It was youngsters vs older guys at the 1993 NHRA Winternationals. It was Warren Johnson vs Scott Geoffrion, John Force vs Del Worsham, and Joe Amato vs Kenny Bernstein. It was wreckage, it was green lights, and it was a renovated Pomona Raceway that LA-area fans showed up to check out over the span of 10 days. Yes, the 1993 NHRA Winternationals were a grinder supreme. The weather got in the way big time and forced the event to be completed the following weekend.

It was an 18-race season in 1993 and it was a season that some drivers, like John Force, wanted vengeance. His loss of the title in 1992 to Cruz Pedregon was one that motivated his team to go on a multi-year vengeance ride over, through, and around the funny car category.

The matchup between WJ and Geoffrion would foreshadow some of the awesome and tension filled races the two would put on over the years. Geoffrion was seeking his first national event victory and had been looking like a full-on gun slinger all weekend long.

The craziest thing at happened here was Kenny Bernstein’s monster wreck in the top fuel final. As this show was actually being made live (the time slots had been blown to hell by the rain delay), the broadcast team of Bob Frey, Brock Yates, and Steve Evans had to handle it on the fly. Evans is on the scene lickety split after the wreck.

The way the engine gets torn out of the car and goes rolling down the area outside of the track like a child’s toy. Wild stuff. Bernstein walked away.