Media Matters: Dads rule Bristol on Father's Day
Phillip Gary Smith, go2geiger Media Columnist
Tuesday, 22 June 2010
John Force goes NASCAR-- what a Father’s Day gift this would be for the circle track circus! Stock car champion and race commentator, Rusty Wallace, referenced Mr. NHRA in the Saturday Nationwide event at Elkhart Lake, Wis. Their live broadcast preceded the Bristol qualifying program. During a for-the-win restart on this scenic road course, he said a driver had better execute it drag racing style. How did he characterize the move?
“He needs to restart like John Force,” meaning to come boiling off that flag. Give Rusty credit for pulling that one out of the air and in the process foretelling the Bristol Funny Car results.
John Force revived his season on Father’s Day, restarting it just as he did on the tree -- winning every light of every round including against young buckaroo, Matt Hagan. Was the advantage gained from stealing nips on a jug of good ole Tennessee ’shine? Not! Rather, his alertness -- “jacked up” he called it -- was a credit to chugging Full Throttle, proving again he is a master of crediting sponsors. If youthfulness is a state of mind, a healthy way of life for senior racers, then watch out Funny Car class because Force says, “I am a workout nut … I am going to try and stay young.”
The only light Tim Wilkerson lost all day was to Force. He bested Melanie Troxel (“Mel is a full-time quality driver”), No. 1 qualifier Ashley Force Hood, and in the semifinals, Del Worsham. Making it to the finals after fighting recently to just make second rounds was a big step for the Levi, Ray & Shoup team, the biggest since winning Gainesville. Racing the finals against the biggest name in motorsports, the crowd on their feet, Wilkerson suffered heartbreak as the electrical glitch in his safety system that emerged in his third qualifying pass reared up like a demented demon just off the line. What really hurt was that Force’s lap was beatable, too. In the prior round, Wilkerson ran what turned out what would have been winning ET.
During Friday night qualifying, Antron Brown’s red, flaming and blue dragster powered down the track with headers blazing, accenting the patriotic color scheme while easily nailing the No. 1 qualifying spot. He wasn’t around in the finals, though. Two young fathers played those roles -- Brandon Bernstein’s revived team raced opposite the stout Tony Schumacher. Back on the line, watching these two power to a thrilling final -- the victor decided when flames erupted out of the Copart dragster’s nitro power plant -- were their famous fathers, Kenny and Don. The emotional investment in winning this event on Father’s Day was etched with anguish in the face of Kenny Bernstein -- a near win as Brandon’s lead down track disappeared in a trailing inferno -- but his son was safe.
Morgan Lucas gave his dad, Forrest, an exciting first round surprise by outracing heavily favored Larry Dixon and Al-Anabi Racing. The elated Morgan exclaimed, “This was our biggest round win this year.” The viewer could sense his relief as he stated, “Win lights make this a lot more fun.” David Reiff told this story on Alan Johnson, “owner of two Al-Anabi race teams, a cylinder heads business and agriculture operations back in California. He was happy at the Lakers seventh game championship,” after shelling out $3,000 of his pocket change for the ducats.
Pro Stock Champion Jeg Coughlin loves the heat so much at Bristol he ran two classes. An ESPN feature broadcast him leaving the line in both cars in simultaneous clips. He uses a visor to block the Sportsman tree so it only shows the final bulb, resembling closer the Pro start. The camera shows him ripping the visor off the window and tossing it down just after he leaves the line. He raced Stock Eliminator, eventually meeting and losing to the Jeg of that class -- David Rampy. Then, Roy Johnson on his return to Sportsman racing (see below) took out Rampy in the next round, only to lose in the semifinals.
Jeg made an interesting observation on this race facility, one I had not seen before. “It's a cool setting, Thunder Valley, and when they pack the stands there it offers a very unique view from the cockpit of the racecar,” meaning there are no open views to the side out of the car … it’s all fans or mountains. His Pro laps earned him a shot in the semifinals against eventual class winner, Mike Edwards. Jeg won the R/T battle but had issues with the clutch, and that was that. Now he goes to Norwalk, closest track to the JEGs headquarters.
