REICHERT, MANZO CONTINUE MAPLE GROVE DOMINANCE
READING, Pa. – Many-time world champions Bill Reichert and Frank Manzo won the Eastern regional Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Maple Grove Raceway, each for the fourth time in five years. Reichert edged reigning event and world champ Duane Shields in a photo-finish final in Top Alcohol Dragster, 5.452 to 5.457, and Manzo stopped old rival Paul Gill in a trouble-plagued Top Alcohol Funny Car final, 5.83 to 6.07.
Reichert, who also won this race in 2008, 2009, and 2010, edged Shields in perhaps the best round of any race in any class all year. Shields moved first by a thousandth of a second, .050 to .051, and Reichert was quicker by five-thousandths, 5.452 to 5.457, for a four-thousandths margin of victory.
Reichert qualified just sixth in the field and drew the hottest driver in the country, Topeka winner Rich McPhillips, in the first round but advanced with a 5.49 when McPhillips launched into a wheelstand, smoked the tires upon his return to earth, and shut off. In the semifinals, Reichert took out former Division 1 champ John Finke, 5.42 to 5.57.
Shields, who defeated Dan Mercier in last year's final, won a close one over Dan Page in the first round, 5.42 to 5.45, and topped surprise No. 1 qualifier Richard Bourke, who qualified on top for the first time in seven years, in the semi's, 5.40 to 5.55.
In Top Alcohol Funny Car, Manzo made the two quickest runs of the event in qualifying, back-to-back 5.61s, but, like everyone else, struggled with the conditions in eliminations. Following a consistent 5.65 in the first round against Fred Tigges, Manzo shut down to a 9-second time in the semifinals but advanced when recent Norwalk runner-up John Anderika's car refused to go into reverse after the burnout.
"There was nothing wrong with the track," said Manzo, who has won the Maple Grove event 19 times – more than any driver in any class at any race in Lucas Oil Series history. "Right now, I just have no window with the clutch, period. If I leave 50 rpm different from the run before, it doesn't go. I don't know what the problem is. It was fine in testing and stable in the first round, but whatever's been wrong with this car all year is still wrong."
Gill had the most consistent car all weekend. He was the only driver other than Manzo to run in the 5.60s, with a 5.64 and a 5.67 in qualifying and another 5.64 and another 5.67 in eliminations. His 5.67 in the opening round took out 2012 Jegs Allstars rep Eric Lourie, who shut off, and a 5.64 (low e.t. of eliminations) in the semi's dropped Dan Pomponio's 5.90.
In the final, anything close to what he'd been running would have been enough to take out the vulnerable Manzo, but Gill had even bigger problems and slipped to a 6.07 at just 206 mph.
"I was lucky," Manzo admitted. "I had to pedal it twice. As soon as the car started shaking, I thought I was done because Paul hadn't made a bad run all weekend. I figured he'd run a 5.62 or another .64, but he never came around me."
Another pair of champions made trips to the winner’s circle as former Comp Elimination Lucas Oil National Champion Frank Aragona Jr., Freehold, N.J., wheeled his dragster to the win over Sal Biondo and reigning Stock champion Joe Santangelo, Marlborough, Conn., took home the win in Super Stock.
Super Gas and Super Comp saw father and son win as Jason Kenney, Kutztown, Pa., beat Lance Krieger in his ’03 Super Gas Corvette to join his father Al who took the Super Comp title. Jason won a close one over Krieger (9.913 to 9.934) as was Al’s who defeated Frank DiBartolomeo, Beaver Springs, Pa.
Other winner’s this weekend at Maple Grove Raceway were Wallace Dent, Charlotte Hall, Md., in Stock Eliminator; Joseph Rodack, Philadelphia, in Super Street; Ryan Ondrejko, Roslindale, Mass., in Top Sportsman and Bill Russell, Chester, Mass., in Top Dragster.
Northeast Division racers head to Old Bridge Township Raceway Park this weekend to meet up with the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series before heading to Lebanon Valley Dragway, for the next NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event, June 22-24.
The following are the final results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Maple Grove Raceway:
TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER:
Round 1
2) John Finke, Selkirk, N.Y., 5.462, 249.72 def. 7) Mike Kosky, Cuddy, Pa., broke
1) Richard Bourke, Old Tappan, N.J., 5.434, 261.93 def. 8) Dan Mercier, LaPrairie, Quebec, 5.520, 253.14
5) Duane Shields, Boulder City, Nev., 5.427, 268.60 def. 4) Dan Page, Hampstead, N.H., 5.455, 264.08
6) Bill Reichert, Owosso, Mich., 5.490, 256.80 def. 3) Rich McPhillips, Phoenixville, Pa., broke
Semifinals
Shields, 5.407, 268.60 def. Bourke, 5.555, 253.75
Reichert, 5.429, 255.58 def. Finke, 5.577, 255.39
Final
Reichert, 5.452, 259.71 def. Shields, 5.457, 265.01
TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR:
Round 1
4) John Anderika, Wyoming, Pa., '06 Monte Carlo, 5.854, 242.32 def. 5) DJ Cox Jr., Whiteford, Md., '09 Monte Carlo, 14.177, 73.16
2) Paul Gill, Brockton, Mass., '09 Mustang, 5.675, 254.52 def. 7) Eric Lourie, Terryville, Conn., '02 Camaro, 33.374, 56.87
6) Dan Pomponio, Berlin, N.J., '06 Monte Carlo, 5.774, 250.88 def. 3) Todd Veney, Indianapolis, '10 Impala SS, 5.872, 234.70
1) Frank Manzo, Morganville, N.J., '06 Monte Carlo, 5.652, 256.70 def. 8) Fred Tigges, Holbrook, Mass., '01 Avenger, foul
Semifinals
Gill, 5.648, 254.47 def. Pomponio, 5.908, 250.78
Manzo, 9.680, 89.22 def. Anderika, broke
Final
Manzo, 5.833, 254.09 def. Gill, 6.074, 206.67
SUPER STOCK
Joe Santangelo, Marlborough, Conn., '89 Camaro, GT/GA, 10.515, 112.14 def. Brian Martel, Magnolia, Del., '09 Cobalt, SS/BS, foul
COMP ELIMINATOR
Frank Aragona, Freehold, N.J., dragster, F/ED, 8.660, 118.49 def. Sal Biondo, Middle Village, N.Y., '07 Cavalier, D/EA, foul
STOCK ELIMINATOR
Wallace Dent, Charlotte Hall, Md., '98 Camaro, C/SA, 10.627, 124.18 def. Jeffrey Jewell, Bangor, Pa., '00 Trans Am, B/SA, 10.562, 124.38
SUPER GAS
Jason Kenny, Kutztown, Pa., '03 Corvette, 9.913, 159.38 def. Lance Krieger, Dover, Pa., '04 Corvette, 9.934, 159.34
SUPER COMP
Al Kenny, Kingston, Ont., dragster, 8.896, 183.89 def. Franklin Di Bartolomeo, Beaver Springs, Pa., dragster, 8.896, 168.72
SUPER STREET
Joseph Rodack, Philadelphia, '72 Nova, 10.955, 116.38 def. Don Garbinski, Philadelphia, '71 Challenger, 10.889, 133.00
TOP SPORTSMAN
Ryan Ondrejko, Roslindale, Mass., '12 Camaro, 7.114, 186.30 def. Paul Bochon, Clarks Summitt, Pa., '57 Chevy, 7.721, 175.91
TOP DRAGSTER
Bill Russell, Chester, Mass., dragster, 6.882, 195.03 def. Warren Heaps, Ashland, Mass., dragster, foul
