Bazemore #10 in Final Pomona Qualifying

POMONA, Calif. (Nov. 13, 2004) - Whit Bazemore improved on his No.12 qualifying position from Friday with a powerful run in today's third qualifying round under sunny and warm conditions, posting a 4.769-second elapsed time at 326.95 mph in the Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge Stratus Funny Car. That was the fourth quickest pass of that round, the second fastest and placed him in No. 6 for that session.

Bazemore, crew chief Lee Beard and the entire Matco Tools team were encouraged by those results and were looking forward to running under cooler conditions in the final round to improve their position by topping the quickest field in NHRA history (4.698 to 4.854) that had just been established. Unfortunately, the car went up in smoke at the hit of the throttle and Bazemore coasted to a 10.751-second pass at 72.77 mph, which dropped him to No. 10.

"We had a mechanical problem," he said, "where the car dropped a cylinder from the hit.

"We were pretty pumped up after running our .76 in the heat of the day, which was a very important run for us given how things have been. So the Matco Tools team did a great job.

"We were going for low qualifier tonight. We were all pretty confident that we were going to run our career-best numbers, so anytime you really have your mind set to do something and it doesn't happen there's disappointment. We feel good about the race car and we'll be fired up for tomorrow.

"Lowering the nitromethane percentage from 90 to 85 percent has helped the cars in a certain regard because they seem to run easier sometimes," he said about the quick times set this weekend. "You still have to make power, but you make it in different areas and it puts a premium on different components of the car, so you just have to skin the cat a different way.

"If we were running 90 percent I think it's fair to say we would be running quicker than we are now and I think the excitement of the fuel cars would be more than it is now, and the fans would be happier.

"But NHRA dictated 85 percent so that's what we all have to do."

Bazemore faces Tommy Johnson Jr. in the first round of eliminations on Sunday, which begin at 11 a.m.

Courtesy Judy Stropus
DON SCHUMACHER RACING

Hines Wins NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Bike Championship; Kalitta, Force, Anderson and Ellis Top Qualifiers at Pomona

Doug Kalitta leads the Top Fuel field with a 4.472 @ 332.02 and is followed closely by two other cars in the 4.40s - Tony Schumacher (4.485 @ 327.11) and David Baca (4.487 @ 327.43). Twenty three Top Fuelers were attempting to qualify.

John Force dips into the 4.60s again, leading the quickest Funny Car field in history - John's 4.698 to Tony Bartone's 4.854. Twenty six funny cars attempted to qualify for the sixteen spots.

Greg Anderson breaks another record by qualifying #1 in Pro Stock for the 16th time in 2004. Greg ran a 6.705 to lead the field. Kurt Johnson is the only Georgia Pro Stock racer to make the final cut with his 15th best 6.766 @ 204.08. Mark Whisnant (#19 - 6.778 @ 205.51), Warren Johnson (#21 - 6.793 @ 203.68)and Barry Grant (#25 - 6.812 @ 201.76) fail to qualify.

Chip Ellis holds onto the #1 spot in Pro Stock bike with his 7.024 @ 188.38 and Andrew Hines locks up the championship by qualifying his Harley-Davidson.

NHRA Recap

Thanks to Larry Jenkins for sending this 1969 photo of Clare Sanders driving the Jungle Jim funny car at Yellow River Dragstrip. You don't see too many spectators sitting in trees these days!

Joe Amato and Bob Glidden to be Inducted Into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame

Amato and Glidden to join fellow drag racers Wally Parks, Don "Big Daddy" Garlits, Don "The Snake" Prudhomme and Shirley Muldowney in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.

The other three 2005 inductees will be Darrell Waltrip, Nigel Mansell and Chip Hanauer.

More Info

Bazemore in No. 12 After Two Qualifying Rounds in Pomona

POMONA, Calif. (Nov. 12, 2004) - After posting a decent 4.829-second pass at
305.63 mph to place him No. 8 after one qualifying session yesterday, Whit
Bazemore, driving the Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge Stratus Funny Car, lost
traction in today's second session, resulting in a 11.045/74.94 pass, which
dropped him to No. 12.

"We just shook the tires today, so it's kind of frustrating," said the
two-time U.S. Nationals champion who is looking to finish this season with a
win here at the season-ending Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA
Finals. "That's how it goes. The guys are working hard and the Matco Tools
Dodge just didn't respond.

"We were obviously trying to run a good solid 4.70 (-second elapsed time),
but it didn't happen. Tomorrow will be a different day and we'll go out and
try to make it happen then."

Nine cars produced 4.7-second passes in two rounds, ranging from 4.737
seconds (No. 1 Del Worsham) to 4.796 (No. 9 Cruz Pedregon).

