Meyer Leaves Charlotte with First Event Win, National Points Lead

Courtesy of NVW Motorsports Promotion
Photos courtesy of Randy Meyer Racing

CONCORD, NC. (April 26, 2016) – A/Fuel dragster rookie Megan Meyer and her family-based team continue to impress in their bid for the NHRA Lucas Oil Series Top Alcohol Dragster national championship. Meyer drove her Racers Evolved dragster to her first national event victory at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals last Sunday, marking just her second national event start.

 

Meyer, the daughter of 2003 world championship tuner Randy Meyer, qualified number two with a 5.252 ET at 278 MPH. Randy gave her a consistently quick and fast race car as the 22-year old driver marched through eliminations with elapsed times of 5.308, 5.281 twice, and 5.325, all at or approaching 280 mph. Meyer and final round opponent Josh Hart were close for the first half, but the Racers Evolved machine charged ahead for the Four-Wide Wally.

 

“It was so emotional. Going down the track, I saw Josh’s nose disappear behind me by half track. I was cheering by the time I pulled the parachutes. It was everything that you dream of. It was a very emotional moment for me and for my parents. We were all crying. We were all so happy. It didn’t take us long to get this first win, but it’s been a long process. This is something we’ve been planning my entire life. It’s finally here and it’s exactly what I thought it would be,” Meyer said.

 

Meyer also received a reward for her offseason work behind the computer screen, as the NHRA presented Randy Meyer Racing with the Best Appearing Crew award. She also won Best Appearing Car at her first race last month.

 

 

“Winning that award was very rewarding. I had some help from Matt Levonas with the design. He helped design the car wrap and crew shirts. We worked together, then we had some help from Racers Evolved because the look came from their Megan Meyer Signature Series shirts. As a designer, it felt good to get those two awards at my first two races. My dad has won Best Appearing Crew before, but never Best Appearing Car, so that one was special for Randy Meyer Racing,” added Meyer, who majored in Graphic Design.
 

In addition to the on-track action, the RMR team enjoyed spending time with Charlotte-based sponsor GUNK. The team attended a Charlotte Knights baseball game with GUNK’s TORC Truck racer, Arie Luyendyk Jr., before the race. Meyer also had the opportunity to bring GUNK’s Junior Dragster driver into the staging beams for a four-wide exhibition on Sunday.
 

“That brought back a lot of memories. It’s hard to believe it’s only been five years since I made my last pass in a Junior Dragster.”

 

With her first national event win out of the way, Meyer and her team will continue to focus on consistently winning rounds. She’s been to the final round at four of the five events she’s ever entered, with three of those finals being in 2016. The Charlotte win gave her the national points lead as the team heads into the NHRA SpringNationals in Houston this weekend, a race RMR has won the last three years in a row.

 

 

“We’re all very excited for Houston. I do feel a little extra pressure after that first win to keep it going, but I have an amazing crew. It’s my parents and my uncle and a few guys who help out at various races. Those guys have been with us for years and they know how to do every job on the car. Having that consistent crew makes for a consistent car,” Meyer noted confidently.

 

Fox Sports will air their Lucas Oil Series coverage from the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals on FS2 at 9 PM ET on Thursday, April 28. Re-air dates are scheduled for April 29th at 12:30 PM (FS1) and May 1st at 10 AM (FS2).

 

ABOUT MEGAN MEYER

No stranger to a life in the fast lane, Megan Meyer grew up around the sport of drag racing. In 2004, at just 10 years of age, she was given the opportunity to get behind the wheel of a Junior Dragster, alongside her younger sister, and took over the driving duties with no hesitations. Megan stepped up to the Super Comp class in 2010 after a successful career in the Junior Drag Racing League, earning two track championships. She is now making the transition to Top Alcohol Dragster with her father and veteran driver Randy Meyer as her mentor and driving coach. Follow Megan on Facebook (www.facebook.com/meganmeyer.racing), Twitter (www.twitter.com/meyersisters), and Instagram (www.instagram.com/meganmeyer.racing).

