FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
KELLEY UPSET WINNER AT GAINESVILLE

GAINESVILLE RACEWAY, Gainesville, Fla. -- Palm City, Fla.’s Doug Kelley claimed an upset victory at Gainesville Raceway Sunday night, winning the Federal-Mogul Dragster title over heavily-favored Michael Gunderson.

Competing at the first of six events in the 1999 NHRA Southeast division Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series, Kelley was ultimately able to take an easy ride into the winner’s circle when final-round opponent Gunderson, of Middleburg, Fla., could not start his car.

“I really didn’t want to win like that,” said Kelley, a former champion mud-bog driver. “I’m a racer and I would have preferred to have raced Michael. I’m sorry he broke.”

After recording a career-best speed of 257 mph during testing Thursday Gunderson’s dragster had struggled to find any consistent performance. After breaking a lifter in the semifinals and replacing the engine for the final, the team then discovered an air-leak in the car’s air-shifter system, then sheared a cam drive when they attempted to start the engine.

Federal-Mogul Funny Car honors went to Manhasset, N.Y.’s Tony Bartone, who defeated Fran Monaghan Jr., of Willow Grove, Pa., in the final. Driving a new Chevrolet Camaro, Bartone had qualified in the No. 1 position with a 5.71-second run and was rarely troubled during eliminations en route to his first victory of the season.

Reigning NHRA Southeast division Competition Eliminator champion Mike Saye, of Johnston, S.C., began the defense of his title with a final-round victory over Pace, Fla.’s Jim Kimbrough.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Final results Sunday from Gainesville Raceway, the first of six events in the 1999 NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series listing driver, hometown, state, vehicle, elapsed time in seconds, and speed in miles per hour.

FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAGSTER
W - Doug Kelley, Palm City, Fla., 7.40 seconds, 138.95 mph
L - Michael Gunderson, Middleburg, Fla., broke.

FEDERAL-MOGUL FUNNY CAR
W - Tony Bartone, Manhasset, N.Y., ‘99 Camaro, no et, 249.72
L - Fran Monaghan, Willow Grove, Pa. ‘97 Avenger, no et, 246.77.

COMPETITION
W - Mike Saye, Johnston, S.C., G/A ‘92 Cutlass, 8.85, 151.43
L - Jim Kimbrough, Pace, Fla., A/EA ‘23-T Ford, 7.59, 173.14.

SUPER STOCK
W - Monty Bogan Jr., Jonesville, S.C., SS/BS ‘86 Camaro, 11.85
L - Donald Smith, Maggie Valley, N.C., GT/IA ‘90 Camaro, 10.56 (foul start)

STOCK
W - Bill Howell, Aiken, S.C., B/SA ‘70 Mustang, 10.54
L - Steven Hall, Sweeny, Texas, B/SA ‘69 Mustang, 10.65

SUPER COMP
W - Sherman Adcock Jr., Columbus, Ga., dragster, 8.89
L - Mike McDaniel, Fruitland Park, Fla., dragster, 8.89 (broke out).

SUPER GAS
W - Steve Cohen, Trilby, Fla., ‘63 Corvette, 9.93
L - Dale Biggs, Old Hickory, Tenn., ‘27-T Ford, 9.94

SUPER STREET
W - David Bell, Screven, Ga., ‘67 Camaro, 10.88
L - David Miller, Savannah, Ga., ‘76 Vega, 10.84 (broke out)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BARTONE, GUNDERSON SET PACE AT GAINESVILLE

GAINESVILLE RACEWAY, Gainesville, Fla., -- Drivers Tony Bartone and Michael Gunderson set the pace in Federal-Mogul Funny Car and Federal-Mogul Dragster, respectively, to claim the No. 1 qualifying positions at the NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series event at Gainesville Raceway.

Bartone, who led the Funny Car field with an opening 5.78-second run Friday, improved to a 5.71-second pass at 251 mph to secure the pole position.

