Friday's Year One Experience F.A.S.T. action at Atlanta Dragway. David Dilbeck photo.
posted by David @ 2:52 AM
Saturday, April 23, 2005
Friday's Year One Experience F.A.S.T. action at Atlanta Dragway. David Dilbeck photo.
Year One Experience F.A.S.T. action at Atlanta Dragway. David Dilbeck photo.
posted by David @ 2:50 AM
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Year One Experience This Weekend at Atlanta Dragway and Road Atlanta
Don't miss the Year One Experience this weekend! Events will be held at Atlanta Dragway and also Road Atlanta. For more information go to the GeorgiaDragRacing.com calendar or to Year One.
posted by David @ 8:03 PM
Improvements at South Georgia Motorsports Park
Following the recently completed Super Chevy event, the asphalt was removed from the 1/8 mile to the end of the quarter mile and replaced with concrete. This project makes South Georgia Motorsports Park only the second NHRA track in the country to have a full quarter mile of concrete. On April 19, Penhall Grinding arrived to finish the project. The entire quarter mile was ground and polished. According to General Manager Shad Dean, South Georgia Motorsports Park is going the extra mile (or is that 1/8 mile?) to make this one of the premier quarter mile tracks in the Southeast. Watch for some exciting results from the ADRL Pro Mod event in May and the NHRA Division 2 points meet in June.
Marvin T. Smith
Marvin T. Smith
posted by David @ 7:53 PM
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
LaGrange-Troup County Drag Strip Results
Courtesy Nate Rochedieu
Track Promoter/Webmaster
LaGrange/Troup County Drag Strip
706-302-1317
Here are the results (and pictures of winners/ru) from yesterday's Shootout of the South Belt Race #3
Bracket: David Mitchell of Roanoke, AL edging out Tommy Gray of LaGrange, GA to retain the belt for a third month.
7.0 Heads Up: David Mitchell of Roanoke, AL slides by Danny Broughton of Decatur, GA to retain the belt for a third month. (David Mitchell is practically unbeatable this year at LGTCDS)
6.0 Heads Up: Roger Bonner of Newnan, GA beat and took belt from Sid & Todd of LaGrange, GA.
It was a great day of racing had by all. LaGrange/Troup County Drag Strip is electrified with excitement over this Sunday's Spring Streetcar Shootout featuring a Quick 16 where everyone who qualifies walks away with money!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ($1200 to winner!!!!!!)
Track Promoter/Webmaster
LaGrange/Troup County Drag Strip
706-302-1317
Here are the results (and pictures of winners/ru) from yesterday's Shootout of the South Belt Race #3
Bracket: David Mitchell of Roanoke, AL edging out Tommy Gray of LaGrange, GA to retain the belt for a third month.
7.0 Heads Up: David Mitchell of Roanoke, AL slides by Danny Broughton of Decatur, GA to retain the belt for a third month. (David Mitchell is practically unbeatable this year at LGTCDS)
6.0 Heads Up: Roger Bonner of Newnan, GA beat and took belt from Sid & Todd of LaGrange, GA.
It was a great day of racing had by all. LaGrange/Troup County Drag Strip is electrified with excitement over this Sunday's Spring Streetcar Shootout featuring a Quick 16 where everyone who qualifies walks away with money!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ($1200 to winner!!!!!!)
posted by David @ 8:07 PM
Monday, April 18, 2005
BAZEMORE TRIUMPHS IN VEGAS; REGAINS POINTS LEAD
Contact: Judy Stropus
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
LAS VEGAS (April 17, 2005) - Whit Bazemore overcame not qualifying the Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge Stratus R/T Funny Car until the final round, heat, sun, lack of lane choice in any round, and difficult track conditions at The Strip at Las Vegas to win his second POWERade Drag Racing Series race of the season, his 19th career, his first on this track in five final rounds, and re-claimed the points lead he lost last weekend in Houston.
He didn't enjoy lane choice in the first round against Tony Pedregon as a result of qualifying No. 12, but disposed of him nonetheless with a 4.931/320.36.
Again without lane choice in the quarter-final he sent packing Robert Hight with a 5.305/275.90. The same was true in the semifinal when he beat Cruz Pedregon by 23 inches with a 5.089/302.35.
The trend continued in the final round, where he met No. 11 qualifier and final-round first-timer Tony Bartone, one last time without lane choice.
Bazemore launched first with an .083 reaction time to Bartone's .116. Bartone gave him another close match, but it was Bazemore all the way to the finish, taking the win with a 4.976/315.12 to Bartone's 4.983/303.23. Margin of victory: .0409 of a second or 18 feet.
"It's unbelievable," said Bazemore in winner's circle. "(Crew chief) Lee Beard and the Matco Tools guys did an unbelievable job to come back from the effort that we made Friday and Saturday. It didn't look like we were getting any results, but, Man, it's a tough old game, as you know. I knew if we qualified that we had as good a chance as anybody. And we just had to get down the track Saturday afternoon. Beard did it, and today we had a car that could win rounds and we went rounds. We weren't the quickest, but we went rounds and at the end of the day that's all that matters.