 

ABOUT RANDY MEYER RACING

A highly respected member of the NHRA Drag Racing family, Randy Meyer has had a successful career spanning over 35 years of drag racing as driver, team owner, and crew chief from AHRA Pro-Comp to IHRA Top Fuel and NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster. Focusing on the things that brought the team to existence has been the reason that Randy Meyer Racing has been so successful. In 2002 he handed the driving duties over to Gary Ormsby Jr. to become the first Top Alcohol Dragster to run in the teens with a solid 5.135 ET. The following year, Meyer tuned Alan Bradshaw to become the NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster World Champion. Randy has returned to the driver’s seat since then, and has earned multiple Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Division 5 and Central Region points championships. For more information on Randy Meyer Racing, please visit www.RandyMeyerRacing.com and like RMR on Facebook (www.facebook.com/randymeyerracing).

 

Megan Meyer and the Randy Meyer Racing team receive support from the following companies: Racers Evolved, Lucas Oil, NGK, Gunk, Herbalife 24 Nutrition, Team Racepak, Litton Financial, ARP, Horsepower & Heels, Boninfante, Copeland Race Cars, Taylor Cable, Aeromotive, and Clevite.

Kyle Michalek Has Strong Performance in Houston Debut

Courtesy of Michalek Brothers Racing

Over the course of three hot, humid days in Houston, TX, Michalek Brothers Racing (MBR), Dreher Motorsports, and the Kenan Advantage Group (KAG) teamed up to post a string of impressive performances en route to a semi-final finish at the 28th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA SpringNationals.

Back in the driver’s seat for the first time in just under a year, Kyle Michalek kicked off his third season behind the wheel of the Dreher's nitro-burning A/fuel dragster in style by posting a career best 5.299 second elapsed time at 267.96 MPH to sit in the provisional #1 qualifying position. The Michalek/Dreher combo then reeled off a 5.356 second lap at 267.00 MPH and a 5.326 second lap at 270.16 MPH (new career best MPH) in the remaining qualifying sessions to enter eliminations in the #2 qualifying spot. This starting spot marked the team’s best qualifying effort in National Event competition.

Still riding a high from resetting his personal best ET and MPH, Kyle Michalek broke down the team’s qualifying performance.

"It's tough being out of the car for an extended period of time; I was probably more nervous for the first qualifying pass than I was racing in the final round of the Norwalk regional a few years ago," said Kyle. "I knew we had a great race car and I didn't want to overthink the run and make a mistake. It was a huge confidence booster to run a 5.29 right off the trailer, and we followed up with two more great runs in the low to mid 5.30s. The car was quick and consistent throughout qualifying which set the tone for a great overall weekend."

Due to early Saturday rain showers, the first round of eliminations for the Top Alcohol Dragster class was postponed until Sunday morning setting up an action-packed day of racing with extremely tight turnaround times in between rounds. Kyle Michalek kicked off eliminations against the #15 qualifier, Chase Copeland, and was the first off the starting line with a .067 second reaction time to Copeland's .075. The KAG A/fueler launched hard and was on another solid lap before the engine fell silent just after half-track. Copeland, in the left lane, went into immediate tire-smoke and enabled MBR to coast to victory, crossing the finish line in 5.878 seconds at 177.81MPH. This victory marked Kyle’s first round win in National Event competition.

After returning to the pits, the team diagnosed the mechanical malfunction from the previous run to be a broken crankshaft. With a compressed timeline leading into the second round of eliminations, the Dreher Motorsports team of Randy Dreher, Jared Dreher, Red, and Matt Stout kicked it into overdrive to swap motors in time to get the car back to the starting line for a quarter-finals matchup against Mia Tedesco. Tedesco, the 2015 NHRA Four-Wide Nationals winner, would have lane choice from her 5.395 second run in the first round of eliminations.

"It felt great seeing the win light come on after our first round win against Chase Copeland; however, I knew the car was hurt and we had some work to do before second round," said Kyle. "The timeframe was tight and the pace was frantic, but we overcame the mechanical adversity and got the engine change complete in under an hour. Everyone pitched in and we got the job done; it was a key moment in our weekend and while it was stressful at the time, those are the moments in the heat of battle that make great teams. Even though we didn't have time to start the car in the pits before second round, I had faith in the team and knew Randy and Jared would provide a good tune-up to give us a shot as long as we were able to get to the starting line."

