Mac Tools U.S. Nationals
Indianapolis, Ind.
(Sept. 1-6)
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Jeff Arend CMKXtreme Machine Funny Car |
Reports: Monday Sunday Pre-race |
Indianapolis, Monday: CMKXtreme Machine Funny Car driver Jeff Arend's Labor Day festivities ended early on Monday as he suffered an early round defeat at the hands of Tony Pedregon at the 50th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals.
Arend entered eliminations after qualifying in the No. 14 position with a 4.911 at 310.13 mph. The Canadian racer has qualified the CMKXtreme Machine for 11 consecutive NHRA national events and 12 races in 13 starts this season. He faced No. 3 qualifier Tony Pedregon during the first round of eliminations for the second time this season.
The pair came to the starting line in front of a huge crowd at IRP as the ground trembled with the power of 12,000 collective horsepower. Arend left the starting line first on the defending POWERade champion with an .073 to .100 reaction time but Pedregon drove around him to take the victory with a 4.942 at 303.23 mph to Arend's consistent 5.017 at 305.63 mph.
"I thought we had a really good weekend," commented Arend following the first round of eliminations. "We struggled a little bit at first with our hot weather tune up but we seem to be getting a handle on our performance now. Its not easy going up against the defending champion in the first round but I left on him and we gave him a good race all the way to the finish line and that was what we were looking to do. I think we're looking good for the next race in Reading."
Indianapolis, Sunday: CMKXtreme Machine Funny Car driver Jeff Arend kept his 2004 qualifying streak alive by making the field at the biggest drag race, the prestigious 50th annual Mac Tools U.S, Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway Park. Arend qualified for his 12th race of the season and will face defending POWERade Funny Car champion Tony Pedregon for the second time this sesaon during the first round of eliminations on Monday.
Arend made his first qualifying attempt Friday evening in front of a huge crowd of enthusiastic drag racing fans at IRP. The CMKXtreme Machine shook the tires early in the run and Arend coasted to a 10.276 at 83.15 mph to finish the opening session unqualified. Arend returned for his second qualifying attempt on Saturday afternoon but only made it a little further down the track before smoking the tires again, recording a 10.442 at 79.89 mph to remain unqualified.
When the sun went down for the infamous Saturday evening qualifying session at the U.S. Nationals, Arend and crafty veteran crew chief Paul Smith got a handle on the performance of the CMKXtreme Machine Corvette. The 41-year-old native Canadian blasted to a 4.911 at 310.13 mph on his third qualifying attempt to jump into the 16-car field in the No. 13 position. Arend and the CMKXtreme team had two more qualifying sessions on Sunday to refine their combination and try and improve on their qualifying position for Monday's eliminations.
On Arend's fourth qualifying attempt early Sunday afternoon, the CMKXtreme Machine Funny Car was one of few floppers to make a full pass down the quarter-mile in the heat of the day. Arend laid down a very respectable 5.093 at 256.86 mph, despite shutting the car off near the 1000-foot mark. The former NHRA Funny Car national event winner maintained the No. 13 qualifying position with one important session remaining to determine Sunday's historic 50th annual U.S. Nationals Funny Car field.
Arend's final run was a good one. The CMKXtreme Machine Corvette stormed to a 4.966 at 304.46 mph, with a good set up for race day, where Arend will meet No. 3 qualifier Tony Pedregon from his No. 14 qualifying position.
"It's a big thrill for the entire CMKX team to come to the biggest drag race of them all here in Indy and qualify," said an obviously elated Arend. "We kept our qualifying streak going and as long as we're in the show we have a chance to win. We struggled a little bit early during qualifying but now I think we have a handle on our hot weather tune up, so I feel like we're in pretty good shape. The U.S. Nationals would be a great place to break out with a victory."
Indianapolis, pre-race: It has been almost a decade since Jeff Arend has driven in competition at the prestigious 50th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway Park in the heart of Indiana. But the 41-year-old driver of the CMKXtreme Machine Funny Car will return to the fabled quarter-mile at IRP this Labor Day weekend and attempt to become a part of history.
The event will feature five rounds of professional qualifying as the largest field of Funny Cars seen on the POWERade Drag Racing tour this season battle for one of the 16 qualifying positions for Monday's eliminations.
"Indy is the granddaddy of them all so I'm very excited about competing there again," Arend said. "I think the CMKX team is getting a pretty good handle on everything. With so many cars entered at Indy, just qualifying for eliminations is going to be a tough deal. If we can continue our qualifying streak there I would be really happy and, of course, we're still looking for that first round win of the season. But right now our goal is just to qualify for Indy and we'll worry about everything else later."
Arend and crew chief Paul Smith collaborated at the U.S. Nationals in 1995, impressing everyone by qualifying fifth before the native Canadian lost in the opening round of eliminations. Arend enters the 50th U.S. Nationals riding on the momentum of a 10-race qualifying streak that began in May.
"I'd be happy to duplicate our qualifying effort from 1995," Arend said, "and Indy would be the perfect place for the CMKX Funny Car to start winning rounds. There is so much history at the U.S. Nationals and we would love to become part of it with a victory."
Arend has qualified the CMKXtreme Machine for 12 races in 13 starts since returning to the Funny Car cockpit on a full-time basis this past April. He has also put in many hours away from the racetrack, visiting hospitals around the country along with teammate, CMKXtreme Pro Stock Bike rider, Connie Cohen. The pair will continue their efforts to reach those who can't make it to the races with a visit to Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis Thursday afternoon prior to the event. They will join several NHRA professional drivers in signing autographs and posing for photos and they will also donate CMKXtreme merchandise to the hospital.
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