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David Dilbeck
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Georgia Drag Racing News
Sometimes, David may have some additional photos he'd like to share that don't get linked into the main site. If you'd like to see them, check out his Photos on Imagestation.com or in our new Photo Album.
May 2003
Charlie Peppers Currently Qualified #11 in Pro Stock at the Hooters IHRA Mopar Performance Parts Canadian Nationals presented by Castrol
Posted Saturday, May 31, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Charlie Peppers (Auburn, GA) posted an 11th best 6.627 @ 210.42 in his '02 Ford Mustang Pro Stocker.
IHRA Results
Allen Johnson Grabs Provisional Number One - Could Be a First for the Tennessee Resident
Posted Saturday, May 31, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
JOLIET, Ill. (May 30, 2003) – Mopar’s Allen Johnson has grabbed the provisional No. 1 position after the first day of qualifying for this weekend’s Lucas Oil Products NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway.
Johnson, 43, has never collected the top spot in qualifying, but his Hemi-powered Dodge Neon R/T drove through the traps with a 6.824-second elapsed time at 201.94 mph. His speed is also number one thus far.
“I feels real good about our runs today,” Johnson said. “It’s the first time I’ve ever led qualifying after the first day. Weather is supposed to change for tomorrow – so we’re going to see if we can hang on. But we’ll take it for now.
“Both runs were awesome and were at the top of the qualifying page,” Johnson added. “The engine is really accelerating well this weekend. It’s such a great race track and that’s why you’re seeing the great times. I think these Hemi engines will run well in any conditions – and it’s just been a matter of learning how to tune them. We ran on Monday out in Topeka (Kan.) and it was really fast then. Unfortunately that didn’t count.”
The Greeneville, Tenn., resident made a final-round appearance at the season-opening Winternationals at Pomona (Calif.) Raceway. Johnson joined Mopar’s factory program at the beginning of the 2003 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series season – and is going after a third career national event victory.
A factory Mopar car also picked up the No. 1 qualifier the last time the NHRA visited Route 66 Raceway, as 2002 Rookie of the Year Gene Wilson nabbed his first-career top qualifier last fall.
Teammate Darrell Alderman, a three-time POWERade Pro Stock World Champion, didn’t fare as well. The Morehead, Ky., resident is on the outside looking in after the first two sessions. He ran a 6.922-second elapsed 199.85 mph.
“We were just trying to get data on that second run,” said Alderman, who missed the first round of qualifying due to a broken wheelie bar. “We’re going to have to tune it up a little bit for tomorrow. The car didn’t feel bad out there, but I think we’ll lean it down a bit for the third session.”
Wilson was positive about his second qualifying effort, despite not placing his Mopar Parts Dodge Stratus R/T into the top 16. The Georgia resident logged a 6.898-second elapsed time at 200.08 mph.
“We made an awesome run on that last one,” Wilson said. “It felt really nice, unfortunately, it was done with the air pretty bad. It was three or four hundred feet worse than it was for the first run. It wasn’t conducive to making a run good enough to get into the field. Nonetheless, we have the car where it needs to be. We’re going to have some nice air tomorrow, so we think we can get into the show. We have a real good baseline for tomorrow and I feel real good.”
Larry Morgan and his Mopar Parts Dodge Neon R/T were unable to make the top 16. His best pass of the weekend is at 6.912 seconds and 199.55 mph.
David Harris, Cox Marketing Group
Public Relations Manager
Mopar Motorsports
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
davidh@coxmarketinggroup.com
(704) 799-2114 – office
(704) 756-9301 - mobile
KJ Places Fourth on Friday in Joliet
Posted Saturday, May 31, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Qualifying for the Lucas Oil NHRA Route 66 Nationals got underway today, and Kurt Johnson and the ACDelco Racing team continued to be among the top performers in the extremely competitive division. Based on his 6.848-second, 201.82 mph run on Friday afternoon, Johnson's ACDelco Cavalier sits in the fourth position heading into Saturday's final two time trials.
"Even though we're fourth, we really didn't run as fast as we should have. I believe we should have been a couple hundredths quicker than we were, so we'll change a few things around for tomorrow, trying to fine-tune it.
"Of our two runs today, we're more pleased with our second attempt, because we made a change to the suspension for the first time since Houston, and the ACDelco Cavalier responded the way we wanted it to, picking up the performance in the first sixty feet.
"The forecast is calling for cooler temperatures tomorrow, so we'll look to adapt to the conditions, because the field could be turned upside down, with the morning session being the one shot to make it in the show."
Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
Phone: (704) 662-3121
jgknapp@tmgsports.net
Friday Qualifying Results
WJ Sits Tenth Midway Through Route 66 Qualifying
Posted Saturday, May 31, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
The Lucas Oil NHRA Route 66 Nationals represent only the second race that Warren Johnson has raced his current GM Performance Parts Grand Am. Therefore, each run down the track provides the team with valuable information, allowing them to get a better handle on what the car needs to perform.
After trying a new set-up on the car on their first attempt which produced a 6.880-second, 201.22 mph effort, the team made the necessary adjustments and responded with a 6.867-second, 200.53 mph run on their second attempt, placing them tenth heading into the final two time trials on Saturday. As Johnson, explained, it was simply part of the procedure when dealing with a new car.
"We made a change to the car for the first run, and it ended up being more drastic than we thought it would be. Therefore, we went back to a known set-up for the second session, and were the fifth quickest car in that round. So, theoretically, we could have been qualified fifth instead of tenth, but we'll take today's information and move forward. It's all part of the learning process with this GM Performance Parts Grand Am."
Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
Phone: (704) 662-3121
jgknapp@tmgsports.net
Kalitta, Force, A. Johnson, Savoie , and Ashley Lead Qualifying at the NHRA POWERade Lucas Oil Route 66 Nationals:
Posted Saturday, May 31, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
NHRA Friday Recap
Whit Bazemore is #3 in Funny Car with a 4.839 @ 321.96.
In Pro Stock, KJ is #4, Terry Adams is #6, and WJ is #10. Barry Grant (#17), Gene Wilson (#22), and Mark Whisnant (#27) aren't in the program after two qualifying sessions.
Fred Collis is currently #5 in Pro Stock Bike.
“Freight Train” Roars into Bowling Green for First Ever National Hot Rod Reunion
Posted Friday, May 30, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Historic twin-engined race car coming from California to
participate in huge hot rod gathering benefiting the
Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Event Director: Bob Daniels, 352/326-5377, bedaniels53@aol.com
Sam Jackson, Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, 909/622-3454, sjackson@nhra.com
Greg Sharp, Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, 909/622-2735, gregsh@nhra.com
Media: Bill Groak, PCG, 310/224-4940, bgroak@paccomgrp.com
POMONA, Calif. – (June 2, 2003) – One of the most famous and winning front-engined dragsters of all-time is coming to the inaugural Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion in Bowling Green on June 20-22. The “Freight Train,” in all its configurations, won victories at four National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) national events and countless independent meets. The car is credited with turning the first 180-, 190- and 200 mph speeds on gasoline and raced over 1700 times in 24 states from 1960 until the car’s retirement in 1972.
Freight Train will join dozens of other classic and historic drag racing cars that will participate at the National Hot Rod Reunion, a celebration of racing and hot rods as they were in the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s. The twin-engined car was initially built, by John Peters and Nye Frank, in response to the NHRA’s controversial fuel ban (1957-1963). Top Eliminator racers turned to multiple power-plants to compensate for being unable to use nitro-methane fuel. The car’s best performance was a 6.95 second elapsed time at 211 miles per hour.
“We are very pleased and excited to be able to bring the Freight Train to the National Hot Rod Reunion,” said John Peters of California, owner and restorer of the vintage racer. “It’s been many years since the car has been seen in the East and its going to be a blast to fire it up for the folks out there. And, we’re bringing along one of the car’s original drivers, Roy ‘Goob’ Tuller from Tulsa. We can hardly wait.”
“The National Hot Rod Reunion is all about reliving the sights and sounds of drag racing as it used to be. It’s a chance for people to see the cars and people that made history,” said Sam Jackson, executive director of the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum. “The ‘Freight Train’ is a very important part of that history, and a fan favorite, so it’s going to be very exciting when the car is push started, roars to life and participates in the Saturday evening Cacklefest. It’s an experience people won’t forget.”
Produced by the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, the Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion, presented by DuPont Automotive Finishes, will include Crane Cams nostalgic drag racing in such classes at Top Fuel, Supercharged Gassers, classic Funny Cars and Super Stocks, along with a giant street rod, customs, classics and muscle car SoffSeal “show ‘n’ shine,” swap meet for classic car and racing parts, special stage show and has a separate amusement park with rides and games for all ages adjacent to the park.
Bob Glidden, winner of 10 NHRA Pro-Stock Championships and 85 National events in his 30 years of racing, will serve as Grand Marshal of the event. The honorees are Jack Chisenhall, Angelo Giampetroni, Raymond Godman, Ken Hirata and the team of Robert Frakes & Dale Funk. Don “Big Daddy” Garlits is the Spotlight Award recipient.
Many of the popular features of the annual NHRA California Hot Rod Reunion event will also be present in Bowling Green, including the all-time favorite “Cacklefest.” This involves early-days-style front-engine dragsters being push-started, then all gathered together on the drag strip with engines running.
The Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion, presented by DuPont Automotive Refinishes, will also cater to car clubs, with special contests and activities for clubs. Proceeds of the Reunion benefit the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum. The museum houses the very roots of hot rodding. Scores of famous vehicles spanning American motorsports history are on display, including winning cars representing 50 years of drag racing, dry lakes and salt-flat racers, oval track challengers and exhibits describing their colorful backgrounds.
Reunion information is available online at www.nhra.com/museum or by mail. To receive updated information, prospective participants should send a post card or note to National Hot Rod Reunion, P.O. Box 2345, Pomona, Calif. 91769. Or you can call 909/622-8562 for further Reunion details.
The Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum is open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., PST, with extended hours during NHRA national events. Current NHRA members are admitted free. Admission for non-members is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors 60 and older, $3 for juniors six through 15, and free for children under the age of five. The Museum is also available for private parties, meetings, corporate events, weddings and special group tours. The Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum is located at Fairplex Gate 1, 1101 W. McKinley Ave. in Pomona. For further information on special exhibits, museum events or directions, call 909/622-2133 or visit www.nhra.com/museum.
Inaugural Rte. 66 Funny Car Champion Bazemore Aims to Repeat
Posted Friday, May 30, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
JOLIET, Ill. -- When Route 66 Raceway opened its doors to NHRA Drag Racing in 1998, it was Whit Bazemore who made it into the record books by winning the inaugural Funny Car event against Del Worsham. Bazemore won again in 2001 and still holds the Funny Car elapsed time (4.750 seconds) and top-speed track records (325.45 mph) here, as the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series hosts the Lucas Oil NHRA Route 66 Nationals this weekend.
"Route 66 is a great track," says Bazemore, who has reached the semifinal round in all but one event so far this year, as well as four final rounds (one win) and is second in points. "It's a fantastic facility. It's one of the showcase facilities on the tour. I enjoy the kind of place where the track owners take great pride in their business and do things the right way. I actually feel good going to a place where our sport can be proud.
"We've done well here," the driver of the Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge Stratus R/T Funny Car adds. "That has no bearing on the future, obviously. But having won the inaugural race is something that doesn't go away. When you walk in you can kind of feel like you own it a little bit, which is cool."
Recalling that race, Bazemore says, "It was good. It was a great day. We slayed them. That's how it went. I drove well, I remember that. They gave us special rings. It was a great win."
Route 66 is also home track for team owner Don Schumacher, who heads Schumacher Electric, located in Mt. Prospect. Ill. "The key is we like the track and it's Don Schumacher's home track," says Bazemore. "So it's an important race for him. It was exciting winning there in 2001 with Schumacher's team and it's a great place to show off for him because he has a lot of friends and family coming to the race. That makes it even more exciting than ever when we do well here."
Bazemore, winner in Englishtown, N.J., and his Lee Beard-led team have been consistent and strong all season, and would like to knock points leader Tony Pedregon off the podium not only in the standings but in the race as well. "We've had a good two races," says Bazemore. "Two final rounds in a row and one win is very positive. I think it says everything about our team and how good the team is and what we're trying to accomplish.
"Right now we're just a little tiny bit behind performance-wise of the other car in the lead. I know that Lee and our guys are working very, very hard to get on that level. We're very close. We're not even at the part of the year where we normally are very strong, so in that regard it's awfully exciting being where we are right now."
Doing well is not only rewarding, but it's also fun for the Indianapolis resident. "Our intention is to win," adds Bazemore, two-time U.S. Nationals champion. "We're in a position where we have high expectations and we know we're able to achieve our expectations. We need to, and we will. But at the same time our team is having a lot of fun. It's a very relaxed atmosphere within the team. I think that's really good, because it's easy to get wrapped up in fighting for a championship, and getting all stressed out, but we're not going to do that.
"I think that's one of the reasons we're being successful right now. Everybody is really relaxed. We're enjoying our racing. I know I am. I think that's really important."
Courtesy of Judy Stropus
Driver Safety Takes a Front Seat with Warren Johnson
Posted Thursday, May 29, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Seat in WJ's new GM Performance Parts Grand Am features revolutionary design
SUGAR HILL, GA., May 27, 2003 - When people think of Warren Johnson, the first thing that comes to mind is horsepower. Over the last twenty-seven years, Johnson-powered race cars have set countless records, won well over a hundred races and six NHRA Pro Stock championships. The 2003 POWERade season has been no different, as Warren and his son Kurt arrive at Route 66 Raceway for the Lucas Oil Nationals having set seven track records as well as winning five of the first nine races, with each in contention for this year's title.
It is somewhat ironic, therefore, that the one feature drawing the most attention on WJ's new GM Performance Parts Grand Am has no direct influence on the vehicle's performance. However, as "The Professor" explains, the revolutionary seat that made its debut last weekend in Topeka is the result of his work in another area of extreme personal interest.
"From day one I have looked at ways to make these cars safer," stated Johnson. "My first approach came as a result of my witnessing a fatality in Baton Rouge many years ago, after which I incorporated a funny car style roll cage designed to keep the driver contained inside the car.
"Since then, we've made other changes, leading up to the production of this seat. I've studied many NASCAR films, dating back to Bobby Allison's accident in Pocono, and realized there had to be a better way to protect the driver other than just surrounding him with a lot of pipe. We needed to prevent the body from decelerating instantly, which is where many of the injuries occur.
"Working with a gentleman who builds seats for the IRL and CART, we came up with the prototypical design found in our new GM Performance Parts Grand Am. It has the dual purpose of holding the driver in place while absorbing some of the energy of the impact. This is strictly a safety issue - something designed to protect the driver. Although the R&D nature of this initial offering accounts for its astronomical price, we're hoping to make it more affordable in the near future.
"As Brandon Bernstein's unfortunate incident in Englishtown showed us, it's an area that I believe needs to be addressed in all classes. Certainly his was an unusual impact, hitting on the bottom as it did, but nevertheless, he probably could have benefited from a seat that dissipated the energy more than simple tubing."
The unusual shape of Johnson's form-fitting, carbon-fiber seat has already earned it several nicknames, such as the "Jacuzzi" (courtesy of Warren's son Kurt) and the "Barcalounger". However, as any competitor will quickly agree, driver safety is always a prime concern.
"We're dealing with 2,350-pound cars traveling at well over 200 mph, and we don't have the luxury of having the extra thousand pounds of tubing of the Winston Cup cars around us," stated Johnson. "I have always made safety a top priority, and over the years I have made many subtle changes to my cars that are strictly in that area.
"Ironically, my competitors will see something different and immediately assume it's to enhance the performance. Naturally, we are always looking at that aspect, but first and foremost, you build a safe race car. That's what we've done with this new GM Performance Parts Grand Am."
Facts on Warren Johnson and the GM Performance Parts Racing Team entering
the Lucas Oil Route 66 NHRA Nationals:
* WJ leads the pack at Route 66: This will be Warren's eighth NHRA Pro Stock national event appearance at Route 66 Raceway, where he has accumulated two wins (1999, 2001) in three final round appearances, while compiling a 13-5 elimination round record. Incidentally, WJ is the only driver with more than one win in Joliet. In addition, he was the No. 1 qualifier at the inaugural event in 1998.
* One year ago: WJ qualified sixth for the spring Chicago race with an elapsed time of 6.881 seconds and a top speed of 201.31 mph (which was the top speed of the weekend), but was upset in the first round.
* Winning Streak: With his win in Atlanta, Warren Johnson has now won at least two races in 18 of the past 22 years. In addition, his current streak of winning at least one race a year for 22 consecutive years is the longest in NHRA history.
* POWERade Points standings: After the ninth of 23 events, WJ stands third in the 2003 POWERade points standings with 676 points, 134 behind current leader Anderson, and trails second place Kurt Johnson by 103 markers.
* No. 1 in National event wins: WJ's 90 national event victories are the most ever in the history of the Pro Stock division and place him second on the all-time NHRA win list. His most recent win came at the 2003 Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals in Atlanta, Ga.
* Career best elapsed time: 6.715 seconds, Englishtown 2003
* Career best top speed: 205.69 mph, Englishtown 2003
Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
Phone: (704) 662-3121
jgknapp@tmgsports.net
Kurt Johnson is Ready to Wrap Up the "Spring Swing" with a Win
Posted Thursday, May 29, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
Phone: (704) 662-3121
jgknapp@tmgsports.net
ACDelco Cavalier driver looks forward to celebrating at home with his family
SUGAR HILL, GA., May 27, 2003 - This weekend, the NHRA's POWERade Drag Racing Series makes its way to Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, IL for the Lucas Oil Route 66 Nationals. This event will complete a period in which the straight-line contingent will have run three races in as many weeks. It is the first true test of a team's championship mettle, as both positive and negative results can easily multiply during this compacted part of the schedule.
Kurt Johnson and the ACDelco racing team continue to stake their claim for the 2003 title, as their Cavalier remains among the top performers in the ultra-competitive Pro Stock category, with three wins and five final round appearances in the first nine races. Fresh off a runner-up performance in Topeka, Johnson arrives in the Land of Lincoln aware of the demands created by this hectic racing trifecta, and both he and his crew are fully prepared to handle them.
"Any way you look at it, racing on three consecutive weekends is tough," opined Johnson. "Fortunately, we're in a better position than most of our competitors. Our ACDelco Cavalier has been performing well, the crew is really clicking, and we're going rounds on a consistent basis, which certainly makes it easier.
"The hardest part of these back-to-back races is being away from your family. Between traveling and working on the car, you barely have time to go home, unpack and do the laundry before you're getting ready to leave again. It's the one part of racing that you never get used to, but you learn to live with it. For example, we have a weekend off after this race that we're all looking forward to, but our focus right now is on winning in Joliet."
One factor that may lessen the team's list of concerns is the site of this weekend's race. Route 66 Raceway has been hailed as one of the sport's top facilities since joining the NHRA tour in 1998. Located in Joliet, IL, the unique horseshoe design of the tower and grandstands offers fans a distinctive view of the on-track action, while the racing surface draws praise from the competitors, including K.J., who currently holds the track elapsed time and top speed records.
"I've always enjoyed racing at Route 66 Raceway," stated Johnson. "The racing surface is pretty good, and you can't say enough about the overall facility, which is one of the best on the circuit.
"Although we're still looking for our first win in Joliet, it's a track where we seem to run well. We had one of our better showings there last fall, advancing to the semi-finals. We actually felt like we could have won that race, as we lost by only a couple thousandths. The way our ACDelco Cavalier has been running this year, we're looking forward to going back. I'm ready for a win."
Facts on Kurt Johnson and the ACDelco Racing Team entering the
Lucas Oil Route 66 NHRA Nationals:
* KJ in Joliet: This will be Kurt's eighth appearance at Route 66 Raceway, where he has two semi-final finishes. In addition, he was the No.1 qualifier twice, in 1999 and at the fall race of 2001.
* Route 66 Raceway Record Holder: Kurt holds both ends of the Route 66 Raceway track record at 6.801 seconds and 202.70 mph, which he set in September of 2001.
* Traveling in Elite Company: Kurt's 26 national event victories tie him with legendary Pro Stock driver Lee Shepherd for 15th on the all-time NHRA professional win list, and fifth in the Pro Stock Career Victories. Kurt's most recent win came at last month's Mac Tools NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, TN.
* POWERade Points standings: After the ninth of 23 events, Kurt is in second place with 779 points, 31 behind current leader Greg Anderson, and 103 ahead of his father, Warren Johnson, who is in third. Kurt finished sixth in 2002, his tenth consecutive Top 10 finish.
* One year ago: Kurt qualified 15th with an elapsed time of 6.896 seconds and a top speed of 200.23 mph, but fell in the first round.
* Winning percentage: Kurt's .639 elimination round winning percentage (321-181) ranks 11th among all active NHRA professional drivers.
* Career best elapsed time: 6.716 seconds, Englishtown, NJ, 2003
* Career best top speed: 206.61 mph, Englishtown, NJ, 2003
Event schedule:
Qualifying: Friday, May 30: Two sessions at 4:00 & 6:15 p.m.
Saturday, May 31: Two sessions at 11:00 a.m. & 2:30 p.m.
Eliminations: Sunday, June 1: Pre-race ceremonies - 10 a.m.
First round of eliminations - 11:00 a.m.
TV Schedule:
Qualifying Highlights: Saturday, May 31: 8:00 - 10:00 p.m. (ESPN)
Final Eliminations Coverage: Sunday, June 1: 7:00 - 10:00 p.m. (ESPN2)
NHRA2Day: Sunday, June 1: 11:00 - 11:30 a.m. (ESPN2)
(Note: All TV times are Eastern. Please check your local listings for updated air times.)
Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
Phone: (704) 662-3121
jgknapp@tmgsports.net
SCOTTY CANNON AND ROUTE 66 HAPPY TOGETHER
Posted Thursday, May 29, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
JOLIET, Ill. (May 28, 2003) - Oakley Funny Car driver Scotty Cannon and
Route 66 Raceway have a happy relationship, and Cannon is eager to get back
on the track that's been good to him in recent years for the Lucas Oil NHRA
route 66 Nationals this weekend and the 10th round of the 23-event POWERade
Drag Racing Series.
Route 66 Raceway is where Cannon posted his career-best elapsed time of
4.783 seconds in the first event here in 2001. It's also where he was
runner-up last year, against Del Worsham.
"It's been pretty good to me," says the popular Mohawk-wearing driver from
Lyman, S.C. "It's a real good track. If the weather is permitting I wouldn't
be surprised if you don't see some people break the world record this
weekend. It wouldn't surprise me one bit."
Cannon's new team is buoyed by its performance last week in Heartland Park
Topeka, where Cannon qualified No. 4 with a solid 4.81-second pass, although
he was ousted in the first round after losing a cylinder early on. Always
aiming to improve their performance, Cannon and his crew, led by crew chief
Phil Shuler, tested in Topeka the following Monday.
"What we had done starting in Englishtown," Cannon explains, "was we
actually changed the way we were running the motor in the car, because we
didn't feel that the way we were running it it was capable of running .70s
or real low .80s easy. We hadn't really had much success with the tune-up
that we had. So we changed it and in doing so we had to change the clutch
combination.
"The Topeka race showed some promised. We actually went an .81," he adds.
"So first round Sunday we dropped a hole (cylinder) because we had a little
bit too much fuel in it with the way we were running the clutch. So we
tested on Monday and the car made three good runs. We were just trying to go
300 or 400 foot to make sure we had the fuel system right, and the car made
three excellent runs.
"If we can take what we learned in the last couple of races and apply it
here at Joliet, it should run good. We did run an .81, so we know that the
car actually has enough horsepower to run up front with the big dogs. We
just have to make sure we can get the clutch right. That's the area where
we're really focusing on right now, is the bell housing."
Pro Nitro qualifying is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Friday, May
30. On Saturday, May 31, Pro Nitro qualifying continues at 12:30 p.m. and
3:30 p.m. Final eliminations on Sunday, June 1, begin at 11:00 a.m.
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
Contact: Judy Stropus 203-438-0501; cell 203-243-2438
Whisnant Hopes To Turn His Season Around in Chicago
Posted Wednesday, May 28, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
JOLIET, Ill. – Mark Whisnant, driver of the RW Performance / Snap-On Tools Pro Stock Chevrolet Cavalier, feels good about this weekends 6th annual Lucas Oil Route 66 Nationals in Chicago, Ill. Whisnant, who has struggled as of late, feels he is on the brink of a performance turn around.
"I feel pretty good coming into this race," said Whisnant of Stockbridge, Ga. "We have not been running very well lately, but I feel like all that is about to change.
"We have been inching up in it. We get better with every run. Last weekend we qualified 13th, and then lost to Taylor Lastor in the first round. We lost not because we made a bad run, but because Taylor made a career run. That is encouraging and frustrating all at the same time.
"On Monday we tested in Topeka. We seemed to be moving in the right direction. We ran the same numbers as everyone else who tested there. That tells us that we are in the ballpark. All indicators say that we are headed in the right direction. Now we need to finesse and fine tune.
"I have a good car, and a great team. Now I just need the breaks to fall my way, and I think we can come out of Chicago looking good."
Qualifying at the 6th annual Lucas Oil Route 66 Nationals in Chicago, Ill., will start on Friday May 30 and finish on Saturday May 31, Eliminations will take begin at 11:00 AM CST on Sunday June 1.
RW PERFORMANCE PRO STOCK CHEVY CAVALIER
MARK WHISNANT – DRIVER
REID WHISNANT – OWNER
CONTACT: Patti Miles
336-751-3882
704-957-3940 (Mobile)
pattie.miles@worldnet.att.net
# # #
Whisnant Quick Facts
Currently 16th in 2003 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Points (260 points)
Finished 10th 2002 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Points
Career Best ET 6.772 (Houston 2003)
Career Best MPH 202.73 (Englishtown 2002)
Anderson Looking For A Three-peat In Chicago
Posted Wednesday, May 28, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
VEGAS GENERAL CONSTRUCTION PONTIAC GRAND AM
GREG ANDERSON – DRIVER KEN BLACK – OWNER
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 27, 2003
CONTACT: Patti Miles 336-751-3882
704-957-3940 (Mobile) pattie.miles@worldnet.att.net
Anderson Looking For A Three-peat In Chicago
JOLIET, Ill. – Greg Anderson, driver of the Vegas General Construction Pontiac Grand Am, arrives in Chicago for the running of the 6th annual Lucas Oil Route 66 Nationals trying to extend his winning streak. Anderson, who has won Pro Stock at the last two NHRA POWERade events, would like to complete the hat trick and record third race win in a row this weekend in the windy city.
At this event last year, Anderson lost control of his car in qualifying. At the finish line the Vegas General Construction ride turned over and slid down the top end of the racetrack. Anderson did qualify for the race, and went through two rounds of eliminations before loosing to Bruce Allen on race day.
"I think I will be all right as long as I can keep the car on four wheels," said Anderson of Charlotte, NC. "Last year I went for a wild ride, and I turned the car over on the top end. It turned out all right, but I would prefer not to do that again this year.
"This Route 66 Raceway can be very fast. If the weather cooperates and it is cool like they are saying it is supposed to be, we could see some records broken again at this race.
"I think we will do well again this weekend. We struggled a little bit last Sunday, but this car works so well at every track we go to, that I am sure we will be all right. Between this car, and the team I have backing me up in the pits; I do not have any worries.
Qualifying at the 6th annual Lucas Oil Route 66 Nationals in Chicago, Ill., will start on Friday May 30 and finish on Saturday May 31, Eliminations will take begin at 11:00 AM CST on Sunday June 1.
Anderson Quick Facts
Currently #1 in 2003 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Points (810 points)
Won 2003 Checks Shucks Kragen Nationals in Phoenix, Ariz.
Won 2003 Summitracing.com Nationals in Las Vegas, Nev.
Won 2003 K & N Filter SuperNationals in Englishtown, NJ
Won 2003 O’Reilly Summer Nationals in Topeka, Kan.
Runner-up at 2003 Summit Racing Equipment Nationals in Atlanta, Ga.
Two Semis final round appearances in 2003 (Pomona 1 & Gainesville)
Finished 3rd 2002 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Points
Career Best ET 6.670 (Englishtown 2003)*
Career Best Mile Per Hour 207.18 mph (Englishtown 2003)*
* National records
6th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Route 66 Nationals
TV Schedule
Qualifying Highlights
Saturday May 31 8:00 – 10:00 PM EST ESPN
Eliminations Coverage
Sunday June 1 7:00 – 10:00 PM EST ESPN2
Repeat Eliminations Coverage
Tuesday June 3 2:30 – 4:30 PM EST ESPN2
Sunday June 8 6:00 – 8:00 PM EST ESPN2
Stone Mountain Harley Davidson Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway Results by Tim Glover
Posted Tuesday, May 27, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
TURNER NEARLY DOUBLES UP IN PRO DRAG AND TOP FUEL AT STONE MOUNTAIN HARLEY DAVIDSON SOUTHERN NATIONALS
By Tim Glover
(Commerce, GA - May 23-25) Three hundred plus motorcycle racers brought their Harleys to Atlanta Dragway this weekend for the Stone Mountain Harley-Davidson Southern Nationals, and All Harley Drag Racing Association (AHDRA) event. Wet conditions forced the canceling of Friday's test and tune session, but Saturday and Sunday's action was full throttle, with partly cloudy skies. Some new records were set, with David Feazell of Hudson, IN setting both ends of the Pro Stock record with a 7.385 second blast at 181.79mph, and Street Pro racer Travis Lummus setting a new low ET
of 9.163 seconds in his class.
Harley racing is not just a guy thing. Two lady racers took the top spot in their class today. York, PA racer Wanda Poff won Super Sport and Julia Holliday from North Springfield, PA took top honors in Super Eliminator. Kids also had their chance to enjoy the spotlight with Junior Drag bikes. They were divided into two classes by age, Indian of Blackfoot Junior
Juniors and Jims Junior Senior class.
Riders representing the Christian Motorcycle Association had their booth near the starting line gate on the manufacturer's midway, passing on their message about God. Their motto is "Riding for the Son". The manufacturer's midway was a Harley enthusiast's dream. In addition to numerous leather items, metal art and chrome accessories, dozens of customized Harleys were on sale by the weekend's sponsor, Stone Mountain Harley-Davidson, who is the
sole Georgia agent for Thunder Mountain Customs. Stone Mountain Harley owners Lorrie and Greg Becker brought new, used and custom Harleys to the track, all available to anyone willing to buy. Even the spectator's parking areas looked like a Motorcycle show, with hundreds of customized Harleys. One of the attention getters was "Hanna's Hoss", a Boss Hoss Harley conversion powered by a small block Chevy engine.
Fans were also treated to several Top Fuel Funny Car (TF/FC) passes. Richard Hartman (Top Fuel Dragster racer Rhonda Hartman's brother) was making license passes in the car owned by Pat Kelley. Hartman is helping them get involved in TF/FC, and after he earns his license, will help Pat's son, Alan Kelley, learn how to drive and compete in the Top Fuel Funny Car.
Goshen, OH racer Steve Stordeur took out his boss, Johhny Mancuso, in the Screamin' Eagle Nitro Harley Top Fuel class semi-finals, and then faced Jay Turner from Whitsett, NC in final round action. Stordeur's '01 Weekend bike laid down a stout 6.58, 209.23mph in the final, taking out Turner's game 6.69, 185.56mph. Turner had the lead for nearly 1000 feet, but a recurring problem caused his '99 Dixie to "lay over" on the top end, allowing Stordeur
to cross the finish line first. Turner's team stayed extremely busy because he was also entered in Pro Fuel with another bike.
