FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aragona claims Memorial Day win

Mohnton, Pa. - After four days of rain and thunder showers, the Northeast Division season opener finally could be completed at Maple Grove Raceway. More than 480 competitors braved the persistent rains and took to the quarter mile track in hopes of claiming a victory for this Memorial Day weekend.

In Federal-Mogul Dragster, Cliff Bozzelli of Absecon, N.J. and Tim Slagle of Fairfax, Va., will square off to determine the champion. In addition, Frank Manzo and Paul Gill will renew their rivalry in Federal-Mogul Funny Car competition. Gill, from Brockton, Mass., was the only person to beat Manzo in divisional competition last year. The finals will occur at a later place and time.

In the end, six winners were crowned: Frank Aragona of Franklin Square, N.Y., in Competition Eliminator, Lincoln Morehead of Newburgh, N.Y., in Super Stock, and Joe DeMarzo of Mahopac, N.Y., in Stock Eliminator. In addition, Ron Erks of Clinton, Ohio, claimed victory in Super Comp, Chuck Rothermel of Kinderhook, N.Y., in Super Gas and Keith Bowers of Islip, N.Y., in Super Street.

Competition Eliminator racer Frank Aragona continued to dominate the field by claiming the win over Frank Affronti of Ontario, N.Y. Aragona had one of his easier victories as he shut off his '32 Bantam and coasted through the lights when Affronti red lit.

Bozzelli claimed the $1,000 Sealed Power low qualifier check with his elapsed time of 5.628 seconds and more than 248 mph in Federal-Mogul Dragster. Moreover, 6-time National Funny Car champion Manzo of Morganville, N.J. also took home a $1,000 check from Sealed Power with his blistering run of 5.735 seconds and 250.60 mph in his '01 Avenger.

The following are the final results from the NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series event at Maple Grove Raceway:

FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAGSTER
Qualifying 
1. Cliff Bozzelli, Absecon, N.J., 5.628 seconds, 248.34 mph
2. Tim Slagle, Fairfax, Va., 5.698, 245.45
3. Billy Gibson, Chaptico, Md., 5.700, 249.63
4. Bruce Insinger, Dushore, Pa., 5.702, 242.93
5. Mike Kosky, Cuddy, Pa., 5.808, 223.39
6. Bruce Horner, Bergenfield, N.J., 5.900, 238.55
7. David DeAngelis, Middlesex, N.J., 5.922, 230.76
8. Karen Benkovich, Fanwood, N.J., 5.928, 222.40
Alternates
9. Ken Winward, Wilmington, Del., 5.954, 235.23
10. John Headley, Newportville, Pa., 6.063, 222.33
11. Rich McPhillips, Phoenixville, Pa., 6.095, 220.15
12. Douglas Monroe, Chesapeake, Va., 11.561, 64.75
13. Steven Cantrell, Wilmington, Del., DQ

Round 1
#1 Cliff Bozzelli, Absecon, N.J., 5.586 seconds, 251.20 def. 
#8 Karen Benkovich, Fanwood, N.J., 5.848, 99.27

#2 Tim Slagle, Fairfax, Va., 9.529, 86.90 def. 
#7 Dave Deangelis,Middlesex, N.J., Broke

#3 Billy Gibson, Chaptico, Md., 5.679, 249.58 def. 
#6 Bruce Horner, Bergenfield, N.J., 6.273, 55.42

#4 Bruce Insinger, Dushore, Pa., 7.315, 124.17 def. 
#5 Mike Kosky, Cuddy, Pa., 9.465, 84.42

Semifinals
Bozzelli, 12.568, 93.09 def. Insinger, No time

Slagle, 5.609, 249.76 def. Gibson, 5.691, 251.20

Finals
To be determined at a later date 

FEDERAL-MOGUL FUNNY CAR
Qualifying
1. Frank Manzo, Morganville, N.J., '01 Avenger, 5.735 seconds, 250.60 mph
2. Paul Gill, Brockton, Mass., '96 Avenger, 5.884, 233.76
3. Bruce Mullins, Fredericksburg, Va., '98 Mustang, 5.887, 235.19
4. Steve Harker, Brisbane, Queensland, '99 Avenger, 5.921, 227.38
5. Eric Lourie, Terryville, Conn., '99 Camaro, 6.061, 242.45
6. Bruce Peterson Jr., Wappinger Falls, N.Y., '98 Avenger, 6.066, 230.57
7. Paul Lee, Bala Cynwyd, Pa., '01 Corvette, 6.101, 229.86
8. James Libby, Kingston, Mass., '01 Camaro, 6.103, 233.64
Alternate
9. Bob Newberry, Schenectady, N.Y., '01 Avenger, 6.127, 240.04
10. Darrel Cox, Whiteford, Md., '97 Firebird, 6.209, 229.47
11. Bunny Burkett, Sterling, Va., '99 Avenger, 6.328, 227.11

