SUNDAY - SCELZI, KALITTA AND JOHNSON WIN O’REILLY NHRA THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS AT BRISTOL DRAGWAY

(5-1-2005) -- Gary Scelzi claimed the Funny Car victory in an upset-filled day of racing Sunday at the O’Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals presented by Q-Racing at Bristol Dragway.

Doug Kalitta and Warren Johnson also were winners at the $1.5 million race the sixth of 23 events at the $1.5 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.

Scelzi drove a consistently quick Mopar/Oakley Dodge Stratus to defeat Jeff Arend in the final round and claim his first win of the season and the 30th of his career. Scelzi clocked a 4.815 at 329.26 in his machine to hold off Arend’s CMKX Chevy Monte Carlo, which posted a 4.971 at 282.42 in his first final round in nearly a decade.

While Funny Car points leader Whit Bazemore and 13-time champ John Force lost in the first round, Scelzi took advantage with early round wins over Gary Densham, Tommy Johnson Jr. and Jack Wyatt, before ousting Arend in the final.

"Everyone gets nervous when you see the big upsets and you see all the tire smoke like we did today,” Scelzi said. “If you went up there weak this track was gonna get you. There were so many upsets that no one knew who was gonna win. Winning Bristol was special for me. This place has a lot of meaning and it was one of the few places left where I hadn't won so it's good to get it done.”

Scelzi moved to fourth in the point standings with the victory, while Bazemore held onto the series lead.

Kalitta used a holeshot start to earn his 21st career Top Fuel victory and move into the series lead in his category. Kalitta powered his Mac Tools dragster to a 4.593 at 322.50 to hold off the quicker and faster David Powers Homes dragster of first-time finalist Rod Fuller.

“What a final,” said Kalitta of his second win of the season. “It's always good to win on a holeshot but to do it when I was probably pretty shallow is really something. I'd like to think we have one of the best cars in the class but I can't say it's the best car just yet. There are too many other great cars out there. I do have confidence in our ability to win any race we enter.”

Kalitta defeated Bruce Litton, David Grubnic and Scott Palmer to advance to the final and earn his second Bristol Dragway victory. Kalitta was happy to take advantage of a rare first round loss for defending series champ Tony Schumacher.

“I usually don't look at the points during a race,” Kalitta said. “I save that for during the week. But I knew Tony went out in the first round and I knew we had better do all we can to take advantage of the situation because they don't give you many chances.”

Johnson, 61, earned his 94th Pro Stock victory and second of the season in his GM Performance Parts Pontiac when final round opponent Richie Stevens fouled at the start in his Team Mopar HEMI-powered Dodge Stratus.

“There's no such thing as a bad win or a good loss the way I've always approached this business,” said Johnson. “This is the way we make our living, but the biggest thing was the great turnout of race fans that we had here today. After this track was taken over by Bruton (Smith) and his group they obviously made it into one of the best facilities on the tour. It really doesn't resemble what it was in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s when I raced here before other than the mountains are still here, but even those have been moved back.”

Johnson defeated Allen Johnson, Jason Line and Kurt Johnson in early rounds. With the win, the six-time world champion moves back into the series points lead.

“Our first intention is to win this championship for GM Performance Parts and Pontiac and everybody that's supported us over the years,” said Johnson. “That would be the ideal scenario. Last season was a dismal year for us, and for the sponsors, but they stuck with us and thankfully it's coming around. We're not banking on winning the championship but we're certainly working very hard at it.”

The NHRA POWERade Series continues with the 25th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, May 12-15 at Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Ga.

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

SPORTSMAN FINALS

Stock Eliminator -- Clint Blezien, Chevy Camaro, 12.256, 101.64 def. Lee Zane, Buick Apollo, 11.968, 107.75.

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Final round-by-round results from the Fifth annual O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals presented by Q-Racing at Bristol Dragway, the sixth of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series -

TOP FUEL:

ROUND ONE -- Scott Weis, 5.239, 195.08 def. Cory McClenathan, 9.014, 98.98; Larry Dixon, 4.557, 327.43 def. Doug Herbert, 4.604, 321.42; Doug Kalitta, 6.873, 148.05 def. Bruce Litton, foul; Rod Fuller, 4.548, 323.97 def. Mitch King, 4.801, 301.87; John Smith, 4.583, 319.67 def. Scott Kalitta, 4.627, 321.42; David Grubnic, 5.248, 260.26 def. Tony Schumacher, 6.488, 179.18; Scott Palmer, 4.679, 325.69 def. Morgan Lucas, 13.416, 67.29; Brandon Bernstein, 4.512, 331.04 def. David Baca, 11.794, 81.19;

