NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series - Final Results from Bristol Dragway
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NHRA LUCAS OIL DRAG RACING SERIES - NHRA SOUTHEAST DIVISION BRISTOL DRAGWAY SATURDAY, JULY 19, 2003 Biondo and Robinson Double Up at Bristol Dragway BRISTOL, Tenn. - In the final results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event being held at Bristol Dragway, Top Alcohol Dragster driver John Haley and Top Alcohol Funny Car driver Jay Payne both claimed victory in their respective categories. In his first trip back to the Southeast Division since his February crash at Gainesville, Raceway, Haley of St. Louis, Minn., claimed victory over Lexington, Ky., driver Bill McCornack in the class final. In the opening round, Haley eliminated Northeast Division racer Mike Kosky of Cuddy, Pa., before then taking out Plymouth, Mich., driver Jeff Bohr in the semifinals. In the final Haley used a 5.584 second pass at 254.33 mph to take out McCornack, who ran 5.707 seconds at 248.75 mph. After a pair of runner-up finishes this year to Jim Sickles, Payne emerged victorious against the Caledonia, N.Y., driver in the class final to claim his second divisional win of the year. En route to his win, Payne defeated Chesterfield, Va., driver Phil Hooper in the opening round and No. 2 qualifier Paul Lee of Gaithersburg, Md., in the semifinals. In the final, Payne ran 5.831 seconds at 247.70 mph to the 5.821 second pass at 246.12 mph of Sickles. This is Payne's second divisional win of the year and fifth final round appearance. In Competition Eliminator, Glen Treadwell of Sorrento, Fla., defeated Chardon, Ohio racer Ian Landies, Jr. In the final, Treadwell ran a 8.672 second pass to defeat Landies, the No. 1 qualifier in the class, and get his first win of the year. In Super Stock and Stock Eliminator it was no surprise to once again find Mt. Laurel, N.J., driver Peter Biondo in the winner's circle. Biondo who has down right assaulted both classes all year long, claimed victory in both classes. This was Biondo's fourth NHRA Southeast Division win of the year in Super Stock and second in Stock Eliminator. It was also his second win in a row in Super Stock. The win in Super Stock will aid Biondo in his bid for the National Championship in the class. The win also has allowed Biondo to regain the points lead, which prior to today's win was shared with North Bend, Wash., driver Jeff Lane. Not to be out done, Bryan Robinson of Iuka, Miss., scored a pair of wins in Super Comp and Super Gas to claim his second NHRA Southeast Division win in a row in Super Gas and third overall in the class. Much like Biondo, Robinson's win helps the Mississippi native in the chase for the Super Comp National Championship and gives him the points lead in the class. In Super Street, 2001 Summit Racing Series National Champion Michael Ruff of Orlando, Fla., won behind the wheel of his '92 Camaro. In the final Ruff defeated the '67 Nova of Jeff Goodman of Hendersonville, Tenn. In the John Bleakley Top Sportsman Series, Jerry Barker of Byron, Ga., defeated Anderson, Ind., racer Mitch Smith in the class final to claim his first victory of the year. The next stop on the NHRA Southeast Division tour is Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Ga., August 8-9. The event will be the sixth of seven events in the Division. For more information about the event log on to www.atlantadragway.com or www.nhradiv2.com. The following are Saturday's results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event being held at Bristol Dragway: TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER: ROUND ONE 4) John Haley, St. Louis, Minn., 5.620, 253.80 def. 5) Mike Kosky, Cuddy, Pa., 5.716, 247.70; 7) Bill McCornack, Lexington, Ky., 5.720, 248.57 def. 2) Jeff Wilson, Winfield, Mo., 8.238, 112.83; 8) Jeff Bohr, Plymouth, Mich., 5.808, 247.47 def. 1) Tony Bartone, Manhasset, N.Y., 5.794, 245.54; 6) Mike Bowers, Plano, Texas, 6.945, 132.31 def. 3) Jason Cannon, Middleburg, Fla., broke; SEMI-FINALS McCornack, 5.730, 246.53 def. Bowers, 5.777, 233.16; Haley, 5.661, 252.52 def. Bohr, 5.810, 246.89; FINALS Haley, 5.584, 254.33 def. McCornack, 5.707, 248.75. TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR: ROUND ONE 1) Jim Sickles, Caledonia, N.Y., Dodge Avenger, 5.838, 248.16 def. 8) Brian Greer, Warner Robins, Ga., Olds Achieva, broke; 2) Paul Lee, Gaithersburg, Md., Pontiac Firebird, 8.924, 99.29 def. 7) Bobby Martindale, Chester, Va., Dodge Daytona, broke; 3) Jay Payne, Claremont, Calif., Chevy Camaro, 5.893, 248.20 def. 6) Phil Hooper, Chesterfield, Va., Camaro, 6.388, 225.22; 9) Russell Mudd, Fairdale, Ky., Ford Mustang, 7.716, 124.71 def. 4) Mick Snyder, DeMotte, Ind., Firebird, broke; SEMIFINALS Payne, 5.817, 249.76 def. Lee, 6.012, 240.21; Sickles, 5.826, 247.97 def. Mudd, 6.866, 210.60; FINALS Payne, 5.831, 247.70 def. Sickles, 5.821, 246.12. COMPETITION ELIMINATOR Glen Treadwell, Sorrento, Fla., '23-T Ford, E/EA, 8.672, 148.71 def. Ian Landies Jr., Chardon, Ohio, '02 Cavalier, F/A, 8.408, 160.90. SUPER STOCK Peter Biondo, Mt Laurel, N.J., '00 Firebird, GT/GA, 10.587, 127.51 def. Kent Hanley, Newtown, Conn., '94 Cavalier, GT/BA, 10.161, 130.04. STOCK ELIMINATOR Peter Biondo, Mt Laurel, N.J., '69 Camaro, C/SA, 11.137, 114.49 def. Doug Frazier, Ringgold, Ga., '71 Duster, F/SA, 11.845, 112.27. SUPER COMP Bryan Robinson, Iuka, Miss., Dragster, 8.909, 158.35 def. David Tatum III, Palmetto, Ga., Dragster, 8.882, 152.54. SUPER GAS Bryan Robinson, Iuka, Miss., '63 Corvette, 9.928, 151.05 def. Edward Conner, Oviedo, Fla., '63 Corvette, 9.900, 148.36. SUPER STREET Michael Ruff, Orlando, Fla., '92 Camaro, 10.948, 123.35 def. Jeff Goodman, Hendersonville, Tenn., '67 Nova , 10.949, 124.67. TOP SPORTSMAN Jerry Barker, Byron, Ga., '02 Camaro, 7.413, 186.51 def. Mitch Smith, Anderson, Ind., '97 Cutlass, 7.754, 168.87.