Rain still hampering the NHRA’s Winternationals

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Drag racing keeps trying to launch its season opener in Pomona, and rain keeps holding things up.

The rain stopped long enough this morning for the National Hot Rod Assn. to start final eliminations in the Kragen O’Reilly Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway, beginning with its elite top-fuel cars in the sport’s Full Throttle Series.

But only a dozen drivers had paired off in six races in the opening round of eliminations before the rain returned at 12:25 p.m., sending fans scrambling from the grandstands and forcing crews to cover the race cars.

Winning drivers in the first round included Antron Brown, Brandon Bernstein and Doug Kalitta. The race’s defending top-fuel winner, reigning series champ Tony Schumacher, had not yet raced. The sport’s funny-car class had not yet started eliminations.

The races had not yet been called off, however, as NHRA officials monitored the weather. Rain already had wiped out the first two rounds of qualifying Thursday and Friday. And on Saturday, drivers squeezed in only one of two scheduled qualifying rounds because of showers.

-- Jim Peltz