QUARTERFINALS -- D. Kalitta, 4.678, 302.14 def. Grubnic, foul; Palmer, 4.661, 317.42 def. Dixon, 4.678, 304.39; Fuller, 4.687, 310.05 def. Smith, no time, no speed; Weis, 4.668, 302.28 def. Bernstein, 4.993, 274.05;

SEMIFINALS -- Fuller, 4.607, 324.75 def. Weis, foul; D. Kalitta, 4.567, 322.88 def. Palmer, 7.194, 122.97;

FINAL -- D. Kalitta, 4.593, 322.50 def. Fuller, 4.588, 327.35.

FUNNY CAR:

ROUND ONE -- Tommy Johnson Jr., Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.913, 316.08 def. Whit Bazemore, Dodge Stratus, 5.144, 302.14; Tony Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.936, 308.64 def. Del Worsham, Monte Carlo, 4.951, 310.98; Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 6.098, 221.27 def. John Force, Ford Mustang, 7.096, 137.19; Eric Medlen, Mustang, 9.209, 178.78 def. Ron Capps, Stratus, 9.804, 187.00; Jack Wyatt, Pontiac Firebird, 7.016, 218.51 def. Robert Hight, Mustang, 7.837, 174.12; Gary Scelzi, Stratus, 4.791, 325.37 def. Gary Densham, Monte Carlo, 5.141, 231.36; Tim Wilkerson, Monte Carlo, 4.863, 304.67 def. Bob Gilbertson, Monte Carlo, 9.140, 107.61; Jeff Arend, Monte Carlo, 5.000, 256.99 def. Tony Bartone, Monte Carlo, 9.439, 102.47;

QUARTERFINALS -- Arend, 4.896, 320.58 def. Medlen, 5.453, 197.65; C. Pedregon, 4.842, 314.24 def. T. Pedregon, 7.581, 112.87; Wyatt, 5.294, 237.34 def. Wilkerson, 13.659, 90.91; Scelzi, 5.134, 244.25 def. Johnson Jr., 5.185, 273.22;

SEMIFINALS -- Scelzi, 4.818, 322.19 def. Wyatt, 9.389, 84.85; Arend, 4.905, 310.91 def. C. Pedregon, 8.132, 112.19;

FINAL -- Scelzi, 4.815, 329.26 def. Arend, 4.971, 282.42.

PRO STOCK:

ROUND ONE -- Richie Stevens, Dodge Stratus, 6.754, 203.98 def. Greg Anderson, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.763, 203.40; Jason Line, Grand Am, 6.780, 203.25 def. Mike Edwards, Grand Am, foul; V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.805, 203.16 def. Kenny Koretsky, Stratus, 6.845, 197.65; Rickie Smith, Chevy Cavalier, 6.763, 203.40 def. Greg Stanfield, Cavalier, 12.113, 70.70; Jim Yates, Grand Am, 6.763, 203.43 def. Jeg Coughlin, Stratus, 6.778, 204.42; Kurt Johnson, Chevy Cobalt, 6.747, 204.17 def. Ben Watson, Cavalier, 6.806, 200.68; Warren Johnson, Grand Am, 6.749, 204.39 def. Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.796, 202.21; Dave Connolly, Cavalier, 6.782, 204.08 def. Ron Krisher, Cavalier, foul;

QUARTERFINALS -- Gaines, 6.804, 202.45 def. Yates, 6.805, 203.16; Stevens, 6.750, 204.05 def. Connolly, 6.755, 204.45; K. Johnson, 6.745, 204.05 def. Smith, 6.781, 203.06; W. Johnson, 6.715, 03.83 def. Line, 6.756, 203.52;

SEMIFINALS -- Stevens, 6.756, 203.68 def. Gaines, 6.801, 202.85; W. Johnson, 6.757, 204.29 def. K. Johnson, 6.759, 204.05;

FINAL -- W. Johnson, 6.756, 203.89 def. Stevens, foul.

SUNDAY NOTES - Weis and Cory Mac at it again, There’s no diving in Top Fuel and Warren whips his boy…

4th Time’s The Charm – Racing the same opponent four weekends in a row can present anything but boredom. For Scott Weis, driver of the Barrett Enterprises Top Fueler, racing Cory McClenathan had become a challenge. In three weeks prior, the Fram-sponsored McClenathan had come away the winner. This time it cost him an engine in the lights, but Weis broke the trend.

