NHRA LODRS Finals at Pomona

Sportsman Racers End Season with Championships

Words by Eric Lotz

Photos by Tim Marshall

Shawn Cowie and John Lombardo Jr. led the list of winners for the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series and the Auto Club Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, CA, on Nov. 12.

Julie Natass (near lane) was No. 1 qualifier and set Low ET and Top Speed in TAD, but couldn’t get past Shawn Cowie in the final.

Cowie, Surrey, B.C., picked up career win number ten in Top Alcohol Dragster as he took out Julie Nataas of Santa Barbara, Calif., in the final round. Nataas was out first but Cowie quickly made up the difference and raced to a 5.272-second lap at 274.72 mph. Nataas qualified No. 1 with a great 5.115 at 280.49 mph but slowed in the final, clocking in at 5.481/272.50. The win was Cowie’s fourth of the year.

Brea, Calif., racer Lombardo (near lane)grabbed his third win in 2017 by knocking out Annie Whiteley in the Top Alcohol Funny Car final. Lombardo won on a holeshot crossing the finish line in 5.420 seconds, 271.41 mph to the quicker Whiteley at 5.417, 273.22.

Austin Williams, who had already clinched the NHRA Lucas Oil Super Comp World Championship, raced to the win in Stock Eliminator in his ’72 Duster “Motown Missle”. Williams, Burleson, Texas, went 11.080 at 109.61 to end Chris Stephenson’s day who ran 10.620, 122.56 in his ’68 Firebird.

Robert Cruzen bagged his first career win at the NHRA national event level as he beat out former world champion Jimmy DeFrank in the Super Stock final. Cruzen, of Cleveland, Okla., had a great .007 second reaction time then ran 9.344, 142.81 for the win and the trophy.

Bobby Dye, Ontario, Calif., and Tanner Theobald, Saint George, Utah, left the line together with Dye (near lane) running 8.904 on the 8.90 index for the Super Comp win.

Steve Parsons (far lane), Ridgecrest, Calif. won Super Gas at the start when Mike Wiblishouser, Laveen, Ariz., left early with a red light. Parsons ran it out to a 9.895, 171.62 in his ’63 Corvette.

Veteran racer Dan Fletcher rounded out the winners as he collected his 102nd NHRA national event win. Fletcher’s Churchville, NY-based Chevy Cobalt beat out Tom Mettler’s Dodge Dakota, Tehachapi, Calif., in Comp Eliminator with a lap of 8.022, 168.11.

Todd Martin (far lane), Highland Lakes, NJ, 7.610, 174.89 def. Dale Green, Pacific, WA, 8.886, 173/99

Troy Johnston (far lane), Keyport, WA, defeated Jake Howard, Lavon, TX, in the Sportsman ET class.

Riley Toth (far lane), Medicine Hat, AB, 8.605, 144.09 def. Curtis Spracklin, Omaha, NE, 8.614, 145/88 in ET Motorcycle.

PHOTO EXTRA SLIDESHOW