Wed, 4 Feb 2009, 01:00 AM Let's Go!!

By Bob Frey Photo copyright 2009 Auto Imagery, Inc.

Allen Johnson

Since it always seems like the fuel test sessions get a lot more play than the Pro Stock ones do, I thought I would spend a moment to mention a few of the things that happened at the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this past weekend. By now you should know that Allen Johnson won the race and the trophy and cash that go with it. It seems that Allen does well at the money races, since he won the K & N Horsepower Challenge last year in Norwalk, Ohio. And, while neither race means anything when it comes to points or championships, I think Allen's showing in Vegas will be an indicator that he will do well (again) this year. I think Allen is poised to make a serious run at the championship and we should know in a few days if my optimism is justified. Allen beat Jeg Coughlin in the final round and we'll see what, if any momentum that gives him going into Pomona. By the way, it was Jeg who won the Vegas race last year and then he went on to win the Pro Stock Championship. Other previous winners of the race were Larry Morgan and Dave Connolly, so winning certainly doesn't mean you'll be a title contender, but in Allen's case I think it does. Plus, let's give him and his dad credit for keeping their Mopar sponsorship when so many other teams were losing theirs.

Kurt Johnson

Jeg Coughlin did turn in the best numbers in qualifying for the Pro Stock Showdown, but Mike Edwards quietly came to town after the race and recorded a stunning 6.678 - 205.29 run which gave him low elapsed time for the weekend. Mike, as mentioned here before, is really happy with his in-house engine program and is confident that he, too, can contend for the championship in 2009....On Monday Allen Johnson came back to the Strip and went 6.669-206.04 to reclaim the low E/T of the Pro Stock test at Las Vegas....With all that has gone on in the fuel ranks during the off-season, could it be that Pro Stock will be the most competitive professional class in 2009?.There were sixteen cars in the Pro Stock show and, when you figure that Greg Anderson and Jason Line weren't there and neither were Kurt and Warren Johnson, it's easy to see that the class will be loaded this year. Kurt will be racing with his AC Delco colors this year and that's not all you'll hear or see from the AC Delco folks this year. You'll see what I mean once you get to the track in Pomona. Kurt has done a great job for them over the years and they have rewarded him with another year as his primary sponsor. Is Kurt the best Pro Stock racer to never win the championship? Well, you could get some arguments about that, but he certainly has been one of the more competitive racers in the class since he joined in 1993 and he should be a factor in the race for the championship this year. By the way, I think one man who could argue that "never won a championship" point

Frank Iaconio

would be Frank Iaconio. While maybe not a familiar name to a lot of the newer fans of the sport, Frank was one of the best racers in the class for a long while. Did you know that Frank competed in 250 races in Pro Stock including eighteen Winternationals?...Warren Johnson was seen testing his all-white race car but I still think there is a good chance that WJ shows up wearing some colors this weekend. If not Pomona, certainly by Phoenix. WJ, Kurt, Greg and Jason were all testing in Valdosta, Georgia a few days ago and all should be among the starting field at the Winternationals. Did you know that this will be Warren's 30^th appearance at the season-opening event? While Warren tries to make another Winternationals' starting lineup, so will Erica Enders and her Ford. Did you know that when WJ made the 1976 field at Pomona, his first Winternationals appearance, there was a woman racer also in the

Erica Enders

starting lineup? And do you know who it was? Shay Nichols was her name and she qualified in the lucky number thirteen spot for that race....Speaking of Erica, it would be nice to see her be competitive but that's expecting a lot out of the Ford car. Jim Cunningham drove his Ford last year but wasn't able to make the field. Even with the support from the blue folks this year it will be tough for the Fords to be competitive initially. Having said that, Ford is helping with engine blocks, cylinder heads, wind tunnel testing and other technology that will certainly be a real plus for their teams and that's something that Ford fans have wanted and waited for for years. It's been a long while since there was a competitive Ford in Pro Stock so let's wish Jim (who owns the car Erica will drive) and Erica the best of luck. She has always been a fan favorite and the Ford fans are very loyal so this could be a good combination from a racing and a marketing standpoint. I sure hope so....Tom Hammonds had to be pleased with his weekend in Las Vegas. Tom, who raced at thirteen events last year,

Tom Hammonds

made some very impressive runs and looks like he could be a sleeper in the field going into Pomona. A certifiably nice guy who has worked hard on building his own engine program, Tom skipped the races at the end of the year in 2008 to concentrate on making more power and being more competitive and it looks like all that work has paid off....A driver who will be making his NHRA debut in California is Frank Gugliotta. Frank, who helped Justin Humphreys last year and who has been in the 6.20 range in IHRA trim, will make the jump to NHRA Pro Stock and he'll find out in a hurry just how tough this class can be. But, as I always say, a good racer is a good racer regardless of class or sanctioning body (or rules) and I expect Frank to

Frank Gugliotta

do well this year. I'm not saying he'll qualify in Pomona but he did make some major adjustments to Justin's car last year and he was there when Justin went to the final round in Charlotte. Which brings up the question, where is Justin as we begin 2009?

