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Sections News
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K&N Filters SuperNationals Englishtown New Jersey - Pro Results 5/18/2003 Revenge is Sweet at E Town For Pro Stock winner Greg Anderson, Top Fuel champ Doug Kalitta, and Funny Car winner Whit Bazemore the 34th running of the SuperNationals in Englishtown was pay back time. Each racer had their own reason to win, Whether it was frustration or just a long time between wins. It wasn't exactly ideal conditions the racers and the NHRA had to deal with at this edition of what started as the SummerNationals in 1971. Rains forced the cancellation of Friday's show in the late afternoon. And the shuffling of the schedule had the remainder of the Sportsman running after the Pro finals on Sunday. While the weather was either wet or cloudy or just cloudy, it was also cool which meant that the normally aspirated vehicles would be flying. And that they did with record fields in Pro Stock, Pro Stock Bike, and Pro Mod. Pro Stock After losing the $50,000 King Demon Pro Stock Shootout to rival Kurt Johnson on Saturday as a result of traction woes. Greg Anderson had more than enough reasons to want a little retribution. Earlier on Saturday the former Warren Johnson crewchief set the National record and the sport's first sub 6.7 time with a mind blowing 6.684 and then ran an astounding 207.08-mph for the fastest speed in the division. But the records didn't help as Greg lost traction in the Shootout final losing to KJ's 6.753 to a shutting off 7.631. But come Sunday Anderson didn't just win, his 2003 Pontiac Grand Am crushed the field defeating a resurgent Darrell Alderman in the finals 6.724 @ 205.98 to the Mopar's 6.747 at 205.38. Greg also reset his Saturday ET record with an even quicker 6.670 to leave the track with both ends of the record plus the POWERade series lead. Anderson paced the quickest field in NHRA history with the earlier 6.684 with Jeg Coughlin's Chevy Cavalier second at a 6.711 and Jim Yates' Pontiac in the number 3 slot with a 6.715. Eventual runner up Alderman was in the 11th position with fellow Chrysler racer Greg Stanfield holding down the record bump with a 6.741 in his unsponsored Dodge Neon. Looking in from the outside were NHRA regulars Mark Whisnant, Mike Edwards, and V. Gaines joining the other 10 drivers in the 6.7 range that failed to make the cut. The fast times at E-town blew away the Pro Stock records set in Houston earlier in March in every category including record for the most drivers not making the cut that ran below a 6.80 ET. NHRA keeps records on everything. Not even coming close to making the field was multi time winner Bruce Allen in the Reher & Morrison Grand Am. The Pontiac just refused to go down the Englishtown track without chattering the tires. After three attempts the best the Texas car could muster was a terrible 8.045 ending in the 32nd spot. The biggest surprise in Pro Stock other than the quick times was NED Comp regular Dave Northrop making the field in the former Kenny Koretsky Chevy. Northrop laid down a great 6.735 @ 204.82 to slide into the #13 spot. Dave's Pro debut came to an end in the first round losing to KJ in the first round. Kurt ran a 6.723 to Northrop's shut off 7.515. What happened to Kurt and Warren? Well KJ's weekend came to an end in the semi finals losing to Anderson in a rematch of Saturday's King Demon final. This time it was Kurt's turn to suffer traction problems as the AC Delco Chevy was all over the track shutting off to a 7.511 to Greg's off pace and out of the groove 6.820. Did I mention that revenge is sweet? Warren went out in the second round redlighting to Jeg Coughlin. Coughlin then lost in the semi final to Alderman when the Jeg's Mail Order Cavalier got loose off the starting line and lost to Darrell’s 6.750 setting up the Pontiac/Mopar final Top Fuel In Top Fuel, Doug Kalitta who has been low qualifier at six of eight events in 2003 with only one win to show for it, slapped the field silly with dominating performances in each round of eliminations. Kalitta qualified in the top spot with an E-town record 4.511@ 327.59 and then improved to a 4.481 in round 3 and then a 4.494 @ 328.54 in the final defeating POWERade Top Fuel points lead Larry Dixon. Dixon ran a game 4.554 at 326.40 for one of the quickest side by side finals in NHRA history, but was a car length behind at the stripe. Doug earlier reset the track MPH record with a 330.63 with a first round victory over local Top Fuel racer Rit Pustari from Norwalk CT. Pustari was the 16th qualifier at a 4.857 ET.
