FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SANTOS WINS THIRD, SWAYNE FIRST

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Defending Federal-Mogul Dragster world champion Rick Santos of San Leandro, Calif., and Orange, Calif.’s Pete Swayne were the winners at Famoso Raceway Sunday, host to the second round of the 1999 NHRA Pacific Division Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series.

Santos’ Federal-Mogul Dragster victory, his third in as many races, came at the expense of rookie Rob Wendland of Lawrence, Kan.’s, 5.56 seconds to 5.73 seconds.

“What can I say?” asked Santos in the Famoso Raceway winner’s circle. “We come to the races to have fun; winning is a bonus. It’s been a great weekend. The track has been a great shape, perhaps better than most of us expected, and the crew kept the car consistent. We’ll go on to Atlanta (in May) and see if we can keep on winning.”

Swayne defeated Campbell, Calif.’s Bret Williamson for the Federal-Mogul Funny Car title, the first of his career. The final-round run off was Swayne’s third in four outings, but his first in culminate in a victory.

“I feel as though the monkey finally is off my back,” said Swayne. “I wanted to win this race more for the crew than myself. They have stood by me through thick and thin. Prior to the final [the crew] kept telling me to just do my normal routine and not worry about cutting a light -- but backing up from the [pre-race] burnout I was saying to myself, ‘Please God, let me win this one race.’ “

route to the winner’s circle Swayne set a new Famoso Raceway track record at 5.707 seconds during his second-round defeat of Simi Valley, Calif.’s Rod Alexander.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Final results Sunday from Famoso Raceway, the second of six events in the 1999 NHRA Pacific Division Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series listing driver, hometown, state, vehicle, elapsed time in seconds, and speed in miles per hour.

FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAGSTER 
Rick Santos, San Leandro, Calif., 5.562, 250.76
Rob Wendland, Lawrence, Kan., 5.736, 253.37

FEDERAL-MOGUL FUNNY CAR
Pete Swayne, Orange, Calif., ‘97 Firebird, 5.835, 250.34
Bret Williamson, Campbell, Calif., ‘92 Trans Am, 5.924, 237.90

COMPETITION
Andy Manna Jr., Covina, Calif., D/EA ‘90 Pontiac, 8.554, 138.44
Jeff Gillette, Benica, Calif., B/EDragster, 13.054, 59.68 (foul start).

SUPER STOCK
Fred Moreno, La Verne, Calif., SS/GA ‘69 Ford, 10.005, 128.84
Larry Zavhla Jr., GT/FA ‘91 Oldsmobile, 10.552, 127.56

STOCK 
Jim Meador, Yorba Linda, Calif., D/SA ‘67 Chevrolet, 11.075,
115.42 def. Steve Wann, C/SA ‘70 Plymouth, 10.895, 117.69 (break out).

SUPER COMP
Wayne Gaskamp, Long Beach, Calif., dragster, 8.955, 155.19
 Richard Pederson, Bakersfield, Calif., dragster, 8.892, 155.60 (break out)

SUPER GAS
Troy Moyle, Carson City, Nev., ‘27-T Ford, 9.912, 146.77
Pete Bothe, ‘78 Porsche, 9.899, 129.29 (break out)

SUPER STREET
Greg Ventura, Garden Grove, Calif., ‘66 Nova, 10.910, 122.48
Tim Landis, Glendale, Ariz., ‘67 Chevrolet, 10.942, 139.14.

SUPER ELIMINATOR
Paul Raisner, Diamond Bar, Calif., dragster, 8.036, 151.15
Alan Carey, Fallon, Nev., dragster, 8.095, 156.68.

PRO SPORTSMAN MOTORCYCLE
Jay Matthews, Henderson, Nev., ‘95 Suzuki, 8.171, 159.91
Steve Kleinberg, Scottsdale, Ariz., ‘85 Suzuki, 9.895, 128.46

The Famoso Raceway track records for both Federal-Mogul Dragster and Federal-Mogul Funny Car were savaged. Jerry Darien’s and Ken Meadow’s In-N-Out Burger dragster, driven by Melanie Troxel, reset the elapsed time record at 5.480 seconds; Jack O’Bannon’s Oakwood Homes entry, driven by two-time defending national champion Rick Santos, set the speed record at 258.39 mph. In Funny Car Pete Swayne lowered the record to 5.703 seconds; Larry Miner’s top-end charge of 256.41 mph was the fourth fastest run ever by a Federal-Mogul Funny Car.