"It was a close race. We didn't know what to expect from Bartone, quite honestly, because of the way they ran in the semifinals (against Bazemore's teammate Ron Capps). They just stepped it up considerably and the semifinals are typically in the worst conditions that we run in all weekend or on race day at least.
"The way they stepped up and ran that 4.92 was just a tremendous job. We were asking ourselves, Can they do that again?, or saying, There's no way that they can do that again. We had to think that they could and they were awfully close.
"Hats off to them. A great effort for a team that has certainly struggled a lot over the past couple of years. Good effort all the way around by them."
Bazemore is grateful that Ron Capps eliminated John Force in the first round, which allowed him to take back the lead in Funny Car points. "My teammate Ron Capps had Force in the first round and took him out. I think I've already asked (team owner) Don Schumacher to take his team out to dinner on our behalf and hopefully he'll do that.
"That's what a team effort is all about. It's starting to really jell here at Schumacher Racing. All of our cars, with the exception maybe of Scelzi's, aren't really as consistent as we'd like them to be, but they're coming around and we're going rounds."
Crew chief Beard beamed with pride for his driver. "If I could tune this Matco Tools Dodge as good as Bazemore can drive it, we'd win every race," he said. He also admitted that for the first time in his career he has won more races as a crew chief than his age. This win marks his 52nd victory, at age 51. "I have won more races than I am old," he said.
"The Matco Tools team has done a great, great job on this race track on which they had a really tough job qualifying," said Schumacher. "Saturday, in the last round, they were not in the show, and they ended up winning the race. You have to take your hat off to these guys who work their hearts out. Lee is doing a great job and Whit has really, really come alive this year. He is doing a wonderful, wonderful job."
Next up is the O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tenn., April 29-May 1.
FUNNY CAR POINT STANDINGS:
1. Whit Bazemore, 401
2. John Force, 340
3. Robert Hight, 323
4. Cruz Pedregon, 302
5. Tommy Johnson Jr., 265
6. Ron Capps, 264
7. Bob Gilbertson, 260
8. Gary Scelzi, 254
9. Eric Medlen, 250
10. Del Worsham, 246
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
LAS VEGAS (April 17, 2005) - Whit Bazemore overcame not qualifying the Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge Stratus R/T Funny Car until the final round, heat, sun, lack of lane choice in any round, and difficult track conditions at The Strip at Las Vegas to win his second POWERade Drag Racing Series race of the season, his 19th career, his first on this track in five final rounds, and re-claimed the points lead he lost last weekend in Houston.
He didn't enjoy lane choice in the first round against Tony Pedregon as a result of qualifying No. 12, but disposed of him nonetheless with a 4.931/320.36.
Again without lane choice in the quarter-final he sent packing Robert Hight with a 5.305/275.90. The same was true in the semifinal when he beat Cruz Pedregon by 23 inches with a 5.089/302.35.
The trend continued in the final round, where he met No. 11 qualifier and final-round first-timer Tony Bartone, one last time without lane choice.
Bazemore launched first with an .083 reaction time to Bartone's .116. Bartone gave him another close match, but it was Bazemore all the way to the finish, taking the win with a 4.976/315.12 to Bartone's 4.983/303.23. Margin of victory: .0409 of a second or 18 feet.
"It's unbelievable," said Bazemore in winner's circle. "(Crew chief) Lee Beard and the Matco Tools guys did an unbelievable job to come back from the effort that we made Friday and Saturday. It didn't look like we were getting any results, but, Man, it's a tough old game, as you know. I knew if we qualified that we had as good a chance as anybody. And we just had to get down the track Saturday afternoon. Beard did it, and today we had a car that could win rounds and we went rounds. We weren't the quickest, but we went rounds and at the end of the day that's all that matters.
"It was a close race. We didn't know what to expect from Bartone, quite honestly, because of the way they ran in the semifinals (against Bazemore's teammate Ron Capps). They just stepped it up considerably and the semifinals are typically in the worst conditions that we run in all weekend or on race day at least.
"The way they stepped up and ran that 4.92 was just a tremendous job. We were asking ourselves, Can they do that again?, or saying, There's no way that they can do that again. We had to think that they could and they were awfully close.
"Hats off to them. A great effort for a team that has certainly struggled a lot over the past couple of years. Good effort all the way around by them."
Bazemore is grateful that Ron Capps eliminated John Force in the first round, which allowed him to take back the lead in Funny Car points. "My teammate Ron Capps had Force in the first round and took him out. I think I've already asked (team owner) Don Schumacher to take his team out to dinner on our behalf and hopefully he'll do that.
"That's what a team effort is all about. It's starting to really jell here at Schumacher Racing. All of our cars, with the exception maybe of Scelzi's, aren't really as consistent as we'd like them to be, but they're coming around and we're going rounds."
Crew chief Beard beamed with pride for his driver. "If I could tune this Matco Tools Dodge as good as Bazemore can drive it, we'd win every race," he said. He also admitted that for the first time in his career he has won more races as a crew chief than his age. This win marks his 52nd victory, at age 51. "I have won more races than I am old," he said.
