NHRA News: Gilbertson's assault rolled on in 2001 (12/11/2001)

Gilbertson's assault rolled on in 2001

12/11/2001

Bob Gilbertson

Like the U.S. military trucks that his sponsor builds, nothing could block the forward progress of Funny Car racer Bob Gilbertson in 2001. After acquiring major sponsorship from Stewart & Stevenson, a Houston-based industrialist company, Gilbertson and his Terminator Motorsports team were able to mount for the first time in his career a complete offense to run for the NHRA championship.

Tagged by S&S to carry the colors of their military Tactical Vehicles division, Team FMTV was created. At the season-opening event at Pomona Raceway, Gilbertson's full armada rolled through the gates in complete camouflage regalia, turning heads with their new show-stopping livery.

Although Gilbertson's season began slowly, he quickly picked up the pace at the next race in Phoenix, resetting his career best time and speed (4.913 e.t. at 309.34 mph) in qualifying. At the Mac Tools Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla., the Gastonia, N.C.-based team experienced both a high and a low. Although a set of performance-altering weather changes plagued their final attempt and denied them entry into the race, the crew's resplendent green and gold uniforms earned them the award for Best Appearing Crew.

Bob Gilbertson's cool camouflage paint scheme was a real eye-catcher early in the season.

Heading into the spring, Gilbertson battled through a series of races where, despite a strong qualifying effort at every stop, elimination round-wins eluded him. His lack of racing luck during this time was highlighted during some incredibly close racing. A prime example came at the Bristol, Tenn., event, where Gilbertson, threatening to steal eventual winner Ron Capps' thunder, saw his upset bid fall shy by a thin .007 of a second. Sensing a turnaround was within their grasp, Gilbertson's crew worked harder than ever to get over their first-round blues.

Turning up the heat
As the weather turned warmer, Gilbertson's Team FMTV turned up the heat. At Topeka, Gilbertson made his Memorial Day weekend a memorable one by reaching another one of his goals of the season -- breaking the 4.8-second barrier. He came close in qualifying, lowering his career best elapsed time for the second time in 2001 to 4.907 seconds. That mark didn't stay in the record books for long as, in his first-round victory over Funny Car frontrunner Del Worsham, Gilbertson blasted through the quarter-mile in 4.882 seconds at a speed of 306.81 mph.

At Columbus' National Trail Raceway, Gilbertson came close to scoring his second upset win over Funny Car champ John Force in the first round of eliminations. Rocketing off the line first, Gilbertson built on his lead, but as they neared the finish, Gilberston's fuel coupe suffered tire spin, allowing Force to just edge him at the stripe. The margin of victory was a mere .027 of a second.

Gilbertson's accelerated pace hastened ever further the next week in Chicago, as he again lowered his career best e.t. in qualifying to 4.858 seconds before being ousted in Round 1 by local favorite Tim Wilkerson.

A new "desert camo" paint scheme debuted on the Team FMTV Pontiac at midseason.

With the summer winds bearing down, the NHRA tour headed west into the toughest part of the schedule, beginning with a three-race tour through Denver, Seattle, and San Francisco.

It was the start of exactly what the Stewart & Stevenson racing team had in mind. Bolstered by the acquisition of a sleek new 2001 Pontiac Firebird body, Gilbertson and trusted crew chief Paul Smith debuted their new 'Desert Storm camo' Funny Car, which proved to be a fan favorite. On the track, Gilbertson responded by guiding his team to the finals, taking out a notable cast, beginning with a holeshot victory over Scotty Cannon in the first round, followed by successes over Tommy Johnson Jr. and Dean Skuza. Gilbertson's reward would be to face Force in the finals.

With Force recording a lackluster time of 5.225 seconds, it should have been money in the bank for Gilbertson, one of the most consistent cars on race day. Unfortunately, he suffered troubles of his own and, with smoke billowing from his rear tires -- the result of severe tire shake -- conceded the win to his opponent.

Momentum keeps team rolling
Making the second final-round appearance of his career provided Team FMTV with a welcome dose of positive momentum following their Rocky Mountain visit. Gilbertson leapt three positions in the Funny Car point standings to 13th and focused his attention on a Top 10 assault.

Keeping his foot to the floor, Gilbertson scored positive runs in his hometown area of Seattle and Sonoma, running consistently and maintaining his status in the hotly contested points race.

In the idyllic setting of Brainerd International Raceway, Gilbertson delivered another serving to his craving for speed. After the first day qualifying in Minnesota, the Gastonia, N.C., resident stole the headlines with a run of 4.949 seconds to capture the No. 1 position. His quarterfinal finish at this event pushed him to 12th in the points with only seven races remaining on the quarter-mile calendar.