Lined up in the right lane, Kyle was first off the starting line once again (.044 to .106) and he never looked back winning wire-to-wire with a strong 5.379 second pass at 259.11MPH to set up a matchup with David Brounkowski for a chance to race against Randy Meyer in the final round for the Wally. In what ended up being the closest race in all four rounds of eliminations, Brounkowski was able to eliminate the MBR and the KAG A/fuel dragster with a slight jump off the starting line (.025 to .047) and a margin of victory of just 0.0151 seconds (approximately 6 feet).

When all was said and done, Kyle Michalek closed out the weekend with a new career best qualifying position, a new career best elapsed time by a full tenth of a second, a new career best speed by over 7 MPH, and a solid semi-final race day finish.

 "We had a great weekend on and off the track," said Kyle. "The car ran well, we picked up a couple round wins, and we were able to introduce NHRA race fans to the great job opportunities as KAG truck drivers and mechanics currently available at www.thekag.com/race. I'm very excited for the future of the MBR/KAG collaboration and thankful for the opportunity to have the KAG team's support."

MBR returns to the track July 3-5 for its 3rd annual stop at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, OH with Corey Michalek behind the wheel. The Kenan Advantage Group will once again serve as the team’s primary sponsor for the event and Champion Spark Plugs, Fel-Pro, Speed-Pro, Sealed Power, and GoPro will continue to provide additional support.

For additional MBR information and updates, please “like” the Michalek Brothers Racing FACEBOOK page and follow @MichalekRacing on TWITTER and INSTAGRAM.

Meyer Celebrates Third Consecutive Spring Nationals Victory

Courtesy of Randy Meyer Racing

April 27, 2015 – The Randy Meyer Racing Team took home the win this weekend in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals at Royal Purple Raceway for the third year in a row.

Randy Meyer, Top Alcohol Dragster driver and team owner based out of Spring Hill, Kansas, claimed the victory after defeating David Brounkowski, who red light in the final round and automatically giving the win to Randy.

On Friday and Saturday, Randy qualified his A/Fuel Dragster with a best run of 5.378 ET at 271 mph to claim the fifth position, out of 16. All elimination rounds were held on Sunday, which gave Randy the chance to make experienced tuning adjustments to have the quickest times on Sunday, making him unbeatable.

“We didn’t do as good as I wanted to in qualifying,” Randy said. “I changed some things on the motor before first round, and we were very happy with the results.”

Randy got his first taste of success with a 5.294 ET at 271 mph to defeat Aaron Tatum in round one of eliminations. As the only dragster to run in the 5.20s, Randy had lane choice in second round over competitor and veteran Jim Whiteley, and his 5.279 ET at 271 mph took out Whiteley’s 5.359 at 267 mph.

Randy continued to knock down the competition, and defeated Lee Callaway with a 5.264 ET at 272 mph in the semi-finals, laying down the quickest, and third fastest, Top Alcohol Dragster pass of the weekend.

Although Randy’s dragster slowed down to a 5.327 at 271 mph in the final round, his destiny was already set as he was declared the Houston Spring Nationals Champion, for the third year in a row, once he left the starting line.

“It was nice to be able to come back to Houston and come away with the win year after year after year,” says Randy. “There were some very tough competitors that we raced this weekend, but our car ran great and our crew worked very hard to make it all happen. After red lighting in Charlotte, and losing in Dallas last weekend, this win this weekend helped build our momentum back up to keep going rounds. I want to thank all of our sponsors for supporting us and standing behind us.“

You can watch Randy make his way to the winner’s circle on ESPN2 at 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET on May 3rd.

Now third in points for the NHRA Lucas Oil National Championship, this was Randy’s second win of the 2015 season, out of four races, and gives all the credit to his dedicated crew and family. The next stop for the Randy Meyer Racing Team is May 22-24 at their hometown track, Heartland Park Topeka in Topeka, KS, for the NHRA Kansas Nationals.

The Randy Meyer Racing Team would like to thank 2015 partners and sponsors: Lucas Oil, Smart Chicken, NGK Spark Plugs, GUNK, Quik-Latch Products, Boninfante, Taylor Cable, ARP, MAHLE Clevite, Aeromotive Fuel Systems, Hedman Hedders, Moroso.