"The Matco Tools team has done a great, great job on this race track on which they had a really tough job qualifying," said Schumacher. "Saturday, in the last round, they were not in the show, and they ended up winning the race. You have to take your hat off to these guys who work their hearts out. Lee is doing a great job and Whit has really, really come alive this year. He is doing a wonderful, wonderful job."
Next up is the O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tenn., April 29-May 1.
FUNNY CAR POINT STANDINGS:
1. Whit Bazemore, 401
2. John Force, 340
3. Robert Hight, 323
4. Cruz Pedregon, 302
5. Tommy Johnson Jr., 265
6. Ron Capps, 264
7. Bob Gilbertson, 260
8. Gary Scelzi, 254
9. Eric Medlen, 250
10. Del Worsham, 246
posted by David @ 1:53 AM
A Consistent WJ Advances to the Semi-Finals in Las Vegas
Contact: Jon Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing, Inc.
Warren Johnson entered Sunday's final eliminations of the SummitRacing.com Nationals looking to finally add a win at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to his successes at all the other tracks on the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing circuit. Starting from the No. 1 position, he opened with a solid 6.874-second, 200.98 mph pass to eliminate veteran Bruce Allen. WJ duplicated this performance in the second round to trailer V. Gaines and reach the semi-finals for the fourth time in five races.
Standing between WJ and his third Las Vegas final round appearance was rival Greg Anderson. Once again, WJ powered down the quarter--mile, recording a very quick 6.880-second elapsed time with his top speed of the day at 201.37 mph. However, it was not enough to overcome his opponent's starting--line advantage, who used a 6.915-second pass to hold off a hard-charging Johnson by an immeasurable one thousandth of a second.
Despite the disappointment, Johnson and crew realized that there were many positives to be drawn from their weekend in the Nevada desert.
"For some reason, a win in Las Vegas continues to elude us. It's just one of those things. There are some tracks where we can basically do no wrong, while here we just haven't been able to get it done. I guess it all balances out. There's nothing we can do about it other than trying our best, and if it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out.
"Quite honestly, after starting off well, in the last two races, my reaction times seem to have fallen off a bit. It's an area we definitely have to address, so we'll go back and work on it. I'm sure we can fix it and get back in the ball game as we were before. If we can shave off a few hundredths in reaction time, we should be in good shape.
"Although we didn't get the win that we were anticipating, at the same time, our GM Performance Parts Pontiac's performance is really starting to gel. For example, the engine we used this weekend is the same one we won with in Houston. We put it in before the fourth qualifying session, and it hasn't been out of the frame rails since. The car is extremely strong from the sixty-foot mark to the eighth mile, outrunning just about every one out there.
"We're pretty optimistic heading into the rest of the season. In the big picture, we're doing what we need to do. It's now a matter of working on the little things. We'll go back and analyze the complete package and see what we can do to potentially make it even better. Today is behind us - our focus is now on doing what we can to win Bristol in two weeks."
TMG Sports Marketing, Inc.
Warren Johnson entered Sunday's final eliminations of the SummitRacing.com Nationals looking to finally add a win at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to his successes at all the other tracks on the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing circuit. Starting from the No. 1 position, he opened with a solid 6.874-second, 200.98 mph pass to eliminate veteran Bruce Allen. WJ duplicated this performance in the second round to trailer V. Gaines and reach the semi-finals for the fourth time in five races.
Standing between WJ and his third Las Vegas final round appearance was rival Greg Anderson. Once again, WJ powered down the quarter--mile, recording a very quick 6.880-second elapsed time with his top speed of the day at 201.37 mph. However, it was not enough to overcome his opponent's starting--line advantage, who used a 6.915-second pass to hold off a hard-charging Johnson by an immeasurable one thousandth of a second.
Despite the disappointment, Johnson and crew realized that there were many positives to be drawn from their weekend in the Nevada desert.
"For some reason, a win in Las Vegas continues to elude us. It's just one of those things. There are some tracks where we can basically do no wrong, while here we just haven't been able to get it done. I guess it all balances out. There's nothing we can do about it other than trying our best, and if it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out.
"Quite honestly, after starting off well, in the last two races, my reaction times seem to have fallen off a bit. It's an area we definitely have to address, so we'll go back and work on it. I'm sure we can fix it and get back in the ball game as we were before. If we can shave off a few hundredths in reaction time, we should be in good shape.
"Although we didn't get the win that we were anticipating, at the same time, our GM Performance Parts Pontiac's performance is really starting to gel. For example, the engine we used this weekend is the same one we won with in Houston. We put it in before the fourth qualifying session, and it hasn't been out of the frame rails since. The car is extremely strong from the sixty-foot mark to the eighth mile, outrunning just about every one out there.
"We're pretty optimistic heading into the rest of the season. In the big picture, we're doing what we need to do. It's now a matter of working on the little things. We'll go back and analyze the complete package and see what we can do to potentially make it even better. Today is behind us - our focus is now on doing what we can to win Bristol in two weeks."
posted by David @ 1:48 AM
KJ Eradicates Gremlins to Reach Las Vegas Quarterfinals
Contact: Jon Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing, Inc.
