Skuza Leads Mopar NHRA Qualifying
Mopar Motorsports NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Matco Tools SuperNationals Notes & Quotes May 17, 2002 TELEVISION TIMES: (ALL TIMES EASTERN) QUALIFYING: Sat., May 18; 5-7 p.m.; ESPN REPEAT: Sat., May 18; 10 p.m.-12 a.m.; ESPN2 FINAL ROUND: Sun., May 19; 7 10 p.m.; ESPN2 REPEAT: Tues., May 20; 2-4 p.m.; ESPN2 ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. -- Mopar Motorsports NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series teams completed the first day of qualifying for this weekend¹s Matco Tools NHRA SuperNationals at the Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. NOTABLE: Gene Wilson piloted his Hemi-powered Mopar Parts Dodge Neon R/T to victory during Wednesday¹s Pro Stock exhibition at Budds Creek, Md. The 29-year-old rookie outlasted Atlanta winner Allen Johnson in round one, Ron Krisher in round two and Krisher¹s crew chief Tim Freeman in the final of the eight-car field. ³Budd¹s Creek was a real boost for me,² Wilson commented. ³We had a great car. The Hemi Neon R/T was flying. I felt like I was on my game on my end. It turned out good for us. It was stiff competition and I feel real good about what we did.² Rain wiped out the second-round of qualifying, setting up two critical sessions tomorrow. The following are notes and quotes from today¹s qualifying activity. DEAN SKUZA, driver of the Mopar Parts Dodge Stratus R/T Dean Skuza and the Mopar Parts Dodge Stratus R/T Nitro Funny Car played it conservative and landed the eighth-qualifying position with a 4.993-second elapsed time at 310.55 mph. ³We were just trying to get in the show,² Skuza said. ³We have gone too often this year where we needed that final-qualifying session to get into the show. Both (John) Stewart and Lance Larson (Crew Chiefs) told me that we have something left. We¹re in the show and now we can play with it a little.² GENE WILSON, driver of the Mopar Parts Dodge Neon R/T Wilson brought the momentum from his exhibition victory in Maryland to New Jersey in the first-round of qualifying. The Mopar Parts Pro Stock rookie ran a 6.874-second pass at 201.04 mph to take the 11th slot. ³We made a good run on the first hit of the day,² Wilson said. ³We had some overcast conditions and clutch set up is very important. We¹re just happy to get down in the first session here. We¹re happy with how we started.² LARRY MORGAN, driver of the Mopar Parts Dodge Neon R/T Frustrations continued for the blue Mopar Parts Dodge Neon R/T of Larry Morgan. The Newark, Ohio resident failed to crack the top 16 after posting a 6.932-second lap at 200.53 mph. ³I don¹t know what¹s wrong with the thing,² Morgan said. ³We ran a good speed, but I just blew the clutch out of it. I know we have good power, it¹s just a matter of getting it hooked up to the track.² DARRELL ALDERMAN, driver of the Mopar Parts Dodge Neon R/T Darrell Alderman, driver of the Hemi-powered Mopar Parts Dodge Neon R/T, maintained his streak of consistency when he lapped the New Jersey quarter mile in 6.878 seconds at 201.13 mph. The three-time NHRA POWERade Pro Stock World Champion collected the provisional 12th slot. ³We were a little heavy with the clutch,² Alderman said. ³We could, realistically, with a better 60-foot time, run a 6.82-second run. We have a lot of power and this is a great track for us.² -30- David Harris, Cox Marketing Group Mopar Motorsports NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series davidh@coxmarketinggroup.com (704) 799-2114 office (704) 756-9301 - mobile