Four Mopars Grace the Top Half of the NHRA
Field
Mopar Motorsports
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
National Trail Raceway Hebron, Ohio
Qualifying Notes & Quotes
Johnson & Alderman Place Mopar in Top Half of the Pro Stock Field
Bazemore & Scelzi Also Run to the Top Half of the Funny Car Standings
HEBRON, Ohio (June 14, 2003) It was a stellar day of qualifying for the
Mopar contingent at National Trail Raceway today. Mopar Pro Stock standouts
Allen Johnson and Darrell Alderman; and Funny Car runners Whit Bazemore and
Gary Scelzi will all start in the top half of the field for tomorrow¹s
event.
Allen Johnson made a little history for the new Dodge Stratus R/T Pro Stock
car today. The Mopar driver ran a solid 6.893-second elapsed time at 199.20
mph, taking home the fifth-qualified position. It¹s the highest position for
the Status R/T thus far in
Pro Stock competition, and sets up a first round match with Jim Yates.
³We run faster down low on our first pass of the day,² said Johnson, who ran
identical elapsed times during today¹s two sessions. ³We made a few changes
the car didn¹t like because we could have run a high 6.87-second run on that
last one.
³We sure have to be happy with the weekend though,² Johnson added. ³This
Stratus is so fast. We have been No. 1 to the 330-foot mark all weekend.
This Stratus will go down a dirt road if we give it a chance. I think this
car will be great tomorrow after the fuel cars get out there.²
Darrell Alderman drove his Mopar Parts Dodge Neon R/T into the
eighth-qualified position. The three-time POWERade Pro Stock World Champion,
who drove to the finals in last year¹s event, faces off against current
point leader Kurt Johnson in the first round.
³We made a nice run on that last one,² said Alderman, who made his quickest
run of the weekend during the last session. ³We moved around just a little
bit in second gear, but I put it back in the groove and it made it down the
track.
³If the track stays like it is now, lane choice won¹t be that big of deal,²
Alderman continued. ³If the sun comes out though, this track usually has
uneven lanes and it¹s usually the left one that¹s the best.²
Co-team owner and engine builder Roy Johnson talked about his two cars.
³We have found (through testing) that the Stratus is just a much better car
in the front half of the run,² Johnson said. ³We applied what we learned on
Allen¹s car to Darrell¹s Neon as well and we changed motor combinations
and it seemed to work. We tested in Bristol (Tenn.) with similar conditions,
prior to coming here this weekend, and the Stratus went down the track every
time. It was hard to get the Neon down it.²
Larry Morgan, who lives in nearby Newark, Ohio, barely missed the show at
his home track. His Mopar-backed Dodge Neon R/T clicked off a 6.938/198.32
mph combination.
³We we¹re real loose down track,² Morgan said. ³And it really wasn¹t what we
we¹re looking for. You always want to do well, but especially in front of
all of your hometown fans. We did find some things this weekend and we are
definitely looking forward to St. Louis.²
Gene Wilson and his Mopar Parts Dodge Stratus R/T failed to crack the top 16
today. The 2002 NHRA Rookie of the Year ran a 6.936-second lap at 198.50
mph.
³We made a nice run in that last session,² Wilson noted. ³It was an
excellent run, matter of fact. We just came up a little short. It¹s just the
way it goes. We were trying some new things when we got here, and we figured
out some problems that we had with the car. We just didn¹t figure them out
in time.
³Everybody on this team is giving a 110 percent,² Wilson added. ³It¹s just a
matter of time now. It¹s kind of tough when you suffer through not
qualifying, especially when everyone is giving such an effort. We¹re going
to pull through it. We found some stuff in the motor and we¹re going to
correct those problems. We¹re going to put some of this good Larry Morgan
horsepower in the winner¹s circle soon.²
Schumacher Racing Scorches the National Trail Quarter MileŠ
Gary Scelzi wielded his Oakley-sponsored Dodge Stratus R/T Funny Car to the
sixth-qualified position. The California resident, who has first round match
with Cruz Pedregon tomorrow, logged a 4.863-second elapsed time at 320.13
mph. It was the second-fastest time recorded for the weekend.
³It¹s made three great runs so far this weekend,² Scelzi said. ³The first
run we went 4.97 (seconds). We put our nose up a little on that run, but it
went down the race track. We found out that we had a bad coil in that round.
We came right back and went a 4.87. We then jumped on it to see what this
car would do and loaded everything up. We just spun the tire harder on that
last run. We know what we did tonight won¹t get us into the 4.70s at this
racetrack. If the sun comes out tomorrow, it really doesn¹t matter. If this
thing goes down the race track, it¹s very exciting.²
Despite blowing his Matco Tools Dodge Stratus R/T body off the frame during
the third and final session tonight, Whit Bazemore grabbed the
seventh-qualified position with a 4.877-second elapsed time at 313.95 mph.
Bazemore will match up with Dean Skuza in the first round tomorrow.
³We¹ve struggled some this weekend,² said Bazemore, who has won two of the
last three NHRA national events. ³Our first run really wasn¹t as competitive
as we wanted it to be, but I think we¹re in the same boat relative to
everyone else out there. We moved up during our second run and that was
okay.
³Tonight, we were in a position to go for the number-one qualifier,²
Bazemore added. ³And that¹s what we we¹re trying to do. We thought a high
4.70 would get the job done. I don¹t know what really broke on the car, but
it sure blew the supercharger off it. That body is trash now.²
-Mopar.com-
For more information, contact:
David Harris, Cox Marketing Group
Public Relations Manager
Mopar Motorsports
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
davidh@coxmarketinggroup.com
(704) 799-2114 office
(704) 756-9301 - mobile