NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series-Sunday from Bradenton Motorsports Park

NHRA LUCAS OIL DRAG RACING SERIES - SOUTHEAST DIVISION

BRADENTON MOTORSPORTS PARK, BRADENTON, FLA.

Sunday, February 18, 2007

EMERGENCY TRACK REPAIRS CUT INTO RACING ACTION IN BRADENTON 

BRADENTON, Fla. - The NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Bradenton Motorsports Park, which was slated to conclude on Sunday, will now finish on Monday. An on-track incident involving two Top Sportsman cars damaged the shutdown area of the track. The repairs delayed racing action several hours forcing NHRA and track officials to pull the plug when they ran out of daylight.

The incident occurred in the first round of eliminations in Top Sportsman. Mike Gardner of Haymarket, Wash., had taken the win over Mark Parente, Englishtown, N.J., when the two cars became entangled. Parente was looked over and released by on-site medical personnel and Gardner was transported to a local hospital for observation.

In the first round of Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car, both No. 1 qualifiers, Aaron Olivarez and Jay Payne, respectively, moved on to the semis. Olivarez, a Sandy, Utah, resident, ran 5.526 seconds at 259.36 mph to take the win over No. 9 qualifier, Lindsey Wood, the rookie Top Alcohol Dragster driver out of McAlpin, Fla., who ran as an alternate for the eighth-place qualifier, Dan Lucas, Cumming, Ga. Payne was unopposed when No. 8 qualifier William Fullford, Virginia Beach, Va., failed to make the first-round call. Payne made a 5.547-second, 261.62 mph pass to gain lane choice over his semifinal round opponent, Charles Gambino, Daytona Beach, Fla.

Eliminations will continue Monday at Bradenton Motorsports Park. For more information call the track, (941) 748-1320.

NHRA Southeast Division racers head to Gainesville, Fla., for the next NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event, February 23-25.

The following are Sunday's first round results for TAD and TAFC from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Bradenton Motorsports Park:

TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER

Round 1

1) Aaron Olivarez, Sandy, Utah, 5.526 seconds, 259.36 mph def. 9) Lindsey
Wood, McAlpin, Fla., 25.744,

20.51

2) John Finke, Selkirk, N.Y., 5.845, 261.85 def. 7) Cherissa Griffis,
Gainesville, Fla., 7.040, 152.15

6) Artie Allen, Jacksonville, Fla., 5.565, 236.90 def. 3) Marty Thacker,
Robinson, Ill., 14.037, 52.14 

4) Bill Evans, Miramar, Fla., 5.480, 264.08 def. 5) Robin Samsel, Marion,
Ind., 28.700, 17.89

 

TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR 

Round 1

1) Jay Payne, Claremont, Calif., '02 Camaro, 5.547 seconds, 261.62  mph def.
8) William Fulford, Virginia Beach, Va., '02 Corvette, no show

2) Bob Newberry, Morriston, Fla., '05 Monte Carlo, 5.927, 248.61 def. 7)
Bill Naves, Salisbury, N.C., '99 Avenger, 12.771, 63.83

3) Marty Nothstein, Orefield, Pa., '07 Charger, 5.645, 256.84 def. 6) John
Sullivan, Montgomery, Ala., '04 Firebird, no show

5) Charles Gambino, Daytona Bch, Fla., '00 Corvette, 6.528, 224.77 def. 4)
Mike Bell, Fulton, Mo., '05 Monte Carlo, 6.643, 203.11