After battling a problem with his race car throughout qualifying that relegated him to fifteenth starting position at the SummitRacing.com Nationals, Kurt Johnson and the ACDelco Chevrolet Racing team knew he had his work cut out for him in Sunday's final eliminations. He and his crew would have to first find and fix whatever was wrong, after which they would have to come up with a tune-up for race day with very little information from qualifying.
After poring over their notes from previous events at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, they devised a strategy and made several changes on Sunday morning. Despite running in the less-preferred left lane, the team's efforts were rewarded when the ACDelco Chevrolet posted their quickest elapsed time of the weekend, and second quick for the round, rocketing down the quarter--mile in 6.871-seconds with a top speed of 201.07 mph to upset No. 2 qualifier Larry Morgan.
Ironically, in the second round, Johnson would square off against David Connolly, the only competitor that had run quicker in the opening stanza. Again racing without lane choice, the second-generation racer used a .026 reaction time to gain a slight advantage at the starting line. However, even though he had to pull his car back into the groove after the launch, he was still able to make another solid pass at 6.920-seconds. Unfortunately, it was not enough to hold off his opponent's 6.874-second pass, putting a premature end to Johnson's day.
"The way I look at it, making it to the second round after the struggles we had in qualifying is a pretty good day. We started with a nightmare, and it really didn't turn out the way we wanted it to, but it certainly could have been worse.
"I'm pretty confident we've finally gotten rid of the gremlins that plagued us this weekend. We’ve been trying some new components, and it's just been acting crazy the last ten runs. We made the changes we thought were necessary, and fortunately, it responded.
"I also had a good day driving, leaving on the two people we raced, and getting the car to work well with the driver and vice versa. We missed lane choice for the second round by two thousandths, which didn't help, because if we had been able to make a straight run, I think we had a good shot of advancing.
"This wasn't the way we wanted to end things with this car, but we're excited about running the Cobalt in Bristol. We'll go back to Georgia, get it buttoned up, make sure the seat belts and steering wheel work and that it hits on all eight cylinders, and put her in the winner’s circle."
TMG Sports Marketing, Inc.
After battling a problem with his race car throughout qualifying that relegated him to fifteenth starting position at the SummitRacing.com Nationals, Kurt Johnson and the ACDelco Chevrolet Racing team knew he had his work cut out for him in Sunday's final eliminations. He and his crew would have to first find and fix whatever was wrong, after which they would have to come up with a tune-up for race day with very little information from qualifying.
After poring over their notes from previous events at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, they devised a strategy and made several changes on Sunday morning. Despite running in the less-preferred left lane, the team's efforts were rewarded when the ACDelco Chevrolet posted their quickest elapsed time of the weekend, and second quick for the round, rocketing down the quarter--mile in 6.871-seconds with a top speed of 201.07 mph to upset No. 2 qualifier Larry Morgan.
Ironically, in the second round, Johnson would square off against David Connolly, the only competitor that had run quicker in the opening stanza. Again racing without lane choice, the second-generation racer used a .026 reaction time to gain a slight advantage at the starting line. However, even though he had to pull his car back into the groove after the launch, he was still able to make another solid pass at 6.920-seconds. Unfortunately, it was not enough to hold off his opponent's 6.874-second pass, putting a premature end to Johnson's day.
"The way I look at it, making it to the second round after the struggles we had in qualifying is a pretty good day. We started with a nightmare, and it really didn't turn out the way we wanted it to, but it certainly could have been worse.
"I'm pretty confident we've finally gotten rid of the gremlins that plagued us this weekend. We’ve been trying some new components, and it's just been acting crazy the last ten runs. We made the changes we thought were necessary, and fortunately, it responded.
"I also had a good day driving, leaving on the two people we raced, and getting the car to work well with the driver and vice versa. We missed lane choice for the second round by two thousandths, which didn't help, because if we had been able to make a straight run, I think we had a good shot of advancing.
"This wasn't the way we wanted to end things with this car, but we're excited about running the Cobalt in Bristol. We'll go back to Georgia, get it buttoned up, make sure the seat belts and steering wheel work and that it hits on all eight cylinders, and put her in the winner’s circle."
posted by David @ 1:44 AM
Dixon, Bazemore, Connolly and Ashley Win at the NHRA POWERade SummitRacing.com Nationals
Larry Dixon finally gets Don "the Snake" Prudhomme his 100th win (driver and team owner combined)defeating Doug Kalitta in the Top Fuel final.
Low ET: Doug Kalitta 4.496 seconds
Top Speed: Larry Dixon 330.39 MPH
Whit Bazemore defeated Tony Bartone in the final to take back the points lead in Funny Car.
Low ET: Gary Scelzi 4.797 seconds
Top Speed: Robert Hight 325.77 MPH
Dave Connolly won over Greg Anderson in the final round of Pro Stock. Connolly regained the points lead with his win. WJ made it to the semis and KJ lost in the second round.
Low ET: Warren Johnson 6.824 seconds
Top Speed: Jeg Coughlin 201.58 MPH
Mike Ashley defeated Jay Payne in the Pro Mod final.
