2009 NHRA MILE HIGH NATIONALS - SPORTSMAN NOTEBOOK
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SUNDAY FINAL RESULTS - FLETCHER, LAMB, GROVES AND HAY TAKE HOME TITLES
CLASS RACIN’ - Dan Fletcher and Justin Lamb took the class to school during the NHRA Mopar Mile High Nationals at Bandimere 
Speedway in Morrison, Co.
Fletcher, from Churchville, N.Y., took home his 61st NHRA Wally when he defeated Doug Young in the Stock final round. ‘Fletch’ nailed the tree at the start, posting a stellar 0.008 reaction time to Young‘s 0.080 reaction. Both cars broke out and Fletchers -0.033-second infraction was the lesser of the two evils.
Fletcher, a professional sportsman drag racer, sponsored this season by K & N Filters, revels in the opportunity to put his AA/SA 1969 Chevrolet Camaro in the winner’s circle for his new backers.
“What Steve Williams and his team at K & N have done for me this year is truly humbling,” Fletcher said. “In the economic climate we are in, to have a company provide the funding for me to go racing is an honor.”
Traveling on his own version of a “School’s Out” tour, which began in Topeka, 
Kan. earlier this summer, the Lamb, a student at UNLV, kicked off the Western Swing by winning his fifth NHRA Wally. He’s already won races in four NHRA categories.
Driving his SS/BS 2009 Chevy Cobalt, the 21-year old Lamb defeated Tim Nicholson in the final round of Super Stock. Both cars ran side-by-side through the lights with Nicholson inching ahead and breaking out by 0.003-seconds. Lamb got on the brakes at the finish line to avoid the same fate.
“The car launched hard and I felt like it was going to be a tight race,“ Lamb explained. “I got down track and decided to ‘dump it’ to push him under, and by three-thou it worked.”
Both Fletcher and Lamb will continue on the Western Swing next week in Seattle, hoping to add to their recent National event success.
LOCAL BOYS ARE SUPER - Home field advantage is often crucial in sports. 
The advantage Super Comp racer Ray Groves and Super Gas competitor Dennis Hay held this weekend at the NHRA Mopar Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Co., was good enough to propel both drivers to their first NHRA National Event wins.
Groves, from Evans, Colo., drove his old school 1993 Jerry Fritz hard-tail chassis dragster past former Super Comp world champion Gary Stinnett in the final round. Stinnett held a slight starting-line advantage but Groves’ compensated by running closer to the Super Comp index. His 9.507-second elapsed time was good enough to hold off the hard charging Stinnett.
“As much as this victory means to me, winning in front of my family was more important,” said a very humbled Groves. “I have come so close for many years, and to be able to win my first here at Bandimere is the best feeling ever.”
Hay, who lives in nearby Golden, won his final round impressively. Putting 
together a 0.002 reaction time combined with his 10.504-second elapsed time for a 0.006 second advantage, Hay beat Kevin Moore in his first NHRA National event final round appearance.
Hay, who was driving a 1985 Corvette he purchased at a swap meet, was holding back the tears as he saw the win light come on in his lane.
“Honestly I was crying when I crossed the finish-line,” said Hay as he was handed his first NHRA Wally in the winner’s circle. “I have been doing this so long, actually holding this trophy is one of the best feelings I’ve ever had. I am honored.”
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SATURDAY SPORTSMAN NOTEBOOK -THE COLORFUL STORIES OF THE SPORTSMAN PITS
SPORTSMAN ELIMINATIONS UNDERWAY - The fields in all four sportsman divisions competing this weekend at the 30th Annual
The biggest surprise of the day occurred in the first round of Super Stock, as number one qualifier, Larry Schmidt, driving his SS/PA 1955 Chevrolet rolled through the staging beams and triggered the red-light.
Stock top qualifier Brent Hajek and the 42nd and final qualifier Lane Weber both advanced to Sunday’s final eliminations. Number one qualifier Hajek and his A/SA Ford Cobra-Jet Mustang received the bye into round three. Weber and his V/SA 1978 Buick Skylark advanced when Mike Coe fouled.
In Super Comp, Steve Williams, the vice-president of K&N Filters out of Loma Linda, Calif., captured the number one qualifying position after recording a 9.501-second elapsed time. Williams has the bye run into the third round.
