Brandon Bernstein earned his 7th career victory but only his first in more than a year. Bernstein drove the Budweiser/Lucas Oil dragster to low ET of the meet in the championship final round at 4.553 secs 324.59 mph to defeat Morgan Lucas driver of Joe Amato’s Lucas Oil dragster. It was Bernstein’s first win at the St. Louis area race track. The victory moved Bernstein up to 6th in the 2005 NHRA POWERade points chase.

Morgan Lucas’s final round loss denied the sport some ultimate drama as it was one year ago that Amato’s former driver, Darrell Russell was fatally injured in a freak occurrence.

Doug Kalitta claimed the pole at St. Louis which was the 26th of his career and 3rd of the 2005 season. Kalitta had powered his Mac Tools dragster to a 4.564 secs to pace the TF program however his machine slipped to a 5.105 secs in round one and he was upset by #16 qualifier, Mike Strasburg.

Tony Schumacher, driving for the U.S. Army sponsored team set top speed at 328.30 mph during qualifying however Schumacher too lost out early – falling in round #2 to David Grubnic; 4.690 secs to 4.699 secs.

California’s Ron Capps collected his 15th career victory and first of the season driving the Brut-sponsored Dodge Stratus. Capps posted a final round performance of 4.862 at 321.04 to hold off local favorite Tim Wilkerson, whose Levi Ray and Shoup Chevy Monte Carlo fell to tire smoke. It was Capps’ first victory since February 2003, and his second career win at St. Louis.

Gary Scelzi claimed his 3rd FC pole of the season when he rode to a 4.797 secs at 325.14 driving in his Mopar/Oakley Dodge Stratus. Scelzi was however upset in the first round of eliminations which saw many of the pre-race favorites eliminated. Scelzi lost out to #16 qualifier Terry Haddock. John Force, the overall NHRA POWERade points leader, who qualified only 15th for the event was eliminated by eventual winner Capps in round one. Kurt Johnson earned his first victory of the season when he upset 2X defending POWERade Champion Greg Anderson in the Pro Stock final round. Johnson powered the new ACDelco Chevy Cobalt to low ET and top speed of the entire event at 6.729 secs at 205.19 mph to hold off Anderson’s Summit Racing Pontiac, which posted a 6.735 secs at 204.32 mph.

Johnson’s victory came from the pole position after he paced the field with a 6.750 secs qualifier. He beat Kenny Koretsky, Allen Johnson and Jason Line to advance to the championship round. Johnson’s last career win had been at the C.S.K. Nationals at Phoenix in 2004.

Anderson’s runner-up finish moved him back into the POWERade overall series lead, 15 points in front of his teammate Jason Line.

In Pro Stock Motorcycle Angelle Sampey earned her 36th career victory, a record among women winners in NHRA history. Sampey’s victory was her first win of the season and third career at Gateway Raceway. Sampey beat here teammate Antron Brown in an all U.S. Army final round match-up clocking a 7.237 secs 186.02 mph to edge out Brown’s 7.240 at 182.06.

The Sampey win made her the 7th different Pro Stock Motorcycle winner of the season in as many races in the highly competitive division.

Riding the Vance & Hines Screamin’ Eagle V-Rod, Andrew Hines claimed his fourth No. 1 qualifying effort of the season and the 12th of his career. Hines set low ET at 7.114 secs while taking the pole and reset the PSM track speed record to 192.71 mph.

Canada’s Glen Kerunsky collected his first NHRA national event win when he prevailed in the AMS Staff Leasing/TLR Pro Mod Challenge. Driving his Alberta-based ’57 Chevy Kerunsky beat hometown favorite Zack Barklage in the final round recording a winning 6.227 secs at 228.77 mph. Kerunksy had qualified for the 16-car field in the #13 position.

California’s Jay Payne set both low ET and top speed for the Pro Mod cars at St. Louis driving his Valvoline-sponsored Dodge Stratus to a 6.128 secs at 234.09 mph. Jay’s wife (Shelly Anderson) provided the event’s most harrowing moment when she crashed her identically prepared Valvoline Dodge Stratus during the 2nd qualifying session. After flipping the car several times, Shelly was taken to hospital with a back injury.