Byline: JOHN HILL CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Phil Burkart, a 'graduate' of ESTA drag racing in Cicero as a teenager, is becoming a significant driver to watch in professional NHRA funny car drag racing.
On Sunday, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway's drag strip, the 35-year-old resident from the Utica suburb of Yorkville, beat three of his Checker Schucks Kragen team's closest competitors when he scored his second career funny car national championship victory. Burkart qualified 12th fastest of 16 funny cars who were eligible for Sunday's final four elimination rounds. He beat Tim Wilkerson in the first round and Gary Scelzi in the second elimination.
That left Burkart matched in the semifinal against John Force, the National Hot Rod Association legend whose powerful three-car Ford Mustang team has claimed 12 funny car national championships during the past 14 seasons.
For the second time in his career, Burkart beat Force to the quarter-mile finish line with a speed of 295 mph, in 4.8-seconds to Force's problem-plagued 158 mph run. Burkart then cruised past Whit Bazemore's blown engine to clinch his second victory in three career final-round attempts.
'The first two rounds were intense,' Burkart said at Las Vegas. 'I mean, Tim Wilkerson and Gary Scelzi? That's a lot to take on. And who do we get? John Force! But we picked off all those big dogs, one by one.'
Burkart's victory may signal a changing of the guard in NHRA funny car racing. As the full-time driver of the second of two CSK cars, he kept teammate Del Worsham, who won two of the early season's three races, in the series standings by 71 points over Force.
'I have a good car, good guys maintaining it and good owners,' said Burkart, noting that a driver's reaction to the lights of the starting line 'Christmas tree' are a big part of winning a drag race. Burkart, who uses a practice tree at home, has an average of plus .067 seconds off the standing start that is second quickest in all NHRA pro racing.
His car is a steel-tube front engine racer employing a 500 cubic-inch V-8 engine developing up to 6,000-horsepower, the same engine used in a top fuel dragster. It burns a mix of 90-percent nitro-methane with 10-percent alcohol.
The fiberglass 'funny' body is meant to resemble Chevrolet's new Monte Carlo street car. His racer has no clutch. Burkart holds the car on the starting line with a hand brake, then releases it at the same time he floors the throttle for the wild 300-plus mph run in a mere 4.5-seconds. The next NHRA pro event is at Texas' Houston Raceway Park April 17-18.
New Oswego event
Rick Martell of Brewerton will be a busy man this season, organizing and managing a new plan of 21 scheduled Sunday afternoon go-kart races on the paved infield portion and turns of Oswego Speedway.
Martel, whose 17th FX Caprara U.S. Open Indoor national championship go-kart races are scheduled Saturday afternoon on the floor of the Verizon Center of Progress building at the state fairgrounds, notes that the early experience of kart racing prepares drivers for the sports big leagues.
'Most race drivers, from Formula One's Michael Schumacher all the way down to those in Indy cars, stock cars and even modifieds, get their early experience in karts and many still practice with them,' said Martell.
'Mike Adderley of Watertown, a young DIRT modified racer, learned on them and will race Saturday at the state fairgrounds to keep in practice. What we're hoping to do at Oswego this year, is find new talent for future supermodified racing through the experience of kart racing,' added Martell, who was recruited for the series by new Oswego owner, Steve Gioia Jr.
Following registration and inspection from 9 to 10 a.m., practice will run from 10 to 11 a.m. Competition for up to 11 classes will follow an 11 a.m. drivers meeting. The schedule runs from May 2 to Sept. 26. However, six of those dates are subject to cancellation if Saturday night supermodified scheduled rain dates are run on Sundays.
Note: Fulton Speedway has a test and tune session this Saturday for all classes of racing that will run from noon to 3 p.m.
