NE: Maple Grove Saturday summary

MANZO, REICHERT SCORE WINS AT MAPLE GROVE RACEWAY

READING, Pa. - The second day of racing action at Maple Grove Raceway's NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event presented by Boat N RV is complete. More than 400 racers are on hand vying for points leading to divisional and national championships and Frank Manzo keeps his winning streak in tact. While other classes continued qualifying and time trials, competitors in Top Alcohol Funny Car and Top Alcohol Dragster completed eliminations. Reigning national champions in both categories, Manzo in Funny Car and Bill Reichert in Dragster, came away with the wins.

After qualifying in the No. 6 position, Funny Car ace Manzo kept his round win streak alive when he beat Marty Nothstein of Orefield, Pa., in the final. The Morganville, N.J., racer covered Nothstein by a tenth of a second, running 5.639 seconds at 260.66 mph to Nothstein's 5.735-second, 226.20 mph effort. Manzo broke Tony Bartone's record of 37 rounds won last month during the NHRA national event in Atlanta coming away with 39 consecutive round wins. Add in a win at the division's season opener in Virginia and another round at the abbreviated Lucas Oil event in Norwalk, Ohio, plus tonight's tally and he stands at 46 consecutive round wins.

In a rematch of last year's Top Alcohol Dragster final, Reichert, who hails from Owosso, Mich., squared off against Dan Mercier of Montreal, Que. This time Reichert turned the tables to take the win. He blistered the quarter-mile with a 5.252-second, 277.77 mph pass while Mercier slowed to a 12.787-second pass.

In other qualifying action, Jake Crimmins, Farmingdale, N.J., wheeled his '92 Achieva to the top of the Comp Eliminator class, Super Stock racer Angelo Ditocco, Mahopac, N.Y., drove to the No. 1 spot in his '02 Firebird, and Richard Adkins, Willingboro, N.J., leads the Stock Eliminator class in his '67 Shelby. Carmel, N.Y., resident Chris Rini topped the Top Sportsman field in his '08 Stratus, and Scott Mackie, Hopewell Junction, N.Y., was No. 1 in Top Sportsman.

Racing continues Sunday at Maple Grove Raceway. Gates open at 8 a.m. and eliminations start at 9 a.m.

Tickets for the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event are $20.

Maple Grove Raceway is located 10 miles south of Reading off Route 10. From Pennsylvania Turnpike take exit 298 and go north on Route 10 for six miles. For more information call Maple Grove Raceway, (610) 856-7200, or visit www.MapleGroveRaceway.com.

The following are Saturday's final qualifying results as well as elimination results for TAD and TAFC at the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event presented by Boat N RV at Maple Grove Raceway:

TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER

Round 1
1) Arthur Gallant, Boxboro, Mass., 5.374, 269.83 def. 8) Peter Gallen, Broomall, Pa., 5.508, 264.65

2) Bill Reichert, Owosso, Mich., 5.286, 279.15 def. 7) Richard Bourke, Old Tappan, N.J., 5.438, 269.08

3) Mike Kosky, Cuddy, Pa., 9.416, 87.98 def. 6) Dave DeAngelis, Middlesex, N.J., foul

5) Dan Mercier, Montreal, Quebec, 5.373, 266.27 def. 4) John Finke, Selkirk, N.Y., 5.474, 250.32

Semifinals
Mercier, 5.457, 268.33 def. Gallant, 5.431, 275.67
Reichert, 5.297, 275.96 def. Kosky, 5.364, 266.37

Final
Reichert, 5.252, 277.77 def. Mercier, 12.787, 57.01

TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR

Round 1
8) Mickey Ferro, Stamford, Conn., '08 Monte Carlo, 5.719, 254.57 def. 1) Frank Schuster, Chesterfield, N.J., '02 Firebird, 5.992, 200.74

7) John Anderika, Pittson, Pa., '02 Camaro, 5.684, 251.91 def. 2) Marc White, Glendale Hts., Ill., '08 Mustang, 5.732, 253.61

6) Frank Manzo, Morganville, N.J., '08 Monte Carlo, 5.643, 260.11 def. 3) DJ Cox Jr., Whiteford, Md., '02 Firebird, foul

5) Marty Nothstein, Orefield, Pa., '08 Impala, 5.744, 256.84 def. 4) Eric Lourie, Terryville, Conn., '02 Camaro, broke

Semifinals
Nothstein, 5.681, 257.04 def. Ferro, 7.692, 118.68
Manzo, 5.516, 262.39 def. Anderika, 5.944, 193.52

