BRACKET BONANZA AT ATLANTA DRAGWAY ON OCTOBER 17

Courtesy Tim Glover

John Bleakley Motor Homes and Atlanta Dragway are presenting The Bracket Bonanza on Sunday, October 17, the day after the track's Division Two Summit ET Finals event. $2000 is guaranteed to the Super Pro winner and $1000 will be paid to the Footbrake winner. This event will be run on the eighth-mile course and is open to all NHRA racers, not just those entered in the Summit ET Finals on Friday and Saturday.

Gates open at 9:00 AM, and open time runs will be held from 9:30 to 11:30 AM. Eliminations will begin at noon. Super Pro (4:00 to 7.99 ET) entry is $50 for a car and driver, while Footbrake (no electronics) car/driver entry is $35. Buybacks will be available for $35 in Super Pro and $25 in Footbrake. Spectator or Crew entry is $10 for adults, with children 12 and under admitted free.

For more information, contact Atlanta Dragway at (706) 335-2301 or (770)682-3782, or log on to http://www.atlantadragway.com/.

2004 OLD DRAG RACERS REUNION - OCT. 1, 2, 3, 2004 Panama City, Fla.

by Anne Stewart

The 2004 Old Drag Racers' Reunion began to take shape as the Old Drag Racers and their families began arriving and checking in on Friday afternoon. As is the norm, old racers mingled around the lobby visiting with many of their old buddies. At 7:30 on Friday evening an old fashioned barbecue cook-out was held in the back parking lot of the host motel.

Saturday morning brought a beautiful day--clear skies, a little warm at times, but a great typical Florida morning.

The car show started at 8:30. Some of the cars were already in place, having arrived Friday evening. Joe Teuton treated the car show enthusiasts by bringing two hemi's from his big stable of race cars.

Wayne Jeffers brought three outstanding cammer powered Fords from his collection-one of them being the very famous Dyno Don Maverick. There were four 64 T-Bolts in the show. The famous Big Iron and the Old Rusty 55 Chevrolet were in the numbers. Some of the rigs that brought these cars to the show were a show themselves. How transportation to the races and shows has changed over the years!

The Hall of Memories was going on the same time as the car show. This year it was held in the ballroom. A lot of great pictures, some fantastic displays, some great memorabilia were there for everyone to view. A special thanks goes to FE Bob Fermier and to Jim Amos for their great slide show and video show in the Hall of Memories.

At 2:00 PM Saturday everyone assembled in the motel ballroom for the afternoon program. Sol kicked off the program with a greetings to all attending. Following this he gave a special welcome to some first-time attending VIP's. There were some special awards presented and Col. Bob Tensfield assisted Sol with this portion of the program. The Herman Moore Good Sportsman Award for 2004 was presented by Speedy Ball and went to Kenneth"Sonny" Rollo of Tallahassee, Fla.

A special award was presented to Marty Johnson in appreciation of his many years of promoting drag racing with his photos and articles written in "Drag News" and "National Dragster". An outstanding thing took place during the presentation to Marty when Hubert Platt unexpectedly stepped up to the podium, pulled out a $100 bill and challenged racers to match it so the money could be sent to Marty. Within two minutes there was $1278 in cash lying on the podium. Thanks to Hubert for a great gesture. Both Marty and his wife Kitty are now in declining health.

A special award was presented to James Finch for his contributions to the ODRR. A special award was presented to Sam Boswell for his contributions to the ODRR.

The eleven car show plaques and trophies that were furnished by Bobby Likis Car Clinic RadioNetwork were presented to the recipients by Col. Tensfield. The annual Industry Award was not presented this year because the designated recipients could not attend.

The Hall of Fame inductions were next on the agenda.

Greg Holt presented to his father, Billy Holt, of Athens, Alabama, his Hall of Fame plaque.

Billy "Big Deal" Jacobs presented George Warren of Phenix City, Alabama, his Hall of Fame plaque.

