It was an early birthday present for BAE/Stivers HVAC-driver Rick Stivers as he
won the AMS Pro Mod Challenge event title at the Torco Racing Fuels NHRA
Nationals in Richmond, Va.
 
As Stivers’ son, Rick Jr., and wife, Jill,
raced to congratulate the newly crowned event champion, tears of joy flowed as
the family celebrated the win. Stivers defeated Raymond Commisso in the final,
with Commisso handing Stivers the win before the round even started by leaving
the line early and forfeiting the match.
 
"It's been a long road getting
here and no one knows how hard we've worked and what we have been through to get
here," Stivers said. "What an awesome thing - I'm almost speechless, which, for
anyone who knows me, is nothing short of a miracle in itself.
 
"Chuck
Ford really got this car running well this weekend. It's been such a long
season, and we just couldn't buy a break, but, today it all came together, and
thanks to Tim Tindle and Brad Anderson, we finally earned our Eagle," he
said.
 
Stivers, who turns 50 this coming Thursday, October 11, was given
a surprise birthday party Saturday night by his family and team. His wife Jill
said, "Hey, what better way to celebrate than to start the party early," and her
husband said he couldn't have asked for a better gift than to win his first
major event.

Dave Connolly might not do
windows in his regimen of housecleaning chores, but he certainly knows how to
sweep things up.

The former sportsman drag
racing phenomenon piloted Evan Knoll’s Torco Race Fuels-sponsored Chevrolet
Cobalt to a clean sweep in the five-race second portion of the Countdown to the
Championship. He joined elite company with Ronnie Sox, Bob Glidden and Greg
Anderson as Pro Stock drivers who have won five races in a row.

"It was definitely a big weekend for us, and on top of all
the streaks, it was our sponsor's race, Torco Racing Fuels," Connolly
said.  "(Owner) Evan Knoll, not only does he help a lot of the racers
out here, he also sponsors a national event like this.  And it was a
successful one at that just looking up in the stands.  It seems like here
at Richmond the
fans are always jam-packed in the stands and they're real drag racing fans,
especially for the Pro Stock category. 

"To pick up our fifth win and be put in a group with those guys, it's
pretty incredible.  It's something I never would've dreamed of.  I
just wanted to race Pro Stock, and here we are getting put on a list with guys
like that.  It was definitely a big win for us and things are just
clicking right now.  It was nice to sweep all four races in the first part
of the Countdown to the Championship, but there are still two races left and that's
our main goal right now.  This team keeps plugging away, though. 
Even before this race weekend we went to Maryland
for two days to test.  Now we've got a long stretch of tests scheduled
before we even hit Vegas, so the work's definitely not done.

SCELZI, CAPPS BUMP TEAMMATE BECKMAN ON DRAMATIC FINAL DAY OF THE COUNTDOWN TO 4

Kalitta wins first race of 2007; Connolly wins fifth in a row, enters Countdown to 1 as No. 1 seed in Pro Stock

Four-time POWERade Series champion Gary Scelzi punctuated a dramatic
final Sunday in the Countdown to 4, the first round of the NHRA
Playoffs, with a huge victory at the Second annual Torco Racing Fuels
NHRA Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park to claim one of the four
berths in the two-race championship.

Scelzi jumped from sixth to second place with the win over teammate Ron
Capps in the Funny Car final and he was joined in the winner's circle
by Top Fuel's Doug Kalitta and Pro Stock's Dave Donnolly, who swept his
way through the first round of the NHRA Playoffs with four straight
wins to earn the No. 1 seed in Pro Stock's Countdown to 1.

"Things are just clicking for us right now," said Connolly, who has won
five straight races overall. "It was nice to sweep the first leg of the
Countdown but we have two races left (in Las Vegas and Pomona) so
that's what we're concentrating on. This team will be ready. We tested
for two days before this race and we have a long testing schedule to
complete before we head to Vegas. The work is definitely not done."

Connolly's incredible winning streak in Pro Stock has now reached five
races, which ties him for the second longest run in class history
behind Bob Glidden's nine-in-a-row back in 1978-'79. Greg Anderson also
won five straight in 2004, as did Ronnie Sox in '70-'71.

Point standings following the Second annual Torco Racing Fuels NHRA Nationals at
Virginia Motorprorts Park, the fourth and final race in the Countdown to 1, the
first round of the NHRA Playoffs. The top four drivers advance to the Countdown
to 1, the two-race championship round.

Sunday's final results from the Second annual Torco Racing Fuels NHRA Nationals
at Virginia Motorprorts Park. The race is the 21st of 23 in the NHRA POWERade
Drag Racing Series:

Final round-by-round results from the Second annual Torco Racing Fuels NHRA
Nationals at Virginia Motorprorts Park, the 21st of 23 events in the NHRA
POWERade Drag Racing Series:

Shelly Payne crashed during the second round of AMS Pro Modified eliminations during the Torco Race Fuels NHRA Nationals in Richmond, Va. Opponent Tim Tindle aborted his run early and that very well prevented a two-car crash. Payne was walking around after the accident but later admitted to a local hospital for observation. She is expected to be released today according to a crew member on the team.

Torco's CompetitionPlus.com is on hand for this weekend's NMRA World Finals - Bowling Green, Kentucky

PHOTO GALLERY

From newly crowned 2007 World Champion Josh Hernandez delivering a blazing
5.990/241.67 performance, to 2006 World Champion Jay Payne opening his
parachutes after 600 feet in his second qualifying attempt and failing to
qualify for the 16-car field, the AMS Pro Mod Challenge presented by Tindle
Enterprises, Inc. once again delivered an amazing show in front of packed
bleachers and standing-room only fans at the Torco Racing Fuels NHRA Nationals
in Richmond, Va.
 
Hernandez and his Howard Moon-tuned Tommy Lipar Racing
'68 Camaro were the highlight of the day, ripping off a straight-down-the-groove
shot that set both ends of the Virginia Motorsports Park record and brought the
crowd to their feet with cheers.
 
"That was a wild ride," Hernandez said.
"I know it looked good on the video and for the fans, but inside the car it was
all over the place. The nose lifted and dipped, and I was fighting it all the
way down. When I looked up and saw the numbers, I was really
amazed.
 
"What a testament to Howard and the team, but also this whole
class. The guys out here have really been pushing the limits, and have pushed us
so hard all year. My hat's off to all of them," he said.

On the strength of his 45th career No. 1 qualifier Saturday at the Second annual
Torco Racing Fuels NHRA Nationals, Tony Schumacher joined three other drivers in
clinching their berths in the Countdown to 1, the two-race championship that
marks the end of the NHRA Playoffs.

The Torco Racing Fuels NHRA Nationals is the
fourth and final race in the first round of the NHRA Playoffs, which will halve
the field of eligible championship contenders from eight to four. There remains
one spot open in the Countdown to 1 in Top
Fuel, three in Funny Car and two in Pro Stock and
those final berths will be set at the conclusion of Sunday's race, which begins
at 11 a.m. ET.