Sharing the $2,500 Winston Top Qualifier money were Melanie Troxel, Federal-Mogul Dragster; Pete Swayne, Federal-Mogul Funny Car; Jeff Gillette, Competition; Gary Williams, Super Stock; and Rob Youngblood, Stock.

Wittnauer International, the New York-based fine watch manufacturer, presented Best Appearing Awards to Mike Kelly’s Super Gas Ford Mustang (Best Appearing Car), Jerry Noonan’s Super Comp dragster (Best Appearing Crew), and Patrick Hale’s J/Altered ‘32 Bantam (Best Engineered Vehicle).

Melanie Troxel’s day ended in round one when her car’s right rear tire came apart just before mid-track. Facing first-round opponent Mark Woods Jr., and despite shaking the tires, Troxel was driving away from Woods when “the car laid over on its side. At first I thought the car was badly crossed up and I wondered how on Earth it had gotten that out of shape. I hit the ignition, fuel shut off and the parachutes and waited for the car to stop. It was surprisingly smooth as [the car] came to a halt.”

When Troxel climbed from her stricken car and saw the right rear wheel was missing she admitted she wondered if she had won the race. “It’s funny what goes through your mind. At first the damage to the car didn’t look that bad and I wondered if we could repair the car for the next round. When I heard I lost I wondered if I hadn’t hit the ‘chutes would I still have beat Mark to the finish line?”

Closer inspection in the pits revealed the In-N-Out Burger dragster needs a new bottom frame rail, three new body panels, and assorted wiring repairs for being ready for its next event, the Lordco Auto Parts B.C. Nationals at Mission Raceway Park in Vancouver, B.C., May 7-9.

The event had its share of spills during the weekend. Saturday morning Eddie Leabo’s SS/BS ‘90 Camaro Super Stocker went out of control and rolled several times. Later that day Bob Sanguino’s Corvette Federal-Mogul Funny Car crashed at mid-track, again with extensive damage to the race car. In both incidents the drivers were taken to a local hospital for a check up and released.

Rob Wendland’s Federal-Mogul Dragster runner-up finish had people asking, “Rob who?” Wendland formerly was crew chief for dragster racers David Wells, Bill Hynes, and Rob Parks, and in 1998 tuned Mike Troxel’s In-N-Out Burger entry when Troxel’s daughter, Melanie, drove the car. After earning his license late last year Wendland made his competition debut at the NHRA C.S.K. Nationals in Phoenix in February, netting a first-alternate DNQ placing while running a best of 5.76 seconds. At Famoso Wendland opened with a 5.867-second lap and ended qualifying in the fourth position with a 5.672 at 249.44 mph. Runs of 5.674 (at a career-best 256.04 mph) and 5.667 put Wendland in his first career final at just the second event of his short driving career.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TROXEL IN CHARGE AT FAMOSO

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- A career-best run of 5.480 seconds put Littleton, Colo’s Melanie Troxel on the pole position at the NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series event at Famoso Raceway. Driving Jerry Darien’s and Ken Meadow’s Los Angeles -based In-N-Out Burger Federal-Mogul Dragster, Troxel moved to the No. 1 qualifying spot during Friday’s opening session and stayed there.

“We were concerned that Rick Santos may have been able to get around us, particularly after he ran a 5.53 during the heat of the day (Saturday), but we had enough to hold on,” explained Troxel, who will face Mark Woods Jr. in the first round of eliminations Sunday.

The No. 1 qualifying position is the first of Troxel’s career and is worth $1,000 courtesy of the Winston Top Qualifier bonus program.

Also claiming the $1,000 Top Qualifier money was Federal-Mogul Funny Car driver Pete Swayne who, like Troxel, added his first career No. 1 qualifying position to his resume. Swayne recorded a 5.737-second for the pole position and in the first round will race against Mert Littlefield.

Eliminations begin at Famoso Raceway Sunday at 8:30 a.m., with the first round of Federal-Mogul Dragster and Federal-Mogul Funny Car scheduled to begin at 12 noon.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Final qualifying results Saturday from Famoso Raceway, the second of six events in the 1999 NHRA Pacific Division Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series listing driver, hometown, state, vehicle, elapsed time in seconds, and speed in miles per hour.

FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAGSTER
1. Melanie Troxel, Littleton, Colo., 5.480, 256.92
2. Rick Santos, San Leandro, Calif., 5.485, 257.58
3. Rick Henkelman, San Jose, Calif., 5.536, 250.13
4. Rob Wendland, Lawrence, Kan., 5.672, 249.44
5. Duane Shields, Las Vegas, Nev., 5.757, 244.16
6. Larry Miersch, Fallbrook, Calif., 5.779, 233.22
7. Cliff Bingham, Huntington Beach, Calif., 5.844, 238.53
8. Mark Woods Jr., Kingsburg, Calif., 5.883, 233.22
9. Brad Hansen, Bellevue, Wash., 5.886, 235.29
10. Mark Niver, Scottsdale, Ariz., 5.892, 240.64
11. Tony Meredyk, Cypress, Calif., 6.089, 234.86
12. Pete Kaiser, Pleasant Hill, Calif., 6.295, 204.68
13. Charlie Marcum, Bellflower, Calif., 6.354, 192.84
14. Gary Ormsby Jr., Granite Bay, Calif., 7.284, 119.71
15. Ed Vickroy, Fontana, Calif., 9.458, 81.94
16. Mark Foster, Santa Cruz, Calif., 9.760, 81.61

FEDERAL-MOGUL FUNNY CAR
1. Pete Swayne, Orange, Calif., ‘98 Firebird, 5.737, 252.17
2. Bret Williamson, Campbell, Calif., ‘92 Trans Am, 5.808, 243.37
3. Larry Miner, Lockford, Calif., ‘98 Avenger, 5.837, 251.95
4. John Weaver, Hanford, Calif., ‘98 Firebird, 5.885, 238.91
5. Rod Alexander, Simi Valley, Calif., ‘97 Cutlass, 5.916, 245.16
6. Steve Gasparrelli, West Covina, Calif., ‘99 Firebird, 5.967, 218.81
7. Dennis Taylor, Anaheim, Calif., ‘99 Avenger, 5.995, 236.34
8. Mert Littlefield, Garden Grove, Calif., ‘99 Camaro, 6.029, 235.47
9. Doug Gordon, Paso Robles, Calif., ‘98 Firebird, 6.035, 238.47
10. Bob Gallio, Fullerton, Calif., ‘97 Firebird, 6.126, 220.37
11. Norm Hill, La Habra, Calif., ‘95 Firebird, 6.287, 227.67
12. Don Hudson, Shen, Calif., ‘98 Achieva, 6.351, 234.07
13. Bob Sanguino, Stockton, Calif., ‘82 Corvette, 7.048, 192.38

COMPETITION
1. Jeff Gillette, Benicia, Calif., B/EDragster, 7.033 (-0.587)
2. Jim Kennedy, San Jose, Calif., F/A ‘97 Pontiac, 8.633 (-0.507)
3. Rick Braun, Redlands, Calif., C/EA ‘97 Pontiac, 8.362 (-0.488)
4. Fred Gross, La Crescenta, Calif., D/A ‘23-T Ford, 8.047 (-0.483)
5. Tom Brown, Westminster, Calif., F/EDragster, 8.566 (-0.464)
6. Rick Houser, Pasadena, Calif., C/SR ‘34 Chevrolet, 8.871 (-0.459)
7. John Johnston, Placentia, Calif., E/EDragster, 8.717 (-0.423)
8. Andy Manna Jr., Covina, Calif., D/EA ‘90 Pontiac, 8.634 (-0.406)
9. Rich Howell, Yorba Linda, Calif., B/A ‘32 Bantam, 7.500 (-0.400)
10. Alan Freese, Monterey, Calif., C/EA ‘96 Pontiac, 8.452 (-0.398)

SUPER STOCK
1. Gary Williams, Mariposa, Calif., SS/MA ‘64 Mercury, 11.167 (-0.983)
2. Tony DeFrank, Tarzana, Calif., GT/GA ‘98 Pontiac, 10.273 (-0.927)
3. Dick Carr, Clovis, Calif., SS/C ‘69 Corvette, 9.430 (-0.920)
4. Guy Czarniak, Redding, Calif., SS/DA ‘69 Camaro, 9.580 (-0.920)
5. Frank Grossi, Upland, Calif., GT/BA ‘96 Achieva, 9.635 (-0.915)
6. Jimmy DeFrank, Tarzana, Calif., GT/HA ‘89 Camaro, 10.440 (-0.910)
7. John Schiess, North Hills, Calif., GT/BA ‘91 Calais, 9.662 (-0.888)
8. Fred Moreno, La Verne, Calif., SS/GA ‘69 Ford, 9.969 (-0.881)
9. Logan Smith, Loomis, Calif., GT/CA ‘87 Chevrolet, 9.868 (-0.832)
10. Don Studley, Orange, Calif., GT/TB ‘99 Dodge, 10.385 (-0.815)

