6/13/06

That was a long time in coming.

Just in case you’re wondering if John’s win in Joliet last week was the latest he’s ever gone into the season before winning a national event, you only have to go back to 2003 to see that it wasn’t until Denver that year that he first broke into the scoring column. It was back in 1989 that John’s first win of the year came at Maple Grove (that was the latest into the season his first win has come), and of course, he got his first-ever career national event win in 1987 in Montreal.

Enough about history. John’s win on Sunday has placed him in position to finally run down Ron Capps, whose first-half statistics are just about as good as any we’ve seen in a long time. Lately, Ron has cooled off a bit and that has allowed John to come to within 48 points of the class leader. That’s just over two rounds of racing and it’s entirely possible that we could see the points lead change hands this coming weekend in Englishtown.

Something that has been a startling surprise this year has been the lack of luck, good fortune, or anything resembling consistency from reigning POWERade champion Gary Scelzi. He is miles away from having any shot at defending his title this year—an unbelievable turn of fortune compared to last season when he out battled no fewer than four other drivers down the stretch for his first Funny Car crown. How can such a good team suddenly get so far behind the competition in so short a time?

As John has said many, many times throughout his great career, “This sport will humble you.”

Don’t think for a minute that last November, when John watched Gary stand at the podium at the POWERade Awards out in Palm Springs, California and receive his champion’s trophy and a check for $400,000 that it didn’t hit John where he lives. After you’ve won 13 championships, it’s not easy to sit back and see something you’ve practically considered your own personal property wind up in someone else’s hands. That was a rude awakening for John and his win last Sunday in Joliet may be seen as a rude awakening for anyone in the F/C class—Ron Capps included—who might have attached too much meaning to John’s lukewarm start to 2006.

Right now, the POWERade Top Ten reflects a points race that with each passing event leans more and more toward a two-driver chase. Ron and John are in command of the neighborhood at present with Robert a full 186 points back. That’s roughly nine rounds of racing and with the season theoretically at the halfway point following the K&N SuperNationals in E-town this weekend, some very unlikely reversals of fortune would have to open the door for Robert—or anyone else—to move into striking distance of the top. Impossible? No, but there has been way too much inconsistency among the other drivers in the Top Ten so far this season for any of them to be seriously considered reasonable threats at this point. Someone will have to get smoking hot and stay that way to find themselves in the Capps/Force battleground.

I’ll be heading for Englishtown for this weekend’s event for ESPN2’s coverage of the AMS Staff Leasing Pro Modified series which will be seen on an upcoming episode of Inside Drag Racing in a few weeks. In the meantime, I’ll have more from “In the Groove” right here early next week.

Hope you’ll slide on back here then!