Checker Schuck’s Kragen Nationals
Phoenix, Ariz
(Feb. 15-18)
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17th annual |
| Sunday |
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Kalitta wins Top Fuel, W.J. gets 82nd |
A sun-drenched day in the desert ending up smelling like roses for new dad Doug Kalitta, 10-time champion John Force, and five-time series winner Warren Johnson, who collected the respective titles of the 17th annual Checker-Schuck's-Kragen Nationals presented by Pennzoil at Firebird International Raceway.
Kalitta and Force combined to stem the tides of Pomona winners Darrell Russell and Bruce Sarver, who both made it to the finals of this race. Meanwhile, Johnson, along with his son Kurt, helped keep the family name in the winner's circle at eight of the last 12 national events. He beat Brad Jeter by a scant one-thousandth of a second.
It's been a magic week for Kalitta. First he becomes a new dad, then he wins his first race of the season and sixth of his career. Also of note, the win denied upstart Darrell Russell from equaling Gary Scelzi's record of being the only pro to start his career with consecutive wins.
 Doug Kalitta
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Kalitta looked impressive in the finals, blasting down the track in 4.628 seconds at 309.84 mph while Russell disappeared in a cloud of smoke just off the launching pad. Still, Russell can take solace in the fact that he maintained the points lead.
"This time last week I thought we were going to have to induce labor with my wife because the pregnancy looked like it might interfere with this race," Kalitta said. "But her water broke Monday and she went into labor for 18 hours. Finally, she gave birth to Mitchell James, an eight-pound, seven-ounce baby boy and I was the happiest guy in the world.
"Then we came here and really struggled early. We shook every run until the final qualifying session. This morning we barely made it up here for Round 1 because we had engine trouble and had to swap out two motors. When things are too smooth you hope for a little thrash. Well, we had plenty of work to do today.
"I'll tell you, my guys are the best out here. It's great to get this momentum early because we want to take a real shot at the championship this year."
The Mac Tools pilot quietly became a contender this weekend. He struggled early in qualifying and started race day in the No. 10 spot. Then he methodically dismissed Dave Grubnic, Larry Dixon, and Kenny Bernstein before bagging win No. 6 against Russell.
Russell wasn't spectacular this weekend but he was steady in his Valvoline/Keystone dragster. He ran mid 4.6-second laps four times in qualifying and three times today, beating Andrew Cowin, No. 1 qualifier Mike Dunn, and '99 champ Tony Schumacher before losing to Kalitta in the finals. Top Fuel results
The Team Force dominance of Firebird International Raceway continued as Force and company bagged their seventh win in the last eight trips to the desert. Adding to the significance of this win was the fact it was the 100th national event victory for crew chief Austin Coil.
 John Force
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The race was never in doubt. Sarver did get a slight edge at the tree (.481 to .505 seconds) but he was quickly up in smoke and could only watch as Force powered away for a 4.929-second, 285.77-mph win.
Sarver certainly has nothing to hang his head about. He has now been to two finals in two races and is solidly in front in the points race. His career record in Funny Car finals is now a respectable 2-4.
"I can't win for winning. I said, 'Hey Coil, it's your 100th win,' and his response was, 'Yeah,' just real quiet like that," Force said. "He's upset because we hurt the motor in the finals. I was on fire in the cockpit but I kept my leg in it all the way through the lights. It was getting hot in there. The whole crew is just like Coil, they're all acting like we're at a funeral. It's a team pride thing. You don't want to have to blow your stuff up to win.
"There's some bad ol' teams out there this year. (Scotty) Cannon, (Don Prudhomme) Snake's guys, I mean we saw it here. Charlie Allen (track owner) did a great job with this track and every team out here was eating it up. I always say Funny Car is gonna be good to get the fans fired up but this year it really is gonna be good."
After a dismal first-round ouster at the season-opener in Pomona, Calif., Team Castrol returned to form in the Valley of the Sun. Force had to beat some old adversaries early in the day before taking on the next generation of flopper pros. He started with wins over Al Hofmann and Chuck Etchells, before downing a tire-smoking Ron Capps to get his shot at Sarver.
For his part, Sarver's e-moola.com Pontiac, which found the winner's circle just two weeks ago, looked strong again in wins over Jerry Toliver, Scotty Cannon, and surprise semifinalist Gary Densham. Funny Car results
The Pro Stock final between Johnson and Jeter was the closest in a long time, which is saying a lot in this nip-and-tuck category. Jeter blasted out to a .425 to .467 starting-line advantage and led at every timer down the strip until Johnson nosed ahead in the last few hundred feet and won by one-thousandth of a second, or about three inches. The final numbers had Johnson crossing in 6.924 at 199.20 mph in front of Jeter's 6.967 at 198.23 mph.
 Warren Johnson
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The win was the 82nd of Johnson's career and gave him the points lead in the category over his son Kurt. Warren and Kurt have now won the last five national events in a row. Jeter, a four-time winner in Pro Stock Truck, falls to 0-2 in Pro Stock finals.
"We're extremely happy with this car considering the short amount of time we had to get it ready for competition this season," Johnson said. "You know, racing has highs and lows. Kurt and I have been getting back in shape now for a while. It's one of those cases where you keep your nose to the grindstone and good things end up happening.
"The only time you need to be in the points lead is at the end of the year. The rest is academic. Of course, you have to stay close and we're doing that now. It's pretty obvious I didn't get the number of wins I wanted last year. Hopefully, this year will be different."
W.J.'s GM Goodwrench Service Plus Pontiac Grand Am wasn't the quickest car in attendance but it was the most consistent. He beat Bruce Allen with a 6.92, reigning champ Jeg Coughlin with a 6.95, and Mark Pawuk with a 6.92 to get to the finals.
Jeter certainly had to earn his second final-round appearance. Starting from the middle of the pack, he used car owner Steve Schmidt's horsepower to drive his Southern Rods and Parts Pontiac Grand Am past former Winston champs Darrell Alderman and Jim Yates as well as No. 1 qualifier Mike Edwards in Round 2. Pro Stock results
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