ROCCA WRECKS ENGINE

Aussie hot shoe Troy Critchley stole the top spot on the Pro Mod ET and speed chart at the Groundhog Warm-up in Darlington, but he wasn't around on Saturday to participate in the Chicago-style race that pits the division's two top qualifiers from two practice sessions in a winner-takes-all final round. That's because team owner and crew chief Johnny Rocca dialed in the wrong tune-up on his flamed ’49 Merc, then had to send his crew, two engines, and the car to Michigan on Friday night for major repairs.

The weekend started poorly for Rocca's popular "Ironhorse" Pro Mod when it lost the rods during a burnout on Thursday, blowing a huge hole in the side of the engine block. On Critchley's second attempt that day, the team's second engine let go at half track.

"I just read the wrong line in my notebook," Rocca admitted later. He explained the corrected altitude at the time was 200 feet below sea level, but he set up the Allen Johnson-built motor to run as if it was at 1,600 feet ABOVE sea level. "It was waaayyyyy too lean," he said.

Critchley rewarded his team's Thursday night thrash with a class-leading 6.278 at 222.88 mph pass in only his first full pass with a four-speed tranny. However, Rocca said they found evidence of detonation in the cylinders upon teardown. With no spare engines left on the truck and a Quick-8 race looming at Jackson, SC in a couple of weeks, Rocca ordered parts from Johnson and sent everything to team member Darren Mayer's shop near Kobelco Superchargers in Elkhart, IN for repairs.

WILSON WHEELS HUNT'S PRO STOCKER

Canton, GA's Gene Wilson was all smiles during testing at the IHRA Groundhog Warm-up as he got used to driving for veteran team owner Charlie Hunt's formidable two-car Pro Stock team. Wilson, who replaced Tom Lee in "The Tennessean" Ford Probe, is partnered this year with 1997 P/S champ Floyd Cheek.

Crew chief Keith Swafford backs Gene Wilson into position on Darlington's starting line.

"Charlie gives you the best of everything to race with, and to have Floyd's experience available is unreal," Wilson said. Wilson ran as an independent the last two seasons and his crew chief from those days, Keith Swafford, joined him on the Hunt team.

"I feel like this takes us both to the next level in our careers," Swafford said.

Wilson posted the fourth-best time of the weekend with a 6.688 at 207.53 mph effort, while Cheek was fifth fastest at 6.690 and 205.01 mph.

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