Charles Smith presented his brother, Max Smith, of Midland City, Alabama, his Hall of Fame plaque.

Speedy Ball presented Bill Mullins of Birmingham, Alabama, his Hall of Fame plaque.

Sam McQuagg presented Bobby Watson of Phenix City, Alabama, his Hall of Fame plaque.

Bill Dismuke presented Phil Bonner of Dahlonega, Ga., his Hall of Fame plaque.
Hoyt Grimes did a presentation on "Sneaky" Pete Robinson of Atlanta.

Dave Pybus presented Shirley Childree, widow of Jesse Childree, his Hall of Fame plaque.

Billy Holt did a presentation on Clayton Harris, recipient of a Hall of Fame plaque.

After the Hall of Fame presentations Sol made his closing statements.

Saturday night a round table "bull session" was held and although it was very lightly attended, it was very entertaining and was made very interesting by stories and comments from the likes of Randy "Big Stuff" Payne, FE Bob Fermier, Rick Kirk, Billy "Big Deal" Jacobs, Harvey Collins, David Smith, Jimmy Waibel, and Rusty Gillis. Jim Amos was in attendence and asked some interesting questions of the panel. Saturday night's event wound up the 2004 ODRR. We are already looking forward to next year.!!!

For those of you interested in a complete video of the afternoon awards ceremony and the Saturday night Round Table Session, you can contact Frank & Sue Moye at 4343 Warm Springs Rd. #604, Colunbus, Ga. 31909 or call them at 706-563-7494. They did a great job videoing the event and one of these videos would be a real keepsake. I understand the afternoon video will be around $15.00.

NICHOLS, WIEGAND, GESSLER AND YARBER WINNERS AT YEAR ONE COMMERCE CHALLENGE

by Tim Glover
Photos
More Photos

(Commerce, GA - October 9) Although the Weather Channel was predicting rain for Sunday, it made an early visit Friday evening and Saturday morning to Atlanta Dragway during the Year One Commerce Challenge 2004. Friday began with test and tune and vendor setup, and all participants enjoyed the day until 8:30 pm, when light rain stopped the day and the scheduled Jet Dragster and Wheelstander exhibition runs. Saturday was fine, with light rain delaying the racing action in the morning. However, the track personnel soon had the track dry. The promoters decided to complete all the racing Saturday (instead of the normal Sunday eliminations) due to the predicted heavy rain on Sunday. Racers came from all over the U.S. to enjoy competition in the three different classes offered.

Although the fastest qualifier ran 7.80 seconds (local racer Bob Clifford - '67 GTO) in Quick 16, the slower cars ruled the day. #15 qualifier Erik Wiegand from White Plains, MD used a big .072 second holeshot to win Quick 16. Even though his final round opponent, #14 qualifier Melvin Fuller of Clermont, GA, crossed the finish line first, Fuller's '70 Nova broke out with a 10.00 flat, 132.11mph pass (10.04 dial) handing the win to Wiegand. Wiegand's clean looking '64 GTO ran a decent 10.30 at 129.31mph (10.26 dial). The Quick 16 semi-finalists were Dan Bytnar ('03 Mustang - Cumming, GA) and Robert Johnson ('87 Pontee Carlo SS). Three other local racers, Mike Holman ('70 Buick GSX), Jim Mayfield ('92 Beretta) and Ricky Hicks ('76 Monza) entered the event. Wiegand said he used to race a lot, but now just concentrates on select events. "My wife Christine and I came to the Bristol Bash last year and enjoyed it (semi-final finish) so we decided to come back. I'm just trying to have fun. I have a group of guys I run with," added Wiegand.

Blairstown, NJ racer Greg Gessler is already a three time champion of the F.A.S.T. (Factory Appearing Stock Tire) class. Gessler received the instant win this time after David Dudek, Jr's immaculately restored 426 Hemi powered '70 Challenger rolled through the starting line beams before the tree activated, turning on the dreaded big red bulb. Gessler was #1 qualifier and the Shelby Township, MI based Dudek qualified #2. Gessler's '72 Buick GS turned in an 11.54 pass at 122.47mph. Dudek's car was the #2 qualifier and Gessler's machine was the #1 qualifier. Joel Nystrom ('67 Hemi powered GTX - Buffalo, MN) and Wayne Nelson ('69 Corvette - Princeton, MN) were the semi-final finishers.

