National Hot Rod Association - NHRA
BROWN LOOKS FOR FAMED WESTERN SWEEP AS NHRA FULL THROTTLE SERIES HEADS TO SONOMA:
Top Fuel pilot Antron Brown is so close he can taste it. He won in Denver. He won in Seattle. Now the points leader and sophomore dragster driver looks to do something that only six drivers in NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing history have ever done—sweep the Western Swing. With a victory at this weekend’s FRAM Autolite NHRA Nationals at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., Brown would join a list that includes Top Fuel greats Joe Amato, Tony Schumacher, Cory McClenathan and Larry Dixon, along with Funny Car legend John Force and three-time Pro Stock world champion Greg Anderson. It’s a rare feat to see. Since the famed Western Swing was introduced to the schedule in 1989, many drivers have come close to sweeping the grueling three-races-in-three-weeks stretch through the hot summer days of July, but only six names stand in the record books as Western Swing Sweepers. By Sunday evening, Brown could be the seventh driver to juggle the Wally and broom in Winner’s Circle at Infineon Raceway. Though Brown is the only driver in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series that could sweep the Swing this season, many drivers are hoping to continue their push toward a more secure spot in the Top 10 point standings before the Countdown to 1 playoffs begin. Funny Car driver Tim Wilkerson is one of those drivers. Wilkerson is coming off his first win of the season in Seattle, and since Norwalk, has moved from seventh to fifth in the point standings. Mike Neff is also making a late-season move, picking up two spots and moving to the 9th position in the point standings after a second round finish in Seattle. In Pro Stock, Kurt and Warren Johnson hope to make up some ground in Sonoma this week. They sit eighth and 10th in the point standings, respectively. For tickets to the 22nd annual FRAM Autolite NHRA Nationals, call (800) 870-RACE (7223) or online at ticketmaster.com
DRIVERS CLINCH COUNTDOWN SPOTS AS REGULAR
SEASON NEARS END:
Pro Stock driver Jason Line, Top Fuel world
champion Tony Schumacher, and two-time world champion Larry Dixon were the
latest drivers to clinch a spot in the Countdown to 1 playoffs, which will
begin Sept. 17-20 at the second annual NHRA Carolinas Nationals at zMAX
Dragway in Concord, NC, just five races away. Defending Pro Stock world
champion Jeg Coughlin was the first driver to clinch a spot in the Countdown
playoffs after his second round finish in Norwalk. Below is a list of
drivers who have secured their spot in the Countdown playoffs. The highly
competitive Funny Car category has yet to produce a clinched spot for any
driver.
TOP FUEL
1. Antron Brown
2. Tony Schumacher
3. Larry Dixon
PRO STOCK
1. Jeg Coughlin
2. Mike Edwards
3. Jason Line
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
1. Eddie Krawiec
KALITTA TO DEBUT RED LINE TOP FUEL DRAGSTER IN
SONOMA:
Top Fuel pilot Doug Kalitta will debut the
all-new Red Line Oil Top Fuel dragster at the 22nd annual FRAM Autolite NHRA
Nationals at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma this weekend. “Kalitta Motorsports
and Red Line Oil go back a long way,” Kalitta said. “They have helped us for
years with technical support and product, and I’m really happy to represent
them on their home turf for their anniversary. I’ve had more wins in Sonoma
than any other track, so it feels good knowing I’ll be flying the Red Line
banner there.” Red Line, a Northern California-based company, celebrates its
30th anniversary this year.
KRAWIEC ON A ROLL IN PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE AS FULL THROTTLE SERIES HEADS TO INFINEON RACEWAY
SONOMA, Calif. – Last season Eddie Krawiec
showed the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle community that he could win a Full
Throttle Drag Racing Series world championship title in an unconventional
manner.
This year, he’s showing the two-wheel set how to win it in more of a
dominating fashion.
Krawiec, the former dragstrip manager at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in
Englishtown, N.J. turned hotshot Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion,
emerged from deep in the top 10 last season in the Countdown to 1 to win the
Full Throttle Series season crown. He did it without winning a race, leaving
fans, drag racing historians and his motorcycle peers scratching their
collective heads. How did he do that?
Krawiec, who posted four runner-up finishes in the five-race bike Countdown
to 1, was the most consistent competitor on two wheels during the stretch
run and for his efforts became only the second competitor in NHRA history to
win a season title without winning a single race during the season.
He bettered Rob Bruins’ winless Top Fuel championship from 1979 as Krawiec
won his championship prior to winning a single race in any season. Bruins
won his first national event in 1978, so no NHRA competitor had ever done
what Krawiec accomplished.
“You know, for the way that it turned out last year, I was ecstatic,”
Krawiec said. “I wouldn't change a thing. I think that’s something that’s
going to be etched in the history books for a really long time, and
honestly, I don’t know if it will ever be broken again.”
This season, Krawiec is defending his championship in impressive fashion. He
has raced to three victories in six consecutive final rounds on his Screamin’
Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson. With four races left in the Countdown
to 10 he holds an 88-point lead over his teammate, three-time world champ
Andrew Hines.
Krawiec will try to keep the final round streak going and increase his
series lead at the 22nd annual FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals, July 24-26.
Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel), Robert Hight (Funny Car), Dave Connolly (Pro
Stock) and Matt Guidera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are the defending winners of
the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event. The race will be televised
on ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD.
“I’ve been in (six) straight final rounds, and there’s not many riders that
can say that,” he said. “I just hope this momentum carries, and I can do it
on the second half of the season just like I did last year. Of the last (13)
races entered, I’ve been in (10) finals. So that's a pretty good statistic.
I would like to win them all. But it’s tough competition out there and I'm
just glad to be out here racing with everybody.”
Krawiec says the biggest difference in his performance this year has been
the feeling that he can compete at this level and win races in addition to
championship titles.
“I’m not really doing anything different,” Krawiec said. “I’m just riding
the bike with confidence. I think it was last year at Norwalk when I turned
the corner. I really got my confidence there. Rider confidence is the No. 1
thing in any category. You need to treat every single pass down that quarter
mile as your final round task. You want to make it the best run possible.”
He says it also helps having a three-time champ for a teammate and another
three-time champ as a crew chief (Matt Hines). He says he and Andrew really
drive each other to perform at a high level.
“Andrew and I are probably two of the most competitive people out here,”
Krawiec said. “We compete at everything, even if it is who has the faster
lawn mower. It can be anything. We feed off each other. If one of us is
having success, it affects the other one. When we are both clicking on all
cylinders we can be a dangerous duo.”
Several riders have been giving the Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines team
competition this year, including two-time season winner Craig Treble and
veteran rider Hector Arana, who has won a race and also claimed two No. 1
qualifying positions on his Lucas Oil Buell.
A couple of local favorites also will be in the Pro Stock Motorcycle hunt.
Defending Infineon winner Guidera, from Folsom, Calif., has claimed a
victory this season on his Mohegan Sun/Rocklin Motorsports Buell and is
currently seventh in the points order. Rookie Katie Sullivan, from Corning,
Calif., made her debut in Atlanta and claimed her first eliminations round
win in Chicago when she beat veteran Karen Stoffer in the all-female first
round pairing. Sullivan, who is racing a limited schedule this season, is a
former NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League competitor.
In Top Fuel, Antron Brown leads the points order with four victories at the
wheel of his Matco Tools dragster. With wins the last two weekends at Denver
and Seattle, Brown will attempt to become only the seventh pro driver in
NHRA history to sweep the Western Swing. “What an awesome wave we’ve been
riding all season long,” Brown said. “We just want to keep things going this
weekend at Sonoma. Infineon (Raceway) is an awesome track and we hope to go
some rounds with the MAR Matco Tools dragster. Brian (Corradi) and Mark
(Oswald) are doing great calling the shots and we’ve got a great group of
guys. It would be awesome to sweep the swing, but we’re just going to take
it one round at a time and not look ahead.”
Past Infineon Top Fuel winners Larry Dixon and Schumacher have also claimed
multiple victories this year and are among the favorites. Cory McClenathan,
driver of the FRAM Tough Guard dragster will try to win one for the title
sponsor, while Infineon dominator Doug Kalitta – a five-time winner at the
track since 1998 – will try to claim another trophy in Wine Country.
Ashley Force Hood and Ron Capps have both held the series points lead for
most of the season in Funny Car. However, Tony Pedregon is also right there
at the top in his Q-Horsepower Chevy Impala. Defending winner Hight hopes to
continue his recent momentum and get his season back on track. With seven
wins at Infineon, John Force has been the most successful NHRA racer to
compete at the track. The 14-time world champ last won here in 2005.
Defending world champ Cruz Pedregon, Del Worsham and Tim Wilkerson, who just
earned his first win of the season at Seattle, are all past Infineon winners
and may factor into the outcome this weekend.
In Pro Stock, 2003 Infineon winner Jeg Coughlin has raced to five victories
and holds the series lead in his JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt. Mike Edwards has
been ultra-quick in his ART/Young Life Pontiac GXP, collecting seven No. 1
qualifying positions and three victories, including Sunday at Seattle.
Others to watch in the 200 mph category include three-time Infineon winner
Greg Anderson, Denver winner Allen Johnson and 2000 Infineon winner Kurt
Johnson.
SCHEDULE: Pro qualifying sessions for the FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals are
scheduled for 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Friday, July 24 and 11:30 a.m. and
2:15 p.m. on Saturday, July 25. Final eliminations begin at 11 a.m. on
Sunday, July 26.
TICKETS: Tickets are available for the FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals by
calling Infineon Raceway at (800) 870-7223 or via the Internet at
www.ticketmaster.com.
· ON TV: ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of qualifying coverage
at 6 p.m. (ET) on Saturday July 25. On Sunday, July 26, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD
will feature NHRA Race Day, a 30-minute pre-race show, at 11 a.m. (ET), and
three hours of eliminations coverage at 9 p.m. (ET).
· LUCAS OIL SERIES: The FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals also will feature
competition in four categories in the NHRA Lucas Oil Series, where the
future stars of the NHRA Full Throttle Series earn their racing stripes.
Lucas Oil Series qualifying begins at 8:15 a.m. on July 24. Lucas Oil Series
eliminations begin at 8:15 a.m. on July 25.
ON THE WEB: Get instant results, access to photos, video and audio clips and
the latest news updates from every NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series
event on the Internet at www.NHRA.com.
FRAM-AUTOLITE NHRA NATIONALS FACT SHEET
WHAT: 22nd annual FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals, the 15th of 24 events in the
NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Drivers in four categories -- Top
Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle -- earn points leading
to 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series world championships.
WHERE: Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, Calif. The track is located at Highways 37
and 121.
WHEN: Friday through Sunday, July 24-26
SCHEDULE:
FRIDAY, July 24 - Sportsman qualifying begins at 8:15 a.m.
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 4 and 6:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, July 25 - Sportsman eliminations begin at 8:15 a.m.
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 11:30 a.m. and 2:15 p.m.
SUNDAY, July 26 - Pre-race ceremonies, 10 a.m.
FINAL ELIMINATIONS begin at 11 a.m.
TELEVISION:
Saturday, July 25, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of qualifying
coverage at 6 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, July 26, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will air NHRA Race Day at 11 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, July 26, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise three hours of final round
eliminations at 9 p.m. (ET).
SATELLITE (Analog feed):
Saturday, July 25, 12:30 - 1 a.m. (ET), Galaxy 18 / Transponder 23K (12160
MHz, vertical)
Saturday, July 25, 8:30 - 9 p.m. (ET), Galaxy 18 / Transponder 23K (12160
MHz, vertical)
Sunday, July 26, 9 - 9:30 p.m. (ET), Galaxy 18 / Transponder 23K (12160 MHz,
vertical)
Video news release contains race action highlights each day and winners’
interviews on Sunday.
2008 EVENT WINNERS: Tony Schumacher, Top Fuel; Robert Hight, Funny
Car; Dave Connolly, Pro Stock; Matt Guidera, Pro Stock Motorcycle.
TRACK RECORDS:
Top Fuel* - 4.486 seconds by Tony Schumacher, July ’06; 331.36 mph by Dave
Grubnic, July ’06
Funny Car*- 4.738 seconds by Robert Hight, July ’06; 326.79 mph by Mike
Ashley, July ’07
Pro Stock- 6.590 seconds by Jason Line, July ’08; 209.33 mph by Warren
Johnson, July ’08
PS Motorcycle – 6.885 seconds by Matt Smith, July ’08; 196.13 mph by Andrew
Hines, Aug. ’04
(*performance records will not be officially recorded in Top Fuel and Funny
Car at this event)
NATIONAL RECORDS:
Top Fuel* - 4.428 sec. by Tony Schumacher, Nov. ’06, Pomona, Calif.; 336.15
mph by Schumacher, May ’05, Columbus, Ohio
Funny Car* - 4.659 sec. by Tony Pedregon, Feb. ’07, Chandler, Ariz.; 333.66
mph by Jack Beckman, Nov. ’06, Pomona, Calif.
Pro Stock - 6.528 sec. by Greg Anderson, Feb. ’09, Pomona, Calif.; 212.03
mph by Mike Edwards, March ’09, Baytown, Texas
PS Motorcycle – 6.860 sec. by Andrew Hines, May ’09, Madison, Ill.; 197.45
mph by A. Hines, March ’05, Gainesville, Fla.
(*performance records will not be officially recorded in Top Fuel and Funny
Car at this event)
TICKETS: For tickets call (800) 870-7223. Tickets also are available at
ticketmaster.com.
RESERVED SEATS (includes pit pass) - Friday: Adult, $50; Junior (12 years
and under), $20. Saturday: Adult, $55; Junior (12 years and under), $20.
Sunday: Adult, $60; Junior (12 years and under), $25.
NHRA FULL THROTTLE DRAG RACING SERIES WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP POINT STANDINGS
GLENDORA, Calif. -- Point standings (top 10) for NHRA professional
categories following the 14th of 24 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag
Racing Series -
Top Fuel
1. Antron Brown, 1,168*; 2. Tony Schumacher, 1,031*; 3. Larry Dixon, 998*;
4. Brandon Bernstein, 913; 5. Spencer Massey, 819; 6. Cory McClenathan, 814;
7. (tie) Shawn Langdon, 773; Morgan Lucas, 773; 9. Doug Kalitta, 666; 10.
Clay Millican, 567.
Funny Car
1. Ron Capps, 1,039; 2. Ashley Force Hood, 1,018; 3. Tony Pedregon, 1,009;
4. Jack Beckman, 855; 5. Tim Wilkerson, 804; 6. Del Worsham, 791; 7. Bob
Tasca III, 787; 8. John Force, 739; 9. Mike Neff, 683; 10. Matt Hagan, 669.
Pro Stock
1. Jeg Coughlin, 1,199*; 2. Mike Edwards, 1,179*; 3. Jason Line, 1,086*; 4.
Greg Anderson, 951; 5. Allen Johnson, 933; 6. Greg Stanfield, 744; 7. Ron
Krisher, 704; 8. Kurt Johnson, 668; 9. Rickie Jones, 608; 10. Warren
Johnson, 575.
Pro Stock Motorcycle
1. Eddie Krawiec, 739; 2. Andrew Hines, 651; 3. Matt Smith, 559; 4. Craig
Treble, 535; 5. Doug Horne, 506; 6. Hector Arana, 472; 7. Matt Guidera, 446;
8. Steve Johnson, 360; 9. Shawn Gann, 356; 10. Karen Stoffer, 351.
* - Clinched spot in Countdown to 1.
BROWN DEF. SCHUMACHER IN A CLASSIC FINAL ROUND
Wilkerson gets first win; Edwards pulls to within 20 points of first place
KENT, Wash. – The top two teams in Top Fuel
squared off in a classic final round at the 22nd annual NHRA Northwest
Nationals at Pacific Raceways Sunday with Antron Brown edging Tony
Schumacher by eight-thousandths of a second at the stripe.
The other winners at the 14th of 24 races in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag
Racing Series were Tim Wilkerson (Funny Car) and Mike Edwards (Pro Stock).
Brown won for the fourth time this season in the Matco Tools dragster and
extended his lead to 137 points over Schumacher with his 3.985-second pass
(0.079 reaction time) at 301.07 mph to Schumacher’s 3.990 (0.082 RT) at
300.00.
“When you race Tony Schumacher, six-time (NHRA Full Throttle Series)
champion, and you get the better of him by eight-thousandths … that is just
a sensational, phenomenal drag race right there,” Brown said. “And it feels
good to be on the right side of it.”
The win was also Brown’s second straight on the Western Swing – he won last
week at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals in Denver – and he can become the
seventh driver in NHRA Full Throttle Series history to complete the sweep
next weekend in Sonoma at the third and final leg of the Western Swing, the
22nd annual FRAM Autolite NHRA Nationals.
Schumacher and the U.S. Army dragster team were bidding for their fifth win
this season and fourth straight at Pacific Raceways.
“Tony made sure I knew that,” said Brown, who for years was teammates with
Schumacher when he rode the U.S. Army Suzuki in the Pro Stock Motorcycle
class.
In Funny Car, Tim Wilkerson picked up his first win of the year in the Levi,
Ray & Shoup Ford Mustang – after a career-high six wins last year – with a
4.211 at 291.01 to Tony Pedregon’s 4.283 at 289.57 in his Q Horsepower Chevy
Impala. Wilkerson moved up from seventh to fifth place in the Funny Car
standings.
“We’ve had a struggle this year, we’ve had a decent car, just had bad racing
luck,” Wilkerson said. “We finally got it all hooked up together today.”
In Pro Stock, Mike Edwards continued his best season ever in the A.R.T.
Pontiac by defeating Jason Line, 6.583 at 211.03 to 6.601 at 210.50, to pull
within 20 points of points-leader Jeg Coughlin. It was the third win this
year for Edwards, who also set both ends of the Pacific Raceways track
record with a 6.556-second pass at 210.67 mph in his first-round win over
Ben Watson.
“The car is just a joy to drive, it just does everything right,” Edwards
said.
Also, three more drivers – Larry Dixon and Tony Schumacher in Top Fuel and
Jason Line in Pro Stock –clinched berths in the NHRA Playoffs, the Countdown
to 1.
The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series resumes in a week with the third
and final leg of the Western Swing, the FRAM Autolite NHRA Nationals July
24-26 at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma.
KENT, Wash. -- Final finish order (1-16) for professional categories at the
22nd annual NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways. The race is the
14th of 24 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.
TOP FUEL:
1. Antron Brown; 2. Tony Schumacher; 3. Spencer Massey; 4. Troy Buff; 5.
Shawn Langdon; 6. J.R. Todd; 7. Larry Dixon; 8. Morgan Lucas; 9. Cory
McClenathan; 10. Doug Kalitta; 11. Steven Chrisman; 12. Clay Millican; 13.
Terry Haddock; 14. Ron Smith; 15. Joe Hartley; 16. Brandon Bernstein.
FUNNY CAR:
1. Tim Wilkerson, Ford Mustang; 2. Tony Pedregon; 3. Ron Capps; 4. John
Force; 5. Ashley Force Hood; 6. Mike Neff; 7. Jack Beckman; 8. Bob Tasca
III; 9. Robert Hight; 10. Del Worsham; 11. Jerry Toliver; 12. Gary Densham;
13. Cruz Pedregon; 14. Jeff Arend; 15. Matt Hagan; 16. Grant Downing.
PRO STOCK:
1. Mike Edwards, Pontiac GXP; 2. Jason Line; 3. Ron Krisher; 4. Allen
Johnson; 5. Greg Stanfield; 6. Kurt Johnson; 7. Rickie Jones; 8. Jeg
Coughlin; 9. Greg Anderson; 10. Rodger Brogdon; 11. Warren Johnson; 12.
