Mac Tools U.S. Nationals
Indianapolis, Ind.
(Sept. 1-6)
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50th annual |
| Saturday |
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highlights second day of time trials |
Drag racing legend John Force saved the best for last Saturday, running the quickest Funny Car pass in the 50-year history of the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals - a 4.749-second clocking - to close out a great day of Pro qualifying in Indy. Top Fuel's Doug Kalitta, Pro Stock's Greg Anderson, and Pro Stock Bike's Chip Ellis also lead their respective categories with one day of time trails remaining.
The unknown Ellis, who is making his Pro Stock Bike debut here, shocked the field by posting a 7.13 at 185 mph to open a whopping four-hundredths-of-a-second gap on the chase pack. Anderson added a little more sizzle with a class-leading 6.79 at 201 mph in Pro Stock. Kalitta's Friday pass of 4.54 was untouched in Top Fuel.
Kalitta's opening salvo of 4.544 at 320.51 mph easily held through Saturday's two rounds as high heat and slightly higher humidity kept numbers in check. The Mac Tools racer has to survive just two more time trails to lock up his fourth low qualifier award of the year and 20th of his career.
 Doug Kalitta
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"We had it set for kill in the evening session and it just wouldn't hold it," Kalitta said. "Normally you can feel it coming but this time it just blew the tires right off. We were going for whatever the track would give us but it wasn't feeling that generous.
"Now it's time to see how to get this car down the track in the heat. Play time is over. The opportunities to catch [points leader] Tony [Schumacher] are starting to run out so we need to make the most of every round. The races we have left are on the good tracks but that's the same for everyone. We've got work to do if we want to win it all but we still have a chance."
Doug's cousin Scott stayed second with a 4.573 in his Jesse James/Mac Tools dragster, and Snap-on's Doug Herbert remained third with his Round 1 pass of 4.574 seconds.
Defending event champion Tony Schumacher of Team Army did manage to leapfrog Larry Dixon with a 4.593 at 317.79 mph, pushing the number of 4.5-second cars to four. Dixon's Miller Lite rail dropped to fifth with a 4.608.
Australian Andrew Cowin pedaled his way through a 4.782 at 310.70 mph to take over the bump spot. The biggest threats to Cowin staying in the field will come from David Baca, Scott Weis, Bob Vandergriff, and John Smith. Top Fuel results
Force benefited from a couple of lengthy oildowns that delayed his pairing until 10:30 p.m. The Castrol GTX Start Up Ford Mustang then turned on the jets and gave the diehard fans something big to cheer about when he screamed through the timers in 4.749 at 323.12 mph, setting an IRP elapsed time record for Funny Car.
 John Force
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"I got out of the car and thanked ol' [Austin] Coil and he said, 'For what,' and I said, 'For making me No. 1 at the biggest race of the year,' " Force said of a top-end conversation he had with his crew chief. "For one night we got to make a statement with all the big hitters from the past watching us. Indy goes back to our roots and all the old guys I grew up idolizing are here.
"We're really communicating well within our team. I was able to talk to [Gary] Densham and [Eric] Medlen before I ran and they told me what to look out for. There's a lot of good teamwork going on. It helped, because this wasn't just another low E.T. run to me."
Some familiar faces got the closest to Force. His teammate Gary Densham is second with a 4.782 in his Automobile Club of Southern California Ford Mustang, while Force's former protégé, Tony Pedregon, moved up to third place with a 4.823. Cruz Pedregon, who sidelined Force's championship reign for a year in 1992, ended up fourth with a 4.844. Eric Medlen, who took Tony Pedregon's place in the Castrol Syntec car, is fifth with a 4.857.
Menard's racer Jim Head lifted the bump to a 4.945 at 302.75 mph. Eight other pros will take their best shot to unseat Head in Sunday's final two rounds. Funny Car results
Anderson came to life in the third qualifying session, which took place at dusk. That's when the Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac Grand Am driver moved back to his usual position at the front of the class with a 6.794 at 201.88 mph. Anderson has been the No. 1 qualifier at 12 of 17 races this year.
 Greg Anderson
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"I wouldn't say our little slump is over but I can tell you that it sure feels good to be back up here [in the media room] as the No. 1 qualifier," Anderson said. "It's Indy and everyone absolutely brings their A game with them. If you want the pole, you have to earn it and we're not done fighting for it yet. It could certainly change tomorrow.
"It's such a special deal. This feels every bit as good as my first pole because it's Indy and you look out at those slam-packed grandstands and you're just in awe. It's so special just to be here.
"We absolutely got our doors blown off yesterday and it didn't feel very good, especially because we had made a pretty good run. We had some work to do so we changed motors and rewired the entire electrical system from front to back between rounds today. It's Indy; you can't wait to make a move. It was uncomfortable to do something that drastic but it worked out."
Team Mopar pro Larry Morgan improved to a 6.796 at 202.76 mph, lifting his Dodge Stratus R/T to second place. Mike Edwards was a bit of a surprise in the No. 3 position after posting a 6.803 at 201.88 mph.
Fresh off his win in the Mopar Super Stock Hemi Challenge, Jeg Coughlin posted a pair of steady laps Saturday, finally finishing fourth with a 6.805 at 202.39 mph in his Jeg's Mail Order Chevrolet Cavalier. Day 1 leader Jason Line couldn't improve on his 6.810 from Friday and slipped to fifth place.
Warren Johnson, who has failed to qualify at the last three events, entered Round 3 on the DNQ list, but a 6.830 moved him all the way up to 11th place.
PiranaZ racer Mark Whisnant set the ever-quickening bump at 6.844 at 201.22 mph with two sessions left on the schedule. Jim Yates, Kurt Johnson, and Ron Krisher are among 22 drivers still looking for a spot in the field. Pro Stock results
Racing in his first NHRA event, Ellis continues to impress on George Bryce's G-Squared S&S Buell V-Twin, soaring to a 7.137 at 185.69 mph to easily take control of the Pro Stock Bike class. Ellis made the pass in the day's first session, which took place under full sunlight.
 Chip Ellis
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"Basically I'm out here testing," Ellis said. "I know that nobody knows me. The guys at S&S have just put together an awesome bike that ran a great number. That's a great team over there. There's a lot of talent on that crew. I only made four runs on that bike before this race and that was a few months ago. We were actually just hoping to qualify.
"There are a lot of heavy hitters in this class and there's still two more qualifying sessions so we won't get too excited. I'll just try to hold on and give this team the pole."
U.S. Army Racing Suzuki teammates Antron Brown and Angelle Savoie are once again paired up near the top of the ladder. Brown is second with a 7.175 at 185.15 mph, while three-time champion Savoie used a 7.191 at 184.02 mph to finish third. GT Tonglet followed with a fourth-best 7.193 on his Harley.
Season-long POWERade points leader Andrew Hines closed Day 2 fifth on the qualifying grid after a best of 7.194 at 180.81 mph on his Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson V-Rod but he finished the day as big winner, having bagged the $15,000 top prize in the K&N Filters NHRA Pro Bike Klash presented by eHomeCredit Corp. Should Hines win Monday's U.S. Nationals he'll earn an extra $10,000 "double-up" bonus from the NHRA.
Lucas Oil racer Chip Hunter slipped to the 16th and final qualified position with a 7.267 at 183.82 mph. Michael Phillips is the biggest surprise among the 16 riders who have yet to make the field. Pro Stock Bike results
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