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NHRA: Romine Earns a Runner-up Finish at NHRA Winston Invitational

6 April 1998

ROCKINGHAM, NC-- Paul Romine and the CARQUEST Top Fuel Dragster came within one win light of a $100,000 payday, but settle for $30,000 Sunday at the NHRA Winston Invitational.

In the final of the Winston Invitational, Romines dragster lost traction just past the starting line and Kenny Bernstein collected the biggest payout of the entire NHRA season.

Although we didnt win today, Im proud of my guys, Romine said. I doubt many people at the start of the event gave us a chance to qualify, let along make it to the finals and we proved ourselves today.

The runner-up finish according to Romine is a momentum boost for the CARQUEST team after a sluggest start to the 1998 season. The CARQUEST team began the season with a disastrous outing ath the NHRA Mac Tools Gatornationals where the team destroyed a new chassis. Two weeks later at the IHRA Prolong Super Lubricants Winter Nationals, Romine qualified number one, only to lose in the first round.

Our team really needed this good showing this weekend at the Rock, he said. After winning the IHRA championship last season, we entered this year with a lot momentum, but that was cut short at Gainesville and Bradenton. This weekend I think we regained last years momentum and I can t wait for the next event.

The next event for the CARQUEST Top Fuel Dragster will be the NHRA Fram Nationals, April 16-19 at Atlanta Dragway. Romine returns to IHRA to defend his World Championship at the IHRA Southern Nationals the first weekend of May at Darlington International Dragway in Darlington, S.C.

CARQUEST T/F by the numbers
Round 1
Cory McClenathan  vs. ROMINE
.469        .492
.996        .971
3.403       2.180
5.786       3.180
8.649       3.195
4.153       249.65
11.504     4.821
233.34     284.90

Round 2
ROMINE  vs. Bob Vandergriff Jr.
.469         .503
.870         .853
2.164       2.187
3.134       3.174
256.62     255.17
3.979       4.007
4.740       4.730
287.63     307.27
Margin of victory---> .024

Final
Romine  vs. Kenny Bernstein
.468         .488
.831         .857
2.291        2.173
3.599        3.153
190.51      255.02
4.762         3.987
5.995         4.710
165.89       305.39

-CARQUEST Top Fuel Dragster-