SAME DAY COVERAGE
MAC Tools Gatornationals
Gainesville, FL.
By Susan Wade and Bobby Bennett
Photos by Roger Richards & Brian Wood

Torco's CompetitionPlus.com Video Pit Notes

THURSDAY - When it rains, you visit "Big Daddy's Place"
SATURDAY - "Captain Chaos Flies Again" - Hanging with Mr. Koretsky

Lucas Oil Sportsman Coverage
AMS/TLR Pro Modified Coverage
Gators Photos
AMS/TLR Photos

EVENT REVIEW - Gatornationals Wrap-up: For some it really was 'Gaines'-ville

(3-23-2005) -- It was a time for renewal, this springtime swing to the East Coast for the first time of the 2005 NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series. Greg Anderson set both ends of the national record and teammate Jason Line won at the Mac Tools Gatornationals to show they can't be counted out of the Pro Stock points chase. Doug Kalitta broke his jinx of first-round defeats. Andrew Hines and G.T Tonglet ruled qualifying with track and national marks and Hines' milestone of the first sub-7-second pass in Pro Stock Motorcycle history. It was a time to welcome the bikes back to competition for their first race of their 15-race schedule. Funny Car was the lone class in which no one set a national or track record, but rookie Robert Hight led the field in just his third race.

It also was a time the crowd buzzed about babies, chatty children, wrestling children, one-armed push-ups, rock-throwing, holeshots, crazy flights in and out of Gainesville, and engine explosions -- a typically dramatic weekend at the NHRA races. Here's how Torco's Competition Plus will remember the 36th version of the famous Florida race:



Biggest Winners of the Weekend: Doug Kalitta, the Top Fuel driver who won the race for which his primary sponsor, Mac Tools, was the title sponsor, and Whit Bazemore, who capped an eight-day celebration that began with the birth of his first child, son Dashiell Aidan, and ended with his first Gatornationals Funny Car victory.

Biggest Losers of the Weekend: Funny Car's Phil Burkart and Pro Stock's Allen Johnson, both points leaders coming into the event. Burkart failed to qualify and fell to fifth place in the standings, and Johnson lost to Mike Edwards in the opening round to leave town tied for fourth place with race winner Jason Line. Honorable Mention: Anybody at the track who didn't have a coat or sweatshirt on an unseasonably cold Friday.

The Roller Coaster Award: John Force Racing's three Funny Car drivers. John Force, Eric Medlen, and Robert Hight qualified 2-3-4 in the order but lost in the opening round at the Winternationals. Then at Phoenix, Force won, Medlen reached the semifinals, and Hight qualified No. 2. At Gainesville, it was another mixed message. Hight earned his first top-qualifier spot, leading a 1-2-3 Force contingent in the Castrol/Automobile Club of Southern California Ford Mustangs. Hight and Medlen lost traction at about the same spot on the track and dropped out in the second round. Force had a mechanical failure in the semifinal and lost to Bob Gilbertson.

The "It's Appropriate To Celebrate This Time" Award: Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Steve Johnson. He won for just the second time in 200 national events. His first victory was last June at St. Louis, a Sunday subdued by the fatal crash of Darrell Russell. Gatornationals Top Fuel winner Doug Kalitta won at that event, as well, but he had two more victories after that in 2004 in which to rejoice en route to a series runner-up finish.

The "Why Not Go For It All Now?!" Award: Top Alcohol Dragster winner Aaron Olivarez, who was competing in just his second national event and fourth overall race and never had won a round of competition before the Gatornationals. He beat Ashley Force in the final by 0.0015 seconds (about seven inches) on a holeshot.

The "And To Think I Couldn't Wait Until He Learned How To Talk" Award: Scott Kalitta, who lost to Clay Millican on a holeshot in the first pairing of eliminations Sunday, and then heard his 12-year-old son Corey, tell grandfather Connie Kalitta (the team owner and crew chief), "Don't worry, Granddad. I can take over for my lame old man in only four more years." After looking around his family's pit, Corey Kalitta added, "I've never seen so many grown men pouting."

The "Hey, Exactly How Does This Team Thing Work In My Favor?" Award: Ron Capps, driver of the Brut Dodge Stratus R/T Funny Car. He met teammate Whit Bazemore in the first round of the season-opening Winternationals and broke at the starting line. At Race No. 3, in Gainesville, he matched up with his other teammate, Gary Scelzi, and lost. In between, at Phoenix, he advanced to the final.

The "Yea! I Finally Did It!" Award: Funny Car driver Jeff Arend, in beating Tommy Johnson Jr. in the first round, claimed his first round-win since 1996. That was the year he was 5-5 in elimination rounds and recorded his only victory, at Reading. Arend drove the CMKXtreme Chevy Monte Carlo to a holeshot victory but remains out of the top 10.

The "Florida Wasn't As Much Fun This Year" Award: Del Worsham, who won the race and maintained his Funny Car lead at Gainesville last year and rode the crest of that wave for four more races. This time, he left in 10th place after losing to Gary Scelzi in Round 2.

The Dodging a Bullet Award: Tony Schumacher had hoped to repeat his 2004 showing, in which he won in the Top Fuel class, held onto his No. 1 ranking, and went on to win a record 10 races and his second championship. His trip to Gainesville didn't go quite as well this year, though, despite the fact Schumacher had the top speed of the event in the U.S. Army Dragster with a track-record 333.95 mph. He led Larry Dixon in the quarterfinals for at least 660 feet before a pulley at the bottom of the engine broke. The happy news for Schumacher is that he remained the leader, by eight points over closest challenger Morgan Lucas.

The Upstaging The Sponsor Award: We have a tie: Whit Bazemore and Steve Johnson. Bazemore, driving the Matco Tools Dodge Stratus, took the Funny Car title and Johnson the Pro Stock Bike victory on his Snap-On/K&N Suzuki at the Mac Tools Gatornationals.

The "Waiting Makes Me Hungry . . . And Ill" Award: Top Alcohol Funny Car headliner and No. 1 qualifer Frank Manzo. He said the schedule changes and the long waits his class has to endure make him hungry. "Seriously," he said. "I've already had two ice cream sandwiches, a cheeseburger, fries, and I'm thinking about going and getting another ice cream sandwich. After qualifying quickest, he was rushed to a hospital, complaining of chest pains. However, he was not cleared to race and had to sit -- which Competition Plus hopes doesn't make him hungry.

The "Don't Throw Rocks" Award: Pro Stock Bike winner Steve Johnson, who expressed sympathy with NHRA in the face of general criticism. "I represent all the motorcyclists to the sanctioning body through an organization, PRO2. So I said, 'You know what? You guys all throw rocks. Could you use more money in your racing business? Could you use more people? Well, guess what -- NHRA is exactly the same. They need more money; they need more resources, just like you. So it doesn't do any good to throw a bunch of rocks. Don't come to people with a problem. Come with a problem and a solution.' "

The Sylvester Stallone/Rocky Balboa Award: Angelle Sampey, for taking former boss George Bryce's challenge and performing one-armed push-ups beside her U.S. Army Suzuki in the staging lanes during Friday qualifying.

The Frequent Flyer Miles Award: Pro Stock driver Kenny Koretsky, who qualified No. 3 Saturday, then flew home to Pennsylvania to celebrate his father's 80th birthday. He arrived back in Gainesville just before racing began Sunday morning and lost in the opening round to Richie Stevens.

The "Take Off Your Hat And Look At Your Hair" Award: Warren Johnson. "School's Out," but the Professor of Pro Stock still is studying after beating Larry Morgan and Greg Anderson, then losing to Dave Connolly in the semifinal. "Overall, we're not going to complain," he said. "This car had zero laps on it going in to the first race, and we really haven't had a chance to test since then, so we've basically been doing all our tuning at the race tracks. . . . "We've been making incremental changes, and it keeps throwing us a bone. We don't know how fast this thing is going to go – it may go fast enough to turn my hair white.

The "Welcome Back To Earth" Award: Chip Ellis, talk of the Pro Stock Motorcycle class since he joined the team at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals last year. He qualified the G Squared Motorsports Team no lower than fourth last season in his four events, earned the No 1 spot twice and won once. At the season-kickoff in Gainesville, he started eighth and fouled out against eventual winner Steve Johnson in the first round.

