FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WILSON, TOWNSEND SCORE UPSETS AT BOWLING GREEN
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - As pre-race favorites fell to the wayside, Jeff Wilson and Danny Townsend stepped up to claim victories at the NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series event at Beech Bend Raceway Park Sunday in Dragster and Funny Car, respectively.

Winfield, Mo.'s Wilson, the No. 3 qualifier in Federal-Mogul Dragster, had to defeat two of the strongest runners in the category before he could pull into the winner's circle: Shawn Bowen and Bill Reichert. Bowen, of Montrose, Mich., winner of three-straight events in the NHRA North Central Division in 1999, shook the rear tires on his dragster in the semifinals and slowed to a 5.83-second run, trailing Wilson's 5.73-second lap across the finish line.

Shortly after his defeat of Bowen, however, Wilson had effectively thrown in the towel. The engine in his dragster was broke and, despite changing the car's engine and transmission, Wilson felt his crew wouldn't have time to completely repair the car in time to race Owosso, Mich.'s Reichert in the final. A car that spilled oil on the track prior to the final race gave Wilson's team the precious minutes they needed to complete repairs while NHRA officials cleaned the track.

"I'm not sure we could have made it without the extra time we had," said Wilson.

The final round race between Wilson and Reichert was a doozy, with Wilson holding his slender lead downtrack to claim the win with a 5.69-second run at 247.29 mph to just edge Reichert's right-there 5.702 at 250.04.

"I couldn't see him as we went downtrack, but I knew he was there," said Wilson. "I could hear him all the way."

An encounter with the guardwall at Quaker City Raceway, Salem, Ohio, in July could have effectively ended Townsend's NHRA North Central Division title hopes. However, two event victories in two races have thrust the Muncie, Ind., racer back into the thick of the points chase, just 43 points behind leader Marc White of Glendale Heights, Ill., and 33 behind second-placed Joliet, Ill.'s John Lawson.

"The car has been running good since we repaired it after the crash at Salem," explained Townsend. "I think it would have run good there, too, but since we returned to racing at Cincinnati it has run very well."

Townsend, the No. 3 qualifier, got quicker throughout eliminations Sunday and saved his best run for last. Facing White, Townsend unleashed a 5.869-second lap at 247.29 mph to easily cover his opponent, who got out of shape and slowed to a 7.08-second pass.

With the championship now in sight, Townsend believes his chances of claiming a seventh career title are good.

"That's what we're aiming to do," said Townsend when asked if he can snatch this year's championship from Lawson and White. "With the win here we now have a shot at it."

The following are the final results from the NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series event at Beech Bend Raceway Park, Bowling Green, Ky.:

FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAGSTER
Round 1
1) Bill Reichert, Owosso, Mich., 5.723, 247.29 def.
8) Dana Stripe, Lexington, Ky., 6.052, 196.53

2) Shawn Bowen, Montrose, Mich., 5.688, 248.66 def.
7) Mike Miller, Okemos, Mich., 5.933, 230.80

3) Jeff Wilson, Winfield, Mo., 9.565, 70.42 def.
6) Gary Ward, Cincinnati, Ohio, no-show

5) Bill McCornack, Lexington, Ky., 5.931, 236.88 def.
9) Cherissa Griffis, Gainesville, Fla., 9.604, 92.21.

Round 2
Reichert, 5.895, 245.94 def. McCornack, 5.964, 238.13;  Wilson, 5.735,
240.68 def. Bowen, 5.834, 247.29

Final Round
Wilson, 5.694, 247.29 def. Reichert, 5.702, 250.04.


FEDERAL-MOGUL FUNNY CAR 
Round 1
1) Marc White, Glendale Heights, Ill., '99 Firebird, 5.908, 247.29 def.
6) Howard Poepping, Belleville, Ill., '82 Trans Am, 7.038, 156.81

2) Danny Townsend, Muncie, Ind., '97 Firebird, 5.920, 247.29 def.
5) Chuck Cheeseman, Galena, Ohio, '98 Firebird, 5.938, 245.94

3) John Lawson, Joliet, Ill., '99 Firebird, 6.019, 244.60 def.
4) Kim Fritts, Greenup, Ill., '98 Firebird, broke.

Round 2
White, 11.413, 72.46, bye run
Townsend, 5.902, 247.29 def. Lawson, 6.057, 241.97.