Final
Manzo, 5.639, 260.66 def. Nothstein, 5.735, 226.20

COMP ELIMINATOR
1) Jake Crimmins, Farmingdale, N.J., '92 Achieva, AA/AM, 6.399 seconds, -0.711 (under index)
2) Sal Biondo, Maspeth, N.Y., '01 Firebird, I/AA, 8.113, -0.677
3) Al Ackerman, Saddle Brook, N.J., dragster, F/D, 8.026, -0.664
4) Michael Hardee, Hampstead, N.C., '05 Sunfire, E/SM, 8.526, -0.634
5) Frank Aragona, Freehold, N.J., '32 Bantam, G/EA, 8.273, -0.627
6) Pete Hanratty, Speonk, N.Y., dragster, A/DA, 6.525, -0.625
7) Gerry Russo, Saddle River, N.J., '05 Cavalier, C/SMA, 8.236, -0.624
8) Anthony Bertozzi, Ashland, Va., '33 Roadster, B/SR, 7.898, -0.622
9) Doug Doll Jr., Lititz, Pa., dragster, F/ED, 8.233, -0.617
10) Richard Schonberger, Philadelphia, Pa., '92 Cutlass, I/A, 8.203, -0.617

SUPER STOCK
1) Angelo Ditocco, Mahopac, N.Y., '02 Firebird, SS/HA, 9.557 seconds, -1.343 (under index)
2) John Armstrong, Kingston, N.S., '69 Corvette, SS/AA, 8.678, -1.322
3) Brian Oakes, Williamstown, N.J., '69 Camaro, SS/EA, 9.329, -1.321
4) Vic Santos, N. Reading, Pa., '85 Firebird, GT/HA, 10.097, -1.253
5) Joseph Franco III, N. Babylon, N.Y., '85 Camaro, GT/HA, 10.098, -1.252
6) Jim Boburka, Coraopolis, Pa., '05 Cavalier, GT/CA, 9.479, -1.221
7) Gary Richard, Bay Shore, N.Y., '07 Cobalt, GT/AA, 9.185, -1.215
8) Howard Barsky, Langhorne, Pa., '57 Chevy, SS/NA, 11.242, -1.208
9) Tom Sheehan, Belle Vernon, Pa., '00 Sebring, GT/IA, 10.304, -1.196
10) Norm Hall, Waldorf, Md., '05 Cavalier, GT/CA, 9.513, -1.187

STOCK ELIMINATOR
1) Richard Adkins, Willingboro, N.J., '67 Shelby, B/S, 10.095 seconds, -1.405 (under index)
2) Evan Smith, Linden, N.J., '93 Mustang, H/S, 10.974, -1.326
3) Dustan Lowell, Kensington, N.H., '72 Duster, F/SA, 10.844, -1.306
4) Bill Hawk, Manassas, Va., '67 Shelby, B/SA, 10.248, -1.302
5) Steve Szupka, Willow Grove, Pa., '85 Camaro, J/SA, 11.477, -1.273
6) Jim Boudreau, Tewksbury, Mass., '69 Camaro, B/SA, 10.279, -1.271
7) Tom Kreeber, Rensselaer, N.Y., '65 Coronet, F/SA, 10.889, -1.261
8) David Ficacci, E. Hanover, N.J., '69 Camaro, B/SA, 10.298, -1.252
9) Dave Casey, Hampden, Mass., '86 Camaro, G/S, 10.952, -1.248
10) Gene Monahan, Brockton, Mass., '86 Firebird, J/SA, 11.512, -1.238

TOP SPORTSMAN
1) Chris Rini, Carmel, N.Y., '08 Stratus, 6.507 seconds, 211.23 mph
2) John Prime, Thomastown, Conn., '68 Camaro, 6.525, 213.47
3) Joe Dunne, Wolcott, Conn., '04 Grand Am, 6.635, 209.04
4) John Benoit, Montpelier, Vt., '57 Bel Air, 6.680, 206.83
5) Dana MacLeod, Wayland, Mass., '08 Cobalt, 6.826, 204.01
6) Terry Teets, Manassas, Va., '04 Cavalier, 6.882, 200.65
7) Fred Gallo, Shirley, N.Y., '08 Cobalt, 6.890, 201.19
8) Glenn Teets Jr., Manassas, Va., '08 GTO, 6.935, 200.41
9) Jeff Brooks, Fredericksburg, Va., '51 Henry J, 6.938, 198.26
10) Todd Fontana, Fair Lawn, N.J., '63 Corvette, 7.031, 196.85

TOP DRAGSTER
1) Scott Mackie, Hopewell Junction, N.Y., dragster, 6.683 seconds, 206.07 mph
2) Michael Galofaro, Lincoln Park, N.J., dragster, 6.799, 195.45
3) Mike Gardner, Haymarket, Va., dragster, 6.819, 198.96
4) Wayne Hofmann, New Preston, Conn., dragster, 6.900, 195.90
5) Bob Wolkwitz, Darien, Conn., dragster, 6.910, 192.93
6) Ed Alessi Jr., Bethpage, N.Y., dragster, 6.927, 193.54
7) Malinda Bertozzi, Ashland, Va., dragster, 6.949, 193.99
8) Mike Sullivan, W Peabody, Mass., dragster, 7.015, 191.29
9) Nick Rakowski, Phoenixville, Pa., dragster, 7.051, 191.46
10) Kevin Cash, Waynesboro, Va., dragster, 7.053, 191.78A

-credit: nhra