DENSHAM TAKES TEXAS NATIONALS TITLE

CALIFORNIA-BASED RACER CAPTURES TORCO RACING FUELS PRO NITRO FUNNY CAR IRONMAN AT SAN ANTONIO RACEWAY

By Mike Perry | IHRA Communications

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (March 26, 2006) – Gary Densham has visited the winner’s circle before, but never in IHRA competition. That all changed at San Antonio Raceway when he was able to drive past Paul Lee to claim the first eMax Drag Racing Series Torco Racing Fuels Pro Nitro Funny Car championship at the season-opening Amalie Oil Texas Nationals presented by Ancira Cars, Trucks and RVs and the San Antonio Express News.

The Bellflower, Calif., resident has eight career Top Fuel Funny Car wins in NHRA competition, but decided to test the IHRA waters when the sanctioning body decided to offer Nitro Funny Car competition on the 2006 schedule.

After driving his Racebricks ’05 Monte Carlo to the #3 qualifying position, Densham defeated Terry Haddock in the first round and Cruz Pedregon in the semifinals to advance to the championship round against Lee. Densham clocked a clean 4.850/300.20 to win the event while Lee crossed the center line during his run and was disqualified.

“We really had a lot of fun out here this weekend,” 59-year old Densham said. “I wanted to run a higher speed, but had a lot of great elapsed-times and in the final round we had a great 4.8-run to win the event.

“I’ve won many events and championships throughout my career, and I can honestly say being able to win the inaugural (Nitro) Funny Car event for IHRA ranks right up there,” he added. “This is such a dynamite facility and great experience, I don’t think it would be too hard to convince my team to come back to IHRA.”

Sewell, N.J., resident Doug Foley, who finished second in the Torco Racing Fuels Pro Nitro Top Fuel championship points chase last season, got off to exactly the start he wanted in 2006. After qualifying in the #1 position, Foley advanced through the field to a showdown with five-time defending IHRA Top Fuel World Champion Clay Millican (Drummonds, Tenn.).

Millican was the #4 qualifier, but was able to advance to his 54th career eMax Drag Racing Series final by defeating Andrew Cowin (Wilmington, N.C.) and Bruce Litton (Indianapolis, Ind.) in the first two elimination rounds.

Millican was gunning for his fourth consecutive Ironman at San Antonio Raceway, but it was not meant to be as his rear end got loose early in the run and he was forced to lift. Foley, meanwhile, ran a clean 4.585/321.27 to add Ironman #6 to the Foley/Lewis Racing trophy case.

Foley defeated Louie Allison (Denver, Col.) and teammate Rick Cooper (Boise, Id.) to reach the final.

“You can’t expect to come to these races and beat Clay (Millican), but after qualifying we were confident we could keep posting great times,” said Foley. “We’ve been out testing since the second week of January, so we were prepared to run quick all weekend. When you run the defending world champ, you have to run fast and we did just that.”

Mark Thomas (Louisville, Oh.) dealt out a little payback to Rob Atchison, his arch-rival for Alcohol Funny Car supremacy, and collected career Ironman #24 by defeating the three-time defending world champion in the final at San Antonio. Atchison, a London, Ont.,resident, wrestled the world title away from Thomas in 2003 and has held on to it ever since. But Thomas, who finished third in the points standings last season, knocked Atchison off in the final to take the early lead in what is expected to be a season-long war for the championship.

Thomas powered his Ethanol Performs ’06 Monte Carlo to the #2 qualifying spot, behind Atchison, and defeated Trevor Lebsack (Slave Lake, Alb.) and Terry McMillen (Elkhart, Ind.) to advance through the field. Meanwhile, Atchison drove through the other side of the ladder with wins over Chris Foster (Davenport, Iowa) and Thomas Carter (Cuero, Texas.).

In the run for the championship, Atchison had problems and ended up crossing the center line. Thomas ran a 5.897/242.80 to grab the win.

“This new car is awesome. Every pass in it has been in the 5.80s,” Thomas said. “We came here with a whole new engine combo, and despite wanting to test, we didn’t have the chance. So I had a lot of butterflies this weekend but everything worked out in the Ethanol Funny Car today.”

