<B>REIGNING SUPER STOCK CHAMP BILL ROWE JR. LEADS SPORTSMEN AREA ENTRY LIST FOR SEARS CRAFTSMAN NHRA NATIONALS</b>
MADISON, Ill. (June 25) – Bill Rowe Jr., who last year became the first local
driver to win a Sears Craftsman NHRA title, will be back to defend his Super Stock title
this Friday through Sunday, when the race returns to Gateway International Raceway.
Rowe, from Eureka, Mo., defeated former event champion Jeff Dona of Gordonville, Mo.
(near Cape Girardeau) in last year’s finals. Driving a ’67 Nova, Rowe got the jump at the
light and powered to a convincing win over Dona’s ‘69 Camaro. Rowe covered the
quarter-mile in 10.12 seconds (127.78 mph) while Dona went 10.443 (125.11). Both
drivers are back for this year’s event.
“I didn’t think much about winning it until late in the race, but the car was acting perfect,
and I didn’t have to make too many changes,” said Rowe, whose father Bill Sr., runs
Super Pro in the Gateway E.T. Bracket Racing Series. “I’ve waited a long time for this,
and it feels good to win it here . . . this is a far cry from the track I won my first title (at
the old Gateway, replaced by the current facility in 1997). This is great.”
Brian Folk of nearby Durand, Ill., will be looking to add to his record total of four Sears
Craftsman NHRA Nationals titles when he competes in this year’s Super Gas
competition. He won that title three straight years (1998-2000), and last year won in the
Super Comp category. Folk, and other members of the bracket-racing carbuilder family,
have won numerous Megabucks events over the years at Gateway as well.
Also back in Super Gas is Mark Hackett of Quincy, Ill., who lost in last year’s final to
Scott Wagner.
Several drivers who are regulars in the Gateway E.T. Bracket Racing Series will also
compete in the Sears Craftsman NHRA Nationals. Among them is six-time Gateway Pro
Bike champion Bob Lohr, who will opt for four wheels and a spot in the Super Comp
category this weekend.
(more)
Gateway/Rowe Leads Sportsman Field/Page 2
Lynn Muir of Collinsville, Ill., who is a former NHRA Division 3 (North Central)
regional champion in Super Pro, will compete in Super Comp along with Dan Phelps of
Labadie, Mo., one of the top big-money bracket racers in the area.
Two reigning champions of the NHRA Lucas Oil Sportsman Series will compete in this
event – Anthony Bertozzi of Richmond, Va. (Super Stock) and Kevin Helms of Mineola,
Texas (Stock Eliminator).
Action begins at 10 a.m. on Friday and Saturday for the Sportsman Classes –
Competition Eliminator, Super Stock, Stock Eliminator, Super Comp and Super Gas.
Elimination rounds begin Saturday afternoon at 4:15 p.m with final Sportsman
Eliminations starting at 11 a.m. on Sunday.
The stars of the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series professional ranks – led by
defending event champions Kenny Bernstein (Top Fuel), John Force (Funny Car), Jeg
Coughlin (Pro Stock), Angelle Savoie (Pro Stock Bike) and Shannon Jenkins (AMS Staff
Leasing Pro Modified) will have their qualifying sessions at 4:45 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. on
Friday and Saturday. Pro eliminations start at 4:30 p.m. Sunday.
A spectacular laser light show will help wind up each day’s action.
Tickets for this great event are available at the gate or by calling (866) 35-SPEED.