Low ET: Glen Kerunsky 6.223 seconds
Top Speed: Jay Payne 232.27 MPH
NHRA Recap
Low ET: Doug Kalitta 4.496 seconds
Top Speed: Larry Dixon 330.39 MPH
Whit Bazemore defeated Tony Bartone in the final to take back the points lead in Funny Car.
Low ET: Gary Scelzi 4.797 seconds
Top Speed: Robert Hight 325.77 MPH
Dave Connolly won over Greg Anderson in the final round of Pro Stock. Connolly regained the points lead with his win. WJ made it to the semis and KJ lost in the second round.
Low ET: Warren Johnson 6.824 seconds
Top Speed: Jeg Coughlin 201.58 MPH
Mike Ashley defeated Jay Payne in the Pro Mod final.
Low ET: Glen Kerunsky 6.223 seconds
Top Speed: Jay Payne 232.27 MPH
NHRA Recap
posted by David @ 1:22 AM
Brainerd Optimist Photos by Wayne Holland
Wayne Holland shot these photos at Brainerd Optimist 4-9-05. Thanks, Wayne!
Photos
Photos
posted by David @ 1:14 AM
Sunday, April 17, 2005
WJ Powers to No. 1 Qualifying Position in Las Vegas
Contact: Jon Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing, Inc.
Warren Johnson accomplished his first objective at the SummitRacing.com Nationals on Saturday, capturing the No. 1 qualifying position with a 6.824-second, 201.46 mph run on Friday evening. This was the 132nd top qualifying performance of WJ's career, second in as many weeks, and first at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This gives "The Professor" at least one "pole position" at each of the 20 tracks on the 2005 POWERade Drag Racing Series schedule.
Although Saturday'’s warmer temperatures prevented any major changes in Sunday's starting line-up, Johnson used his final two attempts to fine tune his tuning combination for race day. This proved to be an effective technique, as he posted the quickest Pro Stock pass of the day at 6.858-seconds, 201.01 mph, giving him the quickest run in three of the four qualifying sessions and putting him in a good position from which to pursue consecutive national event wins.
"I'd have to say we're pretty satisfied with our GM Performance Parts Pontiac's overall performance in qualifying," said Johnson. "We may not have gotten it exactly right on every run, but we were quickest in three of the four rounds and able to derive something from every pass, giving us the information we need to move forward.
"Today, we tried to avert any potential problems for tomorrow by making a change this afternoon. We knew there was no chance of anyone running quicker than our 6.82, and realizing the conditions we encountered today should be fairly similar to what we'll face tomorrow, we tried something that we felt could help the car early in the run.
"I guess you could say it was our version of NASCAR's happy hour. You have to keep in mind that this car is still relatively new, and we are still gathering tuning data on it. Even though it did not produce the number we wanted, we learned something from it, so it was a productive effort.
"We've been to two finals here in the past, but have yet to capitalize on it. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a different story. We plan to attack it the same way we have the other four races this season. The warmer temperatures fit right into our game plan. We made the quickest run of the day in the heat on our first run, so we'll take that information and build on it."
Some quick facts on Warren Johnson and the GM Performance Parts Racing team following their No. 1 qualifying performance in Las Vegas:
This is the 132nd 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 first No. 1 qualifying performance at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
WJ has now been the No. 1 qualifier at 25 different tracks throughout his career, starting with the 1978 Columbus race.
WJ's most recent No. 1 qualifying position came last week at the O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals in Houston, TX.
46 of WJ's 93 national event wins have come from the No. 1 starting position, including one week ago in Houston, TX.
This is the 14th time that WJ has qualified No. 1 in back-to-back races. The most recent time he accomplished this feat was at the 2003 Houston & Bristol races.
This is the second 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 accomplished his first objective at the SummitRacing.com Nationals on Saturday, capturing the No. 1 qualifying position with a 6.824-second, 201.46 mph run on Friday evening. This was the 132nd top qualifying performance of WJ's career, second in as many weeks, and first at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This gives "The Professor" at least one "pole position" at each of the 20 tracks on the 2005 POWERade Drag Racing Series schedule.
Although Saturday'’s warmer temperatures prevented any major changes in Sunday's starting line-up, Johnson used his final two attempts to fine tune his tuning combination for race day. This proved to be an effective technique, as he posted the quickest Pro Stock pass of the day at 6.858-seconds, 201.01 mph, giving him the quickest run in three of the four qualifying sessions and putting him in a good position from which to pursue consecutive national event wins.
"I'd have to say we're pretty satisfied with our GM Performance Parts Pontiac's overall performance in qualifying," said Johnson. "We may not have gotten it exactly right on every run, but we were quickest in three of the four rounds and able to derive something from every pass, giving us the information we need to move forward.
"Today, we tried to avert any potential problems for tomorrow by making a change this afternoon. We knew there was no chance of anyone running quicker than our 6.82, and realizing the conditions we encountered today should be fairly similar to what we'll face tomorrow, we tried something that we felt could help the car early in the run.
"I guess you could say it was our version of NASCAR's happy hour. You have to keep in mind that this car is still relatively new, and we are still gathering tuning data on it. Even though it did not produce the number we wanted, we learned something from it, so it was a productive effort.
