Dave Hedges St. Louis summary

Hedges Shines Under Pressure

When the final qualifying session began, Dave Hedges was sitting comfortably in the show. One by one he watched the pairs go down the race track in front of him and by the time it was his turn the 25 year racing veteran was sitting on the outside looking in. A nice smooth run down the groove just after midnight propelled the Team into the 8 car field. Unfortunately for the Team, it also set them up with a first round match-up against the eventual race winner.

"Going into the final session on Saturday evening we were in the show. But by the time we pulled up to the line around midnight, we were sitting on the outside looking in. It is definitely a nerve racking feeling, but we came together as a Team and Dave did a great job keeping it in the groove to get us into final eliminations," said Brian Pfeifer, crew chief on the Knoll Gas -- Torco Racing Fuels blown alcohol dragster.

The Team qualified #8 for the event with a 5.53 at 257 MPH. On Sunday, during the heat of the day, Hedges had a full tenth advantage off the starting line and ran a 5.57 at 251 MPH but was unable to hold off his opponent.

"Even though we didn't make it to the winner's circle last weekend, we feel good about our performance. This is going to be a tough 3 weeks for everyone and I think it was a good way for us to start. Next weekend we will head to Indy and try to get this car into the winner's circle for Evan and all the great people at Knoll Gas -- Torco Racing Fuels."

-credit: sh/ss-b