Wilson Makes NHRA Impression
Mopar Motorsports
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
14th Annual O¹Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals
Heartland Park Topeka
Topeka, Kan.
Notes & Quotes
WEEKEND TELEVISION: (ALL TIMES EASTERN)
QUALIFYING: Sat., May 25; 8-10 p.m.; ESPN
FINAL ROUND: Sun., May 26; 8:30 10:30 p.m.; ESPN
REPEAT: Fri., May 31; 4-6 a.m.; ESPN2
Wilson Progressing Nicely
The Mopar Rookie More Comfortable With New Surroundings
TOPEKA, Kan. (May 21, 2002) -- New Jersey NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
fans stood in approval as two familiar Pro Stock drivers sat on the starting
line with their yellow pre-stage bulbs lit - bristling with Wild West-like
anticipation. A 77-second NHRA Pro Stock burn down classic was in progress.
A victory over veteran Mark Osborne during this past weekend¹s Matco Tools
NHRA SuperNationals for rising young Mopar star Gene Wilson was the result,
proving the rookie has come into his own as a NHRA Pro Stock driver. The
Canton, Ga., resident, and driver of the Mopar Parts Dodge Neon R/T, bounded
onto the Pro Stock scene at the 33rd annual Gatornationals in Gainesville
(Fla.) earlier this season and has qualified for the last three NHRA
national events.
³It may be cold out here, but I sure can¹t feel it,² said Wilson, amid
unseasonably cool 50-degree Englishtown weather, following his stirring
victory over Osborne. ³The car really feels good to me right now. I gained a
lot of confidence by winning that exhibition race in Budds Creek (Maryland),
last Wednesday. The whole team has been on the same page.²
Wilson defeated Allen Johnson, Ron Krisher and Tim Freemen during an
eight-car exhibition race on May 15 in Budds Creek. Current NHRA points
leader Warren Johnson failed to make that show.
After not qualifying in his first three NHRA Pro Stock attempts, Wilson has
been steady, grabbing the 10th position at the Bristol (Tenn.) Dragway, a
fifth at his hometown Atlanta Dragway and 11th in Englishtown. Wilson¹s race
day prowess has been notable as well, winning his first NHRA race over V.
Gaines in Atlanta and making the semifinals at the most recent event in New
Jersey, creating an interesting plot at Heartland Park Topeka.
If everything plays to form, Wilson should be in line for a final-round
appearance at this weekend¹s soiree in Topeka.
Gene Wilson¹s Ladder Effect
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Bristol (Tenn.) Dragway
Round One >>>>> Lost to Warren Johnson
Atlanta Dragway
Round One >>>>> Beat V. Gaines
Round Two >>>>> Lost to Jim Yates
Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, N.J.
Round One >>>>> Beat Arturo Delgado
Round Two >>>>> Beat Mark Osborne
Round Three >>>>> Lost to Jeg Coughlin, Jr.
Heartland Park Topeka
?????????
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Wilson also lit up the Old Bridge Township Raceway Park scoreboard with a
career-best 6.776-second elapsed time at a career-best top speed of 203.40
mph in his second-round triumph over Osborne. The numbers also represent the
second-best runs for a Hemi-powered Dodge Neon R/T, which were also recorded
by a Nickens Brothers Racing machine at last year¹s national event at Maple
Grove Raceway in Mohnton, Pa., at 6.754 seconds (third-quickest in NHRA
history) and 204.35 mph (NHRA national speed record).
³I knew I was on one,² said an elated Wilson. ³The track and weather
conditions were almost perfect. When you make runs like that, you feel like
you¹re in the groove.²
Mopar Motorsports NHRA Storylines
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
* In the Clutch. For the first time this POWERade Drag Racing Series season,
Mopar Pro Stock standout Darrell Alderman failed to qualify for a 16-car
NHRA field at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park this past weekend.
³They found something in the clutch box after my third run,²
Alderman said. ³That problem prevented me
from having a good run off the starting line. We can¹t have too many
of these.²
* Alive and Well. Darrell Alderman¹s DNQ at the most recent Matco Tools
SuperNationals in Englishtown, N.J., could have been worse. Prior to the
event, Alderman sat third in the NHRA points chase. Only Ron Krisher moved
past Alderman this past weekend, even though both first-place Warren Johnson
(Round One Defeat) and second-place Jim Yates (Semifinal Defeat) extended
their lead on the three three-time NHRA Pro Stock World Champion.
* Lid Lifter. Dean Skuza spends a lot of time refining and honing his
television skills. Unfortunately, the Brecksville, Ohio resident¹s last ESPN
appearance was on the wrong end of a second-straight blower explosion and
spectacular first-round defeat. With three solid-qualifying passes under his
belt, including a season and Dodge Stratus R/T best of 4.849 seconds during
qualifying in Englishtown, Skuza pedaled his mount to a booming end. The
most recent explosion catapulted the Mopar Parts Dodge Stratus R/T body into
the air and onto the highlight reels. The team will run a back-up body at
Heartland Park Topeka this weekend. Despite the disappointment, the team is
making big strides.
³They have made a lot of improvement, especially in qualifying,²
said Brett Fischer, Mopar Motorsports Drag
Racing Program Manager on Skuza¹s fourth-place effort in New
Jersey. ³They are really starting to make
some progress with the new Dodge Stratus R/T body. We¹re excited
about the future.²
* No Dodging Topeka. If there is one track on the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing
Series Pro Stock circuit that Dodge has dominated ‹ it¹s Heartland Park
Topeka. Darrell Alderman captured the first three races by defeating Joe
Lepone, Jr., in 1989 and 1990 and Warren Johnson in 1991. The 28-time NHRA
national event winner also made the finals in 1994, the only all-Mopar final
at the track, and in 2000. All in all, a Dodge has four victories in seven
final-round appearances in this event.
Adding to that, a Dodge won the now-defunct Western Auto Nationals
in 1997 and 1994.
* Morgan Strong in Topeka. Larry Morgan, pilot of the blue Mopar Parts Dodge
Neon R/T, is no stranger to victory circle at HPT either. The Newark, Ohio,
resident outran David Rampy in 1993 to win this event and lost to Scott
Geoffrion in 1997, during the discontinued Western Auto Nationals.
