DELAYED NHRA LUCAS OIL DRAG RACING SERIES EVENT FINISH WORTH THE WAIT AT
EDGEWATER SPORTS PARK

        

CLEVES, Ohio - NHRA North Central Division racers returned to Edgewater Sports Park today to complete the event that was postponed last week after timing equipment was damaged by a lightning strike.  The final round featured another battle between Top Alcohol Funny Car (TAFC) veterans Chuck Cheeseman and Marc White, while in Top Alcohol Dragster (TAD), Ken Perry and Russ Lindert each made their second final-round appearance of the season.
        

   Cheeseman, of Galena, Ohio, won his third event of the year, beating White in an extremely close race.  Cheeseman's 6.015-second, 243.11 mph run was enough to get around White's 6.063-second, 240.77 mph effort. White still leads Cheeseman in the divisional point standings, but the win
put Cheeseman on the team that will represent the North Central Division at the Jeg's Allstar race at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill., in September.

        TAD pilot Lindert, who hails from Manteno, Ill., won his first race of the year with a 5.653-second, 251.39 mph lap.  He beat out Toronto, Ont., resident Ken Perry, who ran 5.675 seconds at 247.93 mph.  Lindert was the runner-up at Lucas Oil event at Route 66 Raceway, while Perry won the
race at Indianapolis Raceway Park in Indiana.
        

     Joining Cheeseman and Lindert in the Winner's Circle were Jack Slagle of Reynoldsburg, Ohio in Comp Eliminator; Michael Beachy of Kokomo, Ind., in Super Stock; Tim Garrison of Benton Harbor, Mich., in Super Gas; and Don Trebel of Sunman, Ind., in Super Street.  In Super Comp, Anderson, Ind., resident Mitch Smith beat Jeff Strickland of Red Bay, Ala., who took the win in Stock.

        NHRA North Central Division racers head to Beech Bend Raceway in Bowling Green, Ky., for the next NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event, Aug. 23-25.


        The following are the first round results for TAD and TAFC from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Edgewater Sports Park:

TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER
First Round (from Aug. 4, 2002)
1) Russ Lindert, Manteno, Ill., 5.705 seconds, 248.82 mph def. 8) Jared Dreher, Clinton, Ind., 7.086, 140.86
2) Ken Perry, Toronto, Ont., 5.963, 202.47 def. 7) Ben Marshall, Tipp City, Ohio, 6.048, 240.19
6) Dave Hirata, Lowell, Ind., 5.729, 250.83 def. 3) Mick Snyder, Demotte, Ind., 5.792, 243.90
5) Gary Ward, Cincinnati, 5.764, 242.52 def. 4) Jeff Wilson, Winfield, Mo., 6.378, 196.59

Semifinal Round
Perry, 5.755, 238.66 def. Hirata, 5.956, 243.24
Lindert, 5.687, 251.95 def. Ward, 12.614, 64.70

Final Round
Lindert, 5.653, 251.39 def. Perry, 5.675, 247.93

TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR
First Round (from Aug. 4, 2002)
1) Chuck Cheeseman, Galena, Ohio, '01 Firebird, 6.100 seconds, 239.42 mph def. 8) BYE
2) Marc White, Glendale Hts., Ill., '01 Firebird, 6.061, 235.17 def. 7) Drew Tarr, Louisville, Ky., '98 Pontiac, 6.636, 208.81
3) Kim Fritts, Greenup, Ill., '98 Firebird, 6.111, 236.40 def. 6) Tony Bogolo, Hamilton, Ohio, '99 Mustang, 6.492, 212.81
5) James Spencer, Lawrenceburg, Ind., '00 Trans Am, 6.628, 203.20 def. 4) John Reikas, Glendale Hts., Ill., '97 Camaro, 6.732, 208.18

Semifinal Round
White, 5.963, 244.83 def. Fritts, 7.705, 107.19
Cheeseman, 5.897, 246.64 def. Spencer, 6.858, 175.69

Final Round
Cheeseman, 6.015, 243.11 def. White, 6.063, 240.77

COMP ELIMINATOR
Jack Slagle, Reynoldsburg, Ohio, '98 Grand Am, D/SMA, 8.874, 152.69 def. Mike Farrell, Louisville, Ky., '32 roadster, A/EA, 7.599, 175.06

SUPER STOCK
Michael Beachy, Kokomo, Ind., '82 Firebird, GT/CA, 9.820, 132.13 def. J.R. Lambert, Louisville, Ky., '69 Camaro, SS/HA, 9.927, 131.50

STOCK
Jeff Strickland, Red Bay, Ala., '95 Camaro, F/SA, 11.546, 108.74 def. Phil Pierce, New Carlisle, Ohio, '95 Ram 150, GT/SA, 12.731, 99.87

SUPER COMP
Mitch Smith, Anderson, Ind., '00 dragster, 8.936, 176.40 def. Jeff Strickland, Red Bay, Ala., '02 dragster, 9.141, 127.49

SUPER GAS
Tim Garrison, Benton Harbor, Mich., '86 Dodge, 9.906, 144.18 (.414 reaction time) def. Marlin Snyder, Avon, Ind., '27 roadster, 9.902, 149.32 (.422 reaction time)

SUPER STREET
Don Trabel, Sunman, Ind., '71 Vega, 10.958, 129.18 def. Randy Jones, Mt. Gilead, Ohio, '79 Omni, 10.962, 123.74