As the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season draws to a close, U.S. Army Top Fuel team crew chief Mike Green is attempting to lead driver Tony “The Sarge” Schumacher to his sixth straight world championship and the seventh of his career.

 Following the Las Vegas Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last Sunday, Green sat down to discuss the year to date while looking ahead to the season finale at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, Calif.

Q: As we approach the race in Pomona, you have to be ecstatic the team is in the position it’s in, right?
A: Yes, we’ve had a very good year so far with five wins in seven final rounds, while leading the points. Last December, Don (Schumacher) asked me to put together a team with Tony driving that could win another championship and that’s what is left to accomplish. Tony has driven like the champion he is and our team has performed to the high standards set by previous teams as well as the Army Strong Soldiers that we represent.

Q: How did you and Tony manage to make a new team come together so quickly?
A: We only hired one team member outside of the Don Schumacher Racing organization so we knew we had very good personnel going into the season and most of us had some sort of a relationship with Tony as a teammate. A major part of the maturation process was Tony’s experience and the positive attitude he brought to the team from day one. All the guys were amazed with his openness to a new team and his willingness to accept our way of doing things. We’re still improving and continue to work to be the best team out there.

The U.S. Army team's highlight was winning the U.S. Nationals for a record-tying eighth time. Schumacher, left, and Green, right,  were joined in the winner's circle in Indy by NASCAR star Tony Stewart.

Q: What have been some of the highlights for you this year? Perhaps, winning the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals for the first time as a crew chief is one of the bigger ones?
A: It was amazing that by the third race of the year people were asking if Tony was ever going to win another race. Of course, then we went to Houston and won. We were even lucky enough to beat Alan Johnson’s team along the way, which was very satisfying. It was also great to be a part of Tony’s eighth Indy win, which matched Don Garlits’ record. Not only was it my first win at Indy as a crew chief, but it was the first Indy win for most of the crew guys. A lot of us had family and friends there to help celebrate which made it even more enjoyable.

Q: Have you thought about how it would feel to win your first world title?
A: I’ve spent most of my adult life working on fuel cars and have been lucky enough to have experienced winning a Top Fuel championship in the past. To have the opportunity to win one as a crew chief and for all of the guys on the team would be great. We work hard at preparing the race car for Tony to drive and take a lot of pride in knowing it’s capable of taking him to another championship.

Celebrating together after yet another win, this time in Dallas.

Q: How would you describe your working relationship with Tony?
A: It continues to grow. The more time you race together the better your racing knowledge of each other becomes. Tony just has a great attitude about our team and what it takes to win races. Our relationship is pretty loose, meaning we joke around more than we’re serious about things. We’ve both raced a long time so there aren’t a lot of surprises.

Q: Given your experience with other drivers over the years, how would you grade Tony in the mix?
A: Tony’s ability to handle pressure is a big advantage over a lot of other drivers and his positive attitude is second to none. He has a lot of experience that keeps him calm and focused. He doesn’t complain or worry – he just gets in the car and drives. My grade for him would be A-plus.

Q: Now that you’ve had a year with the U.S. Army as your sponsor, how has it felt to work with them?
A: Having the U.S. Army as a sponsor has been a lot different than I thought it would be. The pride really hits you after a three-star General tells you that you have the support of the entire U.S. Army behind you. They treat racing like everything else they do – with seriousness and extreme conviction. That’s what makes them the elite fighting force that they are. I’m very proud to be associated with men and women who risk their lives every day to protect our freedom.

 Q: Would it be fair to say there’s a sense of inspiration being around Army Strong Soldiers on a continual basis?
A: They continue to remind us how fragile freedom is and how much pride and dedication it takes to protect it in a way that constantly provides motivation and determination to accomplish our goals in life and on the race track.  It’s hard not to be inspired when a group of Soldiers are at the track rooting us on one week and the next week they might be in Afghanistan risking their lives to protect us. To me, that’s the ultimate sponsor and the best team someone could be associated with.

 

Affording fans in the greater Phoenix area a chance to partake in two of the biggest sporting events in the region in the month of February, NHRA has announced, in cooperation with the owner/operator of Firebird International Raceway, that the 26th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals will be moved up one week to Feb. 19-21, 2010, which is historically Firebird’s traditional date for this event.

As a result, the event will take place the weekend after the 50th annual Kragen O’Reilly Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona and three weeks prior to the East Coast opener, the NHRA Gatornationals at Florida’s Gainesville Raceway.

Below is the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series schedule for the first four races of the season:
 

In preparation for a major display at next year's 50th anniversary Kragen O'Reilly NHRA Winternationals, NHRA is trying to locate vintage/restored door cars – stockers, gassers, Factory Experimentals, etc. -- that competed at past Winternationals events to participate in the festivities.

If you have one of these cars or know someone who does, contact Steve Gibbs, sgibbs@nhra.com.

The 50th annual Kragen O’Reilly NHRA Winternationals kicks off the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona Feb. 11-14, where NHRA will pay tribute to its past throughout what figures to be one of the most memorable and nostalgic race weeks in the sport’s history as many of the legendary cars, drivers, and magical moments will be honored.

Buy tickets now

 

On hand were Don Garlits, voted No. 1 by a select panel of NHRA experts in 2001, John Force (No. 2), Don Prudhomme (No. 3), Bob Glidden (No. 4), Shirley Muldowney (No. 5), and Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins (No. 8), all of whom recorded multiple wins at the traditional season-opening Pomona event.

Veteran NHRA announcer Bob Frey acted as the ringmaster during the lively exchange of hilarious tales and anecdotes about past Winternationals exploits and other racing adventures that kept the large audience of drag racing fans thoroughly entertained. Although many of the panel members claim to have mellowed, it didn’t take long for the intensity of the old rivalries to resurface. A few of the examples included Muldowney taking Garlits to task for “always wanting to have his own way” in lane-choice decisions in their frequent match races and Glidden reminding Jenkins how the rules makers always seemed to add weight to his Fords but never to “the Grump’s” Chevrolets. Force took a more complimentary tone when he told Prudhomme how he had patterned his career after “the Snake's” by copying everything that Prudhomme did, from his burnouts and staging procedures to even his “cool way of walking.”

Following the breakfast, the all-star cast of drag racing legends gathered in the expansive hallway area of the Las Vegas Convention Center for an autograph session near a display that featured many historic cars. Well before the drivers arrived, fans had formed a line that stretched as far as the eye could see, providing yet another example of how the thrills of NHRA Drag Racing have deeply touched so many motorsports enthusiasts.

NHRA, working with Cruz Pedregon Racing, recently conducted a series of test runs following the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It was part of NHRA’s Competition and Technical Departments’ continuing initiative to find a new combination designed to reduce power in the nitromethane categories in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.

The combination tested with Cruz Pedregon’s team included a single magneto, one less clutch disc, and a smaller fuel pump. Currently, nitromethane race vehicles employ two magnetos in their engine setups. Overall, the test was encouraging, although further testing will continue in the weeks and months ahead.  NHRA’s Dan Olson, Pedregon, and his crew chief, Rahn Tobler, worked together on tune-up changes and strategies between each test run. 

“I was very encouraged by the test,” Pedregon said. “We obtained some good data that will give us a great starting point for further tests. We were pleased that NHRA allowed us to participate, and Dan Olson, Rahn, and the entire team worked hard to yield some great results.”

NHRA will work with Cruz Pedregon Racing to schedule more testing during the off-season. In addition, NHRA will continue to work with Tim Wilkerson and his team on the combination tested earlier in the season, which included decreasing displacement, use of a smaller-capacity fuel pump, decrease in percentage overdrive in the blower, a change on the rear-end gear ratios, and the use of 90 percent nitromethane.

NHRA reiterated that this is strictly a testing and research project at this point. It remains too early in the process to discuss any implementation plans or dates. Once any decision is finalized, NHRA will give ample time for teams to adjust accordingly. There is no completion date scheduled for the research/testing phase of this project.
 

NHRA and primary sponsor Full Throttle Energy Drink will put a new face on drag racing’s premier series in 2010 with the unveiling of a new series logo.

NHRA’s top Professional series, consisting of Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle, first partnered with The Coca-Cola Company in 2001, and the association will continue through at least 2013. Full Throttle Energy Drink assumed the title sponsorship from POWERADE beginning with the 2009 season, launching what is arguably one of the strongest synergies between brand and sport in the sports and entertainment industry.

The association between NHRA and Coca-Cola North America, with support from Coca-Cola Enterprises, represents one of the longest-running series sponsorships in motorsports, and the move to Full Throttle Energy Drink marks the lead sports marketing association for the beverage company’s lead energy drink, which has been the official energy drink of NHRA since 2005.

NHRA’s top Professional series features 23 races from February through November, all of which are broadcast by ESPN2 in HD.

NHRA Fan Fest hosted by Universal Technical Institute (UTI), the official kickoff to the 2009 season-ending Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals, will take place Saturday, Nov. 7, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the UTI campus at 9494 Haven Ave. in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.

NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series cars and drivers will be in attendance, and the U.S. Army High School Automotive Challenge presented by Universal Technical Institute preliminaries will take place. There will also be campus tours, food, prizes, and giveaways and a raffle for tickets to the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals.

 

Mopar will launch a new Pro Stock Dodge Avenger to compete in the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Attendees at the 2009 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Nov. 3-6, will get the first glimpse of the new Pro Stock Dodge Avenger. The 2010 NHRA Pro Stock Mopar Dodge Avenger of Team Mopar driver Allen Johnson will be on exhibit in the Mopar display at SEMA, booth No. 43127.

The new Pro Stock Mopar Dodge Avenger has been officially approved for competition by NHRA. The Dodge Avenger is targeted for its competition debut at the 50th annual Kragen O’Reilly NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, Feb. 11-14, 2010. The Mopar Dodge Avenger replaces the Dodge Stratus R/T body, which had been in use by Mopar Hemi-powered NHRA Pro Stock competitors since the midpoint of the 2003 season.

The new Pro Stock Mopar Dodge Avenger was developed in-house at Chrysler Group LLC. The project utilized Chrysler Group LLC tools and resources also employed to build the production Dodge Avenger, creating a connection between the street and the quarter-mile.

“The introduction of the new NHRA Pro Stock Dodge Avenger will invigorate our Mopar-powered Pro Stock racers,” said Jim Sassorossi, director-Mopar Global Parts Sales and Marketing, Chrysler Group LLC. “The production Dodge Avenger is a perfect template for the dragstrip. The Dodge Avenger’s bold styling and aggressive looks communicate the performance capability of the Dodge brand’s midsize sedan. ”

The greatest challenge to the Dodge Motorsports Engineering team tasked with the project was maintaining maximum identity of the Dodge Avenger in the new body without forsaking performance on the dragstrip.

“Our team worked within NHRA’s rules to balance aerodynamic performance goals and maximize Dodge Avenger identity,” said Joe Vitous, SRT & Motorsports aero-thermal manager. “The new Mopar Dodge Avenger meets or exceeds the aero goals we established.”

Mopar-powered NHRA Pro Stock drivers, including Team Mopar driver Johnson, worked closely with the Dodge Motorsports Engineering team to ensure that the new Pro Stock Dodge Avenger was large enough to accommodate all safety features, such as the roll cage and quick ingress and egress in case of an emergency. The size of the front door of the Avenger was adjusted to maximize driver safety.

“I’m very excited to race the new Mopar Dodge Avenger,” Johnson commented. “We’ve been racing the Stratus since mid-2003. Just having a change is an upgrade. We feel we’ve been at a disadvantage with some of our competitors who have been racing in newer bodies for the last few years. I was fitted for the new body in late September. NHRA was there, and we spent a lot of time going over the templates. That was exciting. I’m glad we’re going ahead full bore.”
 

The computer image shows aero streamlines for the new NHRA Pro Stock Dodge Avenger.

He calls it his "American Dream," and European Top Fuel racer Lex Joon of the Netherlands plans to pursue it passionately as he competes with his MPM Oil Top Fueler in the final two events of the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals, Oct. 29-Nov. 1, and the season-concluding Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals, Nov. 12-15 in Pomona. Joon will chronicle his adventures for NHRA.com readers through this blog.

Monday, Nov. 2

Finally, we arrived in Las Vegas on Tuesday. Our first flight took almost nine hours from Amsterdam to Chicago, where we transferred to the flight to Vegas, which lasted three and a half hours. Altogether, it took more than 20 hours to arrive at our destination, but those things need to be done in order to live the life many other people can only dream about. We arrived in our hotel where our crew was already waiting for us. It was a great moment to see all my guys again, the Dutch crew I just saw a couple of weeks ago, and Kevin (Poynter) and his wife Terri. The last time we were with them was more than a year ago. Our USA crew, George and Del, gave me a real good first impression. These guys sent me the right vibes and I'm happy to have them on board. It was amazing to see how both teams worked together as one. It looked like they knew each other for a very long time.

Wednesday morning we left for the Las Vegas Motor Speedway where the dragstrip is a part of all the race venues, and is only situated 15 minutes from the strip of Las Vegas. It’s just great; you take the exit off the highway and there is the track. No long small roads as we know in Europe. It is a beautiful facility. When we got there, the trailer was already parked in the pits and we got started working on our pit layout by taking out the awning and all the equipment, tools and the race car. Then we started working to put the car together so it would be ready to be scrutinized. Because the rules we use in Europe are slightly behind the NHRA rules, it was a bit of a nail biter waiting to see how the car will do when it was inspected by the NHRA officials. I guess we did our homework because the car passed tag. I can tell you I'm proud we received the green light to start our weekend of racing.

Bob Frey introduced and interviewed me at the FanFest.

Ready to go!

Under the famous arch

On Thursday the Goodyear trailer opened its doors so we could buy the rear tires we needed for the weekend. This is something I never have done before. When I need tires for our racing activities in Europe, I order the slicks from Gary Burgin, who is located in California. He organizes and collects all the parts I need and sends them to my shop in Europe. Standing between piles of tires and having a chance to pick the sets I like is something special.

Thursday night we attended the Fan Fest and it was a great experience. A huge amount of fans came to this event to get in touch with us drivers and after almost two hours the session was stopped. I had signed more than 500 posters and had the opportunity to chat with a lot of nice people.

Friday finally arrived. Our first qualifier was something I was looking forward to. Finally, I would get the chance to drive my car over the dragstrip in Las Vegas. The NHRA official told me I was the first pair out, something that is always difficult because there are no other cars in front of you that can give you an idea what kind of numbers the track can hold. It was a thrill to finally sit under the arch that I dreamed of for so long, strapped in the car and ready go out with the best in the world. After a decent burnout, the car launched hard but the track seemed too green to hold the power and we smoked the tires. After we pulled the car back into the pits everything was okay and we prepared the car for the evening session.

It can’t get any better than to have a chance to race your car in an evening session at the Las Vegas dragstrip. KP told me to get ready for the ride of my life, and he was right. I never experienced a run like this before; the car left the line as a missile. Larry Dixon was in the other lane and had a slightly better 60-foot time but then we drove together down the track. I ran 3.10 at 276 mph to half-track. The car was really pulling, when it made a hard turn to the left caused by the fact that a cylinder in the left bank lost fire. I managed to get the car back in the groove and then the blower belt snapped after 3.3 seconds. The result was a 3.93 at only 270 mph. Dixon passed me when the blower belt broke and he ran low e.t. of the session with a 3.80. For a long time it looked like my e.t. was secured as No. 12 on the list but Urs Erbacher ran .02-second better and pushed me to No. 13, which meant we lost our time and we had to start all over again on Saturday.

Saturday the temperatures went up and the track changed. We had no data yet to run the car on under these different circumstances and we missed the opportunity to set a decent time on our last two qualifying attempts. Because we lost our 3.93, which would have qualified 14th, we missed the field for Sunday. It was a big disappointment after all that happened and knowing we were able to run good even without making a full 1,000-foot pass.

Still I will return home with a Wally. My team received the Best Appearing Crew award, something no other team outside the USA has ever won. You can imagine how proud I am.

We had a great time. We met so many great people and it was very special that they stopped to say hello and wish us good luck. It was fun to meet all the fans that had a connection with my home country, the Netherlands. Some of them had Dutch last names and it was fun to give them the right pronunciation of their name.

I would like to thank all the readers that sent me emails to wish me good luck. It is amazing to see how many people are reading my blogs and are following my well-being. Please continue to keep in touch at fanclub@lexjoonracing.nl. I enjoy hearing from you.

Between Vegas and Pomona, I will fly home to get my work done at the shop. The rest of my team will travel back to L.A. to service the car and get ready for Pomona. I know things will work out for us; it’s just a matter of time.

Time to go;  thanks for reading.

Wednesday, Oct. 28

Hello from Europe. The moment is almost here for Gerda and me to grab our suitcases and head to Schiphol, which is our International airport. Finally, my dream is becoming a reality and will be set in motion when our plane leaves the runway heading to Las Vegas. We hope we remembered to pack everything we need and taken care of everything here at home. Besides our horses, Gerda and I have a dog, a Giant Schnauzer called Rossi. We have taken him to an animal pension (inn or boarding house) for the time we are in the USA. He is used to going there because when we are racing our European tour we are not allowed to bring him to the tracks were we are racing. He likes to play with all the other dogs that are in the pension during his stay. We always say Rossi is getting a deserved vacation because the place looks like a holiday camp.

Ever since 2000 when I ran an Alcohol Funny Car in Pomona, I had the feeling I wanted to come back to the U.S. to race again. I never expected then that I would return with a Top Fuel dragster in the trailer, ready to race. This type of car is only driven by professionals and was out of my reach at that time. Our relationship with MPM International Oil Company that started in 2004 was the beginning of my career as a Top Fuel driver and team owner. Peter v.d. Meer and Michiel van Wilgen, founders of MPM, have always stood behind our program and made it possible for us to perform and act to the level where we are right now. Without them, this would not have been possible. Michiel will join us at the Las Vegas race, together with some clients and friends that are also supporting us in this great adventure.

For me drag racing has everything to do with an American lifestyle, in the place where it all began. As you read in my first blog, my interest for American cars started more than 30 years ago. For you it is not a big deal to see American-made cars driving around. For me, back then it was a huge investment and statement to own and drive American cars. I bought my first Chevy van from the American bookstore in Amsterdam and converted it to a custom car, which won many prizes as best appearing car. I like the way people work and live in the U.S. It is the land of unlimited possibilities and that is what attracts me.

I still find it hard to believe that this dream of mine if going to happen. I have been in Las Vegas before, sitting in the grandstands looking at the cars that were sitting under the Las Vegas Strip arch with the drivers facing the length of the dragstrip from their cockpit. It must be a great moment to go through the experience. It can only be a short moment because duty quickly calls and the engines get fired up and concentration becomes be the name of the game.

With 26 Top Fuel cars entered for this event, we know that we have a tall order to accomplish. We have no possibility to go testing before the race, which means we have to go with what we can put together on paper based on previous runs. With Kevin Poynter as crew chief, I believe we have a good chance to make the field on race day.

He spent the last weeks preparing the car and going over the tune-up to get the best opportunity to qualify. Once in the field anything is possible.

I'm really looking forward to meeting all the fans. I have had a huge amount of emails after my two blogs on the NHRA website. This encourages me even more to keep on writing. It’s great to have contact with all the people who have an interest in drag racing and the people who try to chase their dreams as I do mine. If you are visiting the race at Las Vegas, I hope to meet you at the NHRA Vegas Style Fan Fest. It will mark the official kickoff to the 2009 NHRA Las Vegas Nationals and will take place Thursday, Oct. 29, from 6 to 8 p.m. on Fremont Street in Las Vegas. I'm proud to participate in the autograph session along with all the big names in today's drag racing.

Please stay in touch at fanclub@lexjoonracing.nl. Talk to you soon.

Monday, Oct. 26

Loading up at Zandaam

All of our stuff

The container arrives in the U.S.

Checking everything out

In our U.S. shop

After we made the decision to go racing in the U.S. a lot of things needed to be arranged. There were questions to be filled in and work to be done, such as transportation, crew, shop space, truck and trailer, getting the race car ready according to NHRA specs, marketing, and so on.

The first thing I did when the American Dream Tour came together was call Kevin Poynter (KP) to bring him the good news. He knew we were working hard to get the deal finalized and when it would be a done deal, he was the man to tune the car for us. In Europe, Sebastian Visser, and myself tune the car but because we need to hit the nail right on the head the first time out we knew we needed a tuner that’s up to speed. To be honest even if we knew the settings I would have hired Kevin because for me he is a tuner that understands what it takes to go rounds and keep the engines alive at the same time. Besides that, KP is a great guy to work with; his attitude is one out of a million. You can win any type of war with him and that’s exactly what we need if we want a chance to go rounds with our MPM Top Fuel dragster.

Going over the transport the decision needed to be made if we would send our truck and trailer or a 40-foot container. The trip to Los Angeles by ship takes around 21 days all together it’s almost a month with loading and customs added up. When I got the information of what it would cost to send the truck/trailer combination the decision was not too difficult; the container was the right choice when we wanted to have some money left for racing. A container was ordered and a date set when it would be delivered at our shop in Zaandam. Because we have no loading dock, one of our sponsors, EWF, organized a trailer with a side loader to put the container on the ground, which made the loading a lot less complicated. One week before we started loading the container we made all kind of crates and wooden boxes to pack all our equipment, tools and spare parts to keep them safe and dry during the crossing over the sea. As I said in my previous blog, a lot of work was done to get all our papers ready for customs. Although most of the items in the container came originally from the USA, the U.S. Customs needs to know all the facts concerning the content of the container.

Overseeing our U.S. marketing situation is difficult especially when you are living and working in Europe as we do. The time difference is between 6 and 9 hours. When our working day has come to an end the people in California are having their first cup of coffee. Also, the way of doing business can be really different when you look at the U.S. and European cultures. Therefore, we hired two great people who do an outstanding job for us in the U.S. Ed and Joanne Dawson keep track of all our marketing and PR-related issues and I’m really happy to have them in our camp. The time we spend at the track during our race weekends is just a fragment of the time that is invested to get everything in place to make it possible to go out and race. The time where sponsors are willing to spend money on your team because they like your blue eyes are far behind us. You need to have a strong program were a business partner or client will benefit from the program you put on the table. That is why I think the word “sponsor” is not correct anymore. We have to sell our product, even in this difficult economy. When a business partner will do better business when they go with your program, they will stay. It’s a far better deal because then you earn your own money and that pays off at the end of the day.

Tuesday (Oct 20) the container arrived at our shop in Los Angeles. KP and Arjan have unloaded everything and they told me all was in perfect order. This seems to be rather normal but I had some bad images about the container lost at open sea or hanging upside down from a crane during unloading. Now it is time to get everything ready for the first race of our American Dream Tour, the Las Vegas Nationals. Because we didn’t have a chance to test we have the very difficult task to go full throttle into the first round of qualifying. We need to take every opportunity to run the numbers which will give us a spot in the field on race day.

That’s it for now, thanks for reading. If you want to keep in touch, please email me at fanclub@lexjoonracing.nl.

 

Monday, Oct. 19, 2009

Hello race fans. Perhaps you have read about it already; we are attending the last two races in Las Vegas and Pomona with our Top Fuel dragster that has been shipped from Europe about a month ago.

I am very honored and thankful to get the chance to send in blogs on the famous NHRA website. Blogging is something I have been doing for a couple of years at the one and only European drag racing website, www.Eurodragster.com. The idea is to keep you informed about the impressions we encounter and the differences and similarities there are between America and Europe. I hope you enjoy.

The idea to start blogging started when we bought our race car from David Baca in 2004. Eurodragster.com asked me if I could give the fans updates on how everything was going. Since I started my blogs, it appeared our fans were very interested to read about our well being. It gives them the idea they can have a look behind the scenes of a Top Fuel team. When we are at a race people stop by to tell me they enjoy reading my blogs. I must admit it gives me a humble feeling when people tell me I help their family going through an illness because I give them an opportunity to keep in touch with what’s going on outside their hospital bed. It’s great when you can make a positive contribution to the quality of people’s lives. That is one of the reasons we as racers don’t like empty seats in the grandstands. We enjoy the fact we can perform in front of a big crowd, but that could be a subject for another blog.

My wife Gerda and I enjoy riding horses.

My first race car was this '68 Camaro, called Dutch Treat.

My first Alcohol Funny Car was this car, which I bought from Bucky Austin and competed with at the 2000 Winternationals.

My first nitro Funny Car didn't last very long ...

The American Dream Tour as we call it is about a wish I have to start racing in the USA with the best teams and drivers on our planet. Some people dream about entering the Olympic games, for me this it.

My home country is The Netherlands (Europe) and I’m working and living together with my wife Gerda near Amsterdam in a place called Zaandam. We own and run a car dealership and maintain all type of cars with a specialism for American-made cars. Gerda and I have a common hobby besides drag racing, and these are our two horses.

I started my drag racing career 25 years ago in a time when just a handful of people in my home country ever heard of drag racing. My first race car was a ‘68 Camaro, which I bought from a farmer who had it parked in his back yard. The only type of racing we knew back then was heads up without any type of index. I was really successful but I’m the type of guy who is always pushing the bar to the next level. In 1995, I bought my first Alcohol Funny Car. At that time there was not a lot of knowledge to fall back on. The only way to learn everything about alcohol racing was to drive and tune the car by myself. We did a pretty good job but never had the funding to run for the FIA Championship.

In 2000 a good friend of mine bought an Alcohol Funny Car from Bucky Austin. We hired a van from U-Haul and transported the car and parts from Seattle to Pomona where we entered the Winternationals that year. We ended up being the 17th qualifier including losing a motor.

When I left Pomona after that race I knew I wanted to come back one day to give it another try. The years went by and every year we visited the Auto Club Finals at Pomona I was entering through the spectator gates but I knew my place was not sitting in the grandstands but working in the pits.

In 2003 I bought my first nitro Funny Car. For me a dream came true because I love Funny Cars and what’s better then a nitro-burning one. It didn’t last long. During my third run in the car the rods came out and the complete car went up in fire. It was totally destroyed. I barely could save myself getting out of the car in time. That was the last time I drove a fuel Funny Car.

In 2004 I got the opportunity to hire a Top Fuel dragster, which at that point looked like a good opportunity to get acquainted with nitro burning engines. MPM International oil company located in the Netherlands, had started working with us when we bought our Fuel Funny Car, and they were interested to put their name on a Top Fuel dragster. Not a lot of people know this but here in Holland we have many drag racing teams but not a permanent track to race. The highest class you will find my other countrymen to race is Pro Modified. You can imagine that when we offered MPM a Top Fuel deal they were very interested.

After the first year of racing we came to the conclusion that we needed our own operation to be successful. At the end of 2004, we bought a complete car with spares from David Baca. During this visit we met Kevin Poynter who was car crew chief for David at that time. Our first year with our own team was very successful, with all the new equipment we imported from the USA. We managed to become FIA European Champion in 2005. We had more success when we were runner up in the Championship in 2007 and 2008, becoming one of the most successful Top Fuel teams in Europe.

At the beginning of this year we decided that this would be the year to race in the USA. We launched the Lex Joon Racing American Dream Tour. It wasn’t easy but during our biggest race in Europe at the Hockenheim track we got the green light to start living our American dream. You can imagine we were thrilled but at the same time it meant a lot of work to be realized in a short amount of time.

In Europe we race under the same technical rules as in the U.S. with the only difference being that we are one year behind the NHRA rule book. Before shipping the car I needed to go over the latest changes to be sure we could run the car without making any last moment corrections. I ordered a 40-foot container that was delivered at our shop in Zaandam by EWF, one of our sponsors of our American Dream Tour. They take care of all the shipment and custom business. Since the September 11 tragedy, importing and exporting has become a lot more difficult because of the security the American government has enforced. After we had loaded the container with the race car, tools and spare parts, we had to produce a list with all items stored in the container. Meanwhile the container has arrived in Los Angeles, and we have rented a shop in L.A. to have a place to service the car and get everything in place for the races in Las Vegas and Pomona. Kevin Poynter will be the crew chief and our crew will exist of Dutch and American boys and girls.

With all of my equipment waiting for me in the United States, you can imagine I can’t wait to get started on what I hope to be one of the most exciting times of my life.

I will say good bye for now; I have to go start to pack. I will write again soon.
 

NHRA President Tom Compton, right, and Roger Burgess of ProCare RX and Get Screened America, announced the new series in Las Vegas. Photo by Roger Richards

What began as an exhibition in 2001 has become a full-fledged series for 2010, it was announced today by NHRA. Made possible by funding from ProCare Rx and its current Get Screened America initiative, the 2010 NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series will compete at 10 NHRA Full Throttle Series events and be televised on a tape-delay basis on ESPN2.

“We have been conducting Pro Mod exhibitions for quite some time,” said Tom Compton, president, NHRA. “Clearly, they bring entertainment value to our fans, and we believe now is the time to highlight this popular form of drag racing. Now, competitors can race for the coveted Wally trophy and an NHRA world championship title.”

The formation of the NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series wouldn’t have been possible without the financial commitment of ProCare Rx and Get Screened America. A multiyear commitment by the group to fund the series made the series possible.

“I want to thank NHRA for working with us and especially Tom Compton for making the bold decision to add a new series that has been talked about for many years,” said Roger Burgess. “I look forward to working with NHRA to grow the NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series into a fan favorite for many years to come.”

An integral part of the series will be 10 half-hour broadcasts on ESPN2 on a tape-delay basis. The half-hour shows will air around current NHRA programming on the worldwide leader in sports and will feature competition from the 10 series events. Talent for the shows will be announced at a later date.

With body styles ranging from ’41 Willys to '53 Corvettes, ’57 Chevys to ’70 'Cudas, and first-generation Camaros and Firebirds to profiles as racy as the latest Dodge Viper along with show-quality themed paint jobs, Pro Mods have been crowd-pleasers at NHRA events for several years as an exhibition. With huge slicks at the rear and superchargers poking through the hoods, there’s no doubt that these cars are a whole lot more than souped-up classics.

The inaugural NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series will kick off in Gainesville. The schedule includes stops at some of the biggest events on the circuit, including Houston, Madison, Atlanta, Englishtown, Bristol, and Norwalk. In the second half of the season, the 240-mph machines will race at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis and the second Charlotte event and conclude their series at the second Las Vegas event in October.
 
The series will conform to the NHRA Rulebook, and competitors will race to the quarter-mile. Each event will feature 16-car fields, in which, thanks to the Get Screened America sponsorship, racers will compete for world championship points and an overall purse, including event purses and year-end bonus monies, of $470,000.

In addition to the NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series, NHRA national events feature the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series and the premier series of the sport, the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, featuring Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle.

Spencer Massey

Though he realistically is out of the Top Fuel championship hunt (he has not been mathematically eliminated but would need a miracle), Massey may very well have locked up the 2009 Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award when he drove Don Prudhomme’s U.S. Smokeless rail to his second win of the season; Massey also won in Chicago. Massey was on a roll through eliminations, capping the day with a 3.827, low e.t. of eliminations, to defeat Dixon in the final. This was a rematch of the Reading final, in which Dixon prevailed.

“I don’t like to think that I should or shouldn’t [win rookie of the year]; I don’t really think like that,” said Massey. “If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. I would like for it to happen, but Shawn [Langdon] is an awesome racer, and so are Matt Hagan and Doug Horne. Obviously, we’ve got a couple of wins now and the points are the points, but there’s a whole lot of different situations and things that happen for the rookie of the year. I don’t know if it draws a line under it or puts a check by my name or whatever, but I’d love to find out at the end of Pomona that it happened that way.

“It’s just unbelievable just being able to get to the final round. Every race car out here is capable of winning races. The competition is so tight out here. Every round was a key round and meant something because for points, we’re down to the wire. And not only for points, but we’re also going for the Wally at the end of the day. It means a whole lot to me personally and to ‘Snake’ and everybody because we’ve been struggling here in the Countdown; we just haven’t been on our game. So it’s nice to come in here and throw down these good numbers and go A to B and not beat ourselves because that’s what we’ve really been doing all year long. We got a handle on it, and now we’ve got some momentum.”

Massey advanced to his fourth final round on the strength of 3.83- to 3.87-second passes. He opened with a 3.83 to oust fellow rookie Langdon, then clocked 3.87 and 3.84 runs to defeat No. 2 qualifier Steve Torrence and Richmond champ Brandon Bernstein.

Dixon just missed taking over the points lead when he came up short in the final, his ninth of the season and 92nd of his career. Dixon, who now sits one point out of first, had a perfect day leading up to the final, in which he smoked the tires. Dixon ran low e.t. of the first two rounds as he dispatched Morgan Lucas and Doug Kalitta. In the semi’s, he had the second-best time of the round, a 3.845 that was only bettered by McClenathan, whom Dixon beat on a holeshot.

Robert Hight

Hight couldn’t have scripted his Las Vegas outing any better. His Auto Club-backed Mustang was the class of the Funny Car field on Sunday, running low e.t. of every round. In the final, Hight powered to a 4.125 to edge Jack Beckman by .012-second for the win. Beckman, who got the jump at the Tree, .058 to .075, finished with a 4.154. The win is the third of the season for Hight and third during the Countdown to 1 playoffs and the 14th of his career.

“To have a 105-point lead going into Pomona, it gives you a lot of confidence, but it’s still not over,” said Hight. “You hate to make predictions, but back when we didn’t qualify in Bristol, I said, ‘This car is too good. This team is too good, and we will still contend for the championship.’ We weren’t even in the top 10, and you wonder when you say that, you know, ‘Ah, those predictions will come back and bite you.’ But anything can happen. We could not qualify in Pomona, and that could be it. But with the way my car is running right now, I’m very confident, and I just know we can go out there and qualify and seal this deal up.

“[Tuner] Jimmy Prock has just done a great job since the Countdown started, really since Indy. Three wins in the Countdown and we’ve only been to five races, so that is stout. It’s all been on performance. We have not gotten lucky, and I’ve not had to pedal the race car; we have just outmuscled these guys. That was a close race in the final. I think our car fell off a little bit. It hurt itself, so we probably got a little lucky there in the final. All the rest of the runs this weekend, though, it was on performance.”

Hight’s big points day got off to a high-pressure start when he was matched with second-place points runner and teammate Force Hood. Hight was up to the task, running a 4.11 to defeat Force Hood, who faded on the top end and slowed to a 4.33. Hight then clocked a 4.12 to defeat boss John Force, who smoked the tires and crossed the centerline while trying to get his car to recover. Hight advanced to his fourth final of the year and 26th of his career when he powered to low e.t. of eliminations, 4.080, to trailer Tim Wilkerson.

Beckman kept himself in mathematical contention with a clutch final-round performance that moved him up two spots in the standings, to fourth. Beckman’s day was the polar opposite of that of Hight as the Don Schumacher Racing driver struggled most of eliminations. In round one, Beckman outpedaled Mike Neff to win the tire-smoking affair on a 4.43 to 4.69 count. The following round, Beckman and teammate Hagan both had troubles; Beckman ultimately came out on top with a 4.21. Beckman’s sluggish runs continued in the semi’s when he clocked a 4.35 to oust a tire-smoking Del Worsham and advance to his fifth final this year and the 17th of his career.

Larry Morgan

Morgan snapped a dry spell that dated back to Sonoma 2002 when he defeated Rickie Jones in the Pro Stock final. Morgan led the final wire to wire, cutting a .012 light and outpowering Jones, 6.72 to 6.79, to claim his 10th win.

“My guys have worked so hard to get where we’re at, but now with this Ford program that we’re working on, I’m not sure how we could keep this Dodge running like we have,” said Morgan. “The best win I ever had was when I won Indy and the [NHRA K&N Horsepower Challenge] in 1989 and my oldest boy was born the week before, but this ranks right up there. It was just a great win for us.”

“I threw a hundred dollars in a slot machine and won $1,200, and I thought I might be pretty lucky here. I felt relaxed all day, and everything was going our way. We put ourselves in a position to win, and I guess I drove well enough to beat the bad guys out here.”

Morgan may not be part of the championship chase, but he played a key role in it during eliminations. In round one, Morgan defeated Jason Line, eliminating the Summit driver from championship contention. He then denied Edwards the 2009 world title when he defeated the points leader on a holeshot, 6.72 to 6.67. Morgan advanced to his first final of the year and the 32nd of his career when he drove his Lucas Oil-backed Dodge past Greg Stanfield.

Jones combined solid driving with a solid-running car to advance to the first final of his young career. Jones began the day with a holeshot victory against Vinnie Deceglie, combining a .020 light with a 6.72 to better Deceglie’s .072-initiated 6.69. Jones then ran back-to-back 6.71s to defeat Rodger Brogdon and Ron Krisher to advance to the money round.

Andrew Hines

Hines was mathematically eliminated from Pro Stock Motorcycle championship consideration in the semifinals, but he gave his teammate, Krawiec, a big boost in his bid to win back-to-back titles when he defeated Arana in the final. Arana made things easy when he left with a very early -.144 light. Hines also left before the green with a -.014, but at that point, it didn’t matter. Hines punctuated his win, the third this season and 18th overall, with a 6.998.

“I felt really good today,” said Hines. “For some reason, I get into these races and get all caught up in the battles and rivalries, but today I was relaxed. Today, I didn’t really care. I just went out there to ride and have fun. I had no pressure today.

“In the final, Hector must have been rattled. He did a neutral burnout. He didn’t put the bike in gear, and that’s never a good thing. When I heard that, I had a feeling that I was going to get the win light."

Hines really was the class of the field in eliminations. Though he wasn’t the quickest of the class in his round-one victory over Fred Camarena, Hines was the best of the following three rounds. He clocked a 7.00 to trailer Horne in round two, then blasted to a 6.992, low e.t. of the day, to defeat Matt Smith in the semi’s and advance to his fourth final of 2009 and 31st of his career.

“That was a big round against Matt Smith in the semi’s because he’s my biggest rival," added Hines. "That was for third place, and I think I’ve got it. For some reason, I just knew I needed to get to the final today. It was a little bittersweet to see Hector beat Eddie in the semi’s, but for me to come back and take out Hector gives Eddie a glimmer of hope for the championship.”

Arana extended his lead, boosting it to 54 markers, with his final-round showing. Starting from the No. 1 spot, Arana clocked a series of 7.0s en route to the final, beginning with a 7.05 to defeat Mike Berry. He then put a 7.02 on the boards to end David Hope's day. In the semi’s, Arana won an important match with second-place Krawiec and did so on the starting line, turning a .016 to .032 reaction-time advantage into a 7.039 to 7.028 victory. That gave him a spot in his sixth final of the year and ninth overall.

Related stories:
Friday: Hagan, Dixon, Edwards, Arana lead opening day in Las Vegas
Saturday: Friday leaders remain on point in Las Vegas
 

News and notes from Sunday at the 9th annual NHRA Las Vegas Nationals. Compiled by the National DRAGSTER staff.

SUNDAY (Previous: Friday I Saturday)
Last update: 5:20 p.m. Pacific (click to latest)

It's race day! (9:45 a.m. Pacific): It's Sunday, time to crown some champions at the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals, and it's another beautiful day in Las Vegas. Top Alcohol Funny Car just wrapped up their first round of eliminations, and Top Alcohol Dragster is now on the track pairing down the field. Pro Mod round one is next on the agenda, then it's into the first round of the Professional classes.

Schedule update (10:30 a.m. Pacfic): Well, things were going along pretty well and then trouble struck. Racing into the second to last pair of TADs, Dale Carlson oiled the top end of the track pretty good, putting things in a delay. Jim Whiteley and Justin Davis, the final pair of cars are behind the water box at the ready, but the Safety Safari is still working. It appears we are getting closer to running the final pair, but the Pro Mods have been sent back to the pits and will not run before first round of Pros. So, once the track is cleaned up, Whiteley and Davis will run, then it's time for the Pros.

We're racing (11:10 a.m. Pacific): The first pair of Top Fuelers, Thomas Nataas and Doug Kalitta, are on the track.

Top Fuel, round one (11:40 a.m. Pacific): The top five points guys -- Tony Schumacher, Larry Dixon, Cory McClenathan, Antron Brown, and Brandon Bernstein -- all advanced out of the opening round, keeping all their title hopes alive. Dixon was best of the round with a 3.834 that gives him lane choice over Doug Kalitta in round two. While those five remain in the championship hunt, first-round losses by Morgan Lucas and Shawn Langdon mathematically eliminated them from contention. Kalitta was also eliminated when Schumacher won round one.

Second-round pairings (lane choice in bold): Dixon vs. Kalitta, Schumacher vs. McClenathan, Steve Torrence vs. Spencer Massey, and Brown vs. Bernstein.

