Inaugural AC Delco Las Vegas Nationals
Las Vegas, NV (Oct. 25-28th, 2001)
Notes |
Results | Photos
NATIONALS NOTEBOOK:
Kenny Bernstein nudges closer to the 2001 Winston Top Fuel Championship title when he stretches out his points lead to 54 over Larry Dixon with one event remaining. Bernstein falls just short of his 8th win of the season when he takes runner-up to Darrell Russell. Russell’s win is the second of his rookie season. Dixon, who qualified on the pole with a track record 4.509 secs, suffers a huge second round loss to Texan Don Lampus. Lampus, in only his second race of the 2001 season, wins at 4.677 secs effort at 315.71 mph while Dixon smokes his tires. Bernstein has top speed of the meet with a track record 326.08-mph ride....
Ron Capps leaps over Del Worsham into third place in the 2001 NHRA Winston FC points standings when he wins for the 3rd time this season. Capps defeats Bob Gilbertson and his wily crewchief Paul Smith for the event championship -- it is Gilbertson’s 3rd career final round appearance. Capps’s win in the Skoal Camaro made team owner Don Prudhomme 2 for 2 at NHRA’s event stops at Las Vegas this season. Capps’s racing mate Tommy Johnson Jr. won here in April.....
Whit Bazemore and John Force entertain the fans with a number of burn downs during head-to-head qualifying pairings. Bazemore tops Force again from a performance perspective -- he sets both low ET and top speed of the meet during qualifying at 4.748 secs and 323.04 mph in the Schumacher Racing Matco Tools Firebird. During eliminations Force is a shocking round one loser. In a truly rare oddity for Pro drivers, both Force and opponent Bob Bode leave before the tree is activated -- the result is a double foul. That opens the door wide for Bazemore however he is unable to step through to take advantage of Force’s early exit when he is shutdown by Ron Capps on a holeshot in the second frame -- 4.884 secs to 4.875 secs.
Top Fuel racing at Las Vegas attracts the biggest field of the season with 24 teams showing for competition. Class highlights include recently crowned IHRA World Champion Clay Millican who shows with a brand new Brad Hadman-built dragster and qualifies 12th. Millican loses to eventual winner Darrell Russell in the second round. Former FC driver Wyatt Radke enters his first event ever in the TF class driving the recently deceased Bobby Baldwin car but just misses the program with a 4.818 secs best effort.
Mark Pawuk notches his first win of the season in Pro Stock driving the Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac Grand-Am. Pawuk denies Tom Hammonds his first national title for the second week in a row when he beats the NBA basketball player on a holeshot in the final round -- 7.033 secs to 6.994 secs. Hammonds had placed runner-up to V. Gaines at Dallas seven days earlier. Pawuk’s win makes him the 15th different winner in NHRA Pro Stock racing this season -- a real testament to the parity in the class....
Jim Yates qualifies on the pole in PS at 6.949 secs (low ET) but loses out to Hammonds in the semi final round. Yates still has a mathematical shot at Warren Johnson going into Pomona. Yates trails WJ by 103 points -- Johnson would pretty well have to DNQ for the AAA Finals for Yates to have any real chance to catch him.
Shawn Gann breaks through in Pro Stock Bike to earn his first career win. Gann takes out Antron Brown in the final round in a great race winning 7.352 secs to 7.374 secs. Gann also had top speed of the meet at 187.44 mph. Defending Pro Stock Bike World Champion Angelle Savoie paced the PSB class at 7.289 secs (low ET) but Anton Brown kept his slim Winston title hopes alive by beating Angelle in the semi final round 7.389 secs to 7.386 secs. The Pro Stock Bike title will also be decided at NHRA’s final event of the season.
Pro Stock Bike racing includes the event’s most harrowing moment. During round two of qualifying New York’s Dennis Mirante tumbles past the finish line after a 173.03 mph run. Mirante appears to lay the bike down to avoid a collision with Joe DeSantis who was in the other lane. Thankfully and remarkably Mirante is taken to hospital with only a suspected broken wrist....
Jay Payne gets revenge in FMFC for his final round loss to Pat Austin at Dallas last week by reversing things over Austin in the Las Vegas trophy dash. Payne scores his 5th win of the season when he out guns Austin 5.750 secs 249.12 mph to 5.781 secs 231.00 mph in the final round. Austin had entered eliminations from the pole after clocking low ET of the meet at 5.728 secs in qualifying. 15 of 16 qualifiers in the FMFC class ran in the 5-secs zone....
Dean Skuza runs a special edition Mopar Parts “Spiderman” themed Funny Car at Las Vegas to help promote the upcoming Hollywood film release. Skuza has a good run in the car qualifying third (4.855 secs) but he cannot spin a web over victory lane when he gets beat by Al Hofmann in round two. Hofmann and team owner Jim Dunn also have a strong Las Vegas outing -- placing in the semi finals. They too give the public a sneak preview of things to come for 2002 -- running their new look K&N Filters painted and sponsored Pontiac-bodied car during qualifying.
