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Sportsman

Mick Snyder Heads to Topeka

The Snyder Motorsports Top Alcohol Funny Car sponsored by TORCO Race Fuels will head to Heartland Park Topeka to compete in the O’Reilly Summer Nationals this weekend. This is the fourth event of the season for driver Mick Snyder, the defending Division 3 TAFC champion.

The 23 year-old recent Purdue graduate is looking forward to the weekend, “I think we have a good shot at any race we attend, but we need all of the pieces to come together at the same time.

“We have a great crew that works very hard to make this car competitive, sooner or later we are going to get some luck on our side too. Then we will get to see all our hard work pay off.”

A couple of weeks ago at the Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals, Mick and the crew were honored to be chosen as the focal point of the Scrapbook to be published in National Dragster. You can check out pictures of the Team’s weekend in an upcoming edition of the magazine.

Topeka the third of eight National events the team plans to attend in the 2005 season. Coverage of the O’Reilly Summer Nationals can be seen on ESPN2 June 5th at 12 PM ET.

The Team would like to thank our major sponsor TORCO Racing Fuels and our associate sponsors Coan Converters, Design 500, Flatout Gaskets, Lencodrive Racing Transmissions, Long Printing, R & R Racing Products, Snyder Auto and Spitzer Race Cars for their continued support.

Please visit the Snyder Motorsports official website at www.snydermotorsports.com.

The Snyder Motorsports Top Alcohol Funny Car entry is sponsored by TORCO Racing Fuels. By logging onto www.torcoracefuels.com you can access their full line of innovative products including racing gasoline, additives, and clothing.

Ashley Force - Topeka Preview

TOPEKA, Kan. – Although her team has been struggling to adapt to new fuel
regulations imposed this year in the Top Alcohol Dragster class, second generation drag racer Ashley Force, driver of the Castrol/Hot Wheels A/Fuel dragster, has managed to find a silver lining.

"Everyone has said I'd be a great Funny Car driver because I spend all my time 'backpedaling' (feathering the throttle to regain lost traction) and blowing up parts," Force quipped after a particularly difficult race two weeks ago at Atlanta, Ga.

The daughter of 13-time NHRA Funny Car Champion John Force, a man who knows as much as anyone about 'pedaling' and parts failures, Ashley is on a fast track that ultimately could land her in the cockpit of one of her dad's 330 mile-an-hour Castrol Fords.

In the meantime, she is serving an apprenticeship in a Top Alcohol division in which she will be competing during this week's 17th annual O'Reilly Summer Nationals at Heartland Park-Topeka.

Despite the fact that she still is seeking her first win of the season, the 22-year-old former high school cheerleader is the national points leader in the Lucas Sportsman Series, a position she has occupied since the second week of the season.

Driving a car owned by Jerry Darien and Ken Meadows and flying the Castrol banner under which her father has won a record 117 NHRA tour events, Ashley has had to do a lot more driving this year simply because her race car has been so negatively impacted by the imposition of restrictions on nitromethane fuel.

Unfortunately, A/Fuel cars like those campaigned by Darien and Meadows are especially impotent in heat and humidity, conditions one normally would expect to find at Heartland Park on Memorial Day weekend.

Last Memorial Day, in her first appearance at Heartland Park, Ashley qualified only twelfth in the 16-car field, the worst qualifying performance of her career.

When she gets to race day, however, the graduate of California State University-
Fullerton almost always is a threat and the harder she has to work to win her rounds, the better her father likes it.

"She still needs seat time," Force has said. "Anybody can drive a car from A to B when everything's perfect. The key is to be able to drive in trouble and that's what she's learning with Darien and Meadows. She's learning how to 'pedal' and how far she can drive it without getting in trouble.

"(This) is a serious race car. They're going faster in the alcohol cars than I was when I won my first Funny Car race (at Montreal, Canada in 1987)," Force said. "So I want her to get all the experience she can. She's got time. I didn't win my first race until I was 37."

A three-time winner last season as a Top Alcohol rookie, Ashley also won one of the seven regional championships contested in the Lucas Sportsman Series. In fact, she not only won the South Central Division, she also earned Rookie of the Year and Driver of the Year accolades.

Her first victory came in the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis, Ind., her second in the O'Reilly Fall Nationals at Dallas, Texas, and her last in the Automobile Club of Southern California Finals at Pomona, Calif. The win in the Auto Club Finals was he most memorable to date because she was able to celebrate in the winners' circle with her father, who won the Funny Car title the same weekend.

That's a feat the Forces would love to duplicate this weekend.

For more information about Castrol-branded products and services, please visit us at Castrol.com/US.

BACK TO BACK WINS FOR GARY BINGHAM; BACK TO BACK SEMI-FINALS FOR LISA BINGHAM

Gary Bingham won IHRA’s Top Sportsman class at the IHRA Mr. Gasket Pro Am event hosted by US 43 Dragway. Gary piloted the Doug Herbert Performance Center Grand Am into the finals for his 2nd consecutive win of the 2005 season. His daughter, Lisa, piloted her Doug Herbert Performance Center Quick Rod dragster to her second consecutive semi-final as well.

