The final official NHRA quarter-mile duel of the 1990s proved a fitting conclusion to one of the most exciting and closely competitive seasons in NHRA Drag Racing history and sent the rabid Southern California race fans off to a brief winter hibernation with their eyes glowing and their minds abuzz , eagerly looking forward to the first NHRA race of the new century, the AutoZone Winternationals, right back at Pomona Raceway.

Mike Dunn

Just like he did at the Winternationals, Mopar Top Fuel pilot Mike Dunn will leave Pomona Raceway with a national event trophy. Dunn beat 1998 Road to the Future winner Doug Kalitta in an impressive final round in which the Mopar dragster powered through a 4.668-second lap at 291 mph just marginally ahead of Kalitta's 4.692-second blast at 301.60 mph in his Kitty Hawk ride.

"It's pretty wild because until this year I never had any luck at this track," Dunn said. "This year we could do no wrong.

"It's great for us to send Mopar off with a win. They've been a great sponsor for us. Hopefully, this will also help us in our search for a replacement sponsor.

"I really wanted this win. I've never won four times in one season. But I didn't say anything to the team because I didn't want to add any pressure."

Dunn held the Top Fuel points lead for the first 15 races of the season but slipped a bit down the stretch and will now finish in fourth place.

"This has been an interesting year for us," Dunn said. "The beginning was great, the ending was cool, the middle sucked. I hope this same group can come back here in two months and do it again."

Dunn carded wins over new champ Tony Schumacher, Jim Head, and Larry Dixon while Kalitta beat Gary Scelzi, Joe Amato, and Tony Mullins. Top Fuel results

Jerry Toliver

Driving the World Wrestling Federation "Stone Cold" Steve Austin Funny Car, sophomore driver Jerry Toliver took full advantage of his first trip to a final round by beating nine-time Winston champ John Force. The race was a tire-smoking affair that featured several on-and-off the accelerator blasts from both drivers with Toliver hooking up first and streaking to the win.

"It was a real good sight to see that little yellow win light come on," Toliver said. "I'm so excited right now I can't see straight. This is my home track and to win my first one here is just great. Especially winning over Force. He's so imposing to race but I'm a racecar driver and I did my job.

"My family comes from drag racing and I have two uncles in the Hall of Fame. One of them was here today, which makes this even more special. This feels as good as I thought it would and the best part is that I moved from 12th place to eighth in the points so I get to go up on stage at the awards banquet."

In order to reach the finals, Toliver had to beat Force's Castrol teammate, Tony Pedregon, as well as Checker-Schucks-Kragen pilot Del Worsham and Mad Magazine pilot Dale Creasy Jr.

For his part, Force beat Toliver's WWF stablemate, Jim Epler, and Oakley's Scotty Cannon, and Sioux City Kenworth pilot Tim Wilkerson. Funny Car results

Jeg Coughlin Jr.

The top two Pro Stock drivers in the sport finished the season for the factory hot rods with an exciting tilt in which Jeg Coughlin defeated five-time Winston champ Warren Johnson. Coughlin, who claimed victories at the season opener in Pomona as well as two other national events and the Winston Showdown this season, shot off the line ahead of Johnson and never looked back.

The final numbers showed Coughlin crossing in 6.876 seconds at 200.29 mph in front of Johnson's 6.977-second pass at 194.97 mph.

"Certainly any time you get to the winner's circle it's a special occasion," Coughlin said. "Today was no exception. I'm so proud of this team and the way everyone came together and worked towards this goal. The effort we had over Richie Stevens in the semifinals that gave us lane choice in the finals was phenomenal.

"It is great that we earned enough points today to move by (Kurt Johnson) and get into the No. 2 spot for the second year in a row. Next year, we hope to relieve his dad Warren of the responsibility of giving the championship speech."

Coughlin began the day with a win over V. Gaines and then beat former champ Jim Yates and hot-shot second-year pro Stevens before downing the champ.

Johnson, who pushed his career total to 80 national event wins this year, beat three-time former Winston champion Darrell Alderman, Mark Pawuk, and Bruce Allen to get to the finals. Pro Stock results

Antron Brown

Team 23 Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Antron Brown had the NHRA Finals title handed to him when opponent Craig Treble jumped the start by .007, drawing a red-light violation. Brown would have been tough to beat anyway: He carded a spectacular 7.257-second lap at 180.86 mph to take his third win of the year in style.

