NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series-Sunday from Gateway Int'l Raceway

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


NHRA LUCAS OIL DRAG RACING SERIES - NORTH CENTRAL DIVISION

GATEWAY INT'L RACEWAY, ST. LOUIS

Sunday, July 15, 2007

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

 

THACKER, NOTHSTEIN SCORE BIG WINS AT GATEWAY INT'L RACEWAY

            ST. LOUIS - Gateway Int'l Raceway's Rage at the River, a round
of the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series is complete.  Marty Thacker wheeled
his Top Alcohol Dragster to his second consecutive final-round appearance to
earn the win while Marty Nothstein earned his second win of the year in Top
Alcohol Funny Car.

            Thacker, a former division champion from Robinson, Ill.,
qualified in the No. 2 spot this weekend and made his way to the final where
he was slated to face off against Noah Condo, Monticello, Ind.  Condo pulled
to the line but was unable to fire his car.  However, Thacker still made an
impressive 5.443-second, 267.43 mph pass in the final.  Thacker was
runner-up at the division's last race, at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill.  

            Nothstein, an Orefield, Pa., resident, was also the No. 2
qualifier this weekend.  He laid down a 5.801-second, 253.47 mph pass to
take out Dan Wilkerson of Springfield, Ill., in the final and extend his
points lead in the class.  Wilkerson, the son of NHRA Funny Car racer Tim
Wilkerson, ran 5.953 seconds at 234.74 mph.  Before earning his Top Alcohol
Funny Car license, Nothstein was a professional cyclist and has earned a
gold and a silver medal from two separate Olympics. 

            Jason Coan earned the win in Comp Eliminator.  The Greentown,
Ind., resident beat David Eaton, Merritt Island, Fla., in the final.  Jeremy
Duncan, Charlestown, Ind., wheeled his '02 Cavalier to the Super Stock win
over Nick Morris, Bardstown, Ky.  In Stock Eliminator, David Forbes, Horse
Cave, Ky., got to the winner's circle behind the wheel of his ''71 Chevelle,
beating George Widuch, Hermitage, Tenn., in the final.  The Super Comp win
went to Dave Dahlem, Tremont, Ill., who beat Mike Fuqua, Hendersonville,
Tenn.  In Super Gas, Mike Wiblishouser, Blair, Neb., earned the win over
Larry Roedel, Evansville, Ind., and Mark Hackett, Quincy, Ill., beat Louis
Murray, Eureka, Mo., in the Super Street final.  Chamois, Mo., racer J.R.
McKague got the win in Top Dragster, besting Brian Buch, Steelville, Ill.,
and in Top Sportsman, Anthony Munao, Elgin, Ill., made his way to the
winner's circle after downing Keith Raftery, Lake Charles, La.

            NHRA North Central division Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series season
will continue with two events in the next two weeks.  First, racers will
head to Indianapolis July 20-22 for O'Reilly Raceway Park's event, then they
will move to National Trail Raceway in Columbus, Ohio, July 27-29.  They
will close out the season August 24-26 at Beech Bend Raceway in Bowling
Green, Ky.

 

The following are the final results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing
Series event at Gateway Int'l Raceway:

 

TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER 
Marty Thacker, Robinson, Ill., 5.443, 267.43 def. Noah Condo, Monticello,
Ind., broke. 

 

TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR 
Marty Nothstein, Orefield, Pa., '07 Charger, 5.801, 253.47  def. Daniel
Wilkerson, Springfield, Ill., '06 Monte Carlo, 5.953, 234.74. 

 

COMP ELIMINATOR 
Jason Coan, Greentown, Ind., '32 Bantam, G/EA, 8.492, 149.93  def. David
Eaton, Merritt Island, Fla., '32 Bantam, A/AP, 6.837, 198.20. 

 

SUPER STOCK 
Jeremy Duncan, Charlestown, Ind., '02 Cavalier, GT/CA, 9.627, 128.80  def.
Nick Morris, Bardstown, Ky., '98 Mustang, GT/LA, 11.146, 117.21. 

 

STOCK ELIMINATOR 
David Forbes, Horse Cave, Ky., '71 Chevelle, D/SA, 11.304, 115.34  def.
George Widuch, Hermitage, Tenn., '77 Volare, I/SA, 11.354, 111.08. 

 

SUPER COMP 
Dave Dahlem, Tremont, Ill., dragster, 8.912, 160.94 def. Mike Fuqua,
Hendersonville, Tenn., dragster, 13.402, 74.74. 

 

SUPER GAS 
Mike Wiblishouser, Blair, Neb., '07 Corvette, 9.911, 159.51 def. Larry
Roedel, Evansville, Ind., '27 Chevy, 9.894, 147.71. 

 

SUPER STREET 
Mark Hackett, Quincy, Ill., '67 Nova, 10.904, 131.66  def. Louis Murray,
Eureka, Mo., '73 Camaro, 10.881, 147.62. 

 

TOP DRAGSTER 
JR McKague, Chamois, Mo., dragster, 7.212, 182.43 def. Brian Buch,
Steelville, Ill., dragster, foul.

 

TOP SPORTSMAN 
Anthony Munao, Elgin, Ill., '06 Cobalt, 7.117, 186.87 def. Keith Raftery,
Lake Charles, La., '06 GTO, 7.180, 165.05. 

 

 

 

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