FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LOCAL BOY CONTINUES TO DOMINANT THUNDER VALLY
Noble, Okla.- Jackie Stidham, of Chickasha, upset number one qualifier Pete Swayne to win his forth funny car title at Thunder Valley Raceway Park in five years. The win is Stidham's forth in a row in the NHRA South Central division with victories in Hallsville, Texas; Baton Rouge, La.; and Dallas, Texas leading up to this event, the O'Reilly Thunder Valley Autumn Classic.

"We struggled through qualifying, changed a few things and clinched our fourth South Central Division Championship with this win," Stidham remarked as he made his way to the Winner's Circle. Stidham has won championships in 1991, 1993, 1997 and now in 1999.

"I won this event with the moral support of everyone who came out to see me race, those who can't follow me around on the circuit. This ones for all of you"

Swayne, from California and racing out of his division, clinched the Pacific Division Funny Car Championship with his runner up finish and picked up the Winston $1,000 top qualifier money. Not a bad weekend for either Stidham or Swayne.

Darrell Russell has all but wrapped up the division championship in Federal-Mogul Dragster as he took out number two in the points, Troy Buffwith a run of 5.654 seconds at 249.03 mph to Buff's 5.771, 247.79 in the final round. Both racers can attend races outside the division in attempt to gain points but would need to travel either to Bristol, Tenn. or Phoenix, Az. which is not in either racer's plans.

"This weekend was a picture of consistency," said Russell when asked about the event. "We didn't hurt a thing all weekend. We knew the final was an all or nothing shot at the championship between Troy and us."

In other competition, Oklahoma resident R.C Boggs of Choctaw, drove his Super Street '62 Nova past Robert Leming with a 10.681 second pass at 126.38 mph. Boggs has been racing for 18 years capturing his first win this weekend.

The following are final results from the NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series O'Reilly Thunder Valley Autumn Classic at Thunder Valley Raceway Park, Noble, Okla.:

FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAGSTER
Round One
1. Rob Wendland, Lawrence, Kan., 5.660 seconds, 249.794 mph def.
8. Kent Nuckols, Albuquerque, N.M., 5.910, 240.96

2. James Tompson Jr., Vernon, Texas, 5.824, 241.41 def.
7. Lee Callaway, Channelview, Texas, 6.921, 207.23

3. Darrell Russell, Cypress, Texas, 5.754, 246.71 def.
6. Shelly Howard, Tulsa, Okla., 5.753, 246.71

5. Troy Buff, Spring, Texas, 5.714, 246.77 def.
4. Billy Bybee, McLean, Texas, 10.087, 84.20

Round Two
Buff 5.817, 245.96 def.
Wendland, 6.195, 173.27

Russell, 5.687, 247.86 def.
Thompson Jr., 5.824, 241.41

Final
Russell, 5.654, 249.03 def.
Buff, 5.771 247.79

FEDERAL-MOGUL FUNNY CAR
Round One
1. Pete Swayne, Orange, Calif., '98 Pontiac Firebird, 5.852, 247.25 def.
8. Richard Shaver, San Antonio, Texas, '98 Avenger, broke

7. Doug Gordon, Paso Robles, Calif., '99 Pontiac, 5.982, 241.48 def.
2. Jimmy Jones, Cleburne, Texas, '97 Chevrolet, Camaro, 5.969, 240.51

6. Jackie Stidham, Chickasha, Okla., '98 Oldsmobile Achieva, 5.873, 246.03 def.
3. Tate Branch, Artesia, N.M., '98 Dodge Avenger, 5.873, 246.03

4. Randy Fleming, Independence, Mo., '99 Pontiac, 5.929, 242.39vs.
5. Todd Simpson, Ponder, Texas, '99 Avenger, 8.686, 99.03

Round Two
Swayne, 5.815, 246.98 def.
Fleming, 6.378, 192.26

Stidham, 5.898, 244.63 def.
Gordon, 8.366, 102.71

Final
Stidham, 5.942, 246.44 def.
Swayne, 11.292, 83.87

COMP ELIMINATOR
David Cook Jr. Houston, Texas, B/D '92 dragster, 7.010, 194.38 def.
Joey Tanksley, Baton Rouge, La., B/ED dragster, 7.125, 188.32

SUPER STOCK
Randall Klein, Lincoln, Neb., SS/NA '56 Nomad, 11.582, 111.11 def.
Gary Stinnett, Emporia, Kan., GT/IA '99 Pontiac, 10.610, 125.24

STOCK ELIMINATOR
Bub Miller Edwardsville, Kan., O/SA '79 Spirit, 13.471, 97.10 def.
Harvey Emmons III, Pasadena, Texas, D/SA '98 Pontiac, 11.239, 118.89