Round 1
#1 Frank Manzo, Morganville, N.J., '01 Avenger, def. 
#8 James Libby, Kingston, Mass., '01 Camaro

#2 Paul Gill, Brockton, Mass., '96 Avenger, def. 
#7 Paul Lee, Bala Cynwyd, Pa., '01 Corvette

**#3 Bob Newberry, Schenectady, N.Y., '01 Avenger, def. 
#6 Bruce Peterson, Wappinger Falls, N.Y., '98 Avenger

#5 Eric Lourie, Terryville, Conn., '99 Camaro, def.
#4 Steve Harker, Brisbane, Queensland, '99 Avenger

**Bruce Mullins was unable to make the field

Semifinals
Manzo, '01 Avenger def. Laurie, '99 Camaro, Red Light

Gill, '96 Avenger, def. Newberry, '01 Avenger

Finals
To be determined at a later date

COMPETITION ELIMINATOR
Frank Aragona, Franklin Square, N.Y, '32 Bantam, C/A, 12.504 seconds, 64.24 mph def. 
Frank Affronti, Ontario, N.Y., '99 Camaro, C/A, Red Light

SUPER STOCK
Lincoln Morehead, Newburgh, N.Y., '90 Camaro, GT/EA, 10.053 seconds, 136.77 mph def. 
Dan Fletcher, Rochester, N.Y., '69 Camaro, SS/HA, 10.197, 123.80

STOCK ELIMINATOR
Joe DeMarzo, Mahopac, N.Y., '69 Camaro, G/SA, 11.532 seconds, (11.53 dial) def. 
Bud Rowe, Bridgeton, N.C., '85 Camaro, M/SA, 12.330 seconds, (12.26 dial)

SUPER COMP
Ron Erks, Clinton, Ohio, '97 Dragster, 8.923 seconds def. 
Dan Northrop, Doylestown, Pa., 8.932 seconds

SUPER GAS
Chuck Rothermel, Kinderhook, N.Y., '00 Grand Am, 9.956 seconds, def. 
Bob Madden, Levitown, Pa., '64 Corvette, 9.924 seconds

SUPER STREET
Keith Bowers, Islip, N.Y., '67 Barracuda, 10.873 seconds, def. 
Jeff Fisher, Medina, N.Y., '82 AMC, 10.873 seconds

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Rain forces Monday conclusion

Mohnton, Pa. - Mother Nature made her presence felt this weekend at the Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series event at Maple Grove Raceway. Intermittent rain showers have caused numerous delays and forced Northeast Division Director Bob Lang to complete this event on Monday.

"We made every effort to finish this race today [Sunday], however the weather was not very cooperative," said Lang. "So, we'll bring everyone back tomorrow and finish where we left off."

Earning the Sealed Power Low Qualifier checks were Richard Schonberger in Competition Eliminator, Richard Oakes in Super Stock, and Ray Golonka in Stock Eliminator. Federal-Mogul Dragster and Federal-Mogul Funny Car will be determined tomorrow.

Others receiving event honors were: Tommy Ciccarone Jr. of West Chester, Pa., and his Super Comp dragster for Best Appearing Car. Earning the Best Engineered award was Frank Aragona of Franklin Square, N.Y., for his '32 Bantam Roadster. Finally, Federal-Mogul Funny Car pilot Paul Gill of Brockton, Mass., and his team received the Best Appearing Crew award.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Rain postpones second round of qualifying at Maple Grove Raceway

Mohnton, Pa. - The second round of qualifying in the Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series was postponed Saturday due to heavy rain.

"Unfortunately, the rain would not let up and we had to postpone today's activities until tomorrow," said Northeast Division Director Bob Lang. "We came here this morning against all weather odds in hopes of getting this event in. Now, we will have to wait and see what tomorrow brings."

The gates to Maple Grove Raceway will open at 8:00 a.m. with final round of qualifying and time trials set to begin at 9:00. Federal-Mogul Dragster and Funny Car are scheduled for 3:00 and 6:00 p.m.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series arrives at Maple Grove Raceway

Mohnton, Pa.-The NHRA Northeast Division kicked off its season opener at Maple Grove Raceway. The first of seven divisional events is expected to draw more than 500 competitors, vying for cash and contingency awards totaling more than $154,000.

Leading the charge on Friday was Competition Eliminator racer Richard Schonberger. Schonberger, from nearby Philadelphia, Pa., ran a scorching run of 9.289 seconds in his '90 Firebird against an index of 9.97 seconds. He was .039-second quicker than the number two qualifier, Jonathan Aloisio of West Chester, Pa. Aloisio clocked a time of 8.058 seconds against an index of 8.70 seconds in his '98 Grand Am.

