NE: Maple Grove Monday final summary

MAPLE GROVE RACEWAY TAKES TEAM TITLE AT NHRA SUMMIT SERIES FINALS

READING, Pa. -- NHRA Northeast Division Summit Racing Series Finals competitors finally reached the end of the event at Maple Grove Raceway today after fighting weather all weekend. What was scheduled to be a three-day event turned in to a five-day marathon due to persistent rain throughout the weekend. More than 500 racers in five categories were fighting for individual and team honors and a share of the cash purse worth more than $46,000.

In the end, the team from Maple Grove Raceway took the team championship. The final round in Pro ET featured two Maple Grover racers, Brock Moshier of Lititz, Pa., and Bryan Kershner of New Tripoli, Pa.

In Super Pro, Bob Avalos of Richmond, Va., scored the win for Virginia Motorsports Park when he defeated Derek Emil of Pittsgrove, N.J. Emil was racing for Atco Raceway. Moshier ousted Kershner for the Pro ET win while Mike Vandenheuvel of Elkton, Md., flying the Cecil County Dragway colors scored the win over teammate Matt Montgomery of Coatsville, Pa. Bob Carlson, Torrington, Conn., rode to the win in the Bike/Sled category. The Lebanon Valley Dragway racer outpaced Gene Belt, Taneytown, Md., who was riding for Mason-Dixon Dragway. In the High School Eliminator presented by Luzerne County Community College category, Joe Albrecht, North Bellmore, N.Y., grabbed the win for Old Bridge Twp. Raceway Park. Joshua Johnson, representing Mason-Dixon Dragway.

The Race of Champions presented by Hillwood Sales, a race within a race that pits the top points-earning drivers from each track against each other in head-to-head competition, had originally been slated to run on Friday but didn't get under way until today. The wins went to Steve Sperone, Ledgewood, N.J., racing for Island Dragway in Super Pro; Paul Thimm Jr., Mohnton, Pa., racing for Maple Grove Raceway, in Pro ET; Carlos DeJesus, Suitland, Md., racing for Cecil County Dragway in Street; and Chuck White, Rising Sun, Md., racing for Cecil County Dragway in Bike/Sled.

Winners in the top four categories will have the right to compete for a national championship against the winners from NHRA's other six divisions during the NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif. Every Summit Series racer who competes in Pomona receives an additional $3,500 and they will run for a winner-take-all $5,000 purse.

The following are Monday's final results from the NHRA Summit Racing Series 2008 Northeast Division Finals:

SUPER PRO

Bob Avalos, Richmond, Va., Virginia Motorsports Park, 5.518 seconds, 126.89 mph def. Derek Emil, Pittsgrove, N.J., Atco Raceway, 5.002, 130.87

PRO ET

Brock Moshier, Lititz, Pa., Maple Grove Raceway, 5.840, 113.23 def. Bryan Kershner, New Tripoli, Pa., Maple Grove Raceway 5.924, 117.60

STREET

Mike Vandenheuvel, Elkton, Md., Cecil County Dragway, 7.484, 86.09 def. Matt Montgomery, Coatsville, Pa., Cecil County Dragway, 7.588, 89.83

BIKE/SLED

Bob Carlson, Torrington, Conn., Lebanon Valley Dragway, 6.154, 115.86 def. Gene Belt, Taneytown, Md., Mason-Dixon Dragway, 5.317, 126.39

HIGH SCHOOL

Joe Albrecht, North Bellmore, N.Y., Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, 7.641, 89.54 def. Joshua Johnson, Mason-Dixon Dragway, 7.976, 84.03.

The following are the final results from the NHRA Summit Racing Series 2008 Northeast Division Race of Champions presented by Hillwood Sales:

SUPER PRO

Steve Sperone, Ledgewood, N.J., Island Dragway, 4.903, 141.70 def. Will Mitchell, Windsor Mill, Md., Capitol Raceway, 4.923, 140.24

PRO ET

Paul Thimm Jr., Mohnton, Pa., Maple Grove Raceway, 5.838, 116.87 def. Nelson Belot, Pittsfield, Mass., Lebanon Valley Dragway, 6.271, 110.42

STREET

Carlos Dejesus, Suitland, Md., Cecil County Dragway, 7.505, 85.00 def. Tom Harhart, Elysburg, Pa., Numidia Dragway, 9.090, 74.97

BIKE/SLED

Chuck White, Rising Sun, Md., Cecil County Raceway, 5.969, 113.36 def. Tony Pasquale, Piscataway, N.J., Atco Raceway, 7.098, 102.28

-credit: nhra