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Wednesday's Indy testing notebook

NHRA's Mello Yello Pro hit the track at Lucas Oil Raceway for two days of testing ahead of the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals. Follow along with our live coverage.
22 Aug 2018
Kevin McKenna, NHRA National Dragster Senior Editor
News

In what has become an annual tradition, a number of NHRA pros descended on Lucas Oil Raceway for two-days of testing ahead of the upcoming Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals. Rain on Tuesday gave way to cooler and drier conditions with temperatures in the mid-70s that helped keep track temps in check. The test includes most of the Brownsburg-based pro teams including the Schumacher and Force racing teams as well as all four vehicles from the Michigan-based Kalitta team. Clay Millican, Jonnie Lindberg, Bob Tasca III, and Scott Palmer, are also taking part in the two-day test.

In addition to the Top Fuel and Funny Car teams, there are several Pro Mod, Top Alcohol Dragster and Funny Car, Top Fuel Harley, and Factory Showdown teams participating in Wednesday’s testing, which takes place exactly one week before on-track action begins at “the Big Go”. Here’s a chronological look at some of the day’s most notable action, which will be updated throughout the day.

Leah Pritchett
The first car down the track is Leah Pritchett in her Dodge Challenger Drag Pak Factory Showdown car and the numbers are impressive with an 8.09 at just 155.25 mph. Pritchett is one of nearly 30 drivers that are expected to compete in the SAM Tech NHRA Factory Stock Showdown next week.

Mark Pawuk
Pritchett’s DSR teammate, Mark Pawuk, also shuts off early with a 9.25, 97.22 in his Dodge Challenger Factory Showdown car.

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J.R. Todd
The Kalitta team has no reservations about being the first nitro team to tackle the freshly prepped Lucas Oil Raceway track surface and they are rewarded with a solid opener that shows a 4.08 on the scoreboard at just 255-mph, indicating an early shut off.

Sean Bellemeur
Tony Bartone’s Hussey Performance team is debuting a new chassis at the test and they are unsure if they’ll race this car or their old one during the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals. The maiden voyage on the new pipe is a 6.690 early shut off.

Gary Pritchett
Gary Pritchett, the car chief for Top Fuel points leader Steve Torrence, will be racing Jonnie Lindberg’s Landmeco Camaro Top Alcohol Funny Car at Indy in his national event debut. The crew worked late into the night to prepare the car for testing and their first run results in a lot of tire spin/shake so Pritchett clicks if off early.

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Mike Castellana
The Brownsburg-based AAP Pro Mod team tests often at Lucas Oil Raceway and the former class champion, with Frank Manzo at the helm, enjoys a solid start with a 6.081 at just 190.92 mph. Castellana’s half-track numbers were impressive with a 3.84, 198.00.

 

 

 

Richie Crampton
Crampton is debuting his new Craftsman paint scheme and shakes his way to an early shut-off 4.019 at 237.38. The 60-foot time is .864.

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Shawn Langdon
Langdon is one of several drivers fighting to stay in the top ten so he needs to have a strong showing at Indy. The Global Electronic Technologies Toyota sets the new performance mark with a 3.961, 285.83.

Matt Hagan
A solid start for the 2016 Indy champ with a 4.073, 289.57. Hagan is wearing the Mopar/Dodge colors during this test.

Tommy Johnson Jr.
Most of the nitro cars have gotten down the track successfully but the Make-A-Wish team, fresh off a runner-up finish in Brainerd, goes up in smoke at the hit of the throttle

Leah Pritchett
Pritchett figures to be plenty busy shuffling back-and-forth between her Top Fuel car and her Factory Showdown ride. In her Mopar dragster, Pritchett makes the quickest pass of the test thus far with a 3.893, 264.39.

Bob Tasca III
Another driver who desperately needs a big showing at Indy in order to qualify for the Countdown to the Championship playoffs, Tasca comes out swinging with a 3.995, 276.29. He starts the run off with a .878 sixty-foot time.

Justin Ashley
Ashley recently purchased a complete A/Fuel dragster operation from Anthony Dicero and records a solid 5.392, 264.49 to open the test.

John Force
The first of the Team Force cars hits the track at Lucas Oil Raceway and it’s the 16-time champ with a 4.222, 235.60 early shut-off.

