SE: Orlando Friday summary

ORLANDO'S BURNETT LEADS QUALIFYING AT NHRA LUCAS OIL DRAG RACING SERIES EVENT

ORLANDO, Fla. (March 6, 2009) -- In the opening day of racing at Orlando Speed World Dragway's NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event, local favorite Jeff Burnett leads the qualifiers. The Orlando resident set the pace in Top Dragster while Grant Lewis of Jessup, Ga., took the No. 1 spot in Comp Eliminator. The event, which runs through Sunday, is slated for two days of qualifying and time trials before going in to eliminations on the final day.

Burnett wheeled his '23 roadster to a 6.852-second pass at 200.08 mph to put him just ahead of No. 2 qualifier Casey Spradlin of Ranburne, Ala. Lewis is just ahead of reigning division Comp Eliminator champion Arnie Martel of Tewksbury, Mass. Martel won this race a year ago.

In Super Stock, Van Buren, Ohio's Jerry Silveus took his '00 Cavalier to the No. 1 spot and Doug Patrick of Boca Raton, Fla., is in the top spot in Stock Eliminator. Ronnie Davis, Suwanee, Ga., drove his '63 Corvette to the top of the Top Sportsman field.

Other local racers fared well in the opening day of qualifying as well. Jenny Treadwell, Mt. Plymouth, is in the fifth spot in Comp Eliminator; Dennis Steward, Port Orange, and Terry Earwood, Deland are No.s 4 and 6, respectively, in Super Stock. In Top Dragster, Melissa Hutson, Lady Lake, is No. 6; Darrin Kling, also of Lady Lake, is No. 8; and Larry Strickland, Oxford is No. 10.

Racing continues Saturday and Sunday at Orlando Speed World Dragway. Gates open at 8 a.m. both days. Final qualifying and time trials are slated for Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m. Top Dragster, Comp Eliminator and Top Sportsman will qualify at 2 and 5 p.m. Eliminations start Sunday morning at 9. Top Dragster, Comp Eliminator and Top Sportsman will run first round at 10:30 a.m.

Tickets for the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Orlando Speed World Dragway are $25 Saturday and $25 Sunday. Children 11 and under are admitted free with a paid adult.

Orlando Speed World Dragway is located east of Orlando on Colonial Road (Hwy. 50), 20 miles east of I-4 and 15 miles west of I-95. For more information call the track, (407) 568-2717, or visit www.SpeedWorldDragway.com.

The following are Friday's qualifying results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Orlando Speed World Dragway:

COMP ELIMINATOR

1) Grant Lewis, Jesup, Ga., '05 Grand Am, H/SMA, 8.927 seconds, -0.633 (under index)
2) Arnie Martel, Tewksbury, Mass., '07 GTO, F/AA, 7.971, -0.629
3) Sal Biondo, Maspeth, N.Y., '93 Beretta, I/AA, 8.209, -0.581
4) David Rampy, Piedmont, Ala., '32 Bantam, A/EA, 7.302, -0.568
5) Jenny Treadwell, Mt. Plymouth, Fla., dragster, E/ED, 8.292, -0.558
6) Dave Connolly, Bradenton, Fla., '34 Chevy, B/SR, 7.798, -0.542
7) Greg Kamplain, Brownsburg, Ind., dragster, C/ED, 7.348, -0.522
8) Anthony Bertozzi, Ashland, Va., dragster, D/ED, 7.535, -0.455
9) Ray Bamond, W. Patterson, N.J., '09 Cobalt, C/SMA, 8.408, -0.422
10) Don Eberly, Brunswick, Ga., '06 Cavalier, C/AA, 8.037, 0.047