The Team FMTV entry became a skilled hunter of career-best performances as the season rolled on.

After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, Gilbertson joined all Americans in mourning. Heeding President George W. Bush's advice, however, he attempted a return to normalcy by rolling out his camouflage Firebird at the Memphis Motorsports Park when racing resumed, honoring our country by prominently displaying the American flag in several locations on his 300-mph racer. An immediate hit with fans and crews alike, this show of patriotic pride shined brightly in the pits.

Onward Gilbertson's troops moved north to revisit the Route 66 Raceway in Chicago. The ideal conditions on the track rewarded Team FMTV by matching his best qualifying performance of the year. Gilbertson lowered his best e.t. again by .002-second to 4.856 seconds, and improved his career best top speed to 312.46 mph, gaining the No. 9 position.

Gilbertson's experience during the next event in Reading, Pa., could very easily be titled "A Tale of Two Cities." After qualifying his Team FMTV Pontiac on Friday, he left Maple Grove Raceway to live up to a promise he had made to the employees of Stewart & Stevenson by attending their company's picnic in Houston on Saturday. As if flying to the Lone Star State and back in one day wasn't hectic enough for Gilbertson & Co., his pensive crew at the track intently watched every car that made an attempt on Saturday, challenging their position in a tough qualifying field. Fortunately, things worked in their favor, and when Gilbertson arrived at the track Sunday morning, he was qualified in the No. 16 position with Force firmly in his racing sights. It took another remarkable run by Force to beat Gilbertson. In fact, his 4.747 second-effort was good enough to back up a new Funny Car NHRA e.t. national record of 4.731 seconds.

Turning point in Dallas
The next race in Dallas proved to be a turning point for Gilbertson as he prepared for the remaining races on the schedule. With Stewart & Stevenson president Mike Grimes on hand, Gilbertson lit up the scoreboard with an impressive new career best time of 4.827 seconds in defeating Tony Pedregon in Round 1 of eliminations. This guaranteed Gilbertson would finish no worse than 12th in the title standings.

However, this was just the start of string of strong performances by Gilbertson. Although not one for gambling, his second Las Vegas visit of the year was sure to raise a few eyebrows, as he would post the third final-round finish of his career.

Gilbertson made it to his third career final round in Las Vegas, but red-lighted to Ron Capps.

Virtually assured of placing No. 11 in the standings, Gilbertson took advantage of a national ESPN2 television audience to showcase his skills. After dismissing Scotty Cannon in the opening round, for the second straight week he dispatched Pedregon, teammate of the legendary Force. In the semifinals he quickly outdistanced himself from Bruce Sarver with an incredible .434 starting-line reaction time (.400 is perfect) and set the stage for a matchup with friend and rival Capps in the finals.

In a sport measured in thousandths of a second, it does not take long to bask in the glow of victory or suffer a cold, hard defeat. Gilbertson unfortunately felt the chill after leaving the starting line before the Tree turned green, automatically giving the win to Capps. Facing an opponent with an apparent performance advantage, Gilbertson had tried to maximize whatever advantage he could muster, falling shy by the blink of an eye. As only second red-light of his career, Gilbertson left Las Vegas dissatisfied, but not defeated.

At the final race of season in Pomona, Gilbertson held the distinction of being the anchor of the quickest field in NHRA Funny Car history with a time of 4.889 seconds, the ninth time the mark had been reset in 2001, but the first with an all-4.80 program. Although he didn't defeat No. 1 qualifier Whit Bazemore, he did lock up the No. 11 position in the points standings with 908 markers.

The numbers game
Gilbertson is quickly becoming legendary with his excellent reaction times. In 2001, he led the category with a .490 average (compared to second-place Tommy Johnson Jr.'s.498). His average elapsed time for the year was 4.963 seconds, with a thundering average speed of 301 mph. He established career bests in elapsed with his 4.827 second-run in Dallas during competition, and in top speed with his 312.86-mph blast at Route 66 Raceway in Chicago. His highest qualifying position for 2001 was No. 9 -- in St. Louis, Brainerd, Minn., and Memphis, Tenn. -- with an average starting position overall of 11.9.

In career statistics, Gilbertson has now competed in 49 NHRA national events, reached the final round three times and made it to the winner's circle at Houston Raceway Park's 2000 O'Reilly Nationals. His highest qualifying position of career for Terminator Motorsports is No. 6, which came at the 2000 Fall Houston event.

Throughout his racing career, Gilbertson's drag racing resolution has been simple: get to the finish line first. His team has been fashioned on a good business foundation, forged on the principles, which allowed him to develop a thriving industrial truck supply business, keeping him on solid ground as he ventures behind the wheel of a massive 6,000-horsepower Funny Car.

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