SUN. RESULTS-NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Event at Gainesville Raceway-Gainesville, Fla.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NHRA LUCAS OIL DRAG RACING SERIES - NHRA SOUTHEAST DIVISION GAINESVILLE RACEWAY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2002 RACING AT GAINESVILLE RACEWAY DELAYED UNTIL MONDAY GAINESVILLE, Fla. -The third day of racing at NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event being held at Gainesville Raceway, is delayed until Monday. "We will resume racing tomorrow at 9 a.m., starting with the quarterfinals of John Bleakley Motorhomes Top Sportsman. The finals in Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny are set to take place in the afternoon," said NHRA Southeast Division Director Bill Holt. In qualifying earlier in the day, Top Alcohol Dragster competitor Tony Bartone and Top Alcohol Funny Car racer Jim Sickles qualified in the top spots of their respective classes. Each earns $1,250 as part of the Sealer Power Low Qualifier Bonus Award at each NHRA's Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series and NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series events. In first round action in Top Alcohol Dragster, low qualifier Bartone, of Manhasset, N.Y., John Haley, of St. Louis Park, Minn., Michael Gunderson, of Middleburg, Fla., and Jason Cannon, all advanced. In the semifinals, former NHRA Southeast Division Champion Gunderson took out Haley. While in the pairing between Bartone and Cannon, Bartone, prevailed. In Top Alcohol Funny Car, Jim Sickles of Caledonia, N.Y. defeated Apopka, Fla., racer Mark Billington. In other action, former NHRA Southeast Division Champion Jay Payne, of Claremont, Calif., defeated Paul Lee of Gaithersburg, Md. This advanced Sickles and Payne to the final, where they will face off tomorrow. The gates at Gainesville Raceway will open tomorrow at 7 a.m. with the remainder of eliminations set to resume at 9 a.m., leading off with John Bleakley Motorhomes Top Sportsman. The final round of eliminations in Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car is set to take place in the afternoon. For more information please contact Gainesville Raceway at (352) 377-0046 or on the web at www.gainesvilleraceway.com. The following are Sunday's results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event being held at Gainesville Raceway: TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER 1) Tony Bartone, Manhasset, N.Y., 5.244 seconds, 277.94 mph 2) Michael Gunderson, Middleburg, Fla., 5.405, 258.02 3) Guy Kelly, Wadley, Ala., 5.411, 259.59 4) Jason Cannon, Middleburg, Fla., 5.483, 261.85 5) Arthur Gallant, Boxboro, Mass., 5.485, 246.77 6) John Haley, St Louis Park, Minn., 5.599, 258.76 7) Don Fiorelli, Palm Bay, Fla., 5.706, 219.13 8) Artie Allen, Jacksonville, Fla., 5.797, 246.50 Not Qualified 9) Douglas Monroe, Chesapeake, Va., 6.054, 204.60 10) Tim Rudy, Mason, Ohio, 6.126, 237.90 11) Bill Reichert, Owosso, Mich., 6.332, 228.36 12) Fran Monaghan Jr., Meadowbrook, Pa., 6.549, 150.50 13) Duke Mc Donald, Gainesville, Fla., 7.097, 194.30 14) Douglas Foley, Wappingers Falls, N.Y., 8.879, 92.79 15) Richard Bourke, Old Tappan, N.J., 8.992, 92.87 ROUND ONE 6) John Haley, St Louis Park, Minn., 5.436, 263.08 def. 9) Douglas Monroe, Chesapeake, Va., foul; 1) Tony Bartone, Manhasset, N.Y., 5.368, 250.00 def. 8) Artie Allen, Jacksonville, Fla., 13.344, 59.26; 2) Michael Gunderson, Middleburg, Fla., 5.399, 266.58 def. 7) Don Fiorelli, Palm Bay, Fla., 5.966, 238.15; 4) Jason Cannon, Middleburg, Fla., 5.401, 264.62 def. 5) Arthur Gallant, Boxboro, Mass., 10.535, 74.83; SEMIFINALS Gunderson, 6.400, 158.28 def. Haley, broke; Bartone, 5.300, 275.06 def. Cannon, 8.715, 94.22; TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR 1) Jim Sickles, Caledonia, N.Y., '02 Avenger, 5.853 seconds, 245.43 mph 2) Jay Payne, Claremont, Calif., '02 Camaro, 5.934, 234.92 3) Paul Lee, Gaithersburg, Md., '98 Firebird, 6.013, 247.66 4) Mark Billington, Apopka, Fla., '01 Avenger, 6.096, 197.62 ROUND ONE 1) Jim Sickles, Caledonia, N.Y., Dodge Avenger, 5.708, 254.23 def. 4) Mark Billington, Apopka, Fla., Avenger, 6.164, 236.59; 2) Jay Payne, Claremont, Calif., Chevy Camaro, 5.926, 207.66 def. 3) Paul Lee, Gaithersburg, Md., Pontiac Firebird, 6.204, 177.16;