Gainesville: David Baca Saturday summary

Baca qualifies No. 8 at Mac Tools Gatornationals GAINESVILLE, Fla. - David Baca, from Brentwood, Calif., qualified the American Racing/ 3-A- Day of Dairy/Dairy Farmers of Oregon dragster in the top half of the field, finishing at No. 8. Baca's ...

Baca qualifies No. 8 at Mac Tools Gatornationals

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - David Baca, from Brentwood, Calif., qualified the American Racing/ 3-A- Day of Dairy/Dairy Farmers of Oregon dragster in the top half of the field, finishing at No. 8. Baca's best run down the Gainesville Raceway quarter-mile was a 4.753 second pass in today's final qualifying sessions.

When eliminations begin tomorrow for the NHRA Mac Tools Gatornationals, Baca will face-off against the No. 9 qualifier, Rhonda Hartman-Smith. Hartman-Smith qualified with an elapsed time of 4.774 seconds.

"We have been striving to be more consistent," said Baca. "A 4.767-, 4.770- and 4.753-second pass shows that we are headed in the right direction. Once we get the consistency that we are looking for, then, and only then, we can begin to step it up from there. I look forward to getting on the track tomorrow."

Final eliminations start at 11 a.m. (ET) tomorrow when Top Fuel, followed by Funny Cars and Pro Stock, take to the track here at Gainesville Raceway. Weather conditions should be similar to the last several days - hot, humid and hazy.

In business since 1956, American Racing Custom Wheels, headquartered in Rancho Dominguez, Calif., offers over 75 styles of wheels for every aftermarket application -- including passenger car, off-road, truck/SUV, vintage, dualie, steel and hi-performance wheels. With 40 warehouses, American Racing provides the consumer ease of access to their product through dealers and retail outlets nationwide.

3-A-Day of Dairy, the pilot program that Baca is now testing through the Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla., is a nutrition-based marketing and consumer education campaign managed by The American Dairy Association/National Dairy Council, with the monetary support of the dairy industry and the professional support of the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Dietetic Association and the National Medical Association.

Henkelman & Baca Motorsports is pleased to be associated throughout the 2004 season with marketing support from Champion Spark Plugs, the Dairy Farmers of Oregon, Don Steves Chevrolet (La Habra, Calif.), Goodyear and Mac Tools.