NHRA Drag Racing, Woodburn Dragstrip, race notes
10 July 2000
Stockton, Calif.'s Paul Jones' weekend ended early Saturday when the Edgecombe Racing/Red Line Oil Federal-Mogul Dragster threw two rods during qualifying. The Dodge B-1 engined dragster has been notoriously hard on engine parts this season, but has shown flashes of promise with two semifinal finishes, at Mission Raceway Park and Sears Point Raceway, in recent weeks. Jones reports the team will have their new lightweight Rick Santos-built chassis ready in the next four-to-six weeks, a move they hope will put less stress on the powertrain. Dale Carlson of Olympia, Wash., got his weekend off to a rough start when the PSI supercharger on the Mike Johnson-owned Giant Bicycles Federal-Mogul Dragster, delaminated the rotors Friday. "I've never seen anything like it," reported Carlson, who added that PSI superemo, Norm Drazy, instantly sent a replacement rotor from Phoenix to Portland in time for the team to make Saturday's first qualifying session. "You've got to give Norm credit," said Carlson. "He provides great customer service, and personally I think he has done more to advance the performance of these cars than anyone else in recent years." His car still bears its NHRA Southeast Division number of FMFC 260, but West Coast racers are getting an eyeful of Ed Marx's Western Stabilization Federal-Mogul Funny Car. The recently transplanted Stockton, Calif.-based racer was the No. 1 qualifier at Sears Point Raceway July 4 weekend, but struggled a little at Woodburn Dragstrip, punching a hole in one engine block when the transmission bottle lost air pressure during Saturday qualifying. Marx rebounded with a last-ditch 5.861-second lap during Saturday's final session and reached the semifinals Sunday, eventually losing to Pat Austin. Salem, Ore.'s Russ Parker was a huge hit Friday when he appeared with his Got Milk?-Dairy Farmers of Oregon/Centennial Batteries Federal-Mogul Funny Car on Good Morning Oregon, broadcast on KPTV Friday morning. The three-hour broadcast was done live from Woodburn Dragstrip with local anchor Phil Cassidy explaining some of the nuances of drag racing, Parker giving viewers an up-close look at the cockpit of a Funny Car, and finally Cassidy racing his Volkswagen Golf against Steve Federlin's Super Comp dragster. In one of those "only in drag racing" moments, Cassidy amazingly defeated Federlin when the dragster rolled a sprag in the transmission and slowed down. Racers arrived at Woodburn Dragstrip Saturday morning positively champing at the bit, waiting to get a shot at the track as cool temperatures and cloud cover lowered the corrected altitude to 800 feet above sea level. While everyone threw pretty much all they had at their engine/clutch/fuel combinations, Pat Austin's Pro-Max/Valvoline Federal-Mogul Funny Car team concentrated on simply getting off the starting line without shaking the rear tires. The result: In a carnage strewn qualifying session in which most drivers smoked their rear tires, Pat improved from a Friday lap of 5.88 seconds to a 5.72 at 251.32 mph, a new track speed record. The "Near Miss" Award went to Federal-Mogul Funny Car racers Lloyd Bandle and Larry Miner who, during second-round qualifying Saturday narrowly avoided a two-car collision. Miner's car shook the tires at 500 feet and made a hard turn to the left, forcing Bandle, whom was alongside at the time, to get off the gas. "I saw him come over and all I could think was, 'Lift, hit the brakes, and move over to the left,'" said Bandle. "When you're driving one of these things and they shake like that you've pretty much got to hope you're still pointed straight and in your lane," reported Miner, whose car drilled the 660-feet clocks. "I feel bad for Lloyd, because his car was on a good run." Lloyd Bandle from Jacksonville, Ore., was the subject of a feature story in Oregon's largest circulation newspaper, The Oregonian, on Sunday. Unfortunately for Bandle his best run of 5.994 seconds fell short of the tough 5.891-second bump spot. Media interest in the Woodburn Dragstrip event was considerable throughout the weekend, with all the major area newspapers and local television affiliates reporting on the action. Claiming Winston's $2,500 Top Qualifier bonus money were Brandon Henkelman, Federal-Mogul Dragster; Pat Austin, Federal-Mogul Funny Car; Brian Hyerstay, Competition; Steve Wann, Super Stock; and Calvin Queahpama, Stock. Federal-Mogul Dragster racer Kim Parker was unable to keep her first-round date with Duane Shields, but not because her car was broken. The popular Graham, Wash., driver hurt her lower back Wednesday prior to the event and still managed to make two of the three scheduled qualifying laps. However, the car's second qualifying run took its toll on Parker's back and she had to be helped from the car at the top end of the track. "I simply can't walk at the moment," said Parker Sunday. "I'll try and get it fixed and hopefully we'll be at the Seattle national event in a few weeks time."