Follow us:

Facebook (/RandyMeyerRacing, /MeganMeyer.Racing)

Twitter (@MeyerSisters)

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Kyle Michalek Looks to Build on Past Texas Success in 2015 Debut

Courtesy of Michalek Brothers Racing
Photos courtesy of David Smith

Over the course of five years in the early-2000’s, Michalek Brothers Racing (MBR) made a habit of turning in dominant performances in the state of Texas while working as pit crew members for Mark Thomas Racing. During the span of 2003-2007, MBR racked up an impressive résumé with 2 victories, one runner-up, one semi-final appearance, and one quarter-final appearance. Now, after a 7 year absence from the Lone Star State, MBR arrives in Houston with a hunger to continue its history of success; this time in the driver’s seat.

Michalek Brothers Racing driver Kyle Michalek is gearing up for a weekend of new opportunities as he zeroes in on the 28th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA SpringNationals. Michalek, entering his third season behind the wheel of the Dreher Motorsports A/fuel dragster, will be making his 2015 debut in Texas, the state that he now calls home. This event also marks the first race west of the Mississippi for an MBR driver, bringing along with it a new batch of competitors different from the list of drivers the team has become accustomed to lining up against in the Midwest and along the east coast.

"I'm really looking forward to getting back in the driver's seat and taking on new competition at a new facility," said Kyle. "We have experienced success in Texas before and we're looking to pick up right where we left off. They say everything is bigger in Texas; a win here would be just as big as any we've had up to this point and there's no reason we can't put the KAG car in the winner's circle this weekend."

MBR rolls into Houston with primary sponsorship from the Kenan Advantage Group (KAG) looking to not only succeed on track, but also on a mission to help North America's largest tank truck transporter and logistics provider find qualified applicants to join its team. KAG will have a full team on site in Nitro Alley to engage and interact with prospective employees. Any current CDL holder is encouraged to stop by the KAG booth to learn more about job opportunities and for a shot to win a free iPad mini.

 "We are really looking forward to spreading the good news about all of the exciting career opportunities at KAG again this year," said Kyle. "There really is something for everyone from owner operators, to company drivers, mechanics, and tank washers; KAG is a growing company eager to tap into the talented NHRA fan base. I'm excited to talk to fans in person at the track about these opportunities; however, if you can't make it to the track you can still get in on the action by visiting www.thekag.com/race to learn more!"

MBR races into Royal Purple Raceway in Houston, Texas for its second stop on the 2015 tour. In addition to partnering with the Kenan Advantage Group, Champion Spark Plugs, Speed-Pro, Fel-Pro, and Sealed Power, and GoPro cameras, will be featured on the side of the Dreher’s injected-nitro machine.

Kyle Michalek kicks off the event this Friday with two qualifying runs at 11:30AM and 2:30PM. The team takes the track for its third and final qualifying pass at 11:00AM on Saturday with the first round of eliminations following soon after at 5:30PM. The eight remaining Top Alcohol Dragsters will then battle it out for the Wally with the final three rounds of eliminations taking place on Sunday at 1:00PM, 2:15PM, and 3:30PM.

For additional MBR information and updates, please “like” the Michalek Brothers Racing FACEBOOK page and follow @MichalekRacing on TWITTER and INSTAGRAM.

Whiteley Reaches First Final of 2014 in Houston

Courtesy of YNot Racing

Under gray, threatening skies at Houston's Royal Purple Raceway, Annie Whiteley lost traction not far off the line in the Spring Nationals Top Alcohol Funny Car final and fell to Shane Westerfield. "It was spitting rain as we were staging," she said. "I could see drops all over the windshield. They'd wipe 'em off, but then more drops would be right back on there. I wasn't sure what was going to happen when we left, and I was kind of thinking they were going to shut us off. I didn't make it very far before the car started shaking, but I got farther than Shane did."

Westerfield, who, like Whiteley, broke through for his first national event victory last season, went up in smoke immediately, but he was able to recover and run a 6.31 for his second career title. Whiteley had no such opportunity when her kill switch vibrated into the "off" position during tire shake between the 1.0- and 1.5-second mark, silencing her engine and bringing a premature end to what had been a storybook weekend.

