14th O’Reilly Summer Nationals
(May 24-26th, 2002) Topeka, KS
Notes |
Results | Photos
NATIONALS NOTEBOOK:
Tony Pedregon notches his 15th career NHRA national event win in the John Force Racing Castrol Syntec Mustang when he holds of another determined bid of Tim Wilkerson in the final round. Pedregon records top speed of the meet at 320.58 mph in the final. Pedregon’s stable mates John Force and Gary Densham also finish late in eliminations -- in the semi final round. That puts the Force team cars 1-2-3 on top of NHRA’s POWERade points standings after 9 of 23 races.
The FC class is anchored by Bruce Sarver who qualifies on the pole in his second race out driving Alan Johnson’s White Cap Toyota. Sarver runs a 4.862 secs which holds up for low ET of the meet. We are checking our records but we think that is the first time in NHRA history that a foreign-bodied car has earned the pole in the nitro FC class.
Darrell Russell, driver for Joe Amato’s Bilstein-sponsored dragster is able to curb at least temporarily the class juggernaut of Larry Dixon Jr. in the final round. Russell leaves first and holds Dixon Jr. off winning a 4.638 secs to 4.670 secs decision. It is Russell’s third career victory and the first with his new crew chief Wayne Dupuy who recently joined the team. Dixon sets low ET during qualifying at 4.588 secs enroute to his 8th final round appearance of the season (!)
Gary Ormsby Jr., sends shockwaves through the TAD class when in qualifying he runs the quickest time in history at a stunning 5.135 secs driving for team owner Randy Meyer. That ET beats the previous all time quick 5.220 secs set by David Baca at Pomona in 2001. Ormsby Jr. is however unable to back up the mark within the required percentage for an official national record when he loses in round one to David Wells.
The TAD class winner is Michigan’s Bill Reichert in his Bars Leaks nitro-injected car. Reichert set top speed of the meet at 269.67 mph. Larry Miner wins in TAFC beating Von Smith in the final round. It is Miner’s second win of the 2002 season.
Troy Coughlin drives the Jegs Mail Order Chevy Cavalier to victory in Pro Stock defeating first time Pro Stock finalist Mark Whisnant, also in a Chevy Cavalier. Coughlin’s win was the second of his career. Jim Yates’s Splitfire Pontiac is the quickest Pro Stocker at Topeka running a 6.853 secs to qualify on the pole, but Yates lost a close match to Whisnant in the semi final round.
Todd Paton’s Nitro Fish team has a rough outing after a number of great runs in recent weeks -- they fail to qualify at Topeka. Their best effort of 5.163 secs just misses (17th). Todd’s final qualifying effort is an expensive venture because the car kicks out the number six rod and lights up. Todd is able to spin the car out on the top end and exit safely. The car’s chassis was damaged by the engine explosion and the car’s body was singed. Repairs are underway and will be made in time for this weekend’s event at Route 66 Chicago.
Question: Why did NHRA call this event the O’Reilly Summer Nationals when it is held May? Last time I checked May was still in the spring. Could it be that the state of Kansas has fallen within folded time in a Star Trek episode or has NHRA
suddenly adopted the Mayan calendar year? You be the judge....
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