Sun, May 31, 10:02 PM Mike Thomas Takes Pro Stock Title

Courtesy of Bob Brown Fram Route 66 Nationals

JOLIET, Ill. - Pro Stock driver Mike Thomas drove the Pennzoil Pontiac Firebird to the first win of his professional career at the Inaugural Fram Route 66 Nationals. The historic run was achieved in a final round battle with current Winston points leader and No. 1 qualifier Warren Johnson. The win is the first by a Pennzoil -sponsored driver since Bruce Allen won the Le Grandnational in ST. PIE, Canada in July of 1993.

"I can't describe the feeling," an elated Thomas said. "This is great for all of us. The team has been working so hard they deserved this win. It's very satisfying to finally put Pennzoil on top. I knew we had a fast car and beating W.J. makes it even sweeter because he's the lead dog. This should get us very involved in the points race and it would be great to make a run in the standings."

The final race was a thriller as Thomas overcame a slow start and powered through the sub-par right lane in 7.024 seconds to Johnson's 7.075. "I was all over the track but I just kept the pedal down and held on," Thomas said. "A little past half track, I saw him start to spin and we flew right by. Credit my crew chief Rickie Smith for having my car dialed in just right for these conditions."

Smith was named as the Pro Stock Crew Chief of the Race. It's the second time he has won the award this year.

Elsewhere in the Pennzoil Pits ...

Bruce Allen, the driver of the Outlaw Fuel Additives Pro Stock Pontiac, reached the semi-final round of the event before being eliminated by Pennzoil teammate Thomas. The weekend was a huge success for Allen who rebounded from a lack-luster race in Englishtown, N.J. and qualified in the No. 2 position by posting one of only two sub-seven second passes ever recorded at this track. Allen covered the quarter-mile strip in 6.993 seconds in Round 2 of qualifying.

"We couldn't be happier," Allen said. "To rebound like this after Englishtown is huge for us. This has been a great weekend all the way around. I've got no complaints. Of course, you always want a little more, but that's the nature of racing. I'm very encouraged by the progress that we've made in the last two weeks and I'm already looking forward to Columbus."

Eddie Hill, the pilot of the Pennzoil Top Fuel Dragster, finished the weekend as the most consistent driver in the bracket after posting four straight qualifying runs in the 4.6-second range. The steady driving helped Hill qualify for the elimination rounds in third place, which was his best qualifying position of the year. On Sunday, Hill ran the third quickest elapsed time of the first round, recorded the fastest mph mark of his career and posted a better reaction time than his opponent (0.478 to 0.491), but still lost to Bruce Sarver by seven-thousandths of a second. Hill posted a 4.701-second pass at 312.78 mph to Sarver's 4.681-second run at 311.13 mph.

"We continue to make deposits in the Hard Work Bank," Hill said. "I can't wait for the dividends to pay off. The car is so fast. I've got nothing at all to be upset about. It seems that we keep running into guys that are having career runs against us. I'm ready for the luck to turn our way. It's time."

"This track is outstanding and I'm proud to have made the first 4.6-second run here," Hill said. "This is a premier facility and it's only going to get better as more runs are made. I've invested a lot of my life to racing and it's rewarding to me that people think enough of our sport to build such a great place for us to show what we do."