LAS VEGAS – Nearly 400 of the best racers from the western United States converged on The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend for the JEGS NHRA Pacific SPORTSnationals presented by K&N Filters, where nine champions were crowned today in a winner’s circle celebration.
Alan Ellis, of Mapleton, Utah, earned the Comp eliminator win and trophy, combining a perfect reaction time with a lap of 6.670 seconds at 202.76 mph to run down former NHRA Lucas Oil national champion Dean Carter, of Glendale, Ariz., and his front-engine dragster.
Gregg Luneack and Leo Glasbrenner each scored trophies on Saturday during class eliminations and came back today to take the event wins in Super Stock and Stock, respectively. Luneack, of Vista, Calif., put his ’65 Nova wagon in the winner’s circle, taking the starting-line advantage and a lap of 10.828 at 110.50 to beat Tibor Kadar, of Peoria, Ariz. Glasbrenner, of Chino, Calif., qualified third in his ’68 Firebird and took out Casey Plaizier, of Edmonton, Alta., in the final.
Pahrump, Nev., resident Gary Reust ran down Al Alguire, of Las Vegas, for the Super Street title in 11.065 seconds at 131.72 mph in his ’55 Bel Air. Alguire clocked in at 11.087 at 149.41 in his ’68 Barracuda.
The Top Sportsman crown went to Daryl Hemley, of Burley, Wash., and Art Hoover won in the Hughes Performance Top Dragster category. Hemley covered the quarter-mile in 7.579 at 182.16, ousting Chris Newman, of Lancaster, Calif., with a 7.056, 197.16. Hoover, of Concord, Calif., overcame the starting-line advantage of Tom Pappas, of Roseburg, Ore., with a lap of 6.845 at 192 to Pappas’ 7.185, 186.33
Pappas also advanced to the final in Super Comp to meet up with Aaron Kinard, who also went deep into eliminations in two classes, Super Comp and Super Gas. Pappas left early with a red-light foul start, giving the win to Kinard, of San Marcos, Calif. Kinard lost in the semifinals of Super Gas, with Eddy Plaizier, Casey’s dad, taking home the win to Edmonton. Eddy’s daughter Frankie Giroux is the crew chief for both Eddy and Casey’s cars.
Dakota Sun captured the win in Sportsman Motorcycle presented by Harley-Davidson for his first national event win. Sun, of La Mirada, Calif., went 9.270 seconds at 146.83 mph on his ’09 Kawasaki to Las Vegas resident Dave Phillips' 8.991, 143.67.
Special awards went to Stefan Kondolay for Best Engineered Car, driving a ’69 Lemans built and owned by Shane Molinari; Doug Watts, of Syracuse, Utah, for Best Appearing Crew; and Al Aguirre and his ’68 Barracuda for Best Appearing Car.
The following are the final results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series JEGS NHRA Pacific SPORTSnationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:
COMP
Alan Ellis, Mapleton, Utah, ’23 Ford, 6.670, 202.76 def.
Dean Carter, Glendale, Ariz., ’06 dragster, 7.231, 173.29
SUPER STOCK
Gregg Luneack, Vista, Calif., ’65 Nova wagon, 10.828, 110.50 def.,
Tibor Kadar, Peoria, Ariz., ’02 Camaro, 8.964, 150.53
STOCK
Leo Glasbrenner, Chino, Calif., ’68 Firebird, 10.850, 117.36 def.
Casey, Plaizier, Edmonton, Alta., ’96 Firebird, 10.871, 117.63
SUPER COMP
Aaron Kinard, San Marcos, Calif., ’08 dragster, 9.275, 139.65,
Tom Pappas, Roseburg, Ore., ’05 dragster, 9.046, 165.54 foul
SUPER GAS
Eddy Plaizier, Edmonton, Alta., ’63 Corvette, 14.126, 69.47 def.
Ashley Warn, Danville, Calif., ’03 S-10, 10.092, 157.43 foul
SUPER STREET
Gary Reust, Pahrump, Nev., ’55 Belair, 11.065, 131.72, def.
Al Alguire, Las Vegas, ’68 Barracuda, 11.087, 149.41
TOP SPORTSMAN
Daryl Hemley, Burley, Wash., ’02 Cavalier, 7.579, 182.16 def.
Chris Newman, Lancaster, Calif., ’08 Cobalt, 7.056, 197.16
TOP DRAGSTER
Art Hoover, Concord, Calif., ’12 dragster, 6.845, 192.00 def.
