Kalitta, Scelzi and WJ First Day Pro Qualifying Leaders at the NHRA POWERade SummitRacing.com Nationals
posted by David @ 12:43 AM
Saturday, April 16, 2005
Friday, April 15, 2005
Southeastern Dragway to Host 50th Anniversary Race July 9th
I've known about this for a while, but I was waiting until everything was finalized before putting it into print. Since the news is out already, I talked to Gene Fuller (Southeastern Dragway operator) and Donnie Reeves (Donnie is putting together the show) today and they gave me their blessing to start spreading the word ( even though everything is not definite and things could change by race time).
Here is what I know. Southeastern Dragway ( or Southeastern International Dragway - Dallas, GA) is celebrating their 50th anniversary on July 4th. On July 9th, 2005 the anniversary race will be held and it should be something! It has been many years since nitro funny cars raced competitively at Dallas ( Yes, Donnie Reeves and Bob Gibson were there a couple of years ago and ran a small percentage of pop, but they were mainly testing and sorting the cars out.) Well, Donnie (and Gene) tells me this time the cars are going to be really tipping the can and going for it! They are planning on doing the 50th celebration right with radio spots and more aggressive advertising than usual. Donnie tells me that Berserko Bob has even agreed to be the voice on the ads and announce at the race.
The line up as it stands right now is (subject to change?) Jeff Gaynor in the Cuda ( yeah, Mr. Pammy and Pammy Utterback herself as I understand it), Rob Bruce in the Zombie Charger (Donnie tells me that Rob will be bringing a fuel altered body - more on that later), Virgil Hartman's '71 Mustang with Richard Hartman driving, Steve Nichols and his Chevy powered '70 Camaro from Delaware, Rick Stambaugh and his Corvette, Donnie Reeves and his Mustang and Mitch King with his '66 Mustang and a separate fuel altered. As far as I know, fuel altereds have never ran at Dallas ( I could be wrong, but I've never heard about it). Donnie said that Rob Bruce may run his car with the altered body against King, but those details have yet to be ironed out.
Gary Fore is going to bring his jet funny car (a recently completed '71 Mustang), Bob Gibson is scheduled to bring his FED and there will be a yet to be determined number of alcohol funnies, too. The ticket price is going to be $20 and Donnie said that he is pre-selling the tickets.
Most of you know that I spent a lot of time at Southeastern Dragway in the early 70s and I had a blast. A dragstrip operating for 50 years is not all that common and I'm happy that they've made it this long. I think this anniversary party is going to be the most fun I've had in a long time and I hope some you guys can make it, too! Gene and Donnie are two of the nicest guys you'll ever meet and I hope everyone will spread the word and help these guys out.
For tickets or more information, call Donnie Reeves at 770-546-4759 (cell) or Gene Fuller at 770-445-2183. More details as they become available.
Southeastern Dragway
David
Here is what I know. Southeastern Dragway ( or Southeastern International Dragway - Dallas, GA) is celebrating their 50th anniversary on July 4th. On July 9th, 2005 the anniversary race will be held and it should be something! It has been many years since nitro funny cars raced competitively at Dallas ( Yes, Donnie Reeves and Bob Gibson were there a couple of years ago and ran a small percentage of pop, but they were mainly testing and sorting the cars out.) Well, Donnie (and Gene) tells me this time the cars are going to be really tipping the can and going for it! They are planning on doing the 50th celebration right with radio spots and more aggressive advertising than usual. Donnie tells me that Berserko Bob has even agreed to be the voice on the ads and announce at the race.
The line up as it stands right now is (subject to change?) Jeff Gaynor in the Cuda ( yeah, Mr. Pammy and Pammy Utterback herself as I understand it), Rob Bruce in the Zombie Charger (Donnie tells me that Rob will be bringing a fuel altered body - more on that later), Virgil Hartman's '71 Mustang with Richard Hartman driving, Steve Nichols and his Chevy powered '70 Camaro from Delaware, Rick Stambaugh and his Corvette, Donnie Reeves and his Mustang and Mitch King with his '66 Mustang and a separate fuel altered. As far as I know, fuel altereds have never ran at Dallas ( I could be wrong, but I've never heard about it). Donnie said that Rob Bruce may run his car with the altered body against King, but those details have yet to be ironed out.
Gary Fore is going to bring his jet funny car (a recently completed '71 Mustang), Bob Gibson is scheduled to bring his FED and there will be a yet to be determined number of alcohol funnies, too. The ticket price is going to be $20 and Donnie said that he is pre-selling the tickets.
Most of you know that I spent a lot of time at Southeastern Dragway in the early 70s and I had a blast. A dragstrip operating for 50 years is not all that common and I'm happy that they've made it this long. I think this anniversary party is going to be the most fun I've had in a long time and I hope some you guys can make it, too! Gene and Donnie are two of the nicest guys you'll ever meet and I hope everyone will spread the word and help these guys out.
For tickets or more information, call Donnie Reeves at 770-546-4759 (cell) or Gene Fuller at 770-445-2183. More details as they become available.
Southeastern Dragway
David
posted by David @ 2:58 PM
Kurt Johnson Hopes to Give an Old Friend a Big Sendoff in Las Vegas
Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
ACDelco Team looks to Change Their Luck at SummitRacing.com Nationals
Sugar Hill, Ga., April 12, 2005 – For just over four years, every time Kurt Johnson has pulled to the starting line at an NHRA national event, it has been behind the wheel of his trusted ACDelco Cavalier. Starting with the 2001 Winternationals in Pomona, CA, where KJ drove the dramatically new Pro Stocker to a win in its debut race, the little Chevy coupe has carried him to 7 wins in 18 final round appearances, and four No. 1 qualifying performances over a span of 97 races.
However, at this weekend's SummitRacing.com Nationals in Las Vegas, NV, Johnson will make his last competitive appearance with this particular bodystyle, as his team will be switching to the next generation racer, the sleek new Cobalt, at the following race. Having scored that model's first win, Johnson feels it would only be appropriate for his team to send it off in winning style.
"We brought this ACDelco Chevy in with a win four years ago, and I think we’re going to put it out with one," stated Johnson. "There's no reason we shouldn’t be able to - it's just a matter of executing. We're definitely excited about the new Cobalt - it's shaping up to be a great car. But for now, we want to give the Cavalier a proper going-away party, and I can’t think of a better place to do that than Las Vegas."
But in order to put themselves in a position to reach their goal, the Johnson-led crew knows they must rediscover the consistency that has been their hallmark for the past few years.
"We thought we would be in good shape coming into the year, especially after going to the semifinals in Pomona," said Johnson. "Unfortunately, since then we've had a couple problems that prevented us from having the consistency we need to go rounds and win races. We've made good runs and qualified well at all four races, but have yet to repeat that performance on race day.
"We’re approaching the situation the right way. We studied the data to come up with possible solutions, and kept any changes within reason to avoid losing our baseline. I'm confident we'll overcome our problems and find that consistency. There's no reason we can't take ourselves right to the top. The way we see it, the ACDelco crew is going to gain points on everyone this weekend."
The team will also be challenged by the racing surface at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, site of this weekend's race, which is one of the few on the NHRA circuit where they have yet to reach the winner's circle.
"We've done just about everything at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway but win," said Johnson. "We've been the No. 1 qualifier, we've gone to three finals in a row, and we've even DNQ'ed. We've yet to have a great day there, but we're due. This is one of the races I definitely want to win, and the timing couldn't be better than this weekend. We're coming to the end of an era for this ACDelco Racing team, and we want to close it just like we opened it – with a win."
Notes on Kurt Johnson and the ACDelco Chevrolet Racing team entering
The SummitRacing.com Nationals:
KJ's Run in Las Vegas: This will be KJ's tenth appearance at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In his nine previous starts, he has three final round appearances (two in the spring race), which came in consecutive races from 2003 – 2004, and a 24-15 elimination round record for a .615 round win percentage.
Kurt's Qualifying Stats at "The Strip": In his eight prior starts in Las Vegas, Kurt was the No. 1 qualifier at the 2002 fall race, has four starts in the top three and six in the top half of the field.
One year ago: Kurt qualified second with an elapsed time of 6.857 seconds and advanced to his third straight final round at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Career Best Elapsed Time: 6.671 sec., Gainesville, FL, 3/20/05
Career best top speed: 207.13 mph, Gainesville, FL, 3/20/05
TMG Sports Marketing
ACDelco Team looks to Change Their Luck at SummitRacing.com Nationals
Sugar Hill, Ga., April 12, 2005 – For just over four years, every time Kurt Johnson has pulled to the starting line at an NHRA national event, it has been behind the wheel of his trusted ACDelco Cavalier. Starting with the 2001 Winternationals in Pomona, CA, where KJ drove the dramatically new Pro Stocker to a win in its debut race, the little Chevy coupe has carried him to 7 wins in 18 final round appearances, and four No. 1 qualifying performances over a span of 97 races.
However, at this weekend's SummitRacing.com Nationals in Las Vegas, NV, Johnson will make his last competitive appearance with this particular bodystyle, as his team will be switching to the next generation racer, the sleek new Cobalt, at the following race. Having scored that model's first win, Johnson feels it would only be appropriate for his team to send it off in winning style.
