4th Lucas Oil Products Route 66 Nationals
(May 31-June 3, 2001) Joliet, IL
Notes |
Results | Photos
NATIONALS NOTEBOOK:
Route 66 Chicago event is without question the most dramatic event of the 2001 Winston Championship series so far as numerous NHRA records fall by the wayside. Headline story is however “King Kenny” Bernstein again who wins for the third event in a row -- but this time at a world record pace. Bernstein runs unreal 4.477 secs in qualifying -- the sport’s all-time quickest run. That is backed up by a 4.522 secs effort for a national record. Bernstein also becomes only the third driver to exceed the 330-mph mark when he runs 330.88 mph (for top speed). Bernstein pads his overall points lead when he blasts defending NHRA Winston Champion Gary Scelzi in the final round.
Mike Dunn also sets a new national Top Fuel mph mark at Route 66 -- running 330.55 mph in qualifying. Dunn, driving the Gwynn/Steinbrenner N.Y. Yankees car has been over the 330-mph mark more then any other driver in Top Fuel. Dunn runs 329.02 mph which is within the required 1% to make the mark official.
Incredible as it seems FC class racers once again raise the performance bar establishing for the 8th time in tens races this season the sport’s all time quickest field. FC bump is a scant .001 of a second away from being an all 4.8 secs field (!) as it takes a run of 4.900 secs to make Sunday’s dance. That mark tops the 4.919 secs bubble set at Topeka last week.
Funny Car racing is paced by John Force who rewrites the NHRA national ET record to 4.763 secs -- which is the quickest run in class history. Force also cards top speed of the meet at 321.19 mph. That big speed comes in the final but despite it he loses out to a quicker-leaving Del Worsham. Del notches his 2nd win of the season and the 3rd for Team C.S.K. by beating Force in a sensational 4.811 secs at 314.39 to 4.805 secs at 321.19-mph match. Del runs a special edition Mountain Dew car at Chicago and blows that body off the car after a supercharger explosion during his final qualifying round. The team makes repairs to it for Sunday’s eliminations.
Mike Edwards breaks though in Pro Stock to earn his first win of the season.
Edwards drives the “Young Life” Chevy Cavalier to the pole at 6.842 secs and also raps off low ET of the event at 6.819 secs during the opening round of eliminations. Edwards beats Jim Yates in the final round. Yates runner-up finish puts him ahead of Mark Pawuk on top of the 2001 Winston Championship points chase.
Pro Stock qualifying sees NBA Minnesota Timberwolves player/driver Tom Hammonds endure a nasty wreck driving his Chevy Cavalier. Hammonds gets loose, flips the car and noses into the guardrail at high speed. Thankfully Hammonds in not injured however his slick looking machine is destroyed.
Pro Stock Truck class racing produces a first time winner with Scott Perin taking the victory. Perin is also a surprise pole qualifier -- his 7.423 secs paces the field and holds up for low ET of the event. Perin gets an easy final round win when Greg Stanfield goes .357 red. Both racers are driving Chevy S-10 Trucks.
The Chicago event is also site of the Holley Pro Stock Truck Duel. That race within a race is run off on Saturday and sees Bob Panella team driver Jeff Gracia collect first place. Gracia, driving a ‘01 GMC Sonoma defeats the new Dodge Dakota of Todd Patterson by a narrow margin in the final round - 7.441 secs 181.64 mph to 7.447 secs 181.54 mph. During the competition Gracia also runs 181.98 mph which is top speed of the meet for the class.
Pro Stock Truck and Pro Stock Bike programs are the quickest in NHRA history. In PST it takes a 7.510 secs to qualify -- the previous quick bump was 7.544 secs set at Virginia in 2000. PSB requires an ET quicker then 7.338 secs -- the previous all time quick bubble was 7.362 secs set at E-Town two weeks earlier.
