NHRA CSK NATIONALS - EVENT NOTEBOOK
Sat, 2008-02-23 15:00
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SUNDAY NOTEBOOK - Dixon's memories; Beckman battles the flu and V. Gaines lights up the competition with quick reactions.
TOP FUEL
SMOKIN’ – A drought ended in the Arizona desert and not one drop of rain fell. The drought we speak of was the one that has plagued Larry Dixon for 13 years at Firebird International Raceway.
Dixon has won 42 NHRA national events after reaching the final round an incredible 78 times. In repelling Grubnic’s final round effort, he upped his career round win total to 460.
“There are places that I've been racing longer and still haven't gotten a win,” admitted Dixon. “I always enjoy coming here - especially with Charlie Allen running the track.”
The mere mention of Allen’s name is enough to carry Dixon on a journey down memory lane to his childhood when he accompanied his father, Larry Dixon, Sr., a former Top Fuel driver to the racetrack.
“I grew up at Charlie’s race track -- Orange County Raceway so anytime to come back is great,” Dixon said. “The layout of the race track is very similar so it kind of brings you back to your childhood especially if you have one of the cheeseburgers from this place. I'm not blowing smoke, it's the same recipe they had in Orange County. It brings me back to being a kid again so it's cool.”
The fond memories of his freshman season also float to the forefront of his mind. Dixon made his second career start at Firebird during his 1995 rookie season. He’s quick to contend bad luck is not to blame for the first victory coming thirteen years later.
Dixon admitted racing at Charlie Allen's facilities reminds him of attending the drags as a kid at Orange County International Raceway.
On that note, Dixon appears particularly fond of those victories with Donnie Bender as his tuner.
“He's been on our team since 1999 and he's never been on a car that's won here,” said Dixon. “You think about that and you think -- man it would be nice to be able to get to knock that one out of the way. For him to be able to do it as crew chief and beat some of the cars that he did, I dedicated the win to him. He earned it this weekend. He worked real hard and got that car running better every run.”
Dixon feels that Bender’s day has arrived as a respective tuner in the industry.
“Now it isn't about somebody giving him the chance to be a crew chief,” Dixon said. “Now he's won and he's been in championship fights as a crew chief instead of being an assistant crew chief. He's got a career now as a crew chief and he deserves it. He's worked a lot of years in this sport and worked under a lot of great people. I couldn't be happier for him.”
Dixon has won 42 NHRA national events after reaching the final round an incredible 78 times. In repelling Grubnic’s final round effort, he upped his career round win total to 460.
Dixon elevated his U.S. Smokeless Tobacco team from third in the points to just a single point behind leader Tony Schumacher, his semi-final victim.
HIDEOUS AND UGLY – Dixon took out low qualifier Brandon Bernstein with a run that he called weird.
Tony Schumacher’s victory over former U.S. Army teammate Antron Brown was even uglier, downright hideous.
“That was a pretty ugly race,” Schumacher admitted, when describing his slowing five second victory that lifted the supercharger completely from the engine. Only the blower restraints kept the unit on the engine.
Schumacher continued, “The win light came on, so I guess you’ll have the hideous and the ugly fight it out in the final round. Dixon had an ugly race.”
That’s when NHRA announcer Alan Reinhart corrected him.
“Tony, Larry had a weird race, yours was hideous,” Reinhart said.
“Okay, then I hope he has the hideous run next round,” Schumacher corrected. “When you hope to win a race, you have to get a break. That was our break.”
The triumphant run marked the first freebie oildown rebate that Schumacher had to cash in.
David Grubnic served notice that despite not having a major sponsor that he's gunning for a championship. He fell one round win short of delivering a winning trophy for team owner Connie Kalitta on his 70th birthday.
NOT A GOOD SPECTATOR – Sidelined Top Fuel pilot Brady Kalivoda snaked his way though the large Saturday crowd at Firebird Raceway. He’s optimistic that he’ll return to competition this season with Tim and Renee Coglan.
“It almost sounds like a cliché to say we're working on it and we've got irons in the fire,” Kalivoda admitted. “All that stuff that us out of work drivers say that all the time. It's true though.”
Kalivoda and the Coglans ran four races in 2007 before the loss of their crew chief curtailed their efforts. Despite being forced out of competition when crew chief Keith Adams joined Don Schumacher Racing, the Coglans kept all of their equipment.
“We’re actively seeking sponsorship,” Kalivoda added. “In fact, we have a visit in two weeks from right now. We're going down to do a Celebrity/Charity golf tournament and a Blackjack tournament at Pearl River Resort which was our sponsor in Atlanta last year. We're also going to take that time to hopefully iron out a partial package for the remainder of 2008 while we're working on 2009. All those things are still in play it's just that I don't have anything to show for it yet.”
Working all the angles – this is something Kalivoda and the Coglans are relentless in doing. They also realize their limitations.
“Tim and Renee are just the nicest people in the world,” said Kalivoda. “When Keith got hired away by Schumacher, that kind of stalled our plans to do at least 2 more races at the end of last year. Tim and Renee are smart enough to know that without somebody to tune it there was nothing out there for us, so we parked it.”
Adams is no longer a part of the DSR program. Could a return to the Coglins be imminent?
“I'm not saying he's employed by us but the reality is, is that if we get the team together, we'd be ready to roll,” said Kalivoda. “The toughest part remains -- as it always is, the toughest thing is finding the money.”
Finding the funds to race nitro cars, as Kalivoda puts it, remains more than a challenge.
“The state of today’s sponsorships just forces us to be that much more creative is all,” Kalivoda admitted. “It went from probably difficult to more difficult in this past year because of the economy or recession of the economy. The reality is that the state of the sport still represents tremendous value, we know it does. It just forces us as sponsorship seekers to get more creative in how we relate that to Corporate America on how we make this make sense to them.
“It forces us to get more out of the box and it forces us to get more creative at how we relate that to people who don't necessarily know what a value this is yet. We've just got to work a little harder, that's it.”
FUNNY CAR
The Phoenix triumph marked the fourth national event victory for Beckman in six final round appearances.
“Every round win is huge, especially when you have the flu and you’re staging next to Mike Neff,” said Beckman. “This whole crew has never worked together before this season. They stood up to the challenge and this is going to pay dividends at the end of the season.”
Today’s triumph marked the fourth national event victory for Beckman in six final round appearances. The dream continues to expand for Beckman, a cancer survivor who won a sportsman world championship and then gained the drivers seat of a Funny Car for Don Schumacher Racing.
"I went through chemotherapy," said Beckman of his illness, "so I get a flu shot now every year, but I guess the flu this year is immune to that shot. I'm living proof. We drove the motor home out here (from North Hills, Calif.) and I had to make an appearance on Wednesday. You get up in the morning and you just feel like hell. I'm thinking it will go away tomorrow and it didn't. And you look at the back of the cold medicine and it says 'do not operate heavy machinery.' I don't know if that counts as a Nitro Funny Car. I didn't want to take anything, but after the second round I finally had to take some Tylenol. It was just getting hot in that thing. I'm glad it wasn't a 95-degree day in the summer. We would have been in big trouble.”
Beckman admitted he wasn’t completely at his best during a day that clearly showcased his talents as a driver.
"Your head's kind of fuzzy all day long and we went out there and won the semis and I told (announcer) Alan Reinhart at the top end, Ooh, great, we're going to the semifinal,” admitted Beckman. “I couldn't even keep track of winning two or three rounds there. And it's a little bit surreal because of that, but more so because of what the crew was able to pull off on this deal.”
The fact Beckman and his team have advanced past the first round in two races, much less win rounds is impressive considering the huge obstacle they faced entering the season.
Even the flu couldn't slow a determined Beckman.
With the victory, he extended his winning streak against Robert Hight to two. He last beat Hight in a final round during the 2005 NHRA Las Vegas Nationals in Las Vegas, less than five races after replacing Whit Bazemore.
Beckman knew today was his day, but he’s not so naïve that he believes the team is above the adverse fate he predicts will visit the leading teams on the tour.
"I don't think there's a Funny Car driver or team owner here that would get arrogant or try to make any predictions for this year," Beckman said. "It's going to be a dog fight all year long. You've got 21 teams showing up for most of the races. Everybody who qualifies is tough. Look at us, we squeaked in the 15th spot and had a good car on race day. If you can get in, you can win. And I just think this year you're going to see a whole lot of big names on the DNQ list, and we're going to start sharing the wins amongst all the teams here.”
The victory moved Beckman into the second round in points, 27 behind Hight.
NEW FACE IN THE PLACE – Tommy Delago knew there was going to be a period of transition when he accepted the role as new crew chief for the Jack Beckman MTS Funny Car team.
Tommy Delago is quickly discovering the upside to having five other nitro-burning teammates. He joined DSR after leaving the Bob Gilbertson team last season.
Delago is quickly discovering the upside to having five other nitro-burning teammates. Assistance is not far away if he needs it.
“Definitely don't know enough about running these cars,” Delago said. “It's nice to be able to walk out of the trailer and go down to any trailer in this pit and ask a question. Everybody's really open minded and willing to help. It's awesome.”
Delago confirmed that he’s still processing the new material he’s learning with each event. This is the primary reason that he’s reserved in proclaiming triumph over the proverbial learning curve. He’s clearly in conductor mode just two races into the season.
“I don't know if I've been here long enough to soak in and learn a ton,” said Delago. “As last minute as everything was it's been more of just trying to make sure that everything is ordered and all the guys know what job to do and how to act in a big role like this and be clean and corporate looking and put the car together the right way. It's been more of that right now than actually spending time learning how to run a car the way they run it.”
Has this experience been a confidence builder with the early success of his team? Not really, answers Delago. Those personal victories are more about having a lesser load on his shoulders as part of a larger financed operation.
“There are more people to handle more stuff,” Delago said. “I'm not having to do as many different jobs. I'm actually having to be what the job is supposed to be and not actually having to worry about if this bill is paid or is this done, is that done. Not having to reach for new guys every year because these are the types of teams that keep crew guys for a long time and that's how their teams become so good. Teams that stay together longer they become better at what they do.”
