Alderman Drives to Third Final of the Season
Mopar Motorsports NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series National Trail Raceway Notes & Quotes June 16, 2002 TELEVISION TIMES: (ALL TIMES EASTERN) FINAL ROUND: Sun., June 16; 8:3011:00 p.m.; ESPN2 REPEAT: Wed., June 19; 2:30-4:30 p.m.; ESPN2 Alderman Drives to Third Final of the Season Three-Time Champ Vaults to Fourth in Points HEBRON, Ohio. Darrell Alderman, who pilots the the Hemi-powered Mopar Parts Dodge Neon R/T, made his third final of the season before falling to Greg Anderson. The three-time POWERade Pro Stock World Champion grabbed a starting-line advantage on Anderson (.452-.464), but something in the transmission gave way. Anderson cruised to victory with a 6.924 second elapsed time at 199.05 mph. ³I started to shift into second and it just locked up,² Alderman said. ³We had a great weekend from a points perspective and ran pretty well. We qualified in the top half for the first time this season and that¹s a positive step.² Alderman advanced to the semifinals with a decisive victory over George Marnell in round one (6.914-6.958 seconds). Then the 28-time national event winner beat Allen Johnson in round two. Johnson broke at the 10-foot mark. Alderman matched up with Mark Whisnant in the semifinals, and the duo performed a classic burn down. Alderman outfoxed Whisnant on the starting line and took an easy victory. The Morehead, Ky., resident ran his best elapsed time of eliminations with a 6.926-second elapsed time at 199.73 mph. The final-round appearance vaulted from the eighth to fourth in the POWERade Pro Stock points chase. DEAN SKUZA, driver of the Mopar Parts Dodge Stratus R/T Dean Skuza and the Mopar Parts Dodge Stratus R/T left on Tommy Johnson, Jr., but a slick right lane was too much to overcome in the second round. Johnson clocked at 4.940-second lap at 299.40 mph as Skuza ran a 5.053-second elapsed time at 296.76 mph. ³It felt slow out there,² Skuza said. ³We slid around out there and it cost us. We got out on him and I thought we could have gotten him.² Skuza beat then points leader Gary Densham in the first round with a solid 5.007-second elapsed time at 295.66 mph. Densham shut off early. LARRY MORGAN, driver of the Mopar Parts Dodge Neon R/T Larry Morgan fell to No. 1 qualifier Jim Yates in the first round of eliminations today. The blue Mopar Parts Dodge Neon R/T of Morgan lapped his hometown quarter mile in 6.967 seconds at 196.62 mph, but Yates ran a 6.879-second elapsed time at 199.43 mph. ³We qualified this weekend,² said the Newark, Ohio resident. ³And it seems like 90 percent of those people who want to qualify at their own event don¹t ever make it. It was really a good thing that we made it. We really didn¹t make too good of a run in that first round. The lane was so bad and water was coming up through the cracks.² -Mopar.com- David Harris, Cox Marketing Group Mopar Motorsports NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series davidh@coxmarketinggroup.com (704) 799-2114 office (704) 756-9301 - mobile