Larry Dixon, Ashley Force Hood, Allen Johnson, and Hector Arana finished qualifying atop the fields at the 30th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals and will lead their classes into Sunday's final eliminations at Atlanta Dragway.
Although Saturday's warm conditions were similar to Friday's sweltering climes, several major gains were made in the naturally aspirated Pro Stock classes, especially in the Pro Stock Motorcycle ranks, where the qualifying lead changed three times in a thrilling final qualifying session before Arana, the reigning world champ, secured the top spot. Race teams now turn their attention to Sunday's all-important final eliminations at the event, the eighth of 23 in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series this season. Final eliminations will begin at 11 a.m.
Larry Dixon
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The record will show that Dixon held on to the top spot he earned with his Friday 3.82, but it won't show that Dixon's Al-Anabi dragster was the class of Saturday as well, leading both sessions with strong passes to earn his first No. 1 qualifying position at this event and 42nd pole.
"We got down both sessions, so hopefully we have the same conditions tomorrow because that's what we're set up for," said Dixon, who collected 12 bonus points in qualifying to bolster his lead. "This is the first time we've been low every session since I've [been with the Al-Anabi team], and with the bonus points for qualifying, that adds up fast when you can do that.
"It got the tire loose on that run and put a hole out and knocked the belt off just before the finish line, so it slowed up a little bit, but it was still a great run."
Doug Kalitta, who won this race back to back in 2005 and 2006, finished second with the Kalitta Air machine, also based on his Friday effort (3.84). Behind Dixon and Kalitta are Brandon Bernstein, the 2007 event champ, with a 3.913 in the Copart dragster and Cory McClenathan, who recorded a 3.924.
The top eight is rounded out by Tony Schumacher, who blasted into the field today with a 3.927, Antron Brown (3.94), defending event champ Morgan Lucas (3.960), and hometown favorite Bob Vandergriff Jr. (3.961).
Steve Torrence ended up on the bump spot with Dexter Tuttle's dragster and will be Dixon's first-round opponent when Sunday's action kicks off.
Ashley Force Hood
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Force Hood scored her first No. 1 qualifying berth of the season with the Castrol GTX Mustang. Her Friday 4.10 sealed the pole position, the 10th of her career. Force Hood has won this race twice, in Top Alcohol Dragster in 2006 and in Funny Car in her breakthrough win in 2008. She also was runner-up last year to Jack Beckman.
"This is definitely one track that we've done good at for whatever reason," said Force Hood. "It's a tricky track, so it's surprising that this is somewhere we've had a lot of success at, but my tuners, Ron [Douglas] and 'Guido' [Dean Antonelli], have it figured out, and we do well here even when we struggle.
"We gained a few points. We haven’t run that great, but it was good enough to stay first."
Force Hood's teammate, world champ Robert Hight, remained in the second position with his Auto Club Mustang, also based on his Friday effort, 4.124.
Ron Capps, who has never won this event but is tuned by three-time event winner Ed McCulloch, is third with a 4.147 from the NAPA Auto Parts Charger. He is followed by Bob Tasca III's Motorcraft Shelby at 4.151. Del Worsham (4.153), Beckman (4.168), Tim Wilkerson (4.210), and Bob Bode (4.217) round out the top eight.
Jeff Diehl went from outside the field to the bump spot with a last-ditch 4.52 that bumped out Paul Lee. Diehl's reward is a first-round date with low qualifier Force Hood.
Allen Johnson
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If you kept ahold of your Pro Stock qualifying sheets from Friday, you won't need new ones after Saturday as the changes were few and far between. Although he was outperformed in both of the day's qualifying sessions by Mike Edwards, Johnson nonetheless held on in his Mopar Avenger for his first pole position of the season and eighth of his career based on his Friday 6.634.
"The track was really hot, and the air conditions were worse, and Mike made a really good run there," said Johnson, who won this race in 2000. "We had been perfect all weekend until that run and Mike had not, but he was perfect that run and we weren't. We're still right there with him, but he's still bad to the bone, so we have to do our job and be perfect.
"We sort of tested it that last run in case the track conditions get that hot again tomorrow. It didn't like what we did, so we definitely learned not to go there. If we both do our jobs tomorrow, it will come down to me and him in the final, and then it will be down to lane choice and who can get his foot off the clutch first."
Edwards (6.641), Johnny Gray (6.652), and Jeg Coughlin Jr. (6.659) stayed in the next three spots. The No. 3 berth is far and away a season best for Gray, whose previous best was ninth two weeks ago in Madison. Coughlin, who won this race in Pro Stock (2000) and Comp (1997), scored his seventh top-four berth in eight races this season.
Ron Krisher, who had the second-best pass of the evening session, remained No. 5 and Greg Stanfield sixth with the same number as Coughlin, but their slower speeds have them ranked further down the sheets. Greg Anderson (6.667) and Kurt Johnson (6.669) round out the top eight.
Five-time Atlanta champ Warren Johnson, hot off his 97th win in Madison, ended up on the bump spot with a 6.696.
Hector Arana
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Arana didn't nail down the top spot in the Pro Stock Motorcycle field until the second-to-last pass of the final session, where "the Hammer" struck a 6.913 to wrest the top spot from David Hope. Hope had taken the pole from Andrew Hines, who had taken it from third-session leader Matt Smith in an action-packed final qualifying session. It's the third straight No. 1 spot for Arana's Lucas Oil Buell and the 12th of his career.
"That was amazing," said Arana. "I saw Andrew run 6.93, and I said, 'Wow, that's impressive,' but I stayed calm until Hope went 6.92, then I said, 'Uh oh, this is really good.' I knew I could run those numbers if I could leave the starting line. The bike felt smooth, and when it was still carrying the front wheel in 2nd gear, I knew I was on a good run.
"We were just hoping to stay consistent. I knew I had a little more, but the .91 surprised me. I'll take it."
Hope's Mohegan Sun/Iron Man 2 Buell will start a season-best second after his strong 6.924. Hope was the No. 3 qualifier earlier this season in Gainesville. Hines meanwhile matched his season-best third aboard the Screamin' Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson with a 6.938. Smith, who didn't improve on his 6.940 pass from Friday, is fourth with that pass.
Karen Stoffer, the 2007 Atlanta winner, is fifth with the GEICO Suzuki after charting a 6.973. She's followed in the top eight by Eddie Krawiec (6.976), Michael Phillips (6.977 at 194.24, top speed for the class), and Steve Johnson (6.993).
Nine bikes qualified in the sixes. Wesley Wells' Suzuki ended up on the bump spot with a 7.174 and will be Arana's first opponent Sunday.
Mike Janis claimed his first No. 1 qualifying position in NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series competition. He then defeated Brad Personett in the first round.
Other first-round winners included No. 2 qualifier Jay Payne, who powered his FireIce Ford Mustang past Chip King’s Dodge Daytona; No. 3 qualifier Scott Ray, who outran Gainesville winner Kenny Lang; and No. 4 qualifier Rick Stivers, who beat Melanie Troxel.
In other first-round action, Houston winner Danny Rowe defeated Khalid Balooshi, and Madison winner Von Smith raced past Burton Auxier.
Pro Mod eliminations will continue Sunday at approximately 2 p.m. Second-round matches include Janis vs. Troy Coughlin; Payne vs. Smith; Stivers vs. Rowe; and Ray vs. Michael Gullqvist.
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Dixon, Force Hood, Johnson, Smith lead opening day in Atlanta