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THEY SAID IT

NHRA Pre-race Quotes for Gainesville

Compiled by Ian Tocher
3/17/04

The NHRA's finest are getting together Mar. 19-21, at Gainesville (FL) Raceway to contest the third race of the 2004 season. Here are just a few of their thoughts about the upcoming 35th Annual Mac Tools Gatornationals, as told through NHRA and team press releases and interviews.

TOP FUEL

"It takes a great team and some luck. We've not been lucky enough to win, but hopefully that means that luck will be on our side if we make the finals in Gainesville. We're more than ready for a win now." -- Doug Kalitta on going to the final rounds at both races held so far this year, but coming up short both times

"Times have changed and we have to change with the times. It takes time to sort things out. It's really hard to keep a team up for as long as they have been. Whenthings start going the other way, it starts crumbling real quick. When you're not winning races, that really tells you what the team is all about." -- Dick LaHaie on the challenge of keeping the crew on Larry Dixon's dragster motivated after winning back-to-back NHRA POWERade T/F championships

"The competition is heating up big time, all the teams are playing hardball, and there are going to be at least six of us really fighting hard for the championship, I'd predict. These are serious shark-infested waters. Fins everywhere." -- Brandon Bernstein on the level of competition in T/F this season

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"We have to go down to Gainesville and qualify well, then go after the win. Sounds real simple, right? With the quality of the Top Fuel class this year, it's far from that. It's gong to be a war all season long." -- Tony Schumacher agreeing with Bernstein's assessment

"The team and I are driving straight through with only quick stops for beef jerky, donuts, and coffee." -- T.J. Zizzo on the long drive he faces from Lincolnshire, IL, to attend his first of six scheduled NHRA T/F appearances this year

"I'm pleased with the horsepower it's making, but I'm not pleased with the application of the power to the racetrack. That's the clutch area, and I'm not pleased with what's been happening there." -- Ed McCulloch, crew chief for Doug Herbert, on the root of their disappointing results so far this year

"I don't really care about the 500th round. We don't get any extra points from POWERade and it's not the most rounds in the history of drag racing. I'm focused on qualifying at Gainesville, then hopefully getting to round No. 503 that Sunday." -- Dixon, who needs just one more elimination round victory to reach the five-century mark

FUNNY CAR

"This barrier is probably going to be broken this year and Gainesville is the first good track with good air that we race on where it could happen. I think it's going to take good conditions, but I don't think it will take perfect conditions." -- Whit Bazemore on the likelihood of a Fuel Coupe exceeding 330 mph this coming weekend

"From what I've heard it's the smoothest race track that's ever been built. That's what everybody's been saying." -- Gary Scelzi on the recently repaved Gainesville racing surface

"I've been driving to the races since I was a teenager so why stop now? It's part of this lifestyle, really. There are a lot of times I'd like to hop on a plane and be there in a couple of hours, and I do fly to some races as the season goes on. But I usually find myself behind the wheel crossing the same Interstates we've been running on since the early 1990s. This time it's I-10 all the way, from California to Florida. After Gainesville, we turn around and drive all the way back to Las Vegas for the next race. Give us a couple of elephants and we'd make up a pretty good circus." -- Del Worsham on driving his motorhome cross-country to most events on the NHRA tour

"It's a lot of fun to be along for the ride when my teammate (Worsham) wins, like he did in Phoenix, but I know these guys in the blue CSK shirts want to stand in front of the car, with their driver, when the pictures are taken. There's no good reason that can't happen this weekend." -- Phil Burkart on his chances in Gainesville

"The new Monte Carlo is much better, but we've yet to discover the mph advantage. We're still learning the top end tune-up on the car." -- Tommy Johnson Jr. on the tuning nuances of this year's body style compared to last season's Camaro shell

"We spent the time and money and stayed over in Phoenix and tested out our hot weather/track tune-up and learned a lot." -- Bob Gilbertson on what should help him to succeed in Florida

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"The attendance at the Gatornationals is unbelievable. When you drive into the track, you pass all the fans camping and hanging out. It's kind of like Brainerd, Minnesota; people plan vacations around the Gatornationals." -- Ron Capps on what helps make the Gators special to him

"I consider every round win monumental and we want to collect as many as we can. As far as I'm concerned, you can never win by too many points." -- Jerry Toliver on the NHRA POWERade points chase

"Seriously, it is really cool to see your name at the top of the list but it's the middle of March. Talk to me in September, and if we're still up here, at or near the top, we can discuss it for hours but it's not really worth talking about now." -- Worsham again, on being the points leader for the first time in his F/C career

PRO STOCK

"Pro Stock cars want the best race track they can get and Gainesville has always been that for us. It's a great time of year; you can get cool temperatures so we can run real fast there." -- Greg Anderson on the traditionally fast conditions at the Gators

"If you make the mistake of concentrating on beating one car, someone else is going to blow right by you. We're not about to let that happen." -- Kurt Johnson on the need to focus beyond frontrunner Anderson on raceday

"We just need to translate our solid qualifying efforts into round wins on Sunday." -- Jeg Coughlin Jr. on what it will take to return to Gainesville's victory lane

"As most people know, we've never tiptoed through the tulips when it comes to the set-up, preferring instead to go for the throat. Gainesville has been one track that has consistently suited that aggressive style." -- Warren Johnson on his approach to qualifying

PRO STOCK BIKE

"We don't have any sponsor worries like we did last year at this time. We can just concentrate on going out and winning races." -- Angelle Savoie on her US Army deal

"I've dropped a few pounds this off-season and we took the bike out to Kenny Williams' shop to get a complete carbon fiber body mounted. This left the bike between 20 to 25 pounds light so we can move the ballast around to where it will do the most good." -- Blaine Hale on a renewed effort to climb the NHRA POWERade points standings

"I'm prepared to challenge for the championship." -- Antron Brown on his plans for 2004