Larry Morgan; 13. Johnny Gray; 14. V. Gaines; 15. Ben Watson; 16. Danny
Gruninger.
KENT, Wash. -- Sunday's final NHRA Full Throttle Series results from the
22nd annual NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways. The race is the
14th of 24 in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series:
Top Fuel -- Antron Brown, 3.985 seconds, 301.07 mph def. Tony Schumacher,
3.990 seconds, 300.00 mph.
Funny Car -- Tim Wilkerson, Ford Mustang, 4.211, 291.01 def. Tony Pedregon,
Chevy Impala, 4.283, 289.57.
Pro Stock -- Mike Edwards, Pontiac GXP, 6.583, 211.03 def. Jason Line, GXP,
6.601, 210.50.
KENT, Wash. -- Final round-by-round results from the 22nd annual NHRA
Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways, the 14th of 24 events in the NHRA
Full Throttle Drag Racing Series:
TOP FUEL:
ROUND ONE -- Tony Schumacher, 3.935, 297.88 def. Brandon Bernstein, 6.533,
95.06; Antron Brown, 4.073, 261.52 def. Clay Millican, 4.104, 268.60; Shawn
Langdon, 3.885, 307.51 def. Doug Kalitta, 3.959, 308.21; Spencer Massey,
3.944, 300.13 def. Ron Smith, 4.320, 265.59; Larry Dixon, 3.907, 308.78 def.
Joe Hartley, 4.495, 193.16; Morgan Lucas, 3.921, 305.63 def. Steven
Chrisman, 3.994, 291.63; Troy Buff, 3.921, 298.54 def. Cory McClenathan,
3.929, 304.46; J.R. Todd, 3.964, 307.51 def. Terry Haddock, 4.115, 280.54;
QUARTERFINALS -- Massey, 4.006, 292.33 def. Todd, 5.131, 143.11; Buff,
3.999, 290.19 def. Langdon, 4.083, 281.48; Brown, 3.987, 282.54 def. Lucas,
8.399, 93.16; Schumacher, 3.937, 297.09 def. Dixon, 5.367, 126.29;
SEMIFINALS -- Brown, 4.000, 295.79 def. Massey, 8.097, 75.51; Schumacher,
5.115, 203.86 def. Buff, 11.750, 30.81; FINAL -- Brown, 3.985, 301.07 def.
Schumacher, 3.990, 300.00.
FUNNY CAR:
ROUND ONE -- Tim Wilkerson, Ford Mustang, 4.180, 297.88 def. Robert Hight,
Mustang, 4.274, 276.69; Ron Capps, Dodge Charger, 4.206, 290.26 def. Cruz
Pedregon, Toyota Solara, 4.774, 178.24; Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.498,
246.80 def. Jerry Toliver, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.535, 205.85; Tony Pedregon,
Chevy Impala, 4.401, 247.07 def. Grant Downing, Monte Carlo, 14.750, 37.02;
Mike Neff, Mustang, 4.829, 226.16 def. Jeff Arend, Solara, 5.095, 180.24;
Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.605, 241.67 def. Matt Hagan, Charger, 6.052, 88.10;
John Force, Mustang, 4.293, 281.42 def. Del Worsham, Solara, 4.393, 253.42;
Ashley Force Hood, Mustang, 4.410, 235.84 def. Gary Densham, Impala, 4.705,
181.42; QUARTERFINALS -- Wilkerson, 4.265, 287.17 def. Neff, 4.289, 282.95;
Capps, 4.250, 273.33 def. Beckman, 4.359, 282.72; Force, 4.281, 283.07 def.
Tasca III, 5.317, 139.54; T. Pedregon, 4.305, 279.38 def. Force Hood, 4.285,
284.15; SEMIFINALS -- Wilkerson, 4.243, 281.60 def. Capps, 4.291, 284.21; T.
Pedregon, 4.262, 292.71 def. Force, 4.308, 288.09; FINAL -- Wilkerson,
4.211, 291.01 def. T. Pedregon, 4.283, 289.57.
PRO STOCK:
ROUND ONE -- Rickie Jones, Dodge Stratus, 6.679, 207.91 def. Johnny Gray,
Stratus, 6.638, 209.14; Greg Stanfield, Pontiac GXP, 6.626, 209.01 def.
Warren Johnson, GXP, 6.624, 210.24; Ron Krisher, Chevy Cobalt, 6.602, 209.39
def. Rodger Brogdon, GXP, 6.615, 208.88; Jason Line, GXP, 6.584, 209.95 def.
V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.663, 207.98; Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.622, 209.95 def.
Greg Anderson, GXP, 6.609, 210.64; Mike Edwards, GXP, 6.556, 210.67 def. Ben
Watson, Pontiac GTO, 6.685, 206.42; Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.585, 209.72
def. Danny Gruninger, Stratus, 13.200, 47.82; Jeg Coughlin, Cobalt, 6.595,
210.41 def. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.637, 208.26; QUARTERFINALS -- Krisher,
6.634, 208.71 def. K. Johnson, 6.688, 208.91; A. Johnson, 6.611, 208.71 def.
Jones, 6.693, 207.50; Line, 6.605, 209.52 def. Coughlin, 13.731, 63.95;
Edwards, 6.583, 210.11 def. Stanfield, 6.637, 209.04; SEMIFINALS -- Line,
6.609, 209.92 def. A. Johnson, 14.469, 57.03; Edwards, 6.580, 210.01 def.
Krisher, 6.634, 208.84; FINAL -- Edwards, 6.583, 211.03 def. Line, 6.601,
210.50.
KENT, Wash. -- Point standings (top 10) for NHRA professional categories
following the 22nd annual NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways, the
14th of 24 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series -
Top Fuel
1. Antron Brown, 1,168*; 2. Tony Schumacher, 1,031*; 3. Larry Dixon, 998*;
4. Brandon Bernstein, 913; 5. Spencer Massey, 819; 6. Cory McClenathan, 814;
7. (tie) Shawn Langdon, 773; Morgan Lucas, 773; 9. Doug Kalitta, 666; 10.
Clay Millican, 567.
Funny Car
1. Ron Capps, 1,039; 2. Ashley Force Hood, 1,018; 3. Tony Pedregon, 1,009;
4. Jack Beckman, 855; 5. Tim Wilkerson, 804; 6. Del Worsham, 791; 7. Bob
Tasca III, 787; 8. John Force, 739; 9. Mike Neff, 683; 10. Matt Hagan, 669.
Pro Stock
1. Jeg Coughlin, 1,199*; 2. Mike Edwards, 1,179*; 3. Jason Line, 1,086*; 4.
Greg Anderson, 951; 5. Allen Johnson, 933; 6. Greg Stanfield, 744; 7. Ron
Krisher, 704; 8. Kurt Johnson, 668; 9. Rickie Jones, 608; 10. Warren
Johnson, 575.
* - Clinched spot in Countdown to 1.
LUCAS OIL SERIES
KENT, Wash. -- Sunday's final Lucas Oil Series results from the 22nd annual
NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways. The race is the 14th of 24 in
the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series:
Top Alcohol Funny Car -- Doug Gordon, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.572, 258.91 def.
Roger Bateman, Ford Mustang, 9.047, 94.18.
Top Alcohol Dragster -- Courtney Force, 5.440, 257.83 def. Chris Demke,
5.508, 218.87.
Competition Eliminator -- Tom Mettler, Dodge Dakota, 7.416, 168.35 def.
Craig Schuck, Dragster, 7.395, 176.84.
Super Stock -- Dan Fletcher, Chevy Camaro, 10.319, 87.16 def. Joe Sorensen,
Camaro, foul.
Stock Eliminator -- Doug Lambeck, Chevy Camaro, 11.130, 85.92 def. Dan
Fletcher, Camaro, 30.533, 64.06.
Super Comp -- Michael Dalrymple, Dragster, 8.899, 172.43 def. Ed Hauter,
Dragster, 8.868, 167.49.
Super Gas -- Mike Shannon, Chevy Corvette, 9.921, 151.31 def. Mike Ferderer,
Pontiac Grand Am, 9.953, 166.44.
Super Street -- Gary Ericksen, Ford Mustang, 10.920, 133.50 def. Steve
Beggerly, Pontiac Firebird, 10.920, 143.22.
TONY PEDREGON SECURES THIRD NO. 1 OF THE SEASON
Larry Dixon, Allen Johnson also take pole positions at Pacific Raceways
KENT, Wash. – Two-time NHRA Full Throttle Series
champion Tony Pedregon capped off an impressive two days of qualifying with
a 4.174-second pass at 291.13 mph on Saturday at the 22nd annual NHRA
Northwest Nationals to earn his third No. 1 of the season in Funny Car.
The other No. 1 qualifiers at the 14th race in the 24-race NHRA Full
Throttle Drag Racing Series season were Larry Dixon (Top Fuel) and Allen
Johnson (Pro Stock). Also during qualifying, Jason Line became the fifth
driver overall – and third in Pro Stock – to clinch his berth in the NHRA
Playoffs, the Countdown to 1.
Pedregon, currently in third place behind Ron Capps and Ashley Force Hood,
was the overnight leader and he improved on a 4.182 from Friday night with
the 4.174 in the first session on Saturday.
“It was a great effort in qualifying and it really reminds me of our Chicago
race (which he won from the pole) so my expectations are the same as they
were in Chicago,” said Pedregon, who drives the Q Horsepower Chevy Impala.
“I would be disappointed with anything less than winning the race.”
Meanwhile, Capps, who had two aborted qualifying runs on Friday in his NAPA
Dodge Charger, moved up to the No. 6 position with a 4.245 and he will open
eliminations with a one-point lead (999 to 998) over Ashley Force Hood who
qualified eighth (4.262, 285.35).
Funny Car features some heavyweight first-round matchups, including Capps
vs. Cruz Pedregon and John Force vs. Del Worsham. Tony Pedregon opens with
Grant Downing and Force Hood will meet veteran Gary Densham.
In Top Fuel, second-place Larry Dixon’s 3.891 at 302.21 from Friday in the
Al-Anabi dragster held up through both rounds of qualifying Saturday for his
fourth No. 1 qualifier this season. Dixon will open eliminations with a
desperate foe in Joe Hartley, who’s currently in 11th place and fighting for
the 10th and final playoff berth with five races left in the regular season.
“There are no gimmes. You have to go up there and earn your place,” Dixon
said. “I like that, you have to be sharp, you have to get off the starting
line and you have to get your car down the track. You’re racing against
someone who will keep you honest, especially Joe Hartley, they’re fighting
for top 10 so they’re not a slacker car and they’ve beaten us before.”
The No. 1 qualifier in Pro Stock, Allen Johnson, set both ends of the
Pacific Raceways track record in his Mopar Dodge Stratus with his 6.571 at
210.21 in the early session Saturday.
“I think our entire team feels as good as we’ve felt our entire racing
careers,” said Johnson, who’s coming off of a win at Denver and has been to
three straight final rounds at Pacific Raceways. “We’ve had fun here. We’ve
done awful well here, just seems like (Pacific Raceways) plays into our
hands.”
Sunday’s final eliminations begin at 11 a.m.
KENT, Wash. -- First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for
the 22nd annual NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways, the 14th of 24
events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on
results in qualifying, which ended Saturday. DNQs listed below pairings.
Top Fuel -- 1. Larry Dixon, 3.891 seconds, 302.21 mph vs. 16. Joe Hartley,
20.028, 46.92; 2. Morgan Lucas, 3.909, 299.33 vs. 15. Steven Chrisman,
8.755, 220.62; 3. Spencer Massey, 3.914, 303.64 vs. 14. Ron Smith, 4.490,
261.67; 4. Cory McClenathan, 3.915, 297.16 vs. 13. Troy Buff, 4.048, 531.28;
5. Shawn Langdon, 3.920, 303.43 vs. 12. Doug Kalitta, 4.035, 289.57; 6. J.R.
Todd, 3.921, 297.94 vs. 11. Terry Haddock, 4.011, 297.16; 7. Clay Millican,
3.934, 302.08 vs. 10. Antron Brown, 3.952, 305.84; 8. Tony Schumacher,
3.937, 303.98 vs. 9. Brandon Bernstein, 3.938, 304.25.
Funny Car -- 1. Tony Pedregon, Chevy Impala, 4.174, 294.43 vs. 16. Grant
Downing, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.533, 132.00; 2. Mike Neff, Ford Mustang,
4.216, 290.26 vs. 15. Jeff Arend, Toyota Solara, 4.384, 277.49; 3. Matt
Hagan, Dodge Charger, 4.216, 286.32 vs. 14. Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.370,
273.66; 4. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.228, 285.23 vs. 13. Jerry Toliver,
Monte Carlo, 4.309, 276.80; 5. John Force, Mustang, 4.229, 290.13 vs. 12.
Del Worsham, Solara, 4.307, 284.33; 6. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.245, 274.94 vs.
11. Cruz Pedregon, Solara, 4.292, 279.04; 7. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.260,
287.78 vs. 10. Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.273, 286.13; 8. Ashley Force Hood,
Mustang, 4.262, 285.35 vs. 9. Gary Densham, Impala, 4.262, 280.60.
Pro Stock -- 1. Allen Johnson, Dodge Stratus, 6.571, 210.21 vs. 16. Danny
Gruninger, Stratus, 15.686, 153.09; 2. Mike Edwards, Pontiac GXP, 6.576,
210.05 vs. 15. Ben Watson, Pontiac GTO, 6.723, 205.51; 3. Greg Anderson, GXP,
6.582, 210.18 vs. 14. Kurt Johnson, Chevy Cobalt, 6.707, 208.26; 4. Jason
Line, GXP, 6.597, 209.85 vs. 13. V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.675, 207.59; 5. Jeg
Coughlin, Cobalt, 6.607, 209.85 vs. 12. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.671,
206.89; 6. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.613, 208.62 vs. 11. Rodger Brogdon, GXP,
6.662, 208.75; 7. Greg Stanfield, GXP, 6.616, 209.01 vs. 10. Warren Johnson,
GXP, 6.658, 209.49; 8. Johnny Gray, Stratus, 6.645, 207.88 vs. 9. Rickie
Jones, Stratus, 6.654, 207.85.
FORCE HOOD RETURNS TO PACIFIC RACEWAYS -- SITE OF HER DRAMATIC 2007 CRASH – AS ‘MORE EXPERIENCED’ POINTS LEADER
KENT, Wash. – Ashley Force Hood remembers the
out of control feeling she experienced at Pacific Raceways in 2007 as her
Castrol GTX Ford Mustang lurched sideways near mid-track during
eliminations. The car impacted the guardwall, blasted a streak of fire and
spun around so hard that the carbon fiber body flipped off the chassis. She
escaped from the incident without physical injury. However, she emerged with
an edge in the mental category as a more experienced driver of the 7,000
horsepower Funny Car.
What a difference two years can make.
She will enter the 22nd annual NHRA Northwest Nationals, July 17-19 at the
multipurpose motorsports facility near Seattle as the series points leader
(currently tied with Ron Capps), riding high from a victory at Houston and
runner-up finishes at Atlanta, Topeka, Chicago, Englishtown and last weekend
at Denver. That’s quite impressive for a young woman who has literally taken
the once male dominated category by storm.
Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel); Tony Bartone (Funny Car); and Jason Line (Pro
Stock) are the defending winners of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing
Series event, which will be televised on ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD.
For Force Hood, the crash at Pacific Raceways must seem like it was two
decades ago. But she says it actually was somewhat of a turning point in her
career.
“It [the crash at Pacific Raceways] was actually a good thing for me,” Force
Hood said. “Obviously you never want to be in a wreck; you never want to
hurt your race car or obviously yourself. But I learned more from that one
run than a hundred good runs because I was able to take that experience, and
the next time I was in a situation similar to that, react off of it, you
know, knowing what happened in the past and knowing how far I could push the
car and knowing where I was on the track and what was going on. And
obviously I still have a long way to go, but I know that each different
experience I’m in, like it kind of gets built up in the back of your mind
because you’re not thinking these runs through. When you’re in that car,
it’s happening so quickly, your body is just reacting.”
In addition to her five final rounds this season, Force Hood has also
claimed four No. 1 qualifying positions and sports an elimination record of
25-12. She is looking forward to continuing her momentum at Pacific Raceways
during the Western Swing.
“It’s an exciting time of year for me,” Force Hood said. “We want that much
more to do well in front of our West Coast people and a lot of our sponsors
from this side of the country, a lot of our family and friends that will
come out to these events, so there’s kind of that excitement in the air and
knowing that right around the corner, you know, the Countdown [to 1] is
going to begin, and Indy is coming up. So we are trying to stay focused and
not let ourselves get in any kind of a lull.”
She knows that tough competitors like Tony Pedregon, co-points leader Capps,
Del Worsham, Jack Beckman and Bob Tasca – all five joining her as event
winners this season -- are lurking around the corner, working hard to get
another victory and claim the points lead.
“With every final we have gone to and every race that we have done well at,
we have tried to not get too far ahead of ourselves and know that it could
change very instantly and just keep working at it and keep trying to go a
round every weekend and try to be consistent,” she said. “Hopefully at the
end of the summer, we can still be up high in the points.”
In Top Fuel, Antron Brown has claimed three victories and holds the series
lead over hard-charging challengers Larry Dixon and Tony Schumacher.
Schumacher is a four-time winner at Pacific Raceways, while Dixon claimed
his only Seattle win in 2003, when he swept the Western Swing. Cory
McClenathan and Brandon Bernstein are also past winners of the event.
Jeg Coughlin, Mike Edwards and Line have been the major headliners in Pro
Stock competition this season. All three are past winners at Pacific
Raceways. Denver winner Allen Johnson, who won at Seattle in 2006, will try
to continue his momentum in the Western Swing.
SCHEDULE: Pro qualifying sessions are scheduled for 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. on
Friday, July 17 and noon and 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 18. Final
eliminations begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, July 19.
· TICKETS: Tickets are available for the NHRA Northwest Nationals by calling
Pacific Raceways at (253) 639-5927 or via the Internet at
www.ticketreturn.com.
· ON TV: ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of qualifying coverage
at 7 p.m. (ET) on Saturday July 18. On Sunday, July 19, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD
will feature NHRA Race Day, a 30-minute pre-race show, at 11 a.m. (ET), and
three hours of eliminations coverage at 9 p.m. (ET).
· LUCAS OIL SERIES: The NHRA Northwest Nationals also will feature
competition in eight categories in the NHRA Lucas Oil Series, where the
future stars of the NHRA Full Throttle Series earn their racing stripes.
Lucas Oil Series qualifying begins at 9:15 a.m. on July 17. Lucas Oil Series
eliminations begin at 9:15 a.m. on July 18.
· ON THE WEB: Get instant results, access to photos, video and audio clips
and the latest news updates from every NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series
event on the Internet at www.NHRA.com.
NHRA NORTHWEST NATIONALS FACT SHEET
WHAT: 22nd annual NHRA Northwest Nationals, the 14th of 24 events in the
NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Drivers in three categories -- Top
Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock -- earn points leading to 2009 NHRA Full
Throttle Drag Racing Series world championships.
WHERE: Pacific Raceways, Kent, Wash. The track is located 10 miles east of
Interstate 5 on Highway 18. From I-5, use Exit 142A (Auburn exit) and travel
east 10 miles on Highway 18, following the signs to the track. From other
points, use Highway 18 and exit S.E. 304th St. or S.E. 312th St.
WHEN: Friday through Sunday, July 17-19
SCHEDULE:
FRIDAY, July 17 - Sportsman qualifying begins at 9:15 a.m.
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 3 and 5:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, July 18 - Sportsman eliminations begin at 9:15 a.m.
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at noon and 2:30 p.m.
SUNDAY, July 19 - Pre-race ceremonies, 10 a.m.
