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16th O’Reilly Fall Nationals
Ennis, TX (Oct. 18-21st, 2001)

Notes | Results | Photos

NATIONALS NOTEBOOK:

Larry Dixon and team owner Don Prudhomme move to within a scant 15 points to leader Kenny Bernstein for NHRA’s 2001 Winston Top Fuel crown following a resounding event winning performance. Prudhomme’s Miller Lite car is the quickest and most consistent on the premises including a 4.508 secs pole qualifier and a 4.500 secs in round two which is low ET of the event. Dixon takes out Bernstein in a titanic head-to-head semi final round clash winning a superb 4.532 secs 324.20 mph to 4.575 secs 323.04 mph decision. Dixon beats a tire smoking Doug Kalitta in the final round running a winning 4.553 secs at 320.05 mph.

Cory McClenathan and Don Lampus both make their first appearances of the season at the Dallas event. McClenathan is behind the wheel of independent owner Bill Ancona’s machine but does not qualify with a best run of 5.546 secs. Lampus fairs quite a bit better -- he qualifies 7th with a 4.626 secs and wins his round one match over Rhonda Hartman-Smith. Both McClenathan and Lampus deliver some fireworks during the event. McClenathan grenades his motor during Saturday’s qualifying and Lampus has a big engine explosion during a second round loss to Mike Dunn.

Doug Kalitta and Tony Pedregon both run special edition paint schemes featuring ’70’s-era rock band KISS on their machines. Kalitta rides his rock and roll platform to a strong runner-up finish however Tony Pedregon is sent packing by Bob Gilbertson’s FMTV team in round one.

NBA Minnesota Timberwolves basketball star Tom Hammonds has a sensational outing in Pro Stock just missing his first career national event win with a runner-up finish. Hammonds entered the final round with lane choice and as a favorite over Colorado’s V. Gaines. Hammond’s Winnebago-Chevy then falls off and he loses a 6.929 secs 199.77 mph to 6.961 secs 200.00 mph decision. Hammonds had rudely beaten both the Texas-based Hemi Dodge Neons owned by David Nickens in rounds one and two. For V. Gaines, the win was his second career NHRA national event title.

John Force clinches a record 11th career NHRA Winston FC World Championship. Force is mathematically assured the 2001 title during round two when he beats Scotty Cannon and Whit Bazemore falls to Del Worsham. Force goes to the final round but is then taken out by his 3rd team car driven by Gary Densham in a great match-up. Densham claims his second career win by a heart-stopping 4.832 secs 318.13 mph to 4.852 secs 313.69 mph margin. World Champ Force runs through eliminations with a heavy heart. His mother, Betty Ruth Force, had passed away the previous afternoon at her home in Yorba Linda, California at age 77.

Whit Bazemore keeps his spectacular year end performance streak going when he drives Don Schumacher’s Matco Tools Firebird to both low ET and top speed of the meet (4.753 secs and 325.37 mph) during qualifying. Bazemore’s effort is both ends of the Texas Motorplex track record and comes in the very last qualifying pairing on Saturday to steal the pole away from John Force. It is Bazemore’s 7th number one qualifying effort of the 2001 season. Whit also entertains the crowd with a dazzling and huge half-track wheelstand in round one while racing Dale Creasy. Bazemore does a superb job collecting back the car and getting the win-light.

FMD class racing is a super quick affair producing a bump spot of 5.542 secs which ties NHRA’s all time quickest mark. Recent Indy and Chicago winner Keith Stark paces the field with a 5.306 secs at 274.55 mph in his injected nitro car. Stark’s mph is the fastest seen in the class during national event competition. One week earlier Stark had recorded NHRA’s fastest speed of all time in the category at 275.90 mph during a Division 3 points race in Indianapolis. Stark however is upset in round one by number sixteen qualifier Lee Callaway. That clears the way for stalwart Rick Santos who takes the event title when he beats Brian Hough in the final round. Santos’s win assures the California racer his 5th straight FMD World Championship.

FMFC sees Pat Austin, drag racing’s most winning Sportsman driver, score his 74th career national event victory. Austin guns down Jay Payne in the final round winning at 5.661 secs 253.16 mph to 5.724 secs 252.52 mph. Payne, driving his Valvoline-sponsored Camaro had set both low ET and top speed during earlier eliminations at 5.632 secs and 254.95 mph.

Allen Johnson debuts his new Jerry Bickel-built Dodge Neon Pro Stock car at the Dallas event. Johnson runs a best of 7.000 secs at 198.58 mph in the new Hemi-powered machine but misses the 6.914 secs cut. Johnson’s newly announced driving associate for the 2002 season, IHRA star Tommy Lee, runs the team’s Dodge Avenger at Dallas but is also a DNQ. Lee and Johnson will both race Dodge Neons next season.

Bob Panella takes home the second to last Pro Stock Truck title driving his Chevy S-10. Panella overcomes a .414 RT by opponent Mike Coughlin in the final round to win 7.460 secs 181.48 mph to 7.499 secs 180.50 mph. Engine building wizard John Lingenfelter had paced the PST field with a 7.458 secs in qualifying and then set low ET at 7.447 secs during round one of eliminations. Greg Stanfield had top speed at 181.89 mph.