Booher Caps off Career-Best Season with Semifinal Appearance

Courtesy of NVW Motorsports Promotion

Champaign, IL – Brandon Booher entered the recent Reynolds NHRA Division 2 race with one goal in mind: move up in national and divisional points. Thanks to a semifinal finish, he did just that.

“The overall goal was obviously to win the race, but we knew there would be a lot of heavy hitters there, so a runner-up finish would suffice. That would’ve moved us up to 9^th in national points and 3^rd in Division 3. If the car would’ve started in the semi’s, I think there was a good chance that we could win the round and go to the finals,” claimed Booher.

Something as simple as dead starter batteries ended Brandon’s chances of making the finals.

“We started the car 45 minutes before the run and it started just fine. The crew went to start the car (for the run) and it wouldn’t turn over. It hurt the starter, because it wasn’t getting enough power from the battery pack on the cart. Duane (Shields) had already fired and began his burnout, so there wasn’t enough time to find another power source. It’s just another thing that we’ll improve on for next year. We’ll have two battery packs and two starters on the cart next year so that doesn’t happen again,” Brandon said.

The 2011 season had its ups and downs, as Brandon explains. “There were a few races where I suffered first round losses, but we’ve learned from the little mistakes that caused those. Collectively, they cost us a few spots in points. It has been a great season however, with runner-up finishes at the Norwalk national event and Cordova divisional. As of right now, I’m sitting in 10^th in national points. We’re working on a few things already to try to improve that position next year. Now all I can do is wait and see how Chase Copeland does out west; that will ultimately decide where I finish in national points at the end of the year,”

Brandon would like to thank the crew members that helped at the Reynolds race; Aaron Booher, Phil and J.P. Gutierrez, and Rocky and Vanessa Flannigan. They join Shannon Pappas, Brian Booher, Pete Brady, Drew Fluehr, Ed Russell, John Halloran, and Nate Van Wagnen; the rest of the Booher Racing crew in 2011. Several companies assist the team with parts and equipment, including Goodson Tools, Victory Valves, Coan, Lenco, Total Flow Cylinder Heads, Spitzer Race Cars, and Ken at Motorsports Unlimited.

Fans can follow Brandon Booher and the AB Construction Top Alcohol Dragster team on Facebook (www.facebook.com/booherracing) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/booherracing). For results and press releases, visit http://www.dragracecentral.com/ and http://www.topalcoholnews.com/.

About Booher Racing-The NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster team led by Brandon and Aaron Booher competes at national events across the United States, all of which are televised nationally on ESPN2. To become a sponsor with Booher Racing, contact NVW Motorsports Promotion (http://www.nitronate.com/).

Permatex/Follow A Dream Team Wraps Up 2011 With Another Final

Courtesy of Jay Blake

Marstons Mills, MA -- October 18, 2011- With a final-round appearance at the last race of the year, Jay Blake's Permatex/Follow A Dream team climbed to sixth in the national Top Alcohol Funny Car standings. Driver Todd Veney qualified second at the Division 2 Lucas Oil Series closer at Silver Dollar Raceway with a 5.66 and dropped a close final to Mickey Ferro, the second-ranked driver in the country last season, 5.64 to 5.73.

Veney had low e.t. of the two previous rounds, with a 5.69 win over Melinda Green-King and a 5.65 against Mark Billington, knocking both out of the Division 2 championship battle won by Ferro. "Hopefully this locks up a spot for us in the Top 10," Blake said. "If it does, it'll be the first time we've done it two years in a row. The car ran well all weekend, but in the final the track was a little better than we thought."

It was the team's first appearance at the Reynolds, Ga. facility. "This was a good way to end a good season," Veney said. "It really helped us in the national standings and almost was enough to get us second in the division." With 267 points apiece, Veney and Eric Lourie tied for second behind Frank Manzo in Division 1, but Lourie won the tiebreaker.

The Follow A Dream team finishes the 2011 season with a 21-13 record (.618 winning percentage) and five final round appearances - one at a national event, one at the Jegs Allstars race, and three in divisional competition.

"The best part is that every single member of the team is going to be back for 2012," Blake said. "I thank every one of them - Tom Howell, Todd Veney, Ed Parker, Scott Osborn, Scott Spencer, Joe Connelly, Charlie Connelly, Maura McGonigle, and Alan Hadfield - for the hard work and dedication that made this a good year for our team."

Duane Shields Goes to Final Round in Pursuit of the Championship

Courtesy of Rich Bailey

Reynolds GA - As the season winds down, the points towards the NHRA Lucas Oil Top Alcohol Dragster Championship title becomes ever so important. Contenders can only claim a limited amount of points towards the Championship at both national and divisional events which means strategy comes into play on which races to run.

Duane Shields was down to just one LODRS divisional even to claim points and chose the race at Silver Dollar Raceway in Reynolds, GA. Duane's strategy seemd to work as he made it to the final round but lost the race to the reigning Champion Bill Reichert, who had been eliminated from contention two weeks prior in Maple Grove.

Duane qualified second with a 5.38 and faced Dan Page in round one. Page's 5.35 was close but not enough to get the win over Shields who nipped Page at the finish line with a victorious 5.31 at 273 MPH.

