FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Austin finishes No. 1, as usual

WOODBURN, Ore. - Can anyone stop Pat Austin? That's the question racers are asking in the NHRA's Northwest Division after the Tacoma, Wash., driver scored his third-straight victory of the season, this time at the Les Schwab Tires NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series event.

"We were lucky to win this one," said Austin, who defeated Salem, Ore.'s Russ Parker in the final round, 5.88 seconds to 5.91 seconds. "The car began shaking the [rear] tires and never settled down; it kept bouncing all the way down track.

"We left the door open for Russ, who was running great this weekend. I hate it when that happens."

Austin's two other victories both came at Mission Raceway Park in Mission, B.C., in May and June. With a 101-point advantage over second-placed Parker the Northeast Division title is all but locked up.

Displaying driving savvy beyond his years, 20-year-old Brandon Henkelman of San Jose, Calif., out-drove Federal Way, Wash.'s Mark Hentges to claim the Federal-Mogul Dragster victory.

With both cars heading down track, Henkelman's dragster began to spin the rear tires, forcing the driver to momentarily get off the throttle. Hentges, meanwhile, strayed out of the racing groove and had to drive his dragster away from the centerline. Had he crossed it Hentges would have received an automatic disqualification. Henkelman got to the finish line first, 5.57 seconds to 5.61 seconds.

"The car was shaking the [rear] tires real bad through the middle of the course, and I could feel it was trying to spin them," recalled Henkelman. "All sorts of things were going through my mind: what I would do if [the car] didn't stop shaking the tires; what I would do if it started to spin the tires. Fortunately it settled down, hiked up the front end, and took off again."

The following are the final results from the NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series event at Woodburn Dragstrip:

FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAGSTER
Quarterfinals
1) Brandon Henkelman, san Jose, Calif., 5.543 seconds, 256.26 miles per hour def. 
8) Brad Hansen, Bellevue, Wash., 9.710, 73.26

2) Duane Shields, Las Vegas, Nev., 9.830, 83.18 def. 
7) Kim Parker, Graham, Wash., no show

3) Mark Hentges, Federal Way, Wash., 6.931, 166.97 def. 
6) Steve Federlin,Oregon City, Ore., 13.118, 58.31

4) Dale Carlson, Olympia, Wash., 5.624, 253.16 def. 
5) Paul Jones, Stockton, Calif., no show

Semifinals
Henkelman, 6.333, 211.86 def. Carlson, 6.494, 234.74
Hentges, 5.613, 249.58 def. Shields, 18.584, 46.09

Final
Henkelman, 5.578, 252.52 def. Hentges, 5.611, 250.83


FEDERAL-MOGUL FUNNY CAR
Quarterfinals
1) Pat Austin, Tacoma, Wash., '99 Firebird, 5.785 seconds, 250.55 miles per hour def. 8
) Steve Gasparrelli, Covina, Calif., '99 Firebird, 6.174, 207.80

5) Ed Marx, Stockton, Calif., '95 Avenger, 5.815, 245.43 def. 
4) Larry Miner, Woodbridge, Calif., '98 Avenger, 5.852, 245.56

7) Russ Parker, Salem, Ore., '00 Avenger, 5.849, 244.43 def. 
2) Bucky Austin, Fife, Wash., '00 Camaro, 5.904, 239.04

2) John Hyland, Springfield, Ore., '00 Camaro, 5.891,     
243.17 def. 6) Dan McGlone, Oregon City, Ore., '99 Camaro, 5.923, 243.63

Semifinals
Austin, 5.790, 250.90 def. Marx, 10.321, 86.67
Parker, 5.833, 243.90 def. Hyland, 5.964, 240.00

Final
Austin, 5.883, 245.96 def. Parker, 5.914, 241.22


COMPETITION
Quarterfinals
9) Tom Tucker, Bend, Ore., F/A '92 Lumina, 9.275, 154.53 def. 
1) Brian Hyerstay, Eugene, Ore., G/D dragster, 10.763, 73.14 (foul start)

4) Jim Warter, Fox Island, Wash., B/SM '92 Camaro, 9.027, 132.58 def. 
12) Mike Pessemier, Graham, Wash., B/D dragster, 7.162, 167.84 (foul start)

6) Schuck Jr., Eugene, Ore., C/ED dragster, 8.898, 104.52  def. 
2) Fred Gross, La Crescenta, Calif., D/A '96   Pontiac, 16.558, 49.50 (foul start)

