As the season works its way towards the halfway point, Rislone Engine Treatment Top Alcohol Dragster driver Bill Reichert and his championship-winning team find themselves enjoying a lofty spot high up in the NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster points. But despite being only one point away from first place, the team certainly isn’t about to rest on their laurels.

“We’ve been having a great season thus far,” said Reichert, the three-time and defending NHRA Top Alcohol champion.  “Working our way into the field for the Jeg’s Allstars race in Joliet a couple weeks ago was a victory in and of itself, but to go there and win the whole deal…well…that was pretty spectacular!”

As the season works its way towards the halfway point, Rislone Engine Treatment Top Alcohol Dragster driver Bill Reichert and his championship-winning team find themselves enjoying a lofty spot high up in the NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster points. But despite being only one point away from first place, the team certainly isn’t about to rest on their laurels.

“We’ve been having a great season thus far,” said Reichert, the three-time and defending NHRA Top Alcohol champion.  “Working our way into the field for the Jeg’s Allstars race in Joliet a couple weeks ago was a victory in and of itself, but to go there and win the whole deal…well…that was pretty spectacular!”

The Jeg’s Allstars event, held at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, IL (Chicagoland), celebrated its 25th anniversary this year, and the competition was as fierce as ever.  The Allstars race is a “race within a race” and pits each of the NHRA’s divisions (1-7) against each other, by forming “teams” for each division.  The teams that represent each division consist of the top cars from each class in that division (Top Alcohol Dragster, Super Street, Stock, etc).  Reichert entered the Allstars race in Joliet as the leader in his class (Top Alcohol), and would eventually mow his way through the field of competitors all the way to a final-round win, bringing home top honors for his division, Division 3.   All of this action took place against the backdrop of a regular-season NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event.

“To the layman or a fan new to drag racing, the Allstars format can seem a bit confusing at first,” said Reichert.  “But in all actuality, it is a really fun event that has become one of the hallmarks of NHRA drag racing over the last 25 year.”  He added that “the Allstars race creates a sense of camaraderie amongst the different teams that join together to represent their division.”

Reichert has enjoyed successful two back-to-back weekends in Joliet, as an NHRA divisional race took place the very next weekend following the NHRA national event.  “Joliet is a great facility, with a great staff and track crew.  We’ve traditionally run very well there, as many teams have,” stated Reichert.  “The track is so good at times, that it almost seems too good, to the point where we actually have a bit of trouble spinning the tires enough!”  When asked about the difference in track preparation between the national event and the divisional event, Reichert had good things to say about both the national crew and the Joliet’s crew. “The NHRA national event track crew is just phenomenal.  Not only are they very methodical about how they prepare and maintain the track, but they are very efficient and effective.  There just isn’t anything else like a national event track surface.  For our divisional event in Joliet, the Route 66 track crew handled the track prep and maintenance, and they did a fantastic job.  The track was above-average all weekend long.  For not having as much manpower at their disposal as the national crew does, they did superb.  Of course there’s going to be some disparity between a national event track and a divisional event track, but I really couldn’t have asked for any better from the folks in Joliet.”

After taking the Allstars win at the national event, Reichert would carve his way to the finals in Joliet at the following weekend’s Division 3 event.  Reichert would end up facing good friend and frequent rival Jim Whiteley in the finals, with Whiteley sneaking out the win with a 5.298 to Reichert’s 5.304.  The win would allow Whiteley to take over first place in the national Top Alcohol standings, sitting a mere one point ahead of Reichert in second.

So how does Reichert feel about his current spot in the points, and the rest of the season ahead? “I’m nothing short of ecstatic.  We’ve got a lot of racing left to do, but I truly think we will be in the championship hunt, likely alongside Whiteley, right to the very end.”  What about the NHRA limiting nitromethane-burning cars in the Top Alcohol class to a 94% mixture for 2009? “The nitro percentage change had us all concerned, but not worried per se.  I feel our team has done a fantastic job of figuring it out, and I think it shows.  The cars running strictly alcohol and superchargers are enjoying a much more refined combination that has been around a lot longer.  Us [injected nitro] guys are a bit more on the ragged edge, still trying to dial things in just right.  I’m confident, but when Whiteley’s blown alcohol car and my injected nitro car run close times like we did in the finals, I think the parity the fans and NHRA were looking for has been achieved,” explained Reichert.

This coming weekend Reichert and his team head to Norwalk, OH for another NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series national event.  “We were at Norwalk earlier this year for a divisional race, so we are definitely bringing a handful of notes with us to help out at this national event,” said Reichert.  “We smoked the tires early there back in May, so we are going to consider that a lesson learned and hopefully go much further into the rounds this time.  Second place is nice, but we like first place much better.”

 

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