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ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. - The majority of Pennzoil power on display Saturday at the 29th Annual Mopar Parts Nationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park was provided by Pro Stock driver Mike Thomas in his stunning yellow and black Pennzoil Pontiac. Thomas, who had already qualified as the second-best driver in his class on Friday evening, showcased his horsepower again on Saturday during the invitation-only Pro Stock Challenge. Elsewhere in the Pennzoil pits, Top Fuel driver Eddie Hill continued to make history in the Pennzoil Dragster while Pro Stock driver Bruce Allen struggled through a sub-par day in the Outlaw Fuel Additives Pontiac. Here's an in-depth look at each Pennzoil driver's day at the track. Mike Thomas, the driver of the Pennzoil Pontiac, started the day feeling pretty good about himself. After all, he had rebounded from his first early exit of the season in Dallas by blistering the historic Old Bridge track during Round 2 of qualifying with a pass of 6.920 seconds at 197.80 mph. Comfortably positioned at the front of the pack for the weekend's national event, Thomas was able to focus on his first-ever appearance in the Pro Stock Challenge. The special event matched the top eight Pro Stock qualifiers from the last year against one another with a $50,000 first prize and bragging rights for the next year on the line. Although he was the eighth and final entry in the elite field, Thomas used the forum to level the score with an old adversary. In the final pairing of the first round, Thomas faced off with current points leader Warren Johnson. The two had met once before in a high-profile race when they went head-to-head in the elimination finals at the Pennzoil Nationals at Houston Raceway Park in March. At that event, the wily Johnson caught Thomas off guard by staging late and was able to take the win. On this day, a wiser Thomas used his experience in Texas to guide him through the first round. "When I got up to the line, I took three deep breaths, staged the car and told myself that he wasn't going to get me this time," Thomas said. He was right. The two blasted off simultaneously with Thomas outpacing Johnson at the finish line by a car length. "I know this was a major upset," Thomas said. "I was just determined to not let that guy bother me any more. My focus is to stage, race and win -- in that order. I'd been waiting to get him back since March and I can't think of a better place for it to have happened than right here in this event." Unfortunately, the excitement generated by the first-round win over Johnson failed to propel Thomas past second-round opponent Steve Schmidt. "I was late at the light (0.504-second reaction time to Schmidt's 0.486)," Thomas said. "I've got no one to blame but Mike Thomas. I guess I just lost my concentration at the last second. I'm really disappointed because we should have won this whole deal." Despite the loss, the semifinal appearance in the Challenge garnered Thomas $3,000. Eddie Hill, the pilot of the Pennzoil Top Fuel Dragster, qualified well once again. Constantly making history, Hill posted the 100th sub-4.7 second pass on Saturday. He also upped his record number of sub-five second runs to 411. Proving his consistency and professional touch, Hill also reported that he has not damaged an engine in his last nine runs, which dates back to April 25 at the Pennzoil National in Richmond, Va. Hill finished the qualifying session in ninth place and will face Mike Dunn in Round 1 of eliminations. Bruce Allen, the driver of the Outlaw Fuel Additives Pontiac, found little solace in the fact that he is still the most prolific driver in Pro Stock Challenge history. Allen, a two-time Challenge champion who has reached the finals of the prestigious event a record six times, was eliminated from Saturday's racing in the first round by Kurt Johnson. Allen got the initial jump and took an early lead only to suffer from severe tire shake which worsened as he traversed the quarter-mile strip. "The tries shook the entire way," he said. "When that happens, it's all over. Of course, I'm disappointed. We've always run well here and it's a shame we can't get away from this tire (shake) problem."
Allen's bad luck also left him out of the running for Sunday's Mopar Nationals
elimination rounds as he failed to qualify for the fourth time this season.
Allen earned $2,500 for his Pro Stock Challenge appearance.
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