Larry "Drums" Brancaccio ('02 Harley - Nutley, NJ) and Johnny Mancuso ('00 Weekend - Houston, TX) were the semifinalists. "This is a big financial boost for Johnny (Mancuso). The bike's been really consistent until this last pass," added Stordeur.
Jay Turner's crew may have been tired, but their weekend efforts were not only rewarded with a Top Fuel runner up. Turner began his Jims Pro Fuel weekend by earning a slot in the Pro Fuel six second club on his '02 Dixie with a a 6.987 at 195.70 mph. He kept up the pace the rest of the weekend,topping it off with a 7.04, 195.70 final round win against Chris Streeter's Cleveland, OH based '99 Weekend, which was right there with a 7.09, 183.70.
Jim Doyle ('01 Profuel - Springfield, PA) was one of the
semifinalists. Sam White from Columbia, SC suffered breakage with his '02 Harley, and was unable to make the call for the semis. "It's a hard day," Turner commented about his eight competition passes down the track.
S&S Pro Stock racer Dirk Higgins from Kirby, OH wasn't worried about his opponent David Feazell's new record. "I had my own game plan. Cut a light and try to go as straight as I could go," Higgins said after his 7.52, 171.25mph on an '01 FXR beat Feazell's 7.54, 171.31mph on a '99 Sportster in the final. Dale Raudenbush ('01 Buell - Old Zionsville, PA) and Matt Guidera ('02 Buell - Roseville, CA) were the Pro Stock semifinal pair. Higgins then noted this was the first race he ever ran with fuel injection.
It's a safe bet he is happy with his crew chief.
St. Pete, FL racer Chuck Jones displayed a great amount of sportsmanship today in Kresto Pro Drag. During the semis, Billy Counts from College Station, TX and his boss, Russ Welch (also from College Station, TX) had to rerun (Counts beat the boss), which put Counts way off schedule. Twenty minutes after the other finals were complete, Counts was able to make his final round appearance. Jones said he wasn't worried in the least. "These racers are my friends, and I race with them all year. I'm in this for the big picture. I'll wait another hour if I need to." As things turned out, Counts anticipated the tree too much in the final on his '94 Furr, and lit
up the big red bulb on the starting line. He went on to a 8.54, 121.37, which fell short of Jones' strong 7.64, 165.07 on an '03 Harley. Booger Smith ('02 Prodrag - North Carolina) and Russ Welch ('00 Harley - College Station, TX) were the semifinal pair.
Atlanta Dragway's own Junior Pippin from Conyers, GA was the top player in Joker Machine Pro Modified. Pippin faced Colorado racer Greg Byrnes' '01 Harley in the final, but a quicker react and a faster pass on Pippin's '02 Harley put Byrnes' 8.71, 146.45mph into second place. Pippin's final round numbers were 8.57,
149.25mph. Shaun Reno ('01 Buell - Hayes, VA) and Paul Smith ('02 Buell - Uniontown, OH) finished in the semis. (Pippin also
enjoyed a semifinal finish in the Screamin' Eagle Performance class.)
Nonpareil Super Sport racer Wanda Poff from York, PA has been racing Harleys for three years now, and enjoyed her first ever win on her "Pofformance Headquarters" '96 Sportster. Poff faced Louisiana racer Craig Drago's '02 FXR in the final, and used a big holeshot (.430 to .516) to help her take the win. Poff carded a 10.35, 112.42mph on the 10.30 index for the win, while Drago broke out with a 10.25, 121.37mph trying to catch her. Susie Wevodau ('90 FXR - Harrisburg, PA) was the lone semifinalist. Poff gave her husband Alan credit for building and maintaining her race winning
Harley.
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TOP FUEL HARLEY BIKE HOMETOWN ET MPH
Win: Steve Stordeur '01 Weekend Goshen, OH 6.58 209.23
R/U: Jay Turner '99 Dixie Whitsett, NC 6.69 185.56
Semi: Johnny Mancuso '00 Weekend Houston, TX
Semi: Larry Brancaccio '02 Harley Nutley, NJ
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PRO STOCK BIKE HOMETOWN ET MPH
Win: Dirk Higgins '01 FXR Kirby, OH 7.52 171.25
R/U: David Feazell '99 Sportster Hudson, TN 7.54 171.31
Semi: Dale Raudenbush '01 Buell Old Zionsville, PA
Semi: Matt Guidera '02 Buell Roseville, CA
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PRO FUEL BIKE HOMETOWN ET MPH
Win: Jay Turner '02 Dixie Whitsett, NC 7.04 195.70
R/U: Chris Streeter '99 Weekend Cleveland, OH 7.09 183.70
Semi: Jim Doyle '01 Profuel Springfield, MA
Semi: Sam White '02 Harley Columbia, SC
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PRO GAS BIKE HOMETOWN ET MPH
Win: Tom Bradford '03 Buell Eagle, WI 7.63 169.96
R/U: Lee Hitz '01 Dragbike Annville, PA 9.32 139.75
Semi: Richard Meck '99 FXDP Monteverde, FL
Semi:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PRO DRAG BIKE HOMETOWN ET MPH
Win: Chuck Jones '03 Harley St. Pete, FL 7.64 165.07
R/U: Billy Counts '94 Furr College Station, TX (foul) 8.54 121.37
Semi: Booger Smith '02 Prodrag North Carolina
Semi: Russ Welch '00 Harley College Station, TX
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PRO MODIFIED BIKE HOMETOWN ET MPH
Win: Junior Pippin '02 Harley Conyers, GA 8.57 149.25
R/U: Greg Byrnes '01 Harley Colorado 8.71 146.45
Semi: Shaun Reno '01 Buell Hayes, VA
Semi: Paul Smith '02 Buell Uniontown, OH
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STREET PRO BIKE HOMETOWN ET MPH
Win: Doug Morrow '03 Top Gun Daytona, FL 9.30 143.76
R/U: Donnie Huffman Harley Lakeland, FL 9.96 130.87
Semi: Nicholas Gonatas Harley Youngstown, OH
Semi:
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SUPER SPORT BIKE HOMETOWN ET MPH INDEX
Win: Wanda Poff '96 Sporster York, PA 10.35 121.37 (10.30)
R/U: Craig Drago '02 FXR Louisiana 10.25 121.37 (10.30)
Semi: Susie Wevodau '90 FXR Harrisburg, PA
Semi:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUPER GAS BIKE HOMETOWN ET MPH INDEX
Win: Billy Leonard '99 Harley Mcleansville, NC 10.49 105.00 (9.70)
R/U: Tony Calp '96 Big Twin Smithfield, VA 10.71 125.89 (9.70)
Semi: Charlie Walker Harley Brandon, MS
Semi:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUPER ELIMINATOR BIKE HOMETOWN ET MPH INDEX
Win: Julia Holliday '95 Sportster North Springfield,
PA 11.00 118.82 (10.90)
R/U: Larry Guy '97 Buell Bradenton, FL 10.97 119.58 (10.90)
Semi: Curtis Talbott '00 Sportster Forest, VA
Semi:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOT STREET BIKE HOMETOWN ET MPH
Win: David Atkins Harley Bradenton, FL 10.56 123.33
R/U: Nicholas Gonatas Harley Youngstown, OH 11.22 118.98
Semi: Joe Perry Harley Kingsport, TN
Semi:
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SCREAMIN' EAGLE PERF. BIKE HOMETOWN ET MPH INDEX
Win: Charlie Walker '97 Sportster Brandon, MS 11.56 103.18 (11.50)
R/U: Dan Degood Harley Mountain Top, PA 11.64 94.49 (11.50)
Semi: Junior Pippin '01 V-Rod Conyers, GA
Semi: Wells Hargrove '01 FXD Lynchburg, VA
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ET BIKE HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL
Win: Howard Pence '93 FXR Bradenton, FL 12.76 102.83 (12.75)
R/U: Rick Cathcart '00 FXDX Jefferson City, TN 11.37 119.95 (11.20)
Semi: Steve Mann '99 Buell Powhatan, VA
Semi: Brent Garcia Harley Cincinnatus, NY
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SCREAMIN' EAGLE V-ROD BIKE HOMETOWN ET MPH
Win: Tripp Nobles V-Rod Statesville, NC 10.38 127.88
R/U: Shawn Vantucci V-Rod Frederick, MD 12.82 94.63
Semi: Jamie Mcnaughton V-Rod USA
Semi: Richard Nallin V-Rod USA
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
JUNIOR SENIOR AGE BIKE HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL
Win: Michael Dean (15) '03 Buell Blast Forest, VA 10.41 62.37 (10.35)
R/U: Brendon Griffin (13) '02 Buell Blast Cibolo, TX 9.56 71.38 (9.65)
Semi: Joey Talbot (14) '02 Buell Blast Forest, VA
Semi: Zach Watts (12) '99 TPM Siler City, NC
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
JUNIOR JUNIOR AGE BIKE HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL
Win: Travis Danford (8) '03 Danford Akron, OH 13.18 40.35 (12.95)
R/U: Roy Faw (10) '02 Junior Harmony, NC 13.01 47.31 (13.10)
Semi: Vann Stallings (7) '80 Honda Central, AL
Semi:
BAZEMORE GOES TO FOURTH FINAL OF YEAR
Posted Sunday, May 25, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
TOPEKA, Kan. (May 25, 2003) - For most NHRA pro teams it really doesn't get much better than this: Your driver qualifies in the top half of the field in each of the nine races so far, is low qualifier once, reaches the semifinal round in each of the nine races except for one, advances to the final round four times, wins one of them, sets track top-speed records, and is knocking on the door for an NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series championship.
Most teams would kill for these results. But in the rarefied, competitive, pressure-filled air of a top NHRA professional team, such as the Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge Stratus R/T operation of driver Whit Bazemore and crew chief Lee Beard, one quarter of the largest pro NHRA team on the circuit, only one event win in nine races and second place is often just not good enough.
After losing today in the final round against his nemesis and points leader Tony Pedregon from John Force's team for the second time this season, Bazemore is understandably disappointed to not have won his second straight race. However, based on the results mentioned above, crew chief Beard less discouraged. Nobody said it would be easy, but this Don Schumacher Racing Funny Car team is clearly a contender, which no one would argue.
They launched with nearly identical reaction times: .073 for Pedregon, .076 for Bazemore. But it was Pedregon at the finish line first with a 4.848/320.66 to Bazemore's tire-smoking 5.126/252.38.
Quarter-mile race tracks may all look the same, but at most circuits lane choice is critical. The left lane here in Heartland Park Topeka for the O'Reilly Summer Nationals was the one to have and the two-time U.S. Nationals champion did not have it in the final round. Bazemore earned lane choice for the second round after defeating Bob Gilbertson in the first with a 4.833/321.50, and also in the second round, when he defeated Tim Wilkerson with a 4.872/317.64. But he lost the chance to select the more favorable lane for the final, despite defeating Gary Densham with a 4.898/314.39 in the semis.
"We tried everything we could try to have lane choice going into the final and we came up a little short," said Bazemore, who is now 94 points behind Pedregon in the championship. "Even shallow staging and running the car as hard as we thought we could get away with in the semifinals. The bottom line is we lost lane choice. Down track the right lane just wasn't good all weekend. We were one of the many, many cars that got caught out. We spun the tires in the final pretty hard just before half-track and that was it. We got beat.
"We're just extremely disappointed that it's a one-lane race track and that we got beat. But, it's a long year, we've got a great team over here. I honestly believe that we did everything we could do to win this race. I don't think it was possible to win this race in the right lane unless the other team made a mistake and they didn't. Those are the facts, for what they're worth."
Bazemore and Beard did walk away with the track record, however. "Yes, we did a 326.48 mph in qualifying," said Beard. "We ran good in the earlier rounds, so we had lane choice until we missed it in the semifinals. This was one of those events where lane choice was pretty much a determining factor. Sometimes you have to not only run good, you have to run good enough to maintain lane choice and we didn't do that today.
"The team did an outstanding job," he added. "We went into our fourth final of the year. Obviously, we've got a great combination, setting track records for speed in quite a few different places. I'm not disappointed. Yes, I wish we could have won, but we finished second. We're working awfully hard. We'll just keep our nose to the grinding wheel to try to beat the John Force team."
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
Contact: Judy Stropus 203-438-0501, cell 203-243-2438
CANNON OUT IN FIRST ROUND
Posted Sunday, May 25, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
TOPEKA, Kan. (May 25, 2003) - Scotty Cannon and his Oakley Funny Car team were stoked after qualifying in No. 4 position with a stout 4.814-second elapsed time at 312.21 mph for the O'Reilly Summer Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka.
Cannon and crew chief Phil Shuler were ready to put their struggles behind them as they came up to the line to face Frank Pedregon in the first round of final eliminations.
Cannon took off with a .106 reaction time to Pedregon's .086, which looked like it could have been a close match. But when a supercharger belt blew off Cannon's car he lost traction, allowing Pedregon to cruise to the win with a less-than-stellar 5.242-second run at 276.80 mph.
"We just dropped a hole right at the step and never could recover. The belt came off of it," said a disappointed Cannon.
Trying to find the bright side, the 1999 NHRA Rookie of the year quipped: "The weather's nice, it's a good day for a drag race."
The team will test here at Heartland Park Topeka on Monday before heading to Joliet, Ill., for the 10th round of the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
Contact: Judy Stropus 203-438-0501, cell 203-243-2438
Dixon, Pedregon, and Anderson Win the NHRA POWERade O'Reilly Summer Nationals presented by Castrol GTX
Posted Sunday, May 25, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
NHRA Recap
BAZEMORE DOESN'T MAKE HISTORY, BUT SETS TRACK RECORD, COLLECTS THE NO 3 QUALIFYING POSITION IN TOPEKA
Posted Sunday, May 25, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
TOPEKA, Kan. (May 24, 2003) - There's no question the Schumacher Racing team has the inside line on horsepower. After all, it is team driver Gary Scelzi who remains the fastest Funny Car driver in the world after posting his 326.95-mph run at Englishtown, N.J., last week. And Whit Bazemore is no slouch, as he's performed consistently fast runs this season, including his track-record breaking 326.48 mph pass tonight, fourth fastest ever, coupled with an elapsed time of 4.802 seconds to place him No. 3 for tomorrow's O'Reilly Summer Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka. It's just another stellar qualifying performance for Bazemore and crew chief Lee Beard, who have qualified in the top half all year.
It "shoulda" been faster, Bazemore said. "We had a problem. We went up there to run a lot better than .80 flat. But we had a small problem that affected the performance of our car, so we ran .80 flat at 326, with the fourth fastest speed ever. Our intention was to be a lot stronger than that, but we had a very small, small, small mechanical issue that robbed our car of some performance.
"The important thing was," he added, "is that we moved up into the field (from No. 8). We're just not in a position to make history yet. We've tried to make history a few times this year, and the sun came out once and kind of got us, and tonight we had a small little problem that got us. It's just not meant to be yet, but we're knocking on the door."
Schumacher Racing's results tonight, with each Funny Car qualifying in the top half of the field, can only help Bazemore's goal to move into No. 1 in points from No. 2, he believes. "It's good for the entire team to have our teammates running strongly. Ultimately, it benefits us. We're very happy, especially with Scotty, who has been struggling a lot this year. For them to go out and rip out an .81 was pretty cool. And Scelzi's car seems to be repeating easily enough. They went down the track a lot this weekend. They look pretty strong. We don't want them to be too strong because we're still going to have to beat them, but the fact that they're running a lot better is very encouraging."
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
Contact: Judy Stropus 203-438-0501, cell 203-243-2438
SCOTTY CANNON SCORES HIS LOWEST QUALIFYING POSITION OF SEASON TO SNAG THE NO. 4 SPOT
Posted Sunday, May 25, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
TOPEKA, Kan. (May 24, 2003) -- Scotty Cannon and his team have been working their you-know-whats off to get their Oakley Funny Car and the new crew jelling this season, and it looks like it's coming together, as Cannon came up with his best qualifying run of the season at the O'Reilly Summer Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka today. It was a perfect way to celebrate Memorial Day weekend, as Cannon posted a 4.814-second elapsed time at 312.21 mph in the final qualifying session, to take the No. 4 spot.
"It was kind of funny," said Cannon. "After the run I got on the radio, and my guys were so excited, they hollered and said I'd run a .91. So, I got out of the car, Heidi (Garner, Schumacher Racing V.P.) and everybody was jumping up and down and celebrating like I'd gone an .81, and I thought I'd gone a .91. So, I went and got into the van and I told my wife, I said, what is everybody so happy about? I went a .91. And she said, no, it was an .81.
"I had to get back out of the van and go back and tell all of my guys, 'Good job' and everything."
After many weeks of struggling to find the right combination, crew chief Phil Shuler and Cannon were pretty close to ecstatic yet not entirely surprised as they new the potential was there once they were able to shorten the learning curve by running hard and notching more laps. "We've been trying to do that," Cannon said. "We've been trying to run that hard. When you choose to do that you're going to have a lot of runs where things are going to break. Unfortunately, here we've had more runs with little stupid stuff happening and breaking rather than just going out there and not getting down the track.
"We just changed a lot of stuff on the car. We've got all this new stuff; we're just trying to get it to work out, and we don't have any good runs to look at. So, it's like a good shot of Penicillin, if you're real sick. It should heal us up for a little bit. But the main thing is we need to just look at this run and see what the weather is going to be like tomorrow and go out there and race our car. The run looks like we're there, but we still just need more runs. I think we'll be OK. We know what to do, that's the main thing."
Cannon knows how hard it is on the crew to put it all together - he's been traveling with them for this three-race sweep. "I'm more happy for the guys," he smiled. "I'm happy for sure, but I'm really happy for the guys. We beat them up pretty bad. They needed that. And that just lets them know that me and Phil are going in the right direction trying to make this thing go. Phil knows what he's doing. We just need some more time. The whole team is new. We just need some laps, that's all we need. We can make it happen."
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
Contact: Judy Stropus 203-438-0501, cell 203-243-2438
SCELZI GRABS NO. 8 QUALIFYING POSITION IN TOPEKA
Posted Sunday, May 25, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
TOPEKA, Kan. (May 24, 2003) -- Gary Scelzi ended up No. 8 qualifier for the O'Reilly Summer Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka tonight, with the 4.833-second lap he established yesterday in the second round of qualifying. In today's third round, he and his Oakley Dodge Stratus R/T Funny Car were good for No. 5 with his 4.854/321.73 lap, but he was unable to better that time under cool conditions tonight in the final round after a spark plug disposed of itself and he fell to No. 8.
"We ran very consistently," said the three-time Top Fuel champion still seeking his first Funny Car win. "We made it down the track three out of four times. It looks like the old Oakley Dodge is back. We ran good speed, everything is really looking good. I'm really excited about tomorrow.
"This last run we really tried to go for the pole and see what it would do, but we blew a spark plug out one second into the run, which killed it. I ended up shutting it down early because I saw orange coming out of the firewall, so I didn't want to take a chance if that was a fire or that was a broken header, or what that really was. But we're excited. It's the best car that we've had."
With Oakley teammate Scotty Cannon's strong run to qualify No. 4, as well as Whit Bazemore's No. 3 effort tonight, Scelzi was pleased for the entire Schumacher Racing team. "Scotty ran well, Whit ran well," he said. "It's the best the three Funny Cars have run, I think, all year long. Everybody is wound up around here at Team Schumacher."
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
Contact: Judy Stropus 203-438-0501, cell 203-243-2438
Whisnant Qualifies 13th In Topeka
Posted Sunday, May 25, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
TOPEKA, Kan. – Mark Whisnant, driver of the RW Performance / Snap-On Tools Chevrolet Cavalier, will enter eliminations at the 15th annual O’Reilly Summer Nationals in the 13th position on the Pro Stock eliminations ladder.
It was in the Friday night session of qualifying where Whisnant piloted his Cavalier to a 6.862 / 200.17 mph to secure his position in Sunday’s race.
“It feels good to be racing tomorrow,” said Whisnant of Stockbridge, Ga. “We have been struggling lately, so qualifying for this race, whether it is 13th or first, feels pretty good.
“I knew coming into this race that my guys had the ability to work with this racetrack. It is a lot warmer here this weekend than it was in Englishtown, and the altitude is a lot higher. So, this race is more about finesse than big horsepower. That is what my crew does the best.
“My crew chiefs Gary (Pearman) and Markus (Svensson) are getting everything they can out of this racecar. They are tuning this Cavalier to the track; not trying to kill them with big horsepower.
“We saw last year that this race track can change dramatically between the first round and the final round. We got to the final last year by changing the car to match what we had for that round. Gary and Markus are great in those situations, so I feel like we should have a pretty good race tomorrow.”
RW PERFORMANCE PRO STOCK CHEVY CAVALIER
MARK WHISNANT – DRIVER
REID WHISNANT – OWNER
CONTACT: Patti Miles
336-751-3882
704-957-3940 (Mobile)
pattie.miles@worldnet.att.net
Kurt Johnson's Pursuit of a Topeka Win Will Start from Second
Posted Sunday, May 25, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Weather played a significant role during the second day of qualifying for the NHRA O'Reilly Summer Nationals. After rain delayed the morning session by several hours, the changes in atmospheric conditions prevented any changes in the Pro Stock field for Sunday's final eliminations.
With his ACDelco Cavalier solidly in the second position based on his 6.838-second, 201.76 mph pass from Friday evening, Kurt Johnson used his two runs on Saturday to fine-tune his set up for race day.
"I originally thought we'd have a shot at the top spot in the early session, but by the time we ran, there was just too much water in air. In the first session, the tires bit us, so we changed the carburetors and the timing, and came back to run 6.89 on that last pass. We're not totally displeased with that performance, but since the quicker cars went 6.87, that's where we need to be, so we're working on it for tomorrow.
"Our ACDelco Cavalier is still running the big speeds, and it's great on the rest of the run, but from the sixty foot to the three thirty foot mark, our competition is putting a hundredth on us, which we can't afford. We're really working on improving our performance in the first part of the race track right now. When we get that straightened out, we'll be in a great position for race day."
Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
Phone: (704) 662-3121
jgknapp@tmgsports.net
Warren Johnson Will Roll Off 12th in Topeka
Posted Sunday, May 25, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Saturday May 24, 2003
On the strength of a 6.860-second, 201.55 mph run made on Friday evening, Warren Johnson qualified his GM Performance Parts Grand Am 12th for Sunday's final eliminations of the NHRA O'Reilly Summer Nationals in Topeka, KS.
Persistent rain showers delayed the morning qualifying session by several hours, which allowed the temperature and humidity to rise, robbing the naturally aspirated Pro Stock class of valuable power and preventing any changes in the starting line-up. Therefore, Saturday's twin time trials became extended test sessions for Johnson, who continues to gather information on his new race car. Even so, Johnson made sure to finish his qualifying effort by posting the quickest elapsed time of the final session at 6.877 seconds.
"If nothing else, that last run was a step in the right direction. We're still determining the size of the tuning window on this particular GM Performance Parts Grand Am. As a result, throughout the weekend we've been analyzing the information from each run and making the changes that we thought the car needed.
"We've decided to make smaller adjustments and see how the car responds rather than making big changes and possibly shooting ourselves in the foot. It's been picking up a little on each run, so at least under these conditions, this car has a pretty big sweet spot. As long as that happens, we'll be happy taking some baby steps."
Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
Phone: (704) 662-3121
jgknapp@tmgsports.net
Anderson Takes the Pole in Topeka
Posted Sunday, May 25, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
TOPEKA, Kan. – Greg Anderson, driver of the Vegas General Construction Pontiac Grand Am, has done it again. For the third consecutive race, Anderson has placed his Grand Am on the top of the Pro Stock Eliminations ladder. Sunday morning Anderson will assume the Number 1 position at the 15th annual O’Reilly Summer National in Topeka, Kan.
In the Friday evening session of qualifying Anderson recorded a 6.825 / 202.15 mph to take the number 1 position, and set both new track ET and Speed records. Sunday morning Anderson will meet V. Gaines in Round 1.
“Number 1 again,” said Anderson of Charlotte, NC,” That is a real testament of what a great team I have.
“This Vegas General Construction team is awesome. I cannot say enough about them. Once again, they gave me a great racecar to drive. They are making me look good that’s for sure.
“I have a great racecar, but tomorrow I will have to do my job. Gaines is a tough competitor. Every driver qualified here this weekend is tough or they would not be here. I have to remember that, and be prepared.”
CONTACT: Patti Miles
336-751-3882
704-957-3940 (Mobile)
pattie.miles@worldnet.att.net
Dixon, Pedregon, and Anderson are Top Qualifiers at the NHRA POWERade O'Reilly Summer Nationals presented by Castrol GTX
Posted Sunday, May 25, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Larry Dixon ( 4.509 327.11 ), Tony Pedregon ( 4.743 320.51 ), and Greg Anderson ( 6.825 202.15 ) are the #1 Pro qualifiers at Topeka. Subbing for his injured son Brandon, Kenny Bernstein records a 4.545 @ 327.03 for the #2 spot in Top Fuel. Veteran Chris Karamesines makes the show with a 16th best 5.212 213.74.
In Funny Car action, Tony Pedregon breaks the track record ( 4.743 ) on his #1 qualifier pass and John Force comes in 2nd with a 4.800 run. Whit Bazemore moves up to #3 with a 4.802 @ 326.48. His 326 is a track record and personal best. Scotty Cannon lays down a nice 4.814 to qualify #4.
Weather conditions on Saturday kept the Pros Stockers from bettering Friday's times. The Georgia Pro Stock cars in the show are: Kurt Johnson ( #2 - 6.838 201.76 ), Terry Adams ( #5 - 6.851 201.31 ), Warren Johnson ( #12 - 6.860 201.55 ), and Mark Whisnant ( #13 - 6.862 200.17 ). Gene Wilson ( #21 - 6.902 200.86 ) and Barry Grant ( #25 - 6.916 199.05 ) fail to make the cut. NHRA Saturday Recap
KJ sits Second Halfway through Topeka Qualifying
Posted Saturday, May 24, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Event: 15th annual NHRA O'Reilly Summer Nationals
Location: Heartland Park Topeka
Topeka, KS
Day/Date: Friday May 23, 2003
During the last two seasons, Kurt Johnson struggled to tame the track at Heartland Park Topeka. However during the first day of qualifying for this year's NHRA O'Reilly Summer Nationals, the ACDelco Racing team quickly showed that they had solved their issues with the racing surface. On his second attempt on Friday evening, Johnson's ACDelco Cavalier powered through the quarter-mile in 6.838 seconds with a top speed of 201.76 mph, good enough for second entering Saturday's final two sessions.
"The ACDelco Cavalier went right down the track tonight, putting up a 6.83, with the low qualifier running a 6.82. Our job now is to figure out how to make our car pick up that hundredth of a second. It was a good run, and we're glad to be in the top half of the field, but, make no mistake about it, we want to be number one.
"We'll keep working on it tomorrow, fine-tuning the set-up, and see if we can move up that last spot. Either way, we know we have a race horse for Sunday."
Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
Phone: (704) 662-3121
jgknapp@tmgsports.net
Friday Qualifying in Topeka finds WJ's New Car in 12th
Posted Saturday, May 24, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Event: 15th annual NHRA O'Reilly Summer Nationals
Location: Heartland Park Topeka
Topeka, KS
Day/Date: Friday May 23, 2003
Warren Johnson brought a new GM Performance Parts Grand Am to Heartland Park Topeka for the NHRA O'Reilly Summer Nationals. Despite having limited on-track experience with this particular race car, Johnson felt the potential it had to offer outweighed the lack of tuning data.
Although his dual qualifying attempts on Friday produced a best effort of 6.860 seconds and a top speed of 201.55 mph, which placed him 12th at the qualifying midpoint, Johnson was nevertheless encouraged by the progress his team made.
"We were a little conservative on our set-up today, because even though we have a good idea where this car wants to be, we'd rather be conservative than go over the edge. As a result, we weren't aggressive enough on either run today, and gave up a little bit. However, I don't think we'll get bumped out, and that's all that matters.
"This new GM Performance Parts Grand Am is definitely smoother in the middle of the track than its predecessor, and we're just as good as anybody in the back half now, where we were giving up three hundredths before. All we have to do is get it calmed down on the starting line, and we'll be in excellent shape."
Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
Phone: (704) 662-3121
jgknapp@tmgsports.net
AFTER TWO ROUNDS OF QUALIFYING: SCELZI PULLS OFF TOP SPEED OF FRIDAY QUALIFYING FOR NO. 5 SPOT
Posted Saturday, May 24, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
TOPEKA, Kan. (May 23, 2003) -- Gary Scelzi surprised even himself with a stout run down the quarter-mile in the second round of qualifying for the O'Reilly SummerNationals at Heartland Park Topeka, posting a 4.833-second elapsed time at a top speed for the day of 323.35 mph, good for No. 5 spot. He was on a good run in his Oakley Dodge Stratus R/T Funny Car in the first session but hazed the tires at 400 feet for a 6.156/149.08 pass
"It acted like our old hot rod," he said. "It almost made it on the first run, but only one car made it down the right lane in the first session and that was Bob Gilbertson. And even though we smoked the tires at about 400 feet we were like the second quickest in the right lane, because Gilbertson ran quicker. We didn't make a whole lot of changes. We went back up to run the left lane and really didn't get after it as hard as we thought maybe we wanted to because we had to get it down the race track. And up popped a 4.83 at 323. Everything looks good in the motor; everything looks good in the clutch. We're all pretty happy. We've got something to play with tomorrow. We're in the show nice and solid and we'll just try to repeat, run an .85 to an .80 flat tomorrow, both runs, if the weather holds out, and we'll see what we've got. It's great to have a Dodge top-speeding again."
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
Contact: Judy Stropus 203-438-0501, cell 203-243-2438
AFTER TWO ROUNDS OF QUALIFYING BAZEMORE QUICK IN FIRST ROUND, QUALIFIES NO. 8 IN SECOND
Posted Saturday, May 24, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
Contact: Judy Stropus 203-438-0501, cell 203-243-2438
TOPEKA, Kan. (May 23, 2003) -- After taking the No. 1 spot in the first round with a 4.908-second elapsed time at 316.60 mph, Whit Bazemore ended up qualifying his Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge Stratus R/T in No. 8 after the second of four qualifying sessions, clocking in with a 4.867-second elapsed time at 321.57 mph.
"There's still tomorrow," he said. "We're a little disappointed because we felt we were in a very good position to end up low qualifier tonight, being that we ran last and we had the Matco Tools Dodge sitting up there on the starting line with a pretty heavy tune-up in it. We just missed on the tune-up a little bit and we slowed down. We didn't run what we intended to run, so we ended up with an .86, which is disappointing. Still, to put it into perspective, compared to the drama of qualifying last week, we're way ahead of where we were then. So we're in a position where we can improve tomorrow, and that's what we intend to do."
Dixon, Pedregon, and Anderson Lead Pro Qualifying at the NHRA POWERade O'Reilly Summer Nationals presented by Castrol GTX
Posted Saturday, May 24, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Larry Dixon ( 4.509 327.11 ), Tony Pedregon ( 4.806 320.51 ), and Greg Anderson ( 6.825 202.15 ) lead Pro qualifying after the first two sessions. Kenny Bernstein picks up where he left off, running a 4.563 at 326.56 for the #2 spot in Top Fuel. In Funny Car action, Whit Bazemore is #8 with a 4.867 @ 321.27. Four of the six Georgia Pro Stock cars are in the show after two sessions. Kurt Johnson ( #2 - 6.838 201.76 ), Terry Adams ( #5 - 6.851 201.31 ), Warren Johnson ( #12 - 6.860 201.55 ), and Mark Whisnant ( #13 - 6.862 200.17 ) are in the top sixteen. Gene Wilson ( #21 - 6.902 200.86 ) and Barry Grant ( #25 - 6.916 199.05 ) fail to make the cut after Friday's qualifying sessions.