The Bingham Motorsports race team made the 8 hour trek to Ethridge, TN and brought home the Iron Man. “It was a great weekend,” beamed Gary. “I am thrilled to win this second weekend in a row, but I am even prouder of Lisa’s driving and performance. Even though this is her rookie year of any form of racing, she is driving like a 20 year veteran of the sport.”

In the mid-90’s when Gary won his 3 consecutive Top Sportsman world championships, Bret Kepner, ESPN announcer, kept saying that Gary & Bingham Motorsports was a dynasty in the drag racing world. The dictionary defines “dynasty” as “a series of powerful leaders in the same family.” At that time, Gary’s daughters were just 11 and 14. But time has proven Bret’s comment true.

In 2000, Christy followed in her father’s footsteps to win her first of several races, including Top Dragster at the 2002 IHRA National event in Shreveport, LA. Now Lisa is coming into her own as the 3rd powerhouse of the Bingham Motorsports race family. With her ability to consistently have perfect, .00 and .01 lights as well as drive the finish line, often taking the win by .01, Lisa’s time is on the horizon to begin claiming her share of the wins and Iron Men.

Could that time be the ACDelco Virginia Nationals later this week? Time will tell. Details to follow next week.

LARRY MINOR'S BAKERSFIELD WRAP-UP

Larry Miner, driver of the TORCO Racing Fuels Top Alcohol Funny Car, continues to find himself going rounds on race day. In only their third event as a team, Miner and Goodwin have already found themselves in two semi finals and a final.

"Randy and the guys are working hard on a new hot weather combination and Bakersfield put it to the test. At times the car was a handful, but that's part of the fun and why I'm here," said Miner. "We are qualifying well and going rounds and that's extremely important to us. Now it's time to win."

Team TORCO qualified number 5 with a less than perfect run of 5.77 at over 254 miles per hour which stood as second fastest run of the event for the Top Alcohol Funny Car class. In eliminations, Miner advanced to the semi finals where he raced current division 7 points leader Steve Gasparrelli. Miner left on Gasparrelli with a .034 reaction time and was well ahead when the racer suddenly spun the tires 200 feet down track and made a hard move toward the centerline.

"I had to lift off the throttle or risk hitting the timing blocks on the centerline," said Larry. "I thought we were in good shape until the car made a hard move to the right, but that's racing. Our time will come. I'm already looking forward to the next event."

Next on schedule for the Miner and Goodwin team is the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series divisional event at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California. For Randy Goodwin it's a special event because it's the home track of long time sponsor Team Chevrolet of Vallejo.

"Kenny Ross, owner of Team Chevrolet, is more than just family to us. His support over the last decade has allowed us to continue operating this team even during the tough times," said Goodwin. "Kenny confidence and support kept us out there, and TORCO Racing Fuels owner Evan Knoll has moved our team up to the next level. Doesn't get any better than that!"

A First Round Loss for Ashley

SHREVEPORT, La. – For the first time this season and just the third time in her career, Ashley Force lost in the first round of eliminations at the South Central Division event last weekend at Red River Raceway.

Force, the defending South Central Division champion was cursed throughout the weekend with an ill racecar. Her 3,000 horsepower nitro-injected A/Fuel dragster’s best run was a 6.010 second elapsed time, four hundredths off the competitive pace of the fastest cars in the field.

After qualifying seventh, the twenty-two year was eliminated by number two qualifier, Brandon Pierce. “We think the car may have a demon in it,” Ashley said. “It drops cylinders right at the hit, picks them back up and then drops other cylinders.”

Next weekend Ashley and her Castrol/Hot Wheels team will be taking on the Top Alcohol Dragster field at the 17th Annual O’Reilly Summer Nationals in Topeka, Kansas.

“We’ll get it figured out. Jerry (Darien) is the best,” the California girl smiled.

Ashley Force Advances to Another Semi Final Finish

COMMERCE, Ga. - Ashley Force, driver of the Castrol/Hot Wheels A/Fuel dragster, advanced to her fourth semi final round in just eight races at last weekend’s Summit Racing Equipment Nationals.

After qualifying 10th for the event held at Atlanta Dragway, Force, a second generation racer, was defeated by fellow female racer Karen Benkovich.

“It was a weird round,” stated Ashley. “We had to shut off on the starting line after doing our burn outs because the timing clocks weren’t working. After that we had to return to our pit to re-fuel and windmill the engine (the process of turning over the engine to remove any fuel still in the cylinders). We also tried to cool down the clutch as much as possible.”

