FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Competitors complete rained-out event

INDIANAPOLIS - NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series competitors returned to Indianapolis Raceway Park to complete the event that was rained out May 17-19. The race is one of six in NHRA North Central Division competition.

Top Alcohol Dragster pilot Ken Perry and Top Alcohol Funny Car driver Chuck Cheeseman took home the honors. Perry, of Gormley, Ont., Canada, took on Ben Marshall of New Carlisle, Ohio, in the final. Perry laid down a 5.676-second, 250.20 mph pass to take the win.

Galena, Ohio, resident Cheeseman faced his No. 1 division rival, Marc White of Glendale Heights, Ill, in the final. Cheeseman's 5.945-second run at 245.29 mph was enough to turn on the win lights, but not enough to take the points lead away from White.

Winners in other categories are Steve Ambrose of Woodhaven, Mich., in Comp Eliminator; Bill Yates Sr. of Johnstown, Ohio, in Super Stock; Josh Wiseman of Elizabethtown, Ky., in Stock; Steve Eckard of Pataskala, Ohio, in Super Comp; David Connolly of Elyria, Ohio, in Super Gas; and Robert Richardson of Fort Wayne, Ind., in Super Street.

The North Central Division Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series makes its next stop at Edgewater Sports Park in Cleves, Ohio, Aug. 2-4.

The following are the final results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at IRP:

TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER
Round 1 (completed May 19, 2002) 
8) Ben Marshall, New Carlisle, Ohio, 5.577, 264.08 def. 
1) Russ Lindert,  Manteno, Ill., 5.727, 220.10 

2) Ken Perry, Gormley, Ont., Can., 5.423, 259.36 def. 
7) Dave Hirata,  Lowell, Ind., 12.528, 56.57 

6) Jeff Bohr, Plymouth, Mich., 5.526, 254.45 def. 
3) Bill Reichert, Owosso,  Mich., 7.708, 124.80 

5) Shawn Bowen, Montrose, Mich., 5.478, 257.28 def. 
4) Keith Stark,  Danville, Ill., 5.698, 257.65

Semifinals 
Perry, 5.694, 249.51 def. Bohr, 5.928, 246.98 
Marhall, 6.248, 230.41 def. Bowen, 6.906, 156.44

Final Round 
Perry, 5.676, 250.20 def. Marshall, 6.364, 229.70

TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR 
Round 1 (completed May 19, 2002) 
1) Marc White, Glendale Hts., Ill., '01 Firebird, 5.709, 251.32 def. 
6)  John Reikas III, Glendale Hts., Ill., '97 Camaro, 6.332, 220.80 

2) Chuck Cheeseman, Galena, Ohio, '01 Firebird, 5.724, 248.61 def. 
5) Steve  Addleman, Fishers, Ind., '01 Pontiac, no show 

3) Todd Veney, Indianapolis, '98 Firebird, 5.985, 236.53 def. 
4) Kim  Fritts, Greenup, Ill., '98 Firebird, broke 

Semifinals 
White, 8.418, 106.73 def. BYE 
Cheeseman, 6.833, 148.31 def. Veney (did not return)

Final Round 
Cheeseman, 5.945, 245.29 def. White, 8.418, 106.73

COMP ELIMINATOR 
Steve Ambrose, Woodhaven, Mich., '23 roadster, J/AA, 8.025 seconds, -0.044, def. 
Bo Butner, Floyd Knobs, Ind., '01 Pontiac, D/AA, 8.065 seconds, -0.335

SUPER STOCK 
Bill Yates Sr., Johnstown, Ohio, '98 Pontiac, SS/BM, 9.086 seconds, +0.096, def.
Lynn McCarty, Plainfield, Ind., '90 Firebird, GT/CA, 10. 516 seconds, +0.126

STOCK ELIMINATOR 
Josh Wiseman, Elizabethtown, Ky., '71 Buick, L/SA, 12.235 seconds, -.055, def. 
Frank Calhoun, Shepherdsville, Ky., '80 Malibu,  K/SA, 12.157 seconds, -0.143 

SUPER COMP 
Steve Eckard, Pataskala, Ohio, dragster, 8.939 seconds def. 
Steve Dillman, Indianapolis, dragster, 8.894 seconds

SUPER GAS 
David Connolly, Elyria, Ohio, dragster, 9.933 seconds, def. 
Sean Graham, Sunburg, Ohio, '63 Corvette, 9.939 seconds 

SUPER STREET 
Robert Richardson, Fort Wayne, Ind., '68 Firebird, 10.922 seconds, def. 
Jeff Staub, Whiteland, Ind., '78 Fairmont, 10.896 seconds, 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Mother Nature 2, NHRA North Central Division 0

INDIANAPOLIS - The late rounds of eliminations in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Indianapolis Raceway Park have been postponed until Thursday, July 4. Officials from the division opted to postpone the event after getting rain late in the afternoon.

