Thu, Dec 10, 10:13 PM Chevrolet Notes

Courtesy of Chevrolet Communications

Camaro Z28 Funny Cars lead all other brands with eight title wins

All three Camaro Funny Car drivers finish season in top five

Larry Kopp, Accurate Binding Chevy S-10: 1998 Pro Stock Truck Champion

Chevy drivers dominate to round out top five spots in Pro Stock Truck division

The Camaro Z28 body demonstrated its aerodynamic dominance over the Mustang by capturing eight of the 22 Top Fuel Funny Car titles in 1998, more than any other brand. Ron Capps, in the Don Prudhomme-owned Copenhagen Camaro, won five of those titles in only his second year in the Funny Car ranks and finished second in the championship. Veteran Chuck Etchells, in the Kendall/MaMa Rosas Pizza/Superwinch Camaro Z28, claimed the other three.

The 1998 Funny Car season saw a tight battle for the championship among Capps, Etchells, John Force in a Mustang, and Cruz Pedregon in a Pontiac. Both Capps and Etchells held the points lead this season, but Force was consistently nipping at their heels. A number of unusual mechanical problems in the Capps camp prevented better results in the final half of the season, allowing Force to move to the front and win his eighth championship. Capps, however, brought the chase to the final event but could not pull off an upset as he was eliminated in the first round of the Winston Finals by Etchells, who went on to win the event.

Etchells finished the year fourth in points. Whit Bazemore, who switched from a Mustang to the Team Winston Camaro Z28 mid-season, ended up fifth in points.

In the inaugural Pro Stock Truck season, Chevy S-10s dominated this new class, winning nine of the 12 events and establishing national elapsed time and top speed records. Larry Kopp, in the Accurate Binding/Arma Coatings/G-Force Transmissions Chevy S-10, won five titles and set a record 7.594-second elapsed time. John Lingenfelter, in the Summit Racing Equipment Chevy S-10, won one title and holds the top speed record of 178.32 mph. Chevy S-10 drivers claimed the top five positions in points: Kopp, Lingenfelter, Brad Jeter, Bob Panella, Jr., and Jerry Haas.

The Pro Stock Truck division has proven its popularity after the first official year of competition and will expand to 14 events in the 1999 season.

In his first year driving a Camaro Z28 in Pro Stock, Kurt Johnson won two titles in his ACDelco Camaro, placing third in championship points. Chevrolet supported three Pro Stock teams in 1998: Johnson; Larry Morgan in the Raybestos Camaro (who will not race a Chevrolet in 1999); and basketball star Tom Hammonds, in the Winnebago/Kendall/Matco Tools Camaro.

Chevrolet also supported two Top Fuel Dragster teams: Larry Dixon's Miller Lite Top Fuel Dragster and Cristen Powell's Team Reebok entry. Dixon won the season-opening event in Pomona. While Powell won no titles, she established a track record at Seattle International Raceway with a 4.590-second pass at 299.80 mph, making her NHRA's "Quickest Woman in the World," at 19 years of age.

For the 1999 season, a new Chevrolet Camaro Z28 Pro Stock team has been added: the Dewco Sales-sponsored entry from JK Racing, driven by Mike Edwards. Chevrolet will also enter the 1999 Federal-Mogul Series for sportsman racers with two Camaro bodies, for Jay Payne and Tony Bartone.



Press Releases: 10 Most Recent Entries [ top ]

Feb 05- Motorcycle Drag Racer Dystany Spurlock Aims for Historic NASCAR ARCA Series Bid
Jan 28- Hyde Reaches Elite Eight at U.S. Street Nationals
Jan 28- Red Line Oil Joins Hull Racing for the 2026 Season
Jan 28- Speedmaster Signs Mult-Year Partnership with John Force Racing as Co-Primary Sponsor of Josh Hart's Top Fuel Dragster
Jan 19- Jon Schaffer Named Crew Chief for Paul Lee's Nitro Funny Car Team in NHRA Mission Foods Series
Jan 17- John Force Racing Renews Apparel Partnership with Marwin Sports USA
Dec 18- Motorsports Community Raises $13,000 for Riley Kids at Return of Rev ‘n Roll Event
Dec 17- Sam Pack Ford Releases Buddy Hull Edition Mustang
Dec 13- Summit Motorsports Park Launches Launches "Race For Hope" Charity: Accelerating Positive Change
Dec 13- Sander Racing Wheels Named Official Wheel Partner of Elite Motorsports