The previous event on the tour, in Las Vegas, resulted in some words and accusations of games being played on the starting line. Cory Mac kept the war of words going after the first-round encounter.

It’s difficult when you beat yourself,” said Cory McClenathan, after his loss to Scott Weis. “No disrespect to Todd (Smith, crew chief) and our crew but a deteriorating track today, lack of track time over the weekend and being the first pair out beat us, not Scott Weis. Even though we did, you should never lose to a 5.23 (seconds). We have beat Weis three out of the four times we have run this year but as Scott said after the win the odds swung in his favor.”

He's Got 300 Now -Cruz Pedregon advanced to his third semifinal of the 2005 season effectively clinching the 300th-round victory of his career when he defeated long-time rival John Force in round one.

“I’m not much into statistics, but this one meant a lot to me,” Pedregon said. “And it was against Force. I know we have had our differences in the past, but there is no one I respect more in this business than John. To beat him for my 300th round victory is just awesome.

“I couldn’t have done this without my team,” Pedregon continued. “We complement each other very well. We need to keep going on what we’re doing.”

Pedregon defeated his brother Tony Pedregon in round two, after posting a 4.842-second elapsed time at 314.24 mph. The run was the quickest of the second round. Pedregon then smoked the tires and lost to Jeff Arend in the semifinal.

Good News, Bad News – David Grubnic was proud to take out point leader Tony Schumacher in the first round of eliminations, and that provided plenty of elation in the Team Kalitta camp. The elation was short-lived as the ladder revealed the victory set up a match in the quarter-finals between Doug Kalitta and himself.

“It wasn’t pretty, but we got the win light. I’m thrilled for the team, thrilled for Connie (Kalitta, team owner) and thrilled for all of us. We want to be one, two and three in the points and to do that we have to start chopping away at these leaders.”

Hmmm… - With Kalitta being the lead car in point earners, the immediate question centers on team orders.

“There are no team orders in the next round as far as I know, so it should be a good heads-up race with Doug and the Mac Tools car.”

For the record, Grubnic had a -.162 foul.

Drifting Funny Car Style – Their Funny Cars may resemble Detroit’s finest coupes, but once they reached the 100-foot mark, Eric Medlen and Ron Capps put on quite the show. Both drivers hit tire smoke, and after a dozen raps of their respective throttles, the Team Force driver scored the victory with a 9.209, 178.78. Not to be outdone, Capps made it a battle with a 9.804, 187.00.

Capps was disappointed at losing a match that brought the fans to their feet.

“We were fourth pair, and the pair in front of us was Cruz and Force and I saw them both go up in smoke and started pedaling it and I thought to myself, 'Boy, we didn't have lane choice. This could be one of those runs where you're going to have to be on your game and be ready to pedal the car.' And sure enough, both Eric and I did,” Capps said.

”And he did a wonderful job of getting his going. I just was having a hard time breaking the clutch loose and getting the tires to hook up. I was grabbing brake and everything I can.

”I got to win that kind of round in Phoenix, and I was on the losing end of this one. We obviously have a problem that we're trying to fix. When it smokes them that early, you're a sitting duck. But my job is to win those kind of races, and I failed to do that and I need to figure out why I couldn't get the car hooked up better.”

”We need to take advantage of those kinds of things at those times.”

Medlen had a simple explanation.

“I just kept whomping the throttle until she turned sideways. Then I’d whomp it again.”

Top Fuel racer Brandon Bernstein was packing the parachutes on his Budweiser Top Fueler while the match was going on. His comment on the match without seeing it was, “Man, that sounded exciting.”

You got beat by a Girl, RaceGirl that is – Jack Wyatt gave another Team Force entry all the excitement he could handle. The RaceGirl-sponsored driver took out Robert Hight in a battle reminiscent of the previous Medlen and Capps battle. Hight struck the tires early in the match and at half-track Wyatt met the same fate. Wyatt recovered the better of the two and despite coming close to the center-line secured the victory.

The triumph marked his first round-win of the season. He went on to add another victory over Tim Wilkerson before bowing out to Gary Scelzi.

This ain’t last year – That’s what defending World Champion Greg Anderson is finding out the hard way. In the first round of eliminations, Anderson met up with the Mopar driven by Richie Stevens. The end result was Mopar power on the top end with a 6.754, 203.98 victory for Stevens. Anderson fell short with a 6.763, 203.40.

