Championship Drag Racing

Sears Craftsman
Nationals
Madison, Ill.
(June 26-29)

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Arnie Karp Artisan Home Entertainment Funny Car

Reports: Sunday Saturday Friday Pre-race

St. Louis, Sunday: In a process of learning, on a road of many steps, this weekend's Sears Craftsman Nationals in St. Louis represented everything Arnie Karp signed up for when he made the move to Nitro Funny Car just a few short weeks ago. It didn't turn out as he'd hoped, but all of these pieces are key ingredients to the final recipe, and Karp continues to stir the pot.

In his third race as a professional, Karp and his Artisan Home Entertainment Terminator 2 - Extreme DVD team checked the first box off the list by wedging their way into a tough race field, in the No. 15 spot. With 21 cars on the property, five were going to have to miss the race, but Garry Kennedy, Keith Hughes, and the entire team did what they had to do in order to give their driver a place in the race. The No. 15 spot wasn't exactly awe inspiring, but it beat any of the alternatives after 16, and it was actually one spot better than teammate Del Worsham, who went on to win the race.

"All three Worsham cars had problems qualifying, but the key was to get in the field," Karp said. "All I wanted was a chance to race on Sunday, and a big group of guys didn't get that chance, so we were happy to make the show."

This strange night race began on Sunday in the middle of a classic mid-summer St. Louis day, with the sun beating down on the track, the competitors, and the fans while stuffy midwestern humidity made it difficult to do much more than sweat. Karp and his T2 machine were paired with number two qualifier Dean Skuza, who had completed one of his better qualifying efforts in some time to grab that high position.

As the teams lined up in the sweltering conditions, the early Top Fuel and Funny Car pairings had clearly shown that the track conditions were creating havoc for the tuners and the drivers, as car after car went up in tire smoke, and drivers did all they could to pedal their machines to the finish lines. Upsets looked to be the trend of the day, and Karp was aiming for one.

Unfortunately, the popular driver was simply too quick at the tree to make this a race, as his reaction time beat the green light by about two-tenths of a second. To make matters worse, Skuza smoked the tires in the other lane while the black T2 Pontiac made a nice clean lap for naught.

"My guys worked so hard, and I let them down," Karp said. "The driver has to pull his weight around here, just like every crew member has to, and today I just didn't do it. We let it get away, and I feel so badly for these guys. Red lighting is bad enough, but it's even worse when the other guy smokes the tires and you've already handed the round to him. I apologized to every guy on this team, but we're hanging in there and we'll go after the next one.

"The car ran great, and I expected it to. We're coming together very fast here, and we'll get our round wins. To be teammates with the Checker, Schuck's, Kragen guys is a treat, and to watch what they did today was amazing. Our guys were right in there with the CSK guys, helping out. We're proud to be part of this operation, and we aim to make them proud of us."

St. Louis, Saturday: Arnie Karp did not improve, running a 5.12 in the heat of the day, leaving him in the No. 12 spot:

"It seemed to be running okay. But like most everybody else it started to spin down there, and there's nothing you can do in the heat like this once they break loose on you. If it's Sunday, you pedal it and blow it up if you have to, just to get it there, but there's no sense in that right now. So tonight, Garry Kennedy will give me a good car, and it will be up to me to get it to the other end. If we do that, we'll move up in the field, and make our second race."

Karp then shook the tires into tire smoke, ending up in the No. 15 spot:

"We must have just been a little too conservative, but it started rattling when I hit the throttle and it just got worse and worse until it finally jumped the tires right off the track. That's behind us, though, and now we have to look forward to tomorrow. It's our third race, and we're in the show for the second straight time, so I'm very pleased with our progress. We just have to come out here tomorrow, in the heat of the day, and use this Worsham tuning plan to get us from A to B. I really think the cars that can negotiate the quarter-mile to the finish line tomorrow are going to round two. After that, anything can happen."

Karp will face Dean Skuza in round one. He has never faced Skuza in eliminations.

St. Louis, Friday: Arnie Karp, driver of the Artisan Home Entertainment Pontiac Funny Car, after Friday's qualifying sessions in St. Louis.

Karp spun the tires hard at 330-feet, then had an incorrect time come up on the scoreboard.

