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 JOLIET,
IL (September 30-October 3) -- For the second consecutive NHRA Drag
Racing Series event, the Hoosier brand dominated the Sportsman
division with more finalists and winners than any other tire brand at
the 4th annual CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway
in Chicago this past weekend. Six drivers riding on Hoosier drag
slicks fought their way to their respective class finals with four
coming away with wins in the seven sportsman classes. In Top Alcohol
Funny Car, a pair of Hoosier-shod cars were in the finals with Mick
Snyder and Paul Lee (photo) squaring off. Steve Wann was in the Stock
final on Hoosiers, while Tommy Phillips was a finalist in Super Comp.
Ray Connolly was looking for another National event win in Super Gas,
while Tony Fuller was looking for his first National event win in
Super Street. The close proximity of the event to the Hoosier
headquarters located in northwest Indiana allowed for a large
contingent of purple-clad associates to attend including both Hoosier
Drag Racing Product Managers Faron Lubbers and Steve Hudspeth. The
combination of Hoosier tires and somewhat cooler temperatures also set
the stage for another member of Team Hoosier to set a new World Record
in eliminations.
TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR
It was an all-Hoosier final when a pair of Firebirds driven by Mick
Snyder and Paul Lee met in the T/A Funny Car finals. Lee (.040 RT) got
the jump on Snyder (.080 RT) at the light (as you can see in the photo
above), but Snyder captured the win with a 5.635 ET with an average
speed of 255.29 mph. It was Snyder's first National event win.
A New World record was also set earlier in
eliminations on Hoosier tires when Jay Payne posted an ET of 5.519
seconds (259.81 mph) in the first round. Congratulations to Jay and to
Mick and Paul for their efforts.
STOCK
Steve Wann settled for runner-up honors in Stock when he red lighted
in his final round match-up.
SUPER COMP
Tommy Phillips made it an even 10 National event wins when he defeated
his opponent in the Super Comp final. Phillips, and his Hoosier
slicks, got off the line four times faster than his adversary with a
.011 RT, to get an early advantage en route to winning the final round
race with an ET of 8.927 seconds (.027) on the 8.90 index. Congratulations
to long-time Hoosier loyalist Tommy Phillips.
SUPER GAS
Ray Connolly won the Super Gas final getting the jump at the starting
line with a .032 RT to his opponent's .054 RT. Connolly's ET was 9.906
seconds (.006) on the 9.90 index.
SUPER STREET
Tony Fuller made his second final round appearance on Hoosiers in the
Super Street final. Fuller captured the win with a .013 RT and a
10.835 ET (-.065). It was also Fuller's first National event
win.
JEG'S ALLSTARS COMPETITION
The annual Jeg's Allstars competition was also held in Chicago at
Route 66 Raceway this past weekend. Each year, the seven NHRA
divisions send their top point earners in the eight NHRA Sportsman
classes with last year's winner also getting an invitation.
This was the 20th year the best-of-the-best came together to determine
not only the class winner, but more importantly, to determine the top
division among the seven regional NHRA divisions.
When the field of 64 had been whittled down to 16 for
the eight final rounds, six of the sixteen finalists rode on Hoosier
tires including Ed Schmeeckle (R/U in Alcohol Dragster/Division 5),
Jackie Stidham (Winner in Alcohol Funny Car/Division 4), Jay Payne
(R/U in Alcohol Funny Car/Division 2), Jeff Hefler (R/U in Super
Stock/Division 4), Shane Carr (Winner in Stock/Division 1) and Steve
Eckard (Winner in Super Gas/Division 3).
Division 2 drivers captured their record sixth Jeg's
Allstars team championship. The event features a $100,000 payout with
teams earning 100 points for each round win. The final team standings
were; Division 2 (1200 points), Division 4 (1100 points), Division 6
(900 points), Division 3 (700 points), Division 7 (600 points),
Division 5 (400 points) and Division 1 (300 points).
Congratulations to all the teams and drivers mentioned
in this report. We also would like to thank all the competitors who
elected to trust the Hoosier brand during the 4th annual CARQUEST Auto
Parts NHRA Nationals and the Jeg's Allstars competition in Chicago. We
really appreciate your loyalty and support.
The next NHRA event is the rescheduled 20th annual
Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals event at Reading, PA this weekend (October
8-10).
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