Force and Benkovich returned to the starting line and began again. Ashley was first off the line and recorded her best reaction time of her career, a .005 (a perfect reaction time being .000), but soon fell victim to tire shake. Ashley pedaled her 3,000 horsepower nitro-injected dragster twice and began to catch up to Benkovich, but fell short. Benkovich won with a 5.692 second elapsed time.

“The car felt like it went backwards before moving forwards,” said Ashley. Her crew chief, Jerry Darien, explained that they should have cooled off the clutch more before returning to run the race. “There was too much heat still in it,” Darien said.

“We were really looking for a win at this race,” exclaimed the twenty-two year. “This was my first final round last year, but I am excited for Karen.”

“The entire weekend was a learning experience for me,” Ashley continued. “Everyone said I’d be a great funny car driver because I’ve been pedaling my car and blowing up parts.”

During the first round of competition the California girl was paired against Jared Dreher. Force had to pedal the car once and was able to hold on to get the win light but kicked the rods as a conscience. Darien determined there was a parts failure which caused a cylinder to fill with fuel which caused the connecting rod to disintegrate, a.k.a., kicking the rods. “I felt a jolt and then the car didn’t feel right or sound right,” Ashley told Darien after the run.
In the second round Ashley again experienced tire shake but this time the Castrol/Hot Wheels sponsored dragster was able to drive through it and she took the win over Jeff Bohr with a 5.479 second elapsed time at over 254 mph.

Though Ashley was not proclaimed the champion of the Summit Racing Nationals, her father, 13-time NHRA POWERade Funny Car Champion, John Force, was named the King of the funny cars when he defeated his son-in-law and team driver, Robert Hight. Hight is the newest driver added to the Force clan and is married to Force’s eldest daughter, Adria.

Earlier in the week Ashley attended the Coca Cola Press Conference held at Coca Cola’s headquarters in downtown Atlanta. At that press conference the NHRA and Coca Cola’s POWERade brand made the announcement that POWERade will continue to be the series sponsor of the NHRA until 2011, a seven year extension. The partnership began in 2002.

Taylor Races to Famoso Semi Finals

ANAHEIM, CA — Dennis Taylor used last Thursday to test some new power theories at Famoso Raceway in preparation for the third race in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. His Plumbing Concepts NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car seemed responsive to the subtle changes in the power combination.

In Friday’s first qualifying session the thermometer showed a favorable 71 degrees, while 17 Funny Cars lined up to make an attempt for the eight-car field. That demonstrates just how strong NHRA’s Pacific Division 7 is in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. When the dust had settled, Crew Chief Ora Vasquez’s changes netted a great 5.70-second run at 250.00 mph, which was good for the Number 2 spot. However, that run was costly, as the motor was hurt.

On Saturday, a new engine sat in the frame rails, but all was still not well. Gremlins were lurking. Teamwork paid off as each glitch was addressed and made right once again. With the mercury rising into the 80s, Dennis decided not to run the opening session and focused on making the Plumbing Concepts Camaro 100 percent. Taylor stated, “The warmer weather told us our Number 2 spot was secure, and our chances of running quick enough for the Pole were very slim. I feel we made the right call in sitting out the session since we weren’t rushed into a possible compromise.” During the late afternoon session, Dennis lit up the scoreboards with a 5.95 at just under 250 mph. All was good.

In Sunday’s first round, Taylor drew the Number 7 qualifier, Hannes Wernhart, and scored a victory at 5.89 seconds. Taylor said, “We dropped a valve at the end of the run and banged the blower. It was getting real hot in there, but all of a sudden I saw Hannes go by me in a blaze of fire. He definitely had his hands full in there as things happen really fast. Later, we were told his burns were relatively minor, but the car was a total loss. My whole team wishes him a speedy recovery and we hope to see him back in action. He’s a good racer.”

On his trip to the Semi Finals, Dennis summed things up saying, “I’m still happy about the Semis. I left on John Weaver but then started to spin the tires, so we got beat by a tenth of a second. The race car is still in one piece and we decided to pass on Topeka. Since Steve Gasparrelli lost in the final, we’re still okay on points.” Looking back, Dennis considered this a good outing, in spite of the weekend’s challenges. After all, that’s racing!

Taylor’s Big on Bakersfield

Dennis Taylor is anxious to get his Plumbing Concepts-backed NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car over the Grapevine and back to the Famoso Raceway asphalt, just outside Bakersfield. He’s been racing at this fabled facility since 1976 and it generally provides lasting memories. Dennis drove the Lone Eagle Top Fuel Dragster to the number two qualifying position at the original March Meet back in 1985, and that’s just one of the highlights on his resume.

Taylor commented, “I always look forward to racing at Famoso. It ranks right up near the top of my list of all-time favorite tracks, even though I’ve never won there. For some reason, we always manage to do fairly well and each outing provides for a great weekend.”