Funny Car, round one (12:15 p.m. Pacific): Robert Hight won the highly anticipated match with teammate Ashley Force Hood to highlight the opening round. Hight ran low e.t. of the round, 4.114, to defeat Force Hood, who slowed to a 4.33. Hight has another high-profile race in round two, facing boss John Force, who ousted Cruz Pedregon. Mike Neff also fell in the opening round and, as a result, is now mathematically out of the title chase.

Second-round pairings (lane choice in bold): Matt Hagan vs. Jack Beckman, Tony Pedregon vs. Del Worsham, Ron Capps vs. Tim Wilkerson, and Hight vs. Force.

Pro Stock, round one (12: 30 p.m. Pacific): The championship chase is officially down to two drivers: Mike Edwards and Greg Anderson. Jason Line lost to Larry Morgan in round one, eliminating himself from competition, and when Edwards defeated Kurt Johnson in the opening frame, that mathematically ended Jeg Coughlin's hopes. Anderson defeated brother-in-law Ronnie Humphrey, who red-lighted by a huge .145-second margin, to keep his slim hopes alive. Edwards was low of the opening round at 6.655 and will choose his lane against Morgan. Anderson, who posted a 6.679, will have lane choice over Greg Stanfield in round two.

Second-round pairings (lane choice in bold): Edwards vs. Morgan, Anderson vs. Stanfield, Rickie Jones vs. Rodger Brogdon, and Ron Krisher vs. Coughlin.

Pro Stock Motorcycle, round one (12:45 p.m. Pacific): The top four in points -- Hector Arana, Eddie Krawiec, Matt Smith, and Andrew Hines -- all advanced out of the opening round, and they are now the only drivers with a mathematical chance to take this years Pro Stock Motorcycle championship. Karen Stoffer, Shawn Gann, and Craig Treble were all taken out of championship contention based on qualifying results. Doug Horne was eliminated when Arana won the opening round, and Michael Phillips' first-round loss took him out of the championship chase. Krawiec was low of the opening round with a 7.025.

Second-round pairings (lane choice in bold); Arana vs. David Hope, Krawiec vs. Stoffer, Hines vs. Horne, and Smith vs. Gann.

Top Fuel, round two (1:35 p.m. Pacific): The title chase just got a little more interesting after Cory McClenathan defeated points leader Tony Schumacher in a thrilling 3.86 to 3.86 match. Larry Dixon also advanced and is now just 21 points behind Schumacher in the standings. If he is able to go on and win the race, Dixon will take over the points. But first he must get through McClenathan, who is his opponent in the next round; Dixon has lane choice thanks to a 3.84 run. Two other drivers who are still mathematically alive for the championship, Spencer Massey and Brandon Bernstein, will square off in the other semifinal pairing; Massey will select his lane.

Wild start to Funny Car (1:40 p.m. Pacific): The second round of Funny Cars got off to an interesting start when teammates Jack Beckman and Matt Hagan both experienced troubles on their runs. Beckman got the win, but his car started going away on the top end, and he got extremely close to the wall. He was able to keep it off the wall, but the damage done to the engine as he legged it through the finish line left stuff on the track. We are now temporarily on hold while the Safety Safari does its thing.

Funny Car, round two (2 p.m. Pacific): Points leader Robert Hight continues to march on, extending his lead over the field. Hight ran the second-quickest time of the day, 4.125 (only his own 4.11 in round one was better today) to defeat boss John Force, who smoked the tires early then crossed the centerline as he tried to get his car to recover. Hight will have lane choice in the semi's against Tim Wilkerson, who defeated Ron Capps on a holeshot. On the other side of the ladder, Jack Beckman will select his lane against Del Worsham, who won on a huge holeshot against Tony Pedregon, 4.23 to 4.17. With Hight's win, two more drivers, Bob Tasca III and Force, who officially eliminated from contention.

Pro Stock, round two (2:10 p.m. Pacific): The championship will have to wait until Pomona for Mike Edwards. Edwards had a chance to clinch the title when Greg Anderson lost to Greg Stanfield on a holeshot, but he suffered the same fate as his championship rival, losing to Larry Morgan on a holeshot. Edwards still virtually has the title sewn up as he leaves here with a 139-point lead, but he will have to wait two weeks to make it official.

Semifinal pairings (lane choice in bold): Morgan vs. Stanfield and Rickie Jones vs. Ron Krisher.

Pro Stock Motorcycle, round two (2:15 p.m. Pacific): The top four points guys are the final four remaining in competition. Hector Arana defeated David Hope to advance, while Eddie Krawiec bettered Karen Stoffer. Andrew Hines ousted Doug Horne, and Matt Smith defeated Shawn Gann. In the monster match of the semi's, Arana will have lane choice over Krawiec. In the other pairing, Hines, who was low of round two, has lane choice over Smith.

Top Fuel, semifinals (3:30 p.m. Pacific): We have the potential of having a new points leader leaving Las Vegas. Larry Dixon defeated Cory McClenathan in a great 3.84 to 3.84 match and pulled to within one point of leader Tony Schumacher. That means if Dixon wins the final,he will be the points leader heading into the finale in Pomona. To do that, Dixon will need to defeat Spencer Massey, who got past Brandon Bernstein. Massey also clocked a 3.84 on his winning run, but his 3.849 was four ticks slower than Dixon's 3.845, giving Dixon lane choice for the final.

Funny Car, semifinals (3:40 p.m. Pacific): Robert Hight may have just put the championship out of reach of everyone. Hight ran a stunning 4.080 at 312.57, the second fastest speed in 1,000-foot history, to dispatch Tim Wilkerson. The win extends Hight's lead to 85 points at this point; he could potentially enter the final race with a 115-point edge. Hight will have to get past Jack Beckman to do so. Beckman was quite a bit slower than Hight, posting a 4.35, but it was good enough to defeat Worsham, who smoked the tires early. With his loss, Worsham was mathematically eliminated from contention.

Pro Stock, semifinals (3:45 p.m. Pacific): A very unlikely duo makes up the final in Pro Stock: Larry Morgan and Rickie Jones. Morgan defeated Greg Stanfield to advance, and Jones bettered Ron Krisher to earn a spot in his first career final. Jones earned lane choice, 6.716 to 6.729.

Pro Stock Motorcycle, semifinals (3:50 p.m. Pacific): Hector Arana gave himself a huge boost to his title hopes when he defeated points rival Eddie Krawiec on a holeshot, 7.039 to 7.028, to advance to the final. Arana's win eliminated Andrew Hines and Matt Smith from championship contention, leaving just Arana and Krawiec to duke it out in Pomona. Arana enters the final with a 54-point edge, and if he is going to push that to 74, he will need to defeat Hines, who clocked low e.t. of the day, 6.992, to defeat Smith in their semifinal match.

Final rounds (5:20 p.m. Pacific): Spencer Massey, Robert Hight, Larry Morgan, and Andrew Hines claimed top honors at the Las Vegas Nationals. Massey ran low e.t. of the day, 3.827, to defeat Larry Dixon, who smoked the tires early in the Top Fuel final. Hight and Jack Beckman put on quite a show in the Funny Car final with Hight edging Beckman by .012-second, 4.154 to 4.125. Larry Morgan outran Rickie Jones, who was forced to put his own engine in his car for the final after Morgan took back the engine he was leasing to the newcomer, in the Pro Stock final, winning on a 6.72 to 6.79 count. The Pro Stock Motorcycle final was decided on the starting line when Hector Arana went extremely red (-.144).

 SATURDAY
Welcome to Saturday (10 a.m. Pacific): It's another beautiful day at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with conditions being a repeat of what we saw yesterday. Racers in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series are presently running the first rounds of eliminations in advance of the two Pro qualifying sessions today. Super Stockers are on the track and will be followed by Comp round one and the second qualifying session of Pro Mod, which will also include round one of the Matco Tools Pro Mod Clash. The Pros are scheduled to hit the track for the first of two qualifiers at 11:30 a.m.

A little behind schedule (11:45 a.m. Pacific): Though we aren't quite as delayed as yesterday, we are behind nonetheless again, and the Pro session will be a little later than anticipated. Pro Mods are currently running, and after that, the Pro Stock Motorcycles will be up. The bikes are in the lanes right now getting ready.

Pro Stock Motorcycle, session three (12:20 p.m. Pacific): With sun on the track, Hector Arana's 6.979 was never in jeopardy. Eddie Krawiec was best of the session with a 7.023 that bettered his 7.029 from yesterday (he still stays No. 4 on the sheets, though). Krawiec's teammate, Andrew Hines, was second-quickest with a 7.028, and Arana had the third-best time, a 7.069. Entering the final qualifying session later today, Mike Berry sits on the bump at 7.194.

Pro Stock, session three (12:45 p.m. Pacific): Stop us if you've heard this before ... Mike Edwards was best of the session, bringing his bonus qualifying points total to nine out of a possible nine thus far. Edwards clocked a 6.664 that was about two-hundredths better than Ron Krisher, who is leasing an engine from Edwards. Krisher ran a 6.685, while Jason Line was third-best with a 6.698. Steve Spiess holds the all-important 16th spot with a 6.747.

Top Fuel, session three (1:40 p.m. Pacific): Larry Dixon once again showed the way, running a session-best 3.837 to bank three more points. Brandon Bernstein was the second-quickest with a 3.853, and Cory McClenathan was third-best of the session with a 3.862. Troy Buff's 4.035 is the bump spot heading into the final session.

Funny Car, session three (2:10 p.m. Pacific): Matt Hagan continues to show the way in Funny Car; his 4.153 was best of the third session. A couple of surprises behind him as two of hsi fellow non-Countdown drivers earned the rest of the bonus points. Cruz Pedregon was second-best at 4.161, and Jim Head earned one bonus point as the third-quickest driver at 4.168. Bob Bode is the current bump driver with a 4.281.

The semifinals of the Matco Tools Pro Mod Clash is next, followed by qualifying session No. 2 for Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car. The final qualifying session for the Pros will follow TAFC.

Pro Stock Motorcycle, session four (5:20 p.m. Pacific): Hector Arana will start race day from the No. 1 spot as his 6.97 was never seriously challenged. Arana wasn't the quickest of the final session, however. That honor went to Matt Smith, who posted a 7.058. Junior Pippin was the second-quickest rider at 7.087, and Arana was third with a 7.089. Mike Berry remained on the bump.

Pro Stock, session four (5:25 p.m. Pacific): Mike Edwards swept qualifying, posting the quickest time of the final session (6.682) to claim all 12 bonus points. Greg Anderson was next best with a 6.684, and Ron Krisher added another point to his tally with a 6.689 that ranked third. Kurt Johnson landed on the bump at 6.742.

Top Fuel, session four (5:45 p.m. Pacific): Antron Brown was the star of the final session, posting a 3.834 that moved him up to the No. 3 starting spot. Cory McClenathan posted the second-quickest time of the round (3.841), and Tony Schumacher was the third-best driver (3.847). Larry Dixon remained No. 1, and Morgan Lucas slipped down to the bump.

Funny Car, session four (6:35 p.m. Pacific): Matt Hagan's 4.030 remained untouched. Robert Hight was low of the round with a 4.089, followed by Tony Pedregon (4.113) and Bob Tasca III (4.130). The final session included high drama when Ashley Force Hood, second place in points, had to battle her way into the program. She was successful, posting a 4.197 to secure the 14th position. Interestingly, that pairs her with points leader and teammate Hight in round one.

 

FRIDAY
Welcome to Friday (11:45 a.m. Pacific): Welcome to Friday, day two of the 2009 NHRA Las Vegas Nationals at the beautiful The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Currently, the Top Alcohol Funny Cars are ontrack for their first qualifiying session of the weekend. The Alcohol Dragsters will follow their flopper brothren, then it will be Pro Mods for their first shots at The Strip. Pro Stock Motorcycle is after Pro Mod, scheduled right now for 12:30 p.m., though it appears things are a little behind at this point so that may change. Skies are beautiful and sunny with a few whispy, white clouds overhead. Air temps are in the low 60s and the track temperature is listed at 79 right now, leaving many to excitedly wonder what may happen in the coming sessions.

Pro session delayed (12:30 p.m. Pacific): Due to a series of troubles and delays in the two alcohol classes, things are running behind in Las Vegas, and the Pro session, which was slated to begin right now, will be delayed. TAD is still on the dragstrip, making their first qualifying attempts. Pro Mod will follow, then it's into Pro Stock Motorcycle.

Pro Mods on the track (1:05 p.m. Pacific): The Pro Mods are now making their first qualifying passes of the weekend, and Pro Stock Motorcycle is in the lanes.

Pros are running (1:40 p.m. Pacific): The NHRA Full Throttle Pros are now getting their opportunity to run down the dragstrip here in Las Vegas. Eight motorcycles have made their runs, and the remaining riders attempting to make the field are sitting in the lanes waiting to go.

Pro Stock Motorcycle, session one (2 p.m. Pacific): Familiar faces are the leaders following the first qualfiying session in Pro Stock Motorcycle with the Vance & Hines Screamin' Eagle team and Hector Arana occupying the first three spots. Andrew Hines leads the pack with a 6.990, while points leader Arana is second at 7.020. Eddie Krawiec is currently third at 7.029 seconds. Larry Cook's 7.127 is the 12th spot heading into the second session later today.

Pro Stock, session one (2:20 p.m. Pacific): No big surprise here: Mike Edwards is No. 1 again. Edwards clocked a 6.650 to claim the provisional No. 1 spot. Greg Anderson, who was in the lane next to Edwards, is second at 6.670, and Ron Krisher currently sits third with a 6.676. Steve Spiess holds the 12th spot with a 6.729.

Funny Car, session one (3:15 p.m. Pacific): Robert Hight added to his points lead when he collected the three extra points as the quickest driver in the first session. Hight was far and away the best of the floppers, running a 4.090 that was more than three-hundredths quicker than his nearest competitor. Jack Beckman, the No. 1 qualifier in Richmond, sits second currently with a 4.121, and Tony Pedregon earned an extra point for his 4.133 that was third-quickest of the session. Jeff Diehl enters the second session today in the 12th and final transfer spot with a 4.439.

Top Fuel, session one (4:20 p.m. Pacific): A surprising start to Top Fuel with Steve Torrence, who is making just his third appearance of the year, leading the pack. Torrence ran a 3.831 early in the session, and his run was never really threatened with Shawn Langdon coming closest with a 3.855. Cory McClenathan finished third with a 3.860. Antron Brown is the current No. 12 driver with a 4.227.

Comp is now on the track for a qualifying session. Once Comp is completed, the Pros will be back up.

Pro Stock Motorcycle, session two (5:30 p.m. Pacific): Hector Arana jumped to the top of the sheets with a 6.979. Andrew Hines slipped to second after he didn't bettter his 6.990 from earlier in the day; he was third-quickest of the session with a 7.015. Matt Smith was second-quickest of the second session with a 7.000 that places him third on the sheets. Steve Johnson is the final racer whose time with transfer over as he occupies the No. 12 spot with a 7.106.

Pro Stock, session two (6 p.m. Pacific): Mike Edwards just delivered a knock-out blow to his competitors with a track-record 6.623 that was close to four-hundredths better than everyone else. Vinnie Deceglie is a surprising No. 2 at 6.660, and Ron Krisher sits third with a 6.668. Greg Stanfield earned the final transfer spot with a 6.693.

Funny Car, session two (6:40 p.m. Pacific): Matt Hagan led a blistering Funny Car session that included some of the quickest and fastest runs in 1,000-foot history. Hagan clocked a 4.030 to grab the pole. On the run, he also posted the fastest speed in history, 313.88. Hagan's teammate Ron Capps was second-quickest with a 4.041, and Robert Hight, the leader of session one, was third best at 4.065.

Top Fuel, session two (7:35 p.m. Pacific): Larry Dixon, who has qualified No. 1 at all Countdown to 1 events so far is once again leading the dragsters after he powered to a 3.805 in the second session. He leads first-session frontrunner Steve Torrence, who had troubles on his second run and didn't better his 3.831. Tony Schumacher jumped to third with a 3.839, and Shawn Langdon, who began the session in second, slipped to third. Norwegian competitor Thomas Nataas ended up fifth with a 3.859.
 

Larry Dixon (Top Fuel), Mike Edwards (Pro Stock), and Hector Arana (Pro Stock Motorcycle) helped their bids for the 2009 world championships in their classes when they held onto the No. 1 qualifying spots at the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals. Rookie Matt Hagan also maintained his hold of the top spot in Funny Car.

All four drivers kept their leads on the runs they posted in the quick late-day session Friday, runs that were never really in jeopardy on Saturday. Antron Brown posted the best time of the day in Top Fuel, running a 3.834, but he was still about three-hundredths off the 3.805 Dixon ran Friday to grab the pole. Robert Hight had the best Funny Car lap on Saturday, but his 4.089 was well slower than Hagan’s 4.030. Edwards was the best car of Saturday with a 6.664 that lagged about four-hundredths behind his pole-setting 6.623. In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Eddie Krawiec was tops of the day with a 7.023 in the early session, but as was the case in the other classes, that was quite a bit below Arana’s No. 1 time of 6.979.

Larry Dixon

Dixon remained perfect in qualifying in the Countdown to 1 races, collecting his fifth straight No. 1 start, his ninth of the season, and the 40th of his career. He also added another three bonus points for a total of six on the weekend, which is the amount by which Dixon was able to trim Tony Schumacher’s lead, from 47 points to 41.

“You can pick up the nickels and the pennies and all that kind of points in qualifying, but you get 20 points a round on race day, and that’s what makes a big chunk,” said Dixon. “At this point, I’m not looking any further than Morgan Lucas [in the first round]. It’s a great car. It’s a Countdown car, so you’ve just got to go in there and race your own race and not get ahead of yourself. We’ve just got to go up there and race Morgan Lucas and go to the next round and just hope that you can get the round-wins. If we’re fortunate enough to go on to win the race, then obviously we’ll have made up some ground.

“This is a great racetrack. You get to see some great numbers go up on the board, whether the sun’s out or it’s nighttime. And the fans are great. We obviously love what we do, but when you roll up to the starting line, you’re sitting up in the water, and you look out and see the stands full, that makes you proud of what you do for a living.”

Though he struggled on both runs Saturday, Steve Torrence remained second thanks to his 3.831 Friday. Brown jumped up to third, and Tony Schumacher slipped to fourth when he couldn’t better his 3.839. Cory McClenathan grabbed the fifth spot when he improved to a 3.841 in the final session. Brandon Bernstein, Shawn Langdon, and Norway’s Thomas Nataas round out the quick eight. Nataas is one of three European races who made the field; Switzerland’s Urs Erbacher qualified 13th, and Denmark racer Stig Neergaard secured the 14th position.

Morgan Lucas was the final driver to qualify for the program, posting a 16th-best 3.978; he faces Dixon in round one. Points leader Schumacher has Erbacher in round one. Dixon and Schumacher are on the same side of the ladder, creating a potential meeting in the semifinals.

With 26 Top Fuelers on the grounds, 10 were relegated to the sidelines after qualifying. Among them were Mike Strasburg, Troy Buff, and Chris Karamesines, a regular qualifier this year.

Matt Hagan

With rookie of the year balloting underway, Hagan made a strong push for voters to consider him when he secured his second No. 1 start of the season; he was also the top qualifier in Sonoma in July. Hagan showed his strong run Friday was no fluke when he paced Saturday’s early session with a 4.153, setting him up for what he hopes will be another good day on Sunday.

“We’ve had a great weekend so far, and the only way for us to top this off is with a win tomorrow,” said Hagan. “This is a good team and a good car, and we showed that we can run in the heat this morning and we’ve got a good tune-up. I think that’s what Tommy [DeLago, crew chief] is going to do tomorrow. I think he’s going to go right back to what we did this morning and make it go right down the track. That’s what I’m looking forward to, and hopefully our plan will come together and work for us.”

“I would love to come out here and win [the rookie of the year award], but if it doesn’t happen, you know that you got beat by the better guy — that’s the same way as winning on the dragstrip in the morning. I think there’s definitely some talent out here. I think all the rookies are learning and growing together. As the year has gone along, I think you can see us all polish our driving skills and really focus more on what we have to do to get these cars and motorcycles down the track.”

Ron Capps stayed No. 2 on the strength of his 4.041 Friday. Robert Hight held onto the third spot at 4.065, and Tony Pedregon will start Sunday from the fourth position thanks to a 4.098 run Friday. Bob Tasca III, Cruz Pedregon, Tim Wilkerson, and Jack Beckman are the other top-half starters.

Saturday’s final session included a fair amount of drama when Ashley Force Hood had to battle her way into the field. Force Hood moved into the top 16 in the first session of the day, but by the time she pulled up for her final attempt, she had been bumped out. Force Hood’s team was up to the challenge, clocking a 4.197 that places her 14th on the sheets. Interestingly, that gives her a first-round date with teammate and points rival Hight.

Grant Downing ended up on the bump with a 4.211. Downing, who also qualified for the field in Indy, will face Hagan in round one. There were 19 floppers at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, leaving three drivers outside the field: Jeffrey Diehl, Bob Bode, and Jerry Toliver.

Mike Edwards

Edwards swept the qualifying points for the weekend, running the quickest time of every session. The 12 bonus points he earned added to the regular qualifying points extended Edwards’ lead to 139 points, meaning he needs to go just one round further than Greg Anderson and Jason Line, who is 168 markers back, to clinch the world championship. All three are on the same side of the ladder, meaning there could potentially be some high-stakes pairings on Sunday. If all three advance out of round one, Edwards and Line would meet in the second round. Edwards and Anderson would square off in the semi’s if both are able to advance that far.

“We’re looking to try and seal the deal,” said Edwards, who has 15 No. 1 starts this season. “This is a huge thing for us, and we’re all excited about it. We’re looking forward to tomorrow, and hopefully we can fulfill our dreams. No matter the outcome, it’s been an extraordinary year for us. We’ve worked real hard, and now we’re in a position to do something we’ve never been able to do. Maybe we can get it done tomorrow.

“You just go into it like it’s another first round, like you’ve done all season long. You just have to focus, do your job, and hope for the best. It’s just like every other race. There’s a lot riding on it, but that’s just what you’ve got to do.”

Vinnie Deceglie remained second overall with his 6.66 from Friday; it is the best starting spot in his short Pro Stock career. Ron Krisher, who leases engines from Edwards, starts race day from the third spot. Anderson is fourth, followed by Johnny Gray, Allen Johnson, Rodger Brogdon, and Larry Morgan. Line qualified ninth and thus has Morgan in round one.

Kurt Johnson struggled during the weekend but still managed to slip into the field, occupying the 16th and final starting spot with a 6.742. Johnson will have the task of battling Edwards in round one. Anderson meets brother-in-law and quasi-teammate Ronnie Humphrey.

Five racers missed the field: Matt Hartford, Steve Spiess, V. Gaines, Gordie Rivera, and Danny Gruninger.

Hector Arana

Arana will lead the two-wheel contingent into race day for the seventh time this season and the fifth time in the last seven events. More importantly, Arana added to his lead in the championship chase, using a combination of qualifying bonus points and regular qualifying points to push his advantage from 28 points to 34 entering the first round.

“Every point counts,” said Arana. “We did try something new for today, and we struggled a little bit. The power is there. Now, I need to sit down and analyze everything and make a decision on what I want to do for tomorrow.

“Everything’s happening so fast this year. I qualified No. 1 in 1994, I believe, and then I went through a dry spell, and now I have seven this year, so it’s awesome. I know that Eddie Krawiec is on my side of the ladder, so I just got to stay focused. All I need to do is stay consistent on my lights, and I should prevail.”

Andrew Hines, the quickest rider in the third qualifying session, remained second on the strength of his 6.99 from Friday night. Matt Smith, who had the best run of the final session, stayed third with his 7.00 run from Friday. Eddie Krawiec improved during the third qualifying session, posting a 7.023 that bettered his 7.029, and that kept him fourth on the sheets. Karen Stoffer, Junior Pippin, Michael Phillips, and David Hope round out the top half of the field.

Mike Berry earned the final spot in the field with a 7.194 and will face Arana in the opening round. Also of note, Larry Cook returned to competition after a nine-year break and successfully made the show, posting a 7.165 to claim the 14th starting spot. Cook will pair up with Smith in round one. Six riders missed the field, including regular Bailey Whitaker.

Related stories:
Friday: Hagan, Dixon, Edwards, Arana lead opening day in Las Vegas

While much focus was on Countdown to 1 contenders entering the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals, a non-Countdown racer stole the headlines Friday. Matt Hagan jumped the top in Funny Car on the strength of the fastest run in history. Joining Hagan as No. 1 qualifiers were championship runners Larry Dixon, Mike Edwards, and Hector Arana.

The penultimate event in the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series got off to a somewhat slow start with a series of delays throughout the day spacing the action out and pushing the second session from a late-afternoon one to a night affair. That meant cool temperatures — track temps were in the upper 70s when the two Pro Stock classes ran and dipped into the low 70s when the nitro cars rolled up — and quick conditions on which many racers capitalized. Track records fell in nearly every class. In Funny Car, both track marks were reset by Hagan, who posted a 4.030 at 313.88 mph. Hagan’s speed was the fastest ever recorded in NHRA 1,000-foot history, and his e.t. was the fourth quickest ever. Edwards’ pole-setting 6.623 at 207.75 mph reset both ends of the Pro Stock track record. Andrew Hines set a new standard for speed in Pro Stock Motorcycle at 192.25 mph, and Arana matched the e.t. record with the 6.979 that garnered him the No. 1 spot.

Larry Dixon

Dixon has been perfect in qualifying in Countdown to 1 races, and he kept his hopes of keeping that record intact when he powered his Alan Johnson Racing/Al-Anabi dragster to the top spot in Top Fuel with a 3.805. If Dixon’s run holds through Saturday, it would be his ninth No. 1 of the season and 40th of his career.

“I didn’t know it was going to run that good,” said Dixon. “When we spun the tires the first run today, I figured they might calm it down just to make sure we got down the track and got qualified and all that. That’s a great run for the Al-Anabi team. His Highness Sheik Kalid is in the house this week. There’s a lot on the line the next two weeks, so we’re out there trying to do our best.

“Without the qualifying bonus points, being more than two rounds of racing out against a car like [Tony] Schumacher’s, you couldn’t make up the points in two races. I know there was one race where we made up 12 points, there was one where we made up seven points, and they obviously start adding up. It would be tough to make up ground if we didn’t have that. Alan [Johnson, team owner] and Jason [McCulloch, crew chief] and everybody on the Al-Anabi team is really trying to do everything we can. We’re trying to not leave anything on the table because it’s not going to do any good to talk in the wintertime about what-ifs.”

Steve Torrence, who is making just his third appearance of ’09, is the surprise No. 2 qualifier. Torrence led the first session with a 3.831, and although he couldn’t better it in the night session, it was good enough to stay second. Tony Schumacher moved to third with a 3.839, and Shawn Langdon, the second-place driver after session one, slipped to fourth when he didn’t improve upon his 3.855. Norwegian runner Thomas Nataas made his presence known with a 3.859 that places him fifth entering Saturday.

Another foreign driver, Urs Erbacher, holds down the final transfer spot after posting a 12th-best 3.927. Countdown to 1 racer Morgan Lucas is among the 14 drivers who head into Saturday not yet qualified. Dave Grubnic is also on the list of nonqualifiers at this point.

Matt Hagan

Hagan continued his strong history at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway that began with a final-round showing at the Spring event and continued with the provisional No. 1 spot after Friday night’s lightning-quick session. After Hagan’s teammate Capps set the bar with a blistering 4.041 in the very first pair of Funny Cars, the rookie of the year contender one-upped him with the 4.030 that puts Hagan on his way to his second career No. 1 start.

“This track has always been good to me,” said Hagan. “I’ve raced here before in Pro Mod, and I got my license here, so this track has got quite a few memories for me. Hopefully, we can take a Wally home this weekend. We’ve got a great race car. Tommy [DeLago, crew chief] is doing his job tuning the car. Hopefully, I can do my job driving the car, and when we put two and two together, it ought to add up. I know we’ve got a fast hot rod, and we’ve got a lot of good data from when we were here at the beginning of the year, so hopefully we can go out there and run some good numbers.

“It was a great, smooth run. I didn’t have to drive it around a whole lot. It just went out there and did what it was supposed to do; it went right down the track. I drove it a little bit far, but when it feels that good, it’s hard to pull your foot out of it. Tommy DeLago, I can’t say enough about that guy. I got the easy job. I just hang on to this thing. Sometimes it can be more difficult than you think, but other times, it just runs right down through there, and that’s what it did tonight.”

Capps’ 4.04 held for the second spot on the sheets. First-session leader Robert Hight bettered his earlier time, running a 4.065 under the lights, but he still dropped to third. Tony Pedregon was the final driver to dip in the 4.0s, clocking a 4.098 to secure the fourth spot for now. Bob Tasca III, Cruz Pedregon, Tim Wilkerson, and Jack Beckman round out the quick eight.

The 12th and final transfer spot went to Del Worsham, who posted a 4.155. The list of nonqualifiers includes one big surprise: Ashley Force Hood, the second-place points runner who has been a consistently strong qualifier all season long. Joining Force Hood on the list of racers who enter Saturday outside the field is Memphis champ Jeff Arend and series regular Jerry Toliver.

Mike Edwards

Edwards continued his reign of terror in Pro Stock, wheeling his Young Life/ART Pontiac to a crushing 6.623 that put him nearly four-hundredths ahead of his competition. Edwards is now halfway to his 15th No. 1 start of the season and a possible eighth straight start from the top of the ladder. The six bonus points he collected today also put him within 19 points, or less than a round, of clinching the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock world championship.

“Our lead isn’t very big — this is Pro Stock, and there’s no quit in these guys out here,” said Edwards. “It’s not over. I promise you Greg Anderson and Jason Line and Jeggie they’re still after this, so we’ve just got to keep focused and try to do our best. We’ll come out here tomorrow and race the track and race the conditions and hopefully we can stay in front.

“It’s been quite a season, and to come here and run like this tonight, hats off to my guys. They’re doing a really great job here. Ever since Richmond, my guys at the shop have been fired up and they’ve been nonstop and they found some more for us. It’s just unbelievable what those guys are doing right now. This car is extremely fast, and I’m just so proud of my whole team. It’s a great feeling to work with a bunch of great guys. Like I’ve been telling you guys, I’m living my dream, and it’s close to coming true.”

Vinnie Deceglie, who sat out much of the season to be with his ailing wife, is the big surprise in Las Vegas, sitting second with a 6.660. Ron Krisher slid into the third spot with a 6.668 and is followed by Greg Anderson’s 6.670 and Johnny Gray’s 6.677.

Greg Stanfield’s 6.693 was 12th-best of the day and will be the final time that will carry over to Saturday. Among the drivers who enter the final qualifying day not in the show are consistent qualifiers Kurt Johnson, Ronnie Humphrey, Ryan Ondrejko, and Steve Spiess. Rickie Jones, who is making his return to competition after a three-race hiatus, is also on the outside entering the final two sessions.

Hector Arana

Arana parked his Lucas Oil-backed Buell in a familiar spot, atop the Pro Stock Motorcycle sheets. Beginning with the Brainerd event in August, Arana has qualified No. 1 or No. 2 each outing, and if his 6.979 holds through Saturday’s two sessions, it would be his seventh No. 1 of the year and fifth in seven events.

“Running the .97, it released a lot of pressure off my shoulders,” said Arana, who added four more points to his lead when he collected five qualifying bonus points to one for second-place Eddie Krawiec. “On the first run, the bike stalled, so [new crew member] Dan Gonzales had his challenge right there to go and change the starter and make sure the motor was in the right position and get it started, so he passed that test. Then, we studied the run and made the adjustments necessary.

“For 20 years, I’ve been working at this and wanting this. I’ve wanted to do well and have the fans love me and to know who Hector Arana is, and I am accomplishing those things. It’s an awesome feeling. I’m not going to worry about [the championship] too much because I don’t want to lose my concentration. I just want to keep my focus.”

First-session leader Andrew Hines dropped a spot to second after he was unable to improve on his 6.990, though his 7.015 was good enough to give him one qualifying bonus point for the second session for a total of four for the day. Matt Smith jumped from fifth to third when he powered to a 7.000 on his second run, and Krawiec slipped from third to fourth when he couldn’t better the 7.029 he clocked in session one.

Steve Johnson’s 7.106 was good enough for the 12th spot, making it the final time that will transfer over to Saturday. Twenty-two bikes are in Las Vegas, meaning 10 enter Saturday outside the field and needing to make a strong run to qualify for the 16-bike show. Among those who enter Saturday not yet qualified are Fred Camarena, who ran a career-best 7.111 that put him just outside the top 12, and Bailey Whitaker, who has been a regular fixture on the Full Throttle tour this season.

 

“On behalf of all NHRA racers, fans, and sponsors, we are very disappointed to learn about Dover Motorsports Inc.’s decision to close Memphis Motorsports Park. We had been in discussions with the management team at Dover Motorsports regarding the track’s future in recent weeks and were aware that this action was a possibility. We appreciate the great support we received from the fans throughout the western Tennessee region as well as the cooperation from all those who worked at the facility.

“We look forward to continuing our relationship with the Dover Motorsports group and conducting the national event at Gateway Int’l Raceway in Madison. At this time, the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series schedule for 2010 will be reduced to 23 events.”
 

Honeywell Consumer Products Group has extended its association with NHRA, it was announced today by NHRA officials. In the contract-extension agreement, Honeywell has renewed two official sponsorships and will continue to sponsor the Fram Autolite NHRA Nationals at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma.

As part of the multi-tiered contract, Fram automotive filters has extended its association as the official filter of NHRA, and sister brand Prestone will continue its status as the official antifreeze/coolant of NHRA.

As NHRA official sponsors, the Fram and Prestone brands will receive visibility at all NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series events.

“Honeywell Consumer Products Group has been a proud sponsor of NHRA for nearly 25 years,” said Kelley O’Donnell, director of Global Coolants/ Motorsports Products at Honeywell CPG. “We know NHRA fans are passionate about this sport, and so are we. Our engineers are dedicated to providing technology that helps vehicles on the track and off.”

“We value Honeywell Consumer Products Group’s commitment to the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series,” said Gary Darcy, senior vice president-sales & marketing, NHRA. “As one of NHRA’s longest participating sponsors, Honeywell has clearly demonstrated how to effectively utilize event, team, and official sponsorships in promoting its numerous brands. We are looking forward to continuing to provide the Fram and Prestone brands optimum marketing value and return on investment through their association with NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing.”

Honeywell has been a major sponsor of NHRA dating back as far as 1985, marking more than two decades that the Fram, Prestone, and Autolite brands have been in the sport. Fram and Autolite started sponsoring the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event in Sonoma in 1991, making next season the 20th year of the association with the Northern California event that is a part of the famous Western Swing. In 2010, the Fram Autolite NHRA Nationals is scheduled for July 16-18.

“Our relationship with Honeywell and the Fram and Autolite brands is among the most valued and long-standing in the raceway’s history. We appreciate their terrific support of our NHRA Full Throttle event and are delighted to see this sponsorship extend into future seasons,” said Steve Page, president and general manager, Infineon Raceway.

Honeywell Consumer Products Group, a division of Honeywell International Inc., has headquarters in Danbury, Conn. Its leading automotive-care products include Fram oil, air, transmission, and fuel filters; Autolite spark plugs, ignition wire sets, and glow plugs; Prestone antifreeze and car-care products; and Holts car care. It maintains R&D capabilities in the United States and Europe and has a manufacturing footprint in 10 countries. For more information, log on to www.honeywellcpg.com.

 

Rickie Jones and his Quarter-Max Pro Stock team have entered into a two-race partnership with Elite Motorsports, beginning at this weekend’s NHRA Las Vegas Nationals and extending through the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals in Pomona in two weeks. Elite Motorsports (www.DallasMotorsports.net) is a leader in sales and purchases of complete race operations as well as a major dealer of race cars, trailers, haulers, engines, and more. It is also the exclusive dealer of RJ Race Cars.

“We’re excited to have Elite Motorsports onboard for Vegas and Pomona,” said Jones. “They run a quality operation, and they are great people to work with. Elite Motorsports is a one-stop shop for many of your major racing needs. Richard Freeman [owner of Elite Motorsports] has really made a presence for himself within drag racing over the last few years, and I’m happy to have Elite Motorsports along for these last two events.”

Said Freeman, “We’re proud to sponsor Rickie Jones. He is a talented young driver with an up-and-coming team, and I am glad we can be a part of that for the remainder of the 2009 season.”

Jones opted to take a break from the tour following his appearance at the NHRA Carolinas Nationals in September. After his three-race hiatus, Jones is looking forward to getting back behind the wheel.

“I’m really glad that we are coming back for the final two events. We haven’t been out since the Charlotte race, but we’re ready to jump back in and finish the season out strong. Hopefully, with the help of Elite Motorsports, we can do just that.”
 

Mosley will be joined by fellow Golden Boy boxer Ortiz and two-time NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series world champion Tony Pedregon for a meet-and-greet with fans from 2 to 3:30 p.m. that will coincide with a series of sparring sessions by up-and-coming Golden Boy Promotions boxers in a full-size boxing ring in the southeast corner of the pits near the grandstand.

The boxers participating in the sparring session will be Fight Night Club series fighters Luis Ramos Jr., Charles Huerta, Ronny Rios, and David Rodela.

After the meet-and-greet, Mosley and Ortiz will be escorted to the starting line to get an up-close-and-personal taste of NHRA’s nitromethane-powered, 7,000-horsepower Funny Cars and Top Fuel dragsters.

The event is made possible by Golden Boy Promotions and Quaker State and is being hosted by NHRA and The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
 

As the Countdown to 1, NHRA’s championship playoffs, comes to the season’s penultimate race in Las Vegas, each Professional category in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series features its own dramatic storyline.

In Top Fuel, every championship contender is gunning to remove a category dominator from the throne he has held for the past five seasons.

In Funny Car, a female driver is trying to make history and become the first of her gender to win a world championship crown in the wildly unpredictable category that her father has dominated for most of two decades. To do it, she’ll need to stop five other men who are also in contention, including one multi-time champ, her former driving instructor, a teammate, last season’s series runner-up, and a driver who has finished second in the championship standings three times.

In Pro Stock, a highly spiritual and mild-mannered journeyman in the 200-mph category is having a dream season and is on the verge of winning his much-sought-after first series title. Only a three-time champ stands in his way.

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, another popular veteran has emerged as the rider to beat in the competitive two-wheel category and is eight rounds from making his lifetime dream come true. He will need to hold off the defending world champ to make it happen.

Those story lines and many more will unfold at the 9th annual NHRA Las Vegas Nationals, Oct. 29-Nov. 1, at the spectacular Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The race, which will be televised on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD, is the 23rd of 24 races in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series for 2009, and the fifth of six races in the Countdown to 1, NHRA’s championship playoffs.

Tony Schumacher

Tony Schumacher is in a familiar place as the series leader in Top Fuel with two races to go. The U.S. Army dragster driver has won the last five championship titles and six overall and appears poised to add another trophy to his collection. He has raced to five victories this season and holds a 47-point advantage over two-time champ Larry Dixon entering the final two races. Veteran driver Cory McClenathan (68 points back), regular-season champ Antron Brown (81 back), and Virginia winner Brandon Bernstein (120 back) are all realistically in the championship mix.

“Legitimately, there's two or three, probably four cars that can still win the championship, and it’s going to come down to, you know, you’re still in charge of your own destiny,” said Dixon, also a five-time winner this season in his Al-Anabi Racing dragster. “If you go out there and you win out those two races, you’ve done as much as you can do and hope it’s enough and try and get the Full Throttle championship.”

Though Schumacher was the driver who won the championship the past five years, Dixon’s current teammates were the ones who provided Schumacher with the outstanding car.

“I’ve read and heard [Tony] say he gets pumped up when he races us, and a lot of the guys on that team are his old team,” Dixon said.  “But for me, when I look over, it’s still the Army car, and he’s still got the No. 1 on it. So I’m trying to do everything I can to help change that.”

Robert Hight

Robert Hight has made an incredible leap in the playoffs, powering his Auto Club Ford Mustang from 10th to first in the Funny Car points standings with victories in Charlotte and Dallas. He holds a 13-point lead over Ashley Force Hood, his teammate, who is trying to become the first woman in NHRA history to win a championship in the 7,000-horsepower category. Her father, John Force, has won 14 series championships since 1990.

Also in the mix are two-time champ and former Force teammate Tony Pedregon, three-time series runner-up Ron Capps, last season’s series runner-up Tim Wilkerson, and former drag racing instructor Jack Beckman.

