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BERNSTEIN, PEDREGON,
ANDERSON AND SAVOIE WIN AT LAS VEGAS
LAS VEGAS - Tony Pedregon doubled up Saturday as he
clinched his first NHRA POWERade Funny Car
championship and won the ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA
Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor
Speedway.
Kenny Bernstein, Greg Anderson and Craig Treble
also won in their respective categories at the
$1.6 million race, the 22nd of 23 events in the
$50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.
Pedregon secured the championship when he beat
Whit Bazemore, the No. 2 driver in the
standings, in the Funny Car final round.
Pedregon used a 5.135-second pass at 273.39 mph
in his Castrol Syntec Ford Mustang to beat
Bazemore's 5.183 at 266.64 in his Matco Tools
Dodge Stratus R/T. Pedregon broke his team
owners streak with the championship win.
Pedregon's boss, John Force, has won 12 Funny
Car championships, including the last 10
consecutively.
"We have been under so much
pressure trying to win this championship,"
Pedregon said. "You get beat up mentally by the
fear of losing and it makes you wonder if it is
all worth it. After today I know that it's all
worth it. We needed a little luck today, but you
always do when you're in Vegas."
Pedregon smoked the tires in the last half of
the pass, but Bazemore's car smoked the tires as
well, and Pedregon pedaled the car back to the
victory.
"I thought if we made a run in the 4.70s that
would do it and that would get us the win,"
Pedregon said. "But nope, no dice. Nothing is
ever that simple. They really challenged us.
That makes it better because we were challenged
by a good team."
In the first 11 events of the season, Pedregon
won six races, prompting championship talk
early. That was when the team went on a slide.
They lost in the first round in three of the
next four races.
"This is such an important part of my life that
when I needed to be tough, I was tough,"
Pedregon said. "There has been so much drama
surrounding us, especially since we started off
so well. Then we had the low point of the season
and I knew the team could get the car back into
the performance mode that we were running in at
the start of the season. "I knew I was going to
have to get a grip and really fight for the
championship today." Bernstein
beat Tony Schumacher in the final round, earning
his third win this season and 68th of his
career. Bernstein went 4.545 at 326.87 in his
Budweiser/Lucas Oil dragster to beat
Schumacher's 5.436 at 174.68 in the U.S. Army
dragster.
"They were the car to beat," Bernstein said of
the top qualifying Army car. "They have been
running so well. (Crew chief) Tim Richards has
got his hand on the tuneup and when he does, we
can string wins together."
Bernstein retired at the end of the 2002 season,
but had to come back to driving once his son,
Brandon, was injured during a race in
Englishtown, N.J. in May. The six-time champion,
however, said even if the team is winning with
him in the seat, he will be ready to retire
again in two weeks following the season finale
at Pomona (Calif.) Raceway. "I am anxious for
Brandon to get back in the car," Bernstein said.
"I think I will be able to handle being on the
sidelines better this time. I feel very
comfortable in the car and it is fun to race
this Budweiser car, but I am ready to watch him
race." Anderson clinched the Pro Stock
championship two weeks ago and added his
record-tying 11th win of the season. Anderson
remained undefeated against Kurt Johnson in the
final round. He went 6.837 at 201.73 in his
Vegas General Construction Pontiac Grand Am to
Johnson's 6.878 at 200.56 in his ACDelco Chevy
Cavalier. "This team just keeps getting better
and better," Anderson said. "The guys working
under the hood are just amazing. I wonder all
the time if I deserve this much fortune."
Treble earned his first win of the season and
sixth of his career, beating Angelle Savoie in
the Pro Stock Bike final. Treble used a 7.178
pass at 185.33 to beat Savoie's 7.230 at 188.78.
Savoie trails Geno Scali by 117 points in the
POWERade standings, so the championship will be
decided at the 2003 season finale, the
Automobile Club of Southern California Finals,
Nov. 6-9 at Pomona (Calif.) Raceway.
LAS VEGAS -- Final finish order (1-16) for
professional categories at the Third annual
ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals at The Strip at
Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The $1.6 million race
is the 22nd of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA
POWERade Drag Racing Series.