Mark Pawuk
Another coasting effort for the former Pro Stock racer with a 9.33 at just 92.27 mph in his colorful Dodge FSS entry

Leah Pritchett
A nice wheelstand and an even better run for Pritchett’s Challenger with an 8.091, 170.34. There haven’t been many Factory Stock runs over 170 but the Dodge drivers seem to be able to do it regularly.

Richie Crampton (for Doug Kalitta)
Crampton is also pulling double-duty behind the wheel of teammate Doug Kalitta’s Mac Tools dragster. A bit of tire shake and he’s off the throttle early with a 5.051 at just 142.07.

Mike Castellana
Another solid run for the supercharged AAP Camaro with a 6.247, 175.05 coasting through the lights. Castellana won the Night of Thunder Pro Mod event held in Indy on Memorial Day weekend.

T_Schumacher.JPGTony Schumacher
We have our first full-pull of the day and it comes from the U.S. Army car with a strong 3.791, 326.71. For reference, Schumacher’s most recent run in the quarterfinals at last week’s Brainerd event was a 3.771, 328.94.

Jack Beckman
Three days after winning the Wally in Brainerd, Beckman and the Infinite Hero team are back in action but they’re testing with a (presumably) new Dodge body that is all black gelcoat. At this point, it doesn’t even have Beckman’s competition number on the side of it. Regardless, their performance is solid with a 3.983, 312.86.

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Ryan Oehler
Rookie of the year candidate Oehler is getting some extra laps in on his V-twin Pro Stock Motorcycle ahead of the sport’s marquee event. His first pass of the day nets an off-pace 7.802, 191.57.

Richie Crampton
Crampton, back in the Craftsman dragster, smokes the tires early and he’s out of the throttle before the sixty-foot clocks.

J.R. Todd
Todd backs up his earlier 4.08 with a 3.985, 288.03. Based on the speed, he’s still off the throttle before the finish line.

Gary Pritchett
Pritchett’s second pass ends quickly when the car goes into instant tire smoke. Since the Torrence team is not planning to test, Pritchett has all day to devote to familiarizing himself with Lindberg’s Camaro Funny Car.

Shawn Langdon
Langdon and teammate J.R. Todd have been close in terms of performance lately so it’s no surprise that he matches Todd’s run with a 3.986, 278.98.

Courtney Force
The points leader makes her first run of the week and it’s over quickly after the Advance Auto Parts Camaro shakes the tires just off the starting line.

Tommy Johnson Jr.
A whisp of tire smoke from the Make-A-Wish Dodge near half track and Johnson coasts across the finish line at 4.780, 162.14

Johnnie Lindberg
After working into the night to prepare his alcohol car for Gary Pritchett, Lindberg gets a chance to make a run in Jim Head’s Mustang and the results are respectable, a 4.110, 274.61.

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Sean Bellemeur
Big improvement for the Hussey Performance car with a 5.596 at over 258-mph.

Leah Pritchett
A bit of history at Indy when Pritchett breaks into the seven second zone in her Factory Stock Challenger. With crew chief Kevin Helms watching on the starting line, Pritchett runs a 7.988, 171.59. Earlier this year, Geoff Turk was the first FSS driver in the sevens at an NMCA event in Bradenton, Fla. So far, NHRA has not had an official seven-second run at a national event.

Mark Pawuk
Following in Pritchett’s tire tracks, Pawuk runs a respectable 8.050, 169.57 in his DSR Drag Pak.

 

 

 

 

Richie Crampton (Doug Kalitta)
Crampton does a burnout in Kalitta’s Mac Tools car but something is amiss and they shut the car off before he can stage.

L_Pritchett.JPGLeah Pritchett
Back in her Mopar dragster, Pritchett makes what appears to be a planned shut off which nets a 5.455 elapsed time.

Bob Tasca III
Tasca will unveil a throwback paint scheme for next weekend’s U.S. Nationals and for now he’s got a black primered Mustang body. After making what he called one of his best runs of the year, Tasca makes another hit but lights the tires at the 330-foot mark.

Antron Brown
The first run of the day for Antron Brown and the Matco Tools team and it’s a very respectable 3.941 shut off at 250.23 mph. The car wiggled a bit in the second half of the track but the numbers are respectable.