Courtesy Judy Stropus
DON SCHUMACHER RACING

Day 2: Ellis Still on Top

Courtesy Jerry Battle - www.georgia-motorsports.com

40TH ANNUAL NHRA AUTOMOBILE CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA FINALS
POMONA RACEWAY (LA COUNTY FAIRPLEX) – POMONA, CALIF.
NOVEMBER 11-14, 2004

Qualifying:
Session 1 Thursday: 7.063 seconds at 187.36 mph (# 1)
Session 1 Friday: 7.101 seconds at 185.97 mph (# 1)

POMONA, Calif. (November 12, 2004) – Without too much improvement by all the Pro Stock Motorcycle competitors in today’s single qualifying session, Chip Ellis, aboard the G2/S&S/Star Racing Buell, maintained his hold on the top spot at the NHRA Automobile Club of Southern California Finals.

The G Squared Motorsports-backed bike, owned by George Bryce and George Smith, recorded an elapsed time of 7.063 seconds yesterday and followed that up with a 7.101-second pass today..

Running a new S&S power plant and a new tire for today’s session, Ellis, while pleased with the run, feels he has more for tomorrow.

“The guys at S&S have supplied the power, George Bryce and Ken Johnson (co-crew chiefs) have the tune up looking good and the driver did an okay job. Together it’s a winner,” said Ellis, who won the AMA/Prostar 600 Supersport Championship last weekend.

“I think the first run in the morning will be our best opportunity to improve on our 7.06 of yesterday. The air should be good. I think we had more in our run today, but I short shifted between third and fourth (gear). That means I didn’t let the engine wind up enough before I shifted.” It could have meant a difference of three or four hundredth.”

Team owner George Smith agreed with Ellis’ assessment of the performance that session.

“Chip did a good job out there today. The tune up appeared to be right on,” said Smith. “It was a great pass with Geno (Scali) and Chip, one and two of the session. With the new S&S engine, we are pleased it ran like it did. That gives us two good power plants for the weekend.”

G SQUARED MOTORSPORTS
OWNERS: GEORGE BRYCE & GEORGE SMITH
NHRA POWERADE PRO-STOCK BIKE: G2/S&S/STAR RACING BUELL
RIDER: CHIP ELLIS
MEDIA CONTACT: Mickey Schultz

Kalitta, Worsham, Anderson and Ellis Still on Top After Round 2 of Qualiying for the NHRA POWERade Automobile Club of Southern California Finals

G-Squared S&S Buell V-Twin rider Chip Ellis is still #1 in Pro Stock Bike with his 7.063 @ 187.36 that he ran during qualifying on Thursday.

Kurt Johnson is currently #11 in Pro Stock (6.766 @ 204.08). Mark Whisnant (#18 - 6.781 @ 203.43), Warren Johnson (#20 - 6.793 @ 203.58) and Barry Grant (#25 - 6.834 @ 201.67) have two more chances to make the field on Saturday.

NHRA Friday Recap

Randy Payne informed me that he will be driving his Firebird Stocker at Montgomery during the Thanksgiving race. Mr. Big Stuff's son, Butch, has been handling the driving for the team in 2004. Big, seen here at the 2003 NHRA Southern Nationals, is a former Ford factory driver and a pioneer of the Pro Stock class.

Randy Payne, aka Mr. Big Stuff, to return to the drivers seat of the family Stocker at the Montgomery race.

Richardson pulls off hat trick during CSR Winter Series Warm Up at new South Georgia Motorsports Park

Courtesy Tim Glover

(November 5-7 - Adel, Ga.) The field of racers attending the first annual Winter Series Warm Up at the new South Georgia Motorsports Park was 170 strong, with some of the toughest bracket racers in the country. This didn't stop multi-time national event winner Edmond Richardson from winning all three days and taking home $30,000. "I love this place! I should just move here and race all the time," said Richardson.

Racers were allowed to park at the facility on Thursday, and a Gambler's race was held in the evening. Steve Sisko from Iselin, N.J., became the winner when Mike Gurliaccio from Jacksonville, Fla., turned it red in the final. Sisko used a string of .000 lights for the victory. The lone semi finalist was Bob Fuller from Rogers, Ark.

FRIDAY

Edmond Richardson from Greenbrier, Tenn. became the first ever $10,000 winner at the CSR Winter Series Warm Up in Adel Georgia's all new South Georgia Motorsports Park. Richardson defeated "Racin' Jason" Lynch, also from Tennessee, for the $10,000 Super Pro win and the Gold Cup. In the final, Richardson used a .005 react and a 4.915 on a 4.90 dial to defeat Lynch's .014 react and dead on 4.768 on a 4.76, by a slim margin of .002 seconds. Timmy Smith from Roanoke, Ala, and Steve Allsop from Boswell, Okla., were the semi finalists. The win placed the former NHRA champ in a tie for the lead in the weekend points with the former IHRA champ.

In Footbrake, Alex Gilmane of Savannah, Ga., drove his Malibu to the $2,000 win against Jay Moore from Waycross, Ga.. Gilmane went .014 6.859 on a 6.85 for the win. Melony Wilson from Kissimmee, Fla., was the lone semi finalist.

