Jackie Stidham Baytown wrap up

Oil leak stops "Time Machine" in quarterfinals

<img border="0" src="http://insidetopalcohol.com/stidham.jpg" width="350" height="198" align="left">BAYTOWN, Texas - Despite having one of the dominant cars in the Top Alcohol Funny Car field at this weekend's O'Reilly Spring Nationals presented by Pennzoil at Houston Raceway Park, former six-time NHRA Division 4 Top Alcohol Funny Car Champion Jackie Stidham was shut off at the line for an oil leak out of his "Time Machine" entry. His quarterfinal opponent Kebin Kinsley went on to win the event.

Stidham, from Chickasha, Okla., qualified his and partner Jerry Wilson's "Time Machine" Monte Carlo second in the field with a 5.632 at 256.11 mph. In round one, Stidham ran a 5.685 at 253.85 to take out Will Hanna's tire-smoking effort. In his quarterfinal bout with Kinsley, Stidham's mount developed an oil leak that prompted NHRA Chief Starter Rick Stewart to shut him off.

"It started to leak oil after the burnout," said Stidham. "Stewart gave me the sign to kill it and that was that. It's kind of disheartening because Kebin went on to win the race. It's not to say we would have automatically won the race, but the car was running good. It was running consistent, but the amount of water in the air really threw us a curveball."

The weekend was not a total loss, however, as the Stidham & Wilson team was awarded the Brut "Essence of Racing" award that rewards outstanding achievement in the sportsman ranks. The team received the award and a check for $1,000 from Brut in a special ceremony before Sunday's final eliminations.

"It really was an honor to win that award," cited Stidham. "We're really thrilled to get the award, and be able to run the decals on the car."

From Houston, the next stop for the Stidham & Wilson "Last Time Around" tour will be at the Division 4 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at the Texas Motorplex outside of Dallas, Apr. 28-30.

"We're just going to go up there and try to regroup from that runner-up in Memphis," commented Stidham. "You can't win them all, but we're certainly going to try."

Stidham & Wilson Racing would like to thank their sponsors Ray Fine Yamaha in Chickahsa, Okla., Westward Way RV Repair in Gladewater, Texas, Seabreeze Pools in Chickasha, Logue Plumbing & Real Estate in Marlow, Okla., NRC Performance in Duncan, Okla., Grady County DAV Chapter 17 in Chickasha, and Randy & Crystal Haslam.

Contact: Will Hanna/ Pro Race Communications
Email: Will.Hanna@InsideTopAlcohol.com