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IHRA Texas Nationals
SUNDAY - DENSHAM TAKES TEXAS NATIONALS TITLECALIFORNIA-BASED RACER CAPTURES TORCO RACING FUELS PRO NITRO FUNNY CAR IRONMAN AT SAN ANTONIO RACEWAY (3-26-2006) – Gary Densham has visited the winner’s circle before, but never in IHRA competition. That all changed at San Antonio Raceway when he was able to drive past Paul Lee to claim the first eMax Drag Racing Series Torco Racing Fuels Pro Nitro Funny Car championship at the season-opening Amalie Oil Texas Nationals presented by Ancira Cars, Trucks and RVs and the San Antonio Express News. The Bellflower, Calif., resident has eight career Top Fuel Funny Car wins in NHRA competition, but decided to test the IHRA waters when the sanctioning body decided to offer Nitro Funny Car competition on the 2006 schedule.
“We really had a lot of fun out here this weekend,” 59-year old Densham said. “I wanted to run a higher speed, but had a lot of great elapsed-times and in the final round we had a great 4.8-run to win the event. “I’ve won many events and championships throughout my career, and I can honestly say being able to win the inaugural (Nitro) Funny Car event for IHRA ranks right up there,” he added. “This is such a dynamite facility and great experience, I don’t think it would be too hard to convince my team to come back to IHRA.” Sewell, N.J., resident Doug Foley, who finished second in the Torco Racing Fuels Pro Nitro Top Fuel championship points chase last season, got off to exactly the start he wanted in 2006. After qualifying in the #1 position, Foley advanced through the field to a showdown with five-time defending IHRA Top Fuel World Champion Clay Millican (Drummonds, Tenn.). Millican was the #4 qualifier, but was able to advance to his 54th career eMax Drag Racing Series final by defeating Andrew Cowin (Wilmington, N.C.) and Bruce Litton (Indianapolis, Ind.) in the first two elimination rounds. Millican was gunning for his fourth consecutive Ironman at San Antonio Raceway, but it was not meant to be as his rear end got loose early in the run and he was forced to lift. Foley, meanwhile, ran a clean 4.585/321.27 to add Ironman #6 to the Foley/Lewis Racing trophy case. Foley defeated Louie Allison (Denver, Col.) and teammate Rick Cooper (Boise, Id.) to reach the final.
Mark Thomas (Louisville, Oh.) dealt out a little payback to Rob Atchison, his arch-rival for Alcohol Funny Car supremacy, and collected career Ironman #24 by defeating the three-time defending world champion in the final at San Antonio. Atchison, a London, Ont.,resident, wrestled the world title away from Thomas in 2003 and has held on to it ever since. But Thomas, who finished third in the points standings last season, knocked Atchison off in the final to take the early lead in what is expected to be a season-long war for the championship.
In the run for the championship, Atchison had problems and ended up crossing the center line. Thomas ran a 5.897/242.80 to grab the win. “This new car is awesome. Every pass in it has been in the 5.80s,” Thomas said. “We came here with a whole new engine combo, and despite wanting to test, we didn’t have the chance. So I had a lot of butterflies this weekend but everything worked out in the Ethanol Funny Car today.”
“A lot of guys come out here and try to over power the car to get a great number,” said Kerunsky. “But we had a game plan to keep the car consistent throughout the day, and it worked. It’s great to be in the winner’s circle again.” Frank Gugliotta almost did not make the journey to the eMax Drag Racing Series opener in San Antonio. Steve Thodos, who bankrolled Gugliotta’s race operation for the last few years, decided to go another direction this season, leaving the Mt. Airy, Md. resident unclear as to his ’06 racing future. Gugliotta received a last minute offer to race and it resulted in a Torco Pro Stock Ironman by defeating upstart Rob Mansfield (Winter Park, Fla.) in the final.
Gugliotta earned the victory when Mansfield red-lighted in his Wilson Manifolds ’05 Cobalt. Meanwhile, Gugliotta claimed his fifth career national event win by posting a 6.490/216.55. The next event on the 2006 eMax Drag Racing Series is the Spring Nationals presented by Castrol, April 21 – 23, at Rockingham (N.C.) Dragway.
SUNDAY - Final RoundsSunday's final results from the Fifth annual Amalie Oil Texas Nationals presented by Ancira Cars, Trucks & RVs and the San Antonio Express-News at San Antonio Raceway. The $1.1 million race is the first of 12 in the 2006 eMax Drag Racing Series:
Final round-by-round results from the Fifth annual Amalie Oil Texas Nationals presented by Ancira Cars, Trucks & RVs and the San Antonio Express-News at San Antonio Raceway, the first of 12 events in the 2006 eMax Drag Racing Series: TOP FUEL:
ROUND ONE -- Clay Millican, 5.113, 268.97 def. Andrew Cowin, 11.170, 76.81; Rick Cooper, 4.885, 265.01 def. Mitch King, 14.808, 57.05; Bruce Litton, 4.690, 285.71 def. Bobby Lagana Jr., 7.029, 113.05; Doug Foley, 4.674, 277.66 def. Louie Allison, 6.737, 124.57; SEMIFINALS -- Millican, 4.664, 308.78 def. Litton, 10.946, 88.16; Foley, 5.908, 162.27 def. Cooper, broke; FINAL -- Foley, 4.585, 321.27 def. Millican, 6.192, 140.24.
NITRO FUNNY CAR:
ROUND ONE -- Paul Lee, Chevy Camaro, 5.118, 263.20 def. Todd Simpson, Camaro, 5.208, 284.81; Gary Densham, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.874, 297.29 def. Terry Haddock, Monte Carlo, 12.447, 83.18; Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 5.041, 308.14 def. Bob Gilbertson, Dodge Stratus, 8.542, 93.97; Frank Pedregon, Stratus, broke def. Dale Creasy Jr., Monte Carlo, broke; SEMIFINALS -- Lee, 5.045, 250.97 def. F. Pedregon, 5.028, 234.25; Densham, 4.844, 309.20 def. C. Pedregon, 8.387, 113.28; FINAL -- Densham, 4.850, 300.20 def. Lee, 5.340, 198.85.
