Wiechmann wins Silvia Construction Pro Gas Finals. Pete Bothe finishes with a runner-up & Series Championship. By Bob Johnson October 25, 2008 Fontana, Calif.

Paul Wiechmann went to his second Pro Gas final of the season and got revenge on his June opponent, Pete Bothe. Wiechmann lost the June '08 contest against the reigning champ, but this time he took the win, as Bothe's Porsche died just off the starting line.

Qualifying for the final race of '08 was led by Ryan Priddy's '67 Nova with a 9.901, followed by Las Vegas racer Roger Kato at 9.902. Mike Blodgett Sr. and points contender John Ross followed with 9.905 times. Wiechmann had been struggling with converter problems over the weekend opened eliminations of the Silvia Construction-sponsored event with a 9.908 win over point's contender Larry Scarth in the first round, he beat '04 champ Mike Blodgett Sr. in round two, and Tim Daniel in the third before getting a bye in the quarterfinals. In the semifinal, he defeated Greg Ventura 9.914 to a 9.931, a race that also dismissed Ventura's hopes of winning the series title.

Bothe had his car dialed as closely to the index as one could hope, using a 9.891 in round one to beat Travis Balough, a 9.891 in the second round to get by Brenden Herem, 9.902 to beat Ryan Priddy, a 9.896 to beat Randy Balough, and he ran a 9.896 on a semifinal bye run. In the first five rounds he averaged .013 reaction times.

The final round race for Bothe was over at the starting line, as 14 quarter mile passes in one day took its toll on the converter, and the car bogged as the light turned green. Paul Wiechmann won the final Pro Gas race of the season, defeating Pete Bothe in the final round. Greg Ventura's chances of winning the Pro Gas championship ended in the race #10 semi, as he lost to Paul Wiechmann 9.914 to a 9.931.

Race #10 Top Qualifiers 1. Ryan Priddy 9.901 2. Roger Kato 9.902 3. Mike Blodgett Sr. 9.905 4. John Ross 9.905 5. Rich Okerman 9.908 6. Pete Bothe 9.908 7. Dave Coapstick 9.908

Ryan Priddy used a 9.901 to earn the Cordeiro Family Motorsports number one qualifier award with his '67 Nova.