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FUNNY CAR
PEDREGON WINS CRAFTSMAN NATIONALS FOR THIRD STRAIGHT
Tony Pedregon won his third straight race and his sixth
of the 2002 season to move to within 18 points of boss, teammate and
mentor John Force in the race for the POWERade Funny Car Championship.
Pedregon beat Ron Capps in the final round to claim his
19th career victory, fifth all-time behind only Force, Don Prudhomme,
Kenny Bernstein and older brother Cruz Pedregon. Of the Top 5, Tony
is the only one who has not yet won a series championship. He was second
behind Force in 1996, 1997 and 1999.
The No. 1 qualifier for the sixth time this year, Pedregon
beat his other brother, Frank, in round one. He then disposed of Del
Worsham in the quarterfinals, a victory that enabled the Team Castrol
Fords to retain their 1-2-3 positions in the standings, and Scotty Cannon
in the semifinals. - Dave Densmore
SKOAL TEAMMATES MEET AGAIN IN SEMI'S
Ron Capps made it three straight victories over Tommy
Johnson Jr. in the semifinal battle of Skoal Racing teammates but he
couldn't get past Tony Pedregon in the finals.
Capps, the No. 6 qualifier and driver of the Skoal Racing
Camaro Funny Car, did give Pedregon a good fight until near half-track
when the car did two wheelstands, forcing him to get off the throttle
and watch Pedregon get the win light. -- Joe Sherk
PRO STOCK
JEG COUGHLIN WINS & LEADS POINTS
Jeg Coughlin Jr and his Jeg's Mail Order Chevy Cavalier
entered race day 12 points behind the top spot in the NHRA POWERade
Championship. Jeg disposed of Warren Johnson in the opening round on
a holeshot. He took the win light by .0045 seconds at the stripe and
posted a 6.894 at 200.71 mph.
In the second round Jeg faced off against Tom Martino,
who defeated the points leader Jim Yates in the first round. Coughlin
was first off of the line and never looked back. The Jeg's machine advanced
to the semifinal round with a quicker run of 6.870 at 201.04 mph and
was rewarded with lane choice for the next round.
The semifinal round match up put Jeg and Kurt Johnson
head-to-head. KJ grabbed the advantage off of the line by .017 seconds
and it was not enough to keep Coughlin from advancing to the final round.
Jeg ran around the ACDelco Chevy Cavalier with a run of 6.864 at 200.68
mph.
In the final round Jeg faced off against fellow Ohio driver
Ron Krisher. Jeg had lane choice and took the preferred left lane. The
Jeg's machine was first out of the gate and never looked back. The win
light came on for Jeg Coughlin for the sixth time in the last nine races.
Coughlin ran a quicker 6.875 at 200.89 mph.
Jeg Coughlin Jr reclaimed the lead in the NHRA POWERade
Championship. He leads Jim Yates by 65 point with three races remaining.
The win was the 40th career victory and 29th in Pro Stock. He also is
now third on the all-time win list for Pro Stock. - Scott Woodruff
KJ MOVES UP IN POINTS
Kurt Johnson climbed another rung on the NHRA POWERade
championship ladder, gaining the sixth spot with a semifinal round finish
at the Sears Craftsman 75th Anniversary Nationals at Route 66 Raceway.
Johnson defeated Mark Whisnant and No. 1 qualifier Gene Wilson before
falling to eventual winner Jeg Coughlin Jr. in the semifinal.
Kurt's first-round opponent, Mark Whisnant, was too quick
off the starting line and fouled. Johnson ran 6.900 to take the automatic
win. He then dispatched No. 1 qualifier Gene Wilson in the second round
with a .427-second reaction time and a 6.877-second elapsed time.
K.J. faced Coughlin, the hottest driver in Pro Stock,
in a crucial semifinal contest. Kurt was first off the starting line
with a .449-second reaction time, but Coughlin caught him in the first
60 feet and took the win, 6.864 to 6.883.
"The tires just weren't hooked up," Kurt reported
after the disappointing loss. "The track temperature went up eight
degrees and we compensated for that, but not quite enough. We lost lane
choice in the semifinal by eight thousandths of a second. Jeg took the
left lane, which was a couple of hundredths quicker in the first 60
feet, and that made the difference. These cars are so close that you
have to have the good lane to win." -- Rick Voegelin
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