NHRA FMDRS: Booz, Payne ease into winner's circle
25 September 2000
DINWIDDIE, Va. - In the final rounds from Virginia Motorsports
Park, Jay Payne increased his points lead over Mark Billington for the
Southeast Division Federal-Mogul Funny Car championship. And Jeanie Booz
won her second event in two weeks to break the points tie in the Northeast
Division's Federal-Mogul Dragster championship chase.
Payne, of Upland, Calif., came into the event with a 100-point lead over
Apopka, Fla.'s, Billington. The pair met in the final round and Payne
outran Billington with a 5.854-second, 244.12 mph pass. This is Payne's
third win of the season.
"Boy, it took some time to get that first win," said Payne, who only
started driving a funny car last year after 13 years in a Federal-Mogul
Dragster. "Now I'm feeling a little more comfortable but I've still go a
lot to learn with in this class."
Booz, who may well have wrapped up her first division title (Rich
McPhillips, Phoenixville, Pa., can claim points from one more race, but
would have to win it in order to achieve a tie), beat McPhillips in the
semi-finals and went on to defeat Tim Slagle, Fairfax, Va. Booz made a run
of 5.697 seconds at 247.97 mph to take the win.
Winners in other classes were David Rampy, Piedmont, Ala., in Comp; Joe
LoCicero, Lithonia, Ga., in Super Stock; Mark Dickerson, Baltimore, Md., is
Stock; Tom Dauber, Clarksburg, N.J., in Super Comp; Dan Northrop,
Doylestown, Pa., in Super Gas; and Gary Johnson, Sarasota, Fla., in Super
Street.
The following are the final results from the NHRA Federal-Mogul
Drag Racing Series event at Virginia Motorsports Park:
FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAGSTER
Round 1
1) Rich McPhillips, Phoenixville, Pa., 5.820 seconds, 229.08 mph def. 8)
Bill Leverich, Marysville, Mich., 18.462, 36.16
2) Tim Slagle, Fairfax, Va., 5.964, 240.47 def. 7) Artie Allen,
Jacksonville, Fla., no show
6) Don Fiorelli, Palm Bay, Fla., 6.000, 229.39 def. 3) Steve Cantrell,
Wilmington, Del., 6.039, 232.55
5) Jeanie Booz, Blooming Glen, Pa., 5.774, 247.88 def. 5) Mike Kosky,
Cuddy, Pa., no show
Semi-Finals
Booz, 5.686, 247.07 def. McPhillips, 5.837, 231.40
Slagle, 5.837, 242.41 def. Fiorelli, 6.156, 203.80
Final Round
Booz, 5.697, 247.97 def. Slagle, 5.867, 241.97
FEDERAL-MOGUL FUNNY CAR
Round 1
1) Jay Payne, Upland, Calif., '00 Camaro, 5.867 seconds, 236.71 mph def. 8)
bye
2) Mark Billington, Apopka, Fla., '95 Achieva, 6.245, 214.96 def. 7) Philip
Hooper, Chesterfield, Va., '97 Camaro, 7.106, 202.97
3) Craig English, Mt. Holly, N.J., '93 Firebird, 6.063, 236.67 def. 6)
Bunny Burkett, Sterling, Va., '99 Avenger, 7.154, 131.27
5) William Fulford, Virginia Bch., Va., '00 Corvette, 7.045, 220.33 def. 4)
Melinda Green-King, Norfolk, Va., '99 Avenger, no show
Semi-Finals
Payne, 5.992, 242.06 def. Fulford, 6.323, 218.90
Billington, 6.213, 224.70 def. English, no show
Final Round
Payne, 5.854, 244.12 def. Billington, 6.165, 225.97
COMP ELIMINATOR
David Rampy, Piedmont, Ala., '97 roadster, A/EA, 7.643, 146.89 def. Frank
Aragona, Franklin Square, N.Y., '98 dragster, G/ED, 9.206, 101.39
SUPER STOCK
Joe LoCicero, Lithonia, Ga., '87 Camaro, GT/CA, 14.228, 61.48 def. Norm
Hall, Waldorf, Md., '00 Firebird, GT/FA, 10.385, 127.92
STOCK ELIMINATOR
Mark Dickerson, Baltimore, Md., '70 Duster, F/SA, 11.434, 115.43 def. Whip
Wilson, Mechanicsville, Va., '67 Camaro, E/S, 11.723, 105.31
SUPER COMP
Tom Dauber, Clarksburg, N.J., '97 dragster, 8.926, 163.63 def. Steve Cohen,
Trilby, Fla., '00 dragster, 8.921, 158.37
SUPER GAS
Dan Northrop, Doylestown, Pa., '75 Vega, 9.908, 133.03 def. Jeff Szilagyi,
Bethlehem, Pa., '27 roadster, 9.883, 145.11
SUPER STREET
Gary Johnson, Sarasota, Fla., '68 Camaro, 10.883, 121.04 def. Robbie Welch,
Mechanicsville, Md., '66 Fairlane, 10.883, 125.95