Big Daddy Is One to Beat in the NHRA’s Top 10

The National Hot Rod Assn.’s 50th-anniversary list of its top 50 drivers is down to the final 10. For months, drag racing fans have speculated over who would be No. 1, Don Garlits or John Force, or perhaps Kenny Bernstein or Don Prudhomme. Or maybe the women’s choice, Shirley Muldowney, back to be being called Cha Cha again.

Curiously, in drivers 11 through 50, there is a not a single full-time competitive contemporary driver named from the professional categories. Chris Karamesines drives occasionally, but does not follow the NHRA circuit. Pat Austin, a Federal Mogul funny car driver, and four sportsman drivers, Edmond Richardson, Frank Manzo, David Rampy and Scotty Richardson, still compete.

Driver No. 10 will be revealed today, with one a week being named until No. 1 is announced at the Auto Club NHRA Finals in November. This is how we rate the Final 10:

1. GARLITS--Big Daddy’s nickname says it all. He’s BIG. His three top-fuel championships, eight U.S. Nationals titles and 35 NHRA national event wins are only the tip of the iceberg.

While recuperating in a Long Beach hospital after an accident at Lions Drag Strip in 1970, he designed the first successful rear-engine dragster, introducing it at Pomona in the 1971 Winternationals. It revolutionized the sport.

Before that, when Southern Californians thought they owned drag racing because it all started here, Garlits towed a succession of Swamp Rats--whatever car he was driving was the Swamp Rat--across the country from Seffner, Fla., and proved it was a national sport.

After being the first driver to break the 170-, 180-, 200-, 240-, 250-and 270-mph barriers, he became the oldest driver to better 300 when he ran 303.37 mph on Sept. 2 in the U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis--at 69.

2. FORCE--When it comes to records and self-promotion, the talkative former truck driver from Yorba Linda is in a class by himself.

He has won 97 times, all in funny cars, and is the only funny car driver with 10 NHRA championships.

In 1996, after winning single-season record 13 events and 65 elimination rounds, he became the first drag racer to be named Driver of the Year. In 1998, he became the first funny car driver to exceed 320 mph, and holds both ends of funny car national records, 324.05 mph set in 1999 at Gainesville, Fla., and 4.763 seconds elapsed time, recorded last June at Joliet, Ill.

3. PRUDHOMME--The Snake from Granada Hills is a legend in his own time. Between 1975 and 1978 he was virtually unbeatable, winning four consecutive funny car championships.

When he retired as a driver in 1994, he had 35 funny car and 14 top-fuel victories.

As a salesman, he brought drag racing into the main stream with cars sponsored by the U.S. Army and Hot Wheels.

4. BERNSTEIN--The only driver to win NHRA championships in both top fuel and funny cars, Bernstein was also the first drag racer to better 300 mph, running 301.70 in 1992 at Gainesville, Fla.

His association with Anheuser-Busch, which began in 1980, is the second-longest racer-sponsor alliance in motorsports. He has won 57 national events, including five this year as he chases his sixth NHRA title. He won four in funny cars and one in top fuel.

5. MULDOWNEY--No other woman has come close to matching Cha Cha’s record in motor racing. She won top-fuel championships in 1977, 1980 and 1982, long before Title IX became a factor in bringing women into the mainstream of sports.

Although she last won in 1989, after coming back from a life-threatening accident in 1984, she is still competing on the highest level. She posted career bests of 320.20 mph and a 4.647-second elapsed time earlier this month.

6. JOE AMATO--He is the only driver to have won five NHRA top -fuel championships and the only one to have won three in succession--1990, ’91 and ’92. The first to exceed 260 and 280 mph, he has won 52 national events.

7. BOB GLIDDEN--How do you choose among pro stockers? Few dominated the quarter-mile as he did, winning 10 championships and a record nine U.S. Nationals.

8. BILL (GRUMPY) JENKINS--One of the founding fathers of pro stock, Grumpy is one of the great innovators, having driven small-block Chevies for many years.

9. DALE ARMSTRONG --More famous as crew chief for Bernstein’s first 300-mph run, Armstrong won 12 national funny car events and a pro comp championship. He was the first to use wind-tunnel testing and data recorders for dragsters.

10. WARREN JOHNSON --A five-time pro stock champion, Johnson has won 91 times and ranks second only to Force. He also was the first to drive a stock car at more than 200 mph.

The rest of the NHRA list, from 11 through 50:

11, Mickey Thompson; 12. Lee Shepherd; 13. Pat Austin; 14. Eddie Hill; 15. Ronnie Sox; 16. Tom McEwen; 17. Jim Liberman; 18. Don Nicholson; 19. Ed McCulloch; 20. Raymond Beadle

21. Connie Kalitta; 22. Pete Robinson; 23. Jack Chrisman; 24. Gary Beck; 25. Tommy Ivo; 26. Gene Snow; 27. Jim Dunn; 28. George Montgomery; 29. Art Chrisman; 30. Chris Karamesines

31. Dick LaHaie; 32. Darrell Gwynn; 33. Brad Anderson; 34. Willie Borsch; 35. Terry Vance; 36. Blaine Johnson; 37. Edmond Richardson; 38. James Warren; 39. Danny Ongais; 40. Frank Manzo

41. John Mulligan; 42. David Rampy; 43. Frank Hawley; 44. Dave Schultz; 45. Scotty Richardson; 46. Ken Veney; 47. Billy Meyer; 48. Malcolm Durham; 49. Richard Tharp; 50. Elmer Trett

Formula One

If transporting 14 professional golfers, their golf bags and wives across the Atlantic was going to be too difficult, causing cancellation of the Ryder Cup matches, how is Formula One going to handle bringing 11 race teams, each with 25 tons of equipment, to Indianapolis?

