FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEW ORLEANS RESIDENT, ROBERTS TAKES FIRST WIN AT STATE CAPITOL DRAGWAY
BATON ROUGE, LA. - Greg Roberts of Kenner, La. and Jackie Stidham of Chickasha, Okla., were the winners at State Capitol Dragway Sunday, host to the fourth round of the 1999 NHRA South Central Division Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series.

Roberts' took his first South Central divisional Federal-Mogul Dragster victory of the year and first victory ever at his home track, State Capitol Dragway. Roberts' qualified No. 2 behind current South Central Division Federal-Mogul Dragster points leader, Troy Buff. Roberts' made it to the finals to meet up with 1999 South Central Divisional champion, Darrell Russell. Russell beat Roberts off the line but at half-track his tires lost traction and Roberts blew past him to take the win light with a run of 5.917 seconds at 237.21 mph to Russell's run of 6.011 seconds at 240.06 mph.

"We thought Darrell [Russell] would spin the tires like he has been doing all weekend so we de-tuned the car to get better traction on the track," said Roberts with tears in his eyes. "When I saw the win light I just started to cry. It's been a long time coming and it feels real good."

Jackie Stidham of Chickasha, Okla. made it two victories in a row after winning two weeks ago in Hallsville, Tx. Stidham's '98 Oldsmobile Achieva Federal-Mogul Funny Car only had to make two runs in eliminations because only three Funny Car's had entered the event at State Capitol Dragway. In the first round he beat the 1999 South Central Division champion, Todd Simpson, with a run of 6.081 seconds at 239.48 mph to advance to the finals. In the finals, Stidham beat Tate Branch of Artesia, N.M. with a holeshot at the starting line (.471 reaction time). Stidham got the win light with a run of 6.118 seconds at 236.03 mph to Branch's run of 6.096 seconds at 235.91 mph.

"This is our first win at State Capitol Dragway since we started racing here in 1981," said an enthused Stidham. "We kept the car tight all weekend and it paid off in the end."

The following are the final results from the NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series event at State Capitol Dragway:

FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAGSTER
Round 1
1) Troy Buff, Spring, Tx., 5.740, 248.07 def. Bye

2) Greg Roberts, Kenner, La., 5.792, 227.33 def.
7) Cherissa Griffis, Gainsville, Fla., 6.693, 213.92

3) Shelly Howard, Tulsa, Okla., 5.940, 240.83 def.
6) Lee Callaway, Channelview, Tx., 10.282, 98.77

4) Darrell Russell, Cypress, Tx., 5.942, 241.22 def.
5) Gene Snow, Ft. Worth, Tx., 13.481, 50.05

Round 2
Darrell Russell, 6.015, 238.35 def.
Troy Buff, 6.016, 235.54

Greg Roberts, 5.809, 239.10 def.
Shelly Howard, 5.893, 241.67

Final Round
Greg Roberts, 5.917, 237.21 def. Darrell Russell, 6.011, 240.06

FEDERAL-MOGUL FUNNY CAR 
Round 1
1) Tate Branch, Artesia, N.M., 6.128, 235.54 def. Bye

2) Jackie Stidham, Chickasha, Okla., 6.081, 239.48 def.
3) Todd Simpson, Ponder, Tx., 6.346, 219.45

Final Round
Jackie Stidham, 6.118, 236.03 def.
Tate Branch, 6.096, 235.91 

COMP ELIMINATOR
David Rampy, Piedmont, Ala., Dragster, 7.687, 155.25 def.
Maryann Austin, Lowell, Ark., 13.449, 57.50

SUPER STOCK
Ronnie Cardwell, Ruston, La., '95 Oldsmobile, 10.496, 126.67 def.
Kirk Neal, Greenville, Miss., '89 Chevrolet, 10.177, 127.11

STOCK ELIMINATOR
Tommy Phillips, Mesquite, Tx., '94 Chevrolet, 11.375, 102.56 def.
Billy Lynn, Searcy, Ark., '79 Chevrolet, 11.794, 108.25

