NHRA News: Teams tuning up for Pontiac Pro Stock Super Bowl (2/6/2004)

Teams tuning up for Pontiac Pro Stock Super Bowl

Reporting by Larry Sullivan of FastNews
Testing photos by Robert Grice of Extreme Photography
2/6/2004

Friday Race Report No. 1 – A morning chill with strong winds and plenty of clouds finally abated around lunchtime, allowing the track at Houston Raceway Park to warm as the sunshine replaced the gloom.

1:06 p.m. Mark Pawuk (PS): (no time) Pawuk's car sports a new, mostly white paint scheme for the 2004 season. Apparently he was scrubbing in new tires, making two long, hard burnouts out to half track, then driving out the other end.

1:12 p.m. Bruce Allen (PS): 1.004 Allen launched hard then the car got up on the tires and he lifted.

1:25 p.m. Ken Martin (PSB): 1.145 3.091 4.739 148.43 6.199 Martin accompanied Blaine Hale down from a frigid Minnesota winter, finding even this morning's chill factor warm by comparison with the sub-zero temperatures they left behind. He lifted right around the 1,000-foot marker when a strong crosswind started blowing him toward the wall.

1:32 p.m. Jim Cunningham (PS): 1.043 This should be Cunningham, in the older Mustang (Vince Fourcade is in Cunningham's '04 Escort). Cunningham shook and lifted immediately.

1:45 p.m. Von Smith (PM): 1.112 Von Smith continues to search for the proper launch setup, the car once again spinning and shaking the tires.

1:55 p.m. Josh Helvie (PSB): 1.072 2.852 4.381 160.50 5.720 Yesterday Helvie destroyed a sprocket. Today he flirted with the wall on the top end, the crosswind blowing him within inches of the concrete after a very good run over the first half of the track.

2:05 p.m. Vince Fourcade (PS): 1.058 2.976 4.558 156.64 (no 1,000-foot time) 7.062 196.56 Fourcade was just down on power all the way through this one.

2:07 p.m. Mark Whisnant (PS): 1.005 2.833 4.358 162.31 5.673 6.778 203.35 Whisnant's car shook slightly and went to the left on the launch, but he brought it back smoothly and made the best run so far this weekend.

2:16 p.m. Ben Watson (PS): 1.063 Watson shook and skated around on the launch, then lifted.

2:24 p.m. Bruce Allen (PS): 0.993 Allen launched hard, then the car started to skate around and he lifted.

2:34 p.m. Mark Pawuk (PS): 1.018 2.858 4.391 161.09 5.713 6.828 201.58 Pawuk's car was loose for the first 300 feet or so.

Friday Race Report No. 2 – With only a few light clouds overhead most of the afternoon, track and air temperatures rose into the comfort zone for both spectators and race cars.

3:00 p.m. Von Smith (PM): 0.992 2.643 3.982 185.33 5.132 6.123 218.62 Smith showed why he's considered a good driver on this run. The car was on an awesome pass, with a huge half-track speed, but it was drifting left, the front end up. It would have taken out the finish line markers if Smith hadn't lifted to get the front end down, steering it back to the middle of the groove just before the speed trap.

3:03 p.m. Nick Drzayich (PS): 1.025 2.889 4.446 158.54 5.794 6.932 197.05 Drzayich made the tow from Seattle (actually, he went from Seattle to Georgia, then back here). The run was clean, right down the groove.

3:06 p.m. Ben Watson (PS): 1.007 2.836 4.357 162.29 5.671 6.775 203.52 Watson made a smooth, clean launch and went right down the groove to take low ET honors away from Whisnant, but Whisnant held on to the top speed by 0.03 mph.

3:17 p.m. Ron Krisher (PS): 1.018 2.865 4.395 161.46 5.713 6.820 203.00 Krisher's first pass of the weekend was clean and straight, so he should be able to tune it up a bit.

3:20 p.m. Bo Nickens (PS): 1.028 2.883 4.408 162.10 5.722 6.829 202.94 Nickens' Hemi-powered entry was slower than Krisher's over the first half of the run, then came on strong on the top end.

3:31 p.m. Chip Hunter (PSB): 1.121 3.008 4.660 148.82 6.100 7.326 186.28 Hunter went right down the groove and didn't appear to be affected by the wind on the top end.

3:47 p.m. Bruce Allen (PS): 1.003 Once again Allen left hard, then shook.

4:02 p.m. Mark Whisnant (PS): 1.011 2.845 4.371 161.79 5.688 6.794 203.19 Not quite as quick or fast as his other run, but still a pretty good effort and this time he stayed in the groove.

4:10 p.m. Von Smith (PM): 1.007 2.651 3.994 182.97 5.165 6.147 229.35 This one was a bit slower than the last run he made, but it was in the groove all the way without the top-end heroics.

4:12 p.m. Robert Smith (PM): 1.149 Robert Smith shook hard and lifted immediately.

4:35 p.m. Vince Fourcade (PS): 1.063 2.960 4.537 156.66 5.896 7.039 195.63 Okay, finally got the Cunningham cars sorted out. Fourcade is driving the new Escort and Cummingham is driving a Cougar. The Escort made a clean run here, right down the groove.

4:38 p.m. Chip Hunter (PSB): 1.089 2.968 4.574 152.71 5.988 7.209 179.78 Hunter made his best run of the weekend, into a headwind, no less.

4:41 p.m. Vinny Barone (PS): (no time) Barone broke on the burnout and the car was towed off the top end.

4:53 p.m. Blaine Hale (PSB): 1.160 3.060 4.653 153.91 6.063 7.327 170.17 It sounded like Hales had shifter problems, the engine hitting the rev limiter a couple times and then no shift on the top end.

4:56 p.m. Ken Martin (PSB): 1.129 3.041 4.699 146.72 6.184 7.474 172.63 Martin went down the groove on this run.

4:57 p.m. Bruce Allen (PS): 0.984 Allen left the line very hard, but the front end was way up in the air and he lifted.

4:59 p.m. Mark Pawuk (PS): 1.007 2.984 Pawuk left hard, then the car started to move around and he lifted.

5:04 p.m. Bo Nickens (PS): 1.013 2.846 4.368 162.43 5.681 6.786 203.06 A much better first half and a solid top end run put better numbers on the scoreboard for the Hemi on this run.

5:06 p.m. Von Smith (PM): 0.974 2.657 Smith was very aggressive on this run and the front end was still in the air, the car headed for the centerline, when he lifted just past 330 feet.

5:09 p.m. Ron Krisher (PS): 1.028 2.905 4.453 160.19 5.780 6.893 201.94 Krisher's changes went the wrong way, the car slowing from its first run.

5:12 p.m. Jerry Hicks (PM): 1.097 2.987 4.609 141.85 Hicks lifted around half track, the car not responding as it should.

5:45 p.m. Robert Smith (PM): 1.219 Smith chattered the tires hard on the launch and lifted.

5:47 p.m. Nick Drzayich (PS): 1.006 2.867 4.431 157.74 5.784 6.926 196.27 Drzayich improved slightly on another straight run.

5:50 p.m. Jim Cunningham (PS): 1.047 2.944 4.550 151.90 6.199 7.741 133.26 Cunningham's car got out of shape past half track and it got a little exciting for a second or two.

5:52 p.m. Mark Whisnant (PS): 1.010 2.834 4.366 161.36 5.689 6.800 202.42 Another good run by Whisnant, slightly off his earlier pace.

5:54 p.m. Chip Hunter (PSB): 1.075 2.958 4.588 150.63 6.016 7.242 183.39 The headwind was not as strong for this run, Hunter improving his speed a bit, but losing some elapsed time in the process.

5:56 p.m. Bruce Allen (PS): 1.026 Allen once again failed to get down the track, shake the obvious culprit.

5:59 p.m. Vince Fourcade (PS): 1.020 2.913 4.494 156.17 5.854 6.996 196.67 Fourcade closed out Friday's test session with his best run of the weekend.

That's it for today, qualifying for the Pontiac Pro Stock Super Bowl is scheduled for 10 a.m. and noon Saturday, with eliminations at 2 p.m.

Thursday testing report from Houston

2004 News Archive
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