“NE: Series Reading Friday summary - Motorsport.com” plus 4 more

NE: Series Reading Friday summary - Motorsport.com
Hight posts fastest speed in Funny Car qualifying - CBS Sports
Dallas: Series Friday qualifying report - Motorsport.com
Hight leads Funny Car qualifying at O'Reilly Nationals - CNN Sports Illustrated
Bob Stupak, builder of Stratosphere and Vegas World, dies at 67 - Las Vegas Sun

NE: Series Reading Friday summary - Motorsport.com

Posted: 25 Sep 2009 07:49 PM PDT

NHRA SUMMIT RACING SERIES DIVISION FINALS CONTINUE AT MAPLE GROVE RACEWAY

READING, Pa. (Sept. 25, 2009) -- The best bracket racers in NHRA's Northeast division are battling it out at Maple Grove Raceway in the Summit Racing Series Northeast Division Finals. More than 700 racers in four categories, Super E.T., Pro Eliminator, Street and Motorcycle, are vying for team and individual honors.

The event started Thursday with time runs for each competitor. Today they had one more hit at the track before heading into eliminations. Eliminations will continue Saturday until there is only one racer left standing in each class. Those four racers will have the opportunity to advance to compete against winners from NHRA's other six divisions at the NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif., in November for a national championship. They will each receive $3,500 for competing in the Finals and the winner in each class will receive an additional $5,000.

Once racing is completed on Saturday, the drivers from each track who were among the top points earners will square off in head-to-head competition in the Race of Champions.

Also running this weekend is the High School Eliminator presented by Luzerne County Community College.

The squad from Maple Grove took the team title last year. Individual winners were Bob Avalos in Super E.T.; Brock Moshier in Pro Eliminator; Mike Van den Huevel in Street; and Bob Carlson in Motorcycle. The High School winner was Joe Albrecht.

-credit: nhra

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Hight posts fastest speed in Funny Car qualifying - CBS Sports

Posted: 25 Sep 2009 08:11 PM PDT

ENNIS, Texas -- Robert Hight raced to the Funny Car qualifying lead Friday in the O'Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals.

Hight, who barely made it into the NHRA Full Throttle Series Countdown to 1, followed up his win last weekend in Charlotte, N.C., by leading qualifying at the Texas Motorplex, the second event of the six-race championship playoffs.

Hight powered his Ford Mustang to a No. 1 effort of 4.109 seconds at 305.56 mph. Team owner John Force was second in his Mustang, while Jerry Toliver was third.

Larry Dixon, Mike Edwards and Eddie Krawiec also led their categories at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event.

In Top Fuel, Dixon paced the field with a 3.833 at 312.93. He was quickest in both sessions and earned the maximum six-point bonus for the day. Morgan Lucas was second, while Tony Schumacher was third. Charlotte winner and points leader Cory McClenathan was fifth overall.

Edwards continued his impressive playoff performance and raced to the lead in Pro Stock with a 6.597 at 209.88 in a Pontiac GXP. Edwards was quickest in both sessions, which netted him six bonus points.

Krawiec was quickest in Pro Stock Motorcycle, with a performance of 6.908 at 192.36 on a Harley-Davidson. He also earned six bonus points for being quickest in both sessions.

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Dallas: Series Friday qualifying report - Motorsport.com

Posted: 25 Sep 2009 07:21 PM PDT

HIGHT, DIXON, EDWARDS AND KRAWIEC LEAD QUALIFYING AT O'REILLY SUPER START BATTERIES NHRA FALL NATIONALS

ENNIS, Texas -- Robert Hight raced to the Funny Car qualifying lead Friday at the O'Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals presented by Castrol Syntec.

Larry Dixon, Mike Edwards and Eddie Krawiec also led their categories at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event.

Hight, who barely made it into the NHRA Full Throttle Series Countdown to 1, has made the most of his opportunity and followed up his win last weekend in Charlotte, N.C. by leading qualifying at the Texas Motorplex at the second event in the six-race championship playoffs.

Hight powered his Auto Club Ford Mustang to a No. 1 effort of 4.109 seconds at 305.56 mph. If the performance holds through Saturday's two qualifying sessions (11:15 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.) it will be his third No.1 position of the season. Hight earned three bonus points in qualifying under NHRA's new qualifying bonus system, announced prior to the start of the Countdown to 1, which awards the top three qualifiers in each pro category 3, 2 and 1 points per session.

"It's a good way to start the weekend," Hight said. "We've kind of gotten on a roll here. People have been joking with me saying we sandbagged all year, and that's not the approach we took, trust me. We would loved to have had this a lot sooner, but we're definitely going to take it now that we've got it. The trick now is to keep running with, keep doing this. We tried too hard the first run, so we definitely needed to go down the track tonight, and to put a 4.10 on the board is pretty gutsy. But it stuck and it looked like there was more room. Tomorrow we're going to have to run in the heat and practice for Sunday because it's going to be hot out there."

Hight's Team owner, John Force, was second in his Castrol GTX High-Mileage Mustang, while veteran Jerry Toliver was third overall in his Canidae Chevy Monte Carlo.

In Top Fuel, Dixon paced the field with a 3.833 at 312.93 in his Al-Anabi Racing dragster to hold down the top spot. He was quickest in both sessions and earned the maximum six-point bonus available in his category.

"Before, being in the top three or four was okay," Dixon said. "Now, you want to be low every session. We came into the race 21 points out, then after the first session it was 18 and now it's 15. Even if we don't get any points tomorrow, we've did okay. Those points can absolutely make a difference. That [3.94 in the first session] was a good baseline run for us. It was very safe, and I know it's going to be warm tomorrow, and that will allow us to press a little harder to see what we can get away with on Sunday. We know we can run a 3.94, so if we can run a 3.90 or 3.88 or something like that, then obviously that kind of information will help."

Morgan Lucas was second in his GEICO Powersports/Lucas Oil dragster, while Tony Schumacher was third in his U.S. Army dragster. Charlotte winner and points leader Cory McClenathan was fifth overall in his FRAM Tough Guard dragster.

Edwards continued his impressive playoff performance and raced to the lead in Pro Stock with a 6.597 at 209.88 in his A.R.T./Young Life Pontiac GXP. Edwards was quickest in both sessions, which netted him six bonus points.

"The conditions are good enough to run .50s," said Edwards, who is looking to claim his 12th No. 1 qualifying position of the season if the performance holds through Saturday. "I think the track was real tricky the first run and then tonight we got a little bit more weather in here as far as humidity and it really affects these aspirated engines. I think that might have slowed some of us down a little bit. We actually went pretty hard left that time so I feel like we ran pretty good for the e.t. we got. I think we could have run just a little bit better maybe. But overall, my guys made great decisions and I'm happy with the results."

Krawiec was quickest in Pro Stock Motorcycle, with a performance of 6.908 at 192.36 on his Screamin' Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson. He also earned six bonus points for being quickest in both sessions.

"It's great to be back up here again," said Krawiec, who earned his only No. 1 qualifying position this season at Sonoma in July. "For awhile I didn't know if my Screamin' Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson would make it back in the No. 1 spot, but the confidence in my whole team and everybody out there, it's been working. We did some work in between the last race and this race, got here a few days early, pulled out the Matco Tools and got to work on the bike. We couldn't be any more excited with the results. [Getting the] six bonus points, that's huge. We count every point that there is and with that new scoring system and points it gives you an opportunity to hopefully get 20 points by the end of the weekend if you're the No. 1 guy. I got the first half of that, now let's just hope I can get the second. The track is great, it's working well and hooking really good for us. The weather conditions are almost second to none. There are a lot of times when you go to these and you don't know what you're going to get."

-credit: nhra

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Hight leads Funny Car qualifying at O'Reilly Nationals - CNN Sports Illustrated

Posted: 25 Sep 2009 07:21 PM PDT

ENNIS, Texas (AP) -- Robert Hight raced to the Funny Car qualifying lead Friday in the O'Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals.

Hight powered his Ford Mustang to a No. 1 effort of 4.109 seconds at 305.56 mph. Team owner John Force was second in his Mustang, while Jerry Toliver was third.

Larry Dixon, Mike Edwards and Eddie Krawiec also led their categories at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event.

Krawiec was quickest in Pro Stock Motorcycle, with a performance of 6.908 at 192.36 on a Harley-Davidson. He also earned six bonus points for being quickest in both sessions.

At Texas Motorplex
Top Fuel

1. Larry Dixon, 3.833 seconds, 312.93 mph. 2. Morgan Lucas, 3.859, 313.58. 3. Tony Schumacher, 3.860, 312.78. 4. Shawn Langdon, 3.872, 311.56. 5. Cory McClenathan, 3.878, 315.86. 6. Antron Brown, 3.878, 314.61. 7. Spencer Massey, 3.879, 306.53. 8. Brandon Bernstein, 3.902, 311.85. 9. Bob Vandergriff, 3.931, 307.93. 10. Steve Torrence, 3.954, 289.57. 11. Mike Strasburg, 4.017, 302.89. 12. Mike Bowers, 4.018, 296.50. Not Qualified: 13. T.J. Zizzo, 4.067, 296.44. 14. Todd Simpson, 4.339, 209.33. 15. Doug Kalitta, 5.248, 142.52. 16. Clay Millican, 6.372, 94.14. 17. Scott Palmer, 6.410, 105.30. 18. Urs Erbacher, 6.781, 85.65. 19. Terry Haddock, broke.

Funny Car

1. Robert Hight, Ford Mustang, 4.109, 305.56. 2. John Force, Mustang, 4.149, 302.41. 3. Jerry Toliver, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.163, 302.55. 4. Ashley Force Hood, Mustang, 4.173, 293.92. 5. Mike Neff, Mustang, 4.181, 298.40. 6. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.188, 291.26. 7. Jack Beckman, Dodge Charger, 4.194, 296.44. 8. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.204, 294.95. 9. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.207, 295.27. 10. Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.207, 294.75. 11. Tony Pedregon, Chevy Impala, 4.228, 290.76. 12. Jeff Arend, Toyota Solara, 4.256, 292.27. Not Qualified: 13. Grant Downing, 4.322, 236.09. 14. Cruz Pedregon, 4.541, 273.44. 15. Del Worsham, 4.688, 214.69. 16. Leif Helander, 5.547, 131.81.

Pro Stock

1. Mike Edwards, Pontiac GXP, 6.597, 209.88. 2. Jason Line, GXP, 6.611, 209.33. 3. Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Cobalt, 6.614, 209.33. 4. Tom Hammonds, Cobalt, 6.620, 208.17. 5. Greg Anderson, GXP, 6.628, 208.97. 6. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.639, 208.42. 7. Johnny Gray, Dodge Stratus, 6.639, 208.10. 8. Greg Stanfield, GXP, 6.643, 208.49. 9. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.645, 207.82. 10. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.653, 207.72. 11. Rodger Brogdon, GXP, 6.655, 207.94. 12. Warren Johnson, GXP, 6.660, 208.68. Not Qualified: 13. Steve Spiess, 6.666, 207.15. 14. Allen Johnson, 6.675, 207.94. 15. V. Gaines, 6.690, 206.10. 16. Matt Hartford, 6.696, 206.99. 17. Mark Buehring, 6.798, 202.15.

Pro Stock Motorcycle

1. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 6.908, 192.36. 2. Hector Arana, Buell, 6.912, 191.81. 3. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.948, 191.95. 4. Douglas Horne, Buell, 6.966, 190.75. 5. Michael Phillips, Suzuki, 6.976, 194.60. 6. Matt Smith, Suzuki, 7.003, 190.11. 7. Shawn Gann, Buell, 7.014, 190.62. 8. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.026, 186.85. 9. David Hope, Buell, 7.068, 185.28. 10. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.074, 187.50. 11. Mike Berry, Buell, 7.092, 184.67. 12. Joe DeSantis, Suzuki, 7.127, 188.81. Not Qualified: 13. Junior Pippin, 7.129, 188.89. 14. Steve Johnson, 7.129, 182.18. 15. Bailey Whitaker, 7.182, 183.34. 16. Angie McBride, 7.273, 183.12. 17. Blaine Hale, 7.287, 180.33. 18. Redell Harris, 7.299, 182.77.

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Bob Stupak, builder of Stratosphere and Vegas World, dies at 67 - Las Vegas Sun

Posted: 25 Sep 2009 07:49 PM PDT

R. MARSH STARKS / LAS VEGAS SUN

Bob Stupak, right, watches as a Horseshoe Casino cashier counts out $100 bills as Stupak cashed in his markers and removed items from a lockbox in the casino cage. Stupak attempted to cash a $5,000 casino chip from the hotel but that transaction was refused.

By Ed Koch (contact), Mary Manning (contact)

Published Friday, Sept. 25, 2009 | 2:53 p.m.

Updated 2 hours, 57 minutes ago

Bob Stupak

Expanded coverage: Bob Stupak

The History of Las Vegas

Bob Stupak, a Las Vegas legend who developed the Stratosphere and called himself the Polish Maverick, died today at Desert Springs Hospital after a long battle with leukemia.

He was 67.

The Stratosphere released a statement Friday afternoon saying Stupak will be remembered for his contributions to Las Vegas.

"Bob Stupak was a true visionary and he will be sorely missed. He was instrumental in developing the Stratosphere Casino Hotel and Tower – an icon in Las Vegas, as Mr. Stupak was himself. He will be remembered for his many community initiatives and his many innovative projects within the gaming industry," the statement said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his family."

After an unconventional boyhood in Pittsburgh he came to Las Vegas, where he survived a motorcycle crash and sparred with gaming regulators. He eventually built the tallest hotel-casino in Las Vegas.

In his early days, Stupak delved into pop music and motorcycle drag racing before he began selling coupon books. His father, Chester Stupak, was a major player in Pittsburgh gambling rackets from before World War II until his death in 1991.

After Bob Stupak dropped out of school following the eighth grade, he bought a Harley-Davidson and began an odyssey that would lead to Las Vegas.

Stupak's interest in gambling drew him to Las Vegas in 1964. He then took a detour to Australia for seven years, where he continued selling coupon books and got married twice. Stupak stayed in Las Vegas for good in 1971.

In 1973, Stupak opened the Million Dollar Historic Gambling Museum & Casino, which burned down under mysterious circumstances. Rising from those ashes, Stupak built Vegas World in 1974, an outer space-themed casino with a display of cash Stupak had won in some of his most notorious gambling bouts, including poker games and big Super Bowl bets.

Media from around the world came to the April 29, 1996, opening of the 1,149-foot-tall Stratosphere. A bronze statue of Stupak was displayed at the resort north of Sahara Avenue on Las Vegas Boulevard.

Stupak had envisioned an 1,800-foot tower, but the Federal Aviation Administration intervened and prevented him from going that high. Less than three months after the Stratosphere opened, Stupak, a 14 percent owner, resigned as chairman and the bronze statue disappeared. Stupak said later he had never authorized it.

On March 31, 1995, Stupak was nearly killed when the Harley-Davidson motorcycle he was driving collided with a vehicle on Rancho Road, leaving him in a coma for five weeks.

Stupak had attempted to enter the political arena by running for mayor of Las Vegas. He also helped his daughter, Nicole, with a failed bid for a City Council seat in 1991.

"It seems like he was always playing it right to the edge -- good, bad or indifferent," said former United Press International Bureau Chief Myram Borders, who covered Stupak during the years of his greatest contributions to Las Vegas history. "He had a good sense of humor. He was a funny man. Bob seemed to enjoy life very much."

In 1989, Stupak won the World Series of Poker $5,000 buy-in no-limit deuce-to-7 world championship at Binion's Horseshoe, earning a purse of $139,500. He had placed third in that same event in 1984 and would go on to place fourth in that game at the 1991 and 1993 World Series of Poker.

Famed Las Vegas oddsmaker Lem Banker called his longtime friend "a visionary."

"Bob was a decathlon gambler -- sports bets, propositions, poker -- everything at once," Banker said. "He had a lot of heart and a lot of brains."

Sen. Harry Reid said in a statement that he was saddened to learn of Stupak's death, adding that they had been friends for 35 years.

"Las Vegas has seen many visionary people come and go throughout the years, but few personified the town like Bob did. He was a genuine Las Vegas character," Reid said. "My thoughts and prayers go out to Bob's family and friends during this difficult time."