IHRA SPRING NATIONALS - SAME DAY COVERAGE
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SUNDAY - WYATT WINS THIRD STRAIGHT IN ROCKINGHAM WHILE HONORING VIRGINIA TECH
Zizzo (Top Fuel), Cannon Jr. (Pro Modified), Montecalvo (Pro Stock) and
Thomas (Alcohol Funny Car) also claim Ironmen at IHRA Spring Nationals
Rockingham Dragway has two events on the IHRA Nitro Jam™ season schedule. Jack Wyatt probably wishes it was more.
Wyatt, from Corydon, Iowa, won his third national event in as many attempts at the fabled quarter-mile strip in southern North Carolina, defeating Jon Capps in the final round to capture the Knoll-Gas Torco Racing Fuels Pro Nitro Funny Car Ironman. Wyatt swept both events in Rockingham last season as well, winning in the spring and the fall.
It was even more special for Wyatt as he painted a tribute to the Virginia Tech shooting victims on his car for the weekend.
“We were driving down here when we heard what happened,” Wyatt said. “We were listening to the 
coverage on XM Radio and every time we stopped at a truck stop would get updates. It’s unbelievable something like that could happen. As I found out more what happened I just really knew I had to do something, and when we got here I started looking for a vinyl shop. If us winning this race helped one person I will feel good about it. If we don’t get a sponsor we are going to run the Virginia Tech logo on our car for the rest of the season.”
T.J. Zizzo, Lincolnshire, Ill., claimed the Knoll-Gas Torco Racing Fuels Pro Nitro Top Fuel Ironman in Rockingham when he drove past Bobby Lagana Jr., Scarsdale, N.Y., with the Ironman on the line in Rockingham. Zizzo nosed past Litton in the points chase by slipping by Lagana in a very close final round.
“I knew it would be a driver’s race today,” Zizzo said. “Usually it is 90 percent crew and 10 percent driver, but today I knew I would have to be on my game. And that’s what happened…I had to drive the car to win. It feels good when you are able to do that because you know you did your job.”
Scott Cannon Jr., from Lyman, S.C., tore down the Torco’s CompetitionPlus.com Pro Modified competition the morning after IHRA technical officials tore down his car. When he qualified almost a tenth faster than the rest of the field the officials were making sure everything was legit with his engine combination. He passed the thorough inspection with flying colors, then dominated the field in the elimination rounds.
Cannon Jr. drove past Kenny Lang in the final round, carding a 6.020 at 236.17 mph to top Lang’s tire shaking 7.669 at 124.66.
“My crew gave me a great race car this weekend,” Cannon said. “When you have as good a car as I had you just don’t want to screw it up. That is the worst feeling, when the crew does a good job and the driver doesn’t.”
Defending Alcohol Funny Car world champion Mark Thomas, from Louisville, Ohio, found the winner’s circle at Rockingham Dragway by stopping No. 1 qualifier Terry Munroe, from Beaver, Pa., in the final round. Thomas always enjoys racing at “The Rock.”
“I really love it here,” Thomas said. “It wouldn’t bother me if we raced here every weekend. The crowd is always great and the track is always in top condition. We have won four or five times here and have been to a bunch of finals. There is something special about this place.”
John Montecalvo, Center Moriches, N.Y., advanced to his second consecutive Torco’s CompetitionPlus.com Pro Stock final round to open the season. After falling short to Robert Patrick in San Antonio, Montecalvo was able to finish the deal when he dispatched defending world champion Pete Berner, Crete, Ill., in the final round. Montecalvo also won the Ironman at the World Finals in Rockingham last season.
“This is a great facility and we love racing here,” Montecalvo said. “That’s two in a row for us in Rockingham and two finals in a row to open the season. We have to keep the momentum going.”
The Knoll-Gas Nitro Jam™ will make its third stop of the season at Tulsa Raceway Park May 25 - 27 for the Skull Shine Sooner Nationals presented by Wolverine and Academy Sports + Outdoors.
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SATURDAY - CAPPS CLAIMS TOP SPOT IN ROCKINGHAM
Foley, Cannon Jr., Munroe and Mansfield also qualify at the top of their classes in front of one of the largest crowds in Rockingham Dragway history
The perfect weather and ideal racing conditions made for a sizzling evening qualifying session at the IHRA Spring Nationals presented by Advance Auto Parts and Castrol in Rockingham, N.C. With the race teams taking advantage of the spring-like air, the North Carolina racing fans took advantage as well…filling Rockingham Dragway to capacity in what ended up being one of the largest crowds in the history of the fabled drag strip.