Delago has his fingers crossed hoping for that first NHRA POWERade national event victory.
“It's a life long dream,” said Delago. “It's what I've been doing this stuff for, for so many years. Whether it's on this team or that team sometimes taking a step back to go two forward. That's all I want is a ring. Obviously you win one you want another. I want a ring. I've always wanted one but never been able to get one.”
CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE – Gary Scelzi couldn’t say which made him more nervous losing two rounds of
Gary Scelzi quickly points out the NHRA made the right decision in cancelling Friday qualifying.
“You know how I am with the NHRA things that we kind of go back and forth on,” admitted Scelzi. “I think it was brilliant what they did. I told Dan Olsen to call that thing as early as they did on Friday at 5:00 or whatever time it was because it was going to get too cold and this place doesn't have lights. It was going to be unsafe and they pulled the pin. I don't care if it was two runs. If we weren't good enough to get in on Saturday then we don't deserve to race.
“I commend NHRA, which I very rarely do, but they stepped up and they pulled the pin and I don't think they got much slack for it to be honest with you. The first round smoking the tires we had a little problem. If I wouldn't have gotten in then I would've been pissed but we should've been better.”
The momentum for Robert Hight continued in Phoenix. The Phoenix final round was his third consecutive.
BODE SCORES UPSET – The Funny Car division was unkind to the upper half of the field – especially the top three
Bob Bode scored his first round win since 2001 in knocking off top qualifier Tim Wilkerson.
The lowest of the low was Bob Bode, who qualified on the bubble and took out low qualifier Tim Wilkerson.
“We can’t even remember when our last round win was,” Bode said. “That ancient history and winning the first round made this a dream weekend. My crew is incredible.”
Bode severely wounded his Funny Car making the field yesterday.
“We had parts everywhere,” Bode admitted. “We pulverized seven rods out of a motor yesterday, and we’re here going into the next round.”
THIS ONE’S FOR DAD – Scott Kalitta had raced John Force ten times in his career. Ten times Kalitta received a
Scott Kalitta broke a ten round losing streak against John Force.
The difference was the last ten times were not his dad Connie’s 70th birthday.
“We take it round by round, but to win for Dad on his birthday is something special,” Kalitta said. “
The odds were stacked against Kalitta considering that Force had reached the final round in half of the events in the history of the event.
LIFE AS A MARRIED FUNNY CAR COUPLE – Tommy Johnson, Jr. admitted the continual references pointing out
Tommy Johnson, Jr. says being recognized as part of drag racing couple doesn't bother him yet -- having half qualify does.
“It's not as bad as I expected it to be actually,” Johnson said. “I guess I was preparing for the worst so anything less would be fine with me. It's been alright, it's been good although I wish we could both get in the show, it might get a little heavier then.”
Johnson raced in Phoenix with his wife Melanie Troxel, driver of the Gotham City Racing Dodge, serving as his unofficial cheerleader and supporting cast. Just two weeks ago, Johnson took up the pom-poms as Troxel was the second qualifier and he missed the cut in Pomona.
“It's frustrating,” Johnson said, when asked how they react to being on opposite ends of the emotional spectrum. “I was getting strapped in the car to make my final qualifying run when I heard she didn't make it and I was like, ‘Oh no.”
Johnson continued, “I'm happy we're running good and want to enjoy it but at the same time I'm like, ‘Oh no, she didn't make it. I know exactly how it felt because I did it the race before. I'll have to say she did a better job of handling it than I did.”
How did Johnson react to being locked out of the playground in Pomona?
“I didn't handle it very well,” said Johnson. “I was very frustrated that we didn't make it. I know she's frustrated but she did a better job of handling it than I did. Maybe she learned from me in Pomona how aggravated I was and she decided that she wasn't going to be that bad. I tried to support her as good as I could Saturday night. She did a good job with me in Pomona so I repaid the favor last night.”
So did Johnson have their motorhome dishes done and the supper prepared for Troxel after her day was done? Not hardly.
“I just went back to the motor home and sat and watched TV,” said Johnson. “I didn't say a whole lot. We got back last night and I took the dogs for a walk so that when she got back to the motor home she didn't have to do it. I tried to make everything as good as it could be when she got there.”
PRO STOCK
UNSTOPPABLE – On a day when Mopars reigned supreme, not even “Big Daddy” Don Garlits could have beat Vieri
V. Gaines has a car that possesses lightning quick reaction tendencies.
With the NHRA CSK Nationals victory, Gaines upped his career national event victory total to three out of eight final rounds. He entered the event tied for ninth place in the NHRA POWERade Pro Stock points.
”It’s been a long dry spell,” said Gaines, whose last victory came in 2001. “When I beat Greg Anderson today, it marked the first time I’d beat him since 2001 also. When you do those kinds of things, it makes victory bittersweet.
“When you beat the drivers we did today, that makes for a fantastic day. The only way you can do something like that is with a fantastic crew. The car is awesome and I’m telling you, you’re going to see some wins out of this car. It’s a good one and it is incredible off of the starting line.”
Just how incredible is it out of the gate? In four rounds of competition, his worst reaction time was a .02. The quickest was a .007.
Gaines pointed out that he's got a team that is capable of winning more events this season.
“I haven’t had any worse than a .03 light since I brought this new car out.”
While the car might gain the lion’s share of the credit, we must note that Gaines has also taken up racquet ball and even did a course with Frank Hawley instructor Jack Beckman.
Gaines might have even consumed an energy drink or two. After all, under one of his many business hats, he’s the second largest Red Bull distributor in the country.
THE MONEY TRAIN – Gaines gets to drive a 200-mile per hour NHRA Pro Stock. Life couldn’t possibly provide a more exciting experience than that.
Or, could it?
Gaines’ trucking company was recently retained by the federal government to transport $1 Billion dollars of currency from the Federal Reserve Bank of Seattle from the former location to a new building on the other side of town.
“There's a lot of planning going on,” said Gaines of the incredible task. “The guys at the Federal Reserve are very specific about how it's going to happen and the way it's going to happen with the people and the equipment. For example, we had to have two huge tow trucks on scene in case something broke down. We've done it before and hopefully we'll get a chance to do it again. It's a lot of fun working with the Federal Reserve people.”
Just to think, the drag racing community calls Kenny Koretsky captain Chaos for his multitude of responsibilities away from the race track. Gaines could give him a run for his money.
“You just do what you can do,” explained Gaines, when talking about his hectic lifestyle. “Pro Stock racing is my form of relaxation. I just love this stuff. Love the competitive nature, I love the equipment and it's easy to get addicted to.”
Gaines admits transporting the “money train” provides a rush, but so does his beloved 500-inch Pro Stock racing. Now a veteran of the class for fourteen seasons and 260 national events (counting Phoenix), he’s witnessed a phenomenal growth in the class.
“It's very competitive,” said Gaines. “More guys are running better, and overall there are less guys competing because it's so expensive -- so it's hard. We've got some new guys in to kind of stir it up a little bit to see how they do. It's going to be a fun season.”
Gaines admits that he’s having more fun than ever.
“Oh man, you have to pinch yourself now and again to make sure you're really awake and enjoying it as much as you are,” said Gaines.
TOUGH ROW TO HOE – Consider this path for Gaines. In the first round he had to race a former Lucas Oil Sportsman champion in Greg Stanfield. Beat him. The second round, he faced a three-time NHRA Pro Stock champion in Greg Anderson. Beat him, too. What did those grand accomplishments earn him? He earned a match with the current champion Jeg Coughlin, Jr. in the semis. Guess what? He beat him too to reach the final round.
That feat earned him a match against the 2006 NHRA Pro Stock World Champion Jason Line. He beat him too.
KJ’S MISSION – In case you haven’t noticed, Kurt Johnson’s ACDelco Chevrolet Cobalt has a nasty disposition in
Kurt Johnson admitted that his engine program picked up about four horsepower during the off-season.
“We just paid a little bit better attention to details is all it was,” Johnson said when asked what he’s done to the car to make it respond positively. “The dyno said we were a little bit better but to come out here and run down the race track it was a little bit added bonus. We didn't expect to go as fast as we did. I thought it was just my car being new too, but obviously the GM Performance Parts car [driven by his dad Warren Johnson. He is just as fast as I am so it seems to be happy. We're kind of scratching our heads right now.”
Johnson admitted that his engine program picked up about four horsepower during the off-season.
“To be honest we've got six good engines and a couple of them we didn't really touch so we did something right,” Johnson added.
One might question the extensive effort that it takes to make such a small horsepower increase when compared to the other professional categories.
“It’s an absolute crusher,” Johnson said, explaining the challenge of making horsepower gains. “You buy a set of headers at three or four thousand dollars, you bolt them on and 10 seconds later they’re laying on the floor because they were no good. It's just a crusher when you look at that aspect. If you let it sit around, it probably wasn't the combination at the time and you lose two or three horsepower. You let that stuff sit in the corner and you come back six months later or a year later and you bolt that same set of headers on and it might be better. We never let parts go to waste; we always find a use for them.”
KJ said he's gunning for a championship more dedicated than ever in 2008.
“We have every year but this year I think we have a little bit better chance at it than we have in the past to start off running so good,” Johnson said. “We had some problems at the end of the year last year. We felt that going into Indy we had a car that could contend for the championship. The next couple of races we stumbled and had some parts break. Things just didn't go great.
“I drove well all year and we kind of stumbled on that one race there at the end of the year. You've got to have the whole package and these last 6 races you know we're putting ourselves in a position to be in that top 10, I think we'll be a contender.”
Johnson will testify the little things can do a championship effort in.
“It's just paying attention to detail, and everybody's coming to the top of the mountain and there's only so much room to stand up there so we hope we're one of them,” Johnson said.
CHANGE OF SCENERY – Matt Hartford made a name for himself racing four-cylinder, turbo doorslammers on the
A former NHRA Sport Compact racer, Matt Hartford is finally pursuing his dream of racing in NHRA Pro Stock.