PRO MODIFIED:
ROUND ONE -- Carl Spiering, Chevy Corvette, 6.179, 231.64 def. Jason Hamstra, Corvette, 6.335, 212.33; Glen Kerunsky, Chevy Bel Air, 6.159, 231.16 def. Jim Halsey, Chevy Camaro, 6.233, 225.94; Kenny Lang, Corvette, 6.264, 225.63 def. Mike Janis, Chevy Cobalt, 6.236, 232.99; Dan Rowe, Corvette, 6.247, 229.47 def. Matt Hagan, Corvette, 7.039, 150.00; Rick Distefano, Corvette, 6.179, 230.29 def. Quain Stott, Corvette, 6.316, 225.60; John Russo, Camaro, 6.203, 228.11 def. Alan Pittman, Bel Air, 6.268, 228.61; Tommy D'Aprile, Corvette, 6.263, 225.33 def. Mike Castellana, Chevy Cavalier, 13.020, 71.41; Chip King, Dodge Daytona, 6.160, 231.68 def. Burton Auxier, Corvette, 6.308, 223.02; QUARTERFINALS -- Kerunsky, 6.202, 230.76 def. Russo, 6.207, 227.65; Spiering, 6.299, 207.98 def. Lang, 6.627, 187.60; D'Aprile, 6.162, 232.67 def. King, 10.619, 81.94; Rowe, 6.141, 232.39 def. Distefano, 6.167, 232.15; SEMIFINALS -- Kerunsky, 6.193, 230.88 def. Rowe, 6.160, 232.43; D'Aprile, 6.152, 232.15 def. Spiering, broke; FINAL -- Kerunsky, 6.191, 230.69 def. D'Aprile, 10.145, 78.35. ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR:
ROUND ONE -- Rob Atchison, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.813, 244.74 def. Chris Foster, Dodge Avenger, 5.979, 238.98; Mark Thomas, Monte Carlo, 5.811, 243.50 def. Trevor Lebsack, Ford Mustang, 6.064, 227.04; Thomas Carter, Chevy Camaro, 5.971, 235.64 def. Larry Dobbs, Chevy Corvette, 6.027, 231.40; Terry McMillen, Avenger, 6.021, 234.82 def. Terry Munroe, Monte Carlo, 6.060, 201.31; SEMIFINALS -- Atchison, 5.833, 239.23 def. Carter, 5.935, 238.89; Thomas, 5.832, 242.76 def. McMillen, 6.084, 231.04; FINAL -- Thomas, 5.897, 242.80 def. Atchison, 7.294, 132.79. PRO STOCK:
ROUND ONE -- Tony Gillig, Ford Mustang, 6.405, 216.62 def. Elijah Morton, Ford Escort, 8.487, 110.33; John Nobile, Ford ZX2, 6.425, 215.79 def. Ed Machacek, Chevy Cavalier, 6.452, 215.58; Pete Berner, Pontiac GTO, 6.525, 212.43 def. Larry O'Brien, Dodge Stratus, 6.477, 216.24; Rob Mansfield, Chevy Cobalt, 6.385, 218.09 def. John Montecalvo, Cobalt, 9.346, 110.49; Rick Jones, Cobalt, 6.442, 218.23 def. Brian Gahm, Mustang, 6.435, 218.62; Jeff Dobbins, Escort, 6.416, 218.65 def. Robert Patrick, Ford Cobra, 6.443, 217.56; Steve Spiess, Cobalt, 6.390, 218.48 def. Doug Kirk, Escort, 9.156, 105.84; Frank Gugliotta, Escort, 6.461, 216.62 def. Jerry Haas, Cavalier, 6.460, 216.27; QUARTERFINALS -- Gugliotta, 6.499, 216.17 def. Berner, 13.307, 64.20; Gillig, 6.421, 216.38 def. Dobbins, 6.450, 217.28; Spiess, 6.410, 217.00 def. Nobile, 6.434, 217.60; Mansfield, 6.403, 217.67 def. Jones, 6.457, 217.60; SEMIFINALS -- Gugliotta, 6.504, 216.27 def. Gillig, 16.618, 67.28; Mansfield, 6.499, 213.47 def. Spiess, 14.400, 82.19; FINAL -- Gugliotta, 6.490, 216.55 def. Mansfield, foul. a
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Carl, There's Good News and There's Bad News...
Canadian Pro Mod racer Carl Spiering struggled with the handling of his blown '63 Corvette during qualifying, but made the show in the No. 10 spot. In the second round of eliminations, however, the problems came back with a vengeance. After crossing the finish line with a pass of 6.299, 207.98, Spiering's 'Vette got up on two wheels, crossed in front of opponent Kenny Lang and smacked the concrete wall on the right side of the track. Spiering was unhurt, but the crash put him out of the race in spite of winning the round. SUNDAY NOTES - 'Rather Be Lucky Than Good;' Tribute To Dana; Consistent Kerunsky; Not Really End of An Era For Millican; The Power of Nitro; Off His GahmMerry Meatball -- Frank Gugliotta said he'd "rather be lucky than good any day," and Sunday's Torco Pro Stock winner has had an abundant share of luck in the past few days. The Mount Airy, Maryland, resident was scrambling to put a racing deal together before the season started. His previous car owner, Steve Thodos, decided to park the Ford Escort which Gugliotta drove to a series runner-up finish last year. And Charlie Taylor offered him the ride. "Charlie just called me a week and a half ago. I've only been with
him four days . . . and here I am, in the winners circle. I'd never even
been in that car until this week," Gugliotta said, referring to the
Jerry Haas-built '05 Escort that carried him to his fifth career victory
and a $10,000 check. "So it worked out good. I'm glad to get my first
win with him at the first race. Hopefully I've found a home for awhile."
The victory put Gugliotta in a pleasantly unfamiliar position at the beginning of the 11-race schedule. "I've always had to come from behind," Gugliotta said, recognizing
what a difference it is to head to the IHRA Spring Nationals at Rockingham,
North Carolina, as the points leader and defending event champion. He
also won the final race of the 2005 season there. Thomas defeated his close off-track friend and on-track nemesis Rob Atchison
in the final round, taking the $10,000 winner's share with a 5.897-second
elapsed time at 242.80 mph in his new Ethanol Performs Chevy Monte Carlo.
Atchison ran a 7.294/132.79 but was disqualified for taking out every
center-line cone from half-track through the finish line. He also reconnected less than two weeks ago with Rick Hickman, a tuner with whom he said he "butted heads in the early years." Hickman helped Greg Moss to the 1989 championship, when Thomas was runner-up. Then Thomas won the 1990 title and Moss was runner-up. "It's kind of neat to hook up and work things out," he said. Thomas, a five-time champion, said the triumph over three-time and reigning
class dominator Atchison was especially satisfying. The 30-year-old Dana, a St. Louis native who lived in Indianapolis, drove the Team Ethanol Honda Panoz Firestone car for Rahal Letterman Racing. He died following an accident involving Ed Carpenter's car. Dana brought the Team Ethanol sponsorship to the Indy Racing League in 2004. Thomas said Dana "was instrumental in getting the IRL to switch over to 100 percent ethanol." Added Thomas, "I just got done doing a three-day training session in Indianapolis. It was a tough deal. So we just kind of take this win in his name and hope he's in a better place. "I feel bad," Thomas said, because he's a kid who finally got a good, fast ride with the Bobby Rahal/David Letterman team and they had a lot of good things happen. He was a good spokesperson for the ethanol industry. Bittersweet day, but this is what we do in life." "Paul was a very special guy," David Vander Griend, president
and CEO of ICM, a primary sponsor on the Team Ethanol car, said. "He
demonstrated his belief in what ethanol can do for all of America through
his racing. He helped us with so many things in bringing ethanol to the
IndyCar Series. He will be missed tremendously. Our thoughts are with
his family today." The Canadian from Priddis, Alberta, left San Antonio $10,000 richer after defeating Tommy D'Aprile with a 6.191-second elapsed time at 230.69 mph to 10.145/78.35 in the Pro Mod final round. They had identical reaction times (.060 seconds). Kerunsky's bright yellow '57 Chevy Bel Air was the picture of consistency Sunday, clocking 6.2s and a 6.1 in eliminating Jim Halsey, John Russo, and Danny Rowe to advance to the final. "There are too many guys trying to overpower the track, putting up the great big numbers. Consistency is what it takes," he said. "The track is good. In fact, it fooled us a few times today. It was an awesome starting line," Kerunsky said. "These cars are making huge power. We'll put [out] all the power we can -- safely. We didn't want to burn our motor up. We're not into that." Alcohol Funny Car runner-up Rob Atchison built the Chevy wedge motor that's under Kerunsky's hood. "It's probably the only wedge out here this weekend. Everybody's gone to Hemi, because Rick DiStefano and Al Billes put some big numbers up with Hemis over the last few years. So everybody thinks that's the way to go," he said. "They're great engines. But we just stuck it out with the wedge. "We got on board with Rob and [his dad] Bob Atchison a couple of years ago. And you look at a winning team like that, and you can't go wrong," Kerunsky said. "We're building some good power now. We're able to keep up with the Hemis. That was the quickest time ever with a wedge." He said D'Aprile "ran totally consistent this weekend. I was actually
quite . . . Not afraid, but I was concerned about racing him. I qualified
against him, beside him, the whole weekend. This man can drive. His car
is consistent. I don't know where he came from, but he's good." Kerunsky said he told his crew before the event, "We can't over
think this stuff. We just have to do what we're doing. The car's happy.
