THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, June 2, 1995 TAG: 9506020671
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK VEHORN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines
If your are looking for a favorite in the inaugural NHRA Winston Drag Series at Virginia Motorsports Park in Dinwiddie this weekend, consider Top Fuel rookie Larry Dixon, who is having a dream-like first season on the tour.
Dixon, a former mechanic for retired drag star Don ``The Snake'' Prudhomme, already has three wins, leads the championship point standings, and recently ran the quickest quarter-mile in NHRA history, 4.690 seconds in the Nationals at Englishtown, N.J.
``This isn't like a dream, though,'' says drag racing's newest superstar. ``I've never dreamed this big in my whole life.''
Dixon should be even more competitive against his more experienced opponents since very few of the Top Fuel drivers have ever made a pass at the one-year-old Virginia Motorsports Park.
Dixon doesn't expect any of the teams to have a problem with the unfamiliar strip, though.
``The way NHRA prepares all the race tracks, conditions are pretty equal everywhere,'' he explained.
Another Top Fuel favorite, Kenny Bernstein, predicts that the fastest times of the meet will be set during pro qualifying runs tonight, when conditions are ideal for building horsepower and applying it to the track.
``These cars run better when it is cooler at night, and the traction is better when there is no direct sun on the racing surface,'' Bernstein said. ``When the track temperature gets up over 110 degrees, there is no way to get all the horsepower on the ground.''
Pro qualifying begins at 4 p.m. today, followed by night rounds at 8. More qualifying is scheduled for noon and 4 p.m. on Saturday, with final eliminations starting at 11 a.m. on Sunday.
The Nashville Network (TNN) will televise an hour of Sunday's competition beginning at 5 p.m.
AT SOUTHAMPTON: Bert Culpepper, the 1994 Late Model Sportsman champion who was forced to retire two weeks ago for health reasons, will be honored Saturday night at Southampton Speedway.
Culpepper, a Chesapeake driver who had 11 wins and 40 total top-five finishes at Southampton, will make a final lap around the 3/8-mile dirt oval. A section of the grandstands will be named in honor of Culpepper.
Meanwhile, three drivers will be looking to extend two-race winning streaks. They are Mike Shearin in the Late Model Stock, Speck Edwards in Sportsman, and David Earl Pope in Limited Stock.
A 20-lap Enduro race also is on the program.
Time trials begin at 5:45 p.m., with the first qualifying heat at 7.
AT LANGLEY: Eddie Johnson, who ended Phil Warren's eight-week victory run last Saturday, did so without the benefit of the larger-than-normal carburetor that is available for him at some tracks.
NASCAR gives local promoters the option of allowing Ford drivers, such as Johnson, to use the larger carburetor.
Langley promoter Wayne Wyatt turned down Johnson's request for the big carburetor because he did not think it was needed for Johnson to be competitive. And he has good reason to believe that.
Wyatt raced against Johnson a couple of years ago when he was using the big carburetor and says it was too much of an advantage.
Instead of the larger carburetor, though, Johnson's car is allowed to be 50 pounds lighter.
Warren hopes to begin a new winning streak Saturday night in a 100-lap Late Model Stock feature. Races also are scheduled in the other track's other four divisions.
Qualifying begins at the Hampton track at 5 p.m., followed by the first race at 7.
MUSGRAVE TO VISIT: The Family Channel, which sponsors Ted Musgrave's team on the Winston Cup circuit, will be hosting a ``NASCAR Appreciation Day'' next Monday between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. at its corporate building in Virginia Beach.
Musgrave, team owner Jack Roush, and crew chief Howard Comstock will be there, along with their race car, which Musgrave will drive in Sunday's race at Dover, Del., and his 18-wheel transporter. Autographs will be available for $1 with proceeds going to Operation Smile.
The Family Channel Corporate Building is located at 2877 Guardian Lane, which is off Lynnhaven Parkway. by CNB