1987 NHRA Winternationals

Last updated
1987 NHRA Winternationals
National Hot Rod Association
LocationAuto Club Raceway
Pomona, California

The 1987 NHRA Winternationals (commonly known as the Winternats) were a National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) drag racing event, held at Auto Club Raceway, Pomona, California on 1 February. [1]

Contents

Top Fuel began a revival, from what looked like a death knell in 1984, with thirty-two entrants for a sixteen-car Funny Car field, including Kenny Bernstein (in his controversial, and quick, new Budweiser-sponsored [2] [3] Bud King Buick LeSabre [4] ), Ed "The Ace" McCulloch, Tom Hoover, Tom "Mongoo$e" McEwen, John Force, and Raymond Beadle. [4] Bernstein's switch to Buick meant Ford's Motorcraft sponsorship would go to the new Candies and Hughes Ford Thunderbird, driven by Mark Oswald. [5]

Events

Top Fuel began a revival, from what looked like a death knell in 1984, with thirty-two entrants for a sixteen-car Funny Car field, including Kenny Bernstein, Ed McCulloch, and Tom McEwen, and Don Prudhomme (who, surprisingly, failed to qualify). [4]

High-mounted wings and cylinder heads milled from billet aluminum were the leading technical highlights. [5]

Maximum qualifying e.t. was 5.60, the quickest yet for a Top Fuel field. [3]

Results

Top Fuel Dragster

Top Fuel hosted a field of 16, including low e.t. qualifier Hank Endres (driving for John Carey), "Big Daddy" Garlits (qualified #3), Shirley Muldowney (#7 qualifier), Larry Minor (qualified #11), Gene "Snowman" Snow (#2 qualifier), Amato (qualified #6), and Darrell Gwynn (qualified #8). [6]

Round One

Low e.t. qualifier Hank Endres (turning in a 5.32 [3] ) eliminated Carey (his car owner, who qualified #9, with a 5.49). [3] #17 qualifier Tom Morgan (stepping in after #12 qualifier Ray Stutz failed to start) lost to #4-qualified Dan Pastorini. [6] Muldowney qualified #7, but lost to Bill Mullins, who qualified #15. [6] Frank Bradley, who qualified #10, lost to #2 qualifier Gene "Snowman" Snow. [6] Minor, #11 qualifier, was eliminated by Garlits (qualified #3). [6] Qualifying #16 (high e.t.), Ed Moore was defeated by #8 qualifier Darrell Gwynn. [6] Denver Schutz, #14 qualifier, lost to Joe Amato, who qualified #6. [6] Dick LaHaie, qualified #5 (driving for Larry Minor), turned in a 5.307 pass [7] to defeat Jack Ostrander, who qualified #13. [6]

Round Two

Pastorini lost to Gwynn. Amato defeated Snow. Garlits eliminated Mullins. Endres was defeated by LaHaie. [6]

Round Three

Gwynn lost to Amato, [6] and LaHaie was eliminated by Garlits (5.38 to 5.36 seconds) [8]

Final round

Garlits recorded a 5.298 at 270 mph (435 km/h) on his final pass of the meet, defeating Amato, who turned in a 5.415. [3] Garlits also had a better reaction time. [3]

Top Fuel Funny Car

Top Fuel Funny Car began a revival, from what looked like a death knell in 1984, with thirty-two entrants for a sixteen-car field, including Bernstein, McCulloch, Hoover, Force, and Don Prudhomme (who, surprisingly, failed to qualify). [4]

Round One

Oswald (qualifying #2, at 5.52 seconds and 268 mph (431 km/h) [5] ) defeated #10 qualifier Hoover. Force (qualified #9) lost to low-e.t. qualifier Bernstein.

