NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Sunday from Houston Raceway Park

NHRA LUCAS OIL DRAG RACING SERIES - SOUTH CENTRAL DIVISION
HOUSTON RACEAWY PARK, BAYTOWN, TEXAS
Sunday, March 13, 2005

HOWARD, BRANCH OPEN LUCAS OIL SEASON WITH WINS AT HOUSTON RACEWAY PARK

            BAYTOWN, Texas - Two former division champions have claimed wins
at the NHRA South Central division's Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series season
opener at Houston Raceway Park.  Shelly Howard earned the win in Top Alcohol
Dragster and Tate Branch scored the Top Alcohol Funny Car victory.

            Tulsa, Okla., racer Howard beat Jeff Wilson of Winfield, Mo., in
the final round.  Although Wilson's car broke on the launch, Howard made her
best run of the weekend at 5.390 second and 266.42 mph.  Wilson's best
effort had been his qualifying run of 5.450 seconds at 261.22 mph.

            Branch, of Artesia, N.M., beat Richard McClain in the final
round with a 5.788-second, 251.34 mph pass.  The pair battled for the No.1
qualifying spot, which McClain won on the final run.  But in the final, he
jumped the gun and red-lighted against Branch.

            A couple of local competitors drove their way to the winner's
circle as well.  Jerry Emmons of Pasadena, Texas, won in Stock Eliminator
and Houston's Mark Huehring won in Super Gas.

Rodger Brogdon, Tomball, Texas, took the win in Comp Eliminator while
Georgetown, Miss., racer Monty Campbell won in Super Stock.  Dallas resident
Audie Wood won in Super Comp and Greg Parson, Whitehouse, Texas, scored in
Super Street.  David Hensley, Norman, Okla., won in the Sunset Racing
Engines Top Sportsman class and J. J. Hughes, Colony, Texas, won in
Sportsman Motorcycle.  Debbie Fitzhenry, Tomball, Texas, earned the Comp
Cams Top Dragster trophy.

            South Central division racers head to the Texas Motorplex in
Dallas for the next NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event, April 29-May 1.

 

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

 

TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER

Round 1

1) Ashley Force, Azusa, Calif., 5.473, 257.28 def. 8) Darryl Hitchman,
Hanford, Calif., 5.731, 254.86

2) Shelly Howard, Tulsa, Okla., 5.466, 260.76 def. 7) Karl Brounkowski,
Magnolia, Texas, 5.610, 253.75

4) Jeff Wilson, Winfield, Mo., 5.491, 258.47 def. 5) James Thompson, Vernon,
Texas, 5.502, 254.47

6) Randy Meyer, Spring Hill, Kan., 5.523, 248.89 def. 3) Aaron Olivarez, San
Luis Obispo, Calif., 5.552, 239.74

 

Semifinals

Wilson, 5.483, 260.41 def. Force, 5.659, 251.34

Howard, 5.602, 254.14 def. Meyer, 5.846, 245.76

 

Final

Howard, 5.390, 266.42 def. Wilson, 12.382, 96.88

 

TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR

Round 1

1) Richard McClain, Lake Dallas, Texas, '03 Firebird, 6.520, 155.76 def. bye

2) Tate Branch, Artesia, N.M., '03 Camaro, 5.791, 251.58 def. 7) Ron
Morrison, Oklahoma City, '97 Camaro, broke

5) Jimmy Jones, Cleburne, Texas, '99 Camaro, 10.843, 85.92 def. 4) Jackie
Stidham, Chickasha, Okla., '00 Camaro, broke

6) Steve Burck, Corpus Christi, Texas, '98 Avenger, 5.974, 239.74 def. 3)
Brandon Lewis, Broken Arrow, Okla., '96 Oldsmobile, 5.970, 241.89

 

Semifinals

Branch, 5.798, 252.10 def. Burck, 6.072, 238.55 

McClain, 5.827, 248.89 def. Jones, foul

 

Final

Branch, 5.788, 251.34 def. McClain, foul 

 

COMP ELIMINATOR

Rodger Brogdon, Tomball, Texas, '04 Cavalier, A/SMA, 7.960, 162.94 def.
Shane Heckel, LaPorte, Texas, dragster, B/D, 6.784, 202.61

 

SUPER STOCK

Monty Campbell, Georgetown, Miss., '66 Nova, SS/IA, 10.172, 126.47 def. John
Clegg, Victoria, Texas, '73 Firebird, SS/AM, 8.899, 127.98 

 

STOCK ELIMINATOR

Jerry Emmons, Pasadena, Texas, '69 Chevelle, I/SA, 11.847, 105.14 def. Tim
Bartlett, Jackson, Miss., '72 Nova, G/SA, 11.429, 113.89 

 

SUPER COMP

Audie Wood, Dallas, '69 Chevelle, 8.902, 166.05 def. Tommy Phillips, Forney,
Texas, dragster, 8.910, 159.63 

 

SUPER GAS

Mark Buehring, Houston, '94 Lumina, 9.916, 16138  def. Lamar Swindoll,
LaPorte, Texas, '98 Chevy, 9.894, 151.27

 

SUPER STREET

Greg Parson, Whitehouse, Texas, '77 Nova, 10.908, 138.09 def. Darrin
Christen, Paradis, La., '66 Nova, 10.884, 131.09 

 

TOP SPORTSMAN

David Hensley, Norman, Okla., '89 Trans Am, 7.656, 179.11 def. Earle Folse,
Raceland, La., '86 Cutlass, 7.241, 190.73 

 

MOTORCYCLE

J. J. Hughes, Colony, Texas, '00 Suzuki, 8.737, 147.71 def. Delbert Ready,
Houston, Texas, '82 Kawasaki, foul

 

TOP DRAGSTER

Debbie Fitzhenry, Tomball, Texas, dragster, 7.270, 177.84 def. Billy Selman
Jr., Grapevine, Texas, dragster, 7.381, 182.35