NHRA: 50 teams take part in Raybeston/IRP pre-U.S. Nationals testing
28 August 1999
<<...>> INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (August 25) - Forty-five Professional race teams and five Federal-Mogul teams took advantage of what is becoming a pre-U.S. Nationals annual event, the Raybestos/Indianapolis Raceway Park Open Test. <<...>> The much-anticipated licensing of Cristen Powell was finalized when she clicked off a 5.01, 308. Later in the day, she came back and set low E.T. for the Funny Cars with a 4.91, 309 shot in the JCIT entry. On that run, the parachutes did not deploy and Powell ended up in the sand trap. The car was undamaged. <<...>> Tommy Johnson Jr. added to the excitement when the blower exploded about the 250-foot mark on his Joe Gibbs Interstate Batteries Pontiac and pitched the body into the air. Johnson was uninjured. <<...>> Bill Walsh, driving Joe Amato's Tenneco Top Fuel Dragster on Tuesday, recorded the best E.T. for that category with a 4.532 shot. Cory McClenathan, in Joe Gibbs' Interstate Batteries/Hot Rod Magazine dragster, was also under the existing NHRA U.S. Nationals event record with a 4.543 pass late on Wednesday. The event record of 4.566 was set in 1998 by Larry Dixon. Powell's 4.910 was the only pass under the Funny Car record of 4.916, set last year by Tim Wilkerson in the same car. Jim Yates and Mark Pawuk both got under Warren Johnson's 1998 record of 6.977 in Pro Stock, Yates with a 6.963 and Pawuk with a 6.976. The Pro Stock Truck ranks saw seven trucks under Larry Kopp's event record of 7.706, led by Mark Osborne with a 7.641 The teams made almost 350 runs over the two days of the event. Listed below are the best times and speeds for drivers in attendance. TOP FUEL Bill Walsh Joe Amato's car) 4.532 320.85 Cory McClenathan 4.543 318.92 Kenny Bernstein 4.614 318.80 Paul Romine 4.899 294.21 Tony Schumacher 4.989 208.47 Mike Dunn 5.143 192.34 Bruce Litton 5.617 174.31 FUNNY CAR Cristen Powell 4.910 309.70 Dean Skuza 4.939 309.70 Scotty Cannon 4.964 304.87 Whit Bazemore 4.990 251.32 Tommy Johnson Jr. 5.005 253.02 John Force 5.090 294.98 Jerry Toliver (Jim Epler's car) 5.291 237.09 Tony Pedregon 5.474 189.87 Del Worsham 6.059 154.40 PRO STOCK Jim Yates 6.963 196.89 Mark Pawuk 6.976 196.42 Mike Edwards 6.983 197.75 Steve Schmidt 6.987 196.24 Greg Anderson 6.995 196.12 Mike Edwards 6.999 196.93 Terry Adams 7.007 196.33 Tom Martino 7.029 196.50 Arturo Delgado 7.039 195.99 Tom Hammons 7.045 194.76 Hurley Blakeney 7.066 194.84 Larry Nance 7.072 194.55 Ed Heck 7.139 193.46 Terry Smith 7.177 192.43 PRO STOCK BIKE Tony Mullen 7.39.3 180.46 PRO STOCK TRUCK Mark Osborne 7.641 175.57 Tim Freeman 7.642 175.71 Todd Patterson 7.666 174.52 John Lingenfelter 7.668 175.50 Jerry Hass (John Smith's truck) 7.674 174.92 David Spitzer 7.679 175.23 Larry Joe Seay 7.686 174.79 Larry Kopp 7.714 173.98 Scott Perrin 7.718 174.35 Mark Whisnant 7.738 174.21 Robert Freeman 7.742 173.54 Jerry Haas 7.758 174.38 Jody Schmeisser 7.793 171.29 Dave McConnell 7.832 171.72 Sondra Sikes 7.854 171.55 FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAGSTER Dave Hirata (A/FD) 5,613 254,02 John Colstanza (A/FD) 5.684 255.68 Darryl Hitchman (A/FD) 5.965 200.57 Robin Samsel (A/FD) Spun & Shut Off FEDERAL-MOGUL FUNNY CAR Vern Moats 5.862 241.28