Championship Drag Racing

Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals presented by Pontiac
Commerce, Ga.
(May 1-4)

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Johnny Gray Checker Schuck's Kragen Funny Car

Reports: Sunday Saturday Friday Pre-race

Atlanta, Sunday: This Atlanta event was the seventh stop on the 23-race NHRA POWERade Drag Racing tour and, after today, in those seven races Team CSK drivers have appeared in the final round five times. On this steamy Sunday, Johnny Gray took his blue Checker, Schuck's, Kragen Pontiac to the final, and although he finished the day as Runner-Up for the second time in this young season, he was philosophical and humble at the end of the day.

"This team has a lot to be proud of, and I mean the overall team, Team CSK, because we are one big team here," he said. "We thrashed and clawed our way to this final, it wasn't easy and the conditions made it a battle for everyone, and in the final round we got beat by a better car, but we don't see it as a fluke that we were there. We got to the track today and expected to do well, and we did. We're just getting better, and our day will come."

It all started with a three session qualifying effort here, as the annual "dodging of the raindrops" festival repeated itself at Atlanta Dragway. When it was completed, Del Worsham's CSK red team had claimed its fifth top half ladder spot of the year, heading into race day eighth with a 4.90. Gray's blue squad managed a 4.92, which put them in the number 13 spot, their first bottom half position of the season.

"You know something? We weren't worried about it," Gray said. "It was a tough qualifying deal here, and we knew we'd left a lot on the table with that 4.92, so we just figured we'd step up and run like we can in round one, and we had every bit as good a shot at winning from the 13th slot."

On Sunday morning, with the Georgia sun beating on the race track, Gray lined up against Gary Scelzi in the first round, and his Marc Denner / Chris Cunningham machine powered to a stellar 4.864 to take the win light. Ready to rock, the blue team marched into round two.

Worsham had to square off with Cruz Pedregon, who has been improving at recent races, but he also bettered his qualifying time by posting a 4.892 to advance to the second round.

"Both of our teams went through one of those qualifying deals where we never caught up to the weather, and we were sure we could step up on Sunday no matter how hot it got," Worsham said. "Cruz was a tough opponent, but we were thrilled to advance in a battle of the auto parts sponsors, and we had our eyes on a Bristol replay."

One week earlier, in Bristol, Worsham faced John Force in the second round, dispatched him, and then faced his teammate Gray in the semifinal for the right to head to the final round. Here, at Atlanta Dragway, the scenario was the same as Worsham faced Force in round two and knew a pair of Team CSK wins would set up an all CSK semi. On this day, Gray had to face Force's teammate, Gary Densham, who had qualified fifth here.

Gray took care of his side of the bargain, beating Densham in a tough battle on a slick track. Worsham's mount was soft at the hit, and the recently resurgent Force (who qualified No. 1 here) took the win, advancing to face Gray in the semi-final.

In that match-up, it was Gray all the way as he left on Force with a huge starting line advantage, and never saw the Castrol car at all. Johnny Gray was heading to his second final round of 2003, his second final round of his professional career, and Team CSK's fifth final round of the season.

With an army of teammates working on his car and accompanying him to the starting line (not only the red team, but also Arnie Karp's black team, which came here to complete the Artisan Home Entertainment team's licensing procedures on Monday) Gray made his way to the starting line, with hope and respect.

"Tony Pedregon's team is the best out here, by a long shot, right now," Gray said. "We wanted to give them a battle, and make them earn it. Teams that go up there intimidated, and blow the tires off at the hit, don't have a chance. They might as well red light and call it a day. We wanted to go A to B, and make him get there first."

In the final, Gray maintained his outstanding reaction times, and left first. The blue CSK car and Pedregon's green mount paced each other to half-track, and the capacity Atlanta crowd knew the winner of this race would earn every bit of the trophy. When Pedregon's machine pulled ahead in the final 500-feet, the race was over, but Team CSK continued to assert its position in the class.