Before the start of this weekend’s Lucas Oil Series NHRA Division 7 event, Team Taylor will be testing some subtle changes to the power combination. Dennis stated, “Lately, the car has been talking to Ora (Crew Chief, Vasquez) and he’s eager to interpret what it’s telling him.” Taylor is always quick to credit the experience that Vasquez beings to the table, as their solid relationship is built on respect. Dennis added, “Ora and I both subscribe to the “common sense” tuning approach. Right now, our car is offering certain signals and Ora is calculating what it wants, when it wants it, and how much it will take before we go too far.”

One of Dennis Taylor’s Famoso memories includes a parachute failure that sent him three rows deep into an almond grove, well past the end of the shutdown area. But even that hasn’t tarnished his opinion of the place. Looking back on last year’s race, the entire Plumbing Concepts crew intends to strive for the top, as the stinging Runner-Up finish in 2004 still reminds them of their disappointment. In the weeks following a freak electrical malfunction in Las Vegas, the Camaro has been “stripped to the bones,” with virtually every component disassembled, inspected, rebuilt, or replaced. That kind of preparation can only strengthen their resolve, though success in racing requires a certain amount of good luck, as well.

Following the trip to Famoso Raceway, the team plans to load the trailer and aim it towards Topeka, Kansas, for the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Summer Nationals.

ASHLEY FORCE AMONG FAVORITES IN LUCAS SERIES RACE AT RED RIVER

It's been a rough ride this year for Ashley Force, the 22-year-old daughter of drag racing's biggest winner, but the former high school
cheerleader wouldn't have it any other way.

Tire shake, loss of traction, mechanical malfunctions: all have created situations that have forced the second year driver of the Castrol/Hot Wheels dragster to make adjustments in the cockpit, a major part of her training for an eventual ride in one of her father's 330 mile-an-hour Castrol-backed Ford Funny Cars.

Ms. Force, second oldest daughter of 13-time NHRA Funny Car Champion John Force, brings the Castrol road show to Red River Dragway this week where she will challenge veteran Gene Snow for the Top Alcohol Dragster championship in a Lucas Sportsman Series regional event.

Although she still is seeking her first victory of the new season, Force comes in as the national points leader in the class after reaching the semifinals at last week's Summit Southern Nationals at Atlanta, Ga.

At Atlanta, the graduate of California State University-Fullerton had to use all her driving skills to overcome a No. 10 start. The car shook in all three rounds, forcing the second generation driver to employ a technique called "backpedaling" in which the driver feathers the throttle to try and regain traction.

"Everyone has said I'd be a great Funny Car driver because I've been pedaling my car and blowing up parts," Force quipped.
In fact, she's been making her famous father proud by displaying skills he never imagined she had.

"It's all about seat time," he said. "She just needs to make laps. Anybody can drive a car A to B when everything's right, but you're not a driver until you can show that you can handle a race car when it's in trouble. She's done that -- but she still needs more time in the cockpit."

There is no timetable for Ashley to take over one of the John Force Racing Funny Cars, but conventional wisdom suggests that she will stay in the Lucas Series, under the scrutiny of car owners Jerry Darien and Ken Meadows, for at least one more season.

A six-time winner as a rookie – three times in the Lucas Series and three times in the NHRA POWERade series – Ashley won the 2004 South Central Division championship, in the process earning Driver of the Year and Rookie of the Year accolades.

She's back in Division 4 (Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and Tennessee) this year, battling for the championship with a drag racing legend who won the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, drag racing's oldest, largest and most prestigious event, 17 years before she was born.
Although she is winless thus far this season, Ashley won three of the last five races of the 2004 season including the U.S. Nationals, the O'Reilly Fall Nationals at Dallas, Texas, and the season-ending Automobile Club of Southern California Finals at Pomona, Calif., an event in which she share the winners' circle with her father as the first father-and-daughter winners in NHRA history.

Aligned with Darien and Meadows, Ashley has a reputation to uphold. After all, she was preceded in the cockpit of the Darien-tuned dragster by Brandon Bernstein, son of seven-time series champion Kenny Bernstein, the only driver to win NHRA titles in both Top Fuel and Funny Car, and by Morgan Lucas, currently fourth in the Top Fuel driver standings.

Callaway set to do battle in Shreveport

Former NHRA Division 4 Top Alcohol Dragster Champion Lee Callaway is set to do battle with the competition at this weekend's Division 4 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Red River Raceway just outside of Shreveport, La. With temperatures forecasted to be in the low 90's all weekend, Callaway and his Tejano Salsa/RacecarRigs.com backed team plan to take no mercy on the injected-nitro cars who have struggled in the heat this year under the new 98% rule.

Callaway, from Baytown, Texas, the last blown alcohol dragster left in Division 4, has never been one to back down from and opportunity to stir the pot. At his last event, Callaway and his team debuted their 'Battle Belts' - used blower belts with assorted 'messages' for the A/Fuel cars that his crewmembers carry to the starting line. With the hot conditions forecasted, Callaway hopes to put the Battle Belts in the winner's circle.