The Super Gas division is down to 14 cars after two rounds on Saturday. Colorado racer Tony Deluzio took the number one qualifying spot driving his classic 1964 Ford Falcon ran dead-on the 10.500-second standard in the opening stanza. Deluzio will have a chance to win one for the home town crowd when sportsman eliminations conclude tomorrow afternoon.
SLOW, BUT LETHAL - When Lane Weber from Dacono, Colo. pulls into the burnout box with his V/Stock Automatic 1978 Buick Skylark
Weber is a good drag racer, capable of winning astride a bicycle.
Weber began his drag racing career in 1985 driving a car he received as a high school graduation present from a very close family friend, Sandi Carr. His car uses the original 231 cubic-inch engine while he competes in one of the slowest indexed classifications within Stock eliminator.
The upside for Weber is that the Buick is extremely consistent and runs 16.80s regularly.
Currently qualified last in the 42 car Stock Eliminator field, the man affectionately known as “The Hawk” actually enjoys staring down the quicker competition who are faced with the daunting task of often giving up as much as a five-second head start.
“Most people do not enjoy being the guy being chased,” said Weber, a five-time track champion at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Co. “But the way I look at it, they have to pass me down there. And my car is very consistent.”
Weber has also performed well at local Super Pro bracket competition over the years. The lessons he has learned driving his Skylark helped Weber capture the 2002 NHRA Super Pro World Championship at the World Finals, in Pomona, Calif.
“I drove Bill Reeves Super Pro car for many years and it was not the quickest car out there,” Weber admitted. “When you are the guy constantly being chased down, eventually you get good at it.”
Weber is good at it. Whether it’s in a dragster or his 16-second Skylark, you have to catch him for the win.
THAT’S A WRAP - Have you ever wondered how “Flip the Dolphin” or “Grizz the Bear” from Frontier Airlines hitch a ride on those
planes? A gentleman competing in the Super Gas category this weekend at the Mopar Mile High Nationals held in Morrison, Co., had a pretty good hand in giving these marketable animals their ‘wings’. Super Gas racer Steve Johnson is the operator of Fineline Graphics. The Lakewood, Colo.-based company began to apply their quality product on every Frontier plane in 1995.
When Steve’s not adorning 737 jets with animal graphics, he keeps busy racing in the NHRA’s Super Gas division.
Johnson, the 2005 NHRA O’Reilly Summer Nationals champion, along with his wife Vicky, campaign a two-car team on the NHRA Division 5 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series.
He drives a 1941 Willys while she pilots a Super Comp dragster.
The Johnsons love their drag racing but nothing makes for a more effective marketing tool than racing alongside of a current and potential customer.
Johnson credits his father,nd Fineline founder Mark Beatty as major factors in establishing solid personal and business skills. Then there’s one of the quicker and faster businessmen in town, V. Gaines, offering more than a fair share of business tips.
“My dad and V have always allowed me to learn by doing. And not only in business, but in life as well, establishing relationships based on trust is critical to success.”
Success is nothing new to Fineline as their non-racing clientele includes Frontier and the Denver Broncos. It is estimated that he services the graphics needs for 80 percent of the Super class racers who race regularly at Bandimere.
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FRIDAY SPORTSMAN NOTEBOOK – STORIES FROM THE LITTLE GUY PITS
AND THE MUSCLECARS WILL LEAD THEM - Larry Schmidt and Brent Hajek currently rank No. 1 in Super Stock and Stock Eliminator 
qualifying for the 30th Annual Mopar Mile-High Nationals in Morrison, Co.
Schmidt, of Grand Island, Neb., drove his 1955 Chevrolet to a 12.533-second elapsed time, 1.407 seconds under his SS/PA index. James Caro, who made the trip from Houma, La., secured the second qualifying spot in his SS/BM 2005 Dodge Stratus. Ironically Schmidt’s classic Chevrolet recorded the slowest elapsed time of the 34 cars who attempted to qualify for this weekend’s race.
Hajek, of Ames, Ok. captured the number one spot in Stock Eliminator, driving an A/SA 2008 Ford Cobra-Jet Mustang to a 10.699-second ET, 1.481 seconds under his index. Brad and Scott Burton, a father and son team from Golden, Colo., finished the day second and third out of 42 entries.