NHRA Friday Recap
Warren Johnson Press Release
Posted Friday, May 23, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
The Professor is Set to Employ a New Teaching Aid in Topeka
Warren Johnson to roll out new GM Performance Parts Grand Am for O'Reilly Summer Nationals
Sugar Hill, Ga., May 21, 2003 - By all accounts, GM Performance Parts driver Warren Johnson has had a strong start to the 2003 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing season. In the first eight races, he has scored two wins (in Pomona and Atlanta), earned two No. 1 qualifying positions, and reset the national elapsed time and top speed records. Currently sitting third in the championship points standings, Johnson's seventh Pro Stock title remains a distinct possibility.
Therefore, one might question why Johnson would consider bringing out a completely new Jerry Haas-built Grand Am for this weekend's O'Reilly Summer Nationals in Topeka, KS, especially as the "old" car had visited the winner's circle a few short weeks ago in Atlanta. However, as can be expected from "The Professor", this is a planned move, and recent events had only reinforced the decision.
"You never want to get off a winning race horse, but we didn't win last week, so it's time for a change," joked Johnson. "But, seriously, this race car is worn out. We were going to the scales last Sunday in Englishtown when we heard something scraping, which turned out to be the rocker panel and part of the sheet metal under the car. We were able to repair it in time for eliminations, but that pretty much told us it was time to switch.
"We've taken lessons learned from this race car, as well as with Kurt's, and incorporated those improvements into this new car. We'll be shaking it down on Wednesday and possibly Thursday in St. Louis before heading over to Topeka. We're 100% confident that this new GM Performance Parts Grand Am will be a step in the right direction."
Although Johnson will most likely be the only member of the Pro Stock category with a new race car this weekend, the challenge of qualifying for Sunday's eliminations will be just as tough for the other competitors. One week after enjoying nearly ideal atmospheric conditions in New Jersey, the "factory hot rods" will face markedly warmer temperatures and higher elevation at Heartland Park Topeka, requiring a completely different tune-up. Backed by years of data and experience, Johnson is more than ready.
"We can deal with any conditions, as long as it's not raining, snowing, sleeting or hailing," said Johnson. "With temperatures forecasted to be in the middle 70's, it will be incrementally slower. However, in the past the Topeka track has been remarkably consistent, so we should have a good shot at hitting the set-up right off the bat.
"After last week, we're changing the tune-up back to where we were in Las Vegas, which is somewhat close to what we'll encounter in Topeka. We're anticipating performance in the mid 6.80 level. If you're not thorough in the clerical end of your racing operation, you could miss some vital points and not make the correct changes. However, we pride ourselves on having as good a notebook on every racetrack and situation as possible.
"We'll adjust our GM Performance Parts Grand Am to the atmospheric conditions, which determine the amount of power we'll have at our disposal, take a look at the track surface to see how it's changed from last year and adjust as necessary, say one Hail Mary and let her go."
Facts on Warren Johnson and the GM Performance Parts Racing Team entering
the O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals:
* WJ at Heartland Park: This will be Warren's 20th NHRA Pro Stock national event appearance in Topeka, where he has accumulated four wins (1992-93, 96, 98) in six final round appearances, while compiling a 33-15 elimination round record. He has been equally effective in qualifying, with seven No. 1 qualifying efforts (most recently in 2001), and an average starting spot of 2.64.
* One year ago: WJ qualified eighth for the Topeka race with an elapsed time of 6.862 seconds and a top speed of 201.25 mph, but was upset in the first round.
* Winning Streak: With his win in Atlanta, Warren Johnson has now won at least two races in 18 of the past 22 years. In addition, his current streak of winning at least one race a year for 22 consecutive years is the longest in NHRA history.
* POWERade Points standings: After the eighth of 23 events, WJ stands third in the 2003 POWERade points standings with 604 points, 88 behind current leader Anderson, and trails second place Kurt Johnson by 78 markers.
* No. 1 in National event wins: WJ's 90 national event victories are the most ever in the history of the Pro Stock division and place him second on the all-time NHRA win list. His most recent win came at the 2003 Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals in Atlanta, Ga.
* Career best elapsed time: 6.715 seconds, Englishtown 2003
* Career best top speed: 205.69 mph, Englishtown 2003
Kurt Johnson Press Release
Posted Friday, May 23, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
Phone: (704) 662-3121
jgknapp@tmgsports.net
Kurt Johnson Aims to have a Memorable Memorial Day Weekend
ACDelco crew looks to park their Cavalier in the Topeka winner's circle
Sugar Hill, Ga., May 21, 2003 - Throughout his ten-year Pro Stock career, Kurt Johnson has been a threat to win every time he takes to the track. With 26 national event wins in 44 final round appearances, the ACDelco driver has made it to the championship round at 18 of the 20 tracks on which the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series will compete in 2003, visiting the winner's circle at fourteen.
One name currently missing from KJ's list of accomplishments is that of Heartland Park Topeka, site of this weekend's O'Reilly Summer Nationals. In fact, the multipurpose motorsports facility has historically offered the younger Johnson a stiff challenge, particularly in the last two years, where he has been a reluctant spectator on Sunday.
However, armed with his lightning-fast 2003 ACDelco Cavalier, Johnson returns to Kansas for this year's event determined to reverse this trend and score his first win in Topeka, much like he did earlier this season in Gainesville, FL and Bristol, TN.
"Before we even get to the track in Topeka, we'll be looking at our notes to see why we've struggled there recently," detailed Johnson. "We may even look as far back as when we were the No.1 qualifier there in 1995 to see what information we can gather.
"Obviously, as well as our ACDelco Cavalier has been performing, we'll be taking a different approach this year. We'll look at the track and the air, pick a gear and set the clutch where we think it needs to be. After that, we'll take it to the line, let the clutch out and let the motor do its job. We're pretty confident of qualifying near the top and being in contention on Sunday"
One of the biggest tests facing all competitors this weekend will be adapting to the conditions at the Kansas quarter-mile. At the last event in Englishtown, the combination of unseasonably cool temperatures, below sea level elevation and a fast racing surface produced the quickest field in the history of the Pro Stock division, with a 6.741-second elapsed time required just to qualify.
Although the track at Heartland Park Topeka is certainly capable of handling such performances, it is located at a much higher elevation, which, combined with the forecast higher temperatures, will slow the normally aspirated "factory hot rods" by almost a tenth of a second. Therefore, the challenge will be in changing the set-up to minimize the reduction in performance.
"We're going to put Englishtown behind us, and approach this as a completely different race," detailed Johnson. "When we get to Topeka, we'll go over the track to see what changes Mother Nature has created in the last year, such as what cracks may have developed, or how porous the asphalt may have gotten. We anticipate running in the low to mid 6.80's, but as long as our ACDelco Cavalier is faster than everyone else, that's all that matters."
Facts on Kurt Johnson and the ACDelco Racing Team entering the
O'Reilly Summer Nationals:
* KJ at Topeka: This will be Kurt's sixteenth appearance at Heartland Park Topeka, where he has four semi-final finishes. In addition, he was the No.1 qualifier in 1995.
* Traveling in Elite Company: Kurt's 26 national event victories tie him with legendary Pro Stock driver Lee Shepherd for 15th on the all-time NHRA professional win list, and fifth in the Pro Stock Career Victories. Kurt's most recent win came at last month's Mac Tools NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, TN.
* POWERade Points standings: After the eighth of 23 events, Kurt is in second place with 682 points, ten behind current leader Greg Anderson, and 78 ahead of his father, Warren Johnson, who is in third. Kurt finished sixth in 2002, his tenth consecutive Top 10 finish.
* Winning percentage: Kurt's .639 elimination round winning percentage (318-180) ranks 11th among all active NHRA professional drivers.
* Career best elapsed time: 6.716 seconds, Englishtown, NJ, 2003
* Career best top speed: 206.61 mph, Englishtown, NJ, 2003
Event schedule:
Qualifying: Friday, May 23: Two sessions at 4:30 & 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 24: Two sessions at 12:00 noon & 3:00 p.m.
Eliminations: Sunday, May 25: Pre-race ceremonies - 10 a.m.
First round of eliminations - 11:00 a.m.
TV Schedule:
Qualifying Highlights: Saturday, May 24: 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. (ESPN)
Final Eliminations Coverage: Sunday, May 25: 3:30 - 6:00 p.m. (ESPN2)
NHRA2Day: Sunday, May 25: 11:00 - 11:30 a.m. (ESPN2)
(Note: All TV times are Eastern. Please check your local listings for updated air times.)
Scotty Cannon Press Release
Posted Friday, May 23, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
CANNON ON THE ROAD WITH CREW TO TOPEKA
TOPEKA, Kan. (May 22, 2003) - Scotty Cannon figured if he hung out with his
crew on the road during this three-race sweep of NHRA POWERade Drag Racing
Series they'd be able to confer, discuss, perhaps even argue over how to
improve the performance of the Oakley Funny Car for the upcoming races,
including the O'Reilly Summernationals this weekend at Heartland Park
Topeka.
Although Cannon has qualified for each of the eight events so far and has
advanced to the second round once, the new team is still searching for
consistent performance.
Cannon went out in the first round at Englishtown, N.J., last weekend
against his Oakley teammate Gary Scelzi. "We tried to make an educated guess
on the clutch and we just didn't take enough off of it to compensate for the
motor we had," said the Mohawk-wearing 1999 NHRA Rookie of the Year. "We're
hoping we're on the right track and we're learning from the car. That's what
we've analyzed and what we think happened on that run. Were going to keep
the same train of thought at Topeka.
"We're just going to pick up where we left off, run it at the same pace and
see what happens."
With no testing following Englishtown and immediately embarking on a 24-hour
trip with his crew to Topeka, Cannon and "the guys" prepared the car in
Englishtown and headed to Topeka. "I'm used to traveling with my guys," said
Cannon, smiling. "But, I tell you, I'll have enough of that when this deal
is over, that's for sure, for a while at least.
"It's like going on vacation with your wife. It's fun to plan it, it's fun
to go, but you don't want to go all the time," he quipped.
With no pro nitro activity on the track until Friday, strategies were
planned and played out on the golf course once they arrived in Topeka, said
Cannon. "Me and Phil (Shuler, crew chief) and two of the crew guys went
golfing. I can't beat anybody else, but I can beat my guys. They'd better
let me beat them, if they want to keep their jobs," he laughed.
When asked what his handicap was, he responded, "I don't have a handicap, I
don't go that route. I'd rather just lose than get a handicap."
Gary Scelzi Press Release
Posted Friday, May 23, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
OAKLEY FUNNY CAR DRIVER SCELZI HAS WINNING YET BITTERSWEET TOPEKA MEMORIES
TOPEKA, Kan. (May 22, 2003) -- Gary Scelzi will visit Heartland Park Topeka
and the O'Reilly Summernationals this weekend for the first time as a Funny
Car driver, now that he's driving the Oakley Dodge Stratus R/T full-time for
Don Schumacher Racing.
After qualifying No. 8 and advancing to the second round last weekend in
Englishtown, N.J., he's moved back into the top 10 of the NHRA POWERade Drag
Racing Series Funny Car standings and now stands No. 9 in points.
The three-time Top Fuel champion has bittersweet memories of the track
located in the capital city of Kansas. "It's got several memories for me,"
he says. "It's where I had my first serious crashes in Top Fuel. It was in
1999. First, I had one on Friday night, which I don't consider a crash but
it ruined the chassis, cause I didn't hit anything. And then we came right
back the next day and disintegrated a car in the lights. And all that was
left was the driver's compartment. We put two dragsters back together to
race eliminations and made it to the semifinals."
It was also the site of another more memorable moment. "At that time in Top
Fuel, in 2000, the record by Don Garlits and several other drivers such as
Cory McClenethan, including myself, of Top Fuel wins in a single season was
six. Several people had done it and we finally broke through and won No. 7
in Topeka.
"So there's a lot of history there. A lot of good memories and some bad. But
it's a fast race track," added the man who has the distinction of being the
fastest Funny Car driver in the world, after blasting his Oakley Dodge to
326.95 miles an hour at Englishtown in the first round of eliminations. "And
if we have the kind of weather we had in Englishtown - cool and overcast - I
don't believe lane choice will be a factor. But I didn't think it would make
a difference in Englishtown and it did. I don't know. I know they've redone
some of it or did some grinding there. It should be a fast track.
Historically, it is. So I'm looking forward to going back and letting this
big Oakley Dodge eat. I watched 'Tin Cup' the other night; I had to steal a
line."
Whit Bazemore Press Release
Posted Friday, May 23, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
Round 9 of 23
O'REILLY SUMMER NATIONALS
HEARTLAND PARK TOPEKA (Kans.)
Race Date: May 23-25
Contact: Judy Stropus 203-438-0501, cell 203-243-2438
ENGLISHTOWN WINNER BAZEMORE LOOKS TO KEEP UP MOMENTUM AT TOPEKA
TOPEKA, Kan. (May 22, 2003) - Whit Bazemore drove his Matco Tools Iron Eagle
Dodge Stratus R/T straight into the winner's circle at Englishtown, N.J.,
last weekend to score his first Funny Car victory this season and the first
for Dodge since 1998. He and his Don Schumacher Racing team led by Lee Beard
intend to keep up the momentum at Heartland Park Topeka this weekend, the
site of Bazemore's first career Funny Car event win in 1997.
"Topeka is where I won my first race in June of 1997, so naturally it's a
place we enjoy coming back to," says Bazemore, second in the POWERade Drag
Racing Series Funny Car points and closing in on leader Tony Pedregon, who
is only 72 points ahead. "It was just a great experience. Your first win is
the hardest one. It took nine years and it was great. We beat Randy Anderson
in the final, who at the time was going to be the next big hot shoe. We had
Winston sponsorship, my Top Fuel teammate (at the time and again this
season) Gary Scelzi was already on a tear that year, doing very well. It was
the second win for my team. My team had won its first race in 1996 at Dallas
with Dale Puldy driving for me while I was recovering in the hospital (from
a motorcycle crash). For my first win as a driver and the second for my
team, it was just a huge, huge experience. I remember like it was yesterday.
It was great."
Bazemore has since earned 12 more career Funny Car event titles.
"Topeka is a fun little town, kind of quiet. Historically it's been a pretty
good track. Although, if it's hot here it tends to not be as good. For some
reason It deteriorates rapidly. But if it's overcast it can be pretty good.
So, that would suit our car well and, obviously, coming off a win at
Englishtown, we look forward continuing to improve our performance and
getting a good result."
Bazemore's Matco Tools team is on a roll this season, having qualified in
the top half of the field at each event. The team has also made it into the
semifinal round in seven of the eight races so far, as well as three finals,
and Baze and crew chief Lee Beard are knocking on the door for the No. 1
spot in points.
"We're not getting too excited, because it's a long year and we have to do
it again this weekend," added the two-time U.S. Nationals champion. "We
expect to win races and we've been in a good position all year to win races,
but we haven't until now. So now we did it and the important thing is that
we continue to have a good running car and go rounds. Like I said before,
when you're going to the semifinals every weekend you're putting yourself
into a position to win races. And that's what we're doing. As long as we can
do that we'll have some good results.
"The most important thing for us going into Topeka is to first qualify. We
saw at Englishtown how easy it is to not qualify. If there's a weather issue
coupled with a mechanical issue on the car (which happened to "Baze" in
E-town where only two rounds of qualifying were held because of rain) then,
boom, you're not going to qualify. Believe it or not, we could have easily
DNQ'd after we had a problem smoking the tires in the first run. And then we
almost smoked them the second run. In that regard we were very lucky to even
qualify there.
"The sport can put you in a precarious position; you can't ever take
anything for granted it. Every run is very important; in the first
qualifying run we have to go down the race track. That's how we approach
it."
Pro Nitro qualifying for the Summernationals begins on Friday, May 23, at 5
p.m. and 8 p.m. On Saturday, May 24, Pro Nitro qualifying is at 12:30 p.m.
and 3:30 p.m. Final eliminations on Sunday, May 25, begin at 11 a.m.
Mark Whisnant Press Release
Posted Thursday, May 22, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
RW PERFORMANCE PRO STOCK CHEVY CAVALIER
MARK WHISNANT – DRIVER REID WHISNANT – OWNER
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 20, 2003
CONTACT: Patti Miles 336-751-3882
704-957-3940 (Mobile) pattie.miles@worldnet.att.net
Whisnant Ready To Race In Topeka
TOPEKA, Kan. – Mark Whisnant, driver of the RW Performance / Snap-On Tools Pro Stock Chevrolet Cavalier, likes Topeka. Topeka has been good to Mark Whisnant. There is a certain mojo that Whisnant taps into when he is in that city, which he hopes to capitalize on when he arrives in Topeka, Kan. for this weekends 15th annual O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals.
Last year at this event Whisnant recorded his first final round appearance in a Pro Stock car. This year, Whisnant’s goal is to go beyond the final round and all the way to the winner’s circle.
"Last year we had a pretty good run here in Topeka," said Whisnant of Stockbridge, Ga. "I would sure like a chance to be in the final again, but it is going to take some work. This weekend in Topeka we will be getting back to the kind of racing that this RW Performance team likes.
"This weekend it is going to be a lot warmer, and we will have some altitude. The Heartland Park racetrack itself can be tricky. In the past we have seen 90-degree temperatures on Friday, and have it be in the 50’s on Saturday. In those kinds of conditions you have to be able to adjust quickly, and that is what this RW Performance team does best.
"Between my two crew chiefs, Markus Svensson and Gray Pearman, I think they have seen just about everything. They work very well together. When conditions start to change quickly they put their head together and come up with a solution. They have got this car down some marginal racetrack this year, and I do think this weekend will be any exception.
"Last weekend was all about horsepower; the guy with the most horsepower wins. This weekend will be all about adapting; the team that adapts best to the changing condition will win. That changes it from a horsepower contest to a racers race, and that is the kind of racing we like to do. As long as we don’t get hit by a tornado I think we will be okay."
Qualifying at the 15th annual O’Reilly Summer Nationals in Topeka, Kan. will begin on Friday May 23, and continue on Saturday May 24. Eliminations will take place on Sunday May 24 at 11:00 AM CST.
Whisnant Quick Facts
Currently 15th in 2003 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Points (188 points)
Finished 10th 2002 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Points
Career Best ET 6.772 (Houston 2003)
Career Best MPH 202.73 (Englishtown 2002)
15th annual O’Reilly Summer Nationals
TV Schedule
Qualifying Highlights
Saturday May 24 5:00 – 7:00 PM EST ESPN
Eliminations Coverage
Sunday May 25 3:30 – 6:00 PM EST ESPN2
Georgia Racers Score at Douglas
Posted Wednesday, May 21, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Tue, 20 May 2003, 09:55 AM
Chris, Bertozzi, Lambert, Mayhew, Cummings, Head, and McCarty Win
Courtesy of IHRA Communications
DOUGLAS, Ga. -- David Chris Fitton, Malinda Bertozzi, Frank Lambert, Mike Mayhew, Slate Cummings, Joel Head, and Bug McCarty take home Iron Men from the rain delayed event from Southern Dragway (1/8 mile) May 17-18, 2003.
Top Sportsman
Win David Chris Fitton Kincon, GA 99 Firebird .532 5.397 131.82
R/U Roger McCombs Pensacola, FL .574 5.329 138.10
Top Dragster
Win Malinda Bertozzi Richmond, VA .516 5.034 136.34
R/U Allan Ackles Jr. Tampa, FL 90 Mullis .545 4.995 137.21
Super Stock
Win Frank Lambert Monks Corner, SC 68 Camaro .515 6.734 100.23
R/U Anthony Bertozzi Richmond, VA .559 5.913 117.32
#1 Qualifier Glen Mace Jacksonville, FL 87 Camaro -0.813 6.537 101.45
Stock
Win Mike Mayhew Savannah, GA 77 Cutlass .544 7.994 82.67
R/U Myron Piatek Holly Hill, FL 76 Dart .540 7.647 86.75
#1 Qualifier Robbie Shaw Douglasville, GA 87 Firebird -0.942 7.508 87.83
Quick Rod
Win Slate Cummings Hammond, LA .403 5.720 131.50
R/U Jim Walter Sarasota, FL 01 Ray Miller .415 5.731 122.31
Super Rod
Win Joel Head Douglasville, GA 27 Ford T .402 6.395 115.65
R/U Terry Cross Brunswick, GA 98 Monte Carlo .411 6.394 117.55
Hot Rod
Win Bug McCarty Hazelhurst, GA 68 Camaro .514 6.999 100.91
R/U Kenny Underwood Tampa, FL .514 6.994 96.57
Best Appearing: Rolland Haddock S/R #2405
More Southern Nationals Photos Uploaded
Posted Tuesday, May 20, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
I've posted a few more pics from the 2003 Southern Nationals
here.
Atlanta Dragway Action Stopped by Rain - Tim Glover Report
Posted Sunday, May 18, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
RACE DATE: May 17, 2003
FROM: Tim Glover
EVENT: Summit / Hayes Bracket Series race at Atlanta Dragway
RAIN STOPS SUMMIT / HAYES BRACKET SERIES EVENT AT ATLANTA DRAGWAY, AGAIN
by Tim Glover
(Saturday, May 17 - Atlanta Dragway) Once again, rain showed up to stop the
action at Atlanta Dragway. Time trials were done, and most of first round
was finished when rains ended the day. Trophy Street, Sportsman and both
Jr. Dragster classes were done with round one, so those round one winners
received 10 points in addition to their 20 tech-in points. Super Pro and
Motorcycle racers received their 20 tech-in points. Rain checks were given,
and the next scheduled Summit / Hayes points race is on June 7, 2003.
Atlanta Dragway Results by Tim Glover
Posted Sunday, May 18, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Race Date: May 16, 2003
POWER HOUR, IMPORT CHALLENGE HIGHLIGHT "YEAR ONE FAST FRIDAY"
Commerce, GA Despite the threat of inclement weather in the area, "Year
One Fast Friday" street-legal racers showed up at Atlanta Dragway on Friday,
May 16th to challenge for bragging rights and prizes in the Year One Power
Hour Grudge Match. The 9:00 - 10:00 PM window for the grudge matches saw
over 50 racers compete for $50.00 Gift Certificates, and free street-legal
racer admission to the next Fast Friday, compliments of Year One in
Braselton.
Winners in the Year One Power Hour competition were Chris Holcombe of
Maysville, GA, whose 12.731 second pass copped low E.T. of the hour, Mike
Brown of Snellville, GA, who blasted off a 113.16 mph quarter-mile speed to
take the "MPH" honors, and Atlanta Dragway Trophy Street competitor Kevin
Rich of Hull, GA, who took home the prize for Best Reaction Time (.519
seconds).
Street-legal import and sport compact racers had their time to shine as
well, as Matt Ramsey of Duluth, GA won the 17-second category in the Hayes
Import Challenge and was declared the Nightly Winner, after recording the
best reaction time of the event (.585). Other category winners were Keith
Fortner of Ballground, GA (11-seconds), Kam Cheung, Duluth, (15-seconds) and
Chris Walden of Stone Mountain (16-seconds).
The next "Year One Fast Friday" show will be Friday, June 6th, and will
feature a resumption of the Year One Power Hour Grudge Match and Hayes
Import Challenge, in addition to test & tune and free-form grudge match
opportunities. For more information on this event, or any other show at
"Georgia's House of Speed" during the 2003 racing season, log on to
www.atlantadragway.com.
IMPORT CHALLENGE POINTS (THROUGH MAY 16TH)
1. Keith Fortner, 4
2. TIE - Kevin Boyce, 3
Matt Ramsey, 3
4. TIE - Bryan Schwieg, 2
Mike Andrea, 2
Christian Vidal, 2
Dustan Hall, 2
Roger Yang, 2
Chris Walden, 2
Kam Cheung, 2
Trinh Hung J., 2
12. TIE - Jenson Keyes, 1
James Nash, 1
Peter Heu, 1
Trinh Nguyen, 1
Steven Lo, 1
Patrick Stapleton, 1
Melvin Montford, 1
Nolan Beverly, 1
Whit Bazemore Press Release
Posted Sunday, May 18, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
K&N Filters NHRA SuperNationals - Round 8 of 23
Old Bridge Township Raceway Park - Englishtown, N.J.
Sunday, May 18, 2003
Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501, cell 203-243-2438
BAZEMORE WINS HIS FIRST FUNNY CAR RACE OF THE YEAR
ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. (May 18, 2003) -- Call it sweet revenge, call it just desserts, call it whatever you want, but its real name is Win. And after reaching seven of the eight semifinal rounds, as well as three final rounds (counting today's) this season, Whit Bazemore is finally taking home the Wally (Trophy named after NHRA's originator, Wally Park), after scoring his first victory of the season, the 13th of his career. And he did it following a triumph over his fiercest rival, points leader Tony Pedregon, in the semifinal.
These two have played the psyche game all year, with Bazemore red-lighting first in the final round in Las Vegas against Pedregon, and Pedregon returning the favor today in the semifinal stanza.
In the final round, however, two-time U.S. Nationals champion Bazemore, was pitted against Ron Capps, against whom Whit had an 11-8 win/loss record. It's now 12-8, as Bazemore charged to the finish line with a 4.869-second pass at 306.81 mph.
Bazemore's crew chief, Lee Beard, is considered the master of horsepower, but mainly when his car runs under cool conditions. There was some concern at the start of the final round, when the sun popped out from behind the clouds. But, the worries were for naught, as Capps smoked the tires at the launch, slowing to an 8.300/100.52 pass to earn runner-up status.
Bazemore defeated Cruz Pedregon and Del Worsham to make it into the semifinals.
"It's great to win a race here in Englishtown, a place that has so much history in this sport, especially in Funny Cars," said Bazemore, a New York City native. "This is one of the trophies you want in your career and when you get it it's one of the ones that goes up on the higher shelf, up on a pedestal. The whole team had to be patient, work hard and believe in ourselves, and that's what we did. And here we are."
Defeating points leader Tony Pedregon in the semifinal round for the second time this year was rewarding, but Bazemore brushed it off. "We didn't beat Tony Pedregon today. Tony beat himself. We happened to be in the other lane, and it's just another competitor that you have to beat to get to the winner's circle. It was good."
"It's a fantastic day for the Matco Tools team," said Beard. "I can't say enough about my guys. A lot of times out here the drivers and the crew chiefs get all the credit, but it's the real heart of the team that makes the team. They're just a fantastic group of guys that I'm surrounded by. And that makes my job, my decision-making a lot easier, because I'm very confident that they do a great job of preparing the race car. And I think that's what made the difference today.
"We got a little nervous about the sun poking out," he added. "And we made a couple last-minute adjustments to slow it down a little bit out there in the middle. That's where we were pushing it the hardest. It came our way, obviously. The Skoal team (Capps) went up in smoke.
"The big round was the round that everybody came to watch and that was us race John Force's team with Tony Pedregon," continued Beard. "Pretty intense rivalry going in between these two cars. It's myself against John Medlen as far as crew chiefs. It's my guys against their guys as far as teams, and it's Whit against Tony. And there's a lot on the line. We're battling for the championship. That's our goal. We want to be champions; they want to be champions. It just shows you how much pressure is on each of them. Today the error will be charged to Tony Pedregon."
Bazemore has carved more points from Tony Pedregon's lead in the POWERade Drag Racing Series, and is now just 72 points behind him.
POINT STANDINGS:
1. Tony Pedregon 737
2. Whit Bazemore 665
3. Del Worsham 549
4. Gary Densham 523
5. Ron Capps 499
6. Johnny Gray 446
7. Tommy Johnson Jr. 425
8. John Force 399
9. Gary Scelzi 321
Mopar Motorsports Press Release
Posted Sunday, May 18, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Mopar Motorsports
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
K&N Filters NHRA SuperNationals
Old Bridge Township Raceway Park – Englishtown, N.J.
Elimination Notes & Quotes
Bazemore Wins First Race for Dodge Stratus R/T Funny Car Body
Alderman Travels to First Pro Stock Final of 2003 NHRA Season
ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. (May 18, 2003) -- Whit Bazemore made history for Dodge and the new Stratus R/T Funny Car body during today’s NHRA national event at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.
Bazemore won the first race for the new Stratus R/T body and a first for Dodge since the 1998 NHRA event at Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, Pa. Bazemore finally broke through after posting seven semifinal or better finishes to open the season. The 14-year-category veteran moved up to second in the points after defeating Ron Capps in the final with a 4.869-second elapsed time at 306.81 mph.
“We’re contending for a championship stronger than we’ve ever contended before,” said a happy Bazemore in winner’s circle. “The aerodynamics of the Stratus is very, very good. It’s one of the main reasons we’ve been so successful this year. We’re very excited and grateful to have Dodge involved.
“I tested (teammate) Gary Scelzi’s Dodge last weekend,” Bazemore added. “And we went 325 (mph) with a 40-mph crosswind. We had the spoiler in a full downforce position. When they made the fastest Funny Car run ever today – we weren’t surprised. We’re going to try and one-up those guys a little bit. We know the potential of the car and when we’re in good conditions again – it’s our every intention to go 327 (mph) or faster with these cars -- and we know we can do it.”
Bazemore was impressive in his trek through the field. The Indianapolis resident, outran Cruz Pedregon in round one, Del Worsham in round two and Tony Pedregon in the semifinals. Bazemore clocked a 4.813-second elapsed time at 324.59 mph in round two --the second fastest run of the weekend.
Gary Scelzi took his Dodge Stratus R/T Funny Car body to new heights in his first round victory today over Schumacher Racing teammate Scotty Cannon. Scelzi and his Oakley-sponsored Dodge made a 326.95 mph pass –- which is the fastest run in NHRA Funny Car history. Unfortunately for Scelzi, tire smoke ended his weekend against Tony Pedregon in round number two.
“All the work that has been done by (Mopar Aero Engineer) Terry DeKoninck has really paid off,” Scelzi said. “Mopar has a great wind tunnel and we’ve spent a lot of time and work on developing this body. It’s really starting to pay some dividends. It’s unfortunate we lost lane choice today because that’s what got us.
“We get to playing these games on the starting line and you can get bit,” said Scelzi, on his second round match with Pedregon. “I deep-staged to shorten the race track and it cost us today. I tried everything to disorient Tony on the starting line by knocking that top light out. The kid was on his game and he’s tough to beat. I think we have something for them. Lane choice was critical, because when we backed up, the concrete was sticking to the wheels – and what do you do? You can’t put the car by the wall. The rubber was actually pulling the concrete up. Our car is acting like it was at the beginning of the year. I’m pretty happy with what we have right now. Tony ran a 4.79 and weren’t taking us lightly – we want them to know who’s parking next to them.”
Alderman Used A Little of His Englishtown Magic Today…
Mopar Pro Stock standout Darrell Alderman maintained his love affair with Old Bridge Township Raceway Park during this weekend’s K&N Filters SuperNationals.
The three-time POWERade NHRA Pro Stock World Champion drove to his fifth final round at this facility. Alderman, who also made a semifinal round appearance during the season-opening Winternationals at Pomona (Calif.) Raceway, logged a 6.747-second elapsed time at 205.38 mph in the final, but it wasn’t enough as Greg Anderson posted a 6.724-second lap at 205.98 mph.
