Saturday's Reading Recap
Saturday, October 01, 2011
After a strong crowd packed the grandstands and pits during the opening day of action at the Auto-Plus NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway, it appears the second day will also be well attended. All roads leading into the track were filled with cars this morning, and there was a steady stream of people pouring into the gates. |
| Leaves on the trees surrounding the track have begun to change color, a clear sign of fall, which is appropriate because conditions, as expected, have changed dramatically today and are very fall-like. Temperatures have fallen with highs expected in the 50s during the day, and skies are overcast. Local forecasters are calling for a chance of showers during the day, but most are saying the rain should be spotty with breaks. The end result of the cooler weather could very well be a complete shake-up in the qualifying orders in the Pro classes as well as potential record runs. |
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[noon] After having to abort his run Friday evening, Hector Arana Jr. rebounded in a big way in the opening Pro Stock Motorcycle session today, powering to a 6.824 that is a new Maple Grove track record and moved the rookie to the top of the order with one session remaining. Arana’s father, Hector Sr., was second best of the first session with a 6.837, and Friday dominator Eddie Krawiec ranked third with a 6.851. |
[noon] For the second time in the last three races, the record bump in Pro Stock Motorcycle has been reset with the 6.962-current bump bettering the 6.984 cutoff in Charlotte two weeks ago. Matt Guidera is the No. 16 driver entering the final qualifying session. |
| [noon] As expected, the cooler conditions this morning produced many quick runs, and for several drivers, that meant new career bests. Among the drivers setting personal bests was Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Steve Johnson, who bettered his previous mark by more than three-hundredths with a 6.858. |
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[12:15 p.m.] As they did in Pro Stock Motorcycle, the positions in Pro Stock shuffled quite a bit during the third qualifying session, including the top spot, which is now occupied by Jason Line thanks to a track record 6.513. The track speed record also fell during the session; Line’s teammate, Greg Anderson, set the new mark at 212.03 mph. |
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[12:15 p.m.] Ronnie Humphrey, another Summit-backed driver and quasi-teammate to Jason Line and Greg Anderson, ended up second in the Pro Stock order after clocking a career-best 6.525 that was three-thousandths quicker than Mike Edwards, who dropped to third. |
| [12:20 p.m.] Among the fans in the packed grandstands is former Pro Stock Motorcycle Indy champion and Philadelphia native Reggie Showers, who found a prime spot at the front of the fence near the starting line on the pit side to check out the action in all of the NHRA Full Throttle classes. |
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[12:50 p.m.] Terry McMillen’s team unveiled a new pink Top Fuel dragster and pink team shirts in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The team will run the pink dragster throughout the month of October. Unfortunately, the car’s maiden voyage didn’t quite go according to plan when the injector broke near the end of McMillen’s run. |
[1 p.m.] Brandon Bernstein’s team will have a little extra work to do to get ready for the final Top Fuel qualifying session after he had a tire go down near the end of the track. Bernstein, who was uninjured, did a masterful job of bringing the car, which had a damaged rear wing, to a safe stop after lightly tapping the guardwall in the opposite lane. |
| [1:05 p.m.] Spencer Massey was all smiles at the top end after he and his FRAM team shot to the top of the Top Fuel qualifying sheets with a 3.782 run that is a new track record. Rod Fuller was second-quickest of the third session with a 3.801, and Tony Schumacher ranked third after posting a 3.807. |
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[1:40 p.m.] After a quiet start to the Countdown that includes two first-round losses and starting spots of eighth and 11th, reigning world Funny Car champion John Force may have just found new life. Force jumped to the No. 1 spot with a 4.011 at 319.22 mph. Both are career-best numbers for Force, and the speed is the third fastest ever and faster than the national record (318.99 by Jack Beckman in Charlotte two weeks ago). |
| [1:40 p.m.] The Don Schumacher Racing Funny Cars continued to shine in the third qualifying session. Johnny Gray, who was second-quickest of last night’s session, was again second in this one with a 4.034, and his teammate Jack Beckman (pictured) was third-best at 4.039. |
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[2:30 p.m.] Between the Pro qualifying sessions today, fans had the opportunity to meet and get autographs from the legends at the event this weekend, including Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins, closest to camera, and Larry Lombardo. |
[3:55 p.m.] Eddie Krawiec returned to his front-of-the-pack form running a 6.828 to pace the final Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying session. The run was just .002-second off the run Krawiec made yesterday that earned him the No. 2 starting spot. The Aranas were the next-best riders of the final session. Both Hector Arana Sr. and Hector Jr. ran 6.831; Hector Sr. will get the two bonus points on a superior speed, 195 to 194. |
| [3:55 p.m.] The Pro Stock Motorcycles further lowered the record bump, which is now a 6.946 (previous best: 6.984 in Charlotte two weeks ago). Bailey Whitaker earned the No. 16 starting spot. |
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[4:25 p.m.] The two drivers who have shown the way throughout most of the weekend, Jason Line, left, and Mike Edwards were again the top two drivers in the final Pro Stock qualifying session. Line was far and away the best with a 6.517 that was about three-hundredths better than Edwards, who ran a 6.544. Ronnie Humphrey ranked third with a 6.547. |
[4:25 p.m.] Briarcliff Manor, N.Y., driver Bob Benza put together another solid showing the Northeast, qualifying for the Pro Stock field for the first time since Englishtown. Benza anchors the 16-car field with a 6.598. |
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| [5:40 p.m.] The national record runs that many had been anticipating all day came to fruition in the final Top Fuel session when the e.t. record was reset twice. First, Larry Dixon (above) got the mark with a 3.769, but his hold of the record was short-lived because Antron Brown (below), in the pair behind Dixon, went 3.766, the second-quickest pass ever. Both drivers had back-up runs from earlier in the weekend. The 20 bonus points will not be awarded until the end of the weekend, and with weather conditions expected to be cool again tomorrow, many think the record could change again. |
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| [6 p.m.] After the national record runs in Top Fuel, many were hoping for a three-second Funny Car run. Unfortunately, it never came. Johnny Gray was the best of the final session with a 4.010, and the run moved him around John Force by .001-second for No. 1 in the qualifying order. Gray’s run is the fourth-quickest in history. |
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[6 p.m.] Tim Wilkerson was another one of the stars of the final Funny Car qualifying session, wheeling his Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford to a career-best 4.027 that ranked as the second-best run of the round and moved Wilk up to the fourth starting spot. |
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[6 p.m.] Though she never made a full pull behind the wheel of the ProCare Rx Toyota, Leah Pruett and her team were able to do enough to get into the Funny Car field. Pruett made the show on her final attempt, coasting to a 4.644 that was just enough to earn her the No. 16 spot. |