Thursday's Finals Photos
Thursday, November 10, 2011
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[Nov. 5] To promote the 2011 NHRA Full Throttle season finale at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, NHRA staged a Fan Fest in neighboring La Verne, Calif., the Saturday before the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals, featuring hot rods, displays, live music, and 15-time NHRA champ John Force and daughters Courtney and Brittany, all of whom signed autographs for the fans. |
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[Nov. 9] The 23rd annual NHRA Youth & Education Services Career Opportunities Fair presented by the U.S. Army took place Wednesday afternoon at the track. More than 2,000 local students heard people like Funny Car championship contender Jack Beckman (left) talk about careers in motorsports and automobile services and were able to visit with 30 vendors offering career guidance. (Below) The team from Ramona High School won the 2011 U.S. Army High School Automotive Challenge presented by Universal Technical Institute. |
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[Nov. 9] Stars of the NHRA Full Throttle title battle, including Top Fuel's Spencer Massey and Del Worsham and Funny Car hopefuls Matt Hagan, Jack Beckman, and Cruz Pedregon took part in a press conference at Ruth's Criss Steak House in Pasadena, Calif., where they fielded questions from the media and promoted the event. |
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| [9 a.m.] The NHRA Youth & Education Services presented by U.S. Army program hosted another event Thursday morning at the track, where the panelists included U.S. Army Top Fuel driver Tony Schumacher. |
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Fifteen-time NHRA Funny Car champ John Force is being saluted at the event, and drag racing's most prolific winner has about 25 of his team's historic race cars on display in the pits, along with some vintage Top Fuelers. |
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[12:05 p.m.] Andrew Hines had the best run of the day’s opening (and only) qualifying pass in Pro Stock Motorcycle, wheeling the Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley to a 6.820. Championship contenders Hector Arana Jr. and Eddie Krawiec were second and third with respective runs of 6.832 and 6.852. Arana earned one more bonus point than Krawiec, cutting Krawiec’s championship lead to 68 points. Arana hopes to whittle that down to less than 60 (three rounds) by the end of qualifying Saturday. |
[12:35 p.m.] Las Vegas winner Mike Edwards continued to pace the Pro Stock pack with his Penhall/K&N/Interstate Pontiac, charting a track record 6.520 in the first session. Greg Anderson, who held the track record at 6.528 entering the event, is No. 2 with a 6.537, and newly crowned world champ Jason Line was third quick at 6.538. |
Despite the less-than-sunny weather, fans are out in large numbers today at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona to get autographs from stars like Melanie Troxel and to take in the event's opening Full Throttle qualifying session. |
[1:30 p.m.] Robert Hight, representing event sponsor the Automobile Club of Southern California, ran a 4.085 in the Auto Club (right) lane at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in the opening Funny Car session to lead the field and collect three bonus points. Hight, winner of the season opener here in February, is now 68 points behind leader Matt Hagan, who earned no points in the first session. Mike Neff (4.087) and Ron Capps (4.124) are Nos. 2 and 3, respectively. |
[2:30 p.m.] Seven-time NHRA Top Fuel champ Tony Schumacher, who’s still looking for his first win of the season, led the field after the first qualifying session by posting a 3.827. Del Worsham (3.830) earned two qualifying session bonus points and points leader Spencer Massey (3.837) earned one point, allowing Worsham to cut Massey’s lead in half to just one point. |