"We brought this ACDelco Chevy in with a win four years ago, and I think we’re going to put it out with one," stated Johnson. "There's no reason we shouldn’t be able to - it's just a matter of executing. We're definitely excited about the new Cobalt - it's shaping up to be a great car. But for now, we want to give the Cavalier a proper going-away party, and I can’t think of a better place to do that than Las Vegas."
But in order to put themselves in a position to reach their goal, the Johnson-led crew knows they must rediscover the consistency that has been their hallmark for the past few years.
"We thought we would be in good shape coming into the year, especially after going to the semifinals in Pomona," said Johnson. "Unfortunately, since then we've had a couple problems that prevented us from having the consistency we need to go rounds and win races. We've made good runs and qualified well at all four races, but have yet to repeat that performance on race day.
"We’re approaching the situation the right way. We studied the data to come up with possible solutions, and kept any changes within reason to avoid losing our baseline. I'm confident we'll overcome our problems and find that consistency. There's no reason we can't take ourselves right to the top. The way we see it, the ACDelco crew is going to gain points on everyone this weekend."
The team will also be challenged by the racing surface at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, site of this weekend's race, which is one of the few on the NHRA circuit where they have yet to reach the winner's circle.
"We've done just about everything at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway but win," said Johnson. "We've been the No. 1 qualifier, we've gone to three finals in a row, and we've even DNQ'ed. We've yet to have a great day there, but we're due. This is one of the races I definitely want to win, and the timing couldn't be better than this weekend. We're coming to the end of an era for this ACDelco Racing team, and we want to close it just like we opened it – with a win."
Notes on Kurt Johnson and the ACDelco Chevrolet Racing team entering
The SummitRacing.com Nationals:
KJ's Run in Las Vegas: This will be KJ's tenth appearance at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In his nine previous starts, he has three final round appearances (two in the spring race), which came in consecutive races from 2003 – 2004, and a 24-15 elimination round record for a .615 round win percentage.
Kurt's Qualifying Stats at "The Strip": In his eight prior starts in Las Vegas, Kurt was the No. 1 qualifier at the 2002 fall race, has four starts in the top three and six in the top half of the field.
One year ago: Kurt qualified second with an elapsed time of 6.857 seconds and advanced to his third straight final round at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Career Best Elapsed Time: 6.671 sec., Gainesville, FL, 3/20/05
Career best top speed: 207.13 mph, Gainesville, FL, 3/20/05
posted by David @ 10:00 AM
WJ Looks to Double Up in Las Vegas
Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
GM Performance Parts Team Aims for First Vegas Win at SummitRacing,com Nationals
Sugar Hill, Ga., April 12, 2005 – For the first time this season, the 2005 POWERade Drag Racing Series will be competing on consecutive weekends, a situation that suits Warren Johnson and his GM Performance Parts Pontiac Racing team just fine. Coming off his dramatic and dominant win in Houston, Johnson rolls into this weekend’s SummitRacing.com Nationals as the NHRA's Pro Stock points leader, and looks to build on the positive momentum generated by his success in Texas.
"Naturally, it is always easier to come in to a race off a win, and when it happens on consecutive weekends, it makes it even better," detailed Johnson. "The entire team’s confidence is boosted by knowing that you were able to do things correctly the weekend before, making it mentally easier to repeat that performance.
"Next, after every event, you analyze your performance and see if there were any areas where you might have been a little lax, make the necessary adjustments and hopefully improve your performance even further for the next race in relation to the rest of the field. When the races come on back-to-back weekends, there's not that much time to second-guess anything, so you leave the positive things alone and concentrate solely on bettering the negative aspects.
"Based on our GM Performance Parts Pontiac's performance in Houston, there's not that much to fix, so I'd say we’re in pretty good shape heading into Las Vegas. Some people like to have time to enjoy their victories. We prefer to jump right back in and do it again."
Under normal circumstances, one area of potential concern in this compressed schedule would be the limited number of DRCE III engines currently in the team’s arsenal. This revolutionary new powerplant has admittedly been the cornerstone behind "The Professor's" impressive performance in the early part of the season, and, with only three units available between his team and that of his son Kurt, one might worry about the continuing health of the 500 cubic-inch V-8’s. However, as the primary force behind the design, Johnson sees little cause for alarm.
"Throughout the development of the DRCE III, I have worked simultaneously on the performance as well as the reliability," stated Johnson. "When you have a design that is as revolutionary as this one, you have to make significant changes in how you attack its construction, and making sure the engine would withstand the strain of competition was a key consideration. Although I would certainly like to have more engines at my disposal, and we're continuously working to create and stockpile as many pieces as we can, it should not be an issue this weekend."
Throughout his career, WJ has scored at least one national event win at 24 different NHRA race tracks, including 19 of the 20 on the 2005 schedule. The lone holdout is The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, site of this weekend's race. With two final appearances at the Nevada quarter-mile, he has come close, but a trip to the winner's circle has so far eluded him. Although acknowledging that he would like to capture this final piece of the NHRA puzzle, the pragmatic Johnson also admits that it holds no added significance.
"A win is a win, no matter where you accomplish it," explained Johnson. "It pays the same amount of points, so the location is truly insignificant. We go to every race with the same mindset, preparation and enthusiasm, whether we have ten wins there or none. It’s just that sometimes things don't work in your favor.
"However, the more times you go to a racetrack, the more knowledge you get, putting you more in tune with that track's peculiarities, and as long as you use the same approach, sooner or later you will succeed. For example, it looked like we would never win in Phoenix, but eventually we did.
"Would I like to win in Las Vegas? Certainly, but we enter every race to win. We will attack this race just as we have the previous four this season. We certainly like our current position, and are not about to give it up without a fight. After all, as we have repeatedly shown, persistence pays off."
Notes on Warren Johnson and the GM Performance Parts Pontiac Racing team entering the SummitRacing.com Nationals:
WJ on The Strip: This will be Warren's ninth appearance at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where he has two final round appearances, and an 8-7 elimination round record for a .533 winning appearance.
One year ago: Warren qualified fourth with an elapsed time of 6.864 seconds and a top speed of 201.16 mph, but was upset in the first round
Doubling Up: Warren will be looking to win consecutive races for the 19th time in his career (including winning three in a row five times and four in a row once), having last done so in 2001, when he won the Columbus, Ohio and Madison, IL races.
No. 1 in National event wins: WJ’s 93 national event victories are the most ever in the history of the Pro Stock division and place him second on the all-time NHRA win list. His most recent win came at last week’s O’Reilly Spring NHRA Nationals in Houston, TX.
Career Best Elapsed Time: 6.679 seconds, Gainesville, FL, 3/20/05
Career best top speed: 206.70 mph, Gainesville, FL, 3/20/05
TMG Sports Marketing
GM Performance Parts Team Aims for First Vegas Win at SummitRacing,com Nationals
Sugar Hill, Ga., April 12, 2005 – For the first time this season, the 2005 POWERade Drag Racing Series will be competing on consecutive weekends, a situation that suits Warren Johnson and his GM Performance Parts Pontiac Racing team just fine. Coming off his dramatic and dominant win in Houston, Johnson rolls into this weekend’s SummitRacing.com Nationals as the NHRA's Pro Stock points leader, and looks to build on the positive momentum generated by his success in Texas.
"Naturally, it is always easier to come in to a race off a win, and when it happens on consecutive weekends, it makes it even better," detailed Johnson. "The entire team’s confidence is boosted by knowing that you were able to do things correctly the weekend before, making it mentally easier to repeat that performance.
"Next, after every event, you analyze your performance and see if there were any areas where you might have been a little lax, make the necessary adjustments and hopefully improve your performance even further for the next race in relation to the rest of the field. When the races come on back-to-back weekends, there's not that much time to second-guess anything, so you leave the positive things alone and concentrate solely on bettering the negative aspects.
"Based on our GM Performance Parts Pontiac's performance in Houston, there's not that much to fix, so I'd say we’re in pretty good shape heading into Las Vegas. Some people like to have time to enjoy their victories. We prefer to jump right back in and do it again."
Under normal circumstances, one area of potential concern in this compressed schedule would be the limited number of DRCE III engines currently in the team’s arsenal. This revolutionary new powerplant has admittedly been the cornerstone behind "The Professor's" impressive performance in the early part of the season, and, with only three units available between his team and that of his son Kurt, one might worry about the continuing health of the 500 cubic-inch V-8’s. However, as the primary force behind the design, Johnson sees little cause for alarm.
"Throughout the development of the DRCE III, I have worked simultaneously on the performance as well as the reliability," stated Johnson. "When you have a design that is as revolutionary as this one, you have to make significant changes in how you attack its construction, and making sure the engine would withstand the strain of competition was a key consideration. Although I would certainly like to have more engines at my disposal, and we're continuously working to create and stockpile as many pieces as we can, it should not be an issue this weekend."
Throughout his career, WJ has scored at least one national event win at 24 different NHRA race tracks, including 19 of the 20 on the 2005 schedule. The lone holdout is The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, site of this weekend's race. With two final appearances at the Nevada quarter-mile, he has come close, but a trip to the winner's circle has so far eluded him. Although acknowledging that he would like to capture this final piece of the NHRA puzzle, the pragmatic Johnson also admits that it holds no added significance.
