WJ's Wrap Sheet - Pacific Raceways Edition
1. WJ's First Seattle Race - 1975
Race Car: 1975 Chevrolet Camaro
Performance: WJ Qualified Fifth, 8.96 seconds
Lost to Bob Glidden
In Warren's Words:
"I don't remember too much about that particular race other than I was
probably racing the heaviest car out there with that big-block Camaro.
It was what I call a floor model, because I built it from whatever was
laying on the shop floor. I'm not complaining by any stretch of the
imagination, because we all have to start someplace. My career was
still in its infancy, so we did the best with what we had available to
us."
Notes of the time:
* This was only the fifth NHRA Pro Stock national event start of
WJ's career
* At the time, this race was the next-to-the-last on the NHRA
schedule, and was known as the Fallnationals.
* WJ's fifth starting position was the best to that point of his
extremely young Pro Stock career.
* Warren was also the quickest of the big-block Camaros.
* Bob Glidden set both ends of the national record in qualifying
with his 8.72-second, 156.25 mph pass in claiming the No. 1 position.
* Pete Kost captured the eighth and final starting position with
his 9.06-second effort.
* The varied field was comprised of Chevrolet Camaros, Vegas and
Monzas, Ford Pintos and Mavericks, Plymouth Dusters, Pontiac Astres and
Dodge Darts.
* Winners in other professional categories included Gary Beck over
Marvin Graham in Top Fuel and Don Prudhomme over Tom McEwen in a classic
"Snake vs. Mongoose" match-up in Funny Car.
2. WJ's First Seattle Final - 1976
Race Car: 1976 Chevrolet Camaro
Performance: WJ Qualified Fourth, 8.75 seconds, 155.70 mph
Defeated Brad Yuill, Gary Hansen, Kevin Roddy
Lost to Wally Booth (red-light)
In Warren's Words:
"I remember we ran fairly well that weekend until we broke a rod. Of
course, in those days, I would run the entire year with only one engine,
so we were behind the eight ball going into the final. On top of that,
the Hornet that Booth was running had the potential to be one of the
most dominant cars in the history of Pro Stock, and had a substantial
power advantage. A fellow by the name of Gary St. Dennis had split the
heads horizontally, taking four to make two, and raised the intake port
and the port size, which combined with what proved to be an ideal block
for that set-up, the big-block AMC 390, made it the most powerful at the
time. Considering the mechanical and technological advantage they had,
I'm surprised they never captured a championship."
Notes of the time:
* This was the third final round of WJ's career.
* This was WJ's second final round match-up with veteran Wally
Booth, and the two would never meet again in a final round.
* Knowing he would need a starting line advantage to overcome the
apparent performance differential, WJ gambled on the tree, but left too
early, with the red-light start handing the automatic win to Booth.
* Ironically, both WJ and Booth were the beneficiaries of
red-lights in the semi-finals, with Larry Lombardo fouling out against
Booth, and Kevin Rotty doing the same against WJ.
* WJ's runner-up performance helped propel him to his first
runner-up finish in the Winston Drag Racing Series championship
standings, with Larry Lombardo taking the title.
* Wally Booth was the No. 1 qualifier in his AMC factory sponsored
"Hornet X" with a 8.65-second elapsed time.
* Mike Rendel was the 16th and final qualifier with a 9.12-second
e.t.
* The field consisted of Chevy Camaros, Monzas and Vegas, Ford
Mustang IIs and Pintos, AMC Hornets, and a single Pontiac Astre.
* Other winners that weekend were Jeb Allen, who defeated Hank
Johnson in the Top Fuel final, and current team owner Don Prudhomme over
current Ron Capps crew chief Ed "The Ace" McCulloch in the Funny Car
final.
3. WJ's First Seattle Win - 1989
Race Car: 1989 ACDelco Oldsmobile Cutlass
Performance: WJ Qualified Tenth, 7.389 seconds, 186.83 mph
Defeated Joe Lepone, Gordie Rivera, Butch Leal
and Bruce Allen
In Warren's Words:
"I remember that day simply because I had what I would consider for me
an unusual day of driving. At the time, many people questioned our
using the Cutlass, which we had brought out in the middle of the season,
because it didn't seem to be as sleek as the Berettas, Trans Ams, and
Fords of the time. It may have been a full-sized sedan, but as it
turned out, it was one of the best aero-balanced cars out there, as
evidenced by its widespread use in NASCAR."
Notes of the time:
* This win was the 19th of Warren's Pro Stock career, and came in
his third Pacific Raceways (then known as Seattle International Raceway)
final round appearance.
* This was WJ's first (and so far, only) win from the tenth
starting position.
* The race was now held as part of the three-race, midsummer "West
Coast Swing", and was now called the Seafair Nationals.