Up Goes Frazier – Noted tuner Larry Frazier scored one of the finest victories his career has seen. Frazier’s driver Scott Palmer scored tremendous victory by snatching victory away from Larry Dixon, who led the match until half-track. One round earlier, Palmer took out Morgan Lucas.

Who’s Your Daddy? – Old age and treachery will whip youth and enthusiasm on any given day, as Kurt Johnson found out. Dad Warren Johnson not only put .01 on his kid out of the gate but led him all the way to the stripe with a 6.757, 204.29. Kurt was there all the way with a 6.759, 204.05.

SATURDAY - BERNSTEIN, MEDLEN AND CONNOLLY EARN NO. 1 QUALIFYING POSITIONS AT O’REILLY NHRA THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS

(4-30-2005) – Brandon Bernstein claimed the No. 1 qualifying position Saturday in a rain-shortened day of racing at the O’Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway. Due to persistent rain showers Saturday afternoon and a complete washout on Friday, the fields were set with only one qualifying session.

Eric Medlen and Dave Connolly also were top qualifiers in their categories at the $1.5 million race, the sixth of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.

Bernstein earned his seventh career No. 1 qualifying position by clocking a 4.539 second run at 324.83 mph in his Budweiser/Lucas Oil dragster to lead the 16-car lineup for Sunday’s eliminations, which start at noon.

"That's great for this team,” Bernstein said. “We've struggled for the last few races. We stayed in Vegas and tested. It was a great run for these conditions.”

Medlen raced to his third career No. 1 position with a 4.806 at 325.22 in his Castrol Syntec Ford Mustang.

Medlen’s run, like Bernstein’s, came under cloudy, cool conditions with threatening weather on the horizon. Both drivers had to navigate the quarter-mile quickly, but at the same time make the most of their only qualifying pass of the weekend.

“I think the track was maybe a little better than a lot of the guys expected,” Medlen said. “The Safety Safari does a tremendous job. Rick Stewart (NHRA chief starter) isn’t going to say ‘light ‘em up’ unless it’s safe.”

Connolly claimed his second No. 1 position by driving his Bullet Motorsports Chevrolet to a 6.814 at 201.25.

“Terry (Adams, crew chief) has a real good handle on the car,” Connolly said. “It’s been doing whatever he’s been putting into it lately. Luckily some cars ran down the track before we did and put some rubber down and that helped us. With the rain, there’s only so much we can do out there, but we’re pretty happy.”

Due to the weather delays, modifications were made to the 16-car starting lineups in Funny Car and Pro Stock. NHRA rules allow for provisional starting spots for the top 10 drivers in the POWERade point standings who are not qualified after only one round of qualifying has been completed. As a result, Ron Capps was inserted into the No. 16 position in Funny Car, and Frank Pedregon was removed. In Pro Stock, Ron Krisher was inserted into the field, while Larry Morgan was bumped.

First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the Fifth annual O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals presented by Quaker State at Bristol Dragway, the sixth of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday.

Top Fuel -- 1. Brandon Bernstein, 4.539 seconds, 324.83 mph vs. 16. David Baca, 10.802, 83.57; 2. Morgan Lucas, 4.561, 325.61 vs. 15. Scott Palmer, 9.838, 96.15; 3. David Grubnic, 4.619, 318.09 vs. 14. Tony Schumacher, 8.212, 153.54; 4. Scott Kalitta, 4.639, 325.92 vs. 13. John Smith, 5.211, 275.06; 5. Rod Fuller, 4.652, 324.83 vs. 12. Mitch King, 5.118, 265.43; 6. Doug Kalitta, 4.664, 316.60 vs. 11. Bruce Litton, 4.943, 265.38; 7. Larry Dixon, 4.685, 310.34 vs. 10. Doug Herbert, 4.904, 283.37; 8. Scott Weis, 4.749, 320.05 vs. 9. Cory McClenathan, 4.813, 298.54.