John Force
The 16-time champ gets involved in his first pre-Indy testing with a solid baseline that results in a 4.084 at 268.87 mph. Most of the team that are testing today are planning to make early-shut off runs, using the half-track numbers to gather pertinent data.

Matt Hagan
Clean and straight, a 4.110, 264.48 for the two-time champon

Tony Schumacher
The eight-time champ backs up his earlier 3.791 with a 3.824, 322.73. Keeping in mind that most teams are not making full runs, Schumacher  appears to be the star of the show, so far.

Ryan Oehler
Oehler finds the six-second zone with a 6.994. Since he’s the only Pro Stock Motorcycle racer on the grounds, its difficult to gauge his progress but this clearly appears to be a step in the right direction.

Mike Castellana
A 1,000-foot shut off nets a very respectable 6.013 at just 195.93. Castellana can still win the Pro Mod championship, but he’s going to need a monster finish to the season in order to do it.

Robert Hight
Reigning world champ makes his first run of the day and shuts off very early with a 7.267 after smoking the tires.

Gary Pritchett
Pritchett, the clutch specialist on Steve Torrence’s car, makes his best run as a driver with a 5.723 at just 211.33. Pritchett admitted that he shut the car off early simply because the unusually high rpm made him wonder if the car has shifted into high gear.

Jack Beckman
Beckman said he plans to make as many as eight runs over the two day test and he’s off to a strong start with another three-second run, a 3.992, 315.64. Beckman’s team is testing their new body, and a new set of headers that are designed specifically for the body.

Brittany Force
The Monster Energy dragster makes an appearance with a 4.865, 147.20 on a half-track run.

Indy8.jpgRichie Crampton
Probably not what the Kalitta team was looking for with an off-pace 4.830, 151.02.

Tommy Johnson Jr.
A much-improved effort for the Make-A-Wish team with a 3.977, 314.09 that ranks them among the leaders in the Funny Car class so far.

Courtney Force
The Advance team hones in on their Indy combination with a 4.183 at just 237.30. The incremental times indicate what most likely would have been a high three-second run.

 

J.R. Todd
A 4.015, 277.37 which seems to please the DHL crew.

Clay Millican
Driving a car that was front-halved yesterday, Millican coasts to a 6.405 after smoking the tires.

Richie Crampton (Doug Kalitta’s car)
Crampton is getting plenty of seat time and his latest excursion in Kalitta’s car nets a 4.411 at 180.21 mph.

Shawn Langdon
Again, Langdon’s performance mirrors Todd’s with a 4.013, 282.01.

indy9.jpgLeah Pritchett
The Mopar Dragster is zooming along until the 800-foot mark when there is a flash of fire followed by a resounding boom. The numbers are solid, a 3.913, 291.63, but the team will obviously have work to do. The good news is there is no fluid on the track.

Ryan Oehler
At this point, Oehler is hot-lapping his Buell and he’s consistent with a 7.005, 191.67.

Wayne Newby
The Rapisarda team is entered for the “Big Go” with native Australian Newby behind the wheel. Their first test run is a slowing 6.063, 110.74.

Tony Schumacher
The Army team appears to find the limit of traction as the Sarge goes up in smoke almost immediately following his two nearly picture-perfect earlier runs.

John Force
The Peak Camaro goes to half-track before Force chops the throttle and the end result is a 4.333 at 213.67 mph.

Antron Brown
Solid run for the three-time Indy winner with a 3.809, 296.18.

Matt Hagan
A full-pull for Hagan with a 4.020, 313.02 one of the few runs over 300-mph so far.

Johnnie Lindberg
Lindberg plans to head to Sweden shortly for the FIA European round at Teirp Arena this weekend but first he’s going to make a few more runs in Head’s car including a 4.069, 275.22. Lindberg isn’t overly impressed by the number but says, “at least we went down the race track which means we’re making progress.”

Sean Bellemeur
The new Bartone car looks like a keeper after Bellemeur and tuner Steve Boggs blast to a 5.540, 264.18 on a run that from the outside appeared to be far from perfect.

Bob Tasca III
Tasca has lacked consistency for much of this season but the Eric Lane-led team seems to have found it during the Indy test. They come to the starting line and unload a very competitive 3.972 at 313.80. As a side-note, expect Tasca to announce a unique promotive for next weekend’s U.S. Nationals.