TOP FUEL:
1. Kenny Bernstein; 2. Tony Schumacher; 3.
Doug Kalitta; 4. Scott Kalitta; 5. Darrell
Russell; 6. Cory McClenathan; 7. John Smith;
8. Clay Millican; 9. David Baca; 10. Shirley
Muldowney; 11. Rhonda Hartman-Smith; 12. Larry
Dixon; 13. Bill Ancona; 14. Jim Head; 15.
Scott Weis; 16. Paul Romine.
FUNNY CAR:
1. Tony Pedregon, Ford Mustang; 2. Whit
Bazemore, Dodge Stratus; 3. Frank Pedregon,
Pontiac Firebird; 4. Gary Scelzi, Stratus; 5.
Del Worsham, Firebird; 6. Phil Burkart,
Firebird; 7. Tim Wilkerson, Firebird; 8. Keith
Jackson, Firebird; 9. John Force, Mustang; 10.
Ron Capps, Chevy Camaro; 11. Terry Haddock,
Camaro; 12. Tommy Johnson Jr., Camaro; 13.
Scotty Cannon, Stratus; 14. Dean Skuza,
Firebird; 15. Bob Bode, Firebird; 16. Gary
Densham, Mustang.
PRO STOCK:
1. Greg Anderson, Pontiac Grand Am; 2. Kurt
Johnson, Chevy Cavalier; 3. Jason Line, Grand
Am; 4. Jeg Coughlin, Cavalier; 5. Dave
Connolly, Cavalier; 6. Ron Krisher, Cavalier;
7. Larry Morgan, Dodge Stratus; 8. Taylor
Lastor, Cavalier; 9. Bruce Allen, Grand Am;
10. Mike Corvo Jr, Dodge Neon R/T; 11. Jim
Yates, Grand Am; 12. Mike Edwards, Grand Am;
13. Gene Wilson, Stratus; 14. Nick Fratt,
Stratus; 15. Troy Coughlin, Cavalier; 16.
Barry Grant, Cavalier.
PRO STOCK BIKE:
1. Craig Treble, Suzuki; 2. Angelle Savoie,
Suzuki; 3. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson; 4.
Mike Berry, Suzuki; 5. Geno Scali, Suzuki; 6.
GT Tonglet, Harley-Davidson; 7. Shawn Gann,
Suzuki; 8. Sean Conner, Suzuki; 9. Fred
Collis, Suzuki; 10. Reggie Showers, Suzuki;
11. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki; 12. Michael
Phillips, Suzuki; 13. Antron Brown, Suzuki;
14. Jay Matthews, Suzuki; 15. Josh Helvie,
Kawasaki; 16. Joe DeSantis, Suzuki.
LAS VEGAS -- Sunday's final results from the
Third annual ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals at
The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The $1.6
million race is the 22nd of 23 in the $50
million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:
Top Fuel -- Kenny Bernstein, 4.545 seconds,
326.87 mph def. Tony Schumacher, 5.436 seconds,
174.68 mph.
Funny Car -- Tony Pedregon, Ford Mustang, 5.135,
273.39 def. Whit Bazemore, Dodge Stratus,
5.183, 266.64.
Pro Stock -- Greg Anderson, Pontiac Grand Am,
6.837, 201.73 def. Kurt Johnson, Chevy
Cavalier, 6.878, 200.56.
Pro Stock Bike -- Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.178,
185.33 def. Angelle Savoie, Suzuki, 7.230,
188.78.
Competition Eliminator -- Dean Carter, Dragster,
7.420, 144.58 def. Clint Sallee, Dragster,
foul.
Super Stock -- Bill Leber Jr., Chevy S-10,
9.486, 140.74 def. Jeff Lane, Pontiac Grand Am,
9.083, 149.22.
Stock Eliminator -- Jody Lang, Chevy Malibu,
12.811, 101.83 def. Eric Waldo, Ford Mustang,
10.960, 121.85.
Super Comp -- Ed Cooper, Dragster, 9.060,
168.62 def. Jerry Denton Jr, Dragster, 9.044,
164.09.
Super Gas -- Randy Bowers, Chevy Camaro, 10.070,
134.46 def. Don Narten Jr, Camaro, 10.040,
151.83.
Super Street -- Gerry Epp, Ford Mustang, 11.076,
133.35 def. Steve Cox, Chevy Camaro, 11.036,
109.08.