"Hopefully the weatherman is right about this weekend and it gets hotter than a firecracker," said Callaway. "This week I've been like a kid on Christmas morning every morning this week. You wake up and run to the computer to check the forecast, and depending on what you see is how happy you are. With summer coming, it's only going to get hotter. The A/Fuel cars got a little out of line earlier in the year running those 5.18's and 5.20's, so now we've had to pull our blower belts off. They better look out for our Battle Belts, because they'll be looking for them. This summer the Battle Belts may be coming to a track near you."

"We're hoping to get a handle on our clutch problems this weekend," Callaway continued. "We've changed a few components, and changed some elements of our tune-up. Summer is pretty much here, so we really have to make these races count. The bad thing about clutch problems is you really don't know where you are. If we fix the problem, then the clutch weight we've been running might be way too much. Hopefully we found the problem and can get it to lock up in high gear."

Branch looking to stay on a roll in Shreveport

Former three-time NHRA Division 4 Top Alcohol Funny Car Champion Tate Branch will be looking to stay on a roll going into this weekend's NHRA Division 4 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Red River Raceway just outside of Shreveport, La. Branch enters the event hot off of two final round appearances, and hopes to put the Bar's Leaks Repair It/ Branch-Etterman Racing Camaro in the winner's circle on Sunday.

Branch, who is a Service Manager at Bull Dog Dodge in Artesia, N.M., when not racing, enters the event locked in a tight points battle with last year's Division 4 Champion, Jackie Stidham. Stidham won an out of division event last weekend in Division 5 in Great Bend, Kan. The win put Stidham only six points ahead of Branch, who has yet to run any out of division events this year.

"We knew it was going to be a battle for the points this year," said Branch. "And this year, it's not only us and Stidham, you got guys like Jimmy Jones who won in Dallas, Richard McClain, Kebin Kinsley and Steve Burck who have really stepped up. There is no room for error."

"We have four races in a row coming up," Branch continued. "So this next month can really make or break us. We're really hoping to improve our hot weather tune up this year. My crew chief Dave Scheelk has been working on some things, and it was pretty hot in Vegas, so hopefully we'll be ready for the heat this summer."

ASHLEY RETURNS TO ATLANTA DRAGWAY AS ALCOHOL DRAGSTER POINTS LEADER

Whether she's in front of the camera as the driver of Castrol/Hot Wheels dragster, or behind it as the producer/director of a John Force Racing highlight video, 22-year-old Ashley Force is proving herself to be much more than a pretty face with a winning pedigree.

In fact, entering this week's 25th annual Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway, she is the national points leader in a Top Alcohol Dragster class in which she is serving the second year of an apprenticeship that ultimately may land her in one of her father's 330 mile-an-hour Castrol Ford Funny Cars.

A three-time winner last season in a Top Alcohol category that is to drag racing what the Busch Series is to NASCAR, Ms. Force is developing her quarter mile skills under the watchful eye of crew chief Jerry Darien.
With partner Ken Meadows, the former schoolteacher has forged a second career preparing young drivers for careers at the sport's upper levels.

His alumni include Gary Scelzi, the three-time former NHRA Top Fuel Champion; Brandon Bernstein, the 2003 NHRA Rookie of the Year; Morgan Lucas, last year's Top Fuel rookie sensation; Frank Pedregon, brother of Funny Car champions Cruz and Tony Pedregon; and aspiring Top Fuel driver Melanie Troxel, In such company, Ashley has more than held her own.

"She picks things up really fast," Darien said, "and she seems to have inherited John's ability to rise to the occasion."

In fact, Ashley's 2004 victories came in three of the season's biggest events including the most prestigious drag race on the planet the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis, Ind., a race her father didn't win in his first 12 attempts. She also won the O'Reilly Fall Nationals at the all-concrete Texas Motorplex in Dallas and the season-ending Automobile Club of Southern California Finals at Pomona, Calf.

It was at the 2004 finale that she shared the winners' circle with her father who, after she had won in Top Alcohol, drove his Castrol GTX® Start Up® Ford to a final round conquest of Del Worsham's Chevrolet. It's the only time in NHRA racing history that a father and daughter have won titles at the same event.

No wonder, then, that BP Lubricants, through its Castrol branded products, has signed the former high school cheerleader to a long-term contract.
A 2003 graduate of California State University-Fullerton where she majored in communications with an emphasis in television and film, Ashley has used those skills to make herself even more indispensable to her father.

She now produces all of the team's marketing videos and highlight clips from an in-house studio at the JFR compound in Yorba Linda, Calif. Moreover, with the help of Mandie Yorio, her PR representative, and Josh Miller, she has for the last four years created a year-end spoof that has become the highlight of the company Christmas Party.

Right now, though, her career as a mini-movie producer is on hold.

Although a championship would thrll him, Force said the No. 1 priority for his daughter is to get more experience.