FINAL ELIMINATIONS begin at 11 a.m.
TELEVISION:
Saturday, July 18, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise two hours of qualifying
highlights at 7 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, July 19, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise NHRA Race Day at 11a.m.
(ET)
Sunday, July 19, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise three hours of coverage
starting at 9 p.m. (ET).
SATELLITE (Analog feed):
Friday, July 17, 11 - 11:30 p.m. (ET), Galaxy 18 / Transponder 23K (12160
MHz, vertical)
Saturday, July 18, 9:30 - 10 p.m. (ET), Galaxy 18 / Transponder 23K (12160
MHz, vertical)
Sunday, July 19, 9 - 9:30 p.m. (ET), Galaxy 18 / Transponder 23K (12160 MHz,
vertical)
Video news release contains race action highlights each day and winners’
interviews on Sunday.
2008 EVENT WINNERS: Tony Schumacher, Top Fuel; Tony Bartone, Funny Car;
Jason Line, Pro Stock.
TRACK RECORDS:
Top Fuel* - 4.490 seconds by Larry Dixon, July ’05; 333.25 mph Tony
Schumacher, July ’07
Funny Car* - 4.735 seconds by Eric Medlen, July ’05; 325.85 mph by Gary
Scelzi, July ’05
Pro Stock - 6.649 seconds by Dave Connolly, July ’07; 207.50 mph by Greg
Anderson, July ’07
(*performance records will not be officially recorded in Top Fuel and Funny
Car at this event)
NATIONAL RECORDS:
Top Fuel* - 4.428 sec. by Tony Schumacher, Nov. ’06, Pomona, Calif.; 336.15
mph by Schumacher, May ’05, Columbus, Ohio
Funny Car* - 4.659 sec. by Tony Pedregon, Feb. ’07, Chandler, Ariz.; 333.66
mph by Jack Beckman, Nov. ’06, Pomona, Calif.
Pro Stock - 6.528 sec. by Greg Anderson, Feb. ’09, Pomona, Calif.; 212.03
mph by Mike Edwards, March ’09, Baytown, Texas
(*performance records will not be officially recorded in Top Fuel and Funny
Car at this event)
TICKETS:
For tickets call (253) 639-5927. Tickets also are available online at
ticketmaster.com.
GENERAL ADMISSION (includes pit pass) - Friday: Adult, $41; Junior (6-12
years), $10; Saturday: Adult, $49; Junior (6-12 years), $10. Sunday: Adult,
$49; Junior (6-12 years), $10. Child (5 and under), free in general
admission/ pit areas each day.
RESERVED SEATS (includes pit pass) - Friday: Adult, $46; Junior (6-12
years), $15; Child (5 years and under), $5. Saturday: Adult, $59-61; Junior
(6-12 years), $20-22; Child (5 and under), $10-12. Sunday: Adult, $59-$62;
Junior (6-12 years), $20-$22; Child (5 and under), $10-$12.
NHRA FULL THROTTLE DRAG RACING SERIES POINT STANDINGS
GLENDORA, Calif. -- Point standings (top 10) for NHRA professional
categories following the 13th of 24 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag
Racing Series.
Top Fuel
1. Antron Brown, 1,056; 2. Larry Dixon, 940; 3. Tony Schumacher, 938; 4.
Brandon Bernstein, 881; 5. Cory McClenathan, 779; 6. Spencer Massey, 743; 7.
Shawn Langdon, 719; 8. Morgan Lucas, 716; 9. Doug Kalitta, 634; 10. Clay
Millican, 534.
Funny Car
1. (tie) Ron Capps, 965; Ashley Force Hood, 965; 3. Tony Pedregon, 911; 4.
Jack Beckman, 804; 5. Del Worsham, 759; 6. Bob Tasca III, 732; 7. Tim
Wilkerson, 691; 8. John Force, 665; 9. Matt Hagan, 633; 10. Cruz Pedregon,
630.
Pro Stock
1. Jeg Coughlin, 1,145; 2. Mike Edwards, 1,062; 3. Jason Line, 991; 4. Greg
Anderson, 915; 5. Allen Johnson, 855; 6. Greg Stanfield, 691; 7. Ron Krisher,
630; 8. Kurt Johnson, 617; 9. Rickie Jones, 556; 10. Warren Johnson, 543.
Pro Stock Motorcycle
1. Eddie Krawiec, 739; 2. Andrew Hines, 651; 3. Matt Smith, 559; 4. Craig
Treble, 535; 5. Doug Horne, 506; 6. Hector Arana, 472; 7. Matt Guidera, 446;
8. Steve Johnson, 360; 9. Shawn Gann, 356; 10. Karen Stoffer, 351.
CAPPS, BROWN, A. JOHNSON AND KRAWIEC EARN VICTORIES AT MOPAR MILE-HIGH NHRA NATIONALS AT BANDIMERE SPEEDWAY
MORRISON, Colo. – Ron Capps raced to his fifth
Funny Car victory of the season Sunday at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals
at Bandimere Speedway.
Capps beat Ashley Force Hood in the final round for his 30th career victory
and first at the Denver dragstrip. With the win, Capps moved into a first
place tie with Force Hood in the Funny Car point standings.
“I could hear her car over there,” said Capps, who powered his NAPA Dodge
Charger to a 4.187 second run at 297.22 mph to hold off Force Hood’s Castrol
GTX Ford Mustang, which finished in 4.231 at 296.96. “Fortunately, out car
got through the early part of the track and pulled away. I talked to ‘Ace’
(crew chief Ed McCulloch) during the off-week and he said, ‘We’re going to
get the points lead back.’ I’ve never heard him talk like that before.”
It was Force Hood’s sixth final round appearance of the season and the
second final against Capps. He also beat her in the money round to win at
Topeka.
“As a competitor in this class, you have to embrace the fact that Ashley is
a big deal,” Capps said. “Not only is she a big deal, but she has shouldered
that more than anybody I’ve ever known. It reminds me of Shirley Muldowney
who did it back when there were several barriers to be broken.”
Antron Brown, Allen Johnson and Eddie Krawiec also were winners in their
categories at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event.
Brown increased his Top Fuel points lead to 116 over Larry Dixon with his
third victory of the season. His Matco Tools dragster posted a 3.944 at
295.21 to defeat Doug Kalitta, whose Rocky Boots dragster suffered an engine
explosion at the start which automatically deployed his parachutes.
“The monkey of winning from No. 1 is finally off our back,” Brown said.
“There was a lot of pressure on us this weekend. All these guys were cutting
lights on me, and my crew chiefs had to stay on top of the weather that was
changing constantly. This trophy is worthwhile because of the stout
competition. You always want to win. That’s what puts you in the record
books and makes history. The championship is the big picture, but you’re
always upset after a semifinal or runner-up because you lost. Winning makes
you heal from all those times that you lost before. This is my Robitussin.”
Johnson earned his second Pro Stock win of the season and his second victory
in three consecutive finals at this event (also 2007). He beat Jason Line in
the final round with a quicker reaction time at the start. Johnson’s J&J
Racing/Team Mopar Dodge Stratus posted a 7.004 at 195.87 to just edge Line’s
quicker Summit Racing Pontiac GXP, which finished in 7.001 at 195.76. It was
Johnson’s seventh career victory.
“I love Denver,” Johnson said. “We have a combination here that’s really
hard to beat. We test our butts off here so we can do well for Mopar. I
think I had the most butterflies I’ve ever had in my life when I raced in
the first round. By the time we got to the semis, I settled down and told
myself, ‘We’ve got the combination.’ We really didn’t make a good run in the
final. In fact, we burned the clutch up pretty good, but to give it to my
guys on the holeshot feels very good.”
Jeg Coughlin, who advanced to the semis in his JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt,
increased his Pro Stock points lead to 83 over Mike Edwards, who lost in the
second round in his ART/Young Life GXP.
In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Krawiec extended his series points lead with his
third victory of the season in his sixth consecutive final round appearance.
He took the automatic win in the final round when his fellow Screamin’ Eagle
Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson teammate Andrew Hines fouled at the start.
“We didn’t have the best bikes every single round, but Andrew and I did our
jobs as riders and got it done,” Krawiec said. “I’ve been to six straight
finals, which is something I’ve never dreamed of. To have two straight
all-Harley finals is incredible, and I’m just so happy for our team. We
broke a throttle cable in the semis at his race last year, and I really
thought that was going to be my first win. I love Bandimere, and it was nice
to win against Andrew in the final. We’re teammates, but we’re probably the
two most competitive people in the pits. Whether we’re walking or cutting
the grass, we try to race each other doing it.”
The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series continues next weekend with the
second stop on the Western Swing, the 22nd annual NHRA Northwest Nationals,
July 17-19 at Pacific Raceways near Seattle.
MORRISON, Colo. -- Final finish order (1-16) for professional categories at
the 30th annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway. The
race is the 13th of 24 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.
TOP FUEL:
1. Antron Brown; 2. Doug Kalitta; 3. Spencer Massey; 4. Cory McClenathan; 5.
Larry Dixon; 6. Tony Schumacher; 7. Morgan Lucas; 8. Shawn Langdon; 9.
Brandon Bernstein; 10. Mike Strasburg; 11. Clay Millican; 12. Todd Simpson;
13. Steven Chrisman; 14. Joe Hartley; 15. Terry Haddock; 16. Rob Passey.
FUNNY CAR:
1. Ron Capps, Dodge Charger; 2. Ashley Force Hood; 3. Robert Hight; 4. Jack
Beckman; 5. Cruz Pedregon; 6. Tony Pedregon; 7. Bob Tasca III; 8. Matt
Hagan; 9. John Force; 10. Jeff Arend; 11. Mike Neff; 12. Del Worsham; 13.
Tim Wilkerson; 14. Grant Downing; 15. Jerry Toliver; 16. Gary Densham.
PRO STOCK:
1. Allen Johnson, Dodge Stratus; 2. Jason Line; 3. Jeg Coughlin; 4. Rickie
Jones; 5. Greg Anderson; 6. Johnny Gray; 7. Warren Johnson; 8. Mike Edwards;
9. Ron Krisher; 10. Larry Morgan; 11. Rodger Brogdon; 12. V. Gaines; 13.
Greg Stanfield; 14. Kurt Johnson; 15. Danny Gruninger; 16. Mark Buehring.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:
1. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson; 2. Andrew Hines; 3. Hector Arana; 4.
Craig Treble; 5. Matt Smith; 6. Steve Johnson; 7. Douglas Horne; 8. Michael
Phillips; 9. Karen Stoffer; 10. Matt Guidera; 11. Jim Underdahl; 12. Junior
Pippin; 13. Mike Berry; 14. Bailey Whitaker; 15. David Hope; 16. Shawn Gann.
MORRISON, Colo. -- Sunday's final results from the 30th annual Mopar
Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway. The race is the 13th of 24
in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series:
Top Fuel -- Antron Brown, 3.944 seconds, 295.21 mph def. Doug Kalitta,
11.363 seconds, 43.13 mph.
Funny Car -- Ron Capps, Dodge Charger, 4.187, 297.22 def. Ashley Force Hood,
Ford Mustang, 4.231, 296.96.
Pro Stock -- Allen Johnson, Dodge Stratus, 7.004, 195.87 def. Jason Line,
Pontiac GXP, 7.001, 195.76.
Pro Stock Motorcycle -- Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 7.450, 175.62 def.
Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, foul.
Super Stock -- Justin Lamb, Chevy Cobalt, 9.612, 123.05 def. Tim Nicholson,
Chevy II, 10.807, 117.11.
Stock Eliminator -- Dan Fletcher, Chevy Camaro, 11.237, 114.00 def. Doug
Young, Ford Mustang, 11.897, 111.36.
Super Comp -- Ray Groves, Dragster, 9.507, 147.84 def. Gary Stinnett,
Dragster, 9.556, 162.22.
Super Gas -- Dennis Hay, Chevy Corvette, 10.504, 149.08 def. Kevin Moore,
Chevy Roadster, 10.500, 145.56.
MORRISON, Colo. -- Final round-by-round results from the 30th annual Mopar
Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway, the 13th of 24 events in the
NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series:
TOP FUEL:
ROUND ONE -- Morgan Lucas, 4.005, 295.66 def. Brandon Bernstein, 4.137,
278.40; Shawn Langdon, 4.263, 251.39 def. Joe Hartley, 4.397, 198.50; Doug
Kalitta, 4.097, 295.79 def. Clay Millican, 4.183, 290.19; Spencer Massey,
4.044, 300.00 def. Mike Strasburg, 4.162, 289.45; Antron Brown, 4.096,
268.01 def. Rob Passey, 15.896, 25.17; Cory McClenathan, 4.022, 297.09 def.
Terry Haddock, 5.000, 157.39; Tony Schumacher, 4.019, 300.00 def. Todd
Simpson, 4.247, 263.41; Larry Dixon, 4.060, 300.20 def. Steven Chrisman,
4.344, 269.56;
QUARTERFINALS -- Massey, 3.971, 302.48 def. Dixon, 4.004, 302.69;
McClenathan, 4.000, 305.01 def. Langdon, 4.086, 294.18; Brown, 4.042, 296.70
def. Lucas, 4.034, 292.52; Kalitta, 4.003, 303.57 def. Schumacher, 4.005,
303.57;
SEMIFINALS -- Kalitta, 3.997, 303.16 def. McClenathan, 4.279, 259.51; Brown,
4.003, 292.71 def. Massey, 4.159, 259.71;
FINAL -- Brown, 3.944, 295.21 def. Kalitta, 11.363, 43.13.
FUNNY CAR:
ROUND ONE -- Bob Tasca III, Ford Mustang, 4.323, 289.69 def. Tim Wilkerson,
Mustang, 4.823, 190.86; Ashley Force Hood, Mustang, 4.367, 281.54 def. Del
Worsham, Toyota Solara, 4.676, 235.02; Jack Beckman, Dodge Charger, 4.267,
294.31 def. Jerry Toliver, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.143, 168.41; Ron Capps,
Charger, 4.217, 290.51 def. Gary Densham, Chevy Impala, broke; Tony Pedregon,
Impala, 4.257, 290.94 def. Mike Neff, Mustang, 4.373, 267.16; Matt Hagan,
Charger, 4.227, 293.41 def. Grant Downing, Monte Carlo, 4.970, 168.58;
Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.271, 288.70 def. John Force, Mustang, 4.298,
289.88; Cruz Pedregon, Solara, 4.309, 287.72 def. Jeff Arend, Solara, 4.320,
286.80;
QUARTERFINALS -- Beckman, 4.170, 300.20 def. Tasca III, 4.319, 289.69;
Capps, 4.173, 293.98 def. C. Pedregon, 4.230, 288.46; Force Hood, 4.179,
300.66 def. T. Pedregon, 4.265, 281.01; Hight, 4.243, 285.59 def. Hagan,
4.346, 275.96;
SEMIFINALS -- Capps, 4.203, 294.63 def. Beckman, 4.825, 199.17; Force Hood,
4.229, 295.14 def. Hight, 4.246, 287.90;
FINAL -- Capps, 4.187, 297.22 def. Force Hood, 4.231, 296.96.
PRO STOCK:
ROUND ONE -- Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Cobalt, 7.036, 195.93 def. Larry Morgan,
Dodge Stratus, 7.023, 194.58; Johnny Gray, Stratus, 7.063, 195.03 def. V.
Gaines, Stratus, 7.049, 194.32; Rickie Jones, Stratus, 7.051, 194.44 def.
Rodger Brogdon, Pontiac GXP, 7.024, 195.87; Greg Anderson, GXP, 7.025,
195.51 def. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 7.085, 193.88; Warren Johnson, GXP, 7.113,
194.77 def. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, foul; Mike Edwards, GXP, 6.985, 196.59 def.
Mark Buehring, Cobalt, 7.183, 191.95; Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.998, 196.64
def. Danny Gruninger, Stratus, 7.137, 192.66; Jason Line, GXP, 7.012, 196.04
def. Greg Stanfield, GXP, 7.066, 194.83;
QUARTERFINALS -- Jones, 7.053, 194.97 def. W. Johnson, foul; Line, 7.026,
195.87 def. Anderson, 7.039, 196.13; A. Johnson, 7.008, 196.64 def. Gray,
7.045, 195.36; Coughlin, 7.023, 195.79 def. Edwards, foul;
SEMIFINALS -- Line, 7.005, 196.33 def. Coughlin, 7.039, 195.70; A. Johnson,
6.989, 196.79 def. Jones, 7.104, 195.14;
FINAL -- A. Johnson, 7.004, 195.87 def. Line, 7.001, 195.76.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:
ROUND ONE -- Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.396, 176.07 def. Karen Stoffer,
Suzuki, 7.393, 176.49; Matt Smith, Suzuki, 7.384, 175.89 def. Junior Pippin,
Buell, 7.448, 171.40; Douglas Horne, Buell, 7.442, 173.16 def. David Hope,
Buell, broke; Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 7.373, 179.71 def. Mike Berry,
Buell, 7.488, 171.93; Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.423, 178.35 def. Shawn Gann,
Buell, broke; Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 7.367, 180.02 def. Jim
Underdahl, Suzuki, foul; Hector Arana, Buell, 7.381, 179.85 def. Bailey
Whitaker, Buell, 7.546, 169.42; Michael Phillips, Suzuki, 7.439, 179.25 def.
Matt Guidera, Buell, foul;
QUARTERFINALS -- Treble, 7.483, 174.46 def. Phillips, 7.492, 175.25; Arana,
7.415, 179.04 def. Johnson, 7.429, 175.57; Krawiec, 7.388, 178.02 def.
Horne, foul; Hines, 7.388, 178.59 def. Smith, foul;
SEMIFINALS -- Krawiec, 7.341, 180.33 def. Arana, foul; Hines, 7.335, 181.08
def. Treble, 7.404, 178.28;
FINAL -- Krawiec, 7.450, 175.62 def. Hines, foul.
MORRISON, Colo. -- Point standings (top 10) for NHRA professional categories
following the 30th annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere
Speedway, the 13th of 24 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing
Series.
Top Fuel
1. Antron Brown, 1,056; 2. Larry Dixon, 940; 3. Tony Schumacher, 938; 4.
Brandon Bernstein, 881; 5. Cory McClenathan, 779; 6. Spencer Massey, 743; 7.
Shawn Langdon, 719; 8. Morgan Lucas, 716; 9. Doug Kalitta, 634; 10. Clay
Millican, 534.
Funny Car
1. (tie) Ron Capps, 965; Ashley Force Hood, 965; 3. Tony Pedregon, 911; 4.
Jack Beckman, 804; 5. Del Worsham, 759; 6. Bob Tasca III, 732; 7. Tim
Wilkerson, 691; 8. John Force, 665; 9. Matt Hagan, 633; 10. Cruz Pedregon,
630.
Pro Stock
1. Jeg Coughlin, 1,145; 2. Mike Edwards, 1,062; 3. Jason Line, 991; 4. Greg
Anderson, 915; 5. Allen Johnson, 855; 6. Greg Stanfield, 691; 7. Ron Krisher,
630; 8. Kurt Johnson, 617; 9. Rickie Jones, 556; 10. Warren Johnson, 543.
Pro Stock Motorcycle
1. Eddie Krawiec, 739; 2. Andrew Hines, 651; 3. Matt Smith, 559; 4. Craig
Treble, 535; 5. Doug Horne, 506; 6. Hector Arana, 472; 7. Matt Guidera, 446;
8. Steve Johnson, 360; 9. Shawn Gann, 356; 10. Karen Stoffer, 351.
WITH STRONG START TO '09 SEASON, EDWARDS DRIVING CAR
TO BEAT IN PRO
STOCK AS FULL THROTTLE SERIES HEADS TO TOPEKA
TOPEKA, Kan. - If the Pro Stock performance that was put on display by Mike
Edwards and his workaholic ART/Young Life Pontiac GXP teammates at Bristol
Dragway two weeks ago is a preview of what's to come for his
fellow competitors in the 200 mph category, those respective teams better
get to work.
