Matco Tools
SuperNationals
Englishtown, N.J.
(May 16-19)
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33rd annual |
| Sunday |
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Bernstein, Anderson, Brown also score |
A memorable weekend of POWERade Drag Racing came to a glorious crescendo Sunday afternoon as a happy group of drivers collected their trophies at the 33rd annual Matco Tools SuperNationals presented by Racing Champions.
Retiring pro Kenny Bernstein made his last visit to his favorite track one to remember with a final-round victory over beer rival Larry Dixon. Funny Car favorite Gary Densham joined an elite group of drivers who have led the Funny Car points standings with his victory over Bruce Sarver, which pushed him ahead of his boss, John Force, at the top of the standings.
Remarkably, Pro Stock crowned its eighth winner when Atlanta runner-up Greg Anderson defeated Jeg Coughlin in a rematch of the 2000 finals of this event. In Pro Stock Motorcycle, under-funded Antron Brown bettered Craig Treble to win at the track where he learned to drive.
The two best Top Fuel cars in the class and at this event -- Bernstein's Budweiser dragster and Dixon's Miller Lite rail -- worked their way to the third "Beer Battle" final of the season with Bernstein coming out victorious for the first time this season against his rival.
 Kenny Bernstein
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The final drew large gasps from the overflowing crowd when Dixon's car twice lifted the front tires to the full extent of the wheelie bar. As Dixon rode his bucking bull, Bernstein cruised away for the win with a 4.600 at 321.96 mph ahead of Dixon's 4.818 at 319.90 mph.
"We're bringing the Governor to every race," Bernstein said of his visit from New Jersey Governor James McGreevey. "He has to come on tour with us because he definitely brought it to us today. Seriously, if we were able to bring any ray of light or enjoyment to the people of New York and New Jersey for all they've been through since the last time we were here, then I thank the Lord we're here to help them in some way. And I know all of the NHRA drag racing teams feel the same way.
"I tell you, it was a tough day's work to gain 20 points on [Dixon's team] but we're thankful because we just as easily could have given some away. They're a great team and we have a lot of respect for them but we still had to stop the bleeding. Tim [Richards, crew chief] had this thing running great, just like the old days, and he even learned from Dixon in the semis when they smoked their tires. Tim saw that and ran back for a quick adjustment that got us over that particular area where they got in trouble. He's something."
Bernstein was up to the task every pass in the Budweiser dragster, running a 4.59 against first-round opponent Jim Head, a 4.54 opposite quarterfinalist Doug Kalitta, and a 4.60 versus Round 3 foe Tony Schumacher. Old Bridge Township Raceway Park remains Bernstein's favorite track as he notched his seventh win (third in Top Fuel) here today with a huge win over rival Dixon. Of his 63 career victories, Bernstein has more wins here than any other track.
Dixon dispatched Don Sosenka and Cory McClenathan in the first two rounds with a pair of stout 4.55-second runs. He then got a free pass when he needed it the most when semifinal foe Rhonda Hartman-Smith jumped the start and was disqualified with a red-light. That was the lap when the Miller Lite car looked the most vulnerable, posting a tire-hazing 5.385 at 174.03 mph.
Points leader Dixon has now been to seven finals in eight races this year and he still holds a 143-point lead over Bernstein in the POWERade championship points standings. Top Fuel results
Densham's fourth career Funny Car victory and second win of the season not only moved him into the POWERade points lead by a slender two points but it also made him just the 14th driver in the last 13 years to hold the top slot in the class.
 Gary Densham
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He showed plenty of veteran savvy in his final-round race against Sarver with a quick pedal-job just off the launching pad that quieted the tires and saved the lap. Sarver was right with Densham at that point but soon started hazing his tires, which allowed Densham to streak by for the win. The final numbers showed Densham claiming the victory with a 5.046 at 316.38 mph to Sarver's slowing 7.310 at 115.29 mph.
"If you tell anyone I'm in the points lead they'll think you're a liar," Densham said. "John Force, Whit Bazemore, those are the guys that are supposed to be in the points lead. Not Gary Densham. I called my wife and told her what happened and now she'll be waking up sometime tomorrow.
"This is such a great team and all the guys joke around with each other and have fun. That's what it's all about, isn't it? I tell you what, there is no one in the world that wishes they were 30 years old more than I do. We're having a blast.
"We race hard, all of Team Force. We're a big team but each group wants to win just as much as the other. Fans always ask me if I'm supposed to let Force win, well, I've beaten him in the finals before and now I knocked him out of the points lead, so does that answer the question? John's John. His biggest love is those people in the stands and he always wants to give them a great show. In no way would we ever try to fix something. Heck, the last three races between John and me were separated by just a few hundredths of a second. If we could orchestrate that we'll put Seigfreid and Roy out of business."