"So I guess the thing is now, when you get a strange time, they give you a 28.00-second e.t.," Karp said. "I'm not sure where that came from, and I'm not sure why 4.94 popped up on the scoreboard. Something was messed up with the timing system, but it really doesn't matter because we spun the tires out there and I had to shut off. Actually, first I had to get it under control because it got pretty sideways on me. We'll be good to go tonight."

Karp posted a 5.056 to move into the No. 12 spot overnight.

"It was a nice solid lap, actually, but nothing spectacular. It was darting around a little down there, but I was able to keep it in the lane and we got a good run out of it," Karp said. "We're still in the learning mode around here, and runs like that help everyone, especially the driver. The track is in pretty good shape, but it's still awfully easy to spin the tires down there at the top end, and I was really paying attention to the RPM's to make sure we weren't over-revving the motor down there. I think we're getting a handle on it, and we'll step up quite a bit tomorrow."

St. Louis, pre-race: Throughout Arnie Karp's magnificent Alcohol Funny Car career, as he raced up and down the east coast throughout the 1980's, he was roundly referred to by his car's nickname: "The Boston Strangler." Though the days of only being known by that nickname are over, as Karp is now a professional Nitro Funny Car driver with a major new sponsor, Artisan Home Entertainment, the Boston moniker will never truly fade away, and the Boston connection is absolutely permanent.

"Hey, I'm a Boston guy and wouldn't want it any other way," Karp said as he prepared for this weekend's Sears Craftsman Nationals in St. Louis. "Those old days were amazing, just great years of racing, and even though we're now lucky enough to be running professionally with the Worshams, and have such a great sponsor in Artisan Home Entertainment, people still walk up to me and put on a fake Boston accent, saying 'Hi Ahnnie.' It's not a bad thing to have made a name for yourself with your hometown right on the side of your car."

Karp enters this weekend's race just three races into his professional career, having run well in his debut at Chicago, then qualifying for the race in Columbus before bowing out in the first round. He hopes to take the next step in his professional development in St. Louis.

"I'm just over the moon about how quickly this team has come together and the car they've given me to drive," he said. "We're making progress, and I mean that in a couple of ways. Yes, on the track we've improved and went from not making the Chicago field to making the show in Columbus. But off the track, in the pit area, the team is turning into a unit. When that happens, it translates into better performance. I'm confident we'll run well, hope we'll qualify, and excited as I can be about winning my first round of competition. It will come, this car is good enough to win, and I sure hope it's this weekend."

Though he's been racing competitively since the early 1960's, Karp will be making his debut at Gateway International Raceway and is excited about the trip to St. Louis.

"All I've been hearing about for the last two weeks is St. Louis," he said. "For a Boston guy, who is a lifelong Red Sox fan, it's a little hard for me because I still remember the 1967 World Series, and the Cardinals broke our hearts at Fenway in Game 7. But the guys tell me it's a great race, and St. Louis is a great place to be, so I'm looking forward to it. And I'll wear an Artisan hat, not a Red Sox hat.

"The race has an interesting format, being all late in the day and at night, so that should be interesting. I'm still getting used to this Nitro Funny Car, and have only made a couple of laps under the lights, and let me tell you it's a thrill. If they feel fast in the afternoon, it feels even faster at night, and you see the glow of the header flames out the windows. It's a thrill ride you can't imagine, and we're going to get a bunch of chances to do it this weekend."

Though truly excited about his new team's development, Karp is still realistic about the level of competition they are facing, and hopes his group is again up for the challenge.

"Before we joined the tour, there were already more Funny Cars entering the races than slots in the field, so it's not like we walked into an easy deal," he said. "And now, with us in the mix, it's even tougher. There's no doubt some good cars are not going to be racing on Sundays for the rest of the year, and we're just honored to be involved in it. We'll do our best to make the Worshams, and Artisan Home Entertainment, proud of us. I'm ready for the first qualifying pass on Friday, right now, and can't wait to get strapped in."

And in the meantime, Karp will make sure to enjoy his first race in St. Louis, as he is doing at all the other stops on the tour.

"Until we get back to Chicago in the fall, they'll all be first times for me," he said. "But this one ought to be great, and I'm really looking forward to the whole St. Louis experience. And I promise not to hold that whole 1967 World Series thing against anyone while I'm there."