Track records at Memphis Motorsports Park were broken in every pro class in both ET and speed
during qualifying for the O'Reilly NHRA Midsouth Nationals thanks to cool temps and chamber of
commerce weather. XTremeRebellion.com/RumBum rider Shawn Gann made a pass of 6.985 at 190.92 mph
during Q1, but was unable to improve on that time for the remainder of the weekend. He qualified
tenth and will face David Hope in the first round of eliminations on Sunday.
"We've been having that problem all season," Gann said after the final round of qualifying
Saturday. "When the weather and track conditions are perfect and we should be running fast, we
ain't. We've had a pretty fast bike all year, but we just haven't been able to take advantage of
some of the opportunities we've been given."
Hector Arana earned top qualifier honors in the PSM class with a potential national record-breaking
ET of 6.851. To be awarded the record, he would have to back up that run with a time within one
percent of the original ET, meaning if he runs a 6.919 or better, he would have the record. The
previous record of 6.860 was set earlier this season by Andrew Hines at MMP's sister facility,
Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Ill.
Sunday's eliminations begin at 11 a.m. For more information about the O'Reilly NHRA Mid-South
Nationals at Memphis Motorsports Park, visit them on the Web at MemphisMotorsportsPark.com.
Eliminations air at 6 p.m. CST Sunday and again Thursday at 2:30 a.m. The race can be heard via
live streaming Sunday at NHRA.com.
Fans can follow Shawn Gann at Twitter.com/ShawnGann or on his page on Facebook.
