WJ'S MOST RECENT HOUSTON WIN - 2001

Race Car: 2001 GM Goodwrench Service Plus Grand Am
Performance: WJ Qualified Second, 6.845 seconds, 201.37 mph
Defeated Greg Anderson, Jim Yates, Bruce Allen and Mark Pawuk

In Warren's Words:

"For some reason, the line-lock didn't work, and I darn near red-lighted in the final. If I remember right, Pawuk always had to stage last, because if he went in first, he typically was late off the line. Therefore, I made a pre-meditated decision to somehow have him stage first no matter what.

"I think the line lock broke when I tried to stage, because the brake pressure gauge did not move. I knew I was in trouble, and had to stage last because if I sat there without a line lock, I could have just as easily rolled backwards out of the lights as I could forwards, resulting in an automatic loss in either case. Fortunately, he went in first, and we just got by with one."

Notes of the time:

* This win was the 83rd of WJ's career, as he closed in on Bob Glidden's mark of 85 national event victories, which he would surpass in Denver later that year.

* This was Warren's fifth win in six final round appearances at Houston Raceway Park, and second consecutive win there.

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* This was also the 131st national event final round of WJ's career.

* This was also WJ's third win in his last five races, dating back to his 2000 win at the fall Houston race.

* WJ's 6.830-second pass in his first round elimination of Greg Anderson set low elapsed time for the event.

* With his line-lock failing in the final, WJ knew his only chance of winning rested on Mark Pawuk's staging first, which he did. After that, WJ rolled in and posted a lightning-fast .411 reaction time to leave on Pawuk by over five hundredths of a second and never looked back, riding a 6.844 sec., 200.98 mph pass to victory.

* The Pro Stock line-up included Pontiac Grand Ams and a single Firebird, Chevrolet Cavaliers, Darrell Alderman's solitary Dodge R/T, and a Ford Mustang piloted by Robert Patrick.

* Other winners that weekend included current ESPN TV analyst Mike Dunn, who eliminated Larry Dixon in the final, and Del Worsham, who edged John Force in the Funny Car final.