PAC: Series Bakersfield Saturday summary

WHITELEY, BELLEMEUR WIN; FATHER/SON ALSO SCORE

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (September 19, 2009) -- In the final rounds of competition for the NHRA Pacific Division Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Jim Whitely and Sean Bellemeur took home wins and the trophies this weekend at Auto Club Famoso Dragway.

Whiteley, Grand Junction, Colo., qualified No. 1 and recorded his quickest pass of the weekend in his final round against Cody Perkins, Bluffdale, Utah, with a 5.365 second run at 267.61 mph. With the win, Whiteley picks up valuable points in the race for the national championship where he is in a battle with defending national champion Bill Reichert. Perkins qualified third and also ran his best elapsed time of the event, 5.428, 261.17, but fell short to Whiteley.

Bellemeur out of Tustin, Calif., knocked off No. 1 qualifier Sean O'Bannon, Ontario, Calif., in round one then went on to a final round match up with former NHRA Pacific Division Champion Doug Gordon. Bellemeur, a former division champion himself posted a run of 5.790 seconds at 252.17 to hold off Gordon, Paso Robles, Calif. in an extremely close race. Gordon ran 5.797 at 252.03 mph.

Ted and Kyle Seipel kept it in the family picking up wins in Super Stock and the division's Hughes Performance Top Dragster classes. Ted, San Leandro, Calif., held off Stephan Negrini, San Jose, Calif., in his Super Stock '98 Trans Am while son Kyle, Pleasanton, Calif., used a 7.641-second run at 172.71 to win over Terry White, Half Moon Bay, Calif. in Top Dragster.

Steve Graham, S. San Francisco, Calif., beat Ross Wilson of Upland, Calif., in the Comp Eliminator Final and in a battle of division hitters it was Steve Williams, Loma Linda, Calif., over Val Torres, Valinda, Calif., in Super Gas.

Local racer Scott Hewitt, Bakersfield, Calif., came up one round short with Gary Moreno, La Verne, Calif., getting the best of Hewitt with a 9.783 second, 130.85 mph ride in the Sportsman Motorcycle Class presented by Harley Davidson. In Top Sportsman Chris Newman, Lancaster, Calif., cashed in to beat Ted Carli, Temecula, Calif., running 7.364, 187.69 mph.

Also visiting the winner's circle were Leo Glasbrenner, Chino, Calif., in Stock Eliminator over Bob Aceves; Bart Hiatt, Fallon Nev., ousted Keith Downing, Glendale, Ariz., in Super Comp; and Matt Blodgett, Signal Hill, Calif., drove his '72 Vega past Brian Griffey, also of Glendale, in Super Street.

Pacific Division racers head to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the next NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event, November 5-8.

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

TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER:

Round 1
3) Cody Perkins, Bluffdale, Utah, 5.496, 261.17 def. 6) Kevin Wayman, South Jordan, Utah, 5.752, 244.10

4) Mark Niver, Phoenix, 5.639, 250.76 def. 5) Brian Smith, Fullerton, Calif., 5.760, 252.95

2) Chris Demke, Sunland, Calif., 5.483, 263.46 def. 7) Johnny Ahten, Saugus, Calif., 10.693, 84.56

1) Jim Whiteley, Grand Junction, Colo., 5.439, 268.81 def. 8) Dennis Swearingen, Rancho Palos Verties, Calif., 11.181, 63.54

Semifinals
Perkins, 5.466, 262.31 def. Demke, 5.447, 264.23
Whiteley, 5.393, 267.45 def. Niver, 7.430, 133.68

Final
Whiteley, 5.365, 267.61 def. Perkins, 5.428, 261.17

TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR:

Round 1
3) Doug Gordon, Paso Robles, Calif., '06 Monte Carlo, 5.803, 254.81 def. 6) Keeter Ray, Newport Beach, Calif., '09 Mustang, 5.872, 245.56

4) John Lombardo Jr., Brea, Calif., '05 Camaro, 5.814, 243.70 def. 5) Steve Gasparrelli, W. Covina, Calif., '08 Mustang, 6.827, 131.61

2) Brian Thiel, Pleasant Grove, Calif., '02 Camaro, 5.952, 201.70 def. 7) Mark Woznichak, Ontario, Calif., '02 Camaro, foul

8) Sean Bellemeur, Tustin, Calif., '05 Firebird, 6.051, 245.49 def. 1) Sean O'Bannon, Ontario, Calif., '08 Monte Carlo, 8.427, 105.85

Semifinals
Gordon, 5.826, 253.59 def. Thiel, 5.890, 243.24
Bellemeur, 10.534, 80.50 def. Lombardo Jr., foul

Final
Bellemeur, 5.790, 252.17 def. Gordon, 5.797, 252.03

COMP ELIMINATOR

Steve Graham, S. San Francisco, Calif., '04 Grand Am, C/A, 7.499, 181.78 def. Ross Wilson, Upland, Calif., '05 Sunfire, C/SMA, 8.295, 162.07

SUPER STOCK

Ted Seipel, San Leandro, Calif., '98 Trans Am, SS/KA, 11.370, 116.70 def. Stephen Negrini, San Jose, Calif., '87 TransAm, SS/BS, 9.415, 144.36

STOCK ELIMINATOR

Leo Glasbrenner, Chino, Calif., '68 Firebird, E/SA, 10.792, 115.78 def. Bob Aceves, Coarsegold, Calif., '68 Firebird, D/SA, 10.877, 118.26

SUPER COMP

Bart Hiatt, Fallon, Nev., dragster, 8.922, 163.42 def. Keith Downing, Glendale, Ariz., dragster, 8.889, 169.45

SUPER GAS

Steve Williams, Loma Linda, Calif., '63 Corvette, 9.923, 166.75 def. Val Torres, Valinda, Calif., '63 Corvette, 9.928, 161.23

SUPER STREET

Matt Blodgett, Signal Hill, Calif., '72 Vega, 10.881, 134.08 def. Brian Griffey, Glendale, Ariz., '70 Charger, 10.877, 126.06

SPORTSMAN MOTORCYCLE

Gary Moreno, La Verne, Calif., '06 Destroyer, 9.783, 130.85 def. Scott Hewitt, Bakersfield, Calif., '93 GSXR, 9.180, 137.57

TOP SPORTSMAN

Chris Newman, Lancaster, Calif., '08 Cobalt, 7.364, 187.69 def. Ted Carli, Temecula, Calif., '09 Cobalt, 7.113, 174.18

TOP DRAGSTER

Kyle Siepel, Pleasanton, Calif., dragster, 7.641, 172.71 def. Terry White, Half Moon Bay, Calif., dragster, 7.229, 186.37

-credit: nhra