Mat Mastery Award: Crew chief Lee Beard, who was elated that his Matco Tools team won the Funny Car trophy at the Gatornationals. While he was in Florida, working hard, his sons, 14-year-old Zak and 12-year-old Nick, were doing the same at home. They wrestle for Avon (Ind.) Middle School. And proud dad Lee declared in the winners circle, "I want to congratulate Zak Beard for winning the Mid-State Wrestling championship in the 100-pound division and Nick Beard for finishing runner-up in the 85-pound division. Just a great week in the Beard family."

The "Hot Driver of the Year" Award: Bob Gilbertson escaped injury from his flaming Funny Car in the semifinals. Then, after volunteers from several Funny Car and Top Fuel teams thrashed to get the car re-built, he red-lit and experienced another fire in his final-round loss to Whit Bazemore. Gilbertson is on probation and $15,000 poorer for a February incident in which his rental car burned in the pits at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The Big Daddy, Little Luck Award: Frankie Pedregon had a jazzy paint job on his Dodge Stratus Funny Car that paid tribute to NHRA legend "Big Daddy" Don Garlits. However, he blew the engine just after unveiling the new look at the starting line. Pedregon failed to qualify.

The "Oh, Great! The Media Will Keep Bugging Me" Award II: Don Prudhomme, who's on the verge of capturing his 100th NHRA victory in his combined driver-owner career. Tommy Johnson Jr. drove the Skoal Chevy Monte Carlo to the Winternationals Funny Car victory to give his boss No. 99. Larry Dixon reached the Top Fuel final at the Gatornationals but lost to Doug Kalitta. That prolongs the "Snake's 100th" watch.

a d v e r t i s e m e n t

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SUNDAY FINAL - KALITTA, BAZEMORE, LINE AND JOHNSON EARN VICTORIES AT MAC TOOLS NHRA GATORNATIONALS

(3-20-2005) – Doug Kalitta raced to the Top Fuel victory Sunday at the Mac Tools Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway.

Whit Bazemore, Jason Line and Steve Johnson also were winners at the $2 million race, the third of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.

In a thrilling, tire-smoking finish, Kalitta managed to regain traction in his Mac Tools dragster and cross the finish line just in front of final-round opponent Larry Dixon. Kalitta claimed his 20th career victory by recording a 5.182 at 296.24, while Dixon trailed with a 5.925 at 169.81 in his Miller Lite dragster.

"That was certainly an exciting final," Kalitta said. "(My tires) started spinning at half-track and I could see Larry out there turning sideways and (losing traction) too, so I gave it a hit and it hooked back up. Obviously both teams were trying hard to run a number against the other guy knowing they'd be up for it and it got both of us.”

It was Kalitta’s second victory at Gainesville and it put him back on the championship track after opening the season with back-to-back first round losses.

"To win this race is phenomenal,” said Kalitta, who defeated Doug Herbert, Andrew Cowin and Cory McClenathan to advance to the final-round. “There's so much history with this race. I came here just wondering what it would take to get back in the mix (of the championship chase) and I guess this will go a long way towards helping us out. We moved up to fifth today so that's a start."

Bazemore earned his 18th Funny Car victory when final round opponent Bob Gilbertson fouled at the start in his Prestone/Autolite Chevy Monte Carlo. Bazemore, who clocked a 4.897 at 315.67 in his Matco Tools Dodge Stratus, moved into the series points lead with the victory.

Bazemore, who earned his competition license at this track in 1986, claimed his first victory at the historic quarter-mile dragstrip by beating Cruz Pedregon, top qualifier Robert Hight and teammate Gary Scelzi in earlier rounds.

"This is huge," Bazemore said. "I remember our family driving to Orlando for Thanksgiving with my grandparents when I was 10 years old. On the way home I begged my parent to stop by Gainesville Raceway. I just had to see it. I remember thinking I'd come here and race one day. I took Frank Hawley's (Drag Racing) School here, but to actually win a national event here, the Gatornationals, is incredible. This is a special place for drag racers. This is one of the classics, like Indy or Pomona.”

Line beat fellow young gun Dave Connolly to score his fifth Pro Stock victory. Line drove his KB Racing Pontiac Grand Am to a 6.716 at 205.90 to hold off Connolly’s Bullet Motorsports Chevy Cavalier, which posted a 6.749 at 205.66.

"It's a tough task to race Dave with a trophy on the line, trust me," Line said. "He's unbelievable on the Tree. I did about the best I can do with a .027 and I made some mistakes shifting, but we ended up with the win. Credit the horsepower the guys gave me today.”

Line, a former engine builder on the NASCAR circuit who won the Auto Club Road to the Future Award last year which recognizes NHRA’s top rookie performer for the year, said he and team owner Greg Anderson are finally moving in the right direction after a slow start to the 2005 campaign. Anderson, the two-time defending series champion and 2004 Driver of the Year, lost in the second round to Warren Johnson, but earned 20 bonus points for resetting the national elapsed time record ( 6.633 seconds). Anderson also upped the national speed record to 208.23 mph.

"We haven't been happy with our performance this year on either car but we had a great rebound weekend for the whole team,” said Line, who defeated Ron Krisher, Richie Stevens and Jim Yates to advance to the final-round. “With Greg setting all the records and being No. 1 and then me winning, the only thing that could have been better was if he was in the other lane in the final. I remember losing here in the semis in 1992 in my Stocker and I was bummed out for weeks. I never thought I'd get that close again."

Johnson became the series points leader for the first time in his career in Pro Stock Motorcycle by earning his second career victory. Johnson raced to a performance of 7.139 at 187.26 on his Snap-on Tools Suzuki to hold off rival Craig Treble’s Matco Tools Suzuki, which trailed with a 7.161 at 185.95.

Johnson rolled to easy victories over red-lighting Chip Ellis and Andrew Hines and used a holeshot start to hold off the quicker U.S. Army Suzuki of Antron Brown before using more horsepower to drive around Treble in the final.

"I just found out the POWERade rules have changed; the Motorcycle season is now over and the champion will be crowned Monday," Johnson said jokingly. "This is the Gatornationals. It's our season opener and such a big race. I am thrilled to win it.”

The NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series continues with the 18th annual O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals, April 8-10 at Houston Raceway Park.

Final round-by-round results from the 36th annual Mac Tools NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway, the third of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series -

TOP FUEL:

ROUND ONE -- Clay Millican, 4.651, 313.58 def. Scott Kalitta, 4.567, 319.94; Andrew Cowin, 4.941, 216.19 def. Brandon Bernstein, foul; Morgan Lucas, 5.533, 228.60 def. John Smith, 6.821, 201.70; Larry Dixon, 4.712, 309.91 def. David Baca, 4.693, 287.53; Tony Schumacher, 4.549, 328.94 def. Rod Fuller, 4.731, 305.18; Cory McClenathan, 4.573, 315.34 def. Scott Weis, 4.732, 284.81; Doug Kalitta, 4.565, 326.44 def. Doug Herbert, foul; David Grubnic, 4.534, 322.81 def. Bruce Litton, 4.652, 315.12;

QUARTERFINALS -- McClenathan, 4.631, 320.17 def. Lucas, 4.706, 302.01; D. Kalitta, 4.700, 308.85 def. Cowin, 4.740, 265.80; Dixon, 4.594, 318.13 def. Schumacher, 5.078, 198.45; Millican, 4.649, 308.53 def. Grubnic, 4.698, 295.66;

SEMIFINALS -- D. Kalitta, 4.577, 323.62 def. McClenathan, 11.959, 71.08; Dixon, 4.546, 329.54 def. Millican, 4.609, 315.67;

FINAL -- D. Kalitta, 5.182, 296.24 def. Dixon, 5.925, 169.81.

