The "REAL"
Super Bowl
By Phil R. Elliott
While most of the nitro addicts headed for the western
sites of Tucson and Las Vegas, the gasoline snorting door cars headed
for Houston Raceway Park and the Pontiac Excitement Pro Stock Super
Bowl. Rigs began to roll through the gate Tuesday but cold weather, wind
and rain kept actual activities to a minimum, although several teams
tried. It was Thursday before they finally made some noise.
The Super Bowl is a real qualified race, with testing
for Pro Stocks and Pro Mods from each sanction, with a little extra
incentive of cash for a few rounds. Entry for the testers is free and
the early season fans really enjoy the laid-back pace.
All kinds of rumors had crept into "the
news" as to performances from the Pro Stock cars and as teams
gathered, the stories unfolded, either squelching or embellishing the
previously wild tales.
One story revolved around just how many Pro Stock
Truck teams would be moving on/up to cars. Another was that the 3-car
David Nickens-led Dodge team had already recorded 6.7s at over 203 mph.
Several other rumors revolved around a not-too-secret session at
Darlington.
The rain finally gave up just after noon on the last
day of January, giving Bruce Allen (6.907/199), Mike Edwards (6.857/200)
and Ben Watson (6.92/199) enough track to get down. Several others were
less successful.
On Friday, the weather stayed below 60 degrees but the
performances warmed the event. With such a low stress level, several
teams were able to make several passes.
Mark Osborne earned one of the better time slips
(6.804/202) with one of the powerful Dodge Neons.
After decent runs Thursday, Allen had nothing but tire
shake from the Reher & Morrison Speedco Truck Lube Pontiac Grand Am.
Bruce had but one 1.015 60-footer to smile about.
Better was Darrell Alderman's Neon, which hit
stunning 0.986 and 1.004 60-foot times before running into control
problems.
Following testing elsewhere, and four more
get-acquainted runs earlier in the day, Bob Glidden pulled to the line
in Steve Schmidt's Southern Rods & Parts Grand Am which wiggled
its way to his career first "six," a 6.870 at just 191 mph.
Tom Martino had a couple excellent runs Friday – the
first with a 1.005 sixty, and a fine 6.834/201, the second a better
0.997 sixty and a 6.829/200.
Arturo Delgado considered his runs successful, first a
shut-off 6.913/189 and later a 6.865/199 – both right at 1.000-sixty.
A third, more aggressive, 0.999 ended in tire spin and an early
dismissal.
One of the strongest in the short program was Robert
Patrick, whose 0.989-sixty gave the quickest FoMoCo in NHRA PS history a
few knowledgeable nods. Dad Eli Patrick continues to make the car fly.
Jim Yates had nothing but trouble and never really
made it thru the timers. In three tries, he experienced severe tire
shake three times.
Others who tried to negotiate the Houston surface were
Ben Watson, Robert Freeman, Larry Peternel, and Don Smith.
With preliminary testing out of the way, the teams
prepared to get in their first qualifying shots. It was the 2nd
day of the 2nd month of 2002 and conditions were almost too
good for testing, if that is possible.
In the second PS pairing, Tom Martino dazzled with a
6.786, almost 203 mph clocking! In the third, Tom Hammonds' 6.823/202
took the measure of Ben Watson's 6.897/200, a superb side-by-side.
Then Arturo Delgado (6.930/197), Bruce Allen (6.829/202), and Mike
Thomas (6.857/201) had decent individual efforts.
The 8th pairing saw Mark Osborne spin hard
against Robert Patrick, then get train-lengthed by the improving Ford,
6.833/201 to 6.918/202. Next up, Larry Morgan, his Neon looking like a
blue streak, pulled away from Jim Yates, 6.763/203 to 6.826/ almost 203!
While jaws were still on the ground, Darrell Alderman's 6.745/204 (!)
bested Tim Freeman's 6.811/203! Mark Pawuk's clean 6.820/201 barely
drew notice but moments later, Mike Edwards' 6.763 at nearly 203 mph
did. There was discussion about the run, because Edwards had trouble
earlier in the round, repaired, and then made his pass after another
class. It was eventually disallowed.
