A Major Drag Event Without the Drama

Three of the four National Hot Rod Assn.’s professional drag racing championships have already been decided, leaving this week’s 32nd annual Winston Select Finals at the Pomona Raceway to showcase the big winners of the $27-million season.

Time trials begin today on the quarter-mile drag strip laid out in the Pomona Fairgrounds parking lot. More qualifying Friday and Saturday will set the fields for Sunday’s eliminations in the 19th and final event of the year.

Among the major accomplishments to date have been:

--Kenny Bernstein becoming the first driver to win top fuel and funny car championships. The Texas veteran, who won four funny car titles from 1985 to ‘88, clinched his first top fuel title earlier this month after having run 318.69 mph--the fastest in NHRA history--in the Chief Auto Parts Nationals at Dallas. Bernstein switched to top fuel in 1990.

--John Force of Yorba Linda clinching a record sixth funny car championship by winning 12 of the first 18 events and setting a national elapsed time record of 4.889 seconds in his Castrol GTX Pontiac.

--Shelly Anderson of Ontario setting an NHRA top fuel record of 316.23 mph at Dallas. Although Bernstein had one run faster than Anderson, he did not get the record because he failed to back up his speed in another run within 1% of the first one.

--Gary Scelzi of Fresno won the NHRA Pacific Division championship in top alcohol dragster and was impressive enough to get selected by team leader Alan Johnson to replace his brother, Blaine, in the Johnson Racing Team top fuel machine. Blaine had a 113-point lead over Bernstein in top fuel standings when he was killed in an accident at Indianapolis Aug. 31 during the U.S Nationals.

--Jim Yates broke through to upset three-time champion Warren Johnson in winning the pro stock class in the McDonald’s Pontiac Firebird. Yates, from Alexandria, Va., won eight final rounds, starting with the season-opening Winternationals last February at Pomona. He also set an elapsed time record of 6.947 seconds in September at Reading, Pa.

--Angelle “CJ” Seeling, a registered nurse from Americus, Ga., not only became the first woman to win a pro bike main event, she also set a national record of 7.373 seconds on her 270-horsepower Suzuki in the process.

The only major championship at stake is in pro bike, where defending champion John Myers of Birmingham, Ala., holds a narrow 22-point lead over former champion Dave Schultz of Fort Myers, Fla. To win his sixth NHRA title, Schultz must gain three more points in qualifying and advance one round farther than Myers in Sunday’s eliminations.

In addition to the Winston Select Finals, the $147,000 Budweiser Classic for the eight leading top fuel drivers will take place Saturday. The winner collects $100,000.

Bernstein, who won in 1991 and 1993, is seeded first in a field that includes Scott Kalitta, Cory McClenathan, Joe Amato, Larry Dixon, Eddie Hill and Connie Kalitta. Blaine Johnson, still in second place in yearly standings, will be replaced by Shelly Anderson, the first alternate and the 1994 winner.

Motor Racing Notes

SPORTS CARS--In the aftermath of the SCCA Valvoline runoffs at Mid-Ohio, the Southern Pacific division ended up with three gold medals. Mike Lewis of San Diego was awarded the GT-3 win after apparent winner Pete Peterson of Lumberton, N.C., was disqualified for rough driving. Paul Bonaccorsi of Rancho Cucamonga and his Dodge Neon moved up to a win in Showroom Stock C when the Plymouth of the first-place driver proved to be illegal. Steve Kelso of Sherman Oaks was the other Cal Club winner in American Sedan. . . . Derek Hill, 21, son of former Formula One champion Phil Hill, won his first Barber Dodge Pro Series in the season finale last Sunday at Lime Rock, Conn. Fredrik Larsson of Sweden finished second to clinch the $150,000 series championship bonus money.

DIRT TRACKS--Jimmy Sills of Placerville had a big weekend, winning $10,000 in Saturday night’s Budweiser Oval Nationals sprint car race at Perris Auto Speedway and an additional $10,250 for winning the U.S. Auto Club’s Silver Crown race at Del Mar. Sills also won his third Silver Crown championship when series leader Kenny Irwin Jr. of Indianapolis blew a tire on the final lap while running fourth--high enough to win the title--but he fell to 11th, giving Sills the win by 42 points.

STOCK CARS--Only two races remain for one of the tightest Winston Cup points race in NASCAR history, Phoenix International Raceway this Sunday and Atlanta Motor Speedway on Nov. 10. Terry Labonte has a 32-point lead over defending champion Jeff Gordon with Dale Jarrett 44 more behind. In addition to the Dura Lube 500 on Sunday, there will be GM Goodwrench/Delco Battery 300K for Craftsman trucks on Saturday and a Featherlite Southwest Tour 300K on Friday. Chris Raudeman of Redding will win the Southwest Tour championship by merely starting the race.

MOTORCYCLES--When Italian Loris Capirossi won the season-ending 500cc motorcycle race in the Australian Grand Prix last Sunday, it was the first 500cc win for the Yamaha team run by Wayne Rainey, the former world champion from Downey who uses a wheelchair after a racing accident.

NECROLOGY--Jack Kindoll, 79, a longtime California Racing Assn. car owner and official, died of a heart attack last Thursday in Burbank. Kindoll was the car owner when Jimmy Oskie won the CRA championship in 1976, 1977 and 1979. He is survived by his wife, Wilda.