Top Alcohol Funny Car ace Frank Manzo came out of the gate swinging in the NHRA Northeast division.  The reigning divisional and national champion opened the division season with a win at Virginia Motorsports Park’s Full Throttle Shootout, a round of the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series.  Joining Manzo in the winner’s circle is the current Top Alcohol Dragster national champ, Bill Reichert of Owosso, Mich., and Belleville, N.J., resident Anthony Fetch who scored a rare double win, taking home the goods in both Super Stock and Stock Eliminator.

Manzo, a resident of Morganville, N.J., started the race from the No. 1 position and never looked back. He made his best run of the day in the final when he squared off against No. 2 qualifier John Anderika of Pittson, Pa.  Manzo ran 5.583 seconds at 238.02 mph to Anderika’s 5.916-second, 221.89 mph lap.

MANZO, REICHERT WIN; FETCH MAKES IT A DOUBLE AT VMP’S LUCAS OIL DRAG RACING SERIES EVENT

Top Alcohol Funny Car ace Frank Manzo came out of the gate swinging in the NHRA Northeast division.  The reigning divisional and national champion opened the division season with a win at Virginia Motorsports Park’s Full Throttle Shootout, a round of the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series.  Joining Manzo in the winner’s circle is the current Top Alcohol Dragster national champ, Bill Reichert of Owosso, Mich., and Belleville, N.J., resident Anthony Fetch who scored a rare double win, taking home the goods in both Super Stock and Stock Eliminator.

Manzo, a resident of Morganville, N.J., started the race from the No. 1 position and never looked back. He made his best run of the day in the final when he squared off against No. 2 qualifier John Anderika of Pittson, Pa.  Manzo ran 5.583 seconds at 238.02 mph to Anderika’s 5.916-second, 221.89 mph lap.

Reichert had qualified in the No. 3 spot but made his best pass of the weekend, 5.379 seconds at 265.85 mph, in the final.  Runner-up Duane Shields of Boulder City, Nev., ran a respectable 5.444 seconds at 269.62 mph but it was not enough to catch Reichert who is fresh off a win last week in Indianapolis.

In Super Stock, Fetch wheeled his ’92 Camaro to the win over Sal Piacentini of North East, Md., while in Stock Eliminator he took his ’68 Camaro to the win over Richmond’s Raymond Skipper Jr.

Sal Biondo, Maspeth, N.Y., got the win in Comp Eliminator when he bested Vinny Barone of Dix Hills, N.Y.  Super Comp racer Many Teets, Manassas, Va., ousted  Jason Huff, Littlestown, Pa., in the final and Al Kenny, Kingston, Ont., got the win in Super Gas beating Chris DePascale, Parlin N.J., in the final.  The Super Street win went to Martin Ganjoin of Brick, N.J., over Scott Williams of Carson, Va.  Lantana, Fla., racer Matthew Buck earned the win in Top Sportsman when he jettisoned No. 1 qualifier John Benoit, Montpelier, Vt., in the final and Frank Altilio, Ocoee, Fla., got the win in Top Dragster beating out Jeff Serra, Reingolds, Pa., in the final.

The NHRA Northeast division Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series season continues May 22-24.  Racers will head to Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa., for the next event.

 
The following are Saturday’s final results at the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Virginia Motorsports Park:

TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER
Round 1
1) John Finke, Selkirk, N.Y., 5.368, 265.90 def. 8) Ken Winward, Wilmington, Del., 5.647, 246.08;
7) Artie Allen, Jacksonville, Fla., 5.447, 258.02 def. 2) Mike Kosky, Cuddy, Pa., 7.701, 107.66
3) Bill Reichert, Owosso, Mich., 5.509, 269.51 def. 6) Arthur Gallant, Boxboro, Mass., 8.211, 118.06
5) Duane Shields, Boulder City, Nev., 5.513, 268.38 def. 4) Darren Nicholson, Mission Viejo, Calif., 8.031, 103.47
 
Semifinals
Reichert, 5.462, 267.27 def. Allen, 5.467, 258.42
Shields, 5.395, 270.10 def. Finke, 5.486, 265.59
 
Final
Reichert, 5.379, 265.85 def. Shields, 5.444, 269.62
 
TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR
Round 1
1) Frank Manzo, Morganville, N.J., '08 Monte Carlo, 5.685, 214.72 def. 8) Rob Atchison, London, Ont., '06 Monte Carlo, 5.997, 242.50
2) John Anderika, Pittson, Pa., '02 Camaro, 12.235, 77.78 def. 7) Larry Dobbs, Welland, Ont., '01 Corvette, broke
3) Marty Nothstein, Orefield, Pa., '09 Impala, 5.786, 252.19 def. 10) Melinda Green-King, Norfolk, Va., '08 Mustang, 6.087, 233.88
4) Fred Tigges, Holbrook, Mass., '01 Avenger, 5.857, 253.23 def. 5) Neal Parker, Millville, N.J., '05 Monte Carlo, 13.093, 85.49
 
Semifinals
Anderika, 5.716, 247.57 def. Nothstein, 5.746, 251.91
Manzo, 5.604, 257.38 def. Tigges, 9.236, 95.50
 
Final
Manzo, 5.583, 238.02 def. Anderika, 5.916, 221.89
 
COMP ELIMINATOR
Sal Biondo, Maspeth, N.Y., '93 Beretta, I/AA, 8.220, 163.04 def. Vinny Barone, Dix Hills, N.Y., '34 Chevrolet, A/SR, 7.866, 168.26
 
SUPER STOCK
Anthony Fetch, Belleville, N.J., '92 Camaro, GT/EA, 10.433, 122.06 def. Sal Piacentini, North East, Md., '77 Firebird, SS/MA, 11.134, 118.24
 
STOCK ELIMINATOR
Anthony Fetch, Belleville, N.J., '68 Camaro, E/SA, 11.307, 110.74 def. Raymond Skipper Jr., Richmond, Va., '93 Camaro, B/SA, 10.528, 119.67
 
SUPER COMP
Mandy Teets, Manassas, Va., dragster, 9.271, 118.87 def. Jason Huff, Littlestown, Pa., dragster, 9.019, 140.24
 
SUPER GAS
Alan Kenny, Kingston, Ont., '03 Corvette, 9.936, 158.13 def. Chris DePascale, Parlin, N.J., '04 Corvette, 9.941, 159.51
 
SUPER STREET
Martin Ganjoin, Brick, N.J., '69 Camaro, 10.887, 132.32 def. Scott Williams, Carson, Va., '53 Studebaker, broke
 
TOP SPORTSMAN
Matthew Buck, Lantana, Fla., '96 Firebird, 7.022, 195.28 def. John Benoit, Montpelier, Vt., '57 Bel Air, 6.736, 203.28
 
TOP DRAGSTER
Frank Altilio, Ocoee, Fla., dragster, 7.176, 187.76 def. Jeff Serra, Reingolds, Pa., dragster, 7.037, 182.92 

Advertisement