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NHRA's Record-Setting Thrill Show Coming to Atlanta Dragway

9 April 1998

COMMERCE, Ga.-- Next stop for the NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series record-setting thrill show of speed: Atlanta Dragway. The 22 event, $30-million drag racing series has earned all rights and privileges to that marquee headline during the course of the last three events. In just two short months, records in every NHRA professional category have been rewritten.

Consider some of the major performances. Top Fuel's Cory McClenathan drove his McDonald's dragster to a record speed mark of 322.92 mph at Phoenix's ATSCO Nationals. Joe Amato lowered the Top Fuel elapsed time mark to 4.539 seconds at Houston Raceway Park. In Funny Car, Cruz Pedregon now owns both the E.T. and speed records, at 4.819, 317.23, thanks to very impressive outings at Gainesville, Fla. and Houston.

Warren Johnson posted a record-setting Pro Stock performance at the Mac Tools Gatornationals, with an E.T. of 6.873 seconds and a speed of 201.20 mph. Matt Hines established new Pro Stock Motorcycle standards in Florida at 7.245, 187.57. Even Larry Kopp got in on the fun at Houston during the Pro Stock Truck debut, letting his fellow opponents know that to be record-setters they would have to better his Chevrolet S-10's 7.635 E.T. and 174.83 mph speed.

For the first time in history, all five NHRA professional categories will be featured at a single event. Teams in each one of those eliminator categories will be gunning for more performance milestones and their share of the $1.6-million purse at the Fram National,s April 16-19, the fifth NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series event of the season.

Defending event champions include Kenny Bernstein in Top Fuel, Randy Anderson in Funny Car, Jim Yates in Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle's John Myers.

Bernstein, of Lake Forest, Calif., has had a roller coaster ride of a season so far, posting a win at the Mac Tools Gatornationals and a semi-final appearance at the season-opening Chief Auto Parts Winternationals, along with a DNQ at the ATSCO Nationals and a first round loss at the recent Houston Pennzoil Nationals. He hopes to get the Bud King dragster headed in the right direction with a win at Atlanta. It'll be tough however, with contenders like Winston points leader McClenathan, top challenger Jim Head and 1996 Fram Nationals winner Larry Dixon all having excellent seasons.

In Funny Car, Anderson had one of his best outings of the season at Houston, losing in the semi- finals to eventual runner-up John Force. Anderson will need that momentum at Atlanta, however, because Force has ruled at this event for the last six seasons, advancing to the final each time and winning on four occasions. Force's teammate, Tony Pedregon, is the most recent winner. Another top challenger, Cruz Pedregon, would like to put his record-holding Interstate Batteries Pontiac Firebird into the winner's circle for the first time at Atlanta Dragway.

Yates needs to repeat his Atlanta win of a year ago if he's to catch Winston points leader Johnson, who has increased his lead by 97 over the course of the last two races. Two-time finalist Jeg Coughlin, Pennzoil Nationals finalist Mike Thomas, 1995 Fram Nationals winner Mark Thomas and 1997 runner-up Kurt Johnson are all threats to win in Pro Stock.

Hines leads the Winston point standings in Pro Stock Motorcycle and Dodge Dakota driver David Nickens is on top in Pro Stock Truck.