rpm.espn.com: Pro fields are set at Gators

ESPN Network: ESPN.com \| RPM \| NFL.com \| NBA.com \| NHL.com \| ESPNdeportes \| ABCSports \| EXPN \| FANTASY

Start your engines!
Play RPM.ESPN Stock Car Challenge!

Win a Honda S2000!
Play The CART Challenge powered by Honda!

Sunday, March 18
Pro fields are set at Gators
By Bill Stephens
ESPN.com

National records have always been an endangered species when the NHRA tour swaggers into Gainesville Raceway. It is undoubtedly one of the most speed-friendly quarter-miles in drag racing.

No wonder then that after the final qualifying sessions for this year's 32nd Mac Tools Gatornationals were completed on Saturday, the quickest Funny Car field in history had been gathered (for the third event in a row), the quickest Pro Stock Motorcycle field had been assembled, the sport's first all-200 MPH Pro Stock field had been secured, a new national speed record had been set in Pro Stock Truck and a new Top Fuel top speed track record had been buttoned down. In short, the action was furious as the professional teams waged all-out war on each other during Saturday's two qualifying sessions.

Top Fuel
Gary Scelzi's 4.57/322, which had been run in Friday's very first qualifying salvo, wound up as the pole winning run. But Scelzi's next three passes were also outstanding: 4.59/319, 4.61/318, and 4.57/317. It was Scelzi's first No. 1 slot of the year and gave his team legitimate hopes of finally winning the Gators, one of only six national events on the schedule that Scelzi has failed to win in his four-plus years of Top Fuel racing.

Larry Dixon's 4.58/316 from Friday gave him the No. 2 slot, while Mike Dunn's thundering 4.59/326 in the last session of the weekend shot him into the No. 3 spot and gave him a new Gainesville Raceway Top Fuel speed mark. Dunn's 328 MPH pass in Phoenix a month ago still stands as the fastest speed ever run on 90 percent nitro and his 326 on Saturday was just a pinch slower than the existing national record.

Rounding out the top five were Doug Kalitta, the defending event champion at No. 4 (4.61/302) and a rebounding Kenny Bernstein at No. 5 (4.63/316). Steve Smith, who wrecked his car on the last qualifying pass of the Checker Schucks Kragen Nationals in Phoenix four weeks ago, managed to slip in on the bump with his 4.95/253.

Funny Car
John Force, a six-time winner at Gainesville, had everything his way during qualifying with three 4.80 shots and a 4.90 pass to go along with it to win the low qualifier honors in Funny Car. With a 4.81/317 on Friday and a 4.81/316 on Saturday afternoon, following a short rain delay that interrupted the day's final session, Force picked up his first pole of 2001, sending him into a first round match-up with long-time adversary Chuck Etchells. Etchells has been openly critical of Force's recent addition of a third car to his team and this first round encounter will almost certainly be a classic.

Both of Force's teammates, Tony Pedregon and Gary Densham, made it into the quickest Funny Car lineup in history that featured Etchells' 4.96 bump, .001 seconds quicker than the previous record field set in Phoenix in February. Pedregon's 4.91/311 was good enough for the 8th spot and Densham's 4.94/300 nailed down the No. 14 qualifying position. Frank Pedregon, Tony's older brother, begins race day at No. 2 (4.86/302), Dean Skuza finished No. 3 (4.88/310), Del Worsham No. 4 (4.88/316) and Ron Capps No. 5 (4.88/311).

Pro Stock
It took until the final session to do it but defending Winston Pro Stock Champion Jeg Coughlin avoided a DNQ and made the sport's first all-200 MPH field when on Saturday afternoon he squeezed out a 6.87/200 in his new 2001 Chevy Cavalier to move into the No. 7 slot. His brother, Troy, was briefly qualified in the final session but was bumped out only moments after his 6.92/200 had put him in at No. 16. Troy was last year's runner-up at the Gators and will now be on the sidelines as final eliminations get underway Sunday morning.

It was Mark Pawuk who took low qualifier honors in the category with his 6.84/200 that was run on Saturday morning. It has been a stretch of 183 races, since the 1992 Winternationals in Pomona, that Pawuk last secured the No. 1 qualifying position. Darrell Alderman, who had held the No. 1 spot until Pawuk's impressive 6.84, wound up No. 2 with his 6.85/201 while Ron Krisher (6.85/201), Jim Yates (6,86/201) and Mike Edwards (6.86/201) filled out the top five. Warren Johnson was unable to benefit from the momentum gained from his victory in Phoenix four weeks ago and managed to qualify only 15th with a 6.09/200, only .008 seconds from a DNQ. Ironically, WJ's last failure to make a national event field happened 14 years ago at the 1987 Gatornationals.

It was a three bike skirmish for No. 1 qualifying honors in Gainesville between reigning champion Angelle Savoie, three-time champion Matt Hines, and last year's No. 4 points finisher, Antron Brown. It was Antron's outstanding 7.20/186 in Saturday's final frame that finally captured the No. 1 spot. Hines, who battled ignition problems on Friday and risked suffering a DNQ, soared during his two Saturday passes with a pair of 7.21 shots awarding him the No. 2 position. Savoie's 7.25/187 gave her the pole in the early going but the newlywed champion ultimately had to settle for No. 3 with a best of 7.23/183.

Randy Daniels had little difficulty locking up the No. 1 Pro Stock Truck slot with his career best 7.43/180 pass that came in Saturday's opening session. Former four-time Super Stock World Champion, Greg Stanfield not only slipped into the No. 2 slot with his 7.44/181 Saturday afternoon but also set a new national speed record in the class with his 7.45/182 blast in the previous round. Two-time champion Bob Panella will go into race day at No. 3 (7.44/181), his teammate, Jeff Gracia, took the No. 4 slot (7.45/179), and rookie sensation Victor Cagnazzi, making his PST debut, rocked everyone with his 7.47/179 lap that shot him to No. 5.

Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories

	NHRA Gatornationals Saturday qualifying results Force leads NHRA qualifying Gearing up for the Gatornationals