|
FUNNY CAR
“A lot of drivers make the mistake of
looking forward to Indy and skipping over the
race before the U.S. Nationals. I learned a
long time ago from the veterans that I’m
surrounded with that you have to keep the concentration
at every event.” —Ron
Capps before the race on the need to stay focused
on the task at hand in Memphis
“None of that stuff really means much
to me. I’ve never been a big fan of the
blues, I’m a rock and roll kind of guy,
and I’m going to Memphis to race. My
needs are pretty simple, and they don’t
include fancy dinners or neon lights. I want
to work with my team, drive the car, and win
races. No tourist attraction in the world is
as much fun as the NHRA Winner’s Circle.
Trust me on that one, it’s absolutely
true.” —Phil
Burkart on the famous Beale Street blues scene
in Memphis
“We’re racing smart. We might
be a surprise to some of the reporters. They
haven’t been paying very much attention,
and now they have to pay attention.” —Gary
Scelzi referring to some of DRO’s colleagues,
on surging from sixth to second place in the
points in just the last six races.
“I think all drag races should be at
night. The temperatures are cooler and it’s
just a bigger thrill for the fans at night.
You go back to the grassroots days and it was
Saturday night racing that helped build the
sport.” --
Tommy Johnson Jr. on Memphis hosting the second
and final night race on the 2004 NHRA schedule
“I really believe that we’re going
to see more night races in the future like
we see with NASCAR having special night races.
Drag racing was born and bred on night racing;
the glory days with the Snake (Don Prudhomme)
and Mongoose (Tom McEwen). Going to Lions Dragstrip
and watching 64 Funny Cars on a Saturday night
was the best show you could ever see. I get
pretty excited about night racing.” —Capps
agreeing with his teammate and predicting the
future for NHRA
“My only concern about running Memphis
at night is how hard it’s going to be
to see. When it’s hot and humid during
the day, there’s a ton of dew in the
air at night. I have never run Memphis at night
when the windshield wasn’t covered with
moisture. It is certainly going to separate
the drivers, which is exactly what I like.” --
Tim Wilkerson on one of the unique challenges
at the Tennessee strip
“I hope it IS hot, because I think we’re
better in the heat. Me and (crew chief Austin)
Coil have been doing this for more than 30
years and when it gets hot, that’s when
all that experience comes in. When it’s
cool, everybody’s gnarly. In the heat,
that’s when you earn your money.” --
John Force on yet another advantage he holds
over the rest of the flopper field
“We ran a .97 in the first run and spun
the tires the last 300 or 400 feet and as a
driver you know you’re knocking off at
least a tenth of the e.t. doing that. I almost
shut it off. We’re just not programmed
to go this slow, yet (under the new 85-percent
nitromethane rule). The cars are slow, let’s
face it. They’re way slower than they
were.” —Whit
Bazemore on his number-one position after two
qualifying rounds
“The lighting conditions weren’t
the best out there. I think we made the best
of it, but I do think it makes it a little
more challenging for us. It will sure separate
the good drivers from the bad.” —Tony
Pedregon after the first day of qualifying
was completed
“Let me tell you it was no easy treat
out there. It’s a bit dark down there,
and this track certainly seems a little narrow
to me. I was just focused on keeping it between
the lines and getting it to the finish line
for my guys.” —Burkart
on the late-night atmosphere at Memphis Motorsports
Park
|
