DRAGS: Top stories from NHRA FMDRS event at Lebanon Valley Dragway
7 July 1999
Rain delayed racing several times throughout the day during the NHRA
Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series event presented by Diamond RV at Lebanon
Valley Dragway Friday.
Categories, including Stock Eliminator, were unable to make a run down
the track at all due to the scattered rain showers, but those categories
that did run made the best of the conditions.
Frank Manzo, the defending 1998 Federal-Mogul Funny Car national
champion knew that weather conditions would make runs difficult but he
prepared his car for the worst. "I tuned my car to make a strong quick
pass down the track" said Manzo. "There is a lot of humidity out there, I
can see it, but we have the car dialed in to make a very strong run. If
the tires shake and the car moves at all out of the groove I'll shut it
down."
Manzo kept to his promise and rocketed his Kendall Motor Oil
Federal-Mogul Funny Car down the track at a time of 5.82 seconds at 247.57
miles per hour. Not only did he match his quickest record at Lebanon
Valley Dragway, but he re-set his old speed record by a few hundredths of a
second.
Local resident Bob Newberry, who is the well known rival to Manzo, is
currently sitting in the second position on the qualifying ladder.
Newberry placed second in the national standing behind Manzo in 1998 and
has won several national championships. With the big number two on his
window in the 1999 season, and two national event wins already under his
belt, Newberry will be doing his best to win this weekend's event.
Lebanon Valley Dragway is the host of the third of six events in the
NHRA Northeast Division series of the NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing
Series. That means that the Wittnauer Watch Mid Season Points Leader will
be established after this weekend's event and the winners will be presented
with a custom Wittnauer watch at the next event which is scheduled for
Numidia Raceway in Numidia, Pa.
The current leaders in Federal-Mogul Dragster and Funny Car are Rich
McPhillips, of Phoenixville, Pa., and Frank Manzo, of Morganville, N.J.
respectively. Manzo, who is currently not only leading in the divisional
points race, but is also third in the national points, has been the target
of all drivers in the Federal-Mogul Funny Car category for the past two
years as he has been the national champion back-to-back in 1997 and 1998.
With his current lead in the division and a strong position in the national
points race, Manzo could be looking at a third national title in a row.
Manzo has a commanding lead in the divisional points race over last year's
Lebanon Valley Dragway event winner Paul Gill, of Brockton, Mass.
McPhillips has the lead over Michael Bartone, of Great River, N.Y. in
the Federal-Mogul Dragster category for the 1999 Mid Season honors. One
key part of this years race for the championship that is missing at Lebanon
Valley Dragway's race is last year's NHRA Northeast division winner in
Federal-Mogul Dragster, Cliff Bozzelli, of Absecon, N.J. Bozzelli was
unable to attend the third division event due to an accident that occurred
at the last NHRA Northeast Division event at U.S. 13 Dragway in Delmar,
Del. Bozzelli's Federal-Mogul Dragster went out of control part way down
the track and was partially destroyed in the process. Bozzelli fortunately
walked away from the crash unharmed but has not returned to racing at this
point. Should Bozzelli not return within by the next race he will more
than likely not return as the NHRA Northeast Division champion in
Federal-Mogul Dragster in 1999.
The leaders in other categories are as follows; Dave Northrop, last
year's NHRA Northeast Division champion in Comp Eliminator, Dan Fletcher,
last year's NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series national and Northeast
Division champion in Super Stock, Tim Northrop in Stock Eliminator, last
year's NHRA Northeast Division Super Comp champion George Tamasi Jr., Tom
Stalba in Super Gas, and Bill Curtin and Lee Zane, who are tied in Super
Street.
None of these racers have tied down the honor of Mid-Season Points
Leader, but the 4th of July weekend race at Lebanon Valley Dragway could be
a cause of more celebration in addition to the Independence of the United
States of America.
Final qualifying of the Federal-Mogul Funny Car category at the 1999
NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing event presented by Diamond RV Center was
canceled Saturday evening due to dust blanketing the finish line at the
track.
All other categories of the race did finish qualifying as scheduled.
Those categories that finished included Federal-Mogul Dragster whose top
qualifier is last year's event winner in Federal-Mogul Dragster, Ron Still,
of Smyrna, Del. Still qualified in the number one position with a time of
5.766 seconds at a speed of 239.53 miles per hour.
Still will have to defend his title against some quick competitors
during Sunday's eliminations, including Michael Bartone, of Great River,
N.Y. who recently won at the second of the six events in the NHRA Northeast
Division series at U.S. 13 Dragway in Delmar, Del. Bartone is qualified
second behind Still with a time of 5.778 seconds at a speed of 243.19 miles
per hour.
Final qualifying, as well as eliminations, in Federal-Mogul Funny Car
will take place Sunday as the final qualifying run will take place first
before all other categories start their elimination runs.
Super Gas racer John Gaccione ran into some problems Saturday during
time trials as his B/EA '99 Firebird went out of control and flipped onto
its top.
The accident happened past the finish line as Gaccione was trying to
slow his car to a stop. A photographer standing at the end of the track
stated that the Super Gas car's tires appeared to hop up and down a few
times, then the car slide to its left and turned all the way over in one
motion onto its top. The momentum of the car made it slide for about 30
feet until it came to a stop. Gaccione asked the NHRA safety crew to not
release him from his buckles as he might injure himself badly in the fall
that would occur from letting him out of his safety harness. So the crew
opted instead to turn the car over, and Gaccione walked away from the
accident unharmed and disappointed he couldn't continue in the race. His
only comment about the crash, "What a ride."
New Lebanon, N.Y. - Federal-Mogul Dragster driver Jeanie Booz, of
Blooming Glen, Pa. has only experienced the winner's circle twice in her
career. Booz's win at this NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series event
presented by Diamond RV Centre will put her into the lead in the NHRA
Northeast Division championship race.
Rich McPhillips, of Phoenixville, Pa. had been leading the points
standings since the 1999 season began, but after a first round loss and
Booz's excellent driving throughout eliminations, her victory now puts her
in the lead and makes her the mid-season points leader. Because three
different drivers have taken wins at each of the NHRA Northeast Division
events this year the championship title is up for grabs to any driver for
the remainder of the season. Michael Bartone, of Great River, N.Y. won
recently at U.S. 13 Dragway in Delmar, Del. but the year's season opening
event at Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, Pa was won by an out of division
racer, Michael Gunderson, of Middleburg, Fla.
Local Federal-Mogul Funny Car racer Bob Newberry, of Schenectady, N.Y.
lost to rival competitor and national champion Frank Manzo, of Morganville,
N.J. in a very close final. Newberry, who has won the second most NHRA
division titles in the history of drag racing, has competed fiercely
against his close friend in several finals over the course of his racing
career. Each of these seasoned veterans respects the other's driving
ability and never goes into a final without being completely prepared for a
battle to the end.
"I never know who's going to win when Bob and I make it to the finals
at a race" Manzo said. "We've each won after racing each other in the
finals several times, so all I can do is concentrate on making the best run
I can every time we come up against each other."
Manzo's win will give him a commanding lead in the NHRA Northeast
Division points race after this weekend's race and will help him to move
even closer to a third national championship in Federal-Mogul Funny Car.
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