The motor's happy. We just have to give it what it wants and see what
happens." Doug Foley defeated Millican in the final round with a 4.585-second pass
at 321.27 mph to Millican’s traction-troubled 6.192 at 140.24 mph.
He said he didn't have a clue what the problems were on his Kenny Koretsky/Werner Enterprises/Nitro Fish/OCC/Motel 6 Dragster. "I really wish I knew, because we would have corrected them," he said. "We've got to get the car past the shake spot. The first couple hundred feet of the run on these things is very, very touchy. It's like standing on the edge of a razor blade: if you slip off, it cuts you. Or in my case, it gives you a headache from shaking the tires." He said crew chief Mike Kloeber "will figure it out. That's why he gets the big bucks. And I wouldn't trade him for nobody." Kloeber said, "Clay did an excellent job all day driving a terrible
car. We ran good in the semis, but I let the track get the better of us
in the finals. The tires got a good grip on the track, and that made them
shake and Clay had to pedal it. We are going to keep working on the setup.
We aren't giving up." "I know we're entered," he said. "I hope we go. While we're in Texas, we might as well get 'em all." He said the team is "changing cars to the heat-treated car. If we go to Houston, we'll change it after that. If we do not go to Houston, we'll changieit this week. The only reason we're changing it is because run both sanctioning bodies. After Houston, you can't run a car that's not heat-treated in the back half. So we have a brand-new car that's sitting in the top of the trailer that's got to be put together." No matter what, Millican will be in Rockingham, North Carolina, for the
April 21-23 IHRA event, when he will put his nine-race Rockingham Dragway
winning streak on the line. That Wyatt had a sense of humor at all is commendable, for he had a frustrating
weekend. He missed the eight-car line-up by 64-thousandths of a second.
So he and his crew tore down his car, preparing for this weekend's O'Reilly
NHRA Spring Nationals at Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Texas. Not Gahm Day -- Not only did top qualifier Brian Gahm
not back up his 6.354-second elapsed time for a Pro Stock national record,
but he also failed to advance past the first round Sunday. He became the
first upset victim in the new pairing system, as No. 9 Rick Jones beat
his 6.435-second E.T. (at 18.62 mph) on a holeshot. Jones ran a 6.442/218.23.
a
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SATURDAY - Largest Crowd in San Antonio Raceway History Witnesses Thrilling Day of Racing; Cruz Pedregon, Doug Foley, Maintain No. 1 Qualifying Spots
(3-25-2006) – The capacity crowd at San Antonio Raceway, the biggest attendance in the facility’s history, got all it bargained for as the Torco Racing Fuels Pro Nitro Funny Car class shaped up to be a family feud at the first stop on the eMax Drag Racing Tour, the Amalie Oil Texas Nationals presented by Ancira Cars, Trucks and RVs and the San Antonio Express-News.
Gary Densham (Bellflower, Calif.) and Paul Lee (Gaithersburg, Md.) rounded out the top half of the bracket.
Bobby Lagana, Jr. (Scarsdale, NY) spent Friday night on the bump and improved to #5 after final qualifying was over. Andrew Cowin (Wilmington, N.C.) ended up in the #8 spot.
Defending Torco Pro Stock World Champion Steve Spiess (Manhattan, Ill.) drove his ’05 Cobalt to the #3 position, right behind chassis builder Jerry Haas (Fenton, Mo.). Elijah Morton (Jacksonville, N.C.) sweated things out on the bump spot for a few runs, but his 6.457 held up.
The final Torco Pro Modified qualifying session ended with a tense moment as Scotty Cannon, Jr. (Lyman, S.C.) barrel-rolled his ’06 GTO at the top end of the track after his final qualifying hit. Cannon, Jr. was reportedly walking around under his own power after the accident, but the spectacular crash had the crowd holding its breath for awhile. Cannon will be unable to make the call for Saturday’s elimination sessions.