“We never made great runs this weekend,” said Alderman, who has recorded three victories in his career at Raceway Park. “But, I’m sure pleased with the results. The car shook the tires pretty hard and the right lane wasn’t the best today. We never had lane choice today, but always ran just well enough to win.”
Alderman advanced to the finals by defeating Mark Pawuk in round one and a red-lighting Jim Yates in round two. Alderman clicked off a 6.734-second elapsed time at a career-best 205.16 mph in the first round.
Alderman drilled defending Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin, Jr., on the starting line in the semifinals. The 28-time NHRA national event winner posted a .035 reaction time to Coughlin’s .075. Alderman wound up running a 6.750-second elapsed time (quickest of the round) at 205.01 mph.
Allen Johnson drove his Hemi-powered Mopar Parts Dodge Neon R/T to the second round of competition, before losing a close one to Kurt Johnson. The Greeneville, Tenn., resident ran a career best 6.713-second elapsed time at 205.85 mph en route to a first round victory over Troy Coughlin. In round two, A. Johnson narrowly missed the semifinals when he ran a 6.721/205.94 (career best speed) to KJ’s 6.720/206.13 combination.
“I goofed up on the starting line,” said Johnson, who left behind K. Johnson (.019-.045). “When I staged, I went in too deep and was afraid I was going to red light. So I backed off a little bit and had a forty light. That kind of light just doesn’t get it in Pro Stock these days. Little bitty lapsed like that is what beats you in this category.
“The Hemi engines were really awesome this weekend,” Johnson added. “We think we could have run a 6.70 or 6.69 on that first run. It just wasn’t our day today.”
The red light flickered and ended Mopar driver Gene Wilson’s Sunday early. The Georgia resident qualified 15th and made the best runs the new Dodge Stratus R/T body had made thus far this season.
“I’m a little disappointed,” Wilson said. “My reaction time was .011 red and I just had the same trouble that everyone else has had. What are you going to do – I’ll just go out and adjust my driving style and slow the car down on the starting line.
“We had a pretty nice run going until the car went through first gear,” Wilson added. “Then we were dealing with poor race track conditions. There was nothing there as far as traction in that left lane. We got out in second gear and it did nothing but spin the tires.”
Greg Stanfield, driver of the DBP Enterprises Dodge Neon R/T, fell in the first round of competition to Greg Anderson. Stanfield, despite holding a starting line advantage (.005-.014), was unable to hold off Anderson’s 6.693-second elapsed time at 206.70 mph
“We have some work to do,” Stanfield said. “I’m happy with how we qualified this weekend, but we need to improve the car a little bit. We have the power, now we need to get it on the track.”
-Mopar.com-
For more information, contact:
David Harris, Cox Marketing Group
Public Relations Manager
Mopar Motorsports
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
davidh@coxmarketinggroup.com
(704) 799-2114 – office
(704) 756-9301 - mobile
Kurt Johnson Press Release
Posted Sunday, May 18, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
Phone: (704) 662-3121
jgknapp@tmgsports.net
Final Results
KJ's Winning Week Ends in the Englishtown Semi-Finals
Event: 34th NHRA SuperNationals
Location: Old Bridge Township Raceway Park
Englishtown, NJ
Day/Date: Sunday May 18, 2003
ACDelco Cavalier pilot Kurt Johnson entered Sunday's final eliminations of the NHRA Supernationals in Englishtown, NJ on quite a roll. The day before his arrival in the Garden State, KJ had won a Pro Stock invitational event in Budds Creek, MD. He followed that performance by setting new career marks in both elapsed time and top speed in qualifying fourth for Sunday's final eliminations. His string of successes continued on Saturday, as he captured the $50,000 Pro Stock Challenge.
However, the ACDelco crew's primary focus remained on capturing their fourth national event win, and preserving their position atop the POWERade points standings. After defeating David Northrop and Allen Johnson in the first two rounds, KJ was paired against rival Greg Anderson in the semi-finals in a meeting of two of the top contenders for the 2003 championship.
Anderson had made news of his own during the weekend, as he used the quickest and fastest pass in Pro Stock history to claim the No. 1 position in qualifying, and bettered that mark with a 6.670-second, 207.18 mph run in his second round victory. Therefore, even though he had defeated Anderson in the finals of both the Maryland race the Pro Stock challenge, Johnson knew a perfect run would be necessary to advance to his fifth final round of the season.
Determined to win, Johnson used an outstanding .012 reaction time to gain the advantage by nearly five hundredths of a second. However, he soon found himself fighting to maintain control of his race car, which was suffering from speed-robbing tire shake. Despite his best efforts, Johnson slowed to a 7.551-second elapsed time, allowing his opponent to edge him at the finish line.
"That was definitely a wild ride. We really used up the tires and the asphalt trying to get there first. I didn't see Greg out the window, so I stabbed the throttle near the end, and it got really crazy and he was able to get by. Even though we had the extra $25,000 incentive (paid to the driver winning both the Pro Stock Challenge and Sunday's event), we wanted to win today's race for the points.
"We had burned the clutch up in the second round running a 6.72, and we stepped on it for the semis. Unfortunately, the track was not as good as we thought it was. There had to be something wrong with the surface, because this car has never shaken the tires as hard as it did on that run, and three of the four cars in the semis didn't make it down the track.
"It's really unfortunate, because we had five hundredths on him at the tree, and we only needed a 6.87 to beat him. We probably could have left it alone and been fine, but when he ran that 6.67 in the second round and got lane choice, we had to get after it a little bit. We even considered changing motors. We were confident our ACDelco Cavalier had a 6.68 or 6.69 in it, but the track just wouldn't hold it.
"But we still can't be upset with a third place finish. I felt like I drove well all weekend, with good lights on almost even run. We'll go back to the shop in Sugar Hill, make a little power, and go try to win in Topeka."
2003 NHRA POWERade Point Standings
(Following the eighth of 23 events)
1. Greg Anderson 692
2. Kurt Johnson 682
3. Warren Johnson 604
4. Jeg Coughlin, Jr. 467
5. Bruce Allen 373
Warren Johnson Press Release
Posted Sunday, May 18, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
Phone: (704) 662-3121
jgknapp@tmgsports.net
Final Results
WJ is bitten by the Red Light Bug in Englishtown
Event: 34th NHRA SuperNationals
Location: Old Bridge Township Raceway Park
Englishtown, NJ
Day/Date: Sunday May 18, 2003
After qualifying 10th for Sunday's eliminations of the NHRA Supernationals in Englishtown, NJ, Warren Johnson knew he faced a tough challenge as he looked to score back-to-back national event wins. Although his opening race was determined by Ron Krisher's red light, Johnson served notice of his intentions, as his GM Performance Parts Grand Am powered down the quarter-mile in 6.715 seconds with a top speed of 205.32 mph, which was the quickest pass of Johnson's illustrious career.
Johnson's assignment did not get any easier, however, as he would next face 2002 Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin, whose 6.713-second run in the first round gave him lane choice over Johnson. With the two cars so evenly matched, Johnson tried to gain the advantage at the starting line. Unfortunately, W.J. left the line five thousandths of a second too early, handing the automatic win to his opponent.
"We are currently in the situation on the starting line where we can actually shave it too close as we did today. However, that is still preferable to leaving a whole bunch on the tree. When you have as good a starting line as we do here, the car reacts quicker, and you can make additional adjustments to move even further in that direction. Consequently, if you let the clutch out at the same time as at other tracks, there's a good chance you're going to red light.
"However, our problems this weekend stemmed from not running as we should be. In looking at all the corrected numbers, considering the atmospheric and track conditions, we were about six hundredths off where we should be. We should have been able to go between 6.65 and 6.67 with ease, and we didn't, so our tune-up was not compatible with these conditions. We'll have to go to Alaska and work on it
"We have a new GM Performance Parts Grand Am that will be at Jerry Haas' shop on Monday for some final work, and we'll be at the St. Louis track on Wednesday testing to see if it's better than our current car. If so, we will race it next week in Topeka. Either way, we'll head to Kansas looking to get back in the winner's circle."
Greg Anderson Press Release
Posted Sunday, May 18, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
VEGAS GENERAL CONSTRUCTION PONTIAC GRAND AM
GREG ANDERSON – DRIVER KEN BLACK – OWNER
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 18, 2003
CONTACT: Patti Miles 336-751-3882
704-957-3940 (Mobile) pattie.miles@worldnet.att.net
Anderson Dominates in Englishtown
ENGLISHTOWN, NJ – Today at the 34th annual K & N Filters SuperNationals in Englishtown, NJ, Greg Anderson ran away with from the rest of the Pro Stock field on his way to winning his third race of the 2003 POWERade Drag Racing season.
Anderson, driver of the Vegas General Construction Pontiac Grand Am, entered eliminations in the Number 1 position on the Pro Stock ladder. After resetting the Pro Stock National ET and Speed record three times over the coarse of the weekend, it was his third round 6.684 / 207.08 mph which netted him the pole position.
In Round 1 Sunday morning Anderson was paired against Greg Stanfield. Anderson took the advantage at the starting line and maintained that advantage to handily defeat Stanfield. Anderson ran a 6.693/ 206.70 mph to defeat Stanfield with a 6.742 / 205.63 mph.
Anderson opponent in Round 2 would be Terry Adams. Adams knew going into Round 2 that Anderson had a distinct performance advantage over him. The only way Adams could pull out a win was a leave the starting line well before Anderson, and hopefully holds the lead to the finish line. The result was that the over eager Adams left too early giving the win the Anderson. Anderson ran a 6.670 / 207.18 mph to a red lighting Adams at a 6.720 / 205.72 mph. Anderson run of 6.670 at 207.18 mph also reset the National ET and Speed records for the fourth time during the event.
The Semi-Finals place Anderson across from old friend Kurt Johnson. Johnson took the advantage at the starting line, but became loose down track as did Anderson. Both drivers had to get on and off the throttle to maintain control of their cars, but at the top end it was Anderson who took the win light. Anderson ran a 6.820 / 198.82 mph to defeat Johnson with a 7.551 / 149.76 mph.
In the final round, Anderson raced POWERade Champion Darrell Alderman. When the lights went green Anderson took the starting line advantage and stayed out in front of Alderman to take the win. Anderson ran a 6.724 / 205.98 mph to Alderman’s 6.747 / 205.18 mph.
Winning the K & N Filters SuperNationals pushed Anderson back to Number 1 in the POWERade Pro Stock points standings.
"This was a very, good weekend," said Anderson of Charlotte, NC "We did almost everything we could possibly do here this weekend. Being Number 1 qualifier is always great, but setting a national record (NHRA awards 20 bonus points for setting a National ET record) is only going to help us in the points. We redeemed ourselves for loosing the Demon race yesterday, by winning this race today. We would have liked to have it all, but I am not giving any of it back.
" I can’t say enough about this car. This is by far the best ride I have ever had. We have so much power under the hood of this Grand Am, that it is some times scary.
"In the semi’s we had so much horsepower, that combined with the cold racetrack, gave me one wild ride. I got just a little bit out of the grove and nearly lost it. Kurt (Johnson) did the same thing; it looked like a top fuel peddling battle out there. As sloppy as it was I was very relieve when I saw the win light.
"I am telling you right now I am living the dream. I have everything: a great racecar, a great team owner, a great crew, and a great family. Winning is what we come here to do, but to come here and dominate the way we did this weekend is very satisfying. It is satisfying because we are seeing the result of all the hard work we put in to this race program. The result of all the late nights and sacrifices that everyone on this team makes. A win like this makes it all worthwhile."
The next race on 2003 POWERade Drag Racing schedule will be the 15th annual O’Reilly Summer Nationals in Topeka, Kan. May 23-25.
Anderson Quick Facts
Currently #1 in 2003 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Points
Won 2003 Checks Shucks Kragen Nationals in Phoenix, Ariz.
Won 2003 Summitracing.com Nationals in Las Vegas, Nev.
Won 2003 K & N Filter SuperNational in Englisgtown, NJ
Runner-Up 2003 Summit Racing Equipment Nationals in Atlanta, Ga.
Two Semis final round appearances in 2003 (Pomona 1 & Gainesville)
Finished 3rd 2002 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Points
Career Best ET 6.670 (Englisgtown 2003)
Career Best Mile Per Hour 207.18 mph (Englishtown 2003)
Kalitta, Bazemore, Anderson, Gann, and Stott Win; Bernstein Crashes at the NHRA POWERade K&N Filters SuperNationals presented by Pep Boys
Posted Sunday, May 18, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Kalitta qualifies #1 and sets Low ET ( 4.481 )and Top Speed ( 330.63 ) while winning the Top Fuel title. Dixon runner-ups. Kenny Bernstein will be driving the Budweiser dragster next weekend due to Brandon's injuries. Brandon is expected to be out 2-3 months with reported crushed vertabrae.
Whit Bazemore beats Ron Capps in the final of Funny Car. Gary Scelzi runs the fastest ever funny car pass at 326.95 mph.
Greg Anderson dominates Pro Stock with his final round victory over Darrell Alderman. Greg qualified #1, set new national records for ET and speed, and runs the only 6.6 second NHRA Pro Stock runs in history. Greg finished with a best of 6.670 @ 207.18. Anderson takes over the #1 spot in the points race with the win.
Shawn Gann wins Pro Stock Bike over Craig Treble. #2 qualifier Fred Collis fouls in the first round.
NHRA Recap
KJ Press Release
Posted Sunday, May 18, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
Phone: (704) 662-3121
jgknapp@tmgsports.net
Saturday Results
Kurt Johnson Wins Third Pro Stock Challenge, Qualifies Fourth in Englishtown
Event: 34th NHRA SuperNationals
Location: Old Bridge Township Raceway Park
Englishtown, NJ
Day/Date: Saturday May 17, 2003
Kurt Johnson had a very productive day on Saturday at the NHRA Supernationals in Englishtown, New Jersey. He opened his day by recording with a 6.724 second, 205.76 mph pass in the first qualifying session to secure his ACDelco Cavalier a top position in Sunday's final elimination field.
With that difficult task handled, Johnson then turned his attention to the Pro Stock Challenge, a one-day event pitting the top eight qualifiers from the last year in a three-round single elimination race, with the winner pocketing $50,000.
Starting from the fifth position, K.J. gained an easy win in the first round when Jeg Coughlin left the starting line one thousandth of a second too early. This set the stage for a semi-final match-up against his father, Warren Johnson, who had won this event in 2001. KJ responded with the best pass of his career at 6.716 seconds with a top speed of 206.57 mph to advance to the money round of this all-star race for the third time in his career, with the added benefit of slotting the ACDelco entry fourth for the quickest field in Pro Stock history.
The final hurdle facing Johnson was former teammate Greg Anderson, who had recorded the quickest and fastest pass in the history of the division to capture the No. 1 qualifying position. Knowing he would need every advantage to gain the victory, Johnson used his best reaction time of the day to leave on his opponent.
Powering down the quarter-mile, Johnson's Cavalier built on its lead as Anderson struggled to maintain control of his race car, securing the victory with a 6.753-second, 205.60 mph run.
"I wasn't worried heading into the final, but I was a little concerned," stated Johnson. "Greg's got a good combination to get down this race track, and had been making nice runs all weekend.
"Our ACDelco Cavalier has been running strong lately, and we felt we could pick up a little bit, but it's very tough to make a perfect run in one of these race cars. We've been able to hit a 6.71 and a 6.72, but we still haven't gotten everything we need to out of it. We were certainly lucky in the final, but we'll take it when we can get it.
"I want to thank Barry Grant for putting this program on, and I'm sure we'll put that money to good use. The carburetor business has been good to me in Englishtown, with the bonus I received for the first six-second pass in 1994, and winning this special race three times. We're pretty pleased right now.
"Although I like my chances for tomorrow, it's going to be like any other race, where anybody who's qualified can win. I may even change motors, because we have to improve our performance in the first 330 feet. Our ACDelco Cavalier is close, but you always want to go faster, and tomorrow is even more important than today in the big scheme of things."
WJ Press Release
Posted Sunday, May 18, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
Phone: (704) 662-3121
jgknapp@tmgsports.net
Saturday Qualifying Results
WJ Reaches Pro Stock Challenge Semi-Finals, Starts 10th in Englishtown
Event: 34th NHRA SuperNationals
Location: Old Bridge Township Raceway Park
Englishtown, NJ
Day/Date: Saturday May 17, 2003
On the strength of a 6.729-second, 205.69 mph pass recorded on Friday, Warren Johnson qualified his GM Performance Parts Grand Am 10th for Sunday's final eliminations of the NHRA Supernationals in Englishtown, NJ.
Although Saturday's conditions were ideal for the normally aspirated Pro Stock category, the Johnson crew found themselves battling a tricky race car. However, their consecutive 6.76-second runs were enough to propel WJ into the semi-finals of the Pro Stock Challenge, where his pursuit of second all-star event win fell shy against his son, and eventual winner, Kurt Johnson.
"Our performance is not where we should be, and we have all the right parts, so we must be putting the square pegs in the round holes. Fortunately, it was still a good day for Warren Johnson Enterprises, as Kurt was able to win the Pro Stock Challenge.
"We need to go over our notes and find out where the problem area is. Looking at the forecast, it could be a completely different situation tomorrow, which could help us. The important part is that our GM Performance Parts Grand Am is in the field, and as long as we have a place to start from, we have a good chance of ending up in the winner's circle."
Mopar Motorsports Press Release
Posted Sunday, May 18, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Mopar Motorsports
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
K&N Filters NHRA SuperNationals
Old Bridge Township Raceway Park – Englishtown, N.J.
Final Qualifying Notes & Quotes
Four Mopars Make Quickest Pro Stock Field in History
Bazemore & Scelzi Take Each Qualify in the Top Half
ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. (May 17, 2003) – Allen Johnson heads a contingent of four Hemi-powered Pro Stock machines into tomorrow’s 34th annual K&N Filters NHRA SuperNationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. With a bump spot of 6.741 seconds, it’s the quickest field in Pro Stock history.
Johnson took home the fifth-qualifying position with a career-best 6.718-second elapsed time at 205.26 mph – also a career mark. The Greeneville, Tenn., resident will face off against Troy Coughlin in round one.
Johnson also ran in the first round of the King Demon Crown, falling to No. 1 qualifier Greg Anderson. Johnson completed the second-quickest pass in round one of the KDC at 6.751 seconds and 204.91 mph, but red lit at the start to end his day.
“The worst run we made all weekend was in the King Demon Crown,” Johnson said. “It really didn’t matter on the track because I red lit, but this team has done an awesome job. (Teammate) Darrell (Alderman) hasn’t really made a good run all weekend. They have been trying some stuff, so I think they can learn from us and put together a good set up.
“We can really run out of either lane,” Johnson continued. “We’ve been working with the transmission ratio – and trying to get it to where the motor likes it. We’ve made probably the best runs we can make this weekend.”
Three-time POWERade Pro Stock World Champion Darrell Alderman wielded his Mopar Parts Dodge Neon R/T into the 11th-qualifed spot. The Morehead, Ky., resident logged a career best 6.734-second elapsed time at a career best 205.26 mph, setting up a first round match with Mark Pawuk.
“We were looking to run a 6.73 on that last one,” said Alderman, after posting a 6.760-second elapsed time in his last qualifying effort. “We tried some things on that last run and it didn’t work. We had a different set of tires and different set of headers, so we’re going back to our original set up for tomorrow.
“The lanes seem to be pretty equal out there,” Alderman continued. “Who knows what the conditions will be like tomorrow with the sun shining. It may end up changing them quite a bit.”
Mopar’s Gene Wilson placed his new Dodge Stratus R/T Pro Stocker into the field. A career best pass of 6.714 seconds at 205.44 mph (also a career best) qualified Wilson in the 15th position. The Georgia resident, will face Jeg Coughlin, Jr., in round one.
“We made a real nice pass on that last one,” said Wilson, who was on the outside looking in heading into the last-qualifying session. “We’ve been struggling for the past two races to find out what the problem has been with our car. We finally hit on a chassis tune up this weekend that’s really going to help our program. All of the guys on my team have been working extremely hard. It just seemed like it wasn’t getting any better. All of a sudden, we made some changes that were ‘iffy’ if they were going to help us, but they did. It was what we’ve been looking for. The car was awesome. It went straight down the track like it should and the elapsed time showed it with a 6.741.
“We’re proud to run that Stratus,” Wilson added. “We’ve just been struggling in the set up area. I know it’s taken a while to get there – but this weekend especially -- we’ve made some big strides in the set up department. It takes a team effort. We’ve put our minds together and worked on this thing and everyone is following in the same direction.”
Greg Stanfield and his DBP Enterprises Dodge Neon R/T squeaked into the field with a 6.741-secomd elapsed time at 205.04 mph, but both were career bests for the Bossier City, La., resident. His pass also represented the anchor for the quickest Pro Stock field in history – laying out a first round match with No. 1 qualifier Greg Anderson.
“We ran well in the first part of the pass,” said Stanfield, of his last qualifying outing. “The track is simply awesome out there. We’re in ‘lala’ land. It’s incredible. You still have to make good runs to make it happen. This was such a herd field to qualify for – so were just happy to be in it.”
Larry Morgan wound up outside the top 16 with his Hemi-powered Dodge Neon R/T. But the Newark, Ohio, resident, was pleased with his performance over the weekend after posting a 6.777-second elapsed time at 203.34 mph.
“We need a little more time to run this new car,” said Morgan, on his Dodge Neon R/T entry. “We got out of the groove pretty bad on that last run. We shook pretty hard too. We went 203 (mph) on that run and the car was all over the place. So we’re happy because we know we have something left. I think we’re on the road to recovery.”
Both Mopar Funny Cars Qualify in the Top Half…
Bazemore Grabs Fifth; Scelzi Tops Funny Car Speed Chart for the Weekend
Rain shortened qualifying for the Funny Car this weekend – so both Schumacher Racing Dodge Stratus R/T Funny Cars had to scramble to get into the show within just two sessions.
Bazemore, who was not qualified heading into the last session, ripped off a 4.836-second elapsed time at 313.44 mph to collect the fifth-qualifying position. The Indianapolis resident, will line up against Cruz Pedregon in the first round of competition.
“The Dodge Stratus body has always helped this year, especially over what we’ve had in the past,” Bazemore said. “It’s simply a better-engineered, well thought out design. And it’s better aerodynamically for a Funny Car. In this sport, every little advantage works in your favor because we’re winning and losing races by one, one thousandth of a second. If one percent of a drag coefficient equals one, one thousandth of a second, then that’s an improvement we definitely want to have.
“I think the racing tomorrow should be spectacular,” Bazemore added. “I really believe qualifying today would have been unbelievable if we had all made at least one run yesterday. But with the weather we’ve had and the fact that everyone just wanted to qualify today, no one could really roll the dice. We did roll them a little bit in the first round and we weren’t in the show when we came up for our second run. When you put yourself in that position, you really leave yourself open for a potential disaster if you have a mechanical failure of any type. The team did a great job, and all of our equipment was really good, and we ended up fifth.”
Gary Scelzi rolled his Matco Tools-backed Dodge Stratus R/T Funny Car through the timing lights with a 4.851-second elapsed time at 322.65 mph. It was the fastest recorded speed thus far this weekend and allowed Scelzi to match with Schumacher Racing teammate Scotty Cannon in round one tomorrow.
“We put it back exactly the way we ran it at the beginning of the year – except for the body,” said Scelzi, who ran a special body this weekend for sponsor Matco Tools. “We’re going to put the Oakley Dodge Stratus R/T body back on. The body we ran this weekend had been repaired – and seemed a little heavier – so we’re putting the tried and true Dodge Dealers body back on it for tomorrow.
“We were just a little bit too aggressive on that second run,” Scelzi continued. “I got it out of the groove, and you just can’t do that during one of those runs. I’m going to sleep tight – and worry about what I have to do for tomorrow – tomorrow. We have top speed of the meet – so that’s great for Dodge. All the hard work that (Lead Aero Engineer) Terry DeKoninck and all of the guys in the Mopar engineering department have put into this Stratus body is starting to show. We’re pretty proud of that.
“They call it a ‘mineshaft’ here,” Scelzi added. “The air is so heavy here it’s below sea level. I can’t believe what the Pro Stock cars have been running this weekend. But when you see that with their naturally aspirated engines – it’s a pretty serious deal out there. We didn’t try to get too crazy, but we had it set up to run better than a 4.79 – which is my career best. We’ll just pull it back a tick tomorrow and see what it will do.”
-Mopar.com-
For more information, contact:
David Harris, Cox Marketing Group
Public Relations Manager
Mopar Motorsports
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
davidh@coxmarketinggroup.com
(704) 799-2114 – office
(704) 756-9301 - mobile
Whit Bazemore Press Release
Posted Sunday, May 18, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
K&N Filters NHRA SuperNationals - Round 8 of 23
Old Bridge Township Raceway Park - Englishtown, N.J.
Saturday, May 17, 2003
Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501, cell 203-243-2438
BAZEMORE TAKES HIS MATCO TOOLS DISTRIBUTOR SPECIAL TO NO. 5 IN E'TOWN QUALIFYING
ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. (May 17, 2003) -- With only two qualifying sessions available this weekend for the Funny Car class, as the first two of four were rained out on Friday, Whit Bazemore and his Matco Tools Distributor Special Dodge Stratus R/T team were out of the field when they came up for the final qualifying round as a result of a tire-smoking, pedaling pass in today's first session.
Bazemore and crew chief Lee Beard knew they had to do their jobs in this final run to make it into the field. Under cool conditions, Bazemore put together a conservative yet safe pass of 4.836/313.44 to be assured a spot in the field, placing him comfortably in No. 5 position for tomorrow's K&N Filters NHRA SuperNationals final eliminations.
"The situation was that we weren't qualified when we made our last attempt," said Bazemore, second in the POWERade Drag Racing Series Funny Car point standings. "We had to play it very, very safe and go down the race track because we know the Matco Tools Dodge is capable of running a mid-80 fairly effortlessly when we go A to B down the track in these kind of conditions. And that's what we did.
"We had to qualify first and the good news is we qualified, we're in the show and we're going to race tomorrow. When you're in that situation, no matter who you are, you leave yourself open to mechanical problems that can easily happen in this sport and we see them happen quite often. You lose a run and, boom, you're out of the show.
"You can't get nervous," he added. "You've just go do your job and focus and try to do the most perfect job you can. If the car does something out of the ordinary then you have to rely on your experience and your reactions. But, more than anything, you rely on experience to get it down the track. In our case the bump was 5.21 when we ran so I knew that if we smoked the tires past a certain point on the track, if I could get it to recover quickly enough, we could easily run a 5.21 and be qualified.
"As it turned out, the car was set up perfectly and went right down the track. I'd say the real pressure was on Beard and the rest of the guys. Actually, it's on the entire team. Every single person has to not make a mistake in that situation, but especially Lee. He had to give the car a tune-up that would see it go A to B. He's a master at that sort of thing and it showed today."
Going for the pole was not up for discussion, said Beard. "With only two qualifying sessions, there really is no room for error," he commented. "And obviously we made an error in the first qualifying session and smoked the tires. When you're in that position the only thing you can focus on is qualifying. Running for the pole is totally out of the question. Running a 4.83 put us fifth. That's a good shot for us. I wish we would have been in a position to run for the pole because certainly the Matco Tools Dodge is capable of being on the pole; it just wasn't to be today."
Bazemore has qualified in the top half of the field in each of the eight events in 2003, has reached the semifinals in six of the last seven races, as well as two finals, and will face Cruz Pedregon in the first round tomorrow.
Scotty Cannon Press Release
Posted Sunday, May 18, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
K&N Filters NHRA SuperNationals - Round 8 of 23
Old Bridge Township Raceway Park - Englishtown, N.J.
Saturday, May 17, 2003
Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501, cell 203-243-2438
CANNON TAKE NO. 9 SPOT IN E'TOWN QUALIFYING
ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. (May 17, 2003) -- "We're making progress," said a smiling Scotty Cannon of his performance in the final round of qualifying today in his Oakley Funny Car. Only two qualifying sessions were held this weekend, as two sessions were rained out on Friday. His first lap today was an OK pass of 5.065/263.92. But it was the final run that demonstrated crew chief Phil Shuler and the team's determination to put their struggles behind them, as Cannon pulled off a solid 4.872/304.46 pass to put him No. 9 on the charts.
"We changed the way we were running after testing the car at Indy on Sunday," Cannon said. "From our point of view we had two runs to look at before we made this last run. Actually, the car was running good early; we're just having trouble keeping the motor happy. The short times are better than they were or as good as they've been running to the 1000-foot (mark) all year. We're going to work in the motor department, see if we can keep the motor happy and alive. It should run good. It' s showing promise for once, so we're moving in the right direction.
"We were told to treat every run like a test run; swing for the fence every time. That's the way our sponsors do it, that's the way we're doing it. And that's what we're going to do."
Cannon will meet his Oakley teammate Gary Scelzi (No. 8) in the first round of Funny Car eliminations of the K&N Filters SuperNationals tomorrow for their first meeting since Scelzi joined the Oakley team for 2003. "That's one way to get an Oakley car to go to the next round," said Cannon. "There's a positive to anything. Someone's got to win; someone's got to lose. We know for sure there will be an Oakley car in the second round. We'll have lots of fun doing it; we'll go out there and see if we can kick old Scelzi's butt."
Gary Scelzi Press Release
Posted Sunday, May 18, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
K&N Filters NHRA SuperNationals - Round 8 of 23
Old Bridge Township Raceway Park - Englishtown, N.J.
Saturday, May 17, 2003
Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501, cell 203-243-2438
SCELZI SETS TOP SPEED OF MEET, QUALIFIES NO. 8
ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. (MAY 17, 2003) -- Sporting the Matco Tools Iron Eagle body on his Dodge Stratus R/T Funny Car, Gary Scelzi qualified No. 8 for tomorrow's K&N Filters NRHA SuperNationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. Scelzi established the fastest speed of the event, 322.65 mph, in today's first pass, with an elapsed time of 4.851 seconds.
In the final session he was on a solid run, but got out of the groove and slowed to a 5.450/186.20.
Only two full qualifying sessions were held this weekend, both today, as yesterday's qualifying was rained out after the first pair of Funny Cars made it down the track in dry conditions.
Scelzi will face his teammate Scotty Cannon in the first round tomorrow, their first meeting since Scelzi joined the Oakley team for the 2003 season.
"Everything is back to normal, from the supercharger to the clutch, to everything else," said Scelzi, commenting on what the team learned after Bazemore tested Scelzi's car at Indianapolis Raceway Park last Sunday. "We were just a little bit too aggressive on that (final) run. It was running better than our 4.79 run at Pomona. I just got the car out of the groove and you just can't do that when you're going to run that fast. Everything has got to be perfect. I was fighting it to get it back in the groove and I just fought it too long and it ended up smoking the tires.
"Tomorrow we're probably going to go back to the Oakley Dodge body. It's lighter and we have to take 30 pounds off this car to get it light and get it back in race mode. We'll slow the car down just a taste; maybe make it run high 4.70s, low 4.80s. We'll try to run that all day long and see what happens.
"The first run was a good run; it did what it was supposed to do. It was doing what it was supposed to do in that last run. It got way out there before it smoked the tires."
KJ Wins King Demon Crown; Greg Anderson Posts Quickest and Fastest NHRA Pro Stock Times in History at Englishtown
Posted Sunday, May 18, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
NHRA POWERade K&N Filters SuperNationals presented by Pep Boys at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park
Kalitta, T. Pedregon, Anderson, Gann, and McAmis Lead qualifying.