"I would have loved to have won that one, for my team and for my wife Terry," Gray said. "But you just have to tip your hat when a team lays a 4.87 on you in the heat of the day like that. We're okay, and we're getting better all the time, so I'm not as depressed as I would be had we paced everyone all day and screwed up in the final. We beat Densham, we beat Force, but we couldn't get all three of those guys. It's not an easy thing to do, but we have a lot to be proud of."

Gray edged up the points sheet for the third straight race, ending the day fifth in POWERade points. Worsham's second round appearance allowed him to hold on to the third spot, behind Tony Pedregon and Whit Bazemore.

Atlanta, Saturday: Johnny Gray posted a 4.92 to land in the No. 10 spot:

"Just like the red car we weren't tuned up enough, but we got a solid run on the board without breaking anything so that's good. We can take this data and step on it some for the last run, we'll just have to see how the weather holds out for us. I'll tell you what, that was about as straight as this car ever runs. It went down there like it was on rails. All we have to do now is get faster and quicker."

Gray hazed the tires on his second run, did not improve, and ended up in the No. 13 position:

"Well, that's our first bottom half spot of the year, which is too bad but we're in the show so I'm not complaining too much. We just didn't have it quite right on that run and it ran itself right into tire spin down there past half-track and that was that. Tomorrow, we'll have our hands full and we'll need a good solid first lap to get the day going."

Gray will face Gary Scelzi in round one. Gray has not faced Scelzi this season.

Atlanta, Friday: Johnny Gray landed in the No. 7 spot with a 5.11, as his motor let go near the finish line.

"It was just running down there fine, kind of soft and mushy, but it wasn't doing anything stupid or sounding bad, then it just let go. I don't know why yet, we'll have to study this one to see if we can find out what we did here, or at least why that happened. The weather is looking a little iffy, so let's hope we get this second session in tonight."

Atlanta, pre-race: Two years ago at Atlanta Dragway the Checker, Schuck's, Kragen Funny Car team put on a show southern racing fans will not soon forget. Del Worsham and his then teammate Frank Pedregon faced off in an epic side-by-side semifinal race, and Pedregon (who edged Worsham by inches) went on to win the race. It remains the only NHRA POWERade national event ever won by the CSK blue team, but in 2003 second-year driver Johnny Gray is feeling ever more confident his group can break into the win column.

At this weekend's Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, Gray and his team come to Georgia off a fine semi-final appearance in Bristol last weekend. Though they lost to teammate Worsham at that event, they picked up two valuable round wins, and ran their streak of top-half qualifying spots to six in six races.

"We've been getting better and we had a pretty darned good weekend in Bristol," Gray said. "We ran into the boss in the semi-finals, and let me tell you that's no treat. People have been talking about Tony Pedregon, and Whit Bazemore, and John Force, and a lot of other drivers lately, but my teammate has had the best race car at the last two races, and Del's been among the best all year. We got smoked in the semi-final, but we came out of Bristol with a lot more confidence."

The semifinal appearance in Bristol moved Gray back into sixth place in POWERade points, and he enters the Atlanta event looking up the points standings, not down.

"We went through a little drought in terms of round wins for two races, but we have our confidence back now," he said. "When you go out in the first round two races in a row, your guys tend to get that worried look going on Sunday morning. We cured that deal in Bristol, and I think we're ready to win some more rounds here. I'm awfully proud that Worsham Racing and the Checker, Schuck's, Kragen team have one third of the top six cars right now. In the NHRA Funny Car class today, that's not easy to do."

Putting the blue CSK Pontiac in the winner's circle this weekend will be a monumental task, but Gray thinks his group is up to it and would love to grab a third entry in Worsham Racing's Atlanta victory scrapbook.

"Del won his first race here, way back when (1991) and Frankie won here in 2001, so it's my turn and my team's turn," Gray said. "We're fully capable of doing it. We're getting better every week. We're a way better team than we were when we made it to the final round at the first race of this season, out in Pomona. We were still getting used to each other and trying not to trip on one another's feet out there, and we were runner-up. We can win, it's just a matter of when."