FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Buff, Branch score victories

Troy Buff in Federal-Mogul Dragster and Tate Branch in Federal-Mogul Funny Car scored victories at the rain-delayed Division 4 Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series event at Hallsville Raceway in Texas.

Federal-Mogul Dragster
	W: Troy Buff (CAM) - 5.814, 237.21
	R/U: Jay Meyer (BAE) - 5.747, 239.48 (foul)
	Low e.t. - 5.643 (Buff)
	Top speed - 250.83 (Buff)

Federal-Mogul Funny Car
	W: Tate Branch ('99 Avenger) - 6.154, 237.65
	R/U: Jimmy Jones ('99 Camaro) - 6.249, n/a
	Low e.t. - 6.058 (Branch)
	Top speed - 238.85 (Branch)

Competition
	W: Buddy Nickens (D/A '97 Avenger) - 8.115, 167.22
	R/U: David Meyers (C/A '99 Camaro) - 7.795, 172.34

Super Stock
	W: Jerry Emmons (SS/IA '69 Camaro) - 10.897, 111.11
	R/U: Gilbert Johnson (GT/HA ''91 Calais) - 11.22, 117.72

Stock
	W: Gary Emmons (F/SA '98 Firebird) - 11.414, 116.62
	R/U: Pat Joffrion (G/SA '98 Camaro) - 11.398, 114.47

Super Comp
	W: Jacky King (dragster) - 8.891, 165.92
	R/U: James Maddox (dragster) - 8.891, n/a

Super Gas
	W: Gary Risk ('87 Regal) - 10.374, 110.53
	R/U: Lanny Maples ('90 Pontiac) - 10., 101.28

Super Street
	W: Dan Dittmer ('63 Falcon) - 10.885, 136.65
	R/U: Dave Robinson ('69 Nova) - 10.872, 122.96

Sportsman Motorcycle
	W: Alan Jordan ('86 Suzuki) - 10.116, 116.56
	R/U: Curtis Nichols ('Kawasaki) - 9.234, 139.16

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Rain wins again, racers back August 19-20

HALLSVILLE, Texas - Dragsters may be the fastest-accelerating vehicles on the planet, but show them a drop of rain and they're motionless. Rain, which soaked most of Central Texas Saturday, and put a crimp on this weekend's activities at Hallsville Raceway, arrived with a vengeance Sunday morning, giving NHRA officials little choice but to reschedule the already delayed NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series event once again. With qualifying in all categories completed, the racers will return to Hallsville the weekend of Aug. 25-26. Gates will open 8:00 a.m. Friday, Aug. 25 and the track will be open for time trial runs in all classes from 4:00 p.m. through 12 midnight.

Parking for the race teams will continue through the night. All classes, except Federal-Mogul Dragster, Federal-Mogul Funny Car, and Competition, will receive a final time-trial run beginning at 9:00 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 26. The first round of eliminations for the Dragsters and Funny Cars will begin at 11:00 a.m.

For more details contact Hallsville Raceway at (903) 668-2858, or the NHRA South Central Division office at (936) 856-6958.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Rain delay cannot stop Meyer at Hallsville

HALLSVILLE, Texas - When the original race weekend of May 19 - 21 was postponed two weeks because of rain, drag racers from all over the country were hoping they'd seen the last of the rain when they returned to Hallsville Raceway. Not so.

Mother Nature delivered another six hours of the wet stuff Saturday, giving the Federal-Mogul Dragster and Funny Car competitors just two, instead of three, qualifying runs for the NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series event. The rain delay didn't appear to affect the performance of the Federal-Mogul Dragster contingent when qualifying resumed at 7:30 p.m., the high-horsepower vehicles thriving in the cool evening air. Jay Meyer of Freeport, Texas, currently the hottest dragster driver in the country, underscored his current form with a 5.674-second lap at 247.86 mph, good enough to snatch the pole position away from early pace setter Troy Buff. Buff, of Spring, Texas, ran a 5.747-second run Friday but ended up being bumped down to third place as Tulsa, Okla.'s Shelly Howard improved to a 5.713-second lap Saturday evening.

Five-thousandths of a second separated the top three Funny Cars, with Artesia, N.M.'s Tate Branch claiming the pole position with a 6.140-second lap, his second No. 1 qualifying effort of the season. Todd Simpson of Ponder, Texas, also ran a 6.140 but had to settle for second place. NHRA rules give the higher qualifying position to the driver with the faster speed; in this instance Branch ran 230.88 mph, Simpson 229.06 mph. Former drag-boat racer Richard Shaver of San Antonio, Texas, claimed third place with a 6.144-second run.

First round of eliminations for Federal-Mogul Dragster and Federal-Mogul Funny Car are scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. Sunday.