Saturday Results
Doug Kalitta picks up his 6th #1 Top Fuel qualifying award in 2003.
Top Fuel Qualifying Results
Tony Pedregon is #1 in Funny Car for the 4th time in 2003. Bob Gilbertson qualifies #14 with a 4.971 @ 313.22 in his "Jungle Jim" Liberman themed Camaro and slides into the sand trap when his chutes fail to open.
Funny Car Qualifying Results
Greg Anderson sets new marks of 6.684 @ 207.08 in Pro Stock qualifying. The quickest Pro Stock field in NHRA history was assembled with Greg Stanfield holding down the #16 spot with a 6.741.
Georgia driver Kurt Johnson (#4 - 6.716 @ 206.57 ) wins the $50,000 ( winner's share ) King Demon crown over Greg Anderson. Other qualiying Georgia drivers/teams were:
Terry Adams #8 - 6.728 @ 205.66
Warren Johnson #10 - 6.729 @ 205.69
Barry Grant - #14 - 6.736 @ 204.45
Gene Wilson - #15 - 6.741 @ 205.44
Mark Whisnant missed the field with a 26th best 6.789 @ 203.65. The final field consists of seven Chevrolets, four Pontiacs, four Dodges, and one Ford.
Pro Stock Qualifying Results
Shawn Gann just missed the 6 second zone with the 2nd quickest NHRA Pro Stock Bike run of 7.051 at 189.28 to lead the quickest Pro Stock Bike field in NHRA history. Fred Collis ( Americus, GA ) qualified #2 with a 7.059 @ 187.89.
Pro Stock Bike Qualifying Results
Tim McAmis is #1 in Pro Mod with a 6.097 @ 231.87. How about Roy Hill in the #4 spot with a 6.131 @ 231.75 in his Mustang?
Pro Mod Qualifying Results
AHDRA NATIONAL POINTS SERIES HEADS SOUTH FOR THE STONE MOUNTAIN HARLEY-DAVIDSON SOUTHERN NATIONALS, MAY 24-25
Posted Saturday, May 17, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: LISA CRANFILL 336-924-2095
AHDRA NATIONAL POINTS SERIES HEADS SOUTH FOR THE STONE MOUNTAIN
HARLEY-DAVIDSON SOUTHERN NATIONALS, MAY 24-25
WINSTON-SALEM, NC, May 12, 2003 - Following back-to-back Western Division
appearances, AHDRA is gearing up for down-home excitement at Atlanta Dragway
on May 24th and 25th for the Stone Mountain Harley-Davidson Southern
Nationals.
AHDRA plans one of the biggest shows of the 2003 series as racers and fans
from across the country converge on the Commerce, GA, facility. Fans will
witness top guns of the sport - including "The Southern Son," Bill Furr;
Mark "The Hammer" Cox; and two-time IHRA Champion Doug Vancil - blazing the
quarter-mile strip in six seconds!
Adding Southern hospitality to the weekend will be this year's title
sponsor, Stone Mountain Harley-Davidson. Owner Greg Becker says he and his
staff are very excited about hosting this year's AHDRA event. "This is a
great venture for us and we plan to make it lots of fun for our customers
who like to watch these bikes go fast. We are huge race fans here, and we
have a great group of people always ready to expand our customer activities
and get [everyone] involved."
To kick off the action-packed weekend, Stone Mountain Harley-Davidson
(located at 2060 Ross Road, in Lilburn, GA) will host the official AHDRA
Kickstart Party on Friday, May 23rd, from 5:00-8:00 p.m., with AHDRA race
bikes - and lots more - on display. (Scheduled to appear-Bojangles Top Fuel
Racing/Mark Cox and Thunder Eagle Pro Stock Racing-Tom Bradford)
According to Becker, Stone Mountain Harley-Davidson plans loads to see and
do at Atlanta Dragway, including his new line of Thunder Custom Cycles, bike
demo rides, dealer merchandise, and more. Stone Mountain Harley-Davidson
also plans to lead a ride to the races with several hundred participants
from its fifteen-hundred-member H.O.G. club.
Racing gets under way on Saturday with qualifying at 9:00 a.m. On Sunday,
sportsman eliminations begin at 9:00 a.m., and the Pros take the track at
12:30 p.m. Gates open both days at 8:00 a.m.
Admission to the Stone Mountain Harley-Davidson Southern Nationals is $40
for two days and $25 for single-day passes. Children under 12 are admitted
free, and H.O.G. members receive a $5 discount at the gate.
AHDRA hosts sixteen classes of competition, including the 200 mph Screamin'
Eagle Nitro Harleys, Modified gas bikes, Street bikes, junior dragsters, and
more.
For more information on the Stone Mountain Harley-Davidson Southern
Nationals, please contact 336-924-2095 or visit www.ahdra.com.
Mopar Motorsports Press Release
Posted Saturday, May 17, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Mopar Motorsports
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
K&N Filters NHRA SuperNationals
Old Bridge Township Raceway Park – Englishtown, N.J.
Qualifying Notes & Quotes
ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. (May 16, 2003) – Mopar NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series drivers completed the first day of qualifying for the K&N Filters NHRA SuperNationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.
Rain moved into the area and washed out the second round of qualifying, but not before all four of Mopar’s factory backed Pro Stock entries made it into the provisional field.
Darrell Alderman, driver of the Mopar Parts Dodge Neon R/T
Johnson & Johnson Racing
Hometown: Morehead, Ky.
Age: 53
Current Weekend Best Qualifying Time: 6.751 seconds
Current Weekend Best Speed: 204.48 mph (Career Best)
Current Weekend Qualifying Position: 10th
Notes: Darrell Alderman maneuvered his Mopar-backed Dodge Neon R/T to the 10th-qualifed position with a 6.751-second elapsed time at 204.48 mph – a career best. The three-time POWERade Pro Stock World Champion talked about his day.
“We didn’t make a real good run out there,” said Alderman, who has won three times at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. “We shook pretty hard and the car moved to the right. It’s frustrating because we could have run as well as Allen and been in the top half of the field.”
Allen Johnson, driver of the Mopar Parts Dodge Neon R/T
Johnson & Johnson Racing
Hometown: Greeneville, Tenn.
Age: 43
Current Weekend Best Qualifying Time: 6.724 seconds (Career Best)
Current Weekend Best Speed: 204.76 mph (Ties Career Best)
Current Weekend Qualifying Position: 2nd
Notes: Mopar’s Allen Johnson barely missed grabbing the top slot with a career-best elapsed time of 6.724 seconds. His Dodge Neon R/T fell shy of No. 1 qualifier Greg Anderson, tomorrow’s round one King Demon Crown opponent, by a scant one thousandth of a second. Johnson also tied his career-best top speed of 204.76 mph, matching his speed set at Pomona (Calif.) Raceway Park to open the 2003 season.
“We made a nice run on that one,” Johnson said. “The thing is, and this is what were excited about, is the fact that we could have run quicker. It shook a little bit at the top end. We found some horsepower over the break and I think we’ll see that this weekend.”
Larry Morgan, driver of the Mopar Parts Dodge Neon R/T
Larry Morgan Racing
Hometown: Newark, Ohio
Age: 48
Current Weekend Best Qualifying Time: 6.777 seconds (Career Best)
Current Weekend Best Speed: 203.34 mph (Career Best)
Current Weekend Qualifying Position: 12th
NOTES: Larry Morgan made his best qualifying pass of the season, logging a career-best 6.777-second elapsed time at 203.34 mph – also a career best. The Newark, Ohio resident, spoke of his provisional 12th-qualifying spot.
“We’re not there yet – but that was pretty good,” Morgan said. “We need to change some things in clutch department, and some other things, but we’re certainly off to a nice start to the weekend.”
Gene Wilson, driver of the Mopar Parts Dodge Stratus R/T
Larry Morgan Racing
Hometown: Adairsville, Ga.
Age: 30
Current Weekend Best Qualifying Time: 6.750 seconds (Career Best)
Current Weekend Best Speed: 204.98 mph (Career Best)
Current Weekend Qualifying Position: 9th
NOTES: Gene Wilson notched a little history for the new Dodge Stratus R/T Pro Stock entry. The 2002 NHRA Rookie of the Year recorded a career-best elapsed time of 6.750 seconds at a career best speed of 204.98 mph. It was both the quickest and fastest pass ever recorded by the Stratus R/T.
“That was a nice run,” Wilson said. “We really stepped up to the plate today and it feels pretty good. The guys have worked really hard to get us back to where we need to be. The Stratus felt very smooth too – and the track is well suited for this car.”
-Mopar.com-
For more information, contact:
David Harris, Cox Marketing Group
Public Relations Manager
Mopar Motorsports
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
davidh@coxmarketinggroup.com
(704) 799-2114 – office
(704) 756-9301 - mobile
Warren Johnson Press Release
Posted Saturday, May 17, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
Phone: (704) 662-3121
jgknapp@tmgsports.net
Friday Qualifying Results
WJ Outruns the Rain to sit Fourth on Friday in Englishtown
Event: 34th NHRA SuperNationals
Location: Old Bridge Township Raceway Park
Englishtown, NJ
Day/Date: Friday May 16, 2003
For the second consecutive race, inclement weather played a major role in the first day of qualifying for a POWERade Drag Racing Series event, as rain cut short the on-track activities at the NHRA Supernationals in Englishtown, NJ. In fact, the Pro Stock category was one of only two professional classes to complete their first timed runs, with the cloudy skies and cooler temperatures providing near-perfect conditions.
However, there was some cause for concern for Warren Johnson and the GM Performance Parts Racing team when fellow competitor Bruce Allen suffered a mechanical malfunction and oiled the track directly in front of "The Professor", with the resulting lengthy clean-up potentially creating changes in the racing surface for which they could not compensate.
Any such fears were quickly allayed, as W.J. took advantage of the opportunity presented, with his 6.729-second, 205.69 mph effort placing his Grand Am fourth heading into Saturday's action.
"We were a little concerned after Bruce (Allen) had his problem directly in front of us, but we were still able to make a good run. We gave up a little in sixty foot, so there is room for improvement, but, most importantly, we established a good baseline to work from. The conditions are forecast to be similar tomorrow, so our GM Performance Parts Grand Am should be in good shape."
Schumacher Racing Press Release
Posted Saturday, May 17, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
From: Judy Stropus
Sent: Friday, May 16, 2003 5:33 PM
Subject: E'town NHRA Friday notes from Schumacher Racing
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
K&N Filters NHRA SuperNationals - Round 8 of 23
Old Bridge Township Raceway Park - Englishtown, N.J.
Friday, May 16, 2003
Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501, cell 203-243-2438
SCELZI TO DRIVE MATCO TOOLS-BODIED DODGE STRATUS FUNNY CAR IN E'TOWN
Gary Scelzi will trade his Oakley Time Bomb body on his Dodge Stratus Funny Car for a Matco Tools body here at the K&N Filters NHRA SuperNationals. His Schumacher Racing entry will resemble Whit Bazemore's usual Matco Tools Dodge, while Bazemore will run a special silver-painted Matco Tools Distributor Special. At the next race in Topeka, Kans., Scelzi will return to his usual mount, while Bazemore will sport another new body, the Matco Tools Fast and Furious Dodge Stratus.
"I talked to (Oakley's) Jim Jannard to make the Gary Scelzi Oakley car into a Matco Tools car for this race because we are running what was originally going to be the Matco Tools SuperNationals," said team owner Don Schumacher. "I felt it was appropriate and Jim agreed with me to try to give Matco Tools as much coverage as we could with the two cars and he agreed to let me change Scelzi's car over at this race to the Matco Tools Oakley Dodge. It will be back to being the Oakley Dodge at the Topeka, Kans., race next week."
GARY SCELZI OPENS GARY SCELZI'S WILD THING EXTREME WEAR IN FRESNO
Gary Scelzi opened Gary Scelzi's Wild Thing Extreme Wear "boutique" in his hometown of Fresno, Calif., last Saturday, which sells Oakley apparel and eyewear, as well as Scelzi race-car memorabilia, including die-casts, rods and pistons from his Oakley Dodge Funny Car.
"It's something new and unique that I wanted to try," said Scelzi. "I have a couple of partners in it (Mike Noble and Scelzi's accountant, Gail Garbadian) and the first weekend it was open went very well. It's in Noble's Truck Accessory Company that sells customized truck parts and accessories. We've got a whole corner of the store."
DON SCHUMACHER SPEAKS AT SARDI'S
Schumacher Racing team owner Don Schumacher spoke in front of approximately 100 members of the Madison Avenue Sports Car Driving and Chowder Society last Tuesday at a luncheon at the world-famous Sardi's Restaurant in New York City. Schumacher covered the subject of race sponsorship, how to obtain sponsors for race teams in these economically challenging times, and, most importantly, how to maintain these sponsors and to provide them the best return for their investment. Schumacher's unique business approach has made his team, which became a multi-car team in 2001, the largest NHRA Pro racing team in 2003, with three Funny Cars and one Top Fuel Dragster.
Whit Bazemore's Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge Stratus R/T Funny Car was parked in front of the restaurant on West 44th Street, attracting a large crowd of fans and onlookers.
Schumacher invited all in attendance at the luncheon to be his guests at the K&N Filters SuperNationals at Englishtown, N.J., this weekend.
"I thought it was the right thing to do," said Schumacher, who also owns Schumacher Electric in Mt. Prospect, Ill. "I was impressed with the interest the members had in this subject and their intelligent questions. They probably have never been to an NHRA drag race, so I thought I would provide them the opportunity to see an NHRA professional drag race up close and personal."
The "Chowder Society" has held luncheon meetings every month at Sardi's since the organization was established in 1957. Members include media, and advertising and public relations/communications professionals.
Greg Anderson and Shawn Gann Lead Friday's Rain Shortened Qualifying at the NHRA POWERade K&N Filters SuperNationals presented by Pep Boys
Posted Saturday, May 17, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Englishtown, NJ
Rain shortens Friday's two scheduled qualifying sessions to only one abbreviated session. Top Fuel and Funny Car ( only one pair raced ) didn't get a chance to qualify, but Pro Stock ( Car and Bike ) completed one session.
Friday Recap
Greg Anderson leads the Pro Stock field with the fastest speed in NHRA pro stock history. Greg ran a 6.723 @ 205.91 to reset both ends of the track record. Georgia racers Warren Johnson ( #4 - 6.729 @ 205.69 - Sugar Hill, GA ), Barry Grant ( #6- 6.736 @ 204.45- Dahlonega, GA ), Terry Adams, ( #7- 6.742 @ 205.38- Millers Creek, NC- Barry Grant team car ), and Gene Wilson ( #9- 6.750 @ 204.98- Canton, GA ) are currently qualified. Mark Whisnant ( Stockbridge, GA ) just missed with a 17th best 6.789 @ 202.97 and Kurt Johnson ( Sugr Hill, GA )ran a 24th best 6.849 @ 201.76.
Pro Stock Results
Shawn Gann is #1 in Pro Stock Bike with a 7.069. Fred Collis ( Americus, GA ) is currently #4 with a 7.119 @ 188.36. GT Tonglet runs the quickest-ever Harley Davidson pass ( 7.113 ) that puts him in the #3 position.
Pro Stock Bike Results
King Demon Crown at Englishtown: 3 of the 8 Qualifiers are Georgia Pro Stock Teams
Posted Friday, May 16, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Warren Johnson, Kurt Johnson, and Mark Whisnant will compete in the $76,000 event at Englishtown Saturday May 17. Georgian Barry Grant sponsors this event that features the top eight Pro Stock qualifiers over the past year. Other qualifiers are Jeg Coughlin Jr., Jim Yates, Greg Anderson, Allen Johnson, and Ron Krisher.
King Demon Crown
2003 King Demon Crown Point Standings
GDR Website Updated
Posted Tuesday, May 13, 2003 by johndilbeck
It's been a wild couple of weeks, replete with server crashes, flooding, thunderstorms, tornados all over the country, and more. Fortunately, I'm on a mountain and missed the flooding, and the tornados decided to stay away, but the thunderstorms and server crashes kept me hopping.
I think everything on GeorgiaDragRacing.com is working correctly, again, and I had a chance to start adding the updates that David's been sending me for awhile.
David has posted more photos from the 2003 Southern Nationals in our Photo Album.
He also posted his coverage of the Southern Nationals in our Articles & Stories section. We'll be adding photos to the article as we have the time.
David posted his review of Musclecar Power Magazine and gave it a big thumbs-up.
We updated David's Favorite Links page.
As soon as I finish squashing bugs on my other sites, I'm going to be adding more photos to the Photo Gallery and, hopefully, things will be getting back to normal around GDR.
We appreciate your interest and participation.
JD
Web server problems being fixed.
Posted Tuesday, May 13, 2003 by johndilbeck
For the second time in two weeks, the server hosting Georgia Drag Racing has crashed, forcing the move of the entire site to a new server.
Of course, that caused additional problems that are being found and fixed.
We're hoping that this will fix the problems we've been having and that GeorgiaDragRacing.com will once again become stable so we can concentrate on adding to it rather than squashing bugs.
If you see anything that isn't working, please feel free to contact me at jd@johndilbeck.com and I'll look into it as soon as possible.
Sorry for the confusion and lack of access over the last couple of days.
JD
WJ Press Release
Posted Tuesday, May 13, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
Phone: (704) 662-3121
jgknapp@tmgsports.net
Over 27 years, Warren Johnson Has Experienced it all in Englishtown
GM Performance Parts driver looks for fifth win at legendary New Jersey track
Sugar Hill, Ga., May 12, 2003 - Throughout his career, GM Performance Parts driver Warren Johnson has experienced many outstanding moments in Englishtown, NJ, site of this weekend's NHRA SuperNationals. With four national event wins (including the first of his career in 1982) in five final round appearances, and five No. 1 qualifying performances, Johnson's record at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park ranks among the best in the Pro Stock division.
However, among these many accomplishments, there is one notable New Jersey moment in 1976 where Johnson made headlines, but not for the normal reasons. Although his performance on that July day did include a new national top speed record (at 158.45 mph), it was what happened after the run that made it notable.
"You could say that in 1976 I took the scenic route in qualifying," recalled Johnson. "Naturally, this was well before my association with GM Performance Parts and ACDelco. We were running a Camaro with a prototype dual master cylinder, and had just set the national speed record. At the end of the run, first, the parachutes didn't open, and then the master cylinder failed, meaning we had no way of stopping other than riding the engine down.
"Things always happen for a reason. Earlier that morning I had gone to the far end of the track to see what was there. I always check the track religiously, but normally I just concentrate on the racing surface and the run-off area. That weekend, however, I walked all the way out to the two fences at the very end. One was a wooden fence, while the other was a chain-link fence with steel posts, with the space between those posts only six inches wider than my car.
"Somehow I maneuvered through both fences, missed all the posts and ended out on Pension Road (a small, two-lane road behind the track), suffering only cosmetic damage. We got back to the pits, put Caesar (the Johnson's Doberman) in the car to guard it, and went looking for parts to fix it. I had a guy named Ralph Romeo help me fiberglass it back together that day, and we were ready for eliminations."
Twenty-seven years later, Johnson and his GM Performance Parts Grand Am team return to the Garden State looking to continue their string of strong performances. With two wins and two No. 1 qualifying performances in the first seven races of 2003, W.J. seems poised to make a run at his seventh championship. However, there is always room for improvement, and "The Professor" is a tough grader.
"Right now, I'd have to give our team a B plus," stated Johnson. "We're not making perfect runs every time, and we're not the quickest or the fastest car out there, but we're competitive. That means we're racing well, but we have some work to do on the car and our set-ups. We also need to do a better job adapting to the conditions. But since we're still in a position to win races, and have done so twice, you can't grade it too low."
Another aspect that does not escape Johnson's attention is the stature of the event. Although the points and the pre-race preparation are the same, a win at this venerable facility is always special.
"The Englishtown race has always been one of the bigger ones on the schedule, one race every one wants on their resume" said Johnson. "But hitting the set-up is the key. From when it was known as the Summernationals, where the outside temperature could exceed 100 degrees, to today's event, where the weather could either allow national record runs or the slowest times of the year, the challenge remains in matching the car to the conditions.
"The way we see it, a good weekend will include qualifying our GM Performance Parts Grand Am No.1, winning the Pro Stock Challenge on Saturday, the race on Sunday, and not get a speeding ticket on the way to or from the track."
Facts on Warren Johnson and the GM Performance Parts Racing Team entering
the NHRA SuperNationals:
* WJ Enjoys Englishtown: This will be Warren's 27th NHRA Pro Stock national event appearance at Englishtown, where he has accumulated four wins in five final round appearances, while compiling a 33-22 elimination round record. He has been equally effective in qualifying, with five No. 1 qualifying efforts, and an average starting spot of 4.12.
* E-town Record Holder: Warren Johnson holds the top speed track record at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, based on 203.77 mph performance in the first round of last year's eliminations.
* One year ago: WJ qualified third for in Englishtown with an elapsed time of 6.783 seconds and a top speed of 203.03 mph, but was upset in the first round.
* National Record Holder: WJ holds the NHRA Pro Stock national elapsed time record at 6.720-seconds, which he set in Houston last month. This marks the 10th time in his career that he has held the record.
* Winning Streak: With his win in Atlanta, Warren Johnson has now won at least two races in 18 of the past 22 years. In addition, his current streak of winning at least one race a year for 22 consecutive years is the longest in NHRA history.
* POWERade Points standings: After the seventh of 23 events, WJ stands third in the 2003 POWERade points standings with 552 points, 55 behind his son and leader Kurt Johnson, and a mere two points behind second place Greg Anderson.
* Doubling Up: Warren will be looking to win consecutive races for the 19th time in his career (including winning three in a row five times and four in a row once), having last done so in 2001, when he won the Columbus, Ohio and Madison, IL races.
* No. 1 in National event wins: WJ's 90 national event victories are the most ever in the history of the Pro Stock division and place him second on the all-time NHRA win list. His most recent win came at the 2003 Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals in Atlanta, Ga.
* Career best top speed: 205.16 mph, Houston 2003 (The fourth fastest pass in NHRA Pro Stock history.)
KJ Press Release
Posted Tuesday, May 13, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
Phone: (704) 662-3121
jgknapp@tmgsports.net
Kurt Johnson Is Ready to Add to his History in Englishtown
ACDelco Cavalier driver aims to extend POWERade points lead
Sugar Hill, Ga., May 12, 2003 - Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, NJ, is one of the most hallowed stops on the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing circuit. Since 1971, this legendary speedplant has hosted some of the legends of the Pro Stock division, including Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins, "Dyno Don" Nicholson, Lee Shepherd, Warren "The Professor" Johnson and Bob Glidden, whose performances helped lift the category from its nascent state to its current status as a fan favorite.
Second-generation racer Kurt Johnson earned his own place in Englishtown lore when he became the first "factory hot rod" in the history of the NHRA to post an elapsed time under seven seconds with his 6.988-second blast there on May 20, 1994. However, as Johnson and his ACDelco Cavalier Racing team return to the Garden State for this year's NHRA SuperNationals, that accomplishment will remain a pleasant, but distant memory as they look to maintain their position as the POWERade championship points leader.
"Every year when we go to Englishtown, I remember that run," said Johnson. "It will always be a highlight of my career, but that's behind us. We have other goals to accomplish, including getting our ACDelco Cavalier back in the winner's circle. I have yet to win a national event there, and this would be a great year to do it."
In addition to the normal weekend activities, eight racers will participate in the Pro Stock Challenge, an annual all-star event. This 19-year Englishtown tradition pits the most productive qualifiers of the past year in a three-round, single-elimination format, which offers the winner the opportunity to earn over $75,000. Having cashed the big check twice, it is a race that K.J. eagerly anticipates.
"These special events are fun, because they add extra excitement to the weekend," stated Johnson. "It's a unique situation for the teams. You don't have to worry about qualifying or championship points - it's just let the clutch out and see who gets to the finish line first.
"Best of all, there's a lot of money involved, and we can always use some extra cash. Hopefully, we can take care of getting our ACDelco Cavalier safely in the show on Friday night, so we can have some fun on Saturday."
Given the right atmospheric conditions, Raceway Park is capable of producing national record performances. However, teams will need to read the surface carefully, as the variances in the New Jersey climate will have changed it since last year. As always, information from the first qualifying run on Friday will be crucial heading into the all-important night session. As if that's not enough, Johnson would also like to avoid one particular car for as long as possible - that of his father, six-time Pro Stock champion Warren Johnson.
"The ACDelco team's mindset heading into Englishtown is to win both races and take home the $25,000 bonus money (given to the driver who wins both the event and the Pro Stock Challenge)," explained Johnson. "But, first we have to qualify. If things go as they normally do there, the Friday night session will be the good one, and it will be fast, so we have to make sure to take advantage of it. The key will be maintaining the consistency we've shown so far this year.
"We also want to be on the opposite side of the ladder from Dad. Our goal every week is to meet in the final and the last two races we've met in the second round and the semi-finals. With each of us in the hunt for the championship, we want to team up on everyone else, not each other. Maybe we can meet for the win this weekend in Englishtown."
Facts on Kurt Johnson and the ACDelco Racing Team entering the
NHRA Supernationals:
* KJ in Englishtown: This will be Kurt's eleventh appearance at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, where he has one final round appearance in 1993. In addition, he has been the No.1 qualifier twice in New Jersey (1994 & 1998), and has an average starting position of 5.8.
* One Year Ago: KJ qualified 10th in Englishtown with an elapsed time of 6.799 seconds and a top speed of 202.91 mph, and advanced to the quarterfinals.
* Traveling in Elite Company: Kurt's 26 national event victories ties him with legendary Pro Stock driver Lee Shepherd for 15th on the all-time NHRA professional win list, and fifth in the Pro Stock Career Victories. Kurt's most recent win came at last month's Mac Tools NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, TN.
* Pro Stock Challenge: This will be Kurt's tenth appearance in this annual all-star race, which he won in 1994 & 1998. Kurt is qualified fifth, and will face Jeg Coughlin in the first round on Saturday.
* POWERade Points standings: After the seventh of 23 events, Kurt leads the 2003 POWERade point standings by 53 over second place Greg Anderson, and 55 ahead of his father, Warren Johnson, who is in third. Kurt finished sixth in 2002, his tenth consecutive Top 10 finish.
* Winning percentage: Kurt's .638 elimination round winning percentage (316-179) ranks 11th among all active NHRA professional drivers.
* Career best elapsed time: 6.726 seconds, Houston, TX 2003 (The second quickest elapsed time in NHRA Pro Stock history.)
* Career best top speed: 205.57 mph, Houston, TX. 2003 (The fastest top speed in NHRA Pro Stock history.)
Whit Bazemore Press Release
Posted Tuesday, May 13, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
K&N Filters NHRA SuperNationals
Round 8 of 23
Old Bridge Township Raceway Park
Englishtown, N.J.
Race Dates: May 16-18, 2003
Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501; cell, 203-243-2438
BAZEMORE ACHIEVING GOALS: GOING ROUNDS, AIMING FOR NO. 1
ENGLISHTOWN. N.J. (May 12, 2003) -- Second in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing
Series Funny Car point standings after seven events, Whit Bazemore is
whittling his way to the top spot in his Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge
Stratus R/T. That's been his goal all season long: win rounds, collect
points, move to the front. He's just 108 points out of No. 1.
The New York City native is in the strongest position he's ever been this
early in a season in his 15-year NHRA career, and he credits the expertise
of his Lee Beard-led team as they contend for their first season win at the
K&N Filters NHRA SuperNationals in Englishtown, N.J., this weekend.
"We've had a good year so far," says Bazemore, who has reached the
semifinals in six of the last seven events, as well as two finals. "We've
had one little problem area that's cost us rounds and races. And that's
smoking the tires almost at the hit of the throttle. Our weakness compared
to our main competition appears to be in the first 300 feet. Beyond that,
our Matco Tools Dodge has nearly always been the strongest car. I know Lee
and the guys are addressing this problem.
"We're not allowing ourselves to be frustrated because the championship
usually goes to the person who wins the most rounds and not necessarily the
most races. If we continue to win rounds we'll put ourselves in a position
to win races. And we have. And we're consistently in that position."
The 12-time event winner finished second in the point standings in 2001,
third in 1999 and fifth in 2002. "Our goal is to win the championship," he
says, "and everyone on our team is the type of person who over-achieves his
goals."
The Old Bridge Township Raceway has the potential to deliver the team its
first victory of the year. "It's a really good horsepower track," says
Bazemore, whose car seems to thrive at these types of tracks. "The surface
is good, so we like it. It's one of the top-five races on the schedule you
want to win. It's a grand-daddy race."
The weather is expected to be cool in Englishtown, another aspect that
contributes to Lee Beard's tune-up.
Pro Nitro qualifying for the K&N SuperNationals begins on Friday, May 16, at
4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, May 17, Pro Nitro qualifying is
scheduled for 1:30 p.m. and 4:05 p.m. Final Eliminations on Sunday, May 18,
start at 11 a.m.
BAZEMORE TESTS SCELZI'S OAKLEY DODGE AT INDY OVER WEEKEND
Whit Bazemore made four laps down the quarter-mile at Indianapolis Raceway
Park this Mother's Day in his teammate Gary Scelzi's Oakley Dodge Stratus
R/T Funny Car. "It's way more convenient for me to test in Indy than to fly
Scelzi in for a day because I live there. We're a team and we work
together," he said.
"The Oakley car's had huge potential all year and (crew chief) Mike Neff and
the team are trying to refine it a little bit and try a few things. They
tested some different components on it, which seemed to help." It sure did,
as Bazemore made it down the track in cool and windy conditions in 4.80
seconds at just over 325 miles an hour -- just a tick under his own track
speed record of 325.69 mph and a tad slower than his elapsed-time track
record of 4.756 seconds.
"Our Matco Tools car and the Oakley car are not identical by any means,"
added Bazemore. "So, in that light, it was a very, very good test and Scelzi
should be excited about the potential his team has going into Englishtown,
which I know he is. If the weather in Englishtown is similar to what we had
in Indianapolis, which we're hearing it might be, I think the Oakley team
and the Matco Tools team will be a little better prepared for these kinds of
conditions."
Gary Scelzi Press Release
Posted Tuesday, May 13, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
K&N Filters NHRA SuperNationals
Round 8 of 23
Old Bridge Township Raceway Park
Englishtown, N.J.
Race Dates: May 16-18, 2003
Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501; cell, 203-243-2438
FUNNY CARS COULD FLY IN E'TOWN, SAYS SCELZI
ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. (May 12, 2003) -- "If the weather is cool in Englishtown,
Funny Cars will fly," says Gary Scelzi, driver of the Oakley Dodge Stratus
R/T Funny Car. "That is one of those places where when the scoreboard lights
up so does the crowd. And we like those kinds of race tracks, the ones that
can produce huge horsepower."
Englishtown, N.J., is the home of Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, site of
the K&N Filters NHRA SuperNationals, the eighth round of the 23-event NHRA
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series being held this weekend.
It's also where Californian Gary Scelzi would love to win. "There are only a
few race tracks that have been around a long time that hold a lot of
meaning," the three-time Top Fuel champion says. "Hey, if you win
Englishtown, that's a pretty big deal. It's an old race and historically it
is a fast race track, and it's one of the five that I haven't won at. I
definitely want to make a mark there."
Scelzi, who has won 25 races in Top Fuel, is still looking for his first
Funny Car victory in his first full season in that category.
