John Weaver Phoenix wrap-up

Weaver bounces back for win in Phoenix

CHANDLER, Ariz. - After an outing that fell well below their expectations at the season-opening CARQUEST Winternationals, John Weaver and the Meer Capital Partners NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car team rebounded to score a win at this past weekend's Division 7 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series opener at Firebird Raceway just outside of Phoenix. Weaver used a string of consistent 5.7 second elapsed times en route to defeating defending Division 7 Champ Steve Gasparrelli in the final.

Weaver, a former Division 7 Champ himself from Orting, Wash., qualified the Bob DeVour tuned Camaro second in the field with a 5.746 at 250.88 mph. In round one, he defeated Paul Crifasi with a 5.768 at 250.51 mph, then took out another former Division 7 Champ Doug Gordon in a race that was decided by a mere .003 of a second with a 5.774 at 250.97 mph in the semifinals.

In the final, Weaver squared off against Gasparrelli, the No. 4 qualifier. Weaver gained the jump out of the gate and never looked back, taking the win with a 5.758 at 251.39 mph.

"Considering the problems we had in Pomona, this was a pretty good weekend," said Weaver. "The team is real happy with the win. The whole team really worked their tails off to get this car back together and ready to race for this weekend. To come down to the last minute getting the car ready and then go out and win the first Division 7 race of the year shows all the hard work paid off. It definitely helps the team morale."

"It was good to be able to bounce back," DeVour added. "We didn't try to kill the world with low e.t., we just tried to be consistent, and it worked out. John did a heck of a job all weekend driving the car. Ron [Meer] did a great job of keeping up with the weather and making the necessary fuel system adjustments. The crew really dug down and kept a competitive race car on the track. It's really a boost to fight problems like we did at our last race, then to come win one really helps out for the rest of the year."

Team Owner Ron Meer hopes the team can carry the momentum from this win into the next event on the Division 7 tour at Southwestern International Raceway in Tucson, Ariz., Mar. 24-26.

"It really shows the resilience of this team to bounce back from a weekend like Pomona, then pull off a win in Phoenix," stated Meer. "The guys just never give up, and I feel honored to be part of a team like this. We hope to pick up where we left off in Tucson and Vegas, because right now we have the bull's eye on our backs, and there's a lot of tough competitors out here that will be gunning for us. With the caliber of cars out here, it just makes winning that much sweeter."

-mcp-