All six drivers are separated by 86 points. Bob Tasca III is also still hanging by a mathematical thread in his Motorcraft Quick Lane Shelby Mustang at 103 points back.

Force Hood knows the competition for the title is insane, arguably the most intense of any of the four Pro categories. She’s just glad to be in position to be a part of it. 

“It’s the best spot that we could be in,” Force Hood said. “At the beginning of the year when we have our big team meetings and we get ready to head off to the Winternationals, that’s always our goal. Obviously Robert and I are not the only ones, but we are 1 and 2. So [the others] are going to have to catch up and go around us. If we can just keep doing what we have been doing and not have anything go wrong, no mistakes, no mess-ups, the tuners can get Vegas and Pomona figured out as far as the tune-up and how they want to set up the car, we will just better our chances of getting the championship.”

Mike Edwards

Mike Edwards can wrap up his first Pro Stock world championship in Las Vegas if he can go two rounds more than three-time champ Greg Anderson. Edwards, who earned a perfect 150-point race total at the last event in Virginia by producing a stunning national record elapsed time of 6.509 seconds, has had an incredible season behind the wheel of his ART/Young Life Pontiac GXP. He has earned five race victories and 14 No. 1 qualifying positions to hold a 128-point advantage over Anderson entering the final two stops on the tour.

“I’m thinking [championship], but I don’t have it yet,” Edwards said. “It’s close, but you’ve still got to stay focused. You’ve still got to keep your goals ahead. Those two Summit cars are going to be burning the midnight oil to try and get back up there with me. I’m not going to count my chickens yet before they hatch. But I’m living my dream right now, and I’m real close to it.”

Hector Arana

Like Edwards, Hector “the Hammer” Arana can make his lifelong Pro Stock Motorcycle dream a reality with strong performances on his Lucas Oil Buell at the final two races. He leads defending series champ Eddie Krawiec by 28 points. Much like Edwards, he is a veteran in his category who has always showed promise but never claimed the big prize. Also like Edwards, he is producing amazing performances on the track this season. In Memphis earlier this month, he lowered the national elapsed time record to 6.851 seconds.

“I’m really pleased with the performance of the bike and this S&S motor,” said Arana, who has won five races this season, including the prestigious Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil and the first two playoff races in Charlotte and Dallas. “It's a helluva piece, and [Pro Stock driver] Larry Morgan’s guys are working hard to keep me winning rounds and races and the title, something we’ve always dreamed of. It’s amazing how everything has turned around for me to win five races this season; now I just need to win [two] more and I’ll be good.”

ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise two hours of qualifying coverage at 11:30 p.m. ET Saturday, Oct. 31. On Sunday, Nov. 1, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will feature NHRA Race Day presented by Lucas Oil, a 30-minute pre-race show, at 2:30 p.m. ET and three hours of eliminations coverage at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Ron August Jr. will be pulling double duty by driving in two classes at this weekend’s 9th annual NHRA Las Vegas Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. August will make his second Top Fuel appearance behind the wheel of one of Mitch King’s entries and drive his family-owned Top Alcohol Funny Car. Both entries are backed by Lescure Co.

“This is a dream come true,” said August. “I never really thought I’d get a chance to compete in Top Fuel, let alone in two classes at the same race. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

August earned his Top Fuel license in one of King’s entries shortly before the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil and drove a brand-new McKinney dragster at the event, missing the field when Clay Millican knocked him out of the No. 16 position in the final qualifying session. His odds of getting into the show in Las Vegas won’t be much better with 26 drivers entered, but August has faith in King’s Paul Smith-led team and has one clearly defined goal for the event.

“I want to be racing both cars on Sunday,” said August. “It’s not going to be easy in either class, but I know what both teams are capable of. I’m not going into this race with delusions of taking on someone like [Tony] Schumacher in the final round, but I think we can get the dragster in the show and be competitive. We’ve had a tough year with the alcohol car, and I’m trying to get that back to the level we were at before.”

August has been successful with the alcohol car in Las Vegas, winning the spring event in 2006 and scoring a Division 7 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event win in 2007. He will join Pat Austin (who twice doubled with wins in Top Fuel and Top Alcohol Funny Car), Morgan Lucas, Gary Scelzi, and Mitch King Motorsports teammate Del Cox Jr. as drivers who have competed in a nitro and alcohol category at the same event. His doing so this weekend and two weeks later at the season-ending event in Pomona will be especially frantic for the 45-year-old from Pleasanton, Calif., because he works on and tunes his alcohol car in addition to driving.

“I’m sure there will be times when it gets busy,” said August. “Fortunately, there are good people on both teams, and I don’t have to worry about anything except driving on Mitch’s car. Going back and forth between driving each car shouldn’t be too bad. I have so many runs in the alcohol car that it’s kind of second nature, and I’m getting more comfortable in the dragster. I just have to remember not to release the clutch when I’m staging the alcohol car or reach between my legs for the reverser in the dragster.

“I’m just really grateful for the chance to do this. Mike and Susan Lescure have stepped up a bunch for me, and Mitch has given us a great opportunity. I also couldn’t do this without the support of my parents; my son, Christian; and our business, California Air. We’re working on next year, and I’d love to be able to race Top Fuel at five to seven races and still run the alcohol car at Division 7 races and a few national events. Whatever happens, I’m just lucky to be out here doing this.”

This story is copyright 2009 National Hot Rod Association. It may not be reprinted or retransmitted in any form without the express written permission of NHRA.com.
 

Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) has acquired the racing assets of the Antron Brown-driven Matco Tools Top Fuel team from Mike Ashley Racing. The sale is effective immediately and continues the long-standing relationship between Matco Tools and Don Schumacher Racing.

The Matco Tools team will remain intact with Brown piloting the bright blue Matco-backed rail tuned by Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald. The team will next compete at the ninth annual NHRA Las Vegas Nationals, Oct. 29-Nov. 1, at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The Matco Tools Iron Eagle Club hospitality also will remain unchanged for the remainder of the 2009 NHRA season.

"The opportunity recently arose to purchase the assets of Mike Ashley Racing, and it was something we felt we couldn't pass up," said Schumacher. "We at DSR have had a longtime association with Matco Tools, and to be able to continue our relationship with that company through a primary sponsorship of one of our teams is invaluable to everyone involved.

"I welcome back Antron to our team as well as Brian Corradi. Antron did a wonderful job riding the U.S. Army motorcycle, and he has since developed into an outstanding Top Fuel racer. He has always been a great representative for his sponsors, so I know he will continue to be an excellent spokesperson not only for Matco Tools, but for DSR as well.”

Brown returns to DSR following five years of riding the U.S. Army Pro Stock Motorcycle Suzuki to six wins for Don Schumacher Racing from 2003 to 2007. The former college track star won 16 races and earned 11 poles on his Suzuki during 10 seasons in the Pro Stock Motorcycle ranks before making the jump to Top Fuel in 2008. Corradi also has worked with DSR, as tuner on two Top Fuel dragster teams.

Brown has driven the Matco Tools dragster to five wins in nine final-round appearances this season. In July, he became just the seventh Professional driver to sweep the grueling Western Swing (Denver, Seattle, and Sonoma). Brown also has seven No. 1 qualifying awards and has posted top speed of the meet at 13 races this season. Brown clocked the fastest run at 1,000-foot racing at 319.75 mph in Bristol in May and holds the NHRA national speed mark at 319.60 mph. He has 23 wins and is the only racer in NHRA history to win races and lead the standings in both Top Fuel and Pro Stock Motorcycle.

“This is a great opportunity to make this Matco Tools Top Fuel team even stronger,” Brown said. “I worked at DSR, and Don gives his teams everything they need to win championships. It’s great to have some stability for our team, and joining DSR is going to give our Matco team even more resources to win this championship this year and for many years to come. We’re excited to get back to racing for Matco and DSR this weekend at  Vegas.”
 

The NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series put a close to the 2009 season with the California Hot Rod Reunion presented by the Automobile Club of Southern California. Brett Harris and Garrett Bateman locked up season championships in Nostalgia Top Fuel and Nostalgia Funny Car, respectively.

Harris, of Kaysville, Utah, came into the event trailing Rick White by 59 points, but when White failed to qualify, it left the door open for Harris.  Harris qualified No. 1 and beat Mike Chrisman and Brad Thompson in rounds one and two before losing to Troy Green in a semifinal match. 

Advancing to the semi's gave Harris 78 points, which moved him past White for the championship. White finished second, nine points back.

The Nostalgia Funny Car chase was between teammates Bateman, of Tacoma, Wash., and Bucky Austin. Both qualified well, with Bateman on top and Austin in the No. 3 position. In round one, upsets claimed both Bateman and Austin, who suffered mechanical problems and dropped out of competition early.

Bateman held on with a 26-point lead to take the championship and team bragging rights for the year, and Austin held on to the No. 2 spot.

Bud Hammer, of Oxnard, Calif., clinched the Jr. Fuel championship in July with a win at the Fremont Reunion in Sacramento, Calif., his third win of the season in his fourth final-round appearance. He followed up at the Hot Rod Reunion with another final-round appearance but fell short of the win to Bob Lander. Don Enriquez finished second in points after advancing to the semifinals at the Reunion.

Kin Bates, of Anderson, Calif., came into the event having the championship all but wrapped up in A/Fuel, basically needing just to qualify; Bill Wayne sat in second, 106 points behind. Bates qualified No. 5 to secure the championship and, after winning in round one, fell to Wayne in the semifinals. Wayne went on to win the race and finish second in the points standings.

In AA/Gas, Sean Renteria, of Hollister, Calif., entered the event leading the points with one win in three final rounds.  Mike Lenard was the only one who could catch Renteria, but a loss in round one ended Lenard’s hopes and gave the championship to Renteria.

The final championship was not decided until the final round of the 7.0 Pro class. Mike Cross, of Culver City, Calif., held a 72-point lead prior to the event but failed to qualify, opening the door for Bob Murphy and Will Martin. Murphy went out in round two, dropping him out of contention, but Martin, of San Dimas, Calif., who had to win the event, marched through eliminations and into a final-round matchup with Joey Steckler. Martin, son of former NHRA Funny Car competitor John Martin, saved his best run of the day, posting a 7.083-second run at 187.65 mph to take the win and the championship by just one point. Cross finished the year in second with one win.

Other NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series champions crowned earlier in the year were Austin Frye, Taft, Calif., in NE I; Doug Davenport, Las Vegas, in NE II; Lindsey Lister, San Pedro, Calif., in NE III; Rob Patten, Tracy, Calif., in A/Gas; Jim Teague, Sanger, Calif., in B/Gas; Nick Kendrick, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., in C/Gas; Mike Williams, Bakersfield, Calif., in D/Gas; and Billy Teague, Reedley, Calif., in Hot Rod Eliminator.
 

Highlighting the changes in 2010 will be the implementation of a new Eject Helmet Removal System in all four Professional categories, Top Alcohol Dragster, Top Alcohol Funny Car, and in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. The system uses an inflatable bladder located in the top of the helmet to make removal of the helmet by safety personnel after an incident easier and safer.

In addition, all participants in the Top Fuel and Funny Car classes will be required to use an Electrimotion Safety Shut-off Receiver. The device, when used in conjunction with the Electrimotion Shut-off Transmitter and Electrimotion Safety Shut-off Box, will automatically shut off fuel and ignition as well as deploy the parachutes once the driver has passed the finish line if the driver has not done so already. The system will activate when the car passes a wall-mounted transmitter.

Other safety measures in NHRA’s top two classes include fireproof tubing on brake lines and, in Top Fuel, a required cable wrapped around the rear wing main element that will deploy the parachutes automatically in the event the rear wing becomes separated from its supports. The same mechanism will be required in the Top Alcohol Dragster class.

Beginning March 11, 2010, in Pro Stock, cars will be required to have formed and foamed seats as well an NHRA-accepted lateral head-support system, the same that is required in Top Fuel and Funny Car and in the two Top Alcohol classes. In addition, an rpm limiter set at 4,000 rpm will be activated after eight seconds into a run to slow the car in the event the driver is unable to do so. Finally, drivers will be required to wear SFI Spec 3.2A/15 firesuits.

The Electrimotion Safety Shut-off Box, which was made mandatory in Funny Car and Top Fuel in late 2008 and 2009, respectively, will be mandatory in Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car in 2010. Also in the alcohol classes, requirements for oil catch-can systems will be similar to those in the nitromethane-burning categories to reduce track oildowns.

Affecting all classes in 2010, where applicable, and to reduce the chance of fuel leaks, all NHRA-accepted fuel lines will be required to use ends that are specifically designed for the type of fuel line being used to reduce fuel leaks. To prevent transmission leaks, all cars running 10.99 seconds or quicker must have an NHRA-accepted locking-type dipstick in the transmission.

To improve the strength-mounting point of parachutes on all vehicles running more than 150 mph, NHRA announced that parachutes must have their own independent mounting sleeved half-inch-minimum steel bolts or pins. Material around the holes for the bolts/pins must be equal to or greater than the bolt/pin size.

The Sportsman classes will have increased requirements for firesuits. All drivers in cars running 7.49 seconds or quicker will be required to wear SFI Spec 3.2A/15 firesuits. In addition, E.T. Motorcycle riders will be required to use Kevlar-lined gloves or gloves equipped with slide buttons, the same requirement currently in the Pro Stock Motorcycle category. For improved fire protection, Super Street drivers will be required to wear SFI Spec 3.2A/1 pants in addition to the SFI Spec 3.2A/1 jackets already worn.

 

Tony Pedregon’s turbulent 2009 season has included the departure of longtime crew chief Dickie Venables and assistant Kurt Elliott, a much-publicized top-end skirmish with former boss John Force, and a violent body-destroying engine explosion in Memphis, yet with two events remaining, the streetwise and battle-ready Pedregon finds himself in contention for a third Full Throttle Funny Car world championship. He is just 48 points behind leader Robert Hight and 35 behind second-ranked Ashley Force Hood with two races remaining in the Countdown to the Championship.

“When I look at where we are, I wouldn’t use the word surprised,” said Pedregon, who has three wins this season, including a memorable victory in Brainerd that came just days after the departure of Venables and Elliott. “I think most people are more surprised than I am. That being said, I do feel that we are fortunate that after three [recent] first-round losses, I’m still even within two rounds of first place. In that regard, I would say that I’m a bit surprised.

It has been a season of highs and lows for Tony Pedregon. (Above) He was overcome with emotion after winning in Brainerd just days after losing his crew chief and assistant crew chief. (Below) The team had a setback in Memphis a few weeks ago with a body-tossing blower explosion.

Rahn Tobler, left, and Tony Shortall have gamely stepped in to help keep Pedregon's Funny Car in the championship hunt.

“Make no mistake, this has been a tough year,” he said. “Financially, it has been very challenging to keep up with some of the other teams. I think that says a lot about our team and people that have stuck with me. We do not have a lot of depth, but there is a lot of loyalty and determination and a lot of untapped talent here. That has made the difference in the second half. When Dickie and Kurt left, I think most people expected that we’d fall out of contention. That wasn’t the case. [Crew chiefs] Rahn Tobler and Tony Shortall along with the guys who stayed and knew our routing were able to refocus and carry on. I called on them in Brainerd to dig deep, and they have. The people who stuck with me are our biggest asset.”

Despite the upheaval, Pedregon is nothing if not optimistic as he prepares for next weekend’s NHRA Las Vegas Nationals, and why shouldn’t he be? Pedregon has enjoyed a tremendous amount of success at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with three wins and two runner-up finishes. He also fondly recalls the 2007 Las Vegas event, where he nearly clinched his second NHRA Funny Car world championship. Pedregon entered that race locked in a multi-way battle for the top spot. In a bizarre twist, all of his rivals lost early, and Pedregon won the event. As a result, he had to do little more than qualify for the final race in Pomona to secure the title.

“Based on what happened in 2007, I know the possibility exists for a repeat [championship],” Pedregon said. “One of the reasons why I’m so optimistic is that there are so many good cars in the class right now. We can’t rely on ourselves to beat either Ashley or Robert, and I’m not going to try and go after either one of them. Our goal is simply to qualify and earn as many points as possible. Robert is very strong right now, but he’s not untouchable. The same goes for Ashley. They are both very good, but so is Del [Worsham], and so is Tim Wilkerson, and so is Jeff Arend. Any one of them could win one of the last two races. That being said, going into Las Vegas, I feel like we have a good opportunity to get to the final, and if we can do that, we have a fighting chance.”

With his close ties to the Palms Casino Resort and his love for competitive poker, Pedregon doesn’t need many additional reasons to look forward to the two annual stops that the NHRA Full Throttle tour makes in Las Vegas, but his career stats certainly help add to the track’s appeal.

“Sure, I have a good history in Las Vegas, but that doesn’t mean a lot,” said Pedregon. “I’m not superstitious, but maybe I should be. What matters now is what happens this year. If I do have an edge, it’s that I’ve got experience. I’ve been in this situation several times before, and I know what it takes to get it done. Now, we just have to execute. This sport has a tendency to mentally weigh on you. It can make you better or worse. I just need to rely on that experience and use it to my advantage.”

With his mind firmly focused on the job at hand, Pedregon won’t allow himself to look too far into the future. However, he does acknowledge that if he were to claim a third championship, it would rank as the greatest achievement of his career.

“That would be an amazing thing, and I hope that is the case Sunday night in Pomona,” he said. "We have put in our time and paid our dues, but I’m really not thinking that far ahead. For now, the game  plan is to make the final Vegas and get close. If I can go to Pomona and still have a fighting chance, I’ll gladly take it.”

 

Revell in the early 1970s started as a major player in drag racing sponsorships and worked hand in hand with NHRA and introduced many Funny Cars, Top Fuel dragsters, Pro Stockers, and more bearing some of the most well-known names in the history of drag racing.

With the advent of the NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series and the Reunions, Revell will be rereleasing a number of its model kits of the cars that have been a force in the long history of Funny Car, such as Roland Leong’s Hawaiian and the well-known Chi-Town Hustler of Farkonas, Coil, & Minick. These cars will be joined by many other of Revell’s most popular drag racing model kits down the road.

Revell will have a booth at some of the upcoming Reunions and will display numerous drag racing model kits as well as how a model kit is first designed and tooled. Future drag racing releases will be announced at these shows as well. Examples of current kits such as the Stone, Woods & Cook Willys Gasser can be seen at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum presented by Automobile Club of Southern California.

“We are excited and look forward to a continued relationship with the NHRA and Revell leading the way to create interest and excitement for the drag racing enthusiast as well as the model-kit builder,” said Bob Sutalski, senior vice president of product development, Revell.

“NHRA welcomes the return of Revell and their classic model kits,” said Gary Darcy, senior vice president-sales & marketing, NHRA. “The Revell models were synonymous with the sport of NHRA Drag Racing, and reintroducing these classic model kits to today’s fans will reinforce the long and storied history of the sport and its partnership with Revell.”

Top Fuel driver Larry Dixon and Funny Car star Ashley Force Hood took part in a national teleconference Wednesday to discuss the final two championship-deciding races in the 2009 season, the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals (Oct. 29-Nov. 1) and the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals (Nov. 12-15).

Dixon, driver of the Al-Anabi dragster, is a two-time world champion (2001-02) who joined forces with renowned crew chief Alan Johnson this season. Dixon and his team have won five races and are just 47 points behind Johnson’s former team, the U.S. Army dragster piloted by Tony Schumacher. Dixon’s five wins tie him with Schumacher and regular-season champ Antron Brown for most Top Fuel wins this season, and his eight final rounds are second-best in the class.

Force Hood, daughter of NHRA icon John Force, is seeking to become the first woman in NHRA history to win a championship in the ultracompetitive Funny Car class. Force Hood has two victories this year behind the wheel of her Castrol GTX Mustang and has been to seven final rounds. She trails teammate Robert Hight by 13 points.

Q: Larry, it’s been a crapshoot all year with you, Antron Brown, and Tony Schumacher winning five races each. What do you expect over these final two races, and what do you think will be the difference?

Dixon: Well, it has been kind of an open season as far as being able to get wins. Last week just saw Brandon [Bernstein] get his first win in almost two years, so that’s just kind of how the season has been going. If one car kind of falls off, the other one steps up to the plate and gets it done.

You know, legitimately, there are two or three, probably four cars that can still win the championship, and you know, you’re still in charge of your own destiny. If you win out those two races, you’ve done as much as you can do and hope it’s enough to get the Full Throttle championship, and obviously bringing it home to the Al-Anabi team is what we are looking for.

Q: Ashley, can you share with us the mood of the team entering these final two championship-deciding races in Vegas and Pomona?

Force Hood: We are really pumped. We have had a really great season. We are right where we want to be up there in the top couple of spots, but a lot can change in these final two races, and obviously we are aware of that. We know that we are second; Robert is first, and we are only a few points behind him, yet there are a handful of guys that are right behind us. So we are just going to try to do the best we can and enjoy this. It can get easy to get caught up in the stress of it all and get nervous about it and anxious, but we are really trying to look at it from another point of view and say, our third year in, we are battling for the NHRA championship. That’s a pretty neat spot to be in, especially as a relatively newer team compared to a lot of the teams we compete with. So we are trying to enjoy this and not let the stress and nervousness of it take over the fun of it, which is getting to be in this competition and having the car that has the capability of winning a championship.

Q: Larry, how satisfying is it for you being the first year with this team doing as well as you have done because a lot of people thought, ‘OK, new team, you have to have break-in time, learning time, seasoning among all members of the team.’ How are you feeling about your great performance so far this year?

Dixon: I’m feeling great about it. You know, winning five races so far I mean, I had not won five races in three years, so to be able to do that in one season is good. But you know, the rest of the guys on the team, Alan and Jason [McCulloch, crew chief] and the rest of the Al-Anabi team, this is an off year for them. Last year, they won 15 races, so they are sorting things out and getting things going, and probably since maybe Brainerd just before Indy, the cars really stepped up their performance. If we have not been on pole, we have been close to pole just about every event. And I really think that we have contended for wins at every event we have gone to. So it’s good. This season is not over with, but a lot of the guys on the team are looking forward to this winter. It’s going to be a lot calmer. Last year, they didn’t even have a shop to work in at this point in the season. Everybody was still on their old jobs. So to be able to still have the opportunity to win a championship in the fashion that Alan and the guys have done in the past where they are not leading the points, and there’s two races to go and we are certainly in the mix of it. You know, we are certainly going to do our best to try and bring it home to the Al-Anabi team.

Q: Ashley, you seem to adapt to the Funny Car, which is a very difficult car to drive as we all know. How have you accommodated adapting to the Funny Car so quickly and so well?

Force Hood: When I started in ‘07, I think I had five years of racing some type of a car or another under my belt, so I had the basics of the burnout and the staging and all those kind of things. And I also tested for about a year and a half before I jumped into the Funny Car, which I don’t know if a lot of people realize. We would stay because I was racing my A/Fuel Dragster and other teams were racing the Funny Car, and we would stay on Mondays, and I would jump into Dad’s car or Robert’s or Eric [Medlen]’s and test. It wasn’t that I was getting 10 runs a day or anything, but a couple here or there every week after the national event. I think that really helped me to kind of get a good baseline for once our 2007 season started and we went to testing and went all-out with that.

When I look at a lot of other teams and a lot of other drivers, you know, people moving in the ranks and teams that have struggled, a big advantage that I have is that we have the financial backing. They give me a really good new car, good new parts, and we have all of the great pieces together, and I think it lessens [my learning curve] a lot because I can really focus on my driving and learning those mistakes, and you’re not trying to learn how to drive a car while it’s having motor problems and parts failure and that sort of a thing. I think it’s unfortunate for the teams that do have lower budgets that I think they get maybe picked on a little more because their car isn’t performing. A lot of people want to look at the driver, but a lot of times it is just if you just don’t have the right pieces together, your car is not going to be able to go down the track and make good runs. The car, the seat that I was able to move into in ‘07 and the same seat that I’m in now, they have always given me all of the tools that I need. It really lessens I think the mistakes that I was making. As usual, I still made plenty of mistakes. That’s not to say anything about that. But I think it would have been a lot harder if I didn’t have the tools and just the right parts and pieces in this Funny Car. It made my learning curve easier.

Q: Ashley, how about you racing your teammate for a possible title here in Funny Car?

Force Hood: It’s the best spot that we could be in. At the beginning of the year when we have our big team meetings and we get ready to head off to the [Kragen O’Reilly NHRA] Winternationals, that’s always our goal. If we can at the end of the year when we are back in Pomona for the [Auto Club NHRA] World Finals, if we can have our own teammates battling for the championship, there’s no better scenario because we are going to win no matter how the day ends up. Obviously, Robert and I are not the only ones, but we are 1 and 2, so they are going to have to catch up and go around us. So if we can just keep doing what we have been doing and not have anything go wrong, no mistakes, no mess-ups, and the tuners can get Vegas and Pomona figured out as far as the tune-up and how they want to set up the car, we just better our chances of getting the championship.

It’s fun and it’s exciting for both Robert and me. He’s been close so many years. This is my first time really being right in the mix of it being down to the last two races, so it’s exciting for both of us and for our team — for my team, being a newer team to be in this, and for his team from the other angle of being out here a lot of years and yet having such a tough season that they were able to kind of come around and do what they can do. All of the guys are pumped up, and we are ready to head off to Vegas. We still have to wait another week, but we are excited.

Q: Larry, what kind of relationship, if any, do you have with Tony Schumacher? Is he a guy you enjoy racing against, or is he a guy that is just tired of being at the top of the game for so long?

Dixon: I get along great with Tony. You know, we will trade texts during the week and the like and at the end of the day for the last five years, he’s had the No. 1 on the car, so everybody has been trying to take him out. So for me, it’s the same thing. I mean, you can be buddies in the staging lanes, but as soon as you throw the helmet on and light the car up, it’s game on. We are going to go out there and do everything we can to bring the Al-Anabi team home a win. But he’s got the same thing on me. I’ve read and heard him say, you know, he gets pumped up when he races us, and a lot of the guys on that team is his old team. But for me, when I look over, it’s still the Army car, and he’s still got No. 1 on it. So I’m trying to do everything I can to help change that.

Q: For both of our guests, the three-week break before Las Vegas, would you prefer to have moved this up a little bit, or is this break coming at just the right time to kind of regroup and get things together for the final two races?

Force Hood: All of the team, especially the crewmembers, they really needed a break, just to go home, get their mail, see their wives and their kids, and just to have a little time to kind of relax and get ready so that we are all ready to go and pumped up and ready to focus for the final two races. So it is kind of the perfect timing. It is a little strange when we get back to Vegas; that first day is odd when you have not been to the track for a couple of weeks to get yourself organized and get back into your routine of a race day and qualifying and everything like that. But I think it was well-needed, and I think it really adds to the excitement that the fans have had to race a couple of weeks, and now you’ll get to see the final two big championship races. It was perfect — I think it was right what everybody needed.

And a funny thing I was actually thinking a couple of minutes ago during one of my answers that was rambling on, I thought, ‘You know, I haven’t done an interview in about a week, and it really shows.’ That’s probably the one thing about the drivers, it seems when you jump right back in your race car, it comes right back to you because it’s not something you’re thinking about, it’s more your body is reacting in a race car. But the talking side of things, I’ll definitely need to be warming up and finding my words in the next week to be ready for Vegas because I feel like I’m mumbling a lot today.

Dixon: You know, it is what it is. I think if you ask most racers, they would like to race every weekend because they love racing. But it certainly affords a team, you know, after four in a row — I mean, you’d have to go back to the few years to go into even rainouts where we run four in a row; it’s been a while — it lets the teams go over the cars and go over all of the engines and just have everything restocked up, lets them catch their breath, check in with their families, pay their bills, and get ready to head out west and go to Vegas and Pomona. It’s nice to have everything restocked and have all of your batteries recharged and get back out there for those last two events because everything is on the line for those two.

Q: And one of the things on the line is the chance for Ashley to become the first woman to win a championship in the Funny Car division. Of course, women have won championships in NHRA. Shirley Muldowney won three in Top Fuel, and Angelle Sampey won three in Pro Stock Motorcycle. Ashley, would you talk for just a second about if you’ve thought about that and what historically it would mean in the sport for to you win a championship in Funny Car?

Force Hood: I think it’s not such a big deal to me, and the main reason is, I am a female driver, I had nothing to do with that, God makes that decision, and my parents, and I also have a team of 10 men that work on my car. If you’ve ever seen me trying to work on an automobile, you know I would not be second in the points for the championship if I was working on it. But it’s them and me together as a team. We are the ones going out for the championship, not just me as an individual. Now, someday, I think if we could get an all-female team, that would be pretty amazing to have the mechanics, the tuners, and the driver. That would be something, really. I hope that I get to see that in my lifetime, and I think it will happen. More and more women are just moving up in the ranks. There are so many girls in Jr. drag racing and Sportsman categories, and those are the ones that will move up into the Professional level. I think that will come. I happen to be the one in Funny Car right now and with a great team, so we have all of the variables that we need to go after a championship. But I think if it wasn’t me, there will be another girl that will come along over the years, and I think it will happen eventually. It’s just a matter of when, and hopefully it will happen for us this year.

Q: Larry, you’re 47 points behind with these eight rounds of racing left; are you of the mind-set that you have no margin for error and that you must really sweep points and qualifying?

Dixon: I mean, you know, the way we have been going in qualifying, we have been able to make up over the last couple of events, make up more than a round of races, just in those bonus points for qualifying. Seven points back on that side of things, you know, so if you made up four points per event, now you’re less than two rounds [40 points at 20 points/round] back, and if you went out and you’re racing Tony [Schumacher], then you’re still in charge of your own destiny. I know our team has very high standards, and as all the teams that are competing out there whether it’s for the championship or not, everyone is going to go out there and try and win. But if we do win out, then we don’t need anything to happen to anybody. You know, they give us 24 events to get it done, and the rules are the same for everybody, and so we’ll do our best and hope it’s enough.

Q: Ashley, you often get questions about your dad, and you were talking about being the first woman to get a Funny Car title, but what’s a comment you would have maybe about being a member of a family of racing daughters, and what do you think about the different personalities of your sisters [Brittany and Courtney], and what do you share with your sisters about racing?

Force Hood: Well, they grew up at the races just like I did — there are photos of all of us in diapers at the track and everything — so they have the same memories and upbringing really of drag racing as I did, and I think that’s really why the three of us are racing. I know to the outside world it might seem a little strange that three sisters race cars, but to anybody who knows anything about drag racing, that’s not such a far-fetched idea because we grew up around it, and it’s what we love to do and what we want to do on our weekends off and our summer breaks. There are a lot of kids, whether they are boys or girls, that grew up in racing that ended up having a career in it. So it’s pretty common when you look even in the Professional pits — the Worshams, Morgan Lucas, Bernsteins — there are a lot of families and a lot of drivers that grew up around the tracks and ended up in seats or tuning on cars or are somehow involved in the sport.

So it’s neat to be able to share that with them and also with our dad; it’s not like we had very much in common with him when we were in kids. We were all at cheerleading and dance and school and everything, and he was off racing. But now it has come full circle, and we are out at the tracks a lot on weekends together, and I get to see them a lot more, and my mom comes to every one of our events. And it’s fun for us, and it’s really allowed us to spend a lot of time together that you wouldn’t have if your family wasn’t out there on the road with you. They are both in college right now, Brittany and Courtney, and so I’m impressed that they are able to balance both.

When I moved up to A/Fuel Dragster, which is what they race now, I had just graduated from college a month earlier, and then I started the season. So I never had to do the homework at the track and all that with the A/Fuel car, and they somehow managed to make it happen. I saw Brittany this morning, and she was like, “I was up till 3 in the morning doing homework.” And I remember those days. But when you throw in that a lot of your weekends are spent around the country, it does make it hard. But they are enjoying it. They seem to like it. It is a crazy schedule that they live, but they seem to enjoy it, and they like doing both, and they do really well in the dragster, and the fans are excited to see them out there racing. So it’s been fun to watch as they have moved up the ranks. They did Super Comp, and they are in A/Fuel now, and I love the A/Fuel Dragster that I raced. It’s a really, really fun category, and they are really enjoying it as well.

Q: Larry, you talked about competing against Schumacher, but [Cory] McClenathan has come up strong; how much of a spoiler might he be in these last two races?

Dixon: Well, as tight as the fields are — and I can’t think of which one it was over the last three or four, where the whole field was within a tenth of a second, which I think was tighter than Pro Stock at that point — anybody can win. But obviously, Cory’s car, with him driving and Todd [Okuhara] and Phil [Shuler] tuning, yeah, they are in the mix every week. That car is always real close to running top speed. So, yeah, he’s definitely another guy that you have to look out for. If you can roll up and you can stage your car on Sunday, you’ve got a car that can win the event. You just hope you’re driving the right one and you’re in the right lane for it when it happens. But certainly Cory is doing real great.

Q: Larry, which of the Top Fuel rookies has been most impressive, Shawn Langdon or Spencer Massey?

Dixon: I’m glad I’m not voting for rookie of the year because I think both of them have done an unbelievable job in the car. You know, Spencer, you’d have to give him the nod because he’s won. But as far as driving goes, the driver doesn’t have control of the tune-up of the cars. You can’t shut down Shawn because he was not won an event. And he hasn’t not won an event because it’s been his fault; he’s done a great job. I mean, both of those kids are doing great in the car. They are going down the center of the track, and you know, when the car starts to nose over, they are clicking it off. They are doing everything right. I think it’s a pick ‘em. As a former rookie of the year, I’m kind of excited to see who gets to join the class because I think they are certainly deserving and very, very representative.

The 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series draws to a close in just a few short weeks with the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals, Oct. 29-Nov. 1, and the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals, Nov. 12-15.
 
The competition in all four Professional categories is expected to be heated, with Full Throttle world championships hanging in the balance for the final two races. In Top Fuel and Funny Car, the number of spoilers will in some cases double the number of NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship participants as NHRA announced that both nitromethane classes have the largest number of entries for any race this year.

For the Las Vegas event, the entry totals in Top Fuel and Funny Car are 25 and 20, respectively. For the season finale at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, 24 Top Fuel cars are entered, and 20 are registered in Funny Car. For the Las Vegas event, pre-entries total 721 race vehicles in the Professional and Sportsman ranks, compared to 562 in 2008.

Also significant is the number of Top Alcohol Dragsters and Top Alcohol Funny Cars entered in both races to compete in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. To date, 27 Top Alcohol Dragsters and 25 Top Alcohol Funny Cars are entered for the Las Vegas event, and 25 Top Alcohol Dragsters and 27 Funny Cars are registered for Pomona.

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Hector Arana, rider of the Lucas Oil Buell, has a 28-point lead over defending world champ Eddie Krawiec and his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson team heading into the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals.

Mike Edwards, who drove the ART/Young Life Pontiac GXP to a dominating performance in Richmond and earned the maximum 150 points, all but clinched the NHRA Full Throttle world championship in Pro Stock. The only team with a legitimate shot to prevent that is the Las Vegas-based Ken Black Racing team, led by Greg Anderson and the Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac GXP, who trail Edwards by 128 points.

In Funny Car, six drivers can still stake legitimate claims to the NHRA Full Throttle world championship, led by points leader Robert Hight. Hight, who drives the Auto Club Ford Mustang, sits 13 points ahead of teammate Ashley Force Hood. Force Hood is trying to become the first female world champion in the Funny Car class. Tony Pedregon, Ron Capps,  and Tim Wilkerson are in a logjam in third through fifth. In sixth is Jack Beckman, driver of the Valvoline/Mail Terminal Services Dodge Charger, who is 86 points behind Hight with two races remaining.

Top Fuel is a four-driver battle for the championship. Tony Schumacher and the U.S. Army dragster team are 47 points ahead of Larry Dixon and the Al-Anabi Racing dragster. Cory McClenathan and Antron Brown trail Schumacher by 68 and 81 points, respectively.

For ticket information about the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, call 702-644-4444 or log on to www.lvms.com; for ticket information about the Auto Club NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, call 800-884-4762 or log on to www.ticketmaster.com.

 

NHRA has announced a scheduling change for Super Stock and Stock class eliminations at the upcoming NHRA Las Vegas Nationals, Oct. 29-Nov. 1 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Due to a total pre-entry in excess of 700 cars, including more than 130 entries each in Super Stock and Stock, it has become necessary to run Super Stock and Stock class eliminations Thursday. All Super Stock and Stock competitors will be given one qualifying run Thursday morning, and round one of class eliminations is scheduled for approximately noon Thursday to avoid the potential of cold temperatures in the evening.

Tech and registration will still be open all day Thursday.
 

NHRA Top Fuel star Antron Brown will be the Newsmaker of the Week on The Race Reporters radio show Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m. EDT on www.PowerUpChannel.com.

The Matco Tools dragster driver is fourth in the Full Throttle Series points standings with two races to go. He has five wins, seven poles, and a 46-17 round-win-loss record this season. Brown swept NHRA’s traditional Western Swing races. Before moving up to Top Fuel in 2008, Brown raced in NHRA’s Pro Stock Motorcycle class, where he won 16 times.

Host Michael Knight will be joined for the journalists’ roundtable by Bobby Bennett, editor of Competition Plus.com; Corinne Economaki, president and publisher of National Speed Sport News; and Larry Henry, host of Pit Pass USA on the Power Up Channel.

The Race Reporters can be heard live, downloaded into an iPod, or accessed for listening on a delayed basis by clicking on the show icon at www.PowerUpChannel.com. Listeners can bookmark the show and sign up to receive a free e-card with news on upcoming guests at the show’s page, www.modavox.com/voiceamerica/vshow.aspx?sid=1549. The show also will re-air several times later in the week (check PowerUp’s daily programming listing).

For more information on The Race Reporters, log on to www.modavox.com/voiceamerica/vshow.aspx?sid=1549.

The Race Reporters podcast on iTunes:
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=319558548.

 

Matt Smith, rider of the Nitro Fish Ultimate Gear Suzuki Pro Stock Motorcycle for Don Schumacher Racing in the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, and fellow rider Angie McBride were married In Greensboro, N.C., Friday, Oct. 16.

Smith, of King, N.C., and McBride, originally from Winston-Salem, N.C., were wed at the Proximity Hotel. The service and reception were attended by 130 people, and "It was very pretty, and Angie was very beautiful," said Smith. "She's been planning the wedding all year long, and now she's officially a Smith."

The two have known each other for seven years, after meeting while they were both competing on motorcycles, and been dating the last two. Smith has been campaigning a Buell Pro Stock Motorcycle for McBride for select events throughout the 2009 season.

"It was fabulous," said McBride, "but I'm glad it’s over. It was the day that I dreamed of and more. Ten months of planning came together, and it was over in six hours. It was a fabulous thing."

As for where they will spend their honeymoon, "We're going on our honeymoon after the season is over and after the banquet in California," said Smith. "I know where we're going, but she doesn't. It's going to be a surprise.

"Angie will race again next year, but I'm going to focus on the Nitro Fish/DSR Suzuki for the last two races of the season. As a team, we want to win, so we're really going to try to focus on that. We're just going to do the best we can and try to finalize everything for next year."

Daniel Wilkerson walked away totally unscathed from one of the more incredible accidents in recent NHRA history with nary a scratch and no soreness whatsoever despite a nearly head-on impact with the Memphis Motorsports Park wall. Wilkerson's first reaction was the one any team owner or crew chief would want to hear: He wanted to get back in the race car. Unfortunately for Wilkerson, he has no race car to get back in.

Driving his father Tim's 2008 Funny Car in Memphis, which was sporting a Levi, Ray & Shoup-adorned Shelby Mustang body, loaned to the team by Bob Tasca III, Wilkerson entered the race with an ample amount of spare parts and support but no spare race car and no spare Ford body. Once he climbed from the wreckage at the top end of the track, he knew that his 2009 rookie season was over.

"I guess you could say none of it was mine to begin with, since the car is my dad's and the body came from Bob Tasca," Wilkerson said. "I felt so bad for both of them after the wreck. I demolished a great race car and tore up a body that didn't even belong to us. But still, once I climbed out and everything was still attached, still working, and nothing hurt, the first thing I wanted to do was get right back in.

"Nobody needed to talk to me about respecting the race car because I grew up watching how my dad respects his, and I've seen how bad things can get. That wreck was about as bad as anything I could imagine, but I still want to drive more than anything. If you would've offered me another car to drive right there in Memphis right after it happened, I'd have jumped right in. As a matter of fact, one of the first questions a reporter asked me, no more than 15 minutes after the wreck, was whether I wanted to get back in the car. I told her, 'If I could somehow get Dad out of his car, I'd drive it right now,' and that's exactly how I felt."