Nick Yarber and his wife Dawn started racing True Street with their '95 Mustang Cobra six years ago, running 13 second passes at that time. He has improved the car through the years, and after running the required 30 mile cruise, he ran three hot laps down the dragstrip, never shutting the engine off. He turned in a 9.02, a 9.29 and a 9.02 pass. His closest competition was Mark Hicks, who averaged 9.80 seconds in an '89 Mustang.

Racing was only part of the action at the Year One Commerce Challenge. A huge car show featured many different makes of American muscle cars using Year One parts. A kid's play area boasted several moonwalks, a climbing wall and a slot car track to keep them out of their parent's hair. The parents had plenty of time to enjoy a large swap meet featuring used performance parts and even show quality cars. The manufacturer's midway had a lot of new performance and restoration parts available. The Year One compound featured many of their products, along wth many completed show quality muscle cars. Test and Tune racers enjoyed making as many passes as they wished. Steve Dunlap of Cumming, GA came to the track to see what his '66 Chevelle would do. He first tried it out on the Werx Motorsports Chassis Dyno, where it put down 338 hp and 420 ft. lb. of torque to the rear wheels. He then carded several 12.50 passes at 107mph.

Year One presented the coveted Year One Cup to Carl and Bessie Nichols of Morganton, NC. The couple bought their 1963 Impala SS new, and began restoration one year ago. Their main worry after they bought the 327 300hp four-speed car was making the $101 monthly payment, as Carl only made $1.25 per hour. They worked together as a team all year and completed the car Friday at 12:00 noon. They were both astounded when they were rewarded with a win the first time out. In addition to a large lead crystal cup, they received a $5000 Year One gift certificate and the opportunity to display their car at other Year One events. Johnny Norrell of Cumming ('69 COPO ZL-1 Camaro clone) and Richard Carlson (custom '69 Camaro convertible) from Hudson, FL were the finalists for the Year One cup, winning smaller versions of the cup for their entries. One of the more unusual car show entries was the 1998 Ten Door "Game Over" Suburban belonging to Marc Bowen of Lawrenceville, GA. It was painted in red and black and sat nearly five feet off the ground.

Jim Wangers of Pontiac fame was on hand to meet and greet car enthusiasts who came to the Year One event. He brought his GeeTO Tiger '66 Pontiac GTO to show and go. Driver Dave Anderson put the car through its paces on the track, running in the 10.70 to 10.90 second range against Year One president Kevin King in a '69 Camaro and local racer Alan Hause in his '70 Olds 442 W-30 car.

Paul Miller "US One" from nearby Watkinsville, GA and Haynes City, FL racer Elaine Larsen "Miss Ta Fire" wowed the crowd with three flame throwing passes on Saturday in their Jet Dragsters. They also gave autographs in their pit spaces to fans. Scott Kennedy brought his Wheelstander to the track for the spectator's enjoyment. On Saturday night Year One sponsored a huge fireworks display, capping off a great weekend for the spectators.

Sunday was also enjoyed by participants in the Year One Commerce Challenge. Shortly after the gates opened the Racers for Christ service was held. Although the regularly scheduled racing eliminations were already complete, there were continuing car show awards, along with the swap meet and manufacturer's midway. Test and tuners continued to blast down the track Sunday, making as many passes as they wished.

