FORD SHUT-OUT OF TOP NHRA SPOT

[ 5/25/2002 ]

BY TEAM FORD RACING CORRESPONDENT

Topeka, Kansas — For only the second time this season, a Ford won’t start an NHRA Funny Car race from the No. 1 qualifying position.

Veteran Bruce Sarver gave Toyota its first ever Funny Car pole when he coaxed the White Cap Celica to a time of 4.862 seconds at 304.39 miles per hour on the last qualifying run leading into Sunday’s 11:30 a.m. ET eliminations in the 14th annual O’Reilly Summer Nationals at Heartland Park-Topeka.

As for the John Force Racing Mustangs, they survived a scare or two to qualify third (Tony Pedregon), seventh (John Force) and eighth (Gary Densham) on a track on which they have been dominant in the past.

Force, the 11-time reigning NHRA Champion, extended to 286 the number of consecutive NHRA events for which he has qualified by pushing his Castrol GTX Mustang through the quarter mile timers in 4.914 seconds at 318.30 mph.

However, it’s the 100-time tour winner’s worst starting spot in 14 appearances in the Summer Nationals and it earns him a first round match not against a middle-of-the-pack opponent, but against Whit Bazemore, the man who chased him to the 2001 championship.

Dealing with a rain-shortened program that limited the top cars to only two Saturday qualifying runs, Bazemore qualified an uncharacteristic 10th at 4.960 seconds in the Matco Pontiac.

“Our ol’ race car finally is coming around,” Force said after posting top speed of the meet. “It works out good for us (the first round pairing with Bazemore) because we control our own destiny. We know Bazemore’s going to be one of the guy’s pushing us and here we’ve got a chance to do something about it.”

Force owns a 30-8 career advantage over Bazemore and a 10-2 edge when they have met in the first round. However, based on performance, Bazemore has had the better car at every race contested since Force won his 100th career title last April at Houston, Texas.

The quickest Ford for the third time in four races is Pedregon’s Castrol Syntec entry, which wound up in the winners’ circle a year ago. Pedregon, a 14-time tour winner, qualified solidly at 4.886 seconds and drew Dale Creasy Jr. in the first round pool for the second straight race.

“It’s a pretty stressful situation to be in,” Pedregon said of the rain-shortened qualifying period. “All you have to do is make one mistake and you’re on the outside looking in. We got down the track on the first run but we had some engine problems downtrack and it only ran 5.17.

“We knew that wasn’t going to be good enough to get in and, sure enough, when we came to the line in the afternoon we were No. 15 and very much in danger of getting bumped out of the show.

“Fortunately, John Medlen and Dickie Venables, my Crew Chiefs, made the right call. I felt it nose over downtrack but, really, I thought it was good enough to get us solidly in the show – and it was.

“Qualifying well isn’t going to satisfy us, though. We need to win some rounds and put ourselves back in the hunt (for the POWERade Championship). We’d like nothing better than to go back to the winners’ circle here.”

Densham, who was not qualified when he climbed into the cockpit of his Automobile Club of Southern California Mustang for his final attempt, delivered a solid 4.924 at 308.71 mph that puts him into a first round match with Cruz Pedregon.

“I wish it had been a little quicker,” Densham said, “but we’ll take it. I feel a lot better now than I did. When you only have two tries and you screw up on the first one (9.078 seconds at 101.32 mph), it puts a little pressure on you. We’ve had things going pretty good and then all of a sudden when you’re staring a DNQ in the face, it kind of sobers you up.”

Densham is only 4-12 against first round opponent Cruz Pedregon, but he did beat him in a first round meeting in this year’s season-opener.

“I don’t care who we run,” Densham said. “I know [Crew Chief] Jimmy Prock will give me a race car that can compete and then it’s up to me. I’ve been coming here [to the Summer Nationals] 11 years and I’ve never gotten out of the first round. So we’ve got a chance for a career best,” he laughed.

