2005 East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame & Reunion Photos Added

More photos from the 2005 East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame & Reunion in Henderson, NC have been added to the album. Georgia drag racers Steve Bagwell, Harold Dutton and Randy Payne were inducted into the hall of fame this year. A special thanks to Fred Simmons for allowing GeorgiaDragRacing.com to use his photos.
Click here to view the photo album.

More photos will be added as time allows - keep checking the GeorgiaDragRacing.com news for updates.

LAST MEN STANDING: SCELZI, CAPPS AND FORCE DISCUSS HISTORIC THREE-WAY FIGHT FOR NHRA POWERADE SERIES FUNNY CAR CROWN

Courtesy: NHRA Communications

POMONA, Calif. - This season's Funny Car points chase was destined for drama - and the final conclusion to the closest world championship battle in NHRA history will finally be determined next week at the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals at historic Pomona Raceway in Southern California.

For the three men at the center of the story - Gary Scelzi, Ron Capps and John Force - the week will be one of mixed emotions: fear, nervousness and maybe even hope. Scelzi, who leads the standings by two points over Capps, his Don Schumacher Racing teammate, is looking to become only the second man after the legendary Kenny Bernstein to win world championship titles in both Top Fuel and Funny Car. Capps is seeking his first world championship. Force desperately wants to defend his title - but for perhaps the first time, the odds are against the 13-time champ.

In this Q and A session, Scelzi, Capps and Force discuss their approach to what will surely prove to be one of the biggest weekends of their lives.


Q: Gary, it's been a hectic month for you. Describe your state of mind going into the Finals.

SCELZI: "Lost. Spun out. Going to therapy three times a week. No, I'm gonna be just fine. Actually, I'm in Irwindale, Calif. right now. I've got an open-wheel team that I'm starting for next year with a Ford Focus (for the Focus Midgit Series). We're down here to do some testing. I'll try to keep my mind off of drag racing for a week or two."


Q: Ron, describe your state of mind going into the Finals.

CAPPS: "You find ways to keep your mind off of it. The one cool thing is that Gary and I, our trailers are connected. It's been that way all year. It's kind of bounced back and forth as far as where we've been in the points. We've never led all year long, we just kind of hung in there. (Our crew chiefs) have worked like long-lost brothers. It's made both of our teams better. Obviously we want to win the race. We definitely would like to win for Don Schumacher. But myself personally? I'm just going back to Las Vegas tonight and doing some things over there to try to keep my mind clear. I don't know what else to do. I've been in this position before, but not like this. Not like basically where whoever goes furthest this next race is going to win the whole enchilada. Every time I think about it, it makes my hair stand up. I'm going to just roll in there as if I'm a deer with headlights staring at me and do what I've done all year long."


Q: In most forms of racing, even though you have multi-car teams, they spend very little time together. It's the opposite in drag racing. What will it be like for the two of you to be near each other all weekend?

CAPPS: "It's been that way before. Gary and I, we love racing anything, but especially going off in the dirt and asphalt with an open-wheel car. We've done that a lot in the last few years … Us racing each other, it's funny, we'll joke with each other at these other events, wherever we're out racing. But again, too, we get in the car and I want to beat him worse than anybody else out there. I'm sure he feels the same about me because it's kind of bragging rights. We've gone through this before. Now it's up a few levels and it's bragging rights within the team, within our category, and it's everything we've dreamed about. Gary has won a few championships in dragster, so he knows that feeling. I don't. Not that that means I'm any hungrier than he is. I could still walk over Sunday morning and if I had a serious question about the car, Gary would give me the best and honest answer he could."


Q: Are the three of you playing mind games with each other?

SCELZI: "John is a really close friend of mine, on and off the race track. There's one thing that we don't do - we don't play games. In fact, I told Ron going into the finals in Vegas - I said look, I'm going to take the chump. I'm rolling this thing in on you. I'm taking every advantage I can get. I wasn't going to lie to him about it. We all get along really well. Mind games? They don't work. I'm not smart enough to play them. They'll end up having a reverse affect on me."


Q: Ron, Gary has a championship in his back pocket. Don't you think it's your turn?

