NHRA LUCAS OIL DRAG RACING SERIES EVENT-SATURDAY FROM HOUSTON RACEWAY PARK

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NHRA LUCAS OIL DRAG RACING SERIES - SOUTH CENTRAL DIVISION
HOUSTON RACEWAY PARK, HOUSTON
Saturday, June 22, 2002

BRANCH WINS THIRD OF SEASON, COPELAND MAKES IT TWO STRAIGHT IN NHRA SOUTH
CENTRAL DIVISION LUCAS OIL EVENT
        HOUSTON - In the final rounds of competition at Houston Raceway
Park's NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event, defending division Top
Alcohol Funny Car (TAFC) champion Tate Branch took his third win of the
season, while Top Alcohol Dragster (TAD) pilot James Copeland made it two
wins in a row.
Branch, who was the No. 1 qualifier, beat Jimmy Jones of Cleburne, Texas,
in the final.  Branch made a 5.927-second, 244.16 mph pass in his TAFC
Avenger, while Jones red-lighted in his Camaro.  This is the third win of
the season for the Artesia, N.M., resident.
Red Oak, Texas', Copeland beat out defending division TAD champion Shelly
Howard in the final.  Copeland's 5.625-second, 253.99 mph pass was enough
to pull ahead of the Tulsa, Okla., resident, who ran 5.655 seconds at
225.94 mph.  Copeland won the division's last event at in Baton Rouge, La.
Eliminations in Comp Eliminator, Super Stock, Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas,
Super Street, and Sportsman Motorcycle are continuing at Houston Raceway
Park.  Late results will be available Sunday.


        The following are Saturday's final TAD, TAFC results and from the
NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Houston Raceway Park:

TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER
Final Qualifying
1. Shelly Howard, Tulsa, Okla., 5.560 seconds, 254.76 mph
2. Troy Buff, Spring, Texas, 5.562, 258.50
3. Darryl Hitchman, Hanford, Calif., 5.570, 244.83
4. James Thompson, Vernon, Texas, 5.633, 252.99
5. Lee Calaway, Channelview, Texas, 5.674, 248.15
6. James Copeland, Red Oak, Texas, 5.677, 251.87
7. James Gascoyne, Sugarland, Texas, 5.917, 218.02      
8. Mike Bowers, Plano, Texas, 6.095, 239.91             
Not Qualified
9. Vitali Kazakevich, Houston, 6.367, 212.39
10. Gene Snow, Ft. Worth, Texas, 6.553, 150.77
11. Carl Magee, Victoria, Texas, 6.783, 215.03
12. Gene Boul, Baytown, Texas, 9.176, 107.20
13. Karl Brounkowski, Magnolia, Texas, 14.518, 40.72
14. David Christy, Carthage, Texas, DQ

Round 1
1) Howard, 5.588, 256.99 def. 8) Bowers, 6.174, 214.20
2) Buff, 6.048, 250.88 def. 7) Gascoyne, 6.200, 205.29
6) Copeland, 5.692, 253.61 def. 3) Hitchman, 5.953, 233.72
5) Callaway, 5.674, 246.66 def. 4) Thompson, 5.856, 251.95

Semifinals
Copeland, 5.601, 255.19 def. Buff, 5.599, 256.45
Howard, 5.570, 255.92 def. Callaway, 5.715, 247.93

Final
Copeland, 5.625, 253.99 def. Howard, 5.655, 225.94


TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR 
Final Qualifying
1. Tate Branch, Artesia, N.M., '99 Avenger, 5.884 seconds, 247.79 mph
2. Richard Shaver, San Antonio, Texas, '99 Camaro, 5.942, 248.20
3. Jackie Stidham, Chickasha, Okla., '00 Camaro, 5.951, 246.53
4. Burl Brown, Gainesville, Texas, '98 Dodge, 6.042, 233.95
5. Todd Simpson, Ponder, Texas, '00 Avenger, 6.080, 241.41
6. Kebin Kinsley, Kennedale, Texas, '98 Olds, 6.100, 239.87
7. Jimmy Jones, Cleburne, Texas, '98 Camaro, 6.255, 230.45
8. Steve Burok, Corpus Christi, Texas, '98 Avenger, 6.418, 219.40          
Not Qualified
Eddie McDow, Waco, Texas, '01 Camaro, DQ

Round 1
1) Branch, 5.926, 245.14 def. 8) Burck, 6.450, 197.36
7) Jones, 5.997, 240.25 def. 2) Shaver, 6.008, 242.10
3) Stidham, 10.874, 92.89 def. 6) Kinsley, broke
4) Brown, 9.681, 93.00 def. 5) Simpson, broke

Semifinals
Branch, 5.891, 244.83 def. Brown, 6.608, 159.61
Jones, 6.051, 239.19 def. Stidham, 6.781, 148.50

Final
Branch, 5.927, 244.16 def. Jones, 9.740, 81.45 (red light)


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