Whiteley qualified her Roger Bateman-tuned J&A Service/YNot Racing Mustang No. 1 with the only run in the 5.50s, a 5.589, and set low e.t. of all three preliminary rounds of eliminations. She lowered low e.t. to a 5.580 on a first-round single earned by qualifying No. 1 in a field with an odd number of cars, and took out Todd Veney, who red-lighted, in the quarterfinals with a 5.59. After resetting low e.t. for the third time with a semifinal 5.57 win over Gatornationals runner-up Dale Brand, Whiteley lost traction in the final and coasted helplessly down the track as Westerfield sped away.

"That one hurt," she said. "I knew Shane was in trouble too, and I didn't see him for a while. I kept trying to get back in it, but when the engine shuts itself off there's not much you can do."

Meyer is Back to Back Champ at Spring Nationals

Courtesy of Randy Meyer Racing

 Houston, TX – (April 29th, 2014) The Randy Meyer Racing (RMR) Team returned to the NHRA Spring Nationals at Royal Purple Raceway on April 25-27th, taking home the win for the second year in a row.

The Kansas-based team, with team owner Randy Meyer and Chase Copeland piloting the two A/Fuel Dragsters, did what they could to clean house in the Top Alcohol Dragster field. Randy ran consistent times of 5.34 e.t. at 270 mph, 5.33 e.t. at 274 mph, and 5.34 e.t. at 274 mph to claim the 5th qualifying position out of 16. Chase, who struggled to make a clean pass in the first qualifying session, placed 11th with a 5.44 e.t. at 261 mph for the second qualifying pass, and a consistent 5.44 e.t. at 265 mph for the third session.

Both RMR drivers had holeshot advantages for the opening round of eliminations, as both of their competitors were asleep at the starting line. Chase, however, was not able to recover from smoking the tires, netting him a first round loss. Randy, who defeated Michael Manners, also had trouble with his pass as he began to rattle the tires at the 300-foot mark, and had to lift to stop the car from getting out of control. Randy was then able to get back on the throttle, and pass Manners for the win with a 5.48 e.t. at 271 mph.

Moving onto second round, Randy Meyer was up against Forrest Fair for the first time. With another starting line advantage, Randy was able to win the round with a 5.41 e.t. at 272 mph. In the semi-final round of eliminations, Randy had to face David Brounkowski, the event’s number one qualifier. Once again, Randy had a great reaction time to beat Brounkowski off the starting line, and never looked back as he ran an improved time of 5.36 e.t. at 273 mph.

The fourth and final round of eliminations saw Randy, with lane choice, versus Mark Taliaferro. This race was a struggle for both teams, as Randy left first, then spun the tires and pedaled twice to recover. Taliaferro’s car broke right after the launch, and had to coast to the finish line trailing behind Randy.

“All of our hard work through the winter is starting to pay off in the last three races,” said Randy. “We have turned the corner and have the performance where it needs to be. All the people on the Randy Meyer Racing Team worked hard to make this happen. It is very exciting going forward that we have a good race car for the upcoming events.”

Don’t miss out on the action!
Randy will air on WFO Radio tonight for their NHRA Nitro section at 7:00 PM ET. Download their mobile app, or listen in at www.wforadio.com.
This race will air on ESPN2 on May 4th, 2014 at 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM ET/9:30 AM - 10:30 AM PT.
Make sure to follow us on Facebook (/RandyMeyerRacing) for the latest news and updates from the RMR Team.

Randy and his team would like to thank their sponsors for their support and dedication to the RMR Team: Lucas Oil, Smart Chicken, NGK Spark Plugs, MOTOR MEDIC, Quik-Latch Products, Boninfante, Taylor Cable, Belzona Industrial Solutions, Rezner trailers, ARP, MAHLE Clevite, Hedman Hedders, and Moroso

Whiteley Runner-Ups to Extend Points Lead

Courtesy of YNot Racing

At the NHRA Spring Nationals in Houston, national points leader Jim Whiteley reached his fourth final in six starts this season to extend his lead in the national Top Alcohol standings to more than 50 points. Whiteley, the reigning national champion and defending event champ, had a commanding lead on Randy Meyer in the final until four blower studs failed around half-track, allowing Meyer to slip past him on the top end for his first national victory in six years.