Funny Car -- 1. Eric Medlen, Ford Mustang, 4.806, 325.22 vs. 16. Ron Capps, Dodge Stratus, 6.291, 155.97; 2. Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.811, 326.63 vs. 15. Jack Wyatt, Pontiac Firebird, 5.504, 250.00; 3. Gary Scelzi, Stratus, 4.814, 322.19 vs. 14. Gary Densham, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.321, 236.09; 4. John Force, Mustang, 4.821, 314.39 vs. 13. Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 5.093, 313.15; 5. Del Worsham, Monte Carlo, 4.849, 318.09 vs. 12. Tony Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 5.021, 272.78; 6. Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo, 4.857, 318.02 vs. 11. Whit Bazemore, Stratus, 4.948, 308.78; 7. Tim Wilkerson, Monte Carlo, 4.872, 313.58 vs. 10. Bob Gilbertson, Monte Carlo, 4.926, 310.55; 8. Tony Bartone, Monte Carlo, 4.878, 314.61 vs. 9. Jeff Arend, Monte Carlo, 4.923, 312.78.

Pro Stock -- 1. Dave Connolly, Chevy Cavalier, 6.814, 201.25 vs. 16. Ron Krisher, Cavalier, 6.876, 200.38; 2. Warren Johnson, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.834, 201.58 vs. 15. Allen Johnson, Dodge Stratus, 6.875, 199.37; 3. Kurt Johnson, Chevy Cobalt, 6.837, 200.83 vs. 14. Ben Watson, Cavalier, 6.864, 198.64; 4. Jeg Coughlin, Stratus, 6.839, 201.01 vs. 13. Jim Yates, Grand Am, 6.863, 200.47; 5. V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.839, 200.50 vs. 12. Kenny Koretsky, Stratus, 6.863, 200.68; 6. Greg Stanfield, Cavalier, 6.843, 200.38 vs. 11. Rickie Smith, Cavalier, 6.854, 200.62; 7. Jason Line, Grand Am, 6.846, 200.56 vs. 10. Mike Edwards, Grand Am, 6.852, 200.68; 8. Richie Stevens, Stratus, 6.847, 200.53 vs. 9. Greg Anderson, Grand Am, 6.848, 200.50.

SATURDAY NOTES - It's a good day to be in the top ten, Force's streak continues and Snake Pit Safety

(4-30-2005) – You've Got A Point, Or Maybe Not - Larry Morgan was wishing he had a few more NHRA POWERade points. If that were the case, the veteran driver would be racing on Sunday against Kurt Johnson from the 15th spot. Instead, by virtue of an NHRA rule, he will be a spectator.

This regulation of abbreviated qualifying mandates that any top ten POWERade car is guaranteed a berth. Morgan was bounced from competition in favor of Ron Krisher. If misery enjoys company, Morgan is joined in the bumped drivers by Frank Pedregon, who got tossed in favor of Ron Capps.

The misfortune for Morgan is the event is hosted by a track owned by his sponsor Bruton Smith. The last time this rule was used was in 2002 at the NHRA World Finals.

He’s Still Got It – By virtue of his 4.821, John Force extended to 352 the number of consecutive events for which he has qualified a Castrol GTX Funny Car. That record-breaking streak began with the first race of the 1988 season. It is longer by 48 races than the previous best and dwarfs the second longest active streak of 105 races by Pro Stock Motorcycle driver Angelle Sampey ....on Thursday, John attended the Speed TV "Driver of the Year" banquet in Talladega, Ala., in support of 2004 Driver of the Year Greg Anderson. Force was the first drag racer ever to earn that honor back in 1996.

Oh-oh . . . -- The persistent showers Friday that interrupted qualifying at Bristol Dragway were perturbing for every racing team. But they were especially unwelcome for Tommy Johnson Jr. The Funny Car driver had only two DNQs last year in his Skoal-sponsored Chevy Monte Carlo. Both came early in the year, and both happened in weekends during which qualifying was shortened because of rain.

“It wasn’t like we had all four runs and just totally couldn’t get our act together,” he said of the disappointments at Las Vegas and Joliet, Ill.

Johnson, who won the season-opening Winternationals at Pomona, Calif., enters this sixth race of the year in fifth place in the Funny Car standings. When he left Bristol in 2004, he was 12th in points, so he's way ahead of where he was a year ago. Just the same, he said he hates to see the rain.

“I’ve never liked having only two qualifying sessions,” Johnson said. “I don’t think any driver likes only having just two runs to make it. We’re down to just two shots, but I think we’ll be fine. I think we’ll go out and run well. There’s not much you can do about it. We’re all in the same boat.”

Safe Snake pit -- After Larry Dixon's Miller Lite Dragster crashed as he crossed the finish line during the final qualifying session at Bristol in 2003, team owner Don Prudhomme and others wondered what they could do to keep that from recurring.