3) Nick Jondahl, Battle Ground, Wash., G/A '92 Firebird, 8.952, 150.40 def.
6) Randy Jones, Monarch Beach, Calif., B/A '00 Firebird, 7.375, 187.50

Semifinals
Tucker, 8.654, 155.92 def. Warter, 8.913, 151.82
Jondahl, 9.537, 103.56 def. Schuck, 7.471, 160.57

Final
Jondahl, 8.989, 149.15 def. Tucker, 8.695, 155.95

SUPER STOCK
Steve Wann, Modesto, Calif., GT/TD '98 Dodge, 10.704, 122.74 def. 
Gary Rouse, Bremerton, Wash., SS/LA '64 Chevrolet, 11.183, 111.00

STOCK
Jody Lang, Puyallup, Wash., M/SA '79 Malibu, 12.790, 97.13 def. Don Little,
Westley, Calif., A/SA '70 Barracuda, 10.352, 128.22

SUPER COMP
Kyle Seipel, San Lorenzo, Calif., dragster, 8.915, 143.83 def. 
Emmett McKillop, Lynnwood, Wash., dragster, 8.924, 160.51

SUPER GAS
Van R. Watson, Tukwila, Wash., '70 Nova, 9.908, 139.68 def. 
Chuck Glanz, Myrtle Creek, Ore., '34 Chevrolet, 9.922, 152.56

SUPER STREET
Gary Erickson, Portland, Ore., '84 Mustang, 10.905, 135.68 def. 
Craig Bickle, Courtenay, B.C., '67 Camaro, broke

TOP COMP
Gary Olson, Hillsboro, Ore., '95 Lumina, 7.741, 169.26 def. Ken Kennedy,
Port Coquitlam, B.C., dragster, 7.676, 182.66

PRO SPORTSMAN MOTORCYCLE
Jerry Stinson, Medford, Ore., '84 Kawasaki, 8.966, 153.00 def. Brian
Hudson, Kennewick, Wash., '80 Suzuki, 8.892, 144.41

SUPER PRO
Nick Bresaw, Beaverton, Ore., '69 Mustang, 11.670, 102.13 def. Howard
Baron, Forks, Wash., '68 Nova, 10.175, 142.04

JUNIOR DRAGSTER LIGHTNING
Adam DePeel, Gladstone, Ore., 9.182, 72.00 def. Candice Engelgau,
Silverton, Ore., 10.700, 59.23 (foul start)

JUNIOR DRAGSTER THUNDER
Sean Kennedy, Bellevue, Wash., 11.498, 52.37 def. Kyle Knudtson, Albany,
Ore., 11.734, 53.25

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Henkelman uses youth, power to take No. 1

WOODBURN, Ore. - Youth and enthusiasm overcame age and experience at Woodburn Dragstrip Saturday as 20-year-old Brandon Henkelman secured the pole position in Federal-Mogul Dragster.

The San Jose, Calif., youngster reset the track record at 5.525 seconds to claim the No. 1 position, holding off late charges by Las Vegas, Nev.'s Duane Shields and Mark Hentges of Federal Way, Wash., who recorded laps of 5.57 seconds and 5.58 seconds, respectively. "It's nice to know what the car is going to do," said Henkelman.

"We've been chasing an ignition problem on the car since April and it's only been in the past couple of weeks that we have returned to competitiveness."

Although Henkelman has run in the 5.4-second range in his father, Rick's, dragster, the team are simply aiming to be consistent during Sunday's eliminations.

Henkelman explained, "We'll back [the engine] down for the first round tomorrow. I'd like to run 5.40s here, but I'm not sure how much more power the track can take.

It's pretty close to being on the edge now, and we don't want to beat ourselves tomorrow." Pat Austin muscled his way to the pole position in Federal-Mogul Funny Car, recording a best lap of 5.724 seconds at a track-record speed of 251.32 mph, giving the popular Tacoma, Wash.-based driver a tenth-of-a-second advantage over Bucky Austin, his uncle, who ran a 5.82-second pass at 239.61 mph.

The Les Schwab Tires Challenge, the fourth event of the 2000 NHRA Northwest Division Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series, continues Sunday with the quarterfinals of Federal-Mogul Dragsters and Funny Cars scheduled to begin at 12 noon.

