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John Labbous Jr., who entered the Epping event leading the points standings in both Super Comp and Super Gas, made the long trip from Tennessee to New England at the request of car owner Anthony Bertozzi, who doubled up at the inaugural NHRA New England Nationals in 2013. Labbous had never raced at New England Dragway, a move that he said worked in his favor. In the Super Gas final, Labbous stopped New York-based Chuck Rothermel on a holeshot, 9.922 to 9.914. It was the seventh time that Rothermel has been a runner-up at an NHRA national event. In eight races this year, Labbous has four wins following his latest triumph in Epping, which brought his points total up to 614 points with plenty of opportunities left to improve his score.