Cory McClenathan in Top Fuel, Ashley Force Hood in Funny Car, and Mike Edwards in Pro Stock finished the opening day of qualifying at the Virginia NHRA Nationals atop their respective fields.
The event marks the beginning of the second half of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Countdown to 1, the six-race playoff section that will determine the year’s champions in mid-November in Pomona, Calif. Virginia Motorsports Park, just outside of Richmond, had traditionally offered mineshaft conditions for quick runs but Mother Nature did not cooperate Friday as temperatures in the low 80s held back performance, especially in the naturally aspirated classes like Pro Stock, where incoming hopes had been high for the class’ first 6.4-second pass. The track was the site of the first 200-mph pass in class history in 1997 and the host to numerous national records and record-quick fields. The quickest 1,000-foot runs in both nitro classes were recorded here last year: Tony Schumacher's 3.771 (the current national record) and Robert Hight's 4.005. Also, last year's race featured the first all-6.5-second Pro Stock field ever.
Cory McClenathan
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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
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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
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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.