FUNNY CAR:

ROUND ONE -- Bob Gilbertson, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.924, 311.41 def. Tony Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.991, 247.93; Del Worsham, Monte Carlo, 4.886, 320.39 def. Tony Bartone, Monte Carlo, 4.970, 273.05; Eric Medlen, Ford Mustang, 4.824, 322.69 def. Tim Wilkerson, Monte Carlo, 5.008, 302.62; Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.809, 320.05 def. Dale Creasy Jr., Pontiac Firebird, 12.574, 82.42; John Force, Mustang, 4.847, 323.04 def. Jim Head, Dodge Stratus, 5.038, 292.58; Gary Scelzi, Stratus, 4.857, 319.48 def. Ron Capps, Stratus, 4.908, 315.67; Jeff Arend, Monte Carlo, 4.928, 301.60 def. Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo, 4.913, 314.57; Whit Bazemore, Stratus, 4.869, 316.67 def. Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 10.693, 89.68;

QUARTERFINALS -- Scelzi, 4.851, 320.51 def. Worsham, 7.604, 121.29; Bazemore, 4.917, 315.45 def. Hight, 5.253, 261.39; Gilbertson, 4.909, 309.70 def. Medlen, 5.260, 220.75; Force, 4.912, 304.87 def. Arend, 5.167, 240.96;

SEMIFINALS -- Gilbertson, 5.414, 211.41 def. Force, 5.990, 161.31; Bazemore, 4.920, 302.01 def. Scelzi, 5.377, 209.05;

FINAL -- Bazemore, 4.897, 315.67 def. Gilbertson, foul.

PRO STOCK:

ROUND ONE -- Warren Johnson, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.706, 205.05 def. Larry Morgan, Dodge Stratus, 6.722, 205.94; Jim Yates, Grand Am, 6.716, 205.52 def. Jeg Coughlin, Stratus, 6.700, 205.52; Greg Stanfield, Chevy Cavalier, 6.711, 205.24 def. Kurt Johnson, Cavalier, 6.715, 206.18; Dave Connolly, Cavalier, broke def. V. Gaines, Stratus, broke; Dave Connolly, Cavalier, 6.701, 205.76 def. V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.734, 205.24; Richie Stevens, Stratus, 6.736, 205.71 def. Kenny Koretsky, Stratus, 6.752, 205.47; Mike Edwards, Grand Am, 6.733, 204.87 def. Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.737, 205.05; Greg Anderson, Grand Am, 6.676, 206.56 def. Rickie Smith, Cavalier, 6.750, 206.32; Jason Line, Grand Am, 6.705, 205.66 def. Ron Krisher, Cavalier, 9.481, 92.43;

QUARTERFINALS -- Yates, 6.772, 203.98 def. Edwards, foul; Line, 6.717, 205.62 def. Stevens, 6.725, 205.85; Connolly, 6.742, 205.33 def. Stanfield, 13.272, 63.41; W. Johnson, 6.696, 205.99 def. Anderson, 6.702, 206.23;

SEMIFINALS -- Line, 6.722, 206.32 def. Yates, 6.711, 205.47; Connolly, 6.719, 205.90 def. W. Johnson, 6.679, 206.70;

FINAL -- Line, 6.716, 205.90 def. Connolly, 6.749, 205.66.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:

ROUND ONE -- Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.178, 186.02 def. Chip Ellis, foul; Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.193, 183.52 def. Matt Smith, Suzuki, 7.209, 183.18; Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.179, 183.93 def. Ryan Schnitz, 7.239, 183.63; GT Tonglet, Harley-Davidson, 7.130, 191.20 def. Redell Harris, Suzuki, 7.311, 176.74; Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 7.131, 189.83 def. Blaine Hale, Suzuki, 7.336, 180.07; Antron Brown, Suzuki, 7.158, 179.60 def. Scott Valetti, Kawasaki, foul; Geno Scali, Suzuki, 7.195, 186.99 def. Shawn Gann, Suzuki, 7.211, 185.49; Angelle Sampey, Suzuki, 7.093, 184.99 def. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 7.225, 186.79;

QUARTERFINALS -- Stoffer, 7.171, 184.84 def. Scali, 7.224, 181.81; Johnson, 7.231, 183.82 def. Hines, foul; Treble, 7.179, 184.57 def. Tonglet, 13.310, 43.85; Brown, 7.131, 186.02 def. Sampey, foul;

SEMIFINALS -- Treble, 7.159, 185.79 def. Stoffer, 7.200, 185.33; Johnson, 7.162, 187.65 def. Brown, 7.135, 184.50;

FINAL -- Johnson, 7.139, 187.26 def. Treble, 7.161, 185.95.

SUNDAY NOTES - Daddy Whit puts life in perspective, Millican the spoiler and the Kalitta 'Tude

(3-20-2005) - Bad Boys Rule -- Call the Funny Car final of the Mac Tools Gatornationals the Battle of the NHRA's Bad Boys - or the All-Probation Final.

But Whit Bazemore, who like opponent Bob Gilbertson recently was fined $15,000 and put on two years' probation in separate incidents, displayed his best behavior Sunday in winning the trophy just eight days after becoming a first-time father on his 42nd birthday.

"I'm not a bad boy," Bazemore said. "They can say what they want. They make the rules.They enforce them. They make their decisions. They can paint a picture black or white, whatever they choose to do. It doesn't bother me."

Childhood memories -- Bazemore said he first saw Gainesville Raceway at age 10 or 11 when his family drove down from Atlanta to visit his grandmother in Orlando for Thanksgiving. "I'm going to race here," he announced then. He attended Frank Hawley's driving school at the drag strip in 1986. And he took advantage of Gilbertson's red-light disqualificartion to triumph with a 4.897-second effort at 315.67 mph in the Matco Tools Dodge Stratus R/T.

He said the Gatornationals, the third of 23 events on the NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series schedule, is "right up there with the classics."

Hates favorite role -- Bazemore said he was cautious about the final because Gilbertson might have had the fans' sympathy. Gilbertson's car caught fire in the semifinals, and volunteers from at least eight various Funny Car and Top Fuel teams helped him prepare for his first final since October 2001.

"I do better as the underdog," Bazemore said. He's top dog after this 18th career victory that made him the class points leader and third different Funny Car winner this year.

The thrilling and ugly -- Jason Line defeated Dave Connolly by 12-thousandths of a second for the Pro Stock victory, and Steve Johnson chased down Craig Treble to win the Pro Stock Motorcycle final by .0142 seconds (about four feet).

The Top Fuel final was as ugly as the ones for Pro Stock cars and bikes were thrilling, but Doug Kalitta in the Mac Tools Dragster won the tire-smoking pedal-fest against Larry Dixon.

The victory was a relief for Kalitta, the 2000 event winner, who hadn't advanced past the opening round in either of the first two races this season but performed his best in front of his primary sponsors.

Kalitta and Dixon lost traction about the same spot on the track and Kalitta powered his Mac Tools Dragster to a winning 5.182-second elapsed time at 296.24 mph, as Dixon's Miller Lite car wiggled back and forth to a 5.925/169.81.

"I was pretty nervous, but it gathered itself up good. I thought he was going to go blowing by me. Larry's a heck of a driver," Kalitta said after improving from ninth to fifth in the standings. "(Crew chief) Rahn Tobler and my whole team had a good thing going.

"I was wondering what it was going to take to get caught back up," he said, as his four-year-old son, Mitchell, played at his feet with the winner's trophy. "This is definitely a good start. I was real humble coming into this thing."

We don't need no stinkin' parity -- Line is the third Pro Stock winner in as many races. He drove the KB Racing Pontiac Grand Am to a winning E.T. of 6.716 seconds at 205.90 mph over Pomona winner Dave Connolly's 6.749/205.66. "There's parity in the class, and we're trying to get rid of it," Line said with a smile.

This is the one -- Steve Johnson, running in his 200th race, was unable to fully appreciate and celebrate his only other victory. It came last June at St. Louis the day popular Top Fuel driver Darrell Russell was killed.

"This is the one I will treasure as my first win," Johnson said after using a better reaction time and a 7.139-second pass at 187.26 mph to overtake Treble's quicker and faster 7.161/185.95 in the all-Suzuki final.

Dixon disappointed -- "Other than getting the win light, it was a pretty good weekend," Top Fuel runner-up Larry Dixon said. "You come into each race wanting to win and we didn't accomplish that. It's disappointing because it wouldn't have taken much to win that [final] round."

"We were low [E.T.] the two rounds before that and we pressed it and shouldn’t have," assistant crew chief Don Bender added. "We tried to run better because we thought [Doug Kalitta] would. The track got better and we thought they'd run a 4.48 or 4.49 and we knew we had to be right with them and got too aggressive with the clutch."

Force flops -- The Team Castrol Fords weren’t able to capitalize on a 1-2-3 start, and Ashley Force wasn't able to close the deal in her bid for the Top Alcohol Dragster championship at Gainesville Raceway. A hotter track surface that made the transition from concrete to asphalt far more troublesome was the undoing of the two cars that led the qualifying – the Team Castrol/Automobile Club of Southern California Ford driven by rookie Robert Hight and the Castrol SYNTEC Mustang driven by Eric Medlen.

