NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Sunday from Auto Club Dragway

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


NHRA LUCAS OIL DRAG RACING SERIES - PACIFIC DIVISION

AUTO CLUB DRAGWAY AT CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY, FONTANA, CALIF.

Sunday, June 25, 2006

Contact: Jerrie Foss, NHRA (626) 278-1956

 

AUTO CLUB DRAGWAY PAYS OFF FOR LOCAL RACERS IN NHRA LUCAS OIL SERIES EVENT

 

            FONTANA, Calif. - Nearly 600 racers took to the strip at Auto
Club Dragway at California Speedway this weekend for the NHRA Pacific
division Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event.  In the end, only 11 of them
remained, the champions for the day.  Of those 11, three were hometown
favorites including Alta Loma's Sean O'Bannon in his Top Alcohol Dragster.

            O'Bannon qualified No. 3 and in the final took on top qualifier,
and reigning division champion, Chris Demke of Sunland, Calif.  O'Bannon ran
5.567 seconds at 258.22 mph in the final to cover Demke's 5.629-second,
257.48 mph run.  O'Bannon has made five straight final-round appearances,
including three NHRA national events, and this is his third win.  His last
win was at the national event in Topeka, Kan., where he beat Demke.

            Top Alcohol Funny Car's Doug Gordon, Paso Robles, Calif., scored
his second divisional win of the year this weekend when he beat No. 1
qualifier Ron August Jr., Pleasanton, Calif., in the final.  Gordon's
5.899-second, 247.07 mph run was more than enough to cover August's
6.011-second, 243.59 mph effort.

            In Comp Eliminator, Dean Carter, Glendale, Ariz., rode his top
qualifying effort to the winner's circle, beating out Vinnie Deceglie of
Rancho Cucamonga.  In Super Stock, Upland resident Frank Grossi wheeled his
'05 Sunfire to the win over John Calvert, Lancaster, Calif., and his '68
Mustang.  The Stock Eliminator final saw Tibor Kadar, Peoria, Ariz., drive
his '77 Firebird to the win over Clark Holroyd of Chino in his '68 Nova.
Justin Morgan, Concord, Calif., won in Super Comp over Bobby Dye Jr. of
Ontario and in Super Gas it was an all-Corvette final as Fontana's Thomas
Bayer scored the win in his '62 machine over Ed Olpin, Lindon, Utah, and his
'63 car.  Mike Lang, Northridge, Calif., was the Super Street winner,
beating out Bill Dillander, Mesa, Ariz., in the final round while Dave
Morgan, Concord, Calif., drove to the Top Comp win over Steve Casner,
Sheridan, Calif.  In Super Eliminator, Dean Hall, Guerneville, Calif., took
the win from Shannon Chennault of Highland, Calif.  In the Sportsman
Motorcycle Series presented by Harley Davidson, Dan Tanklae, Huntington
Beach, Calif., made his way to the winner's circle after beating Mitchel
Lippen of Cave Creek, Ariz.

            Pacific Division racers head to Sonoma, Calif., for the next
NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event. Infineon Raceway will host the
series August 4-6.

 

The following are the final results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing
Series event at Auto Club Dragway at California Speedway:

 

TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER 

Round 1

1) Chris Demke, Sunland, Calif., 5.525, 263.26 def. 8) Brian Smith,
Fullerton, Calif., 6.573, 219.65

2) Bob Perkins, Bluffdale, Utah, 5.637, 253.37 def. 7) Larry Miersch,
Fallbrook, Calif., 6.000, 238.55

3) Sean O'Bannon, Alta Loma, Calif., 5.502, 261.27 def. 6) Frank Dischbein,
Las Vegas, 6.000, 220.62

4) Darren Nicholson, Mission Viejo, Calif., 5.670, 251.53 def. 5) Johnny
Ahten, Saugus, Calif., foul

 

Semifinals

Demke, 5.596, 260.11 def. Nicholson, 5.689, 244.74

O'Bannon, 5.632, 256.11 def. Perkins, 5.599, 256.99 

 

Final

O'Bannon, 5.567, 258.22 def. Demke, 5.629, 257.48

 

TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR

Round 1

1) Ron August Jr, Pleasanton, Calif., '01 Camaro, 5.831, 241.15 def. 8) John
Weaver, Newport Beach, Calif., '05 Camaro, 6.121, 186.30

7) Bret Williamson, Campbell, Calif., '01 Corvette, 5.866, 240.77 def. 2)
Don Hudson, Stockton, Calif., '02 Camaro, 5.901, 233.12

3) Doug Gordon, Paso Robles, Calif., '02 Camaro, 5.871, 247.43 def. 6) Jason
Rupert, Yorba Linda, Calif., '02 Camaro, 5.998, 243.37

4) Mark Woznichak, Riverside, Calif., '02 Camaro, 5.855, 245.23 def. 5) Mert
Littlefield, Garden Grove, Calif., '05 Monte Carlo, 5.884, 245.49

 

Semifinals

August Jr, 5.786, 248.16 def. Woznichak, 11.148, 83.81 

Gordon, 5.861, 246.89 def. Williamson, 12.230, 69.86 

 

Final

Gordon, 5.899, 247.07 def. August Jr., 6.011, 243.59 

 

COMP ELIMINATOR

Dean Carter, Glendale, Ariz., dragster, A/ND, 7.021, 190.22 def. Vinnie
Deceglie, Rancho

Cucamonga, Calif., '63 Corvette, A/A, 6.719, 209.49

 

SUPER STOCK

Frank Grossi, Upland, Calif., '05 Sunfire, GT/AA, 9.633, 132.53 def. John
Calvert, Lancaster,

Calif., '68 Mustang, SS/G, 10.093, 133.04 

 

STOCK ELIMINATOR

Tibor Kadar, Peoria, Ariz., '77 Firebird, L/SA def. Clark Holroyd, Chino,
Calif., '68 Nova, A/SA

 

SUPER COMP

Justin Morgan, Concord, Calif., dragster, 8.927, 162.51 def. Bobby Dye Jr.,
Ontario, Calif., dragster, 8.899, 164.65

 

SUPER GAS

Thomas Bayer, Fontana, Calif., '62 Corvette, 9.914, 143.87 def. Ed Olpin,
Lindon, Utah, '63

Corvette, 9.910, 156.63 

 

SUPER STREET

Mike Lang, Northridge, Calif., '72 Vega, 10.875, 126.58 def. Bill Dillander,
Mesa, Ariz., '68

Barracuda, foul

 

TOP COMP

Dave Morgan, Concord, Calif., dragster, 7.391, 173.96 def. Steve Casner,
Sheridan, Calif.,

dragster, 7.519, 174.35

 

SUPER ELIMINATOR

Dean Hall, Guerneville, Calif., dragster, 7.890, 180.96 def. Shannon
Chennault, Highland, Calif.,

dragster, foul

 

MOTORCYCLE

Don Tanklage, Huntington Beach, Calif., dragster, 8.131, 164.63 def. Mitchel
Lippen, Cave Creek,

Ariz., '02 Kawasaki, 9.073, 150.03

 

 

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