"A win is a win, no matter where you accomplish it," explained Johnson. "It pays the same amount of points, so the location is truly insignificant. We go to every race with the same mindset, preparation and enthusiasm, whether we have ten wins there or none. It’s just that sometimes things don't work in your favor.
"However, the more times you go to a racetrack, the more knowledge you get, putting you more in tune with that track's peculiarities, and as long as you use the same approach, sooner or later you will succeed. For example, it looked like we would never win in Phoenix, but eventually we did.
"Would I like to win in Las Vegas? Certainly, but we enter every race to win. We will attack this race just as we have the previous four this season. We certainly like our current position, and are not about to give it up without a fight. After all, as we have repeatedly shown, persistence pays off."
Notes on Warren Johnson and the GM Performance Parts Pontiac Racing team entering the SummitRacing.com Nationals:
WJ on The Strip: This will be Warren's ninth appearance at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where he has two final round appearances, and an 8-7 elimination round record for a .533 winning appearance.
One year ago: Warren qualified fourth with an elapsed time of 6.864 seconds and a top speed of 201.16 mph, but was upset in the first round
Doubling Up: Warren will be looking to win consecutive races for the 19th time in his career (including winning three in a row five times and four in a row once), having last done so in 2001, when he won the Columbus, Ohio and Madison, IL races.
No. 1 in National event wins: WJ’s 93 national event victories are the most ever in the history of the Pro Stock division and place him second on the all-time NHRA win list. His most recent win came at last week’s O’Reilly Spring NHRA Nationals in Houston, TX.
Career Best Elapsed Time: 6.679 seconds, Gainesville, FL, 3/20/05
Career best top speed: 206.70 mph, Gainesville, FL, 3/20/05
posted by David @ 9:36 AM
VEGAS MARKS BAZEMORE'S 300TH CAREER NATIONAL EVENT
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
Contact: Judy Stropus
LAS VEGAS (April 12, 2005) - Whit Bazemore will compete in his 300th career national event this weekend, when he takes to The Strip at Las Vegas for the fifth round of the 23-event 2005 POWERade Drag Racing Series in the Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge Stratus R/T Funny Car.
In his 299 previous races he amassed 304 wins in 565 rounds, 18 event victories in 42 final rounds, 36 semifinal rounds which he did not win, 28 No. 1 qualifiers, and earned at least one victory for the ninth consecutive season (including 2005).
So far, this season, he's won one national event of four, and has an 8-3 round win-loss record. He stands second in the Funny Car points rankings after leading following his win in Gainesville, Fla., and is just 14 points behind leader John Force.
The two-time U.S. Nationals champion has never won at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in his 16-year pro career, but has four runner-up finishes here (2001, '03 and '04 at LV 1 and 2003 at LV 2) and two No. 1 qualifiers (2003 at LV 1 and 2001 at LV2).
The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is one of Bazemore's favorite tracks on the POWERade Drag Racing Series schedule, and his goal this weekend is to add a win here to his list of accomplishments.
"It's hard to imagine I'm about to race 300 times, but if that's the number that's good," he said. "I just saw that at the last race (13-time Funny Car champion) John Force had qualified for 350 races in a row. It's pretty impressive that he's qualified in 50 more races than I've ever even competed in, so to me that's pretty cool.
"We're going to Vegas with all the confidence in the world in our Matco Tools Dodge team and our car, even though we've had some struggles this year. We've won a race, we've contended in all the other events and it's a team effort. Our team is getting stronger every race, our car's running better every race and I think we can rightly say that when we roll into Vegas that we'll be one of the teams with a good chance of winning that race. We just have to have the most perfect weekend possible, and if we do that, we'll end up in the winner's circle.
"Vegas has turned into one of the super tracks. Even though it's at a little bit of elevation, it's a world-record track. We really like it. The staff here is great and it's a fan favorite, so we're looking forward to racing here.
"With all of our runner-up finishes at The Strip, it's been a pretty good track for us."
SCHEDULE
On Friday, April 15, professional qualifying sessions are scheduled for 3 and 6 p.m. On Saturday, April 16, pro qualifying sessions are at 12 p.m. and 3 p.m., and on Sunday, April 17, final eliminations begin at 11 a.m.
TELEVISION
On Saturday, April 16, ESPN2 will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at 10 p.m. (ET). On Sunday April 17, ESPN2 will broadcast NHRA 2Day, a 30-minute weekly news magazine show, at 11:30 a.m. (ET). Also on Sunday, April 17, ESPN2 will televise two hours of final eliminations at 7 p.m. (ET).
WHIT BAZEMORE QUICK FACTS:
* Two-time U.S. Nationals champion, 1997 and 2001
* Second in 2005 Funny Car point standings after four events
* Qualified No. 10 at 2004 Las Vegas Nationals, runner-up to Phil Burkar
* Qualified in the top two in nine events in 2004, four times in No. 1
* No. 6 in 2004 Funny Car points, with two wins, five final rounds
* First Funny Car driver to break 325-mph barrier (U.S. Nationals 2001)
* Career quickest ET is 4.713 seconds, career fastest speed is 333.25 mph, both set at Route 66 Raceway in 2004 in what was at the time the quickest and fastest speed in Funny Car history
* Won three times in 2003, runner-up five times
* Has 18 career Funny Car event wins
* Took the 2003 championship chase to penultimate race in Las Vegas in an exciting final round against eventual champion Tony Pedregon
* Was second twice in the Funny Car championship in 2001 and 2003, third in 1997 and '99 and has finished in the top five six times and 12 times in the top 10 since 1992
* Age 42, born in New York City, an avid cyclist, lives in Indianapolis with wife Michelle, a competitive amateur cyclist, and son Dashiell Aidan, born March 12, 2005
* 2005 is his fifth season with Don Schumacher Racing
Contact: Judy Stropus
LAS VEGAS (April 12, 2005) - Whit Bazemore will compete in his 300th career national event this weekend, when he takes to The Strip at Las Vegas for the fifth round of the 23-event 2005 POWERade Drag Racing Series in the Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge Stratus R/T Funny Car.
In his 299 previous races he amassed 304 wins in 565 rounds, 18 event victories in 42 final rounds, 36 semifinal rounds which he did not win, 28 No. 1 qualifiers, and earned at least one victory for the ninth consecutive season (including 2005).
So far, this season, he's won one national event of four, and has an 8-3 round win-loss record. He stands second in the Funny Car points rankings after leading following his win in Gainesville, Fla., and is just 14 points behind leader John Force.
The two-time U.S. Nationals champion has never won at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in his 16-year pro career, but has four runner-up finishes here (2001, '03 and '04 at LV 1 and 2003 at LV 2) and two No. 1 qualifiers (2003 at LV 1 and 2001 at LV2).
The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is one of Bazemore's favorite tracks on the POWERade Drag Racing Series schedule, and his goal this weekend is to add a win here to his list of accomplishments.
"It's hard to imagine I'm about to race 300 times, but if that's the number that's good," he said. "I just saw that at the last race (13-time Funny Car champion) John Force had qualified for 350 races in a row. It's pretty impressive that he's qualified in 50 more races than I've ever even competed in, so to me that's pretty cool.
"We're going to Vegas with all the confidence in the world in our Matco Tools Dodge team and our car, even though we've had some struggles this year. We've won a race, we've contended in all the other events and it's a team effort. Our team is getting stronger every race, our car's running better every race and I think we can rightly say that when we roll into Vegas that we'll be one of the teams with a good chance of winning that race. We just have to have the most perfect weekend possible, and if we do that, we'll end up in the winner's circle.
"Vegas has turned into one of the super tracks. Even though it's at a little bit of elevation, it's a world-record track. We really like it. The staff here is great and it's a fan favorite, so we're looking forward to racing here.
"With all of our runner-up finishes at The Strip, it's been a pretty good track for us."
SCHEDULE
On Friday, April 15, professional qualifying sessions are scheduled for 3 and 6 p.m. On Saturday, April 16, pro qualifying sessions are at 12 p.m. and 3 p.m., and on Sunday, April 17, final eliminations begin at 11 a.m.
TELEVISION
On Saturday, April 16, ESPN2 will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at 10 p.m. (ET). On Sunday April 17, ESPN2 will broadcast NHRA 2Day, a 30-minute weekly news magazine show, at 11:30 a.m. (ET). Also on Sunday, April 17, ESPN2 will televise two hours of final eliminations at 7 p.m. (ET).
WHIT BAZEMORE QUICK FACTS:
* Two-time U.S. Nationals champion, 1997 and 2001
* Second in 2005 Funny Car point standings after four events
* Qualified No. 10 at 2004 Las Vegas Nationals, runner-up to Phil Burkar
* Qualified in the top two in nine events in 2004, four times in No. 1
* No. 6 in 2004 Funny Car points, with two wins, five final rounds
* First Funny Car driver to break 325-mph barrier (U.S. Nationals 2001)
* Career quickest ET is 4.713 seconds, career fastest speed is 333.25 mph, both set at Route 66 Raceway in 2004 in what was at the time the quickest and fastest speed in Funny Car history
* Won three times in 2003, runner-up five times
* Has 18 career Funny Car event wins
* Took the 2003 championship chase to penultimate race in Las Vegas in an exciting final round against eventual champion Tony Pedregon
* Was second twice in the Funny Car championship in 2001 and 2003, third in 1997 and '99 and has finished in the top five six times and 12 times in the top 10 since 1992
* Age 42, born in New York City, an avid cyclist, lives in Indianapolis with wife Michelle, a competitive amateur cyclist, and son Dashiell Aidan, born March 12, 2005
* 2005 is his fifth season with Don Schumacher Racing
posted by David @ 9:20 AM
Monday, April 11, 2005
LaGrange/Troup County Drag Strip Results
Here are the results from the Bracket race held at LaGrange/Troup County Drag Strip on April 10:
Winner - Matt Mitchell
R/U - Dave Mitchell (Yes, son beat father)
Just announced: $5000 Bracket Purse on Memorial Day weekend. Check out LaGrange/Troup County Drag Strip for more information.