Robert Hight
The Auto Club team jumps right in the thick of a competitive Funny Car battle with a 3.974, 320.66 on a clean and straight full pass.

Richie Crampton (Doug Kalitta car)
Another run for Crampton in Kalitta’s car and it’s a coasting 4.021 at just 247-mph. Reportedly, Kalitta will be here tomorrow to take over the driving chorse of his Mac Tools dragster

J.R Todd
If there was a Wednesday night bracket race in Indy, Todd would be the favorite with his third run in the high 3.9s. This time he’s got all eight lit almost to the finish line on a 3.978, 308.92 run.

Tommy Johnson Jr.
Pretty much everyone in the Funny Car class is in the 3.9s now including T.J. who backs up his earlier 3.977 with a 3.984, 305.36.

Richie Crampton
Back in his own car, Crampton makes a nice run with a 3.902, 291.26.

J_Beckman.JPGJack Beckman
The sun in beginning to set behind the West Side grandstands at Indy and teams are starting to get a handle on the track and weather. Beckman re-sets the standard for Funny Cars with a 3.939, 322.11. It’s one of the few times we’ve seen a nitro car under power the entire 1,000-feet.

Doug Vancil
There are a couple of Nitro Harley’s testing today and Doug Vancil’s Vance & Hines Harley is the quickest. After an earlier 6.454, he’s quick again with a 6.514 at 208.42 mph.

Mike Castellana
Castellana puts down a solid number with a 5.80 at over 246 mph in the field’s only Pro Mod car.

John Force
Force’s Peak Camaro is a bit lazy off the starting line but picks up the pace with a 4.014 at 320.28 mph.

Brittany Force
Brittany Force matches Schumacher’s best with a 3.791, 324.59 in the Monster Energy car. After an earlier shut off, the body language of the crew suggests they are pleased with the numbers.

Bob Tasca III
J.R. Todd has some competition in the “best bracket car” contest after Tasca runs another solid three-second run, a 3.958, 317.05 in his Motorcraft Mustang.

Ryan Oehler
No improvement over his earlier run as Oehler posts a 7.058, 189.28.

Gary Pritchett
Still on cloud nine after his earlier 5.51 run, Pritchett’s next cloud is tire smoke, which comes as soon as he dumps the clutch. Lindberg later jokes that he needs to work on his tune-up game.

Sean Bellemeur
Bellemeur follows in Pritchett’s tire tracks and makes his best run of the day with a 5.529, 265.59. Makes one wonder if Steve Boggs has reconsidered his decision to not race the new car at Indy.

Leah Pritchett
Pritchett is done testing her Drag Pak Challenger after her earlier seven-second performance to the focus shifts exclusively to her Top Fuel dragster. A 3.869 at just 267.80 represents their latest effort.

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Courtney Force
Tire shake and a quick shut-off has the Advance car coasting through the finish line lights.

Robert Hight
A nice clean run that results in a 3.965, 322.04 for Jimmy Prock and Co.

Tommy Johnson Jr.
Smiles all around after a very competitive 3.959, 319.52 out of the Make-A-Wish car.

Richie Crampton (Doug Kalitta’s car)
Instant tire smoke for Crampton, who has been a busy guy today driving a pair of Top Fuel dragsters.

Doug Vancil
Nice run for the Top Fuel Harley championship contender with a 6.406, 222.36

Gary Pritchett
Pritchett backs up his earlier 5.51-second run with an early shut off 5.658 at just 227.46 mph. There was a whisp of smoke from the Landmeco Camaro so it’s possible there might have been some parts damage.

Ryan Oehler
Oehler ties his best for the day with another 6.994, 189.28.

Matt Hagan
Nice header flames out of the Mopar Dodge with a 4.050, 270.48 shut-off run.

Jack Beckman
As the last nitro car down the track, Beckman sets the new standard with a 3.908, 327.35. It’s safe to say the Infinite Hero team likes their new Charger body.

Mike Castellana
Castellana’s final run is his best with a 5.859, 247.43. He’s done until Q1 of the U.S. Nationals a week from Friday.

And that's a wrap from day one of the Indianapolis NHRA test session. We'll be back at Lucas Oil Raceway Indianapolis tomorrow when the track is open exclusively to NHRA Mello Yello series pros.