SAME DAY COVERAGE
45th annual CARQUEST NHRA Winternationals
Pomona, CA.
By Susan Wade
Photos by Roger Richards and Bob Hesser

Click here for Pomona Photo Gallery

Winternationals - Unofficial Post Race Torco's Competition Plus Awards

Biggest Winners:

Tommy Johnson Jr. -- Funny Car driver deserves victory after 88-race drought;

Brady Kalivoda -- Top Fuel driver is alive after tire blows and peels half of rear wing from the BME Dragster in ugly first-round crash;

Fans -- Saw a flurry of 4.4-second elapsed times from the quickest Top Fuel field in history and Tony Pedregon's second-quickest run in Funny Car history.

Biggest Losers:

Anyone who wanted to have a picnic at the track Friday -- How's that song go? "It never rains in California . . . " ???

Biggest Flight of Fantasy Award:

Bob Gilbertson -- Funny Car driver thinks he's going to get a medal from NHRA in the Las-Vegas-flaming-bike incident? Bad bet.

Best Friend Award:

Team 104+ Performance Additives/Lehman Racing -- Driver Clay Millican and team owner Peter Lehman phoned Brady Kalivoda's father and fiancee back in Seattle, went to the hospital to stay with their former crew member as he underwent tests, and encouraged him when he returned to the track. "You did good!" Millican said of Kalivoda's driving ability, referring to the fact he steered the car away from Brandon Bernstein in the opposite lane.

Tough Luck Award:

Frankie Pedregon -- In drag racing, when it comes to being front-and-center, remember being in front is good, center bad.

Robert Hight and Doug Kalitta -- No do-overs in drag racing, not even when the timing goes awry.

Take-That Award:

Ed "The Ace" McCulloch -- Target of Don Prudhomme's remarks during post-race interviews because he suggested in a 2004 interview that Prudhomme should have left him alone to make decisions when he was Ron Capps' crew chief: "… There's a component there that really muddies the water, and it's the guy that owns the place. .. In my opinion, Don Prudhomme needs to be a car owner and take care of his sponsors and hire the people to run the car and leave 'em alone. He owns it; he can do anything he wants. . . . But when he starts becoming more hands-on and gets involved, he makes it worse." Prudomme, still miffed, didn't mention McCulloch, who once again is Capps' crew chief -- at rival Don Schumacher Racing. But he said, "I've had some ex-crew chiefs say I shouldn't be in the trailer. Well, damnit, I own the thing. I'm going to go in the trailer. I don't give a s---, nobody's going to keep me out of the trailer," Prudhomme said. "When things are running bad -- the only reason I go in the trailer is because it's not good. The dragster team, I don't hardly ever go over there."

Don Prudhomme -- Target of Scott Kalitta's joking remark that he would have talked with reporters sooner if he didn't have to wait while Prudhomme yakked on and on about Tommy Johnson's Funny Car victory.

Attaboy-for-Telling-the-Truth Award:

Graham Light -- NHRA V.P took Thursday's timing fiasco like a man and didn't bad-mouth Compulink for the malfunction that cost Robert Hight and Doug Kalitta their excellent runs and allegedly misrepresented times and speeds of some other runs. "That's unacceptable," he said. " … If it's the racer making a misjudgment and the car doesn't perform, that's one thing, but our role should be to wherever possible assure them an accurate time run after run after run. If a car does a run and doesn't get the E.T., it should be because of them and not because of us."

Why-Don't-You-Sit-Down-And-Discuss-It? Award:

Tom Compton and Warren Johnson -- Someone asked WJ as he kicked off his "School's Out" tour what he hasn't done yet in his successful Pro Stock career that he might like to do. He quipped, "Maybe be president of NHRA so I could fix this mess." Compton heard about the remark and said that "The Professor" made comments he didn't appreciate. "Taaawk amongst yaselves -- I'll give you a tawpic."

Creative-labeling Award:

Jay Wells, Public Relations Representative for Top Fuel driver Morgan Lucas -- Referred to Morgan Lucas and Brandon Bernstein as "fellow 'Brat Pack' member[s]."

What-A-Difference-A-Year-Makes Award:

Jerry Toliver -- Oh, what a feeling -- no Toyota.

SUNDAY - Johnson, Kalitta and Connolly Open NHRA Season with Victories

(2-13-2005) - Tommy Johnson Jr. ended a three-year winless drought by racing to the Funny Car victory Sunday at the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals at Pomona Raceway.

Scott Kalitta and Dave Connolly also were winners at the $2 million race, the first of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.

Johnson powered to a 4.741 second run at 327.59 mph in his Skoal Racing Chevy Monte Carlo to take his sixth career victory, while Phil Burkart's Checker Schuck's Kragen Monte Carlo lost traction and limped to a 7.069 at 123.34.

"We absolutely needed this win so bad for our team," said Johnson, who defeated Frank Pedregon, Bob Gilbertson and Whit Bazemore to advance to the final.

"It's no secret how bad we've struggled for the last couple of years," Johnson added. "I ran my career-best time and speed on that run so that's about as picture-perfect as it gets. Plus, Snake (Don Prudhomme, team owner) won this race 40 years ago and today we were able to win it to celebrate that anniversary for him. That's special."

Prudhomme, who now has 99 victories as a team owner and driver, was beaming with pride after the win.

"I am so proud of these guys it's hard to describe," he said. "We knew things would turn but sometimes it seems like it takes forever. This was for the guys. That's why I didn't go down to the top end. This one wasn't about me; it was about that group of guys."

Kalitta drove a consistently quick Mac Tools/Jesse James dragster to his 17th career Top Fuel win, posting a final round effort of 4.487 at 328.46 to defeat Doug Herbert, whose Snap-on Tools dragster suffered an engine misfire near mid-track and posted a 5.371 at 181.84.

It is the first time Kalitta, a two-time NHRA world champion (1994-'95), has led the point standings since Oct. 1995. It is also his first victory at the historic Southern California drag strip.

"I've never won here so this is special," said Kalitta, who defeated Scott Weis, Larry Dixon and Dave Grubnic in earlier rounds. "Dad (crew chief Connie Kalitta) won here way back in 1967 so it's been a long time since we've celebrated here. It's a great time and I'm having fun. If we weren't enjoying ourselves, we wouldn't do it. We certainly don't have to race. We want to race. And when you race, you want to win."

Pro Stock upstart Connolly claimed his fourth career win by outrunning NHRA legend Warren Johnson. Connolly clocked a 6.711 at 204.98 in his Bullet Motorsports Chevy Cavalier, while Johnson's GM Performance Parts Pontiac Grand Am slowed to a 6.802 at 203.31.

"You look at the ladder at the start of the day and you see 16 guys who could easily be standing right here (in the winner's circle)," Connolly said. "Today was just my day. The car was perfect. It went dead straight every pass. My job was easy."

It is the first time Connolly, 22, has led the points standings.
"I might have gotten a jump on the rest of the guys, but you just know it's going to be a long year the way everyone qualified here," Connolly said. "But right now we're No. 1 and we'll take it. It's a great start."

Connolly, who beat Jeg Coughlin, Allen Johnson and Ron Krisher to advance to the final, says he wasn't intimidated against the 92-time winning veteran Johnson, who is going to retire from driving at the end of the season.

"I didn't really get nervous racing Warren," Connolly said. "The guy has done a lot for the class and you have to respect his accomplishments. I don't know if I've ever even raced him before. Certainly to beat him in the finals is a huge deal for anyone."

The NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series continues with the 21st annual Checker Schuck's Kragen NHRA Nationals, Feb. 25-27 at Firebird International Raceway near Phoenix.

Sportsman Finals

SUNDAY NOTES - Top Qualifiers Exit Early, Snake Strikes Back and Kalivoda Promises to Return

(2-13-2005) - Scary Moment - Top Fuel driver Brady Kalivoda said he is eager to return to the dragstrip after suffering a mild concussion in his first-round crash in the Bill Miller-owned BME Dragster.

The incident occurred as the right rear tire blew and ripped off a sizeable chunk of the rear wing during his match-up against Brandon Bernstein. He slammed into the left retaining wall

Kalivoda was treated and released from Pomona Valley Medical Hospital and returned to the track. He said he remembers only the start of his pass.

"I remember leaving the starting line, the car making it through its 'trouble area' (in which the car is most likely to smoke or shake the tires, about one second into the run), and thinking, 'Things are going good -- we've got us a drag race,' " Kalivoda said.