After nitrous-powered cars finished 1-2 in the world championship points standings in ’05, the blower engines made a small statement as nine of the 16 qualified entries run superchargers. First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the Fifth annual Amalie Oil Texas Nationals presented by Ancira Cars, Trucks & RVs and the San Antonio Express-News at San Antonio Raceway, the first of 11 events in the 2006 eMax Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday. Top Fuel -- 1. Doug Foley, 4.610 seconds, 315.56 mph vs. 5. Louie Allison, 4.686, 309.70; 2. Bruce Litton, 4.655, 310.34 vs. 6. Bobby Lagana Jr., 4.751, 286.38; 3. Rick Cooper, 4.659, 317.64 vs. 7. Mitch King, 4.751, 261.17; 4. Clay Millican, 4.678, 311.77 vs. 8. Andrew Cowin, 4.755, 317.42. Nitro Funny Car -- 1. Cruz Pedregon, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.765, 321.12 vs. 5. Bob Gilbertson, Dodge Stratus, 4.973, 300.06; 2. Frank Pedregon, Stratus, 4.842, 297.16 vs. 6. Dale Creasy Jr., Monte Carlo, 4.996, 302.89; 3. Gary Densham, Monte Carlo, 4.849, 283.61 vs. 7. Vinny Arcadi, Chevy Camaro, 5.038, 302.82; 4. Paul Lee, Camaro, 4.912, 254.09 vs. 8. Todd Simpson, Camaro, 5.180, 293.73. Pro Modified -- 1. Rick Distefano, Chevy Corvette, 6.062, 237.50 vs. 9. Quain Stott, Corvette, 6.135, 232.55; 2. Scott Cannon, Pontiac GTO, 6.074, 237.34 vs. 10. Carl Spiering, Corvette, 6.148, 233.32; 3. Glen Kerunsky, Chevy Bel Air, 6.084, 233.96 vs. 11. Jim Halsey, Chevy Camaro, 6.149, 227.46; 4. Tommy D'Aprile, Corvette, 6.084, 234.17 vs. 12. Mike Castellana, Chevy Cavalier, 6.153, 230.72; 5. Dan Rowe, Corvette, 6.106, 222.66 vs. 13. Matt Hagan, Corvette, 6.155, 231.08; 6. Kenny Lang, Corvette, 6.108, 232.75 vs. 14. Mike Janis, Chevy Cobalt, 6.166, 232.39; 7. John Russo, Camaro, 6.122, 231.20 vs. 15. Alan Pittman, Bel Air, 6.184, 228.96; 8. Chip King, Dodge Daytona, 6.129, 235.80 vs. 16. Burton Auxier, Corvette, 6.195, 224.14. Alcohol Funny Car -- 1. Rob Atchison, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.813, 246.71 vs. 5. Chris Foster, Dodge Avenger, 5.897, 239.87; 2. Mark Thomas, Monte Carlo, 5.840, 244.16 vs. 6. Trevor Lebsack, Ford Mustang, 5.989, 227.61; 3. Thomas Carter, Chevy Camaro, 5.867, 240.00 vs. 7. Larry Dobbs, Chevy Corvette, 5.991, 232.35; 4. Terry Munroe, Monte Carlo, 5.879, 236.96 vs. 8. Terry McMillen, Avenger, 6.079, 229.47. Pro Stock -- 1. Brian Gahm, Ford Mustang, 6.354, 218.65 vs. 9. Rick Jones, chevy Cobalt, 6.396, 219.33; 2. Jerry Haas, Chevy Cavalier, 6.374, 218.58 vs. 10. Frank Gugliotta, Ford Escort, 6.411, 218.51; 3. Steve Spiess, Cobalt, 6.378, 218.65 vs. 11. Doug Kirk, Escort, 6.414, 218.80; 4. Robert Patrick, Ford Cobra, 6.380, 218.27 vs. 12. Jeff Dobbins, Escort, 6.420, 218.09; 5. Rob Mansfield, Cobalt, 6.382, 218.90 vs. 13. John Montecalvo, Cobalt, 6.427, 217.46; 6. Pete Berner, Pontiac GTO, 6.382, 218.16 vs. 14. Larry O'Brien, Dodge Stratus, 6.432, 217.46; 7. John Nobile, Ford ZX2, 6.388, 218.48 vs. 15. Ed Machacek, Cavalier, 6.454, 214.59; 8. Tony Gillig, Mustang, 6.388, 218.16 vs. 16. Elijah Morton, Escort, 6.457, 216.58.
SATURDAY NOTES
He was unhurt in the high-speed crash and left the car under his own power, but the brand-new Skull Gear Pontiac GTO was much worse for the wear. IHRA rules stipulate that a driver must race the car he qualified. That means Cannon cannot rely on the use of a back-up. Cannon, in the left lane opposite Rick DiStefano, got just past the 330-foot mark when his car drifted slightly out of the established groove and made an abrupt right turn. The car then hit the opposite-lane retaining wall, barrel-rolled several times, and spun around on its hood. It stopped just past the finish line with the car right-side up. "I didn't drive the car any different than I had all weekend," Cannon said. "The car slid a little into the marbles, and before I could even react, it shot across the track. At that point, I was just along for the ride." Medical personnel on site examined Cannon and released him. The Lyman, South Carolina, driver was more upset with the fact that he messed up his new product of Vanishing Point Race Cars. "I am OK, but this is extremely disappointing," Cannon said. "Jim Geese of Vanishing Point Race Cars built a car that saved my life tonight and kept me in one piece." He won't be racing in Sunday's eliminations, though. First alternate Jason Hamstra, of DeMotte, Indiana, will put his '63 Corvette in Cannon's place, against Carl Spiering in Round 1. Cannon vowed to return to competition in three weeks, at the IHRA Spring Nationals at Rockingham, North Carolina. He will drive the team's Australian-built 1953 Studebaker after the crew makes a few upgrades to it. Cannon's father, six-time IHRA Pro Modified champion Scotty Cannon, was relieved that his son was unhurt. "That's the most important thing," Scotty said. "We all
get into this sport and we know the inherent dangers associated. This
had been discussed in our team meetings before Little Scott ever drove
the car. We just hoped that would be one of those things we never experienced.
He announced that he personally will sponsor the Quain Stott-owned Pro Modified car that Tommy D’Aprile drives. The '63 Corvette with the camouflage-style paint scheme will be known as the "Support Our Troops" car. Knoll said he will fund this effort from his personal bank account as a means to boost troop morale. "This car is for every serviceman and servicewoman who is off defending our freedoms that we take for granted," Knoll said. "Not only that, this is for every veteran, EMT, policeman, fireman and rescue-team member and basically everyone who keeps this, the greatest country in the world, running and free. This is my way of saying thanks for their unselfish service. God Bless the USA and our allies." Members of the military will be able to autograph a special section on the car's deck lid. "You always want to get the autographs of your heroes," Knoll
said. The three-time and reigning champion and defending event winner got out of the groove by half-track and fishtailed a couple of times, flirted with the concrete barrier, then took out the center-line cones at the top end of the track. That made two straight unfortunate passes for Atchison. He drifted close to the center line for most of his Friday night pass and landed in the sand pit at the completion of a less-than-stellar 9.825/86.64. "It was fun first ride with the new car. We had a pretty good lap. It was soft," Atchison said, "but I was a little late on the 'chutes and put it in the sand -- kind of knocked the new car smell out of it. That's all right. It would have had those scratches in a few races anyway. It's just an old race car now." Atchison held onto the top spot. His first-round opponent will be No. 8 Terry McMillen and his InstiGator 2000 Avenger.
He was concerned about his 12-year-old son, Jake. The talented Motocross rider suffered a concussion while competing in a Loretta Lynn qualifier race Saturday morning. "They called me from the ambulance, so it wasn't a good morning for Jake," dad Bob said. "He had a concussion and was knocked out, has a fat lip. They released him. Everything's normal. He's going to be all right. But I hate it because I'm here in San Antonio and he's in the Cleveland County Hospital [in North Carolina]." Jake Gilbertson, who is entered in the 85cc class, wants to claim one of just 44 spots for the national championship. Bob Gilbertson said these bikers travel 60-80 miles an hour on the straightaway going into a jump. He said Jake "went over the handlebars, broke his helmet. He's all banged up but he's going to be good. I've been upset all morning." But Gilbertson said he is awed by Jake's fearlessness and his dedication. "He runs up front, and he's crazy. He scares me. He wins a lot of
races," Bob Gilbertson said. Gilbertson, who will celebrate 30 years of marriage to wife Sally in May, contrasted himself to Jake, calling himself "a flunkie that's a daredevil kind of guy." He said his wife, who admittedly hasn't been keen on his love of racing, always has told him, "If you're going to do this, then win." Said Gilbertson, "She doesn't have to tell Jake that. He wins." Gilbertson is 1-for-1 in IHRA final rounds and 1-for-4 in NHRA races. He said of Jake, "He'll go on and continue to do it. And in five
years, I hope -- if there's anything left of him -- that he can take over
driving the race car for me. He could have a career in Supercross. He's
got good backing, good sponsors, and good equipment." What?! Hey-- Do-overs! -- In the first Saturday qualifying
session, the third overall, Pro Modified drivers Mike Janis, Harold Martin,
and Thomas Patterson had their times thrown out because of a technical
glitch at the top end of the track. The scoreboard registered 6.0-second
elapsed times. Janis and Martin clocked no speeds. Patterson had one --
an outrageous 490 mph that looked more plausible from a fighter jet than
his 1941 Willys.
