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MORRISON, Colo. (July 16, 2006) - Team Mopar/Valspar Dodge Stratus R/T driver Richie Stevens Jr. continued his streak of Pro Stock quarterfinal finishes today by reaching the second round of the Mopar Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway. It is the fourth straight NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series race in which he has advanced past the first round (Joliet, Ill., Englishtown, N.J., and St. Louis).
Stevens was given a free pass in the first round when Mike Edwards fouled out at the starting line and Stevens went on to post a 7.183-second pass at 192.82 mph. The solid quarter-mile run was not enough to give him lane choice in the second round, however, where he faced off against No. 1 qualifier Jason Line.
Stevens ran a 7.193/192.36, while Line had the winning 7.120/193.68. "I left on him a little bit (.031 reaction time to Line's .065 - .000 is perfect), but Jason threw a good package up there," said the New Orleans native. "I could have been perfect off the line and wouldn't have beaten him.
"It was a crew chief's chore this weekend. It was a tough track to handle. The track temperature was 142 degrees, which is just incredible. Neither lane was that great, but the left lane was a little better today," he said. "David (Nickens, crew chief/engine builder), the boys, Dustin (Stricker) and Rick (Pearson), did a hell of job this weekend. The conditions were just miserable."
Ambient temperatures hovered at the 100-degree mark all weekend, and track temperatures soared to 140 degrees.
"I feel good about the weekend," added Stevens. "We tried to give Mopar a good show here in Denver, but this class is tough. It's a race just to get qualified, but it's nice to be getting out of the first round consistently. When you work this hard all weekend, you hate to go out first round."
Stevens is currently 12th in Pro Stock points, only 10 points from the top 10.
STEVENS JR. TAKES MOPAR INTO QUARTERFINALS IN DENVER
MORRISON, Colo. (July 16, 2006) - Team Mopar/Valspar Dodge Stratus R/T driver Richie Stevens Jr. continued his streak of Pro Stock quarterfinal finishes today by reaching the second round of the Mopar Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway. It is the fourth straight NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series race in which he has advanced past the first round (Joliet, Ill., Englishtown, N.J., and St. Louis).
Stevens was given a free pass in the first round when Mike Edwards fouled out at the starting line and Stevens went on to post a 7.183-second pass at 192.82 mph. The solid quarter-mile run was not enough to give him lane choice in the second round, however, where he faced off against No. 1 qualifier Jason Line.
Stevens ran a 7.193/192.36, while Line had the winning 7.120/193.68. "I left on him a little bit (.031 reaction time to Line's .065 - .000 is perfect), but Jason threw a good package up there," said the New Orleans native. "I could have been perfect off the line and wouldn't have beaten him.
"It was a crew chief's chore this weekend. It was a tough track to handle. The track temperature was 142 degrees, which is just incredible. Neither lane was that great, but the left lane was a little better today," he said. "David (Nickens, crew chief/engine builder), the boys, Dustin (Stricker) and Rick (Pearson), did a hell of job this weekend. The conditions were just miserable."
Ambient temperatures hovered at the 100-degree mark all weekend, and track temperatures soared to 140 degrees.
"I feel good about the weekend," added Stevens. "We tried to give Mopar a good show here in Denver, but this class is tough. It's a race just to get qualified, but it's nice to be getting out of the first round consistently. When you work this hard all weekend, you hate to go out first round."
Stevens is currently 12th in Pro Stock points, only 10 points from the top 10.