QUICK 16 CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Erik Wiegand '64 Pontiac GTO White Plains, MD 10.30 129.31 (10.26)
R/U: Melvin Fuller '70 Nova Clermont, GA 10.00 132.11 (10.04)
Semi: Dan Bytnar '03 Mustang Cumming, GA
Semi: Robert Johnson '87 Pontee Carlo SS San Diego, CA

F.A.S.T. CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH
Win: Greg Gessler '72 Buick GS Blairstown, NJ 11.54 122.47
R/U: David Dudek, Jr. '70 Challenger Shelby Twship, MI no time
Semi: Joel Nystrom '67 Hemi GTX Buffalo, MN
Semi: Wayne Nelson '69 Corvette Princeton, MN

TRUE STREET CAR HOMETOWN ET
Win: Nick Yarber '95 Mustang Cobra Abingdon, VA 9.11 average (1/4 mile)
R/U: Mark Hicks '89 Mustang Baltimore, MD 9.80 average (1/4 mile)

Gassers at SGMP - Marvin T. Smith Photo.

Gassers and King of the Track at South Georgia Motorsports Park

by Marvin T. Smith

Cecil, Georgia October 9, 2004
Photos

The Classic Gassers brought their exciting brand of heads up racing to SGMP. They race A/G cars on a 5.30 index and B/G cars on a 6.00 index, and put on quite a show with their nostalgia flavored machines. If you want to see Willys, Anglias, and Henry J's and other great cars, this group is not to be missed! The racing is awesome!

The A/G field of seven cars narrowed down to the yellow 37 Chevy of David Wiggins and the Mighty Mouse Anglia of Roger McConnell. Both cars dipped into the 5.20s but Wiggins broke out least to take the win.

The B/G field of eight cars boiled down to Ronnie Winston's early Nova against the Van of Bob Busch. Bush took a holeshot win with a slower 6.03 to the Winston Nova's better 6.01.

In regular Super Pro action, Bryan Jones ran a dead-on 4.980 on his 4.98 dial in to beat last week's winner Carey Locke who fouled. Pro racing saw Todd Sapp in his MTS racing Mustang win with a 7.139 on a 7.13 dial in when his opponent ran 7.48 on a 7.47 dial in. Racing action is tough at SGMP.

Tonight was the special King of the Track event for cars finishing in the top ten in points for the year in both Pro and Super Pro. The Pro cars raced each other and the Super Pro cars raced each other, and the two winners faced off for an NHRA Wally trophy and ultimate bragging rights. The Pro winner, Ricky Kent, took on the Super Pro winner, Brian Jones, for the "little man." Kent ran 7.74 on his 7.72 dial to lose to Bryan's 4.990 on his 4.98 dial in. This was really Bryan's night as he won both the regular event and the King of the Track race. Congratulations on an outstanding performance.

As always at SGMP, there were many other things to see. There was an excellent motorcycle daredevil show that had to be seen to be believed. The Cherissa Motorsports team showed up to test their A/FD and ran a troubled 6.72 at 205mph. The smell of nitro was a welcomed addition to an excellent night of racing! Kenny Voss brought Richard Earle's 57 Ford Pro Outlaw Street car to test for the big event coming up in Orlando. He drove through the clutch on his first attempt, but came back and ran a 7.20 at 191 in the quarter followed up by an eighth mile pass of 4.66 at 153. Clarence Cloud brought back his crowd pleasing 40 Willys after the Gasser event eliminations to try out his 300 hp nitrous system for the first time. He ran a career best 4.97 at 146. You gotta love it!

In November, South Georgia Motorsports Park is having a three day $30,000 bracket race. Check SGMPracing.com for more information.

BAZEMORE DEFEATED BY TEAMMATE SCELZI IN FIRST ROUND IN READING

READING, Pa. (Oct. 10, 2004) - By the luck of the draw, if you will, and qualifying 12th, Whit Bazemore found himself squaring off with his teammate Gary Scelzi in the first round of Funny Car eliminations for the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals today.

They were both on their games as the competitive duo launched at the light nearly identically, with Bazemore a tick quicker with a .091 reaction time to Scelzi's .092 (.000 is perfect). Bazemore's Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge Stratus struck the tires, however, at about 300 feet in the less-desirable right lane, and Scelzi took the victory with a 4.807/305.63 pass to Bazemore's losing 7.678/109.24. This final effort topped a weekend of disappointing results.