Doug Foley, who had sewn up the top qualifying spot, said sitting in
his Torco Dragster for such a long time was uncomfortable. In that kind
of a situation, he said, "Personally, the less I think about it,
the better off I am. I try to relax my mind. We'll crack jokes on the
radio to keep ourselves occupied." McMillen stopped in Rockdale this past Tuesday on his way to San Antonio to visit the Gerthe family, his "adopted" Junior Dragster partners. Parents Duane and Lisa and their children, Ayrton and Alesie, have a Junior Dragster team that races under the New Breed Racing banner. While in Rockdale, McMillen attended a high-school assembly and displayed
his InstiGator Funny Car alongside the Gerthes' Junior Dragsters and the
newly unveiled Quick Rod dragster that Alesie will drive. Prepared and No. 1 -- Top Fuel driver Doug Foley must have been a terrific Boy Scout, for his motto appears to be "Be Prepared." He said he thought his 4.610-second, 315.56-mph No. 1 qualifying performance
came because "we prepared a lot. We've been out [testing and running
at NHRA races] since the first of the year. We have about 40 or 50 runs
on this car. We knew that was what it was going to take to come out here
and run with Clay."
Foley, driving the dragster that began as the McKinney chassis Doug Kalitta
took to a No. 2 finish in NHRA competition last season, rode out his first-session
effort. He said that because he "qualified on the first shot,"
he was "going to have to be careful not to overstep it" Sunday.
But this is the first time that as No. 1, he will have to go against the No. 5 driver instead of No. 8 in the opening round. This time, Louie Allison, the runner-up here last year, is No. 5. "I'm not thrilled with it," Foley said of the new pairing system. "It's definitely going to bring better racing. But I don’t get the luxury of running No. 8. Look how weird it is. If Clay were one step worse, I'd be running Clay in the first round. How weird is that?" Foley said he thinks the Top Fuel competition will be much stiffer this season. "I feel like we have more of a competitive car over here," he said. "The championship is basically locked up for Clay in most years with three or four races left. But this year, I think you'll see guys contending for the title still at Norwalk. You'll be finding guys flexing their muscles all season." He singled out Andrew Cowin and Bobby Lagana as contenders who first
need to shake out all the bugs in their new cars. And he said his own
teammate, Rick Cooper, will do well, once he gets comfortable in his new
dragster, the one Foley drove last year to a second-place finish in the
standings. "It went 4.58 at 320," Foley said. "We're going
to have to take our time and work with it. He's a big boy in a small car."
'Where's the track?' -- Cruz Pedregon said the only
complaint he had with San Antonio Raceway is one he has with nearly every
NHRA facility: lighting. Referring to NHRA venues, Pedregon said, "I
can count on one hand the tracks that have adequate lighting."
"We're going to come out aggressive. We had that baby loaded up.
We didn't leave a lot on the table," the Advance Auto Parts Chevy
Monte Carlo driver said. His strategy, he said, is that "we're kind
of racing ourselves." He said he has an excellent chance, "if
he can have it do what we tell it. There's a little more pressure on us.
We're expected to win." He said John Force, his NHRA Funny Car nemesis throughout the 1990s,
once told him, "While you're home sleeping, I'm working hard, learning
how I can beat you." So, Pedregon said, "while [the drivers
of] the Schumacher and Force cars are relaxing, I'm working." He
was referring to Don Schumacher Racing entrants Whit Bazemore, Ron Capps,
and Gary Scelzi and John Force Racing's Robert Hight and Eric Medlen as
well as the 13-time champion.
"I'm surprised more didn't come," he said. "I would highly recommend it." Pedregon has recommended it to his younger brother, Tony, who's at home, spending precious time with his newborn son, Desi. He said Tony, his NHRA teammate whom he called following every session, is intrigued by the idea of joining him here next season. He said his own plans to come here, after a two-day leadership conference this past week at Orlando, Florida, "kind of came together at the last minute." As for Tony, he said, "He has whole year to work on it." He said they agree that it might be a smart idea, "especially with the Hispanic fan base." Besides, he said, he'd like to see the three brothers race here together.
And this Sunday, he said he would like to meet brother Frankie, the No.
2 qualifier, in the final round. Millican nearly DNQs -- Top Fuel dominator Clay Millican has been anything but dominant this weekend. He was in the No. 9 spot -- unqualified for the eight-car field -- when he made his third of four qualifying passes. He ran a 4.678-second pass, an elapsed time that would have put him No. 4 in the order. But IHRA officials said his team bypassed the scales and that it would disqualify his run. Alerted about the development, a Millican team representative discussed the issue with officials. Millican's run was allowed. That was a fortuitous thing for the defending event champion and reigning dragster king, for he smoked the tires on his Koretsky/Werner/OCC/Motel 6 Dragster in the final chance.
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d v e r t i s e m e n t FRIDAY - PEDREGON MAKES GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION TO LEAD TORCO NITRO FUNNY CAR; Records established in multiple classes
Pedregon, making his debut in the IHRA’s new Torco Nitro Funny Car class, drove his Advance Auto-sponsored Funny Car to the provisional pole and set both ends of the track record with a 4.765 elapsed time at 321.12 mph per hour during the first day of qualifying for the Amalie Oil IHRA Texas Nationals. Joining Pedregon atop the qualifying lists were Doug Foley (Torco Top Fuel), Rick Distefano (Torco Pro Modified), Rob Atchison (Alcohol Funny Car) and Brian Gahm (Torco Pro Stock).
“Coming into an unfamiliar track, you are sometimes cautious about pushing your car. I felt comfortable here. Our goal is to run as hard as we can.” Eleven nitro-burning Funny Cars made the trek to the first of eleven races scheduled for the eMax Drag Racing Series. Frank Pedregon was second behind his brother with a 4.842, 297.16 and just ahead of Bob Gilbertson’s 5.027, 300.06. The return of the Funny Cars wasn't without its problems, however, as IHRA officials doled out three black flag penalties on the first day for oildowns.
Cannon also recorded a 237.34 speed, which temporarily serves as a new IHRA record.
Thomas was second with a 5.840, 238.43 and Terry Munroe was next with a 5.879, 239.84.
