Pedregon’s Funny Car Is Funnier Than Most : Motor sports: Driver bolts Batmobile body on his machine, then suffers another problem and is beaten by Al Hofmann in NHRA finals.

Cruz Pedregon, after two fiberglass bodies were demolished under him in engine explosions in his funny car, dug deep into team owner Joe Gibbs’ reserve to drive the black Batmobile in the finals of the National Hot Rod Assn.’s Winston Select Finals late Sunday afternoon at Pomona Raceway.

Pedregon’s bad luck held when he lost to Al Hofmann, 5.066 at 298.40 m.p.h. to 5.111, 277.43.

Pedregon, who took an early lead, lost his chances when the crankshaft broke near the end of the run, causing the Batmobile to coast across the finish line.

“We needed just a few more feet,” Pedregon said. “The only time I saw Hofmann was at the finish line. This was the roughest weekend of my racing career.”

Said Hofmann, who earned $100,000 for winning and setting the day’s fastest time: “This car smells money, and when there’s something extra on the line, it comes through.”

Hofmann, 47, of Umadilla, Fla., earlier this year won $100,000 in the Big Bud Shootout for funny cars at Indianapolis.

Blaine Johnson of Santa Maria won for the first time in top fuel, upsetting Larry Dixon of North Hills in the finals with a track-record 4.689-second performance at 300.10 m.p.h. Dixon, who ran 4.800 in the final, had beaten Johnson on Saturday en route to winning the Budweiser Classic.

Johnson also collected $100,000.

It was the fastest drag racing event of all-time. Thirty 300-m.p.h. runs were recorded in the four days. The old record was 23 at last year’s Winston Select Finals.

Other professional winners were Warren Johnson of Duluth, Ga., in pro stock, and John Myers of Birmingham, Ala., in pro motorcycle. Both already had clinched Winston season series championships.

The Batmobile, which was in Pomona as the centerpiece of a Halloween display in the NHRA’s Top Eliminator Club, was pressed into service when the red and yellow fiberglass body of Pedregon’s McDonald’s funny car was severely damaged when the engine detonated while winning the semifinal round against Gary Clapshaw.

When it was determined the crew couldn’t repair the body in time for the finals, Gibbs, the former Washington Redskin coach, decided to resurrect the Batmobile, It had been driven by Pedregon in three races in mid-season as part of a promotion for the Warner Bros. “Batman Forever” movie.

The No. 1 McDonald’s body had been destroyed during Friday’s qualifying session when the engine exploded at the finish line.

Hofmann, to make the finals, had to run the quickest side-by-side race in funny-car history against five-time champion John Force. Even though Force went through the lights in 5.047 seconds to 5.069 for Hofmann, and ran 303.23 m.p.h. to 300.50 for Hofmann, the victory went to the Western Auto veteran because he got a big jump on Force off the starting line.

Hofmann’s reaction time was .452 seconds against .493 for Force.

“My old hot rod should have won this race, it was right on the mark,” a disappointed Force said. “It was over in the lights [when Hofmann got the jump]. It’s a little disappointing, especially in my hometown. You’d think we’d be satisfied winning five championships, but you can never win enough.”

Joe Amato’s record of having won at least one top fuel race every year since 1987 came to an end when Blaine Johnson sidelined the five-time world champion with a 4.70 run when Amato smoked his tires off the starting line. In the first round, Amato hit 312.50 m.p.h., the second-fastest quarter mile in NHRA history.

Eddie Hill, the No. 1 top fuel qualifier, was upset in the first run of the day by Jim Head, an alternate in the Smokin’ Joe’s dragster. Head got into the 16-car field when qualifier Mike Smith ran out of spare parts and couldn’t make the first round. Hill ran 4.863 to Head’s 4.836.

It appeared Hill was on another fast run before a bolt holding the main bearing broke, causing engine damage at about the 800-foot mark.

“We were on another low 4.70 pass,” said Hill, who qualified at 4.729. “I thought this was going to be our day. The last time we ended a season like this was in 1992 and the following year we won the championship. We are eagerly looking forward to the start of the 1996 season.”

Head didn’t last long, losing to Shelly Anderson in the second round.

The day’s most spectacular accident occurred during the alcohol dragster quarterfinals when Dennis Allen of Sacramento lost control of his machine about halfway through the quarter mile. He veered to the left, crossing the center line behind opponent Jay Payne, then crashed into the guard rail and skidded on his side through the timing lights before rolling completely over. Allen, though shaken up, crawled from the battered dragster uninjured.

Warren Johnson, 52, had to defeat his son, Kurt, 32, in the pro stock semifinals to get into the final round.

It was their 19th meeting since Kurt began his career in 1993, and their seventh this season. W.J. Warren holds a 13-6 margin overall and is 5-2 this year.

NHRA officials announced a four-day attendance of 110,500.