NHRA News: Four preseason test sessions offer a sneak peek at '04 (12/30/2003)

Four preseason test sessions offer a sneak peek at '04

By Rob Geiger, NHRA.com
12/30/2003

The start of a new calendar year puts an emphasis on testing for the upcoming 23-event POWERade Drag Racing Series. Professional teams in all four categories as well as sportsman racers of all types will use the last six weeks of the off-season to prepare for a championship run.

Budweiser's Brandon Bernstein and his Top Fuel
baptism was big news during the 2003 testing season.
Photo by Jerrod Felix

The preseason is usually a time of spaceship-like elapsed times as crew chiefs take advantage of cooler than usual temperatures. It's also filled with excitement as teams get back into racing shape, many of them with new paint schemes, bodies, or sponsors. Savvy followers of the sport also know the relaxed environment of a test session allows them even greater access to the sport's biggest stars.

As always, there will be four major testing events this year in the final few weeks leading into the season-opening 44th annual K&N Filters Winternationals, which run from Feb.19-22 at historic Pomona Raceway in Southern California. These annual test-and-tune sessions are open to all licensed racers as well as newcomers who are looking to earn their NHRA certification to become drivers.

Each test session will be open to the public at various times. NHRA fans are encouraged to click on the headline link to each facility to ascertain times, dates, and ticket prices, including information about upcoming NHRA national events in Las Vegas, Houston, and Phoenix.

Las Vegas Blast-Off, Jan. 29-31
Last year the Las Vegas Blast-Off was the final stop on the testing tour. This year it's the first big event and fans are bound to fill the pits of the beautiful Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to see their favorite drivers.

Darrell Russell drove Joe Amato's dragster to a 4.634 at 313.91 mph to lead the Top Fuel parade in Las Vegas.
Photo by Jerrod Felix

One of the drivers scheduled to attend is Amato Racing Top Fuel pilot Darrell Russell, who led the way last year during a blustery weekend of testing with a class-leading 4.634 at 313.91 mph. "The World's Fastest Mom" Rhonda Hartman-Smith also excelled in the desert in her Fram rail.

In Funny Car and Pro Stock, a pair of popular pros used steady passes down The Strip to prepare themselves for the season. Skoal Racing standout Tommy Johnson Jr. and his bright blue Camaro were the quickest in Funny Car with a 4.905 at 294.11 mph, while Pro Stock star Coughlin outshined his more decorated brother Jeg with a 6.943 at 199.20 mph in the Jeg's Mail Order Chevrolet Cavalier.

There were also plenty of great runs recorded in Top Alcohol Dragster, Top Alcohol Funny Car, and Pro Mod. Expect more of the same in 2004.

Pontiac Pro Stock Super Bowl, Feb. 7
Pro Stock veteran Ron Krisher might have had a plain white car at last year's Pontiac Super Bowl, but he rode away the champion of the 10th annual race with a convincing march through the field. Just like a national event, the Pontiac Super Bowl set a 16-car field due to the large number of teams showing up at venerable Houston Raceway Park, meaning Krisher needed four elimination-round wins to take the top prize.

Krisher's plain white Cavalier earned him preseason bragging rights in Houston.
Photo by CompetitionPlus.com

Getting the job done in style, Krisher opened with a 6.75 at 203 mph against Vinny Barone, used a 6.775 at 203.98 mph to get past a red-lighting Taylor Lastor III, and crafted a nice holeshot win over Greg Stanfield with a 6.781 at 203.52. In the final, Krisher drove his Valvoline Chevy Cavalier to a pass of 6.758 seconds at 203.31 mph to earn the victory on a solo pass. Final-round foe Kenny Koretsky's Dodge Neon R/T broke a valve in the semifinals and the team chose not to contest the final.

During the morning qualifying session, SplitFire/Peak pro Jim Yates posted a pass of 6.743 at 203.65 to take the top qualifying spot. Had the Pontiac Super Bowl been a national event, the elapsed time would have broken the NHRA national record of 6.750, which was then held by Jeg Coughlin Jr.

There is always plenty of action in the days leading into the race itself. Fans even get a chance to see some Pro Stock Bikes and a few Pro Mod cars. This year will be extra special as teams take advantage of a brand new and extremely smooth racing surface, which was poured in the fall.

National Time Trails, Feb. 7-8
The National Time Trails at familiar Firebird International Raceway in Phoenix offer racers a real chance to fine-tune their hot rods for the second event of the regular season – the Checker, Schuck's, and Kragen Nationals – which take place at FIR in early March. Fans are encouraged to pick out a prime seat during the National Time Trails and purchase the same spot for the upcoming race.

Whit Bazemore wowed the fans and his rivals when he unveiled his new Dodge Stratus R/T body in Phoenix.
Photo by Jerrod Felix

Last year, spectators delighted in their first real look at Budweiser Racing heir Brandon Bernstein, who took his father's seat in the instantly-recognizable Budweiser King dragster for the first real test session of his career. Young Brandon didn't disappoint, immediately showing he belonged with a stellar pass of 4.581 seconds at 323.12 mph.

Keeping Brandon in check, defending series champion Larry Dixon and the Miller Lite crew answered back with the best run of the weekend in Top Fuel, a 4.558 at 322.73 mph. Dixon and Bernstein would battle hard for the first eight races of the year until Bernstein suffered season-ending injuries during a wreck in Englishtown, N.J. The rivalry renews this year in the desert.

In Funny Car, Whit Bazemore, who once made a living taking photographs, was picture-perfect in his brand-new Matco Tools Dodge Stratus R/T, posting a best-in-class 4.820 at 320.89 mph. Staying close, Force Racing teammates Tony Pedregon and Gary Densham cared identical 4.823s. This year, Pedregon plans to return, but he won't be in his familiar Castrol Ford, instead flying the colors of his new sponsor Quaker State on a GM-bodied flopper.

There was only one Pro Stock Bike testing with the nitro warriors but local Craig Treble impressed nonetheless with a best of 7.142 at 186.90 mph on his Matco Tools Suzuki. Remember, Treble is on a hot streak as he won the last two races of the 2003 season.

PRO Warm-ups, Feb. 13-15
The Professional Racers Organization stages this event each year at picturesque Southwestern International Raceway in Tucson, Ariz. This year the event marks the very last chance teams will have to test their tune-up before the first real race of the year, which starts the Thursday after the PRO Warm-ups. That fact is a fortunate one for fans as, in many cases, they will get to witness the final product that team's will start the season with in Pomona.

George Marnell, near lane, and Mark Pawuk were two of the stars at last year's PRO Warm-up in Tucson.
Photo by Mike Fischbeck

Last year, Rhonda Hartman-Smith powered her Fram dragster to the quickest Top Fuel run of the final day, logging an impressive 4.639-second run with an unofficial career best speed of 319.14 mph. However, U.S. Army pro Tony Schumacher's 4.610-second effort from Saturday was the quickest for the weekend in Top Fuel.

Johnny Gray drove his Checker, Schuck's, Kragen Pontiac Firebird to a best of 4.879 to lead Funny Car. Unfortunately, Gray won't be back this year as he retired midway through the 2003 season due to business obligations. Instead, Arizona fans will get their first real look at his replacement, Phil Burkart Jr.

Another driver who recently retired, George Marnell, unleashed the quickest Pro Stock run of the 2003 PRO Warm-ups with a 7.070 seconds at 194.07 mph. The run came just after Marnell had problems on the burnout during a previous run, when the car went out of control and slid across the centerline into the opposite lane.

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