Veteran chassis builder Haas was the first day runner-up with a 6.374, 218.58. Seven Torco Pro Stock drivers dipped into the 6.3-second zone. Qualifying resumes with two sessions scheduled for 3:00 PM and 7:00.
Pro Modified -- 1. Rick Distefano, Chevy Corvette, 6.062, 234.13; 2. Scott Cannon, Pontiac GTO, 6.074, 237.34; 3. Glen Kerunsky, Chevy Bel Air, 6.084, 233.96; 4. Tommy D'Aprile, Corvette, 6.084, 232.59; 5. Dan Rowe, Corvette, 6.106, 222.66; 6. Kenny Lang, Corvette, 6.110, 229.70; 7. Chip King, Dodge Daytona, 6.129, 235.80; 8. Quain Stott, Corvette, 6.135, 232.55; 9. Carl Spiering, Corvette, 6.148, 233.32; 10. Mike Castellana, Chevy Cavalier, 6.177, 223.06; 11. Mike Janis, Chevy Cobalt, 6.185, 232.39; 12. Jim Halsey, Chevy Camaro, 6.209, 225.67; 13. Eddie Ware, Camaro, 6.280, 222.14; 14. Harold Martin, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.283, 226.20; 15. Thomas Patterson, Willys, 6.285, 222.88; 16. Rick Moore, Grand Am, 6.287, 225.60. Alcohol Funny Car -- 1. Rob Atchison, Chevy Monte Carlo,
5.813, 246.71; 2. Mark Thomas, Monte Carlo, 5.840, 238.43; 3. Terry Munroe,
Monte Carlo, 5.879, 236.96; 4. Chris Foster, Dodge Avenger, 5.897, 239.87;
5. Thomas Carter, Chevy Camaro, 5.959, 236.42; 6. Larry Dobbs, Chevy Corvette,
5.991, 232.35; 7. Terry McMillen, Avenger, 6.079, 208.14; 8. Trevor Lebsack,
Ford Mustang, 6.193, 213.67.
FRIDAY NOTES - IHRA Gets Gahm On; Nitro Funny Cars Cruzin'; Meatball Special; Zizzo Struggling; Patrick 'Ready To Fight;' Cannon Takes Shot; Funny Cars Rule
He needs to run a 6.417-second E.T. by the end of the weekend to make Friday's time the official national record. Until then, Robert Patrick owns the mark with a 6.360-second run he made last October at Rockingham, North Carolina. Gahm, of Lucasville, Ohio, rewrote his own track speed mark on that run with a 218.65-mph clocking. His previous record was 217.39. Patrick also had the track E.T. record of 6.427 seconds. a
d v e r t i s e m e n t "I'm very disappointed with the NHRA's decision to mandate the costly modification to our chassis," Zizzo Sr. said. "At a cost of $10,000 for the modification, we just cannot afford it at this time. It's out of the budget, and therefore we will not be able to compete in NHRA events after the Houston event (next weekend). I feel the NHRA should have grandfathered the low-budget teams who have tried to compete with the highly financed teams in order to maintain a deep, competitive field." Driver T.J. Zizzo said the team has taken a step backward but expressed confidence in his crew's capability. "We are starting the 2006 drag-racing season in a positon we have not been in for quite some time," he said. "We lost a few major sponsors and will start the season with a depleted budget. In order to generate income, we had to sell a lot of parts, which ended up being about half of our inventory. We have a few sponsorship deals that could take us through a few races." The team plans to run the entire IHRA schedule. "We enjoyed competing in the IHRA last year," T.J. Zizzo said,"and feel that we can be very competitive." His crew has remained intact, for the most part, and Zizzo Sr. said, "There is no doubt we are struggling financially, but I have a 100 percent commitment from the entire volunteer race team," adding that they "have another year's experience under their belts." He said the reason they'll try to enter as many events this year as possible is that familiar lament: "If you are not out there doing it, they will forget who you are." Zizzo started out fifth Friday and slipped off the grid. He missed Bobby
Lagana's bump spot by .421 seconds and is ninth among the 12 entrants
heading into Saturday's action. "You had better come ready to fight," Patrick said. "We have made a lot of test laps, and I feel that has us more than ready for the challenge of dethroning champion Steve Spiess." He said that to do that, he needs to run elapsed times no slower than the 6.3-second range. "That's what it's going to take," he said. "We just want to be on top of our game when it comes time to race in San Antonio." Patrick ran a 6.380 E.T. at 217.84 mph Friday to take the provisional No. 4 position. The Fredericksburg, Virginia, who returned to IHRA competition in 2004 after nearly a decade of running NHRA events, won once that year and once (at Grand Bend, Ontario) in three final rounds last season, on his way to a third-place finish in the standings. Cannon takes aim -- In his popular poem "If," Rudyard Kipling had a long list of criteria for a father looking to pronounce his son a man. For six-time IHRA Pro Modified champion Scotty Cannon, the list is short.
He shattered the track speed record Friday night, eclipsing Ed Hoover's 232.23 mph with a 237.34 in his new Pontiac GTO. He's second in the Pro Mod lineup with two more sessions remaining. Scott Cannon Jr. debuted last August at the Torco Race Fuels Northern Nationals at Martin, Michigan, driving a Studebaker that was new in 1997. He had one semifinal finish and qualified twice among the top three. He entered this event in fifth place in the seeding for the Torco Pro Modified Shootout that will be a race-within-a-race this summer, also at Martin.
"I've watched him bring the crew together and motivate the players," the happy father said. "That's important in the grand scheme of things. I sat back and I watched him manage the program, and while he might be hard on the crew at times, they rally behind him. And that makes a winning combination any way you look at it." Then taking off his tuner's hat, dad Scotty said, "I don't think there's a more gratifying feeling than for a parent to see his child succeed. I'll just be quick to hide his press releases so he can't read them."
In the three NHRA "tune-up" events -- the season kickoff at
Pomona, California, and then at Chandler, Arizona, and Gainesville, Florida
-- it might have been "monstrously ugly." Litton broke more
parts on his Lucas Oil/Torco Race Fuels Dragster that he probably cares
to count. But maybe all that is turning around. Litton, who has nine career victories, is looking to break into double digits at San Antonio. With his history there, it would be a fitting venue in which to do it. Two years ago at the inaugural Texas Nationals, he wrecked his dragster in the semifinals after beating Grant Flowers. He was airlifted to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio in a frightening-looking crash caused by a blown tire that collapsed his wing. Miraculously he escaped with no worse than a concussion. Litton has brought that same car back to San Antonio after refurbishing it. "It was a good car then, and it still is" he said. "We
basically reworked the whole thing, and new it can be considered a new
car, Winning this weekend would be a fitting conclusion to the story."