After posting the quickest times in round one (4.809 and 4.824, respectively), Hight and Medlen found themselves tractionless at virtually the same spot on the racetrack in round two. The result? Hight slowed to 5.253 and Medlen to 5.260 in losing to Whit Bazemore and Bob Gilbertson, respectively.

As for team leader John Force, he appeared on his way to a record 182nd final round when an input shaft broke in the semifinals, making it impossible for the 13-time series champion to chase down Gilbertson after his car erupted in flames from a blown engine.

The upshot was that Bazemore got a free pass to his first win of the season and to the POWERade points lead when an obviously flustered Gilbertson was guilty of a foul start in the final round.

Ashley Force took the Castrol/Hot Wheels dragster all the way to the final round before losing a .001 of second decision to Aaron Olivares. Despite the loss, the 22-year-old took the national points lead in the Lucas Sportsman Series in which she finished fourth a year ago.

The joys of fatherhood -- Whit Bazemore put his first NHRA Funny Car victory since nearly a year ago at Topeka in perspective.

"This is greatest week of my life," the Indianapolis resident said Sunday after winning the Mac Tools Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway and son Dashiell Aidan was born March 12 to share a birthday with his drag-racing father. "If we had not qualified yesterday, it still would have been the greatest week of my life."

The Matco Tools Dodge Stratus driver said his view of parenthood has changed.

"You hear all the time how great it is," Bazemore said. "I always kind of said, 'Aw, yeah, I'm sure it is. Where's my race car?' But when it happened, it was the biggest, most joyous moment I think you can experience. It far exceeds anything else that you can do. He's the coolest little kid."

You again? – For the second time in three races, Clay Millican beat a member of Team Kalitta in the first round on a holeshot. This time it was Scott. At Pomona, it was Doug. Millican said he's pretty sure he won't always be able to stop the group that's arguably the most formidable in the class. "Those guys have the baddest hot rod on the planet, and this will go the other way in the future. I promise you that."
It got even better for Millican in the next round, as he took out David Grubnic on another holeshot victory.

Ouch -- The leading six Top Fuel drivers were eliminated by the second round. Funny Car points leader Phil Burkart failed to qualify, and six of the class' other top-10 drivers dropped out by Round 2. Allen Johnson, who entered as Pro Stock leader, also lost in the opening round.

Kids say the darnedest things – Nobody felt the sting of defeat more than Scott Kalitta, the Mac Tools/Jesse James Dragster driver who lost to Clay Millican on a first-round holeshot. Kalitta's 12-year-old son Corey, told grandfather Connie Kalitta (the team owner and crew chief), "Don't worry, Granddad. I can take over for my lame old man in only four more years."
After looking around his family's pit, Corey Kalitta added, "I've never seen so many grown men pouting."

Not a predictable ET – NHRA announcer Bob Frey said it best when offered this assessment on Morgan Lucas’ pedal-fest with John Smith in the first round. He added, "I bet if you would told Morgan Lucas that he’d run a 5.53, chances are he would have expected to go home early."

Helping hands -- Bob Gilbertson reached the Funny Car final round against Whit Bazemore with a truly hot rod. As he beat John Force, his Prestone/Autolite Chevy Monte Carlo crossed the finish line on fire, and Gilbertson escaped unhurt from the flames and smoke.

Rival Ron Capps -- Bazemore's teammate at Don Schumacher Racing -- and ESPN reporter Dave Reiff packed the parachutes. Crew members from at least eight other Funny Car and Top Fuel teams helped repair the car for his first final-round appearance since October 2001. They included representatives from the Top Fuel teams of David Baca, Doug Herbert, Scott Weis, and Team Kalitta. Mike Green, crew chief for Tommy Johnson Jr., led the Funny Car contingent, along with team owner Chuck Worsham and his Checker-Schuck's-Kragen team members and one worker from Tony Pedregon's team.

"That's cool," Bazemore said upon learning his teammate helped his opponent. "It's big business on one hand, but it's not so big a business that it's totally cut-throat. It's still drag racing, after all. As much as they want it to be NASCAR, it isn't. There's an element of sportsmanship. I'm glad we were helping him. Personally, I was hoping they weren't going to make it, just because I wanted the trophy."

Denied -- When Doug Kalitta defeated Larry Dixon in the Top Fuel final, he kept Dixon's boss, Don "The Snake" Prudhomme from winning the 100th NHRA crown of his combined driving and team-owner career.

New leader -- Despite losing his final-round match-up with Jason Line, Dave Connolly powered his Bullet Motorsports Chevy Cavalier to the top of the Pro Stock standings. He leads closest challenger Warren Johnson by 20 points as the tour heads to Houston April 8-10. Whit Bazemore, who said he and is team "are expected to win -- a lot," became the new points leader in Funny Car. Tony Schumacher, in the U.S. Army Dragster, retained his Top Fuel edge, although he lost to runner-up Larry Dixon in the second round. He's eight points ahead of No. 2 Morgan Lucas.

SPORTSMAN -

SATURDAY - HIGHT EARNS FIRST TOP QUALIFYING PERFORMANCE IN THIRD CAREER START; Grubnic, Anderson and Hines also take qualifying honors at Mac Tools Gatornationals

(3-19-2005) – Rookie Funny Car driver Robert Hight raced to his first No. 1 qualifying position in only his third career start Saturday at the Mac Tools NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway.

Dave Grubnic, Greg Anderson and Andrew Hines also will lead their categories into Sunday’s 11 a.m. eliminations at the $2 million race, the third of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.

Hight drove his Auto Club Ford Mustang to a track record time of 4.749 seconds at 325.96 mph to lead the 16-car lineup, while teammates Eric Medlen and John Force claimed positions two and three respectively in their Castrol Mustangs. It is the fourth time that Force Racing has swept the top three qualifying positions since the team added a third car to its stable in 2001.

"I would've been just as happy if I was third, but this is cool," Hight said. "Let me tell you, from working on these cars to driving them, the increase in your stress level is unreal. I never stressed like I did today when I was a crew guy.”

Hight, Force’s son-in-law, said that some last minute tuning decisions by crew chief Jimmy Prock helped put him on top.

"Jimmy must have run back to the car 100 times before that final round to make adjustments,” Hight said. “He was making me even more nervous than I already was. The car was really going. I didn't know if it was that good because it shot out the rods right when I lifted and I could see fire through the windows so I figured it had labored a little, but it didn't."

Grubnic claimed his seventh No. 1 qualifying position in Top Fuel with a track record performance of 4.481 at 331.85 in his Zantrex-3 dragster. Grubnic, who has advanced to seven finals without a victory, will try to change that statistic when he faces Bruce Litton in tomorrow’s first round.

"It's good to be on top, you bet, especially for our new sponsor Zantrex-3; and for Mac Tools, because they're the principle sponsor of this race," Grubnic said. "We're running well and we absolutely feel as though we're very close (to our first win). The team and car is there. It's really just a matter of time. No worries.”

Anderson took his 34th No. 1 qualifying award and first of the season with a national record run of 6.633 at 208.23 in his Summit Racing Pontiac Grand Am.

"We've made all the right calls so far this weekend and we'll need to continue making the right calls if we want to do well tomorrow,” said Anderson, who will face veteran driver Rickie Smith in the opening round. “This is by far the toughest (elimination) ladder I've ever seen.”

Two-time NHRA POWERade world champion Anderson, who opened the season with disappointing efforts at Pomona, Calif. and Phoenix, feels that his race team is back on track.

"Right now I'm more impressed with the consistency of our car than anything else, including the record,” said Anderson, who clocked a pair of 6.65s during Saturday’s qualifying runs. “The feeling of knowing you're getting in a racecar that is going to run straight down the racetrack every time is what you live for. We might have struggled earlier this year but the guys didn't start yelling at each other and going crazy. They just went back to work and figured out what was wrong."

Hines certified his milestone elapsed time of 6.991 for a national record and wiped out the category’s four-year-old national speed record with a 197.45 blast on his Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson to take his ninth top qualifying award in Pro Stock Motorcycle.