"It's extremely frustrating today," said Bazemore, driver of the Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge Stratus, "because you're teammates and you're friends. But sometimes there's more pride involved than at other times because you have to live with these people day in and day out and you want to be better than they are. And I'm speaking for everyone on the Matco Tools team.

"We knew going in that there was going to be one guy who was going to be the winner and one team was going to win and one team wasn't. Unfortunately, the Matco Tools Dodge went out and shook the tires and we got beat.

"Having said that, if this sport wasn't challenging and difficult, we certainly wouldn't like it. You expect hurdles in your career and you expect some tough times and some times when you can't get the car to run properly.

"We're just in a position right now with our team that our car is not performing how Lee (Beard, crew chief) and the team and I and everyone expects it to. We're working hard to make it better, but it's just throwing us curve balls run after run.

"The great thing is we have a tremendous team, tremendous people, and we have a team owner who is a very motivating individual. Because of all those factors, ultimately this team will be very, very successful."

Although John Force didn't clinch the championship today, when Scelzi won the final round, Bazemore remains in the chase for second place among Scelzi, Del Worsham, Eric Medlen and Gary Densham with two races left. Bazemore is in fourth, 105 behind Scelzi in third, and 141 behind Worsham in second.

Next up is the ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals, Oct. 29-31, the penultimate round of the 2004 NHRA season.

NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES FUNNY CAR POINT STANDINGS:

1. John Force, 1672
2. Del Worsham, 1412
3. Gary Scelzi, 1376 (winner today)
4. Whit Bazemore, 1271
5. Eric Medlen, 1265
6. Gary Densham, 1252

Courtesy Judy Stropus
DON SCHUMACHER RACING

After opening round set back, testing order of the day between now and Vegas

Courtesy Jerry Battle

MOHNTON, Penn. (October 10, 2004) – An unresolved shifting linkage problem on the G Squared Motorsports G2/S&S/Star Racing Buell put an early end to eliminations at the NHRA Lucas Oil Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway.

In the opening round G Squared driver Chip Ellis, who qualified No. 4 with an elapsed time of 7.123 seconds, was matched against No. 13 qualifier Chip Hunter. At the green light start, Hunter got a very slight advantage. At the finish line Hunter arrived first, as Ellis once again experienced a shifting problem.

Following the opening round set back, George Bryce, who along with George Smith owns G Squared Motorsports, immediately said, “The most amazing thing related to the shifting linkage issue is that we have not experienced any breakage in either the transmission or the engine. Both are very strong and reliable. But evidently, there is some little shifting issue that we have not been able to figure out yet. We’re working on this right now, as I speak. That’s our major focus right now.

“We know this S&S Cycle engine can make this bike go very fast if we can shift the gears. It’s not a transmission integrity issue either. It’s something in the linkage. Our primary plans still remain the same and that is to go as fast as we can and bring the package to market. But to do that you must work out all the bugs before putting it out on the market. Right now we are working on debugging the entire package and then we’ll bring it to market.

“We’re going to Vegas and test and test and test and uncover these issues. We plan to run the AHDRA the week before the NHRA ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals. We plan to be ready and have the best prepared bike for the NHRA race in Vegas.”

The NHRA ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals will be held at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, October 28-31. Professional qualifying will begin on Friday, October 29.

TV UPDATE: TV coverage of eliminations from this weekend’s Lucas Oil Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway will air twice, including a newly added telecast scheduled for Monday, Oct. 11, from 5-7 p.m. on ESPN2. Coverage for the rain-delayed event also will be replayed on Sunday, Oct. 17 from 7-9 p.m. on ESPN2. Television times are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and subject to change at anytime without notice. Check local listings.