SUPER COMP
Don Smith, St. Rose, La., Dragster, 8.893, 156.98 def.
Larry Erb, Owasso, Okla., Dragster, 8.892, 158.73

SUPER GAS
Ronnie Loomis, Dickinson, Tx., '27 Ford, 9.883, 153.16 def.
Mitch Truman, Hurst, Tx., '90 Oldsmobile, 14.249, 65.37

SUPER STREET
Dan Dittmer, Venus, Tx., '63 Ford, 10.895, 135.52 def.
Wayne Henry, Baker, La., '68 Chevrolet, 10.856, 132.58

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BUFF SETS NEW TRACK RECORD IN FINAL ROUND OF QUALIFYING AT STATE CAPITOL DRAGWAY
BATON ROUGE, La. - Troy Buff and Tate Branch take the No. 1 qualifying positions in Federal-Mogul Dragster and Federal-Mogul Funny Car, respectively, in Saturday's final rounds of qualifying at the NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series event at State Capitol Dragway.

In Friday's qualifying run Buff shook the tires and had to turn the car off about half track, but today was a different story. "We made some major changes," said an ecstatic Troy Buff of Spring, Tx., after breaking the track e.t. record with a run of 5.703 seconds at 246.17 mph. The previous e.t. record is held by defending event champion, Darrell Russell of Cypress, Tx., with a run of 5.704 seconds.

"They said we couldn't make a good run in the left lane," said Buff. "We were a little dissapointed after yesterday's performance, but today we took the car right to the edge and it paid off. If the track stays like today, tomorrow will be a drivers race."

Branch also made a much better effort in Saturday's qualifying after qualifying third in Friday's effort. In Saturday's final qualifying attempt Branch had a run of 6.015 seconds at 235.97 mph, cutting almost a two tenths of a second off his time from Friday. His qualifying effort gives Branch the bye run in the first round and a chance to go to the finals.

"The car ran well on the run yesterday and our first run today, but the track cooled off and we found our set-up," said Tate Branch of Artesia, N.M.

Racing will continue tomorrow at State Capitol Dragway with eliminations starting at 9 a.m. Federal-Mogul Dragsters and Federal-Mogul Funny Cars are scheduled to run at 1p.m.

The following are Saturday's final qualifying results from the NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series event at State Capitol Dragway:

FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAGSTER
1) Troy Buff, Spring, Tx., 5.703, 246.17
2) Greg Roberts, Kenner, La., 5.758, 243.24
3) Shelly Howard, Tulsa, Okla., 5.877, 239.48
4) Darrell Russell, Cypress, Tx., 5.899, 240.83
5) Gene Snow, Ft. Worth, Tx., 6.130, 209.35
6) Lee Callaway, Channelview, Tx., 6.870, 217.07
7) Cherissa Griffis, Gainsville, Fla., 7.014, 206.65

FEDERAL-MOGUL FUNNY CAR 
1) Tate Branch, Artesia, N.M., 6.015
2) Todd Simpson, Ponder, Tx., 6.038, 237.71
3) Jackie Stidham, Chickasha, Okla., 6.040, 237.02

COMP ELIMINATOR
1. Joey Tanksley, Greenwell Springs, La., Dragster, 7.137 (-0.483)
2. Greg Williams, Carthage, Tx., '90 Pontiac, 8.289, (-0.481)
3. David Rampy, Piedmont, Ala., Dragster, 7.559 (-0.471)
4. Charles Watson Jr., Humble, Tx., Dragster, 9.047 (-0.413)
5. Charlie Stewart, Arlington, Tx., Dragster, 6.958 (-0.412)
6. Gary Wise, Odessa, Tx., '94 Chevrolet, 8.647, (-0.393)
7. Pete Carberry, Odessa, Tx., '89 Oldsmobile, 7.502 (-0.368)
8. Maryann Austin, Lowell, Ark., Dragster, 7.648 (-0.342)
9. Mike Johnson, Lowell, Ark., Dragster, 7.654 (-0.336)
10. Jim Kimbrough, Pace, Fla., '23 Ford, 7.703 (-0.327)