The specific cause of Wilkerson's crash, which clearly came about after both rear wheels came off the car, is still under investigation, although the video replays also clearly illustrated that the young Illinois driver was doing all the right things despite being simply along for the ride. His father even went so far as to say he couldn't think of anything he would've done differently had he been in the car and that he was proud of his son for how he handled the situation. Now, both father and son have to reevaluate the future and come up with a new plan to get Daniel on the Full Throttle tour.

"We did Topeka and Memphis this year, and we raced about as cheaply as you can do it," Daniel said. "The goal was to enter a couple of races that weren't too far away from home, where we also thought we'd have the best shot to qualify, and then hopefully help my dad by maybe taking out another contending team. We were on our way to doing that, beating Ron Capps, when the wheels came off.  But as cheaply as you can run one of these cars is still a lot of money, even when you don't have the wheels come off, hit the wall, and demolish everything.

"As much as I'd love to be out there, we're going to have to rebuild, and we're going to have to put a sponsorship together. We have people working on that full-time, and hopefully we can land a deal that works for everyone, and then we can get back to racing. Then, if we can do that, the first step is to put a real organization together with our own full-time crew. I don't think we want to do it the other way anymore. We want to take the next step."

Wilkerson's place in a family led by a famous and very popular father brings with it a unique set of sponsorship benefits, all of which are being trumpeted by Team Wilkerson's full-time marketing department. Packages are being presented on a consistent basis, and the team has  custom designed programs to fit almost any corporate budget. Offering packages that integrate a primary marketing partnership with the younger Wilkerson while delivering a major associate program with the senior Wilkerson allows the team a way to provide far more bang for the buck, and potential sponsors have been listening.

"Our marketing guy, Dave Jacobsen, says the response has been more and more positive lately, with just about every company he talks to," Daniel reported. "I guess a lot of that is the economy coming back, but we think we have some great ideas to show people, where you can combine a primary deal for me with a major associate spot on my dad's car. That's a lot of exposure, and it means a company won't have to completely rely on a young driver and a new team in order to make it worth it for them. They get a relationship with my dad, his team, and Levi, Ray & Shoup, too.

"Like I said, we know it has to make business sense for anyone to get involved. They're not going to sponsor you because they like you or because they think drag racing is fun. The numbers have to be right, and you have to show them how it will help their business. We'll just keep working at it, and hopefully we can put a deal together to get me back out there for at least part of next season. Until then, I'm just going to have to dream about driving because I love being in that race car, and I can't wait to do it again."

Young men fitting the description "Ready to race, just need a race car" can be found just about everywhere. What separates Daniel Wilkerson from the pack are his racing genes and his instinctive ability to handle a Funny Car. That, and his last name. If any 21-year-old has the talent, charisma, and audacity to land a major sponsor, it might just be young Wilkerson.

Steve Spiess Racing has inked a two-race sponsorship with Billet Specialties Inc. through the season-ending Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals in Pomona with the possibility of a long-term deal for 2010, a year that marks the 25th anniversary of Billet Specialties in the world of aftermarket wheels and custom equipment for vehicles.

Pro Stock racer Spiess uses Billet Specialties’ new line of drag-race-only wheels, the Comp 5 Series. “Billet Specialties owner Glenn Grozich has always been a front-runner in the world of custom cars and equipment, and these new wheels will undoubtedly raise the bar for others to follow,” said Spiess.

Spiess ranks 14th in NHRA points and has qualified at 14 of 17 events attended this season. His best effort was at the NHRA Carolinas Nationals in Charlotte, where he reached the semifinals before losing to eventual runner-up Greg Stanfield.

“We’re really doing well,” he added. “And our engine program keeps getting better and better. If there’s an opportunity to do well, it’s going to be next year. We are going to run a tight ship like we did this year.”

With longtime sponsor Budweiser on its way out and the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Top Fuel world championship seemingly out of reach, Brandon Bernstein is ready to turn the page. The last two seasons have been a struggle for the second-generation racer, his recent victory at the NHRA Virginia Nationals notwithstanding. But with a new sponsor, Copart, signed for 2010, Bernstein can’t wait to begin the next chapter in his family’s voluminous drag racing history.

“The last two seasons haven’t been the best,” admitted Bernstein, whose overdue victory in Richmond ended a 52-race winless streak. “We finished seventh last year, and who knows where we’ll finish this year, but next year is going to be a new chapter for Kenny Bernstein Racing, and we’re really looking forward to it.”

Bernstein, who took over the driving duties for his father’s team in 2003, was runner-up eight times between his victory in Brainerd in 2007 and his 18th and most recent triumph in Richmond, which tied him with the legendary Shirley Muldowney for Top Fuel victories. Prior to his two-year slump, Bernstein had won in 17 of his 23 final-round appearances, including eight of his first nine. He won five of his first 13 races, the best start in Top Fuel history, en route to winning the 2003 Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award, which recognizes NHRA’s top rookie.

“I don’t know that I can really explain it,” said Bernstein, who won three of the first eight races in 2003 before a crash in Englishtown ended his season. “We just had really good success in the final. When we’d get to the final, it just seemed like Tim [Richards, former crew chief] had a really good handle on the racetrack, and he knew what to do. But we knew that was going to end eventually; we knew the time would come when we wouldn’t win every time we got to the final. You need some luck, too, and we were just unfortunate that for the longest time, we didn’t get the break that we needed.”

Brandon Bernstein has been to five finals this season and sits fifth in Top Fuel points.

Though Bernstein would likely have won the final in Richmond anyway – he was nearly six-hundredths of a second quicker out of the gate and ran a 3.84 – but when his final-round opponent, Antron Brown, blew the tires off at the hit of the throttle, Bernstein’s long-awaited victory was assured.

“It feels great,” said Bernstein, who after finishing third in 2006 and 2007 with a combined nine wins in 14 final rounds dropped to seventh last year with an 0-4 final-round record and was 0-4 this year before his win. “It’s just one of those deals where we’ve tried for two years to win one, and we’ve been in situations where we’ve had a chance, but we just hadn’t been able to kick that door down and get the win. Sometimes you just get in a rut, and you can’t get out of it. Hopefully, now that we’re out of it we can move on and get a lot more.”

Bernstein’s victory in Richmond was the team’s 86th under the Budweiser banner. Budweiser was with Bernstein’s father, Kenny, for all six of his NHRA world titles – four in Funny Car (1985-88) and two in Top Fuel (1996 and 2001) – and that relationship continued when Bernstein took over the driving duties in 2003. Now in its 30th and final year, Budweiser’s relationship with the team is the longest sponsorship in motorsports history, surpassing the 28-year relationship STP had with Richard Petty.

“To be with one sponsor for 30 years is unheard of,” said Bernstein. “The people at Anheuser-Busch were like family to us, and to see our relationship finally come to an end is kind of sad. It’s going to be different to not put on a red shirt and go out there and try to sell Budweiser, but we’re really excited about Copart, and they’re really jazzed. Jay Adair, the president, is new to the sport, but he’s really latched on to it. His whole team is excited about the sport and about being affiliated with Kenny Bernstein Racing. It’s a one-year deal, but hopefully we can get them to stay on. Heck, maybe we can get them to stay for 30 years just like Budweiser.”

At the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil, Brandon and Kenny Bernstein flanked Copart President Jay Adair and CEO Willis Johnson after they announced Copart's new sponsorship of the Bernstein team beginning in 2010.

Eight months after InBev, a Belgian beer company, purchased Anheuser-Busch in July 2008, the American beer giant announced that it would no longer sponsor the team after the 2009 season. Six months later, the team named Copart, an online vehicle remarketing company, as its primary sponsor beginning in 2010. That announcement, made during the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil, ended months of uncertainty about the team’s future.

“We had an inkling that we might not get renewed,” said Bernstein. “Still, it was a little bit of a shock when they actually told us. We had everybody and anybody trying to find something because without a major sponsor, we weren’t going to go on. Once we knew we had a sponsor, it was a huge relief.”

Though Bernstein admitted that not knowing whether he would be racing in 2010 was a distraction, he doesn’t believe it affected his or his team’s performance under first-year crew chief Rob Flynn, who replaced longtime tuners Tim and Kim Richards this season after three-plus years with David Powers Motorsports.

Crew chief Rob Flynn, right, and Bernstein would like to finish out their 2009 campaign, the team's last with Budweiser, with more wins.

“The money was still there for this year, so it’s not like we didn’t have the funds to perform at the level that my dad wants us to perform at,” said Bernstein. “It’s just part of racing. Obviously, it affects you because you’re thinking about it and wondering if you’re going to have a job next year, but I tried to put that out of my mind. I think I can honestly say that I was more concerned about trying to win a championship. If we didn’t have something by October or November, that’s when I was really going to start worrying.”

With his RIchmond victory, Bernstein jumped from seventh to fifth in the Countdown to 1. But with just two races remaining and a 120-point deficit to overcome, Bernstein knows his odds of winning the championship are not good.

“We have to go to Vegas and Pomona and win; that’s the bottom line,” said Bernstein. “We have to win both races, and we have to have some help. We just need to do our part and see where the cards fall.”

 

NHRA Vegas Style Fan Fest, the official kickoff to the 2009 NHRA Las Vegas Nationals, will take place Thursday, Oct. 29, from 6 to 8 p.m on Fremont Street in Las Vegas.

NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series stars Greg Anderson, Jason Line, Tim Wilkerson, Larry Dixon, Johnny Gray, Michael Phillips, Jeff Arend, Bob Bode, Lex Joon, Bob Tasca III, Allen Johnson, Tony Pedregon, Antron Brown, Katie Sullivan, Jeg Coughlin, Doug Horne, Ron Krisher, Jim Yates, Jack Beckman, Ryan Ondrejko, Andrew Hines, Eddie Krawiec,  V Gaines, Morgan Lucas, Shawn Langdon and Urs Erbacher. and others will participate in the autograph session.

The first 500 fans in the autograph line will receive a free special-edition poster featuring select drivers in NHRA's Countdown to 1 playoffs.

The Fremont Street Experience is an incredible entertainment complex that treats visitors to a captivating display of imagery and pulsating music via its 12.5 million LED Viva Vision screen and 555,000-watt sound system. 

The Fan Fest will take place on the 3rd Street section of Fremont Street near the Four Queens Hotel & Casino, FitzGerald Casino & Hotel, and the Fremont Hotel and Casino. The Fremont Street Experience is at 425 Fremont St., Las Vegas, NV 89101. For more information about Fremont Street, log on to www.vegasexperience.com.
 

Coca-Cola has long been committed to creating fun ways to engage the racing fan base and recently filmed an entertaining video featuring NHRA drivers Antron Brown, Clay Millican, Cory McClenathan, Steve Johnson, Hector Arana, Andrew Hines, Eddie Krawiec, Full Throttle TV host personality Jessi Combs, and Jegs chef and NHRA.com columnist Nicky Morse, who are helping to generate interest in the brand’s latest promotion, Sounds of Coca-Cola.

Coca-Cola is known for some of the world’s most iconic advertising and is turning to Facebook to find the stars of its next big commercial. The company is taking an unconventional approach to casting the new high-profile spot, offering NHRA fans and people from around the world the opportunity to audition by submitting short videos through an application available only on Facebook through Thursday, Oct. 15. The new commercial, called Sounds of Coca-Cola, will feature people demonstrating their own renditions of the distinct sounds that occur every time they enjoy a Coca-Cola.

For more information on Sounds of Coca-Cola, go here.

NHRA has officially launched NHRA Mobile, a mobile application that will bring live racing action from all 24 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series events into the palms of NHRA fans’ hands around the globe.

NHRA Mobile will be anchored by the live timing and scoring that will give fans access to real-time results, but it will also deliver news, blogs, track overviews, race schedules, team reports, points standings, and much, much more.

“Our fans have asked for this technology for quite some time, and we are excited to launch NHRA Mobile, our first major mobile initiative,” said Gary Darcy, NHRA senior vice president-sales & marketing. “We believe the new NHRA application will add tremendous value to our loyal fans seeking access to live race features as well as news and information on a 24/7 basis.” In the coming weeks, NHRA will launch a live timing component on NHRA.com. 

The service is currently available on popular mobile handsets worldwide.  The simplest way to find NHRA Mobile is to check your carrier or device content portal and search “NHRA” to find the download. If it’s not currently available for your device, please check back shortly.

The initiative involved some of the biggest names in the mobile industry, including Boost Mobile and Hands-On Mobile, the world’s leading developer and publisher of connected games and applications.

“Partnering with NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series is a great opportunity for Boost Mobile to broaden our brand and product appeal to new audiences with an application that provides real value to the fans,” said Neil Lindsay, chief marketing officer, Boost Mobile. 

Boost customers can find the Java-based application in the application’s store via Boostlive. It costs a onetime fee of $5.99 for unlimited use.

In addition to the mobile application, Boost Mobile will have a presence on NHRA.com, display and fan engagement activities at select NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series events, and broadcast elements through NHRA’s broadcast on ESPN2/ESPN2HD.  

“We are proud to have Boost Mobile as a partner on NHRA’s first major mobile initiative,” said Darcy. “We believe the new NHRA application will add tremendous value to our loyal fans seeking access to live race features as well as news and information on a 24/7 basis.”   

In 2009, NHRA has implemented a multi-pronged new-media and social-networking initiative to reach out not only to technical-savvy fans, but also to NHRA’s young fan base -- recent surveys identify NHRA as having one of the youngest fan bases among major sports properties in the United States.

In addition to the launch of NHRA Mobile, NHRA earlier this year launched pages on three of the most popular social-networking platforms: Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.
 

On the record-setting final day of the NHRA Virginia Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park, Brandon Bernstein, Del Worsham, and Mike Edwards enjoyed much-needed get-well moments at the fourth event of the six-race NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Countdown to 1 playoffs.

Both ends of the Pro Stock national record were reset, and the points scenarios in the nitro classes got a shake-up. There wasn’t a top-two car in the semifinals of Top Fuel or Funny Car; Funny Car’s final four was staked out by drivers in positions 5 through 10. Top Fuel’s top two, Tony Schumacher and Larry Dixon, went to the trailer in back-to-back races in round two, and Funny Car points leader Ashley Force Hood was a first-round casualty to red-hot Jeff Arend, who beat her for the third time in their last four meetings. Though her teammate Robert Hight, who entered the event in second place, fell in round two, he nonetheless passed Force Hood for the points lead.

Brandon Bernstein

Bernstein had been winless in Top Fuel for more than two years and eight straight final rounds, since the 2007 Brainerd event, until Antron Brown smoked the tires in the final. Bernstein, who entered the event in seventh place, reached the fifth spot with the win, the 18th of his Top Fuel career. He sealed the win with a 3.84, 307.09 pass while Brown coasted to a nine-second run.

“We needed a win for our team and for our confidence,” said Bernstein. “I can’t say enough about our Budweiser/Lucas Oil team because with that long of a drought, it could get easy to get really down on themselves and not get out of that funk, but they just stayed positive. Our whole team, my dad, everybody was just so positive, and we just kept at the grind. We knew that eventually we were going to knock down that door and get that win again.

“We had a great race car today, and it was real consistent. Rob [Flynn, crew chief] did a great job of tuning this thing today, and it was just fun to drive. It was just so smooth, and it just stayed dead straight all day long. It didn’t move around. We just had it hooked up; we really did.”

Bernstein’s path to the final round, the 32nd of his Top Fuel career and his fifth this season, was made quite a bit easier when first-round opponent Scott Weis had to shut off on the line against him and second-round foe Scott Palmer, who had upset No. 3 qualifier Spencer Massey with a fireballing pass in round one, was unable to make it back to the line to oppose the Budweiser/Lucas Oil dragster. Bernstein then moved past engine-blowing Cory McClenathan in the semifinals on a 3.85 to 3.90 score to reach the final.

Brown, who led the points for 13 of the 18 regular-season events but had won just one round in the first three playoffs events and fallen to fourth place, got a big outing when he needed it. He raced to his ninth final of the year by driving his Matco Tools digger past Chris Karamesines, Schumacher, and Doug Kalitta with a steady blitz of low-3.8-second passes. Brown’s win over Schumacher was especially important in Brown’s bid for the title, and he did it on a holeshot, 3.833 to 3.827, in a race decided by just .004-second.

Schumacher still leads the points battle by 47 over Dixon, with McClenathan third and Brown fourth, just 68 and 81, respectively, behind Schumacher.

Del Worsham

There were a lot of similarities between Funny Car finalists Worsham and Tim Wilkerson beyond the first letter of their last names. Both had been shut out from the winner’s circle after back-to-back wins earlier this year, in Madison and Bristol for Worsham and in Seattle and Sonoma for Wilkerson. Both needed a good outing to maintain any hope of a championship – Wilkerson entered the event in eighth place, Worsham in 10th -- and both got it, but Worsham’s turned out just a bit better when he beat Wilkerson’s fading entry on a 4.09 to 4.17 decision for his milestone 25th win.

“I had a good feeling this morning,” said Worsham. “You know, things were just kind of going my way. I was in the car right before first round, and I was just running through everything, and I felt the reverser. It felt OK, and then all of a sudden, it just felt too loose, and the reverser cable wasn’t hooked up. Right before they started the car, I’m screaming for the clutch guy, ‘Hook up the reverser cable.’ When you find things like that, it’s just kind of your day, and you can’t make a mistake.

“Dickie Venables and Kurt Elliott brought just an enormous amount of experience to the team — all the championships and all the runs — and all their dedication to the car just showed today. Conditions were changing all day, and they were able to stay with it. Nothing but experience can get you there, and they were able to do that.”

While his opponents were struggling, Worsham’s Venables-tuned Al-Anabi Racing Solara made three passes within two-hundredths of a second, besting tire-smoking Matt Hagan with a 4.10, blower-banging Memphis champ Arend with a 4.12, and tractionless Ron Capps with a  4.11 to reach the 38th final of his Pro career and his third this season.

Wilkerson reached his 23rd Funny Car final by moving his Levi, Ray & Shoup Mustang past defending event champ Cruz Pedregon, new points leader Hight, and Mike Neff, each time with the best pass of the round: 4.064, 4.097, and 4.106.

Worsham moved up one spot to eighth place, 135 points out of the lead; despite finishing second, Wilkerson is fifth, just 82 markers behind Hight. The top six drivers are separated by just 86 points.

Mike Edwards

The Pro Stock final had a lot riding on it, too, as it featured the top two points runners, Edwards and Greg Anderson, each shooting for his second win of the playoffs. Charlotte winner Edwards, whose driving had come under fire this year, all but put the lock on his first Pro world championship with a huge win, and he surprisingly did it on a holeshot, 6.526, 211.43 to 6.522, 212.03 after gaining a .019 to .027 starting-line advantage. With the win, scored by a narrow .004-second, Edwards leads the points by 128 markers, or six rounds, with only eight rounds of racing left.

Although Dallas champ Anderson was 30-7 career against Edwards coming into the final, he was 1-3 this season, and Edwards had the better car entering the money round. Edwards, the No. 1 qualifier at the last seven races and 13 of 22 this season, scored his fifth win of the season and the 20th of his Pro Stock career.

“This day was near-perfect,” said Edwards. “It’s unbelievable what I did here today, what my team did here today. My team was phenomenal. I know it sounds like the same ol’ story, but they’re just so good at what they do. To come out here and have this kind of performance and this kind of day is unbelievable, but I’m the same ol’ redneck I’ve always been. If I win or I don’t win, I’ll be the same person. I’m going to enjoy it while I can because my daddy always told me, ‘One day it will start raining, so get ’em while you can.’

“I’m thinking [championship], but I don’t have it yet. It’s close, but you’ve still got to stay focused. You’ve still got to keep your goals ahead. Those two Summit [drivers] are going to be burning the midnight oil to try and get back up there with me. I’m not going to count my chickens yet before they hatch. But I’m living my dream right now, and I’m real close to it right now.”

Edwards got his day off to a big start by pounding out a 6.509, the quickest pass in class history and a new national record (backed up by his 6.53 qualifying pass), to dismiss V. Gaines. After running 6.53 in round two, the sixth-quickest pass in class history, to trailer Rodger Brogdon, Edwards caught a real break when Jason Line red-lighted against him in the semifinals. Edwards’ ART/Young Life Pontiac experienced tire shake and got very loose, almost crossing the centerline, but he hauled it back under control and coasted to a 17-second win to reach his 10th final of the season and the 39th final of his Pro Stock career.

Anderson, who was going for his 60th win in his 87th final, had reached the money round, his fifth of the season, with a strong car of his own. Anderson’s Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac had been spectacularly consistent in the first three rounds, running a career-best 6.517 at 212.36 in round one to defeat Dave Northrop and reset the national speed record. Anderson then beat his brother-in-law, Ronnie Humphrey, in a narrow 6.528 to 6.55 battle, then raced past upset-minded Larry Morgan, the 12th-place driver in points, with another 6.528, both of which were the third-quickest passes in class history.

Lucas Oil Sportsman wins went to Bucky Hess, who collected his first win in Super Stock, as well as Brad Zaskowski (Stock), James Antonette Sr. (Super Comp), and Michael Ruff (Super Gas).

Related stories
Friday: Cory Mac, Force Hood, Edwards are opening-day leaders in Virginia
Saturday: Beckman, Dixon, Edwards lead after a quick day in Virginia
 

Larry Dixon

Jack Beckman

Beckman lived up to his “Fast Jack” moniker by grabbing the No. 1 spot in the final session of Funny Car qualifying with a 4.044 to earn his first No. 1 spot of the season with Don Schumacher’s Johnny West-tuned Valvoline Engine Guarantee Charger. The run is a career best by .004-second.

“There were some quality cars behind us, but that was a stout number,” said Beckman. “I knew we didn’t leave a whole lot on the table that run, so they were going to have to be darn-near perfect for them to get around us. It’s always interesting watching the television monitor down [at the top end] and watching all these cars flames roof high, right down the middle of the lane, charging. In your mind, you’re thinking, ‘That’s going to be pretty close.’ A lot of them came close after they ran.

“I think Tommy DeLago [teammate Matt Hagan’s crew chief] can take a bow for helping us run that number because he showed us what the track was capable of. When people go out there and run a 4.09, you think, ‘OK, if we can hit a homerun, we can run a 4.08.’ Well, he goes out there and runs a 4.05 in the third session, so I think Tommy D. showed us what the bar was set at. We knew that the track was going to give us low-4.04s if we hit the tune-up right.”

DSR teammate Ron Capps, trying to make up ground after a disappointing playoffs outing so far, pushed his special-edition Susan G. Komen NAPA Auto Parts Dodge to the No. 2 spot with a 4.046, also in the spectacular event session, while Matt Hagan, who led the field after three sessions after posing a career-best 4.051 in the day’s first session, finished third with the Tommy DeLago-wrenched Fram/Shelor Charger to make it a 1-2-3 finish for Schumacher Racing.

Tin Wilkerson wheeled his Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford to a career-best 4.052 for the fourth spot while Robert Hight, who holds the track e.t. record at 4.005, set here last year, finished fifth with a 4.059. Hight’s teammate, points leader Ashley Force Hood, led Friday's qualifying but will start from the No. 6 position after booting her Dean Antonelli- and Ron Douglas-tuned Castrol GTX Mustang to a 4.066 at 311.27 mph, the third fastest speed in the 1,000-foot era and a track record. She picked up another two bonus points Saturday to go with her six from Friday and could reset the national record Sunday if she can better her own 312.13 record.

Former Top Fuel racer John “Bodie” Smith qualified in his Funny Car debut on the bump spot with a 4.82 and will take on Beckman in round one.

Mike Edwards

Cory McClenathan

McClenathan, one of the winningest drivers in the history of this event, having won in 1995, 1998, 1999, and in 2006, already has one 2009 Countdown win to his credit, in Charlotte, and is putting himself and his Fram Tough Guard team in prime position for another after grabbing the Top Fuel pole with a solid 3.815 Friday evening. Cory Mac’s only other No. 1 spot this year came in Bristol.

“We need those three points,” said McClenathan. “That was nice to see. We’re also looking at cooler conditions tomorrow and if we don’t have any rain, then there is still an opportunity to run quicker, and obviously my teammate Tony [Schumacher] will try to do so. There are 15 cars here, and that puts us in a great position for lane choice. At the same time, we come here to Richmond and for some reason we just happen to do well. It’s good mojo.”

“Lanny Miglizzi said that this is probably the best we’ve seen this track in a lot of years. When I was running down through there and got to about half track, I thought, ‘This is on a very good run. I thought an .82 or an .83, so when they said .81, I was a little bit surprised. I think it’ll hold for tomorrow, but if it gets cooler, you know what we’re going to try to do. We’re going to try to run quicker.”

No Top Fuel driver earned bonus points in both sessions as the first-session leaders struggled a bit in their later try, allowing three new drivers to take the top spots. Brandon Bernstein snagged the No. 2 position with his Budweiser/Copart dragster at 3.832, just ahead of points leader and defending event champ Schumacher, who clocked a 3.835 in his U.S. Army dragster.

Antron Brown, who led the first qualifying session with a 3.856 from his Matco digger, slipped to fourth when he was unable to better than number while second-place points runner Larry Dixon did likewise after he couldn’t improve on his earlier 3.859. Spencer Massey, third quickest in the opening frame, slid to sixth.

Just 14 dragsters made passes Friday and comebacking homestate Scott Weis sits with the 12th and final e.t. that will transfer into Saturday’s final two qualifying sessions with a 4.076. Terry Haddock is on the grounds but did not make a pass, so if only 15 cars are on hand, drivers will be battling for the No. 1 qualifying position and a first-round bye run.

Ashley Force Hood

Force Hood came into the event leading teammate Hight by just three points and doubled that edge by earning six bonus points to his three in the first two sessions. Force Hood’s Castrol GTX Mustang was the quickest in both sessions with runs of 4.140 and 4.094, the latter of which has her halfway to what would be her sixth No. 1 position of the season.

“Every little point here and there is going to help,” said Force Hood. “It could be today’s few points that could make or break the championship at the end of the year, so we’re trying not to give away any run, especially when the conditions are just so nice, the track’s so nice, and it’s all there. It’s a frustrating thing when you don’t make it down the track when it could have been a stellar run. We made both runs A to B really strong today. We’re really pumped up for this weekend. We started off really strong, but we’ve got to keep going.

“I know going up there when ‘Guido’ [Dean Antonelli, crew chief] tells me right before he starts the car, ‘Make sure you get real tight in your staging,’ I knew he’s obviously going out for something. He’ll also say when they’re making last-minute adjustments in the staging lanes, ‘The hamster’s happy,’ which I think means everything’s good and they’re very confident in how they’ve tuned it and are ready to go up there. [On this run], he did say, ‘The hamster’s happy,’ and then right before we started the car, he said, ‘Make sure to keep it staged tight,’ so I knew we didn’t want to give any little bit away.”

Upstart Memphis winner Jeff Arend and the sky-high Kalitta team are showing their victory was no fluke as Arend piloted the team’s DHL Toyota to the No. 2 spot with a 4.10 and sits one spot ahead of Hight’s Automobile Club of Southern California Mustang. Hight’s 4.15 was the second quickest pass of the first session, and even though he improved to a 4.110, it was the round’s third best run and dropped him back one spot. Behind them in Cruz Pedregon, who at this point last seasons began a three-race win streak that carried him to the season championship. Pedregon’s Advance Auto Parts Toyota ran a best of 4.119.

Mike Neff sits in the No. 12 spot with his special-edition Ford Drive One Mustang after clocking a 4.144. Five other drivers, including championship hopefuls Tim Wilkerson and Ron Capps, will need to bump their way into the quick 16 if they want to make the field for eliminations.

Mike Edwards

Edwards gobbled up another six qualifying bonus points by powering his ART/Young Life Pontiac to the best passes of each session, opening with a 6.620 and following up with a 6.606 that has him halfway to his 13th No. 1 spot in the season’s first 22 events.

“It has been a phenomenal year and a dream season,” said Edwards. “I’m literally living my dream with this sport that I’ve enjoyed doing for a long time. We did accomplish our goal of the day and that’s to pick up those valuable six points. We feel good about that. We didn’t make the best run that last run there, but it was good enough.

“I just go out and try to race the track and the conditions and make the very best run we possibly can. Whatever it ends up being, we just hope it’s good enough.”

Summit teammates Greg Anderson and Jason Line closed the gap on Edwards in the evening session, but their respective 6.627 and 6.630 passes still left them second and third. Anderson also was second-quick in the first session, netting him four bonus points on the day; Line got one and Johnny Gray, whose Dodge was the third quickest of the opening session got one. Gray improved on his morning 6.644 with a 6.634 to grab the No. 4 spot.

Steve Spiess holds the all-important No. 12 spot with his Spiess Construction Cobalt with a 6.657. With 20 teams on hand, including Ryan Ondrejko in hometown favorite Jim Yates’ machine, there will be much battling for the final 16 positions.

 

NHRA has announced that a limited number of $20 Race Fan Relief tickets – a savings of up to $29 per ticket – will be made available for the Nov. 12-15 Auto Club NHRA Finals, the climactic race in NHRA’s six-race playoff, the Countdown to 1.

The offer is available for advance purchase only on a first-come, first-served basis and is limited to 1,500 tickets for each day of the four-day event. To purchase fan-relief tickets, enter the password “relief” on the appropriate Ticketmaster page or call 800-884-NHRA (6472) and mention “fan-relief offer.”

NHRA has also partnered with Ticketmaster to eliminate service and convenience fees on tickets purchased through Ticketmaster.com, via Ticketmaster phone lines, or at Ticketmaster outlets. Fans purchasing tickets through Ticketmaster may pick up their tickets at the ticket office will-call window on race day or they may have their tickets delivered for a fee.

NHRA is also reaching out to families and fans in the military: Children 12 and younger accompanied by a paying adult will be admitted free on any of the four days of the event to general-admission areas, and NHRA is offering any active U.S. military personnel a free reserved-seat ticket on-site Friday, Nov. 13.
 
Great seats remain available at regular price for all days of the event. For more ticket information about the Auto Club NHRA Finals, call 800 884-4762 or purchase your tickets online at ticketmaster.com.

 

The first incident involved Bob Tasca III and his Ford Motorcraft Quick Lane Ford Shelby Mustang. The wheel was immediately examined by NHRA Technical Department personnel and after the event was sent to the SFI Foundation Inc. for further inspection. The wheel has also been examined by the original fabricator. Based on initial inspections, NHRA issued a technical bulletin advising teams of wheel inspection and maintenance issues. In the meantime, the wheel is continuing to be examined by SFI and has been sent to a metallurgist for further evaluation.

In Memphis, NHRA tech officials examined the wheel components in the incident involving Dan Wilkerson and his Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford Mustang. After initial examinations and discussions with team owner Tim Wilkerson, NHRA has determined that the wheel was not properly installed.

“We believe that both wheels' lug nuts were not properly torque due to misaligned wheel spacers,” said Wilkerson. “That contributed to the loss of the wheels during the run.”

This week, NHRA’s Technical Department issued a technical bulletin on proper installation of the wheels with and without spacers. Further metallurgical analysis is planned on the wheel studs from the Wilkerson vehicle to determine if any other factors were involved in the incident.

As in all incidents, NHRA will also examine data recorded by the Ford Accident Recorders and the onboard data-acquisition systems from both cars to further analyze these incidents.

“While we have some strong preliminary information from both incidents at this time, it is important to make sure that a thorough analysis is done,” said Glen Gray, NHRA vice president-technical operations. “If any additional information is obtained from the investigations of either incident, it will be shared immediately with our Top Fuel and Funny Car teams.”
 

The visit will receive corporate support from GEICO Powersports, Lucas Oil, Toyota, and Mach 1 Global Services.

"We're very excited to have this opportunity to visit our troops," Lucas said. "I consider this a huge honor, and I can't wait to get over there and meet all the soldiers, Marines, and Air Force personnel that have dedicated their lives to protecting our country and preserving the American way of life."

The Randall Shughart Chapter of the Army Special Forces Association, based in Carlisle, Pa., will again serve as host for the NHRA tour, which has been conducted for the last four years with support from General Motors. Retired Sgt. 1st Class Howard W. Reed Jr. and retired Maj. Dieter H. B. Protsch will lead the contingent when they arrive in country.

"They've done a great job in the past, and we're proud to take the torch from them and move forward," Lucas said. "I've talked to many of the drivers that have been over there, and they tell me it's a life-changing experience. I know they plan to keep us real busy so we can visit as many people as possible, so we'll hit the ground running."

The NHRA group will visit Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, the Wounded Warrior Center, the 1st Battalion of the 10th Special Forces Group in Stuttgart, the 435th Security Forces Squadron, Kaiserslautern Military Community Center, the Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Armored Division, the 86th Services Squadron in Weisbaden, the 435th Contingency Response Group, the Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility, the 86th Vehicle Readiness Squadron, the 21st Operations Weather Squadron, and the Ramstein PAX Terminal.

At each stop, goody bags filled with NHRA items will be distributed to service personnel. Lucas is requesting donations from his fellow drivers and team owners to help fill the bags.

"We're looking for T-shirts, stickers, autographed hero cards, small diecasts, key chains, really anything that's race-related that we can fit into a regular-sized souvenir bag," Lucas said. "The racing community always comes up big in situations like this, and I'm asking everyone to support this cause. It's all for the troops."

Interested parties should ship donations to:

Morgan Lucas Racing
Attn: USO Tour
481 Southpoint Circle
Brownsburg, IN 46112-2205

Now that veteran Top Fuel driver Cory McClenathan is in the hunt for a world championship title, he’s not changing anything about his approach to race weekends.

McClenathan has experience in championship battles. He has finished second four times during his great career. He has finished third three other times, including last season.

After winning the first playoff race in Charlotte and finishing in the quarterfinals in Dallas and Memphis, McClenathan is certainly capable of hoisting the trophy at the NHRA awards ceremony.

He knows from experience that patience and consistency are the necessary ingredients as NHRA Professional category teams make the stretch run to glory in the Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.

McClenathan will continue his quest to win that elusive first world championship crown with a strong showing at the 4th annual NHRA Virginia Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park near Richmond. The race is the 22nd of 24 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series and the fourth of six races in the Countdown to 1, NHRA’s championship playoffs. Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel), Cruz Pedregon (Funny Car), and Dave Connolly (Pro Stock) are the defending winners of the race, which will be televised on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD.

McClenathan, who sits third in the points standings following the recent event in Memphis, has had great success at VMP over the years. He is the winningest Top Fuel driver at the track with four victories, his last in 2006. He was runner-up there in 1997.

“As soon as we rolled in there the first year in Richmond, we've done well ever since,” McClenathan said. “I go in there very comfortable. I go in there thinking we're going to go rounds on Sunday. I don't go in there thinking we’re going to win every single race, but obviously, I'm very comfortable going in there, and I can't wait to get there this time because right now, every point matters, and we need them.”

He says his Fram Tough Guard team will head to Virginia with a familiar strategy.

“Our goal is the same as always,” McClenathan explained. “Go in there, get qualified well on Friday afternoon, try to run good Friday night, and pick up some of those extra qualifying points that they're now offering [three, two, and one for the top three qualifiers in each qualifying round] to give us a little cushion points-wise before eliminations on Sunday.”

He says his team, made up entirely of a crew with the majority of experience tuning Funny Cars, has bonded and done an awesome job this season tuning a Top Fuel dragster. He says the team will be focused on making the dragster as consistent as possible and not worrying about counting points. 

“[Crew chiefs] Phil [Shuler] and Todd [Okuhara] and the Fram Tough Guard boys will do exactly what they're supposed to, which is forget about the points deal and go in there and get qualified well and work on it for Sunday,” McClenathan said. “We've attacked every single race that way this year, and I don't want to change things. It's just about going in there and taking one round at a time on Sunday, and if all goes well, we'll go the semi's or to the final, keep on earning points, and make the last [few] races of the playoffs very exciting.”

In addition to McClenathan, the favorites in Top Fuel are six-time and defending world champ Schumacher, who won this race last year as he marched to the season title. Schumacher, the points leader, has won five times this season in his U.S. Army dragster and recently won a playoff race in Dallas and was runner-up at the Memphis playoff stop. Larry Dixon, who is second in the points standings in his Al-Anabi Racing dragster, has also won five times this season and sits poised to make a run for his third championship crown.

Defending race winner and world champ Pedregon didn’t qualify for the Countdown to 1 playoffs this year, but he will be at the event working hard to defend his race win. His brother, Tony Pedregon, has been near the front of the pack all season in his Quaker State Chevy Impala and has won three races and is third in the standings. Points leader Ashley Force Hood holds a three-point lead over teammate Robert Hight. Don Schumacher Racing’s Jack Beckman and Ron Capps are also major contenders for the race win and the championship.

In Pro Stock, Mike Edwards has come on strong in the playoffs and took over the points lead with a win in Charlotte and strong showings in Dallas and Memphis. He is ahead of three-time world champ Greg Anderson, who recently won in Dallas, and Jason Line, the Memphis winner. Others to watch in the 200-mph category include past VMP winners Jeg Coughlin and Greeneville, Tenn.’s Allen Johnson.

SCHEDULE: Pro qualifying sessions for the NHRA Virginia Nationals are scheduled for 1:30 and 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9, and noon and 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10. Final eliminations begin at 11 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 11.

TICKETS: For tickets for the NHRA Virginia Nationals, call 804-862-3174 or log on to www.ticketmaster.com.

ON TV: ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise two hours of qualifying coverage at 10:30 p.m. ET Saturday, Oct. 10. On Sunday, Oct. 11, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will feature NHRA Race Day presented by Lucas Oil, a 30-minute pre-race show, at 11 a.m. ET and three hours of eliminations coverage at 7 p.m. ET.

 

On behalf of NAPA, Ron Capps and the NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Funny Car team will showcase Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the world's largest breast cancer advocacy organization, at this weekend's 4th annual NHRA Virginia Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park, outside of Richmond.

The body of the NAPA Dodge will sport a brilliant paint scheme as part of a unique initiative designed to raise $250,000 by highlighting the importance of preventive maintenance for both the body and the vehicle.

"We recognize the devastating effects cancer has on both the mind and body and are excited to actively join the millions fighting for a cure each day," said Bob Susor, NAPA president. "Our $250,000 donation is made on behalf of everyone affiliated with NAPA, as all of us care deeply for those affected by this debilitating disease."
 
The partnership includes a number of initiatives designed to help raise awareness:
 
* Consumers who spend $25 or more at participating NAPA Auto Parts sores or NAPA AutoCare Centers in October receive a unique NAPA/Susan G. Komen for the Cure travel mug free.

* The NAPA No. 55 NASCAR Sprint Cup car will feature a Susan G. Komen for the Cure paint scheme Oct. 17 in Charlotte (broadcast on ABC), and the NAPA NHRA Funny Car will feature a similar paint scheme Oct. 9-11 in Richmond (broadcast on ESPN2).
 
"Our service technicians preach the importance of regular preventive maintenance for your vehicle, and the same principle applies for the attention your body needs," added Susor.
 
Approximately 87 percent of donations, like the one from NAPA, go directly toward Susan G. Komen for the Cure’s promise to end breast cancer forever by funding live-saving research and community outreach projects. For more information, log on to www.NAPAOnline.com or www.komen.org.

"I am proud to be a part of this unique initiative to support a great cause," said Capps, who has helped raise money for Susan G. Komen for the Cure through his racing efforts apart from competing in the NHRA Full Throttle Series.

As for his effort this weekend to keep himself in the hunt for his first Funny Car world championship at the fourth of six events of the Countdown to 1 playoffs: "We're pretty sure the weather conditions in Richmond are going to be much like they were last year," said Capps, who is fifth in the Countdown to 1 playoffs standings, just 88 out of first place. "There were some outstanding runs last year when the track cooled off. We really needed a great run in Memphis [last weekend plus Monday] to get back in the hunt, and that's what we got.

"And now it's encouraging for us, and we're just hopeful the track can hold the power the teams are expected to put down. But, personally, I feel 'Ace' [crew chief Ed McCulloch] and the NAPA guys gave a good handle on our race car after bringing our 'old' chassis back out.

"Robert Hight went 4-flat there last year, and there were some low 4.0s. It could be risky, but there are 20 points looming out there for anybody who can break the national record, which we hold right now [4.023 seconds], and back it up by 1 percent that same weekend.

"Don't think there's not going to be some teams shooting for that. Those extra 20 points could decide a championship," added Capps, who was runner-up in Virginia in 2000 and 2007.

Four NHRA rookie drivers, representative of three Pro categories, have been selected as nominees for the 2009 Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award, it was announced by officials from NHRA and the Automobile Club of Southern California.

The nominees for the prestigious award are, in alphabetical order, Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Doug Horne (Pro Stock Motorcycle), Shawn Langdon (Top Fuel), and Spencer Massey (Top Fuel).

