Force, Schumacher teams shine in Las Vegas testing

National Dragster, Feb 4, 2005 by McKenna, Kevin

Ultimately, Force recorded a 5.480 best during the weekend in her Darien & Meadows Mattel Toy Store dragster and Shields a 5.546, 258.52 with the help of crew chief Steve Boggs, who tuned Mitch Myers to the national championship last season.

Kalivoda had a tough time behind the wheel of Bill Miller's Top Fuel dragster. In eight attempts, Kalivoda never made it to the 330-foot mark without smoking the tires.

Biggest surprise: Capps' 4.786 on his second pass ever with the Brut Stratus merits some consideration, but the weekend's biggest surprise came from Capps' former Skoal teammate Johnson, who ran a 4.785 Sunday and backed it up with a 4.779, 326.87 Monday morning. Johnson also ran a 4.810 earlier in the weekend.

"Even though this is now a one-car team, we're not operating like a one-car team," said Johnson. "I am going to run two complete cars in testing so we can gain knowledge and try a few different things. Our biggest accomplishment this weekend has been our half-track numbers. We've really increased our eighth-mile performance. Now, we'd like to run a little better to the 330-foot mark."

Oh say can you see? Worsham made one run Saturday using a tall Top Fuel-style fuel-injector hat, but he aborted the run early because it impaired his vision. "We're looking for ways to get more air into the motor, so I think this idea has some merit, but I couldn't see too well," he said. "I could see enough to get the car down the track, but I wouldn't want to stage alongside John Force with that thing on there."

What's new? In addition to Worsham's oversized injector, several other teams tested new equipment. Amato Racing crew chief Dupuy tried several new parts, not the least of which was a set of Ken Veney cylinder heads. Scelzi made several solid runs with a new slip-tube chassis, and Top Alcohol Funny Car racer Dennis Taylor, who finished a career-best fourth last season, spent much of the weekend conducting tire tests for Mickey Thompson Tires.

Quotebook: "I've got a car that runs 4.6s; what do I need to test? I'm just here to make some runs, break in a couple of new guys, and get ready for the wars to start again in Pomona." - John Force

"Eric [Medlen] has low e.t., Robert [Hight] has top speed, and who am I? Oh yeah, Fm just the guy who pays the bills." - Force

"We've made eight runs and haven't gone past 100 feet without smoking the tires, so, yes, I would say we're struggling. We ran 4.59 late last year and could probably do that again, but a 4.59 isn't going to get it done this year. We want to run low 4.5s or high 4.4s. To do that, we made a lot of changes. Right now, I'm glad Fm not the crew chief." - Brady Kalivoda

"When you come to these [test sessions], the guy who learns the most is usually the guy who tries the most things that don't work." - Austin Coil

"This is a new team with a new car and a whole new crew, so it's a big adjustment. Even the Mopar body takes some getting used to because the view is different and it acts differently going down the track. I feel like a rookie all over again, so I really need this test session." - Ron Capps