SUPER COMP
Tim Ekart, Manhattan, Kan., '96 dragster, 8.903, 170.45 def.
Donnel Gaines, Stephenvile, Texas, '32 Rodster, 8.961, 164.56

SUPER GAS
Jimmy Lewis, Mesquite, Texas, '94 Roadster, 9.913, 148.80 def.
Dave Slatten, Ft. Collins, Colo., '99 Corvette, 9.890, 152.49 broke out

SUPER STREET
R.C. Boggs, Choctaw, Okla., '62 Nova, 10.681, 126.38 def.
Robert Leming, Amarillo, Texas, '67 Camaro, 10.878, 128.55 red light

MOTORCYCLE
Chris Oravecz, Arlington, Texas, '81 Suzuki, 9.894, 132.68 def.
Shane Eperjesi, Lake Dallas, Texas, Kawasaki, 8.568, 150.82

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WENDLAND, SWAYNE TOP QUALIFIERS AT THUNDER VALLEY
NOBLE, Okla.- Rob Wendland and Pete Swayne took the pole positions in Federal-Mogul Dragster and Funny Car respectively at the O'Reilly Thunder Valley Autumn Classic. Swayne, driving the Goodwin & Swayne Pontiac Funny Car recorded passes of 5.081 and 5.082 seconds at 249.23 mph. Swayne out of Orange, Calif. is looking to wrap up the NHRA Pacific Division Funny Car Championship this weekend. Swayne can score out-of-division points here in the NHRA South Central Divison toward the championship in his home division.

"Win or loose, if we make it to the final, we'll win the division. We're feeling real good right now," said Swayne. "My driving has come back around this weekend, I don't want to let the crew down.

"That last pass should have been a .72 (5.72 seconds pass)" replied Randy Goodwin, the car owner. "I could see Pete move toward the centerline then back toward the guardwall. The car was starting to spin the tires, if not for that, we would have had the .72."

Jackie Stidham, of Chickasha, Okla., goes into tomorrow's eliminations qualified sixth in funny car while other locals Ron Morrison and Ron Rice, both of Oklahoma City, failed to make the show. Morrison missed the making the field by less than a tenth of a second recording a best pass of 6.278 seconds at 226.13 mph.

Rob Wendland has been on a terror in the dragster category recording two divisional wins and national event victories at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill. and at the Sears Craftsman Nationals in Madison, Ill. Wendland recorded a first run of 5.717 seconds, then bettered it , qualifing on the pole with a 5.667 second pass at 247.24 mph. Wendland is followed by four Texans including Darrell Russell and Troy Buff who are both in a points battle with Shelly Howard from Tulsa, Okla.

Howard had a wild ride in the first qualifying session when her dragster got out of shape and headed for the opposite lane. Howard got the car straightened out but slowed to a non-qualifying 8.666 second run. However, she covered the quartermile in 5.835 on her second attempt and locked up the number five qualifying position and a first round match-up with points leader Russell.

Other racers sharing in the $2,500 Winston Top Qualifier award money are Joey Tanksley in Comp Eliminator and Alabama resident Bob Dennis in Super Stock. Tanksley's '92 dragster recorded a pass of 7.084 seconds while Dennis was clocked at 14.033 seconds. Ronnie Cardwell currently sits in the number one spot in Stock Eliminator with one more qualifying session later tonight.

The following are final qualifying results and first round pairings from the NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series event at Thunder Valley Raceway Park, Noble, Okla.:

FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAGSTER
First Round Pairings
1. Rob Wendland, Lawrence, Kan., 5.667 seconds, 252.24 mph vs.
8. Kent Nuckols, Albuquerque, N.M., 5.901, 240.00

2. James Tompson Jr., Vernon, Texas, 5.674, 249.34 vs.
7. Lee Callaway, Channelview, Texas, 5.837, 237.27

3. Darrell Russell, Cypress, Texas, 5.691, 249.37 vs.
6. Shelly Howard, Tulsa, Okla., 5.835, 245.43

4. Billy Bybee, McLean, Texas, 5.791, 243.37 vs.
5. Troy Buff, Spring, Texas, 5.795, 246.10
 --- Not qualified ---
9. Sergio Recio, El Paso, Texas, 5.992, 236.46
10. Jay Meyer, Freeport, Texas, 6.007, 235.29
11. Gene Snow, Ft. Worth, Texas, 6.054, 212.91
12. Brian Ratliff, Tahlequah, Okla., 6.110, 233.64
13. Larry Traugott, Woodward, Okla., 6.136, 232.31
14. Gerald Grossman, Garden City, Kan., 6.384, 209.64
15. Larry Becktold, 6.599, 205.38
16. Bill Ancona, Mansfield, Texas, 7.286, 173.21
17. David Wells, Le Mars, Iowa, 12.565, 61.62

