15th Lucas Oil Northwest Nationals
(July 26-28th, 2002) Seattle, WA
Notes |
Results | Photos
NATIONALS NOTEBOOK:
After enduring high altitude and high temperatures the weekend before NHRA’s touring racer face cool and wet weather at Pacific Raceway. The event scheduled is hampered by rain, which cuts short qualifying and ultimately postpones final eliminations until Monday.
Darrell Russell takes step two towards a potential Triple Crown within NHRA’s annual “Western Swing” when he wins for the second time in a week driving for Joe Amato and sponsor Billstein. Russell wins a final round battle of Texas when he defeats a tire-smoking Kenny Bernstein for the event championship. The win is the third of the season for Russell and the 5th of his career. Russell faced another big foe in points leader Larry Dixon in the semi final round. The sophomore driver left first and then hung on for a thrilling 4.614 secs/315.34 mph to 4.629 secs/321.35 mph win of Dixon‘s Miller Lite Dragster.
Runner-up Kenny Bernstein’s final outing as a driver in the Seattle area also netted him a new track speed record at 323.58 mph driving the Budweiser King.
Tony Pedregon climbs from 4th to 2nd in POWERade Funny Car points when he wins for the third time this season driving John Force’s Castrol Syntec Mustang. Pedregon again denies Bruce Sarver, his team owner Alan Johnson, and the Toyota brand their first NHRA Funny Car title in the final round. Sarver goes up in smoke while Pedregon runs a winning 5.049 secs at 293.33 mph. Pedregon won the event from the pole (4.848 secs -- low ET) and set top speed of the meet at a track record 315.19 mph.
Jeg Coughlin Jr won his second race in the last three NHRA events driving the Jegs Mail Order Chevy Cavalier. Jeg is able to take out surprising finalist Mark Whisnant who had an outstanding race at Seattle. Final round is very odd as an apparent electrical gremlin aborts the first staging attempt. In the second go, Coughlin Jr. leaves first and wins easily at 6.864 secs 200.14 mph as Whisnant had tire shake. Whisnant had shocked the experts during qualifying when he bombed the Pacific Raceways track record to a stunning 6.777 secs driving his Chevy Cavalier.
The Pro Stock program at Seattle is wicked fast. It took a run of 6.849 secs or better to get into the program. No less then 14 other racers run sub 6.9 secs during qualifying but do not make the field.
Seattle-area event includes the return of Scott Geoffrion to the Pro Stock ranks. The former driver for Team Mopar is behind the wheel of Hurley Blakeney’s Ford Mustang. Geoffrion runs a best of 6.886 secs at 200.11 mph but misses the cut. Virginia’s Robert Patrick, also in a Ford Mustang, races at Seattle and for the first time this season qualifies the car (12th - 6.836 secs). Patrick wins his first round match over Vieri Gaines but is gunned down by Ron Krisher in the 2nd frame.
Top Alcohol racing premiers two first time winners, Mitch Myers and Mert Littlefield. Myers, from Oregon, driving in his first season with an injected nitro car, takes the TAD title over Mark Hentges in the final round. Myers wins at 5.410 secs to Hentges’s 5.433 secs. Littlefield, from California, won the TAFC championship, his first NHRA national win, when he beat John Patton in the final, 5.758 secs to 5.768 secs.
The TAD program had been paced after qualifying by Morgan Lucas who replaced Brandon Bernstein behind the wheel of the Darien & Meadows injected nitro car. Lucas ran low ET and top speed - 5.338 secs and 269.78 mph and finished in the semi final round. Local favorite, the “Northwest Hitter” himself Bucky Austin lead the way in TAFC with a 5.628 secs (low ET) and top speed 257.24 mph.
Seattle’s own Brady Kalivoda has a strong event in front of his hometown crowd. Kalivoda qualifies 8th in Top Fuel at 4.693 secs at 308.71 mph -- career best numbers. Kalivoda beat Ken Zeal in round one but then lost to Kenny Bernstein in round two on a centre boundary violation after an awesome wheelstand at half-track.
