FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TWICE IS NICE FOR FEDERAL-MOGUL FUNNY CAR WINNER TATE BRANCH

HOUSTON RACEWAY PARK, Baytown, Texas--The final results are in for the NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series at Houston Raceway Park and Federal-Mogul Funny Car driver Tate Branch has won his second victory two years in a row.

Branch raced against the low ET (quickest time) top qualifier Jackie Stidham in the final round of eliminations for this event. The two funny racers had almost identical reaction times off the starting line with Stidham pulling a .472 second reaction and Branch with a .478 second reaction. But it was halfway down the track where the race was ultimately won as Stidham’s tires lost traction for a split second, from which he quickly recovered, but it was just enough to give Branch the win at a time of 5.790 seconds to Stidham’s 5.955 seconds.

Branch won this event last year against the 1998 NHRA South Central Division Federal-Mogul Funny Car Champion Todd Simpson who lost to Branch during eliminations at this event in in round two.

Shelly Howard pulled off an upset victory in Federal-Mogul Dragster as hometown favorite Darrell Russell continued to be plagued by mechanical problems.

“We ran the car on only seven cylinders during eliminations so we knew that we couldn’t expect that much” Russell explained. “The car shut off halfway down the track because the amount of fuel going into the engine is supposed to go into eight cylinders, not seven.”

Russell tried to coast to a victory against the injected-nitro Federal-Mogul Dragster of Bill Ancona, who also experienced mechanical problems, but Ancona was able to get just enough power back in his dragster after mid-track to pass Russell’s coasting car to take the victory.

FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAG RACING SERIES Final results from Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, Texas, the first of six events in the 1999 NHRA South Central Division Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series, listing driver, hometown, state, vehicle, elapsed time in seconds, speed in miles per hour.

FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAGSTER-- Shelly Howard, Tulsa, Okla., ‘96 Uyehara, 5.713
seconds, 251.04 miles per hour def. Troy Buff, Spring, Texas, ‘89 URC,
5.901 seconds, 236.65 miles per hour.

FEDERAL-MOGUL FUNNY CAR-- Tate Branch, Artesia, N.M., ‘98 Dodge Avenger,
5.790 seconds, 249.93 miles per hour def. Jackie Stidham, Chickasha, Okla.,
‘98 Olds Acheiva, 5.955 seconds, 248.82 miles per hour.

COMPETITION-- Greg Williamson, Carthage, Texas, D/SM ‘90 Trans Am, 10.068
seconds, 97.28 miles per hour, def. Bill Kent, Midland, Texas, C/D ‘98
Frameworks, 7.687 seconds, 128.66 miles per hour.

SUPER STOCK-- Rusty Hall, Sweeny Texas, SS/EA ‘67 Fairlane, 10.151 seconds,
129.66 miles per hour def. Korey Mahwee, Plano, Texas, GT/CA ‘95 Acheiva,
9.924 seconds, 128.22 miles per hour.

STOCK-- Dale Hulquist, Crosby, Texas, D/SA ‘71 Chevelle, 10.989 seconds,
108.87 miles per hour def. Tommy Phillips, Mesquite, Texas, E/SA ‘94
Camaro, 11.173 seconds, 112.28 miles per hour.

SUPER STREET-- Don Holcomb, Crosby, Texas, ‘68 Camaro, 11.447 seconds,
126.38 miles per hour def. Jerry Virgadamo, Metairie, La., ‘69 Nova, 10.901
seconds, 125.22 miles per hour.

SUPER GAS-- Carl Cochran, Bossier City, La., Chevy, 9.975 seconds, 146.84
miles per hour def. John Brimer, Arlington, Texas, ‘86 Trans Am, 9.945
seconds, 149.35 miles per hour.

SUPER COMP-- Tommy Phillips, Mesquite, Texas, ‘98 Cameron, 10.075 seconds,
101.98 miles per hour def. Jerry Mungle, Pasadena, Texas, ‘23 Ford, 12.853
seconds, 65.27 miles per hour.

