The original schedule for the Kragen O’Reilly Winternationals, the opening race in the NHRA’s Full Throttle Series, called for three days of qualifying and final eliminations Sunday at Auto Club Raceway.
But with the first two days washed out, and the possibility that qualifying could be erased entirely by more rain today, the question surfaced whether the National Hot Rod Assn. might be forced to have last year’s point leaders race in Sunday’s eliminations.
The sanctioning body will not make any decision about Sunday’s schedule until it sees whether qualifying can be held today, said NHRA spokesman Michael Padian.
Meanwhile, drivers in the series’ two premier classes, top fuel and funny cars, waited out the rain Friday instead of racing at 300 mph. “It is frustrating,” said funny car driver Tim Wilkerson, 48, who won six times last year but lost the championship to Cruz Pedregon.
“We have a brand spanking new Ford Mustang” that has not yet been tested, “so this is going to hurt me,” he said. “But you can’t fix the weather.”
Wilkerson said there have been times when eliminations were held without qualifying.
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