Sat, Oct 10, 02:41 AM Stellar Performances Mark First Day Qualifying

by Ed Dykes Familiar Faces at the Top

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Cool autumn weather and perfect track conditions combined to provide record performances Friday at the NHRA Pennzoil Nationals. Crowd favorites Joe Amato, John Force, Warren Johnson, Angelle Seeling and Brad Jeter lead their respective divisions in the professional categories.

The Exeter, Penn.-based Amato secured the number one qualifying position in the day's last session, run under the lights at Memphis Motorsports Park. His Tenneco Top Fuel Dragster covered the quarter-mile in 4.619 seconds at 317.97 miles per hour. Amato reset the elapsed time track record; Gary Scelzi took top speed honors with his 319.14 mph blast, also a track record.

In Funny Car, John Force qualified his Castrol GTX Mustang in the number one slot with a 4.924 second elapsed time. The Yorba Linda, Calif. racer is running a specially-painted Ford Mustang body in honor of Elvis Presley this weekend, and he was jubilant after the track record performance. "We really wanted to do good for the Presley folks, there's no bigger Elvis fan than me," said the seven-time Winston Champion. "This car is going into the museum at Graceland after we're finished with it, and this ol' truck driver couldn't be prouder."

Running his GM Goodwrench Service Plus Pontiac Firebird, Warren Johnson took the Pro Stock pole in the quick evening session, which saw the top sixteen qualifiers all record sub-six-second elapsed times. The Sugar Hill, Georgia racer's 6.881 second run was a track record, and within a hundredth of the national mark. A total of thirty-three cars made qualifying runs in the class.

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Angelle Seeling of New Orleans took the Team Winston Suzuki to the head of the class, running a track record 7.298 second elapsed time at 179.18 miles per hour. Perennial front-runner Matt Hines is fourth out of the twenty bikes in attendance.

Greenville, S.C.'s Brad Jeter locked up the top spot in his Chevy S-10 Pro Stock Truck, his 7.635 second elapsed time quick enough to tie the current national record. Final eliminations in the category will be run on Saturday.

The final two professional category qualifying rounds are scheduled for 11am and 3pm Saturday; final eliminations for the remaining professional categories will begin Sunday morning.



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