Mopar NHRA Notebook

Mopar Motorsports
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
Fram Autolite NHRA Nationals
Aug. 2-4, 2002
Infineon Raceway ­ Sonoma, Calif.
NHRA Storylines

WEEKEND TELEVISION: (ALL TIMES EASTERN)
QUALIFYING:    Sat., Aug. 3; 9-10 p.m.; ESPN2
FINAL ROUND:    Sun., Aug. 4; 7­10 p.m.; ESPN2
FINAL ROUND:    Tues., Aug. 6; 2:30-5:30 a.m.; ESPN2

Skuza is a Swingin¹

(SONOMA, Calif.) -- Dean Skuza has taken advantage of NHRA¹s mid-summer
Western marathon. With only five round victories heading into the mid-July
Mopar Parts Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colo.,
Skuza and the Mopar Parts Dodge Stratus R/T Nitro Funny Car have reeled off
two-consecutive, semifinal-round appearances and moved firmly into the top
10 in points for the first time this season.

³You can make or break your season on the Western swing,² said Skuza,
speaking of the three-straight
West coast races consisting of Bandimere Speedway, Pacific Raceways just
outside Seattle and Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. ³We¹re on our way
back. We¹ve had two pretty good outings in a row. But more importantly, we
have run much more consistently since we put on this new, lighter Dodge
Stratus R/T body. It¹s made all the difference in the world.²

Even 11-time NHRA Funny Car champion John Force hasn¹t stood in Skuza¹s way.
In Denver, Skuza ran past Force in the second round of eliminations; while
collecting an opening-round salvo on Force at the most recent event in
Seattle. Since the 2001 season closer at Pomona (Calif.) Raceway last
November, the Brecksville, Ohio resident has recorded four victories in
their last five match ups. And Skuza has logged three in a row.

³When you beat John Force, it¹s like beating the great Ted Williams,² said
Skuza, who is a long-time admirer of the legendary Force. ³You almost feel
bad about doing it. But in today¹s racing climate, its something that¹s way,
way in the back of your mind. It¹s just too much of a business right now to
be too sentimental about things like that.

³We¹re not intimidated by the Force team,² Skuza added. ³We just go out
there and run our own race. We try to get down the track without beating
ourselves. I think that¹s the key. If he runs quicker than us, you go shake
hands at the top end and wait until next week. It¹s amazing how many teams
beat themselves against Force. We just don¹t do that.²

Skuza sees the West Coast barrage as a real temperature gauge for the rest
of the season.

³As a team, none of us would be surprised if we take home a top-five points
finish this year,² Skuza noted. ³This team has been working extremely hard
this year and they want to win just as badly as I do. We¹re still
underachieving, but we are definitely headed in the right direction now.²

NHRA Storylines

Morgan Gives Thanks. Larry Morgan is just fine ­ thank you. At Pacific
Raceways just outside Seattle in the most recent Lucas Oil Products NHRA
Nationals, the Newark, Ohio, resident and driver of the blue Mopar Parts
Dodge Neon R/T took home his best-qualifying effort of the season in the
seventh slot.

It was the first time Morgan had qualified in the top half if the field
since a memorable 2000 NHRA event at Memphis (Tenn.) Motorports Park. At
that event, Morgan collected the third-qualifying position and became the
first driver to push the new 500-cubic-inch Pro Stock Hemi engine past the
200-mph barrier. 

Morgan credits much of his newfound success to NHRA Pro Stock legend Bob
Glidden. Prior to the Mopar Parts Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere
Speedway in Morrison, Colo., Morgan and Glidden completely overhauled
Morgan¹s Dodge Neon R/T, making drastic changes along the way.

³Bob called me up after St. Louis and told me what was wrong with my car,²
Morgan said. ³I invited Bob and his son Rusty to come over and see if they
could help me out. After we went through the car, changing everything
underneath it and around the clutch area, we have come out and run pretty
strong. I can¹t thank Bob and all the guys that came over enough for making
this car run like it should again.²

Earlier in the season ­ at the season-opening Winternationals at Pomona
(Calif.) Raceway ­ Morgan loaned his back up car to Glidden in an attempt to
get him qualified. Despite a failed effort, it further solidified an already
wonderful relationship.

³I was the first one there to see Bob when he came out of heart surgery a
couple of years back,² Morgan said. ³He was a great champion on the track,
but no one is a nicer person off it. Bob is truly a class individual and
deserves much of the credit for getting my team back on track.

Burn Down King. Gene Wilson has been involved in two of the most memorable
moments thus far in the 2002 POWERade Drag Racing Series season. At Old
Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, N.J., Mopar Parts Pro Stock
rookie Wilson dueled Mark Osborne in a 77-second burn down that brought the
crowd to its feet. They roared in approval as Osborne finally staged, but
fell victim to a .454 light by Wilson.

At the most recent Lucas Oil Products NHRA Nationals at Pacific Raceways,
another burn down occurred. This time against former NBA power forward and
Pro Stock veteran Larry Nance. In what some described as the longest
starting-line duel in NHRA history; both Wilson and Nance sat motionless for
two minutes an forty-five seconds while the pre-stage bulbs were lit.
Neither would budge and neither would stage first. Finally, chief starter
Rick Stewart, obviously agitated with the two as he repeatedly motioned them
to stage, flickered dueling red lights and backed the pair off the starting
line.  A move that sent the large Seattle crowd into a frenzy.

A brief rain shower mid-first round delayed activity for a few minutes
allowing Wilson and Nance to regain their composure and and cool off their
clutches. As soon as the track dried, the duo took to the starting line
again ­ but with much different results. Wilson immediately lit the
pre-stage bulb; then the stage bulb; giving Nance seven seconds to match his
opponents intensity. It wasn¹t meant to be for Wilson however, as the red
light flashed. It was over for Wilson.

³Sometimes you have to do what you to do to get an advantage,² said Wilson,
who won many an IHRA race on holeshots during his 2001 championship run.
³There are no hard feeling between us. We¹re both out here to win a race.²

Wilson and his Mopar Parts Dodge Neon R/T are set to make an inaugural
appearance at the newly renamed and refurbished Infineon Raceway in the wine
country of Sonoma, Calif., and the Fram Autolite NHRA Nationals.

³We had a good car and good qualifying effort in Seattle,² said Wilson, who
recorded a 6.821-second elapsed time during the third-qualifying session to
grab  the eighth slot. ³We have resolved some of the problems we have been
having. The goal is to qualify both Darrell (Alderman) and I for the next
race.²

-Mopar.com-

David Harris, Cox Marketing Group
Mopar Motorsports
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
davidh@coxmarketinggroup.com
(704) 799-2114 ­ office
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