European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 15, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday August 15, 1989 the stars and stripes Page 25 Quarter mers drag in sell out crowd by Randy  editor by 10 o clock on sunday morning the fifth annual International drag racing festival at Hock Nchim was sold out. More More than 30.000 Sun scared spectators jammed the stadium seats an the temporary grandstands that afforded the Best viewing along most of the drag strip. But hordes of High Speed fans continued to arrive so the drag racing organizers decided to admit them free All 10,000 of them. They occupied seats far removed from the action but they could gel a glimpse now and then and if they had come to experience engine Mega noise they were not disappointed be cause the Roar of the 3.000 horsepower top fuel dragsters and other monsters could be heard for Miles. Adding to the weekend s Box office Joy More than 25,000 spectators had turned up on saturday s opening Day to watch the american style racing program. Only the German grand prix for formula one cars and the German grand prix for motorcycles has attracted More spectators at Hock in him this season and those programs arson a three Day basis. Drag racing which obviously has come of age in Germany was launched some 20years ago by a dedicated group of Ameri cans and germans who formed the Hana Auto racing Assn. Mar and last week end s festival served to show just How far their sport has progressed. Jerry Lackey Long time president of Iiara said we be come a Long Way since inc Days of racing at flip terhorst the army Airfield near Hanau. We expected at least 35,000 fans this weekend but this beats All of our estimates by along  last weekend s race was sponsored by Hara and the Dis rfcs vein Fiir i Tig Kai Iii. And while most of the spectators were German National Tele vision coverage helped Here. Ameri cans also made up a Good part of the crowd during both Days of racing. Most Drivers had Good things to say about the new $250,000 Quarter Mil drag strip which was being used for the first Lime. American Ace Marian Thompson having his first runs on the new strip gave in his Okay then went out and turned times in the Low six Sec Ond bracket in his Dodge Dayton funny car. But the fastest time during the two Day Speed show was achieved by nor Way s Star female speedster Liv Berstad who turned 5.4w seconds 239 Mph eur can record and the fastest time forthe Quarnor Milc Ever recorded outside the United states. She drove a top fuel dragster. Although the super powerful drag sters and funny cars were inc machine the crowds came to Sec the lower looking like in heavy Iclal l Irtoli Vader. A Al reims stands rend As dragsters await the Green n Huck flu in s n classes also proved popular in the re Cord total 420-car/nioioreydc entry. For instance when Volkswagen hectic did Battle especially against big american cars the crowd Rose As one to pull for the underdog. And once in a while a Beetle would win. An when a decile beat a porsche j2s in the Public acc class the crowd waxed ecstatic to put it  Drivers who scored High in the recent drag race in Austria did no fare As Well at bloc Konheim. Chris Brunkhorst who drives her husband Lee s Chevrolet Vega won the  class in Austria and still managed to place second at Hock Nchim. She had looked set to win again but red lighted by2 0ths of a second in the final run against German Driver Karl a Linz Geiger in a Corvette. Placing third in ice to class was Tony Rowe in his Corvette. Bill Hales who took second in Austria in the it division was also turning Quick times at . Bulhe retired from the action with a broken transmission on his Camaro. Hara s Lackey who drives in dragster heavy Metal had been doing Well All weekend in the euro series championship class running in the Low 8-Sccond area. Then bad Luck struck when the nitrous oxide fue Lacci a cnally ignited and destroyed an Inlet manifold. Lccy was through for the Day but place j fourth the division won by Robin read of England in his elapsed Lime and Speed come up at 1 Filc Kellii Imas soon As the parachutes pop. Daimler powered dragster. The grand finale of the Long Day of racing came about 7 . When German Driver Rico antics fired up his lame throwing giant Jet dragster and flashed Down the strip in a burst of Bla ing kerosene and sky High decibels. This spectacular run was designed to Send the huge crowd Home Happy and it did just that. Back of the pack Wallace wins at the Glen Watkins Glen . A Rusty Wallace just kept coming Back from adversity. Finally he found himself in the Lead with 14 laps remaining and stayed there to win sunday s Bud we scr at the Glen Lascar race. We came from behind so Many times it was really kind of amazing Wallace said. "1 got caught on a caution Flag and had a Flat lire. We just had trouble All Day Long but were were Able to overcome  a year ago when Wallace came on Strong at the end of the season to finish second to Winston cup Champion Bill Elliott his trademark was falling a Lap or two off the Pace and coming Back to win. This time he never lost a Lap on the 2.48-mile, seven turn Watkins Glen International Road course but he did come from the Back of the pack. I Hope we can pick up where we left off last year and win four or five in a Row he said. The hard charging Wallace finished second to Ricky Rudd last year after winning in 1987. This Victory was his fourth on a Road course his fourth win of the year and the 14th of his Winston cup career. Wallace crossed the finish line 1,06 seconds ahead of second place Mark Martin with Dale Earnhardt Darcy Allison Bobby Lillin or. And Morgan Shepherd following at the end o f the 90-Lap, 218.52-mile event. He won s56.400 Afler averaging 89.242 in a race slowed by six full course cautions for 21 laps. Martin who jumped past Darrell Waltrip into Sec Ond place 126 Points behind Earnhardt in the Winston cup standings. "1 contemplated running toward Rusty on the last la but there was Oil All Over the  Geoff boding who was battling for third place with Earnhardt at the Start of the last Lap shredded a tire Slid across the grass and slammed into a lire Wall cutting right through the tires and the Guardrail before Stop Ping. He was not injured. Rudd was leading Wallace and Hillin when a caution Flag came out just As they were finishing Lap 26. All three were unable to Duck into the pits in Lime while the rest of the leaders pitted. That left the front running Trio at the Back of the Lead Lap when the Green hag came Back out on Lap 28. Wallace worked his Pontiac grand prix Back through the Field to third place by Lap 45 and took the Lead on Lap 50. He battled for the front spot with Shepherd until Wallace suddenly slowed with a Flat on Lap 66 and pitted falling to 24th. Wallace charged Back again using a caution Flag on Lap 69 to help him move Back toward inc from. Following the fifth full course caution Flag Michael Waltrip held a slight Edge Over Road racing specialist Tommy Kendall a 22-year-old Urcla Stu Dent making his Winston cup debut. Wallace was sixth under the caution Flag but quickly moved up to third after the Green Flag waved on Lap 73. On the 76th Lap. Kendall got inside Waltrip the two bumped hard and Waltrip spun off course giving the youngster the Lead for one Lap. Svall acc took control of the top spot on Lap 77 and held it the rest of the Way