NHRA: Teams go for high-stakes rewards at Mopar Parts Mile-High Nationals
12 July 2000
Posted By Terry CallahanMotorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
MORRISON, Colo. - Battles for Winston championships will be intense in several pro categories when NHRA teams embark on the always crucial three-race West Coast swing.
In the past, championships have been decided during the course of the trio of popular events that take place over thousands of miles between stops in Colorado, Seattle and California. Every competitor knows the importance of each event, and the very different atmospheric conditions that signify each stop.
Perhaps the most severe racing conditions of the season will present challenges to all teams at scenic Bandimere Speedway, which sits 5,860 feet above sea level. Certainly, teams will need to have their high-altitude performance notebooks in high-gear for the always demanding 22nd annual Mopar Parts Mile-High Nationals, July 13-16, at the quarter-mile dragstrip located just southwest of metropolitan Denver.
Few points separate Winston championship challengers in Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock Motorcycle. In Pro Stock, teams are battling to reel in runaway points leader Jeg Coughlin Jr., a six-time winner this season.
Coughlin and Tony Pedregon will be working to secure their third-straight Bandimere Speedway victories in their respective categories, while Joe Amato and David Schultz also are defending champions at the $1.8 million race, the 13th of 23 events in the $45 million NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series.
Amato, from Exeter, Pa., managed to win the tire-smoking final round battle against Doug Kalitta for his sixth Denver victory, and first since 1991. Both drivers are among the favorites again this year, along with current points leader Gary Scelzi, driver of the Team Winston dragster. Other top favorites include defending Winston champion Tony Schumacher and two-time Bandimere Speedway victor Cory McClenathan, recent winner of the Winston Showdown, NHRA's all-star event.
Pedregon, from Chino Hills, Calif., defeated Whit Bazemore in a similar side-by-side traction battle for the Funny Car win, his second straight. While Pedregon will be going for three in a row, Bazemore, the '97 winner here, will be trying for his first victory of the 2000 season. Castrol GTX Ford Mustang driver John Force, a three-time Denver winner, will try to regain his lost Winston points lead as he continues his quest for a 10th NHRA Winston championship. Current Funny Car points leader Jerry Toliver seeks to add more points as he pursues his first Winston crown.
Coughlin, from Columbus, Ohio, outran older brother Troy for his second-straight Pro Stock victory here one year ago. Drivers chasing him include five-time champion Warren Johnson, two-time champ Jim Yates, Columbus, Ohio winner Mark Pawuk, two-time season winner Ron Krisher and hometown favorite V. Gaines, from nearby Lakewood.
Schultz, from Fort Myers, Fla., captured the Pro Stock Motorcycle win, edging Antron Brown in a battle of Suzukis. The two riders have already earned victories in 2000 and established themselves as Winston championship contenders. Three-time defending series champion Matt Hines, a three-time Bandimere Speedway winner, and current Winston points leader Angelle Seeling, are also top threats for victory in the two-wheel category.
Text provided by Anthony Vestal
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