In a total of less than ten minutes, NHRA-legal Pro
Stock history was made. A total of 21 cars went down the well-prepped
track in phenomenal conditions. The bump for the eight-car field,
shortened from 16 due to time constraints brought on by track electrical
problems, was already 6.826, with defending Super Bowl champ Bruce Allen
on the outside.
To explain a few things,
After earlier testing, Eagle One Chevrolet Cavalier
driver Ron Krisher had to go in for emergency surgery. So, it was Tim
Freeman behind the wheel at Houston.
Don Smith advanced from his truck to an ex-R&M
Firebird, a proven commodity, with R&M power. The Harley-Davidson
dealer will take delivery of a new Grand Am before 2002 is too far-gone.
Tuning help will come from Bill Jenkins.
The second and final qualifying session began with
Larry Peternel recording a career best, his first ‘six', a fine
6.983/197. Unfortunately, it was only good enough for a distant view of
Darrell Alderman's 6.780/204.45 (fastest legal clocking ever) in the
other lane!
In the next pairing, Bob Glidden improved on his
previous best with a 6.822 to bump Yates and received his first official
over 200 mph time slip as well, a whopping 203.00.
In the other lane, Bo Nickens improved on earlier
shut-off attempts with a 6.841/202. However, it wasn't enough for a
slot on the Super Bowl ladder.
Tom Hammonds' 6.810/202 raised his position slightly
for the moment, and alongside, Mark Osborne put the third Neon in the
show, his 6.796/202 bumping Pawuk in the process.
There were several more strong performances that
failed to touch the ladder settings, including those turned in by Thomas
(6.830/200), Morgan (6.791/203.98), Smith (6.864/199), Martino
(6.801/203) and Allen (6.878/201. But it was the stunners that came from
Freeman, Edwards, and Yates that really set the stage.
First, the Tennessee stand-in driver blitzed the
CompuLink timers with a 6.758/204.29 to put Krisher's Chevy in second.
Then Edwards, with no previous times for back up, threw a
"hail-Mary" 6.779/202 to nab fourth with another Cavalier. And
last in line, Yates blasted the Splitfire Pontiac into fifth with a
6.784/202.64.
Two hours later, under a dark and chilly Texas sky,
the first Professional elimination round of the new year commenced.
Mike Edwards jumped out to a .004 lead on Jim Yates
(RTs .439 to .443), only to be driven around, 6.789/202.82 to
6.812/202.42. Tim Freeman showed that the pre-season Mopar stories were
so much bunk when he holeshot Virginian Mark Osborne (RTs .452 to .465),
then pulled away to the quickest and fasted NHRA PS run in history, a
6.715/204.94 to an improving 6.778/202.94!
In the third pairing, Tom Martino got off the mark
first (RTs .454 to .484) then held off Larry Morgan, 6.798/203.68 to
6.798/201.76. And in the last match, Tom Hammonds grabbed the tip-off
(RTs .440 to .463) then watched Darrell Alderman come from behind for
the win, 6.750/204.42 to 6.807/202.88.
In the semi-finals, run less than ninety minutes
later, the first pairing saw not-so-close-buds Alderman and Yates start
things. After long burnouts, both grabbed the lights they are known for,
with Kentucky out ahead of Virginia (RTs .423 to .440). The assembled
fans, including the drivers and crews of every racecar present, stood in
awe as the boards rang up the numbers. The Dodge had beaten the Pontiac,
6.752/204.01 to 6.791/204.05! The first side-by-side 204-mph race was
suddenly reality!
The other match was anti-climactic for it was all
Freeman. Martino's New Jersey Pontiac spun hard, then it's nose
moved out of the groove. A hard fought 7.223/154 was no match for
Freeman's 6.743/204.85.
On paper, the two semi-finalists were inches apart.
The ET comparison was like a secret agent – .009! Tim Freeman's
mount had been quicker, earlier, but few were doing more that
good-natured Mopar vs. GM betting. The reactions compared well too. With
temperatures continuing to plummet, the only unknown was the track, and
it had been consistently good.
