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 MILLINGTON,
TN (September 20-23) -- The latest stop on the NHRA circuit was the
14th annual AutoZone NHRA Nationals presented by Pennzoil at
Tennessee's Memphis Motorsports Park in which seven drivers using
USA-made Hoosier tires made it to the final round in their respective
classes. Jay Meyer made it to the final round in Federal-Mogul
Dragster, while it was an "all-Hoosier" final in both the
Federal-Mogul Funny Car and Stock classes, as Frank Manzo and Von
Smith went head-to-head for Team Hoosier and Larry Hodge and Jim
Cimarolli would do battle in the Stock class to determine which
Hoosier-shod driver would take the win. Finally, Todd Ewing and Steve
Cohen made it to the finals of their respective classes, Super Comp
and Super Gas.
FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAGSTER
Jay Meyer overcame his opponents slight .006 second advantage at
the light to capture the win in Federal-Mogul Dragster. Meyer posted a
5.461 ET (257.19 mph) to his opponent's 5.636 ET (237.67 mph) for the
National event title. The finish also keeps Meyer in the race for the
season championship. FEDERAL-MOGUL FUNNY CAR
Whether or not a driver using the Hoosier brand would be the
winner in the Federal-Mogul Funny Car class was not in question, as
both competitors were on the purple tire brand. Frank Manzo in the
Kendall Oil Avenger did battle with Von Smith in the Jensen Audio
Firebird. Both drivers posted nearly identical reaction times. Smith
had the slight advantage at the light with a .482 RT to Manzo's .484
RT. Both drivers had the same 60' times, but at 330', Manzo pulled
away and used a 5.680 ET (252.05 mph) to Smith's 5.730 ET (250.18 mph)
to capture his fourth National event win of the year. STOCK
A Hoosier driver taking the win in Stock was also a foregone
conclusion as both Larry Hodge and Jim Cimarolli used Hoosier tires en
route to the finals. Unfortunately for Cimarolli, he jumped the light
giving the victory to Hodge. The victory was Hodge's 2nd career
National event win. Hodge also won in 2000 at Joliet, IL. When not
racing, Larry Hodge is also a Hoosier drag tire dealer for Hoosier
Tire Midwest. SUPER COMP
In Super Comp, Todd Ewing took runner-up honors for Team Hoosier.
Ewing fell short of victory by a mere 5' at the stripe. SUPER GAS
Hopes for a Hoosier-shod winner in Super Gas rested entirely on
the shoulders of Steve Cohen. The result was known less than a half
second into the race as Cohen's final round opponent red lighted,
giving Cohen his first National event win of 2001. Hoosier Racing
Tire Corp. would like to thank all the competitors who trusted the
Hoosier brand to compete on during the AutoZone NHRA Nationals, and
also to congratulate those reaching the final round of
competition. |
