Massive Crowd Sees Gilbertson No. 1 Nitro Funny Car Qualifier (1 Viewer)

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Massive Crowd Sees Gilbertson No. 1 Nitro Funny Car Qualifier

EPPING, N.H. (August 11, 2007) – Bob Gilbertson, Gastonia, N.C., qualified No. 1 in Knoll Gas Torco Racing Fuels Pro Nitro Funny Car during the Amalie Oil North American Nationals presented by New England Dodge Dealers. Gilbertson covered the New England Dragway quarter-mile in 4.953 seconds at 309.91 mph, also earning Last Man Standing in front of the capacity crowd.

Other professional No. 1 qualifiers include TJ Zizzo (Top Fuel), Mike Janis (Pro Modified), Terry Munroe (Alcohol Funny Car) and Brian Gahm (Pro Stock).

Trailing Gilbertson in Nitro Funny Car qualifying is Andy Kelley and Mike Smith, two and three. Points leader Dale Creasy Jr. sits fourth, followed by Jack Wyatt, Mitch King, Jeff Diehl and Terry Haddock.

Zizzo topped the Knoll Gas Torco Racing Fuels Pro Nitro Top Fuel class with a 4.610, 320.13, which earned the Lincolnshire, Ill., driver Last Man Standing as well. Terry McMillen qualified second, 4.663, followed by Scotty Cannon and Bobby Lagana Jr. Current points leader Bruce Litton is fifth. His lead over Zizzo is less than one round, and the two will meet in the first round of eliminations.

In Torco’s CompetitionPlus.com Pro Modified, Janis, Lancaster, N.Y., used the afternoon qualifying session to set the No. 1 mark at 6.064, 239.74. The speed is fast enough to give him the world record if he can back up the run. He’s trailed by Ed Hoover, who earned the Last Man Standing. Shannon Jenkins sits third and Jason Hamstra, who won the last IHRA event in Martin, Mich., is fourth. Harold Martin holds the bump spot.

Alcohol Funny Car driver Munroe, Beaver, Pa., who entered the event second in points, earned top qualifier and Last Man Standing. His 5.771, 242.54, was enough to outlast No. 2 qualifier Rob Atchison, current points leader Mark Thomas and Paul Noakes. Neal Parker locked up the bump spot with a 5.962.

Gahm, Lucasville, Ohio, used a 6.343 ET to take the No. 1 spot in Torco’s CompetitionPlus.com Pro Stock, as well as the Quarter-Max Pro Stock Challenge. His speed of 221.27 tied the world record set by Robert Patrick at New England Dragway in 2006. Patrick finished second, followed by Frank Gugliotta, Rob Mansfield and Pete Berner. Dan Sweeney, Groton, Mass., qualified twelfth.

Professional eliminations are scheduled for Sunday at 10:30 a.m. , 12 noon , 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. For more information, log onto IHRA.com - Homepage Of IHRA Motorsports - A Division Of Live Nation. The Amalie Oil North American Nationals presented by New England Dodge Dealers is the seventh of eleven events on the $19.5 million 2007 Knoll Gas Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series.

EPPING, N.H. -- First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the Amalie Oil North American Nationals presented by New England Dodge Dealers at New England Dragway, the seventh of 11 events in the $19.5 million 2007 Knoll Gas Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday.

Top Fuel -- 1. T.J. Zizzo, 4.610 seconds, 321.04 mph vs. 5. Bruce Litton, 4.917, 298.21; 2. Terry McMillen, 4.663, 297.68 vs. 6. Jim Cavalieri, 5.007, 233.12; 3. Scotty Cannon, 4.768, 305.98 vs. 7. Jeff O'Neill, 5.080, 296.05; 4. Bobby Lagana Jr., 4.854, 267.27 vs. 8. Mitch King, 11.725, 71.11.

Nitro Funny Car -- 1. Bob Gilbertson, Dodge Stratus, 4.953, 309.91 vs. 5. Jack Wyatt, Stratus, 6.224, 153.61; 2. Andy Kelley, Pontiac Firebird, 5.101, 294.43 vs. 6. Mitch King, Chevy Corvette, 6.546, 138.70; 3. Mike Smith, Chevy Camaro, 5.429, 270.59 vs. 7. Jeff Diehl, Firebird, 9.939, 81.38; 4. Dale Creasy Jr., Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.633, 184.14 vs. 8. Terry Haddock, Stratus, 10.688, 90.59.