Tom Pappas, Roseburg, Ore., ’07 dragster, 7.185, 186.33
SPORTSMAN MOTORCYCLE
Dakota Sun, La Mirada, Calif., ’09 Kawasaki, 9.270, 146.83 def.
Dave Phillips, Las Vegas, ’77 Kawasaki, 8.991, 143.67
Saturday
LAS VEGAS – Ross Wilson jumped to the top of the Comp Eliminator field to lead final qualifying for nearly 400 racers at this weekend’s NHRA JEGS Pacific SPORTSnationals presented by K&N at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Wilson, Alta Loma, Calif., put his ’05 Sunfire on top with a lap of 8.261 seconds, 0.629 under the index with Brandon Huhtala and Bo Butner taking the second and third spots respectively.
A pair of local racers are on top as Robert Cruzen, Las Vegas, held on to the No. 1 spot in Super Stock and Dave Phillips leads the Sportsman Motorcycle presented by Harley Davidson class. Cruzen went 9.268 seconds in his ’06 Cobalt followed by Byron Setters, Red Deer, Alb., and his ’09 Pontiac G5. Phillips, Las Vegas, cut a 0.005 second reaction time for the No., 1 spot on his ’77 Kawasaki.
Barry Daniluk and Michael Kile remained on top in the Top Sportsman and Top Dragster classes. Daniluk went 215.20 mph in his ’68 Camaro in 6.466 seconds while Kile posted the quickest time and top speed of the event at 6.050, 227.27.
Andrew Durham, Arcadia, Calif., jumped ahead of Butner in Stock with a lap of 9.663, 1.117 under the index in his ’11 Challenger. Butner was second in his ’12 Mustang and Leo Glasbrenner third in his ’68 Firebird.
Day two for the JEGS Pacific SPORTSnationals also featured action in a number of specialty events including Class Eliminations for Stock and Super Stock, and “shootout” eliminations for many of the other classes in competition. The Stock/Super Stock racing crowned 30 individual champions while Art Hoover led the shootout winners in the Top Sportsman/Top Dragster combo.
Hoover, Concord, Calif., beat Dave Zewe, Las Vegas, who went red at the start as Concord cruised to an 8.22 second lap at 112.90 mph.
Las Vegas racer Gary Oaks took the trophy in the Sportsman Motorcycle class and Ryan Heren was near perfect in the Super Gas Shootout final with a .007 reaction time and a pass of 10.054 on the 10.05 dial.
Mike Blodgett and Steve Parsons grabbed the final two trophies of the night in Super Street and Super Comp respectively. Blodgett went 11.08 seconds with a .012 reaction time. Parsons was 10.98 after Robert Naber left early with a red-light foul start.
The following are the final qualifying results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series JEGS Pacific SPORTSnationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:
COMP ELIMINATOR
1) Ross Wilson, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., '05 Sunfire, C/SM, 8.261 seconds, -0.629 (under index)
2) Brandon Huhtala, Puyallup, Wash., '10 GXP, C/A, 7.408, -0.622
3) Bo Butner, Floyds Knobs, Ind., '10 Cobalt, E/SM, 8.589, -0.621
4) Adam Bowdish, Oregon City, Ore., '05 Cavalier, B/SMA, 8.082, -0.618
5) Randy Jones, Monarch Beach, Calif., '01 S-10, C/TA, 8.569, -0.611
6) Clint Sallee, Glendive, Mont., dragster, B/D, 6.734, -0.586
7) Doug Lambeck, Northridge, Calif., '06 Sunfire, D/SMA, 8.497, -0.583
8) Alan Ellis, Mapleton, Utah, '23 roadster, A/AA, 6.608, -0.572
9) Dean Carter, Glendale, Ariz., dragster, B/ND, 7.031, -0.569
10) John Edwards, La Verne, Calif., '99 Neon, C/AA, 7.442, -0.568
SUPER STOCK
1) Robert Cruzen, Las Vegas, '06 Cobalt, GT/AA, 9.268 seconds, -1.002 (under index)
2) Byron Setters, Red Deer, Alb., '09 G5, GT/CA, 9.597, -0.983
3) Randy Jones, Monarch Beach, Calif., '05 Cavalier, SS/AM, 8.191, -0.969
4) Eric Bell, Chandler, Ariz., '70 Challenger, SS/FA, 9.683, -0.947