The following are Saturday's qualifying results from the NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series event at Hallsville Raceway:

FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAGSTER
1. Jay Meyer, Freeport, Texas, 5.674 seconds, 247.86 miles per hour
2. Shelly Howard, Tulsa, Okla., 5.713, 243.90
3. Troy Buff, Spring, Texas, 5.747, 244.43
4. Darryl Hitchman, Hanford, Calif., 5.784, 223.76
5. Lee Callaway, Channelview, Texas, 5.835, 223.21
6. Kent Nuckols, Albuquerque, N.M., 5.854, 241.35
7. Bill Ancona, Mansfield, Texas, 5.923, 220.15
8. Gene Snow, Fort Worth, Texas, 6.133, 177.37

Did Not Qualify
9. Larry Becktold, Luther, Okla., 6.436, 202.74
10. James Thompson Jr., Vernon, Texas, 7.334, 128.07

FEDERAL-MOGUL FUNNY CAR
1. Tate Branch, Artesia, N.M., '99 Avenger, 6.140 seconds, 230.88 miles per hour
2. Todd Simpson, Ponder, Texas, '98 Avenger, 6.140, 229.06
3. Richard Shaver, San Antonio, Texas, '95 Avenger, 6.144, 231.95
4. Warren Dauzat, Baton Rouge, La., '93 Achieva, 6.350, 237.34
5. Ron Morrison, Oklahoma City, Okla., '97 Cutlass, 6.569, 178.46
6. EJ Johnston, Violet, La., '99 Achieva, 7.287, 136.57
7. Jimmy Jones, Cleburne, Texas, '97 Camaro, 9.218, 84.19

COMPETITION
1. Greg Williams, Carthage, Texas, D/SM '90 Trans Am, 8.239 seconds (0.561-second under Index)
2. Buddy Nickens, Houston, Texas, D/A '97 Avenger, 8.090 seconds (-0.530)
3. David Myers, Dallas, Texas, C/A '99 Camaro, 7.746 (-0.474)
4. Joey Tanksley, Greenwell Springs, La., B/ED dragster, 7.105 (-0.445)
5. Mike Trumble, Pasadena, Texas, D/SM '92 Camaro, 8.370 (-0.430)
6. Greg Hogue, Aledo, Texas, D/ED dragster, 7.834 (-0.336)
7. Charlie Watson, Humble, Texas, F/A '97 Lumina, 8.875 (-0.295)
8. Bob Haynes, Pilot Point, Texas, C/ED dragster, 7.927 (-0.083)
9. Bill Gibbs, Lufkin, Texas, K/A '95 Daytona, 10.239 (0.409)

SUPER STOCK
1. Brent Johnson, Lecompte, La., SS/NA '66 Impala, 11.305 seconds (1.145-seconds under Index)
2. Keith Mawhee, Carrollton, Texas, SS/CM '98 Pontiac, 8.958 (-0.942)
3. Terry Emmons, Pasadena, Texas, SS/JA '96 Firebird, 10.369 (-0.931)
4. Billy Moravits, San Antonio, Texas, GT/KA '87 Trans Am, 10.860 (-0.890)
5. Red Leblanc, Memphis, Tenn., SS/F '69 Mustang, 9.761 (-0.889)
6. Gilbert Johnson, Jr., Lecompte, La., GT/KA '91 Calais, 10.964 (-0.786)
7. Sid Bonnecarrere, Gray, La., SS/AA '68 Dart, 9.233 (-0.767)
8. Rodger Brogdon, Tomball, Texas, SS/C '66 Corvette, 9.620 (-0.730)
9. James Lee, Tulsa, Okla., SS/N '55 Chevrolet, 11.545 (-0.705)
10. Korey Mawhee, Frisco, Texas, GT/DA '95 Oldsmobile, 10.111 (-0.689)

STOCK
1. Billy Lynn, Searcy, Ark., K/SA '79 Malibu, 11.596 seconds (1.354 seconds under Index)
2. Marty Woffard, Gore, Okla., L/S '66 Nova, 11.744 (-1.256)
3. Jeff Teuton, Houma, La., GT/SA '97 Dodge, 12.857 (-1.093)
4. Mike Cotton, Broken Arrow, Okla., H/SA '73 Duster, 11.390 (-1.060)
5. Verne Buchanan, Conway, Ark., J/SA '73 Mustang, 11.694 (-1.056)
6. Bobby Brannon, Bossier City, La., E/SA '98 Firebird, 11.002 (-0.998)
7. Justin Patrick Cardwell, Dubach, La., K/SA '85 Camaro, 11.965 (-0.985)
8. Jimmy Hidalgo, Donaldsonville, La., E/SA '97 Camaro, 11.017 (-0.983)
9. Steve Brack, Lawrence, Kan., I/S '86 Camaro, 11.517 seconds (-0.983)
10. Paula Cotton, Broken Arrow, Okla., G/SA '73 Duster, 11.323 (-0.977)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Slower than last year, Buff still No. 1
HALLSVILLE, Texas - At last year's NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series event at Hallsville Raceway Troy Buff of Spring, Texas, unleashed a stunning 5.59-second run. Competing again at Hallsville after a two-week rain-delay, Buff is the quickest driver on the grounds, but only with a best run of 5.74 seconds.