The Seattle native said that at about half-track, he reached down for the parachute levers, "and the next thing I remember, it was black and I opened my eyes and the folks from the Safety Safari and my buddy Clay Millican were there in my face. That's all I remember."

Kalivoda said he thinks he "got panicked at that point because I was confused as to what had happened. At that point somebody told me, 'You blew a tire. You hit the wall and crashed. That's all I remember of the incident."

He said the reason for the crash was clear.

"The tire blew," he said. "We're not saying the tire failed or if something cut the tire. But the tire went and took off the wing." He said the video available to the team clearly showed "a tire let go, in whatever capacity it did, and took out a portion of the rear wing and I was on for a ride at that point."

He said he doesn't recall steering the car at that point but that data shows he steered the dragster away from Bernstein's lane and into the wall.

"Our car is totaled," he said.

Kalivoda, who qualified 12th with a career-best 4.573-second E.T. at 323.43, said incrementals showed that he was on the quickest run of his career and those of any of Miller's hired drivers. He calculated that the elapsed time would have been about 4.52. "Brandon ran a (4.)50-flat. We would've had us a really nice drag race."

When he regained consciousness, he asked if he won. He heard "No." Then he asked if he left on Bernstein and said he was delighted to hear "Yes."

He said he's ready to get back in the car -- if the team had one.

"I'm eager to get out here as soon as possible. So is Bill. The only things is how do we go about doing that?" he asked. "We have the one and only Don Long car out here. It took Don Long three-plus years to build this one. So what does that mean? Is it going to take three-plus years to repair this one?

"For all intents and purposes, it's gone," he said. "You could perhaps cut it off in back of the footbox and front and back-half it, but it's a lot of work. It needs a new body. We have a few options. It's just a matter of what Bill wants to do. If it was up to me, we'd be borrowing somebody's car in the meantime, and we'd be in Phoenix in two weeks, racing. But I know that won't happen. But we will be back out."

He said Miller's promise simply is that "we will be back as soon as we can." Kalivoda said he doesn't know if that means in two weeks, two months, or by the end of the year. I do know this car will be at Don Long's shop probably by Wednesday of this coming week."

Miller does have another car that was built in 1991. However, Kalivoda said the technology is wildly different from the current version. Nothing they have learned from this curent car would apply. "It's just an entirely different piece," he said. "We'd have more useable data if we used a McKinney or Hadman chassis."

Kalivoda said he hasn't really gotten a good look at the wreckage. "The car was all put away by the time I got back from the hospital," he said.

He spent three and a half hours -- "three and a half hours too long," he said -- in the emergency room, where a CAT scan proved negative.

"They scanned my head and said everything was normal, as normal as could be. A few of the nurses and attendees made the comment, 'You go 300 miles an hour? You're not normal to begin with!' But I'm cleared to drive again," he said. "At this point I feel fine. I imagine I'll probably be sore tomorrow, because it was quite an impact." He said the doctor indicated that he had suffered a mild concussion.

Kalivoda's hands and wrists likely will hurt, he said,. His left hand was on the steering wheel, the "wall" side of which was flattened on impact.

Millican and his car owner, Peter Lehman, helped coordinate calls to family and visited the hospital. He asked Lehman to relay the message to Wayne Dupuy and to Chris Russell, crew chief for rookie Top Fuel driver Rod Fuller.

Russell's brother was Darrell Russell, who was killed last June in an accident that also involved a tire malfunction that damaged the rear wing. Dupuy was Russell's crew chief at Joe Amato Racing and is Morgan Lucas' crew chief.

Kalivoda said he became emotional at the track medical center and said he had been "thinking about Darrell" and the family and racing family that misses him. "I was thinking about that whole deal and how random this seems and how it could be anybody. His incident was really no different [from his]. I think about the families."

Strength in numbers? - Funny Car winner Tommy Johnson Jr. appears to benefiting from Don Prudhomme's multi-car operation cutting back to one flopper.

The Skoal Chevy Monte Carlo driver broke his frustrating streak of 88 races without a victory after Ron Capps' departure to Schumacher Racing. And he publicly cast his vote for the one-car system right after jumping from his car. At the top end of the track. "Who says you need all these race cars?" he asked. "You only need one." He said he thinks the crew is more focused, and that is what paid off Sunday.

Top Fuel winner Scott Kalitta, by contrast, said the multi-car team should be the wave of the future in NHRA drag racing. "If you’re going to spend the money that you do, you might as well, but there a lot of guys who can't make the multi-car team work. Sometimes it's because of just different personalities and egos and conflicts and the way individuals believe race cars should be run. So sometimes they're not all totally pulling in the right direction. They think they are, but they're pulling in a different direction."

He said his father, team owner Connie Kalitta, is the one who keeps everybody moving in the same direction in their camp. "Anytime one of us happens to get off center, he'll say, 'That's not going to work.' They have respect for him and they listen. They don't get their feelings hurt, especially since he's usually right. It's good that you've got somebody who has the final say-so and actually has the knowledge and ability to make these types of judgments."

Prudhomme is associated with NASCAR headliner Rusty Wallace through Miller Brewing, sponsor of Larry Dixon's dragster. "We talked about his two-car team and different two-car teams, and the bottom line is it takes one good car to win the race. The other car, if anything, messed us up somewhat." He wasn't referring in particular to the twin Skoal Chevy that Ron Capps drove -- he meant a second car in general.

Early round blues - If misery loves company, Tony Schumacher had some Sunday. All three pro No. 1 qualifiers were headed home after the second round of eliminations. Tony Pedregon (Funny Car) and Jim Yates (Pro Stock) also were done early.

Schumacher smoked the tires and lost traction immediately against Doug Herbert, wasting his better .020 reaction time. The reigning Top Fuel champion and defending Winternationals winner blamed himself, saying, "It was definitely driver error. I actually got into the throttle too early and tried to compensate and I threw off the timers."

Crew chief Alan Johnson said that by then, "the whole run was out of synch."

Schumacher set the national speed record with his 334.65 qualifying speed, shattering Brandon Bernstein's previous mark (333.41) by 1.24 seconds. "Given us getting beat in the second round, that record doesn't mean very much right now," he said. "It's a shame that we went out like that, after having such a great car all weekend."

Johnson was a double winner at last year's Winternationals. He was crew chief for Schumacher and was heavily involved with Jerry Toliver's winning Funny Car team as it scored NHRA's first victory for Toyota.

"You clearly want to stay away from those kinds of performances if you want to win championships," Schumacher said. "All is not lost, by any means. We're disappointed, but I'm confident we'll come back real strong."

During his 2004 championship run, Schumacher had only seven Round 1 defeats in 23 starts.

Stepping up in a big way - Tony Pedregon said his team already is better off than it was this time last year. "It was a good weekend, and we are very encouraged, because our goal was to shoot for the top five [in points] and we're there already. We are headed in the right direction," he said. "Our focus now is to work our way up to No. 1, and that is where we'll keep our attention." He said he was proud of his Quaker State-sponsored team who worked through the night to put the Q Racing Chevy Monte Carlo Funny Car in a competitive position Sunday.

"The chassis was bad, and we had to get a back-up body. Even so, we recovered, won in the first round and lost in the second. It was a very close race, however," Pedregon said. "Our team proved to be resilient. We are very encouraged because our key focus this year is to make the car more consistent. We have run well in three straight qualifying and two elimination rounds. The car went down the track every time, even though it fell out a little, we still ran in the 4.70s, which is very impressive."

Rejuvenation - Jim Yates said he fared better at Pomona than he had the past two years. "The most exciting part about it is that it looks like we have some potential," he said. "The engine we have from Steve Schmidt has a lot of power and ran excellent all day. The only problem we ran into was trying to adapt the car to changing conditions and the slicker racing surface you encounter when you advance to the second round of eliminations."

He said he "got behind the curve" with the new car that had few runs on it. He said he and the crew must solve "some issues we have to correct the car" between now and race No. 2 in Phoenix.

Three strikes for Team Force - All three John Force Racing Funny Cars lost in the first round. The last time that happened was the 2001 NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta.

"What this team is lacking is experience. They’re young kids with heart. It takes time to build veterans," Force said. "I have to teach my kids every day, and thank God they listen. We're going to turn them into champions."

He said he spoke with second-year driver Eric Medlen, of the Castrol Syntec Ford Mustang, and son-in-law Robert Hight, of the Auto Cub of Southern California Mustang. "No one's done anything wrong. I told them, 'Welcome to the real world.' This is a reality show."

He added, "You can't win every race. You learn how to lose, you'll be a real winner. I had 10 years of losing, every week. [Don] Prudhomme still says, 'Remember how I used to spank you?' I never came here to win. I came here because I loved it."