"She still needs seat time," Force said. "Anybody can drive a car from A to B when everything's perfect. The key is to be able to drive in trouble and that's what she's learning with Darien and Meadows. She's learning how to pedal (feather the throttle to regain traction) and how far she can drive it without getting in trouble.

"(This) is a serious race car. They're going faster in the alcohol cars than I was when I won my first Funny Car race (at Montreal, Canada in 1987). So I want her to get all the experience she can. She's got time. I didn't win my first race until I was 37."

Zapp is the Lucky Duck at Tri-State

Make it two races in a row for the Duck Tape brand duct tape backed ’66 Chevelle of Matt Zapp. This time Zapp was scored a win at Tri-State Dragway during the IHRA Division 3 Mr. Gasket Pro-Am event. He defeated Stan Schmale in the final of HURST Hot Rod.

“We were beyond lucky this weekend. Everything fell into place perfectly and God was definitely on our side,” explained Zapp. “Haley and I were as excited about the God Speed Ministry chapel service as we were about the race itself.”

Matt and his wife Haley are not only drag racers in Division 3, they also serve as the Chaplains for the God Speed Ministry. Matt intends to lead worship and praise services on Sunday mornings during the two-day events along the Division 3 tour.

“We are very honored to be selected as the representative for God Speed Ministry in Ohio, Michigan and Kentucky. This summer is about doing work for the Lord and enjoying the ride He has provided,” explained Zapp.

As for his competitive portion of the weekend, Zapp used a strong running car and a lion’s share of luck to emerge victorious. On Sunday the car performed flawlessly allowing Zapp to appear in the final round for the second time in 2005.

“It is simply awesome to make the finals at an IHRA event. To make the finals two times in a row is even better. We were very pleased with our runner-up at Mooresville three weeks ago and now we have a win to our credit. This is unbelievable,” explained Zapp.

“Special thanks to my dad Bob for all of his hard work and support of our racing program. Thank you also to our close friend and car builder Keith Durden for assembling such a tough running entry,” expressed Zapp.

Zapp’s win places him firmly in the points lead of IHRA Division 3 Hot Rod, and catapults him into the Top 5 in the World.

The Chevelle is sponsored by Duck Tape brand duct tape and Loctite, part of the Henkel Consumer Adhesives family. Additional backing comes from Abruzzi Racing Transmissions, K&N Filters, Mickey Thompson Tires, Hupertz Racing Engines, APD Carburetors, Davis Race Cars, AutoMeter, Coastal Coatings, Jeff’s Madison Autoworks, Zapp Signs and Staging Light Graphics.

Henkel has expanded its motorsports program in 2005 to include Greg Biffle’s NASCAR Busch Series car, which recently debuted with a win at Phoenix. Look for Biffle and the Duck TapeÒ brand duct tape car at Darlington on FX this Friday, May 6, starting at 8:00 p.m.

The next stop for the drag racing segment of Duck Tape Racing will be Pittsburgh Raceway Park, in New Alexandria, Pa., May 13-15, 2005 for the IHRA Division 1 Pro-Am Tour, with Michael Beard at the wheel of Terry Knott’s Stock Eliminator ’73 Dart Sport.

Stull scores round win in Comp debut

The old adage 'Rome wasn't built in a day' could be said for NHRA Sportsman racer Tina Stull's Competition Eliminator debut at this past weekend's NHRA Division 4 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at the Texas Motorplex just south of Dallas. However, it also could be said that construction is well under way and ahead of schedule as Stull not only qualified for a tough field, but scored a round win in her first race out with her Interstate Batteries/Mac Tools sponsored G Econo Dragster.
Stull, a volunteer firefighter from Boerne, Texas, qualified despite fighting the proverbial 'new car blues.' Her 8.484 second run out of her Chevy Trailblazer Inline 6 powered dragster was .266 under her index and placed her 31st in qualifying. In round one she pulled off a big upset taking out veteran heavy-hitter Bill Kent's dragster with a stellar .016 reaction time. In her second round bout with Dennis Smiley, Stull pulled the trigger a bit too soon as she redlighted with a -.048 reaction time, thus ending her day before the race was over. Still, Stull and her team lead by Charlie Stewart were pleased with the outing.

"We picked up a round win in our Comp debut, so we're happy about that," said Stull. "We really fought a lot of problems in qualifying. The down side of that is obvious, we're not running with the front runners yet. The upside is Charlie and the guys are really excited that the car is running as good as it is with all the problems it has."
"It was probably the longest four hour drive home though," Stull commented on her redlight. "Smiley was really late, and I might have been able to pull out another round win. It's something I'm really going to work on before the next race."

The action is about to heat up both literally and figuratively for the Interstate Batteries/Mac Tools team as they are about to embark on a four race back-to-back swing starting with the Division 4 event in Shreveport, La., May 19-21., the O'Reilly Summer Nationals in Topeka, Kan., a Division 4 event in Memphis, and wrapping up with a Division 4 event in Rusk, Texas. To say the team will be busy is an understatement.

