Sun, 6 Jun 2010, 09:38 AM Allstars Shine in Windy City

By Kelly Wade Photo copyright 2010 Auto Imagery, Inc.

JOLIET, Ill. --

The Allstar winners.

Drivers and fervent supporters from all seven NHRA divisions converged upon Route 66 Raceway in Chicago for the annual JEGS Allstars, the specialty event held during the United Associations Route 66 NHRA Nationals. In all, 80 representatives took to the track to battle it out for prestigious individual and team honors. Jim Whiteley (Top Alcohol Dragster), Frank Manzo (Top Alcohol Funny Car), Bruno Massel (Comp), Joe Santangelo II (Super Stock), Mark Faul (Stock), Michael Miller (Super Comp), Jason Kenny (Super Gas), and Steve Domingues (Super Street). Top Dragster and Top Sportsman, new categories in the Allstars competition this season, produced respective winners Ray Miller III and Keith Raftery. The overall title went to the Division 1 team for the seventh time.

Whiteley, representing Division 7, wheeled his YNot Racing rail to a first-round victory over Division 5's Ed Schmeekle, 5.353 to 5.474. In the second round, he was first to leave the starting line, .042 to Division 3 racer Ken Perry's .082, and advanced on a 5.364 to 5.470 to score lane choice over Division 6 racer Shawn Cowie. In the final, and for the first time all day, Whiteley was second to leave the starting line, but his 5.370 at the top end covered the minor deficiency and bettered Cowie's 5.429 for his first Allstars trophy.

Team champions Division 1

After recording a perfect score at the divisional level last season, it was not a huge surprise to see Division 6 Top Alcohol Dragster pilot Cowie make his way to the money round -- although triumphing over Bill Reichert, his first-round opponent and the blocker, was a decided accomplishment. Once he disposed of Reichert, 5.338 to 5.451, things didn't get any easier for Cowie, and in the semis he drew Division 2's Duane Shields, whose early season activity has produced more wins than not. Cowie's superior reaction at the tree, .081 to .119, came into play, and he won the match on a holeshot.

Northeast Division Top Alcohol Funny Car ace Manzo is a familiar sight in the final round, and his triumph over Mickey Ferro closed the deal on his eighth Allstars win. Manzo got a freebie in the first round when blocker John Anderika was stalled at the starting line, and in the semifinals, Steve Gasparelli nearly got lucky when No. 1 qualifier Manzo cut a tardy .141 light to his .044, but at the finish line, Manzo got the win light, 5.594 to 5.721 to earn his spot in the final.

Whiteley vs. Cowie

Ferro advanced to the final after laying down a pair of 5.59s in the first two rounds to stop Roger Bateman and Andy Bohl, who won his first-round match over Ken Webster by a slim .003-second margin of victory.

Burl Brown was quick enough during qualifying to earn a start from the No. 4 position for the Allstars event, but in the rain-delayed late-night session on Friday, he plowed across the finish line at a speedy clip, clocking a 5.772 at 248.29 mph, and when only one parachute deployed well into the shutdown area, he blasted into the sand pit and into the catchnet. Though Brown was not seriously injured, his car was beyond repair, at least in time for the first round on Saturday, and Gasparelli took a single.

Massel vs. Aragona Jr.

It didn't look like it was going to be a great day for the majority of the defending titlists; only two blockers survived the first round, Massel in Comp and Steven Furr in Top Dragster, and Furr bowed out with a red-light start in the Top Dragster semis. But as night set in, Massel was the benefactor of a red-light by Division 7's Mike DePalma Jr. to get a free pass into his second straight Allstars Comp final. Former national champ and Division 1 racer Frank Aragona Jr. tree'd him, .044 to .175, but Massel made a huge play for the win and it paid off, going -.659 under the index with a 7.101 at 192.44 mph to best Aragona's 8.225, 161.02.

Super Stock's Santangelo continued his stellar season with a win in the final over Division 5's Justin Jenkins, who broke out. Santangelo, representing the Northeast, began his climb to the top with a first round victory over blocker Greg Luneack and followed it up with a win over Division 6 racer Jackie Alley, who was -.026 in the red. Jenkins beat Brian Weber and Gary Emmons en route to the final.

Faul vs.

Five-time Allstars player Faul took the win in Stock with a better reaction time and a closer to his dial 11.851 (11.80) over Division 3's Chris Stephenson's 12.758 (12.70). Faul, of the Northwest Division, ran closer to his dial to beat Verne Buchanan in round one, and in the semis, he survived a double-breakout match with Dustan Lowell. Stephenson stopped Jon Irving and then got the nod when Brad Haugaard left the starting line .073-second too soon.