* No. 1 qualifier Don Beverly, who claimed the top spot with an
e.t. of 7.344 seconds, was upset by veteran Darrell Alderman in the
first round.
* Jerry Eckman anchored the field with a 7.422-second elapsed time.
* WJ was the beneficiary of Butch Leal's -.035 red-light in the
semi-finals, propelling him to his 35th final round.
* In the final, WJ used a .034 light to gain the advantage by six
hundredths of a second, and used a 7.419-second, 185.26 mph run to hold
off Allen's quicker but losing 7.390-second, 189.41 mph run.
* It was no surprise that WJ would win on a holeshot, as he had
been first off the line in the first two rounds, highlighted by his .005
second r.t. in the first round against Joe Lepone Jr.
* In addition to WJ & Allen, other current Pro Stock competitors
competing that weekend included Mark Pawuk, Larry Morgan, Kenny Koretsky
and Rickie Smith.
* The field consisted of Olds Cutlasses, Chevy Berettas, Pontiac
Trans Ams and a Dodge Daytona, and Glidden's Ford Probe.
* Other winners that weekend were Joe Amato, who defeated current
Larry Dixon crew chief Dick LaHaie in the Top Fuel final, and Bruce
Larson over current Top Fuel owner Kenny Bernstein in Funny Car.
4. WJ's Most Recent Seattle Win - 1998
Race Car: 1998 GM Goodwrench Service Plus Pontiac Firebird
Performance: WJ Qualified first, 6.884 seconds, 200.53 mph
Defeated Scott Geoffrion, Tom Martino, Jim Yates and Kurt Johnson
In Warren's Words:
"On the last qualifying pass, I had started feeling a vibration at
about 1100 feet, so I shut it off early. It still ran a 6.89, which was
quick, but the speed was off. We checked over everything we could find,
but for some reason, never spun the motor over until the next morning,
when the harmonic balancer was flopping around like a dead fish, so we
knew we had a broken crankshaft. The back up motor was obviously
adequate, so we were fortunate in that department. I put Kurt in the
lane with the sunshine on the tree in the final simply because his
eyesight is better than mine, and I wanted to even things up a bit."
Notes of the time:
* This win was the 69th win of WJ's career.
* This was Warren's fourth win in six final round appearances at
Pacific Raceways.
* This was also the 107th final round of WJ's career.
* WJ faced his son Kurt in the final, marking the ninth time the
two would meet in the championship round, with Warren holding a 7-2
edge.
* This win allowed WJ to extend his points lead over Jeg Coughlin,
and helped propel him to his fourth NHRA Pro Stock Championship.
* WJ's 6.884-second, 200.53 mph pass in qualifying not only allowed
him to claim the 97th No. 1 qualifying performance of his career, but
also set low elapsed time and top speed for the event, as well as
reestablishing both ends of the track record.
* Warren had almost a three hundredth of a second advantage over
No. 2 qualifier Mike Thomas, which was nearly the same margin between #2
and #16.
* Former WJ team member Scott Geoffrion was the No. 16 qualifier
with a 6.956-second time.
* Among the notable DNQs were former NBA players Larry Nance and
Tom Hammonds.
* The team had to perform a last minute engine swap on Sunday
morning, after they discovered their primary powerplant had a cracked
crankshaft.
* Warren and Scott replayed their legendary 1994 Houston
"burndown", with the two sitting in the prestage beams for over 15
seconds.
* Lane choice was crucial for the final, with WJ putting his son in
the right lane, where the setting sun shone directly behind the starting
line "Christmas Tree", making it harder to see.
* The Pro Stock line-up included Pontiac Firebirds, Chevrolet
Camaros and a Beretta, Oldsmobile Cutlasses, and Dodge Avengers.
* Other winners that weekend included current team owner Joe Amato,
who eliminated Cory McClenathan in the final, and Ron Capps, who edged
John Force in the Funny Car final.
5. WJ's Pacific Raceways in a Nutshell -
"Until recently, I've said this was a place that it would be nice to
build a racetrack, because until last year, they really didn't have one.
There are still issues with the pits the return road and the stands, but
at least we have a good racing surface so we can produce a decent show
for the spectators. For as fresh as it was last year, the track was
pretty darn good, and it should be even better this year.
"The fans in Seattle have always been great to us. They really embrace
all the professional categories, and, unlike other West Coast tracks,
they have a passion for Pro Stock. We've always had a decent turnout
there, which, taking into account that for many years we were battling
SeaFair, says a lot about their level of support for drag racing."
WJ's Pacific Raceways Box Score -
Races
Starts
Wins
Finals
#1
Avg. Qual.
W
L
Pct.
21
21
4
6
6
3.43
38
17
.691
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