"We're looking good so far," said Hines, who is joined at the top of the qualifying order by teammate GT Tonglet, who was second on his identically-prepared Harley-Davidson. "The most important thing is to be 1-2 tomorrow, just like last year. These bikes we have now are so awesome. They're 100-percent different from last year's bikes. These things are like Cadillacs and the motors are way more reliable.”

Hines, who became the first rider to enter the NHRA Mickey Thompson 6-Second Pro Stock Bike Club yesterday, feels that he might have company tomorrow. The second rider to enter the 8-position club receives a $3,000 bonus.

"I think the track was there for more bikes to get in the sixes but it looks like people just missed the set-up,” Hines said. “I know we did. We lost it all in the first 60 feet on both runs today. We all went from our cold weather tune-up to our warm weather tune-up in one day. By tomorrow, there might be a bunch of sixes."

First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the 36th annual Mac Tools NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway, the third of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday.

Top Fuel -- 1. David Grubnic, 4.481 seconds, 331.85 mph vs. 16. Bruce Litton, 4.832, 295.76; 2. Doug Kalitta, 4.488, 325.14 vs. 15. Doug Herbert, 4.774, 241.74; 3. Cory McClenathan, 4.497, 331.00 vs. 14. Scott Weis, 4.686, 315.67; 4. Tony Schumacher, 4.520, 333.95 vs. 13. Rod Fuller, 4.671, 316.45; 5. Larry Dixon, 4.525, 326.56 vs. 12. David Baca, 4.669, 322.92; 6. Morgan Lucas, 4.537, 320.97 vs. 11. John Smith, 4.629, 318.58; 7. Brandon Bernstein, 4.551, 325.85 vs. 10. Andrew Cowin, 4.583, 314.35; 8. Clay Millican, 4.572, 315.90 vs. 9. Scott Kalitta, 4.577, 326.20.

Funny Car -- 1. Robert Hight, Ford Mustang, 4.749, 325.96 vs. 16. Dale Creasy Jr., Pontiac Firebird, 5.034, 286.80; 2. Eric Medlen, Mustang, 4.773, 326.08 vs. 15. Tim Wilkerson, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.014, 259.14; 3. John Force, Mustang, 4.775, 329.42 vs. 14. Jim Head, Dodge Stratus, 4.967, 302.41; 4. Del Worsham, Monte Carlo, 4.803, 322.34 vs. 13. Tony Bartone, Monte Carlo, 4.926, 315.90; 5. Gary Scelzi, Stratus, 4.815, 312.60 vs. 12. Ron Capps, Stratus, 4.902, 321.65; 6. Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo, 4.824, 320.17 vs. 11. Jeff Arend, Monte Carlo, 4.887, 304.56; 7. Tony Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.834, 313.91 vs. 10. Bob Gilbertson, Monte Carlo, 4.887, 311.63; 8. Whit Bazemore, Stratus, 4.862, 313.26 vs. 9. Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.865, 302.31.

Pro Stock -- 1. Greg Anderson, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.633, 208.23 vs. 16. Rickie Smith, Chevy Cavalier, 6.709, 206.46; 2. Mike Edwards, Grand Am, 6.650, 207.03 vs. 15. Allen Johnson, Dodge Stratus, 6.708, 205.94; 3. Kenny Koretsky, Stratus, 6.660, 207.27 vs. 14. Richie Stevens, Stratus, 6.696, 207.08; 4. Dave Connolly, Cavalier, 6.669, 207.51 vs. 13. V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.695, 206.32; 5. Kurt Johnson, Cavalier, 6.671, 207.13 vs. 12. Greg Stanfield, Cavalier, 6.689, 206.94; 6. Jason Line, Grand Am, 6.672, 207.23 vs. 11. Ron Krisher, Cavalier, 6.687, 207.46; 7. Jim Yates, Grand Am, 6.672, 206.46 vs. 10. Jeg Coughlin, Stratus, 6.686, 207.13; 8. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.681, 207.03 vs. 9. Warren Johnson, Grand Am, 6.683, 206.42.

Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.991, 197.45 vs. 16. Blaine Hale, Suzuki, 7.149, 187.22; 2. GT Tonglet, Harley-Davidson, 7.007, 197.45 vs. 15. Redell Harris, Suzuki, 7.147, 184.95; 3. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 7.016, 190.67 vs. 14. Shawn Gann, Suzuki, 7.139, 189.03; 4. Antron Brown, Suzuki, 7.024, 190.47 vs. 13. Scott Valetti, Kawasaki, 7.136, 190.27; 5. Angelle Sampey, Suzuki, 7.029, 190.47 vs. 12. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 7.111, 187.85; 6. Ryan Schnitz, Buell, 7.038, 190.63 vs. 11. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.093, 188.79; 7. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.055, 192.47 vs. 10. Matt Smith, Suzuki, 7.082, 187.26; 8. Chip Ellis, Buell, 7.056, 187.77 vs. 9. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.077, 190.31.

KABOOM! Hey Baca, that looks expensive...

David Baca lights up the Friday night with this explosion. (Motel 6 Vision)

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SATURDAY NOTES - Hight is throwing a party, Burkart fall short and 330-mph Fram Air Hogs...

HAPPY HIGHT - Robert Hight didn't set a national or track record Saturday like the other three Gatornationals pro-class top qualifiers. But the Funny Car rookie earned his first No. 1 position in just the third start of his NHRA career.

This is the fourth time John Force Racing's Castrol/Auto Club of Southern California Ford Mustangs have been 1-2-3 in the starting order. The previous three times occurred in 2003, at the Phoenix, Bristol, and spring Chicago races.

David Grubnic (Top Fuel), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock), and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle) maintained the top spots they captured Friday.

Hight had the quickest time at 4.749 seconds on the Gainesville Raceway quarter-mile at 325.96 miles an hour.

He used to be Force's clutch specialist and facility manager at the team's Yorba Linda, Calif., headquarters. "To go from working on these cars to driving them, the stress level is unbelievable," Hight said. "I was happy to just qualify well. I would've been happy being No. 3."

Grubnic, who will try with Team Kalitta's Zantrex-3 Dragster for the first victory of his 11-year career, will lead the 16-car field for the second straight time at Gainesville with his 4.481-second elapsed time at 331.85 mph. Both are track records.

The Brisbane, Australia, native said Force assured him that his first triumph would come when he no longer worries about it. "When it's right," Grubnic said, "our time will come."

Anderson, who's seeking his first victory of the NHRA Powerade Drag Racing season, called the Pro Stock lineup "the toughest-looking ladder I've seen so far."

The two-time and defending class champion said his 6.633-second, 208.23-mph effort, which are expected officially to eclipse his own national records at the end of the event, said he was more impressed with the consistency of his Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac Grand Am. "That's how we did what we did last year," he said. "When the pressure is on, that's when you dig down and find that extra 10 percent. That's when you get your best results."

Hines said his chances for a repeat Pro Stock Motorcycle victory for Harley-Davidson at the Gatornationals are better than average -- because his V-Twin is, too." The motors are definitely a lot more reliable this year," the reigning champion said. "We have not changed a motor yet this weekend."

OUT OF LUCK - Funny Car points leader Phil Burkart failed to make the field of 16. He was 19th out of 20 entries going into the final session but lost traction and didn't finish the run under full power. "We came inhere qualified No. 1. We were on a high, and not qualifying for the show is pretty tough on us," he said. "Conditions threw a curveball at us yesterday, and we couldn't get it done today."

330-PLUS - Cory McClenathan qualified the Carrier Boyz FRAM AirHog Dragster No. 3 in the Top Fuel field and served notice that he will be a contender this weekend with his 4.506-second elapsed time at 331.00 mph. Despite cold weather and a cold track, McClenathan was the first driver to run 331 mph at Gainesville Raceway."It's hard to believe that was the first time anyone has gone over 330 here," McClenathan said. "That was easy. I thought I was in the 60s [4.60 seconds], but I’ll take the low 50s."

McClenathan had low E.T. of the first qualifying session on Saturday with a 4.529-second pass at 330.15 mph. He ended qualifying with his best run of the weekend, a 4.497-second E.T. at 329.91 mph.

He said crew chief Todd Smith "wanted to try to do something a little bit different here. With [clutch specialist] Bob Bauer's help, Todd wanted to make some changes after Phoenix. It was really good work. The weather has been dramatically different each day and regardless, we were able to run really well. I think we proved it was no fluke. We could run in cold weather, hot weather -- it didn’t matter. That will give us confidence for tomorrow. We are finally gelling as a team and Todd has given me a great car to drive."