Not making the field was former World Champ Tony Schumacher's Army dragster and Rhonda Hartman Smith in the Fram Filters car. Friday's qualifying had been washed out giving the fuel cars only two shots to make the field. Tony blew off the tires in both of his attempts to make the field and Rhonda's 4.976 was only good enough for first alternate. During the first round of eliminations, Brandon Bernstein, the #2 man in the POWERade Top Fuel points race 's lost control of his Budweiser dragster and crashed near half-track. Bernstein got the car sideways in an attempt to catch opponent John Smith when both cars had traction problems. Brandon hit the retaining wall sending the red dragster up and over the wall finally stopping in the grass at the 1000-foot mark. Bernstein was transported to Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center where he was listed in stable condition with injuries to his lower back. Brandon is expected to make a full recovery but when and where he will return to the NHRA tour is up in the air. Later Brandon's dad Kenny announced that he would jump back into the Budweiser/Lucas Oil driver's seat until his son's return to competition. Bernstein's crash basically reduces the POWERade points race to a two-car shootout with Dixon and Kalitta on top and Doug Herbert and Darrell Russell nearly 200 points behind. It would take quite a lot of losing on Dixon and Kalitta's part and a whole lot of winning on the rest of field to make it much of race in 2003. Brandon was a shoo in for Rookie of the Year with his early season wins in Top Fuel and most fans expected a replay of 2002 with the Miller Lite and Budweiser beer cars taking it down to the wire for the Championship. Funny Car Team Schumacher driver Whit Bazemore ended his 2003 dry spell and frustration with a win in New Jersey at the K&N SuperNationals. Bazemore, who qualified # 5 with a 4.836 313.44 defeated Ron Capps in Don Prudhomme's Skoal Camaro in the final for his first victory in over 12 months. Capps’ Chevy blew the tires off in the final giving Whit an easy victory with a 4.869 at 306.81. With the win at E-Town Bazemore narrowed the difference between him and #1 man Tony Pedregon to just 72 points. At a press conference earlier in the week Whit told a reporter that running at E-Town was special to him since he got his start there first as a photographer and later as a driver. Tony Pedregon who qualified his Castrol Mustang in the #1 spot with a 4.76 went out in the semi final round after red lighting a better 4.815 away to Bazemore's 4.824. Tony fouled out by just 0.019 seconds. Tony's boss, John Force looked like he had finally got the monkey off his back in 2003 qualifying #2 with a 4.799 at 317.19 MPH. Force however went out in the second round red lighting to eventual runner up Capps. Just like his teammate John laid down a better ET than his competition. A 4.815 ET for John to the 4.838 of Ron Capps. When was the last time you saw both Force and Pedregon losing on red lights? The third Team Force car of Gary Densham went out in the first round losing to Tim Wilkerson.
One car that did make the field was the "Jungle Jim" Liberman tribute car of Bob Gilbertson. Gilbertson qualified the "just painted for one race" Camaro in the #14 slot with an 11th hour 4.971 313.22 that also put the car in the sand trap after the chutes failed to deploy. The damage to the car was minimal but still required a thrash to get the car ready for eliminations. Also adding to the Jungle Jim tribute was Liberman's long time crewmember Jungle Pam Hardy. Pam was on hand to assist the Gilbertson team during burnouts and to sign autographs for the fans. Jungle Jim was a staple at Englishtown in the 70's and plenty of us old fans remember the man and the legend. Pro Stock Bike Shawn Gann rode his Mac Suzuki from the #1 qualifying spot to a win at Englishtown Shawn defeated Craig Trebles similar Matco Tools Suzuki 7.10 at 189.49 to Trebles mechanical troubled shutting off 7.0752. The win puts Shawn just a scant 24 points behind POWERade leader Geno Scali who lost in the second round redlighting to runner-up Treble. Craig Treble also defeated World champ Angelle Savoie in the first round with a great 7.071 to Savoie's close 7.124. Gann's 7.051 qualifying ET and Geno Scali's 191.10 speed stood as the best in the class. Pro Mod Over 20 cars were on hand to attempt to qualify for the NHRA AMS Staff Leasing Pro Mod Challenge. With the cool weather adding horsepower to the blown and nitrous assisted beasts it would be just like Pro Stock, a record field. Leading the pack was Tim McAmis' '63 Chevy Corvette with a 6.097 @ 231.87 followed by Quain Stott's 6.105 for second. On the bump was the 41 Willys of long time Englishtown racer Mike Ashley at a record 6.168. Just missing the all time quickest field was the nitrous '68 Camaro of Mike Castellana from nearby Westbury NY. Mike ran a career and all time nitrous best 6.175 and was qualified until the very last minute when Thomas Patterson's blown Corvette ran a 6.150 to put the only nitrous car in the field on the outside. 2002 AMS champ Shannon Jenkins could not get the bugs worked out of his new Camaro and ended up in the # 19 spot with a not typical 6.308. In the finals it was the blown '63 Vette of Mitch Stott up against the beautiful Willys of Mike Ashley from Melville NY. Mike was first off the line but got out of the groove at half track letting Stott's Corvette by with a 6.132 second ET to a 6.280 for runner up Ashley. Low qualifier Tim McAmis went down in the opening round to Ashley on a huge holeshot after Mike grabbed a .031 light to Tim's really late 0.100 RT. McAmis while running a record 6.084 lost to the slower 6.125 of the NY racer. Quain Stott who set a AMS speed record of 233.88 lost to his brother Mitch in the semi final round 6.095 to Quain's 6.182. Seneca NY racer Fred Hahn put Jim Oddy's Summit Corvette in the field in the # 6 spot with a great 6.158 but lost to eventual winner Stott in the first round 6.100, 231.83 to Hahn's 6.169.
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