Anderson said, "This race track isn't what it used to be. It has deteriorated over the years. It has holes and high spots. It's a shame." Like Bazemore, he said the track could be another national record-caliber facility like Englishtown's. "If they built a new facility here," Anderson said, "there's no doubt this would be the most beautiful facility we go to. And you'd see some fantastic numbers.

"You can't fix the problem out there," he said. "All you can do is hope to God you stay somewhere near the middle of the groove and get through the goalposts without hitting something.

Said Bazemore, "As it is, this place is packed; it's overflowing every year. It's a great market for us. The fact that they have all these elaborate plans and things are in the works, that's great. The thing we're most concerned about now is the surface."

LANE CHOICE CONTROVERSY

But controversy seems to dog Bazemore at Seattle. This time it centered on his second-round race against teammate Scelzi. It raised eyebrows because Scelzi had earned lane choice but found himself deferring to Bazemore, who's No. 2 in points. Bazemore took the preferred right lane and won, while Scelzi cut an .080 light to Bazemore's .119 but, predictably on that lane, smoked the tires.

Team owner Don Schumacher said his crew chiefs Beard and Mike Neff made the lane-choice decision.

"It's evident why we were over there in the left lane, isn't it?" Neff told reporters.

Scelzi tried to minimize the uproar by saying, "I understand. Baze is in the POWERade points chase. . . . We went 4.96 in that left-hand lane on Friday night. So actually the left lane was better for us." He didn't mention the obvious, that his top-qualifying run came in cooler, evening conditions.

Far more forthcoming than boss Don Schumacher was Bazemore, who said of Scelzi and his crew, "We owe them. We'll have to make good." And knowing Bazemore, he will somehow.

Schumacher, despite his obvious commitment to winning a championship, lied to the fans, shifted blame and bruised the heart and ego of a hard-charging and highly competitive former three-time Top Fuel champion. DRO's "Take It For The Team Award" goes to Scelzi.

Bazemore's point was well-put. "The real question," he said, "shouldn't be who had lane choice and who didn't. The real question should be: Why is it even such an issue here? I brought this up years ago, and . . . it's the same. It's just simply not acceptable for any competitor or any fan who buys a ticket to see such an unlevel playing field. . . . It's not impossible, but it does put you at a tremendous disadvantage. It's not the nature of our sport to handicap someone so much just because of fate."

It was an awkward moment for two Funny Car drivers and their teams who each had excellent chances to win. "This is a team and we are in a championship hunt," Bazemore said, "but the perception multi-car teams present, whether it's right or wrong, is not healthy for the sport. At the same time, it is part of all sports where you have a team scenario like this. It doesn't mean you have to like it."