With great difficulty!

The United States Grand Prix is scheduled there Sept. 30 and despite increased airport security, FIA president Max Mosley and F1 czar Bernie Eccelstone insist that all 11 teams, even newly crowned champion Michael Schumacher, will be there.

Because all of the equipment will be checked carefully, the cargo must be transported from Amsterdam or Luxembourg because they have the only two European airports with X-ray machines large enough.

“It will be very, very difficult,” said Craig Pollock, manager of the British American Racing team with former Indy and world champion Jacques Villeneuve. “We have to X-ray every single piece of equipment and every piece of equipment means right down to the car.”

After Schumacher clinched his championship last month in Hungary, there was speculation in F1 circles that, in light of the terrorist attacks last week, he might skip the final two races, the USGP and the Japanese Grand Prix Oct. 14.

“I was aware of these rumors, but at the moment I have not the slightest thought of not driving in the USA and Japan,” the German Ferrari driver said.

Last Laps

Two Southland speedboat pilots stole the show from the Seebold family in Sunday’s Formula One championship at San Diego’s Mission Bay.

Greg Foster of Orange rallied to unseat Tim Seebold by finishing second in the 40-lap final race, behind Todd Bowden of Monrovia.

Foster was third in the standings when the race started, but when Seebold flipped during a heat and failed to finish the final, Foster won the crown by only two points.

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The second annual California Boat Racers Reunion will be held Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Irvine Lake in Orange County. Details: (805) 687-4273 or (714) 963-2409.

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The NASCAR super stock championship at Irwindale Speedway will be decided Saturday night in a 40-lap main event. Jeff Green of Long Beach has 512 points to 468 for Will Cottrell of Palmdale. Andrew Phipps of Simi Valley, who has won six times this season, is third but because he missed the first two races he cannot catch Green.

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This Week

WINSTON CUP

MBNA Cal Ripken Jr. 400

When: Today, qualifying (CNN/SI, 10:30 a.m.); Sunday, race (NBC, 3:30 p.m.)

Where: Dover Downs International Speedway (oval, 1-mile, 24-degrees banking in turns), Dover, Del.

Race distance: 400 miles, 400 laps.

Last race: The New Hampshire 300 in Loudon, N.H., was postponed until Nov. 23 because of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

2000 winner: Tony Stewart. Next race: Protection One 400, Sept. 30, Kansas City, Kan.

On the net: www.nascar.com.

BUSCH

MBNA.com 200

When: ToSchedule: Friday, qualifying, 9 a..m.; Saturday, race (TNT, 10 a.m.)

Where: Dover Downs International Speedway.

Race distance: 200 miles, 200 laps.

Last race: Jimmy Spencer pulled away from fellow Winston Cup regular Matt Kenseth on a restart with 35 laps to go and won the crash-filled Autolite FRAM 250 in Richmond, Va.

2000 winner: Matt Kenseth.

Next race: Mr. Goodcents 300, Sept. 29, Kansas City, Kan.

On the net: www.nascar.com.

CART

Rockingham 500

Corby, England.

When: To Friday, qualifying, 5:30 a.m.; Saturday, race (ESPN, 4:30 a.m.)

Where: Rockingham Motor Speedway (oval, 1.5 miles, 8-degrees banking in turns), Corby, England..

Race distance: 312 miles, 208 laps.

Last race: Two-time CART champion Alex Zanardi lost both legs when his car was hit by another traveling about 200 mph in a race renamed the American Memorial 500 after the terrorist attacks. Kenny Brack went on to wion the race, held in Klettwitz, Germany, under a yellow flag.

20010 winner: Inaugural event.

Next race: Texaco-Havoline Grand Prix, Oct. 7, Houston.

On the net: www.cart.com.

NHRA

AutoZone Nationals

Millington, Tenn.

When: ToFriday, qualifying, noon; Saturday, qualifying, 9 a.m. Noon (ESPN2); Sunday, eliminations, 11 a.m. (ESPN2, tape) and 5:30 p.m. (ESPN2, tape)Noon).

Where: Memphis Motorsports Park, Millington, Tenn..

Last event: The Keystone Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, Pa., were postponed until Oct. 4-7 because of , the terrorist attacks.

2000 winners: Gary Scelzi, top fuel; Ron Capps, funny car; Jeg Coughlin, won for the 10th time last season, clinching his first pro stock, and Mike Coughlin, pro stock trucks. Next event: NHRA Nationals, Sept. 30, Joliet, Ill.

On the net: www.nhra.com