In Warren’s Words:

“We certainly didn’t leave many crumbs on the table that particular weekend. As the record shows, we won the pole, the Budweiser Challenge, which I had been after for a long time and the race, so obviously we were on our game. Although I remember facing Kurt in the final, I don’t recall much about the actual race, other than our winning, of course. You have to enjoy those special races when they happen, because they certainly don’t come around too often.

Notes of the time:

1. This was WJ’s 38th career NHRA national event win and 64th career final round appearance, which came in his 203rd Pro Stock start.

2. This was one of Warren’s nine wins and twelve final round appearances in 1993.

3. This was also the third time in as many races that Warren and his son Kurt would meet in the final, extending their historic streak as the first father and son to ever square off in an NHRA professional final round.

4. KJ actually had lane choice over his father heading in to the final, based on his 7.168-second time in the semifinals to WJ’s 7.199-second effort.

5. WJ posted the quickest elapsed time of the round in the first and final rounds, opening with a 7.133-second run (which was the quickest of eliminations), and closing with a
7.153-second run in the final.

6. WJ’s 7.076-second, 195.99 mph pass in qualifying was enough to earn the No. 1 qualifying position, as well as being low elapsed time and top speed of the event, as well as new Raceway Park track records.

7. The Pro Stock field consisted of Oldsmobile Cutlasses, Chevy Luminas and Berettas, Pontiac Firebirds and Trans Ams, a Dodge Daytona and a Ford Probe.

8. WJ also scored a win at the Budweiser Challenge, which was held as a part of the event in Englishtown. The Budweiser Challenge was an all-star event that was the predecessor to today’s King Demon Crown.

9. Other winners that weekend included John Force who defeated Chuck Etchells in the Funny Car final, Kenny Bernstein over Rance McDaniel in Top Fuel, and John Myers over Dave Schultz in Pro Stock Bike.

WJ’S RACEWAY PARK IN A NUTSHELL

“I’ve been fortunate to see Raceway Park grow throughout the course of my career. Naturally, the tower wasn’t even built in 1975. In addition, they’ve expanded the pit and spectator areas. The track has been resurfaced a couple times, and, overall, it’s held its own. It may not be up to the par of some of the newer tracks on the circuit, but it is still one of the better tracks we go to as far as the overall experience.”

Did You Know?

1. In his 27 previous Raceway Park starts, WJ has qualified in the top half of the field 23 times, with 10 of those starts coming from the top three positions.

2. Warren’s four wins in Englishtown tie him with Bob Glidden for the most by a Pro Stock driver.