Staging Light

National Dragster, Mar 11, 2005 by Burgess, Phil

Remember the Twilight Zone episode called "Person or Persons Unknown," where this poor guy wakes up one morning and no one - not his wife, his best friend, not even his mother - recognizes him? Even his favorite bartender doesn't know him or understand what he means when he asks for "the usual."

That's kind of how I feel about the 2005 season so far. "The usual" has certainly been the exception this season, and even though we're only two races into a 23-event schedule, it's clear that we won't be watching a season of reruns.

I mean, go figure: Pro Stock king Greg Andersen, who could virtually do no wrong last year and completed pass after pass with machine-like consistency, has lost two of a possible seven qualifying passes this year to breakage. He has won just one round of competition, qualified in the bottom half of the field for the first time in ages in Phoenix, and already is 111 points behind his progress at this time last year. Teammate Jason Line, last year's Automobile Club of Southern California Rookie of the Year, isn't much better off. While it's far too early to write off Anderson, it has been a shocking turnaround. Be sure to read our exclusive interview with Anderson next week to see where he stands on the season to date.

Speaking of Pro Stock ... well, I'm almost speechless. Jim Yates, one of last year's whipping boys, blew everyone out of the water by qualifying No. 1 at the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals. Then along comes Richie "the Kid" Stevens Jr. to grab the pole in Phoenix, his first since the 1999 event in Topeka. Then Alien Johnson scores his first win in more than three years - defeating Ron Krisher, the guy who last appeared in a final round when Johnson did, at the 2003 event in Madison. In fact, Krisher stopped Winternationals champ Dave Connolly in round one and, with Johnson's win, suddenly Dodge has its first POWERade Pro Stock points lead in 10 years. Cue Rod Serling, please.

The situation's not a whole lot less freaky in Funny Car, where Tommy Johnson Jr., like Yates coming off a lamentable year, scored in Pomona to secure his first points lead ever. T.J. then gets handed his hat in the first round in Phoenix by his former teammate, Ron Capps, who had a dreadful season opener. Capps doesn't win the event but makes his first final-round appearance since May 2003, and even though defending NHRA POWERade Funny Car world champion John Force did win - for the eighth time in the last 12 years in Phoenix - he doesn't have the points lead because his entire three-car team got drilled in round one of Pomona for the first time since the 2001 season. No, the points lead for the second straight event went to someone who has never led the points in his career, Checker Schuck's Kragen pilot and Winternationals runner-up Phil Burkart Jr., and that fact wasn't lost on the multitude of CSK executives on hand at Firebird Int'l Raceway.

Bob Wilber, pound for pound and word for word one of the best publicists in the business, told NHRA.com that, after defeating Whit Bazemore in round two in Phoenix to assume the points lead, "Burkart was in his own world, staring blankly into space. And then he spoke, to the entire world, to himself, but to no one in particular. 'Oh my God,' came out of Burkart's mouth with a tone of either shock or incredulity. To the others present, it sounded as if Burkart had just discovered a black widow spider on his nose or a second foot growing out of one of his legs. His friends and teammates looked at him quickly, in fear something was truly amiss. [Crew chief Chris] Cunningham immediately asked Burkart what was wrong. 'Nothing. Nothing's wrong,' Burkart replied. 'Just, oh my God, that's all. I can't believe this.' For a guy who spent seven rough years simply trying to find a decent full-time ride [and] then finally cracked the POWERade top 10 in his first full season as the CSK blue team driver, the thought of seeing his name atop the points sheet was almost too much to comprehend."

There was a sense of normalcy returned to the Top Fuel ranks following the early dismissal of favorites in Pomona, including Top Fuel champ Tony Schumacher, who bounced back to win in Phoenix, though two-time championship runner-up Doug Kalitta's woes unexpectedly continued with a second straight first-round loss. The fact that Brandon Bernstein's two-year, 10-round winning streak at the event ended in the semifinals was also worthy of noting as a departure from "the usual," and what is one to think of Morgan Lucas, who has now appeared in three of the last four finals and is still seeking his first win? Will his presence in final rounds and the top three be "the usual" this year? How long until he finds the winner's circle?

Again, we're just one-twelfth of the way through the season and things could change drastically as soon as the next event, but my guess is that we may be in for one of those Twilight Zone seasons. I don't think even Rod Serling himself would know what lies "at the signpost up ahead." - Phil Burgess