Smith said "Qualifying at this event is almost flawless. We had one hiccup Friday night – a battery problem on the race car -- and we had to shut it down. Otherwise it would have been a good run. Besides that, it has been a good weekend. We couldn't be any happier.

"We made some changes to the [car] after Phoenix and it has responded really well. This is a big confidence booster for all of us. It puts us in the top half of the field, and we haven't been there yet this year. We're going to go in tomorrow, full bore."

SWINGING BY - PGA veteran Nick Price, a South Africa native who lives in Hobe Sound, joined Top Fuel team owner Joe Amato and driver Morgan Lucas for his first trip to the dragstrip. He has the weekend off before competing next week in The Players Championship at Jacksonville.

"You have no concept of speed when you watch on TV," Price said. "I think the amazing thing, having watched so much on television, and the different camera angles is always a little bit deceptive. But the speed off the line, it's just -- you expect the noise -- but the speed is phenomenal."

Price said he was impressed with the accessibility at the race track. "It is a real eye-opener. I walked through the compound and saw how fan-friendly everything is and how it is very close and hands-on for the fans," he said. "It's just a wonderful spectacle."

Price said he follows Formula One and NASCAR competition, "but I have watched NHRA since I first came over to the States in 1982."

STRAIGHTENING OUT - NASCAR headliner Jeff Gordon's crew came out to watch Funny Car driver Tommy Johnson Jr. in the Skoal Chevy Monte Carlo and his Top Fuel teammate Larry Dixon, who drives the Miller Lite Dragster. They were guests of team owner Don Prudhomme.

CRAZY MEMORIES - This year marks the 10th since Scott Kalitta had the wilder of his two rides in the Gatornationals finals.

Against Blaine Johnson in 1996, Kalitta rode out a blowover.

At about 100 feet downtrack, his dragster flipped, hit the wall, spun around into the center of the lane and skidded down the track backward.

"Blaine smoked the tires, and he never got back on it ," Kalitta said. "I never saw him go by me. I think he was wondering if I was going to come over in his lane. I thought, 'I might just win this thing backwards,' " Kalitta said.

He didn't. And when his wife, Kathy, and TV cameramen rushed to him, he turned to her and said, "Oh, hi, Honey. How's it goin'?"

The other final-round appearance, in the 1994 Gatornationals, really bugged him, though.

He had a dominant dragster. He and his American International Airways Dragster already had set the national elapsed-time record two weeks before at Houston.

He had set the national speed record in the semifinals and was expected to whip his final opponent -- father Connie. But Connie isn't called "The Bounty Hunter" for nothing. Dad had a better reaction time at the start and set low elapsed time of the event in thrashing Scott.

"I got accused of being a bad dad after that," Connie said. "I wanted to out-drive him and I did!"

Said Scott, "I wasn't mad because the old man won. I was mad because I lost the race."

He loves to tell of the time in the 1980s when they raced each other and Connie gave him team orders to jump the light for a disqualification. "I didn't want to," Scott said. "Instead, I just took off in high gear, and I still left on him. I lost the race, of course, but I gave him grief for a long time about leaving on him in high gear. He doesn't let me forget about the Gainesville race."

FRIDAY - HINES WINS $10,000 BONUS FOR BECOMING INAUGURAL MEMBER OF MICKEY THOMPSON NHRA 6-SECOND PRO STOCK BIKE CLUB; Grubnic, Medlen and Anderson also are qualifying leaders at Mac Tools NHRA Gatornationals

(3-18-2005) – Andrew Hines raced to the first six-second Pro Stock Motorcycle run in NHRA history Friday highlighting a record-setting day of qualifying at the Mac Tools NHRA Gatornationals.

It is another historic performance for legendary Gainesville Raceway, the site of many of NHRA’s milestone runs, including the first 300 mph run in 1992 by Kenny Bernstein.

Defending series champion Hines powered his Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson to a 6.991 second run at 196.16 mph to claim the $10,000 bonus Mickey Thompson Tires offered to the first rider to post a six-second performance.

Hines was the only rider to post a six-second run, as his teammate GT Tonglet flirted with the mark by posting a 7.007 at a track record speed of 197.45 mph on his identically prepared Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson.

“It's an awesome feeling,” said Hines, who earns a permanent spot in the NHRA record book for the effort. "I knew as soon as I let the clutch out and it didn't bog down that it would be a six-second run. There is only one of these trophies and now it has my name on it. I know Terry (Vance, co-team owner) was the first in the sevens so we kept the big barrier-breaking runs in the Vance & Hines camp. We're kind of all in awe right now."

Dave Grubnic, Eric Medlen and Greg Anderson also were qualifying leaders in their respective categories at the $2 million race, the third of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.

Grubnic was quickest in Top Fuel, covering the quarter-mile distance with a track-record performance of 4.481 seconds at 331.85 in his Zantrex-3 dragster.

"(That) run was smooth as glass, just straight down the middle," Grubnic said. 'It was great to (qualify) right away and to be No. 1 at a Mac race because all their people are here rooting for us.”

Grubnic’s teammate Doug Kalitta was second with a near-identical 4.488 at 325.14 in his Mac Tools dragster.

Medlen powered to a track record performance of 4.773 seconds at 326.08 mph in the Castrol Syntec Ford Mustang to lead Funny Car and just edge out his boss and teammate John Force, who posted a 4.775 at a track record speed of 329.42 in his Castrol GTX Start Up Mustang.

"I don't know what's better; being No. 1 and setting a track record or edging John,” Medlen said. "I hope he doesn't hear me say that, but he probably wouldn't care. We're a family over there and we're all pretty happy. It appears we have a little advantage over everyone right now so I don't want to say too much about what we're doing; but the truth is these other teams are all so good that everyone will be running 4.70s and 4.80s tomorrow.”

Anderson set both ends of the national performance record to claim the top qualifying spot in Pro Stock. Anderson powered to a 6.633 at 208.23 in his Pontiac Grand Am.

Two-time defending series champ Anderson, who struggled in the first two races this season and fell to 10th in the points order, says he wanted to come out and make a statement this weekend.

"We desperately needed something good to happen for this team," Anderson said. "We've been off our game the first few races and we needed to get our morale and confidence back up. People have said it’s just bad luck, but I have always said you make your own luck. We just needed to relax and remember that we haven't forgotten how to race.”

Anderson, who took advantage of the day’s unseasonably cool and overcast conditions, will earn 20 bonus points if he holds the national elapsed time record at the end of the weekend.

"I don't think anybody expected these conditions,” Anderson said. “Of course, I hope the national record holds because we really need those extra points to get out of the hole we've put ourselves in."

Qualifying continues at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

Results Friday after qualifying for the 36th annual MAC Tools NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway, third of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday's final eliminations.

Top Fuel -- 1. David Grubnic, 4.481 seconds, 331.85 mph; 2. Doug Kalitta, 4.488, 325.14; 3. Cory McClenathan, 4.506, 331.00; 4. Larry Dixon, 4.543, 326.56; 5. Brandon Bernstein, 4.551, 325.85; 6. Scott Kalitta, 4.592, 326.20; 7. John Smith, 4.629, 318.58; 8. Clay Millican, 4.677, 308.95; 9. Doug Herbert, 4.774, 225.67; 10. David Baca, 4.805, 222.05; 11. Morgan Lucas, 4.835, 219.03; 12. Tony Schumacher, 5.396, 171.72; 13. Bruce Litton, 5.888, 148.00; 14. Scott Weis, 10.012, 97.03; 15. Rod Fuller, 10.773, 81.06; 16. Luigi Novelli, 11.500, 82.97.

Funny Car -- 1. Eric Medlen, Ford Mustang, 4.773, 326.08; 2. John Force, Mustang, 4.775, 329.42; 3. Del Worsham, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.848, 306.33; 4. Ron Capps, Dodge Stratus, 4.902, 321.65; 5. Tony Bartone, Monte Carlo, 4.926, 315.90; 6. Tim Wilkerson, Monte Carlo, 5.014, 259.14; 7. Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 5.016, 222.66; 8. Tony Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 5.074, 245.23; 9. Whit Bazemore, Stratus, 5.232, 214.54; 10. Gary Densham, Monte Carlo, 5.508, 283.46; 11. Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo, 7.186, 121.72; 12. Frank Pedregon, Stratus, 7.563, 115.65; 13. Phil Burkart, Monte Carlo, 8.213, 103.60; 14. Robert Hight, Mustang, 9.047, 101.66; 15. Dale Creasy Jr., Pontiac Firebird, 9.120, 89.17; 16. Bob Gilbertson, Monte Carlo, 10.954, 123.67.