Courtesy Nate Rochedieu
Track Promoter/Webmaster
LaGrange/Troup County Drag Strip
706-302-1317
Winner - Matt Mitchell
R/U - Dave Mitchell (Yes, son beat father)
Just announced: $5000 Bracket Purse on Memorial Day weekend. Check out LaGrange/Troup County Drag Strip for more information.
Courtesy Nate Rochedieu
Track Promoter/Webmaster
LaGrange/Troup County Drag Strip
706-302-1317
posted by David @ 10:03 PM
Atlanta Dragway Results by Tim Glover
RACE DATE: April 9, 2005
FROM: Tim Glover
EVENT: Summit / Snap-On ET series event at Atlanta Dragway in 2005
TEAM PTI SCORES ANOTHER DOUBLE WIN, CARLILE AND RHYNE ENJOY SECOND 2005 WIN
by Tim Glover
Photos
(Commerce, GA – April 9) For the second time in three races, Team PTI enjoyed a double victory at Atlanta Dragway. Team PTI racer Lauren Turner moved into second place in 13-17 Jr Dragster points with her win, and Clay Fancher enjoyed his first ever Super Pro win with his Team PTI dragster. Defending Sportsman champion Chris Carlile closed the gap on points leader Chuck Conaway with his second 2005 Sportsman win. 2001 Trophy Street champion Mardy Kennedy won his first 2005 race against John Snapp’s newly renovated ’68 Charger. Current points leader and former champion Jay Rhyne increased his Motorcycle lead with his second win in two races. Dylan Kent enjoyed his first 2005 win in 8-12 Jr Dragster.
Super Pro racer Clay Fancher of Conyers, GA enjoyed his first ever win with his ’98 Horton Team PTI dragster. Team owner George Turner and the crew were tired from thrashing on his car, having to replace the torque converter with a borrowed unit and rebuilding the fuel pump during the previous evening. During time trials, a stud girdle came loose, causing minor damage, but after that, all the car did was click on the win lights. Fancher was also excited about two consecutive .000 reacts earlier in eliminations that gave him a bye run. Former race winner Stacy Blanton met Fancher in the final, and unfortunately for Blanton, his car somehow activated an instant red light, handing the automatic win to Fancher. Fancher went ahead put a 5.40, 131.46mph pass on the boards (5.38). Blanton graciously congratulated Fancher after the race for his first win. Afterward, Fancher thanked backers Fain and Mitchell properties and Tara Fine Jewelry for their help. He then thanked team owner George Turner and crew members Tim Morris and Johnny Turner for helping him get through the race. Gary Dunn (’92 S&W dragster – Flowery Branch, GA) was the lone semi-finalist.
Defending Sportsman champion Chris Carlile from Canton, GA won the first race of the year and then enjoyed his second 2005 race win after defeating engine builder Ed Nalley’s Maysville, GA based ’83 Vega. Both racers ran very close to their marks. Nalley actually crossed the finish line first, but broke out with a so close, but breakout, 10.086, 132.93 mph pass (10.09 dial). Carlile, who was .004 quicker in the reaction time department, crossed the finish line with a winning 10.209 at 133.05mph (10.20 dial) in his ’69 Camaro. The margin of victory was .0095 seconds. Carlile has been working out a few bugs during the past month with his new combination, and
apparently has gotten rid of most of them. “I feel good to have won against this group of tough competitors,” added Carlile. His good friend and mentor, Dickey Forrester (’68 Camaro – Canton, GA), earned the semi-final portion of the purse.
After the race, excited Motorcycle winner Jay Rhyne exclaimed, “Didn’t I tell you this is Jay Bird’s House of Speed!” The former Atlanta Dragway champion is now two for two in the once per month Motorcycle series. Rhyne turned in a good 12.40 at 102.42mph (12.35) on his Athens, GA based ’81 Kawasaki, but had already won the race before he got to the finish line,
courtesy of Jimmy “Cha Cha” Heisler’s barely red lighting time of -.003 seconds on a 2000 Kawasaki. Heisler also enjoyed making it to the quarterfinals in Pro ET and Street ET class during last week’s MTC Elmer Trett Nationals at Atlanta Dragway. Don Chavous (’00 Suzuki – Buford, GA) and Mandrica Glenn from Athens, GA finished in the semi-final round.
Mardy Kennedy from Auburn, GA topped off an already good week (he found out he was going to be a grandpa again) with a Trophy Street win against John Snapp of Conyers, GA. Kennedy slowed his ‘64 “Banana Boat” Econoline pickup to 13.44, 92.17mph (13.14 dial), but got the win against Snapp’s ’68 Charger, which went 14.72, 94.52mph (14.40 dial). Kennedy, who is usually
near the front of the line when the gates open, said he was late today (but he did have it all together by race time). Snapp was still working bugs out of his new engine, which was recently finished. Terry Turpin (’05 Mustang – Maysville, GA) finished in the semi-finals.
Fourteen year old Team PTI racer Lauren Turner from Pendergrass, GA enjoyed her second 2005 13 – 17 Jr Dragster win, this time against Harvey Snelgrove (11 – Dahlonega, GA). Turner ran many tighter rounds than Super Pro racers, with a near perfect .001 reaction time in round two, and then ”hitting the tree” with great .012, .015 and .010 reacts in the last three rounds. In addition to her .010 final round react, Turner posted a dead-on 7.987 at 81.48mph (7.98 dial) for the win. Snelgrove broke out with a 9.697 at 67.59mph (9.70 dial), but was still second across the finish line by .028 seconds. Turner also thanked backers Fain and Mitchell properties and Tara Fine Jewelry for their help, along with thanking crew members Joe Swaim and
Cassie Elliot. She also gained 50 points on leader Kyle Denton, placing her only 20 points out of first in the points. Bradley Myers (15 – Loganville, GA) took home the semi-finalist trophy.
Ten year old Dylan Kent from Acworth, GA took home the first place trophy in 8-12 Jr Dragster class after defeating 11 year old Valerie Clements from Central, SC. Kent used a .081 second reaction time advantage to take the win, slowing his mount to an 8.97 at 71.66mph (8.91 dial). Clements nailed her dial in time of 8.95 seconds with a near perfect 8.951 at 73.39mph.
Kent, the 2003 Rookie of the Year, thanked sponsors Premier Collison and Cyber Connect Computers for their help. He then thanked his mom and dad, Bill Gillen of Young Guns Motorsports and the family of Barry Sisson. Blake Griffith (11 – Homer, GA) earned a semi-final trophy for his efforts.
———————————————————————————————————————————————-
PRO / SUPER PRO CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Clay Fancher ’98 Horton dragster Conyers, GA 5.40 131.46 (5.38)
R/U: Stacy Blanton ’04 Undercover dragster Jefferson, GA foul, no time
Semi: Gary Dunn ’92 S&W dragster Flowery Branch, GA
Semi:
————————————————————————————————————————————————
SPORTSMAN CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Chris Carlile ’69 Camaro Canton, GA 10.209 133.05 (10.20)
R/U: Ed Nalley ’83 Vega Maysville, GA 10.086 132.93 (10.09)
Semi: Dickey Forrester ’68 Camaro Canton, GA
Semi:
————————————————————————————————————————————————
TROPHY STREET CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Mardy Kennedy ’64 Econoline pickup Auburn, GA 13.44 92.17 (13.14)
R/U: John Snapp ’68 Charger Conyers, GA 14.72 94.52 (14.40)
Semi: Terry Turpin ’05 Mustang Maysville, GA
Semi:
————————————————————————————————————————————————
MOTORCYCLE BIKE HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Jay Rhyne ’81 Kawasaki Athens, GA 12.40 102.42 (12.35)
R/U: Jimmy Heisler ’00 Kawasaki Woodstock, GA (foul) 10.29 133.05 (10.20)
Semi: Don Chavous ’00 Suzuki Hyabusa Buford, GA
Semi: Mandrica Glenn motorcycle Athens, GA
————————————————————————————————————————————————
JR. DRAGSTER 8-12 AGE HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Dylan Kent 10 Acworth, GA 8.97 71.66 (8.91)
R/U: Valerie Clements 11 Central, SC 8.95 73.39 (8.95)
Semi: Blake Griffith 11 Homer, GA
Semi:
————————————————————————————————————————————————
JR. DRAGSTER 13-17 AGE HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Lauren Turner 14 Pendergrass, GA 7.987 81.48 (7.98)
R/U: Harvey Snelgrove 13 Dahlonega, GA 9.697 67.59 (9.70)
Semi: Bradley Myers 15 Loganville, GA
Semi:
FROM: Tim Glover
EVENT: Summit / Snap-On ET series event at Atlanta Dragway in 2005
TEAM PTI SCORES ANOTHER DOUBLE WIN, CARLILE AND RHYNE ENJOY SECOND 2005 WIN
by Tim Glover
Photos
(Commerce, GA – April 9) For the second time in three races, Team PTI enjoyed a double victory at Atlanta Dragway. Team PTI racer Lauren Turner moved into second place in 13-17 Jr Dragster points with her win, and Clay Fancher enjoyed his first ever Super Pro win with his Team PTI dragster. Defending Sportsman champion Chris Carlile closed the gap on points leader Chuck Conaway with his second 2005 Sportsman win. 2001 Trophy Street champion Mardy Kennedy won his first 2005 race against John Snapp’s newly renovated ’68 Charger. Current points leader and former champion Jay Rhyne increased his Motorcycle lead with his second win in two races. Dylan Kent enjoyed his first 2005 win in 8-12 Jr Dragster.
Super Pro racer Clay Fancher of Conyers, GA enjoyed his first ever win with his ’98 Horton Team PTI dragster. Team owner George Turner and the crew were tired from thrashing on his car, having to replace the torque converter with a borrowed unit and rebuilding the fuel pump during the previous evening. During time trials, a stud girdle came loose, causing minor damage, but after that, all the car did was click on the win lights. Fancher was also excited about two consecutive .000 reacts earlier in eliminations that gave him a bye run. Former race winner Stacy Blanton met Fancher in the final, and unfortunately for Blanton, his car somehow activated an instant red light, handing the automatic win to Fancher. Fancher went ahead put a 5.40, 131.46mph pass on the boards (5.38). Blanton graciously congratulated Fancher after the race for his first win. Afterward, Fancher thanked backers Fain and Mitchell properties and Tara Fine Jewelry for their help. He then thanked team owner George Turner and crew members Tim Morris and Johnny Turner for helping him get through the race. Gary Dunn (’92 S&W dragster – Flowery Branch, GA) was the lone semi-finalist.
Defending Sportsman champion Chris Carlile from Canton, GA won the first race of the year and then enjoyed his second 2005 race win after defeating engine builder Ed Nalley’s Maysville, GA based ’83 Vega. Both racers ran very close to their marks. Nalley actually crossed the finish line first, but broke out with a so close, but breakout, 10.086, 132.93 mph pass (10.09 dial). Carlile, who was .004 quicker in the reaction time department, crossed the finish line with a winning 10.209 at 133.05mph (10.20 dial) in his ’69 Camaro. The margin of victory was .0095 seconds. Carlile has been working out a few bugs during the past month with his new combination, and
apparently has gotten rid of most of them. “I feel good to have won against this group of tough competitors,” added Carlile. His good friend and mentor, Dickey Forrester (’68 Camaro – Canton, GA), earned the semi-final portion of the purse.
After the race, excited Motorcycle winner Jay Rhyne exclaimed, “Didn’t I tell you this is Jay Bird’s House of Speed!” The former Atlanta Dragway champion is now two for two in the once per month Motorcycle series. Rhyne turned in a good 12.40 at 102.42mph (12.35) on his Athens, GA based ’81 Kawasaki, but had already won the race before he got to the finish line,
courtesy of Jimmy “Cha Cha” Heisler’s barely red lighting time of -.003 seconds on a 2000 Kawasaki. Heisler also enjoyed making it to the quarterfinals in Pro ET and Street ET class during last week’s MTC Elmer Trett Nationals at Atlanta Dragway. Don Chavous (’00 Suzuki – Buford, GA) and Mandrica Glenn from Athens, GA finished in the semi-final round.
Mardy Kennedy from Auburn, GA topped off an already good week (he found out he was going to be a grandpa again) with a Trophy Street win against John Snapp of Conyers, GA. Kennedy slowed his ‘64 “Banana Boat” Econoline pickup to 13.44, 92.17mph (13.14 dial), but got the win against Snapp’s ’68 Charger, which went 14.72, 94.52mph (14.40 dial). Kennedy, who is usually
near the front of the line when the gates open, said he was late today (but he did have it all together by race time). Snapp was still working bugs out of his new engine, which was recently finished. Terry Turpin (’05 Mustang – Maysville, GA) finished in the semi-finals.
Fourteen year old Team PTI racer Lauren Turner from Pendergrass, GA enjoyed her second 2005 13 – 17 Jr Dragster win, this time against Harvey Snelgrove (11 – Dahlonega, GA). Turner ran many tighter rounds than Super Pro racers, with a near perfect .001 reaction time in round two, and then ”hitting the tree” with great .012, .015 and .010 reacts in the last three rounds. In addition to her .010 final round react, Turner posted a dead-on 7.987 at 81.48mph (7.98 dial) for the win. Snelgrove broke out with a 9.697 at 67.59mph (9.70 dial), but was still second across the finish line by .028 seconds. Turner also thanked backers Fain and Mitchell properties and Tara Fine Jewelry for their help, along with thanking crew members Joe Swaim and
Cassie Elliot. She also gained 50 points on leader Kyle Denton, placing her only 20 points out of first in the points. Bradley Myers (15 – Loganville, GA) took home the semi-finalist trophy.
Ten year old Dylan Kent from Acworth, GA took home the first place trophy in 8-12 Jr Dragster class after defeating 11 year old Valerie Clements from Central, SC. Kent used a .081 second reaction time advantage to take the win, slowing his mount to an 8.97 at 71.66mph (8.91 dial). Clements nailed her dial in time of 8.95 seconds with a near perfect 8.951 at 73.39mph.
Kent, the 2003 Rookie of the Year, thanked sponsors Premier Collison and Cyber Connect Computers for their help. He then thanked his mom and dad, Bill Gillen of Young Guns Motorsports and the family of Barry Sisson. Blake Griffith (11 – Homer, GA) earned a semi-final trophy for his efforts.
———————————————————————————————————————————————-
PRO / SUPER PRO CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Clay Fancher ’98 Horton dragster Conyers, GA 5.40 131.46 (5.38)
R/U: Stacy Blanton ’04 Undercover dragster Jefferson, GA foul, no time
Semi: Gary Dunn ’92 S&W dragster Flowery Branch, GA
Semi:
————————————————————————————————————————————————
SPORTSMAN CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Chris Carlile ’69 Camaro Canton, GA 10.209 133.05 (10.20)
R/U: Ed Nalley ’83 Vega Maysville, GA 10.086 132.93 (10.09)
Semi: Dickey Forrester ’68 Camaro Canton, GA
Semi:
————————————————————————————————————————————————
TROPHY STREET CAR HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Mardy Kennedy ’64 Econoline pickup Auburn, GA 13.44 92.17 (13.14)
R/U: John Snapp ’68 Charger Conyers, GA 14.72 94.52 (14.40)
Semi: Terry Turpin ’05 Mustang Maysville, GA
Semi:
————————————————————————————————————————————————
MOTORCYCLE BIKE HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Jay Rhyne ’81 Kawasaki Athens, GA 12.40 102.42 (12.35)
R/U: Jimmy Heisler ’00 Kawasaki Woodstock, GA (foul) 10.29 133.05 (10.20)
Semi: Don Chavous ’00 Suzuki Hyabusa Buford, GA
Semi: Mandrica Glenn motorcycle Athens, GA
————————————————————————————————————————————————
JR. DRAGSTER 8-12 AGE HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Dylan Kent 10 Acworth, GA 8.97 71.66 (8.91)
R/U: Valerie Clements 11 Central, SC 8.95 73.39 (8.95)
Semi: Blake Griffith 11 Homer, GA
Semi:
————————————————————————————————————————————————
JR. DRAGSTER 13-17 AGE HOMETOWN ET MPH DIAL-IN
Win: Lauren Turner 14 Pendergrass, GA 7.987 81.48 (7.98)
R/U: Harvey Snelgrove 13 Dahlonega, GA 9.697 67.59 (9.70)
Semi: Bradley Myers 15 Loganville, GA
Semi:
posted by David @ 9:53 PM
BAZEMORE ADVANCES TO QUARTERFINAL IN HOUSTON
Contact: Judy Stropus
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
BAYTOWN, Texas (April 10, 2005) - Funny Car points leader Whit Bazemore struggled to qualify for the O'Reilly Spring Nationals at Houston Raceway, earning only the 12th spot after four attempts, but the Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge Stratus Funny Car team made up for it in the first round of eliminations by defeating Don Schumacher Racing teammate and No. 5 qualifier Gary Scelzi on a holeshot advantage.
Bazemore crossed the finish stripe ahead of Scelzi with a 4.842/317.34 pass to Scelzi's quicker but losing 4.795/323.19. Reaction times: Scelzi .114, Bazemore .064.
The second round against Bazemore's longtime rival and second-in-points John Force was vital for Bazemore to win to hold on to the points lead. It was not to be, despite Bazemore's better reaction time of .059 to Force's .076, as Force drove around him to claim the victory with a 4.781/324.83 to Bazemore's 4.818/321.12.
Bazemore dropped to second in Funny Car points, 14 behind Force.