"Once it finally stopped raining and we were drying the track, the sun went down and the temperature dropped so we couldn't dry the track to our satisfaction," said North Central Division Director Jay Hullinger. "We started with 618 cars and got down to about 130 so we made progress while it was dry. We'll just come back and finish later." Drivers in Top Alcohol Dragster, Top Alcohol Funny Car and Comp Eliminator all ran one round of elimination. Each of the other five classes got in two rounds.

While the first round of TAFC went pretty much as expected, TAD was full of upsets. The No. 8 qualifier, Ben Marshall, beat No. 1 qualifier Russ Lindert. Defending division champion Bill Reichert was beaten by Jeff Bohr and Dave Hirata, who is among the fastest cars in the class, also lost in the first round.

North Central Division competitors have yet to complete an event. The division's season-opener at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill., was also postponed due to bad weather. It will resume the weekend of July 20.

The following are the results of Round 1 of eliminations in TAD and TAFC from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Indianapolis Raceway Park:

TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER
Round 1
8) Ben Marshall, New Carlisle, Ohio, 5.577, 264.08 def. 1) Russ Lindert,
Manteno, Ill., 5.727, 220.10
2) Ken Perry, Gormley, Ont., Can., 5.423, 259.36 def. 7) Dave Hirata,
Lowell, Ind., 12.528, 56.57
6) Jeff Bohr, Plymouth, Mich., 5.526, 254.45 def. 3) Bill Reichert, Owosso,
Mich., 7.708, 124.80
5) Shawn Bowen, Montrose, Mich., 5.478, 257.28 def. 4) Keith Stark,
Danville, Ill., 5.698, 257.65


TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR 
Round 1
TAFC pairings for Sunday's first round of eliminations
1) Marc White, Glendale Hts., Ill., '01 Firebird, 5.709, 251.32 def. 6)
John Reikas III, Glendale Hts., Ill., '97 Camaro, 6.332, 220.80
2) Chuck Cheeseman, Galena, Ohio, '01 Firebird, 5.724, 248.61 def. 5) Steve
Addleman, Fishers, Ind., '01 Pontiac, no show
3) Todd Veney, Indianapolis, '98 Firebird, 5.985, 236.53 def. 4) Kim
Fritts, Greenup, Ill., '98 Firebird, broke

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Qualifying complete, fields set at IRP

INDIANAPOLIS - After a rain-shortened qualifying session Friday, fields are set at the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Indianapolis Raceway Park. Russ Lindert took the top qualifying position in Top Alcohol Dragster (TAD), while Marc White took the pole in Top Alcohol Funny Car (TAFC).

Lindert, a resident of Manteno, Ill., was No. 1 qualifier in the quickest eight-car TAD field in the North Central Division's history. He made a 5.402-second, 254.09-mph pass. Ben Marshall of New Carlisle, Ohio, was on the bump with a run of 5.613 seconds at 256.55 mph. White, of Glendale Hts., Ill., made a 5.708-second, 250-mph to take the No. 1 spot in TAFC.

Top qualifiers in other classes are Bo Butner of Floyds Knobs, Ind., in Comp Eliminator and Super Stock; and John Lovins of Riverside, Ohio in Stock.

The NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series continues Sunday at IRP. Gates open at 7 a.m. and eliminations begin at 8 a.m. TAD and TAFC are scheduled to begin eliminations at 1 p.m. Tickets for the event, including a pit pass, are $15. Children 12 and under are admitted free with a paid adult. For more information call IRP, (317) 291-4090, or visit www.IRPonline.com.

The following are Saturday's final qualifying results and Sunday's first-round pairings for TAD and TAFC at the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Indianapolis Raceway Park:

TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER
1) Russ Lindert, Manteno, Ill., 5.402 seconds, 254.09 mph
2) Ken Perry, Gormley, Ont., Can., 5.471, 255.60
3) Bill Reichert, Owosso, Mich., 5.473, 268.01
4) Keith Stark, Danville, Ill., 5.497, 270.35
5) Shawn Bowen, Montrose, Mich., 5.510, 258.10
6) Jeff Bohr, Plymouth, Mich., 5.553, 246.30
7) Dave Hirata, Lowell, Ind., 5.559, 258.32
8) Ben Marshall, New Carlisle, Ohio, 5.613, 256.55
Not Qualified
9) Mick Snyder, Demotte, Ind., 5.627, 249.16
10) Gary Ward, Cincinnati, 5.671, 245.56
11) Jeff Wilson, Winfield, Mo., 5.724, 218.60
12) Phil Mass, Gurnee, Ill., 5.737, 219.78
13) Marty Thacker, Robinson, Ill., 5.759, 243.96
14) Bill McCornack, Lexington, Ky., 5.771, 232.49
15) Jared Dreher, Clinton, Ind., 5.825, 229.24
16) Robin Samsel, Marion, Ind., 5.825, 229.24
17) Dave Hedges Jr., Plainwell, Mich., 6.250, 214.43
18) Tony Zizzo, Prarie View, Ill., 6.556, 173.77
19) Timothy Bowgren, Valparaiso, Ind., 14.855, 49.96
20) Todd Datweiler, Herscher, Ill., DQ
21) Robert Ginther, Lansing, Mich., DQ

