NHRA Lucas Oil Drag RAcing Series-Sunday from Edgewater
Sports Park
NHRA LUCAS OIL DRAG RACING SERIES - NORTH CENTRAL DIVISION
EDGEWATER SPORTS PARK
Sunday, August 03, 2003
WILSON SCORES SECOND WIN, CHEESEMAN MAKES IT 3 STRAIGHT
AT EDGEWATER SPORTS PARK'S LUCAS OIL EVENT
CLEVES, Ohio - With more than 600 cars on the grounds at Edgewater
Sports Park, and rain threatening the Summer Thunder event throughout the
weekend, competitors in the NHRA North Central division's Lucas Oil Drag
Racing Series meet made it through with winners in each of the nine
classes. Top Alcohol Dragster (TAD) pilot Jeff Wilson earned his second
win of the season and Chuck Cheeseman drove his Top Alcohol Funny Car
(TAFC) to the winner's circle for the third consecutive time.
Wilson, a Winfield, Mo., resident, qualified in the bottom half of
the eight-car field but by the time first round of eliminations was over,
the first four qualifiers were out of the race. In the final, Wilson
defeated Jeff Bohr of Plymouth, Mich. Wilson ran 5.616 seconds at 252.52
to Bohr's 5.730-second, 249.93-mph effort.
"I was glad to get this one," said a smiling Wilson. "I missed an
in-division race earlier in the year and I was afraid that might hurt us in
the points so I'm glad to have made it up here."
For Galena, Ohio, resident Cheeseman, the win over runner-up Jeff
Craig gave him a better cushion in the division's TAFC point standings.
After his initial qualifying pass on Friday, Cheeseman was the picture of
consistency and reset the track elapsed time record with Saturday's No.1
qualifying 5.825-second run. In the final round of eliminations his
5.867-second, 246.23-mph pass was more than enough to take out Craig who
slowed to a 7.751-second, 246.91 mph pass.
"I'm feeling too old for this," joked Cheeseman, 56. "The heat and
the pressure can be too much for an old guy. But I'm looking forward to
the next race in Bowling Green. We like it there and seem to do well."
In the other categories, it was the first win in the division for
all the drivers. Those winners were Jerry Arnold of Kalamazoo, Mich., in
Comp Eliminator; Joe Covert of Saukville, Wis., in Super Stock; Joey Wilkes
of Zanesville, Ohio, in Stock; Mike Coughlin of Delaware, Ohio, in Super
Comp; Steven Bailey of Wilmington, Ill., in Super Gas; and Bill Webb of
Centerburg, Ohio, in Super Street. The winner in the division's Top
Sportsman class was Sandy Wilkins of Fuquay Varinna, N.C.
Veteran Comp Eliminator racer Ron Selway of New Philadelphia, Ohio,
was involved in an accident during first round of eliminations Sunday at
Edgewater Sports Park when his 1967 Corvette went out of control past the
finish line. The 63-year-old driver was transported to University of
Cincinnati Hospital for evaluation.
North Central Division racers head to Bowling Green, Ky., for the
next NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event, Aug. 22-24.
The following are the final results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing
Series event at Edgewater Sports Park:
TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER:
First Round
6) Jeff Wilson, Winfield, Mo., 5.580, 253.09 def. 3) Bill Reichert, Owosso,
Mich., 5.708, 250.34
8) Bryan Weber, Vemillion, Ohio, 5.778, 246.57 def. 1) Marty Thacker,
Robinson, Ill., 6.097, 226.41
7) Robin Samsel, Marion, Ind., 5.882, 231.95 def. 2) Dave Hirata, Lowell,
Ind., broke
5) Jeff Bohr, Plymouth, Mich., 5.659, 252.31 def. 4) Bill McCornack,
Lexington, Ky., 5.729, 248.20
Semifinal
Wilson, 5.605, 252.17 def. Samsel, 17.456, 37.05
Bohr, 5.695, 250.97 def. Weber, 10.597, 73.87
Final
Wilson, 5.616, 252.52 def. Bohr, 5.730, 249.93
TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR:
First Round
1) Chuck Cheeseman, Galena, Ohio, Pontiac Firebird, 5.822, 244.49 def. 11)
Don DeVault, Kenland, Ind., Dodge Avenger, 6.693, 196.50
2) Jeff Craig, Muncie, Ind., Dodge R/T, 5.966, 245.49 def. 10) James
Spencer, Lawrenceburg, Ind., Pontiac Trans Am, 6.337, 201.79
9) Greg Elliott, Bedford, Ind., Firebird, 6.090, 234.92 def. 4) Bobby
Martin, Beaver Falls, Pa., Avenger, 6.065, 234.07
3) Mick Snyder, DeMotte, Ind., Firebird, 5.996, 238.28 def. 6) David Kovar,
New Lenox, Ill., Trans Am, 6.323, 224.88
Semifinal
Cheeseman, 5.850, 244.89 def. Elliott, 7.013, 136.57
Craig, 5.945, 244.16 def. Snyder, 5.958, 238.03
Final
Cheeseman, 5.867, 246.23 def. Craig, 7.751, 124.98
COMP ELIMINATOR
Jerry Arnold, Kalamazoo, Mich., Dragster, E/ED, 8.554, 142.87 def. Steve
Ambrose, Woodhaven, Mich., '23-T Ford, J/AA, foul
SUPER STOCK
Joe Covert, Saukville, Wis., '94 Regal, SS/AX, 9.403, 134.89 def. Brad
Hutton, Elizabeth, Ky., '97 Trans Am, GT/GA, 10.431, 127.17
STOCK ELIMINATOR
Joey Wilkes, Zanesville, Ohio, '99 Firebird, B/FIA, 10.516, 115.65 def.
Randy Taylor, Beavercreek, Ohio, '86 Camaro, I/SA, 11.558, 114.97
SUPER COMP
Mike Coughlin, Delaware, Ohio, Dragster, 8.972, 165.13 def. Dennis
Rutherford, Newark, Ohio, dragster, 8.987, 163.90
SUPER GAS
Steven Bailey, Wilmington, Ill., '63 Dodge, 9.895, 136.81 def. Steve Hoyt,
Ft. Wayne, Ind., '63 Corvette, foul
SUPER STREET
Bill Webb, Centerburg, Ohio, '66 Fairlane, 10.904, 138.31 def. Jeff
Goodman, Hendersonville, Tenn., '67 Nova, 10.906, 126.56
TOP SPORTSMAN
Sandy Wilkins, Fuquay Varina, N.C., '01 Chevy Camaro, 7.505, 181.52 def.
T.J. Tracey, Barrett, Tenn., '63 Chevy Corvette, 7.378, 189.43
