NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Racing at the JEGS SPORTSnationals at New England Dragway was halted by rain late Saturday, which will force all of the eliminators to be finished at a variety of events over the coming weeks. 

The Comp final, Super Stock quarterfinals on (six cars), and Super Gas quarterfinals on (five cars) will be held Friday, Sept. 26, at the Maple Grove Raceway Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event.

Super Comp semifinals on (three cars) will take place Thursday, Sept. 25, at the Maple Grove Raceway Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event.

The Top Sportsman and Top Dragster finals and Super Street semifinals on will take place Thursday, Oct. 1, at the Virignia Motorsports Park Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event.

The completion of date and venue for Stock (three cars) is still to be determined
 

SATURDAY

After a fast-and-furious day of qualifying, the elimination fields for the JEGS SPORTSnationals have been set at historic New England Dragway. The event marks the first time a JEGS SPORTSnationals race has been contested in the NHRA's Northeast Division, and nearly 400 sportsman racers have packed the facility in a strong show of support. 
 
Heading into Sunday's final eliminations, Frank Aragona Jr. (Comp), Scott Gove (Super Stock), Eric Merryfield (Stock), Michael Lubniesski (Top Sportsman) and Mike Coughlin (Top Dragster) lead their respective fields. Racers, including those in Super Comp, Super Gas, and Super Street, also made time trial runs Saturday before completing the first round of eliminations.
 
Aragona is the three-time and reigning NHRA Comp world champion. He drove his J/AA roadster to a 7.388-second run to claim the top spot over Ronald Proctor and Richard Schonberger. Aragona was a semifinal finisher in the Northeast Division Lucas Oil Series event held Friday at New England Dragway. 
 
Gove was the low qualifier for the Division 1 event on Thursday and repeated the feat on Saturday by driving his SS/AM Dodge Daytona to a 7.935-second run on his 9.00-second index. Gove is the only driver in the 43-car Super Stock field to run more than a second under his index and leads Edward Schrader, Mark Nowicki and Al Smyth.
 
A total of 84 drivers made qualifying runs in Stock Eliminator, but none were quicker than Merryfield, who took his Dodge Challenger Drag Pak to the top spot with a 10.348-second effort. Gove, the low qualifier in Super Stock, just missed the pole in Stock with his A/SA '69 Camaro. Bob Moran and Gary Walters round out the quick four. Lucas Oil Series winner Lenny Williams will begin his quest for a second title from the No. 6 qualifying spot. 
 
Lubniewski set a fast pace in qualifying for the Vortech Superchargers Top Sportsman category with a quick 6.246 run in his Chevy Cobalt. Lubniewski is more than two-tenths of a second quicker than No. 2 qualifier Jeff Brooks, who ran 6.492. Brooks is coming off a win during Friday's Lucas Oil Series event. John Benoit, the winner of the JEGS SPORTSnationals event earlier this summer at National Trail Raceway, will look to sweep both events when he begins Sunday's action from the No. 3 qualifying spot.
 
Three-time and reigning Division 3 champ Coughlin made an impressive showing for the JEGS Mail Order team when he drove his familiar yellow and black dragster to the No. 2 qualifying spot in the Vortech Superchargers Top Dragster class. A runner-up at the recent JEGS SPORTSnationals in his native state of Ohio, Coughlin drove to a 6.109 to push current championship leader Anthony Bertozzi to the No. 2 spot. Coughlin and Bertozzi raced in the final of the Columbus event last month. Al Kenny and Scott Hall round out the quick four in Top Dragster.
 
The final elimination rounds for the JEGS SPORTSnationals will take place beginning at 9 a.m. Sunday.

The following are Saturday's final qualifying results from the NHRA JEGS NHRA SPORTSnationals:

COMPETITION ELIMINATOR
1) Frank Aragona, Freehold, N.J., '19 Ken Keir, J/AA, 7.388 seconds, -0.652 (under index)
2) Ronald Proctor, Harpers Ferry, W.V., '19 Spitzer, C/DA, 6.967, -0.633
3) Richard Schonberger, Southampton, Pa., '06 Cavalier, I/SM, 8.918, -0.622
4) Frank Affronti, Ontario, N.Y., '10 Cobalt, C/AA, 7.351, -0.579
5) Joseph Carnasciale, Ashaway, R.I., '06 Cavalier, I/SM, 8.950, -0.570
6) Peter D`agnolo, Rochester, N.Y., '10 Cobalt, D/SMA, 8.435, -0.545
7) Jay Schonberger, Philadelphia, Pa., '96 Cutlass, I/A, 8.187, -0.523
8) Michele Costa, Freehold, N.J., '20 Ken Keir, G/EA, 8.300, -0.520
9) Al Ackerman, Saddle Brook, N.J., '05 Pro Start, F/D, 8.204, -0.286
10) Gerry Russo, Saddle River, N.J., '06 Cavalier, B/SMA, 8.817, 0.217

