POSTED 9-20-09 LOCAL BEECH BEND DRAG RACER WINS AT INDY

O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis Friday, September 18, 2009 Race of Champions Winners Crowned at NHRA North Central Division Summit Racing Series Finals

by Jerrie Foss, NHRA INDIANAPOLIS – The top bracket racers in the NHRA North Central division have gathered at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis for the division’s Summit Racing Series Finals. The three-day event kicked off today with time trials for the more than 600 racers in Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman and Motorcycle as well as a High School category who are representing 25 tracks. Racers are competing for team and individual honors and a share of the roughly $70,000 purse. Today’s action included the VP Racing Fuels Race of Champions, a race within a race where the top points-earning drivers from each track square off in head-to-head competition. Art Reed of Kokomo, Ind., racing for Bunker Hill Dragstrip, scored the win in Super Pro, ousting Scott McQueen, Tyner, Ky., running for London Dragway, in the final round. In Pro, Timmy Elliott, Portland, Ky., representing Beech Bend Raceway Park, wheeled his ’69 Camaro to the win over Amelia, Ohio’s Kevin Bishop who was driving his ’69 Camaro for Tri-State Dragway. The win in the Sportsman category went to Pacemakers Dragway Park racer Nick Hastings of Shelby, Ohio, who ran his ’88 Mustang to victory over Gary Blankenship of Yorktown, Ind., in his ’69 Camaro. Blankenship was racing for Muncie Dragway. Chad Isley rode his ’73 Kawasaki to the win in the Motorcycle/Snowmobile category. The Charleston, Ill., racer running for Coles County Dragway defeated Bob Lohr of Staunton, Ill., racing for Gateway Int’l Raceway. On Sunday, racers will run down to one winner in each of the division’s four categories. The champions in the top four classes will have the opportunity to race at the NHRA finals in Pomona, Calif., against the winners from NHRA’s other six divisions for a national championship and a winner-takes-all $5,000 purse. Gates at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis open at 7 a.m. each day. Time trials will continue Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Race of Champions will kick off at 1 p.m. All classes will run at least one round of eliminations following the Race of Champions. Eliminations continue Sunday at 8 a.m. High School competitors will have a time trial run on Sunday and run eliminations with the other classes throughout the day. O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis is located on Indiana Highway 136, four miles west of I-465, exit 16. For more information call the track, (317) 291-4090, or visit www.OreillyRacewayPark.com or www.NHRAdiv3.com. Following are the final round results from the VP Racing Fuels Race of Champions at the NHRA North Central Division Summit Racing Series Finals at O’Reilly Raceway Park: SUPER PRO Art Reed, Kokomo, Ind., Bunker Hill Dragstrip, Dragster, 5.231, 127.70 def. Scott McQueen, Tyner, Ky., London Dragway, '72 Vega, 6.237, 109.23 PRO Timmy Elliot, Portland, Tenn., Beech Bend Raceway Park, '69 Camaro, 6.283, 108.12 def. Kevin Bishop, Amelia, Ohio, Tri-State Dragway, '69 Camaro, 6.420, 99.46 SPORTSMAN Nick Hastings, Shelby, Ohio, Pacemakers Dragway Park, '88 Mustang, 12.726, 94.32 def. Gary Blankenship, Yorktown, Ind., Muncie Dragway, '69 Camaro, 12.107, 109.56 MOTORCYCLE Chad Isley, Charleston, Ill., Coles County Dragway USA, '73 Kawasaki , 9.520, 131.86 def. Bob Lohr, Staunton, Ill., Gateway International Raceway, '80 Kaw, 9.607, 128.09