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Reed retires Camaro with best times
 Steve Reed was able to farewell his Allstar Batteries Camaro Funny Car in good fashion in Sydney last weekend with personal best times ahead of the debut of a Pontiac Firebird at the Fuchs Winternationals at Willowbank Raceway in June.
Reed qualified fourth at the Nitro Champs event with a 5.61sec pass putting him in proximity to his goal of a 5.5sec pass before the weekend was out.
The first round would prove to be the time when he ran a 5.59sec to eliminate Brett White, who also ran a personal best of 5.64sec in the near ideal conditions.
Reed then confronted 14 times Top Alcohol champion Gary Phillips in the semi finals where a 5.55sec was too good for Reed’s 5.64sec.
“Sydney Dragway sure turned on the weather for the Nitro Champs this past weekend and the crowds turned out in massive numbers to witness the best drag racing Sydney’s seen in a long time,” Reed said. “The... [Read More]
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FORMER CREWMAN BRIAN MANS TAKES THE WHEEL
 Brian Mans liked working on Alcohol Dragsters so much that he had to have one of his own.
The highlight of his career came late last year when he won the rain-delayed Columbus divisional race, which was run in conjunction with the Bowling Green divisional. From the No. 7 spot, he reeled off consistent 5.50s, including a 5.57 in the final to upset five-time world champion Bill Reichert, who went up in smoke.
"I never saw him and was pretty sure the win-light was on in my lane, but I didn't want to get too excited – just in case," Mans says. "Then everybody came down to get me, and the way they piled out of the truck, I knew. But we still had to get the car serviced and ready to race the Bowling Green event the following morning, and we had motors apart and parts all over the place. We might not have made it for first round if Reichert hadn't sent over some guys to help."
... [Read More]
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Gasparrelli Takes 801 Racing to Finals in Houston
 Baytown, TX – Steve Gasparrelli likes racing at the Houston stop on the NHRA series schedule. This past weekend at the O’Rilly Auto Parts Spring Nationals, Gasparrelli took his ECS/801 Racing Top Alcohol Funny Car all the way to the finals. Although he didn’t win the race, Gasparrelli believes things could have worked out differently.
“I feel like we left some on the table,” said Gasparrelli. “Our car ran very well. You have to hand it to Jay Payne. He really stepped up in the finals. At the 2002 Houston race, I beat Jay to win the race. In 2004, he beat me. I believe next time we race each other in a Houston final, it’s my turn to win.”
Gasparrelli’s consistent qualifying numbers settled him in the number four slot with a best time of 5.640/259.61. That paired him up against Todd Veney in the first round of eliminations. Gasparrelli laid down his best ET to this point with a stout... [Read More]
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Maddern Racing Early Exit Will Make Them Stronger
 Baytown, TX – Chris Demke and the Maddern Racing Team left the NHRA O’Reilly Auto Parts Spring Nationals with a homework assignment. After being schooled in the second round of eliminations by Mark Taliaferro, the team is going into research and destroy mode.
“We just got beat,” said Demke. “It happens, and we are not happy about it. Now we are going to have to find a few more hundredths. Our quest for more horsepower is on. I know the Maddern Racing brain trust will find what we need.”
The Texas weekend started out with several solid qualifying runs. Friday’s first session 5.420/270.22 was good but the Peen Rite/OSI/801 Racing Team wanted more. The second session on Friday saw them step up to a 5.328/271.84. It was a move in the right direction. Saturday’s final qualifying time of 5.448/267.32 was not an improvement.
The Maddern Racing... [Read More]
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Tire shake derails Annie Whiteley in Houston
 BAYTOWN, Texas – Tire shake. It is probably a Top Alcohol Funny Car driver’s worst enemy. Drag Racing legend “Big Daddy” Don Garlits once used up an entire trailer door to write all the causes of the dreaded tire shake. After a strong effort in qualifying, tire shake derailed the efforts of up and coming rookie driver Annie Whiteley and her YNot Racing team during this past weekend’s O’Reilly Spring Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries at Royal Purple Raceway just outside of Houston.