Pro Stock -- 1. Greg Anderson, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.633, 208.23; 2. Mike Edwards, Grand Am, 6.650, 207.03; 3. Kenny Koretsky, Dodge Stratus, 6.660, 207.08; 4. Kurt Johnson, Chevy Cavalier, 6.671, 207.13; 5. Jim Yates, Grand Am, 6.672, 205.80; 6. Dave Connolly, Cavalier, 6.677, 206.84; 7. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.683, 207.03; 8. Ron Krisher, Cavalier, 6.687, 207.46; 9. Greg Stanfield, Cavalier, 6.714, 206.51; 10. Rickie Smith, Cavalier, 6.723, 206.23; 11. V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.723, 206.13; 12. Richie Stevens, Stratus, 6.726, 205.29; 13. Jeg Coughlin, Stratus, 6.727, 204.68; 14. Mark Whisnant, Cavalier, 6.731, 205.33; 15. Bruce Allen, Grand Am, 6.733, 204.49; 16. Warren Johnson, Grand Am, 6.742, 206.28.

Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.991, 196.16; 2. GT Tonglet, Harley-Davidson, 7.007, 197.45; 3. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 7.016, 190.47; 4. Antron Brown, Suzuki, 7.024, 189.95; 5. Angelle Sampey, Suzuki, 7.029, 188.60; 6. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.055, 190.11; 7. Chip Ellis, Buell, 7.056, 185.52; 8. Ryan Schnitz, Buell, 7.057, 188.87; 9. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.093, 187.14; 10. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.126, 188.36; 11. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 7.128, 187.34; 12. Blaine Hale, Suzuki, 7.149, 187.11; 13. Shawn Gann, Suzuki, 7.170, 188.60; 14. Rickey Gadson, Suzuki, 7.174, 185.91; 15. Wesley Wells, Suzuki, 7.185, 184.69; 16. Scott Valetti, Kawasaki, 7.190, 186.76.

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Hang on Sloopy - Frank Pedregon's fun continues

After popping the blower in the first session, Funny Car racer Frank Pedregon gained a little more track bite than he wanted in the Friday evening session. (Motel 6 Vision)

FRIDAY NOTES - Nothing like a six second run, An Army of one arm push-ups and Remembering Lee Shepherd

(3-18-2005) - CHAMP CHANGE- Andrew Hines, the defending Gatornationals and Pro Stock Motorcycle champion, posted the class' first sub-7-second elapsed time with a 6.991-second pass (at 196.16 mph) in the evening session. The Harley-Davidson rider earned the $10,000 bonus for the feat, making him the inaugural member of the Mickey Thompson Six-Second Pro Stock Bike Club.

"That was an awesome pass. As soon as I popped the clutch, I knew I was on a pass. My dad gave me all the power in the world to do it," the No. 1 qualifier said of father Byron Hines, co-owner of the Vance & Hines Screaming Eagle team. "As far as I'm concerned, we should have every race on the circuit here

"The bike has awesome potential to go faster. We've got a lot more left," he said. "If we have good conditions, maybe we'll see a lower 6-second pass."

He said his team built two new bikes during the off season and said they're "like night and day from last year's bikes. These bikes are like Cadillacs, compared to last year's. We're just in awe that we did it."

Hines could lower his own national E.T. record if he makes another run within one percent of that this weekend, either in qualifying or eliminations.

Teammate G.T. Tonglet qualified second at 7.007/197.45. That E.T., too, is quicker than the current national mark.

The Harley V-Twin tandem, finalists last year at Gainesville, threatened in the opening session Friday. Hines was three-hundredths of a second quicker than preliminary No. 1 qualifier Sampey at the 1,000-foot mark in the first session. Had he continued on that pace, he would have turned in a 6.999-second run. She took the early lead with a 7.029-seconds pass at 187.89 mph.

RECORD COMEBACK - Greg Anderson, who set five NHRA single-season performance records in 2004 en route to a second consecutive Pro Stock title. In the first two events of this year, he has qualified no better than seventh and won just one round of eliminations to open defense of his Gatornationals victory in 10th place. However, he claimed the track E.T. and speed records in Friday's first session at 6.649 seconds and 207.32 mph. In the evening, he improved on his No. 1 position by running a 6.633/208.23, both for national records. The record, which carries 20 extra points for the E.T. mark, will become official at the end of the event.

"We desperately needed something good to happen to get the morale up," Anderson said. "It feels like winning the race already. We got off our game somehow and acted like we hadn't raced before. You don't want to dig yourself a hole you can't get out of. We think we got ourselves back in the groove. We needed to go somewhere and calm down."

OLD CAR, NEW MARK - Eric Medlen left the previous NHRA race, at Phoenix, without a car. He had wrecked his Castrol Syntec Ford Mustang Funny Car, and his John Force Racing crew built not one but two in the two weeks before these Gatornationals.

He repaid his crew Friday by qualifying No. 1 with a track-record elapsed time of 4.773 seconds (at 326.08 mph). Boss Force sits No. 2 with a 4.775 at a track speed record 329.42 mph. The car Medlen used is the 2002 Mustang in which Tony Pedregon set the previous track mark. That March 21, 1999, mark by Pedregon was the longest-standing one in the class.

Referring to the fact that John Force Racing has four successful crew chiefs, "We just believe our multithreaded dragon makes the difference."

SHAKIN' IT - Last year, when Brisbane native David Grubnic was Top Fuel's No. 1 qualifier at the Gatornationals, he said in his best Australian accent, "We're shaikin' it, by-bee!" He meant they were, in American vernacular, rockin' and rollin'. He was provisional No. 1 qualifier again Friday, and in the night session, he was shakin' it again. But this time, he was referring to the buffeting he was experiencing inside the Zantrex-3 Dragster.

"It was great first run. It was as smooth as glass, went straight down the track," Grubnic said of the 4.481-second, 331.85-mph run that set both ends of the Gainesville Raceway record. "The second run it picked up the front end and started shaking. They [dragsters] rag-doll you when they shake. It kind of bounced me around a bit."

He added, "The track's obviously very good. The speed's good, because with the new rev limiter in place, we might be able to hold that a little while. It's great to do that for Zantrex-3 and Mac Tools."

He said Doug Kalitta, his teammate and the No. 2 qualifier in the Mac Tools Dragster, told him, "Get your wins in now, because I'm going to be coming on like a freight train."

CREASY DEBUTS - Despite a mechanical failure that left him with no better than a 9.120 elapsed time, Dale Creasy Jr. made the Funny Car field in 10th place in the first session. He is making his 2005 debut, driving his family-owned Chevy Monte Carlo that's sponsored by Torco Racing Fuels.

REMEMBERING SHEPHERD - This event has a special significance for Pro Stock driver Bruce Allen and owner/crew chief David Reher. It marks the 20th anniversary of Allen's debut in the Reher-Morrison entry. The Arlington, Texas, native took over the seat following the death of the four-time NHRA champion in a testing accident in Ardmore, Okla.

"I think most people were surprised that David (Reher) and Buddy (Morrison) came back to race again, because they and Shepherd were like one entity," said Dave Densmore, John Force's public-relations representative who served Shepherd's team in the same role at the time of the crash. "Lee did the cylinder heads, David did the engines, and Buddy did the chassis. It was one of those magic groupings that just fell into place."

"David and Buddy hired Bruce because he was much like Lee, very mechanically minded," Densmore said. "I don't think anybody else could've filled that spot."

Shepherd won four consecutive championships, from 1981-84.

PLANE TRUTH - Californians Forrest and Charlotte Lucas, owners of Lucas Oil and sponsors of NHRA sportsman-level racing and several professional teams, were unable to get to Gainesville this weekend. The airline cancelled their flight to Florida, so they decided to go shopping -- for a jet of their own, said son Morgan, a Top Fuel driver.

