FUNNY CAR LEADER BUILDS HIS LEAD

Number one qualifier Whit Bazemore, who defeated Jack Wyatt, Scotty Cannon, and Tommy Johnson Jr. on the way to his final round meeting with Tony Pedregon, led Las Vegas Funny Car competition. Bazemore's Lee Beard-tuned Dodge was by far the strongest of the Team Schumacher coupes as Gary Scelzi's body-shredding top end explosion kept his Oakley-sponsored car out of the top 16.

Scelzi took the "heat" for his Friday evening fireworks by saying, "It was haulin' ass; it was running really well and hit the bumps (caused by the pedestrian tunnel under the strip) then the front end came up and it headed for the wall. I pedaled it and it lit off. There was so much carnage we really don't know what took place, the chicken or the egg, but all I know is we broke the egg."

Bazemore met Tony Pedregon in the final with lane choice, but red-lighted away his advantage, handing the victory to the POWERade points leader.

Pedregon's last win was at the 2003 Winternationals and, despite rumors that his boss is laying down to open the door to the Championship, is earning it on his own, round by round.

GREG ANDERSON NOW KNOWS VEGAS

Pro Stock points leader Greg Anderson hadn't had much luck on the Strip at Las Vegas, prior to this final round he1d been a first round loser in all his other visits here. Anderson is sponsored by Ken Black's Vegas General Construction and was thrilled to have performed for his sponsor by leading qualifiers and beating former teammate Kurt Johnson in their first final ever on a hole shot running 6.907 to KJ1s 6.896.

Anderson accepted his official Vegas showgirl kiss with the kind of enthusiasm expected from any red-blooded champion on the trophy stand.

BRINGING ON VERY REAL POWER

POWERade's Ben Reiling mentioned in his DRO InnerView last season that they were going to bring the power of NHRA drag racing to the fan, and this is a great beginning. In order to bring fans into the total experience of drag racing, POWERade created the Very Real POWER Experience and set it up at the Strip at Las Vegas.

Since Gainesville, the new addition to the Manufacturer's Midway will invite the fans to get close to the Top Ten drivers with scheduled autograph sessions, a Very Real Power Pro Stock simulator, and lots of POWERade branded goodies to win when spinning a drag slick.

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