Ken Sullivan from West Carrollton, Ohio won the Super Pro portion of the Barker Trailer Sales Run For The Money. Sullivan ran dead on with a zero, coupled with a .003 light for the cash. In Footbrake Chip "The Legend" Horton went dead on with a one, with a .001 light, for the cash.

SATURDAY

In day two action at the CSR Winter Series Warm Up, over 1200 runs were made down the track. Edmond Richardson and "Racin' Jason" Lynch, both from Tennessee, found themselves back in the final round again for the second day in a row. This time Lynch turned it red by a narrow -.004 react, giving Richardson his second win in as many days.

In Footbrake, Jimmy Santos from Sylvester, Ga., went 8.099 on a 8.09 for the win over Ray Williams Sr. from Thomasville, Ga.

In the special 32 car Huntsville Engine Shootout, Alamo, Ga., Racer Carey Locke defeated track owner Jeff Ledford from Stanton, Mich., for a new 555" Huntsville Engine. Locke used a .005 4.980 on a 4.98 for the win. Ledford was .020 4.674 on a 4.67 for the $1000 runner-up money. Pete Prasnal from New Jersey was the lucky winner in the special $1000 drawing from pre-entries for the Huntsville Engine Shootout.

Shannon Newell went 6.480 on a 6.48 with a .017 light for the winners purse of $700 in the Super Pro Barker Trailer Sales Run For the Money. Leonard Davenport from South Beloit, Ill., was the Footbrake Run for the Money winner, going 6.508 on a 6.50.

Edmond Richardson and Jason Lynch finished Saturday dead even in the weekend points for the free BTE Million Dollar Race entry from CSR.

SUNDAY

Edmond Richardson used a .013 light and a dead on 4.919 in Sunday's Super Pro final, defeating William Hamilton, the BTE Million Dollar Race runner up. Hamilton, better known as the FAT LADY, was .034 and 4.824 on a 4.82 for the $3,000 check. Hamilton had a great day, also winning the Race Tech car given away by Russ Farmer and the gang from North Carolina during a drawing from the pre-entries held before first round. The semi-finalists were Jason Lynch and Randy Folk. Richardson also beat out Jason Lynch in the weekend points chase by 10 points to earn the free entry to the 2005 BTE Million Dollar Race and the Barker Twin 20s held in conjunction with the Million.

In Footbrake, Roger Kelly from Ray City, Ga., received a gift from Bill Hamilton of Jesup, Ga., after Hamilton turned it red in the final.

Earlier in the day, BTE did a special giveaway of a new transmission and converter just for pre-entering. Ray Williams Sr. was the lucky winner, courtesy of Bill Taylor and the gang at BTE.

The DragRacePhotos.com Best Appearing car went to Doug Triplett and his 91 Grand Am. The Best Engineered award went to Jeffery Barker and his 00 Chevy S-10 pick up.

The first annual event presented by CSR, Race Tech, BTE, Barker Trailer Sales and DragRaceResults.com was a super event. "Chad Dean and the staff did an excellent job. What a first class facility. I can't wait until next year," said promoter Chris Barker.

November 5, 2004 - November 7, 2004Winter Series Warm Up Results

FRIDAY SUPER PRO Driver Rct Dial ET MPH MOV
Win: Edmond Richardson .005 4.90 4.915 133.59 .002
R/U: Jason Lynch .014 4.76 4.768 141.70

FRIDAY FOOTBRAKE Driver Rct Dial ET MPH MOV
Win: Alex Gilmane .014 6.85 6.859 97.00 0.023
R/U: Jay Moore .122 6.74 6.735 100.42

SATURDAY SUPER PRO Driver Rct Dial ET MPH MOV
Win: Edmond Richardson .005 4.88 4.883 138.44 0.008
R/U: Jason Lynch -.004 4.75 10.349 41.41

SATURDAY FOOTBRAKE Driver Rct Dial ET MPH MOV
Win: Jimmy Santos .079 8.09 8.097 85.71 0.086
R/U: Ray Williams Sr. .045 8.91 8.889 74.90

HUNTSVILLE ENGINE SHOOTOUT Driver Rct Dial ET MPH MOV
Win: Carey Locke .005 4.98 4.980 136.25 0.005
R/U: Jeff Ledford .020 4.67 4.674 145.20

SUNDAY SUPER PRO Driver Rct Dial ET MPH MOV
Win: Edmond Richardson .013 4.90 4.919 132.54 0.032
R/U: William Hamilton .034 4.82 4.824 142.49

SUNDAY FOOTBRAKE Driver Rct Dial ET MPH MOV
Win: Roger Kelly .047 6.86 6.896 98.84 0.083
R/U: Bill Hamilton -.025 6.11 6.048 112.15

Motorcycle Drag Racing Update - G SQUARED MOTORSPORTS (G2): Ellis No. 1

Courtesy Jerry Battle

40TH ANNUAL NHRA AUTOMOBILE CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA FINALS
POMONA RACEWAY (LA COUNTY FAIRPLEX) – POMONA, CALIF.
NOVEMBER 11-14, 2004

Qualifying:
Session 1 Thursday: 7.063 seconds at 187.36 mph (# 1)

Day 1: No. 1

POMONA, Calif. (November 11, 2004) – Picking up where he left off at Las Vegas, Chip Ellis took the No. 1 spot as qualifying action got underway today for the 40th annual NHRA Automobile Club of Southern California Finals.

