Booher Caps off Career-Best Season with Semifinal Appearance

Booher Caps off Career-Best Season with Semifinal Appearance

Champaign, IL – Brandon Booher entered the recent Reynolds NHRA Division 2 race with one goal in mind: move up in national and divisional points. Thanks to a semifinal finish, he did just that.

“The overall goal was obviously to win the race, but we knew there would be a lot of heavy hitters there, so a runner-up finish would suffice. That would’ve moved us up to 9th in national points and 3rd in Division 3. If the car would’ve started in the semi’s, I think there was a good chance that we could win the round and go to the finals,” claimed Booher.

Something as simple as dead starter batteries ended Brandon’s chances of making the finals.

“We started the car 45 minutes before the run and it started just fine. The crew went to start the car (for the run) and it wouldn’t turn over. It hurt the starter, because it wasn’t getting enough power from the battery pack on the cart. Duane (Shields) had already fired and began his burnout, so there wasn’t enough time to find another power source. It’s just another thing that we’ll improve on for next year. We’ll have two battery packs and two starters on the cart next year so that doesn’t happen again,” Brandon said.

The 2011 season had its ups and downs, as Brandon explains. “There were a few races where I suffered first round losses, but we’ve learned from the little mistakes that caused those. Collectively, they cost us a few spots in points. It has been a great season however, with runner-up finishes at the Norwalk national event and Cordova divisional. As of right now, I’m sitting in 10th in national points. We’re working on a few things already to try to improve that position next year. Now all I can do is wait and see how Chase Copeland does out west; that will ultimately decide where I finish in national points at the end of the year,”

Brandon would like to thank the crew members that helped at the Reynolds race; Aaron Booher, Phil and J.P. Gutierrez, and Rocky and Vanessa Flannigan. They join Shannon Pappas, Brian Booher, Pete Brady, Drew Fluehr, Ed Russell, John Halloran, and Nate Van Wagnen; the rest of the Booher Racing crew in 2011. Several companies assist the team with parts and equipment, including Goodson Tools, Victory Valves, Coan, Lenco, Total Flow Cylinder Heads, Spitzer Race Cars, and Ken at Motorsports Unlimited.

Fans can follow Brandon Booher and the AB Construction Top Alcohol Dragster team on Facebook (www.facebook.com/booherracing) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/booherracing). For results and press releases, visit www.dragracecentral.com and www.topalcoholnews.com.

About Booher Racing-The NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster team led by Brandon and Aaron Booher competes at national events across the United States, all of which are televised nationally on ESPN2. To become a sponsor with Booher Racing, contact NVW Motorsports Promotion (www.nitronate.com).