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NHRA Toyota Nationals Sportsman champion highlights

10 Nov 2016
NHRA News
News
David Rampy won for the 92nd time in his storied career, and Tommy Phillips bagged career win No. 38 to lead the list of NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event winners at the NHRA Toyota Nationals in Las Vegas.
   

Garrett Bateman claimed the Top Alcohol Dragster title with a thrilling final-round win over Joey Severance, 5.277 to 5.305. Bateman successfully defended his 2015 NHRA Toyota Nationals title with a run that included wins over Megan McKernan, Ashley Sanford, and Gord Gingles. Severance, who has already clinched the 2016 championship, topped Cody Perkins, former champ Chris Demke, and recent Reading winner Jackie Fricke to advance to the final. [Watch video]

The battle for the Top Alcohol Funny Car title was epic with 27 cars fighting for just 16 qualifying spots, resulting in a record 5.664 bump spot. After qualifying No. 5, Terry Ruckman went the distance in eliminations, driving to a 5.642 to 5.779 victory over DJ Cox Jr. in the final. Ruckman, the winner of the spring Las Vegas event last April, topped Jay Payne and Swedish drivers Johan Lindberg and Ulf Leanders to reach the final round.  [Watch video]

David Rampy, a four-time national champion, drove his Ray Skillman-backed Econo Altered to a final-round victory in Comp against Division 6 ace Jeff Lane. Rampy overcame Lane’s nearly perfect .004 reaction time to win with a (-.532) 7.368 to Lane’s (-.508) 8.222. The final margin of victory was just six-thousandths of a second at the finish line. With the win, Rampy, who also defeated Ross Wilson and Dan Fletcher in eliminations, moves a step closer to the coveted 100-win plateau, a feat that just two drivers (John Force and Frank Manzo) have thus far been able to achieve. [Watch video]

Kyle Rizzoli won his fourth national event title in his third different class when he stopped former national champion Ryan McClanahan in the Super Stock final. Already a winner in Super Comp and Stock, Rizzoli wheeled his SS/CA ’69 Camaro to a 9.877 on his 9.84 dial in the final to hold off McClanahan’s fast-charging SS/BM Cobalt. McClanahan drove to an 8.757 on his 8.72 dial but came up .014-second short at the finish line. Rizzoli’s path to the final included wins against Randy Loge, Tommy Gaynor, and Timothy Fletcher, who was driving his father Dan’s ’69 Camaro. [Watch video]

Stock winner Darrel Goheen took delivery of his new (to him) C/SA ’94 Camaro during the Las Vegas event, and three days later, he parked the car in the winner’s circle. Goheen has made a total of 11 runs in his new ride, including the final round, where he stopped fellow first-time finalist Nanette Stein, who fouled. Goheen had a challenging draw on his side of the ladder, which featured tough matches against Bill Bushmaker, former Division 7 champ Leo Glasbrenner, and past national champ Don Little. [Watch video]

Michael Miller claimed the eighth national event title of his career when he defeated Mike Hiatt in the Super Comp final. Miller wheeled his dragster to a 9.069 on the 9.05 altitude-adjusted index to stop Hiatt, who broke out with a 9.046. Miller also defeated Dick VanderMeer, Aaron Kinard, and low qualifier Riley Ledbetter during eliminations. [Watch video]

Tommy Phillips continued his strong season with his fourth overall national event victory and third in Super Gas. Driving his CBS ArcSafe Corvette, Phillips downed Kevin Moore in the final round, 10.057 to a breakout 10.043 on the 10.05 altitude-adjusted index. Phillips also turned in a strong performance in Super Comp, where he reached the quarterfinal round. More importantly, Phillips remains a contender for the Super Gas national championship, although in order to do so, he must win the final Division 7 Lucas Oil Series event of the season in Las Vegas.  [Watch video]

Previous events:
Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals
NHRA Carolina Nationals
AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals
Dodge NHRA Nationals
AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals