Reduction in Nitro Fuels the Fun at NHRA Finals

The National Hot Rod Assn. made some sweeping changes in its drag racing program to give fans a better show this year, and in its first presentation the results couldn’t have been better.

Before an estimated 38,000 fans at Pomona Raceway--down slightly from last year, probably as a result of oil spills and down time in last November’s NHRA finals--Sunday was a showcase of side-by-side racing, round after round of the most competitive racing in the 40-year history of the Autozone Winternationals.

The new 90% nitro limit prevented a repeat of oil spills and, as a side effect, created close racing.

Gary Scelzi, hoping to regain the Winston top-fuel crown he lost last year to Tony Schmacher, got off to a fast start by defeating Schumacher in the final round, 4.613 seconds elapsed time, to 4.712.

The funny car final was even closer as World Wrestling Federation driver Jerry Toliver again proved his superiority over the John Force team. Toliver beat Force in last year’s NHRA finals, but this time he turned back Force’s teammate, Tony Pedregon, 4.970 to 4.929.

Pedregon had been put in the ticklish position of upstaging his boss, beating Force off the line in the second round and then holding him off in a battle of Ford Mustangs, 4.976 to 4.983.

“Tony’s hot rod was sharp and he got after me on the line,” said Force, the nine-time champion from Yorba Linda. “We wanted to put the best car in the final and today it was pretty obvious that it was Tony’s. As soon as he beat me, we committed all the resources to his team and it paid off with a great 4.83 in the semis.”

Toliver said his margin over Pedregon was so close that he didn’t know he had won until he turned back and looked at the finish line lights blinking on his side.

“I was in a zone today, and I think I owe that feeling to having [crew chief] Dale Armstrong on my side. The Chevy Camaro was great in the lights, it left hard every round and finished strong.

“In the final, I left on Tony but about halfway I could see him coming and he just kept coming. I didn’t know if I could hold him off, but all of sudden I was at the finish line.”

Consistency is the way to victory and Toliver had a consistent series, 4.949, 4.950, 4.934 and 4.970.

Another change this year was a 75-minute time limit between runs, down from 90 minutes.

Scelzi’s crew, headed by Alan Johnson, responded by changing the engine between every run.

“We didn’t want to take any chances looking for bugs, so Alan said it would be simpler just to make the change between every round,” Scelzi said. “The fans were crowded around the pits yelling and screaming, and I had to tell them to just let us do our job and we’d celebrate later.

“The win was special because we beat Schumacher in the final. Tony is the champion and Alan and I don’t like eating crow. We don’t like being No. 2. That No. 1 means a lot to me and a lot to Alan and we intend on remaining No. 1 the rest of the year.”

Pro stock, usually the least volatile of the pro categories, provided the only spectacular accident.

Ron Krisher, in the Eagle One Firebird, lost control near the finish line and cut across in front of Kurt Johnson, barely avoiding contact. Krisher’s car, however, turned over on its side, careened into the retaining wall and tumbled in a barrel role down the track.

Krisher, from Warren, Ohio, was taken to the raceway medical center where he was checked and released with only scratches and bruises.

Johnson, whose abrupt braking caused his Camaro to nose into the right wall, was not injured, but his damaged car was no match for George Marnell in the second round.

Marnell, the 16th and last qualifier from Las Vegas, stunned pro stock followers when he upset No. 1 qualifier Jim Yates in the first round with a remarkable reaction time. Although Yates ran quicker, 6.940 seconds to 6.982, and faster, 199.02 mph to 197.13, Marnell won with a .471 reaction time to .425 for the former Winston champion from Alexandria, Va.

Five-time NHRA champion Warren Johnson ended Marnell’s Cinderella run, but his hopes for a sixth Winternationals victory ended in the finals.

Jeg Coughlin Jr., winner of the final race last year at Pomona, repeated his victory over Johnson in a tense final, 6.894 for Coughlin’s Cutlass to 6.953 for Johnson’s Firebird.

Bob Panella of Stockton won the pro stock truck final over Greg Stanfield of Bossier City, La., in another close race, 7.544 to 7.568.

As pleased as the winners at day’s end was Tom Compton, new president of the NHRA.

“We knew after last year we had to do something and after a consensus of people involved, we came up with some new ideas and today we were certainly pleased with the results,” he said.

“The show was the quickest in NHRA history, five hours and 40 minutes. That was quite a contrast to last year.”

The Auto Club finals last November lasted more than 7 1/2 hours.