"We're all pretty excited about our upcoming road swing," stated Stull. "Charlie and the guys back in the engine shop are taking the motor and putting it back on the dyno to get the engine more dialed in. It was such a strain just getting the car together for the race, Charlie feels more time on the dyno will really help out. Hopefully we can put this Interstate Batteries/Mac Tools dragster in one of those winner's circles."

Callaway reaches semifinals despite clutch problems

Former NHRA Division 4 Top Alcohol Dragster Champion Lee Callaway reached the semifinals of this past weekend's Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at the Texas Motorplex just south of Dallas despite fighting persistent clutch problems and destroying an engine in qualifying. Nevertheless, Callaway is optimistic looking forward after this race.

Callaway, from Baytown, Texas, qualified his Stacy McLemore tuned machine sixth with a 5.494 second elapsed time at 255.92 mph. Qualifying was a feat in itself. During the second qualifying session, Callaway had a major engine explosion that forced the team to change engines for the final qualifying session. Adding pressure to the situation was the fact the team was sitting precariously in the eighth position of an eight car field going into the final session. Despite the adversity, the Tejano Salsa/RacecarRigs.com team pulled together to nab the sixth spot with the lone blown alcohol dragster in the field.

In round one, Callaway used a stellar .022 reaction time (.000 is perfect) to defeat heavy-hitter and drag race legend Gene Snow on a holeshot with a 5.567 at 256.41 mph to Snow's quicker-but-later 5.565 at 227.92 mph. Callaway's semifinal opponent would be No. 2 qualifier and recent Mac Tools Gatornationals winner Aaron Olivarez. The race was over before it started as Callaway left too soon drawing disqualification. However, Callaway slowed to a 5.614 at 255.05 mph while Olivarez ran a stellar 5.394 at 261.72 mph.

"We thought we had our clutch problem figured out after Houston," said Callaway. "We fixed one problem only to find out we had two, and it's just driving through the clutch. We put a considerable amount of clutch in it for the second round, and it actually drove through the clutch worse. We're really going to have to look into the clutch area, all the way from the clutch pedal, the linkage, throwout bearing and internals of the clutch itself. It's very erratic in what it does. On the other hand, running 5.40's with as messed up as this clutch is, it definitely shows we have something in the bank left when we get it fixed."
Callaway also commented on his -.247 redlight.

"I just felt the blown cars were down -.247, so I was just making up the difference," Callaway joked. "Really it just felt like time to go. Sometimes that happens. It doesn't sting as bad because he would have outrun me anyway, but nonetheless, he might have fell off, and I would have lost the race. I'm going to work on that before the next race for sure."

Callaway's next event will be race three of the Division 4 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series at Red River Raceway just outside of Shreveport, La., May 19-21. There Callaway will be looking to make a move on points leaders Ashley Force and Aaron Olivarez.

"Hopefully the weather will heat up a little bit by then," commented Callaway. "The heat definitely looks to be an advantage for me with a blown car, so we're hoping for hot weather, and we'll make some of our own heat with Tejano Salsa. We got some decent points out of the deal, and I was glad to see Randy Meyer win since he runs Division 5, and Olivarez make the finals instead of Force, so she didn't get too far out in front. We feel like we're still in the hunt to win the Division 4 Championship."

Force Loses in Semi Finals

Second-generation racer, Ashley Force, lost in the semi-final round of competition to Randy Meyer at last weekend’s South Central division drag race at the Texas Motorplex.

Force, who qualified 5th, defeated Daryl Hitchman in round one by piloting her 3,000 horsepower Castrol/Hot Wheels nitro-injected dragster to a 5.402 second elapsed time.
After losing, Force’s crew chief, Jerry Darien expressed, “The track got better and the car didn’t leave hard enough off the starting line.”

“Yeah, now the world is slowing down to Ashley when she’s in the car. She’s starting to feel when things aren’t right and tells me so I can make adjustments. It’s all a part of learning and she’s definitely picking up on everything now,” Darien continued, “even though she’s still a kid a heart.”
When Darien asked before going into eliminations, “Well kid, what do you think,” the twenty-two year-old responded, “Not too much and not often. There’s not much in this head of mine.”

ASHLEY HOPING TO DUPLICATE LAST YEAR'S MOTORPLEX SUCCESS; Points Leader Goes After First 2005 Win

DALLAS, Texas – There may be a Funny Car in her future, but right now Ashley Force is enjoying a less obstructed view from the cockpit of the Castrol/Hot Wheels dragster in which she is seeking the Top Alcohol Dragster championship at this week's Lucas Sportsman Series event at Billy Meyer's Texas Motorplex.

Although she is in only her second full season on the NHRA circuit, the 22-year- old is no stranger to success at the Motorplex where she won last September's O'Reilly Fall Nationals en route to fourth place in the national driver standings.