Jon Capps, Las Vegas,
Nev., gave the capacity crowd a thrill when he blasted to a
4.974 at 289.94 mph to claim the top qualifying spot in the Knoll-Gas Torco
Racing Fuels Pro Nitro Funny Car class. Capps, piloting the Vegas Fuel ’05
Monte
Carlo in just his
second-ever national event, waited until Saturday evening to put his best foot
forward. He was sitting on the bump spot after the first two qualifying
sessions, but his clean Saturday evening pass put him at the top of the
qualifying sheet and also secured him Last Man Standing
honors.
“We needed those bonus points after what happened in San Antonio,” Capps, who was assessed a black flag penalty at the season-opening Texas Nationals, said. “The track was great. IHRA and the staff at Rockingham Dragway did a great job of getting this track ready.”
Capps actually clicked off early on his run but still was able to clock the quickest time of all qualifying sessions.
“It started to labor a little bit so I clicked it off early,” Capps said. “I didn’t want to hurt any parts because we want to go rounds tomorrow.”
Doug Foley, Sewell,
N.J., held the top spot in Knoll-Gas Torco Racing Fuels Pro
Nitro Top Fuel as his Friday evening 4.552 at 320.74 mph Friday night held up
after both Saturday sessions. Texas Nationals champion Bruce Litton,
Indianapolis, was second on the sheet with a 4.631, 314.61 pass while T.J.
Zizzo, Lincolnshire, Ill., was third. Zizzo was the Top Fuel Last Man Standing,
grabbing five bonus points for posting the quickest ET of all winning drivers
during the Saturday evening qualifying session.
“That’s what we’re excited about, that’s what matters,” Zizzo said of the five bonus points. “Those extra points could end up meaning a whole lot at the end of a tight world championship points race.”
Foley will face Scott Weis in the first round of eliminations Sunday afternoon. Litton will square off with Bobby Lagana Jr. while Zizzo will do battle with Scotty Cannon. No. 4 qualifier Michael Gunderson will face No. 8 qualifier Mitch King in the remaining first round match-up.
Scott Cannon Jr. was the only Torco’s CompetitionPlus.com Pro Modified
car to run in the five second range at Rockingham…and he did so twice. Cannon,
Lyman, S.C., claimed the No. 1 qualifying spot with a 5.992 pass Saturday
morning before a 5.998 pass Saturday evening garnered him Last Man Standing
honors.
“We had her jacked up,” Cannon said. “We didn’t do too good at the last race and we wanted to get the Last Man Standing. We need all the points we can get.”
Rob Mansfield, Bradenton,
Fla., had a very profitable Saturday evening qualifying
session. In fact Mansfield didn’t do too badly Friday night, either. He qualified at
the top of the sheet with a stout 6.333 at 217.98 mph in the Saturday evening
session. He also was the Quarter-Max Pro Stock Challenge, claiming five bonus
points for the second consecutive night.
“This is pretty special,” Mansfield said. “It was a nice run that felt really good. The crew did an excellent job and I’m really proud of them. It was a difficult run, trying to focus on the tree with that big ball of sun at the end of the track, but I got through it and it worked out.”
Steve Spiess, Manhattan, Ill., posted a 6.342, 219.12 pass Saturday evening to claim the second qualifying spot while Robert Patrick, Fredericksburg, Va., ended up in the third position with a 6.355. Mansfield will face San Antonio finalist John Montecalvo, Center Moriches, N.Y., in the first round of eliminations Sunday morning.
Jeff Dobbins, Wilmington, N.C., did not qualify for the field, but he did not walk away empty-handed as his 0.016 reaction time earned him the Wayne-Dalton “Turn on the Lights” award.
Terry Munroe, Beaver, Pa., came out swinging this season. After his win in
San
Antonio at the Texas
Nationals he said his race team was serious about chasing the world championship
this season. He backed up this talk by claiming the Alcohol Funny Car pole at
the IHRA Spring Nationals…his second No. 1 qualifying effort in as many attempts
this season.
