Sept. 11 - 14
FUNNY CAR NOTEBOOK
Okazaki becomes Funny Car force: The transformation from object of curiosity to contender finally has come for Kenji Okazaki.
Okazaki, from Tokyo, always has been a fan favorite since his Funny Car debut in 1992, the first Japanese driver to earn an NHRA pro license. He gained respect by finishing runner-up to John Force at the 1993 U.S. Nationals and Al Hofmann in the 1994 Big Bud Shootout special event.
But there were no trips to the winner's circle. That began to gnaw at Okazaki.
"I was wondering about that for a long time," Okazaki said. "We knew it was coming."
Okazaki's first win, and the corresponding respect from his peers, came at the Mopar Parts Nationals in May at Englishtown, N.J. He proved that victory was no fluke by winning the Big Bud Shootout in late August during the U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis, driving his Mooneyes Dodge Avenger past Chuck Etchells, John Force and Tony Pedregon.
That recent success makes Okazaki a contender for another win at the 13th annual, $1,562,150 Pioneer Electronics Keystone Nationals, Sept. 11-14 at scenic Maple Grove Raceway. The race is the 17th event of the 22-event, $30-million NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series in 1997.
Despite the victories, the learning process never stops for Okazaki. He now must find the consistency needed to land a spot in the top five of the NHRA Winston point standings and stay there. He is eighth entering this event, just 46 points from fifth.
Okazaki's learning curve may be shorter than most because of lessons learned from crew chief and car owner Jim Dunn. There's almost nothing in drag racing that Dunn hasn't done or seen since he started his career as a driver in the 1950s in Southern California.
"He's a great teacher," Okazaki said. "I cannot do this without him. He's a great master."
Road warrior: Traveling to and from 22 races around the country can take a toll on NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series competitors and crew members. But that schedule is a joyride compared to the arduous travel plans of Kenji Okazaki.Besides traveling the entire NHRA circuit, Okazaki returns to his home in Tokyo about once every two months for business and to see friends. Okazaki owns a company that finds vintage Mopar muscle cars in the United States and exports them for wealthy Japanese buyers.
The long trips to Japan sometimes create a morale boost for Okazaki.
"I feel kind of comfortable once in a while going home because sometimes there is stuff in Japan that get me pumped up for the next race in the U.S. It works out once in a while. Not every week."
Getting a handle: John Force didn't repeat as U.S. Nationals champion earlier this month, but the performance of his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang showed that crew chiefs Austin Coil and Bernie Fedderly are close to having a solid grasp of their new engine combination.Coil and Fedderly decided to change Force's engine setup this spring, as they were concerned at the 310-mph speeds routinely recorded by their rivals. Force's mechanical braintrust thought they might lose the horsepower battle.
Force struggled, as he was winless from late February until winning the Champion Auto Stores Nationals last month at Brainerd, Minn.
Further proof of the engine combination's promise came during the U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway Park, where Force qualified No. 1 at 4.935 seconds. He also recorded a career-best speed of 312.93 mph, the second- fastest by a Funny Car in NHRA history.
Drag racing wisdom states that top speed is the purest indicator of horsepower. If so, it appears that Coil and Fedderly are returning Force to the top of the tower of power.
No time to party: Kenji Okazaki didn't have much time to celebrate his victory in the Big Bud Shootout earlier this month at Indianapolis despite earning the largest paycheck of his career, $100,000."The money of course goes back to the race car," Okazaki said. "I don't think that we'll have a party tonight because we're going to have to come back and try to do the same thing on Monday."
Okazaki failed in his bid to win the U.S. Nationals title the next day, losing to John Force in the quarterfinals. A sweep of both events would have increased Okazaki's weekend jackpot to $235,000.
Second chance: Tom Hoover continued his return from open-heart surgery by climbing from 15th to 14th place in the NHRA Winston point standings at the U.S. Nationals.Hoover, from Minneapolis, underwent a quadruple heart bypass the first week in April after feeling numbness in his arm at the Slick 50 Nationals in late March near Houston.
His recovery reached a zenith when he won the Pontiac Excitement Nationals in mid-June at Columbus, Ohio, just nine weeks after surgery. He missed four races during his recuperation, but won at Columbus in just his second race back in the Pioneer Electronics Dodge Avenger.
"I do appreciate the little things right now," Hoover said. "I feel better. Everything is flowing right now. The way the car runs, and as competitive as the team is right now, anything can happen this year. It's going to be a player before the year is over."
Join the club: Ron Capps became the 11th member of the Castrol 4-Second Club for Funny Cars with a 4.958- second pass in the Copenhagen Chevrolet Camaro during qualifying at the U.S. Nationals. Capps, from San Diego, earned a $1,000 bonus.Kenji Okazaki also recorded his first career four-second pass at Indianapolis, 4.972, in the Mooneyes Dodge Avenger during a final-round victory over Tony Pedregon in the Big Bud Shootout special event.
But Okazaki didn't become the 12th member of the Castrol club because his pass occurred during the Shootout final, which doesn't count toward records because it's the third pass of the day for the two finalists. All other Funny Car drivers only receive two passes that day.
Etchells has it covered: Chuck Etchells unveiled The Wallcoverings Association as an associate sponsor of his Kendall Dodge Avenger at the U.S. Nationals.The Wallcoverings Association, based in Chicago, represents 150 manufacturers, distributors and suppliers in the wallcoverings industry. The Wallcoverings Association will sponsor Etchells for the rest of the 1997 season.
Etchells, from Putnam, Conn., is president of Union Roto-Graving Inc., a leading supplier of print cylinders for the wallcoverings industry.