"We've been to two finals here in the past, but have yet to capitalize on it. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a different story. We plan to attack it the same way we have the other four races this season. The warmer temperatures fit right into our game plan. We made the quickest run of the day in the heat on our first run, so we'll take that information and build on it."
Some quick facts on Warren Johnson and the GM Performance Parts Racing team following their No. 1 qualifying performance in Las Vegas:
This is the 132nd 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 first No. 1 qualifying performance at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
WJ has now been the No. 1 qualifier at 25 different tracks throughout his career, starting with the 1978 Columbus race.
WJ's most recent No. 1 qualifying position came last week at the O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals in Houston, TX.
46 of WJ's 93 national event wins have come from the No. 1 starting position, including one week ago in Houston, TX.
This is the 14th time that WJ has qualified No. 1 in back-to-back races. The most recent time he accomplished this feat was at the 2003 Houston & Bristol races.
This is the second 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 @ 12:58 AM
BAZEMORE MAKES IT INTO FIELD IN FINAL QUALIFYING ROUND IN VEGAS
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
Contact: Judy Stropus
LAS VEGAS (April 16, 2005) - Whit Bazemore and the Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge Stratus Funny Car team breathed a sigh of relief following the final qualifying session today, as the driver who is No. 2 in Funny Car points finally qualified into the field after struggling through the first three rounds.
Bazemore ran side-by-side with this teammate Ron Capps, who was also not qualified, in a close "race" to the finish, and qualified No. 12 with a 4.951/315.64 to Capps' 4.989/304.87. Capps moved to No. 15. Both hugged at the top end.
"That was a huge sigh of relief," said Bazemore to the track announcer. "You drive for Don Schumacher; there are a lot of things expected of you. We're hired drivers, we're not family down here, so we've got to perform every single time and it's tough.
"For Lee Beard, the Matco Tools guys and actually the Brut guys and Capps, we were under the gun, Man, but it all came through.
"It feels wonderful," he said back in the pits. "It was some pressure, there is no question. It's a double-edged sword where we are. We are second in points, we won a race - the Gatornationals - and we've done all that with a car that we're struggling with to get it to perform consistently where we want it to be.
"The good news is that in spite of those problems we've had some success this year. The bad news is that those problems caused us a lot of heartache and gray hair.
"It was just one of those days. On one hand it's why we race. I love it , personally. But it's hard on everybody. [Going to the final session to qualify] is not fun, really. At the end of the day you go Phew! We made it. We did make it and the guys do a perfect job and the Matco Tools Dodge is perfect mechanically, so we don't have to worry about anything stupid biting us. And we went right down the race track like we knew what we were doing.
"I congratulated Ron. We congratulated each other. They're just like we are. They're struggling and not performing up to their own potential yet, but they're a new team and neither one of us have any excuses. We're going to both make it happen and the good thing about this race tomorrow with the (hot) conditions we have it's anybody's drag race.
"We have our one basline run. Lee is very confident we can tune off of that . We'll be in with a shout tomorrow.
Bazemore faces Tony Pedregon in first round of eliminations on Sunday.
Contact: Judy Stropus
LAS VEGAS (April 16, 2005) - Whit Bazemore and the Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge Stratus Funny Car team breathed a sigh of relief following the final qualifying session today, as the driver who is No. 2 in Funny Car points finally qualified into the field after struggling through the first three rounds.
Bazemore ran side-by-side with this teammate Ron Capps, who was also not qualified, in a close "race" to the finish, and qualified No. 12 with a 4.951/315.64 to Capps' 4.989/304.87. Capps moved to No. 15. Both hugged at the top end.
"That was a huge sigh of relief," said Bazemore to the track announcer. "You drive for Don Schumacher; there are a lot of things expected of you. We're hired drivers, we're not family down here, so we've got to perform every single time and it's tough.
"For Lee Beard, the Matco Tools guys and actually the Brut guys and Capps, we were under the gun, Man, but it all came through.
"It feels wonderful," he said back in the pits. "It was some pressure, there is no question. It's a double-edged sword where we are. We are second in points, we won a race - the Gatornationals - and we've done all that with a car that we're struggling with to get it to perform consistently where we want it to be.
"The good news is that in spite of those problems we've had some success this year. The bad news is that those problems caused us a lot of heartache and gray hair.
"It was just one of those days. On one hand it's why we race. I love it , personally. But it's hard on everybody. [Going to the final session to qualify] is not fun, really. At the end of the day you go Phew! We made it. We did make it and the guys do a perfect job and the Matco Tools Dodge is perfect mechanically, so we don't have to worry about anything stupid biting us. And we went right down the race track like we knew what we were doing.
"I congratulated Ron. We congratulated each other. They're just like we are. They're struggling and not performing up to their own potential yet, but they're a new team and neither one of us have any excuses. We're going to both make it happen and the good thing about this race tomorrow with the (hot) conditions we have it's anybody's drag race.
"We have our one basline run. Lee is very confident we can tune off of that . We'll be in with a shout tomorrow.
