Defending NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster World Champion Bill Reichert reset both ends of the national record in a dominating win at this past weekend's O'Reilly Spring Nationals at Houston Raceway Park.  Reichert, in his Rislone Engine Treatment sponsored A/Fuel Dragster ran the quickest pass in the history of the class with a 5.103 second pass in the semifinals, then followed that with the fastest pass in class history with a 284.75 mph blast in the final.

 

Reichert, from Owosso, Mich., qualified No. 1 with a 5.230 at 278.17 mph.  In round one, he took out Vitali Kazakevich wit ha 5.258 at 282.01 mph, which reset the national speed record at the time.  He then avenged a recent final round loss to Randy Meyer in Gainesville by taking him out in the second round with a 5.258 at 268.01 mph.  He then fired a shot heard around the Top Alcohol Dragster world with a stunning 5.103 at 281.54 mph in defeating Duane Shields in the semifinals. 

 

Reichert's final round opponent would be Spencer Massey, who finished third in the nation last season.  In what was a rematch of last year's season-closing final in Pomona turned the same result as Reichert thundered to a 5.153 at 284.75 mph to defeat Massey's 5.330 at 264.13 mph.  Reichert also won this event last season.

 

"We put a new wing on for this race, and it really helped us," said Reichert.  "We decided to try a new wing that Art Gallant built, and it really seemed to free up the car.  We put it on during the second qualifier, and it went 278 mph, which I thought was really good for those conditions.  Then in the first round, I had to pedal the car, and it went 282 mph.  Sometimes when you pedal it, the mph does weird things.  It just kept on running the big speed.  The wing we had been running was a real old wing that I had bought second-hand when I started running A/Fuel.  It's been repaired numerous times, so I'm sure between the older design and repairs, it just wasn't flowing air as well as the new piece Art built us."

 

"I had no dreams whatsoever of coming in here and resetting the national record," Reichert continued.  "I was quite shocked when they told me I had run a 5.10.  We were able to back up the record in the final with just .001 to spare.  We're really happy to start the year out so well with a runner-up in Gainesville and a win here in Houston.  We're just tickled to death to put this Rislone-Bar's Leaks car in a winner's circle this early in the year."

 

The team not only dominated on the track by qualifying No. 1, resetting both ends of the national record and taking the win, but was awarded the Best Appearing Crew award after debuting their new Rislone uniforms this past weekend.