NHRA: Bob Panella Jr. begins defense of his 1999 championship by winning opener in Pro Stock Trucks
8 February 2000
Posted By Terry
Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
CHEVROLET NOTES AND QUOTESAUTOZONE WINTERNATIONALS
POMONA RACEWAY
NHRA WINSTON DRAG RACING SERIES
SUNDAY, FEB. 6, 2000
BOB PANELLA JR., PANELLA MOTORSPORTS CHEVY S-10, defeated his former teammate GREG STANFIELD, DBP ENTERPRISES CHEVY S-10, in the final round of the season-opening Pro Stock Truck event with his 7.544/178.52 pass to Stanfields 7.568/179.09. Stanfield couldnt parlay his .408 reaction time versus Panellas .415 into a victory in his first final-round appearance since he joined with Bart and Donna Price to compete in this category at the St. Louis event in 1999.
PANELLA: "For some reason I really wanted to win that race bad. I dont know if its because we were partners one time or we wanted to start the year off right. Im really happy for the whole crew and my new crew chief Mike Stryker and to be able to start the year off great. We both had great lights. I think we bring the best out of each other. I know hes tough, he knows Im tough. I let the clutch out, the S-10 went left like it did in the second round, but I concentrated on keeping the truck straight as best as I could. I have a bad habit sometimes of looking over, but I didnt look. I was just looking for the win light to come on at the top of the guard wall. Fortunately, it was there." ON FORMER RELATIONSHIP WITH STANFIELD: "I was teammates with Greg about a year and a half ago (1998). He was part of my engine program. He then chose to go his own way. I just proceeded on from there and did the best that I could do."
STANFIELD: WHAT MADE THE DIFFERENCE FROM LAST YEAR? "We got a new Jerry Haas truck, worked a lot of hours to get it done to get here. Bobs (Panella) the man. Were close to him, were working real hard on power. We build our own engines." ON THAT RUN: "It was the normal deal, no controversy. I went in last, I had no choice but to go for it. I came up with a good light. Obviously, he was right there with me. Going into the final round we were definitely the underdog. But were going to work on that extremely hard. I really want to thank Donna and Bart Price for all their help, and Faron Wooley, my crew chief; my brother Mike, my dad Howard, known as Pops, and Clay Guess. We run a tight crew. They all work hard, believe me. Its fun, a lot of work, a lot of money. I wouldnt trade it for a day job, not right now."
STANFIELD BACKGROUND: Greg is 34, is a four-time NHRA Champion in Super Stock, driving Chevy Camaros. "We have always raced Chevys," he says. "My dads been racing Chevys since he started this deal in 1959. He won a bunch of national titles in the 70s in Stock Eliminator in Chevy Camaros." He owns Stanfield Enterprises Inc., developing motors for their team and a few Sportsman customers. "Its a complete in-house operation of machining, and dyno and engine work. We have just a few customers we take care of in Sportsman, so we can concentrate on our own program. So we can catch Mr. Panella." Greg was born in Okinawa, Japan, on Aug. 17, 1965, "during the worst typhoon they had seen there in 15 years," says his dad. "We call him the typhoon baby." Greg is married to Cynthia and has two children: Aaron, 5, and Kimberly, 10. They live in Bossier City, La.
Text Provided by J. Stropus
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