Pro Modified -- 1. Mike Janis, Chevy Cobalt, 6.064, 239.74 vs. 9. Scott Cannon, Pontiac Firebird, 6.164, 214.93; 2. Ed Hoover, Chevy Corvette, 6.071, 235.35 vs. 10. Quain Stott, Corvette, 6.165, 232.55; 3. Shannon Jenkins, Pontiac GTO, 6.090, 234.57 vs. 11. Jim Halsey, Chevy Camaro, 6.179, 230.02; 4. Jason Hamstra, Corvette, 6.096, 230.13 vs. 12. Burton Auxier, Corvette, 6.180, 225.67; 5. Matt Hagan, Corvette, 6.098, 234.74 vs. 13. Pat Stoken, Camaro, 6.209, 228.96; 6. Mike Castellana, Ford Mustang, 6.121, 230.49 vs. 14. Steve Salvadore, Firebird, 6.216, 229.27; 7. Chip King, Dodge Daytona, 6.145, 235.93 vs. 15. Danny Rowe, Corvette, 6.285, 230.25; 8. Kirk Kuhns, Willys, 6.160, 224.51 vs. 16. Harold Martin, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.285, 221.67.

Alcohol Funny Car -- 1. Terry Munroe, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.771, 242.54 vs. 5. Larry Dobbs, Chevy Corvette, 5.878, 240.04; 2. Rob Atchison, Monte Carlo, 5.794, 244.96 vs. 6. Scott McNiece, Olds Cutlass, 5.919, 238.89; 3. Mark Thomas, Monte Carlo, 5.833, 247.07 vs. 7. Frederick Tigges, Dodge Avenger, 5.958, 241.89; 4. Paul Noakes, Ford Mustang, 5.842, 243.77 vs. 8. Neal Parker, Monte Carlo, 5.962, 236.88.

Pro Stock -- 1. Brian Gahm, Ford Mustang, 6.343, 221.27 vs. 9. John Montecalvo, Chevy Cobalt, 6.385, 219.61; 2. Robert Patrick, Shelby Cobra, 6.358, 219.65 vs. 10. Rickie Smith, Cobalt, 6.388, 218.97; 3. Frank Gugliotta, Cobalt, 6.363, 219.90 vs. 11. Elijah Morton, Ford ZX2, 6.396, 219.33; 4. Rob Mansfield, Pontiac GTO, 6.364, 220.55 vs. 12. Dan Sweeney, GTO, 6.397, 218.48; 5. Pete Berner, GTO, 6.365, 220.22 vs. 13. Jeff Dobbins, Ford Escort, 6.403, 219.65; 6. John Nobile, Mustang, 6.370, 219.58 vs. 14. Bob Bertsch, Mustang, 6.409, 219.79; 7. Cary Goforth, Cobalt, 6.375, 220.22 vs. 15. Dean Goforth, GTO, 6.442, 216.90; 8. Steve Spiess, Cobalt, 6.377, 219.61 vs. 16. Anthony Paone, GTO, 6.461, 217.25.

About IHRA
Headquartered in Norwalk , Ohio , the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA), a division of Live Nation, promotes professional, semi-professional and local level racing opportunities for drivers at all levels. The $19.5 million Knoll Gas Nitro Jam™ Drag Racing Series is an 11-event North American professional drag racing circuit. In 2007, the series will be comprised of eight events in major cities throughout the United States and three in Canada . The Summit Racing Equipment Pro-Am Championship presented by Mr. Gasket consists of competition at national events and 40 events in six regional divisions, while IHRA’s Summit SuperSeries is conducted nearly every weekend at over 70 IHRA-sanctioned tracks. Providing a safe environment to develop future stars, IHRA offers the Junior Dragster Racing Series for youths ages 8-17. Stand-alone events include Live Nation’s entertainment-filled “Thunder Jam” shows and the street legal racing and lifestyle event series Kumho Street Warriorz. More information can be found at IHRA.com - Homepage Of IHRA Motorsports - A Division Of Live Nation.

About Live Nation
Live Nation is the world's largest live music company. Our mission is to inspire passion for live music around the world. We are the largest promoter of live concerts in the world, the second-largest entertainment venue management company and have a rapidly growing online presence. We strive to create superior experiences for artists and fans, regularly producing tours for the biggest superstars in the business, including The Rolling Stones, Barbra Streisand, Madonna, U2 and Coldplay. Globally, we own, operate, have booking rights for and/or have an equity interest in more than 160 venues, including House of Blues® music venues and prestigious locations such as The Fillmore in San Francisco, Nikon at Jones Beach in New York and London’s Wembley Arena. Our websites collectively are the second most popular entertainment/event websites in the United States , according to Nielsen//NetRatings. In addition, we also produce, promote or host theatrical, specialized motor sports and other live entertainment events. In 2006, we connected nearly 60 million fans with their favorite performers at approximately 26,000 events in 18 countries around the world. Headquartered in Los Angeles , California , Live Nation is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, trading under the symbol “LYV.”
 
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