Tommy D’Aprile’s bid for his first career win fell short as Glen Kerunsky (Priddis, Ab) held the Port Charlotte, Fla. resident off to claim the Torco Pro Modified championship at San Antonio Raceway. Both racers posted .060 reaction times, but D’Aprile’s ’63 Corvette went into tire shake early, causing him to abort the run. Kerunsky, in his supercharged ’53 Bel Air, zipped right down the groove in 6.101 at 230.59 mph to earn the win.

“A lot of guys come out here and try to over power the car to get a great number,” said Kerunsky. “But we had a game plan to keep the car consistent throughout the day, and it worked. It’s great to be in the winner’s circle again.”

Frank Gugliotta almost did not make the journey to the eMax Drag Racing Series opener in San Antonio. Steve Thodos, who bankrolled Gugliotta’s race operation for the last few years, decided to go another direction this season, leaving the Mt. Airy, Md. resident unclear as to his ’06 racing future. Gugliotta received a last minute offer to race and it resulted in a Torco Pro Stock Ironman by defeating upstart Rob Mansfield (Winter Park, Fla.) in the final.

“(Team owner) Charlie Taylor called and asked if I wanted to drive his Pro Stocker just a few weeks ago, and here I am in the winner’s circle,” said Gugliotta, who clinched his fifth career Torco Pro Stock win. “Now we head back to Rockingham, where I was No. 1 qualifier in 2005. Maybe I can get a few more wins this year.”

Gugliotta earned the victory when Mansfield red-lighted in his Wilson Manifolds ’05 Cobalt. Meanwhile, Gugliotta claimed his fifth career national event win by posting a 6.490/216.55.

The next event on the 2006 eMax Drag Racing Series is the Spring Nationals presented by Castrol, April 21 – 23, at Rockingham (N.C.) Dragway.

MARION, Texas (March 26, 2006) -- Sunday's final results from the Fifth annual Amalie Oil Texas Nationals presented by Ancira Cars, Trucks & RVs and the San Antonio Express-News at San Antonio Raceway. The $1.1 million race is the first of 12 in the 2006 eMax Drag Racing Series:

Top Fuel -- Doug Foley, 4.585 seconds, 321.27 mph def. Clay Millican, 6.192 seconds, 140.24 mph.

Nitro Funny Car -- Gary Densham, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.850, 300.20 def. Paul Lee, Chevy Camaro, 5.340, 198.85.

Alcohol Funny Car -- Mark Thomas, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.897, 242.80 def. Rob Atchison, Monte Carlo, 7.294, 132.79.

Pro Modified -- Glen Kerunsky, Chevy Bel Air, 6.191, 230.69 def. Tommy D'Aprile, Chevy Corvette, 10.145, 78.35.

Pro Stock -- Frank Gugliotta, Ford Escort, 6.490, 216.55 def. Rob Mansfield, Chevy Cobalt, foul.

Top Sportsman -- Melvin Goss, Ford Maverick, 7.765, 172.19 def. Michael Collier, Chevy Monte Carlo, 7.855, 169.25.

Top Dragster -- Bryan Bennett, Dragster, 7.162, 180.96 def. Nick Folk, Dragster, 7.301, 178.02.

Super Stock -- Scotty Stillings, Pontiac Grand Am, 8.785, 157.69 def. Paul Blackmon, Oldsmobile Calais, 10.448, 122.03.

Stock -- Dan Fletcher, Chevy Camaro, 10.681, 116.85 def. Harvey Emmons III, Camaro, 11.574, 104.20.

Quick Rod -- Cris Poque, Dragster, 8.926, 167.78 def. Britt Cummings, Dragster, 8.938, 167.78.

Super Rod -- Brian Folk, Chevy Cavalier, 9.913, 159.53 def. Mike Bonfield, Chevy Corvette, 9.907, 149.70.

Hot Rod -- Alan Bracey, Chevy Camaro, 10.891, 133.00 def. John Yamaguchi, Chevy Nova, 10.872, 120.00.

ET Bracket -- Cassie Thornburg, Dragster, 7.734, 159.70 def. David Bixler, Ford Roadster, 9.627, 121.92.

ET Box -- Cassie Thornburg, Dragster, 7.737, 157.41 def. Ed Galbraith, Chevy Wagon, 12.155, 109.36.

