Atlanta: Mopar eliminations

COMMERCE, Ga. (May 6, 2001) - Mark Osborne and the Hemi-powered Mopar Parts Dodge R/T Pro Stock entry made his second-straight semifinal round appearance during today's Southern NHRA Nationals at the Atlanta Dragway.

Greg Anderson grabbed a starting-line advantage in the semifinal to beat Osborne's 6.963-second lap at 198.17 mph. Osborne, who was trying to win his third career Pro Stock title in Atlanta, defeated hometown favorite Warren Johnson in the first round and Ron Krisher in round two.

"We had a real good day," Osborne noted. "I just need to get over the hump. I didn't dig deep enough to grab that victory."

Osborne won the first two rounds with decisive holeshot advantages. The two-time NHRA Pro Stock national event winner advanced to the semifinals of the most recent Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tenn.

Skuza Loses to Sarver

The Mopar Parts Dodge R/T Nitro Funny Car of Dean Skuza fell in the first round of eliminations to Bruce Sarver. Despite a starting line advantage (.504-.531) for Skuza, Sarver's 4.879-second pass at 311.85 mph outran a 4.924/306.05 mph.

"We made a nice run," Skuza said. "We started the weekend out on the wrong foot with the wrong deck heights. We made one run with the right combination and had only that data. I wouldn't be sitting with you now if we had figured that problem out earlier."

Patterson Falls in Round One

Todd Patterson, driver of the Dodge Motorsports Dakota R/T Pro Stock Truck entry, fell to Mike Coughlin in the first round of eliminations. Coughlin clicked off a 7.582-second elapsed time at 177.14 mph as Patterson laid down a 7.585/178.26 combination.

"We're happy with the progress of the new Dakota R/T," Patterson noted. "I'm disappointed about losing in the first round, but I'm happy with the truck's progress. This is only the third race with this truck, but we've learned a lot."

Smith Fouls Out

Future Mopar Parts-sponsored Pro Stock driver Rickie Smith failed to make it past the first round of eliminations after a red light start. Mark Pawuk ran a 6.946-second lap at 198.47 mph.

"I think I had a dumb attack out there," Smith said. "I saw Richie Stevens get out of shape on the first run and felt I had to do something differenet. I should have been in the other lane, but you can never tell what the track will be like after the Fuel cars run."

-Mopar-