The history books will show that this match went to
Tim Freeman, when Darrell Alderman slipped out of the groove. In fact,
after a great job on the starting line (RTs .420 to .445) the Neon
overpowered the racetrack at that late hour, spun it's tires and
slowed to a 6.905/202.67, and the first victory of 2002 went to the
Pontiac's 6.768/203.98
Q Driver Car ET MPH (Finish)
1 Darrell Alderman 99 Dodge Neon 6.745 204.45 (R/U)
2 Tim Freeman 02 Chevy Cavalier 6.758 204.29 (Win)
3 Larry Morgan 99 Dodge Neon 6.763 203.98 (1st R)
4 Mike Edwards 01 Chevy Cavalier 6.779 202.52 (1st
R)
5 Jim Yates 01 Pont Grand Am 6.784 202.91 (Semi)
6 Tom Martino 02 Pont Grand Am 6.786 203.34 (Semi)
7 Mark Osborne 99 Dodge Neon 6.796 202.30 (1st R)
8 Tom Hammonds 01 Chevy Cavalier 6.810 202.27 (1st R)
9 Mark Pawuk 01 Pont Grand Am 6.820 201.40 (DNQ)
10 Bob Glidden 02 Pont Grand Am 6.822 203.00 (DNQ)
11 Bruce Allen 01 Pont Grand Am 6.829 202.76 (DNQ)
12 Mike Thomas 02 Pont Grand Am 6.830 201.46 (DNQ)
13 Robert Patrick 00 Ford Mustang 6.833 201.04 (DNQ)
14 Bo Nickens 99 Dodge Neon 6.841 202.21 (DNQ)
15 Don Smith 00 Pont Firebird 6.864 199.55 (DNQ)
16 Arturo Delgado 01 Pont Grand Am 6.878 199.70 (DNQ)
17 Ben Watson 01 Pont Grand Am 6.897 200.08 (DNQ)
18 Larry Peternel 02 Chevy Camaro 6.983 197.97 (DNQ)
19 Randy Daniels 02 Pont Grand Am 9.341 98.93 (DNQ)
20 Jim Bernard 02 Chevy Cavalier 9.880 93.38 (DNQ)
21 Terry Adams 01 Pont Grand Am 15.971 50.81 (DNQ)
Super Bowl, The Other Stuff
NHRA (legal) Pro Stocks were indeed the headliners of
the Pontiac Excitement Pro Stock Super Bowl at Houston Raceway Park, but
there were many other vehicles there, from Pro Sock motorcycles to
Mountain Motor IHRA Pro Stocks and even several Pro Modifieds.
One that had a decent ride Thursday was Peggy
Llewellyn, who stretched her shifts to beyond optimum but still hit a
career best on two wheels, a fine 7.172/185. Owner and crewchief for her
Suzuki, Harry Lartigue, was all smiles about the performance.
Jason Collins thundered to a 6.621/209 in his 2002
Mustang, and Steve Spiess was just behind (6.626/209) in IHRA PS.
Several Pro Mods sniffed the starting line, but found
it not to their liking.
Friday saw much more of the same from the more potent,
higher torque machines (in comparison with NHRA PS entries). Trying were
New Yorker Mike Castellana in the Western Beef 57 Chevy, Shannon
Jenkins, Bill Kuhlman's 66 Corvette, Doug Winters' 57 Chevy, Kevin O'Dell's
53 Stude, and Jack O'Dell's 70 Chevelle.
Among the IHRA PS troops present were Kenny Benso,
Robert Killian, Ron Miller, Jerry Yeoman, Dwayne Rice and the
aforementioned Collins and Spiess. None ran better than the two Thursday
runs.
Pro Stock two-wheelers included Greg Underdahl, Terry
Miceli, Matt Hines, Blane Hale and John Smith. Hale's 7.421/180 was as
close as anyone got to Ms. Llewellyn's Thursday run.
In IHRA PS qualifying, Steve Spiess had a 6.604/211,
followed by a 6.598/211 to set everyone back on their heels. Kenny Benso
looked to be the second best with consistent 6.769/208 and 6.776/206
clockings. Jason Collins finally found another 6.620, this one at
210mph. And in the final pairing, Dwayne Rice and Robert Killian matched
wheels, 6.642/210 to 6.647/207.
Back against Collins was Ron Miller, in the #1 Moser
Engineering entry (Spiess and Rice are Moser teammates), nearly leveled
the place with a booming 6.558/212.16!
When it came right down to it, the Mountain Motors
were far too much for the extreme conditions. Nonetheless, the six-car
field was set between that 6.55 and Benso's 6.76, with four of the six
over 210mph!
