NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Sunday from Firebird International Raceway

NHRA LUCAS OIL DRAG RACING SERIES - PACIFIC DIVISION
FIREBIRD INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
SUNDAY, MARCH 6, 2005
Contact: 

Demke, Taylor take home wins in Phoenix

	PHOENIX - Sunday morning weather caused the cancellation of
final qualifying for Top Alcohol Dragster, Funny Car and Comp
Eliminator, and start of eliminations for the nearly 600 cars at
Firebird Raceway. This weekend's Pacific Division Good-Year Opener
marked the start of the NHRA Pacific Division Lucas Oil Drag Racing
Series.
	Defending event and Pacific Division Top Alcohol Dragster
Champion Chris Demke knocked off Ashley Force for win number one in the
2005 season. Demke beat a quicker Force with an eleven-thousandths of a
second holeshot in a great side-by-side, one-two qualifier final round.
Demke recorded a 5.473 second pass at 265.53 mph to Force's 5.468,
264.08. The Sunland, Calif., driver qualified second behind Force and
took out Jack Beckman and Ben Harper in rounds one and two.
	In the Top Alcohol Funny Car final, it was two Pacific Division
hitters from Calif., matching up with last year's event runner-up Dennis
Taylor emerging victorious. Taylor out ran second generation driver
Steve Gasparrelli with a 5.717 second lap at 247.07 mph to Gasparrelli's
5.744 at 250.18 mph. Taylor, who finished forth in the National
Championship last year, ousted Sean Bellemeur and No. 2 qualifier Kirk
Kuhns on his way to the finals.
	Vinnie Deceglie put his '63 Corvette in the winner's circle
taking the win in Comp. Eliminator when Colt Mikel left early causing a
red-light and disqualifying himself. The Alta Loma, Calif., resident and
No. 5 in the world last year, took out Peoria, Ariz., racer Jim Cowan in
a quarter-final match up on his way to the win.
	 The Super Stock final went to Tony DeFrank of Chatsworth,
Calif., with a run of 9.469 seconds over Ryan McClanahan's 9.805 while
Ken Etter of Riverside, Calif., beat out Clark Holroyd in the Stock
Eliminator final.	
Dean Hall grabbed the win in the Korbel Super Eliminator class with a
7.918 second pass at 177.74 mph over Will Boxold and Tom Koenen beat
local favorite from Chandler, Ariz., Bruce Kenyon in the final of the
Team Superstores Top Comp class. Koenen ran a 7.257 seconds at 183.02
mph for the win.
	Robert Naber took the Super Comp win in his Lucas Oil sponsored
dragster over Kyle Seipel with a 170.99 mph pass in 8.944 seconds to
Seipel's 8.950 at 165.64 mph. In Super Gas it was Bryan Downing over
Dave Thompson and Tony Grant won in Super Street when Henry Sliwinski
red-lighted.
The Pacific Division Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series makes its next stop at
South Western International Raceway in Tucson, Ariz., April 1-3.

	The following are the final results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag
Racing Series event at Firebird International Raceway:

TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER 
ROUND ONE
4) Ed Schmeeckle, Gothenburg, Neb., 5.554, 259.21 def. 5) Robert
Perkins, Bluffdale, Utah, 5.560, 257.78
6) Ben Harper, Arroyo Grande, Calif., 5.553, 259.36 def. 3) Duane
Shields, Las Vegas, Nev., 6.237, 204.17
1) Ashley Force, Azusa, Calif., 5.408, 262.08 def. 8) Larry Miersch,
Huntington Beach, Calif., 5.714, 241.37
2) Chris Demke, Sunland, Calif., 5.444, 261.72 def. 7) Jack Beckman,
North Hills, Calif., 16.629, 59.34

SEMI-FINALS
Demke, 5.634, 256.94 def. Harper, 12.941, 81.32
Force, 5.434, 263.51 def. Schmeeckle, 5.602, 255.34

FINALS
Demke, 5.473, 265.53 def. Force, 5.468, 264.08 

TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR: 
ROUND ONE
4) Doug Gordon, Paso Robles, Calif., '04 Camaro, 5.740, 250.41 def. 5)
Shawn Jones, Albuquerque, N.M., '04 Firebird, 5.882, 247.02
3) Dennis Taylor, Anaheim, Calif., '05 Camaro, 5.714, 244.92 def. 6)
Sean Bellemeur, Fullerton, Calif., '97 Cutlass, 9.580, 91.96
1) Steve Gasparrelli, West Covina, Calif., '03 Firebird, 5.783, 250.27
def. 8) John Patton, Peoria, Ariz., '03 TransAm, 6.320, 184.30
2) Kirk Kuhns, Yorba Linda, Calif., '05 Camaro, 5.711, 252.24 def. 7)
Bret Williamson, Campbell, Calif., '01 Corvette, 5.800, 244.29

SEMI-FINALS
Gasparrelli, 6.252, 230.17 def. Gordon, 6.957, 237.88
Taylor, 5.803, 247.25 def. Kuhns, 5.839, 247.11

FINALS
Taylor, 5.717, 247.07 def. Gasparrelli, 5.744, 250.18 

COMP ELIMINATOR
Vinnie Deceglie, Alta Loma, Calif., '63 Corvette, A/A, 13.358, 63.44
def. Colt Mikel, Hempstead, Texas, '02 S-10, B/TA, foul

SUPER STOCK
Tony DeFrank, Chatsworth, Calif., '91 Calais, GT/AA, 9.469, 138.61  def.
Ryan McClanahan, Alta Loma, Calif., '67 Camaro, SS/HA, 9.805, 130.24

STOCK ELIMINATOR
Ken Etter, Riverside, Calif., '77 Volare, I/SA, 11.605, 111.49  def.
Clark Holroyd, Chino, Calif., '68 Nova, B/SA, 10.445, 125.02

SUPER COMP
Robert Naber, Ontario, Calif., dragster, 8.944, 170.99  def. Kyle
Seipel, Pleasanton, Calif., dragster, 8.950, 165.64 

SUPER GAS
Bryan Downing, Glendale, Ariz., '93 Daytona, 9.988, 144.16  def. Dave
Thompson, Queen Creek, Ariz., '55 Chevy, 10.027, 135.81

SUPER STREET
Troy Grant, Golden, Colo., '66 Chevy II, 14.588, 60.40  def. Henry
Sliwinski, Centennial, Colo.,'65 Chevelle, foul

SUPER ELIMINATOR
Dean Hall, Guerneville, Calif., dragster, 7.918, 177.74  def. Will
Boxold, Orangevale, Calif., dragster, 7.942, 179.80

TOP COMP
Tom Koenen, North Bend, Ore., dragster, 7.257, 183.02  def. Bruce
Kenyon, Chandler, Ariz., dragster, 13.724, 67.36