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

FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAGSTER
1. Brandon Henkelman, San Jose, Calif., 5.525 seconds, 253.95 miles per hour
2. Duane Shield, Las Vegas, Nev., 5.570, 250.62
3. Mark Hentges, Federal Way, Wash., 5.580, 252.95
4. Dale Carlson, Olympia, Wash., 5.599, 251.60
5. Paul Jones, Stockton, Calif., 5.798, 239.55
6. Steve Federlin, Oregon City, Ore., 5.800, 245.90
7. Kim Parker, Graham, Wash., 5.968, 237.15
8. Brad Hansen, Bellevue, Wash., 5.990, 233.58


FEDERAL-MOGUL FUNNY CAR
1. Pat Austin, Tacoma, Wash., '99 Firebird, 5.724 seconds, 251.32 miles per hour
2. Bucky Austin, Fife, Wash., '00 Camaro, 5.829, 239.61
3. John Hyland, Springfield, Ore., '00 Camaro, 5.831, 243.90
4. Larry Miner, Woodbridge, Calif., '98 Avenger, 5.841, 244.36
5. Ed Marx, Stockton, Calif., '95 Avenger, 5.861, 245.16
6. Dan McGlone, Gladstone, Ore., '99 Camaro, 5.865, 242.78
7. Russ Parker, Salem, Ore., '00 Avenger, 5.879, 242.98
8. Steve Gasparrelli, Covina, Calif., '99 Firebird, 5.891, 246.84

Did not qualify:
9. Pete Swayne, Orange, Calif., '97 Firebird, 5.906, 242.98
10. Matt Goss, Junction City, Ore., '97 Camaro, 5.941, 236.77
11. Lloyd Bandle, Jacksonville, Ore., '96 Firebird, 5.994, 240.44
12. Clint Thompson, Klamath Falls, Ore., '97 Camaro, 6.079, 227.33
13. Mike Giuliano, Abbotsford, B.C., '95 Achieva, 6.087, 235.78
14. Mitch Myers, Hermiston, Ore., '99 Camaro, 6.221, 224.32
15. Kenny Moreira, Richfield, Idaho, '92 Cutlass, 6.277, 232.91


COMPETITION
1. Brian Hyerstay, Eugene, Ore., G/D dragster, 9.350 seconds (0.700-second under Index)
2. Fred Gross, La Crescenta, Calif., D/A '96 Pontiac, 8.027 (-0.593)
3. Nick Jondahl, Battle Ground, Wash., G/A '92 Firebird, 8.976 (-0.564)
4. Jim Warter, Fox Island, Wash., B/SM '92 Camaro, 8.807 (-0.563)
5. John Chamberlin, Napa, Calif., B/D dragster, 6.929 (-0.551)
6. Randy Jones, Monarch Beach, Calif., B/A '00 Firebird, 7.330 (-0.540)
7. Ed Schuck Jr., Eugene, Ore., C/ED dragster, 7.474 (-0.536)
8. Jeff Lane, North Bend, Wash., B/SR '34 Chevrolet, 8.210 (-0.530)
9. Tom Tucker, Bend, Ore., F/A '92 Lumina, 8.654 (-0.516)
10. John Edwards, Claremont, Calif., C/EA '96 Avenger, 8.384 (-0.506)
 
SUPER STOCK
1. Steve Wann, Modesto, Calif., GT/TD '98 Dodge, 10.586 seconds (-1.164 seconds under Index)
2. Bob Lambeck, Northridge, Calif., SS/CM '98 Oldsmobile, 8.857 (-1.043)
3. Doug Lambeck, Irvine, Calif., SS/BS '90 Camaro, 9.025 (-0.975)
4. Terry Sherrill, Klamath Falls, Ore., SS/AM '57 Corvette, 8.600 (-0.950)
5. Bill Blakeney, Bell, Calif., SS/HA '68 Camaro, 9.995 (-0.905)
6. Frank Grossi, Upland, Calif., GT/BA '00 Grand Am, 9.649 (-0.901)
7. Jeff Davison, Newberg, Ore., SS/NA '72 Oldsmobile, 11.607 (-0.843)
8. Don Thomas, Spruce Grove, Alb., GT/DA '89 Camaro, 9.969 (-0.831)
9. Harry Holton, Modesto, Calif., SS/BA '65 Belvedere, 9.371 (-0.829)
10. Dave Raybourn, Modesto, Calif., SS/AA '68 Dart, 9.183 (-0.817)

