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In the quarter-final round, Bazemore was the underdog
again - this time to Tony Pedregon, who qualified No. 1 and posted low
elapsed time in the first round. But once again Bazemore and the Lee
Beard-tuned Matco Tools/Speed Racer Funny Car rose to the occasion with
a solid win over Pedregon. Bazemore ran a 4.859 at 315.86 to Pedregon's
slower 4.909 at 304.67. It was Bazemore's tenth straight round win,
dating back to event wins in Bristol, Tenn. and Atlanta.
Bazemore's streak was snapped in the semi-final round
when he lost to Gary Densham. Bazemore had traction problems down track
and could not overcome Densham's 4.813 run, which was the quickest pass
of final eliminations. Densham went on to win the event and took over
first place in the NHRA POWERade Funny Car standings. Bazemore remained
in third place and is approximately three rounds out of the lead. John
Force dropped to second place after losing in the first round. -- Dave
Ferroni
AFTER YOU, MR. CAPPS. NO, AFTER YOU, MR. JOHNSON
Ron Capps and Tommy Johnson Jr. reversed roles during
the Matco Tools SuperNationals this weekend at Raceway Park.
Two weeks ago, Capps qualified the Green Skoal Racing
Camaro at the Southern Nationals while Johnson's Blue Skoal Racing Funny
Car failed to make the field. This time around it was Capps on the sidelines
watching Johnson.
And Johnson, as Capps did, lost in the opening round.
Team owner Don "The Snake" Prudhomme and crew chief Ed
"The Ace" McCulloch admit the team is struggling, but Prudhomme vowed
to keep searching for answers as the two crews prepare for the O'Reilly
Summernationals at Topeka, Kan., May 24-26.
"We'll work on it until we get in better," said Prudhomme.
-- Joe Sherk
PRO STOCK
W.J. TAKES PRO STOCK CHALLENGE, BUT LOSES FINAL
Warren Johnson won the lucrative Pro Stock Challenge for
the third time in his career, earning a $50,000 prize with a final-round
victory over Mike Edwards, 6.827 to 8.981. With exceptional conditions
at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, W.J. set new personal-best marks
for elapsed time (6.783 seconds) and top speed (203.77 mph) with his
GM Performance Parts Pontiac.
The Pro Stock Challenge, a special bonus event contested
on Saturday in conjunction with the Matco Tools SuperNationals, matched
the eight Pro Stock drivers with the best qualifying records over the
last year. Johnson was the No. 2 seed in the elite eight-car field.
He defeated son Kurt in the first round, 6.796 to 6.850, and George
Marnell in the semi-final, 6.797 to 6.844.
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