Hartford is driving the David Nickens Stratus for a limited amount of races in 2008.
“I'm going to try to run Pro Stock as much as I humanly can but what that means?” Hartford said. “I don't know.”
Hartford made the Phoenix field, his second consecutive qualifying race. He’s not shy about showing his excitement, either.
”This is great,” said Hartford. “David's great to work with. How long this deal lasts I don't know but we're going to enjoy it while we can. Any seat time is good seat time. I've got Mike Sullivan up there telling me how the world is round and if I listen to him and David then I should be pretty good.”
Running Pro Stock this time is more peaceful than the last time he contemplated running the same category under the IHRA banner. He was one of four drivers proposed to introduce four-cylinder, turbo sport compacts into the IHRA’s mountain motor division. The plan didn’t come to fruition and placed him on the receiving end of complaints levied by the IHRA’s Pro Stock fraternity.
Hartford admitted that he withdrew his name from consideration.
“Pro Stock has to be naturally aspirated in my opinion but they wanted me to run that turbo deal,” said Hartford. “At the time that was the only opportunity I had to go racing so I was going to go do it. I backed out of it. I called Scooter [Peaco, IHRA Vice President], ‘I said I really don't think I want to do this. I don't think it's right and I don't think it's going to be good for anybody.”
Hartford continued, “He said, ‘I understand. If you don't want to do it, then let's not do it.”
”I sold everything and started looking for a 500 inch ride and here I am.”
CHANGE OF DIRECTION – Hartford replaced a former IHRA mountain motor Pro Stock driver behind the wheel of
Hartford will drive the David Nickens Stratus for a limited amount of races in 2008.
“We certainly think Gene's one of the better drivers out there,” said Nickens. “He's working on funding and hopefully he can put something together that maybe we can do something as the year goes on. Matt's going to kind of do a race by race deal. If that works out then we think we can bring him out and he'll be in a position to win some races. Hopefully the funding will come through and we'll be able to do it.”
Nickens is quick to point out that he and Wilson are beating the bushes in search of the necessary sponsorship.
“We're trying to put some stuff together where we can do it,” explained Nickens. “Matt wanted to make the first couple of races with me which gave us a little more time to be able to put something together for Gene.”
Jason Line's final race with the Pontiac GTO came to an abrupt end in the final round with breakage. Line admitted something broke in the engine before he'd ever staged and at that point he knew he was in trouble. Phoenix represented the second final round appearance for Ken Black's operation.
Mike Edwards took the ambitious step in the off-season of developing an in-house engine program and is pleased with the progress the team is making.
THE NUMBERS GAME – There were two perfect reaction times in the first two rounds of competition – Jeg Coughlin, Jr. and Mike Edwards.
Edwards summed the feat up, “I just messed up on a red-light.”
THE MAN WITH THE PLAN – Don Ness prefers a low profile when he’s making his way through the race track. He
Don Ness is a busy man. He's witnessed the various changed in the Pro Stock class and impressively remains a front-runner in chassis development.
Ness has a lot going on in his shop, probably too much to be at the track, but he’s intent that customer relations and the interaction holds a high degree of importance. He’s got a couple of key projects on the jig such as a second Outlaw 10.5-inch tire car for Johnny Gray and a new Pro Stocker for Larry Morgan. In fact, he’s building six cars simultaneously.
The fast-pace of today’s Pro Stock world still impresses him after all these years. He comes to the races to keep up on the rapid progression of the class within the trenches.
“Actually everything’s new on the Pro Stock,” Ness said, as he struggled to find a starting place to describe what’s new in the class. “We’ve changed things around and we relocated the things on the four-link. We changed the main structure of the car so a lot of new stuff going on. It seems to be working very well.”
Just as Ness and many of the other NHRA Pro Stock racers were making serious headway on the challenges of finding the right combination, the sanctioning body’s tech department threw everyone a curve ball with the increase of the spoiler wicker height.
“It's affected the way the cars ride at the other end of the track,” said Ness. “With the five-eighths wicker it probably puts another150 to 200 pounds of downforce on the car so now we're playing with shock settings, four-link settings, springs, main springs and other stuff so that it doesn't squat at the other end.”
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SATURDAY NOTEBOOK - THE BERNSTEIN COMFORT ZONE; WILKERSON BACKS UP POMONA PERFORMANCE AND ALLEN JOHNSON'S 180-DEGREE TURN
TOP FUEL
THE BUDWEISER KING – Okay, so Brandon Bernstein has an advantage when the NHRA POWERade tour rolls into Firebird
Brandon Bernstein may have won the qualifying battle in his fuel dragster, but lost the celebrity race in a streetable Pontiac G6 against a local DJ bad.
Both Bernstein and his famous drag racing dad, Kenny, have won Top Fuel in Phoenix and on Saturday afternoon the kid established another feather in his hat. He credits crew chief Tim Richards for a 4.515 elapsed time at 330.31 miles per hour to snatch away the top spot from Aussie David Grubnic.
“I knew Tim was going to try to swing for the fences and do a low 4.50, maybe even a 4.49,” Bernstein said as he exemplified the emotion of the run. “Half track, that's when the front end went up on it and got a little squirrelly there and moved around on me. I couldn't steer it because the front end was up but it was a great run. Right when I pulled the parachutes I could tell that was pretty quick.”
Bernstein was one of the several teams that used Firebird as a pre-season test venue. The rewards clearly showing during the two sessions on Saturday.
“You're pretty much in the same playing field with all the guys,” said Bernstein. “Everybody out here pretty much tested in Phoenix so it's pretty much a level playing field but it does help, definitely. These are conditions that we were actually testing on, the low 60s to mid 60s maybe even the 70s and that was it while we were here. It does help definitely.”
WORKING FOR HIM – Tony Schumacher knows a good thing when he sees it.
Schumacher will be seeking his fourth career victory at Firebird International Raceway.
“We definitely have plenty left in my U.S. Army dragster. For some reason, we were kind of plowing along there in that final session. I’m confident that we’ll be set come tomorrow.”
For the second straight race, Schumacher will square off with 14th-place qualifier, Doug Kalitta, in the first round of eliminations beginning at 11 a.m. mountain time.
“As I said two weeks ago in Pomona (Calif.), you better bring your best when you face Doug and his team,” he added. “They may be struggling a bit at the moment, but they can just as easily turn their fortunes around. We have to be prepared for another intense race.”
Schumacher, who hails from Chicago, will be seeking his fourth career victory at Firebird International Raceway.
“Firebird has been pretty good to us in recent years,” he offered. “But, as we all know, history is not always a true indication of how races will turn out. You have to earn everything in this sport.”
In 2008, Schumacher is trying to become the first Top Fuel driver in NHRA history to win six world titles.
“We’re only on race number two of 24, so we have a long, long way to go,” he said. “Our focus is only on Sunday’s race and nothing more.”
HANG ON SLOOPY – There were some tense moments as Doug Kalitta completed a fiery qualifying run in which both parachutes failed to deploy on his Mac Tools dragster.
Utilizing only one parachute, Kalitta rode the brakes and then resorted to an improvised power slide to stop the speeding dragster. He took the turn at a rapid rate and clipped a small sign before coming to a rest between two vehicles.
The former U.S.A.C. champion showed his worth in driving on the dirt, even if it was behind the wheel of a 300-inch wheelbase dragster.
“I guess I got so excited that I forgot to slow down,” Kalitta said. “I didn’t hit anything down here too bad so it looks like we’re okay.”
Larry Dixon was in the opposite lane and was a surprised spectator.
“That was pretty cool,” said Dixon. “I had a front row seat for that. If there’s anyone who doubts Doug Kalitta is capable of dirt tracking it – I think he just proved he can.”
A NEW FRIEND – Drag racers create many special bonds throughout their strenuous pursuit of drag racing championships.
Cory McClenathan has a new friend to fill the void left when his 17-year old Cocker Spaniel passed away last year.
Cookie was 17 years old.
McClenathan proudly proclaims he’s got another Cocker Spaniel. This one is not a replacement for Cookie. Instead the new puppy is another friend to bond with.
The new puppy was a gift from McClenathan’s girlfriend Debbie upon returning from Pomona.
“We named this one Tory because Debbie’s son Jacob had a tough time pronouncing his “C’s” and instead of calling me Cory, he’d call me Tory,” said McClenathan, proudly displaying a smile. “We decided that was a good name for the dog. As soon as we got the dog all of a sudden he's calling me Cory. Now he's got his C's going for him because of the new pets name and my name. Things work out for a reason and it's just good to kind of see things move along. Life does that for you.”
Several drivers openly admit the importance of pet’s in their lives.
“It becomes part of the family,” said McClenathan. “Your children are probably the most important things in your life but next comes, obviously the things you have to do have a job, make a living to take care of your family. The good Lord obviously provides you with everything that you have so he should probably be the most important thing in your life. At the same time a pet brings me a bunch of joy.
“The pet is always going to be there whether you've had a good day or a bad day. If I've had a bad day she's the first one to make me feel good about things. Going on the road and having a dog is a big thing so when you have one that lives to be over 17 years old and you lose that it's like losing a little part of you.”
McClenathan didn’t immediately take delivery of the puppy because he remained in Pomona for a few extra days to stay with his parents Carol and Richard McClenathan. Carol was having gall bladder surgery.
“I could tell by the look in my mom’s eyes that she wanted me to stay and be there for her,” admitted McClenathan. “I decided to stay back in California and do that. By the time I got back to Indiana on Wednesday Debbie had Tory waiting on me.”
The trip to Phoenix was tough on McClenathan because he’s quickly bonding with the 14-week old puppy.
“We spent the whole week with her trying to potty train her and try to get her used to everything,” said McClenathan. “She likes to run around in Indiana in the snow so we left her back there with the family and everybody to take care of this weekend. I'm missing her a little bit. We'll be back on the road in Gainesville in the motor home and we'll start taking the dog with us just like we did Cookie.”
