NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series-Finals from Thunder Valley Raceway
PIERCE, KINSLEY CAP SOUTH CENTRAL DIVISION LUCAS OIL SEASON WITH WINS AT THUNDER VALLEY RACEWAY
NOBLE, Okla. - NHRA South Central division Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series competitors have completed the final event on division's 2006 schedule, at Thunder Valley Raceway. Although the finals ran three weeks later than originally scheduled, it was well worth the wait for Moore, Okla., resident Brandon Pierce who scored the first win of his Top Alcohol Dragster career. In Top Alcohol Funny Car, Kebin Kinsley earned his second win of the year.
Pierce had two consecutive 5.41-second runs in the first round of eliminations and the semifinals before facing off against reigning West Central division champ Randy Meyer of Spring Hill, Kan., in the final. Pierce made a 5.552-second, 247.11 mph pass to Meyer's 5.636-second run at 253.52 mph.
Kennedale, Texas' Kinsley scored his trophy with a hole-shot victory over Steve Harker of Gainesville, Ga. Kinsley got the jump on Harker at the starting line with a .039 reaction time (.000 is a perfect reaction time). He ran 5.898 seconds at 248.75 mph to Harker's quicker but losing 5.862-second, 246.84 mph effort.
Craig Bourgeois, Metarie, La., earned the win in Comp Eliminator over Bill Morse of McKinney, Texas. In Super Stock, Jerry Emmons of Pasadena, Texas, grabbed the win from Jimmy DeFrank of Chatsworth, Calif. In Stock Eliminator, Jimmy Hidalgo Jr., Donaldsonville, La., took the win over another Emmons brother, Gary, who lives in Friendswood, Texas. For the second time this season, Thomas Levatino Jr. earned double wins at an event. First, the LaPlace, La., racer scored the win in Super Comp over Duane Kohl of Lincoln, Neb., and then he took the win in Top Dragster from Kevin Ford of Amarillo, Texas. Shawn Carter, Park Hill, Okla., racked up the win in Super Gas over local favorite, Toney Gray of Moore, Okla. The Super Street winner was Casey Wagner, Hooper, Neb., over Straw, Texas, resident Craig Abbott and in Top Sportsman Earl Folse, Raceland, La., beat out Allen Firestone, Velma, Okla. In Sportsman Motorcycle presented by Harley Davidson, Larry Eperjesi of Lake Dallas, Texas, knocked off Benji Gibson, Euless, Texas, in the final.
This was the final NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event of seven in the division but racers are allowed to compete at out-of-division events to earn points toward divisional and national championships. The final meet in the 43-race series is slated for Nov. 3-5 in Las Vegas.
The following are the final results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Thunder Valley Raceway: TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER Round 1 1) Spencer Massey, Fort Worth, Texas, 9.341, 85.45 def. bye 2) Brandon Pierce, Moore, Okla., 5.413, 249.23 def. 7) Mike Austin, Medford, Ore., 7.782, 134.12 3) James Thompson Jr., Vernon, Texas, 5.411, 260.79 def. 6) Garrett Bateman, Cameron Park, Calif., 5.900, 218.65 4) Randy Meyer, Spring Hill, Kan., 5.351, 255.31 def. 5) Richard Putz, Earlville, Iowa, 5.485, 259.29 Semifinals Meyer, 5.347, 259.89 def. Massey, 24.354, 46.83 Pierce, 5.419, 255.68 def. Thompson Jr., 15.075, 67.30 Final Pierce, 5.552, 247.11 def. Meyer, 5.636, 253.52 TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR Round 1 1) Roger Bateman, Calgary, Alb., '02 Camaro, 5.805, 248.34 def. 8) Kirk Williams, Glenwood, Iowa, '99 Camaro, 7.190, 153.47 2) Steve Harker, Gainesville, Ga., '06 Monte Carlo, 5.854, 241.67 was unopposed 3) Jimmy Jones, Cleburne, Texas, '99 Camaro, 6.238, 177.86 was unopposed 10) Kebin Kinsley, Kennedale, Texas, '02 Camaro, 5.785, 248.89 def. 4) Jackie Stidham, Chickasha, Okla., '05 Monte Carlo, 7.579, 123.23 Semifinals Harker, 5.952, 248.13 def. J. Jones, 12.392, 82.51 Kinsley, 7.289, 120.53 def. Bateman, 9.192, 84.96 Final Kinsley, 5.898, 248.75 def. Harker, 5.862, 246.84 COMP ELIMINATOR Craig Bourgeois, Metarie, La., dragster, A/ND, 6.966, 178.85 def. Bill Morse, McKinney, Texas, '06 Cobalt, G/SM, 8.892, 151.33 SUPER STOCK Jerry Emmons, Pasadena, Texas, '91 Calais, GT/CA, 9.922, 131.86 def. Jimmy DeFrank, Chatsworth, Calif., '98 Grand Am, SS/BS, foul STOCK ELIMINATOR Jimmy Hidalgo Jr., Donaldsonville, La., '98 Camaro, B/FIA, 10.958, 117.60 def. Gary Emmons, Friendswood, Texas, '98 Firebird, C/FIA, 11.308, 116.38 SUPER COMP Thomas Levatino Jr., LaPlace, La., dragster, 8.941, 171.10 def. Duane Kohl, Lincoln, Neb., dragster, 8.898, 171.33 SUPER GAS Shawn Carter, Park Hill, Okla., '05 Cavalier, 9.895, 162.24 def. Tony Gray, Moore, Okla., '27 roadster, 9.879, 153.76 SUPER STREET Casey Wagner, Hooper, Neb., '67 Coronet, 10.891, 134.91 def. Craig Abbott, Strawn, Texas, '76 Vega Wagon, 10.878, 132.95 TOP DRAGSTER Thomas Levatino Jr., LaPlace, La., dragster, 7.324, 183.78 def. Kevin Ford, Amarillo, Texas, dragster, foul TOP SPORTSMAN Earl Folse, Raceland, La., '68 Camaro, 6.966, 198.28 def. Allen Firestone, Velma, Okla., '01 S-10, foul SPORTSMAN MOTORCYCLE Larry Eperjesi, Lake Dallas, Texas, '00 Koenig, 8.005, 149.22 def. Benji Gibson, Euless, Texas, '05 Hayabusa, 8.255, 160.34