CAPPS: "Yeah, that'd be nice. No, I don't expect it, especially with these two guys … After the race is over, you might not see us signing autographs way late in the day on Saturday. More than likely we're over together having a beer and talking about things away from the racetrack. The other thing is, you could be running next to Force (at qualifying), you could be pulling into the back gate of the pit area next to him in a rental car, and you still want to beat him. He's the champ, and no matter what happens this year, he's still John Force. Every time we read about him doing a contract extension for another five years it makes me excited. I know it makes every other Funny Car guy excited. Racing Force, racing Scelzi, it makes you get up more than anybody you can think of. I'm up for the challenge."


Q: John, you had a successful test session at Las Vegas after the event there. Do you have some tricks up your sleeve for Pomona?

FORCE: "There's not magic. We found some consistency. That's what we've been lacking. We'll see what happens in Pomona."


Q: How important is Thursday's qualifying going to be?

SCELZI: "It's the same as any race. You want to try to qualify in the top half of the field on the first run. To know that you're in there solid. You want to try to get a good run in early just in case there's weather, just so you can sleep on Thursday night. Then on Friday you can step it up, and by Saturday you can get after the thing, and if you're not in the top half of the field you can try to get in the top half."


Q: With the points difference, the qualifying this week is particularly important between you and Ron. Will that affect you?

SCELZI: "The bottom line is to get in the show, and if you lose qualifying points and Ron gets ahead of us after qualifying, then that's what's going to happen. We're not going to change our whole game plan just over those two points … We're all going to look at it, I'm not going to lie to you, but if it doesn't, it's not the end of the world. The important thing is on Sunday. We're going there to try to win the race, just like we did in Vegas. We almost did it. Whether that happens in Pomona, we'll see. I don't have a crystal ball, but we're not going to change up our game plan and force ourselves to blow it pulling in the gate."


Q: What would it mean to join Bernstein as only the second driver to win a world championship in Top Fuel and Funny Car?

SCELZI: "I think it's more self-satisfaction. I've got to kind of laugh when they mention my name with Bernstein or Force or Amato - they used to do it in the dragster - because I just don't consider myself as one of those guys. Those guys are legends. They're going to go down in history in this sport. I just don't think that I'm in that league. Yeah, I'm racing against them and I think I can hold my own against them, but I don't think they're ever going to mention Gary Scelzi and Kenny Bernstein in the same sentence. Not and really mean it."


Q: John, how tough is it to come back from a race like Las Vegas, when you go out in the first round? How difficult has it been on you mentally to get going again for this race?

FORCE: "You just get back in your hot rod and you go out and you test it, try to get your mind right. Our strategy is going to completely change because we went into Vegas and we had a lead and we knew we got that because of a destiny that took place in Dallas that put us out there. And we ran well, but we can't count on luck to win this race. Scelzi and Capps, they have to fight it out the way they're going to fight it. We have to look at the points structure, 28 points. We can't count on them to make a mistake. We have to beat them. In the process of that, if there was one car to race against we might have a different strategy. One car might make a mistake and be out, but not two of them. They're too good. We're kind of watching the weather man. He's kind of the key to this. That's why we stayed and tested … We want to go into Pomona and try to set the national record because we might need that if we're going to win … When we come out of the box, we're not going to just put it in the show. We're going to run as hard and push it to the max of what that track will hold, and try to get the national record. But that's all about weather. It could be there for all of us, but that's the way we're looking at this race."


Q: Ron, would winning a world championship title be a validation of your career?