Moving into the semifinals, the Shortline Express team took on Brandon Booher. Unfortunately for Booher, he was unable to fire so Duane got a single and charged to the finish line with a 5.42, but shuttered the tires on the run. "The car shook violently and we lost our data going into the final round because the cables shook loose. We knew we had to massage the car in order to negotiate the track so we took away some of the power. We just didn't know how much" Shields revealed.

In the finals, it was a classic Duane Shields vs. Bill Reichert match up. As the lights came down it was Reichert out first with a .070 to Shields' .082. At the finish line it was Reichert crossing the stripe first with a 5.35 at 265 MPH to Duane's 5.43 at 271 MPH. "The car didn't have enough horsepower to win but it still shuttered the tires a little bit so we were limited to what adjustments we could make and how much power we could take out" Shields said.

All Duane can do now is compete at the last three races and serve as a blocker by taking out the other still mathematically in contention. "The pressure is on them now. I'll go to the last three races and try to control my own destiny. If the Championship is meant to be, it's meant to be. If not it was still a great year. Duane would like to thank NGK Spark Plugs and Hussey Copper for their support.

Permatex/Follow A Dream Team Eyes Top Five Heading into Reynolds

Courtesy of Jay Blake

Marstons Mills, MA -- October 12, 2011- Racing to get back in the top five in national standings, Jay Blake's Permatex/Follow A Dream crew heads to tiny Reynolds, Georgia, for the team's final race of the year, the Lucas Oil Series event at Silver Dollar Raceway. It'll be the first start ever at the Division 2 track for the team and driver Todd Veney.

"We're all looking forward to it," said Veney, currently ninth in the NHRA national Top Alcohol Funny Car rankings. "Sometimes, that last race can be good to you. We've won a couple of them, including last year at Atco, and the way the car was running at Maple Grove, I think we're ready to race anywhere,"

With a career-best 5.54 and two 5.56s, the team reached the semifinals two weeks ago at the Auto-Plus NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway. "It was great to be back in the late rounds," Blake said. "We want to make sure we finish in the top 10 in the country again, and maybe even get back in the top five,"

Qualifying sessions are scheduled for 12:15 and 3 p.m. Saturday, and eliminations kick off that night at 6.

Booher Makes History in Converter-Equipped TAD

Courtesy of NVW Motorsports Promotion

Champaign, Ill. – With all of the records that were broken and reset in the Pro categories this weekend, many failed to notice a milestone that was reached in the Top Alcohol Dragster class. Brandon Booher wheeled his Spitzer Race Cars-built blown alcohol dragster to a 5.39 pass in the second round of eliminations; the first converter-equipped car to run in the 5.30 range. The achievement was one that Brandon has been shooting for since last season.

“Finally! We’ve been working all year to get the car into the low 5.40 range, with the ultimate goal of running 5.399 or better. It was very exciting when I saw the 5.397 show up. I really thought that it didn’t run that well, as it broke a rocker towards the end of the run and I could see Duane (Shields) ahead of me at the finish line. The E.T. probably would’ve been a bit better if the rocker didn’t break,” claimed Booher.

Though the run didn’t result in a round win, the Illinois native still accomplished one of his goals for the weekend.

“After going from possible alternate to #10 qualifier during the third qualifying session, my goal was to make it to the semi-finals. We wanted to make it at least that far so I could hopefully finish in the Top 10 in national points. I got past Dan Page in round one, but ultimately fell to Duane Shields in the second round. But like I told the team, if I saw a 5.399 or better on the scoreboard, I would be fine with the win light being in the other lane,” Brandon said.

Brandon and the AB Construction Top Alcohol Dragster team have one divisional race left, unless a sponsor is willing to step up.

“If we find a sponsor or two soon, I would be more than willing to travel out west for the final races of the season; Las Vegas divisional, Las Vegas national event, and Pomona national event. We just don’t have the budget to do it on our own, as we fund the whole operation by ourselves. The car is an excellent tool for advertising, we just have to find a dedicated marketing partner that wants to take advantage of it,” added Booher. “As of right now, the Reynolds, Georgia Division 2 race is our next and final race for 2011,”

Brandon is appreciative of those who helped him reach his goal of running in the 5.30 range.

“My crew at Reading consisted of my dad, Aaron, as well as Pete, Drew, and Nate. They work to get the car turned around between rounds while I go over the run data. Also, there are a lot of companies that help us with parts; Goodson Tools, Victory Valves, Coan, Lenco, Total Flow Cylinder Heads, Spitzer Race Cars, Ken at Motorsports Unlimited, and Brad Anderson,” praised the former Pro Top Outlaw champion.

To follow Brandon Booher and the AB Construction team, visit them on Facebook (www.facebook.com/booherracing) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/booherracing). For results and press releases, check out www.dragracecentral.com and http://www.topalcoholnews.com/.

About Booher Racing-The NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster team led by Brandon and Aaron Booher competes at national events across the United States, all of which are televised nationally on ESPN2. To become a sponsor with Booher Racing, contact NVW Motorsports Promotion (www.nitronate.com).