, Winnipeg, Man., '97 Firebird, 6.425, 228.61 2) Cy Chesterman, Sioux City, Iowa, '99 Pontiac, 5.888, 230.85 def. 7) Gage Chaffee, Big Lake, Minn., '96 Cutlass, 6.318, 230.58 3) Jay Payne, Claremont, Calif., '02 Camaro, 5.800, 245.86 def. 6) Scott McVey, Winnipeg, Man., '97 Cutlass, 7.360, 139.29 4) Kirk Williams, Glenwood, Iowa, '98 Pontiac, 5.931, 242.16 def. 5) Hank Coolidge, Sunburst, Mont., '96 Firebird, 6.017, 240.17 Semi-finals Williams, 5.932, 240.53 def. Moats, 5.901, 240.85 Payne, 5.814, 247.21 def. Chesterman, 5.940, 239.38 Finals Payne, 5.839, 247.23 def. Williams, 5.945, 243.04 COMP ELIMINATOR Lucky Snyder, Longmont, Colo., '62 Sunbeam, F/A, 8.461 seconds, 159.42 mph def. Tom Schmidt, Lindstrom, Minn., '00 Grand Prix, C/EA, 8.569, 153.49 SUPER STOCK Mike Bogina, Olathe, Kan., '70 Barracuda, SS/EA, 10.051, 130.08 def. Scott Pearson, Stewartville, Minn., '70 AMX, SS/JA, 11.065, 113.28 STOCK ELIMINATOR Gene Mosbek, Elk River, Minn., '64 Plymouth, A/SA, 10.761, 110.26 def. Joe Demarais, Forest Lake, Minn., '72 Skylark, G/A, 11.670, 107.11 SUPER COMP Steve Swenson, Valley Springs, S.D., '98 HP Motor, 8.903, 167.25 def. Sheldon Gecker, Surprise, Ariz., '98 Yancer, 8.914, 160.72 SUPER GAS Bill Cawsey, Regina, Sask., '90 Probe, 9.914, 144.75 def. Gary Stinnett, Emporia, Kan., '61 Corvette, 9.896, 155.63 SUPER STREET Mike Anderson, St. Joseph, Minn., '65 Nova, 10.892, 131.16 def. Chuck Lowery Jr., Wichita, Kan., '73 Camaro, 10.894, 128.84 NHRA KERKER MOTORCYCLE SERIES Brian Johnson, Ramsey, Minn., GS 1100, 9.319, 130.83 def. Ron Langowski, Winona, Minn., '81 Suzuki, 9.241, 131.57 -- 30 --