NHRA: Mopar First Round Qualifying Notes From Brainerd

22 August 1998

1998 NHRA VisionAire NorthStar Nationals,
Brainerd International Raceway					      
First Round Qualifying Notes and Quotes

Mike Dunn, Mopar Top Fuel, (4.859/301.40 15th position)
"My first run was pretty solid considering that we dropped cylinder right out of the box. We ran on seven cylinders and still went a 4.85 at 301-mph. We were probably a little soft on our setup, but the Mopar dragster really made a move at half-track. My last run was just horrible. We rattled loose a fuel pump right off the start and were lucky not to catch on fire."

Scott Geoffrion, Mopar Pro Stock Avenger, (7.147/194.09 23rd position)
"A disappointing day for me today. We had a couple of good runs, but not great ones like we were looking for today. We made a bunt of changes heading into the first day of qualifying. Mike Bell is the acting crew chief replacing Craig Hankinson. Mike(Bell) made a bunch of adjustments to the car, especially to the back-half. My first hit bit hard at the light and just didn't' generate enough wheel speed. My last pass was a little better. I really carried the front-end off the line but just didn't have a lot on the top-end. We'll just make another go at it tomorrow."

Darrell Alderman, Mopar Pro Stock Avenger, (7.120/193.41 19th position)
"We didn't have a good day today. On my first hit, we spun the tires hard in second gear and the car got sideways in third. It felt like we were too light with our clutch setup and the car just couldn't make a move down the racetrack. You better have a good 60-foot time on this racetrack, otherwise you will have a tough time making the program. We were in the 1.07 range and that is about four-thousandths from what the leaders are running. We'll just try to get it better for tomorrow."

Allen Johnson, Mopar/Amoco Pro Stock Avenger, (7.176/193.46 25th position)
"We got a little closer today. We have really been working hard with our motor program and today was a pretty good day. Your never satisfied when your not in the top sixteen, but we got better from the first session to the second with our Mopar/Amoco Dodge Avenger. If the weather stays cool like it is suppose to, it looks as though we will have a good shot at it tomorrow."

Dean Skuza, Matco Tools/Mopar Funny Car Avenger, (5.150/294.21 8 position )
"The first run was a great start for us. We went back to a combination that we were familiar with and it seems to have made a big difference. We took some compression out of the motor and added some power in different areas. We actually widened the combination parameters to get down the track. It allows you to be less sensitive with your combination. You don't have to worry about making that little mistake that will put you up in smoke. My last run was a 5.26 and wasn't pretty from the start. We dropped a few candles at about the 330-foot mark soI tried to peddle it but it just kind of laid over."