SUPER STOCK

1) Jerry Silveus, Van Buren, Ohio, '00 Cavalier, GT/DA, 9.439 seconds, -1.361 (under index)
2) Bobby Dennis, Shorter, Ala., '91 Calais, GT/MA, 10.702, -1.348
3) Rich South, Pataskala, Ohio, '05 Sunfire, GT/FA, 9.786, -1.314
4) Dennis Steward, Port Orange, Fla., '91 Daytona, GT/HA, 10.050, -1.300
5) Dave Layer, Dayton, Ohio, '08 Cobalt, GT/FA, 9.803, -1.297
6) Terry Earwood, Deland, Fla., '85 Camaro, SS/KA, 10.377, -1.173
7) Mark Nowicki, Gaylord, Mich., '98 Avenger, GT/HA, 10.178, -1.172
8) Tony Cafaro, Brandon, Fla., '02 Firebird, GT/HA, 10.197, -1.153
9) Allen Wade, Rochester, Ind., '69 Camaro, SS/DA, 9.365, -1.135
10) Arnie Martel, Tewksbury, Mass., '08 Cobalt, SS/BS, 8.819, -1.131

STOCK ELIMINATOR

1) Doug Patrick, Boca Raton, Fla., '72 Cutlass, K/SA, 11.622 seconds, -1.328 (under index)
2) Greg Rowe, Bridgeton, N.C., '89 Camaro, K/SA, 11.635, -1.315
3) Randy Harrison, Orlando, Fla., '90 Camaro, K/SA, 11.640, -1.310
4) Steve Szupka, Willow Grove, Pa., '85 Camaro, J/SA, 11.474, -1.276
5) Dustan Lowell, Kensington, N.H., '72 Duster, F/SA, 10.874, -1.276
6) Gary Summers, Franklin, Ky., '85 Mustang, O/S, 12.137, -1.263
7) Bud Rowe, Bridgeton, N.C., '94 Camaro, C/SA, 10.440, -1.260
8) Gary Richard, Bayshore, N.Y., '69 Camaro, C/SA, 10.480, -1.220
9) Randy Wilkes, Zanesville, Ohio, '02 Firebird, A/SA, 10.099, -1.201
10) Sal Biondo, Maspeth, N.Y., '67 Shelby, B/SA, 10.371, -1.179

TOP SPORTSMAN

1) Ronnie Davis, Suwanee, Ga., '63 Corvette, 6.814 seconds, 203.80 mph
2) Frank Maiolo, White Plains, N.Y., '07 GTO, 7.134, 192.91
3) Matthew Buck, Lantana, Fla., '96 Firebird, 7.165, 196.42
4) Mike Thompson, Naples, Fla., '03 Cavalier, 7.367, 186.82
5) Bruce Duncan, Crawfordville, Fla., '95 Camaro, 7.392, 184.35
6) Anthony Montella, Deerfield Bch, Fla., '09 GXP, 7.623, 178.24
7) Jeff Windholz, New Smyrna Beach, Fla., '97 Firebird, 7.626, 182.08
8) Larry Mayes, Haines City, Fla., '73 Duster, 7.731, 175.94
9) Howard Michael, Newport, Mich., '97 Probe, 7.959, 170.95
10) William Lanzisera, Marco Island, Fla., '94 Beretta, 8.230, 157.30

TOP DRAGSTER

1) Jeff Burnett, Orlando, Fla., '23 roadster, 6.852 seconds, 200.08 mph
2) Casey Spradlin, Ranburne, Ala., dragster, 6.875, 191.62
3) Scott Gibson, Sanford, Fla., dragster, 6.975, 191.21
4) Jeff Serra, Reinholds, Pa., dragster, 7.043, 190.59
5) Angela Travis, Hickory, N.C., dragster, 7.046, 187.05
6) Melissa Hutson, Lady Lake, Fla., dragster, 7.047, 191.84
7) Wayne Hofmann, New Preston, Conn., dragster, 7.056, 191.89
8) Darrin Kling, Lady Lake, Fla., dragster, 7.098, 187.55
9) Mark Brown, Lake Worth, Fla., dragster, 7.110, 186.43
10) Larry Strickland, Oxford, Fla., dragster, 7.111, 181.08

-credit: nhra