SEARS CRAFTSMAN NHRA NATIONALS AREA SPORTSMAN ENTRIES
June 27-29 – Gateway International Raceway
Comp Eliminator (2)
3243 Terry Little, St. Louis, Mo./Little's Home Repair/'00 Spitzer
5572 Kenny Nowling, St. Charles, Mo./Infinet-Slur-Tarpit Records/'98 Firebird
Super Stock (4)
7 Bill Rowe Jr, Eureka Mo./Rowe Motorsports/'67 Nova (Defending Champion)
534 Gregg Teel, Quincy Ill./Detroit Speed '67Camaro
3088 W.L. Friebel, House Springs, Mo./Bill's Transmission/'69 Camaro
3128 John Auer, Scott City, Mo./Auer Power Racing-Speed Sport/'69 Camaro
Stock Eliminator (4)
3426 James Lovallo, Godfrey Ill./Hi-Tech Trans/'64 Fury
3639 Nick Folk, Durand, Ill./Country Trailer Sales/'95 Camaro
3834 Jim Hanlon, Alton, Ill./Hanlon Racing/'83 Malibu Wagon
5103 Danny Byrd, Sikeston Mo./Junk Yard Dog Racing/'67 Chevy II
Super Comp (11)
307R Bob Becker, Imperial Mo./Becker Racing/'00 Gebhardt
312C Bob Lohr, Staunton, Ill./ Valvoline Instant Oil Change/'95 Dragster
3454 Steve Shaughnessy, Springfield IL/Bob Bommarito/'02 Gebhardt
3510 Paul Brown, Jackson Mo./Brown Racing/'93 Probe
356B Steve Schneider, Collinsville Ill./DLaundry Equip./'94 Dragster
3605 Thomas Head, Highland Ill./Headlines Express Inc./ '01 Racecraft
3639 Nick Folk, Durand Ill./Country Motor Trailer Sales/'03 Undercover
378A Robert Wright, Highland Ill./Performance Motorsports/'69 Slingshot
3796 Lynn Muir, Collinsville Ill./Hip Pocket Finance/'99 Dragster
5066 Dan Phelps, Labadie Mo./Phelps Motorsports/'03 Dragster
5707 Michael Eggleston, Highland Ill./Egglesten Racing/98 Chassis Craft
Super Gas (12)
36 Thad Martin, Washington, Ill./Aero Roadstar-Laser Electric/'27 Roadster
335 Randall Jones, Wentzville Mo./Communications Equip. Specialist/'57 Chevy
369 Keith Huckstep, Cape Girardeau Mo./Auto Trim Design/'00 Pontiac
389 Greg White, Edwardsville Ill./Jeffers Pro Cars/'99 Beretta
3539 Earl Keen, Troy Mo./'72 Vega
3542 Kriegh Moulton, M.D./Springfield Ill./Gebhardt's Pro Cars/ '57 Chevy
3633 Brian Folk, Durand Ill./Winnebago-Folk Race Cars/'90 Cavalier 363M Mark
Hackett, Quincy Ill./MMachine/'96 Grand Prix
3657 Brian Hackett, Quincy Ill./MMachine/'33 Ford
3731 Richard Gebhardt, Jacksonville Ill./Gebhardt Pro Cars
5618 Robert Coleman, Columbia Mo./JLM Racing Products/'97 Dodge
5694 Marvin Greening, Columbia Mo./Fischer's Align-A-Wheel/'27 Pontiac
MADISON, Ill. (June 25) – Bill Rowe Jr., who last year became the first local
driver to win a Sears Craftsman NHRA title, will be back to defend his Super Stock title
this Friday through Sunday, when the race returns to Gateway International Raceway.
Rowe, from Eureka, Mo., defeated former event champion Jeff Dona of Gordonville, Mo.
(near Cape Girardeau) in last year’s finals. Driving a ’67 Nova, Rowe got the jump at the
light and powered to a convincing win over Dona’s ‘69 Camaro. Rowe covered the
quarter-mile in 10.12 seconds (127.78 mph) while Dona went 10.443 (125.11). Both
drivers are back for this year’s event.
“I didn’t think much about winning it until late in the race, but the car was acting perfect,
and I didn’t have to make too many changes,” said Rowe, whose father Bill Sr., runs
Super Pro in the Gateway E.T. Bracket Racing Series. “I’ve waited a long time for this,
and it feels good to win it here . . . this is a far cry from the track I won my first title (at
the old Gateway, replaced by the current facility in 1997). This is great.”
Brian Folk of nearby Durand, Ill., will be looking to add to his record total of four Sears
Craftsman NHRA Nationals titles when he competes in this year’s Super Gas
competition. He won that title three straight years (1998-2000), and last year won in the
Super Comp category. Folk, and other members of the bracket-racing carbuilder family,
have won numerous Megabucks events over the years at Gateway as well.
Also back in Super Gas is Mark Hackett of Quincy, Ill., who lost in last year’s final to
Scott Wagner.
Several drivers who are regulars in the Gateway E.T. Bracket Racing Series will also
compete in the Sears Craftsman NHRA Nationals. Among them is six-time Gateway Pro
Bike champion Bob Lohr, who will opt for four wheels and a spot in the Super Comp
category this weekend.
(more)
Gateway/Rowe Leads Sportsman Field/Page 2
Lynn Muir of Collinsville, Ill., who is a former NHRA Division 3 (North Central)
regional champion in Super Pro, will compete in Super Comp along with Dan Phelps of
Labadie, Mo., one of the top big-money bracket racers in the area.