Rained out on a Monday test at Atlanta Dragway after the seventh NHRA round
there on May 4, Scelzi's team, under crew chief Mike Neff's direction, held
a successful test session at Indianapolis Raceway Park on Mother's Day with
Scelzi's teammate Whit Bazemore behind the wheel. "Everything looks good,"
says Scelzi. "We're going to take a little different approach when we pull
into Englishtown. Everywhere we've been that takes horsepower we've been in
the top half of the field."
Englishtown also begins a three-weekend back-to-back stretch of races that
go from the Northeast to the Midwest. "It's extraordinarily demanding,"
Scelzi says. "It's difficult to run three races in a row. The guys have to
work so hard and they have to be so on top of their game. There's just no
rest for the wicked, if you will. It's a long way to leave Englishtown,
N.J., and get to Topeka, Kans., get everything rebuilt and get ready to run
Topeka. Then you have to pack everything up and go to Joliet, Ill. It's
going to pay a toll. The strong are going to survive and I think the ones
that are going to be players at the end are going to start to show their
stuff now over the next three races. I'm hoping that we're a part of all
that."
It's also an opportunity to move up in the points, says Scelzi, who's 11th
in the standings. "Well, we could make a big move; that's how I'm looking at
it. If we have three great races in a row, which I'm hoping for, I think we
have all the potential to shuffle those points around. We want to get right
in the middle of this thing."
Scotty Cannon Press Release
Posted Tuesday, May 13, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
K&N Filters NHRA SuperNationals
Round 8 of 23
Old Bridge Township Raceway Park
Englishtown, N.J.
Race Dates: May 16-18, 2003
Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501; cell, 203-243-2438
CANNON SAYS IT'S ROUGH, BUT THREE BACK-TO-BACK RACES CAN WORK FOR YOU
ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. (May 12, 2003) -- Scotty Cannon and his Phil Shuler-led
crew are working hard to make their new Oakley Funny Car team gel this
season, and Cannon's actually looking forward to the upcoming three
back-to-back NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series races in Englishtown, N.J.,
Topeka, Kans., and Joliet, Ill.
The team planned to test the Monday after the Atlanta Dragway race, but were
rained out, resulting in the team scheduling a special test at Indianapolis
Raceway Park this past "off" weekend. "It's a rough game out there," Cannon
says. "But you can't get to the front overnight. I believe the more laps you
can make, the sooner it will come to you. That's why I think it's a good
thing for the races to be back-to-back. It wears out the guys pretty much,
but it does help keep up the momentum.
"We can all stay focused and we actually can work on the car and beat it up
three races in a row. The K&N SuperNationals this weekend is a good race to
start off on.
"I won't be going home," he adds. "I'll be staying on the road with the car,
living with the guys. That should help us to get in the groove and actually
make something happen."
Cannon used to match race at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park at the behest
of the late Vinny Napp, who opened the track in 1965. "I have a lot of fans
there," says Cannnon, the 1999 NHRA Rookie of the Year who's raced at Old
Bridge for some 10 years. "It's where six years ago I set the world record
in Pro Mod and it took three or four years before anyone could even break
it. But Funny Car isn't Pro Mod. It's a whole different deal.
"If the weather is good, you should see some good times here because the
track's pretty good. It's wide, it's pretty smooth and you're at sea level,
so you can make plenty of horsepower pretty easy."
Pro Nitro qualifying for the K&N SuperNationals begins on Friday, May 16, at
4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, May 17, Pro Nitro qualifying is
scheduled for 1:30 p.m. and 4:05 p.m. Final Eliminations on Sunday, May 18,
start at 11 a.m.
Atlanta Dragway Results by Tim Glover
Posted Tuesday, May 13, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
RACE DATE: May 10, 2003
FROM: Tim Glover
EVENT: Summit / Hayes ET series event at Atlanta Dragway in 2003
FATHER, SON, MAKE IT TO FINALS FOR MOTHER'S DAY RACE
(Commerce, GA - May 11) The show ran pretty smoothly today, allowing the
racers to go home shortly after dark to get ready for Mother's day. The
father and son duo of Don Brown Sr. and Don Brown, Jr. both made it to the
finals today, with Sr. winning Super Pro and Jr. finishing runner up in
Sportsman class.
"I felt like I was on a John Force ride," said Super Pro winner Don Brown,
Sr. after his second final in a row was over. Brown thought his night was
done when his '01 Spitzer Dragster lost traction in the final round and
slowed to a 5.48, 115.96mph (5.02 target). However, '91 and '97 track champ
Ricki Blackwell's '68 Chevy II went just a hair too quick, breaking out with
a 6.66, 104.20mph on a 6.67 dial in time. "Thanks to my crew chief, Gary
Peeples, and son, Donny Brown, Jr., who put my motor in this past week,"
added Brown. Clayton Reeves ('70 Camaro - Blairsville, GA) and J.D. Reid
('02 Undercover dragster - Best Appearing Car at the recent Southern
Nationals - Conyers, GA) finished in the semis.
Travis Bryant, racing the car his dad used to race, celebrated his first
ever drag racing win in Sportsman tonight. The former go cart and motocross
racer took up bracket racing in 2002, and worked his way to the top tonight,
even defeating defending track champion Jacob Rutledge in the semifinals
with his Vanna, GA based '68 Camaro. Bryant took on Donny Brown, Jr's
street legal Chevrolet S-10 truck in the final, reacted with a great .514
second time, and then took the opportunity at the finish line to slow down
to a 12.04, 100.40mph on an 11.93 dial. Brown's Buford, GA based racer fell
off a bit in the final, turning in a 13.93, 95.38mph (13.78 dial). Bryant's
mom, Deborah, and wife, Jessica Bryant were there to support and cheer him
on to the win. Jacob Rutledge ('79 Capri - Braselton, GA) was the Sportsman
semifinalist.
Dawsonville, GA racer Kim Callahan and Phillip Wigington from Canton, GA
both ran .02 seconds over their dial in times during the Trophy Street
final, but Callahan used a little better react to take his first 2003 win in
his '67 Camaro. Wigington went 14.07, 101.75mph in his 2000 Camaro (14.05
dial), while Callahan turned in a 13.33, 99.52mph time (13.31). Greg Allen,
running in economy mode tonight, made it to the Trophy Street semi-finals
with his Anderson, SC based '90 Chevrolet IROC Z.
Defending Motorcycle champ Jay Rhyne took on good friend Jimmy "Cha Cha"
Heisler from Woodstock, GA in the final, with Rhyne taking the win this
time. Athens, GA racer Rhyne was actually slower on the start than Heisler,
but took the win when his '81 Kawasaki carded a .01 over 12.47, 101.97mph
pass (12.46 target). Heisler's '00 Ninja ZX6R fell off the pace, and was
unable to run it's target time of 10.45, turning in a 10.58, 127.93. "It
was just his turn. He's getting revenge for the last time I beat him,"
added Heisler, who moved to Atlanta in 2002 from New Orleans, LA. Stewart
Taft ('00 Kawasaki - Riverview, FL) and Steve Bishop (Kawasaki - WInder, GA)
were the semifinal pair.
Another defending track champ, eleven year old Jr. Dragster racer "Mad
Matt" Gillen from Gainesville, GA, was the first winner tonight to mention
Mother's day, dedicating his 8-12 Jr. Dragster win to his mom, Lisa Gillen.
He also thanked God, and then mentioned his appreciation of the help Mike
Gruber of Valvoline has given his team. Like Rhyne in Motorcycle, Gillen's
react was slower than his eleven year old opponent, Ciara Timblin from North
Augusta, SC. Timblin, however, broke out on her 9.62 dial in time with a
9.59, 66.29mph. Gillen also broke out, but was closer to his dial of 8.90
seconds, running 8.89, 72.18mph. Dahlonega, GA racer Harvey Snelgrove, 11,
scored a perfect .500 reaction time earlier in competition, and made it all
the way to the semifinals.
If one looked at just the numbers in the 13-17 Jr. Dragster final, they
might have thought it was Super Pro. Both 13 year old Bradley Myers from
Loganville and 15 year old Heath Snelgrove out of Dahlonega, GA were within
.005 seconds of perfect on their reaction time. Unfortunately for
Snelgrove, his light was .497 red, while Myers' was .505 green. Myer's dad,
Nicky, hurt his shoulder earlier, and decided not to race his Vega tonight,
focusing his efforts on Bradley instead. His efforts were rewarded with a
winning 8.22, 77.56mph (8.19 dial). Snelgrove's machine ran a 10.60,
61.36mph (10.62 dial). Ashley Dumas (16 - Commerce, GA), was the lone
semifinalist.
PRO / SUPER PRO CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Don Brown, Sr. '01 Spitzer Buford, GA 5.48 115.96 (5.02)
R/U: Ricki Blackwell '68 Chevy II Homer, GA 6.66 104.20 (6.67)
Semi: Clayton Reeves '70 Camaro Blairsville, GA
Semi: J.D. Reid '02 Undercover dragster Conyers, GA
------------------------------------------------
SPORTSMAN CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Travis Bryant '68 Camaro Vanna, GA 12.04 100.40 (11.93)
R/U: Donny Brown, Jr. '85 S10 Buford, GA 13.93 95.38 (13.78)
Semi: Jacob "Lucky" Rutledge '79 Capri Braselton, GA
Semi:
------------------------------------------------
TROPHY STREET CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Kim Callahan '67 Camaro Dawsonville, GA 13.33 99.52 (13.31)
R/U: Phillip Wigington '00 Camaro Canton, GA 14.07 101.75 (14.05)
Semi: Greg Allen '90 Iroc Z Anderson, SC
Semi:
------------------------------------------------
MOTORCYCLE BIKE HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Jay Rhyne '81 Kawasaki Athens, GA 12.47 101.97 (12.46)
R/U: Jimmy "Chacha" Heisler '00 Ninja Woodstock, GA 10.58 127.93 (10.45)
Semi: Stewart Taft '00 Kawasaki Riverview, FL
Semi: Steve Bishop Kawasaki Winder, GA
------------------------------------------------
JR. DRAGSTER 8-12 AGE HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: "Mad Matt" Gillen 11 Gainesville, GA 8.89 72.18 (8.90)
R/U: Ciara Timblin 11 North Augusta, SC 9.59 66.29 (9.62)
Semi: Harvey Snelgrove 11 Dahlonega, GA
Semi:
------------------------------------------------
JR. DRAGSTER 13-17 AGE HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Bradley Myers 13 Loganville, GA 8.22 77.56 (8.19)
R/U: Heath Snelgrove 15 Dahlonega, GA (foul) 10.60 61.36 (10.62)
Semi: Ashley Dumas 16 Commerce, GA
Semi:
2003 NHRA Southern Nationals by Tim Glover
Posted Saturday, May 10, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
RACE DATE: May 1-4, 2003
FROM: Tim Glover
EVENT: 23rd annual Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals, presented by
Pontiac
VANDERGRIFF DEBUTS AT SOUTHERN NATIONALS, WARREN JOHNSON TAKES 90th PRO
STOCK WIN
By Tim Glover
(Commerce, GA - May 1-4) One couldn't ask for a smoother running show than
the 23rd annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals presented by
Pontiac. Although rain washed out the much anticipated Friday night
qualifying session, the conditions for the rest of the weekend were just
right for a major drag race.
Fans had a chance to sit behind the wheel of a running race car thanks to
the Powerade people. Powerade, the major sponsor of the NHRA series, set
aside an area in the pits just for fans. In there, they could spin a "Power
Wheel" to win a variety of prizes, which included a session in a running
race car (fixed solidly to a trailer), where they could accelerate, shift
and get a taste of drag racing. Some lucky fans got a ride in a specially
prepared wagon, complete with racing seats and safety harnesses, and got to
experience Top Fuel dragsters in action from a position near the starting
line. Also included in the display for fans was a starting line "Christmas
Tree" and a chance to get their photograph in a Top Fuel team shirt with a
genuine "Wally", a trophy given to NHRA event winners.
In addition to the touring pros and sportsman racers, several local racers
enjoyed their weekend at the races. Super Pro racer J.D. Reid from Conyers,
GA enjoyed winning the Best Appearing Car with his Jeff "Slim" Wilkerson
built 2002 Undercover dragster. Jefferson, GA racer George Turner, who at
times fields as many as five different PTI Transport backed cars at Atlanta
Dragway bracket races, was walking by Top Alcohol dragster racer Marty
Thacker's pit on Friday with Clay Fancher and his son Johnny Turner. Willie
Gray, (father of 2002 13-17 year old Jr. Dragster champion Kelly Gray from
Adairsville, GA) spotted them and talked them into helping Thacker's crew
all weekend. They were rewarded for their efforts with Robinson, IL racer
Thacker's first ever NHRA National event win. Super Pro racer Russ Glover
from Cumming, GA had the thrill of working with a Top Fuel team when he got
to help Chris Vandergriff's Alps Spas Top Fuel dragster operation. Local
racers Arnold Reed (who went to the semifinals at the 2003 Gatornationals)
and J.D. Reid both made it to round three in Super Comp, and Ronnie
Wilkerson did the same in Super Gas.
Chris Vandergriff, general manager of Hedman Husler Hedders in Alpharetta,
GA, entered his first ever national event with his Alps Spas Top Fuel
dragster. Vandergriff qualified well, running an out of the box 4.80 second
pass at 288mph Friday afternoon. This run qualified him in first place,
until Tony Schumacher took over the lead five pairings later with a 4.74
second pass. Vandergriff ended up qualified seventh Friday night. His crew
chief, Terry Manzer, stepped the car up Saturday morning, and he made his
best pass to date, a career best 4.70, 307mph, which was also his first
official 300mph pass. During the final qualifying session, his car did well
to the half track mark, when flames erupted after a head gasket let go,
slowing the car to a 4.94, 239mph. He ended qualifyed in 14th place, ahead
of both Paul Romines, who qualified 15th with a 4.77, 261mph and the
legendary "Big Daddy" Don Garlits, who posted a last ditch 4.78, 320mph,
good for the 16th spot.
On race day, Vandergriff faced David Baca, who comes from Pittsburg, CA.
Baca's crew chief, Johnny West, used to tune Vandergriff's brother Bob
Vandergriff, Jr.'s Top Fueler, when he raced Top Fuel in the 1990s. West
even gave Chris Vandergriff's Alps Spas team some advice prior to the
Southern Nationals weekend. Vandergriff had his best reaction time to date
in round one, a .083, led Baca to the half track mark, and turned in a 4.74,
301mph pass. However, Baca put down his best run of the day against
Vandergriff in round one, a 4.60, 314 shot that took the win light. "I
don't think things could have gone much better," Vandergriff commented after
the run. "We didn't break too many parts this weekend. We accomplished
what we came here to do, which was to qualify well." When asked about his
next event, he said the next one planned is at the U.S. Nationals, held at
Indianapolis, IN on August 28 through September 1, 2003 and the OReilly
Nationals in Memphis, TN on September 18-21.
The 2002 Top Fuel Champion, Larry Dixon from Indianapolis, IN, recovered
from a bad crash at Bristol last week, and qualified fifth in Top Fuel
dragster for the Southern Nationals. Although he didn't have the quickest
ET in round one, he dominated the rest of the day, defeating Darrell Russell
from Hockley, TX in the final round. Dixon got the reaction time advantage
at the start, and held on to it all the way, carding his third victory in
four 2003 final round appearances and 28th victory overall, making him the
winningest active Top Fuel driver. Russell's Bilstein car lost traction at
mid track, going up in smoke and slowing to a 9.88, 107.52mph while Dixon's
Miller Lite machine steamed to a 4.56, 323.89mph winning shot. Although
Brandon Bernstein took over the points lead at Bristol, Dixon reclaimed it
today, and is leading with 630 points to Bernstein's 595 after seven of 23
events in 2003 are in the books. David Baca (Pittsburg, CA) and Clay
Millican (Drummonds, TN) finished in the semifinals.
Tony Pedregon out of Chino Hills, CA, who drives for the ever popular John
Force, has dominated Funny Car action in 2003, winning four of the seven
events contested so far this season. Just like the season opener race at
Pomona, Pedregon once again found himself facing Carlsbad, NM racer Johnny
Gray in the final. And just like Pomona, Pedregon outran Gray with his
Castrol Syntec Mustang, winning with a 4.87, 319mph to Gray's 5.00, 305mph.
Pedregon won his first race here at Atlanta in 1996, shortly after John
Force hired him to drive for the Castrol team. John Force (Yorba Linda,
CA) celebrated his 54th birthday today with a semi-final finish, along with
Whit Bazemore (Indianapolis, IN). "The people make the difference. Right
now I'm impressed," said Pedregon about his team.
Six time Pro Stock Champion, Warren "The Professor" Johnson, who comes from
nearby Buford, GA, didn't have the fastest car in Pro Stock today. However,
he relied on years of experience and a lot of hard work to get the final
round win light with his GM Performance Parts '03 Grand Am. After defeating
son Kurt Johnson in round two on a holeshot (Warren had a .012 reaction time
to Kurt's slightly slower .035 react), he beat Jeg Coughlin in the
semifinals and met number one qualifier Greg Anderson (who was Warren's crew
chief for years) in the final. Warren earned his 90th career Pro Stock win,
and fifth at Atlanta Dragway, when he pulled off another holeshot victory
against Anderson, who comes from Concord, NC. Johnson reacted first with a
.018 and ran 6.853, 201.46mph, crossing the finish line .0044 seconds (about
one foot) ahead of Anderson's '03 Grand Am, which was quicker with a 6.839,
202.94mph, but last because of a .036 second react. Knowing he had to
gamble a little, Johnson used the carburetors off son Kurt's car in the
final round. Kurt might be looking for another set of carburetors next
week, as Johnson indicated he might just keep them. Defending champion Jeg
Coughlin, Jr. (Delaware, OH) made it to the semifinals, along with Ben "What
am I doing here" Watson's Concord, CA based Bonewear '02 Cavalier.
Although three time Pro Stock Bike racer Angelle Savoie from New Orleans,
LA was the favorite coming in to this event, she qualified second to
Palatine, IL racer Geno Scali, and then lost on a red light in round one.
Scali continued doing well through the event, and took out Savoie's team
mate, Antron Brown, in the final, which also gave Scali the Pro Stock Bike
points lead (Scali 272 points to Savoie 268 points). Scali's Trim-Tex
Suzuki earned its first win of the season with a 7.19, 187mph shot. Brown's
Team 23 Suzuki was slower with a 7.24, 173mph pass. Both riders knew they
had to be quick on the reaction time, and both actually went red in the
final, with Brown redlighting first (-.023seconds) and Scali redlighting
last (-.014). Shawn Gann (Stoneville, NC) and Matthew Smith (King, NC) were
the semifinal pair.
Todd "Bones" Ewing from Cullman, AL had a scare after the Super Comp
semifinals when his steering locked up. At one point, fifteen friends were
helping him thrash on his dragster to prepare for the final round. They
finally freed the mechanism up, but the steering wheel was misaligned,
throwing "Bones" off a bit. Although his reaction time was slightly slower
than final round opponent Shane Carr's time (.033 seconds for Ewing vs. .025
for Carr), Bones' 8.92, 171.75mph pass on the 8.90 second index was good for
the win after Carr's Mays Landing, NJ based dragster broke out with an
8.896, 158.19mph pass (8.90 index). Ross Laris (Raceland, LA) was the lone
semifinalist.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TOP FUEL CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH
Win: Larry Dixon, Jr. '02 McKinney Indianapolis, IN 4.569 323.89
R/U: Darrell Russell '02 Hadman Hockley, TX 9.884 107.52
Semi: Clay Millican '03 Hadman Drummonds, TN
Semi: David Baca '01 McKinney Pittsburg, CA
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FUNNY CAR CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH
Win: Tony Pedregon '02 Mustang Chino Hills, CA 4.874 318.77
R/U: Johnny Gray '02 Firebird Carlsbad, NM 5.009 304.60
Semi: John Force '02 Mustang Yorba Linda, CA
Semi: Whit Blazemore '02 Firebird Indianapolis, IN
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PRO STOCK CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH
Win: Warren Johnson '03 Grand Am Sugar Hill, GA 6.853 201.46
R/U: Greg Anderson '03 Grand Am Concord, NC 6.839 202.94
Semi: Ben Watson '02 Cavalier Concord, CA
Semi: Jeg Coughlin, Jr. '03 Cavalier Delaware, OH
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PRO STOCK BIKE BIKE HOMETOWN ET MPH
Win: Gino Scali '02 Suzuki Palatine, IL 7.19 186.82
R/U: Antron Brown '98 Suzuki GSXR Indianapolis, IN (foul) 7.248 172.89
Semi: Shawn Gann '01 Suzuki Stoneville, NC
Semi: Matthew Smith '00 Suzuki King, NC
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH
Win: Marty Thacker '01 Hadman Robinson, IL 5.454 262.44
R/U: Arthur Gallant '98 Dragster Boxboro, MA 5.455 248.61
Semi: Bill Reichert '97 Bowen Owosso, MI
Semi: Richard Bourke '00 Pro Start Old Tapper, NJ
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH
Win: Frank Manzo '03 Firebird Morganville, NJ 5.614 257.24
R/U: Bob Newberry '02 Camaro Schenectady, NY 14.392 55.50
Semi: Jeff Craig '01 Dodge R/T Muncie, IN
Semi: James Sickles '02 Avenger Caledonia, NY
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COMPETITION ELIMINATOR CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH INDEX
Win: David Rampy '32 Bantam Piedmont, AL 7.447 158.57 (8.01)
R/U: Charlie Westcott, Jr. '98 Grand Am Parma, MI 8.953 149.05 (9.49)
Semi: Robert Bailey '99 Dragster Wabash, IN
Semi: Scott Tidwell '02 Grand Am Pinson, AL
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUPER STOCK CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-UNDER
Win: A. Lincoln Morehead '87 Camaro Marlboro, KY 10.037 127.19 (10.03)
R/U: Dan Fletcher '69 Camaro Churchville, NY 10.250 119.28 (10.24)
Semi: Joe LoCicero '88 Camaro Snellville, GA
Semi: George Tamasi, Jr. '00 Firebird Jupiter, FL
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
STOCK ELIMINATOR CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL UNDER
Win: Thomas Rhoda '02 Firebird Brookfield, WI 10.423 126.65 (10.42)
R/U: Jeff Strickland '95 Camaro Red Bay, AL 10.988 118.49 (10.98)
Semi: Brandon Wood '73 Nova Thomasville, GA
Semi: John Wentling '95 Camaro Ft. Lauderdale, FL
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUPER COMP CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH INDEX
Win: Todd "Bones" Ewing '03 Mullis Cullman, AL 8.928 171.75 (8.90)
R/U: Shane Carr '02 Mullis Mays Landing, NJ 8.896 158.19 (8.90)
Semi: Ross Laris '02 Davis Raceland, LA
Semi:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUPER GAS CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH INDEX
Win: Corky Markwart '01 S-10 Largo, FL 9.896 143.89 (9.90)
R/U: Bruce Duncan '63 Corvette Crawfordville, FL 9.859 155.51 (9.90)
Semi: Tommy Turner '63 Corvette Naples, FL
Semi:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUPER STREET CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH INDEX
Win: Quentin Holloway '67 Chevelle Greensboro, NC 10.97 127.46 (10.90)
R/U: Tom DePascale '74 Vega Sayreville, NJ 10.897 140.23 (10.90)
Semi: Lamar Stevenson '69 Camaro Montgomery, AL
Semi:
Fred Collis Press Release
Posted Wednesday, May 7, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Tue, 6 May 2003, 06:55 AM
Collis and Area 51 Motorsports End Day Seeing Red
Courtesy of John Harris
COMMERCE, Ga. -- Fred Collis, from Americus, Georgia saw red along with 7 of his fellow competitors at Sunday’s Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals presented by Pontiac. Collis, who qualified the Area 51 Motorsports, Star Racing Engine powered Suzuki on Saturday with a 7.263 at 182.95 mph against Craig Treble was disappointed along with other riders who were mystified as to how so many of their class red lighted in a single day.
“The Area 51 crew did a tremendous job in getting our bike ready to race,” said Fred Collis, “Red lights are just a part of racing and I am sure we will be back ready to race at Englishtown.”
Tommy O’Brien, Co-Owner and Team Manager added, “Our performance didn’t show to the fans the progress that this team has made since Gainesville. This was by far our best performance as a team. Star Racing Engines is working on getting us more horsepower and I am sure we will have a better outing in Englishtown.”
Bikers Dream of Atlanta, GA joined Area 51 Motorsports in displaying one of its new American Ironhorse motorcycles at the event. Bikers Dream is the Number One American Ironhorse dealer in the world.
“We want to thank Paul’s Cycle Shop, Arctic Cat, Bikers Dream and American Ironhorse for joining us this weekend,” said John Harris, General Manager, “The stands were full all three days, our pit area was full of fans all weekend and all of our sponsors considered the weekend a success. The NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series continues to prove to be the best value in motorsports.”
WJ Press Release
Posted Monday, May 5, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
Phone: (704) 662-3121
jgknapp@tmgsports.net
For Immediate Release
Warren Johnson Drives His Way to his 90th Pro Stock Win in Atlanta
Commerce, Ga., May 3, 2003 - Warren Johnson scored an exciting and historic victory in front of his hometown fans today by taking home the Pro Stock title at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals presented by Pontiac in Atlanta, Georgia.
Johnson, who drove brilliantly throughout the day, powered through an all-star line-up en route to his 90th career win, and second of the 2003 season. W.J. capped his performance by scoring a holeshot win over Greg Anderson in the final. The GM Performance Parts Grand Am driver's nearly perfect .018 reaction time combined with a solid 6.853-second, 201.46 mph run to defeat Anderson's quicker 6.839-second, 202.94 mph pass.
"I certainly saw him (Anderson) in the other lane" recalled Johnson. "His car had been running particularly good speeds, and when I saw he was making a move on me, I hoped the track would be short enough that I would stay ahead. I felt that I had won, but wouldn't have bet the farm on it. In fact, I wasn't really positive until I saw the win light in my lane. It was certainly a satisfying win for the entire GM Performance Parts team."
After qualifying sixth, Johnson opened his day with an easy first round, as Terry Adams' red-light start handed the automatic win to "The Professor". This set the stage for a second-round encounter against his son Kurt, who had won three of the last four races and taken over the lead in the POWERade Championship points standings.
In a match-up of identically prepared cars, the elder Johnson knew any advantage could be the difference between winning and losing. Reacting almost instinctively to the starting-line "Christmas Tree", W.J. left the line .023 seconds ahead of his son, and his 6.845-second, 202.27 mph pass was enough to hold off the fastest run of the day in what proved to be the closest race of eliminations, as the elder Johnson won by only 22 ten-thousandths of a second.
"There's really no emotion involved when I race Kurt, other than pride in how well he is doing," explained Johnson. "We share information back and forth, and whenever we face each other, we take some comfort in knowing one of our cars will advance. He cut a .035 light against me, which in this day and age will get you to the winner's circle more often than not. Today I happened to come out on top, but both teams will benefit from the win."
W.J. then defeated 2001 Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. in the semi-finals to reach the championship round for the 140th time in his career. It was almost appropriate that Johnson would face Anderson in the Atlanta final, as the North Carolina native's career in racing had started as a crew member on Johnson's team.
Johnson had his work cut out for him, as Anderson was the No. 1 qualifier and had posted the quickest elapsed time in each of the previous three rounds. However, as with any other challenge, "The Professor" tackled it head on, making numerous adjustments to his race car to maximize his performance and chances for victory.
"We made wholesale changes to the car for the final, including using Kurt's carburetors," detailed Johnson. "Kurt had set the top speed of the event with them, and we had been struggling a little in the speed department, so we figured we had nothing to lose. We also made some changes in the clutch, which we had been battling all weekend. We put new clutch discs in for the final, which normally is taboo, installed the carburetors, made a few other adjustments, crossed our fingers and let it go."
The win, which was Johnson's fifth at Atlanta Dragway, was a popular one among the sell-out crowd, as the team's shops are located in Sugar Hill, which is just a short drive from the race track.
"It's great to win any time, but it's even better when you do so in front of your home crowd," exclaimed Johnson. "The spectators got their money's worth today, as there was outstanding racing in all the categories. The competition was as tough as ever in Pro Stock, we were fortunate to have our GM Performance Parts Grand Am come out on top."
2003 NHRA POWERade Point Standings
(Following the seventh of 23 events)
1. Kurt Johnson 607
2. Greg Anderson 554
3. Warren Johnson 552
4. Jeg Coughlin, Jr. 390
5. Bruce Allen 363
Next Race: NHRA Supernationals, Englishtown, NJ, May 15-18.
KJ Press Release
Posted Monday, May 5, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
Phone: (704) 662-3121
jgknapp@tmgsports.net
Final Results
Kurt Johnson Finds Father Knows Best in Atlanta quarter-finals
Event: Twenty-third Annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals
Presented by Pontiac
Location: Atlanta Dragway
Commerce, GA
Day/Date: Sunday May 4, 2003
Over the last four races, Kurt Johnson's ACDelco Cavalier has been the dominant car in the ultra-competitive Pro Stock division, winning three races in four final round appearances. Johnson came into Sunday's final eliminations of the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals presented by Pontiac looking to score three consecutive wins for the first time in his career, and after placing third in qualifying with yet another consistent effort, his chances for success looked good.
However, after defeating Darrell Alderman with the fastest and second quickest pass of the first round, K.J. would face a familiar opponent - his father, Warren Johnson. One week ago, the two had met in the semi-finals in Bristol, TN, with Kurt advancing on his father's red-light start and eventually scoring the win.
With both cars prepared identically in the same facility, another close battle was expected, and the Johnson's delivered. Using his best reaction time of the day (.012), Warren Johnson gained the advantage at the start, and although Kurt responded by posting a quicker elapsed time (6.824 to 6.845 seconds) and resetting Atlanta Dragway top speed record at 203.12 mph, it was not enough to prevent the elder Johnson from ending K.J.'s impressive run. The margin of victory was a mere twenty two ten thousandths of a second, the closest decision in all rounds of elimination.
"That was one heck of a drag race. I let the clutch out, had a decent light at an .035, but ended up getting beat by two thousandths at the finish line. There's not too much you can do in that situation. However, if it has to happen, we'd certainly rather it be that car than any other.
"On the other hand, the ACDelco Cavalier was strong all weekend. We'll just put this one behind us and try to win the next one in Englishtown. For the rest of today, we'll do whatever we can to help Dad win."
(Note: Warren Johnson did end up winning the event, using carburetors from K.J.'s ACDelco Cavalier to defeat Greg Anderson in the final round.)
2003 NHRA POWERade Point Standings
(Following the seventh of 23 events)
1. Kurt Johnson 607
2. Greg Anderson 554
3. Warren Johnson 552
4. Jeg Coughlin, Jr. 390
5. Bruce Allen 363
Next Race: NHRA Supernationals, Englishtown, NJ, May 15-18.
Mopar Motorsports Press Release
Posted Monday, May 5, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Mopar Motorsports
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
23rd Annual Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals
Atlanta Dragway
Final Eliminations Notes & Quotes
Bazemore Takes Stratus to Semifinals
Commerce, Ga. (May 4, 2003) -- NHRA Funny Car driver Whit Bazemore led the Mopar contingent to the semifinal round during today’s 23rd Annual Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway.
Bazemore piloted his Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge Stratus R/T to the semifinals this afternoon, but fell to on-track rival Tony Pedregon. Bazemore posted a reaction time of .058 seconds compared to Pedregon’s .064-second light. The advantage was short lived as Bazemore’s Funny Car shook its tires within the first 60 feet of the 1,320-foot contest. The Dodge passed the finish line in 7.114 seconds at 167.53 mph. Those numbers would not compare to Pedregon’s pass of 5.102 seconds at 275.96 mph.