Whiteley and her Roger Bateman lead crew qualified the YNot Racing Ford Mustang second in the field with a 5.601 second elapsed time at 255.48 mph. In round one, she defeated Ross Strickler, who was unable to make the call, with a 5.612 at 258.32 mph. In the next round, she squared off with eventual event winner Jay Payne. Whiteley’s mount encountered heavy tire shake in low gear, while Payne took the win... [Read More]
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Whiteley wins Houston for second year in a row
 BAYTOWN, Texas – For the second year in a row, NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster driver Jim Whiteley took home the win during this past weekend’s O’Reilly Spring Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries at Royal Purple Raceway just outside of Houston. The win also marked Whiteley and the YNot Racing team’s second straight national event win this year.
Whiteley, from Grand Junction, Colo., qualified his Norm Grimes tuned blown alcohol dragster on top of the field with a 5.279 second elapsed time at 273.16 mph. Whiteley, Grimes and the YNot team then displayed a level of consistency during eliminations that would make a bracket racer proud. Whiteley ran a 5.300 at 272.61 on a competition bye in the first round, and then took out local racer Buddy Domingue in round two with a 5.295 at 272.01. In the semifinals, he defeated Texan Mark Taliaferro with a 5.294 at 272.83 mph.
That would... [Read More]
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Duane Shields Makes it to the Final Round of the O’Reilly Spring Nationals in Houston
 Houston - The World Champ is back! Duane Shields and the Shortline Express team has picked up momentum to make back-to-back final round appearances starting with a win in Virginia last week and then a final round appearance at the O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals in Houston. “It was a good outing. We celebrated Chris Zedaker’s birthday and it’s the one year anniversary of the death of Faye Beasley, so we dedicated the day to them” Duane said. Faye Beasley, is the mother of crew member Jerry Beasley.
Duane qualified well with a strong 5.31 at 273 MPH which was good for the no. 3 position and meant he would race no. 14 qualifier Lee Callaway in the first round. At the hit Callaway got out of the gate first but Duane was able to get around him towards the finish line. “We backed the car way down and almost lost to Callaway. But, I was able to get... [Read More]
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Demke to Start another Streak in Texas
 Baytown, TX - Chris Demke and his Peen Rite Top Alcohol Dragster are heading down to Texas to start another winning streak. A semi-final loss at the Vegas National event stopped a 2-0 start to the year. A few weeks off provided the time needed to freshen things up on the Peen Rite/801 Racing entry. The confidence from those wins at Pomona and Gainesville are still with the Team.
“The year began with two incredible wins,” said Demke. “Now we have things back together and ready to go rounds. We have a new partnership that will allow us to continue having fun and put on a great show for the fans.”
In 2009, Demke had a wild ride and put on quite a show for all in attendance. In the finals against Duane Shields, while leading the race, Demke’s Dragster made a move to the wall. With some nifty driving, Demke avoided the wall, but was now headed across the track into the... [Read More]
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Annie Whiteley looking for national event success in Houston
 BAYTOWN, Texas – Over the past few years, the Whiteley name has become synonymous with success in the alcohol categories. While NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car rookie Annie Whiteley certainly has her sights set on living up to the success her husband Jim has enjoyed in Top Alcohol Dragster, she has an incremental outlook on attaining that success. While her husband, who is the defending event champion for this weekend’s O’Reilly Spring Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries at Royal Purple Raceway just outside of Houston, has his eyes set on nothing short of victory, she has her focus on collecting her first national event round win.
While she hasn’t turned the win light on at a national event yet, the Grand Junction, Colo., native has already scored a regional event win in Las Vegas last month, in only her fourth start. She ran good numbers in the YNot Racing Mustang at the... [Read More]
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Whiteley looking to stay on a roll in Houston
 BAYTOWN, Texas – Just a few weeks removed from scoring back to back wins in Las Vegas, defending NHRA Division 7 Top Alcohol Dragster Champion Jim Whiteley is hoping to stay on a roll during this weekend’s O’Reilly Spring Nationals presented by Super Start at Royal Purple Raceway just outside of Houston. Whiteley is currently second in national points standings and hopes to take another step towards their goal of the national championship.
Whiteley, from Grand Junction, Colo., is quick to point out under the new points system for this season, there is little room for error at national events. Competitors in Top Alcohol Dragster can claim their best seven out of the first ten nationals they attend. This weekend will mark Whiteley and the YNot Racing Team’s third national event start, with a win and a quarterfinal finish under their belts.
“With the new points structure, if you... [Read More]
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