CAPPS: "Sure. It's funny, we kind of bounced around in the top five and really thought we might have a shot at it, then after Dallas we really felt like we may have opened the door too far and let Force back in, then we rolled into Vegas and we said we're going to shoot for the pole and we're going to win this race, and everything else will take care of itself. And we did. We find ourselves with a legitimate shot at it, then all these thoughts start rolling through your head. I'm laying in bed last night, and I'm thinking, of all things, I'm thinking "oh my god, I'm worried. What if we win this deal? I'll have to write a speech on Monday morning for Monday night at the awards banquet. That to me is like homework and school, and I don't want to do that again. I was thinking about all this stressful stuff, and I had to stop myself and say 'you know what? Let's just keep going like I've been going and not worry about that.' Ace did his cancer treatments right after Vegas, so that's going to be good that he got them out of the way and had the week to recuperate. He's already pumped about everything - and the way we've been qualifying and running the last few races in a row, I'm excited about going to Pomona. We know Force has been over there testing. We know Force runs good at Pomona. It's a good track for him, as well as Mike Neff and Ace have done well there. Everything's lining up to be one of the most exciting races for the fans. I wish Sunday morning was here now."


Q: Gary, how is this championship race different from the others you've won?

SCELZI: "I think before, we've always gotten it done by just going to Pomona and qualifying. It's been tight like this, but only with basically one other driver. Either Cory (McClenthan) or (Tony) Schumacher. We've gotten it done early. This is down to three guys going at it basically all year round. No one's been able to get away with anything. No one's been able to pad that lead. Now time's run out. There's no more mistakes for any of us. We've gotta go and we've gotta do well. One, I think is no matter what about the Kenny Bernsteins or the Joe Amatos or the Cory McClenathans, this is John Force. He’s a 13-time world champion, and if you watch his organization, everybody's tried to copy it, everybody's tried to duplicate it, and nobody's been successful. I think that it's the hardest it's ever been on him, or anybody else, the closest they've ever been. It's a different scenario. It's a different feeling. Even though he's a close friend of mine. He's John Force, and once you pull onto the starting line, you better not be coming with a knife to a gun fight, and you better be dead-on on your aim. And you know that, so that just kind of raises everything too - the pressure, the hair on the back of your neck. It raises the level of everything, because this is a big deal."


Q: John, is this the toughest year for you?

FORCE: "Maybe I focused so much on Robert, Eric and Ashley and my two littlest girls, I forgot to watch Scelzi and Capps. I'm hoping it's not too late. We do all we can do. (Scelzi and Capps) have earned a shot at this title, and so have I. We're going to give our best shot. You can talk all you want or get sick all you want, but bottom line, it starts on Sunday morning. We're going to try to start it on Thursday, when we roll in the gate."


Q: John, Pomona has been very good to you. Do you have an advantage over Ron and Gary?

FORCE: "No, not really. I think Scelzi's the veteran, he knows the game, and we all make mistakes, but he knows it better than any because he's been there three times and won the championship. I'm sure Scelzi's hungry, but Capps is super-hungry because Capps has been there, he's way over-due, and he's really good on that Christmas tree. I hand it to both of them for what they do. I don't think there's any advantage. Cloud cover could change the course of a race. It's all about focus, the right parts, crew chiefs, camaraderie, all three teams have this, and they have multi-car teams. In the midst of all this, luck could be a factor here, but I'm not going to count on luck to beat two of them. If I only had one, I'd be playing the consistency game and hope one of them would go down. We're just going to have to flat beat them if we can. That means national records, I hate to throw that out there, but it's there … the national record could be the difference for me. It won't be for them. All they've gotta do is win, and then it's between them and it's over for me. I'm gonna get me a beer and get up in the stands. Truth is, I love them both. I'll really struggle with who to root for. It's a struggle for me, but the real bonus for me is 60 employees that want that bonus check that have worked hard for it."


Q: You struggled through your final years with (previous owner) Don "the Snake" Prudhomme. What made you successful so quickly with (new owner) Don Schumacher?

CAPPS: "It's all the same parts, the same budget. There's no difference. It just happens to click. I've seen it a thousand times. I've seen teams that ran good with no money, and then you get a big sponsor and all of a sudden they can't run good. It's just things that happen. There's nothing bad to say about the way Snake ran things. Ace and I were together there, we ran well at the beginning there at Snake's. It's very hard to find a crew that doesn't have some kind of drama going on - where one guy doesn't like another guy, or doesn't like the way he parts his hair. These guys live together all the time. This is the first time - not ripping on anything in the past - that I've had a crew where there is nothing like that going on. It's been unbelievable."


Q: Gary, how will you spend the week?