Whiteley qualified No. 1, as he has at every race this year, and set low e.t., as he also has at every race this year, with a 5.26 in what turned out to be the only qualifying session. A downpour of almost biblical proportions washed out Saturday's scheduled qualifying session and the first round of eliminations and turned the Royal Purple Raceway pits into a quagmire.

With a close 5.34 to 5.40 first-round win with Texan James Thompson, Whiteley advanced to the quarterfinals, where he sped to a 5.30, low e.t. of the round, on a bye run. When Brandon Pierce's car failed to fire for the semifinals, he took another single and clocked a 5.28 at 274.83 mph, good for top speed of the meet honors for the fifth time this season.

Unfortunately for the J&A Service/YNot Racing team, the blower studs chose the final round to fail, slowing Whiteley to a 5.46 at just 221 mph and costing him the race against Meyer's 5.36 at 271. Any other run he made all weekend would have been more than enough to win. "You hate to have that happen at a time like that, but there's nothing you can do about it," he said. "This car has been as reliable as any car in the country all year, but sometimes these parts have a mind of their own."

Wife Annie Whiteley was eliminated in the first round of Top Alcohol Funny Car eliminations by defending Houston winner Jay Payne, 5.71 to a shut-off 6.36. "I stayed with it as long as I could," said Annie, who qualified in the fast half of the field with one of the quicker runs of the entire weekend, 5.61, on her only attempt. "It went one way and then the other, and it's not worth risking going over the centerline or hitting the wall, even in eliminations, so I shut off."

After a busy spring, including three races in April alone, the J&A Service/YNot Racing crew will be off for nearly two months, until the Central Region event in Tulsa June 14-16. That race will be the start of a back-to-back-to-back swing that also includes stops in Denver and Chicago.

Meyer, Bartone Persevere in Houston

Courtesy of Todd Veney/Pro Sportsman Association

At the rain-plagued NHRA Spring Nationals at water-logged Royal Purple Raceway, Randy Meyer continued his recent resurgence in Top Alcohol Dragster and Tony Bartone won his second national event in a row in Top Alcohol Funny Car.

Meyer, a six-time runner-up last season, moved into second place in the national standings behind only Jim Whiteley, whom he beat in the final, 5.36, 271 to a slowing 5.46, 221. "Whiteley's been kicking my butt for a couple years now," he said. "He and that whole team are tough and don't make many mistakes."

Whiteley led late in the race but the back two blower studs on each side broke, killing the boost and allowing Meyer, who crossed the finish line going 50 mph faster, to zoom by for his fourth career title and first since the 2007 Gatornationals. "He wasn't pulling away from me, and I wasn't catching him either, but somewhere between half-track and 1,000 feet he dropped back fast, and instead of coming up a little short like we did so many times last year, we got the win," Meyer said. "We didn't beat ourselves for a change."

Meyer qualified third with a 5.42 in the only session, behind Whiteley (5.26) and Chris Demke (5.36), and beat Buddy Domingue, 2011 world champ Duane Shields, and Rich McPhillips with increasingly quicker times of 5.48, 5.42, and 5.33. "Muggy conditions aren't ideal for A/Fuel, but we ran well compared to the rest of them," he said. "I'd say we ran good, not great. You've always got to compare yourself to the number one car, and that's Whiteley." 

Whiteley's J&A Service/YNot Racing team defeated James Thompson's Tom Conway-tuned Pepper Express A/Fueler, 5.34 to 5.40, in round one, then took a single in the second round because of the short field and another in the semifinals. In that round, Brandon Pierce, driving for Gene Snow in place of Chase Copeland, who now does the clutch on Sidnei Frigo's Top Fueler, never got a chance when his engine refused to fire. With a 5.34, 5.30, and 5.28, Whiteley had low e.t. of each of the first three rounds.

In the Top Alcohol Funny Car final, Lombardo, who had just run a 5.568 to eliminate Jay Payne's 5.58 in the semi's, got a slight jump on Bartone, who established low e.t. in qualifying with a 5.566. Lombardo slipped to a 5.62 in the final that left him nine-thousandths of a second short of Bartone's 5.59.

