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NHRA: Mopar Heading West Looking for Second-half Surge

8 July 1998

CENTER LINE, MI -Pioneers during the 1800's headed West to find the land of opportunity. In the drag racing community, the journey is more commonly called the "West Coast Swing." Three races in three weeks, Denver, Sonoma, and Seattle, are not only a battle of attrition, but the most pivotal time if the season for those contending for the NHRA Winston Drag Racing Championship. For Team Mopar Top Fuel driver Mike Dunn and the Darrell Gwynn owned dragster, the treasure of the winner's circle would be a great mid-summer gift.

"It really is make or break time of the year for a lot of teams, including ours,'" said Mike Dunn. "It is the start of the second-half of the year and it usually is the time of year that predicates contenders from pretenders. You have three races in three weeks, all in vastly different conditions. If your going to be the Winston Drag Racing Champion, you have to come out of the West without losing any ground."

The first stop on the West Coast swing is the Mopar Parts Mile High Nationals, just outside of Denver, Colorado. The high altitude of Bandimere Speedway

"Denver is an track that I like to race at every year," added Dunn. "I have won here in both Top Fuel (1994) and in Funny Car (1991). I use to come here in the 60's and 70's with my dad (Funny Car owner Jim Dunn) and he always knew how to tune a car in high altitude. I have some great memories and information to utilize heading into the weekend. It is a perfect place for our Mopar Top Fuel team to get our first win and make a statement for the second-half of the year."

For the 41-year-old Wrightsville, Pa native, 1998 has been an above average season. Qualified #1 in two of the first eight national events, Dunn has gone on to roar the Mopar dragster to five semifinal appearances despite not finding the winner's circle this year.

"It has been a good, but not great year for us," said Dunn. "We have been in a position to win a couple of times, but just haven't taken advantage of the situation. We showed real good power early in the season when the conditions were real favorable. Where we struggled is putting that power to the ground consistently. Guys like Cory (McClenathan) and Joe (Amato) have been able to take their off-season adjustments and make the most of them. They have had the consistency most all of the year, that is the difference."