SCELZI: "I'll worry about it on Thursday. Right now it's really gravy. There's no reason to get nervous. A lot of guys start getting pumped up early, well, I fall out of the seat too soon. I can't get pumped up until I get in the car. When I get dressed and get my helmet on and I give my guys the A-high ten and I get in that car, that's what drives me. That's what pumps me up, is the people around me. Right now nothing is bothering me. I'm ready to go."


Q: If you could go to Force to ask a question right now, what would you ask?

CAPPS: "I would probably go to him and ask for some tickets for Pomona. I've got to give out 40 tickets for my friends and family. Man, I don't know what I'd ask him right now. I'd ask him not to show up."
FORCE: "I've got some extra tickets, because after Vegas all my friends sent them back!"
CAPPS: "I don't have an answer."


Q: You once said that Scelzi and Capps would be champions one day. You said you would hire them to drive for you. What did you see in them that told you they would be champions?

FORCE: "The same thing I saw in Eric (Medlen) and Robert (Hight). The energy, how bad they wanted it. Everything was focused - everything was going one direction. But really, the honesty. The honesty of these two individuals. We (Force, Capps and Scelzi) stood in the staging lanes and we talked about how nervous we were and that I was nervous too. I joked with both of them - you know what fear is? When you're young and you're poor and you're sitting at the breakfast table, and you look across the table, and your brother Louie is across the table and he wants that last piece of sausage. That's nervous. You reach for it, he'll put a fork in you. Everything has perspective of what creates the pressure. These guys talk about it. They're going to tell you they're gonna beat you, or they'll tell you they're going to lose, but they don't give you no bull."

Georgia Drag Racing Website Updated

Thanks to Jim Hill for his article, A Drag Racing Hall Of Fame For The East Coast.

Thanks to Bobby Johnson for submitting photos GDR-00433 through GDR-00438.

Enjoy.

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Cruz And Tony Pedregon At RaceTown Atlanta

ATLANTA (Oct. 26, 2005) - NHRA Nitro Funny Car champions Cruz and Tony Pedregon will participate in the RaceTown Atlanta street festival Oct. 28-29 at the Centennial Olympic Park in the heart of downtown.

GREAT STUFF (DOW), sponsor of Cruz Pedregon's Advance Auto Parts Nitro Funny Car, and Tony Pedregon's Q Racing Nitro Funny Car, has staged two appearances during the RaceTown Atlanta festival so fans can meet and greet stars of NHRA drag racing.

Tony Pedregon, 2003 NHRA Funny Car champion, will be appearing at the GREAT STUFF booth on Friday, Oct. 28th from 5-7 pm. Cruz Pedregon, winner of the NHRA Funny Car championship in 1992, will be signing autographs at the same location Saturday, Oct. 29th from 2-4 pm. Fans will also be able to get behind the wheel of the Advance Auto Parts Nitro Funny Car simulator during the event and get a feel for what it's like to race.

Cruz and Tony Pedregon will join NASCAR drivers Richard and Kyle Petty, Kasey Kahne, Jeff Green and Dave Blaney for this exciting motorsports festival. Gates open daily from noon to 8 pm., admission is free and the concerts begin each day at 6:00 pm. To find more information about the event, visit RaceTownAtlanta.com

Dow is a leader in science and technology, providing innovative chemical, plastic and agricultural products and services to many essential consumer markets. With annual sales of $40 billion, Dow serves customers in 175 countries and a wide range of markets that are vital to human progress: food, transportation, health and medicine, personal and home care, and building and construction, among others. Committed to the principles of sustainable development, Dow and its 43,000 employees seek to balance economic, environmental and social responsibilities. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. To find out more about GREAT STUFF insulating foam sealant please visit www.greatstuff.dow.com

Pedregon Racing
Advance Auto Parts Nitro Funny Car/ 'Q' Racing Nitro Funny Car
-PedregonRacing.com-

Public Relations Contact:
Alti Perea, Cox Marketing Group
Media Relations Representative

David Harris, Cox Marketing Group
Account Manager

7th Annual Buford Car Show October 29, 2005 (Buford, GA)