SUPER STOCK
1. Bob Dennis, Shorter, Ala., '97 Oldsmobile, 10.889 seconds (-1.151)
2. Brent Johnson, Lecompte, La., '66 Chevrolet, 11.447 (-1.003)
3. Ronnie Cardwell, Ruston, La., '95 Oldsmobileggg , 10.395 (-0.955)
4. Buggs Dennis, Shorter, Ala., '88 Oldsmobile, 11.518 (-0.932)
5. Dave Dupuis, Baton Rouge, La., '96 Oldsmobile, 8.833 (-0.867)
6. Kirk Neal, Greenville, Miss., '89 Chevrolet, 10.087 (-0.863)
7. Terry Pearson, Spanish Fort, Ala., '98 Oldsmobile, 9.876 (-0.824)
8. Sid Bonnecarrere, Gray, La., '68 Dodge, 9.185 (-0.815)
9. Elisha Boyd, Sumball, Miss., '95 Oldmobile, 9.886 (-0.814)
10. James Caro, Houma, La., '99 Dodge, 9.989 (-0.811)

STOCK ELIMINATOR
1. Frank Teuton Jr., Houma, La., '97 Dodge, 12.337 (-1.163)
2. Joey Teuton, Houma, La., '97 Dodge, 12.636 (-1.114)
3. Jeff Ferguson, Metairie, La., '78 Plymouth, 11.854 (-1.096)
4. Kent LaPort, New Iberia, La., '85 Chevrolet, 12.279 (-1.021)
5. Billy Lynn, Searcy, Ark., '79 Chevrolet, 11.938 (-1.102)
6. Jim Cimarolli, Sulphur Springs, Tx., '69 Chevrolet 10.705 (-0.995)
7. Debbie Cardwell, Ruston, La., '90 Pontiac, 12.013 (-0.987)
8. Ronnie Cardwell, Ruston, La., '90 Pontiac, 11.968 (-0.982)
9. Greg Hill, Memphis, Tenn., '71 Chevrolet, 11.624 (-0.976)
10. Jimmy Hidalgo, Donaldsonville, La., '97 Chevrolet, 11.039 (-0.961)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HOWARD AND STIDHAM MAKE THE BEST OF A HOT AND HUMID STATE CAPITOL DRAGWAY
BATON ROUGE, La. - Drivers Shelly Howard and Jackie Stidham set the pace in Federal-Mogul Dragster and Federal-Mogul Funny Car, respectively, to claim the No. 1 qualifying positions at the NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series event at State Capitol Dragway.

Howard leads the Federal-Mogul Dragster field after the first round of qualifying with a run of 5.877 seconds at 239.48 mph. Howard just beat out South Central Division Champion Darrell Russell's qualifying attempt of 5.899 at 240.83 mph.

"The heat and humidity made the track slippery today," said Howard, of Tulsa, Okla. "The car started to shake so I had to let off it a little about halfway down the track, but I am happy with the run with the conditions we had to work with."

Stidham is going for his third pole of the year in South Central Divisional competition. Stidham ran a smooth 6.040 seconds at 237.02 mph beating out last year's event winner Todd Simpson's 6.088 seconds run.

"We were just looking for how the track would handle in the heat and humidity," said Stidham, of Chickasha, Okla. "Tomorrow we will put a little more into the car and see if the track can handle it. I think we can run in the low 5.90's."

Qualifying will continue tomorrow, Saturday, May 22 at 9 a.m. Federal-Mogul Dragster and Federal-Mogul Funny Car qualifying sessions will be at 1 and 4 p.m.

