Mark Pawuk, from nearby Bath, OH wins in front of a home crowd and ends long drought in Pro Stock driving his Summit Racing Pontiac Firebird. Pawuk uses a final round holeshot to take out recent class hot shoe Ron Krisher who won at Chicago. Convincing victory is the first for Pawuk since 1995 at Memphis.

The WWF team of Jim Epler and Jerry Toliver dominate the event performance wise but fall just short of victory lane in Funny Car. Epler and Toliver qualify 1-2 and roll through eliminations but highly anticipated first ever all WWF final round is cut down by a blower belt failure on Epler’s “Kane” Camaro and he loses to Tony Pedregon in semi final. Pedregon’s team then steps up big time and runs their best time of the event in the final to upset Toliver. That avenges Toliver’s first round win over Pedregon’s teammate John Force.

John Force who had won the last four NHRA starts in a row debuts yet another funky looking new 2000 Mustang body at Columbus. Lines of Mustang have NHRA tech officials pondering and FC class troops in a pickle. But Force’s Castrol GTX team has trouble their first time out with the body -- Force finds it hard to steer and they qualify only 15th. Force switches to more conventional black “9X” body for round one but by then it’s too late and Toliver takes him out. Toliver’s eventual runner-up finish puts him back on top in the Winston Championship chase. Toliver sets a track record at 4.848 secs (low ET) in “The Rock” Firebird.

Funny Car racers out perform Top Fuel cars during qualifying. Top Fuel bump is a dismal 5.630 secs while it takes a stout 5.104 secs to make the FC show. Go figure....

Columbus event includes prestigious Federal Mogul All-stars event for Sportsman racers. The team from NHRA Division Two (Southeast) ends the four year running dominance of NHRA Division 3 by taking the overall points title. Individual winners include Rick Santos (FMD) and Tony Bartone (FMFC) who both go on and “double up” the next day by also winning Pontiac Excitement Nationals event crowns. Other Saturday winners are Larry Pritchett (Comp), Dan Fletcher (Super Stock), Jeff Hefler (Stock), Sheldon Gecker (Super Comp), Steve Cohen (Super Gas) and Rudy Matthews (Super Street). For Matthews, the win is his fourth (!) All Stars title in S/ST (10.90).

Only real serious incident at the event comes in Federal Mogul Dragster round two when Don Devault goes for a wicked spill in his dragster. Devault gets lose on the top end, ticks the right hand wall which sends him across track and into far wall very hard. Car then lays over and slides to a stop eventually getting tangled in the parachute lines of David Hirata who was racing in the other lane. Devault is taken to hospital for observation but the prognosis is good.

Pro Stock Truck racing features yet another Randy Daniels versus Bob Panella show. The pair meet in the final round for the sixth time this season in eight races. Daniels edges Panella with a .413 RT which makes him a winner. Daniels’s Chevy S-10 also picks up top speed (178.54 mph) and low ET (7.538 secs).

Tony Schumacher closes in a bit on Gary Scelzi in Top Fuel points with his second win of the season. Schumacher beats Ronda Hartman-Smith, Cory McClenathan and Kenny Bernstein enroute to the final. Top Fuel racing features a rare appearance by legendary Chris Karamesines who qualifies on the bump. At age 72, Karamesines is the oldest driver ever to compete in Top Fuel at a NHRA national event.

Lady FC driver Cristen Powell loses her ride in Helen Hofmann’s Pontiac Firebird after another DNQ effort -- her sixth of the season. No word on who will replace Cristen but the names Tommy Johnson Jr. and Melanie Troxel did circulate. Event is also last for Tim Richards and Kim LaHaie as co-crew chief’s for Chuck Etchells and Whit Bazemore Kendall Camaro team. Terry Manzer, from the WWF camp has joined that fold as new crew chief.

Final qualifying round in Pro Stock sees Mark Osborne and Kenny Koretsky make contact after Koretsky crosses lanes past the finish line. Koretsky’s parachute causes Osborne to spin out and hit the wall which significantly damages his car. Osborne who had qualified for eliminations based on a run earlier borrows a brand new spare car from Jim Yates. He makes round one on Sunday but ultimately he is no match for Jeg Coughlin Jr.