Slip slidin’ away - Multi-car team owner Don Schumacher knew one of his Funny Cars would lose in the opening round, for teammates Whit Bazemore, in the Matco Tools Dodge Stratus, and Ron Capps, in the Brut version, were paired against each other. Bazemore got a solo pass, as Capps' car had a split oil tank and gushed oil on the starting line. So Capps will have to wait until the Feb. 25-27 Phoenix race to make his first run in eliminations for Schumacher Racing.

"We were looking forward to that race," Capps said. "It's just a weird day. We were very excited, more so just to see what the car was going to run. We felt like we left a lot on the table [Saturday in qualifying] with that 4.79. And Ace [crew chief Ed McCulloch] was as confident as ever. When he has that look in his eye first round, it gives me a big boost of confidence."

What’s that smell? - The fans missed another whiff of Brut. Capps' crew tried a unique marketing tactic, splashing cologne on the header pipes before Saturday's final round of qualifying. With the high heat of the 7000-horsepower Hemi engine, the familiar fragrance wafted through the air as the car roared down the track at 317.72 mph.

You win some, you lose some - Gary Scelzi's career-best elapsed time and speed -- 4.717 seconds at 331.53 mph --were bittersweet. They came in his losing effort against Phil Burkart Jr. in the opening round.

Scelzi called it "disheartening," adding, "What a way to remember your career-best E.T. and mile an hour. It doesn't happen very often, but it does happen. Last year I stole five and lost one on a holeshot.

"This is not the way I wanted to start out the year, Scelzi said. However, he said his Mopar/Oakley Dodge Stratus "has never been that smooth, and that tune-up is not going to go away." He said the result "is not the first time [and] it certainly isn't going to be the last time. We're just going to try not to make a habit of it."

Big weekend for Kalitta team - David Grubnic's 4.448-second pass in the Zantrex-3 Dragster that eliminated first-round opponent Rod Fuller was the fifth-quickest run in NHRA Top Fuel history.

"Well, I'm not surprised," declared Shirley Muldowney, Zantrex-3 Team and Sponsor Relations Representative. "I would pay to see that kind of run all day long."

Grubnic wasn't exactly surprised, either. He was watching team owner Connie Kalitta make changes in the lanes ahead of him. "we all have radios, so I can hear what they’re doing. He was adding clutch to it here and there. My eyes got as big as basketballs. I knew it was going to go really hard."

What was surprising, though, was teammate Doug Kalitta's first-round upset, despite his 4.474-second E.T. and 328.86-mph speed. The slower Clay Millican beat him on a holeshot with an .029-second reaction time to Kalitta's .102. Millican ran a 4.532 at 326.16.

Team Kalitta was assured a Top Fuel finalist, as Scott Kalitta and David Grubnic faced each other in the semifinals. Grubnic lost traction early in the run and Kalitta powered into the finals with a 4.455-second E.T. Kalitta said, "There are no team orders in our pits. Even if there were, I wouldn't listen."

Snake on Ace and Capps - Don Prudhomme fired a salvo not publicly directed at anyone. But he clearly was aiming the remark at former driving rival and former hired crew chief Ed "The Ace" McCulloch, who suggested in an interview last year that Prudhomme meddles in the strategy of his Funny Car operations.

"I've had some ex-crew chiefs say I shouldn't be in the trailer. Well, damnit, I own the thing. I'm going to go in the trailer. I don't give a s---, nobody's going to keep me out of the trailer," Prudhomme said. "When things are running bad -- the only reason I go in the trailer is because it's not good. The dragster team, I don't hardly ever go over there."

The Snake Racing owner, Prudhomme, also spoke briefly about losing longtime driver Ron Capps to Don Schumacher Racing.

"I was disappointed with Ron's deal. I was very disappointed, because I felt we were right on the verge of really doing well. If I had to pick between Ron or Tommy, that would've been tough. That worked itself out," he said. "I don't mean anything about Ron. He's a great guy. I don’t want anybody to take that wrong. I really loved him. He was a great kid. But man, I've been through a lot, a whole lot. So this is really a sweet victory.

"This is probably the best win I can remember in a long time. A long time," he said. "The dragster obviously had done well and won a couple of championships. But it always tore my heart out that the Funny Car team wasn't there. It is now, though, and it’s a great feeling."

Prudhomme gave Tommy Johnson Jr. a big vote of confidence, saying he does subtle things to make him valuable as a driver. "He can do things in the car that not a lot of drivers can," the boss said. "You guys don't get to see that, but we do, on the computer. And he saves our ass a lot of times."

Burkart praises TJ - Funny Car's Phil Burkart lost traction in his final-round appearance against Tommy Johnson Jr., recording a 7.069 E.T. He said his Checker Schuck's Kragen Chevy Monte Carlo "has been on rails all day, but it picked that round to shake my brains out at the hit of the throttle. I think what happened is the conditions were just so overwhelmingly stout that the same tune-up approach that worked all day didn't quite have enough strength to succeed in the final. We just didn't get the tires spinning enough and they shook."

He said he felt better knowing that Johnson won with a strong elapsed time (4.741 seconds). "I know it's been a long time for him, and he absolutely ran well enough to win. It stinks to lose in the final, but if you are going to have problems and not put a good lap on the board, you want the other guy to run well. You'd hate to shake and lose traction and see him with a 5.05 or something. They earned every bit of it."

Professor still learning - Warren Johnson gave no excuses why he lost to Dave Connolly in the Pro Stock final. However, he figured out some reasons.

"I guess I'm still not completely used to this car," he said of his new GM Performance Parts Grand Am. He suggested because of where he sat in the car, he inadvertently got it out of the groove.

"It's just one of those things," he said. "I'm not sure we would have had enough steam to beat him at this point, but give us time," Johnson said. "We came here with a car with no full passes on it and two engine combinations with zero runs on them, as well. Therefore, I believe getting our two cars to the semifinal and final paints a pretty rosy picture for our team."

Back to the drawing board - Greg Anderson enjoyed 40 No. 1 qualifiers since 2003 and leaving 35 consecutive races as the Pro Stock points leader. But this didn't seem to be his weekend from the start. First, a mechanical problem prevented him from making a run Thursday. He jumped into the field in second place in the first of Saturday's two sessions but slid back to seventh place in the final order. That 6.728/205.01 guaranteed his worst start since he qualified ninth at the 2003 Winternationals.

"We won one round but committed too many errors," Anderson said. "We have to go back, settle down, and get our game face back on. We never came close to hitting our stride this weekend. I guess they ruffled our feathers and we can't let that happen. I'm not satisfied with anything right now."

He said, "We were a little off this weekend" with the power, car, and driver. "You add it all up and you’re not going to go anywhere in this class." Losing his iron grip on the top qualifier spot and points lead, he said, "makes me hungry, that's for sure."

More kudos for Force - John Force joins businessman Roger Penske, legendary promoter J.C. Agajanian, motorcyclist Jeremy McGrath and off-road racing standout Ivan Stewart as a nominee for the sixth annual Eagle One Shav Glick Award. The honor, which recognizes distinguished contributions to motorsports in California, will be presented during the Feb. 27 Automobile Club of Southern California 500 at California Speedway. The award is named for the long-time motorsports writer for the Los Angeles Times, and the judging panel includes national and California motorsports writers and track executives.

"Bottom line, if I am lucky enough to get an award that's named for Shav and be on the same page as Wally Parks and Dan Gurney and Parnelli Jones and the others, well, you can't do better than that," said Force, the most successful drag racer of all time with 114 victories.

SATURDAY - PEDREGON, SCHUMACHER AND YATES ARE TOP QUALIFIERS AT CARQUEST NHRA WINTERNATIONALS

(2-12-2005) - Tony Pedregon raced to the second-quickest Funny Car run in NHRA history just before his Q-Racing Chevy Monte Carlo went out of control and crashed in the shutdown area at the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals Saturday at Pomona Raceway.

Pedregon powered to his 29th career No. 1 qualifying position with a performance of 4.681 seconds at 323.35 mph, however the parachutes that help slow the car failed to deploy after the run and his car plowed into the sand traps at the end of the track. Pedregon, the 2003 Funny Car world champion, was not injured.

“I was really disappointed until they told me the run was a 4.68,” said Pedregon, who joins John Force as the only Funny Car drivers to post a run quicker than 4.7 seconds. “That kind of performance makes it a little better, but we still have a lot of work to do. I know I have hired the right people to fix the car; we are just going to have to work pretty late and get it ready to go for tomorrow morning.”

