Sign my Guestbook
David Dilbeck
david@GeorgiaDragRacing.com
http://GeorgiaDragRacing.com
|
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.
June 2003
National Hot Rod Reunion Article by David Dilbeck
Posted Monday, June 30, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Inaugural Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion
By David Dilbeck
WOW! Where do I begin? The Reunion staff ( Bob Daniels, Eileen Daniels, Steve Gibbs, Ryan Ono, George Phillips, and Yvonne Wagner ) put together an amazing event! Friday morning Hubert Platt, Fred Simmons, Marvin Smith, Mr. Ed ( Miles ), and I left Atlanta and headed toward Bowling Green, KY. During the trip, it was quite an experience listening to the “Georgia Shaker” tell us about his drag racing ( and other ) adventures all over the country during the 1950’s, 1960’s, and 1970’s. Anyone that has ever talked to Hubert will know what I’m referring to!
None of us really knew what to expect at the National Hot Rod Reunion, but upon our arrival in Bowling Green around noon, we were blown away by the wild street rods and custom cars everywhere! After a quick check-in at the Holiday Inn, and a smooth and easy media credential pick-up, we were off to the track! Well, not quite, “Broadway” Bob Metzler drove up as we were in the parking lot. Bob graciously signed autographs for us while he and Hubert told some great stories! What a start!
Upon arrival at Beech Bend Raceway Park, we were even more astounded! There were hundreds of street rods and we hadn’t even been inside the gate! As we entered the track I’m sure that my mouth fell open at the sight of all the old drag cars on display. In addition to all of the great cars, I saw Arnie “Farmer” Beswick, Bruce Larson, Al “Mousie” Marcellus, Don “Big Daddy” Garlits, “Ohio” George Montgomery, Hubert “Georgia Shaker” Platt, Raymond Godman, Roger Lindamood, the Freight Train gang ….. the list goes on and on. A virtual who’s who of drag racing legends!
After a few hours of looking over some of the cars, catching up with old friends, and meeting new friends, it was time to head back to the hotel for the Media/VIP Reception. Living legends Bob Glidden and Don Garlits were at the reception and we also enjoyed the much needed refreshments that were served! I’d like to specifically thank Bill Groak and Michael Hollander of Pacific Communications Group for their assistance in obtaining our media credentials and their hospitality and assistance during the event.
Next on the agenda was the National Hot Rod Reunion Reception. Displayed in front of the Holiday Inn University Plaza Hotel was the Jade Grenade AA/FD and one of Connie Kalitta’s early Bounty Hunter dragsters. Word soon spread through the crowd that the Jade Grenade would be fired up after the ceremony! Before the ceremony started, I had the pleasure to meet several people and visit with several others that I knew. Gary Cochran, Mike Couch ( Buster’s son ), Dave McClelland, Nancy Wilson (Nancy is the organizer of the East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame & Reunion held annually in Henderson, NC. ), and Bob Wilberger were some of the people I visited with. To meet Mr. McClelland was special, indeed! What a nice guy, he even “presented” us with Wallys! I really miss seeing him (and Steve Evans) on television.
Mr. McClelland was the MC for the ceremony that honored Jack Chisenhall, Robert Frakes & Dale Funk, Angelo Giampetroni, Raymond Godman, and Ken Hirata. Don Garlits was the recipient of the Justice Brothers “Spotlight Award” and Bob Glidden was honored as the Grand Marshal of the reunion. Several funny, and sometimes emotional, stories were told by the award recipients. If you ever talk to Dale Funk, ask him about the world’s fastest turtle!
Outside, after the ceremony, you could feel the electricity in the air as a huge crowd buzzed with anticipation of the Jade Grenade being fired up in downtown Bowling Green! I had rushed out as soon as the ceremony was over, hoping to get a photo of the gorgeous green machine with fire belching from the headers, but I couldn’t even see the car due to the crowd that surrounded it. I don’t think anyone was disappointed when the cackling started and nitro fumes filled the air - It was a magical moment that I’ll never forget! After this mini cacklefest, I had the opportunity to talk to Pat Foster and praise him for his workmanship on the Jade Grenade and discuss his days as the driver of the Barry Setzer Vega funny car. I also got to speak with Steve Gibbs and, much to my surprise, Dick LaHaie. Dick had won the first fuel dragster race that I attended ( the 1970 Atlanta $10,000 held at Atlanta Speed Shop Dragway ). Tommy “T.C.”Lemons and Connie Swingle were also spotted during the nights activities.
From riding in an elevator with my ( and a lot of other people’s ) drag racing hero, Don Garlits, to eating a very late dinner at Steak N Shake ( and looking up and spotting Don and Pat Garlits & Tommy Lemons at one booth and Mr. and Mrs. Dave McClelland at another ), the first day of the National Hot Rod Reunion was quite a thrill!
Saturday morning brought an early ride to the track with hopes of the second day being as much fun as the first. With displays of cars such as Brent Hajek’s collection of Fords, it was sure to be great! Platt’s Thunderbolt and Mustang, Nicholson’s Comet, Bonner’s Mustang, Jenkins’ Vega, Gapp and Roush’s Pinto, Lindamood’s Mopars, fuel altereds, front engine dragsters, gassers of all shapes and sizes………. I could go on and on about the cars on display! Soon after arriving at the track, I went by to say hello to Bob Rosetty. Bob is a fellow fuelcoupes ( yahoo group ) member and I wanted to give him a photo I had taken of him match racing his funny car at the Classic Thunder event in Atlanta earlier this year. Bob has done an incredible job restoring the Joe Jacono Rollin’ Stoned Cuda funny and he isn’t afraid to race it! I even got to meet Joe Jacono and have a photo made with him in front of Bob’s car. Boy, this event was getting better and better! Pitted across from Bob was Bruce Larson’s USA-1 Camaro funny car. I had talked to Bruce Friday evening at Arnie Beswick’s trailer and Mr. Larson was nice enough to autograph a photo for me.
After a walk through “California” ( many of the beautiful AA/FD restorations and replicas were pitted together ), I met Randy Walls and had a nice chat with him. Randy told me that Jungle Jim and Jungle Pam didn’t have anything on him and his wife during the early days (when lovely ladies often directed the funny cars back from their burnouts)! I’ve seen photos and I have to agree.
I had made plans to meet up with FE Bob Fermier near the starting line at a specified time, but Bob and his son were tied up in traffic. I then went back over to the Winged Express pit area and met the man behind NitroGeezer.com – George Crittenden. Thanks for the NitroGeezer name tag, George! Larry Reyes and his wife were spotted and we had a short visit. I had met them last September at Sol and Anne Stewart’s Old Drag Racer’s Reunion in Panama City Beach, FL. It was good to see them again. Next, I stopped by Bob Gibson’s American Racing Equipment trailer and met Tom Clary and Maurice Wiggs. They had brought Tom’s restored Dick Harrell Camaro funny car to the reunion. Another fun time talking racing and restorations! While talking to Bob Gibson, I learned that Dan Storey had purchased the Hubert Platt Mustang funny from Georgian Donnie Reeves. Dan and his sons are the owners of Tennessee Thunder Motorsports (an amazing collection of Ford drag cars). I met Dan and later took Hubert Platt by to meet him and his sons. Photos were taken and Hubert was soon “on stage” with his tales of drag racing.
Being close by, I went by and said hello to Gary Peters and Dale Thierer ( owner and driver of the Hemi Hunter AA/FD ). Nancy Wilson, Bob Wilberger, and I later spent some time checking out the cars and talking to several people about her upcoming reunion.
I finally decided to give up on trying to see all of the cars in the pits and headed for the starting line to shoot photos. The afternoon session of fuel dragsters was a highlight, but several things stole the show (at least for me). A moment of silence was held for the late Buster Couch, Cannonball Johnson made a strong pass in his AA/FA (this was only the fourth AA/FA that I had seen race), Arnie Beswick made a super burnout and then laid down a 7.24 @ 193 in his Tameless Tiger Pontiac, and Bruce Larson made a wild 1/8 pass in his Camaro. Another highlight for me was the funny car race between Bob Rosetty and Randy Walls. After a nice burnout by Rosetty, Walls made a wild, out of shape, super smokey burnout. Randy then proceeded to make an extremely crossed up run ( in and out to the throttle at least twice! ) losing to Bob’s beautiful ‘Cuda. Fuel altereds don’t have anything on Randy and his Nova funny car! WOW, again!
While waiting for the night session, I visited with FE Bob Fermier. I also bumped into Tom Long, a neighbor of mine from Georgia, talking to Dave McClelland. Tom is the President of GMP and he had brought a display trailer showcasing his high quality diecast collectibles. From Swamp Rats to Sprint cars, GMP has some great items! Later, I ran into another Georgia friend, Tom Whitfield, cruising on his golfcart. Man, I wish that I had reserved one of those things!
Next up was the night fuel qualifying to be followed by Cacklefest. This is what everyone had been waiting for! Several fuel dragsters made passes, but again, other cars stole the show! Arnie Beswick came to the line and burned through the water, but compared to most of Arnie’s burnouts, it was a little weak. I guess he felt the same way because he backed into the water again and proceeded to lay down a burnout that rivaled the funny car burnouts of the 60’s and 70’s! Arnie then made a mid-seven second run that thrilled the crowd. The car that I (and apparently, most of the crowd) had been waiting for was coming up. Al Marcellus’s famed Winged Express AA/FA driven by Mike Boyd was next in line! I had wanted to see this car make a pass since the 1960’s and I could hardly wait! A strong burnout and then it was time. The header flames lit up the night and Mike drove the infamous altered into the darkness, running a straight as a string low 7 at 200 mph! As Bob Frey would say, the crowd went wild! Mousie, thanks for bringing the car and making a long-time dream come true!
The last thing on the schedule was Cacklefest. This is something you have to see and hear –words don’t do this event justice! Seeing all of the cars being pushed down the track, hearing all of the noise, seeing the header flames in the darkness….. WOW! Larry Dixon, Sr. drove the Howard Cams Rattler and the smile on his face had to hurt! He was still grinning as Larry Dixon, Jr ( and his son ) greeted him after he got out of the digger. Another magical moment! The crowd’s response to Cacklefest was overwhelming - what a night!
The Georgia gang had to leave Sunday morning without going to the track, but thanks to FE Bob Fermier ( and Bill Groak ), GeorgiaDragRacing.com had a photographer at the track Sunday. Thanks, Bob!
Driving back to Atlanta, we could hardly believe what a great time we had at the Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion presented by DuPont Automotive Finishes. Thanks to Holley ( and congratulations on their 100th anniversary ), NHRA, DuPont, Beech Bend Raceway Park, the city of Bowling Green, and all of the other people and companies involved. I didn’t know where to begin this article and I don’t really know how to end it. The only way that I can think of is the same way I started – WOW!
National Hot Rod Reunion Photos
National Hot Rod Reunion Article by Marvin T. Smith
Kalitta, Worsham, Krisher, and Scali Win the NHRA POWERade Sears Craftsman Nationals
Posted Monday, June 30, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Not a good event for Georgia teams - Fred Collis goes down in round one of Pro Stock Bike. Kurt Johnson makes it to the second round of Pro Stock, while WJ and Terry Adams lose in round one. Whit Bazemore loses in the first round of Funny Car for the first time in 2003.
NHRA Recap
Warren Johnson loses a heartbreaker in Madison
Posted Monday, June 30, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
After capturing the No. 1 qualifying position with a track record 6.808-second elapsed time, Warren Johnson and the GM Performance Parts Racing team entered Sunday's final eliminations of the Sears Craftsman nationals as one of the leading candidates to end the day in the winner's circle.
Even so, Johnson knew the path to his 91st career victory would not be an easy one, as the entire Pro Stock field was separated by just over five hundredths of a second. In addition, Sunday's warmer temperatures and earlier starting time meant the "factory hot rods" would be dealing with conditions unlike any they had faced all weekend.
Throughout the 2003 POWERade season, Johnson has been among the best in the category in leaving the starting line. However, in the first round, No. 16 qualifier Greg Stanfield was able to gain the advantage at the line, and even though WJ recorded the quickest pass of the first round at 6.845 with a top speed of 202.06 mph, it was not enough to prevent Stanfield from scoring the upset by a mere seven thousandths of a second.
