Douglas: Alan Bradshaw race summary

Bradshaw enters Div. 5 title chase with second straight win.

DOUGLAS, Wyo. - NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster driver Alan "Quick Draw" Bradshaw won his second straight Division 5 race during this past weekend's Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Douglas International Raceway, just a few weeks after taking a solid win in Denver. Bradshaw only trails Division 5 Champ David Wells by 30 points in Division 5 standings despite only attending two events.

Bradshaw, a practicing chiropractor in Odessa, Texas, won both events after qualifying in the No. 1 position. In high altitude conditions and on a very marginal racetrack, Bradshaw ran a 6.181 second elapsed time at 232.27 mph to take the low qualifying spot in Douglas.

In round one, Bradshaw defeated Greg Tacke with a 6.209 at 229.74 mph, and then received a competition bye in the semifinals. In the final, Bradshaw took the jump off the line over his opponent, Larry Traugott, and never looked back, taking the win with a 6.226 at 229.20 mph to Traugott's 6.259 at 225.45 mph. The win was Bradshaw's second of the year, and marked the fourth time in four races he was in the final round.

"The last two races went real well for us," said Bradshaw. "Really, we've just had a great year. Sure, we've got some breaks, but we were in position to take advantage of those breaks. Qualifying No. 1 really helps open some of those doors. My crew has done an awesome job of keeping the car ready to go, and Tom Conway has given us some great guidance this year."

Initially Bradshaw had intended on running primarily national events, but with his recent success on the divisional level, Bradshaw has decided to take a shot at the Division 5 title.

"Originally, we were mainly going to concentrate on national events," stated Bradshaw. "With these two wins, we are right in the thick of things, so I think we're going to make a run for the division title. We'll just have to take it one race at a time and see how it goes."

-bar-