 |
 |
| | Saturday, November 4 Panella Jr. claims truck title | |||||
| Associated Press ENNIS, Texas -- Gary Scelzi won his third NHRA Top Fuel championship, and Bob Panella Jr. earned his second career NHRA Pro Stock Truck title at the O'Reilly Fall Nationals on Saturday. Scelzi, from Fresno, Calif., lost to eventual event runner-up Melanie Troxel in the semifinals, but finished with a 226-point lead over Larry Dixon to clinch the championship at the Texas Motorplex. Panella lost to eventual winner Steve Johns in the semifinals, but mathematically eliminated Randy Daniels from winning the championship. Cory McClenathan, John Force and Kurt Johnson won their events at the $1.8 million race, the 22nd of 23 events in the $45 million NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series. McClenathan, from Anaheim, Calif., had a run of 4.659 mph at 314.02 mph to beat Troxel, who lost traction, in the Top Fuel final. Force, from Yorba Linda, Calif., recorded his 10th victory of the season, beating Jerry Toliver with a run of 4.863 seconds at 302.55 mph in his Ford Mustang in the Funny Car category. Johnson, from Lawrenceville, Ga., used a 6.966 at 196.73 mph run to edge Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin. The win was Johnson's fifth this season in his Chevrolet Camaro. With the win, Johnson took sole possession of second place in the standings, 80 points ahead of his father Warren. Johns, from Lancaster, Pa., beat Randy Daniels with a run of 7.566 at 178.05 in an all Chevy S-10 Pro Stock Truck final. The NHRA Finals at Pomona Raceway in Pomona, Calif., begin Thursday. | ALSO SEE NHRA Results | |||||