Munroe drove his ’05 Monte Carlo to a 5.804 in Friday qualifying, a number that stood up after both Saturday qualifying sessions. Defending world champion Mark Thomas, Louisville, Ohio, ended up second on the qualifying ladder with a 5.813, 245.94 pass. Though he was second on the sheet he did claim Saturday Last Man Standing honors and the five bonus points that come with it.
“I love this track,” Thomas said. “I have won more at this track than any other on the IHRA tour. I love coming here and it has always been very good to me.”
Rocky Hummel, Knoxville, Tenn., was the No. 3 qualifier with a 5.860, 229.63 pass. Munroe will square off with Bunny Burkett in the first round of eliminations Sunday morning while Thomas will face Larry Dobbs while Hummel will square off with Rob Atchison.
Professional eliminations are scheduled for Sunday at 10:30 p.m., 12 noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. For more information, log onto www.ihra.com. The Spring Nationals presented by Advance Auto Parts and Castrol is the second of twelve events on the $19.5 million 2007 Knoll-Gas Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series.
First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the Spring Nationals presented by Advance Auto Parts and Castrol at Rockingham Dragway, the second of 12 events in the $19.5 million 2007 Knoll - Gas Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday.
Top Fuel -- 1. Doug Foley, 4.552 seconds, 320.74 mph vs. 5. Scott Weis, 4.677, 306.74; 2. Bruce Litton, 4.631, 314.61 vs. 6. Bobby Lagana Jr., 4.859, 303.84; 3. T.J. Zizzo, 4.643, 319.29 vs. 7. Scotty Cannon, 4.904, 303.84; 4. Michael Gunderson, 4.677, 312.42 vs. 8. Mitch King, 5.137, 211.63.
Nitro Funny Car -- 1. Jon Capps, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.974, 289.94 vs. 5. Paul Lee, Monte Carlo, 5.169, 286.50; 2. Terry Haddock, Dodge Stratus, 4.995, 297.16 vs. 6. Bob Gilbertson, Monte Carlo, 5.199, 230.92; 3. Dale Creasy Jr., Monte Carlo, 5.069, 302.35 vs. 7. Mitch King, Chevy Corvette, 5.228, 246.03; 4. Jack Wyatt, Stratus, 5.114, 242.67 vs. 8. Andy Kelley, Pontiac Firebird, 5.255, 271.08.
Pro Modified -- 1. Scott Cannon, Pontiac Firebird, 5.992, 237.63 vs. 9. Harold Martin, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.202, 229.04; 2. Danny Rowe, Chevy Corvette, 6.036, 234.70 vs. 10. Quain Stott, Corvette, 6.245, 231.87; 3. John Russo, Chevy Camaro, 6.065, 236.88 vs. 11. Steve Vick, Corvette, 6.255, 224.73; 4. Ed Hoover, Corvette, 6.068, 227.88 vs. 12. Kenny Lang, Corvette, 6.259, 218.44; 5. Kirk Kuhns, Willys, 6.148, 223.06 vs. 13. Jim Halsey, Camaro, 6.302, 225.71; 6. Mike Castellana, Ford Mustang, 6.168, 228.04 vs. 14. Kelly Martin, Chevy Bel Air, 6.384, 217.84; 7. Matt Hagan, Camaro, 6.194, 227.96 vs. 15. Chip King, Dodge Daytona, 6.426, 221.27; 8. Pat Stoken, Camaro, 6.200, 227.92 vs. 16. Mike Janis, Chevy Cobalt, 6.478, 228.50.
Alcohol Funny Car -- 1. Terry Munroe, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.804, 240.04 vs. 5. Bunny Burkett, Dodge Avenger, 5.910, 243.06; 2. Mark Thomas, Monte Carlo, 5.813, 245.94 vs. 6. Larry Dobbs, Chevy Corvette, 5.921, 235.56; 3. Rocky Hummel, Chevy Camaro, 5.860, 229.63 vs. 7. Rob Atchison, Monte Carlo, 5.925, 241.37; 4. Neal Parker, Monte Carlo, 5.897, 236.13 vs. 8. Trevor Lebsack, Ford Mustang, 5.950, 236.13.
