Skuza & Wilson Qualify in the Top Half
Mopar Motorsports NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series O¹Reilly NHRA Mid South Nationals Notes & Quotes Sept. 21, 2002 TELEVISION TIMES: (ALL TIMES EASTERN) QUALIFYING: Sat., Sept. 21; 10:00 p.m.-Midnight; ESPN2 ELIMINATIONS: Sun., Sept. 22; 4:00-7:00 p.m.; ESPN2 REPEAT: Fri., Sept. 27; 2:30-4:30 p.m.; ESPN2 MILLINGTON, Tenn. -- Mopar Motorsports NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series teams completed the final day of qualifying for this weekend¹s O¹Reilly NHRA Mid South Nationals. 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 left the best for last. After struggling in the first two sessions and not cracking the top 16, Skuza clicked off a 4.986-second elapsed time at 298.54 mph; vaulting the Brecksville, Ohio, resident to the eighth slot. Skuza was running a new chassis this weekend, after damaging one at Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, Pa., last weekend. ³It¹s a brand new car (chassis) and you usually have a lot of time to break it in before race weekend,² Skuza said. ³We usually make 12 to 15 passes on a Monday after an event to break it in. With the way the schedule has been, it¹s tough to get a new body out there. We broke the chassis and motor plate pretty good in Reading (Pa.); so we had no choice but get a new car. I hate to do it and I know (crew chief) Lance (Larson) has had an upset stomach and biting his nails trying to get in. We all were for that matter. With a new car you never know. On paper, they should work better than the old one. And with an abbreviated qualifying session; that was all we needed. We looked at the data; did what the car told us to do, and ran a 4.98. Which was pretty good for the session. We¹ve had only one run on a new car, and it made it. And it counted. That¹s all the matters.² Skuza will take on Bob Bode in the first round of eliminations. GENE WILSON, driver of the Mopar Parts Dodge Neon R/T Gene Wilson qualified his Mopar Parts Dodge Neon R/T in the top half of the field for the eighth time this season. The 29-year-old rookie grabbed the fifth slot with a 6.850-second lap at 200.02 mph. Wilson will face off against Robert Patrick in the first round of eliminations. ³The car feels real good right now,² Wilson said. ³It looks like the left lane is a little better out there, and that¹s where everyone is going to chose tomorrow. We made our quick run in the right lane though. So who can really predict what will happen tomorrow.² LARRY MORGAN, driver of the Mopar Parts Dodge Neon R/T Larry Morgan wrapped up a frustrating weekend outside the top 16. The driver of the blue Mopar Parts Dodge Neon R/T logged a 6.929-second elapsed time at 198.67 mph. ³We shook the tires all the way through first and second gear on our last qualifying pass,² Morgan commented. ³We¹re really struggling with the tires hitting the wheel well. I can¹t wait for the new Stratus to come out. This is a real tough deal right now. Racing is the easy part anymore; it¹s just so hard to get into the show.² DARRELL ALDERMAN, driver of the Mopar Parts Dodge Neon R/T It wasn¹t the ending Darrell Alderman, driver of the Mopar Parts Dodge Neon R/T, had in mind. Despite running a 6.881-second lap at 199.29 mph, the three-time POWERade Pro Stock World Champion failed to make the show. ³We were a tad light on that last run,² said a dejected Alderman. ³But it was a straight run and looked good on the computer. I guess we could have left a little higher (rpm); but I sure don¹t know what we need. It¹s really frustrating right now.²