STOCK
1. Rob Youngblood, Nampa, Idaho, D/S ‘71 Ford, 10.703 (-1.097)
2. Chuck Rayburn, Castro Valley, Calif., B/SA ‘71 Dodge, 10.455 (-1.095)
3. Tom Roberts, Mira Loma, Calif., J/SA ‘76 Dodge, 11.746 (-1.004)
4. George Thomson, Canyon Country, Calif., H/SA ‘73 Ford, 11.456 (-0.994)
5. Marka Gallina, Henderson, Nev., H/SA ‘86 Buick, 11.457 (-0.993)
6. Don Little, Westley, Calif., A/SA ‘70 Plymouth, 10.369 (-0.931)
7. Gary Harper, San Jose, Calif., FT/SA ‘83 Dodge Truck, 12.828 (-0.922)
8. Dwayne Scheitun, Madera, Calif., B/SA ‘71 Dodge, 10.628 (-0.922)
9. Steve Wann, Modesto, Calif., C/SA ‘70 Plymouth, 10.789 (-0.911)
10. Darin Grossi, Soulsbyville, Calif., B/SA ‘67 Chevelle, 10.671 (-0.879)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

RECORDS TUMBLE AT FAMOSO
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Dragster drivers Melanie Troxel and Rick Santos savaged the record books at the NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series event at Famoso Raceway Friday. Troxel of Littleton, Colo., driving the Southern California-based In-N-Out Burger Federal-Mogul Dragster, reset the track elapsed time record at 5.480 seconds, good enough for the provisional No. 1 qualifying position.

San Leandro, Calif.’s Santos reset the Federal-Mogul Dragster track speed record at 257.58 mph which, coupled with his 5.485-second run is good enough to place the Oakwood Homes entry second on the provisional starting grid.

“I knew early in the run that [the car] was on a good pass,” said Troxel of her career-best lap. “At half-track it began to shake the tires a little; I may have been able to drive through the shake but a grabbed a handful of brake just in case to settle down the car.”

Although impressed with his car’s finish line speed, Santos added, “speed doesn’t get the No. 1 qualifying position. We’ve got to go quicker than Melanie [Saturday].”

Qualifying will continue in all categories on Saturday beginning at 8:00 a.m. with Federal-Mogul Dragster and Federal-Mogul Funny Car scheduled to receive two more qualifying laps at 2:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Provisional qualifying results Friday from Famoso Raceway, the second of six events in the 1999 NHRA Pacific Division Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series listing driver, hometown, state, vehicle, elapsed time in seconds, and speed in miles per hour.

FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAGSTER
1. Melanie Troxel, Littleton, Colo., 5.480, 250.69
2. Rick Santos, San Leandro, Calif., 5.485, 257.58
3. Duane Shields, Las Vegas, Nev., 5.757, 244.16
4. Larry Miersch, Fallbrook, Calif., 5.779, 233.22
5. Rob Wendland, Lawrence, Kan., 5.867, 232.91
6. Mark Woods Jr., Kingsburg, Calif., 5.883, 233.22
7. Mark Niver, Scottsdale, Ariz., 5.946, 232.01
8. Rick Henkelman, San Jose, Calif., 6.006, 228.71
9. Tony Meredyk, Cypress, Calif., 6.309, 233.71
10. Brad Hansen, Bellevue, Wash., 6.448, 225.00
11. Gary Ormsby Jr., Granite Bay, Calif., 7.284, 119.71
12. Cliff Bingham, Huntington Beach, Calif., 12.695, 60.77
13. Charlie Marcum, Bellflower, Calif., 16.879, 79.47
14. Mark Foster, Santa Cruz, Calif., 18.359, 37.15