AN ARM OF ONE - Pro Stock Motorcycle headliner Angelle Sampey rose to a friendly challenge by former team owner George Bryce. Rather, she dropped to the challenge. She dropped to the ground and performed five one-armed push-ups. Her sponsor, the U.S. Army, uses the motto "An Army of One."

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KABOOM! - Garlits tribute Funny Car debuts with a bang

(3-18-2005) - NHRA announcer Bob Frey summed up Frank Pedregon's first pass in Gatornationals Funny Car qualifying by saying, "At least he didn't blow the burst panel out. That would have taken out "Big" from the teeth down. (Brian Wood photo).

PREVIEW - 'Grumpy Old Men'

Pro Stock Schtik Opens In Gainesville This Weekend

(3-17-2005) - Awwh -- they'll tell you. They have better things to do than worry about what each other is up to. That's true.

However, NHRA Pro Stock legends Warren Johnson, Bob Glidden, and Bill Jenkins are connected, even if they might not like to admit it. They can be borderline crochety at times, but they have a mutual respect that has evolved through the years.

Call it NHRA's version of the "Grumpy Old Men" syndrome -- after all, Jenkins' nickname for a long time has been "Grumpy." Each is a man of few words but many accomplishments, so naturally their egos would spark a little friction from time to time.

The three also are bound by the past and present at Gainesville, Fla., where they're all preparing for this weekend's Mac Tools Gatornationals, the 36th edition of the first East Coast race on the Powerade Drag Racing Series schedule.

The Torco Racing Fuels' Competition Plus staff will provide complete daily coverage of the professional and sportsman action, with results, behind-the-scenes news, and on-track and in-the-pits photos and videos throughout the weekend and beyond.

Johnson, runner-up at the Winternationals and No. 2 qualifier at Phoenix in his GM Performance Parts Pontiac Grand Am, quickly is making up for his abysmal 2004 season. He's third in the standings, just 15 off leader Allen Johnson's pace. His nine Gatornationals victories (1984-85, 1991-94, 1998-2000) are the most by any pro driver at Central Florida's storied quarter-mile.

But as his "School's Out Tour" farewell to full-time driving hits its third stop on the 23-race schedule, he's still linked with his nemeses Glidden and Jenkins, although they long ago left the driver's seat.

Glidden is the Pro Stock potentate for drivers Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Richie Stevens at Don Schumacher Racing. Stevens was No. 1 qualifier at Phoenix in only his second Pro Stock race since 2003. Driving the Team Mopar Hemi-powered Dodge Stratus R/T, he led the field at Phoenix' Firebird International Raceway with a 6.735-second elapsed time at a track-record 205.35 mph. He's tied for eighth place in the standings, just 76 points out of first.

Jenkins is engine builder and mentor for Dave Connolly, the 22-year-old winner of the season-opener at Pomona, Calif., and the one some pick to win the title this year. Connolly is three points behind Johnson, in fourth place with the Bullet Motorsports Chevy Cavalier.

Jenkins also was the owner of the "Grumpy's Toy" Chevy Monza that denied Johnson a victory at his first Gatornationals. Larry Lombardo drove that car to the 1976 win, but Johnson didn't complain. He said he just was happy to reach the first of his career 144 final rounds -- in only his eight national event -- and to thaw out. "It took an entire week to dig our truck out of the snowbank in Minnesota before we left," Johnson said.

"Our Camaro was 400 pounds heavier than the Pintos and Monzas that the elite teams were running at the time," he added, "but we still managed to set the top speed. Ironically, we faced Larry Lombardo driving Jenkins' car in the final, which was one of, if not the only, top-notch operation of the time."

The next year at Gainesville, Johnson beat Glidden in the final. That was their only Gatornationals final-round match-up.

The Pro Stock class arguably is the most competitive in NHRA's pro ranks, so Johnson, Glidden, and Jenkins have plenty of on-track foes besides each other's teams. But their "Grumpy Old Men" fondness for each other comes because each started in an era when a racer was a one-man band.

Johnson called today's drivers "hired guns, a required amount of ballast and not a source of information." He said, "Glidden, Jenkins and I . . . are able to do whatever's necessary, working on the car, developing and tuning as well as driving it."

Etta Glidden, who served as her husband's crew chief when he won 85 events and 10 titles, remembered that he and Johnson were "dead-ass enemies who took shots at each other at the track." (Just the same, as children, Rusty and Billy Glidden played with Kurt Johnson while their dads figured out how to foil each other.)

And fellow driver Larry Morgan said Glidden at age 60 still is dangerous: "Drag racing is all he thinks about. He works 100-plus hours a week. I'm telling you, he's not human. But he could pull beside Warren Johnson today and kick Warren's butt. I'd put money on it."

Johnson doesn't seem worried. "Bob brings a lot of mechanical expertise and organizational skills," he said. "He's also competent in figuring out what a car requires to perform up to its potential."

Stevens credited Glidden for his own strong showing since he dropped out in 2002 to take over the family business while dad Richie Sr. had open-heart surgery "It's a lot of hard work on our side. Bob is putting in his hours at the shop. Testing (at Bradenton and this week at South Georgia Motorsports Park in Valdosta) has definitely gained us some knowledge. We are definitely moving in the right direction. Just like money, you can never have enough horsepower, so Bob will still be in the shop fighting to get every little bit he can."

Said Glidden, "I have no bone to pick with Warren. We certainly had our competitive times, but I hope he has a nice season to cap his career. I don't want him to beat us. But he has put a lot into drag racing. "

Johnson is known for his technological advances to the class as an engine builder, chassis designer, and safety advocate. Most notable among them are roll cages, beadlock wheels, and development of the DRCE (Drag Racing Competitive Engine) and its subsequent generations that have been the benchmarks in Pro Stock racing since the 1980s.

Glidden said he didn't think Johnson would stay in the seat this long. Jenkins suggested to "The Professor" last year that if he were going to do so, he should perform better. "I gave him a ration of crap last year," Jenkins said. "I told him, 'What are you doin' out there?!' "

Jenkins, 75, works on engines in his Malvern, Pa., business whose name consists of his two favorite words: Jenkins Competition. He helped elevate the sport from its hoodlum image to one of technological trendiness with his engine innovations and scientific, no-nonsense approach to matters at the track.

"We put on a show and some of us make money at it," Jenkins said drolly. "I've been in the making-it-go-quicker business a long time. This is sort of a non-retirement for me. It's better than dying."

And for Johnson, taking care of his own affairs is better than worrying about his opponents. "I realized a long time ago," he said, "that my arms are too short to drive the car in the other lane."

As for his "old-school" pals, Johnson said, "I’ve never really seen it as they’re trying to beat me specifically rather than they are trying to be competitive in the Pro Stock arena with the focus of their efforts being on winning the championship.They both bring a lot to their respective teams’ tables based on the tremendous amount of experience they have.

"After all, Jenkins has been around since they had wooden spoked wheels on Pro Stockers," Johnson jabbed, "while Glidden came on the scene just after they converted to the aluminum ones.

"The only real difference between myself and the other two is that I am still driving," he said. "Their direction of applying all their energy, as well as their commitment to winning is the same as it was when they were racing themselves.

"I guess among the three of us, we're just gluttons for punishment, which explains why we've remained in racing as long as we have."

FRIDAY, March 18, 2005


Pro Stock Qualifying Session (PS Motorcycle / PS Car) 11:30 AM
Nitro Qualifying Session (Funny Car / Top Fuel Dragster) 12:30 PM
Pro Stock Qualifying Session (PS Motorcycle / PS Car) 2:30 PM
Nitro Qualifying Session (Funny Car / Top Fuel Dragster) 3:30 PM
Secure Track 6:00 PM

SATURDAY, March 19, 2005

Pro Stock Qualifying Session (PS Motorcycle / PS Car) 11:30 AM
Nitro Qualifying Session (Top Fuel Dragster / Funny Car) 12:30 PM
Pro Stock Qualifying Session (PS Motorcycle / PS Car) 2:30 PM
Nitro Qualifying Session (Top Fuel Dragster / Funny Car) 3:30 PM
Secure Track 7:30 PM

SUNDAY, March 20, 2005

Pit and Spectator Gates Open 8:00 AM
Pre-Race Ceremonies 10:00 AM
Final Eliminations 11:00 AM
Secure Event 4:30 PM   

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