Dallas: Skoal Racing Saturday summary

Skoal Racing Teammates meet for second straight race.

ENNIS, Texas, October 12, 2002 -- Tommy Johnson Jr. and Ron Capps saved their best qualifying runs for their last attempts Saturday in the O'Reilly Fall Nationals at Texas Motorplex, wound up eighth and ninth and will square off against each other in the first round Sunday.

Johnson grabbed the No. 7 spot first with a 4.870-second run at 313.91 mph in his Blue Skoal Racing Camaro. Capps came up next and moved Johnson down one spot with his 4.867 at 313.69 mph. Gary Densham added a 4.854 a little later to drop Johnson and Capps into their first-round places.

This marks the fourth time the teammates have raced each other, all this year. Capps beat Johnson two weeks ago in the semifinals at Joliet, Ill.

"We hadn't been down the track at all until Saturday, but we got down the track on our third run," said Capps. "We got behind and had to soften the tune-up to get the car in the show and we ran 4.911. We knew we'd need to run a 4.85 or 4.86 to get in the top half of the field and we came through with that on the last run. The down side is I have to race my teammate."

"Obviously we don't like to race each other in the first round. We'd really rather meet in the finals," added Johnson, who has lost to Capps twice in the semis and once in the first round. "I'm hoping it will be my turn Sunday."

Tony Pedregon stayed No. 1 with a 4.789 at 323.50 mph.

-sr-