Until the finals, Densham was getting progressively quicker in John Force's Auto Club of Southern California Ford Mustang as the day unfolded. He survived a tire-smoking duel against Todd Paton and won 5.42 to 5.66. He then posted a 4.83 against Johnny Gray and a stellar 4.81 opposite semifinalist Whit Bazemore to get to the finals.
In his first race of the season, Foxen Canyon Racing pro Sarver reached the finals in the White Cap Toyota Celica with some good driving a little bit of luck. He pedaled through a 5.52-second first-round win over Del Worsham, beat Tim Wilkerson 6.90 to 6.91 in the second session, and overcame a huge starting-line deficit in Round 3 to dismiss Bob Gilbertson with a 4.871. Funny Car results
The Pro Stock final was a rematch of the Y2K finale of this event with Anderson leveling the score with his third career win. The race was close but never really in doubt as Anderson left first with a .430 to .451-second advantage and then drove away for the 6.808-second, 201.91-mph victory in front of Coughlin's 6.812-second, 202.33-mph effort.
 Greg Anderson
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The victory moved Anderson all the way up to the No. 5 position in the POWERade championship points standings.
"Does it look tough out there. because it is," Anderson said. "It's so close from top to bottom. I mean look how many guys ran 6.7-second laps this weekend. When it's this tight it comes down to a driver's race and thank goodness I survived the cut today.
"We have some very talented people working on this team and all the financing we'll ever need but it still takes awhile for a team to gel. I think we're getting close and we should really be tough to contend with for the rest of the year. We're very happy today and the future looks awfully bright.
"You know, I didn't go to college, I went to work for Warren Johnson and for this business that's the best schooling you can get. Look where it's gotten me. I thank him every day. We might not see eye-to-eye any more, especially now that I'm driving and competing against him, but I owe everything I have in this sport to him."
Anderson's Vegas General Construction Chevrolet Cavalier ran like a bracket car en route to his second final round of the year and eighth of his driving career. He ran a pair of 6.79s opposite Mike Edwards and Allen Johnson, and then used a .443 to .472-second starting line edge to take a 6.811 to 6.794-second holeshot win over low qualifier Jim Yates in the semi's.
Coughlin kept the Jeg's Mail Order Chevrolet Cavalier in the 6.7-second range through the first three rounds of eliminations, posting big victories over Ron Krisher, Kurt Johnson, and Gene Wilson before coming up short against Anderson in the final.
Warren "the Professor of Pro Stock" Johnson won Saturday's $50,000 Pro Stock Challenge but he lost in the first round today to Mark Osborne. The defeat, combined with Jim Yates' semifinal finish, trimmed Johnson's lead over Yates at the top of the POWERade points standings to five. Pro Stock results
No matter who won the Pro Stock Motorcycle title it was going to be a crowd-pleaser as Brown is a native of nearby Chesterfield, N.J., and Treble carries the banner of Matco Tools and was born, ironically, on a date that will never be forgotten, especially here in the Northeast -- Sept. 11.
 Antron Brown
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In the end, it was local favorite Brown picking up his first victory of the year and gaining some measure of redemption over Treble, who had beaten him twice earlier this year. After both riders left with identical reaction times, Brown simply inched ahead for a 7.118-second win at 192.63 mph in front of Treble's 7.155 at 183.92 mph.
"Englishtown is awesome. To win here at home is too much," said Brown of his 10th career victory and first at this track. "This place has been a little tough on me, probably because I try to hard. I set the record here last year and then got a red-light on Sunday. It feels awesome to get over that hump and win here.
"We didn't even know if we would be racing this weekend until a few days ago. We don't have a sponsor right now and my friends at Fun Center Motorsports in Bensalem, Pa., stepped up and covered our expenses so we could race here. Now we'll take our winnings and make it to one more race but we need a sponsor big time. I have a huge engine bill at Vance & Hines.
"The lack of money has made it tough. We haven't tested so we just came in here loose and went old school and just decided to ride and have some fun. It worked because I'm having big fun right now."
Throughout the day, Team 23 rider Brown made a strong bid for the title sponsorship he's seeking with impressive 7.1-second wins over Joe DeSantis, Shawn Gann, low qualifier Angelle Savoie, whom he beat with a .407 to .449 holeshot, and Treble.
Treble atoned for his first-round exit of a year ago at his title sponsor's race -- his only Round 1 ouster of the 2001 season -- with a respectable runner-up finish here today. The Matco Tools rider posted a 7.18 opposite Scott Lewis, a 7.12 against a red-lighting Geno Scali, and a 7.14 versus Reggie Showers to get to the finals.
Savoie received a bonus of 20 POWERade points for her national record elapsed time of 7.049 seconds recorded Saturday. The extra points barely kept her in the lead by 11 points over Treble. Pro Stock Bike results
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