7/18/06

Is the points race tight enough for you?

Call it another missed opportunity if you like, because that’s exactly what John’s second round loss to Gary Scelzi was on Sunday. Ron Capps is the new president of the Gary Scelzi Fan Club after Ron went out in the first round and could only watch to see if John could overtake him in the points. The lead was 44 going into Denver and it’s now 26.

A little more than one round of racing is the difference between them with the rest of the Western Swing to go and before you know it, the U.S. Nationals on Labor Day weekend. As I wrote in my event preview for ESPN.com on Friday, there is still no apparent threat being posed by any other drivers in the class to move into contention with Robert holding onto third place in the standings but nearly a full 200 points behind John. Tony Pedregon and Tommy Johnson Jr. would need to get scalding hot to put any pressure on Ron and John at this point—combined with the Castrol and Brut drivers suddenly going ice cold.

The other three pro classes all saw new points leaders emerge in Denver with Doug Kalitta finally getting around Melanie Troxel, Jason Line squeezing past Greg Anderson, and Andrew Hines going around Angelle Sampey. It has been a long time since all four classes were this close at just past the halfway point of the season. If my math is correct (no guarantees there….) the combined points leads for all four pro classes is only 98 points, which means we could see the closest championship races in class history—times four!

We should also give a big shout-out to J.R. Todd who picked up his first NHRA national event win in only his ninth Top Fuel start. He is now the first African-American driver to grace an NHRA Top Fuel winner’s circle and it’s apparent that the youngster is destined for genuine stardom in the drag racing firmament. Keep your eye on this kid!

You should also keep your eye on A&E tonight (if you’re reading this on Monday, July 17) as “Driving Force”, the much-anticipated reality show starring John and his family debuts at 9 PM/8C. The show is expected to turn a lot of people who are unfamiliar with the sport into drag racing fans when they get a very close and personal look at how the Force family has pulled together in the eye of the NHRA hurricane. I know John is very anxious to see how the public reacts to the show; especially those who have never given much thought to drag racing in the past and will now get a real behind-the-scenes picture of what life both on and off the track has been like for John, Laurie, Ashley, Brittany, and Courtney. I know you’ll be watching.

I also wanted to mention that a very good friend of mine and someone who has meant a lot to just about every drag racer on the NHRA trail recently passed away. Carol Jakopec and her husband Carl were members of the Top End crew at NHRA national events for a long time and Carol lost her battle with cancer several days ago. She was such a kind and caring person, a real fan of drag racing, and what you might call a Guardian Angel for everyone who worked the top end at national events. She was full of life, always ready with a kind word, and no race would be complete for me or any member of the Safety Safari (or anyone else in the area) without some homemade cookies or brownies, cold lemonade, or delicious ice cream treats Carol would serve up in her motor coach parked near the turn-off. Carol was the niece of Preston Tucker, the legendary automobile builder who nearly revolutionized the car industry in the 1940’s with his Tucker Torpedo. Carol will be missed by everyone who she ever took the time to meet and talk to and it will be a sad occasion for me this Wednesday when I travel to the Jakopec’s home in Las Vegas to attend her services and offer my eulogies.

Meanwhile, the Western Swing trucks on into Seattle next weekend for the next leg of this year’s notorious three-week road trip. I’ll have more from “In the Groove” following the race so take a moment to check back here next Monday.

Thanks!