SUPER STOCK
1) Scott Gove, Dennysville, Maine, '93 Daytona, SS/AM, 7.935 seconds, -1.065 (under index)
2) Edward Schrader, Paramus, N.J., '16 Copo, FSS/D, 8.930, -0.970
3) Mark Nowicki, Gaylord, Mich., '98 Avenger, FGT/H, 9.410, -0.940
4) Al Smyth, Uxbridge, Mass., '68 Barracuda, SS/AH, 8.684, -0.916
5) Marc LaBrecque, Whately, Mass., '00 S-10, GT/TB, 9.973, -0.877
6) William Kennedy, Wilkes Barre, Pa., '85 Firebird, GT/MA, 10.333, -0.867
7) Arnie Martel, Tewksbury, Mass., '88 Camaro, SS/JA, 10.136, -0.864
8) Jacques Blais, Tolland, Conn., '98 Cobra, GT/IA, 9.825, -0.825
9) Steve Szupka, Northampton, Pa., '18 Copo, FSS/D, 9.103, -0.797
10) Jeff Roell, Danbury, Conn., '10 Cobra Jet, FSS/G, 9.485, -0.765

STOCK ELIMINATOR
1) Eric Merryfield, Andover, Mass., '10 Dragpak, FS/H, 10.348 seconds, -1.152 (under index)
2) Scott Gove, Dennysville, Maine, '69 Camaro, A/SA, 9.995, -1.005
3) Bob Moran, East Falmouth, Mass., '69 Camaro, B/SA, 10.298, -0.952
4) Gary Walters, Danbury, Conn., '67 Nova, G/SA, 11.061, -0.939
5) Matthew Lisa, Vernon, N.J., '83 Camaro, G/SA, 11.082, -0.918
6) Lenny Williams, Poughkeepsie, N.Y., '71 Gran Sport, F/SA, 10.933, -0.917
7) Stephen Smyth, Uxbridge, Mass., '09 Challenger, FS/D, 9.689, -0.911
8) Robert Vogel, Easthampton, Mass., '81 Malibu, K/SA, 11.740, -0.910
9) Mark Callahan, South Berwick, Maine, '69 Camaro, E/SA, 10.795, -0.905
10) Sam Murray, Lakeville, Mass., '72 Cutlass, I/S, 11.297, -0.903

TOP SPORTSMAN PRESENTED BY VORTECH SUPERCHARGERS
1) Michael Lubniewski, Holbrook, N.Y., '08 Cobalt, 6.246 seconds, 229.47 mph
2) Jeff Brooks, Fredericksburg, Va., '51 Henry J, 6.492, 215.37
3) John Benoit, Montpelier, Vt., '15 Corvette, 6.560, 209.36
4) Bill Janke, Newburgh, N.Y., '13 Camaro, 6.640, 216.17
5) Ronald Proctor, Harpers Ferry, W.V., '09 Cobra, 6.760, 204.79
6) Frederick Perkins, Plainville, Conn., '57 Belair, 6.861, 198.76
7) Alan Davidowski, Columbus, N.J., '10 GXP, 6.905, 201.55
8) David Miller, Canterbury, Conn., '00 S-10, 6.933, 198.50
9) Ronald Riegel, Fairless Hills, Pa., '68 Camaro, 6.964, 198.73
10) Frank Volpe, Poughkeepsie, N.Y., '18 Mustang, 6.990, 196.22

TOP DRAGSTER PRESENTED BY VORTECH SUPERCHARGERS
1) Mike Coughlin, Delaware, Ohio, '17 Dan Page, 6.109 seconds, 224.73 mph
2) Anthony Bertozzi, Ashland, Va., '16 Race Tech, 6.124, 225.48
3) Alan Kenny, Kutztown, Pa., '14 Dan Page, 6.194, 222.18
4) Scott Hall, Ledyard, Conn., '12 Spitzer, 6.206, 216.93
5) Frederick Perkins, Plainville, Conn., '16 Maddox, 6.287, 219.94
6) Michael Kalin, Niagara Falls, N.Y., '08 Mullis, 6.378, 215.93
7) William Masiello, Naugatuck, Conn., '06 Dan Page, 6.461, 217.28
8) Brian Khoury, North Salem, N.H., '12 Dan Page, 6.524, 203.89
9) Bob Vojtila, Southington, Conn., '17 Dan Page, 6.567, 203.61
10) Jim Dunn, Roselle Park, N.J., '08 Altered, 6.583, 205.60