LAS VEGAS -- Final round-by-round results from
the Third annual ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA
Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor
Speedway, the 22nd of 23 events in the $50
million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series -
TOP FUEL:
ROUND ONE -- Darrell Russell, 6.974, 112.65 def.
Paul Romine, 8.711, 106.01; John Smith, 5.529,
190.57 def. Jim Head, 6.744, 124.33; Clay
Millican, 4.625, 308.99 def. Larry Dixon, 5.027,
206.80; Cory McClenathan, 4.619, 319.14 def.
Shirley Muldowney, 4.930, 231.52; Scott Kalitta,
4.577, 322.65 def. Scott Weis, 7.229, 111.25;
Doug Kalitta, 4.580, 320.97 def. Bill Ancona,
5.518, 170.34; Kenny Bernstein, 4.599, 324.36
def. Rhonda Hartman-Smith, 5.014, 245.63; Tony
Schumacher, 4.628, 316.15 def. David Baca,
4.666, 310.27;
QUARTERFINALS -- Schumacher, 4.525, 330.72 def.
Russell, 4.789, 283.79; Bernstein, 4.906, 279.90
def. Smith, 5.111, 274.94; S. Kalitta, 4.591,
325.45 def. Millican, 5.418, 180.26; D. Kalitta,
4.559, 312.21 def. McClenathan, 5.096, 212.63;
SEMIFINALS -- Bernstein, 4.563, 325.22 def. S.
Kalitta, 8.811, 85.04; Schumacher, 4.505, 329.18
def. D. Kalitta, 4.538, 322.04;
FINAL -- Bernstein, 4.545, 326.87 def.
Schumacher, 5.436, 174.68.
FUNNY CAR:
ROUND ONE -- Tim Wilkerson, Pontiac Firebird,
4.901, 314.75 def. Dean Skuza, Firebird, 5.905,
161.79; Phil Burkart, Firebird, 4.969, 302.75
def. Bob Bode, Firebird, foul; Keith Jackson,
Firebird, 5.789, 176.93 def. Gary Densham, Ford
Mustang, 20.648, 29.46; Tony Pedregon, Mustang,
4.886, 313.37 def. Terry Haddock, Chevy Camaro,
4.979, 301.67; Gary Scelzi, Dodge Stratus,
4.879, 321.88 def. John Force, Mustang, 4.920,
313.88; Whit Bazemore, Stratus, 4.904, 307.79
def. Tommy Johnson Jr., Camaro, 5.369, 226.81;
Frank Pedregon, Firebird, 4.929, 307.16 def. Ron
Capps, Camaro, 4.945, 305.70; Del Worsham,
Firebird, 4.926, 315.19 def. Scotty Cannon,
Stratus, 5.446, 203.40;
QUARTERFINALS -- F. Pedregon, 4.969, 293.35 def.
Jackson, 5.168, 271.08; Bazemore, 4.869, 312.57
def. Burkart, 4.942, 309.91; Scelzi, 4.909,
320.58 def. Wilkerson, 4.944, 307.51; T.
Pedregon, 4.913, 305.42 def. Worsham, 4.905,
313.44;
SEMIFINALS -- T. Pedregon, 4.881, 310.13 def.
Scelzi, 5.976, 216.97; Bazemore, 4.860, 317.27
def. F. Pedregon, 4.934, 304.94;
FINAL -- T. Pedregon, 5.135, 273.39 def.
Bazemore, 5.183, 266.64.
PRO STOCK:
ROUND ONE -- Ron Krisher, Chevy Cavalier, 6.918,
199.88 def. Barry Grant, Cavalier, 17.738,
44.44; Larry Morgan, Dodge Stratus, 6.904,
200.32 def. Jim Yates, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.914,
199.11; Taylor Lastor, Cavalier, 7.007, 198.26
def. Troy Coughlin, Cavalier, 10.580, 85.50; Jeg
Coughlin, Cavalier, 6.895, 200.23 def. Nick
Fratt, Stratus, 6.935, 199.97; Dave Connolly,
Cavalier, 6.885, 200.71 def. Bruce Allen, Grand
Am, foul; Kurt Johnson, Cavalier, 6.891, 200.71
def. Gene Wilson, Stratus, 6.916, 200.00; Greg
Anderson, Grand Am, 6.852, 201.52 def. Mike
Corvo Jr, Dodge Neon R/T, 6.906, 200.05; Jason
Line, Grand Am, 6.896, 200.02 def. Mike Edwards,
Grand Am, 6.915, 199.67;
QUARTERFINALS -- Line, 6.917, 199.40 def.