"We were definitely ready for the first round, and our GM Performance Parts Grand Am made a nice run. Unfortunately, you had the combination of my worst reaction time of the weekend, and someone having the best reaction time of the first round, which was a recipe for disaster.
"It's not all bad. The car is coming around, and we found some things on the dyno last week. It's piecing itself together pretty nicely, and we're in a good position entering the second half of the season.
"It's just one of those things. If I had an idea of what would happen in that round, I would have come up with a preventative measure. It wasn't intentional, but it certainly was self-inflicted."
Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
Kurt Johnson advances to the Madison quarter-finals
Posted Monday, June 30, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Kurt Johnson faced several obstacles entering Sunday's final eliminations of the Sears Craftsman Nationals in Madison, IL. After qualifying 13th, he would be facing a very tough opponent in Mike Edwards in the first round without the benefit of lane choice. In addition, the higher temperatures encountered in the first round meant the teams would be racing under conditions they had not faced all weekend. Finally, in his six previous starts from the 13th position, KJ had not been able to advance to the second round.
But just as they have done all season, the ACDelco crew responded. KJ and Edwards left the line at precisely the same time, with Johnson posting the third-quickest pass of the round at 6.877 seconds with a top speed of 200.89 mph to upset the No. 4 qualifier.
This set the stage for a second round encounter with Allen Johnson. However, the match-up was over shortly after it began, as almost immediately after launching, Kurt found himself fighting to maintain control of his race car and slowed to a 7.526-second elapsed time, allowing his opponent to gain the round win.
"We were pretty pleased that our ACDelco Cavalier ran that 6.87 in the first round. We had changed motors after qualifying, so we were happy to make a nice, straight pass in the bad lane. That was an important round win, because if you lose in the first round, you stand to lose a lot of points.
"We hoped to pick up a couple hundredths in the second round by moving into the left lane. We made a few changes because the track temperature went down ten degrees. Unfortunately, it didn't like it, spinning and shaking. The tires might have been at fault, but it still shouldn't have behaved that way.
"Greg (Anderson) had the opportunity to pick up points on us, but, in NASCAR terms, we both hit the wall at the same time. We're at the halfway point of the season, and we're only 70 points out of the lead, so we're doing fine.
"We'll be testing in Denver this week, making sure all our guns are loaded for that race, and get ready to power through the second half."
Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
FOR FIRST TIME ALL SEASON, BAZEMORE DOES NOT ADVANCE TO SECOND ROUND
Posted Monday, June 30, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
MADISON, Ill. (June 29, 2003) - For the first time all season, No. 5
qualifier Whit Bazemore did not advance his Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge
Stratus R/T to the second round, losing today to Ron Capps with a
tire-smoking 5.220/271.30 to Capps' 5.078/297.35. Despite the 4:30 p.m.
start of final eliminations, today's first two rounds were held under the
heat of an afternoon sun, with the track temperature hovering around the
136-degree mark.
"It's frustrating and surprising because we made four really good runs in
qualifying, two of them in the heat of the day," said the two-time U.S.
Nationals champion who remains second in the POWERade Drag Racing Series
despite this defeat with 963 points. "The car never showed signs of smoking
the tires early at all the entire weekend. We had a tune-up to go down the
track today and we knew it was a little hotter, obviously, and the team
tuned accordingly. It just wasn't meant to be today."
Crew chief Lee Beard opted to make a lane change to the left side just
before the pair lined up for the start. "We ran well in both lanes in
qualifying," said Bazemore. "We liked the left lane more than the right.
People smoked the tires in both lanes. I think the lanes today were pretty
even, actually, so I don't think it was really an issue."
Bazemore lost some more ground to Tony Pedregon in the Funny Car
championship, but it's not something he dwells on, he says. "Our goal is to
be consistent and to do the best we can every race. We don't get caught up
in any championship hoopla. We don't wake up thinking about a championship.
We wake up thinking about being the best we can be and trying to win rounds
and win races. That's how you win championships, by digging deep and doing
your best every day.
"It's not the best result today for our Matco Tools Dodge team, obviously.
We'll test between now and the West Coast swing probably quite a bit. We'll
go there and hopefully be stronger and better and ready to get back to where
we were."
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
Contact: Judy Stropus
Atlanta Dragway Results by Tim Glover
Posted Sunday, June 29, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
RACE DATE: June 28, 2003
FROM: Tim Glover
EVENT: 17th ANNUAL NIGHT OF FIRE, presented by INGLES Supermarkets &
POWERade at Atlanta Dragway
NIGHT OF FIRE
(Commerce, GA - June 28) Fans definitely got their money's worth at the
Ingles / Powerade Night of Fire, held at Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, GA.
Two jet dragsters (Paul Miller - US One) and (Danny Sullivan - Chicago
Rush), a '34 Ford wheelstander (Danny O' Day - Brookfield, MA), a team of
three freestyle motorcycle riders and a field of Dixie Pro Stockers (Pro
Modified cars), along with six classes of bracket racers kept the fans in
the seats entertained. On the manufacturer's midway, a moonwalk and a face
painting booth kept the younger fans entertained, while the Coca Cola Ticket
Tank kept the rest of the fans entertained, giving away tickets to places
like the Thunder Road museum, Stone Mountain, Braves games and more. The
evening for the spectators was topped off with the largest fireworks show in
North Georgia. The entire exhibition crew wowed the crowd with three
different exhibition sessions.
Gainesville racers took two of the top four spots in Super Pro, but when
the smoke cleared, "Smokey Joe" Smith from Lawrenceville, GA got the nod
over first time finalist Billy Thigpen from Flowery Branch, GA. Smith had
experienced a .519 react in the semifinal round against Brad Howard, so he
took some numbers out of his delay box in his '03 Miller dragster, and said
he knew he was either going to be real good at the starting line or have a
red light. As it turned out, he had a near perfect .501 react, which he
parlayed into the win with a 5.25, 132.18mph (5.24 dial). Thigpen was
tickled to be in his first ever final round, and did a decent job in his '97
Undercover dragster, running 5.11, 133.29mph (5.14 dial). Covington, GA
racer Mike Holman had the last remaining door car in competition by the
semifinals, a beautifully done '70 Buick GSX. He, along with Brad Howard
('02 Miller dragster - Gainesville, GA), was a semifinal finisher. Smith
thanked his wife Sue, Momma Ruth and crew chief Cecil Shiflett for all their
help with the win. He then said that in spite of having the wrong torque
converter and a borrowed engine he had the luck to finish first.
Stephen Daniel had just put in a new engine and transmission in his
Covington, GA based '93 S10 truck, and was working through various bugs en
route to his Sportsman win. The transmission had pretty much given up by
the final, but there was enough left for the win. Daniel's worries were
over the instant Joey Rutledge from Alpharetta, GA (younger brother of multi
time Sportsman champ Jacob Rutledge) left the starting line in his '90
Mustang too early, resulting in a red light. Although Daniel also
experienced a red light, the NHRA rules that the first red light loses in
that situation. Daniel chose to run his truck flat out, and went 11.51,
115.73mph on his 11.49 target. Rutledge's machine carded an equally good
14.80, 91.32mph (14.78 dial). Bert Chapman kept his points lead courtesy of
his semifinal finish in his Gainesville, GA based '71 Nova.
Special Night of Fire trophies were given to Trophy Street and Jr. Dragster
racers. Mel Abney from Cumming, GA experienced his second Trophy Street
win, making it two wins in a row for him, in an all '67 Camaro final.
Abney, a second year racer, said his wife Zena didn't believe he would win
two in a row, and then he added, "Heck, I didn't believe I would win two in
a row. I was just happy to get there." However, he did, defeating
Dawsonville, GA racer Kim Callahan by running closer to his dial in time.
Abney went 13.20, 94.74mph on his 13.08 target, while Callahan was farther
off with a 13.53, 100.58mph (13.36 dial). Both racers reacted within .002
seconds of each other, and said they just ran their cars flat out at the
end, and then looked up to see who won. Kenneth Mason ('94 Firebird -
Canon, GA) was the lone semifinalist.
Scott Saemisch stated before the Motorcycle final he was good for the win,
but "Jay Bird" Rhyne from Athens, GA apparently didn't hear him, and went on
to win his second Night of Fire event in a row. Rhyne won the race on both
ends of the track with a better react and a closer to the dial 12.57,
96.81mph (12.50 dial) on his "old reliable" '81 Kawasaki, which he has been
racing for over six years. Saemisch's Lawrenceville, GA based '91 Kawasaki
was a little farther off pace with an 8.64, 145.03mph shot (8.53 dial).
Rhyne said he was definitely taking his wife Rhonda out the next day with
his winnings. Jimmy "Chacha" Heisler (Kawasaki - Woodstock, GA) was the
semifinal finisher.
Three of the four top finishers in 8-12 year old Jr. Dragster were girls.
Eleven year old Ciara Timblin from North Augusta, SC earned the win via her
better reaction time in a double breakout final against PTI Transport racer
Lauren Turner (12 years old - Jefferson, GA). Both racers broke out by .008
seconds, Timblin with a 10.422, 60.14mph (10.43 dial) and Turner with a
9.272, 69.83mph (9.28 target). Valerie Clements (10 - Central, SC) and
Scott Digby (11 - Walhalla, SC) were the semifinal pair.
Thirteen year old Kyle Denton from McDonough, GA won his fifth Jr. Dragster
race, and his first since moving up to 13-17 Jr. Dragster, thanks to help
from his family and friends. Denton's dad and both grandpas, as well as his
cousin Jacob were there to help and cheer him on. Denton was supposed to
leave for vacation Saturday morning, and actually got in a little bit of
trouble with his mom for deciding to go racing and delaying the vacation for
one day. The move paid off with a special Night of Fire trophy and another
win. Denton met 17 year old Ashley Dumas from Commerce, GA, and took the
win with a .02 over 8.07, 76.76mph shot. Dumas' machine went .03 over with
her 8.21, 78.17mph. Another PTI Transport racer, newcomer Whitney Samples
(14 - Jefferson, GA) finished in the semifinals.
Keith Baker, who hails from Dothan, AL, was ready for action in the Pro
Modified final, but got the automatic win when opponent James Hancock's '57
Chevy broke. Knowing he had already won, Baker still chose to please the
crowd in his '98 Corvette with an all out 4.22, 172.65mph on the eighth mile
course. Charlier Peppers (Auburn, GA - '02 Mustang) and Ron Smith ('68
Camaro - Loganville, GA) finished in the semis.
------------------------------------------------
PRO / SUPER PRO CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: "Smokey Joe" Smith '03 Miller dragster Lawrenceville,
GA 5.25 132.18 (5.24)
R/U: Billy Thigpen '97 Undercover dragster Flowery Branch,
GA 5.11 133.29 (5.14)
Semi: Mike Holman '70 GSX Covington, GA
Semi: "Bad Brad" Howard '02 Miller dragster Gainesville, Ga
------------------------------------------------
SPORTSMAN CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Stephen Daniel '83 S10 Covington, GA 11.51 115.73 (11.49)
R/U: Joey Rutledge '90 Mustang Alpharetta, GA (foul) 14.80 91.32 (14.78)
Semi: Bert Chapman '71 Nova Gainesville, GA
Semi:
------------------------------------------------
TROPHY STREET CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Mel Abney '67 Camaro Cumming, GA 13.20 94.74 (13.08)
R/U: Kim Callahan '67 Camaro Dawsonville, GA 13.53 100.58 (13.36)
Semi: Kenneth Mason '94 Firebird Canon, GA
Semi:
------------------------------------------------
MOTORCYCLE BIKE HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: "Jay Bird" Rhyne '81 Kawasaki Athens, GA 12.57 96.81 (12.50)
R/U: Scott Saemisch '91 Kawasaki Lawrenceville, GA 8.64 145.03 (8.53)
Semi: Jimmy "Chacha" Heisler '00 Ninja Woodstock, GA
Semi:
------------------------------------------------
JR. DRAGSTER 8-12 AGE HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Ciara Timblin 11 North Augusta, SC 10.42 60.14 (10.43)
R/U: Lauren Turner 12 Jefferson, GA 9.27 69.83 (9.28)
Semi: Valerie Clements 10 Central, SC
Semi: Scott Digby 11 Walhalla, SC
------------------------------------------------
JR. DRAGSTER 13-17 AGE HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Kyle Denton 13 McDonough, GA 8.07 76.76 (8.05)
R/U: Ashley Dumas 17 Commerce, GA 8.21 78.17 (8.18)
Semi: Whitney Samples 14 Jefferson, GA
Semi:
------------------------------------------------
PRO MODIFIED CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH
Win: Keith Baker '98 Corvette Dothan, AL 4.22 172.65
R/U: James Hancock '57 Chevy Opelika, AL broke
Semi: Charlie Peppers '02 Mustang Auburn, GA
Semi: Ron Smith '68 Camaro Loganville, GA
Warren Johnson Captures the No. 1 Qualifying Position in Madison
Posted Sunday, June 29, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
On the strength of a track record 6.808-second, 202.12 mph run on Friday evening, Warren Johnson and the GM Performance Parts Racing team captured the No. 1 qualifying position at the Sears Craftsman Nationals in Madison, IL.
