NHRA

Shelly Howard Columbus summary

Howard scores runner-up finish in Columbus. HEBRON, Ohio - After fighting problems with her new dragster most of the year, NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster driver Shelly Howard turned in her best performance of the year with a runner-up finish during ...

Published: Jun 19, 2002, 11:54 PM

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Howard scores runner-up finish in Columbus.

HEBRON, Ohio - After fighting problems with her new dragster most of the year, NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster driver Shelly Howard turned in her best performance of the year with a runner-up finish during this past weekend's Pontiac Excitement Nationals presented by Summit Racing at National Trail Raceway just outside of Columbus, Ohio. Howard used her signature bracket-like consistency to make her fifth career national event final.

Howard, who is a registered nurse when not racing in Tulsa, Okla., qualified her Tom Conway tuned Blown Alcohol Dragster fourth in the 16 car field with a strong 5.498 at 248.66 mph. In round one, she took out Jeff Wilson on a holeshot, with her 5.501 at 252.85 mph defeating Wilson's quicker-but-later 5.454 at 256.16 mph. She then took out Mick Snyder with a 5.535 at 251.11, and then Cliff Bozzelli in the semifinals with a 5.520 at 251.77 mph.

Howard's final round opponent was Gary Ormsby, Jr., who just two weeks ago set the alcohol racing world on it's ear with the quickest lap of all time at a 5.13 in Topeka. Ormsby's injected-nitro machine was in it's own zip code all day, and ran a 5.409 at 243.06 mph in the final to defeat Howard's holeshot-aided 5.585 at 252.90 mph.

"It was a real good weekend for us," said Howard. "We got a little luck, but at this point in the season, I think we are due some. It was a real boost for the team to finally go some rounds. Tom and the team are getting a handle on the tireshake problem, but we still aren't quite where we need to be. I can't say enough about the effort the team gave to make all the rounds, they were really turning us around pretty quick between rounds."

Howard's next event will be the rescheduled Division 4 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Houston Raceway Park. There, Howard, the defending Division 4 Champion, hopes her newfound performance can get her back in the thick of things in Division 4.

"We just have to keep making runs down the track," stated Howard. "We have had a pretty rough year on the divisional level, so it will be tough to get back in the hunt. Nonetheless, we'll just do the best we can do every run, and the points will take care of themselves."

For more information on the Howard Racing Team, visit their website at ShellyHoward.com.

-shr-

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