O'Bannon to switch to TAFC

O'Bannon to switch to TAFC due to lack of parity

POMONA, Calif. - Five-time NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster World Championship winning car owner Jack O'Bannon has announced his intentions to switch his son Sean's Top Alcohol Dragster team to Top Alcohol Funny Car following the performance of the A/Fuel combination at this past weekend's CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. O'Bannon was the second quickest blown alcohol car in the field with his Tequila Patrón/Forest River RV's entry with a 5.339, only to be overshadowed by Morgan Lucas' 5.12 in his A/Fuel combination.

O'Bannon, 28, of nearby Ontario, Calif., competes in Top Alcohol Dragster which allows two different combinations to compete against each other. O'Bannon currently runs the supercharged alcohol combination which has to compete with the naturally aspirated, injected nitro combination. The team had high hopes of competing for the national championship following an increase in overdrive for the supercharged cars last season to establish parity between the two combinations. After finishing second nationally last season, the elder O'Bannon has made the decision to change classes entirely to Top Alcohol Funny Car following the dominance of the A/Fuelers this weekend. The 5.12 ran by Lucas was the quickest run by an A/Fueler in their current configuration, compared a 5.25 being the quickest ever by a Blown Alcohol car. Two other drivers bettered that mark with A/Fuelers this weekend alone. O'Bannon currently fields a Top Alcohol Funny Car driven by Alexis De Joria.

"We have the complete dragster operation for sale right now," said Sean. "Turn-key car, spares, and the log book to go with it. We owe it to our sponsors Tequila Patrón and Forest River to compete for the World Championship and right now it doesn't appear to be realistic to deliver on that with a Blown Alcohol Dragster. Our hands are tied by the rule restrictions NHRA has imposed on us. That 5.12 Morgan ran really showed the writing on the wall for the year."

"We'll run the dragster one more time at the Phoenix divisional and hopefully have a Funny Car ready to go for the Vegas National," Sean continued. "Fortunately we already have a Funny Car in our team and a very talented and experienced crew there. By making the switch now, we should be able to compete for a championship in Top Alcohol Funny Car. It will be very interesting to see how we do as a two car team with Alexis."

"Top Alcohol Funny Car is an extremely competitive class with some very talented people," stated Jack. "We will give it our best with both cars as we learn. Most importantly it will be fun racing in an even playing field."

Sean's team will retain Sam Shockley as Crew Chief. The team has a new Brad Hadman chassis on order that will feature a Dodge Charger body. The team plans to debut the new car at the SummitRacing.com Nationals in Las Vegas, Apr. 12-15. De Joria also has a new car on order through chassis builder Murf McKinney.

The next event for the Tequila Patrón/Forest River RV's/Jack O'Bannon Racing team could well be their last in TAD, Mar. 2-4, in Phoenix for the Division 7 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series opener.

To inquire about the dragster operation, email Sean at seanfonlbr@aol.com

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