Lucas Oil NHRA SuperNationals – Friday report
OLD BRIDGE TOWNSHIP -- If you could have put $100 on un sponsored veteran driver Jim Head outrunning John Force and the rest of the Funny Car field at Raceway Park, you could be arranging a very nice vacation today.
Head shocked the fans and his fellow competitors by taking the provisional top spot in Funny Car with a 4.803-second run in qualify ing yesterday for the 39th annual Lucas Oil Supernationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park...
Read Bill Huneke's full Friday recap in The Times
Mr. Huneke does a great job of capturing the changes in qualifying during Friday's sessions in all of the pro classes. All the drivers interviewed expressed how happy they were with the track and the conditions too. It should be a great weekend of racing.
Tags: Englishtown, Jim Head, SupernationalsJack Beckman Wins in Phoenix
Jack Beckman beat Robert Hight to win his fourth Wally in Phoenix at the 24th annual Checker Schuck's Kragen NHRA Nationals at Firebird International Raceway. Beckman qualified his Don Schumacher Racing, Valvoline,Mail Terminal Series Dodge 15th on Saturday. Jack Beckman out ran Mike Neff, then Gary Scelzi, and Jim Head (in that order). To get to the final round, Robert Hight had to beat Gary Densham, independent Bob Bode, and Tommy Johnson, Jr.
Bob Bode deserves special mention, because his self-sponsored AR-BEE Transparent Products Monte Carlo has qualified and competed in both Pomona and Phoenix. He came back from a huge engine explosion on Saturday, that also destroyed the body of his car, to compete against Jack Beckman in second-round eliminations. His performance this season has been better than many big name racers so far. Bob is still looking for sponsors for the 2008 season. If you are interested in having your company's name, or even your own name, on the side of a competitive NHRA Funny Car, please go to Bob Bode's site to learn more about sponsoring his car for a race, or even a season.
Tags: Beckman, Bob Bode, Dodge, Funny Car, Gary Scelzi, Hight, Jack Beckman, Jim Head, Johnson, King, Mike Neff, NHRA, Phoenix, Pomona, race, racing, Robert Hight, Scelzi, Tommy JohnsonDixon, Head are quickest of cautious first day pack at National Time Trials
Two-time NHRA POWERade Top Fuel champion Larry Dixon made it the furthest down Firebird International Raceway Friday during the first of three days of preseason testing at the National Time Trials in Phoenix. Using the knowledge he gained a week ago in his first test session, Dixon did the best of taming a green FIR with his 1,000-foot squirt of 4.715 at 263.51 mph in his U.S. Smokeless Tobacco dragster.
John Force's youngest daughter Courtney also looked sharp in her first full pass in Darien & Meadows Top Alcohol Dragster, running a 5.907 at 237.30 mph. The quickest Funny Car on the property was Jim Head's 6.269 at 144.12 mph in his Toyota Solara. Most of the 14 Top Fuel racers and 12 Funny Car pros couldn't get past halftrack under power as they got their first chance at running under the new 90-percent nitro rule...
Tags: Force, Funny Car, Jim Head, John Force, NHRA, Nitro, Powerade, race, Testing, Top Fuel, ToyotaScelzi inspired by son’s success
October 5, 2007 by Robert
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FRESNO, Calif. (Oct. 3, 2007) - Four-time NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
champion Gary Scelzi reaped some inspiration from his 10-year-old son
Dominic's Mini-Sprint racing success in California last weekend, as well as
his USAC driver's performance, as he approaches this weekend's Torco Racing
Fuels NHRA Nationals driving the Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car.
Sixth in the Countdown to Four point standings, with this one event
remaining to determine the final four for the Countdown to One, Scelzi is
hoping Dominic's success will rub off on him.
"Dominic had a great weekend," explained Scelzi, who runs Gary Scelzi
Motorsports in his "spare" time. "He set fast time, ran second in the heat,
started eighth in the main, ran second. That's the best weekend we've had in
a while...
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