Ellis, in today’s single qualifying session, stopped the finish line clocks at Pomona Raceway with a pass of 7.063 seconds at 187.36 mph aboard his G2/S&S/Star Racing Buell. His elapsed time of 7.063 seconds was a Pomona Raceway track record for the Pro Stock Bike class.

“The only word that can describe today’s run is awesome,” said Ellis. “George Bryce (team owner of G Squared Motorsports (G2) along with George Smith) and Ken Johnson (crew chief) had the G2/S&S/Star Racing Buell tuned just right for the conditions here at Pomona today.

“The run was smooth. The bike ran straight and I hit all my shift points at just the right time. The result was an awesome pass.”

Team owner George Smith was please with today’s performance also.

“S&S continues to supply us with power plants that produce exceptional power,” said Smith. “This is the engine that won the last race in Vegas and the only changes we made were to adjust to the track and air conditions here at Pomona.

“Our focus this weekend is to continue working on engine consistency and longevity.”

G SQUARED MOTORSPORTS
OWNERS: GEORGE BRYCE & GEORGE SMITH
PRO-STOCK BIKE: G2/S&S/STAR RACING BUELL
RIDER: CHIP ELLIS
MEDIA CONTACT: Mickey Schultz

Kurt Johnson Opens Pomona Qualifying in 11th

Kurt Johnson opened his final qualifying effort of the 2004 POWERAde season in fine fashion, posting a solid 6.766-second, 204.08 mph run during the single qualifying session on Thursday. This placed the ACDelco Cavalier in the eleventh position with three attempts remaining.

"We had never run this particular set-up on this race track before, and it was completely different from what we ran here back in February. It could have been faster, but we were still pretty pleased that it went from A to B. If we keep picking at it, I'm sure we could find at least a couple hundredths that we could pick up, and that's what the ACDelco Racing team will be working to do, starting tomorrow."

Courtesy Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing

D. Kalitta, Worsham, Anderson and Ellis Lead Early Quaifying at the NHRA POWERade Automobile Club of Southern California Finals

Doug Kalitta is #1 in Top Fuel with a 4.472 @ 328.62 that is closely followed by David Baca's 4.487 @ 327.43. The "Golden Greek", Chris Karamesines is in the 12th position with a 4.809 @ 301.74. Its great to see Chris still going strong!

Del Worsham tops the Funny Car qualifying list with a 4.737 @ 328.54. The 2004 NHRA POWERade champ, John Force, is #2 with a 4.747 @ 324.12. Whit Bazemore is #8 with a 4.829 @ 305.63.

Greg Anderson is #1 in Pro Stock with a 6.717 @ 205.94. Kurt Johnson is #11 (6.766 @ 204.08) and Mark Whisnant is #15 (6.781 @ 203.43) after the first session. Warren Johnson (#17 - 6.795 @ 203.31) and Barry Grant (#23 - 6.859 @ 201.67) are not currently qualified.

Chip Ellis is #1 in Pro Stock Bike with his 7.063 @ 187.36 on the Buell.

NHRA Recap

Kurt Johnson Aims to Seal Solid 2004 with Pomona Win

ACDelco Racing team comes to Pomona Raceway looking for fourth Finals win

Sugar Hill, Ga., November 8, 2004 – The 2004 NHRA season will come to a close this weekend with the running of the Auto Club of Southern California Finals in Pomona, CA. As he has throughout his 12-year Pro Stock career, ACDelco Cavalier pilot Kurt Johnson will be putting the final touches on a successful campaign, with one win in four final round appearances, and a Top Five finish in the POWERade championship standings.

Naturally, it is a showing that almost every racer in the pit area would be thrilled to have accomplished. However, for the highly competitive Johnson, unless the championship trophy is headed for the team’s headquarters in Sugar Hill, GA, there is always room for improvement.

“Although the entire ACDelco crew is certainly proud of our performance this season, we all feel it could have been better,” stated Johnson. “We started off the year in fine fashion, winning in Phoenix and seemingly ready to challenge for the championship. In the long run, things unfortunately did not work in our favor. I’m sure a lot of cars would be happy finishing in the Top Five, but we’re not, which tells you how high we set our goals.

