WHITELEY, PAYNE LEAD WINNERS IN HOUSTON
BAYTOWN, Texas – Jim Whiteley and Jay Payne took home wins this past weekend for the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries at Royal Purple Raceway.
Whiteley scored his second national event win and his third of the year as he took out defending Lucas Oil Series National Champion Duane Shields in the final round of Top Alcohol Dragster. The Grand Junction, Colo., racer qualified No. 1 and worked his way through the field beating Buddy Domingue and Mark Taliaferro in rounds two and three. He then ran low elapsed time of the event with a 5.264 second lap at 273.77 mph in the final to Shields’ 5.380, 268.97.
Shields came from the No. 3 qualifying position, defeating Lee Callaway, David Brounkowski and Ryan Copeland to advance to the finals.
Payne, Claremont, Calif., grabbed his 40th national event career win as he ran down fellow California racer Steve Gasparrelli of West Covina, Calif., in the final of Top Alcohol Funny Car. Payne had his work cut out for him with close races in every round including a 1st round match up with Mark Billington with Payne running a 5.622 to Billington’s 5.644.
Gasparrelli took the early lead in the final with a starting line advantage but Payne moved ahead by half-track and stayed there for the win, 5.631, 260.06 to Gasparrelli’s 5.652, 259.26.
A pair of Texas won trophies for the home state with Hagen Gary winning in Stock and Rob McKinley Jr. in Top Dragster. Gary, Pearland, Texas, beat Britt Cummings, Hammond, La., in his ’70 Plymouth and McKinley, Conroe, Texas, beat Todd Schumert, La Place, La. McKinley clocked in at 6.303 seconds at 220.69 mph to Schumert’s 6.654, 203.68.
Cummings missed out on the double-up but would not be denied the winner’s trophy as he came right back to beat Shannon Brinkley in the Super Comp class running 8.920 on the 8.90 dial in. Brinkley, Highlands, Texas, got the holeshot but ran too quick with an 8.898 second pass.
Doug Baumgardner, Wichita, Kan., and Luck Bogacki, Carterville, Ill., rounded out the winners. Baumgardner ousted Gary Emmons, Friendswood, Texas, in Super Stock with his ’69 Camaro and Bogacki beat Jeff Lopez, Bedford, Texas, in a match-up of ’63 Corvettes.
The following are the final results from the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries at Royal Purple Raceway:
Top Alcohol Dragster -- Jim Whiteley, 5.264, 273.77 def. Duane Shields, 5.380, 268.97.
Top Alcohol Funny Car -- Jay Payne, Ford Mustang, 5.631, 260.06 def. Steve Gasparrelli, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.652, 259.26.
Super Stock -- Doug Baumgardner, Chevy Camaro, 9.468, 134.36 def. Gary Emmons, Pontiac Firebird, 10.005, 126.21.
Stock Eliminator -- Hagen Gary, Pontiac GTX, 10.132, 128.79 def. Britt Cummings, Chevy Corvette, 10.503, 126.00.
Super Comp -- Britt Cummings, Dragster, 8.920, 164.85 def. Shannon Brinkley, Dragster, 8.898, 167.97.
Super Gas -- Luke Bogacki, Chevy Corvette, 9.918, 144.41 def. Jeff Lopez, Corvette, 9.878, 152.68.
Top Dragster -- Rob McKinley, Dragster, 6.303, 220.69 def. Todd Schumert, Dragster, 6.654, 203.68.
