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NHRA: Team Exide, Englishtown to be continued

23 May 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

ENGLISHTOWN, NJ--Mother Nature, along with a well prepared Englishtown racing surface, combined to make racing conditions miserable and perfect all at the same time here at the 20th annual running of the Matco Tools SuperNationals this weekend.

Unfortunately, the conditions proved to be unsafe for racing and the event had to be postponed until early September.

After squeezing in one qualifying round late Friday evening, the Exide-backed dragster of Tony Schumacher was one of the few cars able to make it off of the starting line without loosing traction. However, it came at a cost. The massive Good Year tires were sticking so well to the surface down the track that big patches of rubber were actually being pulled off.

"We know the track is sticking at the top end. In fact, it's almost too good," said Schumacher during one of the lengthy rain delays.

The second attempt at qualifying came late in the day Saturday. However, the team was unable to improve from the Friday time, spinning the tires right from the start.

"We knew that if we got the car through the first 65 feet of track, like we did yesterday, we should make a good pass," said Crew Chief Dan Olson "But we weren't that fortunate."

Sunday morning the decision was made to postpone the event until the weekend of September 8 and 9. It falls on an open weekend between the U.S. Nationals and the Keystone Nationals held in Reading, PA. When the team returns to Englishtown, the Exide Batteries machine will be in the fourth qualifying spot, after the 4.693 ET, 320.36 mile per hour pass made on Friday.

The NHRA tour continues in Dallas with the O'Reilly Nationals this coming weekend, May 26 -28.

Text provided by DAVE ENGELMAN

Editors Note: To view hundreds of hot racing photos and art, visit The Racing Photo Museum and the Visions of Speed Art Gallery.