Also in Competition Eliminator, Robert Rossi of Woodbridge, N.J.,ran the fastest speed of the day at more than 204 mph. Rossi's elapsed time of 6.778 was .632 under his index, putting him in the number four position for Friday's qualifying.

In the Stock Eliminator class, Ray Golonka of Colonia, N.J., drove his '77 Cadillac to the head of the class by posting an elapsed time of 12.800 seconds. Golonka's 1.300 under index was .078 seconds ahead of his closest competitor, Cecil Frazier of Canton, Mass.

Finally, Richard Oaks of Woolwich Township, N.J., leads the Super Stock field by registering a 10.035-second elapsed time against an index of 11.80. Oakes and his '92 Camaro blew past the other 64 cars with a staggering 1.765 under index run.

The gates will open at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow with final qualifying and time trials to begin at 9:00 a.m. Federal-Mogul Dragster and Federal-Mogul Funny Car qualifying sessions are scheduled at 3:00 and 6:00 p.m.

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

Federal-Mogul Dragster
Not Contested

Federal-Mogul Funny Car
Not Contested

Competition Eliminator
1. Richard Schonberger, Philadelphia, Pa., '90 Firebird, G/SM, 9.289 seconds, -0.681 under index
2. Jonathan Aloisio, West Chester, Pa., '98 Grand AM, D/SM, 8.058, -0.642 
3. Jeff Taylor, Lumberton, N.C., '01 Grand Am, C/A, 7.572, -0.638
4. Robert Rossi, Woodbridge, N.J., '92 Achieva, A/A, 6.778, -0.632
5. Greg Kozera, Monroe, Conn., '98 Dragster, D/D, 7.421, -0.609
6. Frank Aragona Jr., Franklin Square, N.Y., '98 Dragster, F/EA, 8.725, -0.595
7. Pat Ross, Avon Lake, Ohio, '98 Firebird, D/A, 8.005, -0.595
8. Al Ackerman, Saddle Brook, N.J., '94 Dragster, F/D, 8.229, -0.591
9. Tom Ekroth, Mahwah, N.J., '95 Trans Am, C/A, 7.623, -0.587
10. Dan Kilheffer, Carlisle, Pa., '98 Dragster, C/ED, 7.351, -0.559

Super Stock
1. Richard Oaks, Woolwich Township, N.J., '92 Camaro, SS/DS, 10.035 seconds, -1.765 under index
2. James Zane, Bordentown, N.J., '99 S-10, SS/TD, 10.553, -1.197
3. Jim Boburka, Coraopolis, Pa., '00 Firebird, GT/DA, 9.638, -1.162
4. Howard Barsky, Levittown, Pa., '57 Chevrolet, SS/NA, 11.296, -1.154
5. John Armstrong, Kingston, Nova Scotia, Can., '69 Camaro, SS/BA, 9.072, -1.128
6. Bucky Hess, Bunker Hill, W.Va., '68 Barracuda, SS/AA, 8.881, -1.119
7. David Barton, Wernersville, Pa., '68 Dart, SS/AA, 8.944, -1.056
8. Michael Tueffel, Englewood, Colo., '98 Grand Am, SS/BM, 8.662, -1.038
9. Dennis Steward, Dover, Pa., '91 Daytona, GT/EA, 9.920, -1.030
10. Jeff Roell, Poughguag, N.Y., '93 Mustang, GT/FA, 10.077, -1.023

Stock Eliminator
1. Ray Golonka, Colonia, N.J., '77 Cadillac, Q/SA, 12.800 seconds, -1.300 under index
2. Cecil Frazier, Canton, Mass., '90 Camaro, M/SA, 11.928, -1.222
3. Bill Belden, Linden, N.J., '64 Chevelle, M/S, 11.976, -1.174
4. Dean Cook, West Warrick, R.I., '72 Mustang, E/S, 10.786, -1.164
5. John Presing, North Haledon, N.J., '88 Mustang, L/S, 11.849, -1.151
6. Bob Horgan, Tyngsborough, Mass., '85 Camaro, J/SA, 11.602, -1.148
7. Jim Penta, Pawtucket, R.I., '98 Firebird, D/S, 10.653, -1.147
8. Joe Aluise Jr., Laurel, Md., '63 Belvedere, A/SA, 10.154, -1.146
9. Billy Nees, Millmont, Pa., '70 Nova, V/SA, 14.665, -1.135
10. Bruce Noland, Leesburg, Va., '72 Camaro, J/SA, 11.638, -1.112