Final Round
Townsend, 5.869, 247.29 def. White, 7.082, 146.11

COMP ELIMINATOR
David Rampy, Piedmont, Ala., B/ED dragster, 7.069, 182.95 def.
Joey Tanksley, Baton Rouge, La., B/ED dragster, 7.111, 188.31

SUPER STOCK
Scotty Richardson, 9.385, 144.71
Rick Young, 21.245, 31.91 (red light)

STOCK ELIMINATOR
Dave Walther, Lanesville, Ind., H/S '69 Chevrolet, 11.446, 111.39 def.
Nick Folk, Durand, Ind., G/SA '95 Chevrolet, 11.861, 102.51

SUPER COMP
Shannon Mingee, Champaign, Ill., dragster, 8.911, 154.12 def.
Ross Laris, Raceland, La., dragster, 8.898, 161.88 (break out)

SUPER GAS
Joe Harper, Jackson, Miss., '96 Dodge, 9.926, 154.12 def.
Doug Gumbert, New Richmond, Ohio, '63 Chevrolet, 9.889, 150.51 (break out)

SUPER STREET
Brian Hughes, Hughes Springs, Texas, '67 Chevrolet, 10.884, 123.29 def.
Tom Flowers, Bowling Green, Ky., '71 Nova, 10.840, 126.41 (break out)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

REICHERT THE MAN TO BEAT AT BOWLING GREEN
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - The last time Owosso, Mich.'s Bill Reichert lost a race at Beech Bend Raceway Park was in 1993, six years and 15 rounds of racing ago. Since then Reichert has been unstoppable at the Southern Kentucky track. That's about to end, says Reichert's friend and on-track rival Shawn Bowen.

Bowen, of Montrose, Mich., about 20 minutes drive from Reichert's race shop, is locked in a battle with Reichert for the NHRA North Central division Federal-Mogul Dragster title. Entering this weekend's race Bowen, who has won three consecutive events, maintains a 54-point advantage over defending division champion Reichert, but through three rounds of qualifying at Beech Bend it's Reichert who has the lead, and history, on his side.

"We should have won the championship last year," explained Bowen, who lost the title to Reichert by just six points. "At an event in Joliet, Ill., last September, a 50-cent part broke while I was leading the race and it cost me the championship. I think we can run some mid-5.50s Sunday and that should keep us ahead of the rest of the field, but Bill is tough at this track."

As if to underscore Bowen's comments, Reichert is the No. 1 qualifier with a 5.609-second run at 252.85 mph recorded Friday, a new Beech Bend Raceway Park track record. Bowen is second with a 5.625-second lap at 250.04 mph.

"Qualifying No. 1 doesn't mean a whole lot, other than you've got the fastest car on a given day," opined Reichert. "We've qualified No. 1 on two other occasions this year and lost in the first round and the second round. It's how you do Sunday that counts, and that's all we're concentrating on."

Reichert will face Lexington, Ky.'s Dana Stripe in round one of eliminations, while Bowen will square off against Okemos, Mich.'s Mike Miller. If the formbook holds, Reichert and Bowen will meet in the final, each with a hot streak to maintain.

Eliminations in all categories are scheduled to begin at 8:00 a.m. Sunday, with the first round of eliminations for Federal-Mogul Dragster and Federal-Mogul Funny Car slated to begin at 1:00 p.m.

The following are Saturday's final qualifying results from the NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series event at Beech Bend Raceway Park, Bowling Green, Ky.:

FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAGSTER
First-round pairings:
1. Bill Reichert, Owosso, Mich., 5.609 seconds, 252.85 mph vs.
8. Dana Stripe, Lexington, Ky., 5.918, 222.80

2. Shawn Bowen, Montrose, Mich., 5.625, 250.04 vs.
7. Mike Miller, Okemos, Mich., 5.839, 231.99

3. Jeff Wilson, Winfield, Mo., 5.642, 250.04 vs.
6. Gary Ward, Cincinnati, Ohio, 5.774, 244.60

4. Don Devault, Kentland, Ind., 5.695, 248.66 vs.
5. Bill McCornack, Lexington, Ky., 5.703, 244.60

 -- Alternates --

9. Cherissa Griffis, Gainesville, Fla., 15.358, 51.02
10. Randy Bayne, Elwood, Ind., 15.809, 123.14

FEDERAL-MOGUL FUNNY CAR
First-round pairings:
1. Marc White, Glendale Heights, Ill., '99 Firebird, 5.832, 245.94, vs.
6. Howard Poepping, Belleville, Ill., '81 Trans Am, 6.787, 208.36

2. Danny Townsend, Muncie, Ind., '97 Firebird, 5.880, 247.29 vs.
5. Chuck Cheeseman, Galena, Ohio, '98 Firebird, 5.929, 247.29