Securing a final round finish in Pomona and quickly re-establishing himself as a contender for the NHRA POWERade Top Fuel championship has McClenathan, a 29-time national event winner, counting his blessings.
“So far this year it seems like a lot of new beginnings for me so I'm just very glad, very happy and very blessed,” McClenathan said. “I think I only have one guy to thank for that and that's the good Lord. I have to say going on that note; I'm just taking one day at a time. I try not to get to anxious over anything but at the same time I'm very thankful for the things I have.”
Rod Fuller’s dragster broke a rocker arm on its second qualifying attempt during the burnout and the end result was this fireball.
It' Connie's birthday this weekend, got some candles?
A special E-mail address has been set up for race fans, peers, members of the media, and all others who would like to send the Kalitta Motorsports patriarch, affectionately known as the “Old Man”, a special birthday wish… Happy70thConnie@kalittaracing.com
FUNNY CAR
FACING THE GIANTS, PART 2 – If there was any question that Tim Wilkerson’s superb performance in Pomona was fluke, he
Tim Wilkerson made it two for two in 2008 No. 1 qualifying positions.
Wilkerson laid down the quickest runs in each of Saturday’s NHRA CSK Nationals Funny Car qualifying sessions.
“With two runs, it was anybody’s ball game,” Wilkerson admitted. “If there had been more runs, it might have been someone else. But, that’s okay. We’ll take number one. We had a mechanical failure last weekend at Pomona when it broke a valve on the starting line. Hopefully we can stop doing stuff like that and go some rounds. We've got a good car there's no doubt about that, it's not leaking and beating anything up.”
Wilkerson’s actions send a clear message – twice is not a coincidence.
“I don't beat my chest too hard about that kind of thing,” said Wilkerson, not masking his excitement. “I'd like to think it's not a coincidence but I don't know. We're pretty happy about it, like I said. I've got a good group of guys working on my car and my sponsors are really coming through for me so it's showing. Towards the end of the year the car was running better, it's just all working well.”
Wilkerson cited the NHRA’s decision to up the maximum nitro percentage to 90% as a major factor in his rise to competitiveness. He’s also confident the move is cheaper on his wallet.
“The 90% has really helped my deal because my parts are a little weaker than others so the percentages help my car run a little better,” said Wilkerson. “My car was already heavy from last year so the weight they put on the car didn't really do anything to affect me. As soon as the other guys catch up to that weight deal, they'll be okay. They just haven't figured it out yet but they will. It's just like at 85%, it took a while to get that happening for everybody but I was at the back of the pack. I don't think you're going to see us at the back but you're going to see some guys being faster.
“My idea of beating it up is a little different,” confided Wilkerson. “I think on 85% when we went 4.77 -- a lot of that, we threw away six of the pistons and half of the rods probably. In this run here it's got one piston nicked in it so it's easier on stuff. The car just runs a whole lot better, that's why it runs so fast early. Just the small percentage I've got in there, it's really an animal early.
“Believe it or not I just keep making it go slower and slower and slower and it goes faster and faster and faster. I'm just trying to get it back to where it's calm again because when it gets hot outside I'm going to be in trouble, I can already tell you that. It's aggressive and it's fast. Now I've got to figure out a way to make it go slow. Like I told Reinhardt down there, I'm a little afraid of that but we'll see.”
FACING THE GIANTS (LITERALLY) – Several members of Major League Baseball’s San Francisco Giants made their way to Firebird Raceway for Saturday’s qualifying. Aaron Rowand (Centerfield), Noah Lowry (Pitcher), Justin Leone (Infielder), and Nate Schierholtz (Outfield) were guests of Funny Car driver Tommy Johnson, Jr. and Top Fuel pilot Brandon Bernstein.
Tony Bartone represents a non-automotive sponsor after years of running under the automotive banner.
“I never doubted John Dunn,” Bartone said of the team’s manager and marketing agent. “He is relentless when it comes to finding sponsors. He kept digging out back and came up with a great sponsor called Canidae Natural Pet Foods. We're glad to have them aboard.”
For the first time in his professional career, Bartone is the front-man for a non-automotive sponsor.
“Your goals are still the same,” Bartone explained. “You're out there to promote the product, promote the company and help them increase their sales through a million different marketing things that we do out here in NHRA racing.
A DISTANT FOND MEMORY – As a Top Alcohol racer, Bartone more than held his own ground. In fact, the New Jersey native
Bartone admits the new chassis developments have been tough on the lesser financed teams.
“My days in the Top Alcohol ranks remain a distant but fond memory but I enjoy being out here in the nitro ranks,” said Bartone. “I enjoy driving any kind of race cars as long as it goes fast and has four wheels on it.”
Oh really? What about the rear-engine Funny Car his boss made famous?
“Jim tells me that when he had that car his helmet was about an inch away from the front windshield,” Bartone said. “I've seen pictures of it and it looks a little intimidating to try to drive but I'd give it a shot. Why not?”
Bartone’s demeanor makes him the perfect driver for Dunn. He’s often considered as a David among the Goliaths. This makes knocking off the higher financed teams quite an impressive trophy.
“Any round win you can get in NHRA funny car competition is a coveted item,” said Bartone. “You're out there to do your job and it's always nice to win. At the end of the 1320 you see that little light come on -- on your side in your lane it's a pleasurable experience.”
What Bartone didn’t see as a pleasurable experience, though, was the uncertainty of a solid spec for the Funny car chassis design for 2008.
“NHRA believes that they're doing what they have to do to increase the safety of the sport,” said Bartone. “A team like ours, I believe that the chassis that we use, the Mike Plueger chassis, one of the stronger more rigid chassis out there. I think our chassis is fine, but again we have to abide by the rules. As part of the testament to the Plueger chassis I rolled the car into the sand trap in Denver, CO. We put a new body on it, changed the headers, made sure the chassis was still square and straight and wasn't broken. We went out and ran with it the next day and ran over 300 mph on the next lap. The Plueger chassis has a lot of integrity in the strength and design of the chassis. I think it's a very good piece.”
This chassis uncertainty has been tough on the teams like the Dunn’s.
“We had a hand full of chassis that we had set up under the old rules and now they've rendered them useless unfortunately,” admitted Bartone. “We're building new chassis to conform to the new rules and now they have to be on the track by July 1 so we're making our best efforts to make that happen.”
THE NEW SCHOOL – Jim Head is as old school as Funny car drivers come but even he can’t help but notice the power of
Jim Head said the resumes and calls are flooding in after giving notice he's ready to stop driving.
Two weeks ago, Head pleaded with Torco’s CompetitionPlus.com to help him get the word out that he’s ready to step aside and let someone have his spot in the cockpit. He proudly proclaims some serious inquiries.
“They are all serious when they call,” Head said. “I had the word out there, but we didn’t get as many calls as we did when the word got out there. Now, it rings quite a bit. I don’t have a check, but the prospects are very strong.”
Head pointed out his prospects range from the experienced to non experienced both professional drivers from the past to up and coming sportsmen.
“I’m optimistic,” said Head.
WRITING ON THE WALL – Jack Beckman didn’t need to qualify 15th to draw an obvious conclusion.
Jack Beckman predicts there will be several top name drivers DNQ this season.
"And the car goes out there and starts shaking the tires. I thought, We're done. And I gave it one pedal, and, knock on wood, it hooked back up, but it started moving over to the right. I yanked the wheel and it stayed hooked. I didn't know when I got out at the top end if I was in or not. The bump was so close to what a pedal run would get you, and nobody gave me any signal when I got out. I asked the NHRA guys, and they wouldn't say a thing. I finally walked over to (announcer) Alan Reinhart and he said, 'You're in.' That's when I crumbled to my knees."
Beckman will meet Mike Neff in first round of eliminations on Sunday.
WHAT GOES UP … - Two weeks ago, Melanie Troxel qualified second in Pomona while her Funny Car driving hubby failed to
Two weeks ago, Melanie Troxel qualified second in Pomona while her Funny Car driving hubby failed to make the cut. Today the roles were reversed.
Troxel just couldn’t get her ProCareRX-sponsored machine down the Firebird International Raceway quarter mile.
"It's disappointing, to say the least," Troxel said. "I think it was a combination of a lot of things that kept us from getting in, but overall, I feel really comfortable about how I did today driving."
In her first attempt, she ran 5.731/259.11, smoking the tires at 300 feet and then pedaled the throttle to get down the track under power. Her second lap netted a disappointing 5.853/166.35, landing her in the 18th spot overall.
"That first pass was just strange," Troxel said. "It felt good when I left the line, then it slipped a little so I pedaled it, and at the end of the track, it smoked the tires again. The second lap felt better from the hit, and then it lost traction and I couldn't get it to grab again."
"When I got back to the pit, I was really frustrated with myself because I felt like I'd let the team down, but Brian [Corradi, crew chief] and I looked at the video of the lap and talked about what was going on with the car, and now I feel I've got a good handle on what needs to happen from here.
"We're going to stay in Phoenix after the race to test, and I'll have a chance to get some more laps under my belt to get ready for Gainesville next month. We all knew that there'd be a learning curve, and today was just part of that," Troxel said.
PRO STOCK
BIG TIME TURNAROUND – Allen Johnson was shaking his head in disbelief as he wandered into the post-qualifying press
Allen Johnson replaced the memories of a DNQ the subsequent heart attack of his dad/engine builder Roy Johnson with a fourth career pole position.
The veteran driver kept the memories of a 2007 DNQ [Did Not Qualify] and the subsequent heart attack of his dad/engine builder Roy Johnson in the back of his mind. They were quickly replaced by the reality of his fourth career pole position during the 2008 event.
“We couldn't do nothing right,” said Johnson. “We got down the track one time I think. We just could not get a hold of the race track. Then the deal with dad happened on Sunday. We said coming back here last week the media asked me, ‘How are you going to feel going back there?”