“But through it all, this team never gave up, putting forth a championship effort every day of the week. We spent many hours searching for ways to make our ACDelco Cavalier better, and even though it may not necessarily show it, we’ve learned a tremendous amount throughout the year that should only make us stronger.”

The traditional drag racing finale offers participants one last opportunity to add to their season’s stats, and Johnson and his veteran crew have their sights set on delivering a strong performance. With three wins in five final round appearances at this event, the second-generation racer is quite familiar with the benefits of ending the year in the Pomona Raceway winner’s circle.

“It some respects, it’s been a long year, and although we’re ready to put it behind us, we know our work is not yet done,” said Johnson. “We still have one more shot to put our ACDelco Cavalier in the winner’s circle, and we are going to do everything we can to make it happen.

“We should be in good shape. Although we hurt our primary race engine during our last qualifying run in Las Vegas, which hurt us in eliminations, we will have it back up to speed when we get to California. Our car also seems capable of handling whatever we throw at it, so I’m confident we’ll be in the hunt.

“We have a busy few months ahead of us, but before we turn our full attention to 2005, we have a little unfinished business to take care of in 2004. We’ve won the Finals three times in the past, and short of capturing the championship, winning the final race in Pomona is the best way to go into the off-season. It’s like getting an early Christmas present for the entire team, and we would certainly like to play Santa Claus.”

Facts on Kurt Johnson and the ACDelco Racing Team entering the
Auto Club of Southern California Finals:

KJ and the ACDelco Racing team Ontario, CA Appearance: Kurt Johnson and the ACDelco Racing Team will be making an appearance from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 10 at Mark Christopher Chevrolet, 2131 E. Convention Center Way, Ontario, CA. For more information, please call (909) 390-2900.

KJ is a Prime Performer in Pomona: This will be Kurt’s 24th appearance at Pomona Raceway, where he has four wins in seven Final round appearances, with a 5.95 average starting position and a 42-18 elimination round record for a .700 win percentage

Kurt Bats .300 at the Finals: In his 10 starts (in 11 races) at the Auto Club of Southern California Finals, KJ has three wins in five final round appearances, with a 22-7 elimination round record for a .759 winning percentage.

One year ago: Kurt qualified 6th and advanced to the final round.

Winning percentage: Kurt’s .645 elimination round winning percentage (372-207) ranks 10th among all active NHRA professional drivers.

National event wins: Kurt’s 28 national event victories ties him for 15th on the all-time NHRA professional win list, and tie him for fifth on the all-time Pro Stock win list. Kurt’s most recent win came at this year’s Checker Schuck’s Kragen Nationals in Phoenix, AZ.

Career best elapsed time: 6.716 seconds, Englishtown, NJ. 2003

Career best top speed: 206.61 mph, Englishtown, NJ. 2003

Contact: Jon G.Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing

Warren Johnson Ready to Commit 2004 "Mulligan" Season to Memory

GM Performance Parts team aims to close 2004 season with win in Pomona

SUGAR HILL, GA., November 8, 2004 - Pro Stock legend Warren Johnson has little in common with standout golfer Tiger Woods other than each is considered one of the best to ever participate in their respective sport. However, Johnson would probably like to borrow a term from Woods' vocabulary to describe his 2004 season. In light of the many accomplishments the GM Performance Parts Grand Am driver has accumulated during his stellar career, this most recent campaign could be best viewed as WJ's mulligan.

"I guess you could say the 2004 season will not receive a prominent spot in the Johnson family scrapbook," said Johnson. "Quite frankly, I can hardly wait to put a period on it. The best way to explain it is that things did not exactly go the way we anticipated. We broke things this year that we didn't even know we owned.

"However, I prefer to look at things with an optimistic point of view. Certainly, it has been a challenging and even frustrating year, but it has also been a very educational one, giving our program something to build on for the future.

"For example, since the early part of the season, we committed ourselves to the development of the DRCE 3 engine. It was something that had to be done, and this GM Performance Parts team was up to the challenge.

"It has taken a tremendous amount of work and a lot of trial and error, but I believe we now have a workable piece that is already as good as our previous design engines, which should put us in a good position for 2005."

However, before Johnson and his crew can fully focus on next year, they must concentrate their attention on the final race on the POWERade Drag Racing schedule, this weekend's Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals in Pomona, CA. It is an event that Johnson sees as an opportunity to be maximized, and arrives at Pomona Raceway determined to end the year on a high note, a distinct possibility considering his nine career wins at this particular facility.

"Although we are already working on things for the 2005 season, we are not about to discount the importance of this last race," stated Johnson. "Our race car has thrown us quite a few curves of late, but I believe we should have a fairly good feel for it this weekend. In addition, we will continue to the run the "3" motor, which has shown tremendous potential.

