33rd Matco Tools Supernationals
(May 16-19th, 2002) Englishtown, NJ.
Notes |
Results | Photos
NATIONALS NOTEBOOK:
Warren Johnson collects a cool $50,000 when he wins the 18th Annual Pro Stock Challenge competition which was held on Saturday. Johnson, who is the only Pro Stock racer to have competed in all 18 Pro Stock Challenges so far entered the 2002 as the number two seed based on points accrued during qualifying over the 365 days. Johnson hits pay dirt when his final round 6.827 secs at 203.47 mph easily covers Mike Edwards who shakes his tires and shuts down.
Gary Densham moves into the overall POWERade Funny Car points lead when he wins for the second time this season driving John Force’s 3rd team car. Densham has top speed of the meet again in the class at 322.19 mph and takes out Bruce Sarver in the final round. Sarver is driving in place of Gary Scelzi behind the wheel of Alan Johnson’s White Cap Toyota. Densham’s boss John Force has a pretty miserable event as he has trouble on each and every run. Force qualifies only 15th and that is easy pickings for Tim Wilkerson in round one. Force’s other team car, driven by Tony Pedregon sets low ET of the meet at 4.777 secs.
Dean Skuza provides the event’s most exciting moment in round one of FC eliminations when he pops his supercharger and sends the body of his Mopar Parts Dodge Stratus flying. Slow motion ESPN cameras are tuned right into the action and capture what is easily the most dramatic TV footage of the year so far.
AMS Pro Mod cars put on another great show at Englishtown with 20 cars in competition. 2000 IHRA World Champion Fred Hahn wins his first NHRA race when he takes Jim Oddy’s Summit Racing late model Corvette past Troy Critchley ’53 Corvette in the final round. Englishtown event produces a number of “teens” in the class -- the quickest are by former Pro Street star Bob Reiger who qualifies on the pole at 6.159 secs and sets low ET at 6.151 secs. Fred Hahn has top speed at 230.80 mph. Reiger’s and Hahn’s math is the fastest so far by Pro Mods on the NHRA side of the fence.
Nevada’s Duane Shields has a dramatic event in Top Alcohol Dragster winning in record setting fashion. Shields runs the quickest and fastest times ever by a supercharged alcohol burning TAD at 5.263 secs and 269.13 mph. Shields guns down Art Gallant’s injected nitro car in the final round.
Shields backs up his 5.263 secs for a new NHRA national record.
Greg Anderson defeats the quickest assembly of Pro Stock cars in NHRA history driving his Chevy Cavalier. Anderson wins a close 6.808 secs to 6.812 secs final round over Jeg Coughlin Jr. The bump spot at Englishtown is a stunning 6.815 secs eclipsing the 6.831 secs set at Reading PA last year.
The Pro Stock Bike program is also the quickest in NHRA history at 7.270 secs. Angelle Savoie is the performance star after riding George Bryce’s C-Vec Racing Suzuki to the quickest run in NHRA PSB history at 7.049 secs to earn the pole. Angelle is however upset by eventual winner Antron Brown in the semi finals when Brown delivers a .407 RT to beat her at 7.138 secs to 7.114 secs. Brown earns his 10th career win when he stops points leader Craig Treble in the final round.
Whit Bazemore and Tommy Johnson Jr. both debut new look Funny Cars during the Englishtown event. Bazemore runs a special edition Matco Tools “Speed Racer” which he runs to the semi final round before losing out to Gary Densham. “TJ” qualifies his purple Skoal car 14th but is bounced out by Cruz Pedregon in round one.
Texan Top Fuel racer Mark Kinsella makes his farthest trip north yet for competition and qualifies his now Lion Stout-sponsored dragster 9th with a career best 4.714 secs at 310.48 mph. Kinsella suffers a massive engine explosion in round one however the concussion from which lands him in the hospital. He is later released.
Atmospheric conditions at Englishtown throw racers as many curve balls as possible. Weather changes from hot and humid on Thursday and Friday to down right cold and damp on Saturday. Rain washes out some qualifying rounds on both Friday night and Saturday morning.