ET No Box -- David Bixler, Ford Roadster, 9.738, 119.27 def. Jay Robinson, Chevy Nova, 11.315, 117.52.

MARION, Texas -- Final round-by-round results from the Fifth annual Amalie Oil Texas Nationals presented by Ancira Cars, Trucks & RVs and the San Antonio Express-News at San Antonio Raceway, the first of 12 events in the 2006 eMax Drag Racing Series:

TOP FUEL:

ROUND ONE -- Clay Millican, 5.113, 268.97 def. Andrew Cowin, 11.170, 76.81; Rick Cooper, 4.885, 265.01 def. Mitch King, 14.808, 57.05; Bruce Litton, 4.690, 285.71 def. Bobby Lagana Jr., 7.029, 113.05; Doug Foley, 4.674, 277.66 def. Louie Allison, 6.737, 124.57;

SEMIFINALS -- Millican, 4.664, 308.78 def. Litton, 10.946, 88.16; Foley, 5.908, 162.27 def. Cooper, broke;

FINAL -- Foley, 4.585, 321.27 def. Millican, 6.192, 140.24.

NITRO FUNNY CAR:

ROUND ONE -- Paul Lee, Chevy Camaro, 5.118, 263.20 def. Todd Simpson, Camaro, 5.208, 284.81; Gary Densham, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.874, 297.29 def. Terry Haddock, Monte Carlo, 12.447, 83.18; Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 5.041, 308.14 def. Bob Gilbertson, Dodge Stratus, 8.542, 93.97; Frank Pedregon, Stratus, broke def. Dale Creasy Jr., Monte Carlo, broke;

SEMIFINALS -- Lee, 5.045, 250.97 def. F. Pedregon, 5.028, 234.25; Densham, 4.844, 309.20 def. C. Pedregon, 8.387, 113.28;

FINAL -- Densham, 4.850, 300.20 def. Lee, 5.340, 198.85.

PRO MODIFIED:

ROUND ONE -- Carl Spiering, Chevy Corvette, 6.179, 231.64 def. Jason Hamstra, Corvette, 6.335, 212.33; Glen Kerunsky, Chevy Bel Air, 6.159, 231.16 def. Jim Halsey, Chevy Camaro, 6.233, 225.94; Kenny Lang, Corvette, 6.264, 225.63 def. Mike Janis, Chevy Cobalt, 6.236, 232.99; Dan Rowe, Corvette, 6.247, 229.47 def. Matt Hagan, Corvette, 7.039, 150.00; Rick Distefano, Corvette, 6.179, 230.29 def. Quain Stott, Corvette, 6.316, 225.60; John Russo, Camaro, 6.203, 228.11 def. Alan Pittman, Bel Air, 6.268, 228.61; Tommy D'Aprile, Corvette, 6.263, 225.33 def. Mike Castellana, Chevy Cavalier, 13.020, 71.41; Chip King, Dodge Daytona, 6.160, 231.68 def. Burton Auxier, Corvette, 6.308, 223.02;

QUARTERFINALS -- Kerunsky, 6.202, 230.76 def. Russo, 6.207, 227.65; Spiering, 6.299, 207.98 def. Lang, 6.627, 187.60; D'Aprile, 6.162, 232.67 def. King, 10.619, 81.94; Rowe, 6.141, 232.39 def. Distefano, 6.167, 232.15;

SEMIFINALS -- Kerunsky, 6.193, 230.88 def. Rowe, 6.160, 232.43; D'Aprile, 6.152, 232.15 def. Spiering, broke;

FINAL -- Kerunsky, 6.191, 230.69 def. D'Aprile, 10.145, 78.35.

ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR:

ROUND ONE -- Rob Atchison, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.813, 244.74 def. Chris Foster, Dodge Avenger, 5.979, 238.98; Mark Thomas, Monte Carlo, 5.811, 243.50 def. Trevor Lebsack, Ford Mustang, 6.064, 227.04; Thomas Carter, Chevy Camaro, 5.971, 235.64 def. Larry Dobbs, Chevy Corvette, 6.027, 231.40; Terry McMillen, Avenger, 6.021, 234.82 def. Terry Munroe, Monte Carlo, 6.060, 201.31;

SEMIFINALS -- Atchison, 5.833, 239.23 def. Carter, 5.935, 238.89; Thomas, 5.832, 242.76 def. McMillen, 6.084, 231.04;

FINAL -- Thomas, 5.897, 242.80 def. Atchison, 7.294, 132.79.

