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Justin Humphreys Runner-up at Pomona |
Justin Humphreys’ Stellar Performance Comes Close to Finals Victory
POMONA, Calif., Nov. 4, 2007 – Justin Humphreys has displayed sparks of
brilliance in his first NHRA Pro Stock season, but he was shining brightly Sunday
evening following his runner-up finish in the Auto Club Finals, the 23rd and
last, 2007 race.
He started the day from the No. 15 qualifying spot, but that didn’t stop him
from ending the championship hopes of three-time champion and point leader
Greg Anderson and Countdown to 1 driver Allen Johnson in the first two rounds.
He defeated Tom Hammonds in the semifinals and came within
seven-thousandths of a second of his first victory in the title round against new champion
Jeg Coughlin.
Humphreys, 30, used a .025-second reaction time to gain the advantage but it
took the weekend’s quickest run by Coughlin, 6.638 seconds, to get the win
light by the slim margin. Humphreys was timed in 6.662 seconds at 207.27 mph.
“We couldn’t find a better place to get our first final here at Pomona in
front of all the fans,” said a smiling Humphreys. “We got past two of the
Countdown’s top four guys and tried to get around the third one.
“We can’t complain. We struggled in qualifying and came out on Sunday and
made four pretty decent runs, but we came up a little short.”
Humphreys’ performance turn-around began when Pro Stock icon Bob Glidden
joined the team and veteran engine builder Richard Maskin. Glidden is a 10-time
Pro Stock champion
“We struggled early and things kept getting better and better,” said
Humphreys of the RaceRedi Motorsports/Knoll Gas&Energy Pontiac GTO. “In the past
six-to-eight races things have gotten really good. To come here and end on a
good note gets us excited about ’08.”
Racing resumes with the traditional Winternationals season opener, Feb. 7-10. |