"I never saw him, but I've seen the numbers, and he had to have been there the whole way," said Bartone, who moved into a third-place tie with Shane Westerfield in the national standings. Lombardo's runner-up leaves him second, 43 points behind undefeated Dan Pomponio.

Bartone, who also won Houston in 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2010, and 2011, could have been out in the very first round when he managed just a 6.34 against Mark Billington, who shut off early. "I got up against the wall, and every time I steered it left, the car went right back to the right," he said. "I don't know how many times I was on and off the throttle – probably five or six."

That round was doubly important because as the No. 1 qualifier in a 14-car field, Bartone received a bye in round two. After an uneventful 5.68 on that one, he beat pal Mickey Ferro in the semi's with an early-shutoff 5.99 when Ferro crossed the centerline on a 5.89.

"That was luck," admitted Bartone, who had the worst reaction time of his career, .378, after cutting a perfect .000 in the opening round. "I don't know where my mind was that time, but when the light came down, I wasn't ready. It's all about concentration. These aren't easy cars to drive, and leaving is the hardest part. The difference between leaving at the right rpm and being way off is an eighth of an inch with your right foot."

Demke Out Early in Houston

Courtesy of NVW Motorsports Promotion

BAYTOWN, Texas (April 29, 2013) – Maddern Racing, a team usually very capable of powering through to success in the face of adversity, was unable to turn a #2 qualifying position into late-round results at the rain-plagued O’Reilly Spring Nationals in Houston last weekend. A variety of problems came together to set the Top Alcohol Dragster team back a step.

Knowing they were short a qualifying session going into the race, the team set the car up to make a strong yet conservative pass during Friday’s sole qualifying session. Driver Chris Demke piloted the Peen Rite/OSI/801 Racing dragster to the second qualifying position, 5.36 at 264 mph, sitting behind rival Jim Whiteley.

“It was tough having only one qualifying session, but every other team was in the same situation. The track condition was vastly different from qualifying on Friday to eliminations on Sunday morning. After Friday’s qualifying run, we had the car set up aggressively, anticipating better conditions for Saturday’s qualifying session. Unfortunately it rained all day Saturday,” Demke said.

Saturday’s April showers, which dumped four to six inches on Royal Purple Raceway, washed away much of the rubber that had built up on the track surface. The rain also forced officials to cancel the remaining qualifying session and postpone first round of eliminations to Sunday morning.

“We were very rushed for first round on Sunday morning,” Chris stated. “We had electrical problems when we went to warm up the car Sunday. Specifically, our safety box, which automatically deploys the ‘chutes and shuts everything off in the case of a mechanical problem, failed and the car wouldn’t start. I suspect that it has something to do with the car being outside during the storms on Saturday. There was a lot of lightning and maybe it got zapped. I don’t know; that’s just a guess. We didn’t have a spare. I want to thank Jim Whiteley and his team for loaning us their spare safety box.”

On top of fixing the electrical problem, the crew was rushed to set up the car for green track conditions. The tune-up ultimately didn’t pan out, as first round opponent Lee Callaway slipped past Demke, running 5.39 to Chris’ close 5.42.

“I went out and looked at the track, made my decision, and flat-out missed the tune-up. I tried to make it run thirty-flat on a thirty-five racetrack. I thought I compensated enough, but the early numbers said we were over-aggressive. Lesson learned. Still trying to figure out the new car is quite the task right now. We didn’t learn a whole lot this weekend, only making two runs. I can’t wait to get to Topeka and get back at it. The more laps we can make, the better we’re going to be,” said tuner Adam Rhoades.

Demke concurred.

“You win some, you lose some. It hurts to lose first round at a race where we qualified #2. But that’s racing. We just have to pick up the pieces and head to the next race in Topeka.”

Maddern Racing, celebrating 20 years of competition in 2013, is a family-owned and operated NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster team based in Southern California. The Chris Demke-driven Peen Rite/OSI/801 Racing dragster is owned by Jerry Maddern and crewed by Adam Rhoades, Kevin Watson, Mike Demke, and Ron Mann. For more information on Maddern Racing, please visit www.MaddernRacing.com.

Maddern Racing receives support from the following companies: Peen Rite Inc., Operational Solutions Inc., 801 Racing, A1 Technologies, Boninfante Friction Inc., and Hoosier Racing Tire.