The following are Friday's qualifying results from the NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series event at State Capitol Dragway:

FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAGSTER
1. Shelly Howard, Tulsa, Okla., 5.877, 239.48
2. Darrell Russell, Cypress, Tx., 5.899, 240.83
3. Greg Roberts, Kenner, La., 6.023, 238.09
4. Cherissa Griffis, Gainsville, Fla., 7.014, 206.65
5. Lee Callaway, Channelview, Tx., 7.279, 128.22
6. Gene Snow, Ft. Worth, Tx., 7.747, 117.40
7. Troy Buff, Spring, Tx., 9.984, 83.11 

FEDERAL-MOGUL FUNNY CAR 
1. Jackie Stidham, Chickasha, Okla., '98 Oldmobile, 6.040, 237.02
2. Todd Simpson, Ponder, Tx., '99 Dodge, 6.088, 234.68
3. Tate Branch, Artesia, N.M., '98 Dodge, 6.159, 234.13

COMP ELIMINATOR
1. Charles Watson Jr., Humble, Tx., Dragster, 9.048 (-0.412)
2. Gary Wise, Odessa, Tx., '94 Chevrolet, 8.670, (-0.370)
3. Pete Carberry, Odessa, Tx., '89 Oldsmobile, 7.502 (-0.368)
4. Shane Heckel, LaPorte, Tx., Dragster, 7.295 (-0.325)
5. Jim Kimbrough, Pace, Fla., '23 Ford, 7.759 (-0.271)
6. David Rampy, Piedmont, Ala., Dragster, 7.793 (-0.237)
7. Dean Dunaway, Madisson, Miss., Dragster, 7.255 (-0.115)
8. Ray Wise, Arlington, Tx., '92 Pontiac, 9.583 (-0.047)
9. Tom Williams, Ravenna, Tx., Dragster, 9.160 (-0.010)  

SUPER STOCK
1. Bob Dennis, Shorter, Ala., '97 Oldsmobile, 10.889 (-1.151)
2. Brent Johnson, Lecompte, La., '66 Chevrolet, 11.447 (-1.003)
3. Ronnie Cardwell, Ruston, La., '95 Achieva, 10.395 (-0.955)
4. Buggs Dennis, Shorter, Ala., '88 Oldsmobile, 11.518 (-0.932)
5. Dave Dupuis, Baton Rouge, La., '96 Oldsmobile, 8.833 (-0.867)
6. Kirk Neal, Greenville, Miss., '89 Chevrolet, 10.087, (-0.863)
7. Terry Pearson, Spanish Fort, Ala., '98 Oldsmobile, 9.876 (-0.824)
8. Elisha Boyd, Sumball, Miss., '95 Oldmobile, 9.886 (-0.814)
9. Don Barber, Hohenwald, Tenn., '93 Oldsmobile, 9.892 (-0.808)
10. Bobby Cassard, Donaldsonville, La., '87 Pontiac, 10.777 (-0.773) 

STOCK ELIMINATOR
1. Frank Teuton Jr., Houma, La., '97 Dodge, 12.371 (-1.129)
2. Jeff Ferguson, Metairie, La., '78 Plymouth, 11.854 (-1.096)
3. Jim Cimarolli, Sulphur Springs, Tx., '69 Chevrolet, 10.705 (-0.995)
4. Debbie Cardwell, Ruston, La., '90 Pontiac, 12.013 (-0.987)
5. Joey Teuton, Houma, La., '97 Dodge, 12.766 (-0.984)
6. Greg Hill, Memphis, Tenn., '71 Camaro, 11.624 (-0.976)
7. Jimmy Hidalgo, Donaldsonville, La., '97 Camaro, 11.039 (-0.961)
8. Ronnie Cardwell, Ruston, La., '90 Pontiac, 11.994, (-0.956)
9. J. Allen Sherman, Donaldsonville, La., '86 Camaro, 11.499 (-0.951)
10. Martin Burke, Flower Mound, Tx., '69 Ford, 10.761 (-0.939)