Bazemore faces Tony Pedregon in first round of eliminations on Sunday.
posted by David @ 12:56 AM
STAR RACING, INC. and G SQUARED MOTORSPORTS, INC. - G Squared Motorsports: Bonus and Championship Points
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
BAYTOWN, Texas (April 13, 2005) – After the completion of the 18th annual NHRA O’Reilly Spring Nationals, the second of 15 events on the Pro Stock Motorcycle 2005 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series schedule, the following reflect the point status of Chip Ellis, who rides the G Squared/S&S Buell:
2005 Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle:
Ellis No. 1
After six of 15 events, Chip Ellis, aboard the G Squared/S&S-powered Buell, continues to lead all qualifiers for the Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle, which will be contested as a special bonus event during the prestigious 2005 Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway Park. The Americus, Ga., rider now has 930 points and leads by 15 points.
Riders began earning points for the 2005 Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle at the 2004 Mac Tools U.S. Nationals. The eight riders accumulating the most qualifying points during the 15-race Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle series, which concludes at the 2005 O'Reilly NHRA Mid-South Nationals at Memphis Motorsports Park, will earn a berth in the Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle.
Points system for the Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle: Riders will earn points for the Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle based on their qualifying position at the 15 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series events that feature Pro Stock Bike competition. Each position is worth the following points: No. 1 – 175; No. 2 – 165; No. 3 – 155; No. 4 – 145; No. 5 – 140; No. 6 – 135; No. 7 – 130; No. 8 – 125; No. 9 – 120; No. 10 – 115; No. 11 – 110; No. 12 – 105; No. 13 – 100; No. 14 – 95; No. 15 – 90; No. 16 – 85.
2005 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Motorcycle point standing:
Ellis No. 9
Ellis entered the O’Reilly Spring Nationals No. 10 in the NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Motorcycle Championship point standings. At event end he had climbed one position, a tie for 9th. Ellis now has 88 points, 97 points behind the leader.
The top ten in the NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Motorcycle point standings are: 1.) Steve Johnson (185 points); 2.) Karen Stoffer (183); 3.) Craig Treble (144); 4.) GT Tonglet (131); 5.) Andrew Hines (115); 6.) Antron Brown (111); 7.) Tie: Kurt Matte and Angelle Sampey (92); 9.) Tie: Chip Ellis and Gino Scali (88); and 10.) Ryan Schnitz (87).
The next event for Ellis and G Squared Motorsports is the 25th annual NHRA Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Ga. The event will be contested May 12-15.
G Squared Motorsports is a joint business venture between George Bryce and George Smith. G Squared Motorsports can be seen on the web at www.g2motorsports.net. G Squared Motorsports can also be reached by e-mail at g2motorsports@bellsouth.net. The S&S Cycle website can be viewed at www.sscycle.com.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
STAR RACING, INC. and G SQUARED MOTORSPORTS, INC.
MEDIA CONTACT: Ruth Olson
Bryce and Smith Announce Formation of New Corporation
AMERICUS, Georgia; RICHLAND CENTER, Wisconsin (April 13, 2005) - George and Jackie Bryce and George B. Smith are pleased to announce the formation of Bryce and Smith Enterprises, Inc. Formed as an umbrella corporation for business purposes, the new company will incorporate G Squared Motorsports, Inc., and Star Racing, Inc. Both companies will run as separate entities as in the past. No immediate changes of any sort are planned in the way of services or personnel. The Bryces and Smith are equal partners in the new corporation.
Star Racing will continue to operate and grow its metric parts store at www.starracing.com or by phone 800-841-7827. Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2005, Star specializes in rare, hard to get new parts for the older drag bikes as well as stocking a large and varied selection of race products including ignition and head components, valves, sprockets, gaskets, chains, wheels, brakes, nitrous systems, carbs, pistons and rings, clutch plates and chassis components in their on site warehouse.
The Bryce’s also bring a state-of-the-art machine shop to the new corporation. The shop houses a 5-Axis, Haas CNC machine; along with DTS and Superflow engine dynos and a Dynojet chassis dyno. Constantly growing, they recently expanded their chassis and fabrication department.
G Squared Motorsports (named for the two George’s) was initially formed in 2003 as a collaboration between Bryce and Smith to field an S&S powered V-Twin NHRA drag bike. The company has since evolved into the development of late-model hot rod V-Twins for both the street and strip. The company also stocks a full line of S&S engines and support parts for drag racing enthusiasts, as well as for other motorcyclists, dealers and distributors. The G2 web site, www.g2motorsports.net, is continually updated with the latest race press releases, photos, engines in stock and information on complete turnkey motorcycles.
George Smith has been appointed President of the corporation, Jackie Bryce, VP of Operations, and George Bryce, Director of Racing and Research & Development.
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
BAYTOWN, Texas (April 13, 2005) – After the completion of the 18th annual NHRA O’Reilly Spring Nationals, the second of 15 events on the Pro Stock Motorcycle 2005 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series schedule, the following reflect the point status of Chip Ellis, who rides the G Squared/S&S Buell:
2005 Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle:
Ellis No. 1
After six of 15 events, Chip Ellis, aboard the G Squared/S&S-powered Buell, continues to lead all qualifiers for the Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle, which will be contested as a special bonus event during the prestigious 2005 Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway Park. The Americus, Ga., rider now has 930 points and leads by 15 points.
