Doug Kalitta

Kalitta successfully defended his lone event title at Sears Point Raceway, and in doing so extended the frustration of Tony Schumacher, who lost his seventh straight final round.

Schumacher was consistent throughout eliminations as he ran 4.66 to beat Doug Herbert and 4.64 to trailer Kenny Bernstein and then another steady 4.66 to defeat Jim Head in the semifinals. Kalitta, on the other hand, started off strong with a 4.596 solo after Randy Parks broke, but slowed to a cylinder-dropping 4.753 to beat Cory McClenathan and a 4.673to beat Bob VandergriffJr.'s 4.702.

But Kalitta's muscle resurfaced in the final round, where a solid 4.615, 315.93 kept Schumacher winless with a slowing 5.023, 216.17. Top Fuel results

Whit Bazemore also ended his frustrating string of runner-ups, which include three this year, by defeating Frank Pedregon, who was making his final-round appearance in more than a year.

Whit Bazemore

Bazemore, the low qualifier, looked good from the first round, ripping off a 4.97, low e.t. of the first two rounds, to defeat Cruz Pedregon. He followed with a 5.02 triumph over Dean Skuza before belting out a wild 4.87 in the semifinals to avenging his early-season losses to Tony Pedregon.

Bazemore's other nemesis, John Force, was the casualty of a freak accident after smoking the tires against Chuck Beal in round one. Beal lost the body of hi scar and veered into Force's lane; Force took evasive action and made contact with the guardwall. Neither driver was hurt, but Frank Pedregon, who had beaten Al Hofmann in round one, was the beneficiary of Beal's misfortune and soloed into the semifinals, where Cory Lee fouled against him.

Bazemore showed no mercy in the final, meting out a 4.963against Pedregon, who smoked the tires to defeat in his first final-round appearance since last year's Sears Craftsman Nationals. Funny Car results

Jim Yates

Jim Yates scored his second victory of the season in Pro Stock as the Sears Craftsman Nationals champ displayed uncanny consistency en route to denying Seattle winner Kurt Johnson his second straight victory.

Yates ran 6.966 and 6.963 in the first and semifinal rounds to defeat Darrell Alderman and Mike Edwards, sandwiched around a second-round 7.01 conquest of Jeg Coughlin Jr. to make the final. Johnson, the low qualifier, had got progressively quicker through the first three rounds, running 7.05, 6.99, and 6.95 to trailer Tony Gillig, Mike Thomas, and Richie Stevens.

Tire shake claimed Johnson as its victim in the final, as he chattered his way to an 11-second loss and watched Yates streak to the victory with a 6.982. Pro Stock results

Duane Sheilds won his first Federal-Mogul Dragster in a highly unusual way, getting a freebie in the final when three-time 1999 winner Darren Nicholson broke on his final-round burnout. Sheilds then broke on his launch and coasted to victory with a walking-pace 18.51. Federal-Mogul Dragster results

Pat Austin won his second straight Federal-Mogul Funny Car title and the 66th of his career when he defeated Mike Andreotti in the final round, 5.728 to 5.892. Federal-Mogul Funny Car results

Like Kalitta and Bazemore in the fuel classes, David Rampy broke a long string of frustrating runner-ups in Comp when he powered his B/ED to a (-.567) 7.053 to defeat Rick Braun's (-.523) 7.937 in his B/EA Pontiac. Comp results

Rampy's final-round frustrations continued though in Super Comp, where he lost his bid for a double win to the hands of John Spar, whose .430 light and 8.951 held off Rampy's .462-initiated 8.924. Super Comp results

Joe LoCicero scored his first win of the year in Super Stock, using a clutch .518 light in the final and a 10.014 on a 9.95 dial-under to force John Schiess into a narrow breakout of just .006-second, 9.754 on a 9.76 target. Super Stock results

A pair of Chucks battled it out in the Stock final with Chuck Rayburn getting a free pass when Chuck Norton fouled. Stock results

Veteran Ted Seipel, whose wife, Georgia, is the manager at Sears Point, was denied in the final round of Super Gas by Tommy Phillips, who tied a .422 reaction time to a 9.943 to beat Seipel's .447-launched 9.927. Super Gas results

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