Johnson continued, “I said we're going to do it as a celebration that he's still here with us. The good Lord allowed him to live another year. It all happened for a reason -- last year, let's just do it as a celebration instead of worrying about it.”
“We had a real good mind set because he called the doctor that worked on him last year and lined up an appointment,” said Johnson. “On Wednesday and Thursday all he did was stress tests and all kinds of x-rays and got a really good check up by all the same people -- so it worked out.”
Johnson was on a mission in the final session of qualifying. He knew that top qualifying run was going to require a tremendous effort to overtake the 6.635 elapsed time previously established by Greg Anderson.
Johnson went .002 better than Anderson to claim the prize.
“We knew in the left lane it's got a little bump out there in second and third gear that's really upsetting the Pro Stock cars but we knew if we could move over to the right and make the same run that we made in the left then we had a shot at it,” said Johnson.
Bob Glidden [right] and Terry Adams chat prior to the final Pro Stock qualifying session on Saturday. Both tuners put their cars into the 16-car field on Sunday.
THE NO FLY LIST – Jim Yates, Bill Glidden and Larry Morgan found it impossible to overcome the 6.701 elapsed time bump spot by rookie Johnny Gray. For Yates and Morgan, this weekend marked their second consecutive DNQ.
THE MOMENTUM CONTINUES - Jeg Coughlin Jr. posted a pair of steady 6.65-second passes Saturday afternoon to qualify
Jeg Coughlin Jr. has raced to two wins in four final-round appearances in the last four races he's entered
"We're happy to be in the show and we're really happy to be in the top half of the field because the right lane looks to be considerably better than the left," Coughlin said. "As a driver, you always want more passes to get the seat time but when you have a race that gets shortened by rain it causes fits for the tuners. My hat's off to [crew chief] Roy Simmons and the guys because it wasn't an easy day for them."
Coughlin opened with a 6.650 at 207.18 mph down Firebird International Raceway in his JEGS.com Chevrolet Cobalt and backed that up with a 6.656 at 207.72 mph in Round 2 to solidify his spot in the field. He'll open Sunday's race with lane choice over good friend Justin Humphreys, who qualified 11th with a 6.674 at 207.50 mph.
"We probably should have been much more aggressive with the tune-up there but, as I mentioned, when you only have two chances to punch it in there you have to be cautious," Coughlin said. "The primary goal is always making the top-16 and we needed to be sensible."
Currently second in the POWERade point standings after a runner-up finish at the season-opener in Pomona, Calif., two weeks ago, Coughlin has raced to two wins in four final-round appearances in the last four races he's entered, including the prestigious Pontiac Showdown preseason test and the final two races of last season.
"We definitely have the car to keep that streak alive," Coughlin said. "We had the good lane in Round 2 and just didn't get after it like we could have. We won't make that mistake tomorrow. As we saw last year, it's important to keep the pressure on our rivals in the points standings, even early in the year, so we need to make the most out of each and every race."
YOU'RE WITH THE BAND? - International recording artists O.A.R. (of a revolution) were special guests Coughlin Jr. and his
O.A.R. band members, from left, Benj Gershman, Richard On, Jerry DePizzo, Marc Roberge, and Chris Culos get and up close look of Jeg Coughlin Jr.'s JEGS.com Chevrolet Cobalt.
"I don't think anything can prepare you for the noise and the feeling of seeing this cars run up close," bassist Benj Gershman said. "To stand up there on the starting line is a buzz. It's like nothing I've experienced before."
Gershman, along with lead singer Marc Roberge, lead guitarist Richard On, and saxophonist Jerry DePizzo were celebrating the upcoming nuptials of drummer Chris Culos. As part of their "boys weekend" they elected to visit Team JEGS and enjoy their first drag race. DePizzo hails from Columbus, Ohio, the hometown of JEGS Mail Order.
"We're all car guys to a certain degree," DePizzo said, "and we all like racing. I'd have to say that watching this on ESPN2 doesn't do it justice. I mean, it's cool on TV but you have to be here to totally get it. This has been an awesome experience."
Coughlin, one of only 12 races with 50 or more national event wins, was proud to show off the sport for his new friends.
"It's always a pleasure to have friends at the track and it's even better when you can show someone their first drag race," Coughlin said. "I had a nice cheering section when I made my pass there and then we kept them up there for a little Nitro baptism and they really liked that. They're used to loud noises at concert but I think we raised it up a few more notches today."
FOR THE FANS – Not many drivers leave a Sharpie pen sitting on the rear deck of the race car and encourage race fans to
Step up and sign your name on the deck-lid of Billy Glidden's Mickey Thmpson Tires-sponsored Pontiac GTO.
“It's just appreciation from us,” said Glidden. “We started doing it 2 years ago with the black car [his Outlaw 10.5-inch tire car] in Chicago. With that car we always gave people the option of if we did well they could come and take pictures with us at the end of the race. Most of the time we're just hoping that we can qualify.”
Glidden has committed to run at least five races behind the wheel of the Mickey Thompson Tires developmental Pro Stocker. Any further participation beyond that is based on qualifying berths.
YOU AGAIN? - Justin Humphreys wrinkled his nose as he scrutinized Saturday's final Pro Stock lineup.
Justin Humphreys opened Phoenix eliminations exactly as he did in Pomona two weeks ago and finished the 2007 season -- racing Jeg Coughlin, Jr.
There's no animosity between the two drivers, but this is the third time in the last three races that Humphreys' RaceRedi Motorsports Pontiac has squared off against Coughlin's yellow Chevy Cobalt. And Coughlin was the winner both times -- by seven-thousandths of a second in the final round of 2007 and two weeks ago in the quarterfinal round of the 2008 POWERade Series opener, both at Pomona, Calif.
Faced with only two qualifying attempts Saturday after Friday's scheduled runs were rained out, Humphreys responded with a best of 6.674 seconds at 207.05 mph. The other run came in at 6.692 seconds. His best time put him 11th in the 16-car field and up against No. 6 qualifier Coughlin, 6.650 at 207.18.
"We made two half-way decent runs," noted Humphreys, "but nothing stellar. With just two runs, we needed to try something that would make sure we got qualified. But we are in the show, and any one can win it. We definitely owe Jeggie one."
NOT BAD FOR A LOANER - A smiling Kenny Koretsky looked relieved Saturday afternoon after securing the No. 15 starting
Kenny Koretsky qualified while using a borrowed motor from Tom Hammonds.
"We are extremely happy to be two-for-two (in qualifying for races) this year renting a motor from Tom Hammonds," Koretsky said. "Without Tom renting the motor to us, I would've been done. Eddie (Guarnaccia, crew chief on the Nitro Fish/Indicom Electric Chevy Cobalt) did a superior job getting the car together. We only had two runs to get in and we did."
Koretsky squares off against Greg Anderson (No. 2, 6.635 at 208.55 mph) in the first round.
The team had two qualifying attempts after inclement weather forced postponement of Friday's pair of runs.
Hammonds, meanwhile, said "It feels good to know we have two engines in the (16-car) field. We know our hard work at the shop is paying off and in just a short time, thanks to Jimmy Oliver. We should continue to get better as the year progresses."
Hammonds qualified 13th at 6.687 seconds.
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FRIDAY NOTEBOOK - A WASH OUT, BUT THE PITS WERE STILL HOPPING
NONE AND DONE – Persistent rain and a rapidly falling track temperature forced NHRA officials to pull the plug on Friday’s qualifying show. Qualifying will resume with sportsman qualifying at 8 AM. The pros will kick off at Noon.
TOP FUEL
SHOWING PARTIALITY – Antron Brown has never competed in the NHRA CSK Nationals; still he’s confident about racing at this event.
This weekend marks the first NHRA POWERade event at Firebird Raceway for Antron Brown. As a Pro Stock Motorcycle racer, the season usually began in Gainesville during the NHRA Gatornationals.
Brown earned his Top Fuel license while testing at Firebird Raceway just three weeks ago.
Brown made the necessary runs required to earn his crossover Top Fuel license on Jan. 26. He made his first 300-mph lap on Jan. 29 (327.66 mph) and his first 4.4-second pass on Jan. 30 (4.486 seconds) during the same test session.
“My outlook on Phoenix is very optimistic. From the showing that we had in Pomona, I have tremendous confidence in the ability of our team to go out there and have another good showing. We want to do well because we have the Matco Tools Expo in Orlando right after the race and we want to take them a nice gift, like a “Wally” trophy. We tested well at Phoenix last month, so we’re excited.”
Brown earned his 12th career No. 1 qualifying award by pacing the field at the season-opening Winternationals two weeks ago in Pomona, Calif. Brown clocked a run of 4.495 seconds at 330.07 mph to pace the Top Fuelers. He advanced to the quarterfinals before falling to 29-time Top Fuel winner Cory McClenathan.
Brown has qualified for 146 consecutive NHRA events. He hasn’t missed the cut since the Gainesville race in 1998 after being disqualified for bad fuel at his first career event. It is the second longest qualifying streak in the professional ranks (Angelle Sampey—166).
THE EIGHTH FOR BEARD – When crew chief Lee Beard tuned Brown to the top qualifying position in Pomona, the former Pro Stock Motorcycle standout became the eighth different driver to pull off the feat. Beard has 56 career top qualifying positions headed into this weekend.
ALL IN THE LOOK – Morgan Lucas has a distinctive swagger as he walks through the pits now. His confidence has a lot to do with the consistency that his Lucas Oil-sponsored dragster delivers.
Morgan Lucas revels in the fact his car is a competitive front-runner. Being ranked fourth in the points doesn't hurt either.
After a great preseason of testing, he qualified fourth in Pomona, resetting his career best speed to a thrilling 333.33 mph and rounding out the race weekend with a semifinal finish.
“It’s so great to be consistent, especially having that competitive edge,” said an appreciative Lucas. “We ran great times in qualifying and on race day, we kept it up with more consistent times and advanced with three rounds of racing.”
Lucas sits fourth in the points just 41 out of first.