Pro Stock -- 1. Rob Mansfield, Chevy Cobalt, 6.333, 218.51 vs. 9. John Montecalvo, Cobalt, 6.381, 218.37; 2. Steve Spiess, Cobalt, 6.342, 219.54 vs. 10. Elijah Morton, Ford Mustang, 6.386, 216.48; 3. Robert Patrick, Shelby Cobra, 6.355, 219.72 vs. 11. Cary Goforth, Cobalt, 6.393, 218.80; 4. Brian Gahm, Mustang, 6.356, 219.69 vs. 12. Larry O'Brien, Dodge Stratus, 6.421, 216.83; 5. John Nobile, Mustang, 6.358, 219.72 vs. 13. Doug Kirk, Mustang, 6.424, 215.07; 6. Pete Berner, Pontiac GTO, 6.359, 219.47 vs. 14. John Bartunek, Cobalt, 6.428, 216.79; 7. Mike Corvo Jr, Cobalt, 6.365, 218.69 vs. 15. Frank Gugliotta, Mustang, 6.430, 215.72; 8. Rickie Smith, Cobalt, 6.367, 219.69 vs. 16. Anthony Paone, GTO, 6.435, 216.13.
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FRIDAY - FOLEY NO. 1 TOP FUEL QUALIFIER AT ROCKINGHAM
Haddock, Rowe, Munroe and Mansfield Also Provisional Top Qualifiers
Doug Foley, Sewell, N.J., earned the No. 1 spot in Knoll-Gas Torco Racing Fuels Pro Nitro Top Fuel after the first round of qualifying Friday at the Spring Nationals presented by Advance Auto Parts and Castrol. Other No. 1 qualifiers at Rockingham Dragway include Terry Haddock (Nitro Funny Car), Danny Rowe (Pro Modified), Terry Munroe (Alcohol Funny Car) and Rob Mansfield (Pro Stock).
Foley clocked a
4.552, 320.74 to take the top position. He won the “Last Man Standing” as well.
Points leader Bruce Litton,
Indianapolis, sits in the second
position with a 4.631, followed by Michael Gunderson and Scott Weis at 4.677.
Bobby Lagana Jr. sits on the bump-spot.
“The car moved around quite a bit,” said Foley. “It was a great run for us. That’s what we needed to come out and do. Everyone is running so tough this year that every point is going to count.”
Haddock, of
Lynnwood,
Wash., earned his first career provisional
No. 1 qualifier in Knoll-Gas Torco Racing Fuels Pro Nitro Funny Car. He ran a
4.995 pass and locked up the “Last Man Standing.” Dale Creasy Jr., the current
points leader sits second, followed by defending event champion Jack Wyatt and
Todd Simpson. Jon Capps is on the bump-spot. Gastonia, N.C.-resident Bob
Gilbertson is currently not in the field.
Laguna Hills,
California-resident Rowe used the final Torco’s CompetitionPlus.com Pro Modified
qualifying pass to sneak into the No. 1 spot and earn the “Last Man Standing”
prize. Rowe ran the quarter-mile in 6.113, 234.70 and is followed by Mike
Castellana, 6.185, Kirk Kuhns, 6.202 and Harold Martin, 6.223. Class points
leader Ed Hoover, Gilbert,
S.C., is currently not in the
field.
Alcohol Funny
Car points leader Munroe, Beaver,
Pa., proved that his dominance in
San Antonio last month was no fluke.
He covered the track in 5.804-seconds at 240.04 mph to take the top spot and
“Last Man Standing.” He’s trailed by Canadian Larry Dobbs, defending world
champion Mark Thomas and Rob Atchison.
In Torco’s
CompetitionPlus.com Pro Stock Mansfield, Winter
Park, Fla., won the Quarter-Max
Pro Stock Challenge with his provisional low qualifying ET of 6.333 seconds at
217.98 mph. Steve Spiess, a former winner at this event, sits in the second spot
with a 6.342. Brian Gahm is third, followed by Mike Corvo and King, N.C.’s
Rickie Smith.
Qualifying resumes at 9 a.m., with professional qualifying rounds two and three at 12 noon and 6:30 p.m., respectively.
Results Friday after qualifying for the Spring Nationals presented by Advance Auto Parts and Castrol at Rockingham Dragway, second of 12 events in the $19.5 million 2007 Knoll - Gas Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday's final eliminations.
