|
 JOLIET,
IL (September 27-30) -- For the second NHRA event in a row, seven
drivers riding atop Hoosier tires battled their way into the final
round at the Inaugural NHRA Nationals at Joliet's Route 66 Raceway.
This was the second time in the 2001 season the NHRA circuit made a
stop at the famous drag strip. As was the case earlier in June, Team
Hoosier would once again compete in six different class finals.
Shelly
Howard (FM/D), Frank Manzo (FM/FC), Brad Zaskowski (SS), Nick Folk (S)
and Tom Hubbard (SG) would singularly carry the Hoosier banner into
their respective final rounds of competition, while the
"All-Hoosier" final between Scotty Richardson and Rob
Slavinski guaranteed Team Hoosier the title in Super Comp. Also, on
hand for the competition was Hoosier drag tire product managers, Faron
Lubbers and Steve Hudspeth, who were monitoring tire performance
during the weekend of racing. FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAGSTER
Shelly Howard came up just shy of his fourth National win of the
season capturing runner-up honors in Federal-Mogul Dragster. FEDERAL-MOGUL FUNNY CAR
In Federal-Mogul Funny Car, Frank Manzo soundly defeated his final
round opponent with a speed of 253.56 mph. for his third straight
National event win and fifth of the season, as all five National wins
were on the Hoosier brand. The severe tire shake encountered by
Manzo's final round opponent resulted in an early answer as to who
would take the title. Earlier in the second round, Manzo and his
Kendall Oil Avenger ran the low ET of the year when he was clocked at
5.578 seconds. SUPER STOCK
Brad Zaskowski gave Team Hoosier yet another class title in Super
Stock competition. Zaskowski, who just recently turned 21 on Friday,
captured his first National event win by virtue of his .584 RT and
10.252 ET on a 10.24 dial, resulting in a .012 second
difference. Zaskowski uses Hoosiers 13.5/31.5-15 L C07 drag
tires in Super Stock action. STOCK
In Stock competition, Nick Folk took runner-up honors after coming
up short by a mere .084 seconds at the stripe. SUPER COMP
With two Hoosier-shod drivers in the Super Comp finals, another
Team Hoosier title was inevitable. Scotty Richardson met Rob Slavinski
in the title race, with Slavinski getting the slight edge at the light
with his .423 RT to Richardson's .435 RT. At the stripe, it was
Slavinski a mere .020 seconds under the 8.90 index while Richardson
was .012 seconds over, giving him his first National win of the
season. SUPER GAS
In Super Gas competition, Tom Hubbard captured runner-up honors.
Also of note, Super Comp winner, Scotty Richardson, drove his S/G
Corvette into the Super Gas semifinals which placed him in the
National points lead. Hoosier Racing
Tire Corp. would like to thank all the competitors who trusted
USA-made
Hoosier tires to compete on during the Inaugural NHRA Nationals at
Joliet, and to congratulate those reaching the final round of
competition. |