To view the flyer and for more information:Buford Car Show

NVRA Georgia Chapter Middle Georgia Raceway Driver and Fan Reunion Saturday November 5 th 10 AM to 4 PM (not drag racing)

NVRA Georgia Chapter
Middle Georgia Raceway Driver and Fan Reunion
Saturday November 5 th 10 AM to 4 PM
Westside High School 2851 Heath Rd. Macon, GA

Vintage Stockcars on Display
Meet the Drivers – Photo Opportunity & Autograph Session - 10:30 to 11:30 AM
MGR Photos and Memorabilia on Display
Fans are encouraged to bring their photos and home movies taken at Middle Georgia Raceway
Homemade Barbecue Lunch served at 12 Noon
(Donations to help pay for the meal will be appreciated)
Introduction of Drivers and Special Guests – 1:15 PM
Memorial Dedication to the drivers that raced at MGR who have now passed on.
Auction of Racing Memorabilia and other Terrific Items – 2:30 PM
Proceeds will help pay for a historical marker to be placed at the site of Middle Georgia Raceway on Hwy 41.

For More information:NVRA

Kurt Johnson Hits the Jackpot, Wins the ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals

Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing

Sugar Hill, Ga., October 23, 2005 - Kurt Johnson scored a dramatic and popular win on Sunday, taking home the Pro Stock title at today's ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas, NV. It was Johnson's fourth win of the 2005 season, 32nd of his career, first at 'The Strip' at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and, most importantly, the first at his sponsor's event.

"It doesn't get any better than to win your sponsor's race, and we finally managed to get it done for everyone at ACDelco," said an elated Johnson afterwards. "They have sponsored this race for five years, and we had come close in the past, making it to the final in 2003, but thanks to the efforts of a lot of people, today we were able to change our luck in Las Vegas and park our ACDelco Cobalt in the winner's circle."

After defeating Bob Panella, Jeg Coughlin and Erica Enders in the earlier rounds, Johnson squared off against long-time rival Greg Anderson in the championship round. Racing without the benefit of lane choice, Johnson knew he would need every advantage in order to score the win, and used his starting line prowess to leave first with an incredible reaction time of .002 to Anderson's .037. Johnson then combined his three hundredths of a second edge with a solid 6.839-second, 202.27 mph run to score an exciting holeshot win over his opponent, who posted a quicker 6.821 second, 202.27 mph pass in the losing effort.

"After having the .007 light in the semifinals, I wanted to make sure I didn't go red in the final, so we knocked the chip down a bit, and it worked out almost perfectly, which is what we needed to beat Greg," said Johnson..."We tried not to concern ourselves with the lack of lane choice, focusing instead on making the right changes to make the car respond regardless of what lane we were in.

"I did get a cramp in my foot just before the final, which made for a few anxious moments, but fortunately, our ACDelco Cobalt picked up the pace and it all worked out in our favor. Needless to say, we're pretty happy."

Johnson was quick to acknowledge the hard work put in by his crew throughout the event playing an important role in this hard-fought victory.

"Our ACDelco Cobalt was awesome all weekend but that takes a lot of hard work," stated Johnson. "Fortunately, I had a lot of help from a great bunch of people. After all, I'm just a part of this equation, and this win is just as much for my crew as it is for me.

"The car seemed to really like the conditions here in Las Vegas this weekend. We came here knowing that we needed a strong effort to hold on to second (in the POWERade points standings), so we threw everything at it. It was just an animal from the time we unloaded it, and I knew that if I did my job driving, we could challenge for the win. Even so, you never know what's going to happen, but it turned out to be a great day. I'm leaving in the morning to spend a week in Hawaii to celebrate my 20th wedding anniversary, and there couldn't have been a better way to get the trip started than by winning this race."

CAPPS WINS HIS THIRD RACE OF YEAR IN AN ALL-DSR SHOOTOUT

DON SCHUMACHER RACING
Contact: Judy Stropus

LAS VEGAS (Oct. 23, 2005) - With teammates Ron Capps and Gary Scelzi on opposite sides of the Funny Car ladder in today's ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the perfect scenario would have been that the two would meet in the final round.