Top Fuel -- 1. Doug Foley, 4.552 seconds, 320.74 mph; 2. Bruce Litton, 4.631, 314.61; 3. Michael Gunderson, 4.677, 312.42; 4. Scott Weis, 4.677, 306.74; 5. T.J. Zizzo, 5.186, 232.95; 6. Terry McMillen, 5.696, 155.19; 7. Scotty Cannon, 8.532, 87.34; 8. Bobby Lagana Jr., 9.773, 68.70.
Nitro Funny Car -- 1. Terry Haddock, Dodge Stratus, 4.995, 297.16; 2. Dale Creasy Jr., Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.255, 287.90; 3. Jack Wyatt, Stratus, 5.594, 236.26; 4. Todd Simpson, Chevy Camaro, 5.665, 213.60; 5. Andy Kelley, Pontiac Firebird, 6.571, 241.71; 6. Mitch King, Chevy Corvette, 7.671, 115.30; 7. Paul Lee, Monte Carlo, 8.881, 95.75; 8. Jon Capps, Monte Carlo, 10.416, 82.86.
Pro Modified -- 1. Danny Rowe, Chevy Corvette, 6.113, 234.70; 2. Mike Castellana, Ford Mustang, 6.185, 227.57; 3. Kirk Kuhns, Willys, 6.202, 223.06; 4. Harold Martin, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.223, 224.62; 5. Kenny Lang, Corvette, 6.259, 218.44; 6. Kelly Martin, Chevy Bel Air, 6.384, 217.84; 7. Pat Stoken, Chevy Camaro, 6.387, 206.35; 8. Matt Hagan, Camaro, 6.571, 166.54; 9. Quain Stott, Corvette, 6.658, 228.96; 10. Joe Mulligan, Camaro, 7.860, 168.28; 11. Jim Halsey, Camaro, 8.638, 127.16; 12. Scott Cannon, Pontiac Firebird, 8.925, 103.76; 13. Mike Janis, Chevy Cobalt, 9.269, 114.09; 14. Steve Vick, Corvette, 11.593, 90.95; 15. Shannon Jenkins, Pontiac GTO, 12.115, 71.75; 16. Burton Auxier, Corvette, 12.309, 85.99.
Alcohol Funny Car -- 1. Terry Munroe, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.804, 240.04; 2. Larry Dobbs, Chevy Corvette, 5.921, 227.92; 3. Mark Thomas, Monte Carlo, 5.922, 239.31; 4. Rob Atchison, Monte Carlo, 5.925, 241.37; 5. Bunny Burkett, Dodge Avenger, 6.019, 235.97; 6. Neal Parker, Monte Carlo, 6.036, 233.48; 7. Tony Bogolo, Ford Mustang, 6.059, 222.66; 8. Tim Stevens, Dodge Stratus, 6.195, 202.42.
Pro Stock -- 1. Rob Mansfield, Chevy Cobalt, 6.333, 217.98; 2. Steve Spiess, Cobalt, 6.342, 219.12; 3. Brian Gahm, Ford Mustang, 6.356, 219.69; 4. Mike Corvo Jr, Cobalt, 6.365, 218.69; 5. Rickie Smith, Cobalt, 6.368, 219.44; 6. Pete Berner, Pontiac GTO, 6.381, 219.47; 7. John Montecalvo, Cobalt, 6.381, 218.37; 8. Elijah Morton, Mustang, 6.386, 216.48; 9. Robert Patrick, Shelby Cobra, 6.390, 218.72; 10. Cary Goforth, Cobalt, 6.393, 218.80; 11. Doug Kirk, Mustang, 6.424, 213.67; 12. Frank Gugliotta, Mustang, 6.430, 215.72; 13. Bob Bertsch, Mustang, 6.435, 215.96; 14. Chuck DeMory, Ford Escort, 6.439, 218.23; 15. Brad Jeter, Mustang, 6.443, 215.00; 16. Dean Goforth, GTO, 6.457, 217.07.
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EVENT PREVIEW - KNOLL-GAS NITRO JAM™ DRAG RACING HEADS TO ROCKINGHAM DRAGWAY
The next stop on the Knoll-Gas Nitro Jam™ Drag Racing Series is the Spring Nationals presented by Advance Auto Parts and Castrol, April 20 – 22 at Rockingham Dragway.
The event dates back to 1971 and includes winners such as Don Garlits (1972 and 1975), Ronnie Sox (1971), Clay Millican (2002 – 2006), Scotty Cannon (1991, 1993 and 1996), Mark Thomas (1991, 2003 – 2005) and Bruce Litton (1999 and 2000). Litton, the current Top Fuel points leader on the Nitro Jam series, always looks forward to racing at Rockingham.
