 COLUMBUS,
OH (June 14-17) -- This past weekend a total of six NHRA drivers
riding on Hoosier tires made it to the final round to determine a
class winner at the 37th Annual Pontiac Excitement NHRA Nationals at
National Trail Raceway in Ohio. Those drivers making it to the final
round of their respective divisions were Keith Mayers in Super Street,
Jeff Hefler looked to "double-up" in Stock and Super Stock
classes, Frank Manzo in Federal-Mogul Funny Car, and Rick Santos and
Jeff Wilson met head to head in the final round of the Federal-Mogul
Dragster class to determine a winner.
FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAGSTER
As has been the case so many times this season, it was an
"all-Hoosier" final in the Federal-Mogul Dragster class.
Rick Santos, in the Jack O'Bannon owned Oakwood Homes dragster, met
fellow Hoosier mounted driver, Jeff Wilson, in class finals. Wilson
took a chance at the light to get a jump on Santos who had the
performance advantage throughout the competition. Wilson's gamble
failed, as he red lighted, giving Santos the win. Santos, the
defending World Champion, posted a .482 RT with an ET of 5.464
seconds, (249.39 mph) en route to his win. Santos was riding on a set
of Hoosier 34.5/17.0-16 C06 drag tires and was the only car to run in
the .40's in every round of the F/M Dragster competition.
FEDERAL-MOGUL FUNNY CAR
Defending World Champion, Frank Manzo, once again made it into the
Federal-Mogul Funny Car final. Manzo, aboard the Kendall Oil '01 Dodge
Avenger, dominated this contest with a .472 RT to his competition's
.510 RT. He then posted a blazing 5.785 second ET, versus his
opponent's 5.835 ET. Manzo's speed was 250.92 mph while his opponent
was clocked at 242.84 mph. Manzo was 31 feet ahead of the runner-up at
the finish line. Frank Manzo was riding aboard a pair of Hoosier
34.5/17.0-16 C06 drag tires.
STOCK
Jeff Hefler bested his opponent in the final round and emerged the
class winner. Hefler, in the Buz Post Pontiac Firebird, used a .505 RT
to his competition's .555 RT to get the jump at the starting line.
Hefler's ET was 11.367 seconds on a 11.34 dial which resulted in a
.032 total package, while his opponent "broke out", giving
Helfer the victory. Jeff Hefler was using Hoosier's 30/9.0R-15 C07
radial drag tire to defeat the field and emerge the class winner.
Hoosier tires were the choice of 54 of the 74 total cars in the class!
SUPER STOCK
Jeff Helfer could not celebrate for long, as he was looking to be
a double winner on Sunday just minutes after claiming the top prize in
the Stock class at 4:21 pm. At 4:28 pm, Hefler competed in the Super
Stock finals where he came up just .053 seconds short (11 feet) from
being crowned a double winner. Hefler was "dead-on" his
index, but with his opponent's .005 total package, he had to settle
for runner-up. This is the second national event in a row Hoosier has
carried a driver into the finals. Helfer was riding a pair of Hoosier
14.5/32.0-15L C07 drag tires.
SUPER STREET
Keith Mayers also made it to the final round of competition aboard his
pair of Hoosier 31.0/14.0-15 D05 drag tires. Unfortunately, the '85
Porsche of Mayers leaves early and ends up runner-up in the Super
Street class.
Hoosier Racing Tire Corp. would like to congratulate all the
competitors at the 37th Annual Pontiac Excitement Nationals, and thank
those teams trusting the Hoosier brand to carry them to the finish
line. |
