WJ'S FIRST SEATTLE FINAL - 1976

Race Car: 1976 Chevrolet Camaro
Performance: WJ Qualified Fourth, 8.75 seconds, 155.70 mph
Defeated Brad Yuill, Gary Hansen, Kevin Roddy
Lost to Wally Booth (red-light)

In Warren's Words:

"I remember we ran fairly well that weekend until we broke a rod. Of course, in those days, I would run the entire year with only one engine, so we were behind the eight ball going into the final. On top of that, the Hornet that Booth was running had the potential to be one of the most dominant cars in the history of Pro Stock, and had a substantial power advantage. A fellow by the name of Gary St. Dennis had split the heads horizontally, taking four to make two, and raised the intake port and the port size, which combined with what proved to be an ideal block for that set-up, the big-block AMC 390, made it the most powerful at the time. Considering the mechanical and technological advantage they had, I'm surprised they never captured a championship."

Notes of the time:

* This was the third final round of WJ's career.

* This was WJ's second final round match-up with veteran Wally Booth, and the two would never meet again in a final round.

* Knowing he would need a starting line advantage to overcome the apparent performance differential, WJ gambled on the tree, but left too early, with the red-light start handing the automatic win to Booth.

* Ironically, both WJ and Booth were the beneficiaries of red-lights in the semi-finals, with Larry Lombardo fouling out against Booth, and Kevin Rotty doing the same against WJ.

* WJ's runner-up performance helped propel him to his first runner-up finish in the Winston Drag Racing Series championship standings, with Larry Lombardo taking the title.

* Wally Booth was the No. 1 qualifier in his AMC factory sponsored "Hornet X" with a 8.65-second elapsed time.

* Mike Rendel was the 16th and final qualifier with a 9.12-second ET

* The field consisted of Chevy Camaros, Monzas and Vegas, Ford Mustang IIs and Pintos, AMC Hornets, and a single Pontiac Astre.

* Other winners that weekend were Jeb Allen, who defeated Hank Johnson in the Top Fuel final, and current team owner Don Prudhomme over current Ron Capps crew chief Ed "The Ace" McCulloch in the Funny Car final.

WJ'S FIRST SEATTLE WIN - 1989

Race Car: 1989 ACDelco Oldsmobile Cutlass
Performance: WJ Qualified Tenth, 7.389 seconds, 186.83 mph
Defeated Joe Lepone, Gordie Rivera, Butch Leal and Bruce Allen

In Warren's Words:

"I remember that day simply because I had what I would consider for me an unusual day of driving. At the time, many people questioned our using the Cutlass, which we had brought out in the middle of the season, because it didn't seem to be as sleek as the Berettas, Trans Ams, and Fords of the time. It may have been a full-sized sedan, but as it turned out, it was one of the best aero-balanced cars out there, as evidenced by its widespread use in NASCAR."