(Greg Lortz photo)

Steve Spiess (Manhattan, IL) won his third consecutive Hooters IHRA national event, and fourth of the '05 season,

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when he defeated Rick Jones (Galesburg, IL), the man who built his '05 Chevy Cobalt, in the Torco Pro Stock final. In the process Spiess put the world championship points race in a stranglehold with his victory at Norwalk Raceway Park.

"This is beyond my wildest dreams," Spiess said of his third consecutive win. "I'm tickled pink and just happy everyone is doing their job well. The car is running great and I really want to thank all the people who supply me the parts. And it is always fun racing Rick Jones in the final. Sure, I want to win but if I wouldn't have won it really wouldn't have mattered. I'm having a great time and I hope it continues a little bit longer."

It's kind of good news-bad news for Rick Jones as he built Steve Spiess' Cobalt as well as his own, seen here. Spiess has made it to the final round for the second time this season. Jones made the final, but could not get the win at Norwalk. Spiess ran 6.477/216.83 against Jones' 6.504/216.24. (Greg Lortz photo)

Jerry Haas is another Midwest car builder who also takes a turn behind the wheel. His Cavalier is currently No. 9 in the Pro Stock points. (Steve Embling photo)