Tue, 22 Jan 2002, 04:13 PM We're Off and Running. Well, Almost.

By Bob Frey Plus, a Few More Rumors put to Rest.

After attending two days of the National Time Trials in Phoenix this past weekend, I ’m more excited than ever to get to Pomona. But, before that, it’ll be three days in Tucson this weekend for me and lots of the teams, and then a couple of days in Las Vegas and / or Houston, and then, finally, Pomona, and the start of the 2002 NHRA POWERADE drag racing season. Come on, already!!

Larry Dixon

While test sessions don’t usually prove anything, there is one thing that I observed from watching the cars in Phoenix, and that is, Larry Dixon is going to be tough. The numbers that Larry posted in the Miller Lite car were simply amazing. Sure, he had those 4.51 quarter-mile times, but did you notice some of the half-track speeds that he was recording? How about 276 mph? Now that’s huge. And the blue car turned in those numbers on a couple of occasions to leave Phoenix with the bragging rights if nothing else. That’s because Kenny Bernstein, the reigning champion, was close behind in the performance department with a 4.53 elapsed time. It sure looks like those two will be the class of the field again this year….The other spectacular numbers that came out of Phoenix were the 60-foot times recorded by Darrell Russell in the Joe Amato car. With Jimmy Walsh using a "whole new combination" for this year, the Amato car made a couple of sub .820 blasts in the first 60 feet, and that’s unheard of. Jimmy told me that the crew has been working non-stop since the end of last season in order to get ready for 2002. When I asked why he went with a complete new setup he simply said, "Because 4.60’s just won’t get it done this year." Amen to that, brother!! One last note about the dragsters, there was almost a "full field" of cars in Phoenix, so don’t be counting on any bye runs when the season opens in three weeks. As always, the car count is a very cyclical thing, but I feel there will be full fields in both fuel classes at every race this year.

Whit Bazemore

The Funny Cars also were out in force, pardon the expression, with Whit Bazemore and the Matco car picking up right where it left off at the "Finals." A Friday night blast of 4.81, with John Force in the other lane, gave notice that the team hasn’t missed a beat during the off-season. Later in the weekend, Lee Beard and his co-crew chief, Mike Neff, slapped on the new Goodyear tires that, as I understand it, will be mandatory at Pomona, and they made some nice runs with them. Lee told me that he’s trying to make Whit’s car and Scotty Cannon’s car "as identical as I possibly can" for the 2002 campaign. Scotty could be the real dark horse in this Funny Car season. If he runs anywhere near as well as Whit, it will be a great year in the Matco / Schumacher / Oakley camp. By the way, lots of credit to Lee for acknowledging the efforts of Mike Neff on the two cars. That’s the kind of thing that makes a championship team …While John Force did make one good run on Saturday, it was ironic to see his car and Tony Pedregon’s both break right off the starting line. I mean, when was the last time you saw John throw a blower belt ten feet off the starting line on race day? The answer, probably never. The three-car Force team will now head to Tucson for some more testing, while, I believe, the Schumacher gang will take the week off. A little mind game, maybe?…One more thing about the Force team, there will be NO dragster coming out of that camp, this year or any year, and that’s official. John has shelved plans to run the dragster and will, instead, bring out a fourth Funny Car, maybe as early as Gainesville. If not by then, soon

Al Hofmann

there after…..And, Al Hofmann and Jim Dunn looked good this week, throwing out a best of 4.85 on Sunday afternoon. I spoke with Al and he’s never been more optimistic heading into a season than he is right now. Remember, he won the Winternationals in 1996, and K & N Filters, the sponsor of the Winternationals, also sponsors the car that Al drives. A win at Pomona would be a great way for both of them to start the season.

One of the big stories in Phoenix was the Alan Johnson team. Gary Scelzi was there trying to get his Funny Car license, and for a while, it looked like it would never happen. But, after a couple of lane-swapping runs, Gary made the required pass in order to fulfill the requirements for his license. Meanwhile, his teammate, Bruce Sarver was on hand, not racing, but just watching. But, and remember you heard it here first, Bruce will be in Pomona with a Toyota Funny Car and so will Gary. The Toyota thing is a "done deal," the new bodies are being finished as we speak, and Alan’s

Gary Scelzi

other deal, the main sponsorship program, will be announced no later than, believe it or not, Friday at Pomona. At least, that’s what my sources tell me…One deal that won’t happen this year is the one that Jim Epler had working. Jim told me that his last, big, sponsorship proposal that could have put him on the track this year "got away." But, he already had some real, legitimate, plans for the 2003 season. Jim will spend most of this year putting that proposal together and we wish him the best of luck….One of the most outstanding runs of the weekend may have been over looked by a lot of folks, but not by those of us who follow the alcohol classes. Jay Payne, who may be Frank Manzo’s worst nightmare this year, ran back-to-back times of 5.64 and 5.62 in his alky car. Now that’s impressive, especially when you consider that the national record is 5.54, set by Tony Bartone. Speaking of Tony, as of now, he plans to run some races in his brother’s injected, fuel car (starting at Gainesville), and, from what I’m told, he will also compete in the 24-hours of Daytona road race. Cool, huh?.. Oh, one more thing about Mr. Payne. While most teams were busy upgrading their racing equipment during the off-season, Jay was upgrading his truck and trailer. Seems the old hauler didn’t have a sleeper compartment, and, with young Madison now coming to the races, Jay and Shelly needed a little extra living space. Well, now they have it. If Jay keeps running the way he did this weekend, he may soon need new some new shelf space at home, if you know what I mean. And, since Madison’s coming to the races, maybe she’ll get to see mommy and daddy race this year. It could happen!

The Pro Stocks continue to test in Florida and some of the best times have come from Mike Thomas. A bunch of low 6.80 runs in Bradenton have given Mike the confidence that he’ll need if he wants to return to 1998 form, the year he finished 6^th in the points. Mike tested well with both his own engines and with one from Steve Schmidt….Finally, and this has nothing to do with the test sessions, I think we may all learn, real soon, who will get one of the most sought-after rides in the sport this year. From what I’m hearing, before we get to Pomona, we should know who will be the rider of the new Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson Pro Stock Motorcycle. Now I don’t have any inside sources, mind you, but if I had to make a pick, I’d go with that Tony Mullen. He’s a great rider, has natural instincts on the bike, and Terry Vance once told me that he "loves the way this kid rides a bike." Plus, Tony’s the right size and weight for the class. Yep, I’m going with Tony Mullen….There was one bike rider in Arizona, and, not surprisingly, it was Arizona’s own, Craig Treble. And, while he did click off a couple of runs in the low "teens," the best is yet to come from the Matco Tools rider. Craig has a brand new, revolutionary motorcycle coming for the 2002 season, one that could change the face of the Pro Stock bike class. It’s got a lot of new technology on it, and it should, hopefully, make it’s debut at Gainesville….And, finally, again, did you know that you can get all the results of this week’s testing, as it happens, (and next week’s in both Vegas and Houston), right here at Drag Race Central? Thanks to Dave Gerard for his work this past weekend in Phoenix, and, if I may, props to Jerrod Felix, at nitromater.com who had some great pictures of the new cars for all to see. See ya in Tucson, where the new Dodge Stratus of Dean Skuza will make its debut, along with a couple dozen other Pro cars.