NITRO FUNNY CAR

A lot of fans came to Cordova to see Tony Pedregon (left), the reigning NHRA Funny Car champ. Those that didn’t probably came to see Tim Wilkerson (right), a World Series fixture in recent years. They both got outrun by lesser known, less frequently seen racers. Wilkerson could only manage a smoky 6.92/130-mph lap against a broken Jack Wyatt in round one. Tony P, perhaps underestimating the track surface, put up a decent 5.33/259 shot—good but not good enough for this particular day of Chicago-style racing. The first berth for the final was nailed down by Cory Lee (below left), driving Dale Creasy Sr.’s Firebird to a 5.26/288 win over Dale Creasy, Jr.(below right). The other slot was won by John Lawson, seldom seen but quickest of eight at 5.07/299 mph.

For the money, Lawson (lead photo) put it to Lee, outrunning him by a 5.13/276 mph to 6.97/124 mph count. No big payoff, no “valuable” Whatever points, but a good show for the faithful, all in the best of match race traditions.

THE NITRO F/C UNDERCARD

Jack Wyatt—The Iowa vet had an up-and-down weekend. Shut off behind the line with an oil overflow problem, Wyatt regrouped in round two with a 5.67 lap. Wyatt was working on his 85% tune-up, with the help of long time aid Jerry Neumann, in preparation for the U.S. Nationals.