Celica Gets Off to a Quick Start

Toyota made its drag racing debut Thursday at the 42nd K&N; Filters Winternationals, and funny car driver Gary Scelzi was giddy afterward, placing the 2002 Celica sixth on the grid after the first of four rounds of qualifying at the Powerade NHRA Drag Racing Series opener.

“I just let the light turn green and stayed on top of it,” said Scelzi, who clocked 4.934 seconds and 301.74 mph in only the second full pass by the six-day-old car. “It did everything it was supposed to do. We lost a blower belt at about 1,100 feet.... It’s not that far off to run an 80 [4.8-second range], and we probably would have run an 89, which I believe would have been first until [John] Force knocked everyone’s blocks off the wall.”

Force, the series champion from Yorba Linda, was the top qualifier in his 2001 Mustang. Alongside series runner-up Whit Bazemore, Force ran 322.27 mph in 4.764 seconds, a time that would have won last year’s race. Bazemore was second at 4.815 seconds and 321.50 mph, and Force’s teammate, Gary Densham of Bellflower, was third at 4.891 seconds and 263.72 mph.

Doug Kalitta was first in top fuel, clocking 4.593 seconds and 319.90 mph. He was followed by Doug Herbert in 4.653 and 315.93 mph, and Tony Schumacher in 4.663 and 314.31 mph.

Last season’s pro stock runner-up, Jim Yates, set a track record of 6.825 seconds (201.85 mph) in a 2001 Grand Am. Kurt Johnson, second in qualifying, set a track record by going 202.88 mph in a 2002 Cavalier.

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Martin Henderson