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
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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
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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
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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
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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.