Mike Lewis, team manager for Don Schumacher Racing, met with Prudhomme and GM executive Harry Turner, and others in a fact-finding mission on behalf of Professional Racers Organization (PRO). After taking pages and pages of notes, Lewis said, he heard Prudhomme spontaneously ask Turner, "Why don't we just tie the parachutes to the wing?"

That turned out to be precisely what Prudhomme did. Others followed suit.

Now Prudhomme is among those who have tried, in the wake of the fluky but tragic Shelly Howard accident at Tulsa, to figure out how an occurrence such as that can be prevented.

He and some of his crew members turned their thoughts to jet skis and motorcycles that have kill switches attached to the rider's wrist with elastic, bungee-cord material so that if the rider falls off, the motor cuts off. They talked about some styles of "push," or manual, lawn mowers for which the operator must hold a bar to the handle to keep the motor running. The purpose was to determine if drag racing could devise a way for a car to stop as safely as possible if a driver should become unconscious or incapacitated.

In addition, Tommy Johnson, Jr., said he plans to take a look at a new seat belt that has captured the attention of NASCAR Nextel Cup drivers and mechanics. The German-made harness from Schroth (pronounced "shrote") is something NASCAR's Ryan Newman, driver of the Roger Penske-owned No. 12 Alltel Dodge, introduced him to.

"He thinks they hold you a lot tighter," Johnson said of Newman, explaining that the difference between these Schroth seat belts and what drag racers are using is "basically hardware -- the adjustors and the material." At that particular race, Newman's was one of no more than four teams that had the European product. By the next race, about 19 or 20 had the seat belt. Maybe his Nextel Cup colleagues took note because Newman earned a degree in Vehicle Structure Engineering from Purdue University.

But the top-five Funny Car driver said he isn't going to make any switch for sure, because he doesn't know if Schroth has an application that would suit a drag racer or if the company even is interested in designing one.

"I've got a message into them," Johnson said. "We'll see if we can get together and see what they've got. I don't have a problem with what we use now, but if there's something else out there you always want to take a look at it."

Newman and Johnson became acquainted through Johnson's father. Tommy Johnson Sr. is a friend of Don Miller, a business partner of Penske. Johnson Jr. said he never has met Newman's sister but that she lives in Brownsburg, Ind., not far from Prudhomme's shop. The Johnson family has another NASCAR connection in Tommy Jr.'s sister, Wendy. She won in Super Comp in 1992 at Topeka at age 17 and at the time was the youngest female winner in NHRA history. She later worked for Roush Racing and currently owns a scrapbooking store in Mooresville, N.C., with business partner Kelly Earnhart, sister of Dale Earnhart Jr.

Standing By Their Decision - Erica Enders and the Victor Cagnazzi team knew debuting an unproven race car was going to be a tough venture. The decision was made to debut their Chevy Cobalt at the closest shop to the track.

Bristol Dragway is just a short drive from the Cagnazzi Racing shop in Mooresville, N.C. The race seemed like the perfect time to bring out the new car. That was until the rain came and forced NHRA officials to cancel three of
the four scheduled qualifying sessions. Enders' only pass wasn't enough
to qualify in the 16-car field, as it shook the tires as soon as the
car left the starting line.

"This is a real unfortunate deal because the guys at the shop worked
day and night on this Todd Bevis (car builder) Cobalt just to make sure
it was ready for Bristol," Enders said. "We are so excited to have a
new sponsor in SunCom and a new car and it just seemed like this was
going to be a great weekend for us. One qualifying session just wasn't
enough for us."

While several teams will eventually make the switch from the Chevy
Cavalier to the new Cobalt, Enders was just one of four cars to use the
new car in the first and only session of the weekend.

"We know this car is going to be capable of great things and it's a
bummer that we didn't get to make a full pass here." Enders said. "It's
a gorgeous car and I know this team is going to make it competitive."

Milestone - Advance Auto Parts Monte Carlo Nitro Funny Car driver Cruz Pedregon will reach an important career milestone with a round-one victory tomorrow. Pedregon, the 1992 NHRA Nitro Funny Car World Champion, could reach his 300th round victory.

Only two other active drivers, brother Tony Pedregon and round-one opponent John Force have reached the same mark in their careers.

Bad Timing – During one of the rain-delays, one of the commercials in the rain rotation was for the Pontiac GTO. The singer crooned, “Should I stay or should I go?” There's no doubt the race fans were the real losers here today. One completed professional session meant no refunded money.

Good Timing - With all the message boards and e-zines abuzz speculating the future of NHRA ownership, one of the more interesting figures on-hand in Bristol was Bruton Smith.

