3/7/03

GONE IN 5.9 SECONDS

kay, so I'll admit it wasn't quite like watching the Wright brothers finally 'break the surly bonds of earth' in 1903; and it certainly wouldn't match up with seeing General MacArthur accept the Japanese surrender in 1945; and it probably wasn't even as significant as being there when Kenny Bernstein bested 300 mph in 1992. But make no mistake; we witnessed history Feb. 14, when Mitch Stott ended the worldwide doorslammer drive for five with a 5.985-second pass at Darlington International Dragway's Radiac Abrasives WinterNationals.

The five-second mark. It's been a milestone performance barrier in quarter-mile drag racing ever since Top Fuel driver Mike Snively first broke through on Nov. 17, 1972. Nearly three years later, at the same southern California strip, Don Prudhomme duplicated the feat in a Funny Car. And now, a Mill Spring, NC-based Pro Mod racer can count himself in such heady company.

Stott is the first to join the five-second club in what's commonly known as a "doorslammer" -- not so surprisingly referring to his car's functioning doors, but also significant in that it rides on suspension at all four wheels. But try explaining the accomplishment to anyone outside the straightline community and you'll soon see the problem. It's a hard record to sell.

I realized as much the day after I returned home, still relishing the buzz of excitement that electrified the venerable South Carolina speed factory when Stott issued his shot heard 'round the world. Within minutes it seemed -- thanks to the Internet -- reaction began pouring in from as far away as Australia and Europe. There were plenty of congratulatory well wishers congregating from as close as the pit stall across the way, too (along with the obligatory couple of naysayers who immediately questioned the legality of Stott's ride).

For the record, the WinterNats' special-event Pro Mod Five-Second Challenge featured a 200-pound weight break from the IHRA/NHRA-legal minimum of 2,700 pounds and Stott's supercharged '63 Corvette weighed in at 2,545 pounds after the record-setting pass. Other than the reduced weight, Stott's car conformed to all NHRA Pro Mod rules, according to Division 2 tech inspectors who were on hand to inspect Sportsman racers for the NHRA-sanctioned portion of the event.

But back to the hard sell. As I tried to relay my excitement to colleagues in my work-a-day world at witnessing the fall of one of the sport's last remaining major performance barriers, I realized I was encountering polite tolerance at best.

I mean, tell the average Joe that Larry Dixon went 320 miles per hour and he's going to be impressed, regardless of how common that is nowadays. But tell him Mitch Stott went 5.985 seconds -- in a car with doors, no less! -- and Joe just looks amused. A rear-engined dragster and 320 mph automatically register as things beyond his capabilities and clearly beyond his world; but Joe can easily wrap his mind around a 1963 Corvette and 5.9 seconds, regardless of how abstract both concepts really are compared to his understanding. Stott's ride just doesn't seem like such a big deal to him.

But it is a big deal in the drag racing world. If it were easy to run a five, "everybody would've done it already," engine tuner Jimmy Rector rightfully pointed out shortly after posting the big numbers.

Now, "everybody" may be an exaggeration, but it is a little surprising that Stott even had the opportunity to set the record, since Bill Kuhlmann missed the magic number by just two-thousandths of a second in a nitro-breathing Corvette way back in September 2000. Since that time, doorslammer racers on three continents focused on being the first to the fives. In particular, drivers in Australia's Top Doorslammer division -- similar to the Pro Mod class Stott competes in with IHRA and NHRA -- were drawing ever closer to succeeding, often making passes in the low 6.0-second range. Stott even admitted he worried over the winter about the Australians getting there first.

Regardless, that didn't happen and it was great to see Stott secure the record right here in the good ol' U.S. of A. That only two or three hundred people were there for the moment is unfortunate (with the vast majority being fellow racers and crew), but I have a feeling Stott is eventually going to meet thousands of "I-was-there" folks in the years to come.

That the first sub-six-second run came at Darlington somehow seems appropriate, too, as the historic strip was the site of the first 200-mph-plus pass by a doorslammer, back in March 1987, again with Kuhlmann at the controls. I'm a sucker for tradition and history, especially when it comes to racing, and even if all the "regular Joes" out there never appreciate what Quain Stott's brother managed on a windy Valentine's Day; I certainly will -- forever. I witnessed real drag racing history that day, and honestly, how often can any of us say that?

Race safe,

P.S. I thought it very significant that only journalists from Internet magazines like Drag Racing Online and CompetitionPlus were there to record Stott's main event. Veteran broadcaster Bret Kepner showed up the day after to film a short piece on Stott, but there was nary a print reporter in sight, not even from a local paper, which to me further emphasizes the importance of electronic media to the sport. Plus, DRO's own Jeff Burk was instrumental in getting the NHRA inspectors over for the post-pass check of Stott's car, just to ensure its authenticity was documented for posterity.

Now, if only someone had told Mitch and Jimmy to shave and put on their team shirts for the photos.

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