Stevens saves Mopar/Valspar Dodge, loses first round in Brainerd

DON SCHUMACHER RACING
2005 NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES
Round 16 of 23
LUCAS OIL NHRA NATIONALS
BRAINERD INT'L RACEWAY
BRAINERD, MINN.
Race Dates: Aug. 12-14, 2005


STEVENS SAVES MOPAR DODGE, BUT LOSES FIRST ROUND IN BRAINERD

BRAINERD, Minn. (Aug. 14, 2005) - Richie Stevens Jr.'s weekend got a lot
more interesting just moments into his first round of eliminations at the
Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals today. In his face-off with Jason Line, the Team
Mopar/Valspar HEMI-powered Dodge Stratus R/T got loose and Stevens had to
shut down the run before the finish line.

After the pair recorded near-identical reaction times (.057 for Stevens,
.054 for Line), Stevens had a solid run going at mid-track and was only .024
of a second behind Line. The Mopar Dodge then veered first to the right,
then to the left, and Stevens' shaky pass ended with a losing 7.005-second
ET at 164.01 mph, versus Line's winning 6.736/204.60.

"It's not at all what we had in mind for the day," said the New Orleans
native and four-time Pro Stock event winner. "When I got into fourth gear, I
felt the back end of the car move, like it was spinning pretty good. It felt
like it raised up just a little bit. It kind of made a little move towards
the wall. I went to go correct it, and it just must have bit down pretty
good. It shot back across (the track) and I had to lift. I couldn't go on
with that one, and had to abort the run and save the car.

"I hadn't had one of those for a long time," he continued, "to have to abort
it like that. It got my attention. I was kind of shaking down at the end of
the track. I left the starting line and it spun the tires pretty good, and
he pulled ahead. Chances are I probably wouldn't have driven around him
anyway. We probably would not have gotten the win."

Stevens and Team Mopar/Valspar are still looking for some luck in the NHRA
POWERade Pro Stock class, after failing to reach the second round now in
four of the last five events. "I guess maybe I jinxed myself when I said I
made four good, consistent runs in qualifying," he said.

Stevens remains ninth in Pro Stock points, just 10 behind teammate Jeg
Coughlin Jr.

Next up is the O'Reilly NHRA Mid-South Nationals in Memphis, Tenn., Aug.
19-21, 2005.