FEDERAL-MOGUL FUNNY CAR
First Round Pairings
1. Pete Swayne, Orange, Calif., '98 Pontiac Firebird, 5.801, 249.23 vs.
8. Richard Shaver, San Antonio, Texas, '98 Avenger, 6.186, 225.05

2. Jimmy Jones, Cleburne, Texas, '97 Chevrolet, Camaro, 5.828, 245.23 vs.
7. Doug Gordon, Paso Robles, Calif., '99 Pontiac, 6.066, 237.78

3. Tate Branch, Artesia, N.M., '98 Dodge Avenger, 5.934, 226.81 vs.
6. Jackie Stidham, Chickasha, Okla., '98 Oldsmobile Achieva, 6.052, 238.47

4. Randy Fleming, Independence, Mo., '99 Pontiac, 5.966, 239.17 vs.
5. Todd Simpson, Ponder, Texas, '99 Avenger, 6.015, 211.66
 --- Not qualified ---
9. Kurt Prososki, Bellevue, Neb., '96 Dodge, 6.270, 230.59
10. Ron Morrison, Oklahoma City, Okla., '97 Oldsmobile Cutlass, 6.278, 226.13
11. Douglas Markham, Midwest City, Okla., '98 Cutlass, 6.401, 206.89
12. Jason Rupert, Placentia, Calif., '98 Camaro, 6.570, 224.71
13. Bob Alberty, Muskogee, Okla., '97 Firebird, 6.735, 134.00
14. Skater George Chambers, Del City, Oklahoma, '93 Dodge, 7.951, 173.37
15. Ray Heffron, Ft. Worth, Texas, '97 Camaro, 8.398, 115.75
16. Ron Rice, Oklahoma City, Okla., '96 Dodge Daytona, 8.876, 177.33
17. Ben Harper, Arroyo Grande, Calif., '97 Pontias, 13.395, 61.69 

COMP ELIMINATOR
1. Joey Tanksley, Baton Rouge, La., B/ED '92 dragster, 7.084, -0.526
2. David Cook Jr., Houston, Texas, B/D '96 dragster, 6.988, -0.512
3. Pete Carbery, Odessa, Texas, B/A '89 Cutlass, 7.36, -0.509 
4. John Linton, Tonkawa, Okla., C/ED '97 dragster, 7.513, -0.477
5. Andy Manna Jr., Corona, Calif., D/EA '90 Pontiac, 8.545, -0.455
6. Bill Kent, Midland, Texas, C/D '95 dragster, 7.251, -0.439
7. R. Bryan Morrison, Chino Hills, Calif., B/SM '92 Camaro, 8.933, -0.437
8. Charlie Stewart, Arlington, Texas, A/ED dragster, 6.935, -0.435
9. John Fairleigh, Scott City, Kan., B/A '97 Firebird, 7.441, -0.429
10. Greg Williams, Carthage, Texas, D/SM '90 Firebird, 8.354, -0.416

SUPER STOCK
1. Bob Dennis, Shorter, Ala., GT/MA '97 Firehawk, 11.033, -1.017
2. Terry Emmons, Pasadena, Texas, SS/JA '96 Pontiac, 10.349, -0.951
3. Randall Klein, Lincoln, Neb., SS/NA '56 Nomad, 11.504, -0.946
4. Gary Stinnett, Eporia, Kan., GT/IA '99 Pontiac, 10.565, -0.935
5. Brent, Johnson, Lecompte, La., SS/NA '66 Impala, 11.533, -0.917
6. Ronnie Cardwell, Ruston, La., GT/HA '95 Oldsmobile, 10.502, -0.846
7. Ron Taylor, Lincoln, Neb., SS/MA '57 Chevrolet, 11.306, -0.844
8. Tony DeFrank, Tarzana, Calif., GT/GA '98 Pontiac, 10.383, -0.817
9. Bob Shahan, Little Rock, Ark., SS/C '66 Corvette, 9.564, -0.804
10. Jeffrey Miller, Pearlan, Texas, GT/AA '97 Firehawk, 9.610, -0.790

STOCK ELIMINATOR
1. Ronnie Cardwell, Ruston, La., K/SA '90 Pontiac, 12.018, -0.932
2. Jim Cimarolli, Sulphur, Springs, Texas, C/SA '70 Chevrolet, 10.797, -0.903
3. Billy, Lynn, Searcy, Ark., K/SA '79 Malibu, 12.091, -0.859
4. Martin Burke, Flower Mound, Texas, C/SA '69 Mustang, 10.877, -0.823 
5. Barron Gill, Winnsboro, La., C/S '70 Nova, 10.906, -0.744
6. Bob Dennis, Shorter, Ala., U/SA '82 Cutlass, 14.431, -0.719
7. Sharla Jeffrion, Belle Rose, La., G/SA '98 Camaro, 11.582, -0.718
8. Pat Jeffrion, Belle Rose, La., F/SA '98 Chevrolet, 11.440, -0.710
9. Jeff Hefler, Mansfield, Texas, F/SA '97 Pontiac, 11.458, -0.692
10. Mike Wenke, Conway Springs, Kan., B/SA '69 Mustang, 10.862, -0.688

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

RAIN DELAY QUALIFYING AT THUNDER VALLEY RACEWAY PARK
NOBLE, Okla.-Two separate rain showers delayed and finally canceled the remaining qualifying at the O'Reilly Thunder Valley Autumn Classic, the final event of the NHRA South Central Division Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series.

