Hernandez Grabs CLASH lead

MADISON, Ill. (June 25, 2005) - Jay Payne, Joshua Hernandez, and Thomas Patterson emerged as the biggest winners when qualifying for the AMS Staff Leasing Pro Mod Challenge presented by TLR ended Saturday afternoon at Gateway Int'l Raceway. For current AMS/TLR Cup points leader Mike Ashley, though, the Sears Craftsman NHRA Nationals turned out to be a weekend to forget.

Payne's blistering 6.140 in his Valvoline '05 Stratus from Friday evening's session held up as the No. 1 e.t. in Pro Mod Challenge qualifying, earning the Valvoline team a $2,000 bonus from FLOWMASTER and maximum points in the FLOWMASTER Pro Mod CLASH bonus-event program. The 6.14 wound up leading qualifying by more than five- hundredths of a second.

Hernandez (Tommy Lipar Racing '57 Chevy) finished No. 2 in the final order with a 6.194 and was the only driver other than Payne to reach the 6-teens during qualifying. He moved into the top spot in the FLOWMASTER Pro Mod CLASH points standings, displacing Ashley, who finished last in the 23-car field. With 97 points, Hernandez leads Payne by five and Ashley by eight.

Patterson (PMS Excavation '41 Willys) qualified No. 3 at Gateway and made the biggest move in the CLASH standings, jumping from 10th place to eighth. With nine of 14 points-earning events completed, he leads Ed Hoover by two points for the eighth and final spot in the CLASH field.

The No. 1 finish was Payne's first as a Pro Mod driver. Earlier this season, he set Pro Mod Challenge e.t. and speed records en route to winning in Gainesville.

About the FLOWMASTER Pro Mod CLASH
The final top eight points-earners will compete in the 3rd annual FLOWMASTER Pro Mod CLASH, which will be held during qualifying at the ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals, Oct. 20-23. The No. 1 qualifier at each AMS Staff Leasing Pro Mod Challenge presented by TLR event will earn 16 points, the No. 2 qualifier will earn 15 points, and so on, down to one point for the No. 16 qualifier. Points will be earned through the O'Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals in Dallas, Sept. 22-25. The $44,000 FLOWMASTER Pro Mod CLASH will pay $25,000 to the winner.

FLOWMASTER Pro Mod CLASH points standings (through 9 of 14 events)

1. Joshua Hernandez 97
2. Jay Payne 92
3. Mike Ashley 89
4. Chip King 80
5. Troy Critchley 75
6. Shelly Payne 64
7. Kirk Kuhns 63
8. Thomas Patterson 60
9. Ed Hoover 58
10. Troy Coughlin 55
Glen Kerunsky 55
12. Frankie Taylor 49
13. Al Billes 39
Quain Stott 39
15. Zach Barklage 36
16. Joey Martin 26
17. Doug Palmer 25
18. Rick Stivers 24
Shannon Jenkins 24
20. Mike Castellana 21
21. Mike Bell 20
22. Cody Barklage 18
23. Richie Stevens 13
24. Jim Halsey 12
25. Eddie Ware 11
26. Danny Rowe 10
27. Steve Engel 9
Von Smith 9
29. Perry Herring 8
Mike Janis 8
Scott Cannon Jr. 8
32. John Scialpi 7
33. Dennis Radford 4
34. Brian Daniels 3
Bryon Rich 3
Wayne Torkelson 3
37. Scott Ray 2
Bill Hill 2
39. Ron Muenks 1
Brandon Pesz 1
Mike Moran 1

Sears Craftsman NHRA Nationals qualifying

Driver Model E.T. Speed
1. Jay Payne '05 Stratus 6.140 234.09
2. Joshua Hernandez '57 Chevy 6.194 229.12
3. Thomas Patterson '41 Willys 6.224 227.15
4. Shelly Payne '05 Stratus 6.255 229.04
5. Chip King '02 Avenger 6.271 230.25
6. Kirk Kuhns '63 Corvette 6.279 227.38
7. Troy Coughlin '67 Mustang 6.280 226.70
8. Doug Palmer '63 Corvette 6.286 221.52
9. Troy Critchley '41 Willys 6.287 226.70
10. Zach Barklage '37 Chevy 6.298 223.62
11. Steve Engel '63 Corvette 6.314 229.31
12. Frankie Taylor '58 Corvette 6.323 225.63
13. Glen Kerunsky '57 Chevy 6.324 227.92
14. Brian Daniels '63 Corvette 6.398 221.56
15. Joey Martin '41 Willys 6.401 219.44
16. Rick Stivers '63 Corvette 6.404 222.58
(did not qualify)
17. Bill Hill '53 Corvette 6.414 222.99
18. Cody Barklage '05 GTO 6.528 217.11
19. Scott Ray '63 Corvette 6.557 215.00
20. Ron Muenks '59 Corvette 6.600 211.16
21. Mike Bell '66 Mustang 6.612 222.11
22. Dan Saitz '97 Probe 6.922 214.72
23. Mike Ashley '67 Mustang 8.189 123.52

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