3. John Lawson, Joliet, Ill., '99 Firebird, 5.913, 245.94 vs.
4. Kim Fritts, Greenup, Ill., '98 Firebird, 5.917, 236.88

COMP ELIMINATOR
1. Gary Merrick, Youngstown, Ohio, B/ED dragster, 7.035 seconds
(0.585-second under Index)
2. Joey Tanksley, Baton Rouge, La., B/ED dragster, 7.071 seconds (-0.549)
3. Steve Ambrose, Woodhaven, Mich., I/A '23-T Ford, 7.968 (-0.522)
4. Dave Dupps, Germantown, Ohio, J/A '23-T Ford, 8.151 (-0.509)
5. David Rampy, Piedmont, Ala., B/ED dragster, 7.113 (-0.507)
6. Robert Bailey, Wabash, Ind., A/ED dragster, 6.869 (-0.501)
7. Jason Coan, Greentown, Ind., F/ED dragster, 8.534 (-0.496)
8. Larry Pritchett, Clarkrange, Tenn., D/SM '97 Grand Am, 8.280 (-0.490)
9. Ed Bennett III, Carleton, Mich., AA/A '63 Corvette, 7.163 (-0.487)
10. Wayne Henderson, Indianapolis, Ind., A/ED dragster, 6.887 (-0.483)

SUPER STOCK
1. Jeff Sexton, Fairborn, Ohio, SS/AX '84 Chevrolet, 8.963 seconds
(1.037-seconds under Index)
2. Melissa Butler, Richmond, Ind. GT/FA '90 Pontiac, 10.129 (-0.971)
3. Brian Butler, Troy, Ohio, GT/GA '90 Chevrolet, 10.239 (-0.961)
4. Jerry Silveus, Van Buren, Ohio, GT/IA '99 Pontiac, 10.546 (-0.954)
5. Mike Cates, Milan, Tenn., SS/M '64 Mercury, 10.953 (-0.947)
6. Brent Johnson, Lecompte, La., SS/NA '66 Chevrolet, 11.525 (-0.925)
7. Bo Butner, Floyds Knob, Ind., SS/AM '90 Chevrolet, 8.644 (-0.906)
8. Steve Matukas, Alvaton, Ky., SS/HA '67 Chevrolet, 10.002 (-0.898)
9. Randy Wilkes, Zanesville,Ohio, GT/GA '89 Chevrolet, 10.318 (-0.882)
10. Joey Wilkes, Zanesville, Ohio, GT/FA '92 Chevrolet, 10.218 (-0.882)

STOCK ELIMINATOR
1. Gary Russell, East Sparta, Ohio, L/S '94 Ford, 11.768 seconds
(1.232-seconds under Index)
2. Jennifer Dziorny, Wixom, Mich., CT/SA '94 Dodge, 12.242 (-1.108)
3. Jeff Swanson, Arlington, Tenn., K/S '93 Ford, 11.749 (-1.101)
4. Judy McCormack, Milford, Mich., DT/SA '99 Dodge, 12.411 (-1.089)
5. Johnathan Tarrance, Bremen, Ky., V/SA '82 Chevrolet, 14.712 (-1.088)
6. George Widuch, Hermitage, Tenn., K/SA '78 Plymouth, 11.877 (-1.073)
7. Bill Rink, Naperville, Ill., L/SA '74 Pontiac, 11.949 (-1.051)
8. Woodro Josey, Byron, Ga., D/SA '98 Pontiac, 10.814 (-1.036)
9. Al Provoast, Whittemore, Mich., N/SA '79 Buick, 12.289 (-1.011)
10. Mark Lewis, Inman, S.C., K/SA '74 Chevrolet, 11.954 (-0.996)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

REICHERT SETS RECORD, LEADS DRAGSTERS
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - In the first rounds of qualifying at the NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series event at Beech Bend Raceway Park, Owosso, Mich.'s Bill Reichert and Marc White of Glendale Heights, Ill., are early leaders in the Dragster and Funny Car categories, respectively.

Reichert erased Jeff Wilson's two-year-old dragster track record of 5.623 seconds with a run of 5.609 seconds at a speed of 252.85 mph.

"The run was better than I expected," said Reichert, the defending NHRA North Central Division Federal-Mogul Dragster champion. "Like all runs, you could find fault, and if I had to criticize anything it was that I shifted a little early because [the car] felt like it was going to shake the tires. And by shifting early that meant the clutch slipped and the probably cost a hundredth of a second. But I'm not going to complain, it was a good run."

Reichert is chasing Michigan neighbor Shawn Bowen for this year's NHRA division title. Bowen, of Montrose, Mich., slowed to a 5.822-second run at just 189 mph when the supercharger drive belt on his dragster broke at mid-track.

"It looked like Shawn was on a real good run then," agreed Reichert, who trails Bowen by 43 points, the equivalent of two rounds of racing. "If the [supercharger] belt hadn't broke I'm sure he would have run a low 5.60 or high 5.50."

The points spread in Federal-Mogul Funny Car is much closer as White leads Joliet, Ill.'s John Lawson by just 11 points. White's 5.832 second run was enough to lead Lawson's 5.913.

