Thu, Feb 4, 04:35 PM POMONA - Thursday Preview

POMONA, Calif. - Good morning from a chilly, cloudy, damp Pomona Raceway, where the 39th annual NHRA AutoZone Winternationals are already under way. Light sprinkles have interrupted the racing several times already - nothing major, but just enough moisture to make the track a bit slick. We are running a bit behind schedule, but race officials expect to get everything in anyway.

Though the racing conditions are a bit chilly, things are heating up in the pits. All three of the Rick Jones Pro Stock cars (Warren Johnson, Tom Martino, and Mike Edwards) failed tech inspection, the NHRA Tech Department templates not agreeing with those Jones used to build the cars. As usual with such matters, there are several different versions of what happened and what will happen, but all three drivers are working to get alternate cars ready to run today.

The weather forecast for the rest of the weekend is good, sunny and warmer, so once this "Wintery weather" gets out of here, we should see some exciting racing.

Reports may be slightly delayed today as we break in a completely new version of our reporting software. As always happens with new software (and race cars), actual use is finding many-legged critters that escaped detection during pre-season testing.