Sun, May 31, 04:37 PM Pennzoil Stablemates to Square Off in Semifinal

Courtesy of Bob Brown

JOLIET, Ill. - At least one driver from the Pennzoil paddock is assured of a final round appearance as teammates Bruce Allen and Mike Thomas prepare to meet in the semifinal round of the Inaugural Fram Route 66 Nationals.

Here's the latest news from the Pennzoil Pits through two rounds of eliminations.

Bruce Allen, the driver of the Outlaw Fuel Additives Pro Stock Pontiac, beat Tom Martino with a 7.054-second pass at 195.56 mph in Round 2 action. After nearly identical reaction times (0.452-seconds for Allen to Martino's 0.454), Allen out-paced Martino at the top end of the track to take the win. Martino finished his run in 7.074-seconds at 196.10 mph.

"This was a good win and it would be great to get another one," Allen said. "We got a little loose on the clutch and it probably cost us a few hundredths of a second. Otherwise, the Outlaw Fuel Additives machine is running very well."

Allen will face Thomas for the second time this year having taken the win in their only other meeting at the season-opener in Pomona, Calif. This time around, Thomas will have the edge of lane choice. Thus far, all Pro Stock wins have occurred in the left lane. "It's a big advantage for him but it's not an insurmountable obstacle," Allen said of the lane-choice factor. "We'll have to be perfect, but we can still win."

Mike Thomas, the driver of the Pennzoil Pro Stock Pontiac, showed one of his clients the exit in the second round of eliminations when he dismissed Mark Osborne by posting a 7.030-second run to Osborne's 7.067-second pass. Osborne uses a Thomas-produced Finish Line engine in his car. The steady run by Thomas earned him the seemingly crucial lane choice advantage over Allen.

"Everything is in place," Thomas said. "The car is perfect and we'll be on the left side of the track. I can not overstate how much I want to win. I'm really excited and ready to go. This is what it's all about."

Both Thomas and Allen have reached the semifinals one time this year with both men advancing to the final round.



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