Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Frustrated Marnell looking for speed

Friday, June 16, 2000 | 9:53 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand's motor sports notebook appears Friday. Reach him at bh@lasvegassun.com or 259-4089.

On the surface, it would be natural to assume that George Marnell's recent slump would be disheartening for the NHRA Pro Stock competitor.

After all, the 49-year-old Las Vegas resident has failed to advance to the final eliminations of seven straight NHRA events -- starting with his hometown SummitRacing.com Nationals in April at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

While Marnell admitted to being frustrated, he isn't about to give up hope.

"It really has been real frustrating (but) we're not so far off that we're not competitive," Marnell said. "We're still plugging away here and I'm hoping that this weekend turns things around for us."

Although Marnell has missed the Sunday show at each of the past seven races, he hasn't been missing by much; he failed to qualify in the top 16 on two occasions by less than a hundredth of a second. And this after he qualified for the final eliminations at each of the first three events this season.

Heading into this weekend's Pontiac Excitement Nationals near Columbus, Ohio, Marnell said he believes his team is about to turn its season around.

"We've encountered some problems with the car," Marnell said. "We sent the car back to the chassis builder and we found some wiring inside some tubing that was grounding. That was probably giving the car a miss at high rpms (and) that was keeping it off the pace just a bit.

"We also changed some of the aerodynamics of the car ... and I talked with our engine builder this week and we're trying a couple of different camshafts. We're changing the configuration of the motor a little bit, which seemed to pick it up. We're hoping that that's enough to put us back in the hunt."

Marnell said he believes the changes his team has made will close the gap -- as small as it has been -- on his competitors.

"One of the things that has happened is that everybody has picked up and we probably have not picked up as much as the other guys. That's what has pushed us down a little bit," he said. "It's not like we're off a lot, it just that there's not that much difference between 15th and 19th in this field anymore.

"We're hoping that with the modifications we've done to the race car and maybe a few more ponies under the hood, we can put it back in."

* NASCAR: Winston Cup driver Stacy Compton said he believes that Melling Racing's switch to the Dodge Intrepid in 2001 will bring the single-car team up to a level of competitiveness similar to multi-car teams.

"It's not going to be just Melling Racing anymore," Compton said. "We're going to be getting support from Dodge as well as from Petty Enterprises, Evernham Motorsports and Bill Davis Racing.

"While we may be a single-car effort, being a part of the Dodge team is the equivalent of being part of a much larger program."

Compton's Dodge will be sponsored by Kodiak and will bear the number 92. Earlier this year, Melling agreed to release the number 9 to Evernham Motorsports and driver Bill Elliott. ...

Dale Earnhardt, in his quest for a record eighth Winston Cup championship, moved up one spot to second place in the standings and trails Bobby Labonte by 98 points.

"This team is not satisfied with our past few races and I get a sense that everyone is hungry for our first win of the season," Vasser said. "The good thing is that no one is getting nervous or making excuses -- we're just excited to get back out there, race and gain some ground on Paul (Tracy, the points leader).

"It has been a while since we've experienced a victory celebration, but with the Toyota running so strong, I know it's going to happen soon."

Vasser, who trails fellow Las Vegan Tracy by 11 points in the championship, goes into this weekend's Grand Prix of Detroit with three straight top-six finishes on Belle Isle.

"I had a nice run in Detroit a year ago, so I have a good feeling heading back there," Vasser said. "I think it's about time to start another streak of podium finishes."

Logan, a St. Louis chiropractor, became the first African-American with sole ownership of a team to put a car into the field of an Indy Racing event -- dating to the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911.

"I finally got a chance to qualify and make a race," Logan said. "Hopefully, this is a sign of things to come. We're trying to open up this sport to people who haven't been here before -- mechanics, people working on the cars, technicians, engine builders and also to fans.

"I think it is going to be good for the sport in the long run. Everything has to have a start and this is a good place to do it."

Roe finished 25th in Sunday's race when he dropped out after 60 laps with a blown engine. ...

The Indy Racing Northern Light Series and Texas Motor Speedway have extended their agreement to stage two IRL races per year at the 1.5-mile superspeedway through 2004. TMS will host the first race following the Indianapolis 500 and the season-ending race each year.

"For me, the biggest races on tour are at Pomona, Gainesville, Englishtown, Indianapolis and Columbus," Dixon said. "Out of those five events, Columbus is the only one that I have not won and I would like to add that to my resume.

"(Crew chief) Dick LaHaie seems to have a knack for getting down the track and has a lot of past success there. Before he came to our team, we never have done well there because we were always racing against him. I am looking forward to what Dick can do for us at this track."

In addition to winning the Columbus race twice as a driver, LaHaie served as the winning crew chief for drivers Scott Kalitta (1994-95) and Doug Herbert (1999).

Dixon trails Winston Top Fuel points leader Gary Scelzi by 60 points going into this weekend.

A pair of 25-lap main events for NASCAR Late Models will highlight the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series Saturday night at Las Vegas Motor Speedway's 3/8-mile paved oval. Spectator gates open at 5 p.m. and racing starts at 6. ...

The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will host Friday night drags, High School and Imports tonight and Junior Dragsters Saturday night. Gates open at 5 this evening and 4 p.m. Saturday.