This weekend's Auto Club NHRA Finals at the Fairplex in Pomona, Calif., may not be offering a glut of championship wrap-ups like years past.

Just the Funny Car title remains to be claimed -- and it's a toss-up between teammates John Force and Tony Pedregon. But there will be other battles to be won in the other three professional classes.

Here's a look ahead as we prepare for the final event of the 2002 schedule:

	Dixon

Top Fuel
Larry Dixon's performance in Las Vegas two weeks ago not only clinched his first championship, but put him into position to score at least four more personal milestones in Pomona.

Should he win the race, he would break Gary Scelzi's record of nine Top Fuel wins in a season. It would also move Dixon past Scelzi in career wins with 26, good enough to place him 12th all-time, tied with Cory McClenathan and the late four-time Pro Stock champion Lee Shepherd. Dixon could also tie Kenny Bernstein's record of 61 round wins in a season, set last year on Bernstein's way to the 2001 title.

And should Dixon not only win the race, but also win the $100,000 Budweiser Shootout, he would be just the second driver to win both the Shootout and Auto Club Finals and receive the $50,000 "double-up" bonus from the NHRA.

Obviously, Dixon, who won the Budweiser Shootout as a rookie in 1995, and again last year, could end 2002 with an exclamation point.

	Force

Funny Car
Force has been saying since mid-summer it could happen and now the inevitable showdown has arrived. He will either win his 12th title this weekend, or watch Pedregon win his first.

It has been a wild, rambling sideshow of emotions for Force in 2002. While finalizing new agreements with Ford and Castrol, working on possibly adding a fourth Funny Car and overseeing the budding career of daughter Ashley, Force has been besieged with questions about the championship chase.

Force has said that, theoretically, he has already won the title since he owns both cars involved. He says that when anyone on his team wins, the whole team wins and too much has been made of the intramural aspects of this championship struggle. And long ago, he stated flatly that no race tampering would be allowed down the stretch. And, according to all evidence, the 11-time champion is keeping his word.

Pedregon trails Force by 31 points. Should Pedregon advance two rounds further than Force on Sunday, regardless of their qualifying positions, he would overtake his boss and win the crown. Anything less, and Force will win his 10th straight title and put the finishing touches on a most incredible season.

	Coughlin

Pro Stock
Jeg Coughlin Jr. took control of the Pro Stock category in the season's second half. He has now won eight of the last 11 races and has nailed down his second career championship. But just below him in the standings, drivers will be scrambling to move higher in the top-10 -- some going all out to move into it -- and take the pride of such an accomplishment into the off-season.

Jim Yates should have no trouble locking down second, but Warren Johnson could move into third should Greg Anderson leave an opening. Allen Johnson could get past Mike Edwards for seventh, should Johnson advance two rounds further. And only five points separate 10th-place George Marnell from Mark Whisnant in ninth. Plus, Bruce Allen and Darrell Alderman are still mathematically in contention to break into the top-10 should things go their way Sunday.

	Savoie

Pro Stock Motorcycle
As was the case in Pro Stock, Pro Stock Motorcycle has already seen it's champion, Angelle Savoie, declared in Las Vegas. She has now won three straight titles and was rarely in jeopardy of losing her crown after her impressive early-season win in Atlanta.

Craig Treble gave it all he had to overhaul Savoie for the big prize, but in the end, Savoie's Star Racing Suzuki -- combined with her solid driving skills -- proved too much.

Third place in the standings is still very much undecided with Antron Brown, Matt Hines and Shawn Gann all within 49 points of one another. Reggie Showers and Geno Scali will battle for fifth, while riders 8-10 -- Mike Berry, John Smith and Steve Johnson -- could also swap positions to round out the top-10 when the season rings down the curtain Sunday afternoon.