You Again? - Top Fuel racer Herbert will face Larry Dixon in the first round – the same first round opponent he had at this track last year. Herbert won the '04 meeting and is ready for a repeat.

"We need to just do what we did last year and come out ready to win
four rounds," Herbert said. "I think we need to run a 4.50-pass to
start the day. We should come out shooting for a real quick pass,
otherwise what's the point? This team has worked so hard and we're
ready to get back into the final round."

Herbert's Snap-on dragster made a pass
good enough for the 10th spot, going 4.904 seconds at 283.37 mph.

Pro Stock Rev-Limiter Testing – The first pair of Pro Stockers to hit the track on Saturday were given a challenge that leaned on the durability of their rev-limiters. One of the reasons for the traction-challenged opening was the fact the Pro Stockers were the first cars to hit the track on Saturday after a lengthy drying process from morning rain. The problem became so evident in the early going that NHRA officials paused the action after a few pairs in order to do some additional track prep.

The additional work panned out as Dave Connolly jumped to the top with a 6.814. Allen Johnson established the 6.875, 199.37.

Wheel Ease - Funny Car racer Gary Densham has heard of the term "driving by the seat of your pants" but his experience in Saturday's qualifying gave new meaning. Densham's Racebricks-sponsored entry broke the wheelie bar during the course of the run.

"When there isn't a wheelie bar, you get launched back and you can't
see the track because the Funny Car body is in the way," Densham said.
"I'm lucky we are at Bristol, surrounded by all of the trees because
they gave me a little perspective on where I was and that was the only
reason I stayed in it as long as I did.

"I think I was riding those back tires for about 300 feet and if we
were racing almost anywhere else, I wouldn't have been able to see
anything and would have been forced to get out of the run a lot sooner.
Luckily, I stayed it the run and we get to play on Sunday because of
it."

No Margin For Error – With bad weather imminent, Funny Car race Del Worsham made plans to get in the field no matter what. The possibility of a single qualifying run made the CSK-sponsored driver put a lot of thought into the first session on Saturday.

However, the pressure is spread evenly among the competition.

"If knew that if we didn’t get two laps in, the pressure will be evenly spread among all the Funny Car teams. No one had the leeway to mess around or go for broke. We had to find a way down the track and hope to find some consistency during the course of the weekend.”

Unfortunately for Worsham, his teammate Phil Burkart was unable to make it into the 16-car field after the first session with a 8.937 best.

Take it easy? No way - While others seemed intent on conservatism, Tony Bartone made his quickest run of the year at the O’Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals on Saturday to qualify the Jim Dunn Racing/Got CMKX?/Lucas Oil Funny Car in the top half of the field for Sunday’s eliminations.

“The run we made today was absolutely fantastic,” said Bartone. “We made a solid opening lap and that has created a good news, bad news situation for CMKX.”

Bartone's reference was in the fact that he meets teammate Jeff Arend in the first round of eliminations.

One Force racing -- Even though John Force and his teammates, Robert Hight and Eric Medlen, saw their two Friday qualifying attempts at Bristol washed out, at least one Force was qualifying on Friday.

Ashley Force was the provisional No. 5 qualifier in the Top Alcohol Dragster class on the opening day of the NHRA South Central division Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series race at the Texas Motorplex.

Randy Meyer of Spring Hill, Kan., the reigning West Central division champion, was quickest at with a 5.411-second, 255.73-mph pass. Ashley Force, the South Central Division’s defending class champion, recorded a 5.568-second elapsed time at 257.09 mph.

The race is the second of seven on the division schedule. Ashley Force, driving the Jerry Darien and Ken Meadows entry, leads the Top Alcohol Dragster points on the strength of a victory at Baytown, Texas, and at an out-of-division race at Chandler, Ariz.

This is the first race for the South Central division since its two-time Top Alcohol Dragster champion Shelly Howard was killed, along with her son, in a testing accident at Tulsa.

FRIDAY - RAIN CANCELS FRIDAY QUALIFYING AT O'REILLY NHRA THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS

(4-29-2005) – Persistent rain showers forced NHRA officials to cancel Friday’s racing at the O’Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.

Weather permitting, Saturday’s racing will run as previously scheduled with pro sessions set for noon and 3 p.m. Sunday’s eliminations are scheduled for noon. The $1.5 million race is the sixth of 23 events in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.