Raymond Beadle, qualified #4, was defeated by #12-qualified Graeme Cowin. Doc Halladay, qualified #8, was beaten by high-e.t. qualifier Tim Grose. #14 qualifier John Martin defeated #6 qualifier Billy Meyer. Steve Hodkinson qualified #15, and eliminated #7 qualifier Johnny West.. [4] McEwen qualified #13, and went out in round one. [9]

Round Two

Grose fell to Cowin, Hodkinson to Pulde. Bernstein trailered McCulloch, and Martin eliminated Oswald. [4]

Semi-final round

Martin was eliminated by Cowin, Pulde by Bernstein. [4]

Final round

Cowin faced off against Bernstein, and lost. [4]

Pro Stock

Bob Glidden debuted a new 1987 Thunderbird with a low-e.t. qualifying pass of 7.425 seconds at 186.76 mph (300.56 km/h). [8] Larry Morgan qualified #16 in an Oldsmobile Firenza (owned by Bob Panella) at 7.57 seconds and 185 mph (298 km/h). [5]

Warren Johnson turned in several 7.4-second passes in a row, and went home having recorded low e.t. and top speed in class of the meet, 7.403 seconds and 188.20 mph (302.88 km/h). [5]

Round One

Glidden eliminated #9 qualifier Mark Pawuk. Morgan defeated #8 qualifier Joe Lepone. [6] Gary Brown, #15 qualifier, lost to the #7-qualified Firebird of Tony Christian. Bruce Allen qualified #3, but lost to #11 qualifier Don Coonce's Firenza. Johnson qualified #2, and eliminated # qualifier Kenny Delco. Lee Dean qualified #4, only to lose to Darrell Alderman, who qualified #12. Reid Whisnant qualified #13 and lost to #5 qualifier Butch Leal. Steve Schmidt, qualified #12, lost to Gordie Rivera, qualified #6. [6]

Round Two

Glidden lost in round two to a holeshot by Leal (with a 7.52 e.t. to Glidden's 7.45). [7] Alderman was eliminated by Morgan, Christian by Coonce. Rivera lost to Johnson. [10]

Semi-final

Morgan faced Johnson, and lost. Leal eliminated Coonce. [10]

Final round

Johnson took the win.

Top Alcohol

The TA/D final pitted Denny Lucas against Bill Barney. Lucas's dragster did a wheelstand, yet still managed a pass of 6.312 seconds and 216 mph (348 km/h), exactly to the thousandth the same as Barney's. [3] The win was initially given to Barney, but after examining the videotape recorded by Diamond T Sports, it finally went to Lucas. [3]

Chuck Phelps brought his Bad Moon Rising TA/FC to Pomona; playing Creedence Clearwater Revival in the pits and dressing his crew as werewolves may (or may not) have contributed to his taking the class win. [7]

Super Gas

Super Gas had fully 62 entrants. The class was won by Ed Sellnow, in a small-block Camaro. [3]

Competition Eliminator

The field was 49 cars. [3] Frank Parks qualified #15 in a C/ED, owned by Todd Patterson; Parks was eliminated in Round Three. [7] The class was won by a B/Econo Altered Opel, owned and driven by Patterson. [3]

Stock

The Stock final matched Norm Rollings (of Pomona, in a Corvette (his first national event) lost to Harry Axemaker, in a G/SA 1971 Firebird; it would be his first class win in eighteen years of trying. [11]

Notes

  1. ↑ Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 23 November 2018)
  2. ↑ Ganahl, Pat. "Winter Heat: '87 NHRA Wnternationals", in Hot Rod, May 1987, p. 88.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Baskerville, Gray. "Winter Heat: Leave it to Leavers", in Hot Rod, May 1987, p. 91.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Ultimateracinghistory – NHRA Winternationals – Funny Care Race – February 1, 1987 (retrieved 23 November 2018)
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Ganahl, Pat. "Winter Heat: '87 NHRA Wnternationals", in Hot Rod, May 1987, p. 89.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Ultimateracinghistory – Winternationals – NHRA Top Fuel Race – February 1, 1987 (retrieved 23 November 2018)
  7. 1 2 3 4 Danh, Philippe. "Winter Heat: Life on the Starting Line", in Hot Rod, May 1987, p. 92 caption.
  8. 1 2 Danh, Philippe. "Winter Heat: Life on the Starting Line", in Hot Rod, May 1987, p. 92.
  9. ↑ Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 23 November 2018) says he lost to himself...
  10. 1 2 Ultimateracinghistory – NHRA Winternationals – Pro Stock Race – February 1, 1987 (retrieved 23 November 2018)
  11. ↑ Baskerville, Gray. "Winter Heat: Leave it to Leavers", in Hot Rod, May 1987, p. 90 caption.

Sources


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