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NHRA: Memphis Last NHRA Stop for Romine in 1998

8 October 1998

INDIANAPOLIS -- The NHRA Pennzoil Nationals at Memphis Motorsports Park, Oct. 9-11, will be Paul Romines final NHRA Winston Drag Racing appearance this season and he wants to finish on a positive note.

At the last NHRA event the CARQUEST dragster appeared, the NHRA Pioneer Keystone Nationals in Reading, Pa., Romine did not qualify, missing the field by one position with a best 4.78 ET.

"Reading was a disappointment for the team, but we came away with some positive results," Romine said. "At Epping (the IHRA event the week prior to NHRA Pioneer Keystone Nationals) and the few races prior to that, weve had some problems smoking the tires and I think we found some solutions at Reading. Unfortunantly we got a run behind and on the last qualifying attempt, we didnt have the balance of the car correct and it did a wheel stand."

This weekends race in Memphis will be Romines ninth and final NHRA event this season. The CARQUEST team has had a successful year competing part-time on the NHRA Winston Drag Racing trail. In nine appearances, Romine and the CARQUEST team have earned two semi-final finishes (Pennzoil Nationals in Richmond, Va. and Fram Route 66 Nationals in Joliet, Ill.) and a runner-up (Winston Invitational in Rockingham, NC).

To prepare for the NHRA Pennzoil Nationals, Romine and the CARQUEST team chose to test last weekend at the new Red River Raceway near Shreveport, La.

"We still have a chance to win the IHRA championship so we wanted to get a first hand look at the Shreveport track (host of the final IHRA event)," Romine said. "Also Clayton (Harris, the CARQUEST crew chief) wanted to test a few things before Memphis because we want to show we can be a player in NHRA competition."

Pro qualifying for the NHRA Pennzoil Nationals begins, Friday, Oct. 9 at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. (CDT). Qualifying concludes, Saturday, Oct. 10 with sessions at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled to begin Sunday, Oct. 11 at 11 a.m. ESPN2 will televise two hours of same day final round coverage Oct. 11 at 6:30 p.m.

Results from the NHRA Pennzoil Nationals can be obtained on the World Wide Web at WWW.NHRAONLINE.COM. CARQUEST press releases will be posted at WWW.CARQUEST.COM

CARQUEST Corporation began 24 years ago with 100 auto parts stores. Today there are over 3,400 CARQUEST Auto Parts Stores serving North America. CARQUEST supplies the professional automotive service repair industry as well as do-it-yourselfers with replacement parts, tools and equipment. CARQUEST is committed to providing auto parts and services of the highest quality and greatest value to its customers. For the location of the CARQUEST Auto Parts stores nearest you, call 1-800-492-PART or check out CARQUEST on the World Wide Web: WWW.CARQUEST.COM CARQUEST Auto Parts is the primary sponsor of IHRA Top Fuel World Champion Paul Romine and IHRA title right sponsor of the CARQUEST Empire Nationals in Rochester, NY, the CARQUEST Northern Nationals in Stanton, MI, and the CARQUEST Nationals in Rockingham, NC. CARQUEST is also a primary sponsor of the 1999 Special Olympics World Games to be held, June 26 - July 3, 1999 in Raleigh, NC.