“That’s the way you want to start your season off being in the mix and it’s a great feeling to know we have a race winning car,” said Lucas, who has five runner-up finishes in his career that began in 2004. “This could be our season to finally get our first win and I can’t imagine what that is going to feel like when it happens, but we’re a lot closer than we’ve been in quite some time.”
FUNNY CAR
GIVE ME A HAND – Tony Pedregon refused to get frustrated, but the task at hand was clearly getting the best of him as rain fell on Firebird Raceway. A once simple task of applying decals suddenly took on a bit of complexity with a seriously burned hand sporting a protective glove.
Tony Pedregon makes his third attempt at placing a Chevrolet decal as the rain falls at Firebird on Friday. Pedregon is wearing a protective glove on his right hand following the vicious Pomona explosion.
“If I had two good hands, I’d be able to do a lot better at this,” Pedregon explained, as he pulled off his third attempt at placing a Chevrolet decal on his new Impala Funny car body.
This was a task he was unable to complete during his week off between events. Most of his off week was spent working with the doctors and nursing his burned hands to the point he could use them to drive this weekend. His right hand received second degree burns.
“I think every finger has some blisters on it but it was mostly the three middle fingers that got most of the damage,” Pedregon said. “The good news is that I've been recovering. My doctor was pretty impressed with my recovery. He said I'm recovering as fast as he's ever seen a person recover. I hope that's just due to being healthy and being fortunate. He was actually encouraged about it.”
Pedregon admitted his doctor initially encouraged him to sit out Phoenix. However, once the doctor saw how quickly Pedregon's recovery was progressing that changed his mind and left Pedregon feeling fortunate.
After the team examined the engine from the Pomona incident, Pedregon knows what triggered one of the worst Funny Car explosions and fires in the history of the sport. So intense was the fire two of the three major networks carried the story.
“It broke a cam gear on us,” said Pedregon. “I knew I had fouled out and that happened because of outside interference from the radio. I went ahead and ran it and wanted to run it out about 800 to 900 feet and then shut off.”
Pedregon had only one good qualifying run to his credit in qualifying and was about to lift when his car turned into an inferno of parts.
“There have been some cars that have broken cam gears before but I think what made ours so violent is that it happened down the track,” Pedregon said, adding, “If the same thing happened closer to the starting line it's not as violent as at that high rate of speed. When those parts blow up and you get the oil mixed with the fuel igniting and you've got that kind of wind it makes it pretty intense.”
COMFORT ZONE – Pedregon admitted he’s as comfortable as ever climbing behind the wheel this weekend.
“Every time I get in a car I've always thought of the different things and you have to,” Pedregon confided. “How can you not when you're sitting there staring at the Christmas tree? You're sitting there with the drive shaft between your legs. I always have, I've never had one catch me off guard quite like that. I've never gotten out of the car and thought 'Hey, I'm alive!' I think I'm going to exercise the same caution that I always have. I think that's the only thing that I can ask of my team.
“Sometimes I think we're just at the mercy of parts. There's always going to be some weak link. I'm not going to be naive and think that something like this can't happen again, however, I do believe between my fire suit and all of the safety features then the roll cage, really everything with exception of the gloves I mean I'm still trying to figure out why it was only my right hand. If you saw the fire you'd think my whole body would be in bad shape but I've got to tell you, my suit held up better than I thought it would, my helmet held up better than I thought it would. I literally got the impression that, outside of my right hand, we're just looking at maybe putting some kind of shield.
Pedregon continued, “I'm going to get in just as cautious as ever. I don't think we do much to compromise the safety of these cars but if all this is being analyzed by Ringers, who made the gloves I was wearing, maybe they can build a better glove or maybe there's something we can do, maybe we can build a shield that's going to help in the event of that same type of event. I know every time I reach for that brake, the number one thing I knew I needed to do was to slow the car down.
“I knew that I somehow needed to get it stopped and every time I'd reach for that brake it was burning my hand. Again, I think we're going to learn some things from this but I think it's easier for me to make this decision because I'm not lying in a hospital. I'm actually just nursing some minor burns on my hand. I'm going to be smart about it but I feel good about everything else that that car did. I think there are a lot of other scenarios that could've gone wrong but for a lot of reasons, I think, it kept me in tact.”
Pedregon pointed out that he and his brother Cruz, also an NHRA Funny Car driver with experience in emerging from hideous explosions, were proactive prior to last season’s newly implemented Funny Car chassis safety items.
“What I don't think a lot of people realize is that Cruz and I have sort of redeveloped the halo in our roll cage,” said Pedregon. “That whole system, the early stages of that, we were the first ones to show up with that on our race cars in 2004. That was when I formed my own team and Cruz had the accident in Vegas when he hit the wall. We've always communicated and we've always told one another that there is not sufficient padding in this roll cage. I remember fabricating those pieces myself when we were trying to build a team.
“He and I have always been very cautious and very conscience of when we should be. We're brothers and we don't want to see one another get hurt. Some of the fires that he'd been in I learned from. He always stressed to me that gloves are important and wear the inner liner gloves. Again, I think that a lot of guys that had been through that experience are really the reason that some of the safety features have evolved the way they have. I would say Bill Simpson has pioneered a lot of that too. He was one of the first people I called. I wore his fire suit for the first time and it burned through the first layer and transferred the heat. As massive as that fire was the pant legs got burnt through the first couple of layers and still nothing. I didn't get burned and I already have the sun tan so it wasn't a speck of anything.
“Even the helmet, there have been explosions not even close to that where it's blown the drivers shield open and that was one of the things that I liked about the impact helmet. The shield was more precise and I liked the way it snapped close. I thank God that I have a deep impact helmet cause if that thing would've blown open I would've had no means of protection. Again, I think that's one of the things that could've gone the other way but it didn't because I think there was a safeguard that were there.”
NEXT STOP GAINESVILLE – Frank Hawley will rest on his laurels and run next in Gainesville. The two-time Funny Car champion renewed his competition license last week with back-to-back 300 mile per hour runs. He’s initially planned to test on Monday but the success of the test session in Las Vegas prompted the crew to tell the veterans, “We’ll see you in Gainesville.”
BACK TO SCHOOL - "Fast" Jack Beckman is always willing to squeeze a little time away from his job as the driver of the Valvoline/Mail Terminal Services Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series to share his life and on-track experiences with young children wherever he goes.
Jack Beckman continues to give back to the racing community. In the days before the event, Beckman visited the Centennial Middle School in Phoenix.
On Thursday, after he arrived into town to prepare for the weekend’s event, Beckman was joined by son Jason Russell, who will celebrate his one-year birthday March 8, and his wife Jenna when he spoke to over 100 sixth-grade students in the library at the Centennial Middle School in Phoenix.
The 41-year-old California native answered numerous questions from attentive students about his profession, as he spoke to them about the importance of school, staying away from drugs and the benefits of a good education.
"The students' science teacher, Mr. Giannopoulos (known as Mr. G), is a motorsports enthusiast," said Beckman. "He's actually a go-kart racer and he's really into it. He even had a drag-racing slick in the class and books on drag racing on display. I spoke for about 40 minutes to the kids and I took another half hour to answer their questions. Then I signed their backpacks, their notebooks and all kinds of stuff, so it was really fun. They were a very well-behaved group. They were old enough to get it so they had some great questions, but still young enough to stay interested. We showed an NHRA DVD at the beginning to kind of give them a little bit of an idea of what we do. It was a great experience.
"This visit was kind of a last-minute deal," added Beckman, "but I always try to make time for the children if it's possible. I really enjoy going out to the schools and I love getting the feedback from the kids. A lot of times you never know if what you've presented is effective, but if you reach even one kid then it's worth it and that keeps me motivated to continue to reach out to the youth when I can."
The visit was organized by Wally Cahill, the father of a student at the school and a local radio host.
PRO STOCK
THE BEGINNING OF THE CHAOS - Eighteen years ago, Kenny Koretsky became the only NHRA driver to qualify in Top Fuel and Pro Stock in the same national event at Firebird Raceway near Phoenix. It’s a feat that has never been duplicated, primarily because NHRA now limits drivers’ entries to only one professional category.
Kenny Koretsky's feat has never been duplicated, primarily because NHRA now limits drivers’ entries to only one professional category.
A fun-loving, gregarious competitor from Richboro, Pa., who also answers to Captain Chaos, Koretsky makes his annual visit to Firebird and the winter warmth of the Valley of the Sun this weekend. He will be satisfied with qualifying just one car – Greg Hill’s Nitro Fish/Indicom Electric Pro Stock Chevy Cobalt – for the Checkers Schuck’s Kragen Nationals.
The weather – temperatures at the track are likely to top those of his hometown by about 30 degrees – may be a lure, but it is the competition that fuels Koretsky, longtime crew chief Eddie Guarnaccia and the rest of the crew as they prepare for Friday’s opening round of qualifying.
“We are going to Phoenix with the goal of qualifying . . . and winning rounds.” said Koretsky. “It is essential for us to qualify for every race. We need to do that while Sonny Leonard continues working on our new motors.”
Koretsky was 13th among the 16 starters two weeks ago in the series opener at Pomona, Calif. (Feb. 10), posting a 6.704-second elapsed time. First-round tire shake negated a .047-second starting line advantage he had over Warren Johnson.
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THURSDAY NOTEBOOK - THE BERNSTEIN TRADITION, HIGHT'S QUICK REBOUND AND BETTER MEMORIES FOR THE JOHNSONS
TOP FUEL
FAMILY TRADITION - Brandon Bernstein has a certain affection for Firebird International Raceway. The Firebird quarter-mile
Brandon Bernstein won Phoenix the first time in 2003 following the tradition of his father Kenny Bernstein of winning in a Top Fuel debut.
Additionally, Brandon and the Budweiser/Lucas Oil team hold the current mile per hour record in Phoenix at 333.74 mph set in 2005.When the NHRA circuit makes its second tour stop Feb. 22-24 at the Checker Schuck’s Kragen Nationals, Bernstein and the team hope to return to that winning groove.