And they better get to work fast.
At Bristol's Thunder Valley Nationals, Edwards' driving was near perfect.
His GXP's setup was flawless. He left his competition in his dust all
weekend. He was the No. 1 qualifier. He won the race. And just for good
measure, he set the low elapsed time for the event in his final-round
victory over three-time series champ Greg Anderson.
It was all in a day's work for this very humble and highly spiritual
self-confessed total gear head from Oklahoma who now heads to Heartland Park
Topeka in Kansas for the O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals, May 29-31. He will
try to keep the momentum going so he can improve on his third place position
in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Pro Stock points order. Hillary
Will (Top Fuel); John Force (Funny Car); and Ron Krisher (Pro Stock) are the
defending winners of the event, which will be televised on ESPN2 and ESPN2
HD.
Edwards had been making waves and turning heads early in the season in
spurts, taking three No. 1 qualifying positions, a runner-up finish at the
season-opener in Pomona, Calif. and a victory in mid-April in Atlanta.
However, his flashes of brilliance before his exclamation point victory at
Bristol were tempered with a few moments of futility. After being recognized
by his peers as having the car to beat with No. 1 qualifying performances at
Phoenix, Gainesville and Las Vegas, he lost all three races in the second
round. At St. Louis he qualified second but lost in the first round to
Justin Humphreys on a red-light start.
Heading into Bristol he decided to focus intensely on his driving and had
his team work overtime to find more horsepower. The results were immediate.
"I had been struggling with my driving and I felt like I gave a couple of
races away," Edwards said. "I have been qualifying No. 1 and felt like I let
my team down a few times. We have just tested, tested and tested and worked
countless hours at this. I have the best group of guys in the world. Finally
all the hard work is paying off and the results are showing."
Edwards knows if he is to sustain his run for the NHRA Full Throttle
Countdown to the Championship that is the effort he's going to need during
the stretch run of the regular season and for the six-race playoffs, the
Countdown to 1. Series leader Jeg Coughlin has raced out to a good lead with
three victories in his JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt, while Line has also been
impressive in his Summit Racing GXP with two wins. Anderson is starting to
get on the fast track in his Summit Pontiac as well.
"I don't know if people realize how hard it is to do well in this class,"
said Edwards, whose best series points finish in his 15-year career is third
(1996). "I respect Greg (Anderson) and Jason (Line) and those are the guys
you want to beat because they've been up there so long, just like Warren and
Kurt (Johnson) too. To beat those guys ... I never dreamed I would be as
competitive in this class and run like this. It's an awesome feeling."
In Top Fuel, Tony Schumacher is back to his winning ways in the category
despite having a brand new team in the pits. He has raced to three victories
in his U.S. Army dragster with new crew chief Mike Green calling the shots.
However, Schumacher has never won at Heartland Park. Brandon Bernstein and
Cory McClenathan are multiple-time winners at the Kansas track and will be
among the favorites during the weekend.
Del Worsham is riding a two-race winning streak behind the wheel of his new
Al-Anabi Racing Toyota Solara and is making a serious move up the Funny Car
points order. He trails three-time season winner and series leader Ron Capps
by 57 points. Capps, who drives the NAPA Dodge Charger for Don Schumacher
Racing, is a two-time winner at Topeka. The only other active Funny Car
drivers who have won at HPT are nine-time winner John Force, four-time
winner Cruz Pedregon and three-time winner Tony Pedregon. All three will be
among the favorites to win, in addition to Ashley Force Hood, Jack Beckman
and Tim Wilkerson.
SCHEDULE: Pro qualifying sessions are scheduled for 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
on Friday, May 29, and 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 30. Final
eliminations begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, May 31.
TICKETS: Tickets are available for the O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals by
calling Heartland Park Topeka at (800) 43-RACES (72237) or via
www.ticketmaster.com.
ON TV: ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of qualifying coverage
at 8 p.m. (ET) on Saturday May 30. On Sunday, May 31, ESPN2 and ESPN2
HD will feature NHRA Race Day, a 30-minute pre-race show, at 11 a.m.
(ET), and three hours of eliminations coverage at 4 p.m. (ET).
LUCAS OIL SERIES: The O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals also will feature
competition in eight categories in the NHRA Lucas Oil Series, where the
future stars of the NHRA Full Throttle Series earn their racing stripes.
Lucas Oil Series qualifying begins at 8 a.m. on May 29. Lucas Oil Series
eliminations begin at 8 a.m. on May 30.
ON THE WEB: Get instant results, multimedia and the latest news updates
from every NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event on the Internet
at www.NHRA.com.
O'REILLY NHRA SUMMER NATIONALS FACT SHEET
WHAT: 21st annual O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals presented by Castrol
GTX, the ninth of 24 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing
Series. Drivers in three categories -- Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock
-- earn points leading to 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series
world championships.
WHERE: Heartland Park Topeka. From Kansas City, take the Kansas Turnpike
(I-70) to the Topeka Boulevard exit and travel south to the track. From
Wichita, take the Kansas Turnpike (I-335) to the Topeka Boulevard exit
and travel south to the track.
WHEN: Friday through Sunday, May 29-31
SCHEDULE:
FRIDAY, May 29 - Sportsman qualifying begins at 8 a.m.
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 4 and 6:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, May 30 - Sportsman eliminations begin at 8 a.m.
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 11:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
SUNDAY, May 31 - Pre-race ceremonies, 10 a.m.
FINAL ELIMINATIONS begin at 11 a.m.
TELEVISION:
Saturday, May 30 ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of
qualifying highlights at 8 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, May 31 ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise NHRA Race Day, at 11
a.m. (ET).
Sunday, May 31 ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise three hours of
eliminations at 4 p.m. (ET).
SATELLITE (Analog feed):
Friday, May 29, 10:30 - 11 p.m. (ET), AMC 15 / Transponder 3K (11760
MHz, vertical)
Saturday, May 30, 8 - 8:30p.m. (ET), AMC 15 / Transponder 3K (11760 MHz,
vertical)
Sunday, May 31, 7:30 - 8 p.m. (ET), AMC 15 / Transponder 3K (11760 MHz,
vertical)
Video news release contains race action highlights each day and winners'
interviews on Sunday.
2008 EVENT WINNERS: Hillary Will, Top Fuel; John Force, Funny Car; Ron
Krisher, Pro Stock
TRACK RECORDS:
Top Fuel* - 4.487 seconds by Doug Kalitta, May '04; 331.61 mph by Larry
Dixon, May '05
Funny Car* - 4.729 seconds by Robert Hight, May '05; 327.11 mph by Mike
Ashley, May '07
Pro Stock - 6.682 seconds by Greg Anderson, May '07; 207.24 mph by
Anderson, May '07
(*performance records will not be officially recorded in Top Fuel and
Funny Car at this event)
NATIONAL RECORDS:
Top Fuel* - 4.428 sec. by Tony Schumacher, Nov. '06, Pomona, Calif.;
336.15 mph by Schumacher, May '05, Columbus, Ohio
Funny Car* - 4.659 sec. by Tony Pedregon, Feb. '07, Chandler, Ariz.;
333.66 mph by Jack Beckman, Nov. '06, Pomona, Calif.
Pro Stock - 6.528 sec. by Greg Anderson, Feb. '09, Pomona, Calif.;
212.03 mph by Mike Edwards, March '09, Baytown, Texas
(*performance records will not be officially recorded in Top Fuel and
Funny Car at this event)
TICKETS: For tickets call NHRA at (800) 43-RACES (72237). Tickets also
available at ticketmaster.com.
GENERAL ADMISSION (includes pit pass) - Friday: Adult, $34; Junior (6-12
years), $10. Saturday: Adult, $46; Junior (6-12 years), $10. Sunday:
Adult, $48; Junior (6-12 years), $10.
RESERVED SEATS (includes pit pass) - Friday: Adult, $42-47; Junior
(6-12), $18-23; Child (5 years and younger), $8-13. Saturday: Adult,
$56-61; Junior (6-12 years), $20-25; Child (5 years and under), $10-15.
Sunday: Adult, $58-63; Junior (6-12 years), $20-25; Child (5 years and
under), $10-15.
NHRA FULL THROTTLE DRAG RACING SERIES POINT STANDINGS
GLENDORA, Calif. -- Point standings (top 10) for NHRA professional
categories following the eighth of 24 events in the NHRA Full Throttle
Drag Racing Series:
Top Fuel
1. Tony Schumacher, 659; 2. Antron Brown, 614; 3. Brandon Bernstein,
594; 4. Cory McClenathan, 511; 5. Morgan Lucas, 489; 6. Larry Dixon,
457; 7. Shawn Langdon, 449; 8. Doug Kalitta, 412; 9. Spencer Massey,
373; 10. Joe Hartley, 333.
Funny Car
1. Ron Capps, 616; 2. Del Worsham, 559; 3. Tony Pedregon, 528; 4. Ashley
Force Hood, 505; 5. Jack Beckman, 479; 6. Matt Hagan, 448; 7. Tim
Wilkerson, 426; 8. Bob Tasca III, 408; 9. John Force, 396; 10. Cruz
Pedregon, 386.
Pro Stock
1. Jeg Coughlin, 714; 2. Jason Line, 662; 3. Mike Edwards, 616; 4. Greg
Anderson, 574; 5. Allen Johnson, 435; 6. Greg Stanfield, 429; 7. Ron
Krisher, 398; 8. Kurt Johnson, 390; 9. Rickie Jones, 336; 10. (tie)
Johnny Gray, 295. Larry Morgan, 295.
WORSHAM PICKS UP FIRST WIN OF THE SEASON; BROWN, COUGHLIN, KRAWIEC PICK OF WINS AT GATEWAY INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
MADISON, Ill. – Del Worsham raced to his first
win of the season and first win with Alan Johnson Al-Anabi Racing at the
13th annual O’Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway International
Raceway.
Antron Brown, Jeg Coughlin and Eddie Krawiec also won in their respective
categories.
Worsham drove his Alan Johnson Al-Anabi Racing Toyota Solara to a
4.135-second run at 302.48 mph to defeat No. 1 qualifier and current points
leader Ron Capps on a holeshot. For Worsham, it’s his first win in over a
year; his last coming at Houston Raceway Park in 2007.
“We got here and went down the track all six runs without any problem,” said
Worsham. “This team was assembled to do well, win races and win a
championship, and I just want to be able to do my part. It was just a huge
sense of excitement!”
“Looking back on my career, I’ve made some great passes and great runs, but
Ron (Capps) and Tony (Pedregon) always seem to kick my butt, so it’s just a
great feeling to be able to win against him.”
In Top Fuel, Antron Brown defeated St. Louis favorite, Budweiser-sponsored
Brandon Bernstein, when he drove his DirectTV/Matco Tools dragster to 3.850
at 318.02 mph. It is Brown’s second win in three final round appearances for
the season and 20th win of his career.
“That was a just a phenomenal race,” said Brown. “You line up against that
Budweiser car with Brandon Bernstein and Rob Flynn. I know what Rob is
capable of. Rob won this race last year with “Hot Rod” (Fuller), so he knows
about this track and what it can take and hold.”
Coughlin drove past runner-up Jason Line after Line posted a red light in
the final round of competition. Coughlin drove his JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt to
a 6.588 at 208.39 mph for his third win in five final round appearances for
the season.
“There’s no question that our team has really jelled together over the past
two seasons,” said Coughlin. “We’ve been racing hard, we’ve been racing
smart and we’re on the good end of it now with three wins in five final
rounds.”
Krawiec rode his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson past
runner-up Craig Treble to pick up his second win in as many races for the
season. Krawiec’s run of 6.947 at 189.39 mph was strong enough for the
defending world champions second career win.
“To come out here and get my second win, it’s just a cool opportunity,” said
Krawiec “It’s tough going out there and getting your first win and everyone
told me that once you get your first win, it’ll get easy, but I never
thought it would get this easy.”
MADISON, Ill. -- Final finish order (1-16) for professional categories at
the 13th annual O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals presented by Castrol at
Gateway International Raceway. The race is the seventh of 24 events in the
NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.
TOP FUEL:
1. Antron Brown; 2. Brandon Bernstein; 3. Shawn Langdon; 4. Spencer Massey;
5. Cory McClenathan; 6. Tony Schumacher; 7. Joe Hartley; 8. Morgan Lucas; 9.
Clay Millican; 10. T.J. Zizzo; 11. John Smith; 12. Kevin Jones; 13. Doug
Kalitta; 14. Larry Dixon; 15. Todd Simpson; 16. Chris Karamesines.
FUNNY CAR:
1. Del Worsham, Toyota Solara; 2. Ron Capps; 3. Cruz Pedregon; 4. Tony
Pedregon; 5. Tim Wilkerson; 6. Bob Tasca III; 7. John Force; 8. Matt Hagan;
9. Jim Head; 10. Jeff Arend; 11. Mike Neff; 12. Ashley Force Hood; 13. Jack
Beckman; 14. Robert Hight; 15. Terry Haddock; 16.
Jerry Toliver.
PRO STOCK:
1. Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Cobalt; 2. Jason Line; 3. Greg Anderson; 4. Justin
Humphreys; 5. Kurt Johnson; 6. Greg Stanfield; 7. Rickie Jones; 8. Ron
Krisher; 9. Mike Edwards; 10. Allen Johnson; 11. Rodger Brogdon; 12. Tom
Hammonds; 13. Larry Morgan; 14. Dave Northrop; 15. Steve Spiess; 16. Johnny
Gray.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:
1. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson; 2. Craig Treble; 3. Angie McBride; 4.
Douglas Horne; 5. Andrew Hines; 6. Hector Arana; 7. Shawn Gann; 8. Matt
Smith; 9. Karen Stoffer; 10. Steve Johnson; 11. Junior Pippin; 12. Matt
Guidera; 13. Michael Phillips; 14. Joe DeSantis; 15. Bailey Whitaker; 16.
David Hope.
MADISON, Ill. -- Sunday's final results from the 13th annual O'Reilly NHRA
Midwest Nationals presented by Castrol at Gateway International Raceway. The
race is the seventh of 24 in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series:
Top Fuel -- Antron Brown, 3.850 seconds, 318.02 mph def. Brandon Bernstein,
3.888 seconds, 310.27 mph.
Funny Car -- Del Worsham, Toyota Solara, 4.135, 302.48 def. Ron Capps, Dodge
Charger, 4.121, 301.33.
Pro Stock -- Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Cobalt, 6.588, 208.39 def. Jason Line,
Pontiac GXP, foul.
Pro Stock Motorcycle -- Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 6.947, 189.39 def.
Craig Treble, Suzuki, 6.953, 194.21.
Competition Eliminator -- Lee Sharp, Pontiac GXP, 10.307, 85.03 def. Shaun
Vincent, Chevy S-10, 9.455, 106.21.
Super Stock -- Jeff Taylor, Chevy Cobalt, 9.006, 153.56 def. Larry Stewart
Jr., Chevy Nova, 9.690, 128.85.
Super Comp -- Nick Folk, Dragster, 8.927, 167.03 def. Terry Edwards,
Dragster, foul.
Super Gas -- Larry Bernshausen, Chevy Vega Wagon, 10.113, 124.63 def. Ray
Connolly, Chevy Corvette, broke.
MADISON, Ill. -- Final round-by-round results from the 13th annual O'Reilly
NHRA Midwest Nationals presented by Castrol at Gateway International
Raceway, the seventh of 24 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing
Series:
TOP FUEL:
ROUND ONE -- Brandon Bernstein, 3.900, 302.82 def. Clay Millican, 3.919,
306.74; Antron Brown, 3.896, 311.05 def. Doug Kalitta, 4.549, 182.87; Shawn
Langdon, 3.886, 314.46 def. T.J. Zizzo, foul; Spencer Massey, 3.908, 305.01
def. John Smith, 3.981, 297.48; Cory McClenathan, 3.899, 311.99 def. Chris
Karamesines, broke; Morgan Lucas, 3.860, 305.91 def. Kevin Jones, 4.226,
211.66; Tony Schumacher, 3.926, 282.95 def. Todd Simpson, no time; Joe
Hartley, 3.955, 295.53 def. Larry Dixon, 4.737, 166.91; QUARTERFINALS --
Massey, 3.916, 305.84 def. Hartley, 3.983, 297.48; Langdon, 3.885, 311.05
def. Schumacher, 3.895, 299.46; Bernstein, 3.905, 305.22 def. Lucas, 4.511,
202.18; Brown, 3.864, 312.35 def. McClenathan, 3.885, 301.81; SEMIFINALS --
Bernstein, 3.863, 313.51 def. Massey, 10.161, 77.40; Brown, 3.854, 312.57
def.
Langdon, 3.878, 305.98;
FINAL -- Brown, 3.850, 318.02 def. Bernstein, 3.888, 310.27.
FUNNY CAR:
ROUND ONE -- Bob Tasca III, Ford Mustang, 4.157, 298.67 def. Robert Hight,
Mustang, 4.965, 156.83; Del Worsham, Toyota Solara, 4.113, 295.40 def. Jerry
Toliver, Chevy Monte Carlo, 8.922, 73.22; Ron Capps, Dodge Charger, 4.166,
297.94 def. Terry Haddock, Dodge Stratus, 5.860, 123.84; Cruz Pedregon,
Solara, 4.219, 286.13 def. Jim Head, Solara, 4.221, 281.95; Matt Hagan,
Charger, 4.104, 303.64 def. Jeff Arend, Solara, 4.257, 279.04; Tim
Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.156, 287.78 def. Mike Neff, Mustang, 4.454, 197.94;
Tony Pedregon, Chevy Impala, 4.174, 287.35 def. Ashley Force Hood, Mustang,
4.810, 174.80; John Force, Mustang, 4.186, 296.37 def. Jack Beckman,
Charger, 4.918, 179.04; QUARTERFINALS -- C. Pedregon, 4.164, 292.77 def.
Tasca III, foul; Worsham, 4.143, 301.87 def.
Wilkerson, 4.152, 294.31; T. Pedregon, 4.175, 288.39 def. Hagan, 4.235,
242.45; Capps, 4.134, 296.18 def. Force, 4.178, 287.90;
SEMIFINALS -- Worsham, 4.219, 291.26 def. T. Pedregon, 10.046, 84.66; Capps,
4.135, 299.13 def. C. Pedregon, 4.166, 296.70;
FINAL -- Worsham, 4.135, 302.48 def. Capps, 4.121, 301.33.
PRO STOCK:
ROUND ONE -- Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Cobalt, 6.628, 209.33 def. Johnny Gray,
Dodge Stratus, 10.763, 82.95; Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.612, 208.39 def. Larry
Morgan, Stratus, 6.640, 208.33; Jason Line, Pontiac GXP, 6.590, 210.18 def.
Tom Hammonds, Cobalt, foul; Rickie Jones, Stratus, 6.646, 207.88 def. Allen
Johnson, Stratus, foul; Greg Stanfield, GXP, 6.586, 209.72 def. Dave
Northrop, Stratus, 6.663, 207.27; Justin Humphreys, GXP, 6.678, 207.24 def.
Mike Edwards, GXP, foul; Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.639, 209.46 def. Steve
Spiess, Cobalt, 6.678, 207.24; Greg Anderson, GXP, 6.584, 210.05 def. Rodger
Brogdon, GXP, 6.625, 209.30; QUARTERFINALS -- Humphreys, 6.632, 207.53 def.