“I’m not sure the car can go any quicker on this track,” opined Bartone, of Manhasset, N.Y. “[The car] is making lots of power, but the track doesn’t want to hold it. It was moving around quite a bit at the top end.”

Bartone is trailed by Paris, Ont.’s Todd Paton and Irwindale, Calif.’s Jay Payne.

Gunderson recorded the fastest run of his career, 257 mph, during testing Thursday but has since struggled to recapture that form during qualifying. A 5.56-second run at 253 mph, recorded Friday afternoon, was enough to keep Middleburg, Fla.’s Gunderson on the pole after a later run Saturday yeilded a 5.66-second lap but at the expense of a dropped valve.

Final eliminations in all categories begin 9:00 a.m. Sunday, with quarterfinals of Federal-Mogul Dragster and Federal-Mogul Funny Car scheduled to begin at 12 noon.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Final qualifying results Saturday from Gainesville Raceway, the first of six events in the 1999 NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series listing driver, hometown, state, vehicle, elapsed time in seconds, and speed in miles per hour.

FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAGSTER
1. Michael Gunderson, Middleburg, Fla., 5.566, 253.59
2. Doug Foley, Tarrytown, N.Y., 5.721, 243.444.
3 Doug Kelley, Palm City, Fla., 5.765, 247.72
4. Bob Bears Jr., Clearwater, Fla., 5.776, 236.90
5. Bill McCornack, Lexington, Ky., 5.896, 239.17
6. Lee Kell, Attalla, Ala., 6.004, 235.54
7. Don Fiorelli, Palm Bay, Fla., 6.286, 177.79
8. Bill Steigerwald, Ozona, Fla., 7.890, 128.93

FEDERAL-MOGUL FUNNY CAR
1. Tony Bartone, Manhasset, N.Y.,’99 Camaro, 5.713, 251.04
2. Fran Monaghan Jr., Willow Grove, Pa., ‘97 Avenger, 5.811, 247.72
3. Todd Paton, Paris, Ont., Canada, ‘98 Firebird, 5.860, 250.06
4. Jay Payne, Irwindale, Calif., ‘99 Camaro, 6.000, 236.96
5. Bunny Burkett, Sterling, Va., ‘98 Avenger, 6.050, 228.42
6. Mark Billington, Apopka, Fla., ‘95 Achieva, 6.117, 229.47
7. Dana Hearn, Conyers, Ga., ‘97 Camaro, 6.244, 222.88

COMPETITION
1. David Rampy, Piedmont, Ala., B/SR ‘34 Chevrolet, 8.146 (-0.624)
2. Jerry Hemmingson, Concord, N.C., B/A ‘94 Lumina, 7.356 (-0.604)
3. Ed Bennett III, Carleton, Mich., AA/A ‘63 Corvette, 7.099 (-0.601)
4. Dick Maris, Valrico, Fla., C/D Dragster, 7.108 (-0.592)
5. Mike Saye, Johnston, S.C., G/A ‘92 Cutlass, 8.904 (-0.576)
6. Gary Merrick, Girard, Ohio, B/ED Dragster, 7.104 (-0.556)
7. Glen Treadwell, Sorrento, Fla., A/EA ‘23 T-Ford, 7.480 (-0.550)
8. Jim Kimbrough, Pace, Fla., A/EA ‘23-T Ford, 7.510 (-0.520)
9. Joey Tanksley, Greenwell Springs, La., B/ED Dragster, 7.157 (-0.503)
10. Van Puckett, Lithonia, Ga., C/EA ‘97 Firebird, 8.366 (-0.484)

