MOTHER NATURE DEALS NHRA NORTH CENTRAL DIVISION ANOTHER BLOW

        CLEVES, Ohio - Eliminations in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Edgewater Sports Park were postponed Sunday after an electrical storm knocked out the timing system.  The event will resume Saturday, Aug. 10.  According to NHRA North Central Division Director Jay
Hullinger, competitors who are still in competition will get one time trial next week before going back into eliminations.

"A wild storm moved through here earlier in the afternoon, complete with rain, wind and lightning.  After we had the track dried and ready to go, we discovered the timing system had been damaged," said Hullinger.  "We tried everything we could think of to getting going again and even brought in
some parts but, unfortunately, we couldn't fix it today."

Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car had run first round of eliminations while racers in Comp Eliminator, Super Stock, Stock, Super Comp, and Super Gas had completed two rounds.  Super Street running the second round of eliminations when the storm hit.

This is the third North Central Division event to be affected by the weather.  The first two races, at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill., and at Indianapolis Raceway Park in Indianapolis, had to be postponed earlier in the season.  When the race at Mid-Michigan Motorplex in Stanton, Mich., finished on schedule, it seemed that things were looking up for the
division.