And that's how the script played out, as Ron Capps, in the Brut Dodge Stratus R/T, defeated Scelzi in a close final match-up, launching him into second and within two points of new leader Scelzi in the exciting 2005 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Funny Car championship chase, which comes down to one final race in two weeks.

Capps collected his third win of the season, the 17th of his career.

Scelzi was on his game and took off with a .042 reaction time to Capps' .071, but it was Capps first at the finish line with an outstanding pass of 4.780/325.69. Margin of victory: .0103 of a second.

John Force, who came into this race in the lead, was ousted in the opening round, so was Robert Hight, opening the door for the all-Don Schumacher Racing final round.

Capps first defeated Tim Wilkerson in the opener with a stunning 4.793-second pass at 328.14 mph, the top speed of the weekend, then dismissed Mike Ashley in the second round with a 4.821/324.05.

Tony Bartone was Capps' next victim in the semifinal, with Capps snagging the win with a 4.820/323.50.

"I'm still in awe. I can't believe it," said Capps. "I wanted to hurry up and stage the cars. We were rolling up there and the longer we waited, I thought, Oh, God, this is just adding to the pressure. I knew Zippy (Scelzi's crew chief Mike Neff) and Ace (Capps' crew chief Ed McCulloch) are real tight, they talk a lot. And the cool thing is that they know what each other is doing. They're real honest with each other, but they run the cars different. They're not identical cookie-cutter tune-ups and so one guy knows what the other guy is doing.

"They're raising each other's level and it just gets better and better and all that's done is take Don Schumacher Racing up another notch and do what Force's team has done in the past. And it's been ideal, it really has.

"With that being said, rolling up there for the final, I said, This is going to be a real good race or we're both going to smoke the tires because they had every knob twisted and I thought, Oh boy, here we go. And Ace told me, he said, Look, if the car smokes the tires, I swear to God we're not diving, I'm getting after it, so don't even think about it.

"And I knew Zippy was doing the same.

"I still can't believe it. And I'm glad I could see out the side. I didn't know it was that close."

As for the nerves he's become famous for these last few weeks: "I've come to grips with the fact that it's just going to be that way," he said.

"Today I was able to do my job every run. Ace was telling me to move over two feet at half track and back around the bump, and I was doing it, when normally my eyes are closed until about half track," he said with a laugh. "I pulled the parachutes and [went], Holy cow, I just did everything he said.

"We were low ET every round. Ace and the Brut crew threw out that 4.790 in the first round at 328.14, which was top speed for the day, when guys were smoking the tires in front of us, and I said, Whooo, here we go, and we were keeping lane choice. I was shallow staging and we were doing everything as a team to keep lane choice and just do everything right.

"We are peaking at the right time. And I feel so good about going to Pomona. Every round, every point is going to count like you can't believe."

Said McCulloch: "When it's your day, it's your day. When it's not, it's not. Today was our day. The Brut guys made the right calls, our guys didn't make any mistakes. Ron was on his game. Today was the day and it was an excellent day. We did what we had to do, Force did what we wanted him to do. I can't say enough about our guys and our team. It's a young team and it'll do nothing but get better.

"It feels wonderful," said team owner Don Schumacher, who also had a Top Fuel win with son Tony Schumacher and a runner-up with Angelle Sampey in Pro Stock Motorcycle today. "To have Gary and Ron No. 1 and 2 in points, separated by two points, and Tony already locking up the championship, winning the Budweiser Shootout, and the race, made it just a phenomenal, phenomenal weekend."

Next up is the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif., Nov. 3-6, which will close out the 2005 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.