With all of the changes that we have seen in the fuel classes during the off-season, and you know which ones I'm speaking about, one of the hardest things to realize this year is that one of the greats has scaled back his racing operation. Connie Kalitta, the original "Bounty Hunter," will race his Top Fuel car, with Doug Kalitta driving, at "selected races" this year and his Funny Car, with Jeff Arend driving (and a continuing tribute to Scott Kalitta), on the full 2009 tour. That's a far cry for the operation that we have witnessed over the past couple of years when as many as

Doug Kalitta photoby James Drew

four cars ran out of the Ypsilanti, Michigan shop. All of this as Connie celebrates his 50^th year in the sport of drag racing. He is, simply put, one of the real icons in the sport of drag racing and I, for one, hope that he is at all the races this year and for many more years to come. Those of you who have followed the sport for some time know what Connie has meant to drag racing and you also know that he won the "Triple Crown" of racing back in 1967 when he won all three Winternationals' titles that were available, the NHRA, AHRA and NASCAR races. He won the NHRA race at Pomona when he beat Gene Goleman in the final round and that came just a week after he won the AHRA affair in Phoenix by beating the Howard Cam Special driven by Bob Downey (and he did that on a holeshot). He then claimed the NASCAR crown in Florida when he beat Chuck Kurzawa in the "Probe" Top Fuel car. One of the automotive magazines said at that time, "this was a big series of wins for one of the greats in the sport." And that was in 1967. Oh, in case you didn't know, Connie won all of those races with a Ford engine. He was one of the greats then and he still is, and even with all that he went through last year he still found it in his heart to donate $50,000 to Doug Herbert's B.R.A.K.E.S. charity. Did you know that Connie, in addition to that 1967 Pomona win, went to the final round at the Winternationals on four other occasions? He

Kalitta vs Darrell Gwynn in '86

lost to Bob Muravez in 1963, to Shirley Muldowney in 1980, to Darrell Gwynn in '86 and to Blaine Johnson in 1996. I'm sure if you stop by the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum on Friday night of this week Bob will be more than happy to tell you all about that race with Connie at the '63 Winternationals. It was actually like more of a match race than a final round, but I'll let Bob tell you all about that. Anyway, I sure hope Connie has a good weekend in Pomona and a great year because he certainly deserves it and we should all consider ourselves lucky for being able to watch him race (either as a driver, a tuner or an owner) for the past fifty years. By the way, anyone want to bet that Doug doesn't run all twenty-four races this year?....The Friday night lineup for the Night of Champions at the museum has been announced and it will include a good cross section of racers. Matt Hagan, the newest driver in the Team Schumacher camp, will be there as he gets ready for his first full year on tour, and he'll be joined by the veteran, Ron Capps, another one of the "Don's" FC drivers. The group will be rounded out by Tim Wilkerson, coming off his best year ever, Rookie of the Year winner in 2008 Mike Neff and the veteran Pro Stock driver, Jim Yates. These Friday night gatherings are always a lot of fun and I can guarantee you that you'll see and be able to meet many of the great stars of our sport both past and present. I can almost guarantee that "TV" Tommy Ivo will be there and that, alone, is worth the trip. Well that and Bob Muravez.There are rumors floating around about a potential partnership between Rod Fuller and Bob Vandergriff. Well, from what I hear, they could be more than rumors. We could know more as early as this week but for right now I will say that we may not have seen the last of the black and yellow car. I know more but am sworn to secrecy, so let's just wait and see what happens. How cool would it be to see Rod back in action this year? He did

Del Cox Jr.

tell me last week that he will be in Pomona although he doesn't know how he will handle it. You see, it's been since 1992 that Rod has been at a race track and not been competing. It will be a tough weekend for him because those of us who make our livings in the sport are just not very good spectators when we're not working or racing....Del Cox got his TF license this past weekend in Las Vegas and he did it with a minimum of effort. Coached by Paul Smith and Mitch King, Del breezed through the licensing process and he will make his professional debut at Pomona. Remember this is the same team and combination that took Spencer Massey to the IHRA World Championship last year so they know how to get down a race track and I think that they will qualify for the show and go rounds in Pomona. I really do..Which match up would be the best in the finals this week, Spencer Massey against Larry Dixon or Larry Dixon against Tony Schumacher? Just thought I'd ask.

Del Worsham

One of the most anticipated appearances of the race is sure to be Del Worsham's debut in the Alan Johnson Funny Car. With eighteen prior Winternationals to his credit, this will be the first time that Del comes into the race driving for somebody other than his father, Chuck. I'm sure that is quite an adjustment for Del and Chuck both, but I expect any apprehension Del might have will disappear as soon as he hits the throttle in AJ's car. Did you know that Del has been to two finals at the first race of the year but he is looking for his first Winternationals' win this year? No matter what happens this weekend for Del he has to do better than Alan did as a driver at Pomona. Did you know that before Blaine drove the family car, Alan did? He made five appearances at the Winternationals in the Top Alcohol Dragster class and qualified for exactly one race and won one round. But then, as all successful people do, Alan found his niche, became the tuner and turned the driving over to his brother, and now Del gets to be the latest driver fortunate enough to work with and drive for Alan Johnson. Should be fun this weekend for that entire team..I really don't know who I think will win the Funny Car championship this year but I do know that, even with the fields being a car or two smaller than they were last year (at least that's the way it looks right now), the FC class is going to be very competitive....I know it's early, but we could have a real battle for the Rookie of the Year award this year. Matt Hagan, Spencer Massey and Shawn Langdon could all contend in the fuel classes and, if he runs the entire tour, the aforementioned Mr. Gugliotta in Pro Stock. It could be one of the best battles we've had in years in that category....Whatever happens this week, all I know is that I am ready for the season to begin, and now that all the trucks and rigs have returned from their trip to downtown Los Angeles, I say, let the fun begin.