“We’re going to a track I’ve always really liked. It’s the first place I ever won a Top Fuel race at in 1999, so it’s always been a special track to me,” said Litton, who resides in Indianapolis. “(Track owner) Steve Earwood has a great facility and we’re excited to see what we can do there.
“We’re tickled we have the points lead, but that really doesn’t matter until the end of the year,” added Litton. “You still have to take each race one at a time, go out and hope for the best. Right now we’re preparing for the Friday night qualifier.”
Litton has nearly the entire same team members today as he did winning that first event back in 1999. Richard Hartman, Nicky Boninfante and Mike Wolfarth were making the major tuning calls, and, with Boninfante returning in the off-season the “full” team is back together.
“I even have same guy that did the clutch for me back in ‘99,” added Litton. “The team likes this event. Rockingham will make or break you, since there are two races there…in the spring and the final in the fall. We tested in Rockingham back in November, a week before Thanksgiving. The conditions during the race should be similar, which means we should have a lot of data.”
Litton, who suffered a major crash last season in Epping, N.H., finished the 2006 season in fifth place, the first time he’d been out of the top three in the final championship point standings during his IHRA racing career. With a season-opening win under his belt, 2007 could be a banner year.
Standing in his way, and also competing during the Spring Nationals are competitors such as Doug Foley, a six-time career winner, Bobby Lagana Jr., T.J. Zizzo, former Pro Modified standout Scotty Cannon and Terry McMillen.
All professional categories, including Knoll Gas Torco Racing Fuels Pro Nitro Top Fuel, will qualify Friday (April 20) at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday (April 21) at 12 noon and 6:30 p.m. Eliminations are scheduled for Sunday (April 22) at 10:30 a.m., 12 noon, 2 p.m. and final round at 4 p.m.
The defending Knoll Gas Torco Racing Fuels Pro Nitro Funny Car world champion Dale Creasy Jr. goes into Rockingham as the current points leader, making a huge statement to defend his crown by winning in San Antonio two weeks ago. Creasy Jr., of Beecher, Ill., has made it to one final round at Rockingham but is yet to win.
He’ll be keeping an eye on Jack Wyatt, who won both events at Rockingham in 2006 and nearly stole the championship out from under Creasy Jr.
“We had a good showing at Rockingham last year during the World Finals,” said Creasy Jr. “I think this season every race is going to be a little tougher because the competition is that much better.
“To me, all the races are the same no matter if we’ve won there before or lost, or whatever has happened in the past,” he added. “We take it round-by-round and try to not ever get ahead of ourselves. In San Antonio we made the field on the last qualifying run, so we went from almost not being in the race to winning it.
In addition to Creasy Jr. and Wyatt, other competitors include Charlotte’s Bob Gilbertson, Terry Haddock, Jon Capps, South Carolina’s Andy Kelley and Paul Lee, to name a few.
The Torco’s CompetitionPlus.com Pro Modified field will be stout in Rockingham. Historically drawing some of the biggest fields for this class, fans can expect close to 30 cars trying to qualify for 16 spots.
Gilbert, S.C.’s Ed Hoover is the current Pro Modified points leader, but he has never won an IHRA national event at Rockingham. Danny Rowe and tuner Jimmy Rector are second behind Hoover, followed by Burton Auxier and Columbus, N.C.-resident Quain Stott.
Robert Patrick enters the Spring Nationals leading the Torco’s CompetitionPlus.com Pro Stock class. His win at the Texas Nationals has catapulted the Fredericksburg, Va.-resident to the top of the class. Patrick’s last Spring Nationals win came in 1994. He’s trailed by such big-time Mountain Motor Pro Stock names like John Montecalvo, Rob Mansfield, Rickie Smith (King, N.C.) and Frank Gugliotta. Wilmington, N.C.-resident Jeff Dobbins is seventh.
Alcohol Funny Car could have a different look this year. A class that was rumored off the professional circuit this season has survived and is led by first-time winner Terry Munroe, who picked up his first in San Antonio. The class has been dominated recently by Mark Thomas and Rob Atchison, who are both in the top ten. However, both drivers have a lot to make up to top Munroe.
