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NHRA: Winston Championship drama to unfold at Houston Raceway Park

24 October 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
BAYTOWN, Texas - The battle lines have been drawn. At stake: drag racing's biggest prize -- the coveted NHRA Winston Top Fuel championship.

With few points remaining to be earned during the 2000 season, the drama and excitement in the 6,000 horsepower category is at an all-time high. Gary Scelzi leads the chase, and appears poised to claim his third Winston title.

Feeding off the energy produced by the competition in Top Fuel, the action in Pro Stock Motorcycle is close as well, as several riders are chasing Winston championship glory. Current points leader Angelle Seeling is attempting to become only the second female in NHRA history to win a pro category championship. Meanwhile, three-time defending series champ Matt Hines has other plans.

In Funny Car and Pro Stock, a collection of drivers are scrambling for second place honors, as John Force is close to clinching his 10th Winston title and Jeg Coughlin has already claimed his first Pro Stock championship trophy.

Certainly, there are many 300-mph story lines that will develop and unfold at the fourth annual Matco Tools SuperNationals presented by Racing Champions, Oct. 26-29, at Houston Raceway Park.

With the opportunity looming for record-setting performances at the quick Texas quarter-mile, teams will be working hard to earn valuable bonus points that come from setting NHRA national records. The smooth, speedy surface at HRP has produced many national record performances over the years, including Scelzi's current national elapsed time record of 4.480 seconds.

Larry Dixon, Force, Rickie Smith and Tony Mullen are the defending event winners in their respective pro categories at the $1.8 million race, the 21st of 23 events in the $45 million NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series. Dixon, from Indianapolis, drove his Miller Lite dragster to the victory here one year ago over Scelzi in the Top Fuel final. While Dixon hopes for a victory to gain ground on Scelzi, other top contenders will also be battling for position in the Winston Top 10, including Kenny Bernstein, Joe Amato, Doug Kalitta and Rookie of the Year candidate Don Lampus.

Force, from Yorba Linda, Calif., scored the Funny Car victory here last year when he drove his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang to the win over WWF Racing driver Jim Epler's Chevy Camaro in the final round. Force and Epler lead the favorites in the 6,000 horsepower category this season, which also include Jerry Toliver, Tony Pedregon, Whit Bazemore, Ron Capps and Tommy Johnson, Jr.

King, N.C.'s Smith, took the upset victory in Pro Stock when he used a holeshot start to defeat Tom Martino. While both drivers hope for a rematch, two-time HRP race winner Jeg Coughlin Jr. will be seeking another victory so he can break Darrell Alderman's season-win record of 11. Kurt and Warren Johnson, Jim Yates, Mark Pawuk and Richie Stevens also are among the top contenders in the 200-mph category.

Hometown favorite Mullen, who lives in Houston, claimed his first career Pro Stock Motorcycle victory here last fall, outrunning veteran Dave Schultz in a quarter-mile battle between Suzukis. Mullen hopes for another winning performance as he tries to improve on his Winston points position. While Winston Championship implications surround Seeling and Hines, Antron Brown will try to keep the momentum alive as he has been one of the hottest riders during the last few months.

Text Provided By Anthony Vestal

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