The opening rounds of qualifying are complete at Virginia Motorsports
Park’s Full Throttle Shootout, a round of the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag
Racing Series. Local Top Dragster racer, Kenny Young of Petersburg, is
No. 1 in his class while John Finke of Selkirk, N.Y., leads the Top
Alcohol Dragster contingent and Top Alcohol Funny Car ace Frank Manzo,
Morganville, N.J., set the pace in that category. There were a total
of 13 Top Alcohol Dragsters and 14 Top Alcohol Funny Cars at VMP vying
for a spot in the eight-car fields.
Finke’s 5.382-second, 261.78 mph lap in the final qualifying session
was just enough to put him ahead of Mike Kosky of Cuddy, Pa. Kosky ran
5.385 seconds at 262.79 mph. Finke will take on No. 8 qualifier Ken
Winward, Wilmington, Del. in the first round of eliminations Saturday.
Reigning Top Alcohol Dragster national champ Bill Reichert, Owosso,
Mich., is qualified in the No. 3 slot.
Manzo, who is the defending division and national Top Alcohol Funny Car
champion, outran the No. 2 qualifier, John Anderika, Pittson, Pa., by
more than a tenth of a second. Manzo ran 5.554 seconds at 259.51 mph
to Anderika’s 5.656-second, 251.39 mph pass. Olympic gold
medal-winning cyclist Marty Nothstein, Orefield, Pa., is qualified in
the No. 3 position.