Tony Schumacher and Jim Yates also earned No. 1 qualifying positions at the $2 million race, the first of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.

Schumacher, the defending series and event champion, raced to his 12th career No. 1 qualifying position in Top Fuel with a track record performance of 4.447 at 334.65 in his U.S. Army dragster.

The performance was the second-quickest in Top Fuel, but Schumacher felt it could’ve been better.

"I pulled the chutes and as soon as I did I knew it was just a bit early,” Schumacher said. “They came out right at the timing traps and you can see that in the speed. We had a 4.447 and the record is 4.441, so me being a sissy cost us.”

The 16-car lineup, which includes seven drivers in the 4.4-second range and a bump spot of 4.597 seconds, is the quickest in NHRA history.

"The field is stout top to bottom,” Schumacher added. “We run Andrew Cowin in round one and he ran a 4.59, which is pretty darn good. There are no easy rounds in this class and it's going to be a battle every round of every race."

In Pro Stock, Yates claimed his 29th No. 1 qualifying position and first since 2002 at Reading, Pa., by covering the distance in a track record time of 6.699 at 205.16 in his Yates Racing Pontiac Grand Am.

The Alexandria, Va. resident has one of the best career records in the category, but has endured disappointing efforts the last two seasons.

"We've had some great successes in the past, but I'll be the first to admit the last two years have been a giant struggle," Yates said. "We put a lot of energy and effort into figuring out what we were going to do this past offseason. One of the decisions we made was to use Steve Schmidt engines. Steve promised us horsepower and obviously he delivered.”

Yates, who earned Pro Stock world championships in 1996 and ’97 and finished second in points in ‘01 and ‘02, will race veteran Bruce Allen in the opening round.

"I think it's an incredible feat to come out here with a new racecar that probably has less runs on it than any other car out here and run our career-best,” Yates said. “We've questioned ourselves at times over the last two years but we stayed with it and now we feel great. I can't wait for tomorrow."

Defending series champion and 2004 Driver of the Year Greg Anderson qualified seventh with a 6.728 at 205.01 in his Summit Racing Pontiac Grand Am. It is the lowest Anderson has qualified since the 2003 Winternationals when he started ninth.

First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the 45th annual CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals at Pomona Raceway, the first of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday.

Top Fuel -- 1. Tony Schumacher, 4.447 seconds, 334.65 mph vs. 16. Andrew Cowin, 4.597, 271.35; 2. David Grubnic, 4.464, 329.34 vs. 15. Rod Fuller, 4.593, 318.99; 3. Scott Kalitta, 4.470, 329.99 vs. 14. Scott Weis, 4.586, 310.13; 4. Morgan Lucas, 4.474, 326.40 vs. 13. John Smith, 4.582, 316.30; 5. Brandon Bernstein, 4.477, 330.15 vs. 12. Brady Kalivoda, 4.573, 323.43; 6. Larry Dixon, 4.481, 328.78 vs. 11. Cory McClenathan, 4.521, 327.59; 7. Doug Kalitta, 4.498, 332.02 vs. 10. Clay Millican, 4.519, 329.91; 8. David Baca, 4.502, 329.42 vs. 9. Doug Herbert, 4.503, 328.06.

Funny Car -- 1. Tony Pedregon, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.681, 323.35 vs. 16. Terry Haddock, Chevy Camaro, 5.357, 240.00; 2. John Force, Ford Mustang, 4.697, 329.26 vs. 15. Jim Head, Toyota Celica, 5.243, 262.54; 3. Eric Medlen, Mustang, 4.722, 328.54 vs. 14. Del Worsham, Monte Carlo, 5.146, 252.43; 4. Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.754, 327.19 vs. 13. Bob Gilbertson, Monte Carlo, 4.950, 307.23; 5. Frank Pedregon, Dodge Stratus, 4.754, 314.75 vs. 12. Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo, 4.867, 320.28; 6. Gary Scelzi, Stratus, 4.768, 328.70 vs. 11. Phil Burkart, Monte Carlo, 4.799, 313.22; 7. Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.768, 323.74 vs. 10. Jeff Arend, Pontiac Firebird, 4.797, 312.71; 8. Whit Bazemore, Stratus, 4.785, 320.97 vs. 9. Ron Capps, Stratus, 4.794, 317.72.

Pro Stock -- 1. Jim Yates, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.699, 205.16 vs. 16. Bruce Allen, Grand Am, 6.761, 203.65; 2. Kurt Johnson, Chevy Cavalier, 6.708, 206.35 vs. 15. Kenny Koretsky, Dodge Stratus, 6.761, 204.54; 3. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.718, 205.22 vs. 14. Greg Stanfield, Cavalier, 6.753, 205.07; 4. Dave Connolly, Cavalier, 6.722, 205.35 vs. 13. Jeg Coughlin, Stratus, 6.751, 204.14; 5. Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.722, 204.60 vs. 12. Jason Line, Grand Am, 6.743, 205.72; 6. Warren Johnson, Grand Am, 6.725, 204.32 vs. 11. Ben Watson, Cavalier, 6.742, 203.46; 7. Greg Anderson, Grand Am, 6.728, 205.01 vs. 10. Richie Stevens, Stratus, 6.740, 204.82; 8. Mike Edwards, Grand Am, 6.729, 205.13 vs. 9. Ron Krisher, Cavalier, 6.730, 205.66.

Hang On Sloopy

(2-12-2005) - Funny Car rookie Robert Hight gets sideways in Saturday's first qualifying session. (Motel 6 Vision)

SATURDAY NOTES - Tony P's Nitro Dune Buggy, Yates Back on Top and Gilby Speaks

(2-12-2005) - Hard on himself -- No. 1 qualifier Tony Schumacher said the flurry of 4.4-second runs in Saturday's Top Fuel qualifying was "unbelievable." But he was more concerned with the fact he pulled his parachutes too early in the run that registered a 4.447-second elapsed time at 326.79 mph.

His helmet visor fogged up, and he said of the top-end portion of his ride, "It was a little spooky down there." He indicated he felt a bit silly when he realized "I'm not there yet."

Schumacher, who will open defense of his series and event title Sunday, was especially tough on himself.

He asked reporters to give him a round of applause "for being a sissy driver." Later in his conversation, he said he felt bad he didn't break his own national E.T. record of 4.441 seconds and post at least a 331.30 speed (that also would have ensured him the national record) -- something the car certainly was capable of doing.

"The car's running great. It's getting stronger every time," he said. "Alan [crew chief Johnson] can make the call. The team is strong enough to make sure that everything that has to be done is done right. And I get to drive the car . . . If I wasn't such a sissy."

Mr. Sandman-- Knee-deep in mud and looking at an all-night session to fix his Quaker State Chevy Monte Carlo for Sunday's eliminations, Tony Pedregon actually was elated.

He had swiped the No. 1 qualifying position from John Force with his 4.681-second elapsed time that was the second-quickest in Funny Car history. Never mind that his parachutes malfunctioned and his car sank into what he said seemed like quicksand.

With that career-best and track-record E.T., at 323.35 mph, Pedregon became only the second Funny Car driver to break into the 4.6-second range. Force did it twice (including his national-record 4.665) in Joliet, Ill., last fall and again here Thursday.

Pedregon's run also took attention away from John Force Racing's Ford Mustang trio that had been 1-2-3. Medlen settled for a No.3 start and Robert Hight, who had had two frustrating runs and made the field at No. 4 with a last-chance dash of 4.754 at 327.19 mph.

"I'm much happier that we ran a 4.68 than anything else," he said, fighting a headache and sore wrist from his unplanned trip into the rain-soaked sand trap. "I know we can fix the car, and I can fix me. I can take an aspirin. It was more important for us to run that quick. We're just going to have to work late. That's the way I look at it."

He said crew chief Dickie Venables and his team might be able to salvage the chassis. "We might be in better shape than we anticipated," he said.

"The engine, the components, the electronics, we can change at the drop of a hat, but that control box is probably the only area that we want to be real concerned with. That's where all the electronics and some of our pneumatic timers are. Hopefully not a lot of sand got in that area. If it didn't, then I think we're in very good shape."

Pedregon said he knew he had problems when he went to hit the parachute lever. "At some point during the run, a strut underneath broke and . . . laid the parachute levers right over." He said a car is equipped with a primary lever and a back-up lever and he felt only one. "I went to take another swing at it and it wasn't there, and the one that was there just didn't feel right. I think the third time I went to hit 'em . . . I knew I was going to be in trouble.

