NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series- FINAL Results from Lebanon Valley Dragway in West Lebanon, NY

NHRA LUCAS OIL DRAG RACING SERIES - NHRA NORTHEAST DIVISION
LEBANON VALLEY DRAGWAY
SUNDAY, JULY 4, 2004


Manzo makes it six in a row at Lebanon Valley Dragway; Mercier wins first
WEST LEBANON, N.Y. - In the final eliminations from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Diamond RV Division 1 Shootout being held this weekend at Lebanon Valley Dragway, Top Alcohol Dragster driver Daniel Mercier and Funny Car driver Frank Manzo scored wins in their respective categories. 
Mercier, of St. Timothee, Quebec earned his first Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event win when he defeated 2002 Lebanon Valley winner, Arthur Gallant of Boxboro, Mass., in the class final. En route to his final round victory, Mercier defeated Karen Benkovich in the opening round and No. 1 qualifier Richard Bourke in the semifinal, before then taking out Gallant in the final. In his final round victory over Gallant, Mercier recorded a 5.567 second pass at 256.80 mph to Gallant's 5.628 at 244.65 mph, to take the win. 
 In his final round contest, Manzo of Morganville, N.J., faced No. 2 qualifier and longtime rival, Bob Newberry of Schenectady, N.Y. The final round match-up between Manzo and Newberry, who have been battling it out with one another in the Top Alcohol Funny Car category for over two decades, looked to be a exciting race. As the pair rolled up to start their engines for the final though, Newberry's car would not fire. This gave Manzo a single run and his sixth straight Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series win at Lebanon Valley Dragway. Manzo, the defending NHRA Northeast Division and Top Alcohol Funny Car National Champion, opened the 2004 Lucas Oil season with a win at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa., and currently leads the Funny Car points in NHRA's Northeast Division. 
 Other winners at the event were Tony Stephenson of Willow Spring, N.C., in Competition Eliminator; Dean Ribeiro of Candia, N.H., in Super Stock; Jim Harrington of Old Bridge, N.J., in Stock Eliminator; Ed Alessi Jr. of Valley Stream, N.Y., in Super Comp; Louis Pitzonka of West Seneca, N.Y., in Super Gas and Keith Bowers of Amityville, N.Y., in Super Street. 
The next stop for racers on the NHRA Northeast Division tour is U.S. 13 Dragway in Delmar, Del., July 16-18. Additional information about the event can be obtained calling (302) 846-3968 or by logging on to www.DelawareRacing.com or www.NHRA.com.
The following are Sunday's final results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, event being held at Lebanon Valley Dragway:

TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER
Round 1
1) Richard Bourke, Norwood, N.J., 5.600, 257.78 def. 8) Bruce Horner, Bergenfield, N.J., 5.854, 227.15 
2) Arthur Gallant, Boxboro, Mass., 5.579, 249.39 def. 7) John Finke, Selkirk, N.Y., 5.643, 253.95 
6) Rich McPhillips, Phoenixville, Pa., 5.750, 250.04 def. 3) Steven Cantrell, Wilmington, Del., foul
4) Daniel Mercier, St. Timothee, Quebec, 5.586, 255.53 def. 5) Karen Benkovich, Fanwood, N.J., 5.599, 251.02 
Semifinals 
Mercier, 5.538, 260.51 def. Bourke, 5.656, 256.11 
Gallant, 5.636, 247.57 def. McPhillips, 5.833, 248.16 
Final 
Mercier, 5.567, 256.80 def. Gallant, 5.628, 244.65 

TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR 
Round 1
5) Fred Tigges, Holbrook, Mass., '97 Camaro, 5.909, 242.02 def. 4) Eric Lourie, Terryville, Conn., '02 Camaro, 7.071, 134.82
3) Jim Sickles, Caledonia, N.Y., '04 Avenger, 5.846, 249.26 def. 6) Dan Pomponio, Berlin, N.J., '99 Camaro, 6.177, 206.95
2) Bob Newberry, Schenectady, N.Y., '02 Camaro, 5.796, 251.77 def. 7) Arnie Karp, Peabody, Mass., '00 Avenger, 6.015, 242.58 
1) Frank Manzo, Morganville, N.J., '03 Firebird, 5.787, 253.47 def. 8) Billy Gibson, Chaptico, Md., '04 Firebird, 6.313, 228.89 
Semifinals 
Newberry, 5.746, 252.76 def. Sickles, 5.746, 251.20 
Manzo, 5.939, 249.26 def. Tigges, broke 
Final
Manzo, 9.333, 94.08 def. Newberry, broke

COMP ELIMINATOR
Tony Stephenson, Willow Spring, N.C., '02 Cavalier, E/AA, 8.703, 113.30 def. Billy Griffin, Norwalk, Conn., '92 Camaro, B/EA, foul

SUPER STOCK
Dean Ribeiro, Candia, N.H., '85 Firebird, GT/GA, 10.343, 129.07 def. Michael Iacono, Wading River, N.Y., '89 Camaro, GT/FA, 10.254, 128.70

STOCK ELIMINATOR
Jim Harrington, Old Bridge, N.J., '90 Camaro, F/FIA, 12.231, 98.95 def. Rob Garvey Jr., Penfield, N.Y., '72 Duster, G/SA, 11.706, 110.33

SUPER COMP
Ed Alessi Jr., Valley Stream, N.Y., dragster, 8.903, 154.78 def. Craig Belcher, Hopewell Junction, N.Y., dragster, 8.863, 155.27

SUPER GAS
Louis Pitzonka, West Seneca, N.Y., '56 Studebaker, 9.959, 134.10 def. Ken Bowers, Islip, N.Y., '88 T-Bird, 9.897, 143.17

SUPER STREET
Keith Bowers, Amityville, N.Y., '67 Barracuda, 10.922, 147.49 def. Anna Lise Lachapelle, Marlboro, Mass., '87 Cutlass, 10.865, 126.23