NHRA

Tucson Friday testing

TUCSON, Ariz. -- Kenny Bernstein was impressive in his Budweiser King dragster Friday during several pre-season testing runs to open the 2001 NHRA Spring Training at Southwestern International Raceway. After struggling during a three-day test ...

Edited: Apr 15, 2002, 11:45 PM

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TUCSON, Ariz. -- Kenny Bernstein was impressive in his Budweiser King dragster Friday during several pre-season testing runs to open the 2001 NHRA Spring Training at Southwestern International Raceway. After struggling during a three-day test session last weekend at Firebird International Raceway near Phoenix, Bernstein recorded the quickest run to 1,000 feet during a day full of aborted runs, reaching that marker in less than four seconds. No team was able to clock a full pass.

NHRA Top Fuel and Funny Car teams are using the test session to prepare for the 41st annual AutoZone Winternationals at Pomona (Calif.) Raceway, Feb. 1-4. The $1.9 million race is the first of 24 events in the $50 million NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series for 2001, NHRA's 50th anniversary season.

Bernstein's 1,000-foot effort was not only the quickest of the day, his incremental times on that run were also the quickest at each intermediate clock, starting with a 0.842 60-foot time, 2.143 seconds 330 feet, 3.085 seconds and 265.22 mph at half track, and 3.948 at 1,000 feet.

During limited test runs on Thursday, Bernstein recorded the best 60-foot time of the weekend, an impressive .830 second effort.

Mike Dunn recorded the second quickest run Friday. He was clocked at 0.845 at 60 feet, 2.172 at 330, 3.106/268.49 at half track, and 4.057 at 1,000 feet, followed by Gary Scelzi with intermediate clockings of 0.869, 2.174, 3.117/262.08, and 4.008.

None of the Funny Car drivers got to the 1,000-foot marker under full power. Scotty Cannon posted the quickest run to 330 feet, 2.302 seconds, followed by Tony Pedregon (in both Castrol cars), Bruce Sarver, and Dean Skuza, all with 2.33 or 2.34 second 330-foot times.

Testing continues Saturday at 10 a.m.

-NHRA

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