Two reigning champions of the NHRA Lucas Oil Sportsman Series will compete in this
event – Anthony Bertozzi of Richmond, Va. (Super Stock) and Kevin Helms of Mineola,
Texas (Stock Eliminator).
Action begins at 10 a.m. on Friday and Saturday for the Sportsman Classes –
Competition Eliminator, Super Stock, Stock Eliminator, Super Comp and Super Gas.
Elimination rounds begin Saturday afternoon at 4:15 p.m with final Sportsman
Eliminations starting at 11 a.m. on Sunday.
The stars of the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series professional ranks – led by
defending event champions Kenny Bernstein (Top Fuel), John Force (Funny Car), Jeg
Coughlin (Pro Stock), Angelle Savoie (Pro Stock Bike) and Shannon Jenkins (AMS Staff
Leasing Pro Modified) will have their qualifying sessions at 4:45 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. on
Friday and Saturday. Pro eliminations start at 4:30 p.m. Sunday.
A spectacular laser light show will help wind up each day’s action.
Tickets for this great event are available at the gate or by calling (866) 35-SPEED.
SEARS CRAFTSMAN NHRA NATIONALS AREA SPORTSMAN ENTRIES
June 27-29 – Gateway International Raceway
Comp Eliminator (2)
3243 Terry Little, St. Louis, Mo./Little's Home Repair/'00 Spitzer
5572 Kenny Nowling, St. Charles, Mo./Infinet-Slur-Tarpit Records/'98 Firebird
Super Stock (4)
7 Bill Rowe Jr, Eureka Mo./Rowe Motorsports/'67 Nova (Defending Champion)
534 Gregg Teel, Quincy Ill./Detroit Speed '67Camaro
3088 W.L. Friebel, House Springs, Mo./Bill's Transmission/'69 Camaro
3128 John Auer, Scott City, Mo./Auer Power Racing-Speed Sport/'69 Camaro
Stock Eliminator (4)
3426 James Lovallo, Godfrey Ill./Hi-Tech Trans/'64 Fury
3639 Nick Folk, Durand, Ill./Country Trailer Sales/'95 Camaro
3834 Jim Hanlon, Alton, Ill./Hanlon Racing/'83 Malibu Wagon
5103 Danny Byrd, Sikeston Mo./Junk Yard Dog Racing/'67 Chevy II
Super Comp (11)
307R Bob Becker, Imperial Mo./Becker Racing/'00 Gebhardt
312C Bob Lohr, Staunton, Ill./ Valvoline Instant Oil Change/'95 Dragster
3454 Steve Shaughnessy, Springfield IL/Bob Bommarito/'02 Gebhardt
3510 Paul Brown, Jackson Mo./Brown Racing/'93 Probe
356B Steve Schneider, Collinsville Ill./DLaundry Equip./'94 Dragster
3605 Thomas Head, Highland Ill./Headlines Express Inc./ '01 Racecraft
3639 Nick Folk, Durand Ill./Country Motor Trailer Sales/'03 Undercover
378A Robert Wright, Highland Ill./Performance Motorsports/'69 Slingshot
3796 Lynn Muir, Collinsville Ill./Hip Pocket Finance/'99 Dragster
5066 Dan Phelps, Labadie Mo./Phelps Motorsports/'03 Dragster
5707 Michael Eggleston, Highland Ill./Egglesten Racing/98 Chassis Craft
Super Gas (12)
36 Thad Martin, Washington, Ill./Aero Roadstar-Laser Electric/'27 Roadster
335 Randall Jones, Wentzville Mo./Communications Equip. Specialist/'57 Chevy
369 Keith Huckstep, Cape Girardeau Mo./Auto Trim Design/'00 Pontiac
389 Greg White, Edwardsville Ill./Jeffers Pro Cars/'99 Beretta
3539 Earl Keen, Troy Mo./'72 Vega
3542 Kriegh Moulton, M.D./Springfield Ill./Gebhardt's Pro Cars/ '57 Chevy
3633 Brian Folk, Durand Ill./Winnebago-Folk Race Cars/'90 Cavalier 363M Mark
Hackett, Quincy Ill./MMachine/'96 Grand Prix
3657 Brian Hackett, Quincy Ill./MMachine/'33 Ford
3731 Richard Gebhardt, Jacksonville Ill./Gebhardt Pro Cars
5618 Robert Coleman, Columbia Mo./JLM Racing Products/'97 Dodge
5694 Marvin Greening, Columbia Mo./Fischer's Align-A-Wheel/'27 Pontiac