This is Johnson's third No. 1 qualifying position of the 2003 season, third at Gateway International Raceway, and 130th of his storied career, the most of any professional competitor in NHRA history.
Although the weather conditions on Saturday precluded any serious challenges at the No. 1 position, Johnson validated his status atop another tough Pro Stock field by posting the second quickest elapsed time of the third session at 6.846 seconds.
"Our GM Performance Parts Grand Am was pretty consistent throughout qualifying. We were the third quickest in the first session, number one after two, and ran the second-quickest pass this afternoon. After we saw that Greg (Anderson) didn't beat our time on that last run, we turned the wick up, and it burned us. But, overall, we're in pretty good shape.
"We're working on several programs right now with the goal of incrementally improving the performance of both Kurt's (Warren's son, who qualified 13th) and my cars, which ultimately will put us in a very good position.
"The key to winning tomorrow will be consistency. The track should not be a problem, unless there are quite a few oil downs, or if it gets extremely late, it could be a problem, because the surface will be damp. But if it's a normal show, we should be fine. It will come down to whichever team is able to make the best decisions and runs, and we're working to ensure it's us."
Johnson also took time to comment on this race's unique format, where the professional classes compete exclusively in the late afternoon and evening.
"The important aspect of night racing is that the fans enjoy it. If they like it, it's fine with us. As long as you qualify at night, racing at night is fine. The bottom line is that the spectators come first and the sponsors second."
Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
Down to his last run, Kurt Johnson qualifies 13th in Madison
Posted Sunday, June 29, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
After battling to tame a very tricky racing surface on Friday, Kurt Johnson and the ACDelco Racing team entered the final day of qualifying for the Sears Craftsman Nationals faced with the unenviable assignment of having to bump himself into the field for Sunday's final eliminations.
Although the early performance numbers showed that he seemed poised to accomplish this task on his first attempt on Saturday afternoon, his car suddenly jumped out of third gear, costing valuable hundredths of a second and leaving the team with one final attempt to qualify. Even so, the team remained confident of racing at Gateway International Raceway on Sunday.
As they have all season, Johnson and crew responded to the challenge. Running in the left lane, the ACDelco Cavalier powered through the quarter-mile in 6.854 seconds with a top speed of 202.24 mph to earn the 13th position for final eliminations.
"We weren't worried heading into the last session, just concerned. We just didn't make a good run until the last one, and it almost bit us. Fortunately, the ACDelco Cavalier made almost a perfect run, running straight and true, with everything working right.
"We were using a little different motor program this weekend, and I think we'll go back to our basic set-up tomorrow, because it should have run quicker than it did. We think there's a couple hundredths left in it, so we'll fine-tune it tomorrow. We may not have lane choice for the first round, but that hasn't bothered us in the past. We're in, and that's what matters on Saturday night."
Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
BAZEMORE TAKES NO. 5 QUALIFYING SPOT IN GATEWAY
Posted Sunday, June 29, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
MADISON, Ill. (June 28, 2003) - Whit Bazemore and his Matco Tools Iron Eagle
Dodge Stratus R/T crew had one of those moments between qualifying sessions
that often proves the mettle of the man, or men in this case. While
rebuilding the engine after the third round of qualifying today, in which
Bazemore ran a 4.999/300.73 lap, the second quickest elapsed time next to
this teammate Gary Scelzi's, the team found a problem. Quick work by Lee
Beard and his band of technicians made the repairs in time to warm-up the
car and get it up on the starting line for final round of qualifying. It
wasn't the quickest run of the round (it was the third), but it was his
quickest of the weekend, earning him No. 5 qualifying spot: 4.901/314.31.
"It was a great test for the team," Bazemore said, "not that we're not
tested every week. We had a few things, one thing in the pit area before the
run that went wrong and the guys did an excellent job. I can't say enough
about the team and the leadership and our soldiers and how they performed.
And then to go out and run a .90 flat, which was third low of the session,
was incredible. They were under the gun but they did a perfect job. That was
the easiest pass we made all weekend. It was so easy to drive. It was
perfect."
Bazemore faces Ron Capps in the first round of final eliminations on Sunday,
which begin at 4:30 p.m. "We've gone down the track repeatedly every run so
far and so tomorrow the first round is going to be awfully hard. We're
probably going to see the worst track conditions that we've seen all
weekend. But we feel very confident that we will be in good shape."
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
Contact:JUDY STROPUS
Mopar Motorsports Sears Craftsman NHRA Nationals Final Qualifying Notes & Quotes
Posted Sunday, June 29, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Four Mopars Crack Into Pro Stock Field
Bazemore & Scelzi Qualify in the Top Half
MADISON, Ill. (June 28, 2003) -- Allen Johnson leads a group of four Mopar-powered Pro Stock cars headed to tomorrow night’s elimination rounds of the Sears Craftsman NHRA Nationals at Gateway International Raceway, just outside St. Louis.
Johnson, who pilots the Mopar Parts Dodge Stratus, grabbed the fifth-qualifying position with a 6.829-second elapsed time at 201.16 mph. The Greeneville, Tenn., resident has a first round match with Mopar factory teammate Larry Morgan.
“We had the good lane on that last run and a really good tune up,” Johnson said. “We had the best 60-foot time (.998) of the day. We were going for the pole and it shook the tires a little. Every car was going left in the left lane, so we tried to adjust a little bit for that, but it wasn’t enough. I got out of the groove and started rattling the tires. So I went ahead and shut it off.”
Speaking of Larry Morgan, the Newark, Ohio, resident stepped up his performance this weekend and nabbed the 12th-qualifed position. Morgan, who won the 2002 NHRA national event at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., clocked a 6.853-second elapsed time at 201.13 mph.
“It’s been a real good weekend so far,” Morgan said. “I’m so proud of all the guys who have been working on this thing at the shop. It’s just been a big boost for our program. It’s going to help all of our programs as well. We’ve struggled for so long, now we finally feel that we’ve moved forward. We’re going to continue this pace and the next two to three races -- we ought to be real good. I’m happy for Mopar because we have so many cars in the program as well. We want this thing to be good for everyone – and that’s the direction we’re headed.”
Three-time POWERade Pro Stock World Champion Darrell Alderman squeaked into the 15th slot. The 53-year-old veteran was on the outside looking in heading into the last session tonight, but powered his Hemi-powered Dodge Stratus to a 6.855-second elapsed time at 201.13 mph. This weekend marked the debut of Alderman’s Dodge Stratus.
“We really didn’t make a good run on that last one,” said Alderman, who faces Greg Anderson in round one tomorrow. “We had a couple hundredths left in that last run. We knew after we ran this afternoon (6.89), the we were in good shape. The air was almost 3,000 feet then, so we figured that we could get in by just making a halfway run. We’ll try to save it all for tomorrow.”
Greg Stanfield anchors tomorrow night’s Pro Stock field. The Bossier City, La., resident ran to a 6.859-second lap at 201.37 mph -- taking the 16th qualified position and setting up a round one match with Warren Johnson.
Gene Wilson improved his qualifying runs today, but it wasn’t enough to break into the Pro Stock field. The 2002 NHRA Rookie of the Year ran a 6.873-second elapsed time at 201.07 mph.
“Conditions were pretty good and the track was pretty good tonight,” Wilson said. “We just had a bunch of little gremlins rear their ugly heads this weekend. Twice, we had problems with our engine. It’s been little things, but it keeps us out. We’ll make adjustments as necessary.”
Bazemore Lands Fifth; Scelzi Takes Seventh
Whit Bazemore piloted his Matco Tools Dodge Stratus Funny Car entry to the fifth position. His Schumacher Racing machine traveled the suburban St. Louis quarter mile in 4.901 seconds and 314.31 mph; setting up a round one eliminator with Ron Capps.
“This track is the ultimate test for all aspects of this team,” Bazemore said. “This track is difficult and challenging to run down due to a lack of traction. It’s a great place to test the downforce and the aerodynamics of the Dodge Stratus body. The advantage that we have with the Dodge, which we haven’t really enjoyed so much in the past, is the amount of adjustability we have in the aerodynamics. We run our full downforce set up during the day session and we’ve gone down the track on all four runs. Due in large part to the downforce we have with the Dodge Stratus.
“The hard part of this track to navigate is the second half,” Bazemore continued. “Anywhere from over 150 mph the aerodynamics play a major role. If you have a lack of downforce at the top end, you really need to cut back on your power and slow your car down. We’ve been very competitive so far this weekend. A large part of that is the Dodge body, our clutch program and the decisions everyone makes. Without a good aerodynamics package to start with, we would be way behind.”
Gary Scelzi and his Oakley backed Dodge Stratus Funny Car took home the seventh qualified slot with a 4.913-second elapsed time at 316.01 mph. The California resident has a first round match with John Force.
Scelzi also recorded the quickest time during the third session of qualifying.
“I have new life again,” said Scelzi, who won this event in the Top Fuel category back in 2000. “We’re trying something new and its starting to throw us a bone. It’s the first time the Oakley Dodge has been low qualifier for a round. We’ve been close before, but not the quickest in the heat of the day. That says something. The first two round tomorrow are going to be just like that. We got after it a little bit tonight and we got greedy. We made three out of four good runs -- and that’s good. We have Force and that other brand of car in the first round – and we’ll see if we can go and put a whooping on them.
“The full downforce on this car is a big part of our success,” Scelzi added. “But, it doesn’t make you walk on water. So, we can’t get as greedy as we did tonight, but we need to know that because come semifinals, we know where we can’t go. You press as hard as you can, but you know we’re not going to go where we were tonight. We’ll do what we can do. It will run mid 4.90s in the heat of the day tomorrow. We know we have something -- so I like where I’m at right now.”
David Harris, Cox Marketing Group
Public Relations Manager
Mopar Motorsports
Whisnant Misses the Show in St. Louis
Posted Sunday, June 29, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
MADISON, Ill. – Mark Whisnant, driver of the RW Performance / Snap-On Tools Chevrolet Cavalier has failed to qualify for the 7th annual Sears Craftsman Nationals in St. Louis, Mo. Whisnant’s best run of the event was in the last session of qualifying where he ran a 6.871 / 200.74 mph, which left him in the 21st position and outside looking in.
“We are trying some new things here this weekend,” said Whisnant. “and it looks like we need some more track time to get it right. If we could have tested before we came here the outcome may have been different, but we did not have that luxury.
“We picked it up in the last session. It was the first time we were able to get the car down the track all weekend. We were in the show for a little while, but it was too little, too late.
“We are encouraged by what we did in the last session, but we still need to test before we head to Denver. Hopefully with some track time the outcome in Denver will be different than it was here in St. Louis.”
RW PERFORMANCE PRO STOCK CHEVY CAVALIER
MARK WHISNANT – DRIVER
REID WHISNANT – OWNER
CONTACT: Patti Miles-Hamlin
Bernstein, Densham, Johnson and Gann Top Qualifiers at Craftsman Nationals
Posted Sunday, June 29, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Whit Bazemore qualifies #5 in funny car with a 4.901 314.31.