G SQUARED MOTORSPORTS
PRO STOCK BIKE: G2/S&S/STAR RACING BUELL
RIDER: CHIP ELLIS

MEDIA CONTACT: Mickey Schultz
PHONE: 770-476-8477
E-MAIL: mschultz@bellsouth.net

Schumacher Wins Race and Clinches Top Fuel Championship; Bob Vandergriff is Top Fuel Runner Up at the NHRA POWERade Lucas Oil Nationals

Gary Scelzi, Jason Line and Angelle Savoie win the other Pro classes. Schumacher Racing makes history by winning 3 of the 4 Pro classes ( Schumacher, Scelzi and Savoie ).
Drag Race Central Details

Georgia Notes:

Bob Vandergriff's runner up finish in Top Fuel is his best effort since his return to drag racing.

Whit Bazemore lost in the first round of Funny Car to eventual winner ( and teammate ) Gary Scelzi.

Mark Whisnant ran an impressive 6.715 @ 205.07, but lost in the first round of Pro Stock to Kenny Koretsky's holeshot. Kurt Johnson also lost in round one.

Chip Ellis lost in the first round of Pro Stock Bike after suffering shifting problems.

Action from Year One's Commerce Challenge at Atlanta Dragway.

Year One's Commerce Challenge Continues Today ( Sunday October 10, 2004 )

Year One's 2004 Commerce Challenge Photos

There is something for everyone at Atlanta Dragway today, including the huge multi-make Car Show, three different classes of F.A.S.T. drag racing, an all day long Test and Tune session, and a Chassis Dyno for finding out how much power your car really puts down to the pavement. The racing classes include a Quick 16 bracket race for doorslammers only, a True Street Challenge race and the Year One F.A.S.T. Series Shootout featuring Stock Appearing cars running heads up on a pro-tree. Other on track action includes jet cars and a wheelstander.

For more information, visit Year One. For accommodation information, visit the Atlanta Dragway web site .

Courtesy Tim Glover

1965 Plymouth Satellite Hemi clone at Year One's Commerce Challenge

SS454 Chevelle at Year One's Commerce Challenge

Ellis starts from the No. 4 position at Reading

Courtesy Jerry Battle
Georgia-Motorsports.com

MOHNTON, Penn. (October 9, 2004) – Using his second run of yesterday, a pass of 7.123 seconds, Chip Ellis, driver of the G Squared Motorsports G2/S&S/Star Racing Buell, qualified No. 4 as qualifying ended today for the NHRA Lucas Oil Nationals.

In today’s final two sessions, Ellis was unable to make a pass under full power due to non-engine related problems. In Saturday’s morning session, the Americus, Ga., rider coasted to an elapsed time of 9.865 seconds, followed by a pass in which he received no time. In that second pass, he launched, made about one revolution of the tires and the bike shut down due to an ignition malfunction.

The entire G Squared Motorsports team remains confident and is looking to going four consistent rounds during eliminations according to team owners George Bryce and George Smith.

Ellis will go against No. 13 qualifier, Chip Hunter, from Lebanon, Ind., in the opening round tomorrow. Hunter qualified with a pass down the Maple Grove Raceway quarter-mile of 7.170 seconds at 185.79 mph.

Final eliminations for all classes get underway on Sunday at 11 a.m. This time is subject to change and reflect Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).

TV UPDATE: TV coverage of eliminations from this weekend’s Lucas Oil Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway will air twice, including a newly added telecast scheduled for Monday, Oct. 11, from 5-7 p.m. on ESPN2. Coverage for the rain-delayed event also will be replayed on Sunday, Oct. 17 from 7-9 p.m. on ESPN2. Television times are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and subject to change at anytime without notice. Check local listings.

