NHRA
Englishtown: Stevens still running strong
ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. (Sept. 8) -- Just as he was four months ago during the original qualifying sessions for the rain-delayed Matco Tools Spring SuperNationals, Pro Stock driver Richie "The Kid" Stevens was the second quickest car in attendance during ...
Edited: Apr 15, 2002, 11:45 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. (Sept. 8) -- Just as he was four months ago during the original qualifying sessions for the rain-delayed Matco Tools Spring SuperNationals, Pro Stock driver Richie "The Kid" Stevens was the second quickest car in attendance during Friday's two scheduled test-and-tune rounds.
Stevens, a 21-year-old from New Orleans who drives the Valspar Refinish Pontiac Firebird, ran a near-perfect 6.898-second lap at 197.77 mph during the day's second session. He maintains a decided advantage over his pre-established first round opponent Bruce Allen, who topped out at 6.938-seconds and 197.65 mph, also in Round 2. Both men recorded lesser laps in the right lane earlier in the day.
"The biggest thing we learned today is that we're glad to have lane choice," Stevens said. "If this was a normal event and we had a full weekend of the fuel cars going down the track then it probably wouldn't matter. But the way it is with only the top 16 qualified cars here in each class, we have to take it like it is and I think the left side is much better. I think Bruce would agree with me."
On the original race date in mid-May, only two and a half rounds of professional qualifying were completed before officials deemed the track unsafe due to extreme cold and rain. Organizers elected to set the elimination fields at that point and reschedule the race for the next weekend that made sense in relation to the rest of the schedule. The NHRA tour will be in nearby Reading, Pa., next weekend.
Entering the race as the defending event champion, Stevens was equally proficient during the first stop, recording the session's second quickest elapsed time of 6.840 seconds during a 200.23 mph pass. Both marks established career best numbers for Stevens and his Valspar Refinish crew.
"We love this track," Stevens said. "For whatever reason this Valspar Pontiac runs strong here. I'm proud to be the defending champ and, just like it says, we plan on defending our title tomorrow. There is no reason to think we won't have a great day. The car's running great and I've been doing all right driving. I'm ready to race."
The rescheduled 31st annual Matco Tools Spring SuperNationals will be broadcast Sunday from 1-3 p.m. on ESPN.
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Englishtown: Goodyear tire facts
Next article Englishtown: Dixon No. 1 for eliminations
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Bruce Allen
Lucrative Horsepower Challenge set for Pro Stock drivers at Norwalk
NHRA
NHRA
Lucrative Horsepower Challenge set for Pro Stock drivers at Norwalk
Norwalk: Series Pro Stock Horsepower Challenge preview
NHRA
NHRA
Norwalk: Series Pro Stock Horsepower Challenge preview
Series Horsepower Challenge news 2010-05-26
NHRA
NHRA
Series Horsepower Challenge news 2010-05-26
Latest news
Bourdais, Moss headline second batch of Sebring's 75 all-time greatest drivers
IMSA
IMSA IMSA 2 min
Bourdais, Moss headline second batch of Sebring's 75 all-time greatest drivers
IndyCar driver and Fox Sports reporter Jack Harvey announces cancer diagnosis
IndyCar
Indy IndyCar 11 min
IndyCar driver and Fox Sports reporter Jack Harvey announces cancer diagnosis
Cadillac’s F1 brakes are still a problem: ‘I had to lift and coast on lap two’
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Singapore GP
1 h
Cadillac’s F1 brakes are still a problem: ‘I had to lift and coast on lap two’
Why Jorge Martín was not penalised for jump start in Indonesia
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Indonesian GP
1 h
Why Jorge Martín was not penalised for jump start in Indonesia
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe