Massey upset at Sunday's NHRA Lucas Oil Event
Hitchman goes on to win East Texas State Championship
BY ERIC LOTZ

Top Alcohol Dragster Spencer Massey takes off during a Lucas Oil Series event earlier this season. Massey, who won the East Texas State Championship last year, was upset in the semi-final round by veteran Driver Darryl Hitchman. Prior to the event at Cherokee County Motorsports Park, Massey was in 3rd place in the points standings for his division.

In the final results from Sunday's $201,000 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series East Texas State Championships it was veteran Top Alcohol Dragster driver Darryl Hitchman ousting James Thompson Jr., of Vernon, in the dragster final at Cherokee County Motorsports Park. Hitchman of Celeste, beat #1 qualifier and defending division champion Spencer Massey in his semifinal match up, then ran a 5.527 second pass at 254.23 mph to Thompson's 5.641 at 249.72.

In Top Alcohol Funny Car it was Steve Harker taking his second win in as many races running a 5.940 second, 242.98 mph run over #1 qualifier Kebin Kinsley of Kennedale. Kinsley gave the Gainesville, Ga., racer a run for his money running just two one-hundredths of a second slower with a 5.961 second pass.

In Comp-Eliminator it was a pair of division hitters going at it in the final with Craig Bourgeois knocking off Joey Tanksley for the win with a lap of 6.945 seconds at 188.57 mph. Bourgeois, the NHRA South Central Division Champ, is coming off a big win at the JEGS. com Cajun Sportsnationals last month while Tanksley currently leads the national points battle in Comp.

Tanksley has taken the point's lead in the division with his runner-up finish this weekend.

Gary Emmons of Friendswood picked up his fourth win of the year in Super Stock giving him a pair of wins in both Super Stock and Stock Eliminator. Emmons ran 10.499 seconds at 119.30 mph in his '96 Firebird.

Emmons' older brother Harvey Emmons III won in Stock Eliminator over Austin Ford of Spring. Harvey beat Ford and his '67 Shelby with a lap of 10.634 seconds, 120.27 mph.

In the super categories, Wes Neely took the win over Tommy Kelley in Super Gas with a 9.937 second run at 143.60 mph while Terry Sullivan used a hole-shot in Super Street to take out Floyd Russo Jr. as the two ran identical 10.910 seconds with Sullivan's 0.007 second reaction time being the difference.

Super Comp went to Lloyd Parfait of Baytown, who defeated Slate Cummings of Hammond, La.

The TCI Comp Cams Top Dragster trophy went to Brandon Chauvin, running 180.09 mph in 7.314 seconds to David Greene's 7.353 at 177.25.

Bret Prejean won in the Reher-Morrison Top Sportsman class, running 8.062 seconds at 128.14 in his '06 GTO, defeating Bob Gulitti of Tomball.

The Sportsman Motorcycle presented by Harley Davidson title went to Benji Gibson on his '05 Hayabusa out of Euless, at 8.864 seconds, 147.07 mph, beating Houston's Kelly Pulley with an 8.899 second, 142.13 mph pass.

South Central Division racers head to Red River Raceway in Gilliam, La., for the next NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event, September 7-9.