REICHERT, MANZO LEAD WINNERS IN BOWLING GREEN
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Bill Reichert and Frank Manzo led all winners this weekend at Beech Bend Raceway Park and the NHRA North Central Division Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. Reichert, the reigning national champion and defending event champion from Owosso, Mich., led the field in qualifying and grabbed his fourth win of the year in defeating Richard Putz, Earlville, Iowa, with a lap of 5.367 seconds at 262.18 mph. Putz, the No. 2 qualifier, ran quicker each round with a 5.459, 258.96 pass in the final.
It was a monster match up in the Top Alcohol Funny Car final as Manzo, Morganville, N.J., faced off with Tony Bartone. Manzo has dominated the class for a number of years but is locked in a battle for the National Championship this year with Bartone, Long Island City, N.Y. The two have 17 wins (national and divisional) between them this year with this being Manzo’s seventh. The two qualified 1 and 2, and advancing to the final where Manzo outran Bartone with a 5.593, 259.26 to a 5.668, 259.16.
David Rampy and Bo Butner each took home trophies from Beech Bend as Rampy won for the fifth time this year in Comp Eliminator and Butner for the second in Stock. Rampy, Piedmont, Ala., beat Mike Farrell, Louisville, Ky., in a battle of ’32 roadsters and Butner, Floyd Knobs, Ind., went 9.602 seconds in his ’10 Mustang in defeating Mark Poole, Hendersonville, Tenn.
A pair of home state racers battled for Super Street bragging rights with Adam Cline, Franklin, Ky., taking out Roundhill, Ky., racer Terry Tarrance while Mike Walter, Paris, Ohio, stopped Rampy from scoring a second win as Walter went 10.726 seconds for the win in Super Stock.
The Spitzer Race Cars Top Dragster title went to John Strassweg, Evansville, Ind., who upended Indianapolis’ Troy Galbraith with a 6.703 second, 196.39 mph run and Ricky Adkins, Milan, Mich., got the nod in Top Sportsman over Mike Coughlin, Delaware, Ohio.
The final trophies went to Luke Bogacki, Cedarville, Ill., in Super Comp and Ray Connolly, Elyria, Ohio, in Super Gas. Bogacki defended his event title from a year ago in beating Tyler Caheely, Rock Spring, Ga., while Connolly knocked out Rusty Cook, Cynthiana, Ky., just about two hours after his son Dave won the Lucas Oil Super Street class at the NHRA Southeast Lucas Oil event in Charlotte, N.C.
North Central Division racers will join racers from all across the county as they head to Indianapolis and Lucas Oil Raceway for the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals. The biggest event on the NHRA circuit kicks off this week on Wednesday, August 31 and runs through Monday, September 5 with nearly 800 racers expected to compete.
The following are the final results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Beech Bend Raceway Park:
TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER:
Round 1
4) Dave Hirata, Lowell, Ind., 5.517, 259.86 def. 5) Mike Kosky, Cuddy, Pa., 5.774, 197.86
3) Marty Thacker, Robinson, Ill., 5.475, 261.83 def. 6) Brandon Booher, Urbana, Ill., 5.582, 243.41
2) Richard Putz, Earlville, Iowa, 5.491, 256.65 def. 7) Brian Mans, Godfrey, Ill., broke
1) Bill Reichert, Owosso, Mich., 5.361, 261.32 def. 8) Robin Samsel, Marion, Ind., 5.685, 246.39
Semifinals
Putz, 5.467, 259.36 def. Thacker, 10.838, 92.45
Reichert, 5.368, 261.12 def. Hirata, 5.451, 262.03
Final
Reichert, 5.367, 262.18 def. Putz, 5.459, 258.96
TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR:
Round 1
1) Frank Manzo, Morganville, N.J., '10 Monte Carlo, 5.607, 258.62 def. 8) Brent Henry, Breckenridge, Colo., '11 Monte Carlo, 5.735, 252.85
2) Tony Bartone, Long Island City, N.Y., '09 Mustang, 5.632, 257.78 def. 7) Brian Harvanek, Cheswick, Pa., '02 Camaro, 5.829, 247.93
3) Andy Bohl, Racine, Wis., '09 Mustang, 5.657, 255.19 def. 6) Thomas Carter, Victoria, Texas, '09 Mustang, 5.766, 251.58
4) Chris Foster, Davenport, Iowa, '11 Mustang, 5.809, 249.95 def. 5) Fred Hagen, Des Plaines, Ill., '10 Mustang, 7.016, 144.61
Semifinals
Manzo, 5.626, 258.17 def. Foster, 5.718, 252.95; Bartone, 5.640, 256.36 def. Bohl, 5.710, 253.33;
Final
Manzo, 5.593, 259.26 def. Bartone, 5.668, 259.16.
COMP ELIMINATOR
David Rampy, Piedmont, Ala., '32 Bantam, A/EA, 7.416, 147.67 def. Mike Farrell, Louisville, Ky., '32 roadster, A/EA, foul
SUPER STOCK
Mike Walter, Paris, Ohio, '92 Firebird, GT/JA, 10.726, 123.62 def. David Rampy, Piedmont, Ala., '89 Camaro, GT/HA, 10.308, 123.94
STOCK ELIMINATOR
Bo Butner, Floyds Knobs, Ind., '10 Mustang, AA/SA, 9.602, 128.59 def. Mark Poole, Hendersonville, Tenn., '69 Barracuda, F/SA, 11.032, 118.38
SUPER COMP
Luke Bogacki, Cedarville, Ill., dragster, 8.846, 178.02 def. Tyler Caheely, Rock Spring, Ga., dragster, foul
SUPER GAS
Ray Connolly, Elyria, Ohio, '63 Corvette, 9.915, 164.39 def. Rusty Cook, Cynthiana, Ky., '99 Corvette, 9.924, 165.54
SUPER STREET
Adam Cline, Franklin, Ky., '78 Malibu, 10.912, 137.43 def. Terry Tarrance, Roundhill, Ky., '70 Nova, 10.878, 125.61
TOP SPORTSMAN
Ricky Adkins, Milan, Mich., '37 Chevy, 7.147, 189.73 def. Mike Coughlin, Delaware, Ohio, '06 Cobalt, 6.826, 198.70
TOP DRAGSTER
John Strassweg, Evansville, Ind., dragster, 6.703, 196.39 def. Troy Galbraith, Indianapolis, dragster, 6.805, 195.05
COMP ELIMINATOR SHOOTOUT
Chuck Haubiel, Gahanna, Ohio, '09 Cobalt, C/SM, 8.180, 163.55 def. Brian Browell, Lafayette, Ind., dragster, D/D,
7.289, 180.07
SUPER COMP SHOOTOUT
Vince Nannini, Lake Bluff, Ill., dragster, 8.916, 169.49 def. Dave Dahlem, Tremont, Ill., dragster, 8.899, 166.07
SUPER GAS SHOOTOUT
Larry Bernshausen, Manito, Ill., '77 Vega Wagon, 9.916, 147.50 def. Corinne MacMillan, Ajax, Ont., '68 Camaro, 9.931, 161.25
SUPER STREET SHOOTOUT
Louis Murray, Eureka, Mo., '73 Camaro, 10.866, 150.11 def. Alex Miller, Mansfield, Ohio, '80 Camaro, 10.854, 144.36
