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| IHRA Nitro Funny Cars Return to South Texas
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| San Antonio Raceway
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Posted Friday, March 17, 2006 |
Amalie Oil Texas Nationals Event Preview Notes
WHAT: 5th Annual Amalie Oil Texas Nationals presented by Ancira Cars, Trucks and RVs and the San Antonio Express-News
Race one of the 11-event eMax Drag Racing Series
WHERE: San Antonio Raceway (SAR), 3641 South Santa Clara Road, Marion, TX 78124.
WHEN: Friday, March 24 Sunday, March 26, 2006
NOTES:
Torco Racing Fuels Pro Nitro Funny Cars return to IHRA competition after a 14-year layoff. Pre-registered entries include former NHRA world champion Cruz Pedregon (photo attached), brother Frank Pedregon, Gary Densham, Bob Gilbertson, Terry Haddock, Jeff Arend, Dale Creasy, Jr., Paul Lee, Jack Wyatt, Vincent Arcadi and Jim Cavalieri.
Nitro Funny Car was one of the original IHRA classes during its first season of competition in 1971. The other two professional classes were Top Fuel and Pro Stock.
Of the pre-registered Torco Racing Fuels Pro Nitro Funny Car entries, Bob Gilbertson is the only competitor to have finished in the top 10 in the world championship chase for the 1992 season, the final year the class was contested.
Torco Racing Fuels Pro Nitro Top Fuel world champion Clay Millican returns to SAR having won all three events at the track. Millican is the only multiple-time winner of this event.
This will be the fourth Texas Nationals at San Antonio Raceway. The inaugural event was held in Ennis, Texas, in 1988. The event was brought to SAR for the second annual running in 2003.
In 2004, Bruce Litton crashed as he took the semi-final win-light. The car destroyed, Litton was life flighted to Brooks Army Medical Center and released just in time for his final round versus Clay Millican. However, the dragster was not able to be repaired and Millican won the event uncontested.
1998 Torco Race Fuels Pro Stock world champion Dan Seamon won this event in 2005 and went on to claim one more event win that season. Ironically, during his 98 championship season, Seamon won only one event.
Alcohol Funny Car competitor and former five-time world champion Mark Thomas has been in the final round during two Texas Nationals events at SAR, winning once (2004). Defending world champion Rob Atchison was snowed-in at his race shop in London, Ontario, and missed the 2003 SAR event. Since then, hes been in two SAR final rounds, winning once (2005).
In 2005, Ed Hoover became the only Torco Race Fuels Pro Modified competitor in three years at SAR to qualify No. 1 and win the event.
Rick Jones earned his first career Torco Race Fuels Pro Stock event win in 2003 at the Texas Nationals. He backed that win up the very next race with another in Rockingham, N.C.
2005 EVENT
WINNERS: Top Fuel Clay Millican
Nitro Funny Car Not Contested
Pro Modified Ed Hoover
Alcohol Funny Car Rob Atchison
Pro Stock Dan Seamon
2005 NO. 1
QUALIFIERS: Top Fuel Bruce Litton
Nitro Funny Car Not Contested
Pro Modified Ed Hoover
Alcohol Funny Car Thomas Carter
Pro Stock Robert Patrick
TRACK
RECORDS: Top Fuel: Clay Millican - 4.583, 320.36
Nitro Funny Car: Not Contested
Pro Modified: Mike Janis - 6.119, Ed Hoover 232.23
Alcohol Funny Car: Rob Atchison 5.735, 243.77
Pro Stock: Robert Patrick 6.427, Brian Gahm 217.39
2005
WORLD
CHAMPS: Top Fuel: Clay Millican
Nitro Funny Car: Not Contested
Pro Modified: Mike Castellana
Alcohol Funny Car: Rob Atchison
Pro Stock: Steve Spiess
WORLD
RECORDS: Top Fuel: Clay Millican 4.484, 326.63
Nitro Funny Car: Not Contested
Pro Modified: Mike Bell 6.046, Steve Bareman 236.46
Alcohol Funny Car: Rob Atchison 5.685, Jim Sickles 248.75
Pro Stock: Robert Patrick 6.360, Frank Gugliotta 220.26
TICKETS: Call San Antonio Raceway at (210) 698-2310 or check out the race preview at www.ihra.com or www.sanantonioraceway.com.
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