Georgia Pro Stock racers Warren Johnson ( #1 -6.808 @ 202.12 -track ET record ), Kurt Johnson (#13 - 6.854 @ 202.24 ), and Terry Adams (#14 -6.854 @ 201.61 - Barry Grant team driver ) make the top 16. Barry Grant (#18 - 6.864 200.32), Mark Whisnant( #21 - 6.871 200.74 ), and Gene Wilson( #22 -6.873 201.07 ) aren't able to make the show.
Fred Collis runs a 7.161 @ 185.66 to qualify #5 in Pro Stock Bike.
Saturday Recap
Another Georgia Drag Racer is Gone Much Too Soon
Posted Saturday, June 28, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
I just found out that former Georgia drag racer Scottie Scott passed away earlier this month in Florida. Scottie drove some of the wildest cars around! I had the pleasure of talking to Mr. Scott a couple of months ago on the phone. He will be missed. R.I.P. Scottie
BAZEMORE COLLECTS NO. 4 SPOT IN FRIDAY QUALIFYING
Posted Saturday, June 28, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
MADISON, Ill. (June 27, 2003) - Whit Bazemore found himself No. 1 in the
first round of qualifying today in his Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge Stratus
R/T, with a 5.079/288.39 pass in the heat of the day. He ended the day in
No. 4 spot, however, with a conservative yet stout 4.909-second elapsed time
at 314.31 mph.
"The conditions between the two sessions were so different that, as far as
qualifying goes, the first run this afternoon is largely irrelevant. So
tonight, as far as qualifying is concerned, we consider to be our first run.
It was very important to go down the track tonight and be competitive. So we
did that with a .90, which was conservative, which put us No. 4.
"The thing about the first run today and the first run tomorrow happening at
6 p.m., the track is still awfully hot. So those are the conditions that
we're going to face in the first and second rounds of the race on Sunday.
Those two runs are important for that.
"Tomorrow night will be exciting for the fans and for our Matco Tools Dodge
team. I think we're capable of running definitely a low .80 here, so if
everything goes to plan, that's what we should run and we should easily be
in the top two or three."
Judy Stropus
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
WJ Leads the Field Halfway through Qualifying in Madison
Posted Saturday, June 28, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Mother Nature smiled on the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series during the first day of qualifying for the Sears Craftsman Nationals in Madison IL, as for the first time in many races, the entire day's activities were held without interruption under clear skies.
Warren Johnson and the GM Performance Parts Grand Am Racing team took full advantage of the good weather at Gateway International Raceway. After opening with a third-best 6.844-second attempt in the late afternoon session, WJ came back in the evening time trial with a track record 6.808-second, 202.12 mph run to claim the No. 1 position entering Saturday's final two attempts.
"That was a very good run, but certainly not perfect. Hitting the set-up is always a guesstimate at best, due to the variances in the track conditions from afternoon to night. For example, the track was about 25 to 30 degrees cooler tonight than it was in the afternoon.
"We could have gotten greedy and tried to run a 6.77 or 6.78, but then it could have gone over the line, shook the tires and gone 9.77.
"You have to have a controlled amount of wheel speed, and getting that balance is tough. We'd rather give up two hundredths and make a respectable run, as we did tonight, than getting to the breaking point. It's better to be conservative and get down the track than going for the throat. Of course, if it was a one shot deal for $100,000, we'd have loaded our GM Performance Parts Grand Am for bear, but under these circumstances, our primary goal is getting in the show. With that in mind, we're pleased with today's results."
Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
Mopar Motorsports Sears Craftsman NHRA Nationals Qualifying Notes & Quotes
Posted Saturday, June 28, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
MADISON, Ill. (June 27, 2003) -- Mopar NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series drivers completed the first night of qualifying for this weekend’s Sears Craftsman NHRA Nationals at Gateway International Raceway, just outside St. Louis.
Darrell Alderman, driver of the Mopar Parts Dodge Stratus
Johnson & Johnson Racing
Hometown: Morehead, Ky.
Age: 53
Current Weekend Best Qualifying Time: 6.880 seconds
Current Weekend Best Speed: 200.47 mph
Current Weekend Qualifying Position: 19th
Notes: Darrell Alderman sits on the outside looking in after the first day of qualifying. His Mopar Parts Dodge Stratus drove to a 6.880-second elapsed time at 200.47 mph.
“We shook a little bit with the new car,” said Alderman, who debuted his new Dodge Stratus tonight. “We’ll go back and look at the computer and see if we can’t get into the show tomorrow.”
Allen Johnson, driver of the Mopar Parts Dodge Stratus
Johnson & Johnson Racing
Hometown: Greeneville, Tenn.
Age: 43
Current Weekend Best Qualifying Time: 6.829 seconds
Current Weekend Best Speed: 201.16 mph
Current Weekend Qualifying Position: 5th
Notes: Allen Johnson powered his Mopar Parts Dodge Stratus to the provisional fifth position with a 6.829-second elapsed time at 201.16 mph.
“We made a killer run on that last one,” Johnson said. “We have a lot left in our 60-foot times. We could have gone a low 6.82 or a high 6.81 that time. That car is awesome -- it’s an unbelievable chassis and car. There won’t be any difference in the lanes on Sunday either.”
Larry Morgan, driver of the Mopar Parts Dodge Neon
Larry Morgan Racing
Hometown: Newark, Ohio
Age: 48
Current Weekend Best Qualifying Time: 6.853 seconds
Current Weekend Best Speed: 201.13 mph
Current Weekend Qualifying Position: 10th
NOTES: Larry Morgan showed some spark tonight in his Hemi-powered Dodge Neon. The Newark, Ohio resident grabbed the provisional 10th slot with a 6.853-second elapsed time at 201.13 mph.
“We didn’t make as good of run on our second one as our first,” Morgan said. “It sure feels good to stay in the show though. It’s sure a big improvement from where we were the last time we raced. We found and worked on a bunch of little things. All of our thrashing on this thing is starting to pay off. And with Bob Glidden here, he makes sure we don’t miss a beat.”
Gene Wilson, driver of the Mopar Parts Dodge Stratus
Larry Morgan Racing
Hometown: Adairsville, Ga.
Age: 30
Current Weekend Best Qualifying Time: 6.893 seconds
Current Weekend Best Speed: 200.29 mph
Current Weekend Qualifying Position: 24th
NOTES: Gene Wilson and the Mopar Parts Dodge Stratus missed the show after posting a 6.893-second elapsed time at 200.29 mph.
“We made a nice hit in that last one,” Wilson said. “We made a good clutch run, but our engine was a little down. We hurt something in the engine during our warm-up procedure for round one. We fixed it, but we may have something else going on now. We’re going to put in a fresh bullet tomorrow and try and get into the show.”
David Harris, Cox Marketing Group
Public Relations Manager
Mopar Motorsports
Head, Densham, Johnson, and Gann Lead Pro Qualifying at the NHRA POWERade Sears Craftsman NHRA Nationals
Posted Saturday, June 28, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Friday Recap
Press Releases on GeorgiaDragRacing.com email newsletter
Posted Thursday, June 26, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
In addition to the press releases that I post here, you can join the GeorgiaDragRacing yahoo group to receive other drivers' press releases/news ( and the ones I post in the GDR news ) direct. There is no charge. To sign up, go to Georgia Drag Racing Yahoo Group .
Alderman to Debut New Stratus at GIR This Weekend
Posted Thursday, June 26, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Gateway International Raceway -- Madison, Ill.
Preview Notes & Quotes
Alderman to Debut New Stratus at GIR This Weekend
Johnson & Johnson Racing Very Pleased With Progress
MADISON, Ill. (June 25, 2003) -- Three-time POWERade Pro Stock World Champion Darrell Alderman will debut his new Hemi-powered Dodge Stratus Pro Stock entry at this weekend’s Sears Craftsman NHRA Nationals at Gateway International Raceway.
Alderman, who has been competing with a Dodge Neon for the first part of the season, will join teammate and team owner Allen Johnson with the new car. The team completed testing at the Bristol (Tenn.) Dragway on Tuesday, and feel very confident in what they have for this weekend. Mopar factory teammate Gene Wilson also competes with a Dodge Stratus.
“We had an extremely hot and slick track at Bristol to work with and the car made it down every time,” Johnson said. “This car has a few different aero things on it than mine does, so it should even be a little better. The new Stratus is an excellent race car but, more importantly, it’s a great Sunday car. I love my Stratus and I think Darrell is going to have a lot of luck with his.”
Johnson drove his Stratus to the semifinals during the most recent NHRA national event at National Trail Raceway in Hebron, Ohio. The Greeneville, Tenn., resident qualified the car fifth and knocked out Jim Yates in the first round and defending Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin, Jr. in the quarters. It was only the third time that Johnson had competed with the Stratus at a national event.
Alderman, 53, is taking aim at a 29th NHRA national event victory. The Morehead, Ky., resident drove to the finals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, N.J., last month.
“The new Stratus will be a good car for us,” said Alderman, who currently sits 10th in the POWERade Pro Stock title chase. “The car is much more drivable than the Neon was, and will be fine aerodynamically. The Mopar engineers, especially (aero engineer) Terry DeKoninck, have put a lot of time and effort in making this car competitive. The results will be shown on the race track.”
David Harris, Cox Marketing Group
Public Relations Manager
Mopar Motorsports
Kurt Johnson is Ready to Shine in the Madison Moonlight
Posted Thursday, June 26, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Second generation driver looks to score Sunday night win in his ACDelco Cavalier
SUGAR HILL, GA., June 24, 2003 - At 22 of the 23 stops on the 2003 NHRA POWERade schedule, the weekend's timetable is virtually unchanged. Three of the four qualifying sessions are held during the day, with the fourth and final time trial held on Friday evening, offering fans the opportunity to experience the spectacle of drag racing "under the lights". Final eliminations are held on Sunday, starting just before midday, with the winners crowned by the late afternoon.
However, at this weekend's Sears Craftsman Nationals in Madison, IL, the schedule of events will be drastically different. In order to minimize the effects of racing in the heat of a Midwestern summer, all on-track activities for the professional classes will be held in the late afternoon and early evening, concluding with final eliminations on Sunday night. As ACDelco Cavalier pilot Kurt Johnson sees it, this unique arrangement will necessitate making changes to their normal weekend ritual.
"This should certainly be an interesting weekend in St. Louis," stated Johnson. "The biggest difference will be in the timing of our normal at-track routine. For example, since we don't run until late in the day, I might be able to squeeze in a visit to the gym before I go out to the track. The most important benefit, however, is that it should be more comfortable for the fans, who won't have to endure the daytime heat in the stands.
"The fun for the racers will begin in qualifying. Even though we run later in the day, we're at that time of year where it will still be light for the early sessions, so the track will still have substantial heat in it. Therefore, the Pro Stock cars will have the best chance of making the show during the two later sessions on Friday and Saturday. If the left lane is quicker, as it has been in the past, it could be a one shot deal.
"Once we get to eliminations, the first round will be the toughest, since we'll be facing conditions on Sunday afternoon that we won't have seen all weekend. By the semifinals, the track should cool enough, requiring a completely different set-up. The bottom line is that, just like every other race on the schedule, whoever makes the right calls will win the race, and it's our job to make sure our ACDelco Cavalier is the one in the winner's circle."
Located just across the Mississippi river from St. Louis, Gateway International Raceway is one of the newest tracks on the NHRA circuit. Although this year's race will be only the seventh visit to Madison by the world's fastest quarter-milers, Johnson has already inscribed his name in the record books, with a win and a No. 1 qualifying position. As such, it is an event that he is not only looking forward to, but sees as a crucial component in his pursuit of that elusive first championship.
"I've enjoyed racing at Gateway since we starting going there in 1997," opined Johnson. "It's a nice smooth, wide track that you can pour as much power to as you'd like and still get down it. Except for that glitch last year when we broke the transmission, we've also done fairly well there, so I'm looking forward to this weekend's race.
"We're getting to that time of year where you start to keep an eye on the points chase, but right now our primary focus will be on Madison. The name of the game is to qualify well, win the race and gain some ground on the leader. That is how we will approach this weekend. It doesn't matter if we're racing at the crack of dawn or in the middle of the night, this ACDelco Cavalier crew will be ready for the challenge."
