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TEAM HOOSIER STRONG AT NHRA OPENER
EIGHT OF TWELVE FINALISTS ON HOOSIERS
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2-15-05
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POMONA,
CA (February 10-13, 2005) -- Drivers on Hoosier tires dominated the
season-opening 45th annual NHRA Series CARQUEST Auto Part Winternationals this
past weekend with eight of 12 finalists in the Sportsman categories riding on
the purple tire brand.
When the last race was complete, drivers on Hoosiers had won four of the six
Sportsman classes--matching last year's best total which happened six times
during the series' 23-race schedule. In the Top Alcohol Dragster final (photo),
both Steve Federlin and Hilary Will fought their way to the final round using
Hoosier tires. In Top Alcohol Funny Car, Frank Manzo and Brian Hough also were
in the finals riding on the Hoosier brand. While in Comp Eliminator, Michael
Stone was the sole Hoosier-shod finalist. In the third all-Hoosier final, a
pair of Mikes squared off with Mike Hiatt and Mike Henderson meeting in the Super
Comp final. In Super Gas, another Mike was looking for a "Wally" of
his own to
take home with Mike Bolden carrying the Hoosier banner into the final round.
TOP
ALCOHOL DRAGSTER
Twenty-one cars were on hand in the Top Alcohol
Dragster class at the NHRA season-opener in Pomona. When it was down to two,
Thursday's #1 qualifier met Saturday's #1 qualifier. Not surprisingly, both
competitors fought their way into the finals using Hoosier's 34.5/17.0-16 C4000
drag tires. Steve Federlin, Thursday's #1 qualifier at 5.401 seconds, and
Hillary Will who was Saturday's #1 qualifier at 5.334 seconds were the two
drivers left of the 21 hopefuls (above photo). In the final, Federlin was first
off the line at .064 seconds to Will's .095 RT. Federlin, in the Impatience
Racing dragster, went on to take the win when Will's car broke during the run. Consolation
for Will was that she had the top speed of the class at 270.27 mph in her
Hoosier-shod dragster on Saturday. TOP ALCOHOL
FUNNY CAR
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Competition began in the Top Alcohol Funny Car class with 19 cars
hoping to take home the season's first "Wally" trophy. When
the field had been narrowed to just two, both drivers fought their way
to the finals riding on Hoosier's 34.5/17.0-16 C2050 drag tires. In
the finals, #1 qualifier Frank Manzo in the Lucas Oil Firebird met
Brian Hough in the Jerry's Towing Firebird. Manzo was fast qualifier
having posted a time of 5.553 seconds (259.86 mph) in earlier competition.
As expected, this race was a good one. Hough, with a .022 RT, left the
line slightly ahead of Manzo (.031 RT). But Manzo, methodically made
up the difference and overtook the other Firebird posting the best
time of the weekend at 5.530 seconds (259.81 mph) to Hough's
respectable 5.567 second ET.
COMP ELIMINATOR
In Comp Eliminator, 38 cars made the trip to
California for the 45th annual CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals.
Michael Stone, using a pair of Hoosier's 33.0/12.0-15 C10 drag tires,
was the lone Hoosier-shod finalist in Comp Eliminator. While both
drivers left the line early, Stone took the win as the lesser offender
taking home the season's first National event win.
SUPER COMP
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In Super Comp, a huge 114-car field was on hand to battle it out. In
the third final of the weekend, it was a pair of Hoosier-shod cars on
the track for the Winternationals final race of the event. Mike Hiatt
and Mike Henderson (photo) met in the Super Comp class finals with
Henderson getting the jump off the line with a .017 RT to Hiatt's .059
RT. But at the finish line, Henderson was under his 8.90 index by .014
seconds (8.886 ET) giving the win to Hiatt and his 8.924 ET.
SUPER GAS
In Super Gas, a 113-car field was on hand
to battle it out to determine an overall winner. Mike Bolden took
runner-up honors in the class after red lighting in the finals by a
mere .001 second.
Hoosier Drag Racing Product
Manager Faron Lubbers was in California attending the first NHRA
Series event of the season. Lubbers commented after the event,
"It was a great way to start off the season--eight of 12
finalists and four wins in the six Sportsman classes." Lubbers
added, "No other tire manufacturer came close to results like
that. I think it shows the direction Hoosier is heading in and how our
testing and development programs are resulting in wins at the
track."
Congratulations to all the
Hoosier-shod winners and finalists in the 45th annual NHRA Series CARQUEST Auto Part
Winternationals. The entire Hoosier organization thanks all the
drivers and fans who support our efforts to provide the best racing
tires in the world.
The NHRA Series will be back
in action February 25-27, for the Checker Chuck's Kragen NHRA
Nationals in Chandler, Arizona. Interestingly, Team Hoosier notched
its first 4-win event of the season last year at this event.
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Copyright ©
2005 Hoosier Racing Tire Corp.
All rights reserved.
Do not duplicate or redistribute in any form.
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