Her 2004 performance, which included three victories in the season's final five races, led to speculation that the former high school cheerleader might wind up in one of her father's Castrol-back Ford Funny Cars sooner rather than later.

Nevertheless, the graduate of California State University-Fullerton insists that there is no timetable for her integration into an NHRA POWERade Series over which her father, John Force, has reigned for 13 of the last 15 seasons.

"Dad wants me to decide (when it's time to move up)," Ms. Force said. "Sometimes I think I'm ready right now, but other times I know I'm right where I should be. There's no need to rush."

The reigning Top Alcohol Dragster Champion in a region composed of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee, Ashley is the latest development project of veteran car owners Jerry Darien and Ken Meadows.

A former schoolteacher, Darien has created a second career as a developer of young driving talent. His alumni include Funny Car drivers Gary Scelzi and Frank Pedregon along with Top Fuel drivers Brandon Bernstein, Morgan Lucas and Melanie Troxel.

In her first season with the team, Ashley put up numbers comparable to those
posted by both Bernstein and Lucas, the two drivers who immediately preceded her in the cockpit of the Darien and Meadows entry.

In addition to her three national event victories, capped by a season-ending triumph in the Automobile Club of Southern California Finals in which she shared the winners' circle with her famous father, Ashley also won three regional events on the way to being named both Rookie of the Year and Driver of the Year in her division.

Despite that success, Ashley still is seeking her first victory of the new season, remarkable considering the fact that she has led the Top Alcohol Dragster standings since the third week of the season.

She has used her consistency to retain that lead, earning runner-up honors in
two events, reaching the semifinals in three others. Primarily, though, she has gained additional "seat time," the variable her father considers most important.

"Anybody can drive a good race car A to B on a good racetrack," he said. "What separates the racers from the drivers is what they do when the car gets in trouble. She's learning all that with Darien and Meadows."

Callaway looking to turn up the heat in Dallas

ENNIS, Texas - Former NHRA Division 4 Top Alcohol Dragster Champion Lee Callaway will looking to use some of his sponsor's Tejano Salsa to turn up the heat on the competition during this weekend's Division 4 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at the famed Texas Motorplex, just south of Dallas. With hot conditions appearing to be the achilles heel of the injected-nitro cars, Callaway, the lone blown alcohol car left in Division 4, hope to find the combination of hot racing action on the track with hot Tejano Salsa for the racers to 'sample' in the pit.

For Callaway, from Baytown, Texas, this will be his first outing in Division 4 competition this year. After missing the season opener at Houston Raceway Park, the team debuted at the O'Reilly Spring Nationals held there. Despite losing in the first round, Callaway feels his team made many strides in the right direction.

"We didn't kill the world in Houston," explained Callaway. "But we did find some major problems in the clutch department we fought all of last year. We went from literally shaking the body off the car last year to getting down the track, and got back into the 5.40's. That's nothing to jump up and down about, but we're back heading in the right direction. Now that we feel like we can get down the track, we're going to make a few test laps on Thursday in Dallas to see if we can step it up some."

"We're going to get some special Habanero Reserve sauce made by Tejano Salsa and try to heat it up for the A/Fuelers," joked Callaway. "If they can't handle the heat, they can always come by the trailer and get some 'Texas Mild' sauce. If they get too far out of line, I may just have to take my blower belt off."

Branch looking for two in a row in Dallas

ENNIS, Texas - Former three-time NHRA Division 4 Top Alcohol Funny Car Champion Tate Branch will be looking to stay perfect in Division 4 competition this year during this weekend's Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at the famed Texas Motorplex just south of Dallas. Branch opened the year with a win in the Bar's Leaks Repair-It/ Branch-Etterman Racing Camaro, and would love to make it two-in-a-row this weekend.

Branch, from Artesia, N.M., is certifiably 'hot' coming into the race. He not only enters the race with one divisional win under his belt, but is fresh off a runner-up finish at the SummitRacing.com Nationals in Las Vegas. Armed with what they call the 'Big Mo' in football, Branch and team hope to keep their momentum going this weekend.

"We want to keep things going this weekend," said Branch. "I also want to put that redlight in the Vegas final behind me as well, and give the field something else to talk about. We're all pretty excited; the hot rod is running pretty well right now. But first things first, we have to go out there on Friday and qualify. Making a strong run out of the trailer is a pretty big priority to us."

Currently third in national points and first in Division 4 points, Branch and team realize this is only one more step in a long battle ahead.

"I'm sure it's going to be a long tough battle this year in Division 4," stated Branch. "Jackie [Stidham] and the guys over there are real tough, and they can show up and win any race. Then you got guys like Richard McClain, Kebin Kinsley and Jimmy Jones all coming on strong of late, it's going to be a real dogfight all year long."

Qualifying begins on Friday for the alcohol cars with one qualifier, followed by two more sessions on Saturday. Final eliminations will conclude the event on Sunday. Stay tuned to InsideTopAlcohol.com for the latest news in alcohol racing.

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