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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 |
