O’Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals NHRA POWERade DragRacing
Finals
 

Top Fuel
Final Round 
MADISON, Ill. - SUMMIT FastNews - Results of final, round 4 eliminations in Top Fuel at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 11th annual O’Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals presented by Castrol: 
 W/L  Driver                                     R-Time    E-Time  Speed
 
 (W) Melanie Troxel (Vietnam Veterans/POW-MIA Dr 0.094      4.741 274.33
 (L) Cory McClenathan (Carrier Boyz/Fram Boost 2 0.075      5.355 254.52
The final pass in a great weekend is a super race.

Cory's in trouble right after 330 while Melanie is going straight down the track.

It's Melanie's first win in a long while and especially poignant since she's running the POW / MIA tribute colors.

In her first final ever, Cory beat Mel seven years ago. She pays him back today.

It's been a great weekend with some super performance. Having pleasant weather here at Gateway packed the stands on both Saturday and Sunday and I have to think all the midwest fans got way more than their money's worth.

That's all from Gateway, and thanks for following along.

Funny Car
Final Round 
MADISON, Ill. - SUMMIT FastNews - Results of final, round 4 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 11th annual O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals presented by Castrol: 
 W/L  Driver                                     R-Time    E-Time  Speed
 
 (W) Ron Capps (Brut Charger)                    0.069      4.882 305.98
 (L) Del Worsham (Checker Schuck's Kragen Impala 0.086      4.918 308.50
Capps has a 22 to 8 overall advantage in head to head match ups, and they have only raced one time in the finals. Worsham won that in Englishtown of '05. Capps with the starting line advantage and never looked back for his third win here at Gateway International Raceway. This is his third win of the season and now leads Robert Hight by 121 points. Both cars with good clean passes.

Pro Stock
Final Round 
MADISON, Ill. - SUMMIT FastNews - Results of final, round 4 eliminations in Pro Stock at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 11th annual O’Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals presented by Castrol: 
 W/L  Driver                                     R-Time    E-Time  Speed
 
 (W) Dave Connolly (Torco/Slammers Cobalt)       0.031      6.663 206.99
 (L) Jeg Coughlin (Slammer's/Jeg's Cobalt)       0.015      6.695 206.64
After that stunning pass by Matt Smith in the PSM finals, who knows what's on tap here?

For one thing, it's proof positive that the work done by Victor Cagnazzi has borne fruit and all those smart people are making a difference.

Jeggie leaves first, but takes a very snaky route to half track. The Cobalt was never completely out of the groove, but all that excellent driving still hurt the ET.

Connolly gets to join his father in the Winner's Circle as he notches the first win ever for the Cagnazzi folks. Not too shabby - you make your own power, you make your own chassis, and at least on this day you're the best there is.

My congratulations to all the people in the background who've made this happen - like Steve Johns, Todd Bevis, Steve Cultrera, and the rest.

Dave Connolly's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.015), 330 ft(-0.001), 660ft(0.008), 1,000ft(0.013). MOV: 0.0161 seconds (approximately 5 feet).

Pro Stock Motorcycle
Final Round 
MADISON, Ill. - SUMMIT FastNews - Results of final, round 4 eliminations in Pro Stock Motorcycle at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 11th annual O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals presented by Castrol: 
 W/L  Driver                                     R-Time    E-Time  Speed
 
 (W) Matt Smith (Torco Race Fuels Buell)         0.083      6.901 191.78
 (L) Angelle Sampey (US Army Suzuki)             0.015      7.132 162.67
They have met six times with each of them winning three times, and they have met twice in the final round with each of them one time. Sampey with a great light , but Smith had her chased down by 400 feet. Smith with the quickest passes in the history of Pro Stock Motorcycle and he also has a back up for the National Record.

Pro Mod
Final Round 
MADISON, Ill. - SUMMIT FastNews - Results of final, round 4 eliminations in Pro Modified at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 11th annual O’Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals presented by Castrol: 
 W/L  Driver                                     R-Time    E-Time  Speed
 
 (W) Josh Hernandez ('68 Camaro)                 0.085      9.974 118.12
 (L) Tony Pontieri (*'57 Bel Air)                -9.999(R) NT-No Show
Pontieri is unable to make the final so Hernandez takes the win in an anticlimax. He shakes the tires and clicks it off before 300 feet.
 * = Supercharged Engine

Comp Eliminator
Final Round 
MADISON, Ill. - SUMMIT FastNews - Results of final, round 5 eliminations in Competition Eliminator at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 11th annual O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals presented by Castrol: 
 W/L  Driver                Class  Index     RT        ET  Ov/Un
 
 (W) David Rampy             A/EA   7.91  0.024     7.685 -0.225
 (L) Sean Dodd               B/AA   7.71  -0.022(R) 9.580  1.870
This Rampy's 104th final round and Dodd's first. Dodd is too quick on the tree and Rampy wins his 63rd Wally.

Stock
Final Round 
MADISON, Ill. - SUMMIT FastNews - Results of final, round 7 eliminations in Stock Eliminator at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 11th annual O’Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals presented by Castrol: 
 W/L  Driver               Class   Dial    RT        ET   Speed
 
 (W) Gary Stinnett           B/SA  10.60  0.018    10.607  0.007
 (L) Kevin Helms              A/S  10.56  0.031    10.553 -0.007
It's a battle of the 69 Camaros. Helms' Fathom Green car - no spoiler on the trunk lid - faces the Tuxedo Black car of Stinnett in a race that's very close to heads up.

Stinnett has the better light and Helms breaks out.

That's the 4th different class that Gary has won a national event in. It's a fairly exclusive club as there are only 6 other members. Stinnett's record includes Super Stock, Super Gas, Super Comp, and now Stock. I'd say the guy is pretty good at what he does.

Super Comp
Final Round 
MADISON, Ill. - SUMMIT FastNews - Results of final, round 7 eliminations in Super Comp at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 11th annual O’Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals presented by Castrol: 
 W/L  Driver                Class  Index     RT        ET  Ov/Un
 
 (W) T.J. Tracey              S/C   8.90  0.001     8.849 -0.051
 (L) Jeffrey Strickland       S/C   8.90  0.016     8.847 -0.053
The Strickland name is getting familiar in the final round, as his dad was runner-up in Super Street at Atlanta. Jeff has a 5-9 record in the final round.

TJ has no national event wins, though we won one of the early big bucks bracket races. He took the purse, quit his job, and opened his own racing business.

Tracey will take his first Wally back to Texas.

Super Gas
Final Round 
MADISON, Ill. - SUMMIT FastNews - Results of final, round 7 eliminations in Super Gas at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 11th annual O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals presented by Castrol: 
 W/L  Driver                Class  Index     RT        ET  Ov/Un
 
 (W) Ray Connolly             S/G   9.90  0.014     9.908  0.008
 (L) Steven Hoyt              S/G   9.90  0.014     9.864 -0.036
Connolly is five and four in final rounds. They have exactly the same reaction times and Hoyt is too quick on the top end and breaks out. Connolly with a great 0.022 package and the win.