"Basically, our goal will be to marry the two together and make consistent, representative runs. If we are able to do that, we should be fine. We have a tremendous amount of tuning notes on Pomona Raceway, and have had success there in the past, so our GM Performance Parts Grand Am knows its way to the winner's circle. It is a drive that we are going to do our best to repeat this weekend, which would be the best way to put this 2004 season in our rear view mirrors."


Facts on Warren Johnson and the GM Performance Parts Racing Team entering
The Auto Club of Southern California NHRA Finals:

* WJ and the GM PP team Ontario, CA Appearance: Warren Johnson and the GM Performance Parts Racing Team will be making an appearance from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 10 at Mark Christopher Chevrolet, 2131 E. Convention Center Way, Ontario, CA. For more information, please call (909) 390-2900.

* Pomona has been very, very good to WJ: This will be Warren's 47th NHRA Pro Stock national event appearance at Pomona Raceway, where he has nine wins in 16 final round appearances, and a 93-35 elimination round record for a .727 win percentage.

* Warren's Winning Record in the Finals: In his 20 previous races in the Auto Club of Southern California Finals, WJ has four wins (in '88, '92, '93 & '95) in six final round appearances, as well as seven No. 1 qualifying performances.

* One year ago: Warren qualified eighth and advanced to the quarterfinals.

* Last Chance to Extend a Record Run: Warren Johnson is looking to extend a streak where has won at least one race a year for 22 consecutive years, which is the longest in NHRA history.

* No. 1 in National event wins: WJ's 92 national event victories are the most ever in the history of the Pro Stock division and place him second on the all-time NHRA win list. His most recent win came one year ago at the 2003 Lucas Oil Nationals in Reading, PA.

* Career best elapsed time: 6.715 seconds, Englishtown 2003

* Career best top speed: 205.69 mph, Englishtown 2003

Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing

Hubert Platt at the 2003 NHRR.

Hubert Platt,The Georgia Shaker, to be Honored at the 2005 NHRR

Just received word that Hubert Platt will be one of the honorees at next years National Hot Rod Reunion in Bowling Green, KY. Congratulations, Hubert!

The Grand Marshal will be Gentleman Joe Shubeck and the other honorees will be The Dead End Kids (Red Lang, Joe Anahory, and Spider Razon), Arlen Vanke, Sy Sidebotham, and Corky Coker (Coker Tire). Should be another great event!

Edmond Richardson is last weekend's big winner at SGMP. Photo by Marvin T. Smith

Four Day Event at South Georgia Motorsports Park

by Marvin T. Smith
Photos

South Georgia Motorsports Park hosted four days of professional bracket racing, the Winter Series Warmup, November 3-7, presented by CSR, Race Tech, Barker Trailer Sales, and DragRaceResults.com. Thursday was primarily a test and tune day for the big three days of racing, but was also Fan Appreciation Night. All fans received a free SGMP plastic seat cushion - just the thing for the track's concrete stands! Friday, Saturday, and Sunday the purse was $10,000 to win Super Pro and $2,000 to win Footbrake. The big money brought out all sorts of quality cars from around the Eastern United States. I don't have a list of all the entrants, but there were cars from Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, Ohio, Illinois, New Jersey, Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and probably other states. DragRacingResults.com reports that there were 170 cars entered. I heard the track announce 153 cars in Super Pro on Saturday night.

On Friday, Edmond Richardson took home the Super Pro money winning over Jason Lynch. Alex Gilmane beat Jay Moore for Footbrake.

Saturday saw exactly the same results in Super Pro: Richardson over Lynch. What is the chance of that happening in a 150 plus car field!?! Although Richardson did have three cars entered thus improving his chances, the same car won both Friday and Saturday. Jimmy Santos beat Ray Williams for the$2000 Footbrake prize.

A special event was also held on Saturday: the Huntsville Engine and Performance special race for 32 cars. This was a big money event with the winner receiving a new racing engine and the runner-up taking home $1,000 and the semifinalists taking home $500. The entry fee for this special race was $500. Qualifying positions were based on reaction times in one round of qualifying. SGMP's reigning Super Pro track champion, Carey Locke (The Crow), beat Jeff Ledford in the final. Locke had broken his good engine, and the win was therefore a timely one!

Sunday's action saw Edmond Richardson claiming an amazing third straight win! This time he beat William Hamilton in the final. That's $30,000 going back to Tennessee. I wonder if Richardson's drag racing school will raise its tuition after such a dominating performance? Sunday's Footbrake winner was Roger Kelly over Bill Hamiltom.

This was a tremendous event. Congratulations to all the winners and the people who worked so hard to put on the race!