The award, which recognizes the top rookie competitor in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series and offers a $20,000 prize and traditional trophy to the winner, will be presented during NHRA’s annual championship awards ceremony Monday, Nov. 16, at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles.

“For more than 100 years, the Automobile Club of Southern California has represented outstanding commitment and professionalism to our millions of members. The Road to the Future Award has come to symbolize these same attributes in the sport of NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing,” said Thomas V. McKernan, chief executive officer of the Automobile Club of Southern California. “To be nominated recognizes not only that a rookie driver had a noteworthy first season, but also that they demonstrated exceptional potential for the future. We congratulate all four of the nominees for this year’s award and look forward to enjoying their achievements both on and off the racetrack for many years to come.”

Matt Hagan	Doug Horne
Shawn Langdon	Spencer Massey

Hagan, 26, from Christiansburg, Va., drove his Valvoline/Shelor.com Dodge Charger to runner-up finishes in Las Vegas in the spring and Charlotte. He also posted a No. 1 qualifying effort in Sonoma.

Horne, 21, from Aberdeen, Md., rode his Horne Concrete Buell to back-to-back runner-up finishes in Houston and Atlanta and claimed his first No. 1 qualifying position in Chicago. He qualified for the Countdown to 1 in Pro Stock Motorcycle and is sixth in the points standings with two bike races remaining. 

Langdon, 27, from Mira Loma, Calif., powered his Lucas Oil/Dixie Chopper dragster to a runner-up finish in Charlotte and a No. 1 qualifying performance in Las Vegas in the spring. Langdon qualified for the Countdown to 1 in Top Fuel and is sixth in the standings with three races to go.

Massey, 27, from Fort Worth, Texas, raced to three final rounds, including a victory in Chicago, in his U.S. Smokeless dragster. Massey qualified No. 1 in Atlanta and posted a runner-up finish at that event. He also was runner-up in Reading. He qualified for the Countdown to 1 and is eight in the points standings with three races to go.

In 2002, the Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award and the NHRA Rookie of the Year Award were combined to create one award recognizing the future stars of the sport. Past winners of the Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award have developed into some of NHRA’s biggest stars, including Tony Pedregon (1996, Funny Car), Ron Capps (1997, Funny Car), Doug Kalitta (1998, Top Fuel), Antron Brown (1999, Pro Stock Motorcycle), Melanie Troxel (2000, Top Fuel), GT Tonglet (2001, Pro Stock Motorcycle), Gene Wilson (2002, Pro Stock), Brandon Bernstein (2003, Top Fuel), Jason Line (2004, Pro Stock), Robert Hight (2005, Funny Car), J.R. Todd (2006, Top Fuel), Ashley Force Hood (2007, Funny Car), and Mike Neff (2008, Funny Car).

NHRA Rookie of the Year winners prior to the merger of the two awards included the late Darrell Russell (2001, Top Fuel), Don Lampus (2000, Top Fuel), Scotty Cannon (1999, Funny Car), Jeg Coughlin (1998, Pro Stock), Gary Scelzi (1997, Top Fuel), and co-winners in 1996, Mike Edwards (Pro Stock) and Matt Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle).

Rookie drivers in all four of NHRA’s Professional categories are eligible to win the Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award. More than 125 of the nation’s most distinguished auto racing journalists will select the winner through a voting system based on the following criteria: number of events participated in, performance on and off the racetrack, participation in NHRA promotions, and relationships with fans, sponsors, and media.

In addition to the Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award, the company is the title sponsor for the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals, Nov. 12-15 at historic Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. The company also is a major sponsor for John Force Racing, providing primary sponsorship for the Mustang driven by Hight as well as associate sponsorship for the Ford Mustangs driven by John Force, Force Hood, and Neff. In addition, the company is the presenting sponsor for the California Hot Rod Reunion and the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum.

The Automobile Club of Southern California is the largest affiliate of AAA. Today, the Auto Club’s members benefit by the organization’s emergency road service, financial products, travel agency and trip-planning services, highway and transportation safety programs, insurance products and services, automotive pricing, buying, and financing programs, and automotive testing and analysis.
 

Jeff Arend scored an emotional win in Funny Car, and Morgan Lucas, Jason Line, and Michael Phillips boosted their championship hopes with victories at the rain-delayed conclusion to the 22nd annual O'Reilly NHRA Mid-South Nationals presented by Pennzoil at Memphis Motorsports Park.

Arend, who was named the successor to the late Scott Kalitta at midseason 2008, last won in 1996 in Reading, where he defeated Tony Pedregon in the final, and it was Pedregon, gunning to close on the points leaders, also in the final this time, but the results were the same. Lucas in Top Fuel, Line in Pro Stock, and Phillips in Pro Stock Motorcycle used huge wins to jump to fifth, second, and third, respectively, as the six-race Countdown to 1 playoffs reached their midpoint. Eliminations, which were canceled Sunday due to persistent rain, began an hour late Monday but finished with a fury in front of a weary but thrilled crowd.

Morgan Lucas

Lucas, who entered the season without a Top Fuel win on his résumé, scored his third of the year in an upset over Tony Schumacher after both drivers had trouble. Lucas persevered best, riding his Jimmy Walsh-tuned GEICO Powersports machine to a 5.13 to 8.21 victory.

“It’s funny how wins happen,” said Lucas. “Sometimes the car is on; sometimes you’re on; sometimes you’re both on. I felt like everything was working today. The last thing I thought about in the final was the car shaking, smoking the tires, or doing anything stupid. When it did, it was awesome, because it got sideways, got out of it, and I thought I was going to go over the centerline for a second. It’s so intense and emotional for only happening within a couple seconds.

“I went five years without winning one of these. When you get used to not winning, you learn how to keep persevering, lose gracefully, and enjoy the times when you can win. The championship isn’t something I even considered at the beginning of the year, but we hope this is the momentum change that we needed.”

Lucas, who also scored in Atlanta and Brainerd, reached the final after sitting down teammate Shawn Langdon and points front-runner Larry Dixon with a pair of 3.87s, then picked up to a 3.849 in the semifinals to defeat upset-minded Steve Torrence.

Schumacher, winner a week ago in Dallas, continued his hot streak, reaching his third final round at the last four races with his Mike Green-tuned U.S. Army dragster. Schumacher opened eliminations with an uncontested 3.82 win when Terry Haddock couldn’t return after his burnout, then pounded out a 3.83 in the second round to defeat Bob Vandergriff Jr. and a 3.843 in the semifinals against Doug Kalitta that earned him lane choice for his 95th title bout.

Jeff Arend

Arend, who until the Reading event this season had not won a round in more than a year behind the wheel of Connie Kalitta's DHL Solara Funny Car, won three at the last four events and continued to only get better in Memphis, collecting the second national event of his career and his first in 13 years when Pedregon smoked the tires in the final. Arend looked good in winning, running a solid 4.09 at 310.41 mph, the fourth-fastest pass in class history at 1,000 feet.

“Everyone had tears in their eyes at the end of the track, myself included,” said an emotional Arend. “I know how big this is for Connie [Kalitta, team owner] after continuing to run this Funny Car after going through the ultimate tragedy. He did it because what he and Scott wanted to do was to have a competitive Funny Car. I think we proved today that we have one now.

“[Alan Johnson/Al-Anabi Racing crew chief] Aaron Brooks has been helping us a little bit. [Crew chiefs] Jim Oberhofer and Nick Boninfante [Jr.] were close, but we would run good and then go back up and not run good. It’s been 13 years since I last won in Maple Grove. The funny thing is, that win in 1996 was in the same chassis that Scott won with in Houston in 1989.”

Arend opened with an easy win over tire-smoking Jack Beckman and followed with victories over John Force and Ashley Force Hood. Arend beat Force in a tight 4.10 to 4.17 second-round clash, then won an even closer duel with Force's daughter in the semifinals, 4.10 to 4.11. Despite her loss to Arend, Force Hood took over the points lead and is ahead of brother-in-law and teammate Robert Hight by just three points.

Pedregon, the No. 1 seed entering the playoffs, had lost in the first round of both Countdown events but bounced back in spectacular fashion in Memphis. Pedregon's route to the final round was a wild one, including his opening 4.10 blast to defeat Mike Neff's Mustang and his second-round conquest of tire-smoking Matt Hagan. Pedregon exploded the supercharger downtrack, sending his car's Nitro Fish-themed body soaring, causing Hagan to get back on to the throttle, but Pedregon still tripped the win light, 5.22 to 5.31. Pedregon and team popped their Herzog-branded body on their machine, then calmly beat Ron Capps, 4.10 to 4.11, to reach the final, Pedregon's 75th. Pedregon moved up one spot to third place, just 26 points behind Force Hood.

Jason Line

With his final-round victory over red-lighting Ron Krisher, Line moved past teammate Greg Anderson and into second place in the Pro Stock standings behind Mike Edwards. Line posted a solid 6.567, 210.05 in his Summit Pontiac for his fifth win of the season in nine final-round appearances. The win is the 20th of Line's Pro Stock career.

“For us, it’s just about winning races,” said Line. “Fortunately, they pay someone else to count the points. We came through today somehow. We haven’t done a great job in the last couple weeks. I didn’t do a great job behind the wheel today, but it was good enough, and my car carried me through.

“It was a lucky win in a lot of ways. We didn’t have the performance advantage by any means; Mike Edwards was crushing us. Greg and I still have a great shot at winning the championship. We need to be perfect from here on out, but it’s still possible.”

Line, who had recorded just one round-win in the first two races of the Countdown playoffs, got better in a hurry Monday by racing to the 43rd final of his Pro Stock career in victories over Steve Schmidt, Allen Johnson, and Anderson with passes of 6.61, 6.60, and 6.59.

Krisher, winner earlier this year in Houston, entered the event needing a solid performance to keep his championship hopes alive and got it from his Valvoline Cobalt, qualifying fifth and racing past Kurt Johnson and Rodger Brogdon with runs of 6.60 and 6.65, then taking down No. 1 qualifier and points leader Edwards in the semifinals with a stunning 6.59 to Edwards' slowing 6.69. Despite the loss, Edwards, who had run a strong 6.57 in round two, held on to his points lead, which now stands at 78 over Line and 81 over Anderson.

Michael Phillips

Phillips, who entered the Pro Stock Motorcycle Countdown playoffs on a hot streak with runner-ups in Reading and Indy, used a huge weekend that began with top speed of the meet in qualifying and ended with a stunning conquest of second-place Eddie Krawiec, 6.93, 193 to  6.94, 192.22, to vault to third place in the standings. The win was Phillips' first since the 2003 Reading event and his third in eight finals.

“This is great,” said Phillips. “We’ve been struggling for the last three years. I lost the whole setup on my bike in 2006. Craig Treble rewired my bike in the middle of the year. I got to studying my computer, and everything started coming together. After qualifying this weekend, I took my clutch to Jerry Eckman, and he showed me some things that helped my bike with the short times. I’m just trying to be a player with these guys.

“I don’t have a big rig; I have a real small trailer, and I’m out here in my ‘Underdog.’ I didn’t know I had so many fans, but they all came over and told me they like to cheer for the little guy. I won two divisionals here in Memphis, so this track has been good to me.”

Phillips reached his third in the last five finals by racing past Treble and GT Tonglet with matching 6.93s, then getting a huge break when Hector Arana, winner of the last three events, red-lighted for the eighth time this season (but for the first time in the playoffs) with a -.007 reaction. Arana, whose 6.85 in qualifying was the quickest pass in class history, backed it up with a 6.91 (and later a 6.88) to set the new record and left the event with his points lead intact by 28 markers on Krawiec.

Krawiec, who went to seven straight runner-ups and earned the 2008 world championship without winning a single event, was denied his fifth win in his 10th final this season and a chance to close on Arana. Krawiec had powered his Screamin' Eagle/Vance & Hines Harley past  Bailey Whitaker with a 6.97, then ran a 6.95 after rookie of the year contender Doug Horne fouled against him. Krawiec got quicker still in the final four with a 6.92 to win a close match by just .009-second over fellow championship hopeful Matt Smith and his Suzuki, 6.92 to 6.94.

Related stories
Friday: Track records tumble in Memphis; Dixon, Hight, Edwards, Hines lead
Saturday: Arana's blast highlights final qualifying in Memphis; Dixon, Hight, Edwards also lead

Former NHRA Pro Stock and Sport Compact racer Shaun Carlson died Oct. 4. He was 35. Carlson had been diagnosed with Brugada syndrome, also known as Sudden Unexpected Death Syndrome (SUDS), a genetic disease that is characterized by abnormal electrocardiogram findings and an increased risk of sudden cardiac death, but it is unknown whether that contributed to his death.

Carlson, a talented fabricator who was the car owner for former world drifting champion Samuel Hübinette in the Formula Drift series, had been ill the last few years yet continued to field his team.

Carlson, owner of NuFormz Engineering in Ontario, Calif., had been racing since 1999 but first came to national prominence on the sport compact scene, where his front-wheel-drive machines were strong and innovative runners; he built the first sport compact drag car with a tube chassis.

Carlson set NHRA Sport Compact Racing Series Pro FWD records for e.t. and speed in May 2003 in Gainesville, where he captured his first NHRA victory. He finished third in the standings on the strength of four semifinal finishes. He also scored a victory at the inaugural Palm Beach NHRA Sport Compact Nationals in Florida in 2005 and drove to final-round appearance at the 2004 NHRA Sport Compact Fall Nationals in Englishtown. He also was the No. 1 qualifier at Texas Motorplex in August 2004; he finished fourth that season. Outside of NHRA, he was the 2002 Xbox Cup champion in the Pro Outlaw class.

Carlson got his first taste of NHRA Professional racing in 2004, when he subbed for an injured Darrell Alderman in Pro Stock at the season opener, where he grabbed a first-round win and nearly advanced to the semifinals in his debut.

Two years later, he piloted the Team Mopar/SRT Dodge Stratus R/T for Don Schumacher Racing in the NHRA Pro Stock class for the 2006 season. He competed at 15 events but only qualified at one, in Las Vegas in the spring, and finished 25th in the standings. Carlson used his mechanical skills to assist Allen and Roy Johnson, owners of J&J Racing, in tuning friend Richie Stevens Jr.’s Team Mopar/Valspar Dodge Stratus R/T during the latter part of the season, helping Stevens earn two late-season wins in 2006.

After leaving drag racing, Carlson became involved in professional drifting. NuFormz Racing maintained the Mopar Viper Competition Coupe that Hübinette piloted to the 2004 inaugural Need for Speed Underground Formula D Drift Series championship. Hübinette earned two wins for NuFormz Racing in 2005 and scored a runner-up finish in the Formula Drift standings, then won the 2006 Formula D championship on the strength of three wins. Hübinette captured a fifth-place finish in the final 2007 Formula Drift points standings and finished second again in 2008 after three podium finishes in his NuFormz Racing-prepped Mopar Dodge Viper SRT10.

Carlson was named as one of the Top Ten Innovators of All Time in the sport compact and drifting scene by Super Street magazine. 

Services for Carlson will be on Monday Oct. 12 at 1 p.m. at Calvary Chapel Chino Valley, 12205 N. Pipeline Avenue, Chino, CA. 91710
 

Sunday’s ESPN2 program will air as planned at 7 p.m. Eastern, and eliminations will air Monday night at the same time, 7-10 p.m. Eastern.

The Full Throttle Pros had a day of sitting and waiting Monday, and found ways to kill the time until officials were forced to call off the day’s activities at 3 p.m.

Jack Beckman

Jack Beckman, driver of the Valvoline/Mail Terminal Services Dodge Funny Car, who qualified second and faces Jeff Arend in the opening round of eliminations, commented, "Today I’ve done the driver intros that we have in the Don Schumacher Racing hospitality area and met with the honorary crew members who bid at that auction we had to raise money for a special cause. Since we haven’t done anything on the race track, I took them on an extensive tour of the facility here.

"I’ve signed some autographs for the fans who were hearty enough to come by in the rain. I signed a stack of items for our Mail Terminal Services employees who are going to one of the terminals soon, and hung out with the crew for awhile.

“A lot of people put so much into the psychology. It’s simple, if it rains we don’t race and if it dries up, we do. Drag racing is interesting. For most other forms of motorsports, once the car starts you keep going until the race is over. With drag racing, on a good day, you are in the car four different times so you’ve got to kind of even out your temperament or it can be a roller coaster ride sometimes. So I don’t care about the rain, really.”

Ron Capps

Ron Capps, driving the NAPA Adaptive One Brakes Dodge Funny Car, who faces rookie Daniel Wilkerson, 21-year-old son of Funny Car racer Tim Wilkerson, in the opening round, commented, "It doesn't disrupt us. This is what we do for a living, so it's not like we need to go back to work on a Monday. It's unfortunate for the fans. You try to go out there and sign autographs even though it's in the rain and everybody is getting wet. But you want to make sure that the die-hard fans that come out to walk around in the rain and get soaking wet at least go home with some autographs. It's good to see all the drivers out there.

“From a standpoint of getting ready for the racing, I've learned from hanging out with the people who have been in the business for a long time that you can't control it, so there's no reason to get that excited.

"I did, however, tell some of Daniel Wilkerson's guys that I think Daniel has to be back in school on Monday," Capps said, with a laugh. "If he doesn’t, I'm going to call his teachers and tell them that he needs to get back in class on Monday.

"All joking aside, we were hanging out here all day waiting to see what the weather was going to do."

Rebutted father Tim, "All of a sudden, Capps became all worried about Daniel's education.  He said an education is the most important thing in a young person's life, and that Daniel should absolutely not miss school on Monday just to be in a drag race.  That was pretty funny, but we'll let the kid play hooky this time.  This weather was just miserable today, so hopefully things are a lot better on Monday and we can get the whole race in without any more delays."

Cory McClenathan

Cory McClenathan, who qualified No. 4 in the FRAM Tough Guard Top Fuel dragster and faces TJ Zizzo in the opening round of eliminations, said, “When we’re on a four-week swing like this, I just think it makes it that much harder on the families, the fans, and all the guys working on the race cars. It kind of brings us down to crunch time. There is no time to be sitting here during the week while we’re supposed to be traveling to Richmond.

"I think the weather is going to be OK tomorrow, so I think that’s what we’re going to be looking at. But we need to get it in because we need to get everything packed up and sent down the road.

"When you’re running an operation like Don Schumacher Racing with three Funny Cars, two Top Fuel cars and a motorcycle, it’s a lot of work to do.

"Right now everyone’s just hanging out and getting fed. Our normal deal on days like this is I’ll get up and work out, have breakfast with (fiancée) Debi and the kids, come over here, and then I play my PS2 for the rest of the day. So, that’s been my day so far.

"We also do all our pre-race introductions with DSR. All the drivers are introduced and they say a few words. That’s always a fun thing because we all make fun of each other, so I spend most of my time making fun of Jack Beckman!" he said, with a laugh.

Clay Millican definitely saw a bright spot in Sunday's gloomy skies, forcing NHRA officials to postpone NHRA's Mid-South Nationals eliminations to Monday at Memphis Motorsports Park.
 
"Coming from the 16th qualifying position and watching the rain fall on the track all day, I don't think it hurt our chances in the first round," said the native of nearby Drummonds, Tenn. "The rain changes track conditions and the differences may throw off (No. 1 qualifier) Larry Dixon's tune-up. We'll be working on our combination, too, going for the upset win.

"Not only that, but we get one more day to race at our home track."

Antron Brown

Antron Brown qualified his Mike Ashley-owned Toyota/Matco Tools dragster second at 3.836 seconds at 318.99 mph. and will face off against No. 15 qualifier Tim Cullinan in the first round of eliminations.
"Mother Nature got us today," Brown said. "It was a beautiful weekend here at Memphis until today. It got really cold out. This is a bummer because the fans have been great here at Memphis this weekend and our Toyota/Matco Tools car has run great. We're excited to hit the track and go some rounds and make up some ground in the Countdown and we'll have to wait until Monday for that to happen."

U.S. Army Top Fuel driver Tony Schumacher, who qualified third, will line up against 14th-place qualifier Terry Haddock.

“Man, we were all ready to go and now we’ll have to wait until tomorrow,” said the six-time world champion and defending event champ. “There’s certainly nothing you can do about it. We’ll come back on Monday just as focused. We’d love to get us another win down here in Memphis,” he added. “Of course, we also want to keep rolling along in the Countdown to 1. The real goal is another world championship.”

Greg Anderson

Summit Racing driver Greg Anderson, who qualified second, will take on No. 15 qualifier Mark Hogan, while his stablemate Jason Line will open against veteran Steve Schmidt. Despite the 24-hour delay, it will be business as usual for talented tandem.

“I’ve seen this happen a million times before, and I’ve been shocked that every time it happened this year it always seemed to miraculously stop when we need it to,” said Anderson. “Although it unfortunately our luck ran out today, there’s really nothing we can do about it. The Summit Racing team will just have to go home, regroup and come back tomorrow ready to race like it’s Sunday.”
 
“We certainly can’t control the weather, so we’ll just come back tomorrow and try again,” added Line. “I do feel bad for the fans who came out today – hopefully they’ll be able to come back tomorrow and see us race. Other than having to wait until Monday, the job remains the same – win rounds and do whatever we can to put one of these Summit Racing Pontiacs in the winner’s circle.”

Matt Hagan

New father Matt Hagan, driver of the Valvoline Engine Guarantee/shelor.com Dodge Funny Car, who is qualified 12th and will face Cruz Pedregon in the first round of eliminations, added, "I'm excited to be here racing, but I'm also excited to get back home to see my wife, Rachel, and our new daughter, Penny Louise (born last Monday). I'm kind of torn. I love racing, I love my family. It's a tough situation to be in.

"I think it's definitely going to make the lanes a lot more equal. The track surface probably has a lot of peeled rubber on it and a lot of water coming up. I think it's anybody's ball game. We just have to go down there and go down the race track and have a good race."

As for what he did all day in the rain, "I've been playing chess up in the lounge on the Internet," he said. "There's nothing to do right now. You kill time, you meet fans, you sign some autographs, you say hi, you try to make these fans have as an enjoyable day as they can and you try to have some fun yourself."
 

Matt Smith

Matt Smith, rider of the Nitro Fish Ultimate Gear Suzuki Pro Stock Motorcycle, who qualified No. 2 and faces Redell Harris in the opening round of eliminations, concurred.

“I’ve been resting, browsing the internet a little bit," he said of his waiting day in the rain. "Just hanging out with the guys and that’s about it. I’ve got a little game on my iPod that’s called Cubes, and I’ve been playing that a little bit. Just taking it easy, really. There’s not much we can do in this situation.

“The only thing I’m worried about now is I have a little boy (son Tristan) that I’m supposed to get tomorrow evening and I’ve got dogs at home, too. I’ve got to figure out plans to get them taken care of, so that’s all I’m really worried about.

"We’ve still got a good bike and it doesn’t matter; we just want to run this bike.”

Friday’s lightning-quick times continued during Saturday’s final two qualifying sessions at the 22nd annual O’Reilly NHRA Mid-South Nationals presented by Pennzoil at Memphis Motorsports Park, highlighted by Hector Arana’s sub-national-record 6.851 blast, the quickest run in Pro Stock Motorcycle history. Larry Dixon, Robert Hight, and Mike Edwards also lead their fields.

Arana’s stunning blast supplanted the 6.860 registered earlier this year in Madison by Andrew Hines. Arana can pick up 20 important points Sunday if he’s able to back it up for an official record by running within 1 percent of his pass.

Dixon also put himself into a good points position by collecting the maximum qualifying bonus points over two days of qualifying at this event, the third of six races in NHRA’s Countdown to 1 playoffs.

Larry Dixon

Dixon became the second driver in this playoff season to sweep all 12 qualifying bonus points as his Jason McCulloch-wrenched Al-Anabi/Alan Johnson Racing maroon rail made the quickest pass of all four qualifying sessions. With the No. 1 berth, he picked up 20 valuable points in two days. Although he was not able to better his Friday 3.810, he still held on for his seventh No. 1 qualifying berth of the season – tying a career high -- and the 38th of his career.

“Obviously, it was nice to pick up all those bonus points this weekend,” said Dixon. “We’ll take ‘em however we can get ‘em. If we don’t go for it, somebody else will. Hopefully, we’ll get the chance to lay down four more good runs tomorrow.

“The drier air is the reason you see great performances in all four of the Pro classes. The number we ran in the final session is exactly what Alan and Jason were shooting for. We got a pole and a final last week, so I hope we can do the same here.”

Antron Brown’s special-edition Toyota Matco Tools dragster held on to its No. 2 spot with a Friday 3.836, incoming points leader Tony Schumacher’s U.S. Army machine is third at 3.857, and his Don Schumacher Racing teammate Cory McClenathan is fourth with a 3.862 in his Fram Tough Guard dragster. Veteran Pat Dakin finished fifth with his Friday 3.864.

An interesting Countdown race to watch in round one will be between teammates Morgan Lucas and Shawn Langdon, both of whom are in the Countdown, and Schumacher is slated to face non-playoff runner Terry Haddock, who has wounded his dragster on several runs and will be up against it to get it fixed for first round.

Countdown championship hopeful and hometown hero Clay Millican barely qualified for the field, ranking 16th of the 19 entries. His off-pace 4.86 earned him the final spot in the field and a first-round date Sunday with Dixon. Chris Karamesines, Todd Simpson, and Scott Palmer failed to make the show.

Robert Hight

Hight, like Dixon, was unable to improve on his Friday-leading pass, and even though he wasn’t able to extend his lead further with any bonus points, the Automobile Club of Southern California Ford Funny Car driver, winner of the last two races, will still enter race day on the pole after his brilliant 4.07 Friday. The No. 1 spot is his fourth this season. third at the last four events, and the remarkable 32nd in 113 career races.

“We made three good runs and one run where we smoked the tires trying too hard,” said Hight. “I think that smoking the tires on one run was a good thing because we found the limitations of what we can do on this track. We’re going to try to stay on the roll we’ve been on tomorrow.

“I like all of the matchups on the ladder between drivers in the top 10. It’s nice that they’ll be taking each other out, but we need to stay focused on winning our rounds. The car we’re racing in the first round is owned by Dale Creasy, who has been doing this a long time, so we can be had if we slip a little.”

Jack Beckman, who finished as runner-up to Hight in Dallas, maintained his second spot on the qualifying sheets with a 4.101 and is followed closely by Hight’s teammate, Ashley Force Hood, at 4.103. Former world champ Tony Pedregon, who had the day’s best run at 4.123 and picked up five qualifying bonus points, is fourth with a 4.105, also registered Friday.

Justin Schriefer qualified the Creasy family on the bump and will make his second race-day start in seven attempts, facing Hight in round one. Schriefer’s 4.47 helped keep from the field last weekend’s surprise No. 3 qualifier, Jerry Toliver, who could only muster a 6.97 best Saturday. Also of note will be the match between tech teammates Bob Tasca III and Tim Wilkerson, both playoff participants, who will face off for the fourth time in the last nine races.

Mike Edwards

Although he was unable to make it down the track on his final Pro Stock qualifying pass, Edwards nonetheless still locked up his 13th No. 1 qualifying position of the year with his 6.552 pass from Friday. Edwards, who swept the maximum amount of bonus points in Dallas with his ART/Young Life Pontiac, earned "just" eight this weekend, plus his eight for the No. 1 spot.

“It’s crucial to get points anytime you have the opportunity to grab them,” said Edwards. “Everyone out here is trying to be the fastest each lap to get those three bonus points. I think we let a few slip away on the last run. Let’s hope tomorrow goes a lot smoother for us.

“I look at it like we’re racing the track and the conditions no matter who our opponent is. We’re going to try to turn everything we learned today into tomorrow’s tune-up.”

Dallas winner Greg Anderson certainly must be making Edwards a little uncomfortable as he not only ran a 6.555 in Saturday’s first session to take the No. 2 spot just milliseconds back but also had the quickest run of the evening session, a 6.569, to earn six bonus points with his Summit Pontiac to go with two earned Friday and the seven No. 2 points for a total of 15 to keep him within shouting distance of Edwards.

Anderson’s teammate, Jason Line, is third with a 6.568 and second-place points man Jeg Coughlin fourth with a 6.574 best. Ron Krisher slotted fifth with his Valvoline Cobalt at 6.578; all five of the top drivers qualified better than the incoming 6.591 track record.

Dave River claimed the 16th and final spot in the field, with only veteran V. Gaines not in the show. River ran a 6.794 for the bump spot and draws No. 1 qualifier Edwards in round one Sunday.

Hector Arana

Arana recovered from a lackluster Friday effort in which he gained no qualifying bonus points and was qualified just 10th to race his Lucas Oil Buell to the top of the Pro Stock Motorcycle field in Saturday’s first session with his dazzling 6.851. Arana, whose career best entering the race was 6.912, gained three points for that effort as the best of the session and another point in the afternoon session, where he had the third-quickest run, a 6.925. The pole position is Arana’s sixth of the season.

“I wanted to run .80s yesterday and knew that we could,” said Arana, who needs to run 6.919 or quicker to back up his 6.851 as the national e.t. record. “We hurt the motor trying. We took everything apart and gave it to Larry Morgan. Larry ground the valves and said the engine was good as new, and it went out and ran 6.85 this morning.

“We really wanted to back up the record, and it backfired. My gut said to drop the two-step more than I did before the last run. Instead, I was a little too aggressive because I was hoping that the track would still hold it. I still want to get that 20 points, but I’m going to focus on winning rounds tomorrow.”

Arana’s run continued a battering of the incoming 6.892 track record that began Friday and concluded with three riders bettering that number. Matt Smith ran 6.876 in the first session to push his Nitro Fish Suzuki to the No. 2 spot, and Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson rider Eddie Krawiec is third with his Saturday-morning 6.886. Arana picked up four bonus points plus eight for the No. 1 spot; Krawiec kicked up three bonus and six qualifying points and Smith two bonus points and seven qualifying points.

Krawiec’s Harley teammate, Friday leader Andrew Hines, slipped to fourth place despite having the final session’s best pass, a 6.896 that marginally improved on his 6.899 from the previous day. Eleven riders qualified with six-second passes.

Veteran rider Joe DeSantis is on the 16-bike bubble with a 7.256 and will be Arana’s first-round opponent Sunday morning.

Related stories:
Friday: Track records tumble in Memphis; Dixon, Hight, Edwards, Hines lead

Amazing atmospheric weather conditions and eager Full Throttle Countdown playoff teams converged in a perfect storm of performance at Memphis Motorsports Park Friday where Larry Dixon, Robert Hight, Mike Edwards, and Andrew Hines emerged as opening day leaders of the 22nd annual O’Reilly NHRA Mid-South Nationals.

Seven of eight track records were broken Friday, including the 3.825, 313.88 Top Fuel marks. Both Dixon and Antron Brown ran 318.99, the third fastest passes in the 1,000-foot era, to tie for the new track speed mark with runs more than a five mph faster than the old mark. Hight recorded a speed of 310.70, the third fastest Funny Car speed in the 1,000-foot era that blew away the incoming track record of 302.28 while his leading e.t. was five-thousandths quicker that the 2008 mark. Both ends of the Pro Stock track record (6.591 seconds, 209.17 mph) also were broken by Edwards in Friday’s first two of four qualifying sessions while the incoming Pro Stock Motorcycle speed record (193.21) was shattered by more than three miles per hour and the class e.t. record seriously challenged. The event is the third of six in NHRA’s Countdown to 1 playoffs that began two weeks ago in Charlotte before moving to Dallas last weekend.

Larry Dixon

Dixon earned the maximum six bonus points in Top Fuel Friday by placing his Jason McCulloch-tuned Al-Anabi fueler at the top of the field in both sessions, bettering a pack-leading 3.880 with a stunning 3.810 for a new track e.t. record.

“We decided to change out of scuffed tires during the last oildown, so we want back to the pit and put on sticker tires,” said Dixon. “We got pretty rushed, and I even got to help change tires. I was suiting up as soon as we got back to the staging lanes. Clay Millican was already fired up. I dunno if the tires made the difference, but it was a great run. Who’d have thought that I’d go faster than I’ve ever been in Memphis?

“It’s just a great day for Al-Anabi. We got six points on the day. I have tons of great memories at this place and only four-and-a-half seconds of bad ones.”

Brown’s Brian Corradi- and Mark Oswald-tuned Matco Tools dragster was the No. 2 qualifier with a 3.836 and also was second-quick behind Dixon in the first session with a 3.900, earning him four points. Points leader Tony Schumacher pushed the U.S. Army dragster to a 3.857 in the evening session, which earned him one point; Dixon moved to within 22 points of Schumacher’s lead.

Cory McClenathan, who led the points after winning in Charlotte, is fourth with the Fram Tough Guard rail at 3.862 and Pat Dakin, who surprised many with a top-half qualifying effort at the U.S. Nationals, showed that was no fluke as he’s qualified fifth halfway through qualifying with a solid 3.864.

T.J. Zizzo holds the 12th and final qualifying run that will transfer into Saturday’s final two attempts. With 17 drivers on the grounds, Countdown championship hopefuls Clay Millican and Morgan Lucas are among those who will need a quick-16 pass Saturday.

Robert Hight

Funny Car points leader Hight, winner of the last two races on the schedule, picked up the maximum six bonus in qualifying by having the best run of each session, bettering his opening pass of 4.107 with a 4.074 at that booming 310-mph speed from his Jimmy Prock-tuned Automobile Club Mustang. No other driver earned bonus points in both sessions, allowing Hight to increase his lead over teammate Ashley Force Hood, who earned one point, to 18 markers.

“The Memphis track is unbelievable,” said Hight. “It’s the best racetrack we’ve been on in a long time, and that’s saying something after being on some new tracks like Charlotte recently. Most tracks need a lot of Sportsman or alcohol cars running down it to be in good shape for the fuel cars, but this place doesn’t.

“This Ford Mustang is so fun to drive right now. Jimmy Prock used to second-guess himself a lot when we were struggling. Now we leave the trailer with a gameplan, and he might make one or two adjustments. The only problem is that the Funny Car class is so close, we don’t have enough of an advantage to account for any kind of slip up on the starting line.”

Jack Beckman, who finished runner-up to Hight in Dallas, is again breathing down his neck with a No. 2 qualifying spot in the Valvoline Engine Guarantee Dodge with a 4.101, just ahead of Force Hood’s 4.103 in the Castrol GTX Mustang. Brothers Tony and Cruz Pedregon are qualified fourth and fifth after near-equal passes of 4.105 and 4.109.

Friday’s second Funny Car session was spectacular as only three cars ran outside of the 4.07-to-4.13 range in the second session. Although just 16 cars made run Friday, Countdown contenders Mike Neff and Del Worsham were not among the day’s quick 12 qualifiers; rookie pilot Matt Hagan finished Friday in the No. 12 spot with a 4.136.

Mike Edwards

Another day of Pro Stock qualifying, another six bonus points for points leader Mike Edwards, whose A.R.T./Young Life Pontiac was the quickest in both sessions, culminating with a fine 6.552 – almost four-hundredths quicker than the incoming track record -- after an earlier 6.565. Edwards, who also set the track speed record at 210.77, increased his lead to 77 points over second-place Jeg Coughlin, who earned no bonus points after qualifying just fifth.

"We always try to make the best run we can make, and those bonus points are valuable," said Edwards, who has been the No. 1 qualifier at 12 of the season’s first 21 events. "They can add up to a whole round of racing if you score all 12 bonus points and get the No. 1 qualifier points. My team made nice adjustments and made a really nice run tonight.

"The A.R.T. team has been doing a wonderful job. I'm living a dream right now. I dreamed my whole life of being able to compete like this. You can lose it fast, so I'm going to enjoy this while it lasts."

Ron Krisher is the surprise No. 2 qualifier with his Valvoline Cobalt and he continued to rebound nicely from his surprising DNQ in Charlotte. Krisher’s 6.578 was second-quick in the first session and although Summit Pontiac pilot Jason Line got close with a 6.579 in the second session, Krisher maintained the No. 2 spot. Behind third-place Line is his teammate, Dallas winner Greg Anderson, who had the third best run of the session (6.582) to match a similar third-best performance in the first session (6.583) and earned two bonus points. All four of those drivers qualifier quicker than the previous track record. Coughlin, who ran 6.595 and 6.60, is fifth.

Steve Spiess holds down the No. 12 spot with his Speiss Construction Cavalier after charting a 6.631. Seventeen drivers made passes Friday.

Andrew Hines

Hines is halfway to his fifth No. 1 qualifying spot of the season after charting a great 6.899 at 185.87 to lead the Pro Stock Motorcycle field after two sessions. Hines, the No. 2 qualifier after the first session aboard his Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson, picked up five of six possible bonus points in qualifying Friday. Hines’ run is just .007-second shy of the 6.892 track record.

“It’s like Candyland out here,” said Hines. “These naturally aspirated motors love atmospheric conditions like what we have today. We had a good barometer and nice, cool, dry air. We’ve struggled in the humidity this year, and the V-Rods really thrive in air like we had here.

“The national record is out there. We didn’t get very deep in the 6.80s, but I think there is a lot left on the table. None of the bikes got to 60 feet as quick as usual, because the rubber on the starting line is pretty hard. If the Top Fuel guys lay some good rubber down tonight, watch out.”

Michael Phillips continued his strong Countdown performance by grabbing the No. 2 spot aboard his Suzuki with a 6.910-second blast at a track-record-destroying 196.70, the fourth fastest speed in class history. First-session leader Matt Smith improved by a hundredth of a second to a 6.92 but slid to third; he picked up four bonus points on the day with his Nitro Fish Suzuki.

Hines’ Harley teammate, reigning world champ Eddie Krawiec, sits fourth with a 6.950 and picked up two markers on points leader Hector Arana for having the second-quickest pass of the first session. Arana, dominant at the last three events, has struggled so far in Memphis with runs of 7.03 and 7.05 and currently sits just 10th aboard his Lucas Oil Buell; his lead over Krawiec sits at 25.

Junior Pippin finished the day in the 12th spot with a 7.073. Only 16 riders made passes Friday.

Monday
ENNIS, Texas (Oct. 12, 2009) – It took a day longer than planned but the squad from North Star Dragway in Denton, Texas, took home the team honors at the NHRA South Central Division Summit Racing Series Finals at Texas Motorplex. The race kicked off on Friday and was slated to be finished Sunday evening. But it was hampered by rain early Friday and much of the day on Sunday and so eliminations ran today.

The top bracket racers from NHRA tracks across the region came to the Motorplex to fight for team and individual honors as well as a share of the purse worth nearly $30,000.

Lead by an all-North Star final in No E Quick, the North Star Dragway contingent won by just four points over second the second place team from Wichita Raceway Park.  Warren Wright of Grandview, Texas wheeled his ’68 Camaro to the win over teammate Jeff Riedel of Fort Worth, driving his ’75 Nova.

In the Super Pro category, Paris, Texas’s James McNeal, running for Paris Dragstrip, ousted Austin Williams of Burleson, Texas, racing for Texas Motorplex.  In the Pro category, Wichita Raceway Park driver Lynn Doty, Rio Vista, Texas, behind the wheel of a ’98 Chevy S-10, knocked out Robbie Mayse of Frost, Texas, representing Sooner Motorplex in his ’57 Corvette.

No E Street racer Jason Kizlinski, Midlothian, Texas, also running for Texas Motorplex, took his ’74 Nova to the winner’s circle, beating Everett Vassar, Kennedale, Texas, driving his ’81 Malibu Wagon for Texas Raceway.  William Keele Jr. rode his ’82 Kawasaki to the win in Motorcycle when he jettisoned last year’s champion Dan Rollman of Oklahoma City in the final.

Individual champions at the South Central Division Summit Racing Series Finals earn the right to compete against the winners from NHRA’s other six divisions for a National Championship at the NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif., in November.  The South Central division fills the four categories with the winners in No E Quick, No E Street, Motorcycle and the winner of a runoff between the champs in Super Pro and Pro.  This year, Super Pro racer McNeal earned the slot.  Racers in each of the four classes in Pomona will compete for a winner-takes-all $5,000 payday.

