Oakley's Cannon says back-to-back races OK

DON SCHUMACHER RACING
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
K&N Filters NHRA SuperNationals
Round 8 of 23
Old Bridge Township Raceway Park
Englishtown, N.J.
Race Dates: May 16-18, 2003

ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. (May 12, 2003) -- Scotty Cannon and his Phil Shuler-led
crew are working hard to make their new Oakley Funny Car team gel this
season, and Cannon's actually looking forward to the upcoming three
back-to-back NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series races in Englishtown, N.J.,
Topeka, Kans., and Joliet, Ill.

The team planned to test the Monday after the Atlanta Dragway race, but were
rained out, resulting in the team scheduling a special test at Indianapolis
Raceway Park this past "off" weekend. "It's a rough game out there," Cannon
says. "But you can't get to the front overnight. I believe the more laps you
can make, the sooner it will come to you. That's why I think it's a good
thing for the races to be back-to-back. It wears out the guys pretty much,
but it does help keep up the momentum.

"We can all stay focused and we actually can work on the car and beat it up
three races in a row. The K&N SuperNationals this weekend is a good race to
start off on.

"I won't be going home," he adds. "I'll be staying on the road with the car,
living with the guys. That should help us to get in the groove and actually
make something happen."

Cannon used to match race at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park at the behest
of the late Vinny Napp, who opened the track in 1965. "I have a lot of fans
there," says Cannnon, the 1999 NHRA Rookie of the Year who's raced at Old
Bridge for some 10 years. "It's where six years ago I set the world record
in Pro Mod and it took three or four years before anyone could even break
it. But Funny Car isn't Pro Mod. It's a whole different deal.

"If the weather is good, you should see some good times here because the
track's pretty good. It's wide, it's pretty smooth and you're at sea level,
so you can make plenty of horsepower pretty easy."

Pro Nitro qualifying for the K&N SuperNationals begins on Friday, May 16, at
4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, May 17, Pro Nitro qualifying is
scheduled for 1:30 p.m. and 4:05 p.m. Final Eliminations on Sunday, May 18,
start at 11 a.m.

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