Other than Millican’s loss, the biggest surprise of the day was the Funny Car final, not because Wyatt won but because neither points leader Gary Densham of Bellflower, Calif., nor veteran Bob Gilbertson of Gastornia, N.C., the No. 1 qualifier, was around for the final, both victimized by a loss of traction in a semifinal round contested on a 123-degree racetrack.
That propelled Wyatt and Vinny Arcadi of Lancaster, N.Y., to a level neither had reached previously and neither one wasted the opportunity. Wyatt won in 5.033 seconds with Arcadi close behind in 5.102 seconds in the first Funny Car final contested at The Rock since the days of the NHRA’s Winston Invitational, which ended in 1998.
“I heard him, but I never saw him,” Wyatt said of his final round foe. “We came out there Friday night and stepped on it a little too hard and it shook and rattled the tires. We backed it up and when it went out first round and ran like it did, the game plan was just to make it repeat every round. “
Although both Cowin and Gilbertson stumbled in eliminations, Carolina wasn’t shut out of the winners’ circle. Many-time IHRA champion Steve Furr of Harrisburg and 16-year-old Travis Womble Jr. of Sanford managed to score in Super Rod and Stock, respectively.
Thomas Carter was the Alcohol Funny Car winner.