STOCK
1. Calvin Queahpama, Portland, Ore., T/SA '65 Chevrolet, 13.541 seconds (1.259 seconds under Index)
2. Fred Deuchar, Brush Prairie, Wash., K/S '65 Malibu, 11.778 (-1.072)
3. Don Elgin, Des Moines, Wash., N/SA '74 Pontiac, 12.234 (-1.066)
4. Sean Cour, Brush Prairie, Wash., E/SA '97 Camaro, 10.940 (-1.060)
5. Chelsea Towner, Bothell, Wash., K/SA '85 Camaro, 11.974 (-0.976)
6. Adam Bowdish, Lake Oswego, Ore., P/SA '66 Biscayne, 12.788 (-0.962)
7. Steve Hanby, Salem, Ore., M/SA '85 Camaro, 12.195 (-0.955)
8. Cal Method, Kennewick, Wash., G/SA '71 Camaro, 11.352 (0.948)
9. Don Little, Westley, Calif., A/SA '70 Barracuda, 10.359 (-0.941)
10. Mike Sumner, North Bend, Wash., K/SA '86 Camaro, 12.014 (-0.936)

Top Comp
1. Rod Clough, Abbotsford, B.C., '96 Oldsmobile Funny Car, 6.968 seconds, 200.84 miles per hour
2. Terry Cameron, Calmer, Alb., dragster, 7.294, 186.48
3. Dennis Fuller, LaGrande, Ore., '97 Mustang, 7.367, 189.71
4. Rod Langley, Boise, Idaho, dragster, 7.387, 180.18
5. Jeff Devey, Twin Falls, Idaho, dragster, 7.426, 177.65
6. Tom Elliott, Mountain Home, Idaho, dragster, 7.427, 179.71
7. Greg Pessemier, Tacoma, Wash., dragster, 7.464, 176.26
8. Brandon Huhtala, Puyallup, Wash., '91 Cutlass, 7.478, 186.02
9. Mark Barnhart, Emmett, Idaho, dragster, 7.540, 174.92
10. Brian Barling, White Rock, B.C., dragster, 7.545, 180.57

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Springfield's Hyland leads Woodburn Funny Cars
WOODBURN, Ore. - It's survival, Funny Car style, at the Les Schwab Tires NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series event at Woodburn Dragstrip. Springfield, Ore.'s John Hyland paced the Funny Car field with a 5.84-second, 243-mph run Friday then wondered if he would survive Saturday's remaining two-scheduled qualifying laps.

"There are a lot of very good Funny Cars here this weekend," opined Hyland. "At least nine of the cars here can run 5.70s, and the rest should be able to run 5.80s; it's going to be a game of survival [Saturday]. I'll be very surprised if my 5.84 is quick enough to even make the top eight tomorrow."

Hyland shouldn't worry, he ran a 5.73-second lap at Woodburn Dragstrip during testing in April, but added that he anticipates Tacoma, Wash.'s Pat Austin to make a move on the field.

"No question, he's the guy to beat," said Hyland.

Perennial favorite Austin holds the provisional No. 2 spot with a 5.88-second run, with Covina, Calif.'s Steve Gasparrelli third at 5.89 seconds. Brandon Henkelman, 20, of San Jose, Calif., the youngest driver in the Federal-Mogul Dragster field, is the provisional pole sitter with a 5.55-second run. Henkelman's run was just two hundredths of a second off the Woodburn Dragstrip track record of 5.53 seconds, set in 1999 by multi-time world champion Rick Santos of Brentwood, Calif.

The Les Schwab Tires Challenge, the fourth event of the 2000 NHRA Northwest Division Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series, continues Saturday with the Federal-Mogul Dragsters and Funny Cars receiving two more qualifying laps, beginning at 12 noon and 4:00 p.m.

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

FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAGSTER
1. Brandon Henkelman, San Jose, Calif., 5.552 seconds, 252.59 miles per hour
2. Mark Hentges, Federal Way, Wash., 5.645, 252.95
3. Steve Federlin, Oregon City, Ore., 5.800, 245.90
4. Paul Jones, Stockton, Calif., 5.809, 239.55
5. Kim Parker, Graham, Wash., 5.968, 237.15
6. Dale Carlson, Olympia, Wash., 6.035, 178.99
7. Brad Hansen, Bellevue, Wash., 6.362, 227.56
8. Duane Shield, Las Vegas, Nev., 12.149, 66.41

