| | Associated Press
Results
JOLIET, Ill. -- John Force won the Funny Car race Sunday at
the Prestone Route 66 Nationals and became the NHRA's career leader
with his 86th drag racing victory.
The win moved Force past Pro Stock legend Bob Glidden and also
extended his Winston Funny Car points lead over Jerry Toliver. It
was Force's fourth straight victory and fifth this year.
Force posted a run of 4.842 seconds at 318.09 mph to defeat
Toliver, who was clocked in 4.934 at 312.64.
"I just tripped out," said Force, who was overcome with
emotion after reaching the milestone. "I felt like a kid again
after that win. I was so excited. It's the most awesome feeling in
the world."
Force started his NHRA career in 1978, but it took him nine
years to win his first national event. Force, 51, dominated the
category throughout the 1990s, winning nine Winston championships
and logging the majority of his career wins.
Gary Scelzi, Ron Krisher, Antron Brown and Bob Panella also were
pro category winners in Sunday's $2 million race, the 10th of 23
events in the NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series.
Scelzi rebounded from a spectacular crash Friday and used the
backup car to win his 18th Top Fuel race, beating Larry Dixon for
the second time in as many weeks. Scelzi covered the quarter-mile
in 4.642 at 317.43 in his Team Winston dragster, edging Dixon, who
posted a 4.702 at 313.07.
Krisher earned his first career Pro Stock victory by keeping
Troy Coughlin winless for his career. Krisher drove his Pontiac
Firebird to a 6.888 at 199.43, outdistancing Coughlin's Oldsmobile
Cutlass, which ran 6.924 at 197.36.
Brown earned his fourth career Pro Stock Motorcycle win and
first of the season in an all-Suzuki final with Craig Treble. Brown
covered the distance in 7.217 at 181.32, while Treble posted a
7.264 at 182.21.
Panella took his third Pro Stock Truck victory of the season,
defeating Randy Daniels in an all Chevy S-10 final. Panella clocked
a 7.530 at 177.42 to edge Daniels' 7.535 at 178.87.
The next NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series event is the 36th
annual Pontiac Excitement Nationals presented by Summit Racing,
June 15-18 at National Trail Raceway near Columbus, Ohio.
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