Funny Car points race brings drama to LVMS

Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2003 | 9:53 a.m.

Two of the four NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series championships already have been decided, but this weekend's ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway certainly won't lack for drama.

Titles in the Funny Car and Pro Stock Bike categories still are up for grabs, 2003 Pro Stock champion Greg Anderson will be gunning for a record and drag-racing legend Kenny Bernstein will make one last run in Las Vegas before retiring -- again.

In the hotly contested Funny Car championship battle, Tony Pedregon holds a 114-point lead over Whit Bazemore heading into the penultimate race of the 2003 NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series. Pedregon, who drives for 12-time Funny Car champion John Force, can clinch his first season championship by advancing two rounds farther than Bazemore in Sunday's final eliminations.

Pedregon won the NHRA spring event in Las Vegas this year and was the runner-up (to Force) at last year's ACDelco NHRA Las Vegas Nationals.

Bazemore, who also is seeking his first NHRA championship, said he knows what he has to do this weekend and at the season finale Nov. 7-9 in Pomona, Calif.

"It's really simple for us," Bazemore, a three-time winner this season, said. "If we're going to win the championship this year, we have to win this race; it's pretty cut and dried. We're totally focused (and) there's no room for error.

"If we don't win the race, then the odds of us winning the championship are very, very small. If we win the race, the odds are still against us but we could make up a lot of ground. We have to make up a lot of ground and the best way to do that is to win the race. So that is our only goal."

Winning also is the goal for Anderson, who wrapped up the Pro Stock championship Oct. 12 at the Texas Motorplex in Ennis, Texas, with his 10th victory of the season.

Anderson, who drives the Vegas General Construction Pontiac Grand Am that is owned by Las Vegas businessman Ken Black, can match the NHRA Pro Stock record for wins in a season with a victory in Las Vegas and can break the record with victories in the final two races of the season.

"We're not done with the season yet," Anderson said. "We're going after the race win record; that's the only thing I see left that we need to do this year (and) we have to win both races to do that. That would make this campaign complete."

In Pro Stock Bike, Geno Scali leads Shawn Gann by 151 points and three-time champion Angelle Savoie by 158 points in Pro Stock Bike. Scali can wrap up the championship if he leaves Las Vegas with at least a 139-point lead.

Bernstein, who retired as driver of the Budweiser/Lucas Oil Top Fuel dragster at the end of last season, was forced back into the cockpit in May when his replacement and son, Brandon, was injured during a race in Englishtown, N.J. The elder Bernstein has won two of the past three races and said he is looking forward to returning to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

"We're really pumped about coming to Las Vegas because that has been a good track for us," Bernstein said. "At this point in the season, we're usually battling for a championship so it feels a little strange to have that out of reach this year.

"But it'd sure be nice to get one more (victory) before we step out of the car and hand it back over to Brandon (at the start of next season)."

Bernstein has advanced to the final round three times in five career races in Las Vegas and won the 2000 and 2001 spring races at The Strip.

Dixon (Top Fuel), Force (Funny Car), Jeg Coughlin (Pro Stock) and Savoie are the defending event winners while Dixon, Pedregon and Anderson won their categories in the spring event at The Strip.

Las Vegas resident George Marnell (Pro Stock) and local firefighter Andy Lewis (Pro Stock Bike) will be the local favorites among the 150 drivers entered in the professional categories.

The third annual ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals gets under way Thursday morning with qualifying in the Sportsman categories. Qualifying for the professional categories begins Friday afternoon.