32nd Holley Spring Nationals
(Mar. 22-24th, 2002) Rockingham, NC.
Notes|
Results | Photos
NATIONALS NOTEBOOK:
IHRA announces during season-opening event a new multi-year association with Hooters Restaurants as their primary series sponsor replacing Summit Racing. Circuit will now be known as the IHRA Hooters Drag Racing Series.
Rockingham event includes an extremely nasty crash during Friday’s second round of qualifying in Alcohol Funny Car. Drag racing veteran Billy Williams (from Ohio) is severely injured after his brand new 2002 Firebird explodes in huge fireball and then makes a high-speed impact with the guard wall in the shutdown area. Williams suffers numerous broken bones and severe head trauma and is taken to Charlotte NC hospital in critical condition.
Canada’s Al Billes wins in Pro Modified eliminator driving ‘53 Studebaker, his first win since the 1999 season. Billes defeats the quickest assembly of Pro Modified cars in history (6.328 secs bump) and also becomes the first Pro Mod driver ever to win with a Hemi engine configuration. Billes qualifies 2nd with a 6.143 secs and runs consistently throughout the event. In the final round opponent Shannon Jenkins overpowers the race track trying to keep pace and Billes wins easily at 6.324 secs and 222.00 mph.
New Mexico’s Doug Vancil wins in Nitro Harley. Vancil survives a scary high speed glancing blow with the cement guard wall in the semi finals and takes the measure of hometown favourite Ray Price in the final round. Steve Stordeur runs the quickest time in class history at a death defying 6.355 secs which gives him the pole and Low ET of the meet. He is unable however to back the mark up for an official IHRA national record.
Clay Millican gets his 2002 Top Fuel title defence off to a positive start with his 10th career title. Millican powers the Mike Klober-tuned and Peter Lehman-owned Werner Enterprises car past Bruce Litton’s new Lucas Oil-sponsored machine in the final round. Millican wins a close 4.794 secs to 4.849 secs battle. Litton sets top speed of the meet at 304.19 mph in the final round but falls just short. Top Fuel racing at “the Rock” is a rather weak affair performance wise as only two of eight qualified cars get into the four seconds zone and the bump spot is a pathetic 8.049 secs. Top Fuel class racers have a difficult time managing recently resurfaced Rockingham Dragway.
Spring Nationals includes a couple of very nasty fires involving Pro Mod racer Harold Martin and Top Sportsman driver Candyce March. Martin’s Pro Mod AC Delco-sponsored 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix bursts into flames during Saturday’s final night time qualifying session after a nitrous-explosion. An overflow crowd begins to panic as he takes a long time to scramble from the car after stopping at half track while track emergency service personal are conspicuously very slow to respond. March suffers a similar fiery explosion on the starting line during Sunday morning eliminations. Both drivers emerge uninjured but mechanical damage is severe. Ironically, the Pontiac Firebird which Candyce March was driving is in fact the ex-Pro Mod Firebird which Martin had driven last season.
Ron Miller is able to end the long winning streak of Ford products in IHRA Pro Stock racing when he takes the brand new Moser Engineering 2002 Chevy Cavalier to victory lane. Miller gets a gift in the final round when opponent Brian Gahm goes .384 red driving his Mustang and wastes both a lane choice advantage and a 6.636 sec run. Miller coasts through for the victory. Miller had defeated the Fords driven by Billy Huff, Hank Hill and Jason Collins in earlier competition. Low ET of the meet went to another Chevy, driven by Doug Kirk. Kirk hits a career quick 6.537 secs to pace the field but then shakes the tires in round one and loses to Collins.
Rockingham event also includes the Holley All-Stars event which featured a run off between the top 8 racers in 8 different IHRA Sportsman categories. Event is highlighted by two Parts Pro team drivers who both double up. Anthony Bertozzi wins in Super Stock and Modified eliminators while Slate Cummings takes both Top Dragster and Quick Rod (8.90). Other Holley All-Star titleists are Dewayne Silance (Top Sportsman), Ricky Clark (Stock), Rusty Cook (Super Rod 9.90) and Donald Webb (Hot Rod 10.90).
Top Fuel driver Louis Allison suffers a most embarrassing first round loss. Driver for Jack Ostrander gets a gift first round single when his scheduled opponent Roger Dean cannot make the call. Allison is unable however to stage properly and the car rolls out before the tree is activated -- eliminating himself.
Alan Pittman debuts his much anticipated new “Grave Digger” Willys at the event which is one of many new Pro Mod cars on the circuit this season. Pittman qualifies 10th but is shut off on the starting line in round one. Pro Mod racing sees first 11 slots and 12 of 16 positions overall going to supercharged cars versus nitrous oxide machines. Ex Pro Street racer Rob Rieger shows well in his first IHRA Pro Mod start qualifying 3rd (6.147 secs).
Jimmy Rector draws first blood in Alcohol Funny Car as he servers up four straight 5.8 secs elapsed times to dominate eliminations. Rector defeats Mark Thomas in the final round when the defending IHRA World Champion goes .374 red. Rector had top speed of the meet at 242.23 mph and qualified 2nd. Iowa’s Dale Brand had low ET of the meet at 5.737 secs but lost to Thomas in the semi final round.
Pro Stock racing program is the quickest 16-car assembly in drag racing history featuring a 6.640 secs bump. The mark eclipses the previous all time best 6.670 secs mark set at Virginia in 2001.