Krisher, 7.097, 158.26; Line, 6.578, 210.24 def. K. Johnson, 6.586, 209.20;
Coughlin, 6.594, 208.39 def. Stanfield, 6.603, 208.39; Anderson, 6.591,
209.69 def. Jones, 6.656, 207.43;
SEMIFINALS -- Coughlin, 6.593, 208.62 def. Anderson, 6.575, 209.59; Line,
6.592, 210.11 def. Humphreys, 6.634, 208.20;
FINAL -- Coughlin, 6.588, 208.39 def. Line, foul.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:
ROUND ONE -- Douglas Horne, Buell, 7.010, 187.47 def. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki,
foul; Shawn Gann, Buell, 6.988, 186.36 def. Michael Phillips, Suzuki, foul;
Craig Treble, Suzuki, 6.948, 192.93 def.
Junior Pippin, Buell, 7.021, 186.33; Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 6.911,
191.57 def. Bailey Whitaker, Buell, 7.141, 183.57; Hector Arana, Buell,
6.934, 191.57 def. Joe DeSantis, Suzuki, foul; Andrew Hines,
Harley-Davidson, 6.913, 192.74 def. David Hope, Buell, broke; Angie McBride,
Buell, 7.001, 186.20 def. Matt Guidera, Buell, 7.039, 188.75; Matt Smith,
Suzuki, 6.969, 192.99 def. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.012, 188.60;
QUARTERFINALS -- Treble, 7.029, 190.73 def. Smith, 6.992, 189.63; McBride,
6.958, 187.34 def. Arana, foul; Horne, 7.052, 184.27 def. Hines, foul;
Krawiec, 6.900, 192.63 def. Gann, 6.974, 187.68; SEMIFINALS -- Treble,
6.966, 193.10 def. Horne, 7.030, 184.90; Krawiec, 6.955, 187.63 def.
McBride, 6.973, 186.43; FINAL -- Krawiec, 6.947, 189.39 def. Treble, 6.953,
194.21.
MADISON, Ill. -- Point standings (top 10) for NHRA professional categories
following the 13th annual O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals presented by
Castrol at Gateway International Raceway, the seventh of 24 events in the
NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series -
Top Fuel
1. Antron Brown, 561; 2. Tony Schumacher, 543; 3. Brandon Bernstein, 517; 4.
Cory McClenathan, 453; 5. Morgan Lucas, 437; 6. Larry Dixon, 402; 7. Shawn
Langdon, 375; 8. Spencer Massey, 363; 9. Doug Kalitta, 320; 10. Joe Hartley,
302.
Funny Car
1. Ron Capps, 562; 2. Del Worsham, 443; 3. Tony Pedregon, 437; 4. (tie) Jack
Beckman, 427; Ashley Force Hood, 427; 6. Matt Hagan, 413; 7. Bob Tasca III,
375; 8. John Force, 363; 9. Tim Wilkerson, 349; 10. (tie) Robert Hight, 337.
Mike Neff, 337.
Pro Stock
1. Jeg Coughlin, 637; 2. Jason Line, 588; 3. Mike Edwards, 498; 4. Greg
Anderson, 478; 5. Greg Stanfield, 394; 6. Allen Johnson, 381; 7. Ron Krisher,
345; 8. Kurt Johnson, 338; 9. Rickie Jones, 304; 10. Larry Morgan, 263.
Pro Stock Motorcycle
1. Eddie Krawiec, 341; 2. Matt Smith, 325; 3. Andrew Hines, 308; 4. Douglas
Horne, 291; 5. Hector Arana, 282; 6. Craig Treble, 278; 7. Shawn Gann, 209;
8. Karen Stoffer, 175; 9. Matt Guidera, 168; 10. Steve Johnson, 167.
LUCAS TAKES NO. 1 QUALIFIER AT GATEWAY INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY; CAPPS, STANFIELD, HINES ALSO NO. 1 AFTER QUALIFYING
MADISON, ILL – Morgan Lucas continues his hot
streak as he took the top spot in Top Fuel at the O'Reilly NHRA Midwest
Nationals at Gateway International Raceway on Saturday.
Two qualifying sessions took to the track on Saturday after rain cancelled
qualifying for all classes except for Pro Stock Motorcycle on Friday. This
is the seventh of 24 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.
Ron Capps, Greg Stanfield and Andrew Hines also take No. 1 positions in
their respective categories into eliminations on Sunday at 11:00 a. m.
Lucas wheeled his GEICO/Lucas Oil Top Fuel dragster to a pass of 3.881
seconds at 299.46 mph. This is his first No. 1 qualifier of the year, the
third of his career, and comes off of his win at Atlanta.
“It feels great to keep the momentum going. You never want to have something
really big happen and then just fail the next week miserably, you always
want to do the best you can,” said Lucas. “Its not making big changes, not
doing anything radical and getting ourselves lost, staying down the path
we’ve been going down.”
In Funny Car, Capps, a three time GIR winner, finds himself atop the field
in his NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger R/T with a 4.111-second pass at 297.02
mph to take the top spot. It's Capps’s 9th career No. 1 qualifier and the
second of this season.
“For a while number one always felt like you were a little bit jinxed going
into Sunday and it didn’t really matter as long as you were top four and had
lane choice,” stated Capps. “The more impressive thing was to be rained out
yesterday and have Ed McCulloch put me into a car that ran 4.11 in both
lanes.”
Stanfield posted the quickest time in the Pro Stock category, as he piloted
his Attitude Apparel Pontiac GXP, to a run of 6.573 at 210.37. This was the
first No. 1 qualifying position for Stanfield since the 2006 race in
Reading, PA.
“Usually for our team if we lose two runs it is trouble for us. We ran good
in Atlanta and conditions are pretty similar which helped us a lot,” said
Stanfield following the qualifying session. “Losing two runs probably helped
us because there are some other teams that are stronger than us so maybe it
played in our favor.”
Hines was the leader of the Pro Stock Motorcycle field and also set a new
national elapsed time record with his pass of 6.860 seconds at 192.14. This
was the third top qualifying position of the year for Hines and the 25th of
his career.
“It was really going in the first eight-mile and after that it really sailed
through there and had enough momentum to carry on through and get that
number,” said Hines. “It really didn’t feel that fast and I didn’t know
anything until people called me up and said number one qualifier”
Eliminations begin Sunday at 11 a.m.
MADISON, Ill. -- First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday
for the 13th annual O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals presented by Castrol at
Gateway International Raceway, the seventh of 24 events in the NHRA Full
Throttle Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which
ended Saturday. DNQs listed below pairings.
Top Fuel -- 1. Morgan Lucas, 3.881 seconds, 307.02 mph vs. 16. Kevin Jones,
4.459, 194.02; 2. Cory McClenathan, 3.882, 305.08 vs. 15. Chris Karamesines,
4.435, 214.66; 3. Tony Schumacher, 3.885, 302.75 vs. 14. Todd Simpson,
4.308, 269.13; 4. Spencer Massey, 3.896, 296.44 vs. 13. John Smith, 4.061,
287.23; 5. Larry Dixon, 3.904, 304.25 vs. 12. Joe Hartley, 4.022, 298.40; 6.
Shawn Langdon, 3.906, 306.05 vs. 11. T.J. Zizzo, 3.969, 297.16; 7. Antron
Brown, 3.906, 298.67 vs. 10. Doug Kalitta, 3.965, 299.60; 8. Clay Millican,
3.910, 294.82 vs. 9. Brandon Bernstein, 3.944, 297.02.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Scott Palmer, 4.720, 167.93; 18. Luigi Novelli, 6.817,
98.56.
Funny Car -- 1. Ron Capps, Dodge Charger, 4.111, 298.80 vs. 16. Terry
Haddock, Dodge Stratus, 6.072, 110.08; 2. Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.143, 282.84
vs. 15. Jeff Arend, Toyota Solara, 4.740, 173.96; 3. Del Worsham, Solara,
4.144, 298.40 vs. 14. Jerry Toliver, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.715, 173.61; 4.
Cruz Pedregon, Solara, 4.144, 297.81 vs. 13. Jim Head, Solara, 4.612,
187.42; 5. Bob Tasca III, Ford Mustang, 4.147, 298.67 vs. 12. Robert Hight,
Mustang, 4.294, 280.60; 6. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.150, 299.33 vs. 11.
Mike Neff, Mustang, 4.222, 271.35; 7. Ashley Force Hood, Mustang, 4.162,
294.95 vs. 10. Tony Pedregon, Chevy Impala, 4.200, 290.51; 8. John Force,
Mustang, 4.170, 290.32 vs. 9. Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.178, 299.80.
Pro Stock -- 1. Greg Stanfield, Pontiac GXP, 6.573, 210.37 vs. 16. Dave
Northrop, Dodge Stratus, 6.636, 208.17; 2. Mike Edwards, GXP, 6.575, 209.85
vs. 15. Justin Humphreys, GXP, 6.636, 208.17; 3. Kurt Johnson, Chevy Cobalt,
6.576, 210.21 vs. 14. Steve Spiess, Cobalt, 6.633, 207.98; 4. Greg Anderson,
GXP, 6.580, 210.05 vs. 13. Rodger Brogdon, GXP, 6.627, 208.94; 5. Allen
Johnson, Stratus, 6.586, 209.92 vs. 12. Rickie Jones, Stratus, 6.620,
208.91; 6. Jason Line, GXP, 6.595, 210.24 vs. 11. Tom Hammonds, Cobalt,
6.620, 208.42; 7. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.601, 209.04 vs. 10.
Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.615, 208.30; 8. Jeg Coughlin, Cobalt, 6.609, 209.56
vs. 9. Johnny Gray, Stratus, 6.611, 209.14.
Did Not Qualify: 17. David Beckley, 6.643, 208.14; 18. Warren Johnson,
6.648, 208.97; 19. Steve Schmidt, 6.655, 207.85; 20. Ronnie Humphrey, 6.676,
207.59; 21. V. Gaines, 6.679, 206.70; 22. Erica Enders, 6.740, 203.65; 23.
Dave River, 7.015, 196.50; 24. Mark Hogan, 7.399, 154.35.
Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.860, 192.14 vs.
16. David Hope, Buell, 7.114, 185.36; 2. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson,
6.907, 192.00 vs. 15. Bailey Whitaker, Buell, 7.108, 183.29; 3. Hector
Arana, Buell, 6.921, 190.14 vs. 14. Joe DeSantis, Suzuki, 7.065, 190.30; 4.
Matt Smith, Suzuki, 6.927, 191.16 vs. 13. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.042,
189.39; 5. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 6.956, 191.13 vs. 12. Junior Pippin, Buell,
7.031, 186.02; 6. Angie McBride, Buell, 6.958, 187.65 vs. 11. Matt Guidera,
Buell, 7.024, 186.87; 7. Shawn Gann, Buell, 6.973, 184.07 vs. 10. Michael
Phillips, Suzuki, 6.997, 192.55; 8. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 6.986, 189.71 vs.
9. Douglas Horne, Buell, 6.994, 187.57.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Mike Berry, 7.223, 182.13; 18. Wesley Wells, 7.269,
178.35.
HINES GET TOP SPOT IN PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE BEFORE RAIN WASHES OUT QUALIFYING AT O’REILLY NHRA MIDWEST NATIONALS
MADISON, Ill. – Andrew Hines moved to the top
spot in Pro Stock Motorcycle before rain washed out the first two rounds of
qualifying at the 15th annual O’Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway
International Raceway.
Persistent rain showers forced NHRA officials to postpone the first rounds
of professional qualifying for Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock at the
seventh of 24 events on the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.
Hines was able to power his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson to
a 6.920-second run at 189.73 mph before rain storms moved into the area. Pro
Stock Motorcycle was the only professional category to complete a round of
qualifying.
“It was a long wait but it worked out in our favor because we had to pull
our V-Rod apart three times before we got to run,” said Hines. “We fired it
up this morning about 10-o’clock and it was huffin a bunch of smoke out of
the front cylinder. We pulled the engine apart and checked it out everything
seemed to look OK, put it back together fired it up again and it was still
huffing smoke. We pulled the front cylinder head off and had to change a
couple of valve seals that were leaking pretty bad. We got it back together
and everything was ok. We got it right together at 1:55 and we were called
up at 2 and we were good to go. The little bit of rain allowed us to get
lunch and it worked out in our favor.”
Two rounds of pro qualifying are scheduled for Saturday at 11:30 a.m. and 2
p.m. Eliminations are scheduled for Sunday at 11 a.m.
MADISON, Ill. -- Results Friday after the first one of four rounds of
qualifying for the 13th annual O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals presented by
Castrol at Gateway International Raceway, seventh of 24 events in the NHRA
Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for
Sunday's final eliminations.
Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.920,
189.73; 2. Matt Smith, Suzuki, 6.965, 190.46; 3. Eddie Krawiec,
Harley-Davidson, 6.983, 192.00; 4. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 6.986, 189.71; 5.
Michael Phillips, Suzuki, 7.009, 191.46; 6. Angie McBride, Buell, 7.016,
186.64; 7. Matt Guidera, Buell, 7.024, 186.87; 8. Junior Pippin, Buell,
7.031, 186.02; 9. Hector Arana, Buell, 7.068, 187.70; 10. Bailey Whitaker,
Buell, 7.108, 183.29; 11. David Hope, Buell, 7.173, 185.36; 12. Steve
Johnson, Suzuki, 7.210, 183.97. Not Qualified: 13. Mike Berry, 7.257,
179.71; 14. Wesley Wells, 12.028, 64.35; 15. Craig Treble, 23.889, 23.48;
16. Douglas Horne, 41.594, 22.05; 17. Shawn Gann, broke; 18. Joe DeSantis,
broke.
NEWS NUGGETS
Photo
- NHRA.com
WILKERSON RETURNS TO GATEWAY INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY ON DIFFERENT MISSION: The
missions are entirely different, however for NHRA Funny Car star Tim
Wilkerson, the potential payoff is just as important. One year ago Wilkerson
came to his home track – Gateway International Raceway – looking for a win
and hunting the No. 1 points position in the Full Throttle Series Funny Car
standings. This year, the Springfield, Ill. racer is still hunting for a
win, however, this time around he’s trying to navigate his way into the top
10 in the ultra-competitive Funny Car class in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag
Racing Series. Last year he was successful with both goals at GIR. He won
the race and moved into the points lead for the first time in his career. He
used that race win as momentum to go on a summer winning spree that flipped
the category upside down. He narrowly missed winning his first world
championship title in the season-ending playoffs. Riding that wave from his
second place points finish from 2008, Wilkerson’s once independent race
operation took on a makeover during the offseason. He decided to partner
with Bob Tasca and switched from Chevy Impalas to Ford Shelby Mustangs.
Though still in the intial phase, Wilkerson is at the point now in the
transition where he’s starting to see the bright light at the end of the
tunnel. “We’re definitely making progress and Atlanta showed that, I think,”
Wilkerson said. “We basically made five great laps in a row, and our
first-round race on Sunday was our best of the weekend. We also brought out
a brand new chassis in Atlanta, as if we haven’t been starting from scratch
in just about every area all year, anyway. I think some people thought I’d
lost my mind when we finished second last year, but came out for 2009 with
all new stuff. They’d ask me ‘Why don’t you just keep running what you had?’
but if you don’t keep moving forward, you’re going to get left behind. With
the new chassis and the Shelby Mustang, we’re definitely moving forward.”
You can see Wilkerson and all of your favorite NHRA Full Throttle Drag
Racing drivers at the 13th annual O’Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals, May 1-3
at Gateway International Raceway. For tickets, call (866) 357-7333 or online
at gatewayraceway.com.
SCHUMACHER PRESENTED 2008 DRIVER OF THE YEAR TROPHY: U.S. Army NHRA
Top Fuel driver Tony Schumacher received his 2008 Driver Of The Year trophy
Thursday night in Talladega, Ala., during the annual International
Motorsports Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Last Decemeber, an elite panel
of broadcasters and journalists named Schumacher the 2008 Driver Of The Year
after the Chicago-area resident posted a record fifth consecutive world
championship to go along with 15 victories. Schumacher became the third NHRA
driver to win the prestigious Driver Of The Year award. Funny Car’s John
Force captured the 1996 honor, and Pro Stock’s Greg Anderson won it in 2004.
For more information on Schumacher’s award, visit NHRA.com.
HE SAID, SHE SAID
Photo
- NHRA.com
WHAT’S A FIRST SEASON WITHOUT A WIN?: Top Fuel rookie Spencer Massey
on his first year driving for Don Prudhomme Racing: “Winning is the goal,
and if we’re not expecting that, ‘Snake’ might be kind of mad. We’re going
to go for it every weekend, no matter what it takes, and start going rounds
and get these points because we need to get into the Countdown.”
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
2: That’s the number of repeat winners at Gateway International Raceway in
the Pro Stock Motorcycle category. Both Angelle Sampey (2005, ’02, ’99) and
Matt Hines (2000, 1998) currently are not racing, meaning that among active
drivers, three could add a second GIR win this weekend. Here are those
drivers below:
Andrew Hines
Steve Johnson
Matt Smith
DID YOU KNOW…
…that among the active drivers in Top Fuel, only three have won at Gateway
International Raceway. Doug Kalitta (2004, ’03, ’01), Brandon Bernstein
(2005), and Tony Schumacher (2006).
Photos - NHRA.com
DIXON, TASCA, EDWARDS AND SMITH RACE TO QUALIFYING LEAD AT 40th ANNUAL ACDELCO NHRA GATORNATIONALS
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Larry Dixon led the Top Fuel pack on
Friday at the ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals by racing to the qualifying lead
for the second consecutive race.
Dixon, who had a rough start to the season after failing to qualify at the
season-opener in Pomona, qualified with the quickest run on Friday, a
performance of 3.902 seconds at 310.20 mph in his Al-Anabi Racing dragster.
Bob Tasca, Mike Edwards and Matt Smith also were qualifying leaders in their
respective categories at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Event.
Qualifying continues Saturday at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. for Sunday’s 11
a.m. eliminations.
Dixon, also the top qualifier at Phoenix, appears to be adjusting well to
his new Alan Johnson-led team.
“It was real close to get that .90 on the board and at least get us
qualified in the top 12,” Dixon said. “That's always important.
“I think from the first two events we went to, the air is quite a bit better
here, but because of the track temperature, you have a lot less grip. I
would assume that most of the teams that got down the track had to calm the
car down to let it get down the track. I wouldn't think [the number will
hold], I think cars should run better the more they get adapted. It seems
like in years past here at Gainesville the first day is a little bit slower
than the second day. I don't know why, obviously the heat and we haven't run
here in a year, but the second day everything normally picks up and the team
seems to adapt better to it and you have more shots to fire at it. I think
you'll see 80s tomorrow. I wouldn't expect a .90 flat to hold up.”
Brandon Bernstein was second in his Budweiser/Lucas Oil dragster with a
3.922 at 312.64, while Cory McClenathan was third in his FRAM dragster with
a 3.930 at 309.63.
Tasca raced to the Funny Car lead with a 4.124 at 296.76 in his Motorcraft
Quicklane Ford Shelby Mustang. If his time holds through Saturday’s
qualifying it will be his first No. 1 qualifying effort of his career.
"The weather is going to be great all weekend," Tasca said. "It really comes
around with the cloud cover. It really doesn't matter what the temperature
is, track temperature is what's critical. We're hoping it'll hold up but
hey, we could improve. The good thing about running a 4.12 is you have the
data and you can look at it. There were a lot of things in that run that we
could have improved upon. It was a real safe 4.12. If the conditions come
our way tomorrow, we'll try to improve it.”
John Force was second in his Castrol Edge Ford Mustang with a 4.153 at
288.52 and Force’s teammate, Mike Neff, posted a 4.154 at 300.93 in his Ford
Dive One Mustang for third place.
Mike Edwards led Pro Stock in his Young Life/Penhall Pontiac GXP with a
6.582 at 209.20. Edwards is going for his second-consecutive No. 1
qualifying award.
