NHRA News: Nickens pares search for replacement driver to six (03/05/2002)

Nickens pares search for replacement driver to six

By Rob Geiger, NHRA.com
03/05/2002

"This would be a big move for me. You run with the best of the best in NHRA."
-- Gene Wilson

The search for a new driver for David Nickens' two-car Mopar Parts Pro Stock operation has reached the quarterfinals with six high-profile names making the initial cut. Sticking to his plan to hire a replacement for Mark Osborne by mid-March in time for the 33rd annual Mac Tools Gatornationals, Nickens has taken the interview process to Houston Raceway Park where he'll give his select handful of would be drivers a chance to show their racing prowess first hand.

After receiving "literally hundreds" of applications since NHRA.com broke the news of Osborne's sudden resignation, Nickens quickly assembled a short list of top candidates, which includes current IHRA champ Gene Wilson, Tony Gillig, Santo Volpe, "Tricky Rickie" Smith, Bo Nickens, and Tom Martino.

"I severely underestimated the reach of NHRA.com," Nickens said. "Since the story ran last week the phone hasn't stopped ringing one time. Every line is busy with people wanting to throw their names in the hat. We must have a stack of messages and e-mails a foot high. It's been overwhelming.

"On behalf of Mopar and Nickens Racing I really would like to thank everyone for their interest. I wish I had time to individually reply to every application but we're intent on filling this position by Gainesville so we're crunched for time. I hope everyone understands our position.

"I can tell you this; together as a staff we plowed through all of the applicants and suggestions and selected a list of six drivers we want to look at a little closer. With the exception of Tom Martino, who we already know very well, we will give each of these finalists a chance to show us what they can do in one of our cars. We're filming them all and then we'll sit down and make a decision, hopefully by this weekend."

First up, Gene Wilson

Wilson, who won eight of 11 races on the IHRA schedule last season, was the first finalist to make some passes in the team's back-up Dodge Neon R/T Tuesday afternoon. The 29-year-old from Atlanta certainly didn't waste any time impressing the Mopar crew, running five passes on the day, the best of which showed a 6.820 at 202.27 mph on the scoreboard.

Despite the many differences between NHRA and IHRA Pro Stock cars -- most notably the limited engine size and manual shifting required in NHRA cars -- Wilson handled himself extremely well. His initial pass in the car, which was his first lap since the IHRA season ended in October, was a respectable 6.837 at 201.52 mph. He followed that up with his best pass of the day, the 6.820 at 202.27 mph, and another 6.83 before the team began working on different tune-ups. For the record, temperatures hovered in the mid-50s with adjusted altitude readings in the minus-500-foot range.

"Gene did very well just like we knew he could," Nickens said. "We're not asking him to set low e.t. of the world right now, we just want to see how he operates and give him a chance to see how we do things over here. That was a brand-new motor, never been run before, and it ran as well as we expected it to after seeing the sort of numbers it was producing on the dyno. Gene handled it very well.

"We'll continue to let him run until he feels totally comfortable. The car he's hoping to drive is at Jerry Bickel's shop in St. Louis right now but we hope to have it back by tomorrow and I'd like to see Gene make some laps in it as well."

Job requirements

Nickens has made it quite clear what sort of qualifications he's searching for in a driver.

"I'm looking for a guy that can win rounds on Sunday," he said. "This kid, Gene Wilson, he obviously has that trait.

"I think there's a lot of guys that can let the clutch out and drive one of these things. But it's that something special only a few drivers have that make them dig down and do whatever it takes to win on Sunday. We've been watching Gene for some time now and I can tell you straight-out, he knows how to win. I've seen him in races where he probably should get beat turn around and stick a dagger in the heart of his opponent. I like that a lot."

Driving for Charlie Hunt Racing last season, Wilson ran away from the competition in his Gary Henry-tuned Mercury Cougar. His eight wins in nine final rounds tallied 1,545 points, nearly 500 more points than his nearest rival. The son of fishing legend Orlando Wilson, Gene has been competing in a Mountain Motor-powered Pro Stock car since 1997. He also has experience in Pro Mod and Super Street.

"I cut my teeth in Street cars when I was just 16 years old," the younger Wilson said. "With those little skinny tires we used to run I'd have to say those weren't exactly the safest cars in the world but I think they really helped me prepare for these Pro Stock cars better than anything else I could have driven.

"There's no doubt these cars are a different caliber but I think I can drive one of these things and be successful. I feel very comfortable in them even though I know they can be animals. Those old street cars we used to run were an adventure every time down the track. You really had to fight them. That experience helps a bunch.

"It's hard to compare IHRA Pro Stock cars to NHRA Pro Stock cars. They're two totally different machines. These things are so quick and the rpm you can reach are incredible. They sound so cool. Even inside the car you could tell the engines were absolutely screaming.

"I want to do whatever David wants me to do. He says he wants me to feel comfortable in the car. I just hope I can make him feel comfortable about me and how I drive. This would be a big move for me. You run with the best of the best in NHRA. There's no better group of drivers, no better technology, and you're surrounded with the best mechanical minds in the world. It's the big leagues and if I'm lucky enough to come here and represent Mopar and Nickens Racing, well it would be a dream come true."

The other candidates
Competition Eliminator ace Volpe will be the next driver to get his chance behind the wheel. Volpe most recently won the 2001 U.S. Nationals. He has two national event victories and has six runner-up finishes. Aside from Competition Eliminator, Volpe has experience in a Stock and Top Alcohol Funny Cars.

Gillig has been a privateer Pro Stock driver for several seasons but, as Nickens pointed out, "has never had the horsepower to run to his potential. It will be interesting to see what he can do in our car. I bet he'll be quick.

"Tom Martino also called me and is very interested in the position," Nickens continued. "We all know he can turn on the win light with regularity. It won't be necessary for Tom to come down and test because I know all about him and what he's capable of. Believe me, he'll get very serious consideration for this job."

Nickens can look within his own crew to find the final two applicants. Smith is a proven winner with two NHRA Pro Stock victories and 30 IHRA Pro Stock wins. He also has five IHRA championships to his credit. Nickens' son Bo has limited experience in Pro Stock but is an accomplished Sportsman racer.

"There was a time when Mopar told me not to look at Bo because of the potential conflicts with him being my son," Nickens said. "But this time around they told me straight up that if he's the most qualified candidate, he should be in the seat. He'll get his chance this week.

"We even had Jeg Coughlin penciled in as a final candidate but his business and ours didn't exactly line up the way we would have liked them to. He's still a great driver and a person I have a lot of respect for.

"Bottom line, we're taking a long hard look at six very talented drivers. Right now I couldn't tell you which one, if any, has an edge on any of the others. Mopar has made it clear that they want me to make the right decision so we'll be analyzing every bit of data we can get on each guy. We'll add it all up at the end of the weekend and see who ends up being our next driver."

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