NHRA

Atlanta: Doug Herbert preview

It's the same story: Herbert, Johnny West continue searching for winning combination. COMMERCE, Ga., May 2, 2002 - The frustration is as evident as the blue tire smoke that hazes off his Snap-on Racing Top Fuel dragster. After six races in the ...

Published: May 4, 2002, 4:25 PM

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It's the same story: Herbert, Johnny West continue searching for winning combination.

COMMERCE, Ga., May 2, 2002 - The frustration is as evident as the blue tire smoke that hazes off his Snap-on Racing Top Fuel dragster. After six races in the NHRA Powerade Series season, Doug Herbert has managed only one round win.

"Just when I thought things were going in the right direction, it looks like we took a step backward," Herbert said following Sunday's Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol, Tenn. "We know how to get down the track in a mid-to-high 4.7 seconds, but we need to be a tenth of a second better to win rounds on race day."

Herbert and tuner Johnny West get another opportunity to go rounds Friday through Sunday in the Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway. The track is one of the closest to Herbert's Cherryville, N.C., home and he expects many of his Doug Herbert Performance employees and friends to be in the grandstands during the weekend. It's another incentive to get the tune-up turned around and have the car run consistently quicker and faster.

"We really haven't had one good weekend all year," added Herbert. "I guess the only good thing about having two races in a row like we do is that we don't have to wait long to get back to racing. We hope that will help us when qualifying starts (Friday)."

Herbert hasn't had much success at Atlanta Dragway, either. His first-round win over Bruce Litton last year was just his second round win in six tries at the track. The first came 10 years ago. He also has three DNQs.

Herbert's best run of the season - 4.622 seconds at 322.88 mph - came in his first-round victory over Kenny Bernstein at Phoenix in February, four races ago.

"We really need to do something different to get better results . . . it's not like we aren't trying," Herbert concluded.

He enters this event ninth in points with 215, 21 behind eighth-place Rhonda Hartman-Smith.

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