Thu, 2 Nov 2006, 10:33 AM Goodguys 8th Fuel and Gas FIinals Set to Blast Off in Bakersfield

Courtesy of John Drummond

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Photo Captions:

Ron Capps

The Goodguys season-ending Fuel & Gas Finals November 3-5 at Auto Club Famoso Raceway will serve as the second and final event of the 2006 Goodguys Championship Series and is shaping up to be a mad dash for championship glory. What was supposed to be a four-race series this year turned into a two-race series following rainouts of the March Meet in Bakersfield and the Northwest Nostalgia Nationals in Seattle. With all 14 class championships on the line at the upcoming Fuel & Gas Finals, each qualifying session and each round of eliminations will take on added significance.

Championship point's battles are extremely tight in six of the fourteen Goodguys classes. Less than 20 points (one round of racing) separate the number one and number two point's earners in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Junior Fuel, AA/GAS, A/GAS and Hot Rod Eliminator. Of those six classes, none of the current point's leaders have won Goodguys/VRA Championships.

Scott Parks (Junior Fuel), John Rasmussen (Junior Fuel B), Don Taros (Nostalgia Eliminator), Craig Wallace (Nostalgia III) and Ed Carey (D/GAS) are currently leading their divisions and are seeking repeat championships. For Parks, based in Burlingame, KS and Wallace - they are seeking their 4th consecutive Goodguys/VRA Championship. Taros, meanwhile is seeking his unprecedented 5th straight class Championship in Nostalgia Eliminator.

Brett Harris

In Nostalgia Top Fuel, a spirited rivalry has developed between point's leader Brett Harris of Kayesville, Utah and second place Brad Thompson of Visalia. Only seven points separate the two combatants. The two met in the final round of the Goodguys Pomona Nitro Nationals in May in what turned out to be a wild race. Thompson was well on his way to victory in that event following a huge holeshot but lost traction, sashayed wildly down the track only to be nipped at the finish line by the hard-charging Harris. To make the defeat even harder to stomach, Thompson put his bright orange dragster into the Pomona Raceway sand trap. Both racers have been red hot this summer and met again in August for the Top Fuel Championship of the Boise Nightfire Nationals with Thompson getting the win. They are even at one win apiece for their two heads-up races this year. One can only hope they square off for all the marbles in the top fuel final at the Fuel & Gas Finals!

Kris Krabill

The Funny Car point's battle is equally tight with just 16 points separating the top two. Leading the way is Goodguys Nostalgia Funny Car rookie Kris Krabill who drives the "Pedaler" '77 Plymouth of Gary Turner. Hard-charging Dennis LaCharite and his "Back in Black" Corvette entry are hot on Krabill's heals, while Arizona's Mike Savage is still in Championship striking distance behind the wheel of Jim Broome's "Speed Sport" 1970 Barracuda. Adding significant buzz to the Nostalgia Funny Car action at the 'Finals will be the appearances of NHRA Funny Car stars Ron Capps and Del Worsham. Capps, who will be behind the wheel of Jeff Gaynor's "Hard Times" Dodge Challenger is in the midst of a heated points battle over on the NHRA Powerade trail with John Force and Robert Hight. Capps and Gaynor teamed up to win the 53rd World Series of Drag Racing earlier this summer in Cordova, Illinois. Del Worsham will compete at the event behind the wheel of he and his father's "Blue Max" Nostalgia Funny Car - a spot-on replica of Raymond Beadle's 1977 Ford flopper.

Qualifying and time trials for the Goodguys 8th Fuel & Gas Finals start Friday, November 3rd. Friday's lone pro qualifying session is scheduled for 2pm. The pros get their second and final qualifying run Saturday at 12:30pm. Final eliminations begin at 10am Sunday, November 5th.

General admission is $25 per day. A three day weekend pass is available for $65. Tickets are available online at http://www.good-guys.com or at the event gates. Event hours are 8am to 5pm each day. For additional information contact Goodguys at (925) 838-9876 or visit http://www.good-guys.com

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