5) Don Kennedy, Mesa, Ariz., '05 Sunfire, GT/AA, 9.340, -0.930
6) Bobby Dennis, Shorter, Ala., '90 Calais, GT/LA, 10.838, -0.912
7) Dan Mason, San Clemente, Calif., '85 Camaro, GT/AA, 9.360, -0.910
8) Mike Cotten, Broken Arrow, Okla., '70 Barracuda, SS/JA, 10.283, -0.907
9) Darren Smith, Palmdale, Calif., '68 Dart, SS/FA, 9.747, -0.883
10) Eddie Leabo, Alta Loma, Calif., '02 Firebird, GT/HA, 10.384, -0.856
STOCK ELIMINATOR
1) Andrew Durham, Arcadia, Calif., '11 Challenger, CC/SA, 9.663 seconds, -1.117 (under index)
2) Bo Butner, Floyds Knobs, Ind., '12 Mustang, BB/SA, 9.378, -1.102
3) Leo Glasbrenner, Chino, Calif., '68 Firebird, D/SA, 10.684, -1.066
4) Paul Wong, Las Vegas, '86 C-10, U/S, 13.914, -0.986
5) Bob Gullett, Calgary, Alb., '68 Nova, G/S, 11.140, -0.970
6) John Cooper, LaPorte, Colo., '67 Fairlane, B/SA, 10.497, -0.943
7) Eric Mageary, Cottonwood, Ariz., '88 Mustang, K/S, 11.841, -0.929
8) Jim Durham, Storyford, Calif., '72 Duster, E/SA, 10.971, -0.929
9) Randi Lyn Shipp, Floyds Knobs, Ind., '10 Challenger, D/SA, 10.822, -0.928
10) Don Forester, Riverside, Calif., '80 Cutlass, I/SA, 11.603, -0.907
TOP SPORTSMAN
1) Barry Daniluk, Red Deer, Alb., '68 Camaro, 6.466 seconds, 215.20 mph
2) Gary Ross, Trabuco Canyon, Calif., '05 Grand Am, 6.804, 204.05
3) Jeremiah Heber, Centenial, Colo., '06 Ford, 6.908, 200.77
4) Chris Newman, Landcaster, Calif., '08 Cobalt, 7.009, 198.20
5) Joe Roubicek, Westlake Village, Calif., '68 Camaro, 7.010, 195.53
6) Raul Perez, La Mirada, Calif., '05 Grand Am, 7.011, 197.39
7) Monte Green, Haxtun, Colo., '95 Probe, 7.045, 194.80
8) Jeff Gillette, Benicia, Calif., '96 Trans Am, 7.068, 195.76
9) David Cook, Novato, Calif., '03 Mustang, 7.085, 193.38
10) Doug Watts, Syracuse, Utah, '08 GTO, 7.099, 193.13
TOP DRAGSTER
1) Michael Kile, Westlake, La., dragster, 6.050 seconds, 227.27 mph
2) Denny Hills, Gilbert, Ariz., dragster, 6.156, 220.12
3) Stephanie Crifasi, Henderson, Nev., dragster, 6.551, 206.04
4) Gary Campbell, Mesa, Ariz., dragster, 6.585, 216.06
5) Moe Trujillo, Happy Valley, Ore., dragster, 6.732, 201.10
6) Bob Ross, Pueblo, Colo., dragster, 6.760, 202.27
7) Art Hoover, Concord, Calif., dragster, 6.761, 198.64
8) Robert Button, Winters, Calif., dragster, 6.789, 200.68
9) Mera Silvia, Upland, Calif., dragster, 6.815, 199.67
10) George Nann, Novato, Calif., dragster, 6.845, 198.93
SPORTSMAN MOTORCYCLE PRESENTED BY HARLEY DAVIDSON
1) Dave Phillips, Las Vegas, '77 Kawasaki, SMC, 0.005 seconds reaction time
2) Tom Medlin, La Mirada, Calif., '93 Suzuki, SMC, 0.006
3) Jay Thompson, Phoenix, '73 Kawasaki, SMC, 0.007
4) Doug Schumann, Hesperia, Calif., '04 Suzuki, SMC, 0.013
5) Mike Burkhart, Huntington Beach, Calif., '07 Hayabusa, SMC, 0.014
6) Aaron Pine, La Mirada, Calif., '94 ZX14, SMC, 0.016
7) Dennis Sacco, N. Las Vegas, '05 H-D, SMC, 0.018
8) Michael Vattioni, Visalio, Calif., '06 ZX14, SMC, 0.018
9) TJ Crocker, Henderson, Nev., '05 Hyabusa, SMC, 0.020
10) Brian King, Henderson, Nev., '98 Yamaha, SMC, 0.020
Friday
LAS VEGAS – Bo Butner made the haul out from Floyds Knobs, Ind., and is qualified No. 1 in both Comp eliminator and Stock eliminator after day one of the JEGS NHRA Pacific SPORTSnationals presented by K&N Filters at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Bunter qualified his ’12 Mustang on top of the Stock field with a lap of 9.386 seconds, 1.094 seconds under the index, then came back in his ’10 Cobalt to take the top spot in Comp eliminator at 8.589, .621 under his index. The former NHRA Lucas Oil national champion is followed Andrew Durham, of Arcadia, Calif., and Paul Wong, of Las Vegas, in Stock and Adam Bowdish, of Oregon City, Ore., and Randy Jones, of Monarch Beach, Calif., in Comp.
