NHRA Summit Racing Series - Saturday from Famoso Raceway in Bakersfield, Calif.

NHRA SUMMIT RACING SERIES - PACIFIC DIVISION FINALS

FAMOSO RACEWAY, BAKERSFIELD, CALIF.

SATURDAY, OCT. 9, 2004



FAMOSO HIGH SCHOOL CHAMPION CHILBES 

TAKES PACIFIC DIVISION 'RACE OF CHAMPIONS' TITLE

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - Peter Chillbes III, a recent graduate of Burroughs High School in Ridgecrest, Calif., has won the High School Drag Racing season championship at Famoso Raceway all three years he has driven the two hours to participate in the program.  But he has never won anything like he did Saturday at his home track.  Chilbes won the 2004 NHRA Pacific Division Race of Champions against racers from 10 other tracks.  He beat Jessica Passerby from Queen Creek, Ariz., a member of the team from Firebird Int'l Raceway in Phoenix in the final round.

Other winners included Steve Parsons, also of Ridgecrest, who runs for Team Inyokern, in the Pro category; Tibor Kadar of Peoria, Ariz., and Team Speedword Motorplex, in Sportsman; Bill Taggart of Richmond, Calif., and Team Infineon Raceway in Street, and Kahea Woods, of Las Vegas, Nev., and Team Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Motorcycle.

Top drivers from 17 racetracks across the NHRA Pacific Division continued taking shots at the Famoso Raceway racing surface as part of the NHRA Summit Racing Series Finals.  Competition will continue Sunday.  More than 700 drivers from four states and Mexico are competing for team and individual honors, including the opportunity to advance to the NHRA Finals, held at Pomona, Calif., in November.

Bakersfield's Ray Shearer, the 2004 Famoso Raceway track champion, who won the High Roller Jackpot prize Friday night by wading through eight rounds of competition with his high-powered dragster, didn't fare as well on Saturday.  He lost in the first round of the Race of Champions.  Then he was defeated in the first round of the Summit Series main event Pro action which was run Saturday evening.  He was defeated by Jesus Alverez Ayon from Mexicali, Mexico.  Ayon is part of the three-man team from Baja Raceway in Mexico that has come to the event.

            

            On Sunday, Gates will open at 6:30 a.m. and eliminations will continue at 8 a.m.

            Racers are hoping to take home some of the $27,160 in posted awards and a chance to advance to the national championships for the Summit Drag Racing Series at the Auto Club NHRA Finals next month in Pomona, Calif. There they will face the champions from the other six NHRA geographical divisions. Each winner at Famoso will receive $3,000 for making the finals and each of the national champions will earn another $5,000. High School Racers are running for trophies.

 

The following are results from the Race of Champions held in conjunction with the NHRA Pacific Division Summit Racing Series Finals at Famoso Raceway:

 

Pro

Steve Parsons, Ridgecrest, Calif., Inyokern Dragstrip, '67 Chevy, 11.056 seconds, 137.21 mph def. Mike Blodgett Jr., Long Beach, Calif., California Dragway, '27 Ford, 9.961, 146.48.

 

Sportsman

Tibor Kadar, Peoria, Ariz., Speedword Motorplex, '67 Pontiac, 11.077, 117.40 def. Greg Dreher, Van Nuys, Calif., Inyokern Dragstrip, '69 Ford, 11.15, 115.65.

 

Street

Bill Taggart, Richmond, Calif., Infineon Raceway '67 Chevy, 13.032, 85.66 def. Thomas Friesen, Scottsdale. Ariz., Speedword Motorplex, '99 Ford, 12.670, 102.89.

 

Motorcycle

Kahea Woods, Las Vegas, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, '95 Suzuki, 8.698, 151.31 def. Mitch Lippern, Cave Creek, Ariz.,Speedworld Motorplex, '02 Kawasaki, 8.686, 149.87.

 

High School

Peter Chilbes III, Ridgecrest, Calif., Famoso Raceway, '66 El Camino, 12.917, 101.04 def. Jessica Passerby, Queen Creek, Ariz., Firebird Raceway, '71 Chevy Vega, 12.763, 106.09.

 

Race of Champions Final Team points

Speedword Motorplex           16

Infineon Raceway                  12

Inyokern Dragstrip                12

Firebird Int'l Raceway           11

Famoso Raceway                   9

Las Vegas Motor Speedway 9  

 

Pacific Division 2004 Summit E.T. Racing Series Participating Tracks

 

§         Baja Raceway; Mexicali, Baja California

§         Barona Drag Strip; El Cajon, California

§         California Dragway, Fontana, California 

§         Famoso Raceway; Bakersfield, California 

§         Firebird International Raceway; Phoenix 

§         Infineon Raceway; Sonoma, California 

§         Inyokern Dragstrip; Inyokern, California 

§         Irwindale Dragstrip; Irwindale, California 

§         Las Vegas Motor Speedway; Las Vegas 

§         Los Angeles County Raceway; Palmdale, California  

§         Redding Dragstrip; Redding, California 

§         Rocky Mountain Raceways; Salt Lake City 

§         Sacramento Raceway; Sacramento, California 

§         Samoa Dragstrip; Eureka, California 

§         Southwestern International Raceway; Tucson, Arizona 

§         Speed World Motorplex; Wittman, Arizona 

§         Top Gun Raceway; Fallon, Nevada