Pro Stock May Look to History for Its Next Champion
Mopar Motorsports
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
33rd Annual Matco Tools SuperNationals
Old Bridge Township Raceway Park
Englishtown, N.J.
Notes & Quotes
Pro Stock May Look to History for Its Next Champion
Alderman Finds Himself in Quite a Battle
ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. (May 14, 2002) -- It¹s been a long time since Mopar¹s
Darrell Alderman has heard the words Œtitle chase¹ attached to his name.
The 2002 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Pro Stock quest is turning into
one for the history books. Will another chapter be written this weekend?
Alderman, who drives the Hemi-powered Mopar Parts Dodge Neon R/T, currently
rests third behind Warren Johnson and Jim Yates for this year¹s NHRA Pro
Stock honors. Ironically, with the exception of Jeg Coughlin, Jr., in 2000,
these three drivers are the only ones to etch their names in the
championship trophy over the past 11 NHRA seasons.
2002 NHRA Pro Stock Points
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1. Warren Johnson 519
2. Jim Yates 472
3. Darrell Alderman 423
4. Ron Krisher 414
5. George Marnell 392
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The Morehead, Ky., resident has been there before, collecting championship
hardware in 1990, 1991 and 1994, including a dramatic final-round victory
over his Mopar teammate in the 1994 Winston Finals at Pomona (Calif.)
Raceway clinching Alderman¹s last championship. Alderman has recorded 28
NHRA national event victories, his last being at this year¹s Gatornationals
at Gainesville (Fla.) Raceway. One of Alderman¹s most dramatic.
³It may be too early to talk about another championship run, but it¹s always
at the back of your mind,² said the 52-year-old Alderman. ³I want to give my
crew chief Rickie Smith a lot of the credit here. He has been a difference
maker. He knows what the car wants and excels in the heat of the day. That
consistency is what wins championships.
³We also have the tools,² Alderman continued. ³The folks over at Mopar, and
you can¹t forget about the engineers, along with this whole Nickens Brother
Racing team, have done a tremendous job. In my 13-plus years of racing, I¹ve
never seen a team work as hard as this one does. They put in 15-hour days to
try to find just one or two more horsepower. That¹s dedication. When you
combine all of that with the power we¹re producing with a three-year-old
Hemi engine and the great aerodynamics of the Dodge Neon R/T, we have a
strong combination.
³Right now, we want to take it one pass at a time,² Alderman added. ³Not one
race at a time. Pro Stock is such a competitive category that if you miss
one race it could mean losing the title. That¹s why each and every run is so
important. I can¹t stress that enough. Our first qualifying pass could be
just as important as winning that semifinal race. You just can¹t let your
guard down and compete for a title.²
Alderman has had some success at the historic New Jersey quarter-mile flat,
winning three national events while lining up in four final rounds. In 1997,
Alderman recorded victory number 27 by outgunning long-time nemesis Bruce
Allen in the finals, while running past current crew chief Smith in 1991 and
Mark Pawuk in 1990.
³We¹ve always run well up there,² Alderman said.
Is number 29 in the balance?
Past Pro Stock Champions
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2001 Warren Johnson
2000 Jeg Coughlin, Jr.
1999 Warren Johnson
1998 Warren Johnson
1997 Jim Yates
1996 Jim Yates
1995 Warren Johnson
1994 Darrell Alderman
1993 Warren Johnson
1992 Warren Johnson
1991 Darrell Alderman
1990 Darrell Alderman
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Mopar Motorsports NHRA Storylines
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* How about Darrell Alderman? He is only one of five NHRA Pro Stock drivers
to qualify for every NHRA national event this season. And that¹s a testament
to how tough this season has been, with seven different winners in the seven
NHRA national events contested in 2002.
* Who Got the Light Award? Alderman has had Warren Johnson¹s number this
season. On three different occasions, Alderman has strapped a holeshot
victory on the six-time champ. The last one came during the second round of
the most recent Summit Racing Equipment NHRA national event at the Atlanta
Dragway.
* It¹s Not Always Lane Choice. Alderman has been logging round victories and
climbing the points ladder without the aid of a top-eight qualifying
position yet this season. His high was a ninth at the season-opening
Winternationals in Pomona, Calif., with a low of 14th in Las Vegas.
* Has Skuza Found Something? Despite ending his day with a blower explosion
in the first round, Mopar Parts Nitro Funny Car driver Dean Skuza was very
upbeat about his team¹s most recent weekend. With high fives all around the
Skuza Motorsports pits at the Atlanta Dragway, the new Dodge Stratus R/T
recorded its fastest speed and two consistent qualifying passes. Here is a
quote from Dean after his first-qualifying pass in Atlanta.
³We found a problem that¹s been plaguing us on and off for the last
two years,² Skuza said. ³We addressed
it in our testing session at Bristol (Tenn.), even though we
didn¹t get down the track. When we smoked the
tires all three times, it showed us something. We looked at run
after run over the last two years and we
kept seeing the same problem in the clutch. We changed it and made
a great run. The problem was such
an intermintent deal that it was hard to track.²
* Larry Morgan¹s Playground. Old Bridge Township Raceway Park has been a
successful track for Larry Morgan, driver of the blue Mopar Parts Dodge Neon
R/T. The Newark, Ohio resident made his only run to the semifinal during
last year¹s event. Morgan beat out current Mopar teammate Alderman in 1994.
