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CLEAR Temp: 77 °F Wind: WNW at 4 mph Friday, August 15, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend July 30, 2003 Top fuel NHRA drag racer Paul Romine, foreground, leaves competitor Don Sosenka at the line Tuesday evening at the Southern Oregon Dragway. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Heat makes racing a drag By KEVIN GOFF Mail Tribune WHITE CITY — This may be Paul Romine’s first time around the block, but he’s no rookie. The 55-year-old Indianapolis native has dabbled in the National Hot Rod Association circuit off and on for several of his 27 years in racing. Just this year, though, Romine decided it was time to drop all other side-racing interests and embark on a full-time NHRA top fuel circuit. It hasn’t turned out too bad for the three-time IHRA champ, who races competes in his Car Quest dragster. Before last weekend’s event in Seattle, which Romine suffered a first-round defeat, he was 12th in points standings and was on track to possibly hoist a trophy at the end of the 23-race season. Advertisement Tuesday, Romine and fellow NHRA competitors, Don Sosenka, Dale Creasy Jr. and Terry Hoddock, both driving funny cars, rolled into the Rogue Valley to highlight "Top Fuel Tuesday" at the Southern Oregon Speedway. The chance to see top-notched drivers from the NHRA sporting nitro-powered dragsters and funny cars along with several local competitors from the Summit ET class, not to mention the West Coast Top Sports-man class, featuring door-slammers and souped-up dragsters, drew a large, late-evening crowd to the sun-baked dragway. Promoter John Skinner also threw a wrinkle into the festivities with a $10,000 bonus to anyone who surpassed the 300 mph mark. Temperatures topped out at 160 degrees on the track, squashing several first-round events for a couple hours until conditions settled down. The heat not only caused delays, but also put a damper on the attempt at crossing the 300-mph barrier for the first time at the Southern Oregon Dragway. Romine has surpassed the 300 mark twice already this summer — once at the SuperNationals in 310.13 and the other in Englishtown, N.J. in 318.09 — but the heat will play a factor. "I don’t think 300 is going to happen today," said Romine, prior to his first match race against co-NHRA competitor Don Sosenka and his Mr. Magoo dragster. Both competitors did indeed struggle, topping out at around 120 mph. "With this heat it’s hard to get traction and I’m afraid there’ll be a lot of slipping." The weather, however, didn’t damper the spectacular display of noise and speed that rattled the grandstands and shook the spectators as the NHRA dragsters and funny cars zipped down the quarter-mile stretch of track. Darrin Bay hit the high mark on Tuesday, crossing the line at 261 mph, while local top-fuel dragster Mike Austin reached 238. Austin narrowly slipped past local foe Dave Hix in the first of two grudge matches. Romine’s dual with Sosenka, while not reaching the speeds they had hoped, did help transport the crowd into an NHRA-like event. Fans were given the opportunity to mingle in the pits and gaze upon the drivers and the cars themselves in between local racing trials. "These types of events are a lot of fun," said Romine, who is in the middle of a five-race swing that started in Denver and ends in Brainard, Minn. "The fans get to get up close and personal with drivers and we get to kind of take a break from the grind of the circuit. It’s real laid back." Romine’s latest racing stint takes him to six stops in five weeks. His wife, Barbara, and his 17-year-old daughter Abbey — the youngest of two girls — both made the trip and get to travel with Romine on his personal jet to the different stops. Following Tuesday’s stay in Southern Oregon, Romine’s crew hits the road early today for another race in Sonoma, Calif., minus his jet, which he’ll be replacing with some quality freeway time with his Car Quest pit crew. "It’s (NHRA circuit) definitely more of a grind than what I’ve done in the past," said Romine, who also owns Dealers Engines Sales, Inc. of Indianapolis. "It’s so much fun though. "Car Quest has been great to me and this whole experience this past year has been a lot of fun. Now, if I could just win one." There’s a first time for everything. Reach reporter Kevin Goff at 776-4480 or e-mail [email protected] . Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. 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