The Super Gas category completed three time-trial sessions in the heat earlier today. Super Comp was sitting in the staging-lanes for their third session when rain began to fall.
Super Comp will get one more attempt at the track tomorrow at noon.
Sportsman eliminations begin tomorrow afternoon.
RE-INVENTING THE ABBOTTS – During the 30th Annual Mopar Mile-High Nationals, there is a racing family competing in the Super 
Comp division with a very historic past, a solid present and a promising future.
The past is represented by Division 5 Hall Of Fame member and 1981 US Nationals Top Fuel Champion, Johnny Abbott Sr. He is also a member of a very select group of Top Fuel Drivers who have won National event titles in the NHRA, IHRA and AHRA. His racing days are over, but now, his greatest joy comes from watching his children and grand children compete in the same sport he has always loved.
The present is the husband and wife team of Johnny Abbott, Jr. and Sondie from Elizabeth, Colo., have been competing in the 9.500-second index class for the better part of ten years.
Johnny Jr. began his drag racing career as a crew member on both his father's and Colorado legend, Junior Kaiser‘s Top Fuel Dragsters.
“When other twelve-year-olds were playing baseball, I was pulling oil pans and checking bearings as a bottom-end guy on a fuel car,” said Abbott Jr. “Working with Dad and Junior’s team was a real gas. It helped me catch the drag racing bug at a very early age.”
Abbott Jr. earned his competition license at 17 behind the wheel of a blown alcohol ‘23T Altered. His wife of 18-years, Sondie, earned her license driving her husband’s Super Comp dragster nearly a decade ago. Both drivers have reached several final rounds in NHRA Top Dragster and Super Comp competition.
“I get such a thrill watching Sondie and Johnny racing,” said Abbott, Sr., the 64-time National event finalist, before mentioning the future of the Abbott family. “And, seeing my grandson Chris follow his grandpa into the nitro categories this weekend is icing on the cake.”
Abbott Sr. is referring to Chris Abbott, who is debuting this weekend as the right-side cylinder head specialist for the Jack Beckman-driven DSR Valvoline MTS Dodge Charger Funny Car.
“I love the history Grandpa, my Uncle Johnny and Aunt Sondie have set for me to follow,” said Chris Abbott. “I love all types of drag racing, but Nitro is in my blood. It’s an honor to be on this great team and I look forward to building a solid future with DSR and the MTS/Valvoline team.”
MEDIA MAGNET – Ray Wilson, owner of Wilson Auto Collision Inc., a Colorado Springs-based paint and auto body repair shop, has 
been enjoying a bit of notoriety over the past week.
Wilson and his WACI Racing Super Comp Dragster, were featured in the Colorado Springs Gazette, because of his switch one year ago to PPG branded aqua-based paint products.
In a state where being ‘green’ is a way of life, the Gazette decided to send photo journalist, Kevin Kreck to Wilson’s shop chronicling his environmental change in product.
“As a business owner, I’ve always believed it was imperative to develop a positive relationship with the news media,” stated Wilson. “The photographer, Kevin (Kreck) is a huge gear head and noticed the pictures of our team’s dragster hanging in my office. A few months after our initial article about the PPG product was printed, we were contacted by Ms. Desalvo (of the Colorado Springs Gazettte) and to my surprise, when I turned to the back page of this Sunday’s newspaper, I was shocked to see my car covering the whole page.”
The article focused on Wilson’s dragster and the changes a team has to make in order to compete in NHRA’s Super Comp division. Super Comp competes on an altitude adjusted 9.500-second index.
Wilson’s car is driven by his son-in-law Chris Woolverton, who in his last two races behind the wheel of the WACI racing 2002 Undercover chassis dragster has reached the final round in Top Dragster trim.
Although the recent newspaper exposure has humbled the Division 5 racers, and even higher honor lays just around the corner.
“I was informed this past weekend, our Dragster will be featured as the car of the month July in the Snap-On Tools distributor calendar,” said Wilson. “I am truly honored by this type exposure our team is getting. We hope it is a sign of bigger things to come.”
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