Jones is also pulling double duty and qualified second in Super Stock with his ’05 Cavalier, with Las Vegas resident Robert Cruzen jumping to the top of the class with a 9.268-second lap, 1.002 seconds under his index in his ’06 Cobalt.
In the NHRA Pacific Division Hughes Performance Top Dragster class, Michael Kile, of Westlake, La., leads the pack, running 6.201 seconds at 221.45 mph, with Denny Hills, of Gilbert, Ariz., and Stephanie Crifasi, of Henderson, Nev., securing the No. 2 and 3 spots, respectively.
Barry Daniluk rounds out the top qualifiers for day one after clocking in at 212.79 mph in 6.524 seconds in Top Sportsman with his ’68 Camaro. Gary Ross and Jeremiah Heber are second and third after two rounds of qualifying.
The following are the final results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series JEGS NHRA Pacific SPORTSnationals presented by K&N Filters at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:
COMP
1. Bo Bunter, Floyds Knobs, Ind., ’10 Cobalt, 8.589, -0.621
2. Adam Bowdish, Oregon City, Ore., ’05 Cavalier, 8.082, -0.618
3. Randy Jones, Monarch Beach, Calif., ’01 Chevy, 8.569, -0.611
4. Ross Wilson, Alta Loma, Calif., ’05 Sunfire, 8.301, -0.589
5. Clint Sallee, Glendive, Mont., ’11 dragster, 6.734, -0.586
6. Dean Carter, Glendale, Ariz., ’06 dragster, 7.031, -0.569
7. Doug Lambeck, Northridge, Calif., ’06 Pontiac, 8.523, -0.557
8. Brian Fitzpatrick, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., ’98 dragster, 6.394, -0556
9. Tom Mettler, Bakersfield, Calif., ’01 Dakota, 7.783, -0.547
10. Alan Ellis, Mapleton, Utah, ’23 Ford, 6.641, -0.539
SUPER STOCK
1. Robert Cruzen, Las Vegas, ’06 Cobalt, 9.268, -1.002
2. Randy Jones, Monarch Beach, Calif., ’05 Cavalier, 8.191, -0.969
3. Eric Bell, Chandler, Ariz., ’70 Challenger, 9.683, -0.947
4. Byron Setters, Red Deer, Alta., ’09 Pontiac, 9.644, -0.936
5. Don Kennedy, Mesa, Ariz., ’05 Sunfire, 9.346, -0.924
6. Bobby Dennis, Shorter, Ala., ’90 Calais, 10.838, -0.912
7. Mike Cotton, Broken Arrow, Okla., ’70 Barracuda, 10.283, -0.907
8. Darren Smith, Palmdale, Calif., ’68 Dart, 9.773, -0.857
9. Ken Etter, Riverside, Calif., ’93 Shadow, 10.569, -0.821
10. Tibor Kadar, Peoria, Ariz., ’02 Camaro, 8.958, -0.812
STOCK
1. Bo Butner, Floyds Knobs, Ind., ’12 Mustang, 9.386, -1.094
2. Andrew Durham, Arcadia, Calif., ’11 Challenger, 9.697, -1.083
3. Paul Wong, Las Vegas, ’65 Belvedere, 13.914, -0.986
4. John Cooper, La Porte, Colo., ’67 Fairlane, 10.509, -0.931
5. Randi Lyn Shipp, Floyds Knobs, Ind., ’67 Firebird, 10.822, -0.928
6. Don Forester, Riverside, Calif., ’80 Cutlass, 11.610, -0.900
7. Eric Mageary, Cottonwood, Ariz., ’88 Mustang, 11.886, -0.884
8. Leo Glasbrenner, Chino, Calif., ’68 Firebird, 10.872, -0.878
9. Scott Burton, Golden, Colo., ’70 Formula, 10.569, -0.871
10. Bob Gullett, Calgary, Alta., ’68 Nova, 11.249, -0.861
TOP SPORTSMAN
1. Barry Daniluk, Red Deer, Alta., ’68 Camaro, 6.524, 212.79
2. Gary Ross, Tracugo Canyon, Calif., ’05 Grand Am, 6.870, 203.86
3. Jeremiah Heber, Centennial, Colo., ’06 Ford, 6.971, 200.56
4. Chris Newman, Lancaster, Calif., ’08 Cobalt, 7.009, 198.20
5. Raul Perez, La Mirada, Calif., ’05 Grand Am., 7.011, 197.36
6. Monte Green, Haxtun, Colo., ’95 Probe, 7.050, 194.16
7. David Cook, Novato, Calif., ’03 Mustang, 7.085, 193.38