PAIRINGS First round pairings for Sunday’s 14th annual O’Reilly Summer Nationals presented by Castrol GTX at Heartland Park-Topeka:

FUNNY CAR – 1. Bruce Sarver, Bakersfield, Calif., Toyota Celica, 4.862, 304.39 mph, vs. 16. Del Worsham, Chino Hills, Calif., Firebird, 5.099, 294.88 mph; 2. Johnny Gray, Carlsbad, N.M., Pontiac Firebird, 4.882, 317.12 mph, vs. 15 Bob Bode, Barrington, Ill, 4.995, 293.98 mph; 3. Tony Pedregon, Chino Hills, Calif., Castrol Syntec Ford Mustang, 4.886, 314.97 mph, vs. 14. Dale Creasy Jr., Lansing, Ill., Firebird, 4.990, 298.67 mph; 4. Tim Wilkerson, Springfield, Ill., Firebird, 4.893, 308.50 mph, vs. 13. John Lawson, Joliet, Ill., Firebird, 4.990, 299.23 mph; 5. Ron Capps, Carlsbad, Calif., Camaro, 4.908, 312.28 mph, vs. 12. Dean Skuza, Brecksville, Ohio, Dodge Stratus, 4.985 305.36 mph; 6. Scotty Cannon, Lyman, S.C., Firebird, 4.913, 308.50 mph, vs. 11. Frank Pedregon, Phillips Ranch, Calif., Firebird, 4.970 305.91 mph; 7. John Force, Yorba Linda, Calif., Castrol GTX Ford Mustang, 4.914, 318.30 mph, vs. 10. Whit Bazemore, Indianapolis, Firebird, 4.960, 307.65 mph; 8. Gary Densham, Bellflower, Calif., Auto Club of Southern California Ford Mustang, 4.924, 308.71 mph, vs. 9. Cruz Pedregon, Camarillo, Calif., Firebird, 4.949, 290.17 mph.

TOP FUEL – 1. Larry Dixon Jr., Indianapolis, 4.588, 320.81 mph, vs. 16. Scott Weis, Ashland, Va., 4.994, 264.30 mph; 2. Cory McClenathan, Anaheim, Calif., 4.618, 322.42 mph, vs. 15. Mitch King, Galveston, Texas, 4.895, 274.11 mph; 3. Darrell Russell, Hockley, Texas, 4.683, 313.58 mph, vs. 14. Andrew Cowin, Davie, Fla., 4.883, 266.95 mph; 4. Tony Schumacher, Long Grove, Ill., 4.711, 312.13 mph, vs. 13. Paul Romine, Indianapolis, 4.816, 295.72 mph; 5. Kenny Bernstein, Newport Beach, Calif., 4.737, 312.35 mph, vs. 12. John Smith, Williamston, S.C., 4.795, 295.46 mph; 6. Melanie Troxel, Parker, Colo., 4.737, 299.13 mph, vs. 11. Chris Karamesines, Chicago, Ill., 4.789, 312.78 mph; 7. Rhonda Hartman-Smith, Williamston, S.C., 4.748, 300.80 mph, vs. 10. David Grubnic, Ennis, Mont., 4.788, 285.22 mph; 8. Doug Kalitta, Ann Arbor, Mich., 4.776, 298.01 mph, vs. 9. Doug Herbert, Cherryville, N.C., 4.787, 311.63 mph.

PRO STOCK – 1. Jim Yates, Alexandria, Va., Grand Am, 6.853, 200.80 mph, vs. 16. Ron Krisher, Warren, Ohio, Cavalier, 6.878, 201.73 mph; 2. J.R. Carr, Pasco, Wash., Pontiac Firebird, 6.854, 201.10 mph, vs. 15. Darrell Alderman, Morehead, Ky., Dodge Neon, 6.876, 200.47 mph; 3. Mark Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Grand Am, 6.855, 201.16 mph, vs. 14. Mark Pawuk, Akron, Ohio, Grand Am, 6.875, 199.79 mph; 4. Gene Wilson, Canton, Ga., Neon, 6.856, 201.37 mph, vs. 13. Mark Whisnant, Stockbridge, Ga., Cavalier, 6.875, 200.47 mph; 5. Allen Johnson, Greeneville, Tenn., Neon, 6.859, 201.70 mph, vs. 12. Richie Stevens, Metairie, La., Grand Am, 6.874, 200.17 mph; 6. Jeg Coughlin Jr., Delaware, Ohio, Cavalier, 6.859, 200.71 mph, vs. 11. George Marnell, Las Vegas, Nev., Grand Am, 6.867, 299.37 mph; 7. Greg Anderson, Jacksonville, N.C., Cavalier, 6.860, 201.73 mph, vs. 10. Troy Coughlin, Delaware, Ohio, Cavalier, 6.866, 200.65 mph; 8. Warren Johnson, Sugar Hill, Ga., Pontiac Grand Am, 6.862, 201.25 mph, vs. 9. Bruce Allen, Arlington, Texas, Grand Am, 6.864, 199.97 mph.