In the final that no one saw coming Bob Bertsch and Mike Bruno – with a combined one career final round
between them – faced off in the final of the Elite Motorsports Pro
Stock class Sunday at New England Dragway in Epping, N.H.

And this time, Bertsch got the win he has been waiting for.

Bertsch came into this weekend’s race with one career victory, but that
win was slightly tarnished as he was the only car in the field that
afternoon after unforeseen circumstances placed him as the lone Pro
Stock in the field.

In only his first year on the IHRA tour, Del Cox Jr. has quickly become a man of two faces.

With
every pass Cox looks more and more like the man he replaced last
season, but at the same time he continues to separate himself from the
pack.

On Sunday, he showed the world both sides.

Reigning four-time Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. arrives at zMax Dragway as the top drag

Roger Richards

racer
in the world for his class. It's a good position to be in as the six-race Countdown
to 1 playoff begins with this weekend's second annual Carolina
Nationals at Bruton Smith's state-of-the-art facility.

Fresh off a victory at the prestigious U.S. Nationals -- drag racing's
equivalent of the Daytona 500 -- Coughlin's seven victories is tops
across the four professional classes. He's held the point lead for 14
races, longer than anyone else in the sport, and his 47-11 race day
record is unparalleled. Out of 145 pros on tour this year, Coughlin is
the only one without a first-round loss. All this despite the fact his
average starting spot each weekend is just sixth place.

Surprise, surprise – Ed Hoover and Kenny Lang met in the final of an IHRA Pro Modified national event.

In what has become quite the rivalry, the top two drivers in IHRA Pro
Mod points – and perhaps two of the best quarter-mile drag racers in
the world – went head-to-head for the sixth time this season and the
fourth time in an IHRA national event final round.

And this time it was Lang’s turn to lead.

What would inspire a man to spend countless hours logging in numerous elapsed times and speeds and the accompanying
car combinations? Why would someone want to log the data of what a
Z/Stock Automatic Pinto could run in the quarter-mile?

Joe Jackson jokes and says it was boredom that led to his creation of
Nitro Joe Stats. Acquaintances know he merely uses that off the cuff
answer as a front.

The truth is Jackson is anything but bored. The Loudonville, Ohio-based
lifetime drag racing fan is dedicated to preserving the history of
class racing.

Due to persistent rains in Southeastern Pennsylvania, The Geezers at The Grove Reunion has been pushed back a week.
 
The annual event will be run next weekend, Saturday and Sunday, Sept.
19-20.. Gates will open at 8 a.m. each day with racing beginning at 9.

In the final rounds of qualifying at Atlanta Dragway, Top Alcohol
Dragster pilot Duane Shields, Boulder City, Nev., and Top Alcohol Funny
Car driver Tony Bartone, Long Island City, N.Y., claimed the No. 1
qualifying positions in their classes. This weekend’s NHRA Lucas Oil
Drag Racing Series event, which will wrap up tomorrow with
eliminations, is the fifth of six in Southeast division competition

After two qualifying passes, Shields was able to capture the pole with
a 5.377 second, 266.74 mph pass.  He currently has one division win
this season and is making a late push to grab the Southeast title,
sitting just eleven points behind the No.4 qualifier, Artie Allen of
Jacksonville, Fla.

Bartone, who races out of the Pacific division, grabbed the No.1 spot
from a very competitive field.  He wheeled his ’09 Mustang down the
track at 5.660 second, 253.52 mph in search of his first division win
of the year.

Qualifying is complete at Tri-State Raceway with pairings set for
Sunday’s eliminations.  This is the last of six events set for the
Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series West Central division.  Top qualifiers
included Dan Kracht, Gretna, Neb., in Top Alcohol Dragster and Roger
Bateman, Calgary, Manit., in Top Alcohol Funny Car.

The top of the West Central division Top Alcohol Dragster points
standings couldn’t be any tighter as a mere two points separates three
competitors. Kracht currently sits in the No.3 slot, but can
dramatically help his situation with a win tomorrow. The division
leader, Richard Putz of Earlville, Iowa, is the No.6 qualifier and No.
7 qualifier Edwin Schmeeckle, Gothenburg, Neb., currently holds the
second spot in the points.

Bateman was able to hold onto the pole after two days of competitive
qualifying with his 5.684 second, 248.98 mph lap.  He has been
unbeatable at his last three events and is making a solid attempt at
defending his Tri-State Raceway victory from 2008.

Mike Kosky and Frank Manzo lead their classes this weekend for the NHRA
Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.

Kosky, Cuddy, Pa., clicked off a 5.294 second run at 268.87 mph in Top
Alcohol Dragster for his second pole position of the year.  Dan Mercier
and Jon Finke sit second and third respectively behind Kosky with
Mercier, Montreal, Quebec, running 5.349, 266.37 and Finke, Selkirk,
N.Y. at 5.378, 270.54.

Manzo, who already has ten wins to his credit this year in defending
his national and divisional championships from a year ago, jumped to
the top of the Top Alcohol Funny Car field with a lap of 5.582 seconds,
259.81 mph.  The Morganville, N.J., racer is followed by Terry Munroe,
Beaver, Pa., running 5.639 seconds at 257.43 mph.  Manzo will face off
against Dan Pomponio of Berlin, N.J., in round one of eliminations on
Sunday.

All is well in Kenny Doak’s world.

The Extreme 10.5 racer from Pipersville, Pa., returned to competition
at Rockingham Dragway with a repaired race car and an overwhelming
desire to showcase the car’s potential. It was a bit of unfinished
business as Doak had qualified three weeks ago at the last ADRL event
in Columbus, Ohio, only to have a shutdown accident render his car too
damaged to race for the balance of the weekend.

Doak can thank chassis builder Gary Naughton for preparing the car for this weekend’s event.

“We had our work cut out for us that's for sure,” Doak said. “All new
wheelie bars, chute pack, rebuilt the wheelie bar holder … had to put
fresh tires on it, rebuilt the back of the car with the wing.  All the
front end damage and I did all the glass work.”