Almost 500 cars from around the country began time trials and qualifying at 10:00 a.m. this morning. The weather held until the late afternoon and then came again canceling the qualifying sessions for the Federal-Mogul Dragster and Funny Car categories. Both categories will have two qualifying passes on Saturday, scheduled for 1 p.m. and 5 p.m., in attempt to make the eight car show for Sunday's eliminations. Seventeen dragsters and fifteen funny cars are entered with more expected to show up over night.

Pete Carbery grabbed the top qualifying spot in Comp. Eliminator when his '89 Cutlass covered the quarter mile in 7.361 seconds. Carbery, of Odessa, Texas leads the fifteen-car field going into tomorrow's second day of qualifying. Also on top of their class are Bob Dennis in Super Stock and Ronnie Cardwell in Stock.

The following are Friday's qualifying results from the NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series event at Thunder Valley Raceway Park, Noble, Okla.:

COMP ELIMINATOR
1. Pete Carbery, Odessa, Texas, B/A '89 Cutlass, 7.361, -0.509
2. John Linton, Tonkawa, Okla., C/ED '97 dragster, 7.513, -0.477
3. R. Bryan Morrison, Chino Hills, Calif., B/SM '92 Camaro, 8.933, -0.437
4. John Fairleigh, Scott City, Kan., B/A '97 Firebird, 7.441, -0.429
5. Greg Williams, Carthage, Texas, D/SM '90 Firebird, 8.354, -0.416
6. Charles Watson, Jr., Humble, Texas, F/A '96 Lumina, 8.779, -0.361
7. Gary Wise, Odessa, Texas, D/EA '94 Lumina, 8.708, -0.282
8. Dennis Smiley, Denver City, Texas, B/ED '98 dragster, 7.331, -0.279
9. Joey Tanksley, Baton Rouge, La., B/ED '92 dragster, 7.490, -0.120
10. Lester McGaha, Odessa, Texas, D/ED '94 dragster, 8.014, -0.106

SUPER STOCK
1. Bob Dennis, Shorter, Ala., GT/MA '97 Firehawk, 11.033, -1.017
2. Terry Emmons, Pasadena, Texas, SS/JA '96 Pontiac, 10.349, -0.951
3. Gary Stinnett, Eporia, Kan., GT/IA '99 Pontiac, 10.565, -0.935
4. Brent, Johnson, Lecompte, La., SS/NA '66 Impala, 11.533, -0.917
5. Randall Klein, Lincoln, Neb., SS/NA '56 Nomad, 11.594, -0.856
6. Bob Shahan, Little Rock, Ark., SS/C '66 Corvette, 9.564, -0.804
7. Tony DeFrank, Tarzana, Calif., GT/GA '98 Pontiac, 10.402, -0.798
8. Ronnie Cardwell, Ruston, La., GT/HA '95 Oldsmobile, 10.559, -0.791
9. Ritch Ahrens, Greeley, Colo., GT/EA '87 Pontiac, 10.172, -0.778
10. Jeffrey Miller, Pearlan, Texas, GT/AA '97 Firehawk, 9.644, -0.756

STOCK ELIMINATOR
1. Ronnie Cardwell, Ruston, La., K/SA '90 Pontiac, 12.018, -0.932
2. Jim Cimarolli, Sulphur, Springs, Texas, C/SA '70 Chevrolet, 10.797, -0.903
3. Billy, Lynn, Searcy, Ark., K/SA '79 Malibu, 12.091, -0.859
4. Martin Burke, Flower Mound, Texas, C/SA '69 Mustang, 10.877, -0.823 
5. Barron Gill, Winnsboro, La., C/S '70 Nova, 10.906, -0.744
6. Bob Dennis, Shorter, Ala., U/SA '82 Cutlass, 14.431, -0.719
7. Sharla Jeffrion, Belle Rose, La., G/SA '98 Camaro, 11.582, -0.718
8. Pat Jeffrion, Belle Rose, La., F/SA '98 Chevrolet, 11.440, -0.710
9. Jeff Hefler, Mansfield, Texas, F/SA '97 Pontiac, 11.458, -0.692
10. Mike Wenke, Conway Springs, Kan., B/SA '69 Mustang, 10.862, -0.688