NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Final Results from Merle's SIR Dragway, Tucson, Ariz.

WHITELEY, O’BANNON SCORE IN TUCSON

TUCSON, Ariz. (March 29, 2010) – Jim Whiteley and Sean O’Bannon each took home big wins this past weekend at Merle’s SIR Dragway and the NHRA Pacific Division Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series as they look to defend their Pacific Division Championships from 2009.

Whiteley, Grand Junction, Colo., qualified No. 1 and then marched through eliminations taking out Phoenix racer Mark Niver in his semifinal match up and then Shawn Cowie in the final of Top Alcohol Dragster. Whiteley ran 5.415 seconds at 263.51 against Niver and a 5.525, 259.81 against Cowie, Delta, B.C., CAN. in the final. Cowie covered the quarter-mile in 5.570 seconds at 258.32 mph.

O’Bannon, Ontario, Calif., also qualified No. 1 in Top Alcohol Funny Car and beat Charles McLaws, Winslow, Ariz., and Brian Thiel, Pleasant Grove, Calif., in rounds one and two before matching up with Doug Gordon, Paso Robles, Calif. in the final. O’Bannon outran Gordon with a 5.707 second pass at 253.04 mph to Gordon’s 5.755, 253.37 mph lap.

A pair of Arizona racers outran their respective competitors with Mike DePalma, Glendale, Ariz., taking the win in Comp Eliminator while local racer Edward Allen Smith of Tucson, Ariz., captured the Super Street trophy. Smith drove his ’67 Chevelle past Nik Downing, Glendale, Ariz., with a time of 11.192 seconds at 127.73 mph.

Defending Pacific Division Super Comp Champion Thomas Bayer, Fontana, Calif., won in Super Gas over Ed Olpin, Pleasant Grove, Utah, to join a group of California racers who made their way to the winner’s circle. Andrew Madrid, Chatsworth, Calif., won in Super Comp; Ryan McClanahan, Alta Loma, Calif., beat Rusty Hall in Stock Eliminator; Tony Jardino went 6.974 seconds at 193.21 for the win in the Hughes Performance Top Dragster Class; Chris Newman, Lancaster, Calif., held off Gary Forkner in Top Sportsman; and Anthony Pellettera, also of Alta Loma, won the Sportsman Motorcycle presented by Harley Davidson class.

Rounding out the winner’s was Carroll Warling out of Brighton Colo., who defeated Toby Torres of El Paso, Texas, in the Super Stock category.

Pacific Division racers head to Top Gun Raceway for the next NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event, June 11-13.

The following are the final results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Merle’s SIR Dragway:

TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER:

Round 1
5) Mark Niver, Phoenix, Ariz., 5.517, 255.77 def. 4) Dale Carlson, Olympia, Wash., 7.095, 163.63
3) Shawn Cowie, Delta, B.C., 5.470, 259.11 def. 6) Mike Austin, Medford, Ore., 5.626, 230.80
2) Chris Demke, Sunland, Calif., 5.418, 260.71 def. 7) Art Trautman, Wadell, Ariz., 6.362, 214.38
1) Jim Whiteley, Grand Junction, Colo., 5.429, 260.61 was unopposed

Semifinals
Whiteley, 5.415, 263.51 def. Niver, 5.531, 257.53
Cowie, 6.411, 164.09 def. Demke, center line

Final
Whiteley, 5.525, 259.81 def. Cowie, 5.570, 258.32

TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR:
Round 1
3) Doug Gordon, Paso Robles, Calif., '07 Monte Carlo, 5.714, 255.43 def. 6) Brian Smith, Fullerton, Calif., '08 Camaro, 5.783, 246.80
1) Sean O'Bannon, Ontario, Calif., '08 Monte Carlo, 5.669, 255.53 def. 8) Charles McLaws, Winslow, Ariz., '03 Firebird, 6.404, 214.35
4) Brian Thiel, Pleasant Grove, Calif., '10 Monte Carlo, 5.722, 249.81 def. 5) Steve Gasparrelli, W. Covina, Calif., '08 Mustang, 5.751, 244.52
2) John Lombardo Jr., Brea, Calif., '10 Monte Carlo, 5.711, 250.46 def. 7) Shane Westerfield, Lake Forest, Calif., '05 Firebird, broke

Semifinals
Gordon, 5.695, 253.95 def. Lombardo Jr., 5.726, 252.24
O'Bannon, 5.691, 253.14 def. Thiel, 5.741, 248.61

Final
O'Bannon, 5.707, 253.04 def. Gordon, 5.755, 253.37

COMP ELIMINATOR
Mike DePalma, Glendale, Ariz., '00 S-10, C/T, 8.462, 158.73 def. Randy Jones, Monarch Beach, Calif., '05 Cavalier, A/SMA, 8.293, 163.69.

SUPER STOCK
Carroll Warling, Brighton, Colo., '74 Grand Am, SS/MA, 11.169, 118.37 def. Toby Torres, El Paso, Texas, '88 Mustang, SS/CM, 9.513, 134.83.

STOCK ELIMINATOR
Ryan McClanahan, Alta Loma, Calif., '69 Camaro, AA/SA, 10.215, 118.51 def. Rusty Hall, Chandler, Ariz., '67 Shelby, A/SA, 10.742, 118.17.

SUPER COMP
Andrew Madrid, Chatsworth, Calif., dragster, 9.157, 157.19 def. Chuck Babcock, Yorba Linda, Calif., dragster, 9.127, 152.45.

SUPER GAS
Thomas Bayer, Fontana, Calif., '62 Corvette, 10.165, 150.51 def. Ed Olpin, Pleasant Grove, Utah, '63 Corvette, 10.145, 159.01.

SUPER STREET
Edward Allen Smith, Tucson, Ariz., '67 Chevelle, 11.192, 127.73 def. Nik Downing, Glendale, Ariz., '79 Plymouth, 11.152, 129.45.

TOP SPORTSMAN
Chris Newman, Lancaster, Calif., '09 Cobalt, 7.573, 178.76 def. Gary Forkner, Temecula, Calif., '06 GTO, 7.593, 181.13.

TOP DRAGSTER
Tony Jardino, San Dimas, Calif., dragster, 6.974, 193.21 def. Mike Henderson, Tacoma, Wash., dragster, 7.266, 180.31.

SPORTSMAN MOTORCYCLE
Anthony Pellettera, Alta Loma, Calif., '03 Suzuki, 9.542, 144.84 def. Craig Wood, Tucson, Ariz., '97 GSXR, 8.805, 146.88.