"When I got out of the car, I thought, 'I should've stayed in the car.' It was a mess. It actually looked worse than what it is now, and I think that car will live to see quite a few more days."

He will face privateer Terry Haddock, who grabbed the bump spot at 5.357, ahead of Dale Pulde, Jack Wyatt, Tim Wilkerson, Gary Densham, Cory Lee and Tony Bartone.

Didn't look conservative from here -- Jim Yates said he was going for a conservative combination Saturday in his new Jerry Haas-built 2005 Pontiac Grand Am Pro Stock car. He told son and crew chief Jamie that he simply wanted to get it down the race track without shaking the tires so he could get a handle on Sunday's set-up. Little did he know it would yield his first No. 1 qualifier position in 51 races, his first since the 2002 Reading event.

The two-time series champion from Alexandria, Va., did it with a career-best 6.699-second E.T. that erased Greg Anderson's previous class track record of 6.704. The 205.16-mph run also halted his string of misfortune at Pomona Raceway. Yates failed to qualify at the season-opener in each of the two previous years.

"I think the car's great -- I'm nervous as heck," Yates said, adding that he doesn't underestimate his competitors. "If you get comfortable, you’re going to lose in the first round. These guys stay awake at night, think up ways to make you look bad."

Yates took delivery of the new car Feb. 1 and was equally impressed with his new Steve Schmidt power plant. "He promised us horsepower. This engine has showed us so much power." He said that in this final qualifying chance, he figured "it would show us something -- and it did. . . . We won championships in 1996 an '97, and in 2001 and 2002 we finished second, but in the last few years we have truly struggled. We've put a lot of energy and a lot of thought into it. As many times as we've questioned ourselves, to come out and do it -- and in such style -- it just gives you a lot of confidence."

Upper crust -- Kurt Johnson qualified his ACDelco Chevy Cavalier second in the Pro Stock field with a 6.708-second E.T. and a track speed-record 206.35 mph. Dad Warren Johnson, who's beginning his "School's Out" farewell tour in the GM Performance Parts Pontiac Grand Am, qualified sixth at 6.725/204.32. It is the first time since last year's Houston race that the tandem started in the top half of the field.

Unfamiliar territory -- Greg Anderson had 16 No. 1 qualifiers in 2004 (including at three of the final four races) and 30 in the last two seasons. But he was out of his groove at these Winternationals, seventh in the lineup at 6.728/205.01. "That tells us we need to pay a little more attention to details," the two-time and defending champion and defending event champion said. "Some of the stuff that's happened is freak, and some of it is our own fault. Obviously we've slipped a little bit, so we need to get our concentration level back up to where it needs to be."

They said what? -- When Tony Pedregon's car stopped in the mud pit at the end of the track, announcer Bob Frey quipped, "That's kind of like watching your mother-in-law drive your new car off a cliff."

Tony Schumacher, asked if he knew the media polls had predicted he would not repeat his championship, replied (after solidifying his No. 1 spot with a stunning 4.447-second run), "Okie-dokie."

Scott Kalitta sounded a bit underwhelmed with his 4.470-second/329.99-mph pass in Saturday's first session (second overall) that had him in the provisional No. 2 position. "Well, I guess I did OK," he deadpanned. "It moved hard in the middle. About 1100 or 1200 feet, it made a little move toward the center line, but it was a near-perfect run."

Doug Kalitta was the last of seven Top Fuel drivers to record runs in the 4.4-second range. He ended up barely in the upper half of the field with a 4.498-second pass at 332.02 mph. "I dreaded going into the final session without a good run," he said after jumping from last among 21 drivers in Thursday's opening qualifying session. He had lost his first E.T. because of a clock malfunction.

Rahn Tobler, Kalitta's crew chief, said of the 4.498-second run, "This new [Attac] chassis is still a little new to me, so I was shocked it ran in the .40s. I really thought it was going to run about a .52 or .53."

John Force said his motto for 2005 is "Don't fall over dead in the middle of the season."

Cutting costs? Are you kidding?! -- Tim Wilkerson wasn't angry during the drivers meeting this weekend. Well, the Funny Car owner-driver was a little bit, for a minute.

Meeting moderator Don Taylor, NHRA's director of national technical operations, discussed the new rules for the nitro classes that were handed down Dec. 16. Wilkerson raised a question about whether the nitromethane mix would revert back to 90 percent. Taylor said he would address the issue in private -- which he did -- and Wilkerson said he was content with that. However, he took issue with NHRA's position that it instituted the changes to drive down costs for the racers.

"The biggest issue," Wilkerson said, "is we have to control our cars' speed in order to keep it safe. That's why all this was implemented in the first place. But let's face facts: that didn't work. The costs are 20 percent higher to run the car, and the remedy didn't work. The penicillin didn't take. So why are we still taking it?"

He said he simply was laying the issue on the table and seeking answers.

"I felt I was treated with respect. They were very professional about it, and I tried to be, too. I didn’t want to get upset and get mad, but when they said 'cost,' I just started spinning," Wilkerson said. "Last year, we argued and argued and argued, 'Look at the cost of running the car now.' And all it was was: 'Live with it, live with it, live with it.' Well, if that's what we've got to do, we've got to do that. But don't tell me that you're worried about cost the next weekend, because you're not. If you were worried about cost, we could've fixed it last year.

"So I freaked out when they said that. That aggravated me to no end as soon as the word 'cost' came out of his mouth," he said. "I said, 'Don't ever say that word when we're at 85 percent and we could go to 90. I don't ever want to hear that word come out of your mouth again, because I know it's irrelevant to you.' . . . I'm not the best politician in the world.

"He was very polite, and he listened to me -- very diligently. He paid attention." Wilkerson suggested Taylor "go out and take a survey and come back and tell me that the majority of the camps want 85 percent, I'll shake your hand and say, 'You're right and I'm wrong.' But when the majority tells you they want 90 percent, I'd like to know what your plan of action is next.

"I don't think anything will ever come out of it," he said, "because the racing is so good now and certain teams are so happy with it that guys like Tim Wilkerson . . . My vote's in the minority. It doesn't bother me -- I'm a big guy -- I know my place in the world."

Wilkerson has a rare role on NHRA's performance-limitation committee formed last summer: he's one of the few drivers involved in giving input. He said he also has learned a lot in his new position as Professional Racers Organization (PRO) board member.

"Those guys are working diligently to get some of these problems fixed," he said. "It seems like they get the same results: 'Listen, this is what we like, because the racing is so good. So cost is irrelevant.' I understand that. NHRA has a problem of its owning trying to make the race look good.' "
He said what aggravated him about the decision was that NHRA didn't conduct any discussion.

"I understand the people they polled, because they are the smartest guys in the group," Wilkerson said. "But sometimes the smartest guys aren't thinking economically. They're thinking, 'How fast can my car go?' I don't blame them. If I were at their level, I'd want to do whatever was to my benefit, too. But I'm at my level, so I'm trying to make sure I'm taken care of."

"I'm trying not to be selfish. I'm trying to be realistic," he said. "I asked, 'Did you go ask Scott Weis?' 'Well, no.' 'Did you go ask Del Worsham?' 'Well, no.' 'Did you go ask me?' 'Well, no.' You have to make rules for the meat of your organization, not the upper eschelon and not the crummy guys, either. You can't make it for the richest five camps in the group, because a hundred grand a year doesn't mean anything to them. To me, it could be the only profit I have."

He said he agreed with the observation of fellow team owner Chuck Worsham: "We're either racing to win or racing to live." Added Wilkerson, "We can't do both now, under these rules."

"They were very professional. I hope something comes out of it. If it doesn't, then I'll keep campaigning to make it better another way."

But I'm not really supposed to talk about it -- Bob Gilbertson said NHRA officials did not consult him before fining him $15,000, placing him on probation for two years, and ordering him to reimburse Las Vegas Motor Speedway for damages incurred in a Feb. 4 incident during preseason testing.

The incident involved a rental car, a bike, speed, flames and leaving the scene. Officially, NHRA cited "the irresponsible and unsafe operation of a rental car in the pit area and a subsequent fire," saying that "Gilbertson failed to remain at the scene of the incident and ignored the instructions of LVMS security. Gilbertson's blatant disregard for the safety of other competitors and the professional image of the sport are violations of the Participant Conduct policy as stated on page 254 of the 2005 NHRA Rulebook. Gilbertson's team has been warned about inappropriate behavior on previous occasions, conduct detrimental to the sport of drag racing."

