Ethridge results

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Anthony Vestal IHRA Director of Communications More information: (423) 764-1164

July 21, 1997

ETHRIDGE, Tenn. -- Former IHRA Top Dragster World Champion Dave Elrod earned his first victory of the season in the category, topping Kent Massey in the IHRA Snap-on Tools World Championship Series event final round at U.S. 43 Dragway on July 20. The Harrod, Ohio racer covered the 1/8-mile facility in 4.938 seconds at 140.04 miles per hour to defeat Massey, also a WCS event winner in 1997. Massey, of Flintstone, Ga., ran 4.894, 143.24. Wytheville, Va.'s Billy Albert also scored his first victory of the 1997 season piloting his new 1995 Olds Cutlass, former car of three-time and defending Top Sportsman World Champion Gary Bingham. Albert ran 5.184, 131.58 to get the win over serious championship points contender Ken Langlois, who ran 5.726, 89.99 in his Chevy Z24. Jim Butler of Floyds Knob, Ind. outran defending Modified champ Anthony Bertozzi for the win in that division. Butler cruised to a 6.245, 88.27 win, while Bertozzi, of Richmond, Va., limped across the finish line at 10.26, 45.53. Jimbo Fields held off Roger Keeling to take the Super Stock victory. Fields, of Gallatin, Tenn., went 7.226, 92.46 for the win. Pacolet Mills, S.C.'s Harold Gault paced the Stock category. He earned a tight final round win over fellow South Carolinian Ray Grice. Gault ran 7.590, 75.68, to Grice's 8.946, 75.68. Rod category winners included Jeff Strickland, Red Bay, Ala. (Quick Rod); Eddie Holbrook, Eastern, Ky. (Super Rod); and Andy Anderson, Madison, Ala., (Hot Rod). Strickland outran Paul Russell, Anderson defeated Bitsy Satterly, and Holbrook was a winner over former Super Rod world champ Kenny Raines. The next IHRA Snap-on Tools World Championship Series event will be held Aug. 2- 3 at the Kinston (N.C.) Dragway.

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