They came back last year and squashed the competition after experiencing a blowover last summer, so they know they are resilient. However, Millican failed to qualify for last weekend's NHRA Gatornationals classic, and although he missed the field by just nine-thousandths of a second. That was only the second time Millican left an NHRA race with a DNQ , so he and Kloeber decided they had better do something to make sure they were confident heading into San Antonio Raceway seeking a three-peat. After all, Millican has won the previous four season-openers. So they stayed in Florida this week and tested the Kenny Koretsky/Werner Enterprises/Nitro Fish/Orange/County Choppers/Motel 6 Dragster. So far he hasn't capitalized on any new data he might have acquired. Going into Saturday's final day of qualifying, Millican is fifth with a 4.790-second elapsed time at 308.71, behind Doug Foley, Bruce Litton, last year's event runner-up Louie Allison, and Andrew Cowin. "We actually made some decent runs at Gainesville," Millican said of his race-weekend performance. "We just didn't run hard enough. When we tried to run harder, we broke the tires loose." NHRA nitro-class teams entered the May 16-18 Gatornationals with much uncertainty about the newly mandated version of the Goodyear tire. That won't be an issue in this weekend's IHRA season-opener. The IHRA has ruled that either the familiar tire or the new version is acceptable for now. He knows his keenest competition likely will be Bruce Litton, who was runner-up in the season opener twice in the past four years, and Torco Dragster driver Doug Foley, who used the NHRA's preseason testing sessions and first three races as a tune-up for San Antonio. "Bruce Litton and Doug Foley are running just as good as we are, and there will be other good cars out there this year," Millican said. Noting Foley's two-car set-up with Rick Cooper behind the wheel of the second Torco-sponsored dragster, he said Foley "is coming after us He qualified at Gainesville, and we didn't." Foley also seized the provisional top-qualifier position with a 4.610-second pass and a top speed of 315.56 mph. Funny Cars rule? -- In a statistic reminiscent of the
NHRA's Winston "No Bull" Showdown, the tentative No. 1 qualifier
in Funny Car (Cruz Pedregon, 321.12 mph) was faster than his Top Fuel
counterpart (Doug Foley, 315.56 mph)
Magic dragster? -- Bill Ancona's McKinney chassis is
the one in which Tony Schumacher set the 4.437-second NHRA national elapsed-time
record. FRIDAY, March 24, 2006 SATURDAY, March 25, 2006 PRO Autograph Session After PRO Round SUNDAY, March 26, 2006 PRO Sessions will start at times listed above Schedule subject to change
at any time
Got a comment? Drop us a line at comppluseditor@aol.com.
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After driving
his Racebricks ’05 Monte Carlo to the #3 qualifying position, Densham
defeated Terry Haddock in the first round and Cruz Pedregon in the semifinals
to advance to the championship round against Lee. Densham clocked a clean
4.850/300.20 to win the event while Lee crossed the center line during
his run and was disqualified.
“You
can’t expect to come to these races and beat Clay (Millican), but
after qualifying we were confident we could keep posting great times,”
said Foley. “We’ve been out testing since the second week
of January, so we were prepared to run quick all weekend. When you run
the defending world champ, you have to run fast and we did just that.”
Thomas
powered his Ethanol Performs ’06 Monte Carlo to the #2 qualifying
spot, behind Atchison, and defeated Trevor Lebsack (Slave Lake, Alb.)
and Terry McMillen (Elkhart, Ind.) to advance through the field. Meanwhile,
Atchison drove through the other side of the ladder with wins over Chris
Foster (Davenport, Iowa) and Thomas Carter (Cuero, Texas.).
Tommy
D’Aprile’s bid for his first career win fell short as Glen
Kerunsky (Priddis, Ab) held the Port Charlotte, Fla. resident off to claim
the Torco Pro Modified championship at San Antonio Raceway. Both racers
posted .060 reaction times, but D’Aprile’s ’63 Corvette
went into tire shake early, causing him to abort the run. Kerunsky, in
his supercharged ’53 Bel Air, zipped right down the groove in 6.101
at 230.59 mph to earn the win.
“(Team
owner) Charlie Taylor called and asked if I wanted to drive his Pro Stocker
just a few weeks ago, and here I am in the winner’s circle,”
said Gugliotta, who clinched his fifth career Torco Pro Stock win. “Now
we head back to Rockingham, where I was No. 1 qualifier in 2005. Maybe
I can get a few more wins this year.”
Camarillo, Calif.-resident
Cruz Pedregon, who drove his Advance Auto Parts-sponsored entry to a 4.765
elapsed time during Friday qualifying, held on to the pole position when
all was said and done Saturday. Pedregon’s brother, Frank (Rancho
Cucamonga, Calif.), could not top that mark in two Saturday hits and had
to settle for the #2 qualifying position. This is the first time in history
two brothers have finished 1-2 in qualifying for an IHRA professional
class. 
Things
remained the same in Torco Racing Fuels Pro Nitro Top Fuel as no drivers
were able to move into the field Saturday evening. Teammates Doug Foley
(Sewell, N.J.) and Rick Cooper (Boise, Id.) grabbed the #1 and #3 qualifying
spots respectively for the Foley/Stevens Racing team. Friday Foley was
able to post a 4.610/315.56 to take the pole as it held up all day Saturday.
Bruce Litton (Indianapolis, Ind.) ran a 4.655/310.34 Friday to move into
the #2 spot, where he stayed after Saturday’s action.
In Torco Pro
Stock, pretty much the only suspense was if Brian Gahm (Lucasville, Ohio)
could back up his provisional IHRA World Record run of 6.354 set Friday.
Saturday night, as one of the final pair, Gahm shook the tires and the
run got out of sort. He needed a 6.417 to back up the record, but will
have to settle for the #1 qualifier position instead. Gahm will face #9
seed Rick Jones (Galesburg, Ill.) in the first round of eliminations Sunday
afternoon.
The Alcohol Funny
Car qualifying sessions Saturday did not produce much change from the
order set Friday. Tom Carter (Cuero, Texas) moved from the #5 spot to
#3, but other than that the field pretty much remained the same. Defending
Amalie Oil Texas Nationals champion Rob Atchison (London, Ont.) grabbed
the pole Friday and did not give it up after Saturday’s two qualifying
rounds. His 5.813/246.71 stood up to give him the top slot heading into
Sunday’s elimination rounds. Ohio farmer Mark Thomas (Louisville,
Ohio) in his ethanol-powered Avenger stayed in the #2 slot.
Rick DiStefano
(Calgary, Alberta) remained in the #1 qualifying position when the final
session concluded Saturday night, but the real story is who is on the
outside of the field, looking in. Dennis Radford (Baker City, Or.) did
not improve enough over his Friday times to move into the field. Steve
Bareman (Elma, N.Y.) also failed to make the show as did the #2 finisher
in 2005 points standings, Shannon “The Iceman” Jenkins (Tuscaloosa,
Ala.). Harold Martin (West Bloomfield, Mich.) was on the bump spot heading
into the final qualifying session, and ended up not holding on to #16.
Defending event champion Ed Hoover (Gilbert, S.C.) also failed to run
the number to get into the show.
Cannon
goes boom -- Scott Cannon Jr. was cruising along in the first
race of his first full season, qualified second in the veteran-heavy Pro
Modified class, when he experienced his first serious accident in the
final qualifying session. 