8. Joe Roubicek, Westlake Village, Calif., ’68 Camaro, 7.087, 194.80
9. Doug Watts, Syracuse, Utah, ’08 GTO, 7.099, 193.13
10. Jeff Gillette, Benicia, Calif., ’96 Pontiac, 7.136, 193.63
TOP DRAGSTER
1. Michael Kile, Westlake, La., 6.201, 221.45
2. Denny Hills, Gilbert, Ariz., 6.208, 219.44
3. Stephanie Crifasi, Henderson, Nev., 6.551, 206.04
4. Gary Campbell, Mesa, Ariz., 6.612, 214.76
5. Moe Trujillo, Happy Valley, Ore., 6.744, 200.44
6. Bob Ross, Pueblo, Colo., 6.760, 201.43
7. Art Hoover, Concord, Calif., 6.765, 198.64
8. Robert Button, Winters, Calif., 6.789, 199.94
9. Mera Silvia, Upland, Calif., 6.815, 199.67
10. George Nann, Novato, Calif., 6.845, 198.70
Preview
LAS VEGAS — The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will play host to the 7th annual JEGS NHRA Pacific SPORTSnationals presented by K&N Filters. The popular program designed to showcase NHRA’s Sportsman racers is slated for Oct. 12-14, featuring drivers in six NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series categories who will vie for valuable points leading to divisional and national championships.
The JEGS NHRA Pacific SPORTSnationals boasts a guaranteed purse of nearly $65,000; competing classes include Comp, Super Stock, Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, and Super Street. The event will also include the popular Top Sportsman and Top Dragster categories as well as the Sportsman Motorcycle Series presented by Harley-Davidson.
“The JEGS Pacific SPORTSnationals is NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing at its best. And with The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway hosting the event, it’s sure to be one of the best in the program's history,” said Eric Lotz, NHRA director of field marketing. “The three SPORTSnationals events highlight the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, showcasing the best Sportsman racers from across the country, and it’s great to have JEGS Mail Order as a partner on this program.”
While the focus of the event will be on competition in the core NHRA classes, other special events include Saturday’s Super Stock and Stock heads-up class eliminations and special Shootout races for the Top Dragster, Top Sportsman, Super Comp, Super Gas, and Super Street classes in the afternoon.
NHRA reintroduced the SPORTSnationals nine years ago at No Problem Raceway Park to rave reviews from racers and spectators. Prior to that, NHRA had hosted the SPORTSnationals from 1974 to 1986 at a trio of tracks, including Beech Bend Raceway Park in Bowling Green, Ky. (1974-80, 1985-86), the old Houston Int'l Raceway (1981-82), and Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis (1983-84).
This season, NHRA has hosted two other SPORTSnationals events, the JEGS NHRA Cajun SPORTSnationals in Belle Rose, La., in March and the JEGS NHRA Northern SPORTSnationals in Columbus in September.
TICKETS: General-admission tickets for the JEGS NHRA Pacific SPORTSnationals presented by K&N are $25 each day for adults and $10 for children 6-12; kids 5 and younger will be admitted free with paid adult. Every ticket includes a pit pass. For ticket information, call The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, 800-644-4444, or log on to www.lvms.com; for more information about the event, go here.