RECORDS ROLL IN PRO STOCK

Jon Yoak arrived at Rockingham Dragway with a solid 69-point lead over Ron Miller in the Sunoco Pro Stock division. The Ellenboro, WV-based racer was going after his second Summit Pro Stock title after already winning it all in 1996.

Tom Lee put his 2000 Mustang on Rockingham’s P/S pole with a 6.604-second lap, with Miller’s 1998 Monte Carlo .011 back in second, and Yoak’s ’99 Ford Probe third with a 6.621 effort. Yoak’s 212.96 mph pass in the last round of qualifying also set a new speed standard for the class, backed up by a 212.83 mph effort in a previous run.

When Yoak’s first round opponent, David Jenkins, broke on the starting line, it clinched the championship. To punctuate his success, Yoak increased the speed mark to 213.40 mph in a 6.642-second bye run. Next up was Tim Nabors, who fell to another 6.60 by Yoak at more than 213 mph, but Lee one-upped the new champ in his quarter-final match against Gene Wilson by posting a 6.602/213.94 mph pass on the scoreboard.

That set up semi-final faceoffs featuring Yoak against Miller, and Lee against Jerry Yeoman, the Pro Stock winner at Rockingham’s 2000 spring race. Both Yoak and Lee prevailed, again with 213 mph-plus passes, creating a clash of the speed titans for the season’s final race.

Unfortunately for Yoak, it was an anticlimactic ending, as his car suffered tire shake immediately upon launching, forcing him to abandon the run. In the opposite lane, however, Lee wasn’t finished with making history, as he blasted through the traps in 6.582 seconds at 213.57 mph, establishing a new IHRA Pro Stock ET record in the process.

Lee’s win, his second of the year, vaulted him past Miller, up to second in the final standings, with John Montecalvo fourth and Yeoman fifth.

TURNER TAKES TOP FUEL HARLEY TITLE

Whitsett, NC's Jay Turner secured his second straight IHRA Screamin' Eagle Nitro Harley championship at the Rockingham event when Steve Stordeur — the points leader heading into the event — failed to qualify.

Stordeur, riding as a teammate to 1998 champ Johnny Mancuso, arrived at Rockingham with a 32-point lead on top of the points standings and a first-round win would have clinched the championship. However, while Turner qualified second for the eight-bike field with a 6.546 at 205.38 mph, Stordeur’s best effort after three rounds of qualifying was just 6.971 at 164.99 mph, placing him 10th of the 14 nitro bike teams on the grounds.

Turner made sure of the title with a first-round win over Jack Romine, but lost to eventual event winner Doug Vancil in the semis.

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