Morgan, 6.960, 198.96; K. Johnson, 6.898, 199.52
def. Lastor, 8.384, 117.50; J. Coughlin, 6.886,
199.70 def. Connolly, 6.906, 199.61; Anderson,
6.881, 200.74 def. Krisher, 6.920, 199.29;
SEMIFINALS -- K. Johnson, 6.902, 199.67 def.
Line, 6.889, 200.65; Anderson, 6.860, 201.31
def. J. Coughlin, 6.916, 199.32;
FINAL -- Anderson, 6.837, 201.73 def. K.
Johnson, 6.878, 200.56.
PRO STOCK BIKE:
ROUND ONE -- Geno Scali, Suzuki, 7.248, 184.12
def. Jay Matthews, Suzuki, 7.400, 179.97; GT
Tonglet, Harley-Davidson, 7.283, 186.79 def.
Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.318, 182.08; Sean
Conner, Suzuki, 7.342, 176.60 def. Reggie
Showers, Suzuki, 7.315, 181.74; Craig Treble,
Suzuki, 7.260, 188.20 def. Joe DeSantis, Suzuki,
broke; Angelle Savoie, Suzuki, 7.233, 184.14
def. Josh Helvie, Kawasaki, 7.439, 175.59; Shawn
Gann, Suzuki, 7.291, 182.53 def. Fred Collis,
Suzuki, 7.285, 181.76; Mike Berry, Suzuki,
7.267, 184.12 def. Michael Phillips, Suzuki,
7.330, 186.72; Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson,
7.273, 182.33 def. Antron Brown, Suzuki, 7.356,
180.67;
QUARTERFINALS -- Berry, 7.347, 179.83 def.
Scali, foul; Treble, 7.231, 184.22 def. Tonglet,
foul; Hines, 7.290, 187.73 def. Conner, 7.347,
179.11; Savoie, 7.298, 181.81 def. Gann, foul;
SEMIFINALS -- Savoie, 7.266, 184.02 def. Berry,
7.314, 182.58; Treble, 7.165, 185.89 def. Hines,
7.274, 176.56;
FINAL -- Treble, 7.178, 185.33 def. Savoie,
7.230, 188.78.
LAS VEGAS -- Point standings (top 10) for NHRA
professional categories following the Third
annual ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals at The
Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the 22nd of
23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag
Racing Series -
Top Fuel
1. Larry Dixon, 1,940; 2. Doug Kalitta, 1,607;
3. Tony Schumacher, 1,445; 4. Darrell Russell,
1,268; 5. Cory McClenathan, 1,076; 6. David
Baca, 1,009; 7. Kenny Bernstein, 998; 8. John
Smith, 928; 9. Doug Herbert, 881; 10. Rhonda
Hartman-Smith, 838.
Funny Car
1. Tony Pedregon, 1,710; 2. Whit Bazemore,
1,572; 3. John Force, 1,450; 4. Gary Densham,
1,306; 5. Del Worsham, 1,273; 6. (tie) Ron
Capps, 1,084; Gary Scelzi, 1,084; 8. Tim
Wilkerson, 1,044; 9. Dean Skuza, 1,029; 10.
Tommy Johnson Jr., 1,018.
Pro Stock
1. Greg Anderson, 2,099; 2. Kurt Johnson,
1,660; 3. Jeg Coughlin, 1,555; 4. Warren
Johnson, 1,310; 5. Allen Johnson, 950; 6. Ron
Krisher, 936; 7. Mike Edwards, 912; 8. Jim
Yates, 826; 9. Bruce Allen, 824; 10. Scott
Geoffrion, 793.
Pro Stock Bike
1. Geno Scali, 1,079; 2. Angelle Savoie, 962;
3. Shawn Gann, 924; 4. Reggie Showers, 873;
5. Antron Brown, 778; 6. Craig Treble, 774;
7. Fred Collis, 747; 8. Andrew Hines, 727; 9.
Mike Berry, 699; 10. GT Tonglet, 597.
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