"(Crew chief Lee) Beard and the boys did a tremendous job today to turn this Matco Tools team around from what we admit was a pretty frustrating qualifying effort Friday and Saturday," said Bazemore, "and the car just didn't respond to anything we did in qualifying. Lee made some major, major changes overnight and we had to run our teammate Gary Scelzi in the first round.
"We were fortunate to get around him. The tune-up proved itself and Lee had a car he could tune against Force (in the second round). We tuned it up, it ran better, but we don't have our new tune-up perfected yet, and we may have left a little on the table. But Force's team did a tremendous job and beat us. That's how it goes.
"I did my normal thing," said Bazemore of his deep-staging in the first round against Scelzi, while Scelzi shallow-staged going for a quicker ET and lane choice in the second round. "I go in two or three hundredths on race day. That's just the way it is. It's Funny Car racing and you kind of have to do that.
"The reaction time number is often irrelevant because of staging, but my goal is to be the same every race and I roll in typically two or three hundredths (of a second) deeper than our qualifying runs, but it's not five or six hundredths, like some guys, so it doesn't even matter. I don't even think about. I just go in and do my thing and we won a round today when our car hadn't gone down the track on Saturday and half of Friday. It could have been worse."
Next up is the NHRA Nationals at The Strip in Las Vegas April 14-17.
NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES FUNNY CAR POINT STANDINGS:
1. John Force, 303
2. Whit Bazemore, 289
3. Robert Hight, 268
4. Tommy Johnson Jr., 231
5. Cruz Pedregon, 230
6. Eric Medlen,, 219
7. Del Worsham, 215
8. Phil Burkart Jr., 211
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
BAYTOWN, Texas (April 10, 2005) - Funny Car points leader Whit Bazemore struggled to qualify for the O'Reilly Spring Nationals at Houston Raceway, earning only the 12th spot after four attempts, but the Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge Stratus Funny Car team made up for it in the first round of eliminations by defeating Don Schumacher Racing teammate and No. 5 qualifier Gary Scelzi on a holeshot advantage.
Bazemore crossed the finish stripe ahead of Scelzi with a 4.842/317.34 pass to Scelzi's quicker but losing 4.795/323.19. Reaction times: Scelzi .114, Bazemore .064.
The second round against Bazemore's longtime rival and second-in-points John Force was vital for Bazemore to win to hold on to the points lead. It was not to be, despite Bazemore's better reaction time of .059 to Force's .076, as Force drove around him to claim the victory with a 4.781/324.83 to Bazemore's 4.818/321.12.
Bazemore dropped to second in Funny Car points, 14 behind Force.
"(Crew chief Lee) Beard and the boys did a tremendous job today to turn this Matco Tools team around from what we admit was a pretty frustrating qualifying effort Friday and Saturday," said Bazemore, "and the car just didn't respond to anything we did in qualifying. Lee made some major, major changes overnight and we had to run our teammate Gary Scelzi in the first round.
"We were fortunate to get around him. The tune-up proved itself and Lee had a car he could tune against Force (in the second round). We tuned it up, it ran better, but we don't have our new tune-up perfected yet, and we may have left a little on the table. But Force's team did a tremendous job and beat us. That's how it goes.
"I did my normal thing," said Bazemore of his deep-staging in the first round against Scelzi, while Scelzi shallow-staged going for a quicker ET and lane choice in the second round. "I go in two or three hundredths on race day. That's just the way it is. It's Funny Car racing and you kind of have to do that.
"The reaction time number is often irrelevant because of staging, but my goal is to be the same every race and I roll in typically two or three hundredths (of a second) deeper than our qualifying runs, but it's not five or six hundredths, like some guys, so it doesn't even matter. I don't even think about. I just go in and do my thing and we won a round today when our car hadn't gone down the track on Saturday and half of Friday. It could have been worse."
Next up is the NHRA Nationals at The Strip in Las Vegas April 14-17.
NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES FUNNY CAR POINT STANDINGS:
1. John Force, 303
2. Whit Bazemore, 289
3. Robert Hight, 268
4. Tommy Johnson Jr., 231
5. Cruz Pedregon, 230
6. Eric Medlen,, 219
7. Del Worsham, 215
8. Phil Burkart Jr., 211
posted by David @ 12:54 AM
Warren Johnson Scores Dominant Win at O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals
Contact: Jon Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing, Inc.
Sunday, April 10, 2005, Baytown, TX- Warren Johnson, "The Professor of Pro Stock", made a dramatic return to the NHRA winner's circle on Sunday, scoring a dominant win at the 18th annual O'Reilly Spring Nationals in Baytown, TX. Starting from the No. 1 position, Johnson's GM Performance Parts Pontiac was clearly the class of the field at Houston Raceway Park, posting low elapsed time of eliminations with his 6.706-second pass in the first round, as well as the top speed in all four rounds. This was the 93rd win of Johnson's stellar career, sixth at the Baytown quarter-mile, and catapulted the six-time Pro Stock champion into the POWERade Championship lead.
"I guess you can't do much better that we did this weekend," stated Johnson. "Especially after last year, which we consider an anomaly, I have to give my GM Performance Parts team credit for not giving up. This team knows it can still win, and never let anything that's happened deter them.
"That's probably the biggest thing about this win. It was a total team effort. I have two great guys that work at the race track, and people back at our shop in Sugar Hill that are really dedicated to what they do. That all results in my having a better race car to drive, giving us a better potential to win. I certainly can't do it all myself."
After eliminating Richie Stevens, Greg Stanfield and David Connolly in the earlier rounds, Johnson squared off against sophomore driver Jason Line in the final, with "The Professor" holding the advantage both in performance and lane choice. However, the contest was over almost immediately, as Line left the starting line early and handed the automatic win to Johnson, who punctuated his win with another stellar 6.714-second, 205.01 mph run.
This was also the first national event win for the DRCE III, the third generation General Motors Drag Racing Competition Engine that Johnson has been developing since early last year. Johnson and his son Kurt are the only two competitors currently using this powerplant in competition.
"Our GM Performance Parts Pontiac was virtually flawless all weekend,' said Johnson. "Since the middle of last season, we've focused on improving our race cars and our power level, and it's all starting to come together.
"Of course, when you have a car that good, the feeling is that if we don't win, I screwed up, so the pressure was really on. Fortunately, things worked in our favor, and we were able to come away with the win.
"We hope this is just the tip of the iceberg, because we only have three of these DRCE III engines in our inventory at the moment, and each one seems to want to run faster. Given the fact that we are relatively competitive right now, and that we're fairly confident of being able to pick up the pace, I look at this year as being potentially as good as any of those in which I won the championship.
"However, we're not going to put the cart before the horse. We still have a lot of work to do, and there are nine or so cars in this division that are capable of winning. So, for now, we're going to enjoy this win, while at the same time start getting ready for next week's race in Las Vegas. We still have a lot of racing left."
Fast Facts Following WJ's Win -
* This was WJ's 93rd career win, which is the most by any Pro Stock driver in the history of the NHRA, and second only to John Force among all professional drivers.
* This was also WJ's 145th final round appearance, also the most in Pro Stock history.
* This was Johnson's sixth win at Houston Raceway Park, again the most in Pro Stock.
* This was the 46th time that WJ has won from the No. 1 position.
* Johnson "swept" the O'Reilly Spring Nationals, being the No. 1 qualifier, posting the low elapsed time and top speed of the event, and winning the race.
* Johnson now has the distinction of being the oldest NHRA event winner. WJ, who is 61 years and nine months, eclipsed Eddie Hill's 1996 mark, who won when he was 60 years, four months old.
NHRA POWERade Championship Points Standings (after 4 of 23 events)
1. Warren Johnson 341
2. David Connolly 315
3. Jason Line 294
4. Allen Johnson 248
5. Greg Anderson 239
TMG Sports Marketing, Inc.
Sunday, April 10, 2005, Baytown, TX- Warren Johnson, "The Professor of Pro Stock", made a dramatic return to the NHRA winner's circle on Sunday, scoring a dominant win at the 18th annual O'Reilly Spring Nationals in Baytown, TX. Starting from the No. 1 position, Johnson's GM Performance Parts Pontiac was clearly the class of the field at Houston Raceway Park, posting low elapsed time of eliminations with his 6.706-second pass in the first round, as well as the top speed in all four rounds. This was the 93rd win of Johnson's stellar career, sixth at the Baytown quarter-mile, and catapulted the six-time Pro Stock champion into the POWERade Championship lead.
"I guess you can't do much better that we did this weekend," stated Johnson. "Especially after last year, which we consider an anomaly, I have to give my GM Performance Parts team credit for not giving up. This team knows it can still win, and never let anything that's happened deter them.
"That's probably the biggest thing about this win. It was a total team effort. I have two great guys that work at the race track, and people back at our shop in Sugar Hill that are really dedicated to what they do. That all results in my having a better race car to drive, giving us a better potential to win. I certainly can't do it all myself."
After eliminating Richie Stevens, Greg Stanfield and David Connolly in the earlier rounds, Johnson squared off against sophomore driver Jason Line in the final, with "The Professor" holding the advantage both in performance and lane choice. However, the contest was over almost immediately, as Line left the starting line early and handed the automatic win to Johnson, who punctuated his win with another stellar 6.714-second, 205.01 mph run.
This was also the first national event win for the DRCE III, the third generation General Motors Drag Racing Competition Engine that Johnson has been developing since early last year. Johnson and his son Kurt are the only two competitors currently using this powerplant in competition.
"Our GM Performance Parts Pontiac was virtually flawless all weekend,' said Johnson. "Since the middle of last season, we've focused on improving our race cars and our power level, and it's all starting to come together.
"Of course, when you have a car that good, the feeling is that if we don't win, I screwed up, so the pressure was really on. Fortunately, things worked in our favor, and we were able to come away with the win.
"We hope this is just the tip of the iceberg, because we only have three of these DRCE III engines in our inventory at the moment, and each one seems to want to run faster. Given the fact that we are relatively competitive right now, and that we're fairly confident of being able to pick up the pace, I look at this year as being potentially as good as any of those in which I won the championship.
"However, we're not going to put the cart before the horse. We still have a lot of work to do, and there are nine or so cars in this division that are capable of winning. So, for now, we're going to enjoy this win, while at the same time start getting ready for next week's race in Las Vegas. We still have a lot of racing left."
Fast Facts Following WJ's Win -
* This was WJ's 93rd career win, which is the most by any Pro Stock driver in the history of the NHRA, and second only to John Force among all professional drivers.
* This was also WJ's 145th final round appearance, also the most in Pro Stock history.
* This was Johnson's sixth win at Houston Raceway Park, again the most in Pro Stock.
* This was the 46th time that WJ has won from the No. 1 position.
* Johnson "swept" the O'Reilly Spring Nationals, being the No. 1 qualifier, posting the low elapsed time and top speed of the event, and winning the race.
* Johnson now has the distinction of being the oldest NHRA event winner. WJ, who is 61 years and nine months, eclipsed Eddie Hill's 1996 mark, who won when he was 60 years, four months old.
NHRA POWERade Championship Points Standings (after 4 of 23 events)
1. Warren Johnson 341
2. David Connolly 315
3. Jason Line 294
4. Allen Johnson 248
5. Greg Anderson 239
posted by David @ 12:45 AM
Schumacher, Hight, WJ and Stoffer Win the NHRA POWERade O'Reilly Spring Nationals presented by Pennzoil
Schumacher sets new speed record while winning Top Fuel.
Hight picks up his first Funny Car win.
Warren Johnson qualifies #1, sets Low ET and Top Speed on the way to his win over Jason Line in the final of Pro Stock.
Karen Stoffer wins her second career Pro Stock Bike race.
NHRA Recap
Hight picks up his first Funny Car win.
Warren Johnson qualifies #1, sets Low ET and Top Speed on the way to his win over Jason Line in the final of Pro Stock.
Karen Stoffer wins her second career Pro Stock Bike race.
NHRA Recap
posted by David @ 12:36 AM
Sunday, April 10, 2005
WJ Qualifies No. 1 in Houston
Contact: Jon Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing, Inc.
Warren Johnson completed his No. 1 qualifying performance at the NHRA O'Reilly Spring Nationals in dramatic fashion on Saturday at Houston Raceway Park. Entering the fourth and final qualifying session, Johnson's 6.707-second, 205.10 mph run from Friday night seemed to be more than enough to assure him of the top starting position for the 131st time in his career.
However, having changed engines between sessions, Johnson's GM Performance Parts Pontiac blasted down the Baytown quarter-mile in 6.696-seconds at 205.63 mph, setting low elapsed time and top speed for the event.
"We really didn't know what to expect on that last run. We knew the conditions were good enough to run quicker, but we had changed engines, using one that had never gone down the racetrack. In fact, we had just made five runs with it on the dyno before we came here.
"It has a completely different power curve from our other engines, and since we felt no one would be able to improve enough to get the No. 1 spot away from us, we thought it was an ideal opportunity to try it. We were quite surprised that it would run that quick and fast. I guess you could say it was a successful test for the GM Performance Parts Pontiac.
"With qualifying behind us, we'll take a look at our notes and come up with a game plan for eliminations. We've successfully completed the first half of our assignment here in Houston - now we’re focused on finishing the job tomorrow."
-This is the 131st No. 1 qualifying performance of WJ's career, which is the most by any professional driver in NHRA history (John Force is second with 124).
-This is WJ's 9th No. 1 qualifying performance at Houston Raceway Park.
-WJ's most recent No. 1 qualifying position was 36 races ago at the 2003 Sears Craftsman Nationals in Madison, IL.
-Ironically, WJ's most recent No. 1 starting position at HRP also came in 2003.
-45 of WJ's 92 national event wins have come from the No. 1 starting position.
-WJ won this event from the No. 1 position in 1998, one of his five wins in Baytown.
-This is also the first No. 1 qualifying performance for the DRCE III, the third generation General Motors Drag Racing Competition Engine. Warren and his son Kurt are the only competitors in Pro Stock currently running this engine.
TMG Sports Marketing, Inc.
Warren Johnson completed his No. 1 qualifying performance at the NHRA O'Reilly Spring Nationals in dramatic fashion on Saturday at Houston Raceway Park. Entering the fourth and final qualifying session, Johnson's 6.707-second, 205.10 mph run from Friday night seemed to be more than enough to assure him of the top starting position for the 131st time in his career.
However, having changed engines between sessions, Johnson's GM Performance Parts Pontiac blasted down the Baytown quarter-mile in 6.696-seconds at 205.63 mph, setting low elapsed time and top speed for the event.
"We really didn't know what to expect on that last run. We knew the conditions were good enough to run quicker, but we had changed engines, using one that had never gone down the racetrack. In fact, we had just made five runs with it on the dyno before we came here.
"It has a completely different power curve from our other engines, and since we felt no one would be able to improve enough to get the No. 1 spot away from us, we thought it was an ideal opportunity to try it. We were quite surprised that it would run that quick and fast. I guess you could say it was a successful test for the GM Performance Parts Pontiac.
"With qualifying behind us, we'll take a look at our notes and come up with a game plan for eliminations. We've successfully completed the first half of our assignment here in Houston - now we’re focused on finishing the job tomorrow."
-This is the 131st No. 1 qualifying performance of WJ's career, which is the most by any professional driver in NHRA history (John Force is second with 124).
-This is WJ's 9th No. 1 qualifying performance at Houston Raceway Park.
-WJ's most recent No. 1 qualifying position was 36 races ago at the 2003 Sears Craftsman Nationals in Madison, IL.
-Ironically, WJ's most recent No. 1 starting position at HRP also came in 2003.
-45 of WJ's 92 national event wins have come from the No. 1 starting position.
-WJ won this event from the No. 1 position in 1998, one of his five wins in Baytown.
-This is also the first No. 1 qualifying performance for the DRCE III, the third generation General Motors Drag Racing Competition Engine. Warren and his son Kurt are the only competitors in Pro Stock currently running this engine.
posted by David @ 3:06 AM
KJ Will Start Seventh in Houston
Contact: Jon Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing, Inc.
On the strength of a 6.726-second, 205.10 mph pass made on Friday evening, Kurt Johnson qualified his ACDelco Chevrolet seventh for Sunday's final eliminations of the O'Reilly Spring Nationals in Baytown, TX. With his spot in Sunday's field virtually assured, Johnson worked on fine-tuning his race car during Saturday's final qualifying sessions. Although he made two representative runs, the second-generation racer looked for further improvement heading into race day.
"Although both runs were decent, we didn't make the gains we would have liked. The car is throwing us a curve right now, just not responding as well as we would like it to. It was fine in testing earlier this week, as well as in the first round yesterday. But since then, it's been a handful.
"We have some adjustments planned for the first round tomorrow morning that we hope will convince it to cooperate. We know this ACDelco Chevy has the performance in it - we just have to find the right set-up to let it out."
TMG Sports Marketing, Inc.
On the strength of a 6.726-second, 205.10 mph pass made on Friday evening, Kurt Johnson qualified his ACDelco Chevrolet seventh for Sunday's final eliminations of the O'Reilly Spring Nationals in Baytown, TX. With his spot in Sunday's field virtually assured, Johnson worked on fine-tuning his race car during Saturday's final qualifying sessions. Although he made two representative runs, the second-generation racer looked for further improvement heading into race day.
"Although both runs were decent, we didn't make the gains we would have liked. The car is throwing us a curve right now, just not responding as well as we would like it to. It was fine in testing earlier this week, as well as in the first round yesterday. But since then, it's been a handful.
"We have some adjustments planned for the first round tomorrow morning that we hope will convince it to cooperate. We know this ACDelco Chevy has the performance in it - we just have to find the right set-up to let it out."
posted by David @ 3:02 AM
Ellis in at No. 4 - Faces Valetti in Opening Round of Eliminations
Courtesy Jerry Battle
G SQUARED MOTORSPORTS
OWNERS: GEORGE BRYCE & GEORGE SMITH
NHRA POWERADE DRAG RACING SERIES
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE: G SQUARED S&S BUELL
RIDER: CHIP ELLIS
MEDIA CONTACT: Mickey Schultz
18TH ANNUAL NHRA O'REILLY SPRING NATIONALSHOUSTON RACEWAY PARK – HOUSTON (BAYTOWN) TEXASAPRIL 8-10, 2005
Qualifying:
Session 1 Friday: 7.403 seconds at 182.77 mph (# 21)
Session 2 Friday: 7.217 seconds at 182.43 mph (# 15)
Session 1 Saturday: 7.104 seconds at 187.00 mph (# 4)
Session 2 Saturday: 7.104 seconds at 186.59 mph (# 4)
BAYTOWN, Texas (April 9, 2005) – With qualifying in the books for the 18th annual NHRA O'Reilly Spring Nationals Chip Ellis placed the G Squared/S&S Buell in the No. 4 qualifying position.
