2008, Chapter One: Sci-fi time-warp start to season?

By Susan Wade
Photos by James Drew, Zak Hawthorne, Ron Lewis and Tim Marshall
02/08/08

On the surface, the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals looked routine, with Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel), Robert Hight (Funny Car), and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) in the winner's circle.

Where have we seen that before? They have eight season-opening victories among them, Anderson with four in the past five years and Schumacher and Hight with two apiece. And Hight was making his third straight final-round appearance.

But this kickoff at Auto Club Raceway, in some ways, seemed like some confusing time-warp sci-fi drama.

Consider the ironies and tangled plots of the first round of eliminations alone.

In Top Fuel, eventual runner-up Cory McClenathan began with a stunning punch-out of Brandon Bernstein. Although they were evenly matched as the No. 8 and 9 qualifiers, that was a blow to the uber-prepared Bernstein, chosen earlier in the month by a panel of motorsports journalists in a San Bernardino Sun/Inland Valley Daily Bulletin poll as the championship favorite. Hot Rod Fuller and Doug Herbert came from behind as qualifying underdogs to advance to the quarterfinals. Fuller did it with low elapsed time of the event.