Facts on Kurt Johnson and the ACDelco Racing Team entering the
Sears Craftsman Nationals:
* KJ in St. Louis: This will be Kurt's seventh appearance at Gateway International Raceway, where he won in 1998. In addition, he was the No.1 qualifier in 1999. Other than an atypical DNQ a year ago, KJ has qualified no lower than third at this event.
* Traveling in Elite Company: Kurt's 27 national event victories tie him with Cory McClenethan for 15th on the all-time NHRA professional win list, and give him sole possession of fifth in the Pro Stock Career Victories, breaking a tie with legendary Pro Stock driver Lee Shepherd. Kurt's most recent win came at the Lucas Oil NHRA Route 66 Nationals in Joliet, IL.
* POWERade Points standings: After the eleventh of 23 events, Kurt sits second in the 2003 POWERade Championship standings with 942 points, 64 behind current leader Greg Anderson, and 221 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 .642 elimination round winning percentage (326-182) 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
Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
Whisnant Ready for St. Louis
Posted Thursday, June 26, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Madison, Ill. – Mark Whisnant, driver of the RW Performance / Snap-On tools Pro Stock Chevrolet Cavalier, is looking forward to the 7th annual Sears Craftsman NHRA Nationals this weekend in St. Louis, Mo.
"I have always done pretty well in St. Louis, and think we can have a good race again this year," said Whisnant of Stockbridge, Ga.
"It is always very hot in St. Louis, and that plays right into our hand. We have a good hot weather tune up, and have never had any problem getting down the track at Gateway. So, I feel pretty confident that we will be able to qualify for this event.
"NHRA has come up with a pretty unique format for this race, and I like it. Running the whole race at night is going to make it much better for the fans. It gets so hot at some of these races, that sometimes I wonder how they do it. You really have to love drag racing a lot to take that kind of torture, but thank God they do. For the people paying to watch this race this is a much better deal. Hopefully this RW Performance / Snap-On Tolls Chevrolet is one of the cars they are watching on Sunday night."
Qualifying at the 7th annual Sears Craftsman NHRA Nationals in St. Louis, Mo. will begin on Friday June 27 and finish on Saturday June 28. Eliminations will take place on Sunday June 29 at 4:00 PM CST.
Whisnant Quick Facts
Currently 17th in 2003 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Points (280 points)
Finished 10th 2002 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Points
Career Best ET 6.772 (Houston 2003)
Career Best MPH 202.73 (Englishtown 2002)
RW PERFORMANCE PRO STOCK CHEVY CAVALIER
MARK WHISNANT – DRIVER
REID WHISNANT – OWNER
CONTACT: Patti Miles-Hamlin
Bazemore Hopes to Change His St. Louis Luck
Posted Thursday, June 26, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
MADISON, Ill. (June 24, 2003) - Whit Bazemore's favorite memory of his NHRA
Funny Car career at Gateway International Raceway is from 1998 when he beat
John Force on a holeshot advantage in the first round (.479 R/T for Baze,
.529 for Force. Bazemore's winning numbers were 5.254/280.19 to Force's
5.252/278.37).
The rest of Bazemore's results at the track whose address is Madison, Ill.,
but is in fact just over the bridge from St. Louis, Mo., is somewhat of a
blur to the driver of the Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge Stratus R/T Funny
Car. He did, however, advance to the semifinal round that year - his highest
finish at this track - where he lost to Chuck Etchells.
Another positive nugget gleaned from the Gateway International Raceway
archives is that Bazemore is one of only eight NHRA drivers (the others are
John Force, Tony Pedregon, Kenny Bernstein, Doug Herbert, Matt Hines,
Angelle Savoie and Steve Johnson) who have qualified for all six races to
date.
The Indianapolis resident is enjoying his best NHRA season of his 16-year
career in the first half of 2003, having reached the semifinal round in nine
of the 11 races so far, as well as five finals resulting in two wins, and
he's second in the POWERade Drag Racing Series Funny Car point standings. So
the two-time U.S. Nationals champion is eager to turn his Gateway luck
around at the Sears Craftsman NHRA Nationals this weekend by collecting
another win and carving away as many of those 101 points as he can from Tony
Pedregon's lead for the Funny Car championship.
"Some tracks you have better records at than at other tracks," says
Bazemore, who has qualified in the top half of the field in each race this
season. "St. Louis is one where we've just never really had stellar results.
It's one of those places where we've struggled some and that happens. It's
just kind of coincidental. In the last couple of years we've struggled in
the heat with the race car and this is one of the hottest races and hottest
tracks that we race on. I feel a lot more confident this year going in there
because I know we have tune-up more suited to the conditions that we'll
experience."
Bazemore's Matco Tools team, led by crew chief Lee Beard, is working hard to
chip away at Tony Pedregon's points lead for Bazemore to earn his first
driver's championship. The team's strongpoint has been its consistency this
year, and Beard and the crew expect their momentum to continue. "We have a
good car," Bazemore affirms. "We have the second or third quickest car right
now consistently, so that's where we are. We're very competitive, but we
have to work on our car. Lee and Dan (Olson, co-crew chief on Bazemore's and
Gary Scelzi's cars) are addressing some of our weak spots on the race track.
We need to qualify, go rounds and win races."
This Sunday's final eliminations will be held in the evening, with first
round scheduled for 4:30 p.m. "It will still be somewhat in the heat of the
day in the summertime in St. Louis, so I don't see the advantage of that,
really. It'll still be hot on Sunday," Bazemore adds.
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
Warren Johnson Aims to Hit Season Midpoint with St. Louis Win
Posted Thursday, June 26, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
GM Performance Parts crew looks for third Sears Craftsman Nationals win
SUGAR HILL, GA., June 23, 2003 - The 2003 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing season will reach its midpoint with the running of next weekend's Sears Craftsman Nationals in St. Louis, MO. As he prepared his GM Performance Parts Grand Am to compete at Gateway International Raceway, Pro Stock standout Warren Johnson took time to look back on his accomplishments during the first 11 races.
Virtually every competitor would gladly accept Johnson's record of two wins, two No. 1 qualifying performances and a third-place standing in championship race. However, after six championships and 90 national event wins, the man known as "The Professor of Pro Stock" grades his performance on a slightly steeper scale.
"Overall, I would give our team a C for the first half," stated Johnson. "Obviously, missing the show in Joliet was the low point, with the two wins in Pomona and Atlanta being the other side of the pendulum.
"We have to improve on our ability to get down the race track consistently, including qualifying. We made progress in that area in Columbus, where we qualified fourth and were among the quickest cars in eliminations. In addition, we are looking at ways to further increase our performance during the second half.
"So far we've been cautious dealing with this new GM Performance Parts Grand Am, as we don't have a complete book on exactly what its characteristics are. We haven't gone for the throat yet, but even with a somewhat conservative approach, it appears to be a pretty fast car. We're certainly going in the right direction."
This final race of the first half is unlike any other on the schedule, as all on-track action will occur in the late afternoon and evening. However, with over 27 years of Pro Stock racing experience, W.J. is prepared to take the challenges of this unique event in stride, and with two wins in six previous appearances, he is well versed on what it takes to succeed at the track located in the shadows of the famous Gateway Arch in St. Louis.
"Although it's certainly unusual for our series, having a night race shouldn't really affect our game plan," detailed Johnson. "We've had qualifying sessions on Friday nights and early Saturday mornings at previous events this season where the conditions were quite similar to what we'll encounter in St. Louis, so we have an idea what we'll be facing.
"Unless the humidity gets extremely high, racing at night should certainly help the race track, as we'll be running on a much cooler surface than what we encounter during the day. Of course, with its relatively low elevation and being located so close to the Mississippi, the dew point could get to the stage where the track could be relatively tricky later in the evening.
"The surface at Gateway International Raceway has been pretty good, although the starting line has been a little slippery in the last few years, especially in 2001. However, keep in mind that I learned to race on marginal tracks, unlike many of my competitors. That experience was invaluable, as it taught me how to get down the track under less than ideal conditions.
"The bottom line is that it really doesn't matter when you race. You always have to be ready, and I guarantee this GM Performance Parts Racing team will be on their game when they pull in the gates in Madison."
Facts on Warren Johnson and the GM Performance Parts Racing Team entering
the Sears Craftsman Nationals:
* WJ is "The Man" in Madison: This will be Warren's seventh NHRA Pro Stock national event appearance at Gateway International Raceway, where he has won twice (including the inaugural event in 1997), while compiling an 11-4 elimination round record.
* Gateway Qualifying Stats: In his six previous races in Madison, Warren has been the No. 1 qualifier twice (1998 and 2001), and has only qualified outside the top half of the field once, with an overall qualifying average of 4.5.
* One year ago: WJ qualified fifth for last year's race in Madison with an elapsed time of 6.893 seconds and a top speed of 200.44 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 eleventh of 23 events, WJ stands third in the 2003 POWERade points standings with 721 points, 285 behind current leader Greg Anderson, and trails second place Kurt Johnson by 221 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
Event schedule:
Qualifying: Friday, June 27: Two sessions at 5:15 & 8:15 p.m.
Saturday, June 28: Two sessions at 5:15 & 8:15 p.m.
Eliminations: Sunday, June 29: Pre-race ceremonies - 3:30 p.m.
First round of eliminations - 4:30 p.m.
TV Schedule:
Qualifying Highlights: Saturday, June 28: 10:00 p.m. - 12:00 midnight (ESPN2)
Early Eliminations Coverage: Sunday, June 29: 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. (ESPN)
Final Eliminations Coverage: Sunday, June 29: 9:00 - 11:00 p.m. (ESPN2)
NHRA2Day: Sunday, June 29: 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
MOORE KIDS DOUBLE UP AT ALBANY DURING CITGO BRACKET SERIES GEORGIA BRACKET NATIONALS
Posted Thursday, June 26, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
By Tim Glover
(Albany, GA - June 21 - 22) The Citgo Bracket Series made its first trip
down south to a sold-out US 19 Dragway for the Georgia Bracket Nationals.
"Some of the nation's best bracket racers helped make the event a huge
success. Track owner John Baldwin and crew supplied an excellent race track
for the event," said promoters Danny Sons and Chris Barker. They added,
"These guys know how to put cars down the track. Two races in two days were
completed in 14 hours, with three time trials and two Run For the Money
events." The Moore family had "moore" fun in Jr. Dragster action both days,
with both brothers making it to both finals. Each one took home a winner's
trophy, with Bryan Moore winning Saturday and Justin Moore winning Sunday.
Saturday's action started off with the Barker Trailer Sales Run For the
Money, where 50 percent of the cash taken in from the participants goes to
the racer in each class that runs closest to their dial-in time. "FLYING"
Bryan Jones took the cash home in Super Pro and Ken Grant won the footbrake
class portion of the purse.
Two door cars and two dragsters remained in competition when Saturday's
Super Pro semi-finals rolled around. Tony Fuller, "Hot Rod" Fuller's
younger brother from Florida, took on Scott Bishop's Nova. Both drivers
were .517 on the tree and both went dead-on with a nine for a .000 finish.
Fuller got the nod and went on to the final. The other semi-final featured
former Jr. Dragster racer Lindsey Wood out of the CSI Performance camp
facing Bobby Childs. Woods' day ended with a .495 redlight against the
always tough Childs. Childs didn't waste his free run, turning in a .511
aided dead-on 5.459. In the final, Childs was having battery problems, so
the crew kept the charger on the car all the through the staging lanes. In
spite of Child's problems, the final was still a tight race, with Fuller
putting a .014 second package together (.507 and 5.047 dead-on) to defeat
Childs' .018 second package (.513, 5.455 dead-on).
In Footbrake, a classic Mopar vs. Chevy showdown helped tempers flare a
little. After both racers decided not to split, Wesley Purvis from
Leesburg, Georgia drove his Dodge Dart to a final round win over Albany
racer Frankie Bishop's Budweiser sponsored Nova. A .535 light was all the
Dart needed to take out multi-time track champ Bishop after he missed the
tree and broke out with a 7.34, 93.63 (7.38 target) trying to catch Purvis'
.02 over 7.49. "Dyno Don" Temples from Albany and Kelly King (Stockbridge,
GA) finished in Saturday's semis.