PRO SPORTSMAN MOTORCYCLE-- Gerald Jordan, Humble, Texas, ‘92 Suzuki, 9.495
seconds, 124.58 miles per hour def. Mike Hullett, Dallas, Texas, ‘84
Suzuki, 11.362 seconds, 123.72 miles per hour.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Federal-Mogul Funny Car driver Jackie Stidham doesn't let anything get him down

HOUSTON RACEWAY PARK, Baytown, Texas--The final day of qualifying at the NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series at Houston Raceway Park showcased how a hard luck story can quickly be turned into a big victory.

Federal-Mogul Funny Car driver Jackie Stidham began his weekend of drag racing with a blown tire on the way to Houston Raceway Park. It was the front tire of the trailer in his big rig that exploded and had to be replaced right away. But even with speed and know-how in changing the tire the Stidham Brothers Racing Team didn’t make it into the track until almost 2:00 a.m.

Hoping that his luck would change once he was safely at the track Stidham wanted to make a solid run during qualifying on Friday, but the odds were once again stacked against him. The clutch housing in his funny car broke creating a spectacular show of sparks from the halfway point of the track to the finish line. It seemed that all was lost for the team.

“We knew that it was a major problem right when it happened” Stidham said. “We finally came into some luck because we were able to get the replacement safety parts quickly to fix the casing so the car could be put back into running order for Saturday's qualifying.”

Stidham didn’t only fix his car, but with a minor adjustment to the clutch casing, he ran the quickest elapsed time, 5.696 seconds, and the fastest speed, 252.73 miles per hour, of his career.

“It feels great to win the Winston Top Qualifier Award of $1000.00 but I want to make sure I spend it wisely because the guys want me to buy drinks for them tonight. I can’t afford that” joked Stidham.

Darrell Russell of Cypress, Texas finished his day as the top qualifer of Federal-Mogul Dragster with a run of 5.572 seconds elapsed time at 250.34 miles per hour.

Along with his good fortune came some bad as a rod in Russell’s dragster broke after his winning qualifier run putting him in the position of possibly not being able to finish the race.

“We have to check with the new owner of the team first, but we have two engines waiting at home that is just an hour away so we might be able to run in eliminations” Russell said.

Eliminations begin tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. with Federal-Mogul Funny Car and Dragster running at Noon.

FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAG RACING SERIES
Final day qualifying positions at Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, Texas, the first of six events in the 1999 NHRA South Central Division Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series, listing driver, hometown, state, vehicle, elapsed time in seconds, speed in miles per hour.

FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAGSTER
1. Darrell Russell, Cypress, Texas, 5.572, 250.34
2. Troy Buff, Spring, Texas, 5.605, 253.30
3. Lee Callaway, Channelview, Texas, 5.835, 236.15
4. Gene Snow, Ft. Worth, Texas, 5.850, 241.41
5. Shelly Howard, Tulsa, Okla., 5.919, 190.63
6. Greg Roberts, Kenner, La., 5.924, 236.34
7. Jim Thompson, Vernon, Texas, 6.277, 166.11
8. Bill Ancona, Mansfield, Texas, 9.972, 78.80

FEDERAL-MOGUL FUNNY CAR
1. Jackie Stidham, Chickasha, Okla., 5.696, 252.73
2. Tate Branch, Artesia, N.M., 5.797, 249.51
3. Todd Simpson, Ponder, Texas, 5.932, 244.56
4. Jimmy Jones, Cleburne, Texas, 6.021, 245.90
5. Ron Morrison, Oklahoma City, 6.038, 230.82
6. Skater Chamber, Del City, Okla., 8.058, 133.11

