Fri, 27 Oct 2000, 10:02 AM Professional Winston Point Standings Recap #3

By Mickey Schultz

Ok, so you've been on a desert island practicing for the next edition of Survivors and haven't heard that the O'Reilly Fall Nationals presented by Castrol Syntec in Dallas was postponed due to persistent rain. Well, to set the record straight, it has. The event has been rescheduled for November 3rd and 4th. Also, you've missed the really big news that came out on Tuesday: Tony Schumacher will compete at Houston. So, read on. FastNews Network will bring you up to date on the NHRA Winston point standings for the five professional classes - - Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock (Car), Pro Stock Truck, and Pro Stock Motorcycle - - as it stands right now.

Let’s recap how points are earned in the professional classes: There are 138 points available for the professional classes at each event - - 10 for making at least one qualifying run, a maximum of eight if you qualify number one, 100 for winning the event, and 20 points if you set and leave the event with an official NHRA elapsed time national record.

For Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock , that means, with three events remaining on the 2000 NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series - - Houston (this weekend), the rescheduled Dallas event (November 3rd and 4th) and the season-ending race at the Pomona (Calif.) Raceway (November 9th through 12th) - - there are still 414 points up for grabs. To clinch their respective category* the point leader must leave the Matco Tools SuperNationals presented by Racing Champions in Houston with a 277 point advantage over second place. * Top Fuel and Funny Car are still contending for the championship, but the battle for number one in Pro Stock is over.

Pro Stock Motorcycles, which do not compete on the full national event schedule, have only two races left (Houston - - this weekend - - and the season-ending race at the Pomona (Calif.) Raceway (November 9th through 12th). That means, there are currently 276 points up for grabs. To clinch the Pro Stock Motorcycle category, the point leader must leave the Matco Tools SuperNationals presented by Racing Champions in Houston with a 139 point advantage over second place.

Pro Stock Trucks, which do not compete on the full national event schedule, have only two races left (the rescheduled Dallas event - - November 3rd and 4th - - and the season-ending race at the Pomona (Calif.) Raceway - - November 9th through 12th) and do not compete this weekend at Houston. That means, there are still 276 points up for grabs when the trucks return to Dallas, November 3rd and 4th. The point leader must leave the O'Reilly Fall Nationals presented by Castrol Syntec with a 139 point advantage over second place to clinch the Pro Stock Truck category at Dallas.

Let’s now review each of the five professional categories:

TOP FUEL: Only five drivers - - Gary Scelzi, Tony Schumacher, Larry Dixon, Joe Amato and Doug Kalitta - - remain in this season’s point battle. Scelzi, with 1663 points, holds the upper hand. He has a 126 point lead over Tony Schumacher entering this weekend's event in Houston. Just two weeks ago Monday - - October 9th - - Schumacher underwent surgery to repair a severely broken left leg incurred in a high-speed crash during Saturday's qualifying at the NHRA AutoZone Nationals presented by Pennzoil at Memphis Motorsports Park. Monday, October 23rd, his orthopedic doctor removed the cast from his leg. He then underwent a thorough neurological examination, after which Schumacher was given a clean bill of health to resume his chase for the 2000 Winston Top Fuel championship. "We're 126 points behind (Gary) Scelzi. That's within reach. We obviously came out to win a championship and if my body permits me to go out and go after a championship, then that's what I'm going to do," said Schumacher, the reigning Winston Top Fuel champ. "More than anything, I'm getting in the cockpit of the U.S. Army dragster this early because, 'A' we got rained out in Dallas, which gave us the races; and 'B', I need, for myself, to get back in a car," he added. "Just got to get back on the horse and ride again. I don't think our team deserves to be number three. Therefore, I'm not going to sit back and watch everything go on by us." Because of the rainout in Dallas, Schumacher missed only the eliminations in Memphis due to the crash and thus was able to stay close in the point standings. Larry Dixon is in third, 223 points behind Scelzi. Dixon, who also crashed at Memphis, in the final round, and underwent subsequent surgery on October 11th , was on hand and ready to drive at Dallas. The postponement will give him an extra week to heal before Houston. Joe Amato, down 382 points, and Doug Kalitta, 394 points back, are in fourth and fifth respectively. About all that can be said for Amato and Kalitta is that both are alive mathematically going into the Matco Tools SuperNationals presented by Racing Champions in Houston. Nothing short of a miracle will still have these two contending for the title when the series return to the Texas Motorplex in Dallas. Scelzi can't accumulate enough points to clinch the Winston championship at Houston; therefore, the battle will continue for another race or maybe two.

FUNNY CAR: The rain was about the only thing that could prevent John Force, who now has 1659 points, from clinching his 10th Winston Funny Car championship at Dallas. So it's on to Houston where Ron Capps and Jerry Toliver are the only Funny Car drivers that have a chance of mathematically unseating Force and taking this year’s title. And that's a very small chance. Capps moved into second at Memphis and is now 290 points behind Force. Toliver is third and 306 points separate him and Force. At Houston, Capps must pick up a minimum of 14 points on Force to remain alive and Toliver needs to pick up a minimum of 30 points or Force will pin him to the mat. Just as it was at Dallas, the bottom line is that Force can clinch at Houston.

PRO STOCK (CAR): Nothing changed here. This one is over. Jeg Coughlin, Jr., took the Winston Pro Stock Championship at the AutoZone Nationals presented by Pennzoil in Memphis. The only thing remaining this season is for Jeggie to see if he can reset (or tie) Darrell Alderman's single-season Pro Stock win record of 11 or tie the NHRA all-time single-season win record of 13, held by Funny Car driver John Force. Coughlin, currently has 1827 points and 10 wins, with three national events remaining. The only other point of interest in this point chase is to see how the points shake out for the runner-up position, with Kurt Johnson (1295 points), Ron Krisher (1267 points), and Warren Johnson (1239 points) battling for the second spot.

Angelle Seeling

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE: The Pro Stock Motorcycles have not competed since the Keystone Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway, just outside Reading, Penn., in September, but will return to action at Houston. While Tony Mullen is mathematically still in the running, it’s really a two-way battle for the championship between Team Winston’s Angelle Seeling, the current leader with 1140 points, and reigning Winston bike champ Matt Hines, 138 points behind in second. Seeling wants this title in the worst way and, since it will take a 139 points to clinch, could leave Houston as the new Winston Pro Stock Motorcycle champion. Hines cannot give up even one point to Seeling at Houston or it's all over. Our crystal ball sees Seeling wining the Winston title, with Hines in second. Teammates Tony Mullen and Antron Brown will duel for third and fourth.

PRO STOCK TRUCK: As noted previously, the Pro Stock Trucks don't compete at Houston. Only two drivers - - Bob Panella, Jr. and Randy Daniels - - both in Chevy S-10s - - have a chance at this year's title. The rest of the field is vying for third on back. Daniels, who trails Panella by 230 points, must make a BIG move when the trucks return to Dallas or Panella will wrap it up there.

That’s it for now… set your modem for Wednesday, November 1 and Recap #4 (the return to Dallas).



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