In the past we’ve referred to the NHRA U. S. Nationals as a marathon instead of a sprint because of the sheer number of days and qualifying sessions involved.  In many ways both the Winternationals and Finals at Pomona are also marathons because pro qualifying extends over four days.  The Pomona races are the only ones on the tour that include single qualifying sessions on both Thursday and Friday, and just in case you’ve never understood why, it’s because of the proximity of a nearby school.  It’s not like you’re going to be teaching the kids math or geography when 8,000 horsepower dragsters and Funny Cars are pegging the decibel meters just a few blocks away.

The second day of the 50^th Anniversary Winternationals demonstrated that the competitors are getting back in the groove after a short off-season.  Things seem to be going smoothly, at least for most teams, and now the question of conquering the track seems to have taken precedence over the little things that slowed some operations down yesterday.  That’s not to say, of course, that everyone ran quicker and faster than 24 hours earlier, but you could see in the demeanor of mechanics and tuners that they were ready to get after it.  If the running was good today, it’s going to be even better tomorrow, when there’ll be two pro sessions.  Twenty-four hours from now there are going to be some very disappointed DNQs, but even more excited qualifiers.

In the past we’ve referred to the NHRA U. S. Nationals as a marathon instead of a sprint because of the sheer number of days and qualifying sessions

involved.  In many ways both the Winternationals and Finals at Pomona are also marathons because pro qualifying extends over four days.  The Pomona races are the only ones on the tour that include single qualifying sessions on both Thursday and Friday, and just in case you’ve never understood why, it’s because of the proximity of a nearby school.  It’s not like you’re going to be teaching the kids math or geography when 8,000 horsepower dragsters and Funny Cars are pegging the decibel meters just a few blocks away.

The second day of the 50^th Anniversary Winternationals demonstrated that the competitors are getting back in the groove after a short off-season.  Things seem to be going smoothly, at least for most teams, and now the question of conquering the track seems to have taken precedence over the little things that slowed some operations down yesterday.  That’s not to say, of course, that everyone ran quicker and faster than 24 hours earlier, but you could see in the demeanor of mechanics and tuners that they were ready to get after it.  If the running was good today, it’s going to be even better tomorrow, when there’ll be two pro sessions.  Twenty-four hours from now there are going to be some very disappointed DNQs, but even more excited qualifiers.

Something must be done about Pro Stock racer Mike Edwards.  He’s embarrassing his friends and humiliating everyone else in the class.  The season is only two runs old, and his domination is as evident now as it was back in October, when he was closing in on the championship.  Oh, there were some good runs, make no mistake about that, but when the tire smoke had wafted away only Edwards had notched a 6.5 second elapsed time, this time a fifty-nine-nine.  Yes, a few were close, with Edwards engine rental customer Ron Krisher being the closest with a 6.602, but come on, people, this guy Edwards has got to be contained, controlled, corralled.  You know, like stopped.

That’s easy for us to say, now someone prove their worth as a racer and step right up there and do it.  Come on, we dare ya!

Remember John Force’s 3.80 from yesterday that was thrown out?  Well, today he ran a 4.066.  See our story on the shake-up at JFR for details, but take our word for it, Force is on a mission this year like he hasn’t been in three or four years.  He’s tired of others winning championships that should be his, and we won’t be at all surprised if the new combination of Coil, Fedderly and Neff proves to be the key to the title.

The separation between the haves and the have nots in Funny Car is already beginning to show.  Terry Haddock had one heck of an explosion and fire today, and one wonders just how long Haddock, Bob Bode and a few others can hang in there with the likes of the JFR and DSR mega-teams.  It can’t be a good feeling when you see those guys with their support rigs full of parts, and your entire trailer includes your car, a few tools and three spare pistons.  That’s a tough way to go.

Force cars now occupy positions 1 (Robert Hight), 3 (Force) and 4 (Ms. Force-Hood), while Schumacher cars are fifth (Jack Beckman), sixth (Matt Hagan) and ninth (Ron Capps).  Still think you could do it?  Here’s our first and only words of advice:  Better bring money and a lot of it if you think you can beat these guys.

There are 17 Top Fuel cars in the threes, with the last of these being the legendary Chris Karamesines, who failed to improve on yesterday’s 3.997.  The big move came from Larry Dixon, who jumped up to the pole position with a stellar 3.795.  While Alan Johnson regularly receives the glory for Dixon’s efforts we’d be remiss if we didn’t properly credit the crew chief on the car, Jason McCulloch.  This is a young man who’s grown up in drag racing and learned his lessons well.  He may not be a headline-grabber right now, but five years from now he’s going to be talked about in the same manner in which we speak of his boss.

We’ve figured out what the “problem” is with these Winternationals, and it’s that the event has become almost too big to completely appreciate.  There’s nothing specifically overwhelming, but the presence of probably three dozen exceptional race cars from the past slows down what you can comprehend in a day’s time.  Spend too long ogling the old cars and you’ll miss part of the pro session.  Hang over the fence all day and you’ll miss yesterday’s superstars, who are walking around in just as much of a daze as you are after seeing the cars they drove and raced against sometimes decades ago.  It’s a mind-blower.  Full disclosure:  I walked up to the Howard Cam Twin Bear dual Chevy-powered dragster and it hit me like a runaway truck.  I saw that car run at Island Dragway in Great Meadows, New Jersey in 1961.  Now that’s a confession!