The Gastonia, N.C., driver, said he felt "bad that it happened, but I feel good about that there was not anymore damage to anybody else's property. I think it was a stupid mistake. It should've never happened."

However, Gilbertson said, "I probably should've got a medal" following the incident, "and maybe I will when it's all said and done." He said he couldn't elaborate but did say, "I had an option to do one of two things, and I think I did the right thing. There could've been a lot more damage to other people's property."

Gilbertson said, "I can't say anything, because it’s being appealed. My lawyers advise me, and I listen to them."

However, he said NHRA has "heard all the hearsay that they heard and they did their thing. I have not talked to NHRA about anything. I haven't heard one word from them." Moreover, he said he doesn't know what "being on probation" involves: "Does this mean I can't have another incident with a rental car? There's nothing written, so I don't know."

He guessed his appeal will be heard "in the next two years. This is NHRA, OK? So I don't know. It could go on for years."

He took responsibility for his actions. "I was driving the car. It was 100 percent me," he said. But, he said, "People think I was drunk, and that's not true."

What did new sponsor Autolite say? According to Gilbertson, "they said, 'When you live in a glass house, don't throw any stones.' "

As for The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Gilbertson said, "I already paid them their $3100." He said as far as he knows, he isn't banned for life from the facility. "I haven't heard that one," he said. "That's Internet talk, I think. I thought I would be suspended and never drive here, too -- I've heard that -- but I'm here."

Gilbertson raised eyebrows in 2002 because he agreed to accept funding from Shaunna Cummins, a Nevada resident who operates a legal brothel. Her business decal appeared on the car for three races before NHRA realized it, then told Gilbertson it was unacceptable. Cummins protested the decision and eventually faded from the scene.

"That was a bigger problem than this," Gilbertson said. "It's a matter of opinion. Who do you want to be affiliated with -- a rental car that burned or a brothel that nobody wants? I would rather have neither."

Gilbertson said he expects he'll fly under the radar from now on.

"The bottom line is that I want to race," he said, "so I'm cooperating and doing everything by the book. There won't be anymore issues. I'm pretty smart, so I'll probably not have any more problems."

Enders out -- Rookie Erica Enders failed to make the 16-car Pro Stock field. She was 18th in the order with a 6.786 at 202.67 mph.

Littlefield, lot of trouble -- Mert Littlefield, the Top Alcohol Funny Car veteran, gave the crowd a scare during qualifying. His parachutes didn't open at the end of his run. So he tried, unsuccessfully, to shave some speed by grazing the wall. His 2002 Pontiac Firebird went into the sand trap and through the safety netting. That popped the body off the chassis and pitched it over the fence, depositing it in the middle of McKinley Street beyond. Littlefield was conscious and talking with Safety Safari workers at the scene after they extracted him from the car. Littlefield was transferred to Pomona Valley Medical Hospital as a precaution. He is qualified 11th with a 5.833-second E.T. at 250.32 mph.

Hope it's not the Sports Illustrated Jinx

(2-12-2005) - Funny Car racer Del Worsham hopes the annual predictions from Torco's CompetitionPlus.com do not provide the same results that attaining the cover of Sports Illustrated seems to. In qualifying for the first event, he's certainly seen better days in the office. (Motel 6 Vision)

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FRIDAY - LINGERING RAIN FORCES 24-HOUR DELAY AT POMONA

(2-11-2005) - Persistent rain showers forced NHRA officials to cancel racing Friday at the season-opening CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals at Pomona Raceway.

Weather permitting, qualifying will continue Saturday with pro sessions scheduled for 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

Eliminations are scheduled to start at 11 a.m. on Sunday. The $2 million race is the first of 23 events in the 2005 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.

Qualifying leaders from Thursday's racing include Tony Schumacher in Top Fuel, John Force in Funny Car and Mike Edwards in Pro Stock.

Schumacher covered the distance in 4.487 seconds at 321.04 in his U.S. Army dragster, while Force drove his Castrol GTX Start Up Ford Mustang to a track record time of 4.697 at 329.26. Edwards paced Pro Stock with a 6.732 at 205.13 in his Young Life Pontiac Grand Am.

FRIDAY NOTES – Rain and Short Circuits Derail Day Two; Team Kalitta "Disgusted" and the Johnson's Contemplate a Reversal of Fortunes

(2-11-2005) - Lee Rides The Funny Car Roller Coaster -- Cory Lee has learned to expect the unexpected, and he wasn't disappointed this weekend.

Robert Hight, rookie driver for Funny Car's premier Castrol/Auto Club of Southern California team with 14 championships to its credit, was the victim of a timing malfunction and last among the 20 entrants. By contrast, the versatile, almost nomadic, Cory Lee might have felt like the luckiest in the class during Thursday's lone qualifying session.

Driving a 2002 Pontiac Firebird with sponsorship from a guitar-stand company, a Mexican restaurant that feeds the crew, and a family that bid on his sponsorship proposal on e-Bay, Lee settled for a disappointing 11.227-second elapsed time at 70.97 that, through his rivals' misfortune, left him least -- and at least -- in the order but at least in the field of 16.

Lee said his shoestring team cannot compete with the established, well-funded operations. "Dollar-for-dollar, it's a 1,000-to-1 ratio," he said of the expenditure. "I'll give it all the will and desire we have, but in drag racing it usually takes money and manpower. That's the bottom line: cubic dollars."

Lee said the season-opener is the lone NHRA race he had planned to enter with this car.

"There's been some talk that if we can get the car to run somewhat representative of the class here, whether we qualify or not, they may go to Phoenix."

In Gainesville, Lee will return to the seat of Dale Creasy's Chevy Monte Carlo for the first of six national events and seven match races. Lee met Thursday at the track with parties interested in sending him back to the European FIA series that runs from May through August in a dragster. He also plans to drive his nostalgia Funny Car at the NHRA reunions.

"Going from this car to that car, from this track to that track, the old cars, the new cars, all the people . . . It really makes it interesting. Trying to memorize each car and each set-up and each person makes it difficult, but all that does is sharpen your mind. I'll be doing this for quite a few more years. And maybe it’ll pan out.

"I hate to think it’s all for naught. But you know what? If it ended now and this was it, I could still say that I had a heck of a lot of fun in my lifetime. I did the things I dreamed about as a child. I'd rather have done what I've done than be wealthy and not have done any of this."

What Else Could Go Wrong? - Robert Hight was not the only victim of the timing malfunction Thursday night, nor was he the first. Doug Kalitta's run in the Mac Tools Dragster was nullified when the Top Fuel class ran before the Funny Cars, and put him last among 21 dragster drivers.

Rahn Tobler, Kalitta's crew chief, said late Thursday their on-board data shows they were on a 4.52-second pass. "It's a real shame to have a great run like ours wasted because of a glitch in the timers. Scott (Kalitta) ran right before us and it looked as if his run was better than what the scoreboard showed. Something should've been done then, but there's nothing we can do about it now."

Team Kalitta manager Jim Oberhofer expressed his anger that Scott Kalitta was charged with a 4.632-second E.T. at 239.78 mph -- far slower than what they had calculated. It left him in ninth place with the Mac Tools/Jesse James Dragster.

"Our computer shows that we ran close to a 4.54 or 4.55 at over 320 mph. I'm disgusted with the whole thing, to be honest."

Let There Be Light, And Timers - According to Graham Light, NHRA senior vice-president of racing operations, the problem was not with the Compulink equipment. Instead, he said, the trouble can be blamed on a slip-up during the resurfacing process last December at the fabled quarter-mile.

"There's a conduit underneath the track that feeds the power from the tower to the tree over to [one] side and then down to all the incrementals," Light said. "It appears when they replaced the concrete that the conduit was hit and cut. It didn't cut a wire, but it damaged a wire."

Testing late Thursday showed an intermittent short in the pair of wires that carry the 1320 infrared data back to the tower. Technicians moved that data to another pair. "We ran street cars up and down the race track till 10 o'clock at night without any faders."

Technicians replaced an entire section of wiring Friday afternoon "from one side to the other," Light said, "pulling it through the conduit, put all new wiring in there. Then after the event, we'll run all new wiring from the tower all the way to the starting line, all the way to the finish line, just rewire the whole place."

He said NHRA will have to shoulder the cost.

Of the situation, Light said, "That's unacceptable. There are going to be glitches. Once in awhile you’re going to have a time that is incorrect for whatever reason. But we need to try to minimize it. We run 3,000 cars down the race track at each event and normally have no problems. This one happened to be with two key cars that made very good runs. I feel sorry for those guys."