COMPETITION
1. Dennis Smiley, Denver City, Texas, B/ED ‘98 Frameworks, 7.052 (-0.578)
2. Arthur Sauceda, Deer Park, Texas, C/D ‘94 Chassis Craft, 7.147 (-0.553)
3. Ruben Celedon, Edinburg, Texas, D/A ‘94 Olds, 8.978 (-0.552)
4. Mike Wharram, Morton, Ill., B/ED ‘97 Dragster, 7.089 (-0.541)
5. Greg Williams, Carthage, Texas, D/SM ‘90 Trans Am, 8.235 (-0.535)
6. Jeff Naiser, Houston, Texas, B/A ‘96 Pontiac, 7.385 (-0.525)
7. Joey Tanksley, Greenwell Springs, La., B/ED ‘92 Chassis Craft, 7.109(-0.521)
8. Shane Heckel, LaPorte, Texas, B/ED ‘98 Spitzer, 7.116 (-0.514)

SUPER STOCK
1. Brent Johnson, Lecompte, La., SS/OA ‘66 Impala, 11.548 (-1.052)
2. Chad Guilford, Highlands, Colo., GT/EA ‘85 Mercury, 10.011 (-0.939)
3. Terry Pearson, Spanish Fort, Ala., GT/FA ‘98 Achieva, 10.178, (-0.922)
4. Ronnie Cardwell, Ruston, La., GT/HA ‘95 Achieva, 10.467 (-0.883)
5. Terry Emmons, Pasadena, Texas, SS/JA ‘97 Firebird, 10.426 (-0.874)
6. Frank Weaver, Waco, Texas, GT/FA ‘97 Firebird, 10.232 (-0.868)
7. Keith Mawhee, Carrollton, Texas, SS/CM ‘98 Pontiac, 9.038 (-0.862)
8. Bobby Dennis, Shorter, Ala., GT/MA ‘97 Firehawk, 11.210 (-0.840)

STOCK
1. Richard Desmond, Cloquet, Minn., K/SA ‘74 Pontiac, 11.786 (-1.164)
2. Kent LaPorte, New Iberia, La., N/SA ‘85 Chevy, 12.206 (-1.134)
3. Jeff Teuton, Houma, La., GT/SA ‘97 Dodge Ram, 12.828 (-1.122)
4. Frank Weaver, Waco, Texas, K/SA ‘84 Trans Am, 11.868 (-1.082)
5. Ronnie Cardwell, Ruston, La., K/SA ‘90 Firebird, 11.885 (-1.065)
6. Lawrence Line, Wright, Minn., L/SA ‘85 Monte Carlo, 11.938 (-1.062)
7. Al Provoast, Whittemore, Mich., M/SA ‘79 Buick, 12.091 (-1.059)
8. Anthony Volpe Sr., Jefferson, La., M/SA ‘86 Trans Am, 12.118 (-1.032)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Rain Gives Way To Solid Run For Federal-Mogul Dragster Driver Darrell Russell
HOUSTON RACEWAY PARK, Baytown, Texas -- Rain delayed racing at the NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series at Houston Raceway Park for a few hours in the early afternoon today. But once temperatures warmed, the Federal-Mogul Funny Cars and Dragsters made their way to the staging lanes ready to race.

Federal-Mogul Dragster driver Darrell Russell, who ranked third in the NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series national championship points standings in 1998, lead the category of Federal-Mogul Dragster with a strong first run of 5.609 seconds at 251.67 miles per hour giving him the top qualifying position. Russell is also the defending NHRA South Central Division champion for Federal-Mogul Dragster and is looking to maintain that title in the 1999 season.

“We’re running a limited season this year because of the fact that Arco Pipeline purchased our entire operation” Russell said. Russell continued, “My parents, Burnell and Gwen, had decided that it was time to move onto different things than racing which is why they sold the operation to Arco.”

The only request made by Arco Pipeline when they purchased Russell Racing was that Darrell Russell stay on as the hired gun (driving the dragster), and that his brother, Chris, stay on as the Crew Chief.

“We will run eight Federal-Mogul events and four national events. The goal for this season is going to be winning the NHRA South Central Federal-Mogul Dragster championship again” Russell said.

Todd Simpson lead the Federal-Mogul Funny Car category with a run of 5.969 seconds at a speed of 242.78 miles per hour.

FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAG RACING SERIES
First day qualifying positions at Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, Texas, the first of six events in the 1999 NHRA South Central Division Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series, listing driver, hometown, state, vehicle, elapsed time in seconds, speed in miles per hour.

FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAGSTER
1. Darrell Russell, Cypress, Texas, 5.609, 251.67
2. Lee Callaway, Channelview, Texas, 5.835, 236.15
3. Troy Buff, Spring, Texas, 6.175, 233.40
4. Jim Thompson, Vernon, Texas, 8.771, 105.57
5. Gene Snow, Ft. Worth, Texas, 12.345, 60.86
6. Greg Roberts, Kenner, La., 21.076, 48.88
7. Shelly Howard, Tulsa, Okla., 21.615, 36.20

FEDERAL-MOGUL FUNNY CAR
1. Todd Simpson, Ponder, Texas, 5.969, 242.78
2. Ron Morrison, Oklahoma City, 6.038, 230.82
3. Jackie Stidham, Chickasha, Okla., 7.540, 117.73
4. Jimmy Jones, Cleburne, Texas, 10.927, 68.30
5. Tate Branch, Artesia, N.M., 12.082, 71.28

COMPETITION
1. Dennis Smiley, Denver City, Texas, B/ED ‘98 Frameworks, 7.702 (-0.558)
2. Mike Wharram, Morton, Ill., B/ED ‘97 Dragster, 7.089 (-0.541) 
3. Bill Kent, Midland, Texas, C/D ‘98 Frameworks, 7.188 (-0.512) 
4. Arthur Sauceda, Deer Park, Texas, C/D ‘94 Chassis Craft, 7.192 (-0.508)
5. Ruben Celedon, Edinburg, Texas, D/A ‘94 Olds, 8.025 (-0.505)
6. Joey Tanksley, Greenwell Springs, La., B/ED ‘92 Chassis Craft, 7.150 (-0.480)
7. Pete Carbery, Odessa, Texas, B/A ‘89 Olds Cutlas, 7.439 (-0.471)
8. Jeff Naiser, Houston, Texas, B/A ‘96 Pontiac, 7.445 (-0.465)

SUPER STOCK
1. Brent Johnson, Lecompte, La., SS/OA ‘66 Impala, 11.548 (-1.052) 
2. Terry Pearson, Spanish Fort, Ala., GT/FA ‘98 Achieva, 10.178, (-0.922)
3. Ronnie Cardwell, Ruston, La., GT/HA ‘95 Achieva, 10.467 (-0.883)
4. Terry Emmons, Pasadena, Texas, SS/JA ‘97 Firebird, 10.426 (-0.874)
5. Frank Weaver, Waco, Texas, GT/FA ‘97 Firebird, 10.232 (-0.868)
6. Larry Stewart, Clinton, Miss., SS/KA ‘66 Nova, 10.713 (-0.837)
7. Keith Mawhee, Carrollton, Texas, SS/CM ‘98 Pontiac, 9.068 (-0.832)
8. Ken Howell, Baytown, Texas, GT/D ‘82 Firebird, 9.847 (-0.803)

STOCK
1. Richard Desmond, Cloquet, Minn., K/SA ‘74 Pontiac, 11.786 (-1.164)
2. Jeff Teuton, Houma, La., GT/SA ‘97 Dodge Ram, 12.828 (-1.122)
3. Kent LaPorte, New Iberia, La., N/SA ‘85 Chevy, 12.206 (-1.094)
4. Ronnie Cardwell, Ruston, La., K/SA ‘90 Firebird, 11.885 (-1.065)
5. Lawrence Line, Wright, Minn., L/SA ‘85 Monte Carlo, 11.938 (-1.062)
6. Al Provoast, Whittemore, Mich., M/SA ‘79 Buick, 12.091 (-1.059)
7. Anthony Volpe Sr., Jefferson, La., M/SA ‘86 Trans Am, 12.118 (-1.032)
8. Bert Morgan, Charleston, Ill., O/SA ‘87 Pontiac, 12.434 (-1.016)