"I'm not really used to this to be honest with you," said Edwards. "It's
very rewarding to have these kind of results after the effort our team put
in last season and over the winter. I'm just really appreciative of
everything. Kathy and Derek Steinbach from A.R.T. are here today and what a
great way to show them off here in their home state [of] Florida. They've
been on our car for eight years, and I'm real tickled for them and to have
them on board. We made up the whole car for them this weekend because we
wanted to do something real special for all the dedication they've given us,
and it turned out real nice for them.
"There will be some faster times tomorrow. I don't know if we can get any
better than that tomorrow but we're going to try. It depends on the weather
but I think the first session tomorrow is going to be real good."
Greg Anderson was second in his Summit Racing Pontiac GXP with a 6.596 at
209.59. Allen Johnson took third with a 6.600 at 208.97 in his Team Mopar/
J&J Racing Dodge Stratus.
Matt Smith raced to the qualifying lead in Pro Stock Motorcycle’s debut race
of the season on his NitroFish Wear Suzuki with a 6.945 at 189.44.
"That's a good start to the season and if we can continue like that tomorrow
we'll be good," said Smith, who made just seven runs on the bike before the
race during testing. "We left three- or four-hundredths on the table on that
first run, so if the conditions are similar tomorrow morning, we could run a
6.90 or .91. This NitroFish Suzuki that Don Schumacher has put together is
pretty awesome, so I have to thank everyone on the team for giving me a
chance to do this.
"The Buell is like a tractor in that it vibrates and makes no rpm – we run
like 9,000 rpm – while the Suzuki will turn 13,500 nice and smooth, so it's
totally different. The clutch is different, the throttle is different, so
it's a big adjustment."
Hector Arana qualified second on his Lucas Oil Buell with a 6.957 at 191.40,
followed by Karen Stoffer in third on her Geico Suzuki 6.963 at 190.43.
Qualifying continues Saturday with sessions at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. on Sunday.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Friday’s qualifying results at the ACDelco NHRA
Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway. The race is the third of 24 events in
the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Qualifying continues Saturday for
Sunday’s eliminations.
Top Fuel
1. Larry Dixon, 3.902, 310.20; 2. Brandon Bernstein, 3.922, 312.64; 3. Cory
McClenathan, 4.930, 309.63; 4. Shawn Langdon, 3.942, 272.01; 5. Tony
Schumacher, 3.944, 304.87; 6. Antron Brown, 3.946, 302.89; 7. Spencer
Massey, 3.959, 305.36; 8. Joe Hartley, 3.965, 305.36; 9. Morgan Lucas,
3.971, 295.14; 10. Del Cox, 3.993, 304.12; 11. Terry McMillen, 4.023,
267.06; 12. Urs Erbacher, 4.043, 286.25; Not qualified: 13. Tim Boychuk,
4.513, 178.00; 14. Terry Haddock, 4.533, 176.14; 15. Bobby Lagana Jr.,
4.571, 177.60; 16. Chris Karamesines, 4.604, 195.85; 17. Clay Millican,
5.214, 133.72; 18. Doug Kalitta, 5.888, 117.10; 19. Michael Gunderson,
6.925, 87.47.
Funny Car
1. Bob Tasca, Ford Mustang, 4.124, 296.76; 2. John Force, Mustang, 4.153,
288.52; 3. Mike Neff, Mustang, 4.154, 300.93; 4. Ron Capps, Dodge Charger,
4.156, 293.15; 5. Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.157, 299.66; 6. Ashley Force Hood,
Mustang, 4.179, 283.91; 7. Del Worsham, Toyota Solara, 4.189, 292.01; 8.
Jeff Arend, Solara, 4.222, 290.94; 9. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.226, 287.17;
10. Cruz Pedregon, Solara, 4.236, 292.90; 11. Tony Pedregon, Chevy Impala,
4.237, 296.50; 12. Mike Smith, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.247, 295.01; Not
qualified: 13. Bob Bode, Impala, 4.286, 286.07; 14. Jerry Toliver, Monte
Carlo, 4.365, 239.19; 15. Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.688, 177.51; 16. Robert
Hight, Mustang, 5.578, 124.68; 17. Jim Head, Solara, 7.215, 67.67.
Pro Stock
1. Mike Edwards, Pontiac GXP, 6.852, 209.10; 2. Greg Anderson, GXP, 6.596,
209.59; 3. Allen Johnson, Dodge Stratus, 6.600, 207.82; 4. Jason Line, GXP,
6.620, 209.14; 5. Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Cobalt, 6.623, 207.50; 6. Larry
Morgan, Stratus, 6.627, 208.01; 7. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.630, 208.14; 8.
Greg Stanfield, GXP, 6.633, 208.07; 9. Johnny Gray, Stratus, 6.640, 208.01;
10. Jim Yates, GXP, 6.644, 207.75; 11. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.647, 207.56;
12. Steve Spiess, Cobalt, 6.659, 207.69; Not qualified: 13. V. Gaines,
Stratus, 6.661, 206.57; 14. Justin Humphreys, GXP, 6.663, 207.05; 15. Rickie
Jones, Stratus, 6.664, 206.76; 16. Warren Johnson, GXP, 6.665, 208.68; 17.
Tom Hammonds, Cobalt, 6.676, 206.73; 18. Dave Northrop, Stratus, 6.679,
207.05; 19. Rodger Brogdon, GXP, 6.717, 205.88; 20. Jerry Haas, Pontiac GTO,
6.717, 205.91; 21. Tom Martino, Stratus, 6.751, 207.08; 22. Bob Benza, GXP,
6.766, 205.66; 23. Erica Enders, 6.785, 201.91; 24. John Gaydosh, GTO,
6.827, 202.97.
Pro Stock Motorcycle
1. Matt Smith, Suzuki, 6.945, 189.44; 2. Hector Arana, Buell, 6.957, 191.40;
3. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 6.963, 190.43; 4. Angie McBride, Buell, 6.963,
189.50; 5. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.991, 188.62; 6. Craig Treble,
Suzuki, 7.005, 189.26; 7. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 7.007, 189.71; 8.
Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.024, 190.30; 9. Wesley Wells, Suzuki, 7.034,
190.67; 10. Shawn Gann, Buell, 7.063, 189.23; 11. Michael Phillips, Suzuki,
7.079, 192.71; 12. Redell Harris, Buell, 7.159, 180.55; Not qualified: 13.
Mike Berry, Buell, 7.160, 181.54; 14. Douglas Horne, Buell, 7.169, 181.35;
15. Ryan Schnitz, Kawasaki, 7.175, 181.98; 16. Matt Guidera, Buell, 7.208,
160.42; 17. Darin McCurdy, Suzuki, 7.239, 183.07; 18. James Surber, Buell,
7.343, 177.42; 19. John Sachs, Suzuki, 7.522, 171.29; 20. Junior Pippin,
Buell, 7.619, 147.34; 21. Joe DeSantis, Suzuki, 12.912, 49.69.
NHRA ANNOUNCES FAN RELIEF PROGRAM FOR 2009
POMONA, Calif. (Jan. 15, 2009) – Recognizing the tough times
currently faced by our fans across the country, and their desire to continue
to enjoy the thrill and excitement of attending NHRA Full Throttle Drag
Racing Series events, NHRA has announced several fan relief programs for the
2009 season including reduced priced general admission tickets, children 12
and under free, and a military appreciation offer.
The fan relief program will be available at all NHRA company owned
facilities in Pomona, Gainesville, Atlanta and Indianapolis, as well as at
additional participating national event tracks. The program will begin with
the Kragen O’Reilly NHRA Winternationals, with details on subsequent events
to be announced after the season opener.
At the Kragen O’Reilly NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona,
Feb. 5-8, NHRA has announced $20 adult general admission tickets in a
special section of the west-side spectator grandstand. The $20 ticket is
available through advance purchase only, on a first-come first-serve basis,
by calling (800) 884-NHRA and mentioning “fan relief offer” when ordering to
take advantage of the discount. NHRA is making available 1,500 tickets per
day at the $20 price, representing a total of 6,000 tickets for the four-day
event.
To help families attend NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series events, NHRA
also announced that in 2009, children 12 and under will be admitted free at
all NHRA owned tracks, including Pomona, Gainesville, Atlanta and
Indianapolis, as well as other participating national event tracks, when
accompanied by a paid adult. The children 12 and under promotion will be
available in any general admission area at all four facilities for all days
of each event.
In honor of our active military personnel, NHRA also announced a 2009
military appreciation offer. NHRA will offer one (1) free Friday Reserved
ticket to any active military personnel with proof of status. The military
offer is only available at the box office on-site at NHRA Full Throttle Drag
Racing Series events at participating national event tracks, including all
NHRA owned facilities in Pomona, Gainesville, Atlanta and Indianapolis.
“We want to let our fans know that we understand these are difficult times
and we value their loyalty to the sport,” said Tom Compton, president, NHRA.
“NHRA wants to do what it can to ensure that our fans continue to enjoy the
300 mile per hour excitement, our famous open professional pit areas, Nitro
Alley, and all the memorable experiences that only our sport can deliver.”
NHRA also announced it will pass out $10-off merchandise discount coupons at
the Kragen O’Reilly NHRA Winternationals. NHRA will distribute coupons on
Saturday and Sunday to the first 1,000 paying adults per day at the main
entrance gate. The coupons will only be valid on the same day they were
issued. The coupon requires a minimum purchase of $25, on NHRA and
event-branded merchandise only, and is redeemable at the Nitro Mall store.
Details and specifics about the fan relief program at the ACDelco NHRA
Gatornationals (March 12-15) at Gainesville (Fla.) Raceway, the NHRA Summit
Racing Equipment Southern Nationals (April 16-19) at Atlanta Dragway, the
Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis (Sept.
2-7) and the Auto Club NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona (Nov.
12-15), as well as other participating national event tracks, will be
announced after the conclusion of the season opener.
Tickets are available for the Kragen O’Reilly NHRA Winternationals by
calling (800) 884-4762, or online at nhra.com or ticketmaster.com.
Headquartered in Glendora, Calif., NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for
the sport of drag racing in the United States. It presents 24 national
events through its NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. NHRA has 80,000
members and 140 member tracks. The NHRA-sanctioned sportsman and bracket
racing series provide competition opportunities for drivers of all levels.
The NHRA develops the stars of tomorrow by offering the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag
Racing Series, NHRA Summit Racing Series and the NHRA Drags: Street Legal
Style presented by AAA. NHRA also offers the Jr. Drag Racing League for
youth ages 8 to 17.
PHOENIX CUSTOM APPAREL EXTENDS ASSOCIATION
WITH NHRA AS OFFICIAL UNIFORM SUPPLIER
GLENDORA, Calif. (Jan. 12, 2009) - Phoenix Custom Apparel has
renewed its multi-year agreement with NHRA to continue its association as
the Official Uniform of NHRA, it was announced today.
The terms of the agreement call for Phoenix Custom Apparel to
provide the NHRA with hats, fire suits, shirts, event winner jackets, and
other special apparel items.
“This extension represents the beginning of our seventh year of providing
our products to the NHRA. It is a mutual expression of the satisfaction of
both parties with what we have meant to each other over these past six
years,” said Phoenix Custom Apparel President Bruce Bowler, an avid drag
racer since the 1950s and a former NHRA Division Director. “At a time in our
country’s economy where there is a lot of fear and uncertainty, we are
pleased to be moving forward in this positive manner as the NHRA’s official
uniform supplier.”
In addition, Phoenix Custom Apparel outfits crew members, employees and
sponsors of many of motorsports most high-profile teams.
“Phoenix Custom Apparel has a rich history with the NHRA, and we are pleased
to continue this great relationship, which has proved to be beneficial to
both parties,” said Gary Darcy, senior vice president of sales and
marketing, NHRA.
Phoenix Custom Apparel is a self-contained apparel manufacturer with a
superior, experienced staff to take a customer's needs from concept to a
physical reality. Located in their manufacturing plant in Denver, their art
designing, digitizing, pattern making, cutting, embroidery, and sew line
personnel provide top quality products to clients throughout the world.
Their constant search for improvement in technology, processes and product
has resulted in a wide array of available products, including their premier
sublimated crew uniform shirts and jackets, the finest in custom made
embroidered leather and wool jackets, a complete line of SFI certified
driver’s suits, and a full line of embroidered and screen printed corporate
apparel.
Headquartered in Glendora, Calif., the NHRA is the primary sanctioning body
for the sport of drag racing in the United States. It presents 24 national
events through its NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. NHRA has more than
80,000 members nationwide and 140 member tracks. The NHRA-sanctioned
sportsman and bracket racing series provide competition opportunities for
drivers of all levels. The NHRA develops the stars of tomorrow by offering
the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, NHRA Summit Racing Series and the
NHRA Drags: Street Legal Style presented by AAA. The NHRA also offers the
Jr. Drag Racing League for youth ages 8 to 17.
SCHUMACHER, PEDREGON, COUGHLIN AND KRAWIEC CROWNED NHRA POWERADE SERIES WORLD CHAMPIONS
UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. (Nov. 17, 2008) – Tony Schumacher, who
became the first Top Fuel driver in NHRA history to win five consecutive
POWERade Series world championships with a record-setting season, headlined
the four world-championship winning drivers crowned Monday evening during
the 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series awards ceremony at the Hilton Los
Angeles/Universal City.
Three other NHRA POWERade Series world champions – Cruz Pedregon, Jeg
Coughlin and Eddie Krawiec -- also were presented checks and trophies for
their achievements during the 2008 POWERade Countdown to the Championship.
Schumacher received a check for $500,000 from NHRA and POWERade for winning
the Top Fuel world championship. It was Schumacher’s fifth consecutive crown
and his sixth title overall. Schumacher drove his Alan Johnson-tuned U.S.
Army dragster to a category record 15 victories during the season and
dominated competition in the 7,000 horsepower category from start to finish.
Pedregon earned his second Funny Car series crown, and first since the 1992
season, by winning the final three races of the season in the Countdown to 1
playoffs behind the wheel of his Rahn Tobler-tuned Advance Auto Parts Toyota
Solara. He earned $500,000 from NHRA and POWERade for the title.
Coughlin took his second consecutive and fourth overall Pro Stock world
championship title with a solid Countdown to 1 effort, driving his Jegs.com
Chevy Cobalt to three victories during the year, including a critical win at
the penultimate race in Las Vegas in October. The Delaware, Ohio driver was
presented a $250,000 check from NHRA and POWERade.
Krawiec earned his first NHRA POWERade Series world championship in Pro
Stock Motorcycle and became the second driver in NHRA history to win a
series title without winning a race during the season, joining 1979 Top Fuel
champ Rob Bruins. Krawiec rode his Screamin' Eagle Vance & Hines Harley
Davidson to four runner-up finishes – all during the Countdown to 1 playoffs
-- to take home the $75,000 payday from NHRA and POWERade.
Funny Car driver Mike Neff won the $20,000 Automobile Club of Southern
California Road to the Future Award, which recognizes NHRA's rookie of the
year. A panel of the nation’s most prominent motorsports journalists
selected Neff, who traded in his crew chief wrench for a pair of driving
gloves in 2008. He was the only rookie candidate who qualified for the
Countdown to 1. His season highlights included three runner-up finishes and
two No. 1 qualifying awards behind the wheel of his Old Spice Ford Mustang.
It is the third time in the last four years that a driver from John Force
Racing has won the Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future
Award, as Neff joins ’07 winner Ashley Force and ’05 winner Hight. Other
nominees for the prestigious award included Bob Tasca in Funny Car, Steve
Torrence in Top Fuel, Rickie Jones in Pro Stock and Junior Pippin in Pro
Stock Motorcycle.
NHRA Full Throttle Pit Crew Challenge season awards, recognizing the most
consistently quick teams during qualifying throughout the year, were
presented to Schumacher’s U.S. Army Top Fuel team ($25,000) led by crew
chief Johnson; Ashley Force’s Castrol GTX Ford Mustang Funny Car team
($25,000) led by Dean Antonelli; Kurt Johnson’s ACDelco Chevy Cobalt Pro
Stock team ($15,000); and Andrew Hines’ Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Pro
Stock Motorcycle team ($5,000) led by Byron and Matt Hines.
Chevrolet won the NHRA Manufacturers Cup for the 17th time, an NHRA record.
NHRA Pro Owner’s Cups were presented to Don Schumacher (Top Fuel); Cruz
Pedregon (Funny Car); and Victor Cagnazzi (Pro Stock). Also as part of the
evening, the late Scott Kalitta was honored with a moving video tribute.
Drivers in seven categories in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series also
were recognized as 2008 world champions: Bill Reichert (Top Alcohol
Dragster); Frank Manzo (Top Alcohol Funny Car); Dan Fletcher (Competition
Eliminator); Ricky Decker (Super Stock); Lee Zane (Stock Eliminator); Shawn
Langdon (Super Comp) and Brian Forrester (Super Gas).
PEDREGON AND KRAWIEC WIN POWERADE SERIES WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP CROWNS
Dixon, Pedregon, Anderson and Rivas claim event titles at Auto Club NHRA
Finals
POMONA, Calif. – Cruz Pedregon earned his second NHRA Funny
Car world championship title, and first in 16 years, by racing to victory
Sunday at the Auto Club NHRA Finals in Southern California.
Meanwhile, Eddie Krawiec won his first POWERade Series crown in Pro Stock
Motorcycle, and did so without winning a race during the season. He joins
Rob Bruins, the 1979 Top Fuel champ, as the only drivers in NHRA history to
win a season title without earning an individual race victory.
After Pedregon won his first round meeting against Jerry Toliver, he secured
his first title when his two closest challengers lost in the first round.
Season-long leader Tim Wilkerson fouled against John Force and then Robert
Hight lost to Pedregon's brother, Tony.
Pedregon then drove his Advance Auto Parts Toyota Solara to his third
straight event victory to close out the six-race Countdown to 1, NHRA’s
Playoffs, by beating Ron Capps in the final round. It is Pedregon’s 26th
career win and second here at his home track.
"I'm stunned," an emotional Pedregon said moments after his brother Tony
eliminated the last racer within reach. "It's awesome Tony got that win
right there because I'm standing here thinking of my dad (Frank) and that I
hope he's proud of his sons. I was 18 when he died and Tony was 16 and now
we each have two world championships. We've come a long way for a couple of
Hispanic kids from Chino."
Krawiec entered the Countdown to 1 in seventh place and finished runner-up
in four of the six races in the championship playoffs, securing his first
title and the fourth for Harley-Davidson and the seventh for Vance & Hines
Racing.
"Consistency pays off," Krawiec said. "It shows you that you just need to go
rounds at the end. We made the Countdown in seventh place and have been in
four of the last five finals. I haven't had a chance to get my first (event)
Wally yet, but I've got a big gold Wally (for winning the championship). I
do have a $75,000 check here though, so if someone wants to sell a Wally, I
could buy one.”
Larry Dixon, Greg Anderson, and Chris Rivas also claimed race victories in
their respective categories at the final NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
event of the season at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.
Dixon raced to his second win of the season in Top Fuel, holding off Rod
Fuller in the final round. Dixon, who moved to second in the point standings
with the victory, covered the distance in 3.833 seconds at 300.93 mph in his
U.S. Smokeless dragster to take his 43rd career victory and first at the
Finals. It was his fourth win at the historic Pomona track.
"The car nosed over really, really, really badly on the other end and it
gave me the feeling it was going to blow up, but I wasn't at the finish line
yet," Dixon said. "Then I saw the win light come on and it blew up, but I
saw the win light come on, and that was all that mattered. We hopped it up
for the final and certainly needed it. 'Hot Rod' had been cutting good
lights all day and their car had been running good. You can tell by the way
we blew up that we left everything on the track. I hate finishing second (in
points), but as far as the bonus money that gets passed around to the guys
on the team, the difference between fifth place, where we came into this
race, and second, where we finished, is monumental. We were racing to finish
second, so I'm really happy for them."