Following are the NHRA South Central Division Summit Racing Series Finals champions:
SUMMIT SUPER PRO
James McNeal, Paris, Texas, Paris Dragstrip, dragster, 4.838, 142.25 def. Austin Williams, Burleson, Texas, Texas Motorplex, dragster, 5.142, 129.16

SUMMIT PRO
Lynn Doty, Rio Vista, Texas, Wichita Raceway Park, '98 S-10, 6.860, 102.21 def. Robbie Mayse, Frost, Texas, Sooner Motorplex, '57 Corvette, 6.830, 109.06

NO E QUICK
Warren Wright, Grandview, Texas, North Star Dragway, '68 Camaro, 6.413, 103.32 def. Jeff Riedel, Ft. Worth, Texas, North Star Dragway, '75 Nova, 6.678, 102.09

NO E STREET
Jason Kizlinski, Midlothian, Texas, Texas Motorplex, '74 Nova, 7.696, 83.89 def. Everett Vassar, Kennedale, Texas, Texas Raceway, '81 Malibu Wagon, 8.068, 84.18

SUMMIT BIKE
William Keele Jr., San Antonio, Texas, San Antonio Raceway, '82 Kawasaki, 5.715, 115.25 def. Dan Rollman, Oklahoma City, Thunder Valley Raceway Park, '77 Kawasaki, 5.821, 112.81

PRO/SUPER PRO RUN OFF
James McNeal, Paris, Texas, Paris Dragstrip, dragster, 4.839, 142.24 def. Lynn Doty, Rio Vista, Texas, Wichita Raceway Park, '98 S-10, foul

TEAM POINTS
1.  North Star Dragway           123
2.  Wichita Raceway Park         119
3.  Texas Raceway                102
4.  Houston Raceway Park          98
5.  Texas Motorplex               96
6.  Paris Dragstrip               91
7.  Sooner Motorplex              87
8.  San Antonio Raceway           86
9.  Thunder Valley Raceway Park   80
10. Hobbs Raceway Park            79
11. Edinburg Int'l Racetrack      73
12. Twin City Dragway             35
13. Lubbock Dragway                3
14. Memphis Motorsports Park       2



Sunday
Summit Series Finals eliminations rained out at Texas Motorplex
Rain has washed out eliminations for the day at the NHRA South Central Division Summit Racing Series Finals at Texas Motorplex.  Racing will pick up again Monday morning at 9.

Each of the five categories got through first round of eliminations and racers in Super Pro, Pro and No-E Quick ran two rounds of eliminations before the rain started.

 Competitors from NHRA member tracks across the division are on hand running for team and individual honors and a share of the purse worth nearly $30,000.

The winners in No-E Quick, No-E Street, Motorcycle/Snowmobile and either Super Pro or Pro will advance to run for a national championship against the winners from NHRA’s other six divisions at the NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif., in November.  (There will be a run-off between the winners in Super Pro and Pro to determine who will go to Pomona.)  The national champions in each of the four classes will get a winner-take-all $5,000 payday.

Saturday
ENNIS, Texas (Oct. 10, 2009) – Racing is complete for the day at the NHRA Summit Racing Series South Central Division Finals at Texas Motorplex.  Competitors had one time trial before beginning first round of eliminations.  The top points earners from each track also ran in the Race of Champions, a race within a race.

Albert Rodriguez of Edinburg, Texas, racing for Edinburg Int’l Racetrack, scored the win the Electronics category, beating Justin Albritton of West Monroe, La., who was unable to make the call.  In the No Electronics class, Colton Vassar, of Kennedale, Texas, representing Texas Raceway, drove his ’82 Malibu to the winner’s circle, defeating Houston Raceway Park racer Jay Robinson of Santa Fe, Texas, who wheeled his ’73 Nova.  The winner in the High School Race of Champions was Dylan King of Norman, Okla., racing for Thunder Valley Raceway.  He ousted Ashley Lawson, Blossom, Texas, running for Paris Dragstrip.

In other racing action, in the Track Manager’s race, Edinburg Int’l Racetrack’s Isaac Ebrom knocked out the manager for Texas Raceway, Jeff Hefler.

Eliminations in the NHRA Summit Racing Series South Central Division Finals continue Sunday.  Racers in six classes will compete for team and individual honors.

Following are the Race of Champions results from the NHRA South Central Division Summit Racing Series Finals:

ELECTRONICS
Albert Rodriguez, Edinburg, Texas, Edinburg Int'l Racetrack, dragster, took the green light def.
Justin Albritton, W. Monroe, La., Twin City Dragway, dragster, broke
 
NO ELECTRONICS
Colton Vassar, Kennedale, Texas, Texas Raceway, '82 Malibu, 7.784, 86.04 def.
Jay Robinson, Santa Fe, Texas, Houston Raceway Park, '73 Nova, 7.048, 96.48 
 
HIGH SCHOOL
Dylan King, Norman, Okla., Thunder Valley Raceway Park, '66 Chevelle, 8.248, 79.50  def.
Ashley Lawson, Blossom, Texas, Paris Dragstrip, '90 Mustang, 8.408, 80.51
 
MANAGER’S RACE
Isaac Ebrom, Edinburg, Texas, Edinburg Int'l Racetrack, '04 Ram, 10.251, 67.54 def.
Jeff Hefler, Ft. Worth, Texas, Texas Raceway, '72 Chevette, 11.365, 58.26

Friday
ENNIS, Texas (Oct. 9, 2009) – Although the day started out cold and rainy, once the storm passed it was time to race at the NHRA South Central Division Summit Racing Series Finals at Texas Motorplex.  The top bracket racers in the division have converged on the track to vie for individual and team honors and a share of the purse worth nearly $30,000 as well as an opportunity to run for a national championship against the winners from NHRA’s other six divisions at the NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif., in November.  The national champions in each of the four classes will get a winner-take-all $5,000 payday.

NHRA South Central Division Summit Racing Series Finals feature racers six categories -- Super Pro, Pro, No-Electronic Quick, No-Electronic Street and Motorcycle as well as a High School category.  The winners in the top four categories will advance to compete in Pomona.  (There will be a run-off between the winners in Super Pro and Pro to determine who will go to Pomona.)

Racers made time trial runs today and are slated for one more tomorrow before heading into eliminations.  Round one is scheduled for Saturday and the rest will run on Sunday.

Saturday’s action will also feature the Race of Champions, a race within a race where the top points earning drivers from each track square off in head-to-head competition.

For schedule and ticket information visit www.TexasMotorplex.com.

Below are tracks that participate in the South Central Division Summit Racing Series Finals:

•    Edinburgh Int’l Racetrack, Edinburgh, Texas
•    Hobbs Motorsports Park, Hobbs, New Mexico
•    Houston Motorsports Park, Houston, Texas
•    Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, Texas
•    Lubbock Dragway, Lubbock, Texas
•    Memphis Motorsports Park, Memphis, Tennessee
•    No Problem Raceway, Belle Rose, Louisiana
•    North-Star Dragway, Denton, Texas
•    Paris Dragstrip, Paris, Texas
•    San Antonio Raceway, Marion, Texas
•    Sooner Motorplex, Lawton, Oklahoma
•    Texas Motorplex, Ennis, Texas
•    Texas Raceway, Kennedale, Texas
•    Thunder Valley Raceway Park, Noble, Oklahoma
•    Twin City Dragway, Monroe, Louisiana
•    Wichita Raceway Park, Wichita Falls, Texas
 

Preview
ENNIS, Texas – Texas Motorplex will host the 2009 NHRA South Central Division Summit Racing Series Finals, October 9-11.  Top drivers from NHRA member tracks across the South Central division will compete in six classes for individual and team honors.  Individual champions in No-Electronic Quick, No-Electronic Street, Motorcycle and either Super Pro or Pro will advance to a run-off against the winners from NHRA’s other six divisions at the Auto Club of Southern California NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif., in November.  (The winners in Super Pro and Pro have a runoff to determine who will compete in Pomona.)

Participants in the top classes will compete for cash awards of $25,950.  Drivers who compete in Pomona will each receive $3,500 and the champions in each class will earn $5,000.  Competitors in the High School class will earn trophies.

The team from Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, won the team championship last year at the Texas Motorplex.  Individual winners were Bart in Super Pro, Jordan Echols in Pro, Dennis Cameron in No-Electronic Quick, Mike Griggs in No-Electronic Street, and Dan Rollman in Motorcycle. 

Gates at Texas Motorplex open at 8 a.m. each day and time trials begin at 9 a.m. Friday and Saturday.  The Race of Champions, a race within a race where the top points-earning drivers from each track square off in head-to-head competition, will run first round of eliminations at
1 p.m. Saturday, and all classes will run first round of eliminations afterward.  Final eliminations begin at 9 a.m. Sunday.  For more information contact the Texas Motorplex, (972) 878-2641 or visit www.TexasMotorplex.com.

SUMMIT RACING SERIES SOUTH CENTRAL DIVISION FINALS: Fact Sheet

WHAT: NHRA Summit Racing Series South Central Division Finals, where top drivers from NHRA member tracks across the region division compete in six classes for individual and team honors.  Individual champions in four classes will advance to a national run-off at the NHRA Auto Club of Southern California Finals at Pomona Raceway in Calif., in November.

WHERE: Texas Motorplex, Ennis, Texas. Track is located on Hwy. 287, two miles west of Ennis between Interstates 35 and 45.  From Dallas, take I-45 to Hwy. 287 west to the track, or take I-35E to Hwy. 287 east to the track.  From Fort Worth, take Hwy. 287 east to Waxahachie toward the track.

WHEN:  Friday through Sunday, October 9-11, 2009.

SCHEDULE: Time trials schedule for the Summit Racing Series South Central Division Finals:
FRIDAY, Oct. 9 -- Gates open at 8 a.m.  Time trials begin at 9 a.m.
    
SATURDAY, Oct. 10 -- Gates open at 8 a.m.  Final time trials begin at 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Eliminations for the Race of Champions will start at 1 p.m.  First round of eliminations for all classes will follow the Race of Champions.

SUNDAY, Oct. 11 -- Gates open at 8 a.m.  Eliminations continue at 9 a.m.

PURSE: The Summit E.T. Racing Series competitors in Super Pro, Pro, No-Electronic Quick, No-Electronic Street and Motorcycle will compete for cash awards of $25,950.  The winners in each category will advance to compete against winners from NHRA’s other six divisions at the NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif., in November.  (There will be a run-off between the winners in Super Pro and Pro to determine who will go to Pomona.)  They will each receive $3,500 for competing in Pomona and the winner in each class at Pomona will receive a $5,000 payday. Participants in the High School category compete for trophies.

2008 EVENT  WINNERS: Houston Raceway Park, team champion; Bart Nelson (Houston Raceway Park), Super Pro; Jordan Echols (Hobbs Motorsports Park), Pro; Dennis Cameron (Red River Raceway), No Electronics Quick; Mike Griggs (Thunder Valley Raceway), No Electronics Street; Dan Rollman (Thunder Valley Raceway), Motorcycle.
 

Sunday
CHANDLER, Ariz. (Oct. 4, 2009) –  Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., captured its second Team Championship in as many years at this weekend’s NHRA Pacific Division Summit Racing Series Finals at Firebird Int’l Raceway.  The racers from Infineon racked up 74 points for the win over host track Firebird Int’l and Speedworld Dragstrip, Northwest Phoenix, Ariz., who tied for second with 69 points each. 

Infineon was led by Greg Harrison of Livermore, Calif., who won seven rounds in advancing to the final in Super Pro before falling to Joe Glenwinkel, Poway, Calif., racing for Auto Club Dragway at Auto Club Speedway in his ’90 dragster.  Glenwinkel raced to a 7.363 second, 184.32 mph lap over Harrison.

LikeGlenwinkel, in was an eight-round, eight-win light day for Joe Kidd in the Pro class to take the trophy.  The Marana, Ariz., resident (Southwestern Int’l Raceway) drove his ’73 Nova past Sacramento Raceway runner Jake Guadagnolo, Linden, Calif., and his ’68 Nova.   Kidd took the early lead with a holeshot starting line advantage and held on for the win.

The final two classes saw teammates matching up against each other with Leroy Duran Jr., and Don Graham, both of Firebird Int’l Raceway squaring off in the Sportsman Final with Duran, Sun City, Ariz., taking the win with a 12.008 second run to Graham, Arizona City, Ariz., with a 12.100 second pass.  In the Motorcycle class it was a pair from The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway doing battle as Rick Newport, West Valley, Utah, rode his ’95 GSXR to victory.  Newport won over Gary Oaks, Las Vegas, on a ’78 Kawasaki.

The following are Sunday's final results from the 2009 NHRA Summit Racing Series Pacific Division Finals:

SUPER PRO
Joe Glenwinkel, Poway, Calif., '90 Spitzer, Auto Club Dragway @ Auto Club Speedway, 7.363, 184.32
def.
Greg Harrison, Livermore, Calif., '04 Harrison, Infineon  Raceway, 8.275, 157.08.

PRO
Joe Kidd, Marana, Ariz., '73 Nova, Southwestern Int’l Raceway, 11.056, 119.33 def.
Jake Guadagnolo,
Linden, Calif., '68 Nova, Sacramento Raceway, 10.954, 119.97.

SPORTSMAN
Leroy Duran Jr, Sun City, Ariz., Firebird International Raceway, '71 Dart, 12.008, 108.51  def.
Don
Graham, Arizona City, Ariz., '71 Maverick, Firebird International Raceway, 12.100, 110.36.

BIKE
Rick Newport, West Valley, Utah, '95 GSXR, The Strip @ Las Vegas Motor Speedway, 8.716, 140.37
def.
Gary Oaks, Las Vegas, '78 Kawasaki, The Strip @ Las Vegas Motor Speedway, 9.828, 132.63.

Final 2009 Summit Racing Series Pacific Division Team Points
Points   Track Name
74 Infineon Raceway             
69 Firebird International Raceway Park                
69 Speedworld Dragstrip
55 The Strip @ Las Vegas Motor Speedway
55 Auto Club Dragway @ Auto Club Speedway
51 Auto Club Famoso Raceway               
51 Southwestern International Raceway
37 Barona 1/8th Mile Dragstrip                
21 Sacramento Raceway Park
20 Albuquerque International Raceway      
16 Toyota Speedway @ Irwindale
11 Top Gun Raceway
4 Samoa Drag Strip


Saturday
Cannavo, Kadar lead winners; advance to National Championship
CHANDLER, Ariz. (Oct. 3, 2009) –  Carl Cannavo was all but perfect in taking the win in the NHRA Summit Racing Series Pacific Division Race of Champions today at Firebird Int’l Raceway in Super Pro.  Cannavo, North Las Vegas, Nev.,  running for The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, saved his best race for the final, and needed it against Chuck Hawk Jr. who was near perfect himself.  Cannavo ran right on his dial-in at 7.870, 174.64 mph along with a 0.002 second reaction time against Hawk, Tucson, Ariz., (Southwestern Int’l Raceway) who had a great 0.004 reaction time himself and ran just three-thousandths off his dial. 

In Pro it was Tibor Kadar, Peoria, Ariz., out running Don Morris.  Kadar, running on the Speedworld Dragstrip team, was involved in a run for the NHRA Lucas Oil National Championship a few years ago and will be looking for an NHRA Summit Series National Championship next month in Pomona with the win today.  Kadar drove his ’67 GTO to an 11.136 second pass at 110.88 mph to Morris’ 11.991, 112.87 out of Roseville, Calif., and Sacramento Raceway.

Joining Cannavo and Kadar was Robert Grangrade in the Sportsman class winning over Mitchell Gately.  Grangrade, also of Speedworld Dragstrip, put his ’67 Mustang in the winner’s circle beating Gately, Petaluma, Calif., (Infineon Raceway) and his ’64 Nova.

Augustine Herrera, La Mirada, Calif., (Auto Club Dragway at Auto Club Speedway) was late off the starting line in his final round but was near perfect on the rest of his run in beating Kahea Woods, N. Las Vegas, Nev., in the Motorcycle class.  Herrera ran 8.693 on an 8.69 dial in at 149.71 mph. 

Herrera, along with Cannavo, Kadar, and Grangrade will all advance to the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif., and go head to head with the winner’s from NHRA other six divisions for the NHRA Summit Racing Series National Championship.

In the High School category it was a pair of teammates from Auto Club Dragway with Daniel Sweitzer, Menifee, Calif., taking the win over Emiley Swanson, Yucaipa, Calif., with a 12.733 second pass at 104.48 mph.  Swanson gave it up on the line when she left early by 0.002 seconds on a red light giving the win to Sweitzer.

Gates at Firebird Int’l Raceway open at 7 a.m. on Sunday with racing beginning at 8 a.m. for final elimination rounds and the crowning of the Pacific Division Summit Racing Series event winners in all five classes.  The track is located at 20000 S. Maricopa Road. Take I-10 to Maricopa Road, exit #162.   For more information call the track, (602) 268-0200.

The following are Saturday's final results from the 2009 NHRA Summit Racing Series Pacific Division Race of Champions:

SUPER PRO
Carl Cannavo, No Las Vegas, Nev., '06 Yancer, The Strip @ Las Vegas Motor Speedway, 7.870, 174.64 def.
Chuck Hawk Jr, Tucson, Ariz., '96 Delarm, Southwestern International Raceway, 7.383, 179.56.

PRO
Tibor Kadar, Peoria, Ariz., '67 Gto, Speedworld Dragstrip, 11.136, 110.88  def.
Don Morris, Roseville, Calif., Sacramento Raceway, '73 Camaro, 11.991, 112.87.

SPORTSMAN
Robert Grangrade, Phoenix, Ariz., '67 Mustang, Speedworld Dragstrip, 13.004, 89.09  def.
Mitchell Gately, Petaluma, Calif., '64 Nova, Infineon  Raceway, 12.165, 109.55.

MOTORCYCLE
Augustine Herrera, La Mirada, Calif., '05 Hayabusa, Auto Club Dragway @ Auto Club Speedway, 8.693, 149.71  def.
Kahea Woods, No Las Vegas, Nev., '95 Gsxr 1100, The Strip @ Las Vegas Motor Speedway, 9.049, 144.78.

HIGH SCHOOL
Daniel Sweitzer, Menifee, Calif., '89 Mustang, Auto Club Dragway @ Auto Club Speedway, 12.733, 104.48  def.
Emiley Swanson, Yucaipa, Calif., '71 El Camino, Auto Club Dragway @ Auto Club
Speedway, foul.

ROC TEAM POINTS
33 Auto Club Dragway @ Auto Club Speedway
29 Speedworld Dragstrip
21 Infineon  Raceway             
18 The Strip @ Las Vegas Motor Speedway
15 Barona 1/8th Mile Dragstrip                
15 Southwestern International Raceway
14 Sacramento Raceway
13 Albuquerque  Dragway      
11 Firebird International Raceway                
9 Toyota Speedway @ Irwindale
8 Auto Club  Famoso Raceway               
6 Top Gun Raceway
1 Samoa  Dragstrip

Friday
NHRA Pacific Division kicks off Summit Series Division Finals
CHANDLER, Ariz. (Oct. 2, 2009) –  Day one kicked off for the NHRA Pacific Division Summit Racing Series Finals at Firebird Int’l Raceway where the top bracket racers in the division are competing for both team and individual honors along with a share of more than $30,000 in purse and contingency awards.

Racers in Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman, Motorcycle/Snowmobile, and High School made time trial runs today on the quarter mile with more than 500 drivers from 15 different NHRA Member Tracks competing.  Defending Champions looking to repeat are the team from Infineon Raceway for the Team Championship, Chuck Phelps (Speedworld Dragstrip) in Super Pro, Dave Varner (Infineon Raceway) in Pro, Gary Ratcliffe (Barona 1/8th Mile Dragstrip) in Sportsman, and Dustin Vagedes (Auto Club Dragway) in Motorcycle.

Saturday’s action will include final time trials along with the Race of Champions, a race within a race where the top points-earning drivers from each track square off in head-to-head competition.  Race of Champion winners in the four major classes will advance to the NHRA AAA Finals in Pomona, Calif., and the chance to compete against the winner’s from NHRA other six divisions for the Summit Racing Series National Championship.

Sunday will consist of final elimination rounds and the crowning of the Pacific Division Summit Racing Series event winners in all five classes.

Gates at Firebird Int’l Raceway open at 7 a.m. each day with racing beginning at 8 a.m.  The track is located at 20000 S. Maricopa Road. Take I-10 to Maricopa Road, exit #162.   For more information call the track, (602) 268-0200.

Below are tracks that participate in the Southeast Division Summit Racing Series Finals:

Albuquerque National Dragway; Albuquerque, New Mexico
Auto Club Dragway at California Speedway, Fontana, California
Auto Club Famoso Raceway, Bakersfield, California
Barona 1/8th-Mile Drag Strip; El Cajon, California
Firebird International Raceway; Chandler, Arizona
Infineon Raceway; Sonoma, California
Maui Raceway Park; Wailuku, Hawaii
Redding Dragstrip; Redding, California 
Sacramento Raceway Park; Sacramento, California
Samoa Dragstrip; Eureka, California
Southwestern International Raceway; Tucson, Arizona
Speedworld Dragstrip; Northwest Phoenix, Arizona
The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway; Las Vegas, Nevada
Top Gun Raceway; Fallon, Nevada
Toyota Dragstrip at Irwindale; Irwindale, California

The squad from Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., took home the team title in 2008, garnering a win and a runner-up in final-round action.  Dave Varner led the team to the title, scoring the win in Pro.  The Super Pro win went to Chuck Phelps, and Gary Ratcliffe was the winner in the Sportsman class. Dustin Vagedes outlasted his fellow Motorcycle competitors.

Gates at Firebird Int’l Raceway open at 7 a.m. each day.  Time trials begin at 8 a.m. Friday and continue Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.  The Race of Champions will start at 1 p.m. Saturday and first round of eliminations will begin afterward.  Eliminations will continue Sunday at 8 a.m.
  
Firebird Int’l Raceway is located at 20000 S. Maricopa Road. Take I-10 to Maricopa Road exit (#162).  For more information call the track, (602) 268-0200, or visit www.FirebirdRaceway.com or www.NHRAdiv7.com

SUMMIT RACING SERIES PACIFIC DIVISION FINALS: Fact Sheet

WHAT: NHRA Summit Racing Series Pacific Division Finals, where top drivers from NHRA Member Tracks across the region compete in five classes for individual and team honors.  The event also features the Race of Champions, a race within a race where the top points earning drivers from each track square off in head-to-head competition.  Individual Race of Champions winners in Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman and Motorcycle/Snowmobile will advance to a national run-off at the NHRA Auto Club of Southern California Finals at Pomona Raceway in Calif.

WHERE: Firebird Int’l Raceway, Chandler, Ariz.  Track is located at 20000 S. Maricopa Road. Take I-10 to Maricopa Road exit (#162).

WHEN:  Friday through Sunday, October 1-4, 2009.

SCHEDULE: Time trials schedule for the Pacific Division NHRA Summit Racing Series Finals:
FRIDAY, Oct. 2 -- Gates open at 7 a.m.  Time trials begin at 9 a.m.
    
SATURDAY, Oct. 3 -- Gates open at 7 a.m.  Final time trials are slated from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.  The Race of Champions, a race within a race that pits the top points earning drivers from each track in head-to-head competition, will begin at 1 p.m. First round of eliminations for all NHRA Summit Racing Series competitors will begin following the Race of Champions. 

SUNDAY, Oct. 4 -- Gates open at 7 a.m.  Eliminations continue at 8 a.m.

PURSE: The Summit E.T. Racing Series competitors in Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman and Motorcycle/Snowmobile will compete for cash awards of $30,600.  The Race of Champions winners in each category will advance to compete against winners from NHRA’s other six divisions at the NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif., in November.  They will each receive $3,500 for advancing to the Finals and the winner in each class in Pomona will receive an additional $5,000. Participants in the High School Eliminator compete for savings bonds and trophies.

2008 EVENT WINNERS: Infineon Raceway, team champion; Chuck Phelps (Speedworld Dragstrip), Super Pro; Dave Varner (Infineon Raceway), Pro; Gary Ratcliffe (Barona 1/8th-Mile Dragstrip), Sportsman; Dustin Vagedes (Auto Dragway), Motorcycle
 

Saturday

CECIL, Ga. (Oct. 3, 2009) – Troy Williams Jr. and Steve Stites continued their winning ways from Friday, taking the wins again today for the NHRA Southeast Division Summit Racing Series Finals at South Georgia Motorsports Park.  Both racers won yesterday’s Race of Champions event with Williams, Bradenton, Fla., taking the trophy in Super Pro then covering the field in the Pro category today for the win.  Williams is running for the team from Montgomery Motorsports Park clocking in at 6.682 seconds in the 1/8th mile to beat Brandon Wood, Thomasville, Ga., (South Georgia Motorsports Park) with a near perfect run.

Stites, who is also running for Montgomery Motorsports Park out of Falkner, Miss., won in the Sportsman class in both yesterday’s ROC and again today for the division championship.  Stites held off Thomas Holley, Saraland, Ala., (Mobile Dragway) who ran too quick and broke out.

In a great side by side Super Pro Final round, Allan Ackles Jr., Tampa, Fla., (Bradenton Motorsports Park) took the win over Jeremy Hancock by just 22 inches running 4.974 seconds on a 4.97 dial-in with a 0.006 second reaction time.  Hancock, Commerce, Ga., (Atlanta Dragway) ran 4.689 (4.68 dial) with a 0.009 second reaction.

Charles Ridge out of Nashville, Tenn., and Music City Raceway grabbed the win in the Bike class over teammate John Markham, Bowling Green, Ky., (Music City Raceway) and will join Williams, Stites, and Ackles in Pomona, Calif., at the NHRA AAA Finals in Pomona, Calif., to compete against the winner’s from NHRA’s other six divisions for the Summit Racing Series National Championship.

Sunshine Dragstrip in Clearwater, Fla., did not have any individual racers in the final rounds but had enough racers advance through eliminations to take home the Team Championship with a one point win over Atlanta Dragway with 43 points.  Atlanta was second with 42 and three teams (Orlando Speed World Dragway, Montgomery Motorsports Park, and Bradenton Motorsports Park) tied for third at 40.

The following are Saturday's final results from the 2009 NHRA Summit Racing Series Southeast Division Finals:

SUPER PRO
Allan Ackles Jr., Tampa, Fla., Bradenton Motorsports Park, dragster, 4.974, 137.30  def.
Jeremy Hancock, Commerce, Ga., Atlanta Dragway, dragster, 4.689, 146.80.

PRO
Troy Williams Jr., Bradenton, Fla., Montgomery Motorsports Park, '93 S-10, 6.682, 98.43  def.
Brandon Wood, Thomasville, Ga., South Georgia Motorsports Park, '81 Malibu, 7.062, 87.44.

SPORTSMAN
Steve Stites, Falkner, Miss., Montgomery Motorsports Park, '94 Cavalier, 10.710, 64.43  def.
Thomas Holley, Saraland, Ala., Mobile Dragway, '93 Sierra, 10.369, 67.02.

BIKE
Charles Ridge, Nashville, Tenn., Music City Raceway, '76 Kawasaki, 6.199, 108.13  def.
John Markham, Bowling Green, Ky., Music City Raceway, '04 Kawasaki, 5.641, 120.08.

TEAM POINTS
1.  Sunshine Dragstrip    43
2.  Atlanta Dragway    42
3.  Orlando Speed World Dragway           40
4.  Montgomery Motorsports Park           40
5.  Bradenton Motorsports Park           40
6.  Palm Beach Int'l Raceway              39
7.  South Georgia Motorsports Park        35
8.  Silver Dollar Raceway                  32
9.  Gainesville Raceway                    32
10. Music City Raceway                     30
11. Mobile Dragway                         29
12. Emerald Coast Dragway                 19
13. Bristol Dragway                         7
14. Northwest Tennessee Motorsports Park  5
 

Friday

Division 2 Race Of Champions winners crowned

CECIL, Ga. (Oct. 1, 2009) – The NHRA Southeast Division Summit Racing Series crowned its Race of Champions with Troy Williams Jr. leading the way in Super Pro from Montgomery Motorsports Park. Williams, Bradenton, Fla., ran 4.808 seconds at 136.62 mph for the win over Larry Meacham, Cantonment, Fla., out of Emerald Coast Dragway.

In the Pro class it was Tracy Crutcher of Pleasant View, Tenn., turning on the win light over Steve Foley, Barbersville, Ky.  Crutcher runs for Music City Raceway in a ’66 Chevy II while Foley is competing on the Bristol Dragway Team in his ’71 Duster.

Steve Stites, Falkner, Miss., and Lonnie Rueckert, Bradenton, Fla., also grabbed the Race of Champions trophies in the Sportsman and Bike categories respectively.  Stites who also represents Montgomery Motorsports Park held off Joe Tillman of Longwood, Fla., and Orlando Speed World Dragway.   Rueckert put Bradenton Motorsports Park in the winner’s circle with his ’82 Suzuki in beating Lucas Walker, Farmington, Ky.

The High School ROC win went to Monica Roberts of Gainesville Raceway and Ocala, Fla.  Roberts drove her ’95 Camaro past local racer Kenny Bevins, Jr., of Albany, Ga., and South Georgia Motorsports Park.

Event eliminations are scheduled for Saturday with nearly 500 of the best bracket racers in the division looking for that elusive win and a share of the more than $20,000 in purse and contingency.  Even more important is bragging rights of being named the NHRA Southeast Division Summit Racing Series Champion and the opportunity to advance to the NHRA AAA Finals in Pomona, Calif., to compete against the winner’s from NHRA’s other six divisions for the national championship.

Gates at South Georgia Motorsports Park open at 8 a.m. with racing beginning at 9 a.m.  South Georgia Motorsports Park is located 12 miles north of Valdosta, Ga.  Take I-75 (from the north or south) to Exit 32, old Coffee Road.  Take Old Coffee Road east to Highway 41.  Go north to the track.  For more information call the track, (229) 896-7000.

The following are Friday's final results from the 2009 NHRA Summit Racing Series Southeast Division Race of Champions:

SUPER PRO ROC
Troy Williams Jr., Bradenton, Fla., Montgomery Motorsports Park, dragster, 4.808, 136.62  def.
Larry Meacham, Cantonment, Fla., Emerald Coast Dragway, dragster, 5.181, 131.00.

PRO ROC
Tracy Crutcher, Pleasant View, Tenn., Music City Raceway, '66 Chevy II, 7.412, 91.92  def.
Steve Foley, Barbersville, Ky., Bristol Dragway, '74 Duster, 7.481, 85.36.

SPORTSMAN ROC
Steve Stites, Falkner, Miss., Montgomery Motorsports Park, '94 Cavalier, 10.675, 64.65  def.
Joe Tillman, Longwood, Fla., Orlando Speed World Dragway, '94 Impala, 10.048, 65.94.

BIKE ROC
Lonnie Rueckert, Bradenton, Fla., Bradenton Motorsports Park, '82 Suzuki, 5.768, 114.64  def.
Lucas Walker, Farmington, Ky., Northwest Tennessee Motorsports Park, '08 Suzuki, 8.007, 85.34.

HIGH SCHOOL ROC
Monica Roberts, Ocala, Fla., Gainesville Raceway, '95 Camaro, 8.876, 81.30  def.
Kenny Bevins Jr., Albany, Ga., South Georgia Motorsports Park, '86 Camaro, 8.211, 85.16.

Preview

CECIL, Ga. – The top bracket racers in NHRA’s Southeast division will be on hand at South Georgia Motorsports Park, October 1-3, for the NHRA Summit Racing Series Southeast Division Finals.  Racers in four categories from across the region will compete for individual and team honors and a share of the cash and contingency purse.  Racing classes include Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman and Super Pro Bike.

Individual champions will advance to a national run-off at the NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif., in November.  They will compete against the winners from NHRA’s other six divisions for a national titles and a winner-take-all $5,000 payday.  Racers who run in Pomona will receive an additional $3,500.

Racing action will also include the Race of Champions.  The Race of Champions is a race within a race where top points-earning drivers from each track square off in head-to-head competition and a share of the purse worth nearly $5,000.

Gates at South Georgia Motorsports Park open at 8 a.m. Thursday and Friday and at 7 a.m. Sunday.  Time trials will start Thursday at 10 a.m. and continue Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.  The Race of Champions will start at 5 p.m. Saturday.  Eliminations begin Sunday at 9 a.m.

South Georgia Motorsports Park is located 12 miles north of Valdosta, Ga.  Take I-75 (from north or south) to Exit 32, Old Coffee Road.  Take Old Coffee Road east to Highway 41.  Go north to the track. For more information call the track, (229) 896-7000, or visit www.SGMP.com or www.NHRAdiv2.com.

SUMMIT RACING SERIES SOUTHEAST DIVISION FINALS: Fact Sheet

WHAT: NHRA Summit Racing Series, where top drivers from NHRA member tracks across the Southeast Division compete in four classes, Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman and Pro Bike, for individual and team honors.  Individual champions will advance to a national run-off at the NHRA Auto Club of Southern California Finals at Pomona Raceway in Calif.

WHERE: South Georgia Motorsports Park, Cecil, Ga.  Track is located 12 miles north of Valdosta, Ga.  Take I-75 (from north or south) to Exit 32, Old Coffee Road.  Take Old Coffee Road east to Highway 41.  Go north to the track.

WHEN:  Thursday through Saturday, October 1-3, 2009
SCHEDULE: Time trials schedule for the Summit Racing Series Southeast Division Finals:
THURSDAY, Oct. 1 -- Gates open at 8 a.m.  Time trials begin at 10 a.m.
    
FRIDAY, Oct. 2 -- Gates open at 8 a.m.  Final time trials are scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.  The Race of Champions, a race within a race where top points-earners from each track square off in head-to-head competition, will start at 5 p.m.

SATURDAY, Oct. 3 -- Gates open at 7 a.m.  Eliminations begin at 9 a.m.

PURSE: The Summit Racing Series competitors in Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman and Pro Bike will compete for cash awards of $15,700.  The winners in each category will advance to compete against winners from NHRA’s other six divisions at the NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif., in November.  They will each receive $3,500 for advancing to the Finals and the winner in each class will receive an additional $5,000.  Race of Champion competitors are vying for a share of the $4,700 purse.

2008 EVENT WINNERS: Bradenton Motorsports Park, team champion; Mark Padgett (South Georgia Motorsports Park), Super Pro; Bruce Wilson (Huntsville Dragway), Pro; Steve Foley (Montgomery  Motorsports Park), Sportsman; Roy Hagadorn (Bradenton Motorsports Park), Super Pro Bike
 

In the sport of NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing, every racer knows that in less than the blink of an eye, a racer can go from being a hero to a zero and vice versa.

Nobody knows that better than Robert Hight.

Highly touted as a preseason favorite to win the Funny Car championship, many expected to see Hight visit every winner’s circle on the circuit. However, he and his Auto Club Ford Mustang team encountered one of the worst slumps in recent memory and had a horrible regular-season performance. They barely squeaked into the Countdown to 1 playoffs in dramatic fashion at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil in Indianapolis.

At the time, he said he believed that if his team got in the Countdown, they could win it. Now he’s proving it.

After winning the first two playoff events, in Charlotte and Dallas, the team has regained its swagger and is focusing on finishing the deal. They have moved from ninth to first in the standings and hold a 13-point lead over second-place Ashley Force Hood.

“The first two weeks of the Countdown couldn’t have been any better for us,” Hight said. “We won them and went from worst to first, so it’s very exciting for me. It’s something I never thought was going to happen. I never lost faith in my team. You dream big, but this is huge.”

Hight will try to extend his points lead and come even closer to winning his first NHRA season title with a strong performance at the 22nd annual O’Reilly NHRA Mid-South Nationals presented by Pennzoil, Oct. 2-4 at Memphis Motorsports Park. Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel), Tim Wilkerson (Funny Car), Mike Edwards (Pro Stock), and Craig Treble (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are the defending winners of the event, which will be televised on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD.

After the season he’has had – which has included an uncharacteristic seven first-round losses and two DNQs – the change in performance has given his team a powerful second wind that may just propel Hight to the podium at the awards ceremony.

“The first part of the year, we stunk this place up,” Hight said. “It was terrible.  You begin to wonder, you know, if you can win because winning these races out here, they’re not that easy to win. Every round … if you’re a little late, if something happens, any little thing, you’re gonna lose.”

Crew chief Jimmy Prock has been a big part of Hight's turnaround.

The turning point came after his DNQ in Brainerd. In an unprecedented move, he switched cars and crew chiefs with team owner John Force for the race in Reading. After that brief experiment, the two drivers went back to their primary teams in Indy, and Hight and crew chief Jimmy Prock responded with a No. 1 qualifying performance and a runner-up finish to make the playoffs.

“It’s been a crazy month,” Hight said. “With all the switching we did with me going to John’s car and vice versa. It has been crazy. But for whatever reason, it has worked out. John Force, he’s not a tuner, but he definitely knows how to shake things up, and whatever he did, it’s worked.”

Now that Hight and Prock are in the zone that many expected for the regular season, they can transform their less than spectacular regular-season effort into a playoff run that could become known as one of NHRA’s greatest championship comebacks.

“Robert’s car has been running great, and my personal opinion is Robert Hight is the favorite to win the whole thing,” said teammate Mike Neff, who is in ninth place in the points standings. “It is all about hitting your stride at the right time. They hit their stride in Indy.”

Hight has been the top qualifier at Memphis Motorsports Park three times – from 2005 to 2007. He has yet to reach a final at the Tennessee track but hopes to change that statistic this weekend.

“This is probably the best race car I’ve ever had,” Hight said. “We’ve won races and been close to winning the championship, but we’ve never been this dominant, this consistent, this steady; it’s going down the racetrack every run.”

Among the top threats to Hight’s late-season surge are Funny Car regular-season champ Tony Pedregon, championship challenger Ron Capps, who led the points standings for most of the regular season, and defending winner Wilkerson, also last year’s championship runner-up. All three drivers are past winners in Memphis. Hight’s teammate, Ashley Force Hood, may have the most consistent car in the category; her Castrol GTX Ford Mustang has posted two victories in seven final rounds and raced to five No. 1 qualifying positions. And no one can count out Force, a five-time winner in Memphis, the most for any Pro driver in any category.

Tony Schumacher used a win in Dallas to vault into the Top Fuel points lead as he seeks to again successfully defend his Full Throttle world championship.

In Top Fuel, Tony Schumacher moved back into the series points lead with a win in Dallas in a sizzling final round against rival Larry Dixon. Both drivers are past winners at Memphis Motorsports Park. Veteran driver Cory McClenathan held the series points lead for the first time in more than a decade after his emotional win in the first round of the playoffs. A two-time winner in Memphis, McClenathan has been a runner-up in his quest for the world championship crown four times and finished third in three other seasons. Others to watch in the 7,000-horsepower category include regular-season champ Antron Brown, who will be driving a special red and white dragster with Toyota/Matco Tools sponsorship on the side. Brown won here on two wheels in 2004.

Defending Pro Stock winner Edwards comes to Memphis as the hottest driver in the category. NHRA’s new 3-2-1 qualifying bonus points system has been a boost for his championship dreams. In Charlotte, he scored 10 extra points during the four rounds of qualifying and went on to win the race, and in Dallas, he netted the maxium 12 bonus points and finished with a 90-point total for the event. He leads Jeg Coughlin by 65 points. Four-time world champ Coughlin, a two-time Memphis winner, is hoping for a three-peat under the Countdown format. Other favorites in the 200-mph category include hard-charging Greg Stanfield, who posted back-to-back runner-up finishes in Indy and Charlotte, and past champions Greg Anderson and Jason Line, Summit Racing teammates who are both past winners at this track. Anderson earned his second victory of the season this past weekend in Dallas and moved to third in the standings, 80 points behind Edwards.

Hector Arana also benefited from the new qualifying bonus system and powered his Lucas Oil Buell to Pro Stock Motorcycle wins in Charlotte and Dallas to open his series lead over defending world champ Eddie Krawiec. A runner-up finish in Memphis last year helped Krawiec win the championship title. Three-time world champ Andrew Hines, rookie Doug Horne, and 2007 champ Matt Smith are the other favorites in the two-wheel category.

 

The drive will take place Friday, Oct. 2, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 3, from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

This effort was sparked in honor of Lilly Belle Kulungian, the Kulungians' youing daughter, who was diagnosed earlier this year with malignant infantile osteoporosis, an extremely rare
and very deadly disease that closes the marrow canal preventing blood production and requires those affected to receive regular blood transfusions to stay alive.

Explained Cristal Kulungian, "The disease had already taken Lilly's eyesight, so we knew that we needed a donor fast. We were warned that Lilly may be in for a long wait for a donor in the National Registry due to the fact that her origin is half Armenian. Any origin other than that of Caucasian usually has to wait longer for a match through the registry. Lucky for us, one of our other children turned out to be a perfect match. It is a rare occurrence to have a sibling match; 96 percent of patients do not have a family donor. Our 4-year-old daughter, Delilah, was Lilly's donor. I took them both to Minnesota for the rare transplant that would give Lilly Belle a 20 percent chance of survival. Lilly Belle was 4 months old when she was transplanted. She spent her first year of life living in a hospital and many months fighting for her life on a ventilator. We have had her home for a couple months, and she is doing well. Bone-marrow transplant is a very long and grueling process. For many, the wait just to get a donor and start the process is long and grueling. Had our daughter had to wait for a donor through the registry, she very well may not have lived long enough to receive the transplant.