"Conditions are so much different from what they were in 1999," explained Buff, whose 5.74-second run is good for the provisional pole position in Federal-Mogul Dragster. "When we ran the 5.59 the corrected altitude was only 800 feet above sea level," continued Buff. "Today [Friday], with the ambient heat and humidity, the corrected altitude is almost 2,800 feet above sea level. With that kind of heat it's difficult to make these cars run as quick as we can at sea-level tracks." Trailing Buff in Federal-Mogul Dragster is Tulsa, Okla.'s Shelly Howard, who ran a 5.79-second lap for second place on the starting grid.

The provisional pole position in Federal-Mogul Funny Car currently is decided by 1.82-miles per hour. Artesia, N.M.'s Tate Branch, and Todd Simpson of Ponder, Texas, both ran identical 6.140-second laps during first-round qualifying. Under NHRA rules, the driver with the fester speed gains the higher starting position; Branch flashed across the Hallsville Raceway finish line at 230.88 mph, Simpson hit 229.06 mph.

The NHRA South Central Championships, the fifth event of the 2000 NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing South Central Division Series, continues Saturday with the Federal-Mogul Dragsters and Funny Cars receiving two more qualifying laps, at 1 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.

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

FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAGSTER
1. Troy Buff, Spring, Texas, 5.747 seconds, 244.43 miles per hour
2. Shelly Howard, Tulsa, Okla., 5.795, 228.89
3. Darryl Hitchman, Hanford, Calif., 6.661, 199.91
4. Bill Ancona, Mansfield, Texas, 9.042, 71.50
5. Gene Snow, Fort Worth, Texas, 23.264, 40.72

FEDERAL-MOGUL FUNNY CAR
1. Tate Branch, Artesia, N.M., '99 Avenger, 6.140 seconds, 230.88 miles per hour
2. Todd Simpson, Ponder, Texas, '98 Avenger, 6.140, 229.06
3. EJ Johnston, Violet, La., '99 Achieva, 7.287, 136.57
4. Richard Shaver, San Antonio, Texas, '95 Avenger, 11.328, 58.43

COMPETITION
1. Buddy Nickens, Houston, Texas, D/A '97 Avenger, 8.206 seconds (0.414-second under Index)
2. Greg Williams, Carthage, Texas, D/SM '90 Trans Am, 8.392 (-0.408)
3. Joey Tanksley, Greenwell Springs, La., B/ED dragster, 7.176 (-0.374)
4. David Myers, Dallas, Texas, C/A '99 Camaro, 7.863 (-0.357)
5. Charlie Watson, Humble, Texas, F/A '97 Lumina, 8.914 (-0.256)
6. Bill Gibbs, Lufkin, Texas, K/A '95 Dodge, 11.553 (1.723)

SUPER STOCK
1. Brent Johnson, Lecompte, La., SS/NA '66 Impala, 11.305 seconds (1.145-seconds under Index)
2. Terry Emmons, Pasadena, Texas, SS/JA '96 Firebird, 10.443 (-0.857)
3. Billy Moravits, San Antonio, Texas, GT/KA '87 Trans Am, 10.913 (-0.837)
4. Gilbert Johnson, Jr., Lecompte, La., GT/KA '91 Calais, 10.964 (-0.786)
5. Korey Mawhee, Frisco, Texas, GT/DA '95 Oldsmobile, 10.294 (-0.506)
6. Jerry Emmons, Pasadena, Texas, SS/JA '69 Camaro, 10.823 (-0.477)
7. Louis Moseley, Paron, Ark., GT/B '82 Camaro, 9.993 (-0.407)
8. J. Allen Sherman, Donaldsonville, La., SS/JA '69 Chevrolet, 10.936 (-0.364)
9. Pete Peery, Bowie, Texas, GT/F '91 Calais, 10.556 (-0.344)
10. Jesse Knapp, Lakeland, La., SS/HA '69 Camaro, 10.606 (-0.294)

STOCK
1. Steve Brack, Lawrence, Kan., I/SA '86 Camaro, 11.530 seconds (1.070-seconds under Index)
2. Jeff Teuton, Houma, La., GT/SA '97 Dodge, 12.949 (-1.001)
3. Bobby Brannon, Bossier City, La., E/SA '98 Firebird, 11.002 (-0.998)
4. Justin Patrick Cardwell, Dubach, La., K/SA '85 Camaro, 11.965 (-0.985)
5. Jeff Hefler, Mansfield, Texas, F/SA '97 Trans Am, 11.186 (0.964)
6. Jackie Hibbard, Humble, Texas, P/SA '88 Oldsmobile, 12.810 (-0.940)
7. Kevin Helms, Mineola, Texas, B/S '69 Chevrolet, 10.595 (-0.905)
8. Jimmy Hidalgo, Donaldsonville, La., E/SA '97 Camaro, 11.135 (-0.865)
9. Pat Joffrion, Belle Rose, La., G/SA '98 Camaro, 11.489 (-0.811)
10. Jared Swinehart, Watonga, Okla., P/SA '88 Cutlass, 12.944 (-0.806)