Championship Drag Racing

Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals
Denver, Colo.
(July 16-18)

EVENT HOME
   Tickets
   Event schedule
   Results
   Star Tracks
   Audio Broadcast
   Photo Galleries
   Video highlights
   Entry List
   Driver Appearances
   Preview

Angelle Savoie U.S. Army Suzuki Pro Stock Bike

Reports: Sunday Saturday Pre-race

Denver, Sunday: U.S. Army drivers Antron Brown and Angelle Savoie lost in the semifinals and second round, respectively

Brown moved through the opening two rounds of final eliminations with relative ease on his U.S. Army Suzuki before posting a red light foul in the semifinals against Shawn Gann.

"It's disappointing," said Brown. "I wanted to cut a good light, but pushed the envelope too far. For yet another race, we had a good bike, but came up short."

Savoie, after taking care of her first round opponent, came back and actually outran Craig Treble in the second round, but she was a bit tardy leaving the starting line and it cost her.

"That hurts when you put up a better pass, but lose because of reaction time," offered Savoie. "We'll learn from this and be ready for the next race."

Denver, Saturday: Antron Brown, on his U.S. Army Suzuki, picked off the second starting position with a 7.537-second pass at 176.53 mph, while teammate Angelle Savoie, on her U.S. Army Suzuki, posted a 7.560-second run at 175.91 mph to claim the fourth spot.

Brown will take on 15th-place qualifier, Josh Helvie, in the first round, while Savoie will square off with 13th-place qualifier, Kurt Matte.

"Given the thin air up here in the mountains, we did pretty darn good today," said Brown. "I'm happy with the performance. Now, it's time to race."

"We had a couple of nice runs today," added Savoie. "Tomorrow will pose a whole different set of challenges. We have to be prepared for anything."

This is the second straight race that both Brown and Savoie have recorded top-five qualifying efforts.

Denver, pre-race: The U.S. Army NHRA Racing Team of Tony Schumacher, Angelle Savoie, and Antron Brown, head for the air deprived Bandimere Speedway here this weekend for the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals.

Schumacher, who drives the U.S. Army Top Fuel dragster, as well as Savoie and Brown, who pilot the U.S. Army Pro Stock Bikes, will be looking to rebound from sub-par performances two weeks ago in St. Louis.

The Denver event is the first of three straight races that comprises the NHRA's annual Western Swing that also goes through the likes of Seattle and Sonoma, Calif., in successive weekends.

The goal for Schumacher is clear – to grab the Top Fuel point lead back after absorbing a second round loss in the Sears Craftsman Nationals.

"That was a tough pill to swallow out there in St. Louis," said the Chicago native. "We haven't been real consistent of late. So, hopefully, we can regain our touch from earlier this year out in Denver."

The Army team will have to overcome a tire shake issue that has plagued them for some three races.

"We stayed over in St. Louis for a day to test and I think we found something that will help that cause," said the 1999 Top Fuel world champion. "We're only 11 points out of first, so we're right there knocking on the door."

Like Schumacher, Savoie and Brown both posted early round exits as well two weeks ago. Brown, however, sat on the pole for the seventh time in his career.

"I thought we had the bike to beat in St. Louis, but we ended up breaking in the second round, which was disappointing," said Brown, who just recently became a father for the second time. "That being said, our performance leading up to the loss was exceptional. As a result, I believe there's renewed optimism in our camp."

"We know we can win races," said Savoie, a three-time Pro Stock Bike world champion. "We proved that in Atlanta earlier this season. There's no reason we can't go to Denver, get a win, and get on a roll. This team is extremely talented and capable. We're not lacking for confidence, I can tell you that."