“Our success at this track isn’t something you can put your figure on,” said Bernstein. “Tim (Richards, crew chief) just seems to be able to get a good read on this track. We tested well here in the pre-season sessions and every indication is that we should be right in the hunt.
“NHRA has mandated some rule changes for 2008, adding more weight and allowing an increase from 85 to 90 percent nitromethane to fuel these 7,000 horsepower engines. It sure hasn’t slowed the crew chiefs on the technology side. And judging from the competition at the season-opener in Pomona, we just ratcheted up the Top Fuel battles a little more.”
Bernstein scored a personal season-high five victories in 2007 and chased the NHRA Top Fuel championship to the semifinals of the last event, finishing third in the final point standings, less than two rounds away from the coveted championship.
“We hope to use everything we learned and all our success last year as a building block for this year,” said Bernstein.
CAUSE FOR CONCERN? - Winning the NHRA Winternationals two weeks ago left Tony Schumacher feeling a bit nervous.
Ton Schumacher has generally proven a late bloomer in the championship race. His early season win in Pomona gave cause for concern.
“I began to think that this is not typical of how we begin a season,” he said with a chuckle. “We usually start slow. Suddenly, the tables were turned. I really didn’t know how to deal with that.”
Schumacher has a unique tradition going on. If he loses in the first or second round (at least in the last three seasons), he usually thunders to a championship ten months later.
“I had to laugh at what Alan Johnson (his crew chief) said after winning out in Pomona (Calif.),” added Schumacher. “He said that we’re four rounds ahead of where we were last year at this time. Needless to say, I hope that’s a sign of things to come.”
Schumacher leads the Top Fuel class with three victories at Firebird (2000, 2002 & 2005). He set the track record for elapsed time last year with a sizzling 4.430-second pass in qualifying.
“It seems like the track keeps getting better and better each year,” he said. “I know the concrete at the starting line on up to the 700 foot mark has been replaced and that the shutdown area recently got new asphalt. Those improvements were necessary and should help tremendously.”
CONFIDENCE - Cory McClenathan needed the good fortunes he experienced in Pomona. He's looking to carry the
Cory McClenathan's Pomona final signaled that he will be a player in 2008.
McClenathan enjoyed a stellar weekend in Pomona, Calif. (Feb. 7-10), making seven runs in the 4.50-second elapsed-time zone en route to a runner-up finish to Don Schumacher Racing teammate Tony Schumacher. The 45-year-old racer left Pomona in second place in the Top Fuel point standings.
"I think we have a very good race car," said McClenathan, the 1994 Top Fuel winner at Firebird against Joe Amato. "With (crew chief) Mike Green back at the helm things have changed radically in my racing career. This is one of those situations where it's kind of mine to lose. I know Mike and the rest of the guys are going to do a great job and that the car is going to go from A to B. We may not have the fastest car on the block yet, but I think we'll be running with everybody very quickly. I think we have one of the more consistent Top Fuel cars out there and I wouldn't trade that for anything.
"Mike is not a guy who is going to make giant changes," added McClenathan. "He's going to make small changes and make sure that everything stays consistent. The way his demeanor is and the way he goes about things I'm very happy with. If we give Mike the same package every time out there it's just going to get better and better. I just want to do my job to make sure I do the same thing every time.
"Being consistent puts the other guys and girls in a position where they have to beat us. They know they have to get to the other end. I'm very confident that we have a great team, a great race car and a great team owner in Don Schumacher."
McClenathan returns to Firebird Raceway after several days of tests at the pre-season National Time Trials in January. "If you look back you'll see that we didn't hurt any parts and our testing went fairly good and obviously Pomona went very well," he said. "So I would have to consider this the perfect start to a great season. Going rounds is what it's all about. We may not be able to go out there and win every single race, but it gives us something to shoot for.
"If we can just keep on repeating and go to the semis and go to a few finals and win some races, we'll know we have a good a car. I know there's a lot more power left in the FRAM Top Fuel dragster and there's a lot more we can utilize in the nitro department, but I'm going to leave that up to Mike. I think he's taking a great approach on that."
NEW PIPE, NEW ENTHUSIASM - J.R. Todd has only raced Firebird Raceway twice but to determine that it’s not at the top of
J.R. Todd bent his primary dragster in Pomona. A new one will replace the back up used in Pomona final eliminations.
Todd does see a silver lining in this otherwise dark cloud – pre-season testing.
“Yeah, we haven’t had the best luck at Phoenix, but with our results from our preseason testing there, this year might have a different outcome for us,” said the five-time NHRA Top Fuel winner. “It’s kind of a tricky track with the way the groove is laid out, so now I know what to expect once we get back there this weekend. It’s my new team with Morgan Lucas Racing and based on the way we ran there in preseason testing, we stand a good shot this weekend.”
Todd, who experienced a glancing 295-mph blow on his opening round of qualifying at the season-opening Pomona race, lost his primary car in that unfortunate mishap forcing the Torco/Lucas Team to resort to their backup.
“The plan is to have the new chassis at the track in Phoenix by Wednesday,” said Todd. “The guys will put it together on Thursday and be ready to hit the track by Friday. It’s coming from (Brad) Hadman’s shop in Seattle with a new front half and hopefully we’ll pick up where we left off.
“There was definitely a difference with the two chassis that we had run. The one we stuck in the wall on Thursday at Pomona was the better of the two.”
Having that ‘familiar pipe’ back will bring the self-assurance that placed his name as one of the early season contenders.
“We have our confidence back with me driving the car and John Stewart (crew chief & team manager) has his also with a more than a dozen or so laps testing on that car and knows what to expect out of it. The way Morgan’s car ran in Pomona is definitely the way our car should have been running. The cars are set up pretty much identical tune-up-wise. The two crew chiefs are sharing information that transfers between the teams. Based off our early numbers on our run on that Thursday we were right there with him.”
A JINX IN EFFECT? - Seven years is a long time to go without a victory. The patience is starting to wane as Doug Kalitta,
Doug Kalitta wouldn't mind snapping a dry spell in the Arizona desert.
“I can definitely remember the win in Phoenix in ’01,” Kalitta, a 43-year old resident of Ann Arbor, Mich., said. “We didn’t qualify all that great and we had to run [Dave] Grubnic, who is now my teammate, in round one. We were able to get by him and had a very close race with [Larry] Dixon in the second round. [Kenny] Bernstein smoked the tires against us in the semis, and we were fortunate enough to get by the late Darrell Russell in the finals.
“As you can tell, we beat some really good drivers and teams that day, and our car ran in the 4.60s (seconds) all during eliminations. Hopefully we can get that consistency to happen again for us this weekend. It would be great to put our “Big Red” car in the winner’s circle again at Firebird.”
Kalitta was the event runner-up in 2004. He was the No. 1 qualifier at Firebird Int’l Raceway in 2003.
FUNNY CAR
KEEPING IT REAL - Robert Hight proved that one day really can make a huge difference in your perspective.
The struggles of pre-season and the success in Pomona provided a full spectrum of emotions for JFR driver Robert Hight.
Now the 38 year-old Yorba Linda, Calif., resident is excited to be heading back to Firebird Raceway with the No. 1 points position, a consistent race car, and momentum on his side.
“I am definitely looking forward to getting back to Firebird. Last year we were in the final with Tony Pedregon and we lost the race at the top end when we had a malfunction in our Auto Club Ford Mustang,” Hight said. “We were going for a national record to beat or back-up our 4.636 second run from earlier in the race (last year). If we get good conditions there again I think we can put up some more big numbers.”
In 2007 Hight started the season with two final round appearances but also two runner-up checks. This season with one win under his belt already he is hoping to continue his winning streak in Phoenix. Had the outcome been reversed Hight would have captured his first POWERade Championship at the end of last season.
After a hectic off-season that saw the Funny Car chassis redesigned for the first time in twenty- five years, coupled with figuring out a new tune-up to power the 2,500 pound beast down a quarter mile track at speeds in excess of 300 miles per hour, Hight and his team were less than productive at the season opening test session, never powering their Ford Mustang hybrid past half-track.
“We are still adapting to our new set-up and a lot of the changes to the chassis but the good news is I am heading into Phoenix with a lot more confidence than I had going into Pomona for the season opener,” said the 2005 Rookie of the Year.
FORD POWER - The Ford Boss 500 engine made its competition debut two weeks ago at the NHRA POWERade
Crew chief John Medlin says the Ford BOSS 500 nitro motor like the one in Mike Neff's Mustang needs more laps for a complete evaluation.
“We were extremely pleased with the overall package,” said Medlen. “The durability appears to be up. The performance is certainly there. I think one of our biggest wrestling matches [that] weekend was getting a grasp on the power. The power level is up. So, we’re very pleased so far.”
At this point in the game, Medlen says they’ll improve the Ford Boss 500’s performance as they gain experience.
“We need more runs,” added Medlen. “We’ll get ’em. We just need to match the clutch to the power curve now, and I think we’ll be fine.
“It takes so many runs to learn what the engine needs or what it doesn’t need. We’re all very pleased with the progress. The horsepower is excellent. It appears that the durability is better. These are all good things. There’s no detriment right now.”
Needless to say, that makes Medlen a happy man headed into this weekend’s NHRA CSK Nationals in Phoenix, Arizona.
“We’d have liked to go more rounds, but it could be a whole lot worse – a whole lot worse,” said Medlen. “We’re very happy with it. That part of it is fine. Now we’ve got to get the clutch to match it.”
THE "OTHER" FORD - Bob Tasca III gained his license at Firebird International Raceway just three weeks ago.
Life has been a whirlwind since Bob Tasca III began his licensing in Phoenix three weeks ago.
“I’m excited to get back to Phoenix, particularly with the tune-up we have in the race car coming out of Pomona, “ said Tasca. “We learned a lot at our test in Phoenix and we have high expectations for the weekend.”
