NHRA TRACKS GETTING IMPROVEMENTS

Immediately after the NHRA event at Joliet, Illinois was completed the Route 66 Raceway track began extensive work to improve the suspect right lane. Although that lane had yielded some impressive times during the event (including a 4.46 Top Fuel clocking during) track officials deemed the surface not up to their standards and began repairing it. Also of note is that at Columbus, a track owned by the National Hot Rod Association, crews also began refurbishing work which would includes grinding the right lane and extending the concrete pad out to approximately the eighth-mile mark.

A tip of the Agent's Fedora to track owners and the NHRA for spending the money to improve those tracks. It should make them better and safer tracks for the racers.
[9-29-2003]

(Columbus correction: The Agent actually found out that both lanes are being torn up, repaved with concrete to the 1/8th mile and laser-leveled to beyond the finish line.)

MORE CUTBACKS FROM MOPAR

One of Agent 1320's sources close to the Mopar teams has told him that there is a very strong rumor that Mopar will reduce their presence in NHRA even further for the 2004 season. It wasn't all that long ago when Mopar had a Top Fuel and Funny Car team, both Pro Stock and Pro Stock Truck teams, and sponsored a $50,000 "shootout" program for IHRA Pro Mods. The Agent was told that Mopar will cut back to two teams possibly with just one car per team. So far all of this is just rumor with no confirmation, but in view of the overall moves and financial woes in the car industry, it is certainly a plausible scenario.
[9-29-2003]

BERNSTEIN MOVES AHEAD OF GARLITS ON
WINS LIST

Kenny Bernstein passed Don Garlits on the NHRA's Top Fuel wins list by earning his first victory of the season Sept. 28 at the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, IL.

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Bernstein earned his 36th career Top Fuel victory, and 66th overall (30 Funny Car wins), when he raced his Budweiser-Lucas Oil dragster to a 4.503 second run at 328.46 mph, to edge rival Larry Dixon. With the victory, Bernstein moved to second in Top Fuel wins behind leader Joe Amato (52 wins) and ahead of Garlits (35 wins).

"To move ahead of Garlits is a great honor because he made this sport go in the early days and I still consider him to be the man," Bernstein said. "If he would have kept racing he would've won a lot more. We really worked hard today to get this win."

Bernstein's national E.T. record of 4.477 seconds, set at the same track in 2001, survived the onslaught of stellar performances during the weekend, including three of the quickest runs in NHRA history: 4.428 seconds by Doug Kalitta, 4.463 by Cory McClenathan and 4.464 by Tony Schumacher. Kalitta set the national speed record at 333.00 mph, but neither driver was able to back it up with a one percent run as required by NHRA rule. [9-29-2003]