For example, he said, "I wish Doug would have smoked the tires or crossed the center line, but he didn't. Murphy's Law."

Finally, Light said, "If it's the racer making a misjudgment and the car doesn't perform, that's one thing, but our role should be to wherever possible assure them an accurate time run after run after run. If a car does a run and doesn't get the E.T., it should be because of them and not because of us."

Living The Dream At Last - Frankie Pedregon's sons, 12-year-old Conner and 2-year-old Cruz, woke him one morning right after Christmas and helped him unwrap his greatest gift -- the realization that he wants to control his own destiny in the sport about which his father tutored him. And he said he wants to pass along his passion to his boys.

"After driving for a lot of good teams and learning a lot," he said, "there comes a point in a driver's career or a guy who really wants to own his own team and really wants to do this the rest of his life that now is the time.

"I want to do this because I love it," the eldest of the three Funny Car-racing Pedregon brothers said. "But you're also taking a big chance. You're investing this kind of money and [putting] your reputation and everything on the line. But this is the chance we're taking. If I go down, at least I can say I did it -- I tried."

He said he doesn't have brand-new equipment but "wouldn't have bought it if it had not been capable of winning. That's my plan -- to go out there and look for a sponsor and do the best I can do. I'm confident somebody will like what I have to offer," Pedregon said.

If nothing else, he liked the fact he's in the field after the first run, 13th in the order with an 8.876-second E.T. at 95.65 mph.

He said he's pleased brothers Cruz and Tony are faring well with their joint venture. However, he said their success didn't necessarily dictate his actions. "I'm self-motivated," he said.

"It took a lot of owners and a lot of marketing people I've dealt with to learn a lot," Pedregon added. "I'm always waiting for people to call me and making a few calls here and there, and that just wasn't me. I needed to do this on my own."

Been There, Done That - Greg Anderson, the two-time and defending Pro Stock champion, revisited a frustrating pattern that began his 2004 season. A mechanical problem prevented him from making a run Thursday, and as the rain dragged on so did thoughts that he might not be able to defend his Winternationals title.

Because of a timing malfunction, debris on the track, and a freakish piece of foam that found its way into his fuel line, Anderson missed his first qualifying chance at three of the first four events last year. It didn’t hurt him, though. He earned an NHRA single-season record 15 victories, set the national E.T. and speed records, posted the most round-wins (76) and final-round appearances (19) in NHRA history.

That's A Bunch, Brady - Brady Kalivoda said before Thursday's run that he was "apprehensive" about how his BME Dragster would perform, considering he had made eight runs in the last preseason test session, one of them complete passes under full power. He needn't have worried. He recorded a 4.603-second elapsed time at 294.75 mph that was sixth-quickest.

Oh, To Be In Indy In February - Miller Lite Dragster Larry Dixon, a three-time Winternationals winner, remembered that rain postponed the season-opener last year and offered an intriguing schedule change: “I’m thinking we should run the U.S. Nationals Labor Day weekend in Pomona (Calif.) and run the Winternationals in Indy in February, then maybe we could get it off. It’s nice back home in Indy."

Like Father, Like Son - It's a reverse deja-vu of sorts for the father-son Pro Stock team of Warren and Kurt Johnson. Last year, Kurt challenged for the title -- a title Warren won six times -- and his dad struggled with eight DNQs.

As they waited out the rain showers Friday, Warren remained No. 2 on the grid with his GM Performance Parts Pontiac Grand Am and Kurt was last among Thurday's 22 entrants in his ACDelco Chevy Cavalier.

"We think we've isolated the problem and know what it takes to fix it," Kurt Johnson said. "It's just a matter of making a good run, getting though the first 300 feet, because everythng will fall in place after that."

Said Warren Johnson, "You can't do anything about Mother Nature. She will do what she's going to do. You basically have to work your show around it."

Welcome Back! - Louie Rodriguez, Jr., official starter for NHRA Division 7 in Hawaii, was visiting Pomona Dragway for the first time since 1985. On his last trip to the track Rodriguez was severly injured when the fuel Funny Car he was driving for Shady Glen was involved in a serious crash.

Returning to the scene of his accident 20 years later, Rodriguez gave his family a tour of the Pomona facility while waiting for the rain to subside. However, it now looks like the Rodriguez clan will have to wait until at least Saturday to see any racing action due to the unsettled weather in the area.

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THURSDAY - SCHUMACHER AND FORCE OPEN 2005 SEASON WITH QUALIFYING LEAD AT CARQUEST AUTO PARTS WINTERNATIONALS

(2-10-2005) - Defending NHRA POWERade Series world champions Tony Schumacher and John Force opened the 2005 season by racing to the qualifying lead in their respective categories Thursday at the CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals at Pomona Raceway.

The $2 million race is the first of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.

Schumacher clocked a run of 4.487 seconds at 321.04 mph to lead the Top Fuel field in his U.S. Army dragster.

"It's a long season and that's just one run, but it was a great run," Schumacher said. "Now we just have to stay focused for the next 200 runs. The surface here is great; it's going to be fast. We even dropped a cylinder on that run, so we'll take what we learned here and run even faster on our next runs. It wouldn't surprise me to see mid- to low-40s over the next couple of days.”


Force powered his Castrol Start Up Ford Mustang to a 4.697 at 329.26 to set the pace in Funny Car.

"We know this car knows how to run 4.60s," Force said. "We weren't really trying to do it that time, maybe just a low 4.70, but it just went down there. The new concrete they poured is nice and smooth. It used to be that I'd always rattle the tires a little at the hit (of the throttle) but this time it didn't. I could see for the first time ever here. Whatever (Pomona Raceway) spent to fix it was worth it."

Mike Edwards led Pro Stock in his Young Life Pontiac Grand Am with a performance of 6.732 at 205.13.

"This is a great way to start the season and the year," Edwards said. "I realize a lot of good cars didn't get down the track that time but we all had the same chance. I think with the rumors of the weather turning on us tomorrow that it got on people's minds that we might lose a round. I know we were thinking about it. Maybe some folks were too aggressive.

"For us, this is really just the product of burning a lot of gas this off-season in the dyno room and in testing. This is the same car we had and we really didn't need to do much to it. We just kept Frank in the dyno room chasing horsepower."

Defending Pro Stock champ Greg Anderson, the 2004 Driver of the Year, had mechanical problems in his Grand Am and didn’t post a run quick enough to make the 16-car lineup.

Qualifying continues Friday with a session at 2:30 p.m.

Results Thursday after qualifying for the 45th annual CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals at Pomona Raceway, first of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Friday for Sunday's final eliminations.

Top Fuel -- 1. Tony Schumacher, 4.487 seconds, 321.04 mph; 2. David Grubnic, 4.498, 329.34; 3. David Baca, 4.502, 329.42; 4. Brandon Bernstein, 4.542, 330.15; 5. Doug Herbert, 4.581, 264.18; 6. Brady Kalivoda, 4.603, 294.75; 7. Clay Millican, 4.615, 290.94; 8. Cory McClenathan, 4.616, 316.82; 9. Scott Kalitta, 4.632, 239.78; 10. Bruce Litton, 4.716, 285.41; 11. Rit Pustari, 4.811, 303.84; 12. John Smith, 4.903, 219.72; 13. Andrew Cowin, 5.105, 205.13; 14. Steven Chrisman, 9.366, 85.61; 15. Scott Palmer, 9.486, 88.44; 16. Larry Dixon, 10.035, 82.45.

Funny Car -- 1. John Force, Ford Mustang, 4.697, 329.26; 2. Eric Medlen, Mustang, 4.753, 325.85; 3. Cruz Pedregon, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.768, 323.74; 4. Tony Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.797, 302.82; 5. Gary Scelzi, Dodge Stratus, 4.842, 312.78; 6. Ron Capps, Stratus, 4.884, 316.97; 7. Bob Gilbertson, Monte Carlo, 4.950, 307.23; 8. Whit Bazemore, Stratus, 5.055, 305.77; 9. Del Worsham, Monte Carlo, 5.146, 216.86; 10. Jeff Arend, Pontiac Firebird, 6.191, 137.93; 11. Phil Burkart, Monte Carlo, 6.369, 145.06; 12. Tim Wilkerson, Monte Carlo, 8.615, 103.48; 13. Frank Pedregon, Stratus, 8.876, 95.65; 14. Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo, 10.139, 84.97; 15. Jack Wyatt, Chevy Camaro, 11.069, 77.52; 16. Cory Lee, Firebird, 11.227, 70.97.

