NHRA Bristol pre-race: Hammonds hangs tough while covering new ground
HAMMONDS HANGS TOUGH WHILE COVERING NEW GROUND Winnebago Cavalier driver looking to keep pace with Pro Stock's best at the Mac Tools Thunder Valley NHRA Nationals Crestview, Fla., April 24, 2002 - It can easily be argued that the NHRA's Pro Stock division is the most competitive in all of motorsports. At a time when other series are struggling to run full fields, every POWERade Drag Racing national event sees close to thirty "factory hot rods" battling for one of sixteen spots in final eliminations. The difference between winning and going home early is often measured by mere thousandths of a second. There has been a different winner in the first five races, and only a handful of competitors remain that have qualified for every event. Among the select few with a perfect qualifying record is Winnebago Cavalier pilot Tom Hammonds. What makes this accomplishment even more remarkable is that Hammonds is in his first full season of Pro Stock competition, having retired from the NBA last September. In addition, Hammonds' participation at three of the first five races marked the first time the Crestview, FL native had competed at that particular facility. At this weekend's Mac Tools Thunder Valley Nationals, Hammonds will christen yet another track, making his first visit to Bristol Dragway. "We knew we'd have our work cut out for us in the first part of the year, because we would be racing on tracks we'd never even been to," explained Hammonds. "With playing in the NBA, we had never picked the season up until Englishtown or Columbus. Until we reach that point in the season, we'll be developing a baseline at several tracks, including Bristol this weekend. "I guess you could say that right now we're racing our Winnebago/Kendall Cavalier by the seat of our pants. The atmospheric conditions give us some idea, but until we actually go down the track, we have no notes to work from, so we have to rely on our best judgment." Despite this disadvantage, the Hammonds crew has acquitted themselves well, never qualifying lower than seventh, and advancing to at least the second round in four of the five events. Hammonds credits much of this success to his team's ability to not only read the racing surface, but also maintain a firm handle on their Cavalier's set-up. "Donnie Gardner, Eric Lusinski and Mike Matthews are my backbone, and I have to commend them for the job they have done," stated Hammonds. "It is a source of pride to all of us that we consistently make it down the track. In fact, I believe we've only aborted one or two runs all season. If we can keep doing that, we're not only going to learn more, but we'll put ourselves in a position to win. "We're normally a little conservative on our first run, preferring to leave something on the table in order to put ourselves in a better position for the good session on Friday night. Of course, we do have a little cushion with the incredible power we're getting from the gang at KRJ Limited: Jim Oliver, Tom Roberts, Boone Roberts and Ron Krisher. At the new tracks, Eric will plug in our normal set-up, adjust it for the conditions, and nine times out of ten, we go right down the track." However, Hammonds is quick to acknowledge that his team is still in its competitive infancy. Even during this period of relative success, they will not forget the hard road they traveled to reach this point. "We still have a lot of work to do," said Hammonds. "We're becoming more consistent, and things are starting to come together. Even so, we will never take anything for granted. We're running well now, but we're not about to forget the four or five years we struggled to even qualify. "This weekend, we'll first think about qualifying. Once we get ourselves solidly in the show, we'll go after lane choice. After, we'll head into race day looking to have some fun and stay around a while, and if we're lucky, our Winnebago Cavalier will end up in the Bristol winner's circle." Hammonds Highlights: This will be Tom Hammonds' 1st appearance at Bristol Dragway… Tom's previous best qualifying performance in Baytown came during his rookie season in 1996, when he was the No. 5 qualifier... Tom is currently 9th in the NHRA POWERade Points standings, and is twenty-nine points (approximately 1 ½ rounds of competition) out of 5th. Fast Facts WHAT: 2nd Annual Mac Tools Thunder Valley NHRA Nationals, the sixth race on the 23-race 2002 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Schedule. WHEN: April 26 -28, 2002 WHERE: Bristol Dragway, Bristol, Tennessee SCHEDULE: Professional qualifying begins with two sessions on Friday, April 26 at 4:30 and 7:30 p.m., and concludes with two more sessions on Saturday, April 27 at 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. Final eliminations will start at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 28. TV: ESPN2 will televise two hours of qualifying highlights from 8:00-10:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 27, with an additional two and a half hours of final eliminations coverage on Sunday, April 28 from 5:30 - 8:00 p.m.. The NHRA's weekly magazine show, NHRA2Day will on Sunday, April 28 from 11:00-11:30 a.m. (Times given are Eastern. As always, please check your local listings.)