In the Super Comp final, Josh Gnandt, of Division 3, was a perfect .000 at the tree but Miller was just six-thousandths over the 8.90 index to Gnandt's 8.964 to get the win. On the way to the final Miller was the victor in a double-breakout opening round with Tom Slater and then ran closer to the index to put Austin Williams on the trailer. Gnandt got a freebie in the first round when Ray Miller couldn't get his car to fire, and in the second round, he got another gift when Division 6 racer Michael Dalrymple fouled by five thousandths.

Kenny vs. Resen

Mark Resen was a smidge better off the starting line in the Super Gas final, but Kenny managed the finish line better, clocking a 9.914 on the 9.90 index to Resen's breakout 9.875. Division 1's Kenny began Allstars eliminations with a win over Bart Nelson in the first round. Nelson was triple-zero at the tree, but Kenny's .024 wasn't a factor when he recorded a four-thousandths over the index pass to Nelson's breakout 9.890. Kenny stopped Val Torres Jr. in the semis, and Resen scored wins over Mike Sawyer and David Tatum.

With a Lucas Oil Series win already to his credit this season, Steve Domingues added to his list of achievements with a double-breakout win in the Allstars final over reigning Division 4 champion Ray Todd. In the first round, Domingues beat blocker Ricky Shipp and then stopped Division 2's Joseph Skala. Todd was the victor in respective first and second round matches with Matt Blodgett and Martin Ganjoin.

This season, Top Sportsman and Top Dragster were added to the Allstars line-up, and Division 4 racer Raftery and Division 2's Miller made history with wins in their respective categories.

Raftery vs. Vettel

Regular event winner Raftery notched Top Sportsman round wins over Robert Tagliarini and Ricky Adkins before squaring off with Josh Vettel in the final round. Raftery tree'd Vettel with a .006 to .031 and then got the win light, 6.792 (6.78) to 7.041 (7.04).

Top Dragster winner Miller claimed his victory over Clarence Mayo by just five thousandths, grabbing a three-hundredths advantage at the starting line and finishing the job with a 6.806 on his 6.77 dial to Mayo's 6.901 (6.89). Miller was excellent on the starting line all day, opening with a .003 to aid in the defeat of Terry White and then posting a .012 in his semifinals win over Brandon Chauvin.

The coveted team championship was anyone's game early, but in the end, it was Division 5 and Division 1 duking it out for top honors. Though they accumulated matching points, Division 1 emerged victorious based on a tie-breaker decision. It would have been the first team win for the gang from the West Central, but the Northeast again emerged as the best of the best.

Saturday's final results from the 26th annual NHRA Jeg's Allstars at Route 66 Raceway. The race is the of 23 in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series-

Top Alcohol Dragster Allstars -- Jim Whiteley, 5.370, 265.48 def. Shawn Cowie, 5.429, 260.16.

Top Alcohol Funny Car Allstar -- Frank Manzo, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.568, 258.47 def. Mickey Ferro, Monte Carlo, 5.599, 256.02.

Competition Eliminator Allstar -- Bruno Massel, Cobalt, 7.101, 192.44 def. Frank Aragona Jr., Dragster, 8.225, 161.02.

Top Dragster Allstars -- Ray Miller, Dragster, 6.806, 194.38 def. Clarence Mayo, Dragster, 6.901, 193.63.

Top Sportsman Allstars -- Keith Raftery, GTO, 6.792, 200.05 def. Joshua Vettel, Stratus, 7.041, 194.02.

Super Stock Allstars -- Joe Santangelo, Camaro, 10.351, 124.35 def. Justin Jenkins, Cobalt, 9.760, 132.22.

Stock Allstars -- Mark Faul, Chevelle, 11.851, 106.26 def. Chris Stephenson, Apollo, 12.758, 99.74.

Super Comp Allstars -- Michael Miller, Dragster, 8.906, 163.18 def. Josh Gnandt, Dragster, 8.964, 166.72.

Super Gas Allstars -- Jason Kenny, Corvette, 9.914, 149.18 def. Mark Resen, Chevy, 9.875, 149.23.

Super Street Allstars -- Steve Domingues, Camaro, 10.899, 145.11 def. Ray Todd, Chevy II, 10.888, 130.47.