Thursday, Sept. 16, 2004 | 10:14 a.m.
Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. He can be reached at [email protected] or (702) 259-4089.
Jerry Toliver has hired Norm Grimes to replace Richard Hogan as crew chief of the Schick Quattro Toyota Celica Funny Car after the owner/driver failed to qualify at four of the past five races.
Grimes, a veteran engine builder and crew chief, won five Top Alcohol Dragster championships with drivers Rick Santos and Jack O'Brien and most recently guided Morgan Lucas to two injected-nitro dragster national-event victories and one divisional win.
"Norm has had great success in alcohol racing -- on water as well as asphalt," Toliver said. "Wherever he goes, he climbs to the top. His expertise as a premier engine builder and those five alcohol dragster championships prove to me he is dedicated; he is a winner.
"It's a big step for anybody to move up from A-Fuel to the nitro Funny Car ranks and I think he's ready to make that move. With time and the proper coaching, Norm will become one of the greatest crew chiefs out there."
Toliver won the season-opening Winternationals in Pomona, Calif., and has one other final-round appearance this season, but has failed to qualify for eliminations at the past three national events, including the prestigious U.S. Nationals two weeks ago at Indianapolis Raceway Park. With five races remaining in the 2004 NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series season, Toliver is 13th in Funny Car points.
"At this point, we are 264 points out of 10th place and we really don't have anything to lose -- and maybe everything to gain," Toliver said. "We can use the remainder of this year to get ready for next year and Norm can get some laps under him and we can move forward."
Grimes will begin his new role this weekend when the NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series heads to Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, Penn., for the 20th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals.
HE'S BACK: Andrew Cowin made his return to NHRA Top Fuel competition at the U.S. Nationals following an 18-month layoff to recover from head and shoulder injuries he suffered in a non-racing accident in March 2003.
Cowin, a 24-year-old Australian, was the 14th-fastest qualifier at the U.S. Nationals but lost to Scott Kalitta in the opening round of eliminations. Cowin remained in the Indianapolis area after the U.S. Nationals and tested the Cowin Family Racing dragster in preparation for this weekend's Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals.
"It was great to be back racing again after such a long time out of the seat and we achieved our goal of qualifying for the biggest race of the year, but Indy's over and we want to step up our competitiveness, especially in preparation for next year.
"That's why we stuck around to test after the race -- to try new things and move forward. I've got no doubt the data we gathered during the test showed we're definitely on the right track to achieving that."
Cowin was driving for Carrier Boyz Racing in 2003 when he suffered a serious head injury in a fall at his hotel in Johnson City, Tenn. Cowin was in a coma when he arrived at the hospital but was released a week later after making what his doctors termed a "miracle recovery." Cowin received medical clearance three months later to return to racing, but opted to sit out the remainder of the 2003 season.
Cowin earned four number-one qualifier awards, posted the quickest Top Fuel run of the year (4.490 seconds) and finished a career-best eighth in points in 2002 while driving for team owner Darrell Gwynn. In 1999, at the age of 19, Cowin became the youngest Top Fuel finalist in NHRA history when he advanced to the final round at the U.S. Nationals.
BRIEFLY: Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel), Tim Wilkerson (Funny Car), Warren Johnson (Pro Stock) and Michael Phillips (Pro Stock Bike) are the defending race winners at Maple Grove Raceway. ... Defending NHRA Pro Stock champion Greg Anderson can clinch his second consecutive season championship this weekend if he qualifies fourth or better and wins his first-round elimination race. ... Funny Car driver John Force will be out to extend his NHRA-record qualifying streak to 342 consecutive events at Maple Grove. The last time Force failed to put his Funny Car in the field was Oct. 31, 1987, at Pomona, Calif.
archive