First-round pairings:
1) Russ Lindert, Manteno, Ill., 5.402, 254.09 vs. 
8) Ben Marshall, New Carlisle, Ohio, 5.613, 256.55

2) Ken Perry, Gormley, Ont., Can., 5.471, 255.60 vs. 
7) Dave Hirata, Lowell, Ind., 5.559, 258.32

3) Bill Reichert, Owosso, Mich., 5.473, 268.01 vs. 
6) Jeff Bohr, Plymouth, Mich., 5.553, 246.30

4) Keith Stark, Danville, Ill., 5.497, 270.35 vs. 
5) Shawn Bowen, Montrose, Mich., 5.510, 258.10

TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR 
1) Marc White, Glendale Hts., Ill., '01 Firebird, 5.708 seconds,  250.97 mph
2) Chuck Cheeseman, Galena, Ohio, '01 Firebird, 5.769, 245.43
3) Todd Veney, Indianapolis, '98 Firebird, 5.788, 250.55
4) Kim Fritts, Greenup, Ill., '98 Firebird, 5.800, 246.84
5) Steve Addleman, Fishers, Ind., '01 Pontiac, 5.821, 245.70
6) John Reikas III, Glendale Hts., Ill., '97 Camaro, 6.904, 207.51   

First-round pairings:
1) Marc White, Glendale Hts., Ill., '01 Firebird, 5.708, 250.97 vs. BYE

2) Chuck Cheeseman, Galena, Ohio, '01 Firebird, 5.769, 245.43 vs. BYE

3) Todd Veney, Indianapolis, '98 Firebird, 5.788, 250.55 vs. 
6) John Reikas III, Glendale Hts., Ill., '97 Camaro, 6.904, 207.51

4) Kim Fritts, Greenup, Ill., '98 Firebird, 5.800, 246.84 vs. 
5) Steve Addleman, Fishers, Ind., '01 Pontiac, 5.821, 245.70
   

COMP ELIMINATOR
1) Bo Butner, Floyds Knobs, Ind., '01 Pontiac, D/AA, 7.763 seconds, -0.657 under index
2) Bill Zaskowski, Grand Rapids, Mich., '92 Camaro, F/SM, 8.965, -0.585
3) David Billingsley, Decatur, Ill., '93 Cutlass, C/AA, 7.521, -0.579
4) Robert Bailey, Wabash, Ind., dragster, A/ED, 6.774, -0.576
5) Mike Farrell, Louisville, Ky., '32 roadster, A/EA, 7.467, -0.563
6) Steve Ambrose, Woodhave, Mich., '23 roadster, J/AA, 7.917, -0.563
7) Mike Smith, Sandyville, W.V., '63 Corvette, D/AA, 7.864, -0.556
8) Mike Hazlett, Indianapolis, '96 Cutlass, B/A, 7.259, -0.541
9) Jesse Plant, Terre Haute, Ind., dragster, D/ED, 7.474, -0.536
10) Terry Smith, Williamstown, W.V., '32 roadster, D/EA, 8.493, -0.527

SUPER STOCK
1) Bo Butner, Floyds Knobs, Ind., '96 Achieva, SS/BM, 8.527 seconds, -1.173 under index
2) Chuck Gallagher, Holly, Mich., '94 Sunbird, SS/AM, 8.416, -1.134 
3) Ted Romero, Denver, '98 Pontiac, GT/JA, 10.575, -1.075
4) Kerri Voges, Arlington, Ohio, '00 Pontiac, GT/IA, 10.426, -1.074
5) Mike Smith, Sandyville, W.V., '68 Barracuda, SS/AA, 8.961, -1.039
6) Charlie Westcott, Parma, Mich., '98 Pontiac, GT/E, 9.769, -1.031
7) Jeff Sexton, Fairborn, Ohio, '97 Olds, SS/AX, 8.975, -1.025
8) Teresa Butner, Floyds Knobs, Ind., '96 Achieva, SS/DM, 9.175, -1.025
9) Gene McBean, Chardon, Ohio, '69 Mustang, SS/GA, 9.848, -1.002 
10) Dickie Ogles, Bowling Green, Ky., '69 Corvette, SS/B, 9.201, -0.999