Riders began earning points for the 2005 Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle at the 2004 Mac Tools U.S. Nationals. The eight riders accumulating the most qualifying points during the 15-race Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle series, which concludes at the 2005 O'Reilly NHRA Mid-South Nationals at Memphis Motorsports Park, will earn a berth in the Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle.
Points system for the Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle: Riders will earn points for the Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle based on their qualifying position at the 15 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series events that feature Pro Stock Bike competition. Each position is worth the following points: No. 1 – 175; No. 2 – 165; No. 3 – 155; No. 4 – 145; No. 5 – 140; No. 6 – 135; No. 7 – 130; No. 8 – 125; No. 9 – 120; No. 10 – 115; No. 11 – 110; No. 12 – 105; No. 13 – 100; No. 14 – 95; No. 15 – 90; No. 16 – 85.
2005 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Motorcycle point standing:
Ellis No. 9
Ellis entered the O’Reilly Spring Nationals No. 10 in the NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Motorcycle Championship point standings. At event end he had climbed one position, a tie for 9th. Ellis now has 88 points, 97 points behind the leader.
The top ten in the NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Motorcycle point standings are: 1.) Steve Johnson (185 points); 2.) Karen Stoffer (183); 3.) Craig Treble (144); 4.) GT Tonglet (131); 5.) Andrew Hines (115); 6.) Antron Brown (111); 7.) Tie: Kurt Matte and Angelle Sampey (92); 9.) Tie: Chip Ellis and Gino Scali (88); and 10.) Ryan Schnitz (87).
The next event for Ellis and G Squared Motorsports is the 25th annual NHRA Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Ga. The event will be contested May 12-15.
G Squared Motorsports is a joint business venture between George Bryce and George Smith. G Squared Motorsports can be seen on the web at www.g2motorsports.net. G Squared Motorsports can also be reached by e-mail at g2motorsports@bellsouth.net. The S&S Cycle website can be viewed at www.sscycle.com.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
STAR RACING, INC. and G SQUARED MOTORSPORTS, INC.
MEDIA CONTACT: Ruth Olson
Bryce and Smith Announce Formation of New Corporation
AMERICUS, Georgia; RICHLAND CENTER, Wisconsin (April 13, 2005) - George and Jackie Bryce and George B. Smith are pleased to announce the formation of Bryce and Smith Enterprises, Inc. Formed as an umbrella corporation for business purposes, the new company will incorporate G Squared Motorsports, Inc., and Star Racing, Inc. Both companies will run as separate entities as in the past. No immediate changes of any sort are planned in the way of services or personnel. The Bryces and Smith are equal partners in the new corporation.
Star Racing will continue to operate and grow its metric parts store at www.starracing.com or by phone 800-841-7827. Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2005, Star specializes in rare, hard to get new parts for the older drag bikes as well as stocking a large and varied selection of race products including ignition and head components, valves, sprockets, gaskets, chains, wheels, brakes, nitrous systems, carbs, pistons and rings, clutch plates and chassis components in their on site warehouse.
The Bryce’s also bring a state-of-the-art machine shop to the new corporation. The shop houses a 5-Axis, Haas CNC machine; along with DTS and Superflow engine dynos and a Dynojet chassis dyno. Constantly growing, they recently expanded their chassis and fabrication department.
G Squared Motorsports (named for the two George’s) was initially formed in 2003 as a collaboration between Bryce and Smith to field an S&S powered V-Twin NHRA drag bike. The company has since evolved into the development of late-model hot rod V-Twins for both the street and strip. The company also stocks a full line of S&S engines and support parts for drag racing enthusiasts, as well as for other motorcyclists, dealers and distributors. The G2 web site, www.g2motorsports.net, is continually updated with the latest race press releases, photos, engines in stock and information on complete turnkey motorcycles.
George Smith has been appointed President of the corporation, Jackie Bryce, VP of Operations, and George Bryce, Director of Racing and Research & Development.
posted by David @ 12:51 AM
Kalitta, Scelzi and WJ Top Qualifiers at the NHRA POWERade SummitRacing.com Nationals
Doug Kalitta leads Top Fuel with a 4.496 at 329.34 mph, Gary Scelzi is #1 in Funny Car with a 4.797 at 325.06 mph and Warren Johnson continues to be at the top of the Pro Stock class with his #1 qualifying 6.824 at 201.46 mph.
Whit Bazemore is #12 in Funny car after a last ditch qualifying effort of 4.951 @ 315.64.
Kurt Johnson qualified for Pro Stock with a 15th best 6.884 @ 201.10 and Barry Grant ends up in the #17 position AGAIN. Barry missed qualifying with his 6.901 @ 199.29.
NHRA Recap
Whit Bazemore is #12 in Funny car after a last ditch qualifying effort of 4.951 @ 315.64.
Kurt Johnson qualified for Pro Stock with a 15th best 6.884 @ 201.10 and Barry Grant ends up in the #17 position AGAIN. Barry missed qualifying with his 6.901 @ 199.29.
NHRA Recap
posted by David @ 12:30 AM
