Sunday's Finals Photos
Sunday, November 13, 2011
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Southern California race fans woke this morning to a welcome sight: blue skies. After three days of cold, cloudy weather, the final eliminations day of the year's final event begins with promising weather.
The day will mark the end of an era for NHRA racers and fans when NHRA Chief Starter Rick Stewart (right), who has manned his post since 1996 and launched tens of thousands of cars down the dragstrip, retires at the end of the event. |
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The day began with NHRA's famous Track Walk with a Legend, in this case Southern California fan favorite John Force, whose career is being saluted this weekend with a display of many cars from his career in the pit area. Hundreds of fans walked historic Parker Avenue with the 15-time NHRA Funny Car champ.
Before setting off on the walk, Force made sure to let Stewart know he'll be missed. |
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The 2011 season champs of the NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series were introduced during the pre-race festivities. |
The Top Eliminator Club grandstands at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona has been named in honor of NHRA legend John Force. NHRA President Tom Compton, right, and Auto Club President Tom McKernan congratulated Force. |
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The title combatants for today's three Full Throttle championships were introduced together during pre-race ceremony.
(Above) Announcer Bob Frey interviews Top Fuel points leader Del Worsham while sharing the stage with Larry Dixon, Spencer Massey, and Antron Brown.
(Left) Pro Stock Motorcycle's Eddie Krawiec and Hector Arana Jr. got their dukes up.
(Below) Funny Car's Ron Capps, Jack Beckman, Cruz Pedregon, Matt Hagan, Robert Hight, and Mike Neff. |
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[11:30 a.m.] All four of the Top Fuel championship hopefuls made in through round one; not that there weren't some anxious moments. Reigning champ Larry Dixon broke just off the line against Keith Murt but advanced to the second round on Murt's red-light. Dixon will face Antron Brown (above), who ran 3.833 and will have lane choice.
Other second-round pairings (lane choice first): Del Worsham vs. Dave Grubnic, Spencer Massey vs. Morgan Lucas, and Tony Schumacher (low of the round, 3.801) vs. Brandon Bernstein. |
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[11:50 a.m.] All of the Funny Car title contenders got through round one, though it took Jack Beckman (left) some deft throttle work to pedal his way past Tim Wilkerson. Beckman will take on points leader Matt Hagan, who will have lane choice in a monster second-round matchup between the top two points earners. Cruz Pedregon (above) continued his chase for his third NHRA Full Throttle Funny Car championship by besting Bob Tasca III. He’ll pick his lane in round two against Melanie Troxel. Other second-round pairings (lane choice first): Ron Capps vs. Robert Hight and Johnny Gray vs. Mike Neff.
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[12:15 p.m.] Greg Stanfield scored his seventh holeshot win of the year (tops in all Pro classes) in the first round of Pro Stock in a 6.595 to 6.587 victory over Larry Morgan. He’ll give up lane choice in round two to Rodger Brogdon. Other second-round pairings (lane choice first): Mike Edwards (low of the round, 6.546) vs. Allen Johnson, Greg Anderson vs. Kurt Johnson, and Ronnie Humphrey vs. Jason Line. |
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[12:30 p.m.] Hector Arana Jr. kept alive his slim championship hopes in Pro Stock Motorcycle with a powerful 6.83 first-round win that was low e.t. of the frame. He'll face Matt Smith with lane choice, but because points leader Eddie Krawiec also won, Arana will now have to win the race and reset the national record and hope for Krawiec to exit in round two. Krawiec picks his lane against LE Tonglet next round.
Other second-round pairings (lane choice first): Andrew Hines vs. Angie Smith and Hector Arana Sr. vs. Steve Johnson. |
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[1:35 p.m.] Del Worsham closed in on his first career world championship by advancing to the semifinals of Top Fuel. The points leader will face Spencer Massey, who sits just 18 points behind him, in the semifinals in a race that probably will decide the title. Massey has lane choice, 3.846 to 3.850.
The other semifinal will pit Worsham's teammate, Larry Dixon, against longtime rival Tony Schumacher. Dixon still can win the championship but will need Massey to beat Worsham in the semi's, then beat Massey in the final and set the national record, which means he must run at least a national record backup of 3.771 in the semifinals to have a shot at breaking Worsham's existing record of 3.735 in the final. Schumacher has lane choice against Dixon. |
[1:45 p.m.] Points leader Matt Hagan, near lane, defeated second-place Jack Beckman in a huge second-round Funny Car race. Hagan will take on Cruz Pedregon in the semifinals in a race that may decide the 2011 NHRA Full Throttle championship. If Hagan wins, he's the champ. Pedregon has lane choice but will not only have to beat Hagan but then also win the final to take over the points lead. Robert Hight, who was eliminated from title contention despite winning in round two, will take on Johnny Gray in the other semifinal; Hight has lane choice. |
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[2:05 p.m.] Kurt Johnson, who surprised the Pro Stock championship hopefuls with a playoff-event win in Charlotte, is upsetting the apple cart again. He beat Greg Anderson in round two to advance to the semi's, where he'll face Jason Line, who has lane choice. In the other semi, Allen Johnson has lane choice over Greg Stanfield. |
[2:15 p.m.] With his second-round victory at the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals, Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Eddie Krawiec became the first racer to clinch a Full Throttle championship at the season finale. Krawiec clinched the crown with his victory over outgoing champ LE Tonglet, 6.85 to 6.93. He will face Hector Arana Jr., the man he edged for the title, in the semi's, where Arana has lane choice and a chance at payback. The other semi pits Krawiec's teammate, Andrew Hines, against Arana's dad, Hector Sr.; Hines has lane choice. |
The warm Southern California weather has brought the fans out in full force to Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. |
[3:30 p.m.] Points leader Del Worsham edged second-place Spencer Massey by .004-second in their winner-take-all semifinal battle to decide the 2011 NHRA Full Throttle Top Fuel championship. Massey left first by .004-second, but Worsham's Al-Anabi dragster was quicker, 3.800 to 3.808, to claim his first career world championship. |
[3:35 p.m.] Matt Hagan rebounded from the crushing disappointment of losing last year's Funny Car championship at the season finale to win his first crown this year. Hagan sealed the victory by defeating Cruz Pedregon — the only other man with a chance to pass him — in the semi's, 4.096 to 4.113. Hagan will race Robert Hight in the final. |
Kurt Johnson (left) will take on Greg Stanfield in the Pro Stock final.
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Harley-Davidson teammates Andrew Hines (left) and Eddie Krawiec will battle in the Pro Stock Motorcycle final, where newly crowned champ Krawiec has lane choice.
Andrew Hines, near lane, won the all-Harley-Davidson Pro Stock final, getting the automatic nod when his teammate, Eddie Krawiec, red-lighted by .009-second. The Harleys still put on a great show with a pair of 6.81s. |
Greg Stanfield, near lane, earned his first NHRA Finals Pro Stock title when he bested Kurt Johnson in the title round. Stanfield left the starting line first and never trailed, posting a 6.597 to easily defeat Johnson, who aborted his run after shaking the tires almost immediately. |
Matt Hagan, far lane, sealed his championship season by winning the quickest side-by-side race in Funny Car history, defeating Robert Hight, 4.009 to 4.031. Hagan's run was the third quickest in history. |
Like Hagan, Del Worsham, near lane, added to his championship riches with a close final-round victory in Top Fuel, defeating Tony Schumacher, 3.796 to 3.799. |
The 2011 Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals Full Throttle event champs, from left, Andrew Hines, Greg Stanfield, Matt Hagan, and Del Worsham. |