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ROLLS OF THE DICE FROM
LAS VEGAS
The basics are that Larry Dixon, Gary Densham and Ron
Krisher were the Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock winners. John Force
still hasn't gotten the magic 100th win. In keeping with the DRO policy
of providing you with "drag racing from a different perspective," here
are some behind the scenes notes and quotes you probably won't find
anywhere else.
TOLIVER HAS BAD DAY
Things went bad for Funny Car driver Jerry Toliver right
off the starting line in his first round match-up with Ron Capps. Toliver's
Firebird made contact with the wall, scattering photographers including
DRO contributor Ron Lewis. No one was seriously injured, but maybe NHRA
needs to add track-side emergency laundry services. (photos by Todd
Dziadosz)
LAST TIME OUT FOR THIS CAR?
After a disappointing 17th qualifying position that left
him out of the field at Las Vegas, Kurt Johnson has an ace up his sleeve
- a new Cavalier built by Jerry Bickel that he will bring to the O'Reilly
Spring Nationals at Houston Raceway Park.
"We're going to get the Bickel chassis ready for Houston,"
Kurt declared. "Ninety percent of the teams are running Bickel cars,
so we need to take a hard look at ours. We tested the car in Atlanta,
but there weren't other cars there to use for comparison. If we can
run 6.99 or 7-flat here, then we'll have a good baseline for Houston.
"Winning in Pro Stock is a matter of being consistent
and getting a handle on your race car," Kurt observed. "The cars and
engines are extremely close now. We're always testing motors to stay
ahead of the pack, but horsepower is just one part of the combination.
We have to stay ahead of the curve with a chassis that performs consistently.
We're going to have to cover all of the bases." -- Rick Voegelin (photo
by Zak Hawthorne)
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