"This was an awesome day," said Brown, a three-time winner this season. "Especially the finish. The eliminations started off shaky and the bike seemed to be slowing down in the next two rounds but we found the problem and fixed it before the finals.

"Treble got the red-light and I hit a perfect .400, which was just a blessing from God. It's never easy to win in Pro Stock Bike and every victory has a special feeling."

Brown, who finished the season a respectable third in the Winston championship points standings, was quick all day, beating Chris Rueter, Steve Johnson, and Greg Underdahl before downing Treble.

Treble beat newly re-crowned Winston champ Matt Hines to get to the finals. Prior to that he bettered six-time former champ David Schultz and Gary Tonglet. Pro Stock Bike results

Steve Johns

Pro Stock Truck rookie Stevie Johns drove the Bluegrass Transportation Chevy S-10 to the first win of his professional career. Johns beat 1999 Winston champ Bob Panella Jr. in the all-Chevy final round with a stellar .420-second start and 7.561-second pass at 178.85 mph against Panella's 7.504-second pass at 178.50 mph. The difference was Panella's slower .497 launch that just couldn't be overcome by his superior lap.

"We really weren't making the best of runs today but we pulled it off in the end," Johns said. "It's kind of unbelievable to have won and yet I'm not completely surprised because I knew we had some power.

"I'm excited about next year. I'll be driving full time and I hope to win a bunch of races."

Johns, the '92 Winston Comp champ and shop foreman for engine builder Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins, has competed at only four events this year and has qualified for Race Day action on just three occasions, but he's no stranger to professional-level championship racing. He was the head wrench on Larry Kopp's Winston title winner in the class' inaugural season one year ago.

The first-time winner beat heavyweights Mark Osborne, Brad Jeter, and Scott Perin en route to the finals. Panella downed Greg Stanfield, Randy Daniels, and Mark Whisnant along the way, clinching his title in Round 2.

The race marked the fifth final-round appearance for Panella this season. He logged a total of two wins. Pro Stock Truck results

Rick Santos, winner of seven previous NHRA national events this season, defeated Mark Woods in the final round to set the record for most wins in a season at eight, breaking the tie he held with the late Blaine Johnson, a four-time season champion in the class. Woods, the low qualifier, recorded a 5.303 in round two, the quickest pass in class history, then backed it up with a 5.353 in the semifinals to establish a new NHRA national record, but lost the engine in the final. Santos, the 1999 Federal-Mogul Dragster season champ, collected the win with a 5.44 in his Jack O'Bannon-owned Oakwood Homes dragster. Federal-Mogul Dragster results

Sam Blue defeated a pair of Austins en route to the Federal-Mogul Funny Car, defeating Pat Austin in the semifinals and Austin's uncle, Bucky, in the final round. Blue and the Sturdiwheat Pancakes team sealed the title with a 5.64 to 5.69 final-round victory. Federal-Mogul Funny Car results

Jeff Gillette scored his second career win in Comp as the 1992 Winternationals champ powered his B/Econo Dragster to a (-.53) 7.01 to defeat Clint Sallee, whose C/Dragster slowed on the top end in the final round. Comp results

Fall Nationals Super Stock champ Bo Butner won his second title in the last three races with his SS/AM Grand Am when former season champ Jeff Taylor red-lighted in the final round with a .488 reaction time in his SS/TB S-10 truck. Super Stock results

Former season champs Chuck Rayburn and Al Corda locked horns in a double-breakout Stock final decided by less than a thousandth of a second. Rayburn ran a 10.542 on his 10.56 dial to edge Corda's 10.521 on a 10.54 Stock results

In Super Comp, Damon Dabbs captured the title on a freebie when John Larsen red-lighted in the final round of the 8.90 competition. Super Comp results

Former season champ Mike Ferderer won the 9.90-indexed Super Gas title, powering his Pennzoil Pontiac to a 9.93 to defeat Bob Herr, who slowed to a 10-flat in the final round. Super Gas results