FUNNY CAR POINTS:
1. Gary Scelzi, 1458
2. Ron Capps, 1456
3. John Force, 1430
4. Robert Hight, 1325
5. Eric Medlen, 1316
6. Tommy Johnson Jr., 1222
7. Del Worsham, 1175
8. Whit Bazemore, 1160
9. Tony Pedregon, 1123
10. Cruz Pedregon, 997

G Squared plays winning Chip at Vegas

Courtesy Jerry Battle

G SQUARED MOTORSPORTS
OWNERS: GEORGE BRYCE & GEORGE SMITH

NHRA POWERADE DRAG RACING SERIES
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE: G SQUARED S&S BUELL
RIDERS: CHIP ELLIS and MATT SMITH

FIFTH ANNUAL NHRA ACDELCO LAS VEGAS NATIONALS
THE STRIP AT LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY - LAS VEGAS
OCTOBER 20-23, 2005


Chip Ellis:
Qualified: # 3 (7.224 seconds at 183.89)
Eliminations:
Round 1: Ellis (7.217/185.03) def. Matt Guidera (Red Light: 7.243/182.80)
Round 2: Ellis (7.250/182.97) def. Matt Smith (7.335/179.78)
Round 3 (semifinals): Ellis (7.304/182.43) def. Tom Bradford (7.327/182.43)
Round (finals): Ellis (7.243/187.63) winner over Angelle Sampey (Red Light: 7.253/183.05)


LAS VEGAS (October 23, 2005) - Chip Ellis aboard the G Squared-prepared and owned, S&S-powered Pro Stock Buell won the fifth annual NHRA ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway when Angelle Sampey fouled her chance at victory.

It was the second consecutive win for Ellis at this event, second of the season and his third win in three final rounds since joining G Squared Motorsports at the 2004 Mac Tools U.S. Nationals. This win also came on the fourth birthday of his daughter McKenzie.

En route to the final round, Ellis defeated Matt Guidera (7.217 seconds to red light), teammate Matt Smith (7.290 seconds to 7.335 seconds) and Tom Bradford (7.304 seconds to 7.327 seconds).

In the final, Ellis covered the quarter-mile in 7.243 seconds at 187.63 mph. Sampey, although she red lighted, ran an elapsed time 7.253 seconds.

"I'm just having fun," said Ellis. "The bike ran good all day. Chip didn't win the race the bike and S&S power won the race. The guys worked real hard all day long and it paid off. We got two lucky breaks - one in the first round and one in the final. Lucky is better than good any day."

"It was awesome," said George Bryce, who co-owns G Squared Motorsports along with partner George Smith. "Chip has made it to the finals every time he's been to this track, no matter the sanctioning body.

"Green lights win races and we've been working hard on getting green light. Today it worked in our favor. It was very rewarding to win here today.

"I would like to thank the guys at S&S for building such a reliable, super, powerful motor.

"This is really exciting and satisfying," said George Smith. "I saw the red light but before celebrating our win I wanted to see was an elapsed time that was capable of winning without the red light and Chip did that and then I celebrated.

"I got to thank the S&S guys and the entire G Squared crew. It's really great to have Ken Johnson back with us. He means a lot to this team and it puts a solidarity and continuity back in our program. We’re very pleased with that."

Ellis moved up two positions to No. 4 in the 2005 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Motorcycle point standings. He leaves this event with 867 points.

Ellis, along with three other drivers, Jack Beckman (Top Fuel), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Robert Hight (Funny Car), representative of all four pro categories, have been selected as the nominees for the 2005 Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award. The winner of the prestigious award receives a $20,000 monetary prize and sleek ceremonial trophy and will be announced during the NHRA's annual championship awards ceremony on Monday, Nov. 7 at the Westin Mission Hills Resort in Rancho Mirage, Calif.



Matt Smith loses to Chip Ellis in round two

Matt Smith:
Qualified: # 6 (7.240 seconds at 180.09 mph)
Eliminations:
Round 1: Smith (7.290/176.65) def. GT Tonglet (7.303/183.92)
Round 2: Smith (7.335/179.78) lost to Chip Ellis (7.250/182.97)


LAS VEGAS (October 23, 2005) - G Squared teammates Matt Smith and Chip Ellis met in round two of the NHRA ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals, with Ellis coming away with the win.

After Smith, from King, N.C., dispatched GT Tonglet in the opening round of eliminations and Ellis, from Americus, Ga., turned back Matt Guidera the pair went head-to-head in the second round

Smith, aboard the G2 Red line Oil/Skull Gear/Torco Race Fuels Buell, got a jump at the green, but Ellis, on the G Squared S&S Buell, powered by him taking the win light at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 7.250 seconds. Smith crossed slightly behind in 7.335 seconds.