Knoll
honors military -- Torco Race Fuels President Evan Knoll always
has expressed his respect and gratitude for the members of the United
States military forces defending freedom around the world. He paid more
than lip service Saturday. 
Ache for
Jake -- Bob Gilbertson grabbed the provisional No. 2 spot in
the new Nitro Funny Car class Friday night. However, trying to knock Cruz
Pedregon from the top spot wasn't his priority Saturday morning. 
No.
9 time, No. 1 speed -- Rick Jones will start from the No. 9 spot
Sunday with a 6.396-second pass that was 42-thousandths of a second off
leader Brian Gahm's quickest run ever in the Torco Pro Stock class. But
Jones' speed of 219.33 mph was fastest in the field and the only one in
the 219s.
'It
blowed up real good' -- Bill Ancona's dragster exploded right
off the starting line in the Saturday evening qualifying session, oiling
down both lanes. The four remaining drivers -- Jim Cavalieri, Doug Foley,
Bruce Litton, and Rick Cooper – had planned to make single runs.
However, Cavalieri also oiled down the track so Foley, Litton, and Cooper
waived off their runs. The Super Rod class also was scuttled for the night.
Clay
Millican -- the reigning and five-time series champion, four-time
defending event winner, and San Antonio Raceway elapsed-time and speed
record owner -- fared no better than fourth in the order. 
It
won't be easy -- Cruz Pedregon said that although he blazed the
IHRA Nitro Funny Car class' comeback trail, Sunday's eliminations are
"not a duck walk, by any means." He said if he wants a victory
in his first career IHRA appearance, "We're going to have to earn
it. 
Having
fun in new deal -- Cruz Pedregon is one of several NHRA regulars
who have added a buzz to this year's IHRA season-opener by bringing their
7,000-horsepower nitro-burners to San Antonio. He said he's a bit shocked
more of his NHRA competitors didn't use the idle week on the Powerade
Series schedule to get some extra runs on their cars before the Houston
event. 
“This
is a credit to this race track,” Pedregon said. “That was
exactly what the fans wanted to see. I think this proved to a lot of people
that this facility can handle the good runs.
Foley
started the season with a flourish, claiming the provisional Torco Pro
Nitro Top Fuel pole position with a stout 4.610/315.56 pass during the
early qualifying session. 
Distefano,
of Calgary, Alberta, recorded his best lap in the first session. Benefiting
from the tuning expertise of fellow Canadian Al Billes, he established
a new track record with a 6.062 elapsed time. His run was closely trailed
by second-generation racer Scott Cannon, Jr., with a 6.074.
Atchison,
continuing the Canadian domination, was on pace to successfully defend
his Alcohol Funny Car championship. He edged out friendly rival Mark Thomas
for the provisional spot with a 5.813, 246.71.
Gahm,
of Lucasville, Ohio, blasted out the quickest-ever elapsed time in Torco
Pro Stock to snag the lead in first day qualifying. He recorded a 6.345-second
E.T. to lead second-quickest Jerry Haas by .02. 
On
top of his Gahm -- Brian Gahm ran the quickest elapsed time in
IHRA Pro Stock history during Friday evening qualifying with a 6.354-second
blast on the San Antonio Raceway quarter-mile. 
Financially
strapped team struggles -- T. J. Zizzo and his Top Fuel team-owner
dad Tony Sr. say they're eager to compete in all 11 races on the IHRA's
eMax Drag Racing Series. But they say they're frustrated that the National
Hot Rod Association ignored the small-budget operations when it changed
its chassis specs for 2006. They contend the NHRA imposed financial hardships
on them and robbed them of the choice to participate with both sanctioning
bodies. 
Patrick
wants more -- More than 40 off-season passes in his Purvis Ford-sponsored
Pro Stock Cobra weren't enough to satisfy Robert Patrick. On the way to
San Antonio Raceway and the season-opening Amalie Oil Texas Nationals,
he stopped at Houston Raceway Park for a few test runs with his new Bob
Ingles engine. 
"Over
the years, I've watched Little Scott develop into a man and I'm very proud
of what he has become," Cannon said as the eldest of his three sons
prepared for his first full season of IHRA action. "He's a leader
and not a follower." 
Cannon
The Elder, who serves as crew chief, said he sees his son as an effective
manager who can delegate, hasn't hesitated to become stern when he needs
to, and has commanded respect. 
That
might be only a slight exaggeration from the Clermont, Indiana, Top Fuel
veteran who started the season with a tentative hold on the No 2 spot
Friday. 
Millican
in unfamiliar territory -- No competitor in any sport feels at
ease heading into a key event having been rocked from his comfort zone.
Five-time and defending Top Fuel champion Clay Millican and talented tuner
Mike Kloeber are no different. 
Bubble
burst -- Alan Pittman's brand-new '62 Chevy bubble-top Pro Modified
car sustained severe damage -- on the way to the track. The team discovered
the damage Thursday afternoon after arriving at San Antonio Raceway, at
the end of the 1,130-mile trip from Greenville, South Carolina. The car
came loose inside the transporter and bounced around. Evidence shows the
car repeatedly bounced up more than three feet and hit the roof of the
trailer, causing the spill plates on the rear wing to flatten. The team
discovered numerous cracks to the carbon fiber body. The crew repaired
the mess, but Pittman was unable to make a full pass in either session
because of tire shake. 
Lagana
christens new car with 4.8 -- Top Fuel veteran Bobby Lagana ran
a 4.895-second elapsed time with his first full pass in the brand-new
Murf McKinney-built dragster Friday night. He came in to the final qualifying
session of the day on the bubble with a 6.423-second time. He had smoked
the tires and put cylinders out early in that first run. His improved
run didn’t help him, for he closed the day still on the bump spot.
Goforth
and sand no more -- Pro Stock rookie Cary Goforth of Holdenville,
Oklahoma, had a wild second ride of the day Friday when the parachutes
on his 2006 Chevy Cobalt failed to deploy at the end of his run. The Jerry
Haas teammate was uninjured after his car zipped through the sand trap
and into pastureland beyond that. He was 21st among the 23 entrants before
the run and moved up to 18th but still is unqualified for the 16-car grid.
Haas was No. 2. 
Meatball
back on menu -- Life has spice again for The Flying Meatball.
Frank Gugliotta, the Maryland driver with the outrageous nickname, found
himself without a ride earlier this year, despite finishing second in
the standings to Steve Spiess last season. Car owner Charlie Taylor, whose
driver Dan Seamon won this race last March, heard that Steve Thodos had
parked his 2004 Ford Escort to concentrate on his industrial-door business.
So he called Gugliotta and offered him the ride in his '05 Escort. Gugliotta
said he wanted to thank both Taylor and Steve Thodos for giving him the
opportunity in recent years. He showed his appreciation for his new chance
by starting out this event in the No. 3 position. But his 6.411-second
elapsed time was quick enough only for ninth place by the end of the night.
'New
Kids' fare well -- All the NHRA Funny Car regulars qualified
for the eight-car nitro-version field in the first session, but Terry
Haddock was bumped from the field in the night run. 
© Competitionplus 2005
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