“We’re not really satisfied with just going to the semifinals,” Bazemore said. “It’s a tough loss because basically he (Tony Pedregon) gave it to me and I couldn’t take advantage of it. If they went out and ran a 70 in the heat, then hats off (to them) and it wasn’t our destiny. Don (Schumacher), Lee (Beard, crew chief) and I just had a very good conversation to take address that part of the race track with our Matco Tools Dodge and we think the changes we make will post good times and make the car a little more consistent as opposed to smoking the tires like we have done a lot lately at that point on the race track. We did it again today in that last round. If God is smiling on you, then you can run a 5.80 (seconds), if not, you’ll just struggle to hook the car back up for the rest of the run -- like I did. You just can’t win races like that.”
Powerplant woes plagued the rest of the Mopar stable as Funny Car shoe Gary Scelzi fell to Johnny Gray in the first round after a cylinder dropped mid-way through the quarter-mile run. The 42-year-old California resident posted a time of 4.972 seconds that translated to a speed of 301.00 mph. That pass was not enough to displace Gray’s 4,864-second, 313.47 mph run.
“We thought we had this thing pretty much sorted out,” Scelzi said. “We have this new supercharger that will go 12 to 14 runs. We stayed in Bristol and tested and have our clutch set up back and pretty much everything back to our beginning-of-the-year baseline. I went up against Johnny Gray in the first round and he jumped in the stage, whether on purpose or not, and I rushed myself into the stage. I didn’t stage as deep as I normally do and all that does is help your reaction time, it doesn’t do anything for the elapsed time of the car. We had our best 60-foot time and reaction time of the weekend. The bottom line was that 100 feet into the run, we dropped a cylinder and lost 750 horsepower. Why it did that, we don’t know. Right now my crew chief is trying to figure out why our cylinder temperatures are so far apart when they should be closer. They’re examining the supercharger to see what happened because it’s not doing the same thing that (Whit) Bazemore’s car (Schumacher teammate). The manufacturer does everything it can to make the superchargers consistent and we’ve had it on a blower dyno earlier in the season.
“We switched to these supercharger a few months ago and we’re still chasing gremlins. It’s disheartening because it will show us signs of promise, then it won’t do what it’s supposed to do,” Scelzi continued. “You know, you just have to keep beating that rock with a hammer and soon enough, it will break into small pieces. That’s what we’re doing right now. The important thing is to keep everyone up and not let the guys get discouraged because this stuff will wear you thin. You’ll have more bad days than good days in this business, but we’re trying to change that. We’ll get this together and make everyone at Dodge and Mopar happy and try to put a smile on Don Schumacher’s face.”
The Mopar Pro Stock racers were not able to advance to the quarterfinals this afternoon as engine troubles crushed all three drivers’ efforts. Allen Johnson was the first Mopar to the line and his pass of 8.384 seconds/114.28 mph reflected the loss of horsepower when the engine dropped a cylinder midway through the run. Mark Pawuk advanced on the strength of a 200.92 mph run in just 6.862 seconds.
“This was very disappointing,” Johnson noted. “About halfway through the run a cylinder dropped and destroyed the engine. I was looking forward to moving through the rounds and defending last year’s win. It was just disappointing all around. We’ve got three or four other engines to work with and we’ll get this team ready for Englishtown.”
Darrell Alderman didn’t fare any better with a new engine that was placed in his Hemi mount Sunday morning. Alderman logged a run of 6.853 seconds at 201.88 mph, which was his best pass of the weekend. However, it was not enough to beat Kurt Johnson’s 6.825 second/202.94 mph effort.
“We had the best run of our weekend, but it just wasn’t enough,” Alderman said. “ I thought we might have hurt the motor a little yesterday afternoon, and it proved out today to be hurt. So, we pulled it out this morning and put another bullet in and we made a better run all the way around. It’s just a shame that we didn’t do that in qualifying, because then we wouldn’t have faced the guy who has been winning so much lately (Kurt Johnson). We’ll just regroup and focus our efforts on Englishtown.”
Greg Stanfield lined up against 2002 category champion Jeg Coughlin Jr., in the first round and posted a run of 6.894 seconds at 200.80 mph. Stanfield was not able to overcome Coughlin’s showing of 6.829 seconds at 201.37 mph.
“I don’t think the air here likes Hemis,” Stanfield said. “We hurt the motor and I know that Allen Johnson how some problems, too. The motor was an issue and we didn’t really get the combination for this track either. We started out O.K., but then things went downhill after the last qualifying run. We’re going to regroup, get this car back together and get to the next race with smiles on our faces.”
-Mopar.com-
For more information, contact:
Mike Mooney, Cox Marketing Group
Director of Business Services/Principal
Mopar Motorsports
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
mikem@coxmarketinggroup.com
(704) 799-2114 – office
(704) 906-5818 – mobile
David Harris, Cox Marketing Group
Public Relations Manager
Mopar Motorsports
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
davidh@coxmarketinggroup.com
(704) 756-9301 - mobile
Lee Beard Post Race Comments
Posted Monday, May 5, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
Round 7 of 23
SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT NHRA SOUTHERN NATIONALS
Atlanta Dragway
Commerce, Ga.
Sunday, May 4, 2003
Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501, cell 203-243-2438
POST-RACE COMMENTS FROM WHIT BAZEMORE'S MATCO TOOLS IRON EAGLE DODGE STRATUS R/T CREW CHIEF LEE BEARD:
Lane choice is always critical. Crew chief Lee Beard explained how important that option was here in the semifinal when Bazemore, who did not have lane choice, lost to Tony Pedregon:
"I knew that lane choice was going to be critical here. I didn't think that the left lane, as far as Funny Cars went, would hold any kind of a decent run. When we lost lane choice basically going into the semifinals, we knew that Tony had a pretty serious advantage right there. It's hard to back your race car up a bunch to race the points leader and the guy who's out there setting low e.t. every round. We felt we backed it up to where it would go down it, but obviously the lane was worse than what we thought. I can tell you this: the Matco Tools Dodge Funny Car team is extremely committed. We'll keep our nose to the grinding wheel until we either beat the (John) Force team or we completely wear our noses off."
Bazemore, in second, trails points leader Tony Pedregon in the POWERade Drag Racing Series standings by 108 points following today's event.
Greg Anderson Press Release
Posted Monday, May 5, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
VEGAS GENERAL CONSTRUCTION PONTIAC GRAND AM
GREG ANDERSON – DRIVER
KEN BLACK – OWNER
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 4, 2003
CONTACT: Patti Miles
336-751-3882
704-957-3940 (Mobile)
pattie.miles@worldnet.att.net
Anderson Is Pro Stock Runner-Up in Atlanta
ATLANTA, Ga. – Greg Anderson, driver of the Vegas General Construction Pontiac Grand Am, entered eliminations at the 23rd annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals qualified at the top of the Pro Stock eliminations ladder.
In the second session of qualifying on Saturday, Anderson drove his Grand Am to a 6.821 / 203.00 mph to take the Number 1 position.
In Round 1 Anderson was paired against Number 16 qualifier Mark Whisnant. When the lights came down Whisnant would leave early handing the win to Anderson. Anderson ran a 6.815 / 203.06 mph to defeat a red lighting Whisnant who ran a 8.862 / 110.65 mph.
Round 2 paired Anderson against Mark Pawuk. After a short staging battle, Pawuk took the advantage at the starting line, but it would not be enough to hold off Anderson. Anderson ran a 6.821 / 202.82 mph to defeat Pawuk with a 6.865 / 201.49 mph.
Anderson’s Semi-final opponent would be Ben Watson. Anderson was out a head of Watson from the starting line to the finish line. Anderson ran a 6.824 / 203.00 mph to defeat Watson who ran a 6.940 / 200.20 mph.
Victory in Atlanta has alluded Anderson twice before. In 2002, Anderson lost to Allen Johnson when his motor let go at the top end. In 2001, Anderson red lit against Jim Yates. Anderson entered the final round in search of a victory, but 2003 would not be the year he would take home the Atlanta ‘Wally’.
The final round placed Anderson across from his ex-boss Warren Johnson. In one of the closest races of the day, Johnson defeated Anderson on a hole shot. Johnson had a .018 of a second light to Anderson’s .036, putting him out ahead of Anderson just enough to hold on to a victory. Johnson ran a 6.583 / 201.46 mph to defeat a quicker Anderson who ran a 6.839 / 202.94 mph. The margin of victory was .0044 of a second.
“I’m pretty upset,” said Anderson. “This car ran like a bracket car all day long. We had Warren covered, but I did not do my job on the starting line. I let down my crew, my team owner, and myself. I am very upset, but not ready to quit. We will be back in Englishtown, and hopefully I can do a better job there.”
The next race on the 2003 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing series will be the 34th annual K&N Filters NHRA Supernationals May 15-18 in Englishtown, N.J.
# # #
Anderson Quick Facts
Currently #2 in 2003 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Points
Currently 3rd in 2003 King Demon Crown points
Won 2003 Checks Shucks Kragen Nationals in Phoenix, Ariz.
Won 2003 Summitracing.com Nationals in Las Vegas, Nev.
Two Semis final round appearances in 2003 (Pomona 1 & Gainesville)
Finished 3rd 2002 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Points
Won 2 races during 2002 season (Englishtown & Columbus)
Runner-Up at 4 races during 2002 season (Atlanta, St. Louis, Sonoma, and Brainerd)
Whit Bazemore Press Release
Posted Monday, May 5, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
Round 7 of 23
SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT NHRA SOUTHERN NATIONALS
Atlanta (Ga.) Dragway
Sunday, May 4, 2003
Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501, cell 203-243-2438
BAZEMORE REACHES SEMIS FOR SIXTH STRAIGHT EVENT; HANGS ON TO SECOND IN
POINTS
COMMERCE, Ga. (May 4, 2003) -- In his sixth straight semifinal-round
appearance in seven events, Whit Bazemore did his job at the starting line
in his Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge Stratus R/T Funny Car. He blasted off
first against the man he's aiming to knock out of first place in the point
standings, Tony Pedregon. Bazemore's reaction time was a quick .058 versus
Pedregon's .064, but when the tires on the Matco Tools Iron Eagle went up in
smoke at the hit of the throttle, so did Bazemore's chances to make it to
his third final round of the year.
The defending Atlanta Funny Car champion pedaled it several times to try to
reach the finish line before Pedregon, who was doing his own pedaling dance
to get to the stripe. Unfortunately, Pedregon had to pedal less and took the
win with a 5.102/275.96 pass to Bazemore's 7.114/167.53.
Bazemore continues to hold on to second place in the NHRA POWERade Drag
Racing Series Funny Car standings with 551 points, 108 behind Tony Pedregon,
who won today's event.
"We smoked the tires from the hit of the throttle," Bazemore said. "If God's
smiling on you, you can run a 5.80 when it does that. If not, you're just
going to struggle to hook it back up. We finally got it hooked back up, but
you can't win races like that.
"We're not really satisfied just going to the semifinals anymore," he
commented. "It's a tough loss because basically they gave it to us and we
couldn't take advantage of it. If they went out and ran .70 in the heat it
would be, 'OK hat's off (to you) and it wasn't our destiny.' Lee Beard (crew
chief) and I and Don (Schumacher, team owner) just had a good conversation.
We're going to address that part of the race track (60-foot mark) with our
Matco Tools Dodge, and we think the changes we make will help our 60-foot
time and hopefully our reaction times as well and make the car a little more
consistent there and less prone to smoking the tires like we've done a few
times lately right at that point in the race track."
Bazemore congratulated his rival Pedregon and his crew chief John Medlen at
the top end of the track. "It's no different than anyone else. When you're
battling for championships you have respect for the people you're battling
with," Bazemore remarked.
Scotty Cannon Press Release
Posted Monday, May 5, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
Round 7 of 23
SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT NHRA SOUTHERN NATIONALS
Atlanta Dragway
Commerce, Ga.
Sunday, May 4, 2003
Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501, cell 203-243-2438
CANNON SMOKES TIRES IN FIRST ROUND; IS DEFEATED BY RON CAPPS
COMMERCE, Ga. (May 4, 2003) -- After posting a No. 10 qualifying position
after three sessions, his second-best starting spot in seven events this
year, Scotty Cannon arrived at the line for the first round of eliminations
to race against No. 7 qualifier Ron Capps as the seventh pair. With a crowd
of local friends and customers from his Cannon's Restaurant cheering him on,
the popular racer was ready.
Cannon launched just a tick later than Capps (.113 reaction time for Cannon;
.080 for Capps) and was ahead at the 60-foot mark, until his Oakley Elite
Special Forces Funny Car smoked the tires just past that point. He coasted
to an 11.749-second elapsed time at 82.63 mph, while Capps took the win
light with a 4.898/314.46.
The new team, led by new crew chief Phil Shuler, continues to make as many
runs as possible to collect data in search of a happy combination. To that
end, they will test here at Atlanta Dragway on Monday.
"We're just dumb in the clutch department, it looks like," said Cannon, of
nearby Lyman, S.C. "We've got to get the clutch to where it's a little bit
more forgiving. Other than that, I don't know; it just smoked the tires; it
was real aggressive. It needs to be more forgiving. That's what I told my
crew chief.
"We're going to test some clutch stuff tomorrow. We have to. We have to get
it down the track. The only way we're going to get better is to test," he
added.
"I said when we got here we had no runs to look at; we don't have the car we
ran last year. We've got data from runs that I had with old crew chiefs and
from runs that I ran three years ago. That doesn't apply anymore. Because
everything we're running is different, the car's different, the tires we run
are different, the clutch is different. So if you try to put it like
everything was set up back then, it just won't work.
Cannon is 14th in the POWERade Funny Car point standings, with 241 points.
Gary Scelzi Press Release
Posted Monday, May 5, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
Round 7 of 23
SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT NHRA SOUTHERN NATIONALS
Atlanta Dragway
Commerce, Ga.
Sunday, May 4, 2003
Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501, cell 203-243-2438
SCELZI STILL LOOKING FOR THAT FIRST FUNNY CAR WIN; IS OUSTED IN FIRST ROUND
COMMERCE, Ga. (May 4, 2003) -- With a strong qualifying run under his belt,
his best of the season to take the No. 4 position, Gary Scelzi and his crew
chief Mike Neff had high hopes for the Oakley Time Bomb Dodge Stratus R/T
Funny Car this weekend, after struggling the last three events.
In the first round of eliminations, it was Scelzi versus No. 13 qualifier
Johnny Gray for their first meeting this season. Gray's reaction time was so
quick that it could just as easily have been a red light. Instead, he shot
off the line with a .017 reaction time to Scelzi's .109.
However, the race was Scelzi's at the 60-foot mark, which he reached in .896
of a second to Gray's .914. Almost immediately, the Oakley Dodge dropped a
cylinder and Scelzi sputtered to the finish line with a respectable
4.972-second pass at 301.00, but not solid enough to beat Gray's
4.864/313.37.
"We had our best 60-foot time that we've had in a long time," Scelzi said.
"We had an .896. That was actually staging thin. I know my reaction time
looked worse, but it was the best of the weekend. In qualifying we staged
thin, just like I did today. Now, I didn't do it on purpose. When I hit the
first light I hit it soft.
"Normally I'll hit the first light a little harder and then I'll let go of
the brake and let the car roll deeper. I didn't do that. Johnny went in
right away. I like Johnny so I didn't let him wait. I went right in after
him and I didn't grab my normal chunk that I take on Sundays. But we found
out that whatever changes we made picked up the car at 60 feet almost a
hundredth of a second.
"The problem was right after the 60-foot mark it dropped a cylinder. We
didn't have an .86 in the car anyway. Johnny had an .017 light which, let's
just say, was psychic. We won't say it was a guess. But Johnny gets away
with those a lot, so maybe he does have something to do with that, I don't
know. It put out a cylinder and slowed the car way down. I followed Johnny
all the way down the dragstrip.
"I don't know what's going on with this thing; it's possessed. We may have
to call a priest and have an exorcism," he added.
"We'll test here tomorrow and probably win the Monday Nationals again."
Scelzi stays in 11th position in the POWERade Funny Car point standings,
with 268.
Mark Whisnant Press Release
Posted Monday, May 5, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
RW PERFORMANCE PRO STOCK CHEVY CAVALIER
MARK WHISNANT – DRIVER
REID WHISNANT – OWNER
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 4, 2003
CONTACT: Patti Miles
336-751-3882
704-957-3940 (Mobile)
pattie.miles@worldnet.att.net
Whisnant Day Ends in Round 1
COMMERCE, Ga. – Today at the 23rd annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals in Commerce, Ga., Mark Whisnant, driver of the RW Performance / Snap-On Tools Chevrolet Cavalier, enters today’s race holding the 16th position on the Pro Stock eliminations ladder.
In the last session of qualifying the RW Performance team made a last ditch effort to get their car qualified. Whisnant drove his Cavalier to a 6.872 / 199.70 mph to reward their efforts with a 16th qualifying position.
In Round 1 Whisnant would meet the Number 1 qualifier Greg Anderson.
Whisnant knew that to get past Anderson he would have to have an almost prefect reaction time. As the lights came down the tree, Whisnant left to early, handing the win to Anderson. Anderson ran a 6.815 / 203.06 mph to a red lighting Whisnant at 8.693 / 110.65 mph.
“I knew I had to take a shot at him,” said Whisnant of Stockbridge, Ga. “I knew Anderson had me covered by a lot so, there was nothing that I could do but try and be dead on the lights, and hope he messed up somewhere. It did not work out this time. We will get him next time.
“Even if we didn’t make it to the winner’s circle at this race, I am still please with how we did this weekend. We were not in the show coming into the last round yesterday. My crew went the extra mile to yesterday so I would be racing today. They have really come together as a team in the last couple of races and it shows. I just wish I could have gone a few more rounds today.”
The next race on the 2003 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing series will be the 34th annual K&N Filters NHRA Supernationals May 15-18 in Englishtown, N.J.
# # #
Whisnant Quick Facts
Currently 13th in 2003 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Points
Currently 8th in 2003 King Demon Crown points
Finished 10th 2002 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Points
Dixon, T. Pedregon, W. Johnson, and Scali are Pro Winners at the NHRA POWERade Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals presented by Pontiac
Posted Monday, May 5, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Commerce, GA
Larry Dixon takes back the points lead with a win over Darrell Russell in the Top Fuel finale. Dixon's 4.569 @ 323.89 beats Russell's tire smoking 9.884 @ 107.52. Brandon Bernstein's 4.615 @ 321.42 bested Don Garlits' 4.737 @ 307.44 in the first round. Georgia resident Chris Vandergriff qualified #14 in his first Top Fuel outing, but lost to David Baca in round one. The Vandergriff team's strong performance will hopefully lead to even more success in the near future.
Low ET: Brandon Bernstein 4.505 seconds
Top Speed: Brandon Bernstein 327.98 MPH ( Larry Dixon tied this in the 2nd round ).
Tony Pedregon wins again at the track where he first won in Funny Car. Pedregon takes out Johnny Gray in the final and extends his points lead over Whit Bazemore. Pedregon has won 4 out of the 7 national events held in 2003. Bazemore was defeated in the Funny Car semi-final by Tony Pedregon. Johnny Gray spoils John Force's birthday when he defeats him in the semi-final round. After Tony Pedregon's win, John Force still celebrated his birthday in the winner's circle!
Low ET: John Force 4.768 seconds
Top Speed: Whit Bazemore 322.73 MPH
WJ wins #90 with victories over Terry Adams (1st), Kurt Johnson (2nd), Jeg Coughlin (SF), and former Warren Johnson crewchief, Greg Anderson,in the final round. Mark Whisnant fouled against Greg Anderson in the first round. KJ reset the track speed record with a 203.12 mph run against WJ in round 2 of eliminations.
Low ET: Greg Anderson 6.815 seconds
Top Speed: Kurt Johnson 203.12 MPH
Geno Scali takes over the points lead when he defeats Antron Brown in the Pro Stock Bike final ( 7.197 @ 186.82 to a 7.248 @ 172.89 ). Both riders left too early, but Antron fouled first giving the win to Scali. Angelle Savoie lost in the first round by red lighting away a 7.186 186.51 (-0.002 foul) and Fred Collis (Americus GA)also fouled out in the first round.
Low ET: Geno Scali 7.167 seconds
Top Speed: Shawn Gann 190.73 MPH
NHRA Pro Categories Recap
Marty Thacker ( 5.454 262.44 ) defeated Arthur Gallant ( 5.455 248.61 ) in the Top Alcohol Dragster final.
Low ET: Bill Reichert 5.279 seconds
Top Speed: Bill Reichert 274.27 MPH
Frank Manzo's 5.614 @ 257.24 beat Bob Newberry in the Top Alcohol Funny Car final to win his 52nd national event title.
Low ET: Frank Manzo 5.589 seconds
Top Speed: Frank Manzo 260.56 MPH
David Rampy qualifies #1 in Competition Eliminator and beats Charlie Westcott, Jr. in the final for his second consecutive national event win.
Lincoln Morehead beats Dan Fletcher's Summit Racing Equipment sponsored Camaro in the final of Super Stock. Lincoln runs a right on 10.037 to beat Fletcher's .010 over 10.25. Georgia's Joe LoCicero makes it to the semi-final round (5th round), but fouls out (-0.009) against Dan Fletcher.
The Stock final produced a pair of dead on runs with Tom Rhoda's ( 0.046 ) 10.423 winning over Jeff Strickland's ( 0.058 ) 10.988. Georgia resident Brandon Wood goes to the semi-final round ( 5th round ), but loses to Jeff Strickland with a -0.003 foul.
Todd Ewing ( Cullman,AL ) defeats Shane Carr ( Mays Landing,NJ ) for the Super Comp title.
Corky Markwart ( Largo,FL ) wins Super Gas over Bruce Duncan ( Crawfordville, FL ) with a perfect reaction time in the final (0.000).
Quentin Holloway ( Greensboro,NC ) wins Super Street in his '67 Chevelle over Tom De Pascale ( Sayreville, NJ ) in his '74 Vega.
MORE NHRA SOUTHERN NATIONALS RESULTS
J.D. Reid's Super Comp dragster was honored as Best Appearing Car, Brian Forrester's new Super Comp dragster earned the Best Engineered Vehicle, and Clay Millican and Lehman Racing's Octane Boost 104 Top Fuel team earned the Best Appearing Crew honors.
GDR Website Updated
Posted Sunday, May 4, 2003 by johndilbeck
We've created new Georgia Drag Racing designs for 2003. They are now available on t-shirts, hats, mugs, caps, teddy bears, mousepads, and much more (including underwear!).
Announcing the 5th Annual Buford Car, Truck and Motorcycle Show - June 7, 2003, Buford, GA.
Mark Whisnant Press Release
Posted Sunday, May 4, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
RW PERFORMANCE PRO STOCK CHEVY CAVALIER
MARK WHISNANT – DRIVER REID WHISNANT – OWNER
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 3, 2003
CONTACT: Patti Miles 336-751-3882
704-957-3940 (Mobile) pattie.miles@worldnet.att.net
Whisnant To Race in Atlanta
COMMERCE, Ga. – When eliminations get underway at the 23rd annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, Mark Whisnant driver of the RW Performance / Snap-On Tools Chevrolet Cavalier, will assume the 16th position on the Pro Stock eliminations ladder.
Coming into the last session of qualifying on Saturday, Whisnant was not qualified. The RW Performance team knew that it would take a last ditch effort to place their Cavalier in tomorrow’s race. Team RW rose to the occasion when Whisnant clocked 6.872 / 199.70 mph to place him 16th and racing on Sunday.
“You don’t know what pressure is until you are going into the last session not qualified at your home race track,” said Whisnant “Good thing we only race here once a year, I don’t know if I can take much more of this.
“Boy that was close. We were really sweating it coming into the last session. We could not figure out why the car would not run in the morning session. My crew chiefs Gray (Pearman) and Markus (Svensson) decided to go for the Hail Mary this afternoon. What ever they did worked, because we are racing on Sunday.
“Tomorrow it is going to be a whole different ball game. It is supposed to be cooler and overcast in the morning. This track will be completely different. We will now spend the night preparing for the race.
“Tomorrow we will have a big crowd of family and friend all here to watch us race; no pressure there. In a prefect world we would love to win this race, but realistically, tomorrow we will do the best job that we can, and try and make them all proud.”
Eliminations at the 23rd annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals will begin at 11:00 AM EST on Sunday May 4.
# # #
Whisnant Quick Facts
Currently 13th in 2003 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Points
Currently 8th in 2003 King Demon Crown points
Finished 10th 2002 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Points
Greg Anderson Press Release
Posted Sunday, May 4, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
VEGAS GENERAL CONSTRUCTION PONTIAC GRAND AM
GREG ANDERSON – DRIVER KEN BLACK – OWNER
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 3, 2003
CONTACT: Patti Miles 336-751-3882
704-957-3940 (Mobile) pattie.miles@worldnet.att.net
Anderson Qualifies Number 1 in Atlanta
ATLANTA, Ga. – Today at the 23rd annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals Greg Anderson, driver of the Vegas General Construction Pro Stock Car drove his Grand Am to a 6.821 / 203.00 mph to place him in the Number 1 position on the Pro Stock eliminations ladder.
"We are very pleased with the way we have run here this weekend,” said Anderson. “If you look at the computer our run in the morning session was not really that good. We were sluggish on the bottom and then shook the tires through fourth and fifth. It does not look good on paper, but it worked out for us today.
“I have logged a lot of hours at this race track over the years. That does not necessarily mean that I have a handle on it. This track has really deteriorated over the years. People like Warren (Johnson), Kurt (Johnson), and me: who should know this track like the back of their hands, are having trouble figuring it out.
“Tomorrow it will be a different story. They are calling for cooler temperatures, and cloud cover all day. In those kinds of conditions, every body will be fast. That will even out the field. Tomorrow it will be all about the guy who leaves the starting line first will win. That is the way this Pro Stock racing should be.”
Eliminations at the 23rd annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals will begin at 11:00 AM EST on Sunday May 4.
# # #
Anderson Quick Facts
Currently #2 in 2003 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Points
Currently 3rd in 2003 King Demon Crown points
Won 2003 Checks Shucks Kragen Nationals in Phoenix, Ariz.
Won 2003 Summitracing.com Nationals in Las Vegas, Nev.
Two Semis final round appearances in 2003 (Pomona 1 & Gainesville)
Finished 3rd 2002 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Points
Won 2 races during 2002 season (Englishtown & Columbus)
Runner-Up at 4 races during 2002 season (Atlanta, St. Louis, Sonoma, and Brainerd)
Kurt Johnson Press Release
Posted Sunday, May 4, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
Phone: (704) 662-3121
jgknapp@tmgsports.net
Final Qualifying Results
Kurt Johnson Will Start from the Third Spot in Atlanta
Event: Twenty-third Annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals
Presented by Pontiac
Location: Atlanta Dragway
Commerce, GA
Day/Date: Saturday May 3, 2003
Although the skies over Atlanta Dragway were overcast for most of Saturday, the final two qualifying sessions for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals went as scheduled, with teams taking advantage of the improved conditions to produce wholesale changes in Sunday's Pro Stock line-up. Among those stepping up in performance was local favorite Kurt Johnson, whose Sugar Hill, GA.-based ACDelco Cavalier continued to be among the quickest in the 33-car field.
Current POWERade points leader Johnson's 6.840-second, 202.67-mph pass from the earlier session was his run of record, and placed him third on Sunday's final eliminations ladder. However, the 6.844-second effort on his final attempt was equally impressive, as it was the best in Pro Stock for that session, and came with the sun shining on the race track.
Johnson's pursuit of a third consecutive NHRA national event win will start with a first round encounter with Darrell Alderman.
"We originally thought we had a shot for the No. 1 spot, but when the sun came out, we felt it wouldn't be that good of a session, so we changed the carburetors, putting on a pair that had looked pretty promising on the dyno the other day. They helped us to the sixty-foot mark, where we had been struggling, but it was a little off downtrack, so we'll look at our notes and see if we can't tune our ACDelco Cavalier up for tomorrow.
"You're always happy when you're the quickest car, as we were in that last session. We certainly have our work cut out for us, but this Chevy just keeps going down the race track, so we think we'll be pretty good tomorrow."
Warren Johnson Press Release
Posted Sunday, May 4, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
Phone: (704) 662-3121
jgknapp@tmgsports.net
Final Qualifying Results
Warren Johnson Slots Sixth for his Home Race in Atlanta
Event: Twenty-Third Annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals
Presented by Pontiac
Location: Atlanta Dragway
Commerce, GA
Day/Date: Saturday May 3, 2003
After battling rainy weather on Friday, racers arriving at Atlanta Dragway were relieved to encounter cloudy skies on Saturday, which allowed the final day of qualifying for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals presented by Pontiac to run as scheduled. In addition, the atmospheric conditions were drastically improved, creating major changes on Sunday's final eliminations ladder.
Warren Johnson in the GM Performance Parts Grand Am made steady improvement throughout qualifying, bettering his elapsed time on every run. On his final attempt, Johnson blasted down the quarter-mile in 6.849 seconds with a top speed of 201. 82 mph, earning the sixth starting position at his "home" race track.
"We're pleased that we were able to pick up our performance on every run. Our second run was a little better, but not by much, so made wholesale changes based on what had happened during our first two runs, as well as information gathered in testing here. Our GM Performance Parts Grand Am obviously responded pretty well, as we were one of only four cars to run a 6.84 in that last session. We've obviously taken a step in the right direction, now it's just a matter of trying to improve on it for tomorrow."
Mopar Motorsports Press Release
Posted Sunday, May 4, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Mopar Motorsports
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
23rd Annual Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals
Atlanta Dragway
Saturday Qualifying Notes & Quotes
Five Mopars in The Show;
Scelzi Notches His Best Qualifying Slot of Season
Commerce, Ga. (May 3, 2003) – Mopar teams rebounded strongly in today’s final qualifying session after a three-hour rain delay cancelled Friday night’s track activities.
The Stratus claimed the third and fourth slots in the Funny Car field lead by Whit Bazemore and backed up by Schumacher Racing teammate Gary Scelzi. Bazemore posted a quarter-mile run of 4,802 seconds at 322.73 mph and will take on Tim Wilkerson in the first round. Meanwhile Scelzi piloted his Oakley Time Bomb machine down the strip at 318.09 mph in just 4.855 seconds. The Fresno, Calif., resident will go against Johnny Gray tomorrow morning.
“We shook the tires and got too aggressive,” Bazemore said. “The sun came out and the track got slick. We overstepped the bounds, but were able to gather it back in and overall, have had a solid weekend. There’s been no drama, no heroics. We’re looking for solid, consistent runs and that will make us competitive in tomorrow’s first round. That’s the kind of performance that will put us in great position for a championship.”
Scelzi talked about his day.
“We lost a cylinder during that last run and the engine went off and then on again,” Scelzi said. “Usually when that happens with a (nitro) fuel engine it will explode, so I turned it off. We’re not taking any chances, so the guys are taking apart the entire ignition system to find out what happened. We had a great day with our best qualifying position of the season and with my teammate on the opposite side of the (elimination) ladder, it will be a day for Schumacher Racing.”
Pro Stock shoe, Allen Johnson, put his Mopar machine in the eighth slot for Sunday’s first round of competition on the strength of a 6.861-second, 201.40 mph run. Johnson led the Pro Stock contingent in qualifying as he prepares to defend his 2002 NHRA Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals event win. He will take on Mark Pawuk in the first round.
