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Charlotte II: Rick Stivers final report

Parts failure sends Stivers home early in Charlotte CONCORD, N.C. (September 19, 2010) - Just when the Brad Anderson-owned Pro Mod team had Rick Stivers' Trane-sponsored 2006 Stratus running in championship form, major parts failure cost the team ...

Published: Sep 21, 2010, 4:58 AM

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Parts failure sends Stivers home early in Charlotte

CONCORD, N.C. (September 19, 2010) - Just when the Brad Anderson-owned Pro Mod team had Rick Stivers' Trane-sponsored 2006 Stratus running in championship form, major parts failure cost the team a second-round win in the GSA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series event and left Stivers with just one race to make the top ten in the class.

Stivers qualified No. 4 with a powerful 5.925-second pass at 241.5 mph, pairing him with "Tombstone" Tommy Gray for first round. Stivers led from the green light and never looked back, scoring a 5.979-second run at 240.51 mph to Gray's aborted tire-shaking pass at 15.531 seconds.

"After struggling all season, we finally had things dialed in on this car and we were back to running things the way we ended up last season - on a tear," Stivers said. "After qualifying so well and taking out Tommy in round one, we were all excited, thinking that this was our race - which I still think it was. Then, against Melanie [Troxel, eventual event winner] in round two, we got kicked in the butt - literally."

Stivers had earned lane choice over Melanie Troxel in round two, and actually edged her off the line with a .061-second reaction time to her .064 - but from there, it was all Troxel. As Stivers took off from the line, the rear end assembly broke, pushing him into tire-shake and costing him victory.

"I just felt it go, and watched her just drive away. There was nothing I could do other than shake my head. We had the car, I had the light, and I could see the end of the track - but it all just slipped out from my hand. That's racing - but it's not fun.

"The good thing we can leave here with is that the car is really running great. We'll get in touch with the folks at Mark Williams and find out what happened, get it fixed, and head into Vegas with the goal of bringing home the money.

"This Trane will be right back on track, and we're ready to roll on through. We might be kicked in the butt, but, it'll take more than that to stop this Trane," Stivers said.

The final race in the NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series is October 28-31 at the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals.

-source: rick stiver PR -30-

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