HOOVER HAS SRP JINX

Tom Hoover and actress Susan Lucci seem to have a lot in common.

Lucci, of course, is the longtime soap opera star of All My Children, who year after year has been snubbed for a daytime Emmy Award.

Over the nearly quarter-century that Spokane Raceway Park has presented a major drag racing event here, Hoover, a Minneapolis native, has raced at SRP more times than any other funny car driver.

But the last time Hoover visited the SRP winner's circle was 1977 when he beat Raymond Beadle for the title.

The perennial World Finals bridesmaid's personal dry spell is guaranteed to continue since Hoover was injured earlier this season. However, his team might finally break into the win column with Hoover's replacement driver, Cory Lee.

Lee is the same guy who piloted Hoover's Pioneer-sponsored funny car to the team's seventh runner-up finish here a year ago.

In the past seven races Hoover's team has been runner-up five times.

Perhaps Hoover should have gotten the idea early that his future in Spokane would be a clouded one. When he raced at SRP's inaugural race - the AHRA Spring Nationals - held here in 1974, he was runner-up to Don Prudhomme.

Fast women

Paula Martin, a fuel funny car driver here for this weekend's racing at the AHRA World Finals, has the quickest elapsed time for her gender, clocking a 5.601.

Martin, the 10th-quickest funny car driver here in World Finals competition, is one of just five women who have raced in pro classes over the years at the AHRA World Finals in Spokane. Now she hopes to become the first woman to win here in a nitro car.

The most notable woman racer to pass through Spokane was Shirley Muldowney, who in 1981 was the first driver to reach the 250 mile-per-hour mark at SRP.

Other women racers have included Sue Spenser, a funny car driver from the late 1980's, as well as a pair of former Pro Alcohol champs, Paula Gage and Tiffani Hyland.

Notes and quotes

Gates open today at 10 a.m. with pro-qualifying set for 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. . . . Sunday the gates open at 8 a.m. with the first round of pro eliminations at 1 p.m. . . . Gary Densham goes after his third straight SRP funny car title, and fourth overall tomorrow. That feat would allow the Bellflower, Calif., teacher to close in on some unique company. Only John Force has won more races in a row (four), and six overall. . . . Densham, who now carries NEC and the Southern California AAA as major sponsors on his funny car, was an independent racer not long ago. One of the big realities of sponsorship and having a paid crew, Densham said, was "having to pay workman's compensation." . . . Co-owner of the funny car driven by Wyatt Radke is Phil Miller, who might be familiar to some fans as the guy who brought The Mob, a fuelaltered car to Spokane a decade ago. ... Radke's brother is Scott Graham, who crews for the top fuel car driven by Bobby Baldwin. Radke praises his brother, saying it was his sacrifice that helped keep him in the sport. ... Three different drivers have won back-to-back top fuel titles in Spokane. They are Jerry Ruth (1980, 1981), Chris Karamesines (1984, 1985) and Baldwin (1990, 1991).

Copyright 1998 Cowles Publishing Company
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