InnerView:

Scotty Cannon

By Susan Wade

Eyebrows arched and speculation spewed at the NHRA Finals in Pomona when Don Schumacher Racing announced it was adding Scotty Cannon to its Funny Car contingent.

Scotty Cannon, the plain-spoken dude with the menacing mohawk and don't-think- of-touching-'em Oakley shades who can rustle up a Southern-fried scowl as fast as he could a mess of onion rings at his South Carolina burger joint. This guy's going to be a teammate of Whit Bazemore? William Whitney Bazemore, with his fine New York pedigree but without U.N. diplomatic skills? The same Whit Bazemore who tried to instruct Scotty Cannon on the finer points of staging? Pick-up Scotty and Bazemore, who has had a Porsche and a Ducati in the garage with his mountain bike?

Hoo-boy. The thought of it was too rich.

One pro crew chief yukked that somebody ought to start a pool, guessing how soon we'd all be reading about a homicide in the Schumacher pits. One of their Funny Car competitors said the deal would collapse before pre-season testing in January.

Cannon doesn't care. He's giving it a whirl. He talks to DRO about this curious coupling, taking a dive and his grandbaby. And you don't like it, that ain't his department . . .

DRO: Will you and Whit have separate crew chiefs?

SC: From what I understand, Lee's the crew chief for both cars.

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