STOCK ELIMINATOR
1) John Lovins, Riverside, Ohio, '96 Dakota, FT/SA, 12.187 seconds,  -1.463 under index
2) Donald Holmes, Dayton, Ohio, '78 Pontiac, K/SA, 11.630, -1.320
3) Jonathan Tarance, Bremn, Ky., '84 Chevy, V/SA, 14.577, -1.223
4) Phil Pierce, New Carlisle, Ohio, '92 Dodge Ram, GT/SA, 12.779, -1.171
5) Bert Morgan, Charleston, Ill., '75 Buick, R/SA, 13.234, -1.116
6) Robert Downing, Britton, Mich., '83 Malibu Wagon, O/SA, 12.376,  -1.074
7) Danny Holder, Chapmansboro, Ind., '91 Camaro, K/SA, 11.894, -1.056
8) Bruce Parsons, Lewisburg, Ohio, '85 Camaro, I/SA, 11.547, -1.053
9) Joey Wilkes, Zanesville, Ohio, '01 Firebird, D/SA, 10.807, -1.043
10) Bill Sempsrott, Middletown, Ohio, '66 Nova, K/S, 11.809, -1.041

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Qualifying cut short by rain

INDIANAPOLIS - Qualifying and time trials at the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Indianapolis Raceway Park were shortened by rain today. Competitors in Super Stock and Stock made qualifying passes and those in Super Comp, Super Gas and Super Street were able to make time trials but qualifying sessions in Top Alcohol Dragster (TAD), Top Alcohol Funny Car (TAFC), and Comp Eliminator were cancelled.

According to North Central Division Director Jay Hullinger, officials at IRP plan to pick up on Saturday as scheduled. Gates at IRP will open at 7 a.m. and qualifying and time trials will resume at 8a.m., weather permitting. Comp Eliminator is scheduled to run at 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., while TAD and TAFC are scheduled at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Tickets, including pit pass, for the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at IRP are $15 Saturday and $15 Sunday. Children 12 and under are admitted free with a paid adult. For more information call IRP, (317) 291-4090, or visit www.IRPonline.com.

The following are Friday's qualifying results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Indianapolis Raceway Park:

SUPER STOCK
1. Chuck Gallagher, Holly, Mich., '94 Sunbird, SS/AM, 8.416 seconds, -1.134 under index
2. Ted Romero, Denver, '98 Pontiac, GT/JA, 10.575, -1.075
3. Kerri Voges, Arlington, Ohio, '00 Pontiac, GT/IA, 10.432, -1.068
4. Mike Smith, Sandyville, W.V., '68 Barracuda, SS/AA, 8.975, -1.025
5. Gene McBean, Chardon, Ohio, '69 Mustang, SS/GA, 9.853, -0.997 
6. Teresa Butner, Floyds Knobs, Ind., '96 Achieva, SS/DM, 9.221, -0.979
7. Gary Tompa, Saginaw, Mich., '84 Firebird, SS/J, 10.125, -0.975
8. Joey Wilkes, Zanesville, Ohio, '92 Camaro, GT/EA, 9.982, -0.968
9. Bo Butner, Floyds Knobs, Ind., '96 Achieva, SS/BM, 8.739, -0.961
10. Ronnie Terrell, Hebron, Ky., '85 Camaro, SS/KA, 10.600, -0.950

STOCK ELIMINATOR
1. John Lovins, Riverside, Ohio, '96 Dakota, FT/SA, 12.187 seconds, -1.463 under index
2. Donald Holmes, Dayton, Ohio, '78 Pontiac, K/SA, 11.630, -1.320
3. Jonathan Tarance, Bremn, Ky., '84 Chevy, V/SA, 14.577, -1.223
4. Phil Pierce, New Carlisle, Ohio, '92 Dodge Ram, GT/SA, 12.779, -1.171
5. Bert Morgan, Charleston, Ill., '75 Buick, R/SA, 13.249, -1.101
6. Robert Downing, Britton, Mich., '83 Malibu Wagon, O/SA, 12.376,  -1.074
7. Bruce Parsons, Lewisburg, Ohio, '85 Camaro, I/SA, 11.547, -1.053
8. Bill Sempsrott, Middletown, Ohio, '66 Nova, K/S, 11.809, -1.041
9. Joey Wilkes, Zanesville, Ohio, '01 Firebird, D/SA, 10.810, -1.040
10. Darwin Hardy, Muskegon, Mich., '84 LeSabre, U/SA, 14.119, -1.031