Top Fuel season champ Tony Schumacher's record-breaking season ended when
Fuller defeated him in the second round. Schumacher tied Anderson's 2004
season-marks for wins (15) and elimination round wins (76).
Anderson claimed his sixth Pro Stock victory of the season in his Summit
Racing Pontiac GXP when Kurt Johnson fouled at the start in his ACDelco
Chevy Cobalt. It was Anderson’s 57th career victory and his fourth win at
the Finals and seventh win at Pomona.
“It is second place, but it was first place today," said Anderson, who moved
into second overall in the final point standings with his win. "It was the
highest position available, and it felt like we were going for the
championship there. I love racing Kurt. We always have great battles. I wish
that would have been for the championship, but second ain’t so bad. Right
now, we’re going to have to be happy with that, and next year, we’ll have to
try and rectify that. Maybe next year it will be Kurt and I going for the
championship on the last run here.”
Newly crowned Pro Stock world champ Jeg Coughlin lost in the first round to
Allen Johnson.
Rivas continued his hot streak in Pro Stock Motorcycle by winning his third
race in a row, defeating newly crowned season champ Krawiec in the final
round. Rivas, who moved to second in the final point standings with the win,
powered his G-Squared/Drag Specialties Buell to a performance of 6.929 at
191.95 to drive away from Krawiec’s Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson, which
trailed at 7.009 at 190.46.
"We're still not really sure where that 6.92 came from," said Rivas, who
finished second in the point standings, five points behind Krawiec. "I knew
that we had left together and by the time I plugged third gear he had
completely dropped back; I thought he had broken. We hit the rev limiter at
the finish line so I knew it either had been a really good run or that it
had broken the transmission. I did what I was supposed to do as a rider. I
took out the reigning world champ and kept him from having the number-two
spot, and I feel fantastic about that."
The 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season opens Feb. 5-8 at Auto
Club Raceway at Pomona.
POMONA, Calif. -- Final finish order (1-16) for professional categories at
the 44th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals at Auto
Club Raceway at Pomona. The race is the final of 24 events in the NHRA
POWERade Drag Racing Series.
TOP FUEL:
1. Larry Dixon; 2. Rod Fuller; 3. Cory McClenathan; 4. Urs Erbacher; 5. Tony
Schumacher; 6. Brandon Bernstein; 7. Doug Herbert; 8. Troy Buff; 9. Hillary
Will; 10. Tim Boychuk; 11. Clay Millican; 12. Steve Torrence; 13. Morgan
Lucas; 14. J.R. Todd; 15. Doug Kalitta; 16. David Grubnic.
FUNNY CAR:
1. Cruz Pedregon, Toyota Solara; 2. Ron Capps; 3. Jack Beckman; 4. Mike
Neff; 5. Ashley Force; 6. Tony Pedregon; 7. Melanie Troxel; 8. John Force;
9. Tim Wilkerson; 10. Jeff Arend; 11. Gary Densham; 12. Robert Hight; 13.
Bob Tasca III; 14. Gary Scelzi; 15. Jerry Toliver; 16. Jim Head.
PRO STOCK:
1. Greg Anderson, Pontiac GXP; 2. Kurt Johnson; 3. Jason Line; 4. Mike
Edwards; 5. Greg Stanfield; 6. Allen Johnson; 7. Warren Johnson; 8. Rickie
Jones; 9. Jeg Coughlin; 10. Johnny Gray; 11. Richie Stevens; 12. Ron Krisher;
13. Dave Connolly; 14. V. Gaines; 15. Vinnie Deceglie; 16. Jim Yates.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:
1. Chris Rivas; 2. Eddie Krawiec; 3. Craig Treble; 4. Andrew Hines; 5. Chip
Ellis; 6. Michael Phillips; 7. Karen Stoffer; 8. Matt Smith; 9. Junior
Pippin; 10. Shawn Gann; 11. Peggy Llewellyn; 12. Mike Berry; 13. Steve
Johnson; 14. Angie McBride; 15. Hector Arana; 16. Angelle Sampey.
POMONA, Calif. -- Sunday's final results from the 44th annual Automobile
Club of Southern California NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. The
race is the final of 24 in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:
Top Fuel -- Larry Dixon, 3.833 seconds, 300.93 mph def. Rod Fuller, 3.839
seconds, 310.48 mph.
Funny Car -- Cruz Pedregon, Toyota Solara, 4.087, 303.30 def. Ron Capps,
Dodge Charger, 4.078, 304.53.
Pro Stock -- Greg Anderson, Pontiac GXP, 6.615, 209.20 def. Kurt Johnson,
Chevy Cobalt, foul.
Pro Stock Motorcycle -- Chris Rivas, Buell, 6.929, 191.95 def. Eddie Krawiec,
Harley-Davidson, 7.009, 190.46.
Top Alcohol Dragster -- Jim Whiteley, 5.317, 267.91 def. Bill Reichert,
5.632, 210.67.
Top Alcohol Funny Car -- Mick Snyder, Ford Mustang, 5.591, 258.71 def. Steve
Harker, Chevy Monte Carlo, broke.
Competition Eliminator -- Dan Fletcher, Chevy Cobalt, 8.053, 163.75 def.
David Connolly, Pontiac GTO, 8.025, 149.00.
Super Stock -- Byron Worner, Chevy Camaro, 9.884, 133.07 def. Frank Grossi,
Pontiac Sunfire, 9.280, 143.23.
Stock Eliminator -- Lee Zane, Pontiac Firebird, 13.516, 70.52 def. Mike
Johnston, Firebird, foul.
Super Comp -- Anthony Castillo, Dragster, 8.872, 179.25 def. Robert Naber,
Dragster, foul.
Super Gas -- Dave Coapstick, Chevy Camaro, 9.901, 154.62 def. Val Torres Jr,
Pontiac Firebird, 9.901, 155.49.
POMONA, Calif. -- Final round-by-round results from the 44th annual
Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at
Pomona, the final of 24 events in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:
TOP FUEL:
ROUND ONE -- Rod Fuller, 3.838, 314.83 def. Steve Torrence, 3.937, 254.86;
Doug Herbert, 3.928, 298.93 def. Morgan Lucas, 3.986, 280.08; Cory
McClenathan, 3.878, 313.00 def. Doug Kalitta, 4.314, 230.06; Urs Erbacher,
3.887, 316.67 def. J.R. Todd, 4.041, 309.77; Tony Schumacher, 3.821, 317.42
def. Tim Boychuk, 3.890, 300.53; Troy Buff, 3.840, 309.27 def. Hillary Will,
3.887, 313.44; Larry Dixon, 3.866, 312.57 def. Clay Millican, 3.904, 314.46;
Brandon Bernstein, 4.026, 276.80 def. David Grubnic, 5.273, 128.59;
QUARTERFINALS -- Erbacher, 3.926, 309.84 def. Bernstein, 4.538, 243.81;
Dixon, 3.868, 314.17 def. Herbert, 6.781, 85.86; McClenathan, 3.880, 312.57
def. Buff, 10.051, 76.71; Fuller, 3.862, 313.66 def. Schumacher, 3.853,
315.56;
SEMIFINALS -- Dixon, 3.855, 309.98 def. McClenathan, 3.874, 309.77; Fuller,
3.851, 312.64 def. Erbacher, 3.991, 282.36;
FINAL -- Dixon, 3.833, 300.93 def. Fuller, 3.839, 310.48.
FUNNY CAR:
ROUND ONE -- Cruz Pedregon, Toyota Solara, 4.142, 301.47 def. Jerry Toliver,
Dodge Charger, 5.380, 144.63; John Force, Ford Mustang, 4.226, 258.27 def.
Tim Wilkerson, Chevy Impala, foul; Ashley Force, Mustang, 4.178, 296.96 def.
Gary Densham, Impala, 4.324, 278.58; Mike Neff, Mustang, 4.076, 307.72 def.
Jeff Arend, Solara, 4.193, 289.63; Melanie Troxel, Charger, 5.192, 189.95
def. Jim Head, Solara, 6.730, 80.17; Ron Capps, Charger, 4.142, 299.13 def.
Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.793, 172.94; Tony Pedregon, Impala, 4.252, 272.61
def. Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.443, 251.34; Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.149,
299.80 def. Gary Scelzi, Charger, 5.066, 162.59;
QUARTERFINALS -- Beckman, 4.148, 301.00 def. Troxel, 4.184, 299.33; Capps,
4.114, 300.33 def. A. Force, 4.124, 299.60; Neff, 4.112, 293.60 def. T.
Pedregon, 4.170, 288.70; C. Pedregon, 4.165, 299.00 def. J. Force, 4.209,
282.84;
SEMIFINALS -- Capps, 4.116, 301.27 def. Beckman, 4.112, 303.09; C. Pedregon,
4.162, 301.27 def. Neff, 6.001, 118.19;
FINAL -- C. Pedregon, 4.087, 303.30 def. Capps, 4.078, 304.53.
PRO STOCK:
ROUND ONE -- Greg Stanfield, Pontiac GXP, 6.681, 206.99 def. V. Gaines,
Dodge Stratus, 11.678, 76.36; Warren Johnson, GXP, 6.689, 208.14 def. Ron
Krisher, Chevy Cobalt, 7.492, 184.17; Mike Edwards, GXP, 6.652, 208.20 def.
Jim Yates, GXP, 13.778, 62.80; Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.705, 207.75 def.
Vinnie Deceglie, Stratus, 12.042, 74.02; Jason Line, GXP, 6.656, 208.07 def.
Johnny Gray, Stratus, 6.697, 206.73; Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.646, 207.59
def. Jeg Coughlin, Cobalt, 6.673, 206.76; Greg Anderson, GXP, 6.644, 208.23
def. Richie Stevens, Stratus, 6.727, 206.04; Rickie Jones, Stratus, 6.715,
206.76 def. Dave Connolly, Cobalt, 10.050, 91.55;
QUARTERFINALS -- K. Johnson, 6.639, 208.55 def. Jones, 6.683, 207.30; Line,
6.645, 207.88 def. W. Johnson, 6.679, 208.36; Edwards, 6.654, 208.26 def. A.
Johnson, 6.674, 207.69; Anderson, 6.625, 208.14 def. Stanfield, 6.665,
208.01;
SEMIFINALS -- K. Johnson, 6.638, 208.17 def. Line, 6.650, 208.01; Anderson,
6.629, 208.46 def. Edwards, 6.650, 208.20;
FINAL -- Anderson, 6.615, 209.20 def. K. Johnson, foul.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:
ROUND ONE -- Chris Rivas, Buell, 7.070, 184.35 def. Junior Pippin, Buell,
7.101, 182.95; Chip Ellis, Suzuki, 7.046, 186.59 def. Steve Johnson, Suzuki,
7.158, 187.86; Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 7.038, 187.08 def. Shawn Gann,
Buell, foul; Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.067, 184.52 def. Angelle Sampey, Buell,
broke; Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.095, 186.07 def. Angie McBride, Buell,
7.209, 181.13; Michael Phillips, Suzuki, 7.141, 189.26 def. Hector Arana,
Buell, foul; Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 7.012, 189.20 def. Peggy
Llewellyn, Buell, 7.116, 182.80; Matt Smith, Buell, 6.984, 189.68 def. Mike
Berry, Suzuki, foul;
QUARTERFINALS -- Treble, 7.152, 180.86 def. Stoffer, foul; Hines, 7.031,
187.08 def. Phillips, foul; Krawiec, 7.042, 186.46 def. Ellis, 7.022,
187.68; Rivas, 7.050, 186.23 def. Smith, 12.002, 66.59;
SEMIFINALS -- Rivas, 7.049, 184.95 def. Treble, 7.119, 181.52; Krawiec,
7.098, 183.89 def. Hines, 7.609, 168.79;
FINAL -- Rivas, 6.929, 191.95 def. Krawiec, 7.009, 190.46.
POMONA, Calif. -- Final point standings (top 10) for NHRA professional
categories following the 44th annual Automobile Club of Southern California
NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, the final of 24 events in the
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series -
Top Fuel
1. Tony Schumacher, 2,703; 2. Larry Dixon, 2,445; 3. Cory McClenathan,
2,406; 4. Hillary Will, 2,405; 5. Antron Brown, 2,370; 6. Rod Fuller, 2,368;
7. Brandon Bernstein, 2,327; 8. Doug Herbert, 2,307; 9. Doug Kalitta, 2,209;
10. David Grubnic, 2,194.
Funny Car
1. Cruz Pedregon, 2,561; 2. Tim Wilkerson, 2,468; 3. Jack Beckman, 2,457; 4.
Robert Hight, 2,442; 5. Tony Pedregon, 2,440; 6. Ashley Force, 2,385; 7.
John Force, 2,303; 8. Ron Capps, 2,302; 9. Mike Neff, 2,284; 10. Gary
Densham, 2,217.
Pro Stock
1. Jeg Coughlin, 2,523; 2. Greg Anderson, 2,487; 3. Kurt Johnson, 2,450; 4.
Mike Edwards, 2,388; 5. Jason Line, 2,388; 6. Dave Connolly, 2,383; 7. Allen
Johnson, 2,363; 8. Greg Stanfield, 2,329; 9. V. Gaines, 2,234; 10. Ron
Krisher, 2,158.
Pro Stock Motorcycle
1. Eddie Krawiec, 2,471; 2. Chris Rivas, 2,466; 3. Matt Smith, 2,451; 4.
Andrew Hines, 2,334; 5. Angelle Sampey, 2,310; 6. Chip Ellis, 2,284; 7.
Steve Johnson, 2,283; 8. Craig Treble, 2,270; 9. Karen Stoffer, 2,167; 10.
Matt Guidera, 2,156.
COUGHLIN CLINCHES NHRA POWERADE SERIES PRO STOCK WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Five drivers will battle for Funny Car crown, while three race for title in
Pro Stock Motorcycle
POMONA, Calif. – Jeg Coughlin raced to his second consecutive
and fourth NHRA Pro Stock world championship title Saturday by qualifying
for the Auto Club NHRA Finals.
He joins Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel) as a 2008 POWERade Series champ as
Countdown to 1 battles in Funny Car and Pro Stock Motorcycle will be settled
during Sunday’s final eliminations at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.
Coughlin, who advanced to three finals during the six-race playoffs in his
Jegs.com Chevy Cobalt, needed only to qualify at this event to lock up the
series title.
“We’re going to celebrate grand style, no question,” said Coughlin, who will
start 13th in the final race of the season. “To win back-to-back
championships is a great compliment to Cagnazzi Racing and it’s very
exciting. My team performed flawlessly and that’s what it took in this
Countdown to 1 and we just kept on ringing up round wins. The huge win two
weeks ago in Las Vegas propelled us over the top. Chef Nicky (Morse, team
chef) has a big celebration dinner whipped up for us tonight.”
Four of the five Funny Car championship contenders – Cruz Pedregon, Tim
Wilkerson, Robert Hight and Tony Pedregon -- enter today’s 11 a.m.
eliminations on the same side of the 16-car eliminations bracket. In
first-round pairings, defending series champ Tony Pedregon and Hight will
meet, while Cruz Pedregon and Wilkerson could race in the second round.
Wilkerson faces a tough first round pairing against 14-time champ John
Force.
Cruz Pedregon, who is 13 points ahead of Wilkerson, will try to win his
second career title, the first since 1992.
“What a nerve-wracking day we had,” said Pedregon, the 1992 world champ, who
entered the final two qualifying sessions outside the field in his Advance
Auto Parts Toyota Solara. “We came through when we had to. That could’ve
been our last run of the year. I’m glad we’re still in the hunt. I don’t
want to get caught up in all the talk about winning a championship. We came
in here with a thin points lead. Tim has been phenomenal and Robert has been
there the last couple of years. At the end of the day, whoever wins this
championship is going to earn it.”
Second-place Wilkerson led the point standings for much of the regular
season in his Levi, Ray & Shoup Chevy Impala.
“We’re proud to be here, no matter what happens tomorrow,” Wilkerson said.
“It’s been a great year and I’m looking forward to racing John tomorrow. To
be the champ, you have to beat the champ and as far as I’m concerned,
there’s no one better than John and it doesn’t get any better than that. I’m
looking forward to it.”
Hight, who will be driving a home-team L.A. Dodgers-themed Auto Club Ford
Mustang and will have legendary manager Tommy Lasorda in his dugout offering
motivational support, likes his chances because at this track he has won
three races in a row and four out of the last five. However, he faces
defending champ Tony Pedregon, who is fourth overall and trails the leader
by 61 points.
“Tomorrow is going to be exciting, and there’s no two ways about it,” said
Hight, who trails by 39 points. “But we have to perform. We know what we
have to do tomorrow. First, we have to beat the defending champion in the
first round. We’re looking forward to getting pumped up and winning this
race tomorrow. John is so pumped up you’d think he’s going for the
championship. Tim is going to have a tough one in his first round.”
On the opposite side of the Funny Car bracket, Jack Beckman needs to win the
race and have all four of his opponents lose early to have a chance to win
his first championship.
In Pro Stock Motorcycle, defending champ Matt Smith will battle Eddie
Krawiec (-20) and Chris Rivas (-45) for the world championship crown. Smith
earned his seventh No. 1 qualifying position of the season with a
performance of 6.962 at 188.86 on his NitroFish Wear Buell, while Krawiec
qualified second on his Vance & Hines Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson and
Rivas was ninth on his G-Squared/Drag Specialties Buell.
“I’m going out there to try and win this race like we did last year and then
there’ll be no question about who the champion is,” Smith said. “I have a
fast enough bike to win the race. We’ll play it out tomorrow. We’re going to
do the best job we can, run our race and not worry about who’s in the other
lane. If we win all four rounds there’s no way we can’t win this
championship. With the budget I have compared to some of the other teams I
feel like I have done all I can do and I will feel good about the result no
matter what it is.”
Schumacher, Mike Neff and Greg Anderson also claimed No. 1 qualifying
positions at the final NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event of the year.
Schumacher earned his ninth No. 1 of the season in Top Fuel, covering the
distance in 3.827 at 315.93 in his U.S. Army dragster. If Schumacher wins
the race he will set NHRA season records for most wins and elimination round
wins.
In Funny Car, Neff earned his second top qualifying effort of the season
with a 4.079 at 305.49 in his Old Spice Ford Mustang. Anderson secured his
seventh No. 1 of the season in Pro Stock in his Summit Racing Equipment
Pontiac GXP with a run of 6.634 at 208.20.
POMONA, Calif. -- First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday
for the 44th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals at
Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, the final of 24 events in the NHRA POWERade
Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended
Saturday. DNQs listed below pairings.
Top Fuel -- 1. Tony Schumacher, 3.827 seconds, 315.93 mph vs. 16. Tim
Boychuk, 3.925, 305.49; 2. Larry Dixon, 3.831, 309.70 vs. 15. Clay Millican,
3.907, 309.42; 3. Hillary Will, 3.835, 314.31 vs. 14. Troy Buff, 3.904,
302.96; 4. J.R. Todd, 3.848, 308.14 vs. 13. Urs Erbacher, 3.904, 309.20; 5.
Brandon Bernstein, 3.849, 311.13 vs. 12. David Grubnic, 3.897, 310.20; 6.
Cory McClenathan, 3.855, 314.31 vs. 11. Doug Kalitta, 3.884, 309.56; 7.
