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 Bear's Dodge to PS Final at U.S. 131!
Kevin Zimmer - August 9, 2007
With many highs and lows this season, driver Larry O’Brien and the Bear's Performance Products Dodge Pro Stock Team put everything together and made it to the Pro Stock Final at the recently completed IHRA Torco Nothern Nationals in Martin, MI. They faced off against #1 qualifier Frank Gugliotta in the PiranaZ Ford but were unable to tame the Cobalt.
After qualifying in the #10 spot with a solid 6.439 @ 217.67 in very average conditions, the team got some breaks in rounds one and two. In round one they were up against the defending World Champion and #2 qualifier Pete Berner. On paper, Berner had the better numbers, but let the clutch out too early and handed the win to O’Brien with a red light. In round two, a red light decided the outcome again, as Dean Goforth left early. That put the Bear's Performance Products Dodge in the Semi-Finals, where they would be up against Robert Patrick in the Purvis Ford Mustang. Even though he had a better reaction time, Patrick was unable to hold off the charge of the Dodge. The Bear’s Stratus hit the stripe a mere 0.0001 seconds, less than one inch, sooner than the Mustang, making this one of the closest and most exciting races in IHRA Pro Stock history.
O’Brien was just happy to be racing. “We are all just happy to be at the race track again. We knew we had to get a couple breaks and we got them today. My guys, Co-Crew Chiefs Wayne O’Brien and Matt Giangrande, have worked so hard, it is great for the whole team. We had a tough race in the Semi’s but we just flat outran one of the toughest cars in Pro Stock. It would have been great to get the win, but this feels pretty good too.”
The Bear's Performance Products Dodge will not make the trip to Epping, but they plan on attending the Motor City Nationals in Milan, MI in a couple weeks.
Bear's Performance Products is a manufacturer and supplier of quality chassis, suspension and driveline products.
They have locations in Ontario, Canada and Greensboro, NC. To learn more about their extensive product line visit: www.bearsperformanceproducts.com
(Bruce Biegler Photo)
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