PRO STOCK:

ROUND ONE -- Tony Gillig, Ford Mustang, 6.405, 216.62 def. Elijah Morton, Ford Escort, 8.487, 110.33; John Nobile, Ford ZX2, 6.425, 215.79 def. Ed Machacek, Chevy Cavalier, 6.452, 215.58; Pete Berner, Pontiac GTO, 6.525, 212.43 def. Larry O'Brien, Dodge Stratus, 6.477, 216.24; Rob Mansfield, Chevy Cobalt, 6.385, 218.09 def. John Montecalvo, Cobalt, 9.346, 110.49; Rick Jones, Cobalt, 6.442, 218.23 def. Brian Gahm, Mustang, 6.435, 218.62; Jeff Dobbins, Escort, 6.416, 218.65 def. Robert Patrick, Ford Cobra, 6.443, 217.56; Steve Spiess, Cobalt, 6.390, 218.48 def. Doug Kirk, Escort, 9.156, 105.84; Frank Gugliotta, Escort, 6.461, 216.62 def. Jerry Haas, Cavalier, 6.460, 216.27;

QUARTERFINALS -- Gugliotta, 6.499, 216.17 def. Berner, 13.307, 64.20; Gillig, 6.421, 216.38 def. Dobbins, 6.450, 217.28; Spiess, 6.410, 217.00 def. Nobile, 6.434, 217.60; Mansfield, 6.403, 217.67 def. Jones, 6.457, 217.60;

SEMIFINALS -- Gugliotta, 6.504, 216.27 def. Gillig, 16.618, 67.28; Mansfield, 6.499, 213.47 def. Spiess, 14.400, 82.19;

FINAL -- Gugliotta, 6.490, 216.55 def. Mansfield, foul.

MARION, Texas -- Point standings (top 10) for IHRA professional categories following the Fifth annual Amalie Oil Texas Nationals presented by Ancira Cars, Trucks & RVs and the San Antonio Express-News at San Antonio Raceway, the first of 12 events in the 2006 eMax Drag Racing Series -

Top Fuel

1. Doug Foley, 136; 2. Clay Millican, 118; 3. Bruce Litton, 95; 4. Rick Cooper, 89; 5. Bobby Lagana Jr., 76; 6. Andrew Cowin, 74; 7. Louie Allison, 72; 8. Mitch King, 65; 9. T.J. Zizzo, 35; 10. Scott Palmer, 30.

Pro Modified

1. Glen Kerunsky, 119; 2. Tommy D{Aprile, 98; 3. Dan Rowe, 77; 4. Carl Spiering, 72; 5. Rick Distefano, 61; 6. Kenny Lang, 56; 7. Chip King, 54; 8. John Russo, 40; 9. Quain Stott, 33; 10. Jim Halsey, 31.

Alcohol Funny Car

1. Mark Thomas, 115; 2. Rob Atchison, 101; 3. Terry McMillen, 74; 4. Thomas Carter, 59; 5. Terry Munroe, 58; 6. Chris Foster, 57; 7. Trevor Lebsack, 56; 8. Larry Dobbs, 55; 9. (tie) Ray Drew, -05;

Pro Stock

1. Frank Gugliotta, 112; 2. Rob Mansfield, 97; 3. Steve Spiess, 79; 4. Tony Gillig, 74; 5. Pete Berner, 56; 6. John Nobile, 55; 7. Rick Jones, 53; 8. Jeff Dobbins, 50; 9. Brian Gahm, 41; 10. Jerry Haas, 40.

Nitro Funny Car

1. Gary Densham, 119; 2. Cruz Pedregon, 81; 3. Frank Pedregon, 80; 4. Bob Gilbertson, 57; 5. Todd Simpson, 54; 6. Terry Haddock, 45; 7. Dale Creasy Jr., 41; 8. Jack Wyatt, 15; 9. Vinny Arcadi, 05; 10. Paul Lee, 03.