Frank Manzo picked up his tenth win of the year in Top Alcohol Funny Car while John Finke picked up his third in Top Alcohol Dragster at this weekend’s NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.

Manzo of Morganville, N.J., scored his fifth divisional win to go along with his five national event wins for a perfect season in scored events. The alcohol class racers count their best 5 of their first 8 events towards the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series National Championship.        

Manzo barely held on to beat former Olympic Gold Medalists Marty Nothstein, Orefield, Pa., in the final round of a race that was as close as you can get.  Manzo’s ran 5.614 seconds at 260.71 mph to Nothstein’s quicker 5.611 second, 253.28 mph pass out of the No. 3 qualifying position.  Manzo’s holeshot starting line advantage of three thousandths of a second proved to be the difference with the computer scoring margin of victory of less than an inch.

Frank Manzo picked up his tenth win of the year in Top Alcohol Funny Car while John Finke picked up his third in Top Alcohol Dragster at this weekend’s NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.

Manzo of Morganville, N.J., scored his fifth divisional win to go along with his five national event wins for a perfect season in scored events. The alcohol class racers count their best 5 of their first 8 events towards the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series National Championship.        

Manzo barely held on to beat former Olympic Gold Medalists Marty Nothstein, Orefield, Pa., in the final round of a race that was as close as you can get.  Manzo’s ran 5.614 seconds at 260.71 mph to Nothstein’s quicker 5.611 second, 253.28 mph pass out of the No. 3 qualifying position.  Manzo’s holeshot starting line advantage of three thousandths of a second proved to be the difference with the computer scoring margin of victory of less than an inch.

Finke ran consistent all day clocking off 5.20 and 5.30 second laps with a 5.368 second pass at 272.23 mph in the final round against Darren Nicholson, Mission Viejo, Calif., who ran 5.427, 262.95 mph.  The Selkirk, N.Y., resident beat out Darvin Martinets and Dan Mercier on his way to the final.

In Comp Eliminator it was Brian Darcy denying Dan Fletcher of his 8th win of the year in grabbing his first win of the year. Darcy, Newburgh, N.Y., had a great reaction time of 0.018 seconds and held on for the win at 187.68 mph in 6.817 seconds.

Justin Lowell, Kensington, N.H., won seven rounds on his way to the win in Stock Eliminator which marks the fifth different winner in the class this year.  Rich Price of           Royersford, Pa., also won seven rounds in taking the Super Comp trophy over Brian Martel.

Home state racers taking wins this weekend were Chris DePascale, Parlin, N.J., in Super Gas over Scott Albrecht and Rick Cooper, Sayreville, N.J., over William Nycz, Pilesgrove Twp., N.J., in Super Street.  Brian Van Poppel also made his way to the winner’s circle over Angelo DiTocco in Super Stock.

Northeast Division racers head to Atco Raceway for the next NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event, Oct. 2-4, 2009.

The following are the final results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park:

TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER:
Round 1
8) Arthur Gallant, Boxboro, Mass., 5.400, 267.06 def. 10) Rich McPhillips, Phoenixville, Pa., 5.466, 263.15
2) Dan Mercier, Montreal, Quebec, 5.445, 255.15 def. 7) Richard Bourke, Old Tappan, N.J., 5.462, 261.02
4) Darren Nicholson, Mission Viejo, Calif., 5.452, 255.92 def. 5) Brandon Greco, Roscoe, Pa., 5.489, 258.86
3) John Finke, Selkirk, N.Y., 5.284, 272.28 def. 6) Darvin Martinets, Lake Jackson, Texas, 5.548, 252.33
 
Semifinals
Nicholson, 5.412, 260.61 def. Gallant, 5.384, 268.06
Finke, 5.318, 275.39 def. Mercier, 5.336, 269.08
 
Final
Finke, 5.368, 272.23 def. Nicholson, 5.427, 262.95
 
TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR:
Round 1
4) Paul Gill, Brockton, Mass., '08 Mustang, 5.646, 255.53 def. 5) Dan Roman, Wolcott, Conn., '97 Firebird, 5.758, 49.90
3) Marty Nothstein, Orefield, Pa., '09 Impala, 5.834, 252.10 def. 6) Eric Lourie, Terryville, Conn., '02 Camaro, broke
2) Terry Munroe, Beaver, Pa., '05 Monte Carlo, 5.661, 255.05 def. 7) DJ Cox, Whiteford, Md., '02 Firebird, 6.169, 76.47
1) Frank Manzo, Morganville, N.J., '06 Monte Carlo, 5.609, 257.78 def. 8) Dan Pomponio, Berlin, N.J., '08 Monte Carlo,5.877, 249.44
 
Semifinals
Nothstein, 5.681, 256.02 def. Munroe, 5.680, 254.28
Manzo, 5.639, 259.11 def. Gill, 5.649, 257.92
 
Final
Manzo, 5.614, 260.71 def. Nothstein, 5.611, 253.28
 
COMP ELIMINATOR
Brian Darcy, Newburgh, N.Y., dragster, A/ND, 6.817, 187.68  def. Dan Fletcher, Churchville, N.Y., '08 Cobalt, C/EA,
 
SUPER STOCK
Brian Van Poppel, Perry Hall, Md., '85 Camaro, SS/KA, 10.611, 124.91  def. Angelo DiTocco, Mahopac, N.Y., '98 Firebird, SS/HA, 9.907, 129.24.
 
STOCK ELIMINATOR
Dustan Lowell, Kensington, N.H., '72 Duster, F/SA, 11.080, 113.28  def. James Conte, Pearl River, N.Y., '69 Mustang, C/SA, 10.750, 122.77.

SUPER COMP
Rich Price, Royersford, Pa., dragster, 8.903, 172.32  def. Brian Martel, Mercersburg, Md., dragster, 8.917, 165.31.

SUPER GAS
Chris DePascale, Parlin, N.J., '04 Corvette, 9.943, 156.23  def. Scott Albrecht, Jackson, N.J., '00 Corvette, 9.942, 151.10.

SUPER STREET
Rick Cooper, Sayreville, N.J., '87 Trans Am, 10.888, 142.34  def. William Nycz, Pilesgrove Twp., N.J., '70 Dart, 10.843, 125.78.  

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