Junior Dragster featured a family showdown when younger brother Justin Moore
was defeated by older brother Bryan Moore in the final. Justin's .563 light
was good for runner up spot after Bryan cut a .545 light and ran a little
closer to his 9.02 target with a 9.09. Justin went 9.50 on a 9.42 dial.
Second generation racer Bobby Mouat was the lone semi-finalist.
In Sunday's Barker Trailer Sales Run For The money event Ralph Cashwell was
the winner
in Super Pro and Kenny Bevins was tops in footbrake.
Sunday was declared FROG day in South Georgia. Frog Killingsworth from
Phoenix City Alabama drove his Mustang to the winner's circle, defeating
John Masio from Bradenton, Florida. Killingsworth's .508 and a 7.116 on a
7.09 target was all he needed to outlast Masio, who had a blown seal, but
was able to nurse it to the final round. Both ran .02 seconds over their
dials, so Masio's later .535 react, coupled to a 4.97, determined the
outcome. The semi-finalists were Michael Parr from Sumner, Georgia and the
red hot Tony Fuller from Oviedo, Florida.
Kenny Bevins from Albany, Georgia topped off an already great day with the
Footbrake defeat of Ronny Lee's beautiful Chevy Nova from Bradenton,
Florida. Bevins was the beneficiary of a .490 red-light in the final for
the $1000 payday, but nailed his dial in time of 7.26 with a 7.261 shot.
Lee's car was also close, turning in an 8.05, 85.41 (8.03 target). Andy
Mitchell was the semi-final finisher.
The Moore family outlasted the field again on Sunday. This time, however,
little brother Justin took the win. Both brothers left this weekend with
$150 in their pocket. In the winner's circle, Moore's mom said the kids were
taking mom and dad to the beach now! Brian Chason from Whigham, Georgia and
Colton Grove out of Leesburg, Georgia finished in the semi-final round.
- 30 -
Results:
June 21
SATURDAY SUPER PRO CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Tony Fuller dragster Oviedo, FL 5.04 134.78 (5.04)
R/U: Bobby Childs 5.45 126.41 (5.45)
Semi: Lindsey Wood dragster McAlpin, FL
Semi: Scott Bishop Nova
------------------------------------------------
SATURDAY FOOTBRAKE CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Wesley Purvis Dart Leesburg, GA 7.49 91.43 (7.47)
R/U: Franky Bishop Nova Albany, GA 7.34 92.63 (7.38)
Semi: "Dyno Don" Temples Albany, GA
Semi: Kelly King Stockbridge, GA
------------------------------------------------
SATURDAY JR. DRAGSTER CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Bryan Moore Albany, GA 9.09 68.73 (9.02)
R/U: Justin Moore Albany, GA 9.50 70.95 (9.42)
Semi: Bobby Mouat Ty Ty, GA
Semi:
June 22
SUNDAY SUPER PRO CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Frog Killingsworth Mustang Phenix City, AL 7.11 96.34 (7.09)
R/U: John Masio Bradenton, FL 4.97 138.87 (4.95)
Semi: Tony Fuller dragster Oviedo, FL
Semi: Michael Parr Sumner, GA
------------------------------------------------
SUNDAY FOOTBRAKE CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Kenny Bevins Camaro Albany, GA 7.26 96.30 (7.26)
R/U: Ronny Lee Nova Bradenton, FL 8.05 85.41 (8.03)
Semi: Andy Mitchell
Semi:
------------------------------------------------
SUNDAY JR. DRAGSTER CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Justin Moore Albany, GA 10.12 58.80 (10.90)
R/U: Bryan Moore Albany, GA 10.01 61.31 (10.90)
Semi: Brian Chason Whigham, GA
Semi: Colton Grove Leesburg, GA
National Hot Rod Reunion Photos
Posted Monday, June 23, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Here are a few pics from the National Hot Rod Reunion in Bowling Green, Kentucky. More pics soon. What a fantastic event!
Photos
JETS, FREESTYLE BIKES, FIREWORKS COMING TO ATLANTA DRAGWAY
Posted Thursday, June 19, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CALL FOR MORE INFORMATION: Craig Armstrong, 706-335-7736 or 706-654-1898
Atlanta Dragway will host the 17th annual "Night of Fire, presented by Ingles Supermarkets and POWERade" on Saturday, June 28, featuring 300-mph Jet Dragsters, high-flying freestyle motocross, the quickest Pro-Modifieds in the southeast, and the "World's Fastest Wheelstander" in three separate exhibition runs. Spectators will also be treated to the biggest aerial fireworks display in North Georgia, according to track General Manager, Craig Armstrong.
"This is a show that the whole family can enjoy," Armstrong said. "We've got something for almost everyone, from drag racing to clowns and face painting for the kids to a huge pre-Independence Day fireworks spectacular. This is one show during our racing season where the emphasis is really on fun!"
In addition to all of the exhibition vehicles, five classes of cars and motorcycles are set to compete in the NHRA Summit Racing Series bracket program, from exotic Super Pro machines down to quick street-legal cars competing in the Trophy Street class. Also on tap will be the 8-to-17 year-old stars of the NHRA Junior Drag Racing League in their half-scale dragsters.
Spectator gates will open at 1:00 PM on Saturday afternoon for Night of Fire, with NHRA racing action continuing throughout the afternoon and evening, and the first of three exhibition runs slated for 5:30 PM. The fireworks show will begin at approximately 10:15 PM, and will cap off the evening with blazing aerial pyrotechnics.
Adult tickets to Night of Fire are $20, Juniors (ages 6-12 years) $10, and kids under 6 are free. A Family Pass, which includes two Adult tickets, two Junior tickets and four POWERades, is available for $55. Spectators may save $5 on one ticket, or $10 on one Family Pass, with a POWERade purchase receipt from any Ingles supermarket.
Located just off Interstate 85 at Exit 149 in the Banks Crossing area of Commerce, Georgia, Atlanta Dragway presents weekly NHRA drag racing from late February through late November, including the Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals presented by Pontiac in early May, a nationally televised NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event. Additional information on Atlanta Dragway events is available online at www.atlantadragway.com.
Anderson Wins Pro Stock In Columbus
Posted Monday, June 16, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Greg Anderson, driver of the Vegas General Construction Pontiac Grand Am, started the 39th annual Pontiac Excitement Nationals in Columbus, Ohio from the Number 1 position on the Pro Stock eliminations ladder. It was in the final session of qualifying that Anderson recorded a 6.875 / 200.53 mph to take the Number I spot.
In Round 1 Anderson met Number 16 qualifier V. Gaines. At the hit of the throttle Anderson took the lead and kept it to easily defeat Gaines. Anderson ran a 6.922 / 199.17 mph to defeat Gaines with a 6.968 / 197. 42 mph.
Round 2 place Anderson opposite what is turning out to be his most powerful contender for the Pro Stock Championship Kurt Johnson. Johnson took the advantage at the starting line, but it was not enough to hold off Anderson. At the strip it was Anderson who ran a 6.919 / 197.42 mph to defeat Johnson with a 6.943 / 199.40 mph.
The semi-finals placed Anderson across from Allen Johnson. Anderson was on his game when he cut a near perfect light of .001 of a second. He kept the lead to the end of the quarter-mile to defeat Johnson. Anderson ran a 6.895 / 199.91 mph to defeat Johnson with a 6.907 / 199.49 mph.
In the final round, Anderson would have lane choice against Scott Geoffrion. Anderson took the advantage at the starting with another stellar light of .003 of a second. He stayed out in front all the way down the racetrack to defeat Geoffrion and take his fifth victory of the season.
"Wow, what a day," said Anderson. "This has been a day filled with highs and lows for myself and this Vegas General Construction team. First Jason’s (teammate Jason Line) crashed in the first round. Thank God, he came out of it fine. Then the frustration of fighting a very treacherous racetrack track. To be standing in the winner’s circle tonight is nothing short of a miracle.
"It is an added plus is to win here at our sponsors race. Pontiac and GM have been very good to us. To win the race and take back the points lead, I think there is no better way to thank them for their support.
"And how about my crew! These guys went the extra mile here today. They beat every curve ball that was thrown at them. Today I had my hands full on the racetrack and they had their hands full in the pits. It just goes to show you the caliber of guys I have working for me. Hands down they are the best crew out here; hands down."
VEGAS GENERAL CONSTRUCTION PONTIAC GRAND AM
GREG ANDERSON – DRIVER
KEN BLACK – OWNER
CONTACT: Patti Miles
Kurt Johnson's Columbus Run Ends in the Quarterfinals
Posted Monday, June 16, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Kurt Johnson knew he faced a tough task entering Sunday's final eliminations of the Pontiac Excitement Nationals in Columbus, Ohio. After qualifying ninth, Johnson's pursuit of a second consecutive NHRA national event win would start without lane choice against veteran driver Darrell Alderman. Further complicating Johnson's assignment were the partly sunny skies and increased temperatures at National Trail Raceway, which created a completely new set of tuning conditions from those encountered in qualifying.
As expected, Johnson and ACDelco crew rose to the challenge, combining a stellar .024 reaction time with a solid 6.908-second, 199.58 mph run to easily eclipse his opponent and extend his record of first-round success to seventeen races. Johnson's reward for this accomplishment was a second round meeting with No. 1 qualifier, and primary championship rival Greg Anderson.
Once again, Johnson flashed his starting line prowess, using a nearly perfect .011 reaction time to leave the starting line two hundredths of a second ahead of his adversary. However, K.J. soon found himself fighting to maintain control, costing valuable time. Although he was able to muster a representative 6.943-second, 199.40 mph pass, Anderson's quicker 6.919-second effort allowed him to edge Johnson by a mere two thousandths of a second.
"We made several changes before the second round, all of which were in the right direction, but it got right out of the groove and just spun the tires all the way down the race track. We just couldn't get it hooked up. It's ironic, because when we first got here, we couldn't spin the tires, and now we can't stop it from doing it.
"It just wasn't our ACDelco Cavalier's day. There are four or five ways to pick up two thousandths of a second. I did my job, getting off the starting line first, but spinning the tires got us, and he had me by four or five hundredths at the eighth mile mark.
"Even so, we're glad to get out of here with a race car. There are a couple of our competitors who weren't so lucky. The track wasn't what it should have been this weekend - it really needs to be repaved.
"Nevertheless, we'll move on. We'll go back to the shop, try to find some more power and then head to St. Louis, and get after them there. It would have been nice to win and put some points on Greg, but there's a lot of racing left in this season, and a lot of stuff that's going to happen. We'll be fine."
NHRA POWERade Championship Points
(following the 11th of 23 events)
1. Greg Anderson 1006
2. Kurt Johnson 942
3. Warren Johnson 721
4. Jeg Coughlin 663
5. Scott Geoffrion 509
Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
WJ's Day is Cut Short in Columbus
Posted Monday, June 16, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
The weather for Sunday's final eliminations of the Pontiac Excitement Nationals was completely unlike that encountered in qualifying, as for the first time in three days, partly sunny skies greeted competitors and fans at National Trail Raceway. This presented a completely new set of tuning conditions, sending teams scrambling to find the right combination.
Facing Jeg Coughlin in the first round, Warren Johnson knew he would need a nearly perfect run to advance to the second round. As expected, the GM Performance Parts crew was up to the task, as their Grand Am rocketed down the quarter-mile in 6.897 seconds, with a top speed of 198.79 mph, the second quickest pass of the round.
Unfortunately, this outstanding effort was not enough, as Coughlin was just slightly quicker, gaining the narrow victory, and putting a premature end to Johnson's weekend in Columbus.
"It was just one of those deals. It was on a middle 6.88 run until the three-second mark, when it got off to the right side and started spinning the tires in the back half. I tried to keep it parallel to the race track, and stayed with it even when it got close to the wall, but there was nothing I could do.
"Our GM Performance Parts Grand Am is a good race car. We were the quickest car in the right lane in the first round, but it just wasn't enough. We had the misfortune of facing the one car that made it down that left lane. We'll just have to take this bull by the horns, fix it, and be ready for St. Louis."
Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
Mopar Motorsports National Trail Raceway Elimination Notes & Quotes
Posted Monday, June 16, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Johnson Takes Dodge Stratus R/T to Its First Pro Stock Semifinal
Mopar Funny Cars Drive to the Second Round
HEBRON, Ohio (June 15, 2003) – Allen Johnson drove the new Mopar backed Dodge Stratus R/T Pro Stock car to its first semifinal during today’s NHRA national event at National Trail Raceway.
Johnson lost in the semifinal to Greg Anderson, who posted quick time of the round at 6.895 seconds at 199.91 mph. Johnson logged a 6.907-second elapsed time at 199.49 mph.
Johnson defeated Jim Yates in the first round, clicking off a 6.900-second elapsed time at 198.96 mph. It was the third-quickest elapsed time time of the round. The Greeneville, Tenn., resident then took out defending Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin, Jr., in round two. Johnson ran a 6.907-second lap at 198.85 mph.
“I thought if I could have gotten by the second round -- I would have had a shot at it,” Johnson said. “The Stratus was absolutely awesome all day. We ran three 6.90-second runs in a row. It was like bracket racing out there. The team did an awesome job this weekend and we’ve found our power again. If we have a break or two – we’ll win some races.”
Darrell Alderman and his Mopar Parts Dodge Neon R/T fell in the first round of competition to Kurt Johnson. The three-time POWERade Pro Stock World Champion shut off at half track, allowing Johnson to cruise to victory.
“The car just spun the tires off the track,” Alderman said. “We were better than Kurt all the way up to that point, but we got real loose and I had to shut it off. We were spinning the tires a little bit too.”
Funny Car Wrap…
Whit Bazemore and his Matco Tools Dodge Stratus R/T Funny Car were barely edged at the finish by John Force in the second round of competition. The duo ran identical elapsed times of 4.980 seconds, but Force’s .061 of second reaction time was quicker than Bazemore’s .077.
Bazemore advanced to the second round by outrunning Dean Skuza. The Indianapolis resident logged a 4.866-second elapsed time at 315.93 mph; while Skuza drove to a 4.913-second elapsed time at 295.21 mph.
“It’s pretty frustrating,” Bazemore said. “It may have been a close race, but it’s still frustrating. We have a team over hear that’s capable of winning every single race. But we just didn’t get the job done today. I did the best job I could do, and had the best light of the weekend against John. It’s just how it goes some times.
“We always prepare ourselves,” Bazemore added. “We have built the very best Dodge Stratus we could build, but you still need chips to fall your way.”
The Oakley backed Dodge Stratus R/T of Gary Scelzi smoked the tires in the second round and lost to Ron Capps. In round one, Scelzi ran a 4.830-second elapsed time at 321.42 mph to beat out Cruz Pedregon’s 5.217-second lap at 223.95 mph.
“It’s frustrating,” Scelzi said. “I had a great car in qualifying and had a great car in the first round. It became hot in the second round and we thought we pulled it back enough. It puffed the tire once, I brought it back, but then it just went up in smoke. I don’t know how to fix it and I don’t know what to say. It’s just frustrating. We’ve been getting in trouble before the Dodge body can take over. We weren’t trying to run a big speed, we were just trying to get down the race track. A five flat probably would have won the race. It’s just one of those deals.”
David Harris, Cox Marketing Group
Public Relations Manager
Mopar Motorsports
BAZEMORE ADVANCES TO SECOND ROUND, LOSES TO FORCE
Posted Monday, June 16, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
COLUMBUS, Ohio (June 15, 2003) - For the first time since going out in the second round in the opening 2003 POWERade Drag Racing Series event at Pomona Raceway in February, Whit Bazemore did not advance to the Funny Car semifinals in his Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge Stratus R/T. Before today, he had reached the semifinal round in each of the last nine events, as well as to five final rounds, winning two of them.
In the first round of the Pontiac Excitement NHRA Nationals today, he
defeated Dean Skuza with a 4.866/315.93 against Skuza's 4.913/295.21. His opponent in the second round turned out to be his old nemesis, John Force, who has recently made a turn-around in his season's performance and has become the usual Force to be reckoned with.
The difference in reaction times between the two was a blink of an eye: .077 for Bazemore, .061 for Force. It couldn't have been closer and Bazemore was making up the 16 one-thousandths of a second parity as the pair headed to the finish line, but time ran out. When the clocks flashed identical elapsed times of 4.980 seconds at the end of the quarter mile, the margin of victory for Force over Bazemore was exactly the difference in the reaction times: a mere .0168 of a second.
"There's nothing to say, really," said a disappointed Bazemore, the two-time U.S. Nationals champion, who posted a speed of 292.20 mph in that run versus Force's 286.13. "We did the best that we could do and we lost a drag race. It's very frustrating. We did our best. It just wasn't quite good enough.
"Could I have had a better light?" he asked. "Yes, because there's 700 hundredths (of a second) more to go to perfect. Those are my lights (.085 in the first round). I'm consistent and that's what it is. Those (Force) cars are very good leaving and they (get to the) 60-foot (mark) very well, and that's where we're behind and that's what we're working on to improve our performance, so we can be more competitive at that part of the race track."
In the match-up just before his and Force's, Bazemore watched points leader Tony Pedregon win against his John Force teammate Gary Densham, which put even more pressure on the driver who's No. 2 in points. "I don't care about anybody except what we're doing with our car and our lane and the job that I do. That's all that I concentrate on," Bazemore said.
"We've got a tremendous team and there's no question that we're going to have more success this year. We're gong to go to St. Louis and do what we can do. It is a long year and we have a great opportunity ahead of us. We'll have more success and hopefully win some more races this year and we'll just take it one round at a time as we always do."
Bazemore remains second in the point standings but has lost ground to Tony Pedregon for the Funny Car championship and is now 101 points behind Pedregon, who won today.
"The championship? If things are meant to be, they're meant to be," he commented. "You work hard, you prepare yourself, you prepare the car and the team, you dig deep and do the very, very best you can all the time, and then the rest has to fall into place. It's meant to be that we've already won two races this year, and we have. And the championship is something that we have a huge desire to win and we've made a commitment to win it and that's all you can do. The rest of it is you just have to work hard and do your best
and let the chips falls where they fall."
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
Contact: Judy Stropus
SCELZI GOES TO SECOND ROUND, IS OUSTED BY CAPPS
Posted Monday, June 16, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
COLUMBUS, Ohio (June 15, 2003) - Gary Scelzi had an easy win in the first round of final eliminations in his Oakley Time Bomb Dodge Stratus R/T Funny Car today against Cruz Pedregon, with a 4.830-second elapsed time and a strong 321.42 mph against Pedregon's 5.217/223.95.
In the second round of the Pontiac Excitement NHRA Nationals, the 11th of 23 events in the POWERade Drag Racing Series, he was paired with Ron Capps and was presented with an in-your-face reaction time of .025 to his own .076. Capps was there for the taking, however, as he spun the tires and hit the timing lights at a 5.024/294.75. Scelzi couldn't capitalize on it, though, as he smoked the tires at half track, pedaling to a losing 6.274/167.20 pass.
"Frustration, with a capital F," said the three-time Top Fuel champion. "Three great runs in qualifying; we went quicker every time. First round it was great, then the sun comes out and it gets hot and we're in trouble from the time we hit the gas. We got beat by a 5.02 and it's just hard to swallow because we felt we had a good tune-up for the heat. Obviously, we were just on the wrong side of it, too aggressive again. If we're going to compete and get ourselves in the top five, this can't happen.
"I know Mike (Neff, crew chief) is pulling his hair out," he continued. "We're going to have to do something different. We're going to have to change parts on this car. We're in the process of working on some of that stuff right now. We just don't have the parts available. So, we'll be OK, probably in St. Louis, because it will be at night and hopefully by then we will have some of the stuff to try and maybe we can try it on Monday in St. Louis (testing) in the heat because obviously it's going to be hot there -
that's almost a given - and see if we can make some changes.
"We need to quicken these cars up in the first 300 feet and when we try to quicken them up or try to slow them down they're either still too aggressive or not aggressive enough. There's just not a happy medium."
Scelzi hangs on to ninth place in the Funny Car point standings, with 482 points.
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
Contact: Judy Stropus
CANNON DEFEATED IN FIRST ROUND
Posted Monday, June 16, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
COLUMBUS, Ohio (June 15, 2003) - "We are making headway in our setup and performance," said Scotty Cannon, the popular Mohawk-wearing Oakley Funny Car driver, "but it's always tough when you don't qualify in the top half of the field and have to face the No. 8 qualifier in the first round."
Cannon, of Lyman, S.C., had three decent qualifying runs during the Pontiac Excitement NHRA Nationals weekend beset with rain delays, but fell just one 10-thousandths of a second short of qualifying No. 8, which relegated him to No. 9 and the less desirable left lane against one of the John Force Racing drivers, Gary Densham.
Cannon scorched Densham at the starting lights with a .055 reaction time to Densham's .067, but soon hazed the tires and lost a cylinder, slowing to a 5.164 second pass at 229.04 mph to Densham's winning 4.876/319.45.
"We just have to continue to work on the setup," said Cannon. "And that's what Phil (Shuler, crew chief) and I are doing, and we'll just keep on working on it until we get it right."
Cannon is 15th in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Funny Car point standings, with 371.
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
Contact: Judy Stropus
Fred Collis Gets His First NHRA Pro Stock Bike Win. Dixon, Pedregon, and Anderson Continue Winning Ways at the NHRA POWERade Pontiac Excitement Nationals presented by Summit Racing
Posted Monday, June 16, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Americus, GA's Fred Collis and Star Racing qualify low and win Pro Stock Bike. This was Fred's first NHRA win. Congratulations, Fred!
Larry Dixon won Top Fuel over Darrell Russell. Tony Pedregon picks up the Wally in Funny Car over his boss, John Force. Greg Anderson survives the slip-and-slide Pro Stock Eliminations to beat Scott Geoffrion in the final round. Taylor Lastor and Jason Line suffer top end crashes in the first round, but neither driver is hurt. WJ loses in round one, KJ goes down in round two, and Terry Adams makes it to the semi-finals.
NHRA Recap
SCELZI COLLECTS NO. 6 QUALIFYING POSITION IN COLUMBUS
Posted Sunday, June 15, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
COLUMBUS, Ohio (June 14, 2003) - It looked like Gary Scelzi was going to walk away with another top speed track record after the second round of qualifying today (only one was held yesterday), when he qualified in the third spot with a 320.43-mph run at 4.876 seconds in his Oakley Time Bomb Dodge Stratus R/T Funny Car. If the rain had continued, it would have been his. However, the rain subsided and a third and final round was held, in which John Force bettered Scelzi's speed with a 323.66-mph run for a track record.
Scelzi ended up No. 6 after establishing a 4.863-second pass at 320.13 mph in that final round.
"I think this is the first time we outqualified Whit (Bazemore, in seventh), my teammate. That's exciting," the three-time Top Fuel champion said.
"We had to find our limitation and obviously we only picked it up a
hundredth (of a second), which was a little bit depressing, but it made it," he added. "That was good, because it had a lot of tire speed. For it to have the tire speed and to move around like it was trying to do and me being able to keep it in the groove speaks volumes for the Dodge body and for the Oakley tune-up because it made it. Three runs in a row, right down the race track. Two runs at over 320 mph. So, tomorrow I feel pretty confident parking next to anybody out there.
"I think they're all aware that we were one of the few cars that made every single lap and that plays on the competition. Psychologically, mentally and historically we've done the right thing here the last three races; we just haven't had a break. If we get a break tomorrow we could make a mess out of this whole thing.
"We've had a good car; in Chicago it showed. Even though we had lane choice, things didn't work out well. But it came here and went down the race track the first run. We came back in the second run and Mike (Neff, crew chief) didn't get too crazy early and it went right down there smooth as silk, an .87 at 320 mph, and top speed at the time for Dodge and Oakley. I think we're starting to show our colors and if we hit our stride soon enough we'll get that win that's been eluding us and hopefully we'll get us a top five, top four in the POWERade points or somewhere in there. I don't want to look
too far ahead. This is just a few runs and we need to stay this way. But I feel pretty good about my chances. I like the car; it's going down the race track and that's where we were at the beginning and it looks like we've got it back. With a little luck tomorrow we could be talking again."
Scelzi will face Cruz Pedregon in the first round of eliminations tomorrow.