Regarding the loss to teammate Ellis, Smith said, "No matter who's in the other lane you don't want to lose. So it makes no difference if it's your teammate or not. It's still a loss. That said, I'm glad that G Squared has a bike in the semifinals and I'm pulling for Chip to win it all.

"We had a good bike this weekend, but had trouble getting down the back half of the track. We haven't found the problem yet but need to get it corrected before the next race in Pomona."

Smith remains in the No. 12 position in the NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Motorcycle point standings, with 567 points.



NEXT RACE: The final event, the 15th of 15 races for Pro Stock Motorcycles, on the 2005 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series schedule will take place at Pomona Raceway, on the grounds of the LA County Fairplex in Pomona, Calif. The 41st annual Automobile Club of Southern California Finals gets underway with qualifying, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, November 3-5, and eliminations on Sunday, November 6.

FURNISHED BY:

G SQUARED MOTORSPORTS
OWNERS: GEORGE BRYCE & GEORGE SMITH
Visit our website at http://www.g2motorsports.net/

Putz, Newberry, Puckett, Meeks, Whaley, Ewing, Bolin, Cox and Fallon Win at Silver Dollar Raceway (Div 2 Lucas Oil NHRA points meet)

Newberry Clinches NHRA LUcas Oil Top Alcohol Funny Car Title with win.
DragRaceCentral Recap

TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER:
Ricahrd Putz, 5.500, 257.58 def. Marty Thacker, broke

TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR:
Bob Newberry, 5.761, 250.23 def. Mark Billington, Norcross, GA 7.776, 120.46

COMP ELIMINATOR
Van Puckett, Monroe, Ga., '04 Cavalier, G/AA, 8.611, 136.61 def.
Dick Maris, Valrico, Fla., dragster, C/D, 7.069, 183.64.

SUPER STOCK
Hugh Meeks III, Montgomery, Ala., '93 Achieva, GT/AA, 10.353, 93.37 def.
Michael Tueffel, Greensboro, N.C., '98 Grand Am, SS/BM, broke.

STOCK ELIMINATOR
Mickey Whaley, Kinston, N.C., '69 Camaro, D/SA, 11.060, 111.96 def.
Woodro Josey, Byron, Ga., '98 Firebird, B/FIA, 10.762, 115.09.

SUPER COMP
Todd Ewing, Cullman, Ala., dragster, 8.913, 159.66 def.
Jim Perry, Orlando, Fla., dragster, 8.868, 175.34.

SUPER GAS
Ryan Bolin, Wilmington, Ill., '93 Mustang, 9.927, 137.34 def.
Terry Cross, Brunswick, Ga., '66 Chevy II, 9.893, 139.44.

SUPER STREET
Larry Cox, Reynolds, Ga., '67 Chevy II, 10.887, 137.44 def.
Matt Tankersly, Prospect, Tenn., '70 GTO, 10.871, 135.28.

TOP SPORTSMAN
Jimmy Fallon, Hamilton, Ohio, '63 Corvette, 7.363, 186.85 def.
Joe Endzelis, Riverton, Ill., '01 Camaro, 7.499, 180.19.

Schumacher Clinches TF Title & Doubles; Capps, KJ, and Ellis Pro Winners at Vegas

Tony Schumacher clinches Top Fuel Championship, Capps wins FC, Gary Scelzi regains Funny Car points lead, KJ wins over GA, Chip Ellis beats Angelle and David Rampey doubles (Comp & Stock) at Las Vegas.

NHRA Recap

Putz, Newberry, Treadwell, Layer, Rowe and Gardner Top Qualifiers at Silver Dollar Raceway (NHRA Lucas Oil Division 2 Race)

Saturday Recap

Anderson Clinches Pro Stock Title and Qualifies #1; Lucas, Scelzi and Schnitz Other #1 Pro Qualifiers at the NHRA POWERade ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals

NHRA Saturday Recap