Qualifying resumes in all categories Saturday at 9:00 a.m., with Federal-Mogul Dragster and Federal-Mogul Funny Car scheduled to complete their qualifying attempts at 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.

The following are Friday's qualifying results from the NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series event at Beech Bend Raceway Park, Bowling Green, Ky.:

FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAGSTER
1. Bill Reichert, Owosso, Mich., 5.609 seconds, 252.85 mph
2. Jeff Wilson, Winfield, Mo., 5.642, 250.04
3. Bill McCornack, Lexington, Ky., 5.703, 244.60
4. Shawn Bowen, Montrose, Mich., 5.822, 189.90
5. Mike Miller, Okemos, Mich., 10.434, 73.05
6. Gary Ward, Cincinnati, Ohio, 13.853, 52.02
7. Randy Bayne, Elwood, Ind., 16.312, 61.47

FEDERAL-MOGUL FUNNY CAR 
1. Marc White, Glendale Heights, Ill., '99 Firebird, 5.832 seconds, 245.94 mph
2. John Lawson, Joliet, Ill., '99 Firebird, 5.913, 244.60
3. Kim Fritts, Greenup, Ill., '98 Firebird, 5.917, 236.88
4. Danny Townsend, Muncie, Ind., '97 Firebird, 6.170, 199.14
5. Chuck Cheeseman, Galena, Ohio, '98 Firebird, 6.839, 144.71

COMP ELIMINATOR
1. Joey Tanksley, Baton Rouge, La., B/ED dragster, 7.088 seconds
(0.532-second under Index)
2. David Rampy, Piedmont, Ala., B/ED dragster, 7.113 (-0.507)
3. Ed Bennett III, Carleton, Mich., AA/A '63 Corvette, 7.163 (-0.487)
4. Wayne Henderson, Indianapolis, Ind., A/ED dragster, 6.891 (-0.479)
5. Gary Merrick, Youngstown, Ohio, B/ED dragster, 7.144 (-0.476)
6. Mike Farrell, Louisville, Ky., A/EA '32 Chevrolet, 7.574 (-0.456)
7. Michael Johnson, Lowell, Ark., C/ED dragster, 7.545 (-0.445)
8. Steve Ambrose, Woodhaven, Mich., I/A '23-T Ford, 8.050 (-0.440)
9. Larry Mayes, Greenwood, Ind., D/SM '96 Achieva, 8.335 (-0.435)
10. Robert Book, Frankfort, Ind., A/D dragster, 6.670 (-0.430)

SUPER STOCK
1. Jeff Sexton, Fairborn, Ohio, SS/AX '84 Chevrolet, 8.999 seconds
(1.001-seconds under Index)
2. Brent Johnson, Lecompte, La., SS/NA '66 Chevrolet, 11.525 (-0.925)
3. Mike Cates, Milan, Tenn., SS/M '64 Mercury, 10.975 (-0.925)
4. Randy Wilkes, Zanesville,Ohio, GT/GA '89 Chevrolet, 10.318 (-0.882)
5. Steve Matukas, Alvaton, Ky., SS/HA '67 Chevrolet, 10.021 (-0.879)
6. Joey Wilkes, Zanesville, Ohio, GT/FA '92 Chevrolet, 10.226 (-0.874)
7. Dave Dupuis, Baton Rouge, La., SS/BM '97 Oldsmobile, 8.847 (-0.853)
8. Robin Brown, Madisonville, Ky., SS/K '66 Chevrolet, 10.451 (-0.849)
9. Don O'Malley, Decatur, Ill., SS/KA '64 Chevrolet, 10.709 (-0.841)
10. Tony Matracea, Memphis, Tenn., GT/B '91 Oldsmobile, 9.564 (-0.836)

STOCK ELIMINATOR
1. Gary Russell, East Sparta, Ohio, L/S '94 Ford, 11.768 seconds
(1.232-seconds under Index)
2. Jennifer Dziorny, Wixom, Mich., CT/SA '94 Dodge, 12.258 (-1.092)
3. George Widuch, Hermitage, Tenn., K/SA '78 Plymouth, 11.877 (-1.073)
4. Woodro Josey, Byron, Ga., D/SA '98 Pontiac, 10.814 (-1.036)
5. Judy McCormack, Milford, Mich., DT/SA '99 Dodge, 12.484 (-1.016)
6. Al Provoast, Whittemore, Mich., N/SA '79 Buick, 12.289 (-1.011)
7. Bill Rink, Naperville, Ill., L/SA '74 Pontiac, 12.023 (-0.977)
8. Verne Buchanan, Conway, Ark., J/SA '73 Ford, 11.786 (-0.964)
9. James Penta, Greenville, R.I., D/S '98 Pontiac, 10.860 (-0.940)
10. Jerry Mulkey, Burbank, Wash., N/S '91 Chevrolet, 12.313 (-0.937)