John Weaver Tucson wrap up

Weaver scores runner-up in Tucson

TUCSON, Ariz. - Former NHRA Division 7 Top Alcohol Funny Car driver John Weaver and the Meer Capital Partners Racing Team stayed hot at this past weekend's Division 7 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Southwestern International Raceway in Tucson, Ariz. After coming into the event hot off a win in Phoenix, Weaver lost in the finals when his reverse handle broke after the burnout, giving Doug Gordon a single to victory.

Weaver, from Orting, Wash., qualified the Bob DeVour tuned Camaro in the No. 1 position with a 5.860 second elapsed time at 243.90 mph in Tucson's high altitude. In round one, he defeated Charles McLaws with a 5.884 at 245.36 mph, then took out defending Division 7 Champ Steve Gasparrelli with a 5.959 at 242.54 mph in the semifinal. After Weaver's reverse handle broke, Gordon singled to victory with a 5.889 at 243.85 mph.

"We had a real good weekend," said Weaver. "Right up until the reverser handle broke. We were real excited going into the final; we thought we had a good chance of winning. That left lane was pretty tough, so who knows what we could have ran. You just go up there and try to do your best. We're still pretty happy, but when that happened, it kind of took the wind out of our sails. We just have to go on to the next race, and after running the way we did in the altitude, we're all looking forward to Vegas."

"I think the car would have went an .80 something," added DeVour. "We just hate to lose a run like that, win or lose. You just keep going rounds, that's how you get experience; that's how you learn. We keep making runs, maybe we'll get to where we can run with the 'big guys.' We just would have liked to run the final to see what our hot rod would have ran. We'll bounce back. John's a great driver and Ron is a great owner."

Team owner Ron Meer hopes to carry the momentum of two-straight final round appearances into their next race, the SummitRacing.com Nationals in Las Vegas, Apr. 7-9.

"We're disappointed we didn't get the win," commented Meer. "But we're happy we still have the car running very consistent. We're really looking forward to going to Vegas with the momentum from these past two races."

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