“We would like to thank the NHRA family for being so supportive of our daughter over the past year and a half,” Kulungian said. “The teams and Bob Frey have really come together to help us through this life-changing ordeal. I am asking each race team to commit two people to donate blood for this drive. This can be a team member, a spouse, or a visiting friend or family member. ”
 

Daniel Wilkerson had been waiting his whole life to do what he did in late May this year. He was in Topeka, racing a nitro Funny Car, and was doing it at a national event on the NHRA Full Throttle tour. To cap it off, he even outqualified his dad, running a 4.215 to take the eighth spot; his pop, popular Funny Car contender Tim Wilkerson, landed 12th.

Now, approaching this weekend's O'Reilly NHRA Mid-South Nationals presented by Pennzoil in Memphis, Wilkerson can say, "I've been waiting my whole summer for this" as he comes back for his second Pro start, almost exactly four months after his debut. Wilkerson will again field a second Levi, Ray & Shoup entry as he fights for a spot in the field and success on race day.

"I'd like to say it's all old hat and a lot different than Topeka, but I can't say that without lying," the 21-year-old driver said. "I had really waited my whole life to race Professionally in a Funny Car and with my dad, but that was four months ago, and I've been itching to do it again since the second it was over. It's been a long summer, seeing my dad out there racing while I stayed at home, but he made the commitment to get me out there again, and I'm really excited to do it.

Daniel Wilkerson qualified in his season debut earlier this year in Topeka.

"I just love to race this car, and everything about it gets me fired up. I know I need seat time and a lot of experience, so I try to focus on everything we're doing and all the things I have to do to get the car down the track competitively. I'm trying to be a sponge and soak up as much as I can, whether it's when I'm in the car or talking to my dad or even pestering the other drivers with questions. I want to learn it all, but I know that takes a lifetime, so I'm just trying to do the best job I can right now. I can't wait to race, I know that."

As opposed to his Topeka debut, where only 16 Funny Cars were entered and young Wilkerson was assured a spot in the field by simply taking a light at the starting line, 19 teams are pre-entered for Memphis. He'll have to force his way into this race, outrunning at least three opponents, and he feels ready for the challenge.

"We're running my dad's old car, so we know it's good," Wilkerson said. "We have all the parts and pieces we need, we have all of my dad's tuning data, and we have my dad keeping an eye on everything. We really should be able to run with the main pack, and I think we all expect to be right in the mix. My job is to make sure the driver isn't the weak link because I feel sure we'll have the car dialed in and running strong."

In addition to getting the oldest Wilkerson son additional experience in a 7,000-horsepower nitro Funny Car, the Memphis gig provides Team Wilkerson the chance to showcase the young driver to prospective sponsors. The team is actively seeking a marketing partner for Wilkerson in 2010, and the best way to illustrate his best attributes is to let him continue to earn his stripes as a Pro. If he continues to display the skill, focus, and determination he has demonstrated in the past, his future will be very bright indeed.

Antron Brown moves forward at a very rapid pace in his 7,000-horsepower Top Fuel dragster, and the 23-time NHRA winner will be moving forward with a new look as he competes for the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle world championship at the Memphis NHRA race. Brown and the Mike Ashley Racing Matco Tools team will fly the colors of Toyota at the 22nd annual O’Reilly NHRA Mid-South Nationals presented by Pennzoil, Oct. 2-4, at Memphis Motorsports Park. 

The arrangement between Matco Tools and MAR gives the team the opportunity to generate additional funding and place a marketing partner in the primary sponsor location at given events. Brown raced the DirecTV/Matco Tools dragster to the win at the Madison race in May. The team’s customary bright blue and silver pinstriped Matco Tools Iron Eagle dragster theme will return for the final three races on the 2009 NHRA schedule, in Richmond, Las Vegas, and Pomona. 

“Toyota has been a loyal supporter of our MAR team, and we thank them for that,” Brown said. “I love driving my Sequoia, and we’re fired up about racing this Toyota/Matco Tools car at Memphis during the Countdown [to 1]. The red and white paint scheme looks great, and I know that the fans will really dig the car. There are a lot of Toyota dealers with technicians that use Matco Tools, so this is a great partnership for all of us.”

The Toyota/Matco Tools rail will feature a one-race red and white paint scheme at the third race in the Countdown to 1. The stacked Matco Tools logo will be prominently displayed on the side of Brown’s Top Fuel dragster. Brown will wear a new Impact! Racing Toyota firesuit, and MAR crewmembers will sport red and white Toyota crew shirts at the Memphis race. The team also will offer a special Toyota-themed autograph card that features a $10 coupon on a Toyota parts and labor purchase of $50 or more. 

“Antron and the entire Mike Ashley Racing team have been outstanding representatives for Toyota both on and off track during 2009. We wish them continued success with the Countdown to 1,” said Les Unger, Toyota Motorsports national manager.

 

A who’s who of drivers will meet with fans and sign autographs the night before they shake, rattle, and roll for three days of nitro-burning excitement at Memphis Motorsports Park. Racers scheduled to attend include Ron Capps, Brandon Bernstein, Clay Millican, Cory McClenathan, and Shawn Gann; other drivers are expected to be named later.

“We’re looking forward to meeting our fans and providing them the opportunity to meet some of their favorite drivers,” said Memphis Motorsports Park Vice President and General Manager Jason Rittenberry. “We want to thank Hooters and Budweiser for their support of this event and even more so want to thank the fans. Memphis Motorsports Park has some of the most loyal race fans in the country, and we want to use this event as an opportunity to thank them for their support.”

The event will also include door prizes and giveaways as well as the world-famous hot wings, cold beverages, and other Hooters menu items.

Great tickets are still available for the O’Reilly NHRA Mid-South Nationals presented by Pennzoil. Call 866-40-SPEED (77333) or log on to MemphisMotorsportsPark.com to reserve your seat.

 

Memphis-area drag racing fans have the opportunity to watch favorite son Clay Millican at work during the O’Reilly NHRA Mid-South Nationals presented by Pennzoil at Memphis Motorsports Park, Friday through Sunday.

This time, Millican, a Drummonds, Tenn., resident, arrives as one of the 10 Top Fuel drivers in contention for the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series world championship. With two of the six deciding events completed, Millican is 10th with 2,062 points. But he’s only a round-win out of ninth, and should the Hope4Sudan/Motorvation dragster get on a hot streak, he’d climb higher.

“We would go a long way toward filling in a lot of the valleys we’ve had this year if we win this race,” Millican said. “It would mean a lot. It would certainly be something I could write off my to-do list – win the Memphis race, win my first NHRA race ... and to do it all at home would be just awesome.

“The people at Memphis Motorsports Park have done so many things for me, and we’ve done so many things together over the years. At this point, we’re looking to make runs down the racetrack. We still have hopes of moving up in the top 10, and we know we have to make the car run better than what it has been. That’s what we plan on doing.”

Being close to home once in 24 races does have its perks.

“For one, I get to leave the shop in the morning and drive to the racetrack,” Millican noted. “That’s kind of fun. It’s better than leaving the hotel and driving to the track. And I get to sleep at home. That’s a big bonus.”

The crew gets a break, too. This is the third of four successive races, and it gives them extra time at home before traveling to Richmond for next week’s event.

“The weather should be good,” Millican reported. “Maybe we’ll get to see some really good runs at home, which would be awesome. A lot of times, this race has been run in hot weather. Hopefully, it will be cool. Race cars like cool weather."
 

Tony Schumacher, Robert Hight, Greg Anderson, and Hector Arana scored huge playoffs victories at the 24th annual O'Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals presented by Castrol Syntec at Texas Motorplex, wins with huge points implications for all.

Schumacher and Hight used their wins in Top Fuel and Funny Car, respectively, to springboard into the Full Throttle Drag Racing Series points lead as the Countdown to 1 playoffs hit the one-third mark with race two of six. Arana's win in Pro Stock Motorcycle kept him ahead of the two-wheeled pack, and former world champ Anderson moved from sixth to third with his victory in Pro Stock.

Tony Schumacher

The Top Fuel final was a continuation of the ongoing power struggle between the decade's only two world champs and a rematch of their final at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil. The result was the same, with Schumacher leading Larry Dixon across the stripe, which was most unexpected here as no Top Fuel driver before Schumacher had won in the right lane all day. Schumacher scored the win, the 61st of his career, with a 3.944, 312.86 to Dixon'ts 4.23, 225.18.

"That was huge," said Schumacher. "To get stuffed in the right lane [and win], that's a statement. That's just Mike Green doing a heckuva job. He even said, 'Let's not get stuck in the right lane; let's choose it,' and kept it positive, and we went right down it. The right lane wasn't that bad; it was clear you could go down it. We took the left lane in the final last year and got beat by J.R. Todd. I think a lot of people who got put in the right lane just misjudged it. It’s extremely important at this track to keep the car in the middle of the groove, and we did.

"Beating Larry Dixon and Alan Johnson and my old team is just special; if you can’t rise to the occasion against guys like that who you know are great like that, you don't belong in here racing cars."

Schumacher, who won his first Top Fuel race here 10 years ago, marched the U.S. Army dragster to his 94th final and past T.J. Zizzo, points rival Antron Brown, and rookie of the year hopeful Spencer Massey, the last with a 3.960 that left him .003-second shy of lane choice against Dixon.

Dixon, who qualified No. 1 for the sixth time this year, powered his Jason McCulloch-tuned maroon marauder past first-time starter Mike Bowers and longtime beer rival Brandon Bernstein with runs of 3.88 and 3.93. The two-time event winner (2001, 2007) then dispatched last week's runner-up, Shawn Langdon, with a 3.95 to reach final round No. 91.

Robert Hight

The Funny Car final also had points-leading implications as Hight's victory, his second straight of the playoffs, moved him past teammate Ashley Force Hood and to the head of the pack, not a bad turnaround for a guy who barely made it into the Countdown to 1. Hight's close 4.21, 296.44 to 4.27, 292.58 decision against Jack Beckman gave Hight a 17-point edge on Force Hood.

“We were No. 1 qualifier, and usually in Funny Car, the No. 1 qualifier doesn’t do well, so to run the table here is just a great tribute to my team; they did an awesome job. We have four [races] in a row here, and it’s so exciting as a driver to be able to go right back out next week and maybe keep this streak going. When you’re on a hot streak, you don’t want to go home and celebrate, you want to get right back in the race car and keep it going. The first two weeks of the Countdown couldn’t have been any better for us. We won them and went from worst to first, so it’s very exciting for me. It’s something I never thought was going to happen. I never lost faith in my team. You dream big, but this is huge.

“This is probably the best race car I’ve ever had. We’ve won races and been close to winning the championship, but we’ve never been this dominant, this consistent, this steady; it’s going down the racetrack every run. The only person to beat us  is my teammate [Ashley Force Hood] in Indy in the final – we had a malfunction and it kind of blew up – but it’s not hurting parts and it’s running fast; Jimmy Prock definitely has a handle on it. But we still have to give [credit] to [Hood’s crew chiefs] Dean Antonelli and Ron Douglas. Thank God [tuner] Jimmy [Prock] listened to them and worked with them. That’s what’s great about our team; we all work together. Honestly, it’s kind of hard to want to go out there and beat those guys because without them, we wouldn’t be here right now.”

Hight reached his third straight final round by powering his Automobile Club of Texas Mustang from the No. 1 qualifying spot past Leif Helander, Tim Wilkerson, and teammate and then-points leader Force Hood in the semifinals. Hight's 4.27 in the final four earned him the all-important lane choice against Beckman.

Beckman reached his fourth final of the year and his first since Norwalk in June with his Johnny West-wrenched Valvoline machine and reached third place in the points. Beckman defeated teammate Matt Hagan, John Force, and upset-minded Jerry Toliver in the semifinals in a close 4.54 to 4.55 match.

Greg Anderson

Anderson's considerable early-season woes must be a distant memory as the former world champ now finds himself right in the thick of the playoff hunt, just 80 points behind leader Mike Edwards and just 15 markers behind second-place Jeg Coughlin. Anderson earned the win, the 59th of his career, by a narrow .002-second margin after tracking down Johnny Gray's .034 to .061 holeshot to win, 6.684, 207.11 to 6.713, 206.64.

"I can't remember stealing one like we did today," Anderson admitted. "I didn't exactly wake up this morning brimming with confidence because Mike Edwards is making us all look bad. We like to be the performance leader, and we're not, and it's driving us nuts. It certainly wouldn't have been a big shock to exit early today. We just fought and clawed and found a way to win all four rounds, and, honestly, if we had another first-round loss today, we probably would have been done for the Countdown.

"We found a way to win today and bought ourselves a little time to try to find some performance in this car and get to where Mike Edwards is, or get closer to him. It feels good to win the race because even though you can't win the Countdown in the first race or two, you certainly can lose it."

Anderson, now a three-time winner here, reached his 86th Pro Stock final with a surprising victory over Edwards, who had dominated every qualifying round and the first two rounds of eliminations. In a weird semifinal, Edwards was caught staring at the Tree after flickering his own stage bulb several times while pulling in. Anderson was long gone before Edwards, whose run was doubly affected when his Young Life/ART Pontiac broke traction. Prior to Edwards, Anderson had beaten Warren Johnson with a 6.68, then scored a super-narrow .0004-second victory over Allen Johnson's Dodge.

Reading runner-up Gray returned to the final with his Dodge by upsetting regular-season points front-runner Coughlin in the semifinals after the Jegs.com Cobalt got loose on the launch. Prior to that, Gray had defeated fellow Mopar man Larry Morgan and Matt Hartford, who had upset No. 2 qualifier Jason Line in the opening stanza.

Hector Arana

In a battle for the points lead, the Pro Stock Motorcycle final featured the class' top two points earners and the event's top two qualifiers: Arana and reigning world champ Eddie Krawiec. Krawiec got away first, .017 to .033, but Arana chased him down in the lights for his third straight win, 6.97, 190.67 to 7.00, 190.43. Arana, who entered the event in the points lead just nine points in front of Krawiec, left with a 27-point edge.

"I’m really pleased with the performance of the bike and this S&S motor," said Arana. "It's a helluva piece, and Larry Morgan's guys are working hard to keep me winning rounds and races and the title, something we've always dreamed of. My team never slowed down, even in 90 degrees of heat. They just worked so hard. I have to thank Lucas Oil for sticking with me and believing in me and allowing me to grow with them.

"It's amazing how everything has turned around for me to win five races this season; now I just need to win three more, and I'll be good. I really don't want to focus on the championship, just about getting the motor ready and going to Memphis."

Arana reached his third straight final round and fifth of the season aboard his Lucas Oil Buell from the No. 2 spot with a dominating early effort, including passes of 6.94 and 6.95 to trailer Joe DeSantis and David Hope, but he slowed a little in the semifinals to a 7.03 after Andrew Hines red-lighted.

Krawiec, the No. 1 qualifier aboard his Screamin' Eagle/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson, reached his ninth final of the season but his first in three races by riding his V-Rod past Redell Harris, Angie McBride, and last year's runner-up, Matt Smith, with passes of 7.02, 6.99, and a 7.00 that earned him final-round lane choice.

Related stories
Friday: Dixon, Hight, Edwards, Krawiec are first-day leaders at Dallas
Saturday: Friday leaders Dixon, Hight, Edwards, Krawiec unchallenged on Saturday

A large crowd is gathered for today's NHRA Race Day presented by Lucas Oil, with hosts Dave Rieff and Mike Dunn to set the stage for the day.

Speaking of stages, the NHRA crew is wheeling the big stage into place in preparation for driver introductions and all of the other pre-race hoopla. Soon, the 64 Pro drivers who will be taking part in today's final eliminations will be gathering and readied for their introductions to the crowd.

Special awards (10:10 a.m.): Bill Dennis' Super Gas entry was judged Best Appearing Car, and Chase Huffman's Accelerated Graphics squad was named Best Appearing Crew. The Best Engineered Car award went to Super Comp racer Craig Anderson.

DRAW auction: Last night's Drag Racing Association of Women auction raised nearly $60,000 for the injured racers' benevolent fund, $8,000 of which was from a great contribution from Attitude Apparel. The uniform manufacturer made for bid a custom set of pants for announcer Bob Frey with the words, "Attitude, you gotta have it" stitched across the rear end, then promised to match the highest bid if Frey would wear them during the pre-race ceremonies. Funny Car star Ron Capps stepped up to the plate and bid $4,000, which Attitude matched, and a very sheepish but game Frey did his part this morning. Attitude? He's got it.

Qualifying bonus points recap: Below is the list of drivers who earned bonus points by being among the top three runners in each qualifying session:

TOP FUEL
Larry Dixon: 6
Brandon Bernstein: 4
Tony Schumacher: 4
Spencer Massey: 3
Morgan Lucas: 2
Cory McClenathan: 2
Steve Torrence: 2
Antron Brown: 1

FUNNY CAR
Ashley Force Hood: 6
John Force: 4
Bob Tasca III:
Robert Hight: 3
Matt Hagan: 2
Tony Pedregon: 2
Jeff Arend: 1
Jerry Toliver: 1
Del Worsham: 1

PRO STOCK
Mike Edwards: 12
Jeg Coughlin: 5
Jason Line: 4
Greg Anderson: 2
Ron Krisher: 1

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
Eddie Krawiec: 8
Hector Arana: 7
Andrew Hines: 6
Matt Smith: 2
Douglas Horne: 1

Ready to rock (11 a.m.): After pre-race and the national anthem by Kaylie Caperton, who gave a free concert here last night, we're ready to roll. First pair: Brandon Bernstein vs. Steve Torrence.

Top Fuel round one (11:52 a.m.): The top eight qualifiers, all in the left lane, all won. Terry Haddock had the biggest "wow" as he leveled the top of the engine, the supercharger hanging by just the safety restraints, in his loss to Antron Brown.

Second-round pairings (lane choice in bold): Larry Dixon vs. Brandon Bernstein; Shawn Langon vs. Cory McClenathan; Morgan Lucas vs. Spencer Massey; and Tony Schumacher vs. Antron Brown. Dixon and Schumacher both ran 3.884.

Points update: Cory Mac leads "the Sarge" by six points, Brown by 11, and Dixon by 13. Close!

Funny Car round one (12:15 p.m.): The right lane bits almost every car just past the 330 mark and, just as in Top Fuel, there are no upsets. Highlights: Bob Tasca III impresses with a 4.177 in beating his best friend Tony Pedregon and Jerry Toliver, the surprise No. 3 qualifier, picks up just his third round-win of the year.
 
Second-round pairings (lane choice in bold): Robert Hight vs. Tim Wilkerson; Ashley Force Hood vs. Mike Neff; John Force vs. Jack Beckman; Jerry Toliver vs. Bob Tasca III

With Tony Pedregon's exit and her win, Force Hood now has a 26-point lead on him and a 27-point edge on teammate Hight.

Pro Stock round one (12:40 p.m.): Unlike the fuel cars, here we have a few upsets. Matt Hartford tattoos Jason Line on a gatejob, Greg Stanfield red-lights to Ron Krisher, and Rodger Brogdon holeshots his way past Countdown runner Kurt Johnson.

Second round pairings (lane choice in bold): Mike Edwards vs. Ron Krisher; Allen Johnson vs. Greg Anderson; Matt Hartford vs. Johnny Gray; and Jeg Coughlin vs. Rodger Brogdon.

Pro Stock Motorcycle round one (1 p.m.) Hector Arana slays 'em with a 6.94, low of the round by nearly a tenth; low qualifier Eddie Krawiec is next closest with a 7.02. Countdown contenders Shawn Gann, Karen Stoffer, and Criag Treble were all first-round losers.

Second-round pairings (lane choice in bold): Eddie Krawiec vs. Angie McBride; Matt Smith vs. Doug Horne; Hector Arana vs. David Hope; and Andrew Hines vs. Michael Phillips.

Local favorite: Ran into former NFL quarterback and former Top Fuel racer Dan Pastorini, who's hanging out in one of the Motorplex suites. Until Houston earlier this year, the former national event winner (1986 Atlanta) hadn't been to a drag race in 19 years but still loves the sport and the people. Since leaving drag racing the former Houston Oilers QB has been involved in sports-car racing and even some short-track Modified driving here in Texas. Would he come back to drag racing? He'd love to, he said, followed by that ever-famous caveat: "If I could get the right deal."

Top Fuel round two (1:45 p.m.): Lane choice looks to be the big deal again. Points leader Cory McClenathan, who relinquished lane choice to Shawn Langdon, is sent packing, opening the door for Larry Dixon, who squeezes past Brandon Bernstein, 3.93 to 3.95, to take the points lead. Bernstein's 3.95 is a big feather in the cap of tuner Rob Flynn, who shows that the right lane can be negotiated quickly. Cory Mac slips back another notch to third place as, in a battle of titans, Tony Schumacher defeats Antron Bernstein to grab the points lead from Dixon. Schumacher leads Dixon by seven points.

Semifinal pairings (lane choice in bold): Larry Dixon vs. Shawn Langdon; Spencer Massey vs. Tony Schumacher.

Funny Car round two (2 p.m.) With four Fords in the top half of the ladder (and six of eight in the second round), we already know there will be one in the final round. Robert Hight's victory over Tim Wilkerson moves him past Tony Pedregon and into second place.He'll face teammate ashley Force Hood, who beat their other teammate, Mike Neff. Ashley's points lead over her borther-in-law in 27 points.

All of the Fords on the bottom half of the ladder are gone as Jerry Toliver doubles his season round-win total by beaiting Bob Tasca III and Jack Beckman erases John Force.

Semifinal pairings (lane choice in bold): Robert Hight vs.Ashley Force Hood ; Jack Beckman vs. Jerry Toliver.

Pro Stock semifinals (2:10 p.m.): Jeg Coughlin, who is fighting a troublesome gremlin today affecting fuel delivery, survives Rodger Brogdon's holeshot and a significant down-low wiggle to win by a razor-thin .0007-second. Greg Anderson's win against Allen Johnson is even thinner: .0004-second. Wow. Mike Edwards is low of the round again, with a dazzling 6.626.

Semifinal pairings (lane choice in bold): Mike Edwards versus Greg Anderson; Johnny Gray vs. Jeg Coughlin

Pro Stock Motorcycle semifinals (2:15 p.m.): No real surprises here as both Harleys, Hector Arana, and Matt Smith all advance, all with six-second passes. Arana's 6.954 is low for the round.

Semifinal pairings (lane choice in bold): Eddie Krawiec vs. Matt Smith; Hector Arana vs. Andrew Hines.

Top Fuel semifinals (3:10 p.m.): With every Top Fuel round winner so far winning in the left lane, things look grim for rookies Spencer Massey and Shawn Langdon, who will saddle up in the left lane against Larry Dixon and Tony Schumacher, respectively.

It is tough, as Dixon runs 3.957 to best Langdon and earns lane choice for the final when Schumacher's 3.960 win against Massey is a few ticks too slow.

Funny Car semifinals (3:15 p.m.): Jerry Toliver loses a cylinder early and looks dead against Jack Beckman until "Fast Jack's" run goes south at the top end. Beckman hangs on, though to win a squeaker, 4.546 to 4.555. Beckman moves into third place.

Robert Hight defeats Ashley Force Hood with a 4.27 to earn lane choice and pul to within seven points of his teammate, he can take the points lead by winning the final.

 Pro Stock semifinals (3:20 p.m.): Jeg Coughlin just about turns his cobalt sidways as he looses traction against Johnny Gray, who races to his second ifnal round in the last four races.

HUGE upset in the other semifinals as Mike Edwards appears to be distracted by a blinking stage bulb and it caught flat-footed when the Tree turns with a .362 light. To compound things, his Pontiac gets Jeg-like loose in pursuit of Greg Anderson, who is long gone.

 Pro Stock Motorcycle semifinals (3:25p.m.): Eddie Krawiec gets to his first final since Reading with a 7.00 against Matt Smith and will surprisingly have lane choice against Hector Arana, who slowed to a 7.03 after Andrew Hines red-lighted against him.

Final rounds (4:45 p.m.): Hector Arana scores his third straight and fifth win of the season  on a 6.97 to 7.00 decision over Eddie Krawiec. In Pro Stock, Johnny Gray comes within .002-second of scoring his first Pro Stock win as Greg Anderson overcomes his holeshot to winm 6.68 to 6.71. Robert Hight takes over the Funny Car points lead by beating Jack Beckman,  4.21 to 4.27, and Tony Schumacher does the unthinkable, becoming the only Top Fuel driver to win out of the right lane, and doing so in the final to defeat Larry Dixon.

That's the end to a great race!

SATURDAY
Saturday, in the Plex (10 a.m.): Welcome to day 3 of the O'Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals, and the final day of Pro qualifying. Right now we're running through several rounds of Sportsman classes, leading up to the Pro Stock Motorcycles at 11:15 a.m. with nitro thunder slated for around noon.

Several Countdown players -- Doug Kalitta and Clay Millican in Top Fuel, Del Worsham in Funny Car, and Allen Johnson in Pro Stock -- were not among yesterday's quick 12 qualifiers in their class, so they'll have to be on their games today, where th etemperatures are supposed to be hotter than yesterday.

Points update: Low qualifiers Larry Dixon (Top Fuel), Mike Edwards (Pro Stock), and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) all earned the maximum amount of qualifying bonus points under the new system that rewards the quickest driver in each class in each session with three points, the second quickest two points, and the third quickest one point; all three of those drivers earned six points.

Funny Car was much more divided with Ashley Force Hood and teammate and current polesitter Robert Hight each grabbing three points. No Funny Car driver scored bonus points in both sessions.

Force Hood's three points and Tony Pedregon's two points left them tied atop the standings. In the other classes, Cory McClenathan, who picked up two points yesterday, leads Antron Brown by 12 markers. In Pro Stock, Edwards used his half-dozen points to move out to a 61-point gap on Jeg Coughlin, who only netted one point yesterday. In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Krawiec used his 6 to 4 edge over Hector Arana to pull to within seven points of Arana, who was in the other lane for both of his passes, a fact not lost on Krawiec.

"A lot of people don’t look at that [having Arana in the other lane both sessions] but as the qualifying goes on he’s been kicking our butts a little bit and it’s good to go out there and start running with him," said Krawiec. "We’ve just been struggling with my bike and the setup the last couple of races. Now that I think the weather came to our setup. It benefitted me. It’s definitely not hot out there, it’s on the cool side now, but it’s just not in the humid conditions and that’s what we don’t have here is the humidity."


Pro Stock Motorcycle session 3 (11:35 a.m.): Karen Stoffer joins the six-second parade with a 6.997, a big step up over her Friday best of 7.026 but it's Matt Smith who makes the biggest jump, from a 7.00 to a 6.94. Andrew Hines is quick for the round at 6.935 and picks up three bonus points; Smith gets two and Eddie Krawiec gets one point for his 6.970, brining his event total to seven. Hector Arana did not make it down the track.

There now are seven six-second qualifiers; Angie McBride is on the bump spot at 7.252.

Pro Stock session three (12:05 p.m.): Third verse, same as the first ,,, and the second. Mike Edwards does not improve on his field-leading 6.597, but he's still low for the round witha 6.624 and earns another three points, Jeg Coughlin pockets two points for a 6.647. second best of the round, and Ron Krisher, whose 6.648 was third quick, earns a point. Allen Johnson bumped his way into the field, but only into the final spot with a 6.706. Only Mark Buehring, whose best is a 6.79, can bump him from the show.

Top Fuel session three (12:45 p.m.): No major improvements in this round, and the highlight was Todd Simpson's big blower boom and fire, a tough break for the parts-strapped team from Ponder, Texas. Qualifying bonus points went to Brandon Bernstein (3.889, low for the round, three points), Steve Torrence (3.901, two points), and Tony Schumacher (3.927, one point). Larry Dixon stays No. 1 with his Friday 3.833; Doug Kalitta is on the bump at 4.04.

Funny Car session three (1:15 p.m.): Lot of trouble for the flops early in the round with many breaking traction by midtrack. The track (or the tune-ups) came around later when the best runs were made, but none approached Robert Hight's Friday-leading 4.109. Ashley Force Hood picked up the three points for her session-leading 4.212, just ahead of her dad, John, who went 4.215 for two points.  Bob Tasca III was third quickest with a 4.234.

Pro Stock Motorcycle final session (3 p.m.): Hector Arana and Andrew Hines both run 6.930, but Arana's better speed earns him the three bonus points; Hines settles for two and teammate Eddie Krawiec gets one for his 6.950. None of the runs were able to unseat Krawiec's 6.908, so he'll have the pole and face Reddell Harris, who ended up on the bump with a 7.179.

Krawiec ended up netting eight bonus points and Arana seven with Hines six points total.

Pro Stock final session (3:25 p.m.): Not a whole lot of improvements, thanks to warm weather and a track temp of 118 degrees. Again, Mike Edwards is the star of the session with a 6.615 and completes a clean sweep of qualifying bonus points, netting 12 for the weekend, plus eight for being No. 1. Jeg Coughlin is next quickest with a 6.656, boosting his weekend total to five. Greg Anderson's 6.663 was third quickest.

As expected, Edwards scores the pole -- his 12th in 20 events this season -- and will take on bump qualifier V. Gaines, whose best run was a 6.700. Highlights of tomorrow's first round: Greg Anderson vs. former boss Warren Johnson and Larry Morgan versus fellow Dodge runner Johnny Gray.

Top Fuel final session (4:15 p.m.): Former Alcohol Dragster racer Mike Bowers qualifies in his nitro debut, wheeling his Kevin Poynter-tuned machine to a 4.018. He lost his final run when it appeared that the throttle stuck open a bit after the burnout, and theteam had to watch anxiously as Scott Palmer took a shot at knocking them from the field. After a decent launch, Palmer dropped some cylinders and slowed to a 4.154, his best of the meet, but too little too late. Plus he left a going-away present: oil. We're down for cleanup.

Ten minutes later, we're back in business.

With the track temp up to 119, we're not seeing any improvements, but still some good runs, withSpencer Massey going 4.960 and Tony Schumacher 3.964 leading the way and earning three and two points, respectively. Antron Brown earns his first bonus point of the weekend by running third-quick in the session at 3.973.

Larry Dixon didn't make it all the way down under power but nonetheless still claims his sixth No. 1 of the season. He'll take on bubble man Bowers.

Funny Car final session (4:40 p.m.): With track temps pushing 120, no one came within a tenth of Robert Hight's leading 4.10. Bob tasca III earns three points for his 4.215, quickest of the round, while Matt Hagan (4.233) and Del Worsham (4.246) earning the rest of the bonus points.
 

FRIDAY
Welcome to Friday: Welcome to Friday, day two of the 24th annual O'Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals. After a day yesterday of Sportsman time trials and qualifying passes in Comp, Super Stock, and Stock, today it's time, in the parlance of the region, for the Full Throttle pros to "cowboy up" with their first two of four qualifying passes.

Yesterday's scattered rainshowers have given way to clear Texas skies. Today will be the coolest of the remaining three days with a high of 80, while Sunday is projected to get as warm as 92.

This morning's schedule calls for the beginning of some Sportsman eliminations, two more rounds of Comp qualifying, and two rounds of alcohol-car qualifying, the first of which takes place at 12:30. The Pros will take to the all-concrete track today at 2 and 4:45 p.m..

DRAW auction: Don't forget -- the annual DRAW Auction takes place here Saturday. The auction area opens at 6:30 p.m. with the auction scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. (start time dependent on raceday schedule).

Wild ride: We just saw one of the most unique Super Comp entries you'll ever see at the track, John Robinson's Pontiac Firebird. What's unusual about that, you ask? Plenty.

For starters, the 43-year-old diesel technician from Weatherford, Texas, relies on diesel power. Still not that far out of the ordinary, right? A six-cylinder diesel. Oh my, you say.

Third, it's a Firebird Funny Car – formerly owned by Texas' own Jimmy Jones – and finally, the diesel engine is both turbocharged and spritzed with nitrous oxide. It's a sight to behold, black smoke belching from the exhaust that sticks up through the hole in the body normally occupied by the blower. How much smoke? So much smoke that when he staged and got up on the chip, from our vantage point above and behind the starting line, you couldn't see the scoreboard in his lane. He was fatally late but we couldn't see what happened from that point on the black smoke spewing from the exhaust covered his entire lane. I was too shocked to bring up a camera to even capture it for posterity. Turns out that he broke out with an 8.70-something trying to make up for his late light, but the car's unique nature and super-squirrely long burnout won him legions of fans.

Pros are next (2 p.m.): We've just completed the final Comp qualifying session and the first bikes are in the water.

Pro Stock Motorcycle session one (2:20 p.m.): Reigning season champ Eddie Krawiec shows that he's not going to let his title slip into Hector Arana's hands by bashing out a 6.908 alongside Arana's 6.912 for the top spot. Both of them, as well as third-ranked Doug Horne (6.966) broke Krawiec's incoming 6.970 track record. Krawiec's 192.36 speed  also retook his track record from teammate Andrew Hines, whose earlier 191.95 had broken Kraweic's incoming 191.92 mark. Michael Phillips topped them all though with a 194.60-mph blast. As the round's leaders, Krawiec, Arana, and Horne get the qualifying bonus points with 3, 2, and 1 markers, respectively.

Pro Stock session one (2:50 p.m.): Tom Hammonds, who looked good in his season debut in Charlotte, shows he came to play here, too, with a great 6.620 right out of the box, breaking jeg Coughlin's incoming track record of 6.631. A pair later, V. Gaines gives everyone a bit of a start as his car locks up at the top end in a cloud of smoke from a broken rear end. It's locked up so bad that they have to bring a flatbed truck out to retrieve the car.

Hammonds' run stands as low for most of the round before Jason Line belts out a 6.611 in the Summit Pontiac and Line's pass is bettered a pair later by -- who else? -- Mike Edwards, who runs 6.599 to pick up the three bonus points. Line will get two and Coughlin 1 point for his 6.614 alongside of Edwards. Four drievrs broke Warren Johnson's incoming track speed record of 208.26, with Edwards ending up with the new record at 209.88.

We're on hold for the "crew chief walk" as we prepare for the nitro cars; Funny Cars will run first.

Funny Car session one (3:40 p.m.): We kick off with an unusual pair, neither of them North American. Swede Leif Helander, in the first of a two-race stint in the Simpson family flopper, and New Zealand's Grant Downing, in his own machine.The Simpson team -- Dickie, Byron, and Todd -- only finished putting this car together this morning. Neither car makes it to the top end under power, but Helander at least can say he was the low qualifier -- if even for a short time -- with a 5.54.

A lot of mid-track tire smoke and dropped cylinders means that no one gts near Robert Hight's 4.063 track record, but his teammate, Ashley Force Hood, goes to No. 1 with a 4.224 that earns her three bonus points. She came into the round one point behind Tony pedregon, but because he was the second-best qualifier this round (4.241 alongside her) and earned two points, they're now tied atop the standings. Jeff Arend picked up one bonus point for a third-best 4.250 during the session.

Top Fuel session 1 (4:10 p.m.): Larry Dixon steams to the No. 1 spot with a 3.942 to earn three bonus points but he didn't gain much ground on points leader cory McClenathan, who was second-quick with a 3.953, good for two points. Brandon Bernstein added one to his total witha third-best 3.960.

The round also saw the return to Top Fuel action of Steve Torrence and Urs Erbacher, and the nitro debut of former Alcohol Dragster pilot Mike Bowers.

Pro Stock Motorcycle session 2 (6 p.m.): If you liked the outcome of the first session, you loved the results from the second where Eddie Krawiec not only hled onto the qualifying lwad astride his Harley, but also recorded the round's best time. Although he couldn't better his earlier 6.908, he did run 6.939 to earn three more points. Hector Arana again was second, running 6.943 (after an earlier 6.912) while Andrew Hines moved into third with a 6.948 after spinning the tires on his opening lap. Joe DeSantis has the 12th spot with a 7.127.

Pro Stock session two (6:30 p.m.): As with the bikes, it was rinse-lather-repeat in Pro Stock with Mike Edwards holding down the No. 1 spot and picking up three more bonus points and Jason Line second and earning two more points for having the two quickest passes of the session. Although the final order didn't change from the first session with Line second and Jeg Coughlin third, Greg Anderson actually picked up the bonus point for third-quickest pass witha 6.628 but remained fifth on the list. Warren Johnson is on the bump at 6.660.

Funny Car session 2 (7 p.m.): It takes just one pair for Ashley Force Hood's first-session-leading 4.224 to be surpassed; in fact, nine drivers bettered it this session including her teammate, Robert Hight, who grabbed the No. 1 spot with a 4.109. Right behind him is team boss John Force with a 4.149 and a surprising Jerry Toliver third with a 4.163. Jeff Arend's 4.256, good for No. 3 in the first session, now sits 12th.

Top Fuel session 2 (7:55 p.m.): Tony Schumacher grabs the No. 1 spot (so far) as a number of teams freight train past first-session leader Larry Dixon, who is still to run. We're down for oil.

Larry Dixon's first-session-leading 3.942 had been battered by the time he came to the line, but it only took him 3.833 seconds to get it back and earn another three points. Morgan Lucas grabbed the no. 2 spot and two bonus points with a 3.859 with Tony Schumacher just behind at 3.860 for the third spot and one point.

That's it for the evening.

Friday qualifying leaders Larry Dixon, Mike Edwards, and Eddie Krawiec held onto their No. 1 seeds through a hot Saturday at Texas Motorplex as the fields were set for Sunday's final eliminations at the 24th annual O'Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals presented by Castrol Syntec.

Edwards became the first racer under NHRA's new bonus qualifying system to score maximum points, earning three points in each of the event's four qualifying sessions as that particular session's quickest driver. With the points battles still close in this, the second of six events in NHRA's Countdown to 1 playoffs, those small points can become large in a hurry.

Larry Dixon

Even though he wasn't among the quickest three cars of either session Saturday, Dixon was never seriously challenged for the pole, his sixth of the season in the Jason McCulloch-tuned Al-Anabi/Alan Johnson Racing machine. His Friday 3.833 earns him the top starting spot of the weekend and the 88th of his great career. Dixon, who has won this race twice, in 2001 and 2007, earned six bonus qualifying points on the weekend, tops in the class.

“Yesterday was a lot more fun than today,” said Dixon. “Conditions were obviously pretty warm. We went out there and tried a few things on the first run, then we went back to a normal set-up and still got the tires loose, so we’ll calm her down a little more. It’s going to be hotter tomorrow, so we’ve got to make sure we get our car down the racetrack.”

“The first couple of rounds probably won’t be too bad, but if we’re fortunate enough to get to the semifinals, we’re going to be running around 3 o’clock, and that’s the hottest part of the day. We measured 127 [degrees track temperature on the second run], so it was pretty hot. But when you’re sitting in that car ready to run and the last thing you see is Alan Johnson stick his hands in their and turn the knobs, you don’t worry about anything; it’s a good feeling.”

Morgan Lucas' Jimmy Walsh-wrenched GEICO Powersports entry remained No. 2 with his Friday 3.859 and reigning season champ Tony Schumacher, last year's runner-up, is third with the U.S. Army machine at 3.860. Lucas' teammate, rookie of the year contender Shawn Langdon, is fourth with the Lucas Oil dragster after charting a 3.872.

Mike Bowers qualified on the bump in his nitro debut, as the former Alcohol Dragster racer wheeled his Kevin Poyntner-tuned machine to a solid 4.018. He'll take on Dixon in the first round.

Robert Hight

With hot weather and track conditions, no one came within a tenth of a second of Hight's Friday-leading 4.109, which allowed the driver of the Automobile Club Ford to lock up his third No. 1 spot of the season. Hight led the John Force Racing squad, who owned four of the field's top five spots.

Behind Hight is team boss John Force, who has won this race six times in his career. The Austin Coil-tuned Castrol Mustang had a best run of 4.149 Friday. Jerry Toliver is the surprise No. 3 qualifier in Jim Dunn's Canidae Pet Food machine, which clocked a 4.163. It's a season-best start for Toliver, whose previous best was a No. 7 in Indianapolis, and just the second top-half start of the year for the team.

“We knew that with today’s weather that we were definitely going to stay No. 1; nobody was going to run a .10,” said Hight. “But we only got down the track once today and I’d feel better going into race day if we’d done better in the heat. It dropped a cylinder on that last run and if that hadn’t happened it probably would have run near what the quick guys were running.”

