PRO MOD
Kenny Lang (Grande Pointe, Manitoba) needed a shot in the arm in Tulsa. The veteran Pro Modified driver had built a large early-season points lead, but had been in a four-race slump that had whittled his once-large lead down to just 47 points to Mike Castellana. At Tulsa Raceway Park Lang was able to right the ship.
He defeated Castellana in the final round to “hold serve” and keep control of his own destiny in the chase for the championship. Lang ran a 6.272 at 230.96 mph to drive past Castellana’s tire-shaking 7.060/158.73 in the final.
“Mike was tough and fast all weekend, so to go pace on pace with him on a weekend he was flying was really important,” Lang said. “Getting to the finals against him was good, beating him in the final was that much more important.”
Castellana picked up points on Lang during qualifying, claiming both five-point Last Man Standing bonuses. This made the final round that much more imperative for Lang.
“We picked up a little bit on him, not much, but we had a decent lead on him before and had worked it up to 90 points which was starting to get comfortable,” he said. “He got two Last Man Standings on us but we were able to win the race. This does not make things comfortable for us, but it does make things a little better.”
ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR
Dale Brand (Sully, Iowa) was able to derail the Alcohol Funny Car train that is Laurie Cannister, handing her only her third round loss of the season in the final at Tulsa Raceway Park. Cannister has all but clinched the 2008 AFC world championship, but for one day Brand was at the top of the heap. He set a track record in the final round, clocking a 5.764 at 247.29 mph, to win his first Ironman of the season.
“That Cannister team is awesome, Dale is a great tuner and Laurie is a great driver,” Brand said. “But this weekend was the performance this car has been capable of all year. We’ve been struggling dramatically with our consistency, but Eric Brand really had this car consistent and in great shape this weekend.”
Brand qualified fourth on the ladder before defeating Tony Bogolo in the first round and Tom Carter in the semifinals.
“Our entire crew performed flawlessly this weekend so we’re very proud,” he said. “Any time we can beat Laurie’s team it’s pretty fulfilling.”
PRO STOCK
Pro Stock fans should take notice; the 2008 IHRA Pro Stock points chase promises to be one for the ages. Four drivers are within 74 points of the lead, with just three points separating front-runner Jeff Dobbins from Pete Berner. Berner tightened things up considerably when he knocked off John Montecalvo in the final round in Tulsa. Dobbins fell in the second round to Bob Bertsch and left Tulsa Raceway Park with 561 points. Berner has 558.
“The points race is very, very tight right now,” Berner said. “Everyone kind of moved around a little bit and it’s really close at the top. We just have to stay strong and not get caught up in it. If we can continue to make good runs things like this will happen.”
The win in Tulsa was Berner’s first visit to the Winner’s Circle this season.
“We went to three straight final rounds, but this was the first time we were able to get it done,” he said. “We got it done and it was a really good weekend for us.”
Top Fuel: Spencer Massey, 4.891 seconds, 304.94 mph, def. Terry McMillen, 8.186 seconds, 104.39 mph.
Nitro Funny Car: Matt Hagan, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.113, 301.81, def. Andy Kelley, Chevy Camaro, 5.194, 285.83.
Pro Modified: Kenny Lang, Chevy Corvette, 6.272, 230.96, def. Mike Castellana, Pontiac Firebird, 7.060, 158.73.
Alcohol Funny Car: Dale Brand, Chevy Camaro, 5.764, 247.29, def. Laurie Cannister, Camaro, 5.824, 242.80.
Pro Stock: Pete Berner, Pontiac GXP, 6.402, 218.58, def. John Montecalvo, Chevy Cobalt, 6.411, 219.36.
Top Sportsman: Scooter Hampton, Pontiac Firebird, 7.718, 173.18, def. Bob Storie, Chevy Corvette, 6.973, 201.61.
Top Dragster: Brian Folk, Dragster, 7.573, 155.67, def. Steve Evans, Dragster, broke.
Super Stock: Tony Cowell, Chevy Camaro, 10.729, 123.80, def. Paul Blackmon, Oldsmobile Calais, 10.648, 123.52.
Stock: Nick Folk, Chevy Camaro, 10.620, 116.83, def. Will Carrell, Chevy Chevelle, 12.134, 103.04.
Quick Rod: Scooter Choate, Dragster, 8.875, 172.92, def. Steve Mikus, Dragster, 8.872, 155.65.
Super Rod: Philip Pennington, Ford Roadster, 9.959, 169.68, def. Kamron Wright, Chevy Corvette, 9.885, 149.83.
Hot Rod: Tim Wilson, Chevy Nova, 10.920, 110.88, def. Rusty Hull, Chevy Camaro, 10.894, 116.94.