49th Mac Tools U.S. Nationals
Aug. 27-30th, Sep. 5-7th, 2003, Indianapolis, IN
Notes |
Results | Photos #1 | Photos #2
NATIONALS NOTEBOOK:
The weather plays havoc with the 49th Mac Tools U.S. Nationals. Severe rain during the originally scheduled Labour Day weekend results in the event being deferred to a Sep. 5-7th conclusion.
Tony Schumacher wins big in Top Fuel driving his Alan Johnson-tuned and new look Army-backed dragster. Schumacher unloads Low ET of the meet in the final round at 4.498 secs to beat Darrell Russell and seal his third career and second straight U.S. Nationals title. Schumacher’s victory comes over the quickest assembly of Top Fuel cars in drag racing history with a bump spot dipping to an all time low 4.683 secs. With the win Schumacher joins Don Garlits, Joe Amato, Gary Beck and Don Prudhomme as the only drivers to win the U.S. Nationals Top Fuel crown at least three times.
David Baca, teamed up with former NFL player Jim Kelly for the Indy event, earned his first career Top Fuel pole position after carded a career-best 4.499 secs run. Baca however smoked his tires in round two and lost out to Darrell Russell. Doug Kalitta had top speed of the meet when he posted a track record speed of 328.86-mph driving his Mac Tools dragster.
Georgia’s Chris Vandergriff provided the events most harrowing incident. The rookie driver miraculously escaped without injury during a qualifying run on Sep. 6th when his dragster did the first blow-over in U.S. Nationals history. Vandergriff’s car was completely destroyed in the incident.
Two-time NHRA Top Fuel champion Scott Kalitta made a strong return to the NHRA circuit driving his Mac Tools/Jesse James dragster. Kalitta qualified second and posted a career-best performance of 4.502 seconds at 327.82 mph while advancing to the semi final round. Kalitta’s U.S. Nationals event also included the event’s prestigious “Best Appearing Car” award.
In Funny Car, Tim Wilkerson enjoyed a career day by winning his first Mac Tools U.S. Nationals crown. Wilkerson powered the Levi, Ray & Shoup Pontiac Firebird to a winning run of 4.841 secs at 321.19 mph to defeat Johnny Gray, who ran a losing 4.903 at 314.24 in his Checker Schuck's Kragen Firebird. Shortly after his final round loss to Wilkerson, Gray announced that he would be leaving the C.S.K. racing team due to business constraints.
John Force drove the Castrol GTX High-Mileage Ford Mustang to it’s fourth No. 1 qualifying position of the ‘03 season when he clocked a 4.759 seconds. Force’s run paced the quickest ever NHRA Funny Car field which featured a bump spot of 4.873 secs.
Force placed runner-up during the event’s lucrative annual Budweiser Shootout run off on Saturday. Force still got paid however as he lost out to his racing stable mate Tony Pedregon in the final round. Pedregon beat his boss with a run of 4.947 secs at 297.48 mph while Force succumbed to tire smoke. It was Pedregon first victory in the Bud Shootout. He claimed the $100,000 winner's share.
POWERade points leader Greg Anderson padded his overall points lead in Pro Stock when he notched his eighth victory of the season driving Ken Black’s potent Vegas General Construction Pontiac. Anderson had a winning run of 6.803 secs 203.40 mph while defeating his fiercest points rival Kurt Johnson, who went .010 red in the final driving his ACDelco Chevy Cavalier. Johnson had been the quickest car in qualifying resetting the track ET record to 6.778 seconds while earning the pole. Pro Stock winner Anderson blasted the old track mph mark of 201.31 mph (set in 2002) to a stunning 205.01 mph.
Pennsylvania's Reggie Showers dominated Pro Stock racing at Indy winning both the U.S. Nationals event title as well as the K&N Filters Pro Bike Klash title. Showers, aboard the George Bryce-tuned PDI Suzuki earned his first career victory using a holeshot start to defeat Shawn Gann in the Pro Stock Bike final. That earned Showers and extra $10,000 in NHRA 'Double-Up' bonus money to add to the $15,000 he won from the K&N Filters Pro Bike Klash run off the weekend before.
Angelle Savoie rode her U.S. Army Suzuki to low ET of the meet as well as the pole in the PSB class at 7.154 secs. Colorado’s Andrew Hines set top speed and a IRP track speed record at 190.65 mph on his Vance & Hines Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson.
Rickie Smith won the AMS Pro Mod program driving the Ken Korensky-backed nitrous-injected ‘63 Corvette. Smith defeated the supercharged ‘03 Mustang owned by Roy Hill but driven by Von Smith in the final round. Smith left first while taking a 6.240 secs to 6.286 secs decision. Smith had set both low ET and top speed of the meet during the semi final round at 6.216 secs and 228.81 mph. The win was Smith’s first AMS circuit since Gainesville in 2001.
Top Alcohol Funny Car racing produced a major upset winner when Indiana’s Jeff Craig scored for the first time at the national event level. Craig wheeled his Lane Automotive Dodge Avenger past Marc White in the final round when White went .002 red. Craig’s event victory came over a field littered with class hitters including the names Frank Manzo, Bucky Austin, Jay Payne and Bob Newberry.
Jay Payne set both low ET (5.597 secs) and top speed (257.19 mph) in the TAFC class driving his Valvoline-sponsored Chevy Camaro. It took a very swift 5.867 secs to qualify for Indy’s 16-car TAFC field.
Morgan Lucas nailed down the TAD title driving the Lucas Oil-based injected nitro car. Lucas won the event from the pole after setting the pace at 5.314 secs during qualifying. He outran the supercharged car driven by Shelly Howard in the championship final 5.412 secs to 5.512 secs.
No less then 29 cars were entered for TAD competition at Indy and those racers produced the second quickest bump spot on record at 5.506 secs.
Florida’s Michael Gunderson made some TAD class history at Indy when he flew the nitro-injected “Under The Gun” dragster to an astounding 278.35 mph clocking --- which was the fastest speed yet in class history.
Sportsman drag racing highlights included a spectacular version of the Mopar Hemi Shootout for SS/AA class cars. Amazingly, 26 machines were entered in special eliminator and the $10,000 win and season bragging going to California’s Jerry Jenkins. Jenkins scored over a red lighting David Raybourn in the all ‘68 Barracuda final round, 8.849 secs to 8.899 secs.