SEAMAN HAS BANNER DAY, RAFTASETH FINALLY WINS BIG DOG

by Tim Glover
Photos

"Sedans on Steroids" once again ruled the track at Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Ga. for the event named Southern Super Heavy Shootout 4, The Final Battle. Racers from all over the United States came to the track to enjoy their final event of the 2004 season. Only big cars, weighing 3800+ pounds, were allowed in the heads up competitions. The fastest and quickest car on the grounds once again belonged to Bill Kieler from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. His '89 Mark VII Lincoln blasted down the quarter mile course in 9.73 seconds at 138.23mph, qualifying him number one in Big Dog. Unfortunately, a burned piston ended his day before round one. The best reaction time in eliminations award went to Mike Lukens from Lake Worth, Fla., who had a .501 react with his '96 Impala SS. Eric Seaman of Clayton, N.C. had a great day, winning both the Class B and King of the Hill races. Seaman also finished in the Heads Up / Bolt On class semi-finals. Brian Lewis, a former Big Dog winner (2002) added some excitement for the fans when a huge nitrous explosion blew the side off his intake manifold and buckled the hood of his Lincoln Mark VII about six inches.

Along with the racing action was a car show, featuring not only Impala SS machines, but other makes of big cars as well. A bright yellow 350 powered Cadillac was on the grounds. Randy Kuntz from nearby Lawrenceville, Ga. brought his bright red 440 powered '67 Belvedere for the car show and time passes. The most tricked out car on the grounds was Mike Lozano's Lozano Customz '95 Impala SS, featuring gull wing doors, killer stereo, a playstation in the back, a wild paint job and a high level of detail. Metco Motorsports Solutions had a booth on the Midway with all types of high performance suspension and engine parts for the '03 and '04 Mercury Marauders and '94 - '96 Impala SS cars.

Three bracket classes, three heads up classes and a King of the Hill race were on the schedule; Big Dog, GM Class and Heads Up / Bolt On (HOBO) for heads up - no breakout racers, Class A (14 seconds and slower), Class B (13-14 seconds) and Class C (12 - 13 seconds). King of the Hill was for the three bracket winners plus the runner up with the best reaction time in the bracket race.

Lawrenceville, Ga. racer John Raftaseth was the first person to put an Impala SS into the eleven second range several years ago, and has always been a top contender in the Big Dog class. However, breakage and other forces have conspired in the past to keep him out of the winner's circle. Wanting it badly, he took the Big Dog win with a decisive 10.60 pass at 127mph against Karl Ellwein from St. Leonard, Md. Ellwein posted a very good 10.91, 127.22mph pass. "I personally wanted John to win one week ago. He's always had bad luck. I was telling my buddies earlier it was John's year," said Ellwein. He then added, "There were five cars faster than mine today, and my strategy was to simply outlast the competition." Earlier, in qualifying, Raftaseth enjoyed an even quicker 10.22 second pass. Dave Horn ('96 Impala SS - Las Vegas, NV) and Jorge Perezgurri ('94 Impala SS - Miami,
Fla.) were the semi-final pair.

In addition to Big Dog, two new heads up classes were added for 2004, GM Heads Up and Heads Up / Bolt On.

Fred Gramby from Waldorf, Md. became the first Atlanta GM Heads Up winner with his '95 Caprice. Gramby turned in a very good 12.99, 103.25 mph pass to win against Trey Jenkins' Savannah, Ga. based '96 Impala SS. Jenkins carded a 13.28 at 101.30 mph. Nabil Guffey ('95 Impala SS - Mechanicsville, Md.) won Class B in 2002 at Atlanta, but had to settle for a semi-final finish in GM Heads up. Gramby added, "I enjoyed myself today. I wasn't even expecting to win. Special thanks to GASSIT for having us."

The final round in Heads Up / Bolt On featured drama when Pat Gish's Lawrenceburg, Ind. based '96 Impala began leaking water on the track during the burnout. Too much water was probably used during the radiator cool down from the previous pass, but Gish could not get it all out before his opponent and racing friend Glen Koerig of Limerick, Pa. was told to make the pass. Koerig offered to wait on Gish, but time ran out. Koerig's '96 Impala SS took the win with a 12.81 at 103.91mph. Eric Seaman completed the first of his late round appearances with a semi-final finish, along with Scott Kaufman ('95 Impala SS - Millers Creek, N.C.).

Mark Lady made his trip from Faribault, Ill. worthwhile with a Class C (12-13 seconds) win. Lady's '04 Mercury Marauder ran close to its 12.70 dial in time with a 12.73, 106.59 mph pass. Mike Harris ('94 Impala SS - Dayton, Ohio) had a slightly better reaction time, but ran well off his 12.53 dial with a 12.67 at 104.68mph. Karl Ellwein's '95 Impala SS broke a water bleeder fitting in the semi-finals, which is where he finished in Class C. "I traveled 1100 miles for this event. The hospitality of the Impala SS people has been top notch," said Lady.