The three week journey for Tasca, from licensed to unlicensed, Phoenix to Pomona and back to Pomona, has provided a pressure cooker situation at times for the Motorcraft-sponsored driver and his newly assembled crew led by Mike Kloeber.
“There’s no question that first event had everyone on overload,” said Tasca. “We went into the event a little uncertain on our tune-up, but now the team and my crew chiefs have a chance to make decisions off of those solid runs.
“The first weekend did take a little edge off, but like my crew chief said, here at Tasca Racing, we don’t just qualify for an event and everybody’s happy. This is an environment where we expect to win. We’re expected to win from our sponsors and that’s what this whole team is built on. Until we achieve those goals race in and race out, that’s what we’re going to be fighting for.”
THE LAST TIME - The last time Gary Scelzi made runs at Firebird Raceway, he left with a less than confident feeling. Three weeks later, he's a changed man. Credit a strong Pomona showing for his renewed enthusiasm.
"I'm really excited about going to Phoenix," said Scelzi, who landed in the quarterfinals in Pomona and is tied in fifth place in the standings with three other drivers. "I felt that we could have done damage in Pomona. It was unfortunate that we broke a Heim joint (in his second round against John Force) that is connected to the barrel valve. But it's one of those things; it's something that just never breaks. So, we'll write that off as one that got away.
"Firebird is a tough, tricky race track," added Scelzi, the 1997 winner there in the Top Fuel class. "The quickest-ever Funny Car elapsed time was set there last year (4.636 seconds by Robert Hight), and there was also a lot of tire smoke. I'm really confident in (crew chief) Todd Okuhara, in the way he and the other DSR crew chiefs work together. I'm confident in the car we're running, because it's the car we ran last year, so there's no curve balls being thrown at us there. We're in the top 10. We just need to go there and start making our move right now and begin marching our way into the Countdown."
SCELZI'S NEW CHASSIS - Scelzi’s new Brad Hadman chassis didn’t run in Pomona during the NHRA Winternationals. Scelzi has
Gary Scelzi's new chassis will run in post-race testing. If all goes well, it could run in Gainesville.
This new Hadman chassis will make runs during the traditional post-event test session at Firebird.
Scelzi told Torco’s CompetitionPlus.com that this season he would be driving a chassis he was going to pay for himself that would be built by his long time Northern California buddy, Brad Hadman. When that car did not make it to Pomona, Scelzi began the season in the Murf McKinney-built car that he drove last year.
“What happened was that all of the last minute changes that came down while the car was being built meant that it couldn’t be ready in time,” Scelzi said. “NHRA didn’t make up their minds until the last minute. Brad was working on dragster chassis until the last minute because we didn’t know what the tubing size was going to be. We thought it was going to call for .095-wall tubing, but we didn’t want to build a car that we would have to throw away in June (when all of the new F/C chassis specs go into effect).
“When we finally got the call on that Brad busted his balls trying to get this thing done, and then they decided they wanted an X in the bottom and some other things that we had done differently, so we had to cut that stuff out of the car and change it. We didn’t have some things at Brad’s that he needed, and that slowed things down and we couldn’t make it to Phoenix with that car.
“We got the car to Phoenix, but by then our guys were working on that car and this one. Then the body didn’t fit properly, so we said, Let’s just stop. We decided we’d run the car we ran last year even though I didn’t care to.
“Brad took the new car to Worsham’s shop and finished it there, and they delivered it here to the track this morning. We’ll run that car in testing on the Monday after Phoenix,” he said.
THE NEXT GIG - One year ago Jerry Toliver was sitting on the sidelines preparing his team to compete in what was left of the
One year ago Jerry Toliver was sitting on the sidelines preparing his team to compete in what was left of the 2007 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.
What a difference a year makes. Tolliver is now in his first full season of NHRA competition since 2004, after joining Don Schumacher Racing in 2008.
"Any time you walk away from a race in the top 10 is an achievement," said Toliver, who posted the quickest Funny Car elapsed time of the weekend, 4.790 seconds, at the season-opener in Pomona, Calif. "You can't set your sights too high and you can't win them all and, unfortunately, we had a parts failure in the clutch department that took us out in the first round.
"We had a great race car in Pomona and I was very excited that we ran such a great number during qualifying and it just shows that we've got a good group of guys here. Crew chief Phil Shuler and his team really know what they're doing and I'm looking for big things to come. I'm really excited."
FOR THE BOYS - Mail Terminal Services will continue its "Mail from Home" program in 2008. Fans at each NHRA national event will have the opportunity to sign special cards at the DSR hospitality area and at the U.S. Army Racing Zone in the midway area, which MTS will then ship, free of charge, to the troops in war zones overseas.
A BIRTHDAY GIFT FOR DAD - For drag racing veteran Scott Kalitta, driver of the 7,000-horsepower, nitro-fueled DHL Funny
Scott Kalitta led qualifying in Pomona for two days, but what he'd really like is a national event birthday for dad Connie Kalitta.
This Sunday, as final eliminations of the Checker Schuck’s Kragen NHRA Nationals will be thrilling race fans with the most exciting form of auto racing in the world, Scott’s dad and Kalitta Motorsports patriarch Connie “the Bounty Hunter” Kalitta, a drag racing icon, will also be celebrating his milestone 70th birthday at the place where he is most widely known and comfortable – the race track.
“My dad has been involved in this sport for almost half of a century.” Scott, who celebrated his 46th birthday Monday, Feb. 18, and resides in Palmetto, Fla., said. “That is an impressive feat in any form of sports. I’m extremely proud of my dad and all of his accomplishments, both in drag racing and as a businessman. He truly is one of a kind, and it would be incredible for me and for him if we could get our DHL car into the winner’s circle this weekend.”
PRO STOCK
LOOKING FOR BETTER MEMORIES - Some memories are just better
forgotten. Easier said than done when you’re NHRA Pro Stock driver
Allen Johnson and the subject of the 2007 Checker Schuck’s Kragen NHRA
Nationals comes up in conversation.
In one weekend, Johnson not only failed to qualify for the only time in
the 2007 season but also sat helplessly as his father and engine
builder Roy Johnson was transported to the hospital, the victim of a
near-fatal heart attack while working at the track.
With his father by his side, Johnson views his return to this year’s
Checker Schuck’s Kragen NHRA Nationals, scene of one of the worst
weekends of his racing career, as a time of rebirth and celebration.
“We’ve got Dad an appointment early Thursday morning with the people
who saved his life. They’re going to check him out and give him a
physical,” said Johnson of his father, who had to be rushed from the
track last year to a local hospital and was shocked back to life by
doctors. The elder Johnson didn’t miss a beat, however, and was back
turning the wrenches on his son’s Mopar/J&J Racing Dodge Stratus
R/T Pro Stock car at the next event, the NHRA Gatornationals.
Johnson, a Greeneville, Tenn., native, added, “We’ve got the
opportunity to turn a really bad weekend last year into a really great
weekend this year. It’s just more of a celebration that we are able to
go back there with Dad. He’s been doing great. The stance we’re taking
is that it happened for a reason, it’s a good thing, and we’re going to
go back there and celebrate it with a win this weekend.” (AutoImagery Photo)
GXP PRAISE - The Pro Stock fraternity wishes that Greg Anderson would have waited until this weekend to bring out the new
Greg Anderson ruled Pro Stock with a GTO. The same kind of domination appears imminent with his new GXP.
"We had doubts whether we should bring the new GXP to Pomona or not because we didn't feel we had enough time to prepare a new car," Anderson confirmed. "We had a great test session at Las Vegas at the Pontiac Pro Stock Showdown and we learned a lot of stuff about it. Obviously it's going to be a great hot rod. It's already looking fantastic and it should only get better. My hat's off to the boys at Pontiac - they built that beast.
"The guys over at GM have been working on this car for over a year. It was a long process but obviously they did their homework well. (The GXP) comes right out of the box great, and you hope and think you can make it better as you go. There's a lot of potential. Just like with the DRCE 3 (GM's Drag Racing Competition Engine, third generation). We came out to Pomona last year with it and didn't think it would be real great to start with, but it got better as the season went along and it's better this year. (GM) just keeps building great cars. I'm definitely affiliated with the right group in General Motors and their Pontiac brand. I've been fortunate that way. I've had great equipment and every year they keep making it better."
REAL MOMENTUM - Anderson's Pomona victory marked his 50th career win behind the wheel of a Pontiac and his 52nd overall. Of Pontiac's 181 all-time wins in NHRA Pro Stock competition, Anderson has the most Pontiac wins with 50, Warren Johnson is next on the list with 42 and Jim Yates is third with 25. All of Jim Yates career national-event victories have been in a Pontiac and all three drivers, Anderson, Johnson, and Yates, have won in a Firebird, a Grand Am and a GTO.
Last season, Anderson got off to a fast start by winning six of the season's first 10 races. Although he won two more races for a class-leading eight on the season, Anderson and his KB Racing team seemed to lose some of its early momentum and eventually finished second to Coughlin.
"Last year we got off to a great start to the season and looking back at it in hindsight it probably got us out of the 'going-to-the-race-to-win-the-race' mode," Anderson said. "We just decided this year we're going to go out and try and win every single race no matter what. Obviously you can't win every race unless you win that first one, and we've done that. If we win a championship, great, if we don't, then maybe we still will have won 15 races, I don't know. Sometimes you think you've got a great plan and it turns out not to be so great. We just can't plan like we did last year - we learned a valuable lesson. I can't wait to get to Phoenix and lock horns with these guys again.
RICKIE SMITH HAPPENINGS - Don't be surprised if you see Rickie Smith this weekend at the NHRA CSK Nationals in Phoenix, Arizona. The seven-time IHRA world champion from King, North Carolina will be working this weekend and possibly more with the Tom Hammonds Pro Stock team. The team spent all day Wednesday testing at Speedworld Dragway in Arizona and before the day was complete, Hammonds had established a new track record elapsed time with a 6.72.
Smith admitted the chances of his driving this season are getting slim unless significant sponsorship materializes. He added that he will likely work more events with Hammonds in 2008.
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