Ellis recorded his best of four qualifying runs in Saturday's first session when he cruised the Houston Raceway Park quarter-mile in 7.104 seconds. In fact, the Americus, Ga., driver recorded two passes of 7.104 seconds today.
"We made two good runs today and went 7.10 (seconds) both times. We're back on track. We going to get our name back," said Ellis.
"We were disappointed with yesterday's outing but redeemed ourselves today with a pair of good passes," said George Bryce, co-owner and partner with George Smith in G Squared Motorsports. "Those runs proved that we made the right decision when we changed engines for today's action.
"Chip is getting all his shifts down and doing a good job of handling the G Squared/ S&S Buell. Also, our tuning quartet of Ken Johnson, George Smith, Jackie Bryce and yours truly are making the right calls and the motorcycle is running better and better."
"We're very happy with today's runs," said co-owner George Smith. "George Bryce and Ken Johnson came up with the best tune up we've had to date. The entire crew did their job.
"On the runs today, I actually thought the second run was the better of the two. One, it was made in the heat of the day and two, we did it on a new tire. Tomorrow we are as well-prepared as we can be and we're going to try to get straight As on our report cards."
In addition to Ellis, two of the three other S&S-powered Buells built in the shop of G Squared Motorsports entered here at Houston qualified for tomorrow eliminations. Chris Rivas was No. 5 with a run of 7.111 seconds at 186.72 seconds and Ryan Schnitz with a run of 7.120 seconds at 188.78 mph finished No. 7.
In the first round of eliminations, Ellis will do battle with Scott Valetti, who qualified No. 13 with an elapsed time of 7.159 seconds.
SCHEDULE: With Smith, Bryce and Ken Johnson calling the tuning shots, Ellis begins his quest for the Pro Stock Motorcycle title on Sunday with eliminations for all classes beginning at 11 a.m. All times are local Houston time (CT) and subject to change at anytime.
G SQUARED MOTORSPORTS
OWNERS: GEORGE BRYCE & GEORGE SMITH
NHRA POWERADE DRAG RACING SERIES
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE: G SQUARED S&S BUELL
RIDER: CHIP ELLIS
MEDIA CONTACT: Mickey Schultz
18TH ANNUAL NHRA O'REILLY SPRING NATIONALSHOUSTON RACEWAY PARK – HOUSTON (BAYTOWN) TEXASAPRIL 8-10, 2005
Qualifying:
Session 1 Friday: 7.403 seconds at 182.77 mph (# 21)
Session 2 Friday: 7.217 seconds at 182.43 mph (# 15)
Session 1 Saturday: 7.104 seconds at 187.00 mph (# 4)
Session 2 Saturday: 7.104 seconds at 186.59 mph (# 4)
BAYTOWN, Texas (April 9, 2005) – With qualifying in the books for the 18th annual NHRA O'Reilly Spring Nationals Chip Ellis placed the G Squared/S&S Buell in the No. 4 qualifying position.
Ellis recorded his best of four qualifying runs in Saturday's first session when he cruised the Houston Raceway Park quarter-mile in 7.104 seconds. In fact, the Americus, Ga., driver recorded two passes of 7.104 seconds today.
"We made two good runs today and went 7.10 (seconds) both times. We're back on track. We going to get our name back," said Ellis.
"We were disappointed with yesterday's outing but redeemed ourselves today with a pair of good passes," said George Bryce, co-owner and partner with George Smith in G Squared Motorsports. "Those runs proved that we made the right decision when we changed engines for today's action.
"Chip is getting all his shifts down and doing a good job of handling the G Squared/ S&S Buell. Also, our tuning quartet of Ken Johnson, George Smith, Jackie Bryce and yours truly are making the right calls and the motorcycle is running better and better."
"We're very happy with today's runs," said co-owner George Smith. "George Bryce and Ken Johnson came up with the best tune up we've had to date. The entire crew did their job.
"On the runs today, I actually thought the second run was the better of the two. One, it was made in the heat of the day and two, we did it on a new tire. Tomorrow we are as well-prepared as we can be and we're going to try to get straight As on our report cards."
In addition to Ellis, two of the three other S&S-powered Buells built in the shop of G Squared Motorsports entered here at Houston qualified for tomorrow eliminations. Chris Rivas was No. 5 with a run of 7.111 seconds at 186.72 seconds and Ryan Schnitz with a run of 7.120 seconds at 188.78 mph finished No. 7.
In the first round of eliminations, Ellis will do battle with Scott Valetti, who qualified No. 13 with an elapsed time of 7.159 seconds.
SCHEDULE: With Smith, Bryce and Ken Johnson calling the tuning shots, Ellis begins his quest for the Pro Stock Motorcycle title on Sunday with eliminations for all classes beginning at 11 a.m. All times are local Houston time (CT) and subject to change at anytime.
posted by David @ 2:57 AM
BAZEMORE TOUGHS IT OUT IN HOUSTON; QUALIFIES 12TH
Courtesy Judy Stropus
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
BAYTOWN, Texas (April 9, 2005) - Whit Bazemore, driving the Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge Stratus Funny Car, was at the top of the list after first round of qualifying, posting a No. 1-qualifying 4.899-second ET at 309.13 mph, then struggled in the next three rounds to get down the track, ending up qualified in the No. 12 spot, based on that run.
"We've struggled this weekend, there's no question," said the Funny Car points leader and winner of the previous event in Gainesville, Fla. "This shows you how fickle this sport can be when, on the first day, the first run, we had low ET of the first round. We were kind of on a high. We knew it didn't mean that much, but it's still to good to have low ET of any round.
"We just have a problem with the car. It's not responding at all to Lee's (crew chief Beard) input, so we're going into Sunday as a big underdog, not only to our teammate (he faces Gary Scelzi in the first round), but to most people in the field.
"That's OK. It's still anybody's game. We've got a great team over here and Lee's a great tuner. The car just isn't responding. Sometimes in this situation you can be one run away and you find your problems and you come out and you look like you never even struggled.
"I'm still extremely confident and I kind of relish the situation where we can go out as a team that and no one really has any expectations for us here and maybe surprise some people, like we did in Gainesville."
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
BAYTOWN, Texas (April 9, 2005) - Whit Bazemore, driving the Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge Stratus Funny Car, was at the top of the list after first round of qualifying, posting a No. 1-qualifying 4.899-second ET at 309.13 mph, then struggled in the next three rounds to get down the track, ending up qualified in the No. 12 spot, based on that run.
"We've struggled this weekend, there's no question," said the Funny Car points leader and winner of the previous event in Gainesville, Fla. "This shows you how fickle this sport can be when, on the first day, the first run, we had low ET of the first round. We were kind of on a high. We knew it didn't mean that much, but it's still to good to have low ET of any round.
"We just have a problem with the car. It's not responding at all to Lee's (crew chief Beard) input, so we're going into Sunday as a big underdog, not only to our teammate (he faces Gary Scelzi in the first round), but to most people in the field.
"That's OK. It's still anybody's game. We've got a great team over here and Lee's a great tuner. The car just isn't responding. Sometimes in this situation you can be one run away and you find your problems and you come out and you look like you never even struggled.
"I'm still extremely confident and I kind of relish the situation where we can go out as a team that and no one really has any expectations for us here and maybe surprise some people, like we did in Gainesville."
posted by David @ 2:45 AM
Schumacher, Hight, WJ, and Sampey are #1 Pro Qualifiers at the NHRA POWERade O'Reilly Spring Nationals presented by Pennzoil
Georgia related notes:
Whit Bazemore qualified #12 in Funny Car with a 4.899 @ 309.13.
In Pro Stock, Warren Johnson has regained his usual performance and is qualified #1 with a 6.696 @ 205.63. Kurt Johnson is #7 with a 6.726 @ 205.10 while Barry Grant missed the cut with a 20th best 6.797 @ 203.03.
Star Racing's Chip Ellis is #4 in Pro Stock Bike with a 7.104 @ 187.00.
Keep an eye on Eddie Ware and his Pro Mod Willys! Eddie qualified #6 with a 6.212 @ 220.55 and won his first round race with a 6.156 @ 228.73. Eddie's 6.15 was the quickest run in the first round.
NHRA Recap
Whit Bazemore qualified #12 in Funny Car with a 4.899 @ 309.13.
In Pro Stock, Warren Johnson has regained his usual performance and is qualified #1 with a 6.696 @ 205.63. Kurt Johnson is #7 with a 6.726 @ 205.10 while Barry Grant missed the cut with a 20th best 6.797 @ 203.03.
Star Racing's Chip Ellis is #4 in Pro Stock Bike with a 7.104 @ 187.00.
Keep an eye on Eddie Ware and his Pro Mod Willys! Eddie qualified #6 with a 6.212 @ 220.55 and won his first round race with a 6.156 @ 228.73. Eddie's 6.15 was the quickest run in the first round.
NHRA Recap
posted by David @ 2:28 AM