SCHEDULE - SATURDAY, April 30, 2005

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

FRIDAY NOTES - Cobalts and rain...all that's happening

Bring on the Cobalts – As the rains fell Friday morning, officials from General Motors and the Chevrolet division took the time to unveil their new Cobalt scheduled for release this weekend. Fred Simmonds, General Motors Motorsports Group Manager for Drag Racing, introduced not only the scheduled replacement for the Cavalier but those behind the scenes who made it happen. The goal of the press conference was not only to present the newest vehicle for Pro Stock, but also to educate the media on what went into building the new car.

Simmonds concluded with a statement that was the original premise for factory involvement with drag racing. “We still want to race on Sunday and sell on Monday. Our goals are still to sell race parts and cars. The budgets we have are not racing budgets. They are sales and promotional budgets.

“Consumers may not necessarily be motorsports fans, but when they see a car involved in racing, it immediately generates the feeling that it is built better because of that association.”

Simmonds added that an ideal supply for dealers is a 60-day supply. With an asking price of $21,995, he says some are keeping only a two-day supply.

Ness Builds - The first of the Cobalts for NHRA competition were built by renowned chassis builder Don Ness. The bodies are made from carbon fiber and have been prepared for chassis mounting by 5-Star. If the name sounds familiar, 5-Star is now on its fifth body in cooperation with General Motors.

One of the foremost objectives was making the car lighter, and 5-Star succeeded in shedding 10 pounds. The current body tips the scales between 65 and 70 pounds. Carroll Schultz, of 5-Star, said he was proud the car maintained its structure, despite the lighter weight.

The first “body in white” was delivered to Ness, and it took nearly three months to prepare it for racing and the NHRA’s required body dimensions. It actually made three trips through the wind tunnel. The first was a solo effort by GM, and the second was with the NHRA, which required that certain changes be made before the third and final venture.

A few features with the new body have General Motors and their Chevrolet division brimming with excitement. The most noticeable trait of Cobalts is something that is unprecedented in the Pro Stock division.

Instead of the bodies being sectioned into different panels, the rear clip of the Cobalt is now one piece. This will create a few less headaches when it comes to mounting the body on the chassis. Normally, it would be sectioned into rear body panels, roof and deck lid. The front end provided a lesser challenge, as it is usually a one-piece unit. As Ness said, “I think we are onto something good with the one piece.”

Officials at GM revealed their project has cost about $500,000 per body style.

Factory-backed Pro Stock racer Kurt Johnson made 13 runs on his new Cobalt and reportedly turned a few 205-mph laps. As he put it, “We crammed three weeks worth of work into seven days.”

Johnson’s association with the Cobalt marks the fifth different body style that he has driven in his career. He has won at least one national event with the four previous types.

In the interest of fair reporting, the Cobalts have already debuted on the IHRA side with limited results. Three IHRA Pro Stock drivers entered Cobalts in the season-opener at San Antonio, and only John Montecalvo's made the field of 16. Montecalvo lost in Round 2. At IHRA's second race, last weekend at Rockingham, N.C., Rick Jones -- another prominent chassis builder -- and Montecalvo both qualified in Cobalts. Neither lasted past the second round, and Dwayne Rice couldn't get his Cobalt in the lineup.

Boxed Dimensions - The past few generations of Pro Stock cars have created somewhat of a NASCAR-type image for the division. That is something the NHRA’s Don Taylor says the sanctioning body has worked hard to get away from. While Simmonds may have referred to standard box dimensions earlier in his presentation as a way of maintaining parity, Taylor added in that a move is in the works to ensure that each new car maintains a separate identity.

“I really don’t prefer the term box dimensions,” Taylor clarified. “We don’t want to go down that same slippery slope as NASCAR. It’s important these cars keep their identity. We want to keep some similarity in the height, width and wheelbase. Future cars may require downsizing while others will most likely be upsized.

“Our relationship with the manufacturers has not been adversarial.”

The next body style to hit the scene will come in five to six months with the debut of Pontiac’s GTO.

Mark of the Beast? - As Pro Stock aficionados will recall, there was a period for NHRA Pro Stock that some body dimensions were questionable. GM officials revealed a practice has been in effect for the last few years to combat any unapproved aerodynamic advantages. Reportedly, special computer chips the size of a grain of rice have been installed between the layers of carbon fiber that can be read by a special scanner from the NHRA technical department. This was first implemented with the Grand Am bodystyles.

That's It - One session of Stock eliminator and three-quarters of Super Stock were completed before the rains fell bringing a halt to the action.