Qualifying (Sept. 17):
Session 1 Friday: 7.224 seconds at 183.34 mph (# 5)
Session 2 Friday: Canceled due to rain

Qualifying (Oct. 8&9):
Session 1 Friday: 7.519 seconds at 181.62 mph (# 13)
Session 2 Friday: 7.123 seconds at 183.27 mph (# 4))
Session 1 Saturday: 9.865 seconds at 84.92 mph (# 4)
Session 2 Saturday: No Time (# 4)

G SQUARED MOTORSPORTS
PRO STOCK BIKE: G2/S&S/STAR RACING BUELL
RIDER: CHIP ELLIS

MEDIA CONTACT: Mickey Schultz
PHONE: 770-476-8477
E-MAIL: mschultz@bellsouth.net

Kurt Johnson Slides Into the 16th Starting Position in Reading

Entering the second day of qualifying for the Lucas Oil Nationals, Kurt Johnson knew he would need to pick up the pace in order to guarantee a position in Sunday’s starting field. Fortunately, he improved with each pass down the Maple Grove Raceway quarter-mile, with his 6.757-second, 203.86 mph run on his final attempt slotting the ACDelco Pro Stock Cavalier earning the second-generation driver the 16th and final spot on Sunday’s final eliminations ladder.

As the only competitor to break into the line-up on Saturday, Johnson was pleased with the results. However, he also realized even further improvement would be necessary in order to contend for the win on Sunday, and immediately started to map out his race day strategy.

“Our biggest issue is not making a decent run at the right time. For example, the pass we made in the last qualifying session would probably have been a 6.73 this morning, which would have put us substantially higher in the field.

“Even so, we’re happy to have gotten into the show. We made quite a few changes before that last run, and learned a lot, running our best sixty-foot time ever. In addition, I think there is at least another hundredth if we can resolve a shock problem and smooth it out over the bumps.

“It’s just a matter of sneaking up on it, which is what we’re doing at the moment. We’ve survived so far, so we just have to find a little more so we can have a long day tomorrow.”

Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing

BAZEMORE TAKES NO. 12 IN FINAL READING QUALIFYING

READING, Pa. (Oct. 9, 2004) - Whit Bazemore overcame some equipment issues to qualify No. 12 for the re-scheduled Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals today in the Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge Stratus Funny Car. Bazemore posted his best pass of four in the final qualifying session, of .871/294.43, following a 4.970/281.95, a 4.910/312.42 and a 4.927/296.57. Each was a respectable pass when you look at the numbers, but they do not compare to Eric Medlen's No. 1 qualifying pass of 4.741/324.12.

"The car has something going on with it," Bazemore said. "It's very unstable near the finish line. It's a little bit uncomfortable. We don't know why it is. It was on a much better pass than the numbers show in that last run.

"It hasn't been a great weekend for us. On the bright side it's been a lot better than last year was for us," he said of his DNQ in 2003.

"The run this afternoon was tough because we were only qualified 14th going into it and we had a chance to not be in the show," he added. "We were forced to make a decision to run the older Goodyear tire. The NHRA had just made available the new tire an hour or so before that round. Due to the efforts of the Matco Tools team and our car owner Don Schumacher, NHRA released a supply of the new tire, the 1430.

"Unfortunately we couldn't run it because of the situation we were in regarding our qualifying position."

"We're excited that tomorrow we will be on the new tire. It's a better tire and apparently it seems to be safer. We want to thank Goodyear for making the effort to develop something that works better for us and I'll be a lot more at ease running the new tire tomorrow than I was this afternoon, knowing that we had one more run to make on a tire that we had had problems with this weekend, both on our car and our teammate's car (Johnny Gray).

"It's a tense situation and we appreciate the effort Goodyear and the NHRA are making to get it resolved."

Bazemore will face his teammate Gary Scelzi in the first round. With Scelzi's and Bazemore's teammate Johnny Gray meeting Del Worsham in the first round, it will be an interesting scenario as to who will leave here in second place in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Worsham (qualified sixth) is in second place to John Force (qualified second). Force needs to leave here with 277 points more than Worsham to collect his 13th Funny Car championship tomorrow.

With Worsham, Bazemore, Scelzi, Medlen (qualified No. 1) and even Gary Densham in the running for second place, the first round results could make a major difference.

Contact: Judy Stropus
DON SCHUMACHER RACING