FEDERAL-MOGUL FUNNY CAR
1. Pete Swayne, Orange, Calif., ‘98 Firebird, 5.737, 252.17
2. Bret Williamson, Campbell, Calif., ‘92 Trans Am, 5.808, 239.17
3. Larry Miner, Lockford, Calif., ‘98 Avenger, 5.837, 236.03
4. John Weaver, Hanford, Calif., ‘98 Firebird, 5.885, 231.89
5. Steve Gasparrelli, West Covina, Calif., ‘99 Firebird, 5.967, 211.86
6. Rod Alexander, Simi Valley, Calif., ‘97 Cutlass, 5.994, nsr
7. Dennis Taylor, Anaheim, Calif., ‘99 Avenger, 6.005, 236.34
8. Norm Hill, La Habra, Calif., ‘95 Firebird, 6.368, 198.15
9. Don Hudson, Shen, Calif., ‘98 Achieva, 6.558, 234.07
10. Doug Gordon, Paso Robles, Calif., ‘98 Firebird, 11.534, 66.45

COMPETITION
1. Jeff Gillette, Benicia, Calif., B/EDragster, 7.033 (-0.587)
2. Jim Kennedy, San Jose, Calif., F/A ‘97 Pontiac, 8.633 (-0.507)
3. Rick Braun, Redlands, Calif., C/EA ‘97 Pontiac, 8.362 (-0.488)
4. Fred Gross, La Crescenta, Calif., D/A ‘23-T Ford, 8.047 (-0.483)
5. Tom Brown, Westminster, Calif., F/EDragster, 8.566 (-0.464)
6. Rick Houser, Pasadena, Calif., C/SR ‘34 Chevrolet, 8.871 (-0.459)
7. John Johnston, Placentia, Calif., E/EDragster, 8.717 (-0.423)
8. Rich Howell, Yorba Linda, Calif., B/A ‘32 Bantam, 7.500 (-0.400)
9. Donnie Hedrick, Las Vegas, Nev., B/EA ‘96 Monte Carlo, 8.124 (-0.396)
10. Tom Huggins, Santa Paula, Calif., B/A ‘95 Pontiac, 7.617 (-0.283)

SUPER STOCK
1. Tony DeFrank, Tarzana, Calif., GT/GA ‘98 Pontiac, 10.273 (-0.927)
2. Dick Carr, Clovis, Calif., SS/C ‘69 Corvette, 9.430 (-0.920)
3. Jimmy DeFrank, Tarzana, Calif., GT/HA ‘89 Camaro, 10.440 (-0.910)
4. Frank Grossi, Upland, Calif., GT/BA ‘96 Achieva, 9.658 (-0.892)
5. John Schiess, North Hills, Calif., GT/BA ‘91 Calais, 9.662 (-0.888)
6. Guy Czarniak, Redding, Calif., SS/DA ‘69 Camaro, 9.614 (-0.886)
7. Fred Moreno, La Verne, Calif., SS/GA ‘69 Ford, 9.969 (-0.881)
8. Gary Williams, Mariposa, Calif., SS/MA ‘64 Mercury, 11.297 (-0.853)
9. Logan Smith, Loomis, Calif., GT/CA ‘87 Chevrolet, 9.880 (-0.820)
10. Tommy Eriksson, Long Beach, Calif., GT/DA ‘93 Oldsmobile, 9.988 (-0.812)

STOCK
1. Rob Youngblood, Nampa, Idaho, D/S ‘71 Ford, 10.703 seconds (-1.097)
2. Chuck Rayburn, Castro Valley, Calif., B/SA ‘71 Dodge, 10.455 (-1.095)
3. Sante Grossi, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., H/SA ‘71 Dodge, 11.396 (-1.054)
4. Don Little, Westley, Calif., A/SA ‘70 Plymouth, 10.369 (-0.931)
5. Marka Gallina, Henderson, Nev., H/SA ‘86 Buick, 11.519 (-0.931)
6. Gary Harper, San Jose, Calif., FT/SA ‘83 Dodge Truck, 12.828 (-0.922)
7. George Thomson, Canyon Country, Calif., H/SA ‘73 Ford, 11.541 (-0.909)
8. Tom Roberts, Mira Loma, Calif., J/SA ‘76 Dodge, 11.844 (-0.906)
9. Dwayne Scheitun, Madera, Calif., B/SA ‘71 Dodge, 10.685 (-0.865)
10. Darin Grossi, Soulsbyville, Calif., B/SA ‘67 Chevelle, 10.697 (-0.853)