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Perennial drag champ Austin overcomes adversity to win event By Don Hunt WHITE CITY - Pat Austin knew something was seriously wrong with his Pontiac Firebird funny car during the quarterfinal round of the National Hot Rod Association Federal Mogul Northwest Division race at the Southern Oregon Dragway on Saturday. Moments after crossing the finish line, Austin's car shook violently as the top half of the engine blew apart. The windshield shattered, pieces of the hood disintegrated and body bar supports flew off. Austin won the race just before the mishap occurred, but his crew had to work frantically over the next 90 minutes to install a new engine and other parts in time for his next race. "That's as close as you'll get to having to pack up and go home," said Austin, whose head snapped back during the explosion. "I thought we might be finished for the night." But the 36-year-old Austin was far from finished as he went on to bag his third Northwest Division victory in six tries this summer and the 75th of his brilliant 17-year career. With duct tape helping to hold his hood together, Austin defeated his uncle, 52-year-old Bucky Austin, in the funny car finals, hitting 245 mph with an elapsed time of 5.81 seconds. "This was an exhausting day," said Austin, who turned plenty of wrenches himself in helping to change engines. "There was a time when I wasn't sure we were going to get the car ready in time." Pat Austin is nearing his ninth divisional title and is in the running for a fifth national Federal Mogul funny car crown. The Puyullap, Wash., resident was recently named 13th among the top 50 NHRA drag racers of all-time. He raced on the NHRA's top-fuel circuit from 1991 to '96, when he won five national events. In the rivalry with his uncle Bucky, Pat Austin has a substantial edge, and he added to it Saturday. The younger Austin has beaten his uncle in three of four head-to-head matchups this summer. "Pat is among the best funny car drivers in history and that makes him tough to beat," Bucky Austin said. "He's a good driver, he's got good equipment and a great crew." That crew includes Pat Austin's father, Walt, the crew chief, and brother Mike. Walt Austin is Bucky's older brother. In Saturday's other top category, Rick Santos defeated Paul Jones in the finals of the dragster division, posting an elapsed time of 5.42 seconds and a speed of 259.81 mph. Santos, of Brentwood, Calif., won his second Northwest Division event of the summer and overtook Mark Hentges for the national Federal Mogul points lead. Santos, who beat Hentges in Saturday's semifinal round, is attempting to become the first driver in history to win five straight national Federal Mogul points titles. He currently shares the record of four in a row with Blaine Johnson, who accomplished his streak from 1990-93. Johnson was killed in a top fuel dragster accident in 1996. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.