This Time Houston
Not a Problem for Hernandez
(4-10-2005) HOUSTON, TX - “You
couldn’t have scripted a better Cinderella story,” said
Tommy Lipar Racing / Dr. Moon’s Rage driver Josh
Hernandez, as he described his very first Pro Modified
victory at the 18th Annual O’Reilly Spring Nationals at
Houston Raceway Park. After an accident during pre-season
competition at this same track, Hernandez worked his way
from an un-qualified No. 17 position all the way to the
winner’s circle.
“I couldn’t be any happier than I am
right now. This is a dream come true and I am very proud
of what we accomplished today,” he said.
In this, his freshman year in Pro
Modified, Hernandez had never won an eliminations round
before this weekend.
Hernandez marched his way to the
final round with what he called “a bracket car” because of
the consistent performance throughout the event. After an
uncharacteristic first round of qualifying with an 8.218
second pass, the ’57 Chevy Bel Air ran five low
6.20-second races en route to the final eliminations.
The final round was a test of driver
skill and determination, as each man struggled with their
cars, trying to get to the finish line. Hernandez pedaled
his way to the finish line first with a winning 6.915
second, 164.91 mile per hour pace. Ed Hoover, in the other
lane, suffered a broken transmission for the second time
in NHRA competition and slowed to a runner-up finish.
“My crew has already nick-named me
‘John Wayne’ because of the way I went about winning this
race,” Hernandez added. “It’s the final round, and you
have to do what you have to do to win. That’s what matters
the most. If you don’t see the other driver, you have to
keep after it, and that’s exactly what I did.”
Hernandez admitted, “There are no
style points in drag racing – a win is a win."
“I’m out here supporting the people
who support us. To do this in front of our hometown crowd,
with Angel Brothers, Century Asphalt Materials, JTI
Contractors and my whole family and friends– it’s just
great to have a win here at Houston,” he said.
Hernandez is hoping to continue his
trips to the winner’s circle when he takes the TLR Dr.
Moon’s Rage to Las Vegas for next weekend’s (April 14-17)
SummitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor
Speedway.
www.liparracing.com
