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 BAYTOWN,
TX (April 10-13) -- Team-Hoosier followed up their best
performance of the season in strong fashion by having seven of its
teammates in the final round at the 16th annual O'Reilly Spring
Nationals in Texas over the weekend. On the heels of having eight
drivers in the finals in Las Vegas a week earlier and coming away with
five national wins, Team-Hoosier looked to be poised for another
impressive performance as the 2003 NHRA season gets into full swing.
Those Hoosier-shod drivers making it to their respective class finals
were Mitch Stott (Pro Mod), Duane Shields (Top Alcohol Dragster),
Frank Manzo (Top Alcohol Funny Car), Jeff Hefler (Stock), Roger Warren
and Lonnie Grim (Super Comp) and Tommy Phillips (Super Gas).
PRO MOD
Mitch Stott, who is no stranger to final round action as of late
having appeared in the last four IHRA and the last three NHRA Pro Mod
final rounds. But this time, the driver of the Radiac Adhesives '63
Corvette had an unusual adversary in this final--his brother, Quain,
also driving a '63 Corvette. But one difference the two did have was
that Mitch opted to run on Hoosier tires. The choice paid off for the
younger of the Stott brothers when he blasted off the line with a .063
RT to Quain's .084 RT. Combine the huge holeshot with a 6.218 ET
(230.76 mph) and you have Mitch capturing his first NHRA national
event win. Stott uses Hoosier's 34.5/17.0-16 C2000 drag tires. Also of
note, Hoosier-shod Fred Hahn was the #1 qualifier in Pro Mod with his
6.072 ET (230.45 mph).
TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER
In the T/A Dragster finals, the same two drivers who met last year did
so again this year with Duane Shields and his 34.5/17.0-16 C2000 drag
tires representing the Hoosier brand. This one was over early when
Shields posted a .022 RT to his opponent's .101 RT. Shields added to
his advantage with his 5.481 ET (223.25 mph) to take the win.
TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR
Frank Manzo brought a brand new car to Texas and actually was putting
the finishing touches on the Kendall GT-1 Firebird at the event. Manzo
has been tough to beat of late winning 18 of his last 20 finals, but
this time, it was a red light infraction that blocked Manzo's chances
of his 52nd national event win. Manzo settled for runner-up honors in
his new chariot. The #1 qualifier in T/A Funny Car was Bucky
Austin with a 5.575 ET (257.78 mph) for Team-Hoosier.
STOCK
In Stock, another red light infraction prevented yet another
Hoosier-shod winner with Jeff Hefler leaving a tad early from the line
and settling for runner-up status. Hefler uses Hoosier's 30.0/9.0-15
C07 radial drag tires.
SUPER COMP
In the only Hoosier vs. Hoosier final of the event, Roger Warren met
Lonnie Grim in the Super Comp final. Warren got the edge at the light
with a .012 RT to Grim's .022 RT. Both drivers then posted ET's under
the 8.90 index with Warren the closer of the two to the index with his
8.891 ET to Grim's 8.878 ET. For Warren, it was his first-ever
national event win and his first final appearance since 1984.
SUPER GAS
In Super Gas, Tommy Phillips captured the win with a perfect reaction
time on his Hoosier slicks to take the national event win. Ironically,
Phillips is an associate of Hoosier Tire Southwest located in Balch
Springs, TX. The win was also Tommy Phillips' ninth national event win
at the facility.
The NHRA Series will travel next to Bristol, TN for
the 3rd annual Mac Tools Thunder Valley NHRA Nationals on April
25-27th.
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