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
Contact: Judy Stropus
CANNON QUALIFIES NO. 9 IN COLUMBUS
Posted Sunday, June 15, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
COLUMBUS, Ohio (June 14, 2003) - Scotty Cannon, in the Oakley Funny Car, had three good qualifying runs for this weekend's Pontiac Excitement NHRA Nationals, the 11th round of 23 in the POWERade Drag Racing Series. He posted his best pass in the final round, taking the No. 9 position with a 4.892-second elapsed time at 315.64 mph. A fourth qualifying round was cancelled because of rain.
"It's running better; it's running more consistent," he said. "Counting the three runs in Chicago testing, that's the sixth run it's made in a row. I don't want to get my hopes up too much. We're working at it. We're doing the best we can. We were looking to run an .82 or .83 there. It was a little weak early. It's not because we went up there with it weak, but we've been doing some different stuff with the clutch. We couldn't decide whether to
put more clutch in it and a bunch of motor or just put more clutch in it. We thought we had enough motor. We hadn't got it backed down by any means; we've got plenty. We're just trying to run fast and run good all at the same time. Because it looks like -knock on wood -we kind of got five or six good runs back to back and the car's been running good, excellent. It ain't at the top of the pack, but it's right in the middle. We'll just have to peck away at it."
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
Contact: Judy Stropus
BAZEMORE LOSES BODY IN FINAL QUALIFYING ROUND, TAKES NO. 7 SPOT
Posted Sunday, June 15, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
COLUMBUS, Ohio (June 14, 2003) - Whit Bazemore had a spectacular final round of qualifying for tomorrow's Pontiac Excitement NHRA Nationals at National Trail Raceway, but it wasn't because he broke a track record or was low qualifier. Instead, his Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge Stratus R/T Funny Car body flew off before half-track after a supercharger exploded. Bazemore didn't complete that run, and had to settle for No. 7 position based on the 4.877/313.95 pass he posted in the second of only three qualifying runs held this weekend because of rain.
"We were going for No. 1, that was our goal," he said after the final round. "We thought a high .70 would get the job done and that's what we were going out there to run with the Matco Tools Dodge. I don't know what broke on the car. Obviously we had some kind of a little malfunction in the motor and it blew the supercharger off. To make a long story short, we didn't get the
pole. I think that body's trash, and we'll run another one. I don't know which one. The only way I can tell the difference between the bodies is some have clearer windshields that I like better than some that don't. Actually, that one had a windshield that wasn't so good, so goodbye to that one."
After struggling in the first round of qualifying and with intermittent rain disrupting the schedule, it was important to get in one good run today, which Bazemore did in that second session. "It was a good run," he said. "We did struggle yesterday, all of us did. Today the weather was questionable this morning and all afternoon. It was very very important to make the most out of that possibly one session today. And, as it was, we ran an .87, which was competitive and we lost a little bit of e.t. I let the car
go a little bit left at half-track, and it kind of fishtailed. It was a little loose from half track to the finish line and that cost maybe a hundredth (of a second). All in all, not bad.
Bazemore has qualified in the top half of the field at each of the 11 events so far. "It's a credit to the team. Lee (Beard, crew chief) and Dan (Oldson, co-crew chief) are doing an outstading job," he added. "Everybody is, really. The important thing for us obviously is race day. We need to continue to go rounds and our competition (Tony Pedregon) is looking awfully strong. They're No. 1 again for the sixth time this year. We're still not quite there; we're working hard. I feel like we're the underdog a little bit, but we're chasing and hopefully we can catch.
Bazemore will face Dean Skuza in the first round of eliminations tomorrow.
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
Contact: Judy Stropus
WJ Steps Up, Slots Fourth in Columbus
Posted Sunday, June 15, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
For the second day, rain wreaked havoc at the Pontiac Excitement Nationals in Columbus, Ohio, causing two lengthy delays. As a result, the third and final qualifying session was held late on Saturday afternoon, offering some of the best conditions of the weekend. Warren Johnson took advantage of the situation, covering the quarter-mile in 6.890 seconds, with a top speed of 199.70 mph, earning his GM Performance Parts Grand Am the fourth starting position for Sunday's final eliminations.
"I think we've finally gotten on top of the problem that's been plaguing both our cars early on in the run, and hopefully that last run was indicative of our making the right changes. If so, that should give our GM Performance Parts Grand Am a little more consistency.
"Tomorrow is going to give us a complete change in weather, with partly cloudy skies, some sunshine and temperatures in the high 80's, and it's got to be drier than it was today. With the amount of water in the air, it felt like driving through a swamp, which hurts the performance in these naturally aspirated cars.
"If you make the right adjustments as far as mixture, spark and gearing, you can get close on elapsed time, but the speed always suffers. We'll all be dealing from the same deck, so our job will be to figure it out better than everyone else."
Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
KJ Starts Ninth in Columbus
Posted Sunday, June 15, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Although the professional categories were able to complete both qualifying attempts on Saturday at the Pontiac Excitement Nationals, proceedings did not go as normal, as rain caused lengthy delays. Kurt Johnson continued to display the consistency he has shown throughout the 2003 NHRA, recording two 6.901-second runs. His best effort of 6.901 seconds with a top seed of 200.14 mph placed Johnson's ACDelco Cavalier in the ninth position for Sunday's final eliminations, as he looks to maintain his position atop the POWERade championship standings.
"The rain delay put a damper on everything, and made it a long day for everyone, but our ACDelco Cavalier is in the show, and that's what counts right now. We ran a 6.901 on that last run, and although we certainly would like to have run quicker and gotten in the top half, we're pretty happy with what we see on our computer. It looks like we could pick up two or three hundredths, which could be the difference in winning the race.
"We experimented on that last run, trying some components, and it was definitely light on clutch. Running under these conditions, you need the right amount of clutch in these cars, so you don't waste any horsepower.
"I'm excited about tomorrow. The forecast is calling for warmer temperatures, which could work in our favor, because we could probably leave our car alone and go really fast on a hot, greasy track. We'll be keeping our fingers crossed.
Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
Mopar Motorsports National Trail Raceway Qualifying Notes & Quotes
Posted Sunday, June 15, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
Johnson & Alderman Place Mopar in Top Half of the Pro Stock Field
Bazemore & Scelzi Also Run to the Top Half of the Funny Car Standings
HEBRON, Ohio (June 14, 2003) – It was a stellar day of qualifying for the Mopar contingent at National Trail Raceway today. Mopar Pro Stock standouts Allen Johnson and Darrell Alderman; and Funny Car runners Whit Bazemore and Gary Scelzi will all start in the top half of the field for tomorrow’s event.
Allen Johnson made a little history for the new Dodge Stratus R/T Pro Stock car today. The Mopar driver ran a solid 6.893-second elapsed time at 199.20 mph, taking home the fifth-qualified position. It’s the highest position for the Status R/T thus far in
Pro Stock competition, and sets up a first round match with Jim Yates.
“We run faster down low on our first pass of the day,” said Johnson, who ran identical elapsed times during today’s two sessions. “We made a few changes the car didn’t like because we could have run a high 6.87-second run on that last one.
“We sure have to be happy with the weekend though,” Johnson added. “This Stratus is so fast. We have been No. 1 to the 330-foot mark all weekend. This Stratus will go down a dirt road if we give it a chance. I think this car will be great tomorrow after the fuel cars get out there.”
Darrell Alderman drove his Mopar Parts Dodge Neon R/T into the eighth-qualified position. The three-time POWERade Pro Stock World Champion, who drove to the finals in last year’s event, faces off against current point leader Kurt Johnson in the first round.
“We made a nice run on that last one,” said Alderman, who made his quickest run of the weekend during the last session. “We moved around just a little bit in second gear, but I put it back in the groove and it made it down the track.
“If the track stays like it is now, lane choice won’t be that big of deal,” Alderman continued. “If the sun comes out though, this track usually has uneven lanes – and it’s usually the left one that’s the best.”
Co-team owner and engine builder Roy Johnson talked about his two cars.
“We have found (through testing) that the Stratus is just a much better car in the front half of the run,” Johnson said. “We applied what we learned on Allen’s car to Darrell’s Neon as well – and we changed motor combinations – and it seemed to work. We tested in Bristol (Tenn.) with similar conditions, prior to coming here this weekend, and the Stratus went down the track every time. It was hard to get the Neon down it.”
Larry Morgan, who lives in nearby Newark, Ohio, barely missed the show at his home track. His Mopar-backed Dodge Neon R/T clicked off a 6.938/198.32 mph combination.
“We we’re real loose down track,” Morgan said. “And it really wasn’t what we we’re looking for. You always want to do well, but especially in front of all of your hometown fans. We did find some things this weekend and we are definitely looking forward to St. Louis.”
Gene Wilson and his Mopar Parts Dodge Stratus R/T failed to crack the top 16 today. The 2002 NHRA Rookie of the Year ran a 6.936-second lap at 198.50 mph.
“We made a nice run in that last session,” Wilson noted. “It was an excellent run, matter of fact. We just came up a little short. It’s just the way it goes. We were trying some new things when we got here, and we figured out some problems that we had with the car. We just didn’t figure them out in time.
“Everybody on this team is giving a 110 percent,” Wilson added. “It’s just a matter of time now. It’s kind of tough when you suffer through not qualifying, especially when everyone is giving such an effort. We’re going to pull through it. We found some stuff in the motor and we’re going to correct those problems. We’re going to put some of this good Larry Morgan horsepower in the winner’s circle soon.”
Schumacher Racing Scorches the National Trail Quarter Mile…
Gary Scelzi wielded his Oakley-sponsored Dodge Stratus R/T Funny Car to the sixth-qualified position. The California resident, who has first round match with Cruz Pedregon tomorrow, logged a 4.863-second elapsed time at 320.13 mph. It was the second-fastest time recorded for the weekend.
“It’s made three great runs so far this weekend,” Scelzi said. “The first run we went 4.97 (seconds). We put our nose up a little on that run, but it went down the race track. We found out that we had a bad coil in that round. We came right back and went a 4.87. We then jumped on it to see what this car would do and loaded everything up. We just spun the tire harder on that last run. We know what we did tonight won’t get us into the 4.70s at this racetrack. If the sun comes out tomorrow, it really doesn’t matter. If this thing goes down the race track, it’s very exciting.”
Despite blowing his Matco Tools Dodge Stratus R/T body off the frame during the third and final session tonight, Whit Bazemore grabbed the seventh-qualified position with a 4.877-second elapsed time at 313.95 mph. Bazemore will match up with Dean Skuza in the first round tomorrow.
“We’ve struggled some this weekend,” said Bazemore, who has won two of the last three NHRA national events. “Our first run really wasn’t as competitive as we wanted it to be, but I think we’re in the same boat relative to everyone else out there. We moved up during our second run – and that was okay.”
“Tonight, we were in a position to go for the number-one qualifier,” Bazemore added. “And that’s what we we’re trying to do. We thought a high 4.70 would get the job done. I don’t know what really broke on the car, but it sure blew the supercharger off it. That body is trash now.”
David Harris, Cox Marketing Group
Public Relations Manager
Mopar Motorsports
Whisnant Misses the Field in Columbus
Posted Sunday, June 15, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Mark Whisnant, driver of the RW Performance / Snap-On Tools Pro Stock Chevrolet Cavalier, has failed to qualify at the 39th annual Pontiac Excitement Nationals in Columbus, Ohio. Due to rain late Friday and early Saturday, qualifying was shortened to three rounds. Whisnant’s best effort of the weekend was in the third and last session of qualifying. His 6.933 / 198.79 mph would be only be good enough for the 20th position and outside the field.
"I cannot believe it," said Whisnant. "We have to do something, and we have to do it quick. I am not happy with our performance. If we do not turn it around soon we will loose any hope of ending this season in the top ten in points.
"I do not know what the answer is, but in the next couple weeks we are going to do some searching and see if we can find one."
RW PERFORMANCE PRO STOCK CHEVY CAVALIER
MARK WHISNANT – DRIVER
REID WHISNANT – OWNER
CONTACT: Patti Miles
Anderson is on The Pole in Columbus
Posted Sunday, June 15, 2003 by DavidDilbeck
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Gre |
