In the finals Janis faced off with Sweden’s Michael Gullqvist. Gullqvist was first off the line and led to the finish taking a slim margin of victory as Janis’s Firebird labored down the 1320 with a cylinder out.

Trane-sponsored Rick Stivers drove his 2006 Dodge Stratus Pro Mod to a semifinal finish Sunday and jumped into the No. 10 position in the NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series.

Stivers blasted out a 5.976-second, 240.98 mph effort in qualifying to take the No. 4 qualifying position and earn lane choice for his first-round pairing against Melanie Troxel. When the two faced off Saturday evening, Stivers took the starting-line advantage and never looked back, recording a 6.032 at 240.25 mph to her 6.070 at 239.14.

Success continued for the Lexington, Ky.-native on Sunday when eliminations continued, handily taking out Danny Rowe in the second round with a 6.010 at 240.59 to 9.917 at 103.49. In the semifinals, Stivers faced Mike Janis and had him beaten - were it not for leaving the starting line early and forfeiting the round.

"Overall, I have to be pleased with the weekend," Stivers said. "We qualified really well, the car ran great, and we made a big jump in the points. For everything I've been through this year, to have a weekend like this is exactly what I needed."

Stivers missed the first race of the ten-race series because of emergency surgery, and spent the following two races regaining his driving touch. His finish this weekend put him into the No. 10 spot in the championship race with 167 points, just 75 points out of the lead. Six events still remain on the series calendar.

"With our performance this weekend, we've made it into the top ten, and we're down a race on everyone else. That really speaks to just how powerful this Brad Anderson team really is. With the BAE horsepower pushing us down the track, it's definitely hard to stop this Trane," Stivers said.

ROUND ONE: Troy Coughlin, Chevy Camaro, 6.014, 236.63 def. Dennis Radford, Plymouth Duster, 6.074, 230.17; Von Smith, Camaro, 6.010, 242.93 def. Burton Auxier, Camaro, 9.842, 101.20; Michael Gullqvist, Camaro, 5.990, 244.74 def. Ed Hoover, Camaro, 12.004, 65.21; Danny Rowe, Camaro, 6.039, 243.77 def. Khalid Balooshi, Camaro, 6.069, 241.63; Rick Stivers, Dodge Stratus, 6.032, 240.25 def. Melanie Troxel, Chevy Corvette, 6.070, 239.14; Scott Ray, Corvette, 5.948, 239.65 def. Kenny Lang, Corvette, 6.899, 144.18; Jay Payne, Ford Mustang, 6.015, 243.02 def. Chip King, Dodge Daytona, 6.104, 235.19; Mike Janis, Pontiac Firebird, 8.576, 108.62 def. Brad Personett, Camaro, foul

QUARTERFINALS: Stivers, 6.010, 240.59 def. Rowe, 9.917, 103.49; V. Smith, 5.960, 243.46 def. Payne, 5.931, 243.06; Janis, 5.958, 241.45 def. Coughlin, 5.988, 235.68; Gullqvist, 5.975, 244.56 def. Ray, foul

SEMIFINALS: Gullqvist, 5.951, 243.41 def. V. Smith, 5.983, 242.23; Janis, 6.247, 177.25 def. Stivers, foul

FINAL: Gullqvist, 6.006, 244.03 def. Janis, 6.081, 237.00.

POINT STANDINGS

1. Von Smith, 241; 2. Danny Rowe, 227; 3. Kenny Lang, 218; 4. Jay Payne, 215; 5. Troy Coughlin, 205; 6. Melanie Troxel, 185; 7. Dennis Radford, 183; 8. Joe Baker, 182; 9. Michael Gullqvist, 176; 10. Rick Stivers, 167.

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