Dallas: MW: Series Medford final summary

HOUGH, HEGGE NOTCH WINS AT CHAMPION RACEWAY'S LUCAS OIL SERIES EVENT

MEDFORD, Ore. (Sept. 26, 2009) -- The NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series from Champion Raceway, the last of seven on the Northwest division calendar, is in the books. Top racers in 11 categories were on hand vying for points leading to divisional and national championships. Junction City Top Alcohol Funny Car (TAFC) racer Brian Hough won the race, putting him back into the division's points lead while Top Alcohol Dragster (TAD) pilot Doug Hegge, Vancouver, Wash., scored his first win of the year.

Hough, the division's reigning TAFC champ, started the day from the No. 1 qualifying spot and made his best run of the day in the final where he squared off against Dennis Taylor of Anaheim Hills, Calif. In the final, Hough ran 5.759 seconds at 248.39 mph to Taylor's 7.845-second, 117.33 mph pass. The win gives Hough No. 2 for the year.

Hegge was the event's No. 5 qualifier and after suffering four consecutive first-round losses this is his first win. He knocked out No. 1 qualifier Justin Davis, Murrieta, Calif., in the final. Hegge put down a 5.659-second, 252.90 mph pass which was more than enough to cover Davis's 6.503-second, 147.37 mph effort.

In Comp Eliminator, Brandon Huhtala, Puyallup, Wash., jettisoned Rob Harrison, N. Vancouver, B.C., to grab his first win of the year. Bill Chaffin of Woodland Hills, Calif., earned the win in Super Stock behind the wheel of his '87 Grand National, knocking off Brian Weber, Mesa, Ariz., in his '86 Camaro. Stock Eliminator racer Chris Barnes of Vashon, Wash., took his '64 Savoy to the win over Tom Gaynor, Vancouver, Wash., in his '96 Firebird. Valinda, Calif., resident Val Torres ousted Brandon Yoder, Gresham, Ore., in the Super Comp final and Mike Ferderer, Buckley, Wash., beat Dave Kelly of Walla Walla, Wash. The win in Super Street went to Lyons, Ore., racer Ken Woodward, driving his '70 Nova. Kelly defeated Richard Tucker, Acampo, Calif., in his '67 Camaro. Top Sportsman racer Robert Matthews, Gig Harbor, Wash., beat out Randy Johnson, Snohomish, Wash., in the final and the win in Top Dragster went to Terry Wilcox, Sumner, Wash., who defeated Terry White of Half Moon Bay, Calif. In Sportsman Motorcycle presented by Harley Davidson, Tracy Bailey notched a win over Jeff Havens of Yakima, Wash.

Also competing at this event were the division's Super Pro and Pro bracket categories. Lyle Hood of Phoenix, Ore., won in Super Pro, driving his '68 Camaro around Staci Nowak of Enumclaw, Wash. In Pro, Harlan Tucker, Miranda, Calif., bested Medford's Dave Martin.

Although this is the last race on the NHRA Northwest division calendar, competitors may continue to earn points at out-of-division races until the season ends. The last NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event of the year will be in Las Vegas, November 5-8.

The following are the final results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Champion Raceway:

TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER

Round 1
1) Justin Davis, Murrieta, Calif., 5.435, 259.36 def. 6) Johnny Ahten, Saugus, Calif., 6.149, 179.09

5) Doug Hegge, Vancouver, Wash., 5.640, 250.88 def. 2) Chris Demke, Sunland, Calif., 5.716, 259.06

3) Joey Severance, Spanaway, Wash., 5.495, 256.16 def. 4) Brandon Johnson, Shelton, Wash., 5.586, 259.81

Semifinals
Hegge, 5.633, 253.42 def. Severance, 6.598, 142.93
Davis, 5.404, 262.79 def. bye

Final
Hegge, 5.659, 252.90 def. Davis, 6.503, 147.37

TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR
Round 1

1) Brian Hough, Junction City, Ore., '06 Monte Carlo, 5.769, 247.84 def. 6) Brian Thiel, Pleasant Grove, Calif., '02 Camaro, 6.440, 230.02

5) Jason Rupert, Yorba Linda, Calif., '06 Monte Carlo, 5.946, 244.87 def. 2) Clint Thompson, Klamath Falls, Ore., '06 Monte Carlo, 6.112, 234.37

4) Dennis Taylor, Anaheim Hills, Calif., '05 Camaro, 5.875, 243.90 def. 3) Sean Bellemeur, Tustin, Calif., '05 Firebird, 5.845, 247.16

Semifinals
Taylor, 5.852, 230.06 def. Rupert, 5.958, 247.52
Hough, 5.770, 247.75 was unopposed

Final
Hough, 5.759, 248.39 def. Taylor, 7.845, 117.33

COMP ELIMINATOR
Brandon Huhtala, Puyallup, Wash., '97 Cutlass, C/A, 7.499, 165.64 def. Rob Harrison, N. Vancouver, B.C., '05 Cavalier, J/A, 8.048, 142.37

SUPER STOCK
Bill Chaffin, Woodland Hills, Calif., '87 Grand National, SS/BX, 10.429, 121.22 def. Brian Weber, Mesa, Ariz., '86 Camaro, GT/GA, 10.736, 121.16.

STOCK ELIMINATOR
Chris Barnes, Vashon, Wash., '64 Savoy, C/SA, 10.869, 122.52 def. Tom Gaynor, Vancouver, Wash., '96 Firebird, C/SA, foul

SUPER COMP
Val Torres, Valinda, Calif., dragster, 8.912, 175.66 def. Brandon Yoder, Gresham, Ore., dragster, 8.900, 162.88

SUPER GAS
Mike Ferderer, Buckley, Wash., '06 Grand Am, 9.891, 165.33 def. Dave Kelly, Walla Walla, Wash., '02 Firebird, 9.879, 154.76

SUPER STREET
Ken Woodward, Lyons, Ore., '70 Nova, 10.951, 127.32 def. Richard Tucker, Acampo, Calif., '67 Camaro, 10.890, 132.59

TOP SPORTSMAN
Robert Matthews, Gig Harbor, Wash., '67 Nova, 7.681, 174.10 def. Randy Johnson, Snohomish, Wash., '04 Cavalier, broke

TOP DRAGSTER
Terry Wilcox, Sumner, Wash., dragster, 7.860, 178.78 def. Terry White, Half Moon Bay, Calif., dragster, 7.318, 184.65

SPORTSMAN MOTORCYCLE presented by Harley Davidson
Tracy Bailey, Coos Bay, Ore., '75 Kawaski, 10.176, 126.34 def. Jeff Havens, Yakima, Wash., '95 Suzuki, 8.186, 147.54

SUPER PRO
Lyle Hood, Phoenix, Ore., '68 Camaro, 11.079, 121.75 def. Staci Nowak, Enumclaw, Wash., dragster, 7.684, 163.71

PRO
Harlan Tucker, Miranda, Calif., '67 Cuda, 11.671, 117.67 def. Dave Martin, Medford, Ore., '93 Mustang, foul

-credit: nhra