Pro Stock -- 1. Mike Edwards, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.732, 205.13; 2. Warren Johnson, Grand Am, 6.733, 192.91; 3. Jim Yates, Grand Am, 6.734, 196.24; 4. Jason Line, Grand Am, 6.743, 197.77; 5. Jeg Coughlin, Dodge Stratus, 6.751, 203.58; 6. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.755, 191.48; 7. Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.777, 204.60; 8. Ben Watson, Chevy Cavalier, 6.783, 195.34; 9. Dave Connolly, Cavalier, 6.784, 204.63; 10. Kenny Koretsky, Stratus, 6.787, 202.36; 11. Bruce Allen, Grand Am, 6.788, 203.61; 12. Greg Stanfield, Cavalier, 6.805, 205.01; 13. Barry Grant, Cavalier, 6.805, 199.85; 14. V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.810, 196.30; 15. Vince Fourcade, Cavalier, 6.831, 203.00; 16. Erica Enders, Cavalier, 6.852, 193.93.

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THURSDAY NOTES - Force Posts Pomona FC Record, Densham Falters and Enders Stages by Remote Control

(2-10-2005) - Continuation - Tony Schumacher appeared to pick up where he left off at Pomona Raceway in Thursday's lone qualifying session. The reigning Top Fuel champion, who punctuated his stellar 2004 season with a record 10th victory of the year in the U.S. Army Dragster at the Finals last November, led the field with a 4.487-second elapsed time at 321.04.

"We had a cylinder out at 700 or 800 feet," he said, an omen for rivals that crew chief Alan Johnson has put the new parts he tested in the preseason to outstanding use.

Schumacher said the new surface at the storied quarter-mile dragstrip "is great. We need to make sure all the surfaces are like this. Our tires looked excellent at the finish line."

With rain clouds rolling into the area and a bit of a sprinkle toward the end of the session, drivers knew this first qualifying pass would be pivotal to their weekend's fortunes. However, Schumacher said Johnson wasn't any more aggressive than ever: "I can't tell you the last time Alan backed anything off. He doesn't go at it softly."

The Pecking Order - Schumacher's E.T. was quickest, but he was only fourth fastest. Brandon Bernstein turned in a 330.15-mph run, David Baca a 329.42, and David Grubnic a 329.34.

Still Wanting To Help - Gary Densham's Racebricks/Auto Club of Southern California Chevy Monte Carlo wouldn't fire, so the veteran Funny Car driver didn't have a chance to make a run.

Longtime pal John Force, who was his boss for the last four seasons, said he heard the engine have trouble turning over and tried to help.

"I was yelling,' Get our battery pack! Get it to him!' and [crew chief Austin] Coil's like, 'Shut up. It ain't the battery pack.' It was obviously something in the ignition. Hurt a mag or something. I don’t know. He'll be back. He'll be fine."

Personal Best - John Force lowered his own Pomona Raceway elapsed-time mark for Funny Car with his 4.697-second pass Thursday in the Castrol GTX Start-Up Ford Mustang. It also was the econd-quickest in class history, also his own. Force owns the national E.T. record at 4.665 seconds.

First Cut Is The Deepest - Robert Hight always will remember his first pass at his first NHRA national event as a driver -- for all the wrong reasons. He made a run in the Auto Club of Southern California Ford Mustang that, by all calculations, would have registered at least a 4.77-second E.T., had the timing device been operating properly. Crew chief Jimmy Prock said their team computer clocked him at 4.76 at 327 mph.

"Aw, man, that's bad," Top Fuel No. 1 qualifier Tony Schumacher said as he watched the numberless run. "Just give him a 4.77."

"I felt sorry for Robert," team owner John Force said. "He's trying so hard for AAA. In my heart, no matter what happens, he made the show. That's how I think."

Added Force, "He asked me, 'Is there anything we can do?' I said, 'We can get mad and go to anger management.' You got to take your hits."

Still Kicking - Mike Edwards, in the same car he drove last year, led the Pro Stock class with a 6.732-second run at 205.13 mph.

For him, it was a remarkable run and not just for the fact it was quickest in a field of capable drivers. He did it after putting about 20 runs on his Young Life Pontiac Grand Am at the Las Vegas test session and

"We hurt the valves and messed up a cam," Edwards said. He summoned engine expert Frank Iaconio, who helped him reassemble the engine in time for the Thursday afternoon run.

If the Oklahoma native hangs onto the No. 1 qualifier spot, it will be his first since Dallas in the fall of 2001.

Post Graduate Study - Pro Stock "Professor" Warren Johnson, who had a 2004 he definitely wanted to forget, kicked off his "School's Out" farewell tour Thursday by qualifying second in his GM Performance Parts Grand Am with a 6.733, one-thousandth of a second.

He took delivery of the new chassis at his Sugar Hill, Ga., shop just a week and a half before the season-opener. So he had little time to test it.

"Quite obviously, we're pleased with the results, especially as it was the first full pass on this race car," he said. "It's an excellent starting point. We were a little puzzled at first by our top speed, considering we were fourth fastest to the eighth-mile and dropped to 16th. However, in light of the problems they had with the clocks during the fuel session, it's obvious there was an issue during Pro Stock, as well."

Enough, John - Austin Coil told John Force to stop reassuring rookie Robert Hight, fearing the rookie's boss -- and father-in-law -- would make him nervous. Warned Coil, "If you run up to him one more time and say, 'It's OK' . . . You make anybody crazy."

All In A Rookie Day - Erica Enders is on the Pro Stock bubble with a 6.852-second pass at 193.93 mph in the Cagnazzi Racing Chevy Cavalier. And the heralded rookie from Houston said she rarely is nervous inside a race car but admitted, "I had nervous jitterbugs beforehand."

She said she couldn't see the Christmas tree because of the hood scoop placement and reacted more to what Richie Stevens was doing in the opposite lane. She was forced to stage her car via radio communications with her crew. She experienced similar trouble at the recent Pro Stock Super Bowl in Houston.

"I'm up as far in the roll cage as I can be," Enders said. "I'm sitting on five inches worth of foam."

She said she is taking a semester off from her studies at Texas A&M University. However, she still is studying. "I'm going from here to Phoenix, to the Bob Bondurant driving school ," she said. "G.M. is being very nice and sending me. I'm going to be studying car management."

Crew chief Tommy Utt will accompany her.

Soccer Rules - Former Pro Stock driver Scott Geoffrion, who'll make his Pro Mod debut driving Roy Hill's car next month in the AMS/TLR series-opener at Gainesville, Fla., has chosen to watch his 12-year-old son Kyle play in a soccer tournament Friday through Sunday at Lancaster, Calif., than visit with friends at the Winternationals.

The San Clemente, Calif., resident said his desire to be active in the lives of Kyle and 10-year daughter Alexa led him to join Hill's effort in the 10-race AMS Staff Leasing Challenge presented by TLR.

"The kids are getting older, and I want to be part of what they're doing," Geoffrion said. "It's impossible to do that and race a full 23-race NHRA schedule. Bob Panella Jr. and I had talked about entering 10 or 12 Pro Stock races this year, because neither of us wanted to give up time with our kids."Then Roy Hill asked if I would drive one of his Pro Mod cars. He had a twofold sales pitch. We'd only be racing 14 weekends and I'd have a good time. I did have a good time making my first Pro Mod passes last weekend testing at Houston Raceway Park," he said, "so that's what I'm going to do."

Geoffrion did come out to the track Thursday but said, "I'm not really a good spectator at drag races, anyway, because I'd rather be driving.

Basketball Rules - NHRA President Tom Compton has a conflict of responsibilities this weekend. Because of the Winternationals, he will miss an important basketball game. He coaches nine-year-old daughter Rachel's team. Last year he coached her elder sister, Nicole. Compton played basketball at Livermore High School in Northern California's Bay Area but said his college alma mater, UCLA, didn't need his help on the court.

"The real story," Compton said, brushing aside his basketball knowledge, "is the addition of four new non-traditional sponsors for NHRA." He was referring to Zantrex-3, Brut, Ameriquest, and Full-Throttle (a Coca-Cola brand, like series sponsor Powerade).

"What we set out to do five years ago was to bring new fans," he said. "We've stuck to our plan like glue, and it's working."

The Winning Bid - Mike Overaker, a longtime drag-racing fan from Hemet, Calif., and former starting-line worker at Orange County Raceway, collected on his winning bid from the Darrell Russell Auction at Pomona Raceway last November. He donated $1,000 for the opportunity to sit in Doug Herbert's Snap-On Tools Dragster during a warm-up in the pit. Overaker experienced the thrill Thursday afternoon.

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