SUPER STOCK
1. Joe Skinner, Columbia Station, Ohio, GT/E ‘96 Beretta, 9.651 (-1.149)
2. Nick Dennis, Jacksonville, Fla., SS/NA ‘79 Volare, 11.331 (-1.119)
3. Steve Matukas, Indianapolis, Ind., SS/HA ‘66 Nova, 9.826 (-1.074)
4. Bob Reed, Bradenton, Fla., SS/A ‘68 Barracuda, 8.885 (-1.065).
5. Butch Williams, Cherokee, N.C., GT/AA ‘97 Pontiac, 9.348 (-1.052)
6. Johnny Fogle, Norway, S.C., SS/HA ‘67 Camaro, 9.856 (-1.044)
7. John Livingston, Nashville, Tenn., SS/FA ‘71 Corvette, 9.708 (-1.042)
8. Wayne Hayes, Elgin, S.C., SS/NA ‘56 Chevrolet, 11.417 (-1.033)
9. Kenny Schindler, Hendersonville, Tenn., SS/E ‘68 Corvette, 9.533 (-1.017)
10. Terry Pearson, Spanish Fort, Ala., GT/FA ‘98 Achieva, 10.096 (-1.004)

STOCK
1. Mark Lewis, Inman S.C., K/SA ‘74 Nova, 11.737seconds (-1.213)
2. Lee Tuttle, Albany, Ga., T/SA ‘66 Chevrolet, 13.640 (-1.160)
3. Greg Moravec, St. Elmo, Ala., K/SA ‘78 Volare, 11.807 (-1.143)
4. Woodro Josey, Byron, Ga., D/SA ‘98 Firebird, 10.758 (-1.092)
5. Mike Mayhew, Savannah, Ga., N/SA ‘77 Cutlass, 12.246 (-1.054)
6. Brad McFarland, West Union, Ohio, D/SA ‘71 Corvette, 10.797 (-1.053)
7. Tom Hemmingson, Concord, N.C., M/S ‘66 Malibu, 12.099 (-1.051)
8. Andy Thornburg, Wilmer, Ala., J/SA ‘79 Aspen, 11.718 (-1.032)
9. Robbie Hudlow, Monrovia, MD., K/SA ‘84 Cutlass, 11.920 (-1.030)
10. Greg Rowe, Bridgeton, N.C., N/SA ‘89 Camaro, 12.272 (-1.028)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEW CARS LEAD WAY
GAINESVILLE RACEWAY, Gainesville, Fla., -- Michael Gunderson and Tony Bartone are the early pace-setters at the NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series event at Gainesville Raceway. Both competing with new cars for 1999, Gunderson leads the Federal-Mogul Dragster category with a 5.56-second run at 253.59, while Bartone paced the Federal-Mogul Funny Cars with a 5.78-second pass at 249.79 mph.

Bartone described his first in the brand new car, a 1999 Chevrolet Camaro, as a “warm-up lap. I pedaled [got off the throttle] it twice and it was moving around a bit at the top end, but it still ran a reasonable number. I’m pretty sure we can go quicker tomorrow.”

Gunderson, likewise, is confident performance of his new Dave Uyehara-built dragster will improve during Saturday’s final two qualifying sessions.

“We ran a 5.56 at 257 mph -- the fastest speed we have ever recorded -- in testing, so we know the performance is there. Still, if the car just keeps repeating those [elapsed time] numbers I’ll be happy with that; I’ll settle for consistency because that is what wins races.”

Qualifying will continue in all categories on Saturday beginning at 11:00 a.m. with Federal-Mogul Dragster and Federal-Mogul Funny Car scheduled to receive two more qualifying laps at 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Provisional qualifyig results Friday from Gainesville Raceway, the first of six events in the 1999 NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series listing driver, hometown, state, vehicle, elapsed time in seconds, and speed in miles per hour.

FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAGSTER
1. Michael Gunderson, Middleburg, Fla., 5.566, 253.59
2. Doug Foley, Tarrytown, N.Y., 5.779, 239.93
3. Doug Kelley, Palm City, Fla., 5.823, 241.87
4. Bill McCornack, Lexington, Ky., 5.985, 235.97
5. Lee Kell, Attalla, Ala., 6.026, 215.62
6. Don Fiorelli, Palm Bay, Fla., 6.441, 177.79

FEDERAL-MOGUL FUNNY CAR
1. Tony Bartone, Manhasset, N.Y.,’99 Camaro, 5.781, 249.79
2. Todd Paton, Paris, Ont., Canada, ‘98 Firebird, 5.860, 248.48
3. Jay Payne, Irwindale, Calif., ‘99 Camaro, 6.000, 236.96
4. Bunny Burkett, Sterling, Va., ‘98 Avenger, 6.050, 228.42
5. Dana Hearn, Conyers, Ga., ‘97 Camaro, 9.850, 75.05

COMPETITION
1. Dick Maris, Valrico, Fla., C/D ‘99 Undercover, 7.108 (-0.592)
2. Mike Saye, Johnston, S.C., G/A ‘92 Cutlass, 8.928 (-0.552)
3. Ed Bennet, Carleton, Mich., AA/A ‘63 Corvette, 7.163 (-0.537)
4. Jim Kimbrough, Pace, Fla., A/EA ‘23 Ford, 7.549 (-0.481)
5. Don Eberly, Brunswick, Ga., C/EA ‘98 Firebird, 8.460 (-0.390)
6. Mark Linebarrier, Liberty, N.C., C/A ‘88 Cutlass, 7.954 (-0.296)
7. Jerry Hemmingson, Concord, N.C., B/A ‘94 Lumina, 7.733 (-0.227)
8. Jim Smiley, Springfield, Tenn., E/SM ‘91 Calais, 8.863 (-0.197)
9. Joey Tanksley, Baton Rouge, La., B/EA ‘92 Dragster, 8.472 (-0.048)
10. Larry Ericksmoen, St. Petersburg, Fla., C/A ‘92 Cutlass, 8.245 (-0.005)

SUPER STOCK
1. Joe Skinner, Columbia Station, Ohio, GT/E ‘96 Beretta, 9.651 (-1.149)
2. Nick Dennis, Jacksonville, Fla., SS/NA ‘79 Volare, 11.331 (-1.119)
3. Steve Matukas, Indianapolis, Ind., SS/HA ‘66 Nova, 9.858 (-1.042)
4. Wayne Hayes, Elgin, S.C., SS/NA ‘56 Chevrolet, 11.417 (-1.033)
5. Johnny Fogle, Norway, S.C., SS/HA ‘67 Camaro, 9.877 (-1.023)
6. Butch Williams, Cherokee, N.C., GT/AA ‘97 Pontiac, 9.412 (-0.988)
7. Bob Reed, Bradenton, Fla., SS/A ‘68 Barracuda, 8.974 (-0.976).
8. John Livingston, Nashville, Tenn., SS/FA ‘71 Corvette, 9.782 (-0.968)
9. Mike Cates, Milan, Tenn., SS/M ‘64 Comet, 10.935 (-0.965)
10. Rick Young, Murfreesboro, Tenn., GT/H ‘82 Firebird, 10.185 (-0.965)

STOCK
1. Lee Tuttle, Albany, Ga., T/SA ‘66 Chevrolet, 13.640 (-1.160)
2. Mark Lewis, Inman S.C., K/SA ‘74 Nova, 11.890 (-1.060)
3. Brad McFarland, West Union, Ohio, D/SA ‘71 Corvette, 10.797 (-1.053)
4. Tom Hemmingson, Concord, N.C., M/S ‘66 Malibu, 12.099 (-1.051)
5. Robbie Hudlow, Monrovia, MD., K/SA ‘84 Cutlass, 11.920 (-1.030)
6. Mike Mayhew, Savannah, Ga., N/SA ‘77 Cutlass, 12.287 (-1.013)
7. Dan Dvorak, Waldo, Fla., A/SA ‘64 Plymouth, 10.322 (-0.978)
8. Andy Thornburg, Wilmer, Ala., J/SA ‘79 Aspen, 11.800 (-0.950)
9. Garry Glazener, Jackson, S.C., G/SA ‘72 Mustang, 11.376 (-0.933)
10. Woodro Josey, Byron, Ga., D/SA ‘98 Firebird, 10.933 (-0.917)