NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series-Sunday from Las Vegas Motor Speedway

NHRA LUCAS OIL DRAG RACING SERIES - PACIFIC DIVISION
THE STRIP AT LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY, LAS VEGAS
Sunday, November 02, 2003

SHIELDS CARRIES TOP QUALIFYING EFFORT INTO WINNER'S CIRCLE AT THE STRIP
        LAS VEGAS - More than 900 drivers were competing this weekend for
11 winning positions at the Short Line Express Markets Las Vegas Gambler
Shootout, a round of the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series.  The Strip at
Las Vegas Motor Speedway hosted the four-day event which is the last of 45
races on the divisional level for competitors in the Lucas Oil Series.
At the end of the weekend, hometown hero Duane Shields was the winner in
Top Alcohol Dragster.  Shields had qualified in the No. 1 spot and bested
the competition in eliminations.  In the final round, he ran 5.403 seconds
at 266.32 mph to take out Marty Thacker of Robinson, Ill.  Thacker's
5.487-second, 257.68 mph effort fell just short.
In Top Alcohol Funny Car, it was the No. 2 qualifier who took home the
honors.  Cy Chesterman of Sioux City, Iowa, beat the top qualifier, West
Covina, Calif., resident Steve Gasparrelli.  Chesterman ran 5.720 seconds
at 251.25 mph while Gasparrelli was not far off the pace with a
5.741-second, 242.15 mph run.
Dean Carter of Glendale, Ariz., took the win in Comp Eliminator and the
Super Stock winner was Peter Biondo of Mt. Laurel, N.J.  The winner in
Stock was Dan Fletcher of Churchville, N.Y., while Jack Beckman of North
Hills, Calif., won in Super Comp, and Robert Coleman of Columbia, Mo.,
earned the Super Gas title.  Super Street racer Brett Waldron of Port
Angeles, Wash., took the win in his class while in Sportsman Motorcycle
Greg Liskey of Salinas, Calif., was the winner.  In Super E, Guerneville,
Calif., resident Dean Hall took the stripe and in Top Comp Stan Leerkamp of
Olympia, Wash., outran the field. 
NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series competitors will head to Pomona, Calif.,
to join their profession racing brothers at the Automobile Club of Southern
California Finals next week.
 

The following are Sunday's final results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag
Racing Series, Pacific Division Short Line Express Markets Gambler
Shootout:

TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER
Round One
1) Duane Shields, Las Vegas, 5.390 seconds, 266.21 mph def. 8) John Haley,
Wayzata, Minn., 5.439, 259.16 
2) Marty Thacker, Robinson, Ill., 5.405, 255.82 def. 7) Robert Perkins,
Bluffdale, Utah, 5.575, 252.10 
6) Steve Federlin, Oregon City, Ore., 5.531, 250.04 def. 3) Morgan Lucas,
Riverside, Calif., 5.540, 251.39 
4) David Wells, LeMars, Iowa, 5.420, 262.33 def. 5) Joey Severance,
Spanaway, Wash., foul

Semifinals
Shields, 5.429, 265.22 def. Wells, 5.470, 250.27
Thacker, 5.498, 260.06 def. Federlin, 5.525, 256.94

Finals
Shields, 5.403, 266.32 def. Thacker, 5.487, 257.68

TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR
Round One
1) Steve Gasparrelli, West Covina, Calif., '03 Pontiac, 5.642 seconds,
250.13 mph def. 8) Robert Lee, Whittier, Calif., '02 Camaro, 5.676, 238.55
2) Cy Chesterman, Sioux City, Iowa, '03 Trans Am, 5.699, 247.52 def. 7)
Brett Williamson, Campbell, Calif., '01 Corvette, 5.901, 242.80
3) Tate Branch, Artesia, N.M., '99 Avenger, 5.685, 247.57 def. 6) Dennis
Taylor, Anaheim Hills, Calif., '02 Camaro, 5.745, 242.50
4) Bucky Austin, Fife, Wash., '02 Firebird, 5.709, 249.03 def. 5) Mark
Woznichak, Ontario, Calif., '02 Camaro, 5.746, 242.10

Semifinals
Gasparrelli, 5.680, 248.84 def. Austin, 9.921, 84.99
Chesterman, 5.731, 248.48 def. Branch, 5.836, 243.37

Finals
Chesterman, 5.720, 251.25 def. Gasparrelli, 5.741, 242.15

COMPETITION ELIMINATOR
Dean Carter, Glendale, Ariz., Dragster, A/ND, 9.009, 128.97 def. Santo
Volpe, Drums, Pa., '32 Bantam, A/SR, foul

SUPER STOCK
Peter Biondo, Mt Laurel, N.J., '00 Firebird, GT/FA, 10.438, 128.65  def.
Kevin Nicks, Golden, Colo., '70 Barracuda, SS/FA, 10.093, 125.83

STOCK ELIMINATOR
Dan Fletcher, Churchville, N.Y., '69 Camaro, B/SA, 10.827, 118.48 def. Brad
Plourd, Covington, Wash., '96 Corvette, B/FIA, 11.070, 117.04

SUPER COMP
Jack Beckman, North Hills, Calif., Dragster, 9.072, 163.16 def. Ed Olpin,
Lindon, Utah, Dragster, 9.041, 160.58

SUPER GAS
Robert Coleman, Columbia, Mo., '27 Ford T, 10.055, 136.66 def. George Scott
III, Graham, Wash., '92 Camaro, foul

SUPER STREET
Brett Waldron, Port Angeles, Wash., '67 Camaro, 11.090, 138.74 def. Bob
Mumoz, Tacoma, Wash., '55 Chevrolet, 11.099, 123.05

KERKER MOTORCYCLE
Greg Liskey, Salinas, Calif., '95 Suzuki, 9.646, 133.84 def. Craig Treble,
Chandler, Ariz., '98 Kawasaki, 9.038, 137.40


SUPER ELIMINATOR
Dean Hall, Guerneville, Calif., Dragster, 8.036, 174.50 def. Bill Webber,
Kingman, Ariz., Dragster, 8.060, 170.99

TOP COMP
Stan Leerkamp, Olympia, Wash., Mullis, TC, 7.524, 177.65 def. Wes Garvin
III, Kennewick, Wash., '23 T-Ford, TC, 7.563, 174.57