Shawn Langdon, Lucas Oil Top Fuel pilot, also raced two classes including Super Gas. “I really enjoy it,” making some good lights until the third round when red ended his day. Mike Ruff, in the other lane, went on to the semifinals. David Reiff commented that Shawn “was going back to his roots.” Maybe this is his secret to cutting those best of class lights.
Sounding every bit like a Tennessee Tourism spokesperson, Paul Page spoke the truth when he described East Tennessee as “some of the most beautiful country in the world with lakes, mountains, and forests.” Another southern element, however, affected the racing: heat -- heat lying on the racetrack, heat burning in the pits. Sweaty drivers, wrapped in firesuits sucking out what little comfort they had, performed admirably on camera, never complaining, giving credit to the Safety Safari for their job in prepping the racing surface.
Tennessee Pro Stock natives, Roy and Allen Johnson, best demonstrated how to stay cool -- enjoy cantaloupe and watermelon, a combo Allen called “mush melon,” in the shade of their tented pits. Did you spot Roy slicing seedless bites with his trusty pocketknife? Allen achieved something this weekend he never had done at his home track: win qualifying. Exciting television and racing as each of the four qualifying laps seesawed back-and-forth against Mike Edwards as they lined up along side of one another all weekend. Allen won session one with Mike taking the night. Coming back on Saturday, Allen leapt back on top in the morning. Mike did not retake the position in the heat of the afternoon, but did run the quickest lap of the session, a positive omen for his Sunday setup.
Remaining snake bit at Bristol, Allen clicked his Mopar off early in the semifinals, only to have young whiz, Rickie Jones, break at the finish. Edwards was beatable in the finals, too, sliding around down track, but young Rickie’s red light handed Edwards a freebie. Mike Edwards, through his close association with Young Life, offers fatherly guidance to a very big family, over a million young people in the United States alone.
Sons of ‘Flaming Frank’ Pedregon, Cruz and Tony, trailered all that equipment to Bristol just to race one another. Cruz surprised the field by qualifying second, just barely behind Ashley Force Hood. Inspired crew chief, Danny DeGennaro, gleefully razzed the bigger funded teams, “We’re going to take it to them tomorrow. The heat is the great equalizer.” Tony’s only qualifying run for the weekend came in round four where he initially missed having to face Cruz on race day. Jeff Arend, though, bumped up a notch in the next lap from his 15th spot, and the brotherly dual was set. Cruz could not get by Tony who moved on only to fall to Bob Tasca III in the second round. In a prerace interview, Tony snuck in a subtle reminder about the JFR team racing controversy of 2009: “We guarantee the Pedregons race when we go to the line.”
Father’s Day was everywhere at Bristol. Jeg Coughlin shared some time with his legendary father, Jeg Coughlin Sr., as part of the track's “Donuts with Dad” promotion.
“All the Bruton Smith-owned tracks do neat programs that bring the fans closer to the people in the sport,” Jeg noted. “With Father’s Day we'll get to have some coffee and donuts with fans and my pop. He’s been around the sport for 50 years. His passion has filled a business need, and now JEGs is celebrating its 50th year. Thank God for racing.”
Racers for Christ sponsored a big crafts project for the kids where they made self-styled Fathers Day cards. The tent was teeming with these budding artists.
Best thought of the day came after this John Force speech regarding Father’s Day:
“Call your dad! My kids have been calling me already. We don’t need a gift.” Paul Page, representing the sentiments of many, said something along the order of “We don’t?”
Kurt Johnson said the best advice from his dad was, “It’s all about preparation.” Voted in by fans for the eighth and final K&N Pro Stock Horsepower Challenge driver was Warren’s Father’s Day gift.
Finally, check this out … Troy Buff offered a gift list for some dads on the underside of the wing of his Bill Miller Racing/Okuma dragster: “You can never have enough horsepower or ammunition.”
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