Topeka: Lee Callaway wrap up

TOPEKA, Kan. - After entering the event with hopes of conquering his season-long tire shake problem, Federal Mogul Dragster driver Lee Callaway found no reprieve during this past weekend's Advance Auto Parts Nationals at Heartland Park in Topeka, Kan. Callaway worked his way to the quarterfinals before being defeated by eventual winner, and fellow Division 4 competitor, Shelly Howard.

Callaway, from Baytown, Texas, qualified his AllStateRV.com backed Blown Alcohol Dragster No. 13 with a tire-shaking elapsed time of 5.614 seconds at 253.09 mph. In round one, Callaway improved slightly with a 5.601 at 251.66 mph to upset No. 5 qualifier Chris Ricketts' A/Fuel Dragster. Callaway's tire shake problems caught up with him in the second round, however, against Howard. Callaway took a sizable jump off the line with a .438 to .483 holeshot, but could not hold off Howard's 5.517 at 258.62 mph with his own 5.651 at 251.72 mph.

"We didn't have the weekend we were looking for," said Callaway. "We were having a few clutch and fuel system problems, we were having a lot of tireshake. We backed it off to try to get it down through the shake, but then it just wouldn't run the numbers."

After this weekend, Callaway plans to go a new direction from former tuner David Scheelk's tune-up.

"We're going to put a different fuel system on it, and get a little assistance from someone else to get the clutch and fuel system going in the right direction," stated Callaway. "We're a little off in those departments right now."

"We might go hit St. Louis, and for sure the Denver Division 5 race," continued Callaway. "We'll just have to see how it goes."

-CR