Qualifying for the more powerful Pro Modifieds was
even more intense.
In the first session, Frankie Taylor's late model
Firebird from nearby Dickinson was head and shoulders above the pack
with a stout 6.253/217.
The first pairing of session two was the best
side-by-side of the breed. Shannon Jenkins blasted to a superb 6.278/225
with his Alabama nitrous Camaro while right alongside chugged the blown
Studebaker of Kevin O'Dell at 6.287/221! A couple pairs later, Jerry
Hicks 63 Corvette churned out a 6.359 at only 201mph.
The bump was an off-pace 8.01, but there was lots of
on-and-off the throttle excitement.
In round one of PS, Steve Spiess grabbed a quick
holeshot (RTs .467 to .473) over Robert Killian, only to have his Grand Am
squirrel out from under him, forcing him to shut-off. Killian's Probe
steamed on to a 6.632/209. After seeing his teammate go down to tire
spin and shake, Ron Miller made the necessary adjustments to his Monte
Carlo and laid down another stunner. He launched first (RTs .423 to
.470), then pulled strongly to a 6.599/212.16 to defeat Kenny Benso's
Monte Carlo which trailed at 6.735/208. The last pairing looked good on
paper and lived up to its billing when Jason Collins moved his new
Mustang first (RTs .454 to .479) only to have his mount let him down.
Dwayne Rice's Grand Am won with a strong 6.605/211.93.
By virtue of his low qualifier, Miller earned the
semi-final single. With nothing to lose, he turned up the wick and found
tire spin and shake galore.
Rice improved again and joined the "50"
club, his 6.594/211.46 grabbing the win while Killian tried in vain to
maintain the handle. The short wheelbase machine saw most of the
attractions in and around Baytown, Texas during its tour of the
facility, and luckily, only sheet metal and pride received damage.
The long clean up contributed to a very late hour for
the finals that were run, including both of the Pro Stock classes, and
of course to not running of several others.
After such a performance string, it was a foregone
conclusion that Ron Miller would win the big inch Pro Stock final.
Virtually everyone at HRP agreed with that fact, with the only question
just how quick and fast he'd go.
Everyone agreed except one Dwayne Rice who'd
improved with virtually every turn of his Pontiac's tires. When the
final got underway, he was somewhat late (RTs .491 to .504) but that was
the last mistake he made. The car pulled strong and hard, right by his
opponent and partner, 6.572/211.10 to 6.598/210.67.
Who was happiest? Sponsor Greg Moser who is sure to
have a great 2002 in IHRA competition.
In round one of Pro Mod, two cars got down the track,
those of Shannon Jenkins (6.280/223) and Kevin O'Dell (6.311/219). The
rest were a combination of broken pieces, failure to start, and shaking
all over the track.
In the semis, the nitrous Camaro and the blown Stude
faced off for the second time of the event with the same result –
Jenkins beat Kevin O'Dell, 6.256/220 to 6.344/220. Shannon also won at
the starting line (RTs .471 to .485). In the other pairing, Taylor got
in his second decent run with a 6.293/208 trouncing of Jack O'Dell.
The money was split due to several delays.
After such a great run early in testing, Peggy
Llewellyn entered Pro Stock Motorcycle competition qualified 6th behind
Matt Hines (7.188/186.95), Blaine Hale (7.200 /184.95), Thomas Miceli
(7.218 /180), Greg Underdahl (7.219 /184), and John Smith (7.302/183).
In round one, Hines received a single and pulled out a
superb 7.126/193.93 lap. The best race of the round saw Underdahl beat
Smith, 7.231 to 7.286. Hale, on the only Kawasaki in a sea of Suzuki's,
fouled by .002.
Matt Hines took advantage of the conditions to his
liking in the semis as well to record a 7.096/194.30, the second best
run on two wheels, normally aspirated on gasoline that is. The
performance of course bested opponent Greg Underdahl.
Tom Miceli took his match too, but not nearly as
easily. His usually decent 7.244 was matched to the thousandth by
Michael Phillips, and only a better start (RTs .430 to .450) put him in
the final.
Like Pro Mod, the money was split due to the late
hour.
Phil Elliott
flyinphil32@earthlink.net