Morgan Lucas, 3.855, 306.46 vs. 10. Doug Herbert, 3.877, 307.58; 8. Rod
Fuller, 3.862, 310.34 vs. 9. Steve Torrence, 3.862, 313.22.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Bob Vandergriff, 3.934, 307.65; 18. Mike Strasburg,
3.960, 311.49; 19. Antron Brown, 4.056, 256.26; 20. Steven Chrisman, 4.228,
275.00; 21. Arley Langlo, 17.610, 166.72.
Funny Car -- 1. Mike Neff, Ford Mustang, 4.079, 305.49 vs. 16. Jeff
Arend, Toyota Solara, 4.200, 292.20; 2. Melanie Troxel, Dodge Charger,
4.082, 305.01 vs. 15. Jim Head, Solara, 4.187, 296.63; 3. Ashley Force,
Mustang, 4.092, 304.87 vs. 14. Gary Densham, Chevy Impala, 4.164, 294.43; 4.
John Force, Mustang, 4.108, 303.78 vs. 13. Tim Wilkerson, Impala, 4.151,
300.33; 5. Jerry Toliver, Charger, 4.110, 303.78 vs. 12. Cruz Pedregon,
Solara, 4.150, 300.33; 6. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.118, 302.08 vs. 11. Bob
Tasca III, Mustang, 4.144, 299.86; 7. Gary Scelzi, Charger, 4.121, 302.01
vs. 10. Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.123, 301.67; 8. Tony Pedregon, Impala,
4.122, 301.67 vs. 9. Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.122, 298.14.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Bob Bode, 4.203, 292.71; 18. Tony Bartone, 4.226,
282.36; 19. Tommy Johnson Jr., 6.733, 281.07; 20. Del Worsham, 10.950,
74.38.
Pro Stock -- 1. Greg Anderson, Pontiac GXP, 6.634, 208.20 vs. 16.
Richie Stevens, Dodge Stratus, 6.692, 206.13; 2. Jason Line, GXP, 6.637,
208.39 vs. 15. Johnny Gray, Stratus, 6.692, 206.48; 3. Kurt Johnson, Chevy
Cobalt, 6.643, 207.91 vs. 14. Vinnie Deceglie, Stratus, 6.689, 206.99; 4.
Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.643, 208.07 vs. 13. Jeg Coughlin, Cobalt, 6.678,
207.05; 5. Mike Edwards, GXP, 6.649, 208.36 vs. 12. Jim Yates, GXP, 6.678,
206.99; 6. Dave Connolly, Cobalt, 6.650, 208.46 vs. 11. Rickie Jones,
Stratus, 6.675, 206.51; 7. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.662, 207.18 vs. 10. Warren
Johnson, GXP, 6.670, 208.59; 8. Greg Stanfield, GXP, 6.665, 207.78 vs. 9. V.
Gaines, Stratus, 6.665, 207.11.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Larry Morgan, 6.694, 206.45; 18. Bob Panella, 6.727,
205.69; 19. Ben Watson, 6.752, 204.20; 20. Gordie Rivera, 6.787, 204.05.
Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.962, 188.86 vs. 16.
Mike Berry, Suzuki, 7.148, 184.14; 2. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 6.987,
189.55 vs. 15. Peggy Llewellyn, Buell, 7.146, 182.43; 3. Hector Arana, Buell,
6.996, 191.29 vs. 14. Michael Phillips, Suzuki, 7.135, 189.02; 4. Angelle
Sampey, Buell, 7.003, 185.49 vs. 13. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.134, 185.84; 5.
Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.015, 187.39 vs. 12. Angie McBride, Buell, 7.117,
183.12; 6. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 7.027, 188.83 vs. 11. Shawn Gann,
Buell, 7.110, 183.19; 7. Chip Ellis, Suzuki, 7.049, 187.31 vs. 10. Steve
Johnson, Suzuki, 7.107, 186.56; 8. Junior Pippin, Buell, 7.057, 184.75 vs.
9. Chris Rivas, Buell, 7.094, 183.02.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Matt Guidera, 7.173, 183.39; 18. Valerie Thompson,
7.393, 181.62; 19. Freddie Camarena, 7.403, 179.06; 20. James Surber, 7.458,
176.51; 21. Ryan Schnitz, broke.
TROXEL ASSUMES POLE IN HOT CONDITIONS THAT CONFOUND
CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDERS
Todd, Line and Krawiec round out provisional pole-sitters
POMONA, Calif. – With air temperatures in the mid-80s and
track temperatures exceeding 100 at the season-ending Auto Club NHRA Finals
on Friday, first year Funny Car driver Melanie Troxel delivered a stunning
4.105-second pass to assume the provisional pole in Funny Car.
The run was particularly impressive given the soaring heat that kept every
one of the five championship contenders in Funny Car from getting his car
down the Auto Club Raceway under power. The most notable of the five was
points leader Cruz Pedregon, who remained unqualified and will have just two
more attempts on Saturday to get in the field and keep his championship
hopes alive.
The other provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the sixth and final race in the
NHRA Playoffs, the Countdown to 1, were J.R. Todd (Top Fuel), Jason Line
(Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle). There will be two more
rounds of qualifying on Saturday before the 16-car fields are set for
Sunday's race.
Troxel’s 4.105 in her R2B2 Racing Dodge Charger matched Mike Neff’s 4.105
from Thursday, but she moved around Neff based on her superior 304.25 mph
speed (vs. 299.13 for Neff).
“Some days you’ve got to be good and some days you’ve got to be lucky and
today, getting it on speed, I think we were a little bit of both,” Troxel
said.
Cruz Pedredon’s Advance Auto Parts Toyota Solara team followed up a 4.478 on
Thursday with a tire-spinning six-second run on an even steamier Auto Club
Raceway drag strip on Friday to set the table for a high stakes Saturday
qualifying session.
Last year, Cruz’s brother Tony Pedregon just needed to qualify to for all
intents and purposes clinch the Funny Car championship and he just eked into
the field at No. 16 in a dramatic late-Saturday afternoon qualifying session
that may be foreshadowing for the final qualifying session of the 2009
season.
Among the chasers in Funny Car, second-place Tim Wilkerson (trailing Cruz
Pedregon by 12 points) slipped from the eighth to 10th qualifying position,
third-place Robert Hight (-39) slipped from fourth to seventh, fourth-place
Tony Pedregon from third to sixth, and fifth-place Jack Beckman (-64), like
Cruz Pedregon, also remained unqualified.
Todd’s 3.851 at 308.14 mph from Thursday held up Friday and he remained the
provisional No. 1 qualifier in Top Fuel and his Lucas Oil teammate Morgan
Lucas remained No. 2, giving the struggling Lucas Oil team a boost.
“If we can go 1-2 on Sunday, that’d make (team owner) Forrest (Lucas) happy.
He hasn’t had a lot to smile about this year,” Todd said. “I think
(Saturday) is going to be the run when someone can improve on that 85, but
I’m pretty happy that held up (Friday).”
Line assumed the provisional No. 1 from Thursday leader Dave Connolly with a
stunning 6.658 at 208.39 in the heat in his Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac
GXP.
“I think that’s a really good run (for these conditions) because that’s what
we’re going to run (Sunday),” Line said. “But I don’t think that will hold
up (Saturday), you’ll see faster.”
Krawiec, who is in second place in the Pro Stock Motorcycle standings (19
points behind defending champion Matt Smith), improved by .004 on his No. 1
time from Thursday with a 7.013-second pass at 188.70 to maintain the
provisional No. 1 qualifying position.
“The main focus is to get through qualifying and maintain that No. 1
position,” said Krawiec, who rides the Screamin Eagle Vance & Hines
Harley-Davidson. “I think we left a little something on the table (Thursday)
and for us to go out and run as well as we did today gives us a lot of
confidence.”
POMONA, Calif. -- Results Friday after the first two of four rounds of qualifying for the 44th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, final of 24 events in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday's final eliminations.
Top Fuel -- 1. J.R. Todd, 3.851 seconds, 308.14 mph; 2. Morgan Lucas, 3.855, 306.46; 3. Hillary Will, 3.860, 313.07; 4. Brandon Bernstein, 3.863, 311.13; 5. Steve Torrence, 3.870, 313.22; 6. Doug Herbert, 3.877, 307.58; 7. Larry Dixon, 3.880, 308.43; 8. Doug Kalitta, 3.884, 309.56; 9. Cory McClenathan, 3.895, 306.40; 10. Urs Erbacher, 3.904, 309.20; 11. Troy Buff, 3.904, 302.96; 12. Tim Boychuk, 3.925, 305.49. Not Qualified: 13. Mike Strasburg, 3.933, 308.14; 14. Bob Vandergriff, 3.941, 302.62; 15. Rod Fuller, 3.944, 302.28; 16. Clay Millican, 3.963, 300.73; 17. Antron Brown, 4.875, 147.81; 18. Arley Langlo, 4.904, 166.72; 19. David Grubnic, 5.025, 141.25; 20. Tony Schumacher, 5.132, 133.10; 21. Steven Chrisman, 6.949, 89.97.
Funny Car -- 1. Melanie Troxel, Dodge Charger, 4.105, 304.25; 2. Mike Neff, Ford Mustang, 4.105, 299.73; 3. John Force, Mustang, 4.108, 303.78; 4. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.118, 302.08; 5. Gary Scelzi, Charger, 4.121, 302.01; 6. Tony Pedregon, Chevy Impala, 4.122, 301.67; 7. Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.122, 298.14; 8. Jerry Toliver, Charger, 4.157, 301.13; 9. Gary Densham, Impala, 4.164, 294.43; 10. Tim Wilkerson, Impala, 4.169, 297.02; 11. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.176, 299.40; 12. Jim Head, Toyota Solara, 4.187, 296.63. Not Qualified: 13. Ashley Force, 4.207, 302.62; 14. Del Worsham, 4.214, 293.86; 15. Bob Bode, 4.218, 292.39; 16. Tommy Johnson Jr., 4.275, 281.07; 17. Cruz Pedregon, 4.478, 194.21; 18. Jack Beckman, 5.451, 129.84; 19. Tony Bartone, 5.870, 116.94; 20. Jeff Arend, 9.914, 78.69.
Pro Stock -- 1. Jason Line, Pontiac GXP, 6.658, 208.39; 2. Dave Connolly, Chevy Cobalt, 6.660, 207.75; 3. Mike Edwards, GXP, 6.664, 207.43; 4. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.668, 207.18; 5. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.670, 207.34; 6. Greg Anderson, GXP, 6.675, 207.75; 7. Allen Johnson, Dodge Stratus, 6.675, 207.27; 8. V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.676, 206.48; 9. Jeg Coughlin, Cobalt, 6.678, 206.95; 10. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.694, 206.29; 11. Jim Yates, GXP, 6.697, 206.70; 12. Johnny Gray, Stratus, 6.704, 206.04. Not Qualified: 13. Vinnie Deceglie, 6.705, 206.73; 14. Greg Stanfield, 6.707, 206.76; 15. Warren Johnson, 6.708, 207.69; 16. Richie Stevens, 6.711, 205.88; 17. Rickie Jones, 6.719, 205.51; 18. Ben Watson, 6.729, 204.20; 19. Bob Panella, 6.731, 205.69; 20. Gordie Rivera, 6.793, 204.01.
Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 7.013, 188.70; 2. Matt Smith, Buell, 7.024, 186.48; 3. Angelle Sampey, Buell, 7.024, 185.33; 4. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.033, 187.39; 5. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 7.042, 188.28; 6. Junior Pippin, Buell, 7.057, 184.75; 7. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.107, 186.56; 8. Chip Ellis, Suzuki, 7.112, 185.13; 9. Angie McBride, Buell, 7.123, 183.12; 10. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.134, 185.84; 11. Hector Arana, Buell, 7.134, 185.03; 12. Michael Phillips, Suzuki, 7.135, 189.02. Not Qualified: 13. Chris Rivas, 7.136, 183.02; 14. Matt Guidera, 7.146, 183.39; 15. Mike Berry, 7.183, 184.14; 16. Peggy Llewellyn, 7.211, 181.40; 17. Shawn Gann, 7.212, 178.64; 18. Valerie Thompson, 7.230, 181.62; 19. Ryan Schnitz, 7.325, 178.19; 20. James Surber, 7.379, 172.59; 21. Freddie Camarena, 7.431, 179.06.
NHRA WILL BEGIN 2009 NHRA FULL THROTTLE DRAG RACING SEASON WITH TOP FUEL AND FUNNY CAR REMAINING AT 1,000 FEET
GLENDORA, Calif. (Nov. 14, 2008) – NHRA announced today that
the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Season will begin with the Top Fuel
and Funny Car categories racing to 1,000 feet. All other professional and
sportsman classes will remain at 1,320 feet.
Over the next several months, NHRA will test various engine combinations
following up on the analysis it has conducted to reduce power in the two
nitromethane categories.
Upon the conclusion of the engine combination testing program, NHRA will
evaluate rule changes and determine whether to return to 1,320 feet or stay
at 1,000 feet in the Top Fuel and Funny Car categories. There is no
timetable, but a change could possibly be made at any time, including during
the 2009 season.
Headquartered in Glendora, Calif., the NHRA is the primary sanctioning body
for the sport of drag racing in the United States. It presents 24 events
through its NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. The NHRA has 80,000 members
and 140 member tracks. The NHRA-sanctioned sportsman and bracket racing
series provide competition opportunities for drivers of all levels. The NHRA
develops the stars of tomorrow by offering the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing
Series, NHRA Summit Racing Equipment Series and the NHRA Street Legal Drags
presented by AAA. The NHRA also offers the O’Reilly Auto Parts Jr. Drag
Racing League for youth ages 8 to 17.
CRUZ PEDREGON EDGES TOWARD WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE;
PLEDGES TO NOT FOCUS ON EVENT, NOT PRESSURE
POMONA, Calif. – Winning this year’s POWERade Series Funny
Car world championship is as easy as sinking a putt, Cruz Pedregon said. And
if you think that’s simple, you’ve missed the point.
Honest golfers admit that unless you’ve got Tiger Woods’ ability and the
swagger to match, a putt with money on it probably still makes you sweat, no
matter how many greens you’ve walked. If you extend that analogy to NHRA
POWERade Series Drag Racing, Pedregon’s seen a lot of grass.
Three of the four 2008 NHRA POWERade Series world championship titles will
be decided when the world’s fastest motorsport comes to Auto Club Raceway at
Pomona for the Auto Club of Southern California NHRA Finals, Nov. 13-16.
Tony Schumacher claimed his fifth consecutive and sixth overall title in Las
Vegas after yet another season of domination.
It’s been 16 years since Pedregon won his first – and only - world
championship title. After that, he didn’t see first place from April 25,
1998 until April 2, 2008 and with his second consecutive win last weekend,
equaling his win total from the previous 10 years, Pedregon elbowed his way
back to the top of the standings with only the final event of the year
standing between him and his second title.
That, and a few other hungry drivers.
Pedregon knows he’s blessed. At some point winning those four rounds on race
day felt more like winning 80, he said. And yet, the same steady approach
that has kept him bobbing just below the surface of the upper echelon of
POWERade Series success for so long has carried him once again to the top.
Pedregon intends to stay there.
“The winning has been such icing on the cake,” Pedregon said. “The fact
we’re ahead of the points right now is 100,000 percent amazing. I’m just
really enjoying it, but it’s not over yet. It’s such a difficult task, but
we’re on the green. We just have to put the ball in the hole and close this
thing out. The opportunity doesn’t come very often.”
It’s hard to believe that Pedregon has had a few droughts. Games he’s played
and bets he’s made with himself and his crew mark the time.
In 2005, after only winning one early-season event all year, Pedregon
decided he wouldn’t cut his hair until he won again.
Months passed and his hair grew. Outward. In all directions. No gel could
contain it. He wore a lot of hats.
Soon he couldn’t get his driver’s helmet on, so he cheated and trimmed it
down. Fortunately, he beat Ron Capps in Las Vegas the following spring and
lopped his hair off. There have been other extra-curricular motivators, like
his coin-packed parachute pack. The hair is only the most recent.
His team hasn’t had much time to play games these days, he said, and
Pedregon is fine with that. Right now he and his team are focused on
continuing to mesh the individual efforts they’ve turned on so well in the
postseason.
They’ll need to hold off Cinderella-story Tim Wilkerson and John Force
Racing’s Robert Hight to earn the title. The face-off with a JFR entry
harkens back to Pedregon’s 1992 world champion win, when he held off John
Force to become the only man to win the world championship other than Force
himself from 1990-2002.
In Pro Stock, Jeg Coughlin has all but clinched his second consecutive and
fourth overall world championship title. He holds a 123-point edge on
second-place Greg Anderson.
The battle in Pro Stock Motorcycle is just as close as the one in Funny Car.
Matt Smith has a precarious hold on the top spot, with only a 19-point lead
on No. 2 Eddie Krawiec and a 39-point lead on Chris Rivas. It would be
Smith’s second title in a row and Krawiec’s first.
· SCHEDULE: Pro qualifying sessions are scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Nov.
13-14, and at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 15. Final eliminations begin at
11 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 16.
· TICKETS: Tickets are available for the Automobile Club of Southern
California NHRA Finals. Call NHRA at (800) 884-NHRA (6472), or visit
nhra.com or ticketmaster.com.
· ON TV: ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of qualifying highlights
at 11 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, Nov. 15. ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise NHRA
Race Day, a 30-minute pre-race show, at 11 a.m. (ET) on Sunday, Nov. 16.
ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise the race beginning at 7 p.m. (ET) on
Sunday, Nov. 16.
· LUCAS OIL SERIES: The Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals
also will feature competition in seven categories in the NHRA Lucas Oil
Series, where the future stars of the NHRA POWERade Series earn their racing
stripes. Lucas Oil Series qualifying begins at 8:15 a.m. on Nov. 13. Lucas
Oil Series eliminations begin at 8:15 a.m. on Nov. 14.
· ON THE WEB: Get live timing, scoring, multimedia and the latest news
updates from every NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event on the Internet at
www.nhra.com.
GLENDORA, Calif. -- Point standings (top 10) for NHRA
professional categories prior to the 44th annual Auto Club NHRA Finals at
Auto Club Raceway at Pomona (Calif.), the final of 24 events in the 2008
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series -
Top Fuel
1. Tony Schumacher, 2,645*; 2. Hillary Will, 2,369; 3. Antron Brown, 2,360;
4. Cory McClenathan, 2,332; 5. Larry Dixon, 2,328; 6. Rod Fuller, 2,275; 7.
Brandon Bernstein, 2,273; 8. Doug Herbert, 2,255; 9. Doug Kalitta, 2,177;
10. David Grubnic, 2,162.
Funny Car
1. Cruz Pedregon, 2,449; 2. Tim Wilkerson, 2,437; 3. Robert Hight, 2,410; 4.
Tony Pedregon, 2,387; 5. Jack Beckman, 2,385; 6. Ashley Force, 2,329; 7.
John Force, 2,248; 8. Ron Capps, 2,208; 9. Mike Neff, 2,206; 10. Gary
Densham, 2,186.
Pro Stock
1. Jeg Coughlin, 2,492; 2. Greg Anderson, 2,369; 3. Kurt Johnson, 2,354; 4.
Dave Connolly, 2,349; 5. Mike Edwards, 2,314; 6. Jason Line, 2,311; 7. Allen
Johnson, 2,308; 8. Greg Stanfield, 2,276; 9. V. Gaines, 2,202; 10. Ron
Krisher, 2,125.
Pro Stock Motorcycle
1. Matt Smith, 2,393; 2. Eddie Krawiec, 2,374; 3. Chris Rivas, 2,354; 4.
Angelle Sampey, 2,275; 5. Andrew Hines, 2,260; 6. Steve Johnson, 2,251; 7.
Chip Ellis, 2,231; 8. Craig Treble, 2,199; 9. Matt Guidera, 2,146; 10. Karen
Stoffer, 2,113.
*Already clinched 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series world championship.
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