“We’re racing a guy from Sweden and you know he’s got to be hungry. There are no easy ones. You know he’s going out there trying to get his first national event round-win, so we’re going to have to do our job tomorrow. Looking at the ladder, there are a lot of first-round match-ups of the Countdown cars, so a lot of those guys are going to be gone early and if we can do what we did in Charlotte we can keep this thing rolling. But it won’t be easy. It’s going to be hotter tomorrow and we’ve got to go down the track to win.”

Ashley Force Hood, who gathered six bonus points in qualifying on the weekend, sits fourth with a 4.173 from her Castrol Mustang while teammate Mike Neff's Ford Drive One Mustang is fifth at 4.181.

Despite a trouble-plagued qualifying effort, Sweden's Leif Helander will be a part of Sunday's big show as just 16 cars were on the grounds. He'll take the Simpson family's Camaro into battle against No. 1 qualifier Hight.

Mike Edwards

Edwards dominated all four qualifying sessions to collect his 12th No. 1 spot of the season with his ART/Young Life Pontiac. Edwards' run of record is a 6.597 from Friday night, but he also ran 6.599, 6.624, and an impressive 6.615 on his final pass.

“Hat’s off to all my guys, they were making some really good judgments for this last qualifying run,” said Edwards. “We had like 122 track temp, and I just made a phenomenal run. Moved around just a little bit down low, but boy, it was really nice. Hopefully we can make good decisions tomorrow. I’m really happy with my team and the car and my performance and everything. But tomorrow is another day, so we’ll see what happens.

“We’re all out here trying to win rounds so every round you can win you try to do all you can. If we could win this race here, it would really help us a lot, but there are 15 other guys who are trying to do the same thing. It’s going to be a tough job, but I think we’re capable.”

Saturday's warm weather ensured little or no improvement for the gas and carbs set, and Jason Line's Summit Pontiac remained No. 2 and ran just 6.65 and 6.66, a tick below No. 3 qualifier Jeg Coughlin, who ran as quick as 6.64 on the day but could not improve on his Friday6.614. Coughlin's team, runner-up here last year, has obviously refocused its efforts on qualifying and netted five bonus points on the weekend, second most in the class.

Tom Hammonds held onto the No. 4 spot with his opening pass of 6.620 while Greg Anderson sits fifth with a 6.628. After a strong No. 3 last weekend in Charlotte, Kurt Johnson also is looking good again with a No. 6 seeding.

After three straight DNQs, V. Gaines qualified here, albeit on the bump with a 6.700, and will take on Edwards in round one.

Eddie Krawiec

Both teammate Andrew Hines and Hector Arana took shots at unseating Krawiec from the top spot he earned Friday night with his 6.908, but both fell short with 6.930 bests on the day. Krawiec's Screamin' Eagle/Vance & Hines Harley Davidson was the third quickest of both sessions, picking up two more bonus points for a total of eight on the weekend, plus eight for the No. 1 spot.

“It’s good to be up here, but like I said yesterday, I really didn’t think my run was going to hold up for the session this morning,” said Krawiec. “I was fortunate that it got a little hotter and the humidity went up. The weather conditions weren’t quite as good I was able to maintain the No. 1 position.

“I think on any race day, it doesn’t matter where you qualify or where you are in the field. Bottom line is, as long as you qualify, you have a shot. I don’t take any competitor out here lightly. They all have fast motorcycles they all just have to get tuned into the track conditions and weather conditions. I think anybody out there can possibly shine tomorrow. I’m just going to go out there and race my own race.”

Arana, who was low in the final session with a 6.930 (matched by Hines), picked up seven bonus points and seven more for qualifying his Lucas Oil Buell No. 2 with his Friday 6.912, for a total of 14, meaning he gave up just two points to Krawiec and still leads by seven points. Hines ran consistently the best Saturday and picked up six bonus points for the weekend yet remained third on the sheets (6.930) while Matt Smith's NitroFish Suzuki finished fourth with a 6.944. With only 17 bikes, all nine of the eligible Countdown riders made the field easily.

Redell Harris ended up on the bump spot with a 7179 that he recorded in the final session. Qualifying was the good news; the bad news is that he draws low qualifier Krawiec in the first round.

Related story
Friday: Dixon, Hight, Edwards, Krawiec are first-day leaders at Dallas
 

Larry Dixon, Robert Hight, Mike Edwards, and Eddie Krawiec are the first-day qualifying leaders at the 24th annual O'Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals presented by Castrol Syntec at Texas Motorplex outside of Dallas.

The event is the 20th of the 24-race 2009 Full Throttle Drag Racing Series  and the second of six in the Countdown to 1 playoffs. With NHRA now awarding bonus points to each session's top three runners, and points at a premium after the recent points reset, teams were giving it their all in the day's two qualifying sessions to either increase their tenuous leads or nibble away at the frontrunners.

Larry Dixon

Dixon, whose been to the final round of three of the last four national events is on pace to rack up his second straight and sixth No. 1 qualifying position of the season after dominating both qualifying sessions with the Al-Anabi/Alan Johnson Racing Top Fueler. Crew chief Jason McCulloch tuned the former world champ to passes of 3.942 and 3.833, which were both the quickest of each session to earn him the maximum six bonus points.

“There’s no strategy, we just try to run good every session,” said Dixon. “Alan [Johnson] and Jason [McCulloch] are making good calls. With the sun going down the track tightened up a whole bunch. We saw how quick the Funny Cars ran, so that let them turn up the wick a little. We saw some of the cars in the early pairs like [Tony] Schumacher and a few others run good, so they took a shot at it and it worked.”

“Before, being in the top three or four was okay. Now, you want to be low every session. We came into the race 21 points out, then after the first session 18, now it’s 15. Even if we don’t get any points tomorrow, we’ve did okay. Those points can absolutely make a difference. That [3.94 in the first session] was a good baseline run for us. It was very safe, and I know it's going to be warm tomorrow, and that will allow us to press a little harder to see what we can get away with on Sunday. We know we can run a 3.94, so if we can run a 3.90 or 3.88 or something like that, then obviously that kind of information will help.”

Morgan Lucas and teammate Shawn Langdon are qualified second and fourth, with respective passes of 3.859 and 3.872, with reigning world champ Tony Schumacher's Army dragster between them at 3860. Points leader Cory McClenathan, the tour's most recent winner, is fifth with a 3.878 from his Fram Tough Guard dragster. Antron brown, who sits second in points, holds the sixth spot with a 3.878.

Former Alcohol Dragster racer Mike Bowers is having a great outing in his nitro debut and currently holds the No. 12 spot with a 4.018. With 19 dragsters on hand, the battle for the final 16 spots with be a tough one in Saturday's expectedly warmed conditions. Among those not in the quick 12 are Countdown playoff runners Doug Kalitta and Clay Millican.

Robert Hight

Hight continues his back-from-the-dead act as the series' most recent winner, who just three races ago was considered an outside shot at making Funny Car's Countdown playoffs, leads the field after two sessions with a 4.109. Hight, who holds the track record at 4.063, set last year with his Jimmy Prock-tuned Automobile Club Mustang, leads the Force camp, which has four of the top five cars on the qualifying sheets.

“Jimmy told me before the run that it would probably run a 4.12, so when the told me on the radio that it ran a 4.10 I was pretty surprised,” said Hight. “Honestly, the way Ashley [Force Hood] and Tony [Pedregon] are running, I didn’t think it would stay. The closest to us was John [Force] with a 4.14, so I’d say that was a pretty impressive run for us. We looked at the data and it was safe everywhere.”

“It’s a good way to start the weekend. We’ve kind of gotten on a roll here. People have been joking with me saying we sandbagged all year, and that’s not the approach we took, trust me. We would loved to have had this a lot sooner, but we’re definitely going to take it now that we’ve got it. The trick now is to keep running with, keep doing this. We tried too hard the first run, so we definitely needed to go down the track tonight, and to put a 4.10 on the board is pretty gutsy. But it stuck and there looked like there was more room. Tomorrow we’re going to have to run in the heat and practice for Sunday because it’s going to be hot out there.”

Team boss John Force, who had a near-career-ending accident here in 2007, is the No. 2 qualifier with his Castrol GTX Ford with first-session leader Ashley Force Hood (4.173) and Mike Neff (4.1818) holding down the fourth and fifth spots. Jerry Toliver, in Jim Dunn's Canidae Pet Food Monte Carlo is the surprise third qualifier after a stout 4.163 blast.

Because Force Hood outqualified incoming points leader Tony Pedregon by one spot in the first session, the two are now tied at the head of the pack, although neither was among the final session's top three qualifiers. Six different drivers earned bonus points in the first two sessions.

Jeff Arend, who was the No. 3 qualifier after the first session with a 4.256, could not improve but used that number to hold onto the 12th spot in the field. Only 16 cars made runs Saturday.

Mike Edwards

Edwards is halfway to what would be his 12th No. 1 qualifying spot of the season's first 20 races after piloting his ART/Young Life Pontiac to the quickest pass of both sessions, backing up an opening 6.599 and with a 6.597 in the evening session to gain the maximum six bonus points.

“The conditions are good enough to run .50s,” said Edwards. “I think the track was real tricky the first run and then tonight we got a little bit more weather in here as far as humidity and it really affects these aspirated engines. I think that might have slowed some of us down a little bit.

"We actually went pretty hard left that time so I feel like we ran pretty good for the e.t. we got. I think we could have run just a little bit better maybe. But overall, my guys made great decisions and I’m happy with the results.”

Jason Line, who had the second-quickest pass of both sessions, including a 6.611 in his first run down the track, picked up four points for being right on Edwards' heels both runs. Reigning season champ Jeg Coughlin is qualified third in Victor Cagnazzi's Jeg's Cobalt with a 6.614, also recorded in the day's opening session. Tom Hammonds is a surprising fourth in his race for Achievement Cobalt after racking up a 6.620 in the first session.

Warren Johnson sits on the bump spot with a 12th-quickest 6.660. Most notably outside the field is Countdown to 1 runner Allen Johnson, whose best of the day, a 6.675, was only good for the 14th spot. Only 17 drivers made passes Saturday, so five drivers will try to battle their way onto the ladder Saturday.

Eddie Krawiec

It wasn't by much, but Krawiec closed the gap on Pro Stock Motorcycle points leader Hector Arana by having the best qualifying run of each session and netting the maximum six bonus points. Krawiec's Screamin' Eagle/Vance & Hines Harley Davidson ran 6.908 on his opening lap and backed it up with a 6.939 to hold the first-day pole. Arana now leads Krawiec by just seven points.

“It’s great to be back up here again,” said Krawiec, whose only other pole this year came five races ago, in Sonoma. “For awhile I didn’t know if my Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson would make it back in the No. 1 spot, but the confidence in my whole team and everybody out there, it’s been working. We did some work in between the last race and this race, got here a few days early, pulled out the Matco Tools and got to work on the bike. We couldn’t be any more excited with the results.

“[Getting the] six bonus points, that’s huge. We count every point that there is and with that new scoring system and points it gives you an opportunity to hopefully get 20 points by the end of the weekend if you’re the No. 1 guy. I got the first half of that, now let’s just hope I can get the second. The track is great, it’s working well and hooking really good for us. The weather conditions are almost second to none. There are a lot of times when you go to these and you don’t know what you’re going to get."

Arana, winner of the last two races aboard his Lucas Oil Buell, is qualified second with his opening lap of 6.912 and earned four points for twice being the session's second-quickest runner. Krawiec's Harley teammate, Andrew Hines, who spun badly to a 7.19 on his opening pass, improved to a 6.948 for the No. 3 spot and earned a point for having the third quickest pass of the afternoon session. Rookie of the year contender Douglas Horne is No. 4 with a 6.966 while Michael Phillips, who has top speed at 194.60, is fifth with the final six-second pass, a 6.976.

Joe DeSantis sits on the 12-bike bubble spot with a 7.127. With 18 riders on hand, favorites such as Junior Pippin, Steve Johnson, Angie McBride, and others will have to be among Saturday's quick 16 if they want to make the eliminations field.
 

HEBRON, Ohio (Sept. 28, 2009) – Three Ohio racers scored big wins at the fifth annual Jegs NHRA Northern SPORTSnationals and the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series at National Trail Raceway. Leading the way was local runner Mike Coughlin of Delaware, Ohio, in his ’06 Cobalt, posting a lap of 7.360, 136.65 for the Dart Top Sportsman win. Coughlin, who won this event in 2007, faced off against Mitch Smith, who broke.

Ray Connolly and Adam Lear also grabbed wins for the home state; Connolly of Elyria, Ohio, knocked out Dennis Rutherford of Newark, Ohio, in the Super Gas final to add to his list of NHRA national event wins. Lear, also of Newark, held off Tyson Fabish of Medina, Ohio, in the division’s Spitzer Race Cars Top Dragster class. Lear drove to a 7.162, 180.48 for the win. 

The 2009 Jegs NHRA Northern SPORTSnationals champs

Mike Coughlin, near lane, scored in the Top Sportsman class over Mitch Smith.

Rutherford was a double finalist; he also advanced to the title round in Super Comp but fell one round short, losing to West Coast racer Brad Plourd. Plourd of Maple Valley, Wash., posted an 8.931, 163.28.

A special award in the Jegs Crown was up for grabs to any of the winners from the two previous Jegs SPORTSnationals this year. Mike DeSio made a hard charge for the Crown in Super Street. DeSio of Seminole, Fla., won the Super Street title at the Jegs NHRA Cajun SPORTSnationals in March at No Problem Raceway Park in Belle Rose, La., and advanced through the Super Street field until he met up with Steve Domingues in the final. Domingues of Derby, Kan., had other plans for DeSio and used a starting-line advantage in his ’67 Camaro to force DeSio to break out on the 10.90 class index, ending his hopes for the Jegs Crown.

In Comp, a couple of hitters did battle in the final round, and Jason Coan of Greentown, Ind., took the win in his ’32 roadster over Bo Butner of Floyd Knobs, Ind. Byron Worner of Duncannon, Pa., beat out defending event champion Jeff Taylor of Sellersburg, Ind., in Super Stock, and Mary Meints of Panama City Beach, Fla., took the trophy in Stock over Daryl Bureski, Elgin, Ill.

The following are Monday's final results from the fifth annual Jegs NHRA Northern SPORTSnationals at National Trail Raceway:

Comp
Jason Coan, Greentown, Ind., '32 Bantam, G/EA, 8.228, 152.87  def.
Bo Butner, Floyd Knobs, Ind., '09 GXP, E/AA, 7.740, 158.15.

Super Stock
Byron Worner, Duncannon, Pa., '96 Camaro, SS/IA, 9.926, 128.26 def.
Jeff Taylor, Sellersburg, Ind., '09 Cobalt, SS/DM, 9.022, 149.38.

Stock
Mary Meints, Panama City Beach, Fla., '86 Camaro, F/SA, 11.302, 117.62 def.
Daryl Bureski, Elgin, Ill., '70 442, F/SA, 11.540, 114.09.

Super Comp
Brad Plourd, Maple Valley, Wash., dragster, 8.931, 163.28 def.
Dennis Rutherford, Newark, Ohio, dragster, 8.970, 162.37.

Super Gas
Ray Connolly, Elyria, Ohio, '63 Corvette, 9.911, 158.99 def.
Dennis Rutherford, Newark, Ohio, '00 Sunfire, 9.893, 157.14.

Super Street
Steve Domingues, Derby, Kan., '67 Camaro, 10.923, 141.59 def.
Mike DeSio, Seminole, Fla., '67 Chevy II, 10.898, 135.58.

Top Dragster
Adam Lear, Newark, Ohio, dragster, 7.162, 180.48 def.
Tyson Fabish, Medina, Ohio, dragster, 6.836, 196.39.

Top Sportsman
Mike Coughlin, Delaware, Ohio, '06 Cobalt, 7.360, 136.65 def.
Mitch Smith, Anderson, Ind., '08 GTO, broke.

Saturday
HEBRON, Ohio (Sept. 26, 2009) – Jim Daniels of Bristol, Pa., claimed his second Mopar Hemi Challenge race series victory after all class eliminations were cancelled due to persistent rain showers at the Jegs NHRA Northern SPORTSnationals at National Trail Raceway.
 
NHRA cancelled all Saturday racing activities, including final class runoffs, due to the inclement weather. Class winners were determined by the lowest e.t. of the qualified runs. Daniels earned the win in the SS/AH Mopar Hemi Challenge based on his 8.511 in his Ray Barton Racing '68 Dodge Dart during yesterday’s second qualifying session.
 
“It feels really good, for no lack of trying and hard work,” said Daniels, who took home the $5,000 winner’s purse with the victory. “It was a lot of hard work by everybody, and it worked out really well. I wish we could have run the race. We had the car to beat, but there are a lot of other good drivers, and as I learned at Indy, it’s not only the car, but the driver is a big component as well.”
 
Daniels scored his first Mopar Hemi Challenge win last year at the Dutch Classic at Maple Grove Raceway. He’ll look to defend his event crown and claim his second straight Mopar Hemi Challenge triumph next month.
 
“We’ll take the win; we’ll enjoy it, and then come back at the Dutch Classic in October and run the race and see what we can do.”
 
Next up is the final 2009 Mopar Hemi Challenge race series event, the Dutch Classic at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Oct. 22-25.
 
Racing at National Trail Raceway is scheduled to begin Sunday at 8:30 a.m. with round-one eliminations in Stock, Super Street, and Super Stock, followed at 10:30 a.m. with final, round-two qualifying in Top Dragster, Top Sportsman, and Comp.
 

Friday
HEBRON, Ohio (Sept. 25, 2009) – The fifth annual Jegs NHRA Northern SPORTSnationals is under way at National Trail Raceway. The weekend showcases NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Sportsman competitors at the last of three SPORTSnationals events this year. Nearly 500 competitors have made their way from around the nation to compete for nearly $65,000 plus more than $400,000 in posted contingency awards. Among the avid race fans were 1,500 students who attended Friday’s Career Day, in which they learned about opportunities in the automotive industry and received a full day at the races.

After Friday’s time trials and qualifying passes, Jason Coan of Greentown, Ind., drove his ’32 Bantam to the top of the Comp field, just as he did at last year’s event. Gary Summers of Franklin, Ky., grabbed the pole in Super Stock, and Irvin Johns out of Charlestown, Ind., wheeled his ’09 Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak vehicle to the No.1 position in Stock.

In other racing action, Don Klooster from Kalamazoo, Mich., covered the quarter-mile in 6.700 seconds at 206.32 mph to lead the Dart Top Sportsman class. The Spitzer Race Cars Top Dragster category was mastered by Tom Elliott of Brooks, Ky., crossing the finish line at more than 218 mph.

Saturday's highlights at National Trail Raceway will include class eliminations in Stock and Super Stock, which features the popular Mopar Hemi Challenge. Also on tap for Saturday is the Jegs Top Dragster Showdown.

For tickets and more information, call National Trail Raceway, 740-928-5706 or log on to www.NationalTrailRaceway.com.

The following are Friday's qualifying results from the fifth annual Jegs NHRA Northern SPORTSnationals:

Comp
1) Jason Coan, Greentown, Ind., '32 Bantam, G/EA, 8.241 seconds, -0.609 (under index)
2) Jerry Arnold, Kalamazoo, Mich., dragster, G/ED, 7.945, -0.605
3) Rick Brown, Lebanon, Ohio, '00 S-10, B/TA, 8.236, -0.604
4) Arnie Martel, Tewksbury, Mass., '07 GTO, E/AA, 7.658, -0.592
5) Bo Butner, Floyd Knobs, Ind., '09 GXP, E/AA, 7.661, -0.589
6) Robert Bailey, Wabash, Ind., dragster, A/ED, 6.623, -0.577
7) Fred Allen, Mary Esther, Fla., '34 Chevy, C/SR, 8.555, -0.565
8) Lee Sharp, Maryville, Tenn., '09 Cobalt, D/SMA, 8.416, -0.554
9) Al Ackerman, Saddle Brook, N.J., dragster, F/D, 8.100, -0.540
10) Chuck Haubiel, Gahanna, Ohio, '09 Cobalt, B/SMA, 8.227, -0.473

Super Stock
1) Gary Summers, Franklin, Ky., '85 Mustang, SS/N, 10.917 seconds, -1.333 (under index)
2) Jerry Silveus, Van Buren, Ohio, '05 Cavalier, GT/DA, 9.483, -1.317
3) Paul Adams, Barboursville, W.V., '64 Fairlane, SS/B, 8.897, -1.303
4) Irvin Johns, Charlestown, Ind., '08 Cobalt, GT/CA, 9.400, -1.300
5) Rich South, Pataskala, Ohio, '05 Sunfire, GT/EA, 9.678, -1.272
6) Matt Alvey, Mount Washington, Ky., '06 Sunfire, GT/DA, 9.536, -1.264
7) John Coughlin, Delaware, Ohio, '07 Cobalt, SS/CM, 8.543, -1.257
8) Jim Daniels, Bristol, Pa., '68 Dart, SS/AH, 8.511, -1.239
9) Jeremy Stock, Sandusky, Ohio, '85 Camaro, SS/LA, 10.518, -1.232
10) Jon Richardson, Lexington, N.C., '67 Camaro, SS/AS, 8.675, -1.225

Stock
1) Irvin Johns, Charlestown, Ind., '09 Challenger, A/SA, 9.976 seconds, -1.324 (under index)
2) Jim Marshall, Scottsville, N.Y., '81 Corvette, G/SA, 10.977, -1.323
3) Jimmy Ronzello, Rockwood, Mich., '08 Mustang, AA/S, 9.695, -1.205
4) John Shaul, Fultonham, N.Y., '64 Fury, A/SA, 10.131, -1.169
5) Johnny Fisher, Raleigh, N.C., '80 Mirada, K/SA, 11.786, -1.164
6) Jeff Taylor, Sellersburg, Ind., '69 Camaro, C/SA, 10.546, -1.154
7) Joey Wilkes, Zanesville, Ohio, '04 GTO, E/SA, 10.851, -1.149
8) Gary Richard, Bay Shore, N.Y., '69 Camaro, C/SA, 10.552, -1.148
9) Gary Summers, Franklin, Ky., '85 Mustang, M/S, 12.007, -1.143
10) Jerry Bennett, Hickory, Ky., '62 Savoy, D/SA, 10.730, -1.120

Top Sportsman
1) Don Klooster, Kalamazoo, Mich., '63 Corvette, 6.700 seconds, 206.32 mph
2) Kenneth Langlois, Milan, Mich., '63 Corvette, 6.805, 203.31
3) Glenn Butcher, Doylestown, Ohio, '68 Camaro, 6.851, 199.94
4) Mitch Smith, Anderson, Ind., '08 GTO, 6.861, 200.05
5) Ricky Adkins, Milan, Mich., '57 Bel Air, 6.870, 201.10
6) Joshua Vettel, Phillips, Neb., '04 Stratus, 6.876, 199.76
7) Tim Molnar, Seville, Ohio, '02 Grand Am, 6.885, 202.45
8) Mike Coughlin, Delaware, Ohio, '06 Cobalt, 6.889, 202.88
9) Tommy Turner, Naples, Fla., '06 GTO, 6.894, 201.31
10) Belva Brinegar, Middletown, Ohio, '03 Mustang, 6.906, 200.59

Top Dragster
1) Tom Elliott, Brooks, Ky., dragster, 6.296 seconds, 218.83 mph
2) Mark Harmon, Sunman, Ind., dragster, 6.660, 197.54
3) Gary Antinora, Rochester, N.Y., dragster, 6.733, 204.05
4) John Coughlin, Delaware, Ohio, dragster, 6.756, 199.91
5) Joe West, Shreve, Ohio, dragster, 6.802, 197.83
6) Terry Smith, Middletown, Ohio, dragster, 6.875, 193.60
7) Rick Forish, New Palestine, Ind., dragster, 6.901, 193.32
8) Robert Cireddu, Perry, Ohio, dragster, 6.916, 187.05
9) Lauren Freer, Lewisville, N.C., dragster, 6.943, 189.76
10) Thomas Martino, Youngstown, Ohio, dragster, 6.956, 192.36

Preview
NHRA will showcase NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Sportsman competitors at the third of three SPORTSnationals events this year when National Trail Raceway in Hebron, Ohio, hosts the fifth annual Jegs NHRA Northern SPORTSnationals, Sept. 25-27.

The Jegs NHRA Northern SPORTSnationals will feature a purse of nearly $65,000 plus more than $400,000 in posted contingency awards for competitors in six NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series categories: Comp, Super Stock, Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, and Super Street. NHRA Lucas Oil Series national event points will be awarded to drivers in all categories except Super Street. Top Dragster and Top Sportsman will also run at the event.

“We’re glad to be able to offer our premier Sportsman racers a national event to call their own,” said Eric Lotz, NHRA director of field marketing & contingency program. “The three Jegs SPORTSnationals events are an opportunity for NHRA and some of our member tracks to put the spotlight on the dedicated men and women who make up our Sportsman ranks. That’s also why Jegs makes the perfect partner for these events. The folks at Jegs know and understand these racers and what goes into fielding a car week in and week out.”

While the focus of the event will be on competition in the core NHRA Sportsman categories, Saturday’s action will include class eliminations in Stock and Super Stock, which includes the popular Mopar Hemi Challenge.

NHRA reintroduced the SPORTSnationals five years ago at No Problem Raceway Park in Belle Rose, La., to rave reviews from racers and spectators. Prior to that, NHRA had hosted the SPORTSnationals from 1974-1986 at a trio of tracks, including Beech Bend Raceway Park in Bowling Green, Ky. (1974-80; 1985-86), the old Houston Int'l Raceway (1981-82) and O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis (1983-84).

The Jegs NHRA Cajun SPORTSnationals in April at No Problem Raceway Park was the first of the three events for the year and was followed by the Jegs NHRA Pacific SPORTSnationals at Auto Club Dragway at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif.

Tickets: General-admission tickets for the Jegs NHRA Northern SPORTSnationals are $15 Friday, $20 Saturday, and $20 Sunday. Admission for children 6 to 12 years old is $5 each day, and kids 5 and under are admitted free. For ticket information, call National Trail Raceway, 740-928-5706. For more information about the event, log on to NationalTrailRaceway.com.


Jegs NHRA Northern SPORTSnationals fact sheet
What: Fifth annual Jegs NHRA Northern SPORTSnationals, a national event exclusively for NHRA Sportsman competitors in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. Sportsman competitors in six categories will be featured in competition, and drivers in five of those categories will earn points leading to 2009 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series national championships. Featured NHRA Lucas Oil Series categories: Comp, Super Stock, Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, and Super Street. Top Dragster and Top Sportsman will also run.

Where: National Trail Raceway, 2650 National Road, SW, Hebron, OH; approximately 20 miles east of Columbus on old U.S. Highway 40, one mile north of Interstate 70 at the Kirkersville exit. From Columbus, take I-70 to Highway 158 north and follow the signs or take I-70 to Highway 37 north to U.S. Highway 40 and follow the signs

When: Friday through Sunday, Sept. 25-27, 2009

Purse: Posted purse of nearly $65,000, plus more than $400,000 in contingency postings

Schedule: Friday Sept. 25 -- Qualifying and time trials, 10 a.m.
Top Dragster qualifying, 4 p.m.
Top Sportsman qualifying, 4:30 p.m.
Comp qualifying, 5 p.m.
 
Saturday, Sept. 26 -- Qualifying and time trials, 8 a.m.
Stock class eliminations, 11 a.m.
Super Stock class eliminations featuring the Mopar Hemi Challenge, 1 p.m.
Top Dragster qualifying,1:30 and 4:30 p.m.
Top Sportsman qualifying, 2 and 5 p.m.
Jegs Top Dragster Showdown, 2 p.m.
Comp qualifying, 2:30 and 5:30 p.m.
Super Eliminator Showdowns, throughout the day

Sunday, Sept. 27 -- Final eliminations begin at 8 a.m.
Comp round 1, 11 a.m.
Top Dragster round 1, 11:30 a.m.
Top Sportsman round 1, noon

Special events: Stock and Super Stock class eliminations, Saturday; Mopar Hemi Challenge, with a winner-take-all $5,000 purse, Saturday

Tickets: Call National Trail Raceway, 740-928-5706, or log on to NationalTrailRaceway.com

General admission (includes pit pass) – Friday: adults, $15, children (6-12), $5; Saturday: adults, $20, children (6-12), $5; Sunday: adults, $20, children (6-12), $5; children 5 and under, free with a paid adult

Defending winners: Bob Bailey(Comp), Jeff Taylor (Super Stock), Katie Sepanek (Stock), Don Trasin (Super Comp), Gary Linkhorn (Super Gas), Don Mayer (Super Street)

About the track: National Trail Raceway began as a 320-acre facility built by Clark Rader Sr., along with sons Clark Jr. and Ben in the fall of 1963. At that time, it was the fifth-largest of its kind in the United States. In 1972, the Rader family expanded and improved the facility, allowing them to play host for the first time to the Springnationals.

In 1996, NHRA purchased the track. NHRA has made significant improvements to the historic facility, including the addition of the three-level timing tower and corporate suites, a TV production area, asphalt-covered pit areas and staging lanes, concrete guardwalls that run the entire length of the racing surface, and an extensive drainage system to control water runoff.


 

Sunday
READING, Pa. (Sept. 27, 2009) – The top points earning drivers from NHRA member tracks across the Northeast division competed today in the Race of Champions at the NHRA Summit Racing Series Northeast Division Finals.  The ROC should have been completed in conjunction with the rest of the Division Finals event but it was postponed by rain until today.  In fact, due to more rain today, there was one pair of cars that did not make it down the track and that was the final of the Super category.

In Pro, Larry Pappas of Wayne, N.J., running for Island Dragway, scored the win over George Windsor of Upper Marlboro, Md., who was racing for Virginia Motorsports Park.  Pappas laid down a 10.101-second, 131.01 mph pass to Windsor’s 10.533-second, 124.71 mph effort.

Street class competitor Frank Cicerale of Piscataway, N.J., racing for Numidia Dragway, wheeled his ’68 Nova to the win over Salvatore Capizzi Jr., of Rochester, N.Y.  Capizzi drove his dragster for Spencer Speedway.

In the Bike/Sled category, Jonathan Tisdale, East Hartford, Conn., ousted Mark Schwalm of Auburn, Pa.  Tisdale, running Lebanon Valley Dragway’s colors, peeled off an 8.945-second, 131.90 mph pass while Schwalm, representing Numidia Dragway, ran 9.352 seconds at 137.11 mph.

The final round of the Super category ROC will be run at a later date.
 
Following are the NHRA Northeast Division Summit Racing Series Finals Race of Champions results:
 
PRO
Larry Pappas, Wayne, N.J., Island Dragway, dragster, 10.101, 131.01 def.
George Windsor, Upper Marlboro, Md., Virginia Motorsports Park, dragster, 10.533, 124.71
 
STREET
Frank Cicerale, Piscataway, N.J., Numidia Dragway, '68 Nova, 11.836, 110.33 def.
Salvatore Capizzi Jr., Rochester, N.Y., Spencer Speedway, dragster, 12.865, 95.43. 
 
BIKE/SLED
Jonathan Tisdale, East Hartford, Conn., Lebanon Valley Dragway, dragster, 8.945, 131.90 def.
Mark Schwalm, Auburn, Pa., Numidia Dragway, '85 Ninja, 9.352, 137.11


Saturday
 READING, Pa. (Sept. 26, 2009) – The home team from Maple Grove Raceway picked up their second straight team title at the NHRA Summit Racing Series Northeast Division Finals this weekend.  Maple Grove outscored the second place team, New Jersey’s Atco Raceway, by 22 points and put one driver in the winner’s circle.  Pro category racer, Andy Anderson, York, Pa., picked up the nine-round win over the Mike Larose of Monroe, N.Y.

Baltimore’s Chris Krajewski, racing for Cecil County Dragway, scored the win in the Super category.  He ousted Atco racer Brian Balducci of Voorhees, N.J.  Krajewski ran his dragster to a 7.613-second, 176.10 mph lap to Balducci’s 7.573-second, 173.54 mph pass. Krajewski also went nine rounds for his win.

Anderson wheeled his dragster to a 9.886-second, 115.37 mph run to beat Larose, who red-lighted behind the wheel of his ’68 Plymouth racing for ESTA Safety Park.  Larose was the divisional champion in 2001 and went on to earn the national championship in Pomona, Calif. 

Reading resident Brandon Wentzel, racing for Napierville Dragway, took his ’98 Camaro to the win in the Street class.  He ran 13.748 seconds at 100.20 mph to beat Randy Brownawell of Mt. Holly Springs, Pa., who was representing Quarter Aces Drag O Way.

 Another ESTA Safety Park Racer, Jason Longley of Fulton, N.Y., rode his ’06 Suzuki to the win in the Bike/Sled category.  He defeated Brian Canoles, Berkeley Springs, W.V.,  who was racing for U.S. 13 Dragway, in the final.  Longley ran 12.662 seconds at 103.05 mph to beat the red-lighting Canoles.

In the High School Eliminator presented by Luzerne County Community College, Matt Bunal, Rome, N.Y., scored the win for ESTA Safety Park and jettisoned Dustin Lecates of Quanitco, Md.  Lecates was racing for U.S. 13 Dragway.

The winners in the Super, Pro, Street and Bike/Sled categories are eligible to race against the winners from NHRA’s other six divisions for a national championship and a winner-takes-all $5,000 payday.  The run-off will take place during the NHRA Finals at in Pomona, Calif.

The division’s Race of Champions, where the top points earning drivers from each track square off in head-to-head competition, was postponed until Sunday due to rain.  Weather permitting, the ROC will resume at 9 a.m.
Following are the NHRA Northeast Division Summit Racing Series Finals champions:
 
SUPER
Chris Krajewski, Baltimore, Md., Cecil County Dragway, dragster, 7.613, 176.10 def. Brian Balducci, Voorhees, N.J., Atco Raceway, dragster, 7.573, 173.54
 
PRO
Andy Anderson, York, Pa., Maple Grove Raceway, dragster, 9.886, 115.37 def.
Mike Larose, W. Monroe, N.Y., Esta Safety Park, '68 Plymouth, 10.783, 122.54 
 
STREET
Brandon Wentzel, Reading, Pa., Napierville Dragway, '98 Camaro Z/28, 13.748, 100.20 def.
Randy Brownawell, Mt. Holly Springs, Pa., Quarter Aces Drag O Way, dragster, 11.861, 108.86
 
BIKE/SLED
Jason Longley, Fulton, N.Y., Esta Safety Park,'06 Suzuki, 12.662, 103.05 def.
Brian Canoles, Berkeley Springs, W.V., Mason-Dixon Dragway, '08 Suzuki, foul
 
HIGH SCHOOL presented by Luzerne County Community College
Matt Bunal, Rome, N.Y., Esta Safety Park, '91 Camaro, 13.271, 95.07 def.
Dustin Lecates, Quantico, Md., US 13 Dragway, '04 Mustang, 14.479, 96.30
 
FINAL TEAM STANDINGS:
Maple Grove Raceway, 88 points
Atco Raceway, 66
Esta Safety Park, 58
Old Bridge Twp. Raceway Park, 52
Lebanon Valley Dragway, 51
Cecil County Dragway, 50
Island Dragway, 47
Capitol Raceway, 45
Mason-Dixon Dragway, 43
Virginia Motorsports Park, 42
Quarter Aces Drag-O-Way, 41
Numidia Dragway, 41
US 13 Dragway, 40
Napierville Dragway, 38
Spencer Speedway, 26



Friday

READING, Pa. (Sept. 25, 2009) – The best bracket racers in NHRA’s Northeast division are battling it out at Maple Grove Raceway in the Summit Racing Series Northeast Division Finals.  More than 700 racers in four categories, Super E.T., Pro Eliminator,  Street and Motorcycle, are vying for team and individual honors.

The event started Thursday with time runs for each competitor.  Today they had one more hit at the track before heading into eliminations.  Eliminations will continue Saturday until there is only one racer left standing in each class.  Those four racers will have the opportunity to advance to compete against winners from NHRA’s other six divisions at the NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif., in November for a national championship.  They will each receive $3,500 for competing in the Finals and the winner in each class will receive an additional $5,000.

Once racing is completed on Saturday, the drivers from each track who were among the top points earners will square off in head-to-head competition in the Race of Champions.

Also running this weekend is the High School Eliminator presented by Luzerne County Community College.

The squad from Maple Grove took the team title last year.  Individual winners were Bob Avalos in Super E.T.; Brock Moshier in Pro Eliminator; Mike Van den Huevel in Street; and Bob Carlson in Motorcycle.  The High School winner was Joe Albrecht.

Preview

READING, Pa. – Maple Grove Raceway will host the 2009 NHRA Northeast Division Summit Racing Series Finals Sept. 24-26. More than 600 drivers in four classes from NHRA member tracks across the Northeast Division will compete for team and individual honors as well as a share of the $46,720 purse.

Individual champions in Super E.T., Pro, Street, and Motorcycle/Snowmobile will also earn the opportunity to compete at the Auto Club of Southern California NHRA Finals in Pomona in November. They will run against champions from NHRA’s other six divisions for a national title and a $5,000 winner-take-all payday. Each driver who advances to the runoff will also receive $3,500 for competing at the Finals.

Friday’s action at Maple Grove Raceway includes the Race of Champions, a race within a race where the top points earners from each participating track square off in head-to-head action for a share of the $4,575 purse.

Gates at Maple Grove Raceway open at 7 a.m. each day, and time trials begin at
9 a.m. Thursday and 8:30 a.m. Friday. The first round of eliminations for the Race of Champions starts at 4 p.m. Friday. Final eliminations for all classes begin Saturday. 

For more information, call Maple Grove Raceway, 610-856-7812, or log on to www.MapleGroveRaceway.com.
 

Summit Racing Series Northeast Division Finals: Fact Sheet

What: NHRA Summit Racing Series Finals, where top drivers from NHRA member tracks across the Northeast Division compete in four classes for individual and team honors. Individual champions will advance to a national runoff at the Auto Club of Southern California NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. Action includes the Race of Champions, a race within a race where the top points earners from each facility square off in head-to-head competition.

Where: Maple Grove Raceway, Reading. The track is 10 miles south of Reading, off Route 10. From Pennsylvania Turnpike, take exit 298 and go north on Route 10 for six miles.

When: Thursday through Saturday, Sept. 24-26, 2009

Schedule: 
Thursday, Sept. 24: Gates open at 7 a.m. Time trials begin at 9 a.m. 

Friday, Sept. 25: Gates open at 7 a.m. Final time trials begin at 8:30 a.m. The Race of Champions begins at 4 p.m. Participants in the High School Eliminator presented by Luzerne County Community College are slated to run at 8 p.m.
    
Saturday, Sept. 26: Gates open at 7 a.m. High School Eliminator participants will have a final time-trial run starting at 8:30 a.m., and eliminations for all classes will follow. 

Purse: The Summit Racing Series competitors in Super E.T., Pro, Street, and Motorcycle/Snowmobile will compete for cash awards of $46,720. The winners in each category will advance to compete against winners from NHRA’s other six divisions at the Auto Club of Southern California NHRA Finals in Pomona in November. Each will receive $3,500 for competing at the Finals, and the winner in each class will receive an additional $5,000.

Participants in the Race of Champions will compete for a share of the $4,575 purse.

Participants in the High School category compete for trophies.

2008 event winners: Maple Grove Raceway, team champion; Bob Avalos, Super E.T.; Brock Moshier, Pro; Mike VanDenHuevel, Street; Bob Carlson, Motorcycle/Snowmobile; Joe Albrecht, High School
 

Tim Wilkerson, owner and driver of the Levi, Ray & Shoup Shelby Mustang Funny Car, and Bob Tasca III, owner and driver of the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang Funny Car, have announced the extension of their successful technical alliance on the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing circuit through the 2010 season.

Wilkerson and Tasca formed the alliance prior to the 2009 season and have acted as teammates throughout the year despite the fact both teams are independently owned and operated. As part of the program, the teams have shared tuning information, the drivers have worked together to improve performance, and both organizations have combined to create a bigger and better marketing platform at the racetrack. Both Wilkerson and Tasca earned coveted spots in the NHRA Countdown playoff field, and both have two race victories this season.

“There’s no getting around the fact that more information and more good ideas are keys to winning out here,” said Wilkerson prior to this weekend’s race in Dallas. “The multicar teams have a number of advantages, but neither Bob nor I had the wherewithal or the desire to add a second car, so he came to me with this idea of an alliance, and it’s worked out very well. His crew chiefs, Chris Cunningham and Marc Denner, are sharp guys, a