Clayton, N.C. racer Eric Seaman enjoyed his first win of the day in Class B (13 - 14 seconds) with his '96 Impala SS. Seaman enjoyed a slight reaction time advantage and then went closer to the dial with a 13.48 at 101.28mph. Seaman's opponent, Chris Nickell (runner up in 2002 and winner in 2003 at Atlanta) earned the 2004 runner up spot with his Pleasant Plains, Ill. based '96 Impala SS when he turned in a .06 over 13.74 at 96.55 mph. Pat Gish ('96 Impala SS - Lawrenceburg, IN), who was focusing on the Bolt On / Heads Up class, dropped out of Class B competition in the semi-final round. Seaman added, "I've been bracket racing 15 years. I'm actually a bolt on guy, but decided to run the brackets today. My first time at Atlanta Dragway, and I get lucky."

It was déjà vu all over again in the King of the Hill final for both Seaman and Nickell. Seaman broke out with a 13.43, 100.25mph pass (13.45 dial), but Nickell committed the bigger infraction with a 13.67 at 94.89mph (13.73 target). Mark Lady and Duane Webster ('95 Impala SS - Hoover, Ala.) were the King of the Hill semi-finalists.

Duane Webster had the pleasure of racing good friend and fellow NASSA (North Alabama Super Sports Association) club member Gregory Wilson ('96 Impala SS - New Market, Ala.) in the Class A (14 seconds and slower) final. Webster enjoyed a huge holeshot advantage, so he trimmed the ET and took the win with a 14.90 at only 84.20mph (14.80 dial). Wilson finished with a 14.82 at 91.15mph (14.70 target). Glen Packard ('03 Marauder - McDonough, Ga.) and Rick Graves ('96 Impala SS - St. Louis, Mo.) were the semi-final pair.


BIG DOG CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH
Win: John Rafteseth '96 Impala SS Lawrenceville, GA 10.60 127.22
R/U: Karl Ellwein '95 Impala SS St. Leonard, MD 10.91 123.83
Semi: Dave Horn '96 Impala SS Las Vegas, NV
Semi: Jorge Perezgurri '94 Impala SS Miami, FL

GM CLASS CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH
Win: Fred Gramby '95 Caprice Waldorf, MD 12.99 103.25
R/U: Trey Jenkins '96 Impala SS Savannah, GA 13.28 101.30
Semi: Nabil Guffey '95 Impala SS Mechanicsville, MD
Semi:

HEADS UP BOLT ON (HOBO) CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH
Win: Glen Koerig '96 Impala SS Limerick, PA 12.81 103.91
R/U: Pat Gish '96 Impala SS Lawrenceburg, IN (broke)
Semi: Eric Seaman '96 Impala SS Clayton, NC
Semi: Scott Kaufman '95 Impala SS Millers Creek, NC

CLASS C - 12.00 - 13.00 CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Mark Lady '04 Marauder Faribault, IL 12.73 106.59 (12.70)
R/U: Mike Harris '94 Impala SS Dayton, OH 12.67 104.68 (12.53)
Semi: Karl Ellwein '95 Impala SS St. Leonard, MD

CLASS B - 13.00 - 14.00 CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Eric Seaman '96 Impala SS Clayton, NC 13.48 101.28 (13.45)
R/U: Chris Nickell '96 Impala SS Pleasant Plains, IL 13.74 96.55 (13.68)
Semi: Pat Gish '96 Impala SS Lawrenceburg, IN
Semi:

CLASS A - 14.00 - UP CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Duane Webster '95 Impala SS Hoover, AL 14.90 84.20 (14.80)
R/U: Gregory Wilson '96 Impala SS New Market, AL 14.82 91.15 (14.70)
Semi: Glen Packard '03 Marauder McDonough, GA
Semi: Rick Graves '96 Impala SS St. Louis, MO

KING OF THE HILL CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Eric Seaman '96 Impala SS Clayton, N.C. 13.43 100.25 (13.45)
R/U: Chris Nickell '96 Impala SS Pleasant Plains, IL 13.67 94.89 (13.73)
Semi: Mark Lady '04 Marauder Faribault, IL
Semi: Duane Webster '95 Impala SS Hoover, AL

2004 Southeast Division Champions Banquet, January 15, 2005

Courtesy NHRADiv2.com

The annual NHRA Southeast Division Awards Banquet will honor the 2004 champions from our NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, NHRA Summit Racing Series, Jeg’s Allstars, TracStar Satellites Top Sportsman Series, ARC Racing Jr. Drag Racing Series, and NHRA O’Reilley Auto Parts Jr. Drag Racing League. In addition to the division’s series champions, several special awards will be presented. The ceremony will be held Saturday, January 15, 2005, at the Jacksonville Marriott in Jacksonville, Florida.

The Marriott is located at 4670 Salisbury Road and the toll free number is (800) 962-9786. The hotel is offering a special discounted room rate of only $79. The special rate offer is only valid on reservations made by December 30, 2004. Tickets for the banquet are $40 each and must be purchased in advance. Ticket deadline is December 30, 2004. Seating is limited.
NHRA Division 2