Current Funny Car champion Tony Pedregon shattered his two-year-old track speed record in qualifying, recording the fastest pass in NHRA Funny Car history at 329.83 mph with his brand-new Chevrolet Monte Carlo body. But his engine dropped a cylinder and he spun the tires in his first-round loss to Bob Gilbertson in the "Jungle Jim" Liberman tribute car. (Ron Lewis photos)

Pedregon Too Fast? The agent speculated yesterday that Tony Pedregon’s recent 329 blast at Atlanta last weekend may have moved NHRA to try and slow the nitro burners down. With that in mind we decided to to put up the progressive times for the lap. 60 ft. .898  330ft 2.303 1/8th mile ET and Speed 3.285/ 260.11 1000ft 4.087 1/4 mile 4.765/329.83

Bazemore had bounced all over the POWERade points map, from seventh to fifth to eighth, then fourth and sixth, before coming home literally and figuratively. In pocketing the $40,000 paycheck, he improved four spots, to second place, a mere 51 points behind Del Worsham. (The leader didn't help himself, as his blown engine in Round 2 against Bazemore sent shrapnel from his new Chevrolet Monte Carlo flying.)

Bazemore had hoped for a tighter victory margin over Scelzi. However, he seemed relieved not to have to address rumors of team orders that surfaced when the teammates raced each other in the Seattle quarterfinals.

"It's a shame we both couldn't win," Bazemore said. "It's tough. That Oakley team, they're stout. It's not ego, and it's not bragging rights; it's staking your claim. He is very, very competitive," Bazemore added of Scelzi. "The guys on both of our teams are close. We work together every day, and when it comes down to it, one of the biggest wins is whenever we can beat that team. It means a lot, not only because it's Gary and the fact he's won three (Top Fuel) championships and he's a friend, but just because they're good and you want to walk into the shop as No. 1."

Greg Anderson didn't really doubt himself. But his Pro Stock rivals had uncommonly good reason to doubt he was going to preserve his winning streak in the Vegas General Construction Pontiac Grand Am.

Anderson was scrambling, trying to recover from the engine mess that marked his opening day of qualifying. "We hurt that motor on the first run," he said.

Three of his employees, who were on their way down to Atlanta for one of the few races they get to attend each year, went back to the shop in Charlotte, N.C., to fix the engine. They repaired it all night Friday and half of Saturday. Teammate Jason Line, second-fastest in the field, drove back to Charlotte after Saturday qualifying and tested it on the shop dyno and arrived back in Commerce at 3 a.m. Sunday.

Top-five surprise Larry Morgan of Team Mopar swiped the No. 1 qualifying spot, after threatening to at the recent Gatornationals. He did it by setting both ends of the track record at 6.796 seconds/203.80 mph and broke Anderson's 11-race streak as No. 1 qualifier. It was Morgan's first top-qualifying spot since 1991 at Sonoma, Calif. Anderson raced from the No. 3 spot. (Ron Lewis photo)

"That's the kind of team I have here," Anderson said. "It's not just me. I have a complete surrounding cast that just can't do enough for me and for Ken Black. We want to win so doggone bad that everybody on this team, that's what they do. We put the motor back in the car, and the car ran low e.t." That 6.776-second Round 1 effort in beating Mike Edwards eclipsed Morgan's track record.