“We made an awesome run this afternoon,” Johnson said. “We had been fighting the tune up and set up, but we nailed it on the head on that run. We’ve got lane choice for tomorrow’s first round, so that will get off to a good start. It definitely gives up confidence and it’s a great start to the weekend.”
Darrell Alderman put his Neon in the top 16 by claiming the 14th spot despite losing a cylinder during his quarter-mile run. The three-time category champion posted a pass of 6.870 seconds at 200.74 mph and will contend against Kurt Johnson in the first round of eliminations. Alderman is followed by Greg Stanfield, who also made the show by clicking off a run of 6.870 seconds at 200.38 mph. The Bossier City, La., resident will go to the starting line in the 15th slot and take on Jeg Coughlin Jr.
“All I can say is that it’s good thing we made a good run this morning,” Alderman said. “We dropped a cylinder in the middle of the run and that hurt us at the top end. I was hoping that we had just broke a rocker arm because those are easy to fix. Unfortunately, we burned a piston, so we’ll have to change motors, tune it and get it ready for the first round tomorrow morning.”
Mopar Notes
Greg Stanfield, driver of the BPE Dodge Neon
Stanfield Price Racing
Hometown: Bossier City, La.
Current Weekend Best Qualifying Time: 6.870 seconds
Current Weekend Best Speed: 200.38 mph
Current Weekend Qualifying Position: 15th
“We’re just happy to be here. I can’t tell you how tough this field is. The weather has made this track difficult to figure out and we’re still dealing with that, but we have good data from our runs and that will allow us to make good decisions for tomorrow’s race.”
Larry Morgan, driver of the Mopar Parts Dodge Stratus R/T
Larry Morgan Racing
Hometown: Newark, Ohio
Current Weekend Best Qualifying Time: 6.955 seconds
Current Weekend Best Speed: 198.99 mph
Current Weekend Qualifying Position: 27th
“This is a good news, bad news situation. The good news is that we made a better run in that last session. The bad news is that it wasn’t enough to get us in the show. We’re making a lot of adjustments to the set up and that’s been challenging. The field is so competitive that if you give up one hundredth (of a second), you’re gone.”
Gene Wilson, driver of the Mopar Parts Dodge Stratus R/T
Larry Morgan Racing
Hometown: Canton, Ga.
Age: 30
Current Weekend Best Qualifying Time: 6.987 seconds
Current Weekend Best Speed: 200.74 mph
Current Weekend Qualifying Position: 30th
“Having Friday’s night session cancelled really hurt us. We lost the chance to get a lot of data and that got us behind. We had our hands full with the transmission because we had too much in second gear. We left it alone and we should have changed some things. That’s the kind of information that you lose when a qualifying session is missed.”
-Mopar.com-
For more information, contact:
Mike Mooney, Cox Marketing Group
Director of Business Services/Principal
Mopar Motorsports
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
mikem@coxmarketinggroup.com
(704) 799-2114 – office
(704) 906-5818 – mobile
David Harris, Cox Marketing Group
Public Relations Manager
Mopar Motorsports
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
davidh@coxmarketinggroup.com
(704) 756-9301 - mobile
Scotty Cannon Press Release
Posted Sunday, May 4, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
Round 7 of 23
SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT NHRA SOUTHERN NATIONALS
Atlanta Dragway
Commerce, Ga.
Saturday, May 3, 2003
Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501, cell 203-2438
CANNON WILL START 10TH AT ATLANTA DRAGWAY
COMMERCE, Ga. (May 3, 2003) -- Only three rounds of qualifying were run here
at Atlanta Dragway after a rainstorm blew into Commerce, Ga., after only one
round of two scheduled sessions was completed on Friday. Following the final
qualifying round today, Scotty Cannon, driver of the Oakley Elite Special
Forces Funny Car, will start from the No. 10 position and will face No. 7
qualifier Ron Capps in tomorrow's first round of eliminations.
Cannon, the popular Mohawk-wearing racer from nearby Lyman, S.C., posted a
4.911-second elapsed time in the final session at 288.46 mph, placing him
10th. His 5.157/223.62 in the second session today is what actually got him
safely into the field, even though he had a supercharger belt blow the burst
panel out at the top end, which negated what was looking to be a strong run
to the finish. In yesterday's only round, he broke on the starting line when
he over-revved the engine on the burnout.
"In the first run today the belt blew the burst panel at probably a little
past the eighth of a mile. It was trying to run .87 or .86 on a bet," he
said. "That last run there -- we saw that we couldn't get bumped out so we
fed it a little more clutch right there in the staging lane. It was running
real good. It was running a hundredth better than our .85, then the blower
belt came off a little past the 1000-foot mark. The good thing we've got to
look forward to tomorrow is there were only two cars quicker than us that
last round, regardless. That was the John Force cars. We'll work on our
tune-up a little bit, put a little more fuel in it and feed it some more
clutch and try it again tomorrow."
When asked what happened on the starting line yesterday, he responded,
"Actually, when I went to do my burnout it over-revved the motor like a lot
and it actually popped and blew the burst panel out in the burnout. I've
been driving one of these five years and I've never done that without a
throttle stop. We found some tinwork that was bent over this morning that
could have been hitting the pedal. So we just removed that with a pair of
clippers, and we put a stop on it in case a cable was bending or any fluke
thing, so it couldn't go wide open on me during the burnout, and when we
back up we would take it off. It's just racing. What can I say? I'm human. I
could have made a mistake. We're showing progress, but it's in spurts. We're
still a new team. No excuses."
Cannon's team this season is still experiencing teething problems. "We need
more testing and more running," he says. "Hopefully everybody will stick
with us and next year we'll come out really strong and roaring rather than
having to stumble and fall. Right now we have only one run to look at for
tomorrow. What are we going to do? We're not going to back up. We're going
to lean on it. If we get outrun, we just get outrun. At least that way we'll
have something to look at the next race here."
Gary Scelzi Press Release
Posted Sunday, May 4, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
Round 7 of 23
SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT NHRA SOUTHERN NATIONALS
Atlanta Dragway
Commerce, Ga.
Saturday, May 3, 2003
Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501, cell 203-243-2438
SCELZI NO. 4 IN ATLANTA QUALIFYING
COMMERCE, Ga. (May 3, 2003) -- Gary Scelzi put his Oakley Time Bomb Dodge
Stratus R/T Funny Car firmly into the No. 4 spot with a solid 4.855-second
pass at 318.09 mph in the second round of qualifying, held today instead of
last night after a rainstorm shortened yesterday's schedule to only one
round. In the first round on Friday, Scelzi struck the tires early in the
run, slowing to a 9.269/89.76 lap. In the final session he was spitting and
banging at the top end towards a 5.358/201.94 pass.
"In the first run yesterday we were just a bit aggressive," he said,
"thinking that this track was going to be better than Bristol because,
theoretically, it normally always is. It wasn't. We spun the tire hard.
"We came back today and tried to get it into the show and then we had cloud
cover. So we had to step up the program just a little bit. And we did. Mike
thought it would run an .85 in that first round and it did exactly what we
thought it would do, which was very comforting after where we've been.
"And then we came back for the last session and it looked like it put a hole
(cylinder) out, probably a second into the run. But halfway down the race
track it's like the motor turned off and came back on and I shut it off.
That's definitely not right. Normally, when it does that there's a big
kaboom or there's some malfunction in the ignition. I'm not sure what it
was, but it made it far enough down the race track to where it wouldn't have
smoked the tires. Good early numbers say it would have run another mid-.80.
"So, according to what the rest of the guys ran that session, we're pretty
happy with that and that's something we can race with. We'll see what the
weather brings tomorrow. If the sun comes out and it gets hot and slippery,
we should be OK. If it doesn't, we should be OK. My fingers are crossed. I
feel good about it. We have a car that's acting like it's supposed to. Even
though we only went down one out of three, I still feel good about the whole
situation."
Scelzi will face Johnny Gray in the first round of eliminations on Sunday.
Whit Bazemore Press Release
Posted Sunday, May 4, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
Round 7 of 23
SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT NHRA SOUTHERN NATIONALS
Atlanta Dragway
Commerce, Ga.
Saturday, May 3, 2003
Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501, cell 203-243-2438
DEFENDING ATLANTA FUNNY CAR CHAMPION BAZEMORE NO. 3 IN QUALIFYING
COMMERCE, Ga. (May 3, 2003) -- The defending Atlanta Dragway Funny Car
champion Whit Bazemore, in the Matco Tools Dodge Stratus R/T Funny Car,
qualified No. 3 for tomorrow's final eliminations, establishing a
4.802-second elapsed time at 322.73 mph, the weekend's highest speed so far,
in the second of only three qualifying sessions. Rain shortened Friday's
schedule to only one qualifying session; two were held today.
In the first qualifying round, Bazemore, second in the point standings and
seeking his first win of the year, clocked in at 4.985/304.80. In the final
round he smoked the tires at half track and crawled to an 8.727/91.06 run.
This is Bazemore's seventh straight qualifying effort in the top half of the
field in seven events. He's advanced to the semifinal in five of the six
events so far, as well as two final rounds. The former Atlanta resident is
second in points behind Tony Pedregon.
"We've had a decent weekend so far," he said. "That last run was a little
disappointing in a way because we were really trying to get after it. We
just couldn't do what we were trying to do. I think overall the Matco Tools
Dodge team is in a good position. Our car is going down the track. No major
dramas. We feel as confident as always going into tomorrow. The same old
story. We just need to attack the first round and win that. That's our game
plan."
Bernstein, Force, Anderson, and Scali Lead Pro Qualifying at the NHRA POWERade Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals presented by Pontiac
Posted Sunday, May 4, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Commerce, GA
Brandon Bernstein sets new track records while qualifying #1 in Top Fuel with a 4.505 @ 327.98 mph pass. Georgia's Chris Vandergriff qualifies #14 ( 4.701 @ 306.95 ) at his first NHRA National event and sentimental favorite Big Daddy Don Garlits makes the field with a 4.788 @ 319.98 last shot effort that puts him in the #16 spot.
#1 Funny Car qualifier John Force rebounds at Atlanta Dragway with a track ET record 4.768 @ 320.13. Whit Bazemore lands the #3 slot with a 4.802 @ 322.73.
Greg Anderson nails down the #1 spot in Pro Stock with a 6.821 @ 203.00 ( track speed record ). Georgia drivers ( or team drivers )Kurt Johnson (#3 - 6.840 @ 202.67 ), Warren Johnson ( #6- 6.849 @ 201.85 ), Terry Adams (#11 - 6.863 @ 201.31 ), and Mark Whisnant ( #16- 6.872 @ 199.70 ) make the final Pro Stock cut. Whisnant's 6.872 bumped Ron Krisher's 6.875 in the last session. This ended Krisher's qualifying streak at 76 consecutive races. Georgia Pro Stock drivers that didn't make the field are: Barry Grant ( #20 - 6.882 @ 200.38 ), Gene Wilson ( #26 - 6.918 @ 199.58 ), and Chris Garner ( #32 - 7.023 @ 196.96 in his first event after getting his Pro Stock license ).
Geno Scali qualifies #1 in Pro Stock Bike with a 7.181 @ 186.92. Fred Collis of Americus, GA notches the #10 position at 7.263 @ 182.95. Both Vance & Hines Harley Davidsons qualify in the top half of the field. Another streak was broken when Craig Treble doesn't qualify for the first time in his career ( 58 races ).
NHRA Saturday Recap
Georgia Comp qualifiers Van Puckett (round 1 no show)and Don Eberly go out in round one.
Comp Round 1
Joe LoCicero is still alive in Super Stock ( after 3 rounds ), but Leland Poppell loses in round 2.
Super Stock Round 3
After three rounds in Stock Eliminator, Brandon Wood is still in the running. Tom Stevenson and Wayne Shaw lose in round 2.
Stock Round 3
In Super Comp, J.D. Reid and Arnold Reed make it to round 3 before losing while Peabody Harrell, Bubba Watts, Sherman Adcock, Jr., David Tatum III, and Jimmy Fuller lose in round 2.
Super Comp Round 3
Super Gas racers Ronnie Wilkerson and Robert Brooks go three rounds. Tracy Barnes, Lawrence Roundtree, Jimmy Fuller, David Watson, and Gary Dorsey, Sr. lose in round 2.
Super Gas Round 3
In Super Street, Allen Sharp and Jason DeWitt lose in round 2.
Super Street Round 2
Georgia Sportsman Racers at the NHRA POWERade Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals
Posted Saturday, May 3, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Here's the latest about the Georgia Sportsman racers at at Commerce.
Van Puckett ( #24 ) and Don Eberly ( #26 ) qualify for Competition Eliminator.
Comp Final Qualifying Order
Leland Poppell ( Q-24 ) and Joe LoCicero ( Q-16 ) are the only Georgians to win in the first round of Super Stock. Everett Hill ( Q-6 ), Robert Burgin ( Q-21 ), Woody Adcock ( Q-37 ), and Jonathan Horton ( Q- 46 ) go out in round one.
S/S Round One Winners
Wayne Shaw ( Q-5), Brandon Wood ( Q-38 ), and Tom Stevenson ( Q-23 ) win their first round contests in Stock Eliminator. Robbie Shaw ( Q-2 ), Woodro Josey ( Q-6 ), Butch Payne ( Q-7 ), Craig Couris ( Q-13 ), Bobby Lundholm ( Q-40 ), Russell Johnson ( Q-42 ), Bob Lundholm ( Q-47 ), and Norman Griffis, Jr. ( Q-56 ) are first round runner-ups.
Stock Round One Winners
Arnold Reed ( Loganville ), Peabody Harrell ( Vidalia ), Bubba Watts ( Sharpsburg ), Sherman Adcock ( Columbus ), David Tatum III ( Palmetto ), Jimmy Fuller ( Savannah ), and J.D. Reid ( Conyers ) win their first round races in Super Comp.
Super Comp Round One Winners
Tracy Barnes ( Jackson ), Ronnie Wilkerson ( Buford ), Lawrence Roundtree ( Gainesville ), Robert Brooks ( Savannah ), Jimmy Fuller ( Savannah ), David Watson ( Atlanta ), and Gary Dorsey, Sr. ( Savannah ) are first round winners in Super Gas.
Super Gas Round One Winners
Allen Sharp ( Kennesaw ) and Jason DeWitt ( Bloomingdale ) win in the first round of Super Street.
Super Street Round One Winners
KJ Press Release
Posted Saturday, May 3, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
Phone: (704) 662-3121
jgknapp@tmgsports.net
Friday Qualifying Results
Kurt Johnson uses Friday's single session to place Third midway through Atlanta qualifying
Event: Twenty-third Annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals
Presented by Pontiac
Location: Atlanta Dragway
Commerce, GA
Day/Date: Friday May 2, 2003
Evening rain brought a premature end to the first day of qualifying for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, canceling the second session on Friday. However, Kurt Johnson took advantage of the single opportunity to record a 6.908-second, 200.89 mph pass, placing his ACDelco Cavalier third heading into Saturday's final two sessions.
"We were pretty pleased with that first run. Our ACDelco Chevy was really smooth through the first few gears, putting us third and giving us a solid baseline heading into tomorrow. We'll check the weather in the morning, make a few adjustments, and see if we can move ourselves up a couple spots."
WJ Press Release
Posted Saturday, May 3, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
Phone: (704) 662-3121
jgknapp@tmgsports.net
Friday Qualifying Results
The First Day of Qualifying in Atlanta Finds Warren Johnson Eighth
Event: Twenty-Third Annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals
Presented by Pontiac
Location: Atlanta Dragway
Commerce, GA
Day/Date: Friday May 2, 2003
On-track activities were curtailed by inclement weather on Friday at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals presented by Pontiac. After completing one qualifying session, evening rain forced the cancellation of the second time trial at Atlanta Dragway. Warren Johnson made a solid run on his single attempt, posting an elapsed time of 6.936 seconds with a top speed of 199.02 mph. This placed Johnson's GM Performance Parts Grand Am eighth heading into Saturday's final two sessions.
"We were just a little tight on the clutch, which pulled the motor down on the starting line. Once we got to the 330 foot mark, it started running pretty decently, so we know what we have to do for tomorrow. This GM Performance Parts Grand Am will be fine."
Cory McClenathan, Tommy Johnson, Jr., Jeg Coughlin, Jr., and Shawn Gann Lead Pro Qualifying at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals
Posted Saturday, May 3, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Commerce, GA
The second Pro qualifying session was rained out Friday evening, but the earlier session was completed as scheduled. Chris Vandergriff ( Marietta, GA ) made a nice "first run in NHRA competition" pass ( 4.801 @ 288.46 )that held for the #7 position in Top Fuel. You should have heard the ovation for Don "Big Daddy" Garlits when he came to the line for his first run! Don is in the #11 position for now.
Whit Bazemore continues to make solid runs and is in the #4 slot in Funny Car with a 4.985 @ 304.80. Gary Densham was very close to the wall during his first run, but he apparently didn't touch it as his times were not thrown out.
Georgia Pro Stock racers KJ (#3), WJ (#8), Mark Whisnant (#12), and Terry Adams (#15- Barry Grant team car )are in the top 16 after Friday's lone Pro qualifying session. Gene Wilson is still struggling with the Mopar sponsored Dodge Stratus as he came up a little short with a 25th best 7.035 @ 197.45. Georgia has another Pro Stock racer- Chris Garner completed his licensing this past Monday in Bristol, but only ran an off pace 7.550 @ 187.44 ( on his first NHRA competition pass ) that put him in the 30th position. Barry Grant had problems and is in the 33rd spot with an early shut-off run.
Fred Collis ( Americus, GA ) holds the #5 position in Pro Stock Bike with a 7.354 @ 181.69 pass. Shawn Gann set a new track speed record with his #1 qualifying 7.239 @ 190.73 run. NHRA Champ Angelle Savoie did not qualify due to handling problems on her first run. The Harleys are coming on strong with Andrew Hines in the #3 spot ( 7.341 @ 185.89 ) and GT Tonglet holding onto the #13 position ( 7.422 @ 179.90 ).
Click here for NHRA's Friday recap.
Server crash on May 1 - mostly restored
Posted Friday, May 2, 2003 by johndilbeck
In the early morning hours of May 1, 2003, we experienced a server crash that shut down GeorgiaDragRacing.com for several hours. During the day, service was restored and files were replaced so that most of the functionality of the site was restored by early evening.
We lost the photo ranking information for April. I've been testing this and I'm not entirely convinced that this feature is popular enough to continue. If you have any feelings about this, please post in the forum. I may post a survey on this.
We're still experiencing several minor problems today.
The forum is back up and working.
The photo album is working, but the small thumbnail pictures are not being generated. You can still see the photos by clicking on the broken link pic in the index. David posted a number of photos from the Southern Nationals yesterday.
If you go to this page, you'll see a bunch of error messages and then a page full of broken image links. Click on one of the links and you'll be taken to the actual photo he uploaded.
This is a temporary problem and will be resolved in the next several hours.
As far as I can tell, other than the lost data in the photo ranking, the site should be fully restored today.
If you note anything that isn't working correctly, please email me at jd@johndilbeck.com or post a message in the forum.
JD
Georgia Stock, Super Stock, and Comp Qualifiers at the NHRA POWERade Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals presented by Pontiac
Posted Friday, May 2, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Commerce, GA 05/01/03--------
Georgia qualifiers in stock after 3 sessions:
Robbie Shaw (#2 - Douglasville ), Wayne Shaw (#5- Douglasville ), Woodro Josey (#6 - Byron ), Craig Couris (#14 - Atlanta ), Tom Stevenson (#21 - Flowery Branch ), Butch Payne (#23 - Rome ), Brandon Wood (#38 - Thomasville ), Bobby Lundholm (#40 - Gainesville ), Russell Johnson (#41 - Tyrone ), Bob Lundholm (#46 - Gainesville ), Norman Griffis, Jr. (#55 - Millwood )
Stock Eliminator Qualifying Order
Georgia qualifiers in Super Stock after 3 sessions:
Everett Hill (#6 - Fayetteville ), Joe LoCicero (#16 - Snellville ), Robert Burgin (#21 - Cuthbert ), Leland Poppell (#23 - Odum ), Woody Adcock (#37 - Columbus ), Jonathon Horton (#45 - Bonaire ).
Super Stock Eliminator Qualifying Order
Georgia qualifiers in Competition Eliminator after 2 sessions:
Van Puckett (#22 - Monroe ) and Don Eberly (#24 - Brunswick ).
Competition Eliminator Qualifying Order
Chris Vandergriff Press Release
Posted Friday, May 2, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Thu, 1 May 2003, 10:07 AM
Chris Vandergriff Eager to Make NHRA POWERade Top Fuel Debut this Weekend in Commerce
Courtesy of Bobby Bennett Jr, Harley Communications
COMMERCE, Ga. -- Chris Vandergriff has waited a lifetime to campaign a Top Fuel dragster in national event competition and the wait will finally be over once he rolls through the gates at Atlanta Dragway for this weekend's 23rd annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals. The rookie driver, who daily regimen includes serving as General Manager of Hedman Husler Hedders, will drive the Alps Spas-sponsored entry as part of a one-race marketing partnership with the Norcross, Ga.-based company.
Vandergriff, the younger brother of veteran driver Bob Vandergriff Jr., hopes to stand on his merits as an up-and-coming driver. With a 4.74, 306 lap already under his belt, the former NASCAR Truck Series champion is more than ready for the associated challenges that he may face.
"I know it's going to be tough, but I have every bit of confidence in those around me to provide me with a sound racecar that will stand up to the challenges," explained Vandergriff. "The NHRA POWERade Top Fuel division is the quickest and fastest class in drag racing and words can't express how excited I am to be a part of that excitement.
"Our goals are to come in and perform the best we can to provide our sponsors with the best possible package for their money. I'm thankful that Alps Spas stepped up and provided me with the opportunity to live my dream. We are confident that we will do well this weekend."
In commemoration of their outing, Vandergriff will be running a special promotion for the first NHRA POWERade Drag Racing fan that provides a ticket stub from the Southern Nationals and purchases any model from the Alps Spas line of hot tubs the opportunity to be an honorary Vandergriff Motorsports Crew Member at an upcoming NHRA National Event.
Guiding the Vandergriff ship this weekend will be veteran crewchief Terry Manzer. One cannot overlook the tireless efforts of individuals such as Chris Irwin and Eric Mangrum in preparing the car, a former Doug Herbert entry.
Alps Spas is the spa division of Associated Leisure Products (www.alps-spas.com), which is an industry leader in the world of water recreation products. For more information on Associated Leisure Products, visit www.Alps-Spas.com and www.AquaEZ.com.
Whit Bazemore Press Release
Posted Thursday, May 1, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
Round 7 of 23
SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT NHRA SOUTHERN NATIONALS
Atlanta Dragway
Commerce, Ga.
Race Date: May 2-4, 2003
Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501, cell 203-243-2438
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, May 1, 2003
Q&A with Defending Atlanta Funny Car Champion Whit Bazemore
Driver, MATCO TOOLS IRON EAGLE DODGE STRATUS R/T FUNNY CAR
* Defending Atlanta Funny Car champion (defeated John Force in 2002)
* Second to Tony Pedregon in 2003 POWERade Drag Racing Series Funny Car point standings
* Reached semifinal round in the last five of six events; advanced to final twice; two-time runner-up
* Born in New York City, raised in Atlanta, father Chuck still lives in Atlanta with Bazemore's stepmother Kathy
TALK ABOUT YOUR SEASON SO FAR: "The Matco Tools Dodge team is in a good position. We've been to the semifinals five out of six times this season. And we've been to two finals. Our car's been a consistent, good performer. We're in the best position we could possibly be in to try to defend our title in Atlanta. And that's the most important thing -- to try to win each and every race and especially our first race of the year, and in particular the race in Atlanta, which is the place where being successful means a lot to me."
TALK ABOUT GROWING UP IN ATLANTA AND VISITING ATLANTA DRAGWAY: "I first went to Commerce back in 1977, as a sixth or seventh grader. My best friend was a car nut too, so our mothers let us out of school on Friday and took us up there. That was just tremendous. A couple of years later my parents would take me up on Friday and come pick me up on Sunday. I would walk to a hotel room not far from the track there at the intersection. Obviously, it's a place that has a lot of memories for me. I consider it a place where I grew up in a way. And I had goals to one day race there. And to achieve those goals and to ultimately win the race there is a dream come true."
TALK ABOUT THE CHAMPIONSHIP CHASE: "The championship is our ultimate goal and after we defeated (points leader) Tony Pedregon in the third round at Bristol last Sunday, for the first time I really feel that the championship is definitely attainable. We just have to stay very, very focused and continue to improve our car and make it happen. This is the earliest in the season I've ever been second and we have some good momentum. It's going to be a long year. It's going to be a tough, tough summer and fall, but we're in a good position and we have to keep grinding away."
WHAT'S THE PLAN? "For now and for the rest of the year, we're just going to concentrate on each run at a time, and we'll try to first qualify. It's no different in each race. We have to qualify first and then try to win the first round, then the second, just take it one run at a time."
YOU ARE AHEAD OF YOUR RIVAL JOHN FORCE: "History shows that you can't count Force out, certainly. We've built up a little cushion and it's good because I think at some point they're going to come back awfully strong and that's the kind of team that can easily go out and win four, five, six, seven races in a row. And they've done that many, many times. You can never count them out, and we're certainly not. This championship is going to be a very hard fought battle. My only hope is that we remain in the thick of it for the rest of the season. And whether we win it or not remains to be seen. But the fact that we can fight for it and contend for it -- that's really the goal -- is what means a lot."
YOUR TEAMMATES GARY SCELZI AND SCOTTY CANNON ARE STRUGGLING: "Our Matco Tools team has had a lot of success this year and my teammates haven't. It's frustrating for everyone on the team to see those guys struggle. They have unlimited potential -- Scotty and Gary both. When those guys turn the corner it's going to make our team even more competitive and it's going to help us. But more than that, I've become friends last year with Scotty and then this year with Gary, so I'd like to see those guys enjoy some of the success that we're having. Not that we've had a ton; we're still looking for our first win. But we're up there in the championship and I think it would be very cool if at the end of the year they're way up there in the championship too."
Nitro qualifying at Atlanta Dragway is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 2. Qualifying continues on Saturday, May 3, at 12 noon and 3:00 p.m. Final eliminations begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, May 4.
Mark Whisnant Press Release
Posted Thursday, May 1, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
RW PERFORMANCE PRO STOCK CHEVY CAVALIER
MARK WHISNANT – DRIVER REID WHISNANT – OWNER
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 30, 2003
CONTACT: Patti Miles 336-751-3882
704-957-3940 (Mobile) pattie.miles@worldnet.att.net
Atlanta: Whisnant Returns to His Home Track
COMMERCE, Ga. – Mark Whisnant, driver of the RW Performance / Snap-On Tools Pro Stock Chevrolet Cavalier, has a short distance to travel for this weekends 23rd annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals. Whisnant’s earliest memories are of racing with his Father Reid at the Atlanta Dragway which is just a short drive from his home in Stockbridge, Ga.
"Our family has been racing here in Commerce for as long as I can remember," said Whisnant. "My earliest memories are of being at this racetrack. My family has a long history here, so it is always fun to race here.
"There would be no greater thrill for me than to win this race, and I think this year we have a pretty good chance of making that happen.
"Right now, I have a great team backing me up in the pits. My crew chiefs Gary (Pearman) and Markus (Svensson) are pulling everything they can out of this RW Performance / Snap-On Tools Cavalier. At each race they fine tune, and tweak to get just a little bit more out of this Chevy, but they cannot do it all by themselves.
"Backing up Markus and Gary in the pits are my Brother Terry, Dennis LaMonte (who has been with us forever), my wife Gina, and my Dad Reid. They all work hard every day: whether we are at the shop, or at the racetrack. This is a team, and everyone has a job to do. Without all of the hard work these people do, we would not be able to race.
"Of course I would not be racing if it were not for my Father, Reid. As a kid, it was always my dream to be just like my Dad. I idolized him as a driver and a person; I wanted to be just like him. To follow in his footsteps, as the driver of our racecar, is both a thrill and an honor for me.
"A win here this weekend at our home track would be the best way I could think of to say thank you. I am going to give it everything I have, and hopefully we will end up in the winner’s circle on Sunday night."
Qualifying at the 23rd annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals in Commerce, Ga. will begin on Friday May 2 and continue on Saturday May 3. Eliminations will take place at 11:00 Am EST on Sunday May 4.
# # #
Whisnant Quick Facts
Currently 13th in 2003 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Points (188 points)
Currently 8th in 2003 King Demon Crown points (2040 points)
Finished 10th 2002 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Points
Career Best ET 6.772 (Houston 2003)
Career Best MPH 202.73 (Englishtown 2002)
23rd annual Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals
TV Schedule
Qualifying Highlights
Saturday May 3 9:30 – 11:30 PM ET ESPN2
Eliminations Coverage
Sunday May 4 4:30 PM –7:00 PM ET ESPN2
Repeat Eliminations Coverage
Monday May 5 Noon – 2:30 PM ET ESPN2
Friday May 9 2:00 – 4:00 PM ET ESPN2
NHRA2Day
Sunday April 27 11:00 AM – Noon ET ESPN2
Greg Anderson Press Release
Posted Thursday, May 1, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
VEGAS GENERAL CONSTRUCTION PONTIAC GRAND AM
GREG ANDERSON – DRIVER KEN BLACK – OWNER
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 30, 2003
CONTACT: Patti Miles 336-751-3882
704-957-3940 (Mobile) pattie.miles@worldnet.att.net
Anderson Ready to Return to Atlanta
COMMERCE, Ga. – This weekend, Greg Anderson, driver of the Vegas General Construction Pontiac Grand Am, returns to Commerce, Ga. for the running of the 23rd annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals. Anderson, of Charlotte, N.C., has logged many hours at the Atlanta Dragway and feels like it is his second home.
"I have spent a lot of time at the Atlanta Dragway," said Anderson. "It feels like I have made a million laps here. When I worked for Warren (Johnson) it seems like we were always here testing. Now that our shop is up in Charlotte, it is still very convenient to come here and test.
"I have high hopes for this weekend. Not just because I have logged so much time here, but because this track owes me one.
"Last year we should have won this race. We qualified number 1, had quick ET of every round. If our motor had not blown up in the final, we would have won this race. In 2001, I red lit in the final round. So, if there is anything to the law of averages: this should be my year. But I am not counting my chickens just yet.
"Warren and Kurt (Johnson) are going to be tough to get past. We were down here a couple weeks ago, and Warren was real quick. It could be Warren’s familiarity with the track, but I really think he has something on the rest of us at this track. If I can get past them, that will be an accomplishment all by itself. After that we will just have to see how it goes."
Qualifying at the 23rd annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals in Commerce, Ga., will begin on Friday May 2 and continue on Saturday May 3. Eliminations will take place at 11:00 Am EST on Sunday May 4.
Anderson Quick Facts
Currently #2 in 2003 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Points (456 Points)
Currently 3rd in 2003 King Demon Crown points (2860 points)
Won 2003 Checks Shucks Kragen Nationals in Phoenix, Ariz.
Won 2003 Summitracing.com Nationals in Las Vegas, Nev.
Two Semis final round appearances in 2003 (Pomona 1 & Gainesville)
Finished 3rd 2002 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Points
Career Best ET 6.727 (Houston 2003)
Career Best Mile Per Hour 205.29 mph (Houston 2003)
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