Brainerd Friday summary

ZIVKOVICH, HARRINGTON LEAD FIELDS AT BIR'S LUCAS OIL DRAG RACING SERIES EVENT

BRAINERD, Minn. -- In the first rounds of qualifying at Brainerd Int'l Raceway's NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event, Top Alcohol Dragster driver William Zivkovich and Top Alcohol Funny Car pilot Paul Anderson took the

No. 1 qualifying positions in their classes.

Zivkovich, a Litchfield, Minn., resident, outran the field with a pass of 5.524 seconds at 259.11 mph. The second-place qualifier, Jared Dreher, Clinton, Ind., was on two-hundredths off the pace with a 5.544-second, 253.04 mph run.

Anderson, of Erie, Colo., wheeled his '06 Stratus to a 5.707-second, 248.48 mph pass which was enough to eclipse Bernie Harrington of Apple Valley, Calif. Harrington ran his Camaro 5.745 seconds at 249.81 mph.

Michael Johnson, Springdale, Ark., set the pace in Comp Eliminator, coming in just ahead of St. Cloud's Pat Nahan. Kearney, Neb., racer David Bogner is the No. 1 qualifier in Super Stock while in Stock Eliminator Charles Blossom, Woodbury, Minn., sits atop the field. Top Sportsman racer Jim White, Haysville, Kan., leads his category, Clif Bakx, Kleefield, Manit., is in the top spot in Top Dragster and in Sportsman Motorcycle Cary Hoover of Andover, Minn., is the best qualifier.

Racing continues Saturday and Sunday at BIR. Gates open at 8 a.m. Saturday and 7 a.m. Sunday. Final qualifying and time trials start at 9 a.m. Saturday. Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car will have two qualifying sessions, at 1 and 4 p.m. Eliminations start Sunday morning at 9. Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car run first round at noon.

Tickets for the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at BIR are $25 Saturday and $25 Sunday. Children 6 to 12 years old are half-price each day and kids 5 and under are admitted free.

For more information call BIR, (866) 444-4455, or visit www.BrainerdRacewayAndResort.com.

-credit: nhra