FEDERAL-MOGUL FUNNY CAR
1. John Hyland, Springfield, Ore., '00 Camaro, 5.848 seconds, 243.90 miles per hour
2. Pat Austin, Tacoma, Wash., '99 Firebird, 5.885, 247.66
3. Steve Gasparrelli, Covina, Calif., '99 Firebird, 5.891, 245.36
4. Ed Marx, Stockton, Calif., '95 Avenger, 5.898, 245.16
5. Pete Swayne, Orange, Calif., '97 Firebird, 5.906, 239.74
6. Matt Goss, Junction City, Ore., '97 Camaro, 5.941, 236.77
7. Lloyd Bandle, Jacksonville, Ore., '96 Firebird, 5.994, 240.44
8. Bucky Austin, Fife, Wash., '00 Camaro, 6.005, 239.10

Did Not Qualify
9. Clint Thompson, Klamath Falls, Ore., '97 Camaro, 6.079, 227.33
10. Mitch Myers, Hermiston, Ore., '99 Camaro, 6.221, 224.32
11. Kenny Moreira, Richfield, Idaho, '92 Cutlass, 6.277, 232.91
12. Mike Giuliano, Abbotsford, B.C., '95 Achieva, 9.119, 100.26
13. Larry Miner, Lodi, Calif., '98 Avenger, 12.204, 57.55
14. Russ Parker, Salem, Ore., '00 Avenger, DQ
15. Dan McGlone, Gladstone, Ore., '99 Camaro, DQ

COMPETITION
1. Brian Hyerstay, Eugene, Ore., G/D dragster, 9.350 seconds (0.700-second under Index)
2. Fred Gross, La Crescenta, Calif., D/A '96 Pontiac, 8.027 (-0.593)
3. John Chamberlin, Napa, Calif., B/D dragster, 6.929 (-0.551)
4. Ed Schuck Jr., Eugene, Ore., C/ED dragster, 7.474 (-0.536)
5. John Edwards, Claremont, Calif., C/EA '96 Avenger, 8.384 (-0.506)
6. Tom Tucker, Bend, Ore., F/A '92 Lumina, 8.672 (-0.498)
7. Nick Jondahl, Battle Ground, Wash., G/A '92 Firebird, 9.044 (-0.496)
8. Randy Jones, Monarch Beach, Calif., B/A '00 Firebird, 7.399 (-0.471)
9. Craig Schuck, Eugene, Ore., C/ED dragster, 7.552 (-0.458)
10. Mike Pessemier, Graham, Wash., B/D dragster, 7.034 (0.446)

SUPER STOCK
1. Steve Wann, Modesto, Calif., GT/TD '98 Dodge, 10.586 seconds (-1.164 seconds under Index)
2. Bob Lambeck, Northridge, Calif., SS/CM '98 Oldsmobile, 8.877 (-1.023)
3. Terry Sherrill, Klamath Falls, Ore., SS/AM '57 Corvette, 8.600 (-0.950)
4. Frank Grossi, Upland, Calif., GT/BA '00 Grand Am, 9.696 (-0.854)
5. Bill Blakeney, Bell, Calif., SS/HA '68 Camaro, 10.060 (-0.840)
6. Harry Holton, Modesto, Calif., SS/BA '65 Belvedere, 9.371 (-0.829)
7. Don Thomas, Spruce Grove, Alb., GT/DA '89 Camaro, 9.972 (-0.828)
8. Dave Raybourn, Modesto, Calif., SS/AA '68 Dart, 9.215 (-0.785)
9. Steve Polack, Enumclaw, Wash., GT/FA '92 Camaro, 10.325 (-0.775)
10. Eric Bell, Chandler, Ariz., SS/FA '70 Plymouth, 9.993 (-0.757)

STOCK
1. Calvin Queahpama, Portland, Ore., T/SA '65 Chevrolet, 13.541 seconds (1.259 seconds under Index)
2. Fred Deuchar, Brush Prairie, Wash., K/S '65 Malibu, 11.779 (-1.072)
3. Don Elgin, Des Moines, Wash., N/SA '74 Pontiac, 12.234 (-1.066)
4. Sean Cour, Brush Prairie, Wash., E/SA '97 Camaro, 10.959 (-1.041)
5. Chelsea Towner, Bothell, Wash., K/SA '85 Camaro, 11.974 (-0.976)
6. Kevin Cour, Hackettstown, N.J., E/SA '67 Camaro, 11.029 (-0.971)
7. Steve Hanby, Salem, Ore., M/SA '85 Camaro, 12.195 (-0.955)
8. Cal Method, Kennewick, Wash., G/SA '71 Camaro, 11.356 (0.944)
9. Don Little, Westley, Calif., A/SA '70 Barracuda, 10.359 (-0.941)
10. Mike Sumner, North Bend, Wash., K/SA '86 Camaro, 12.014 (-0.936)