Sunday Houston Happenings
Sunday, May 01, 2011
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| [9:55 a.m.] There is a steady stream of traffic heading into Royal Purple Raceway, and the pits are starting to get a little crowded, so it looks like a good crowd of fans will be taking in the race-day action at the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Pennzoil. After a late night Saturday getting the NHRA Lucas Oil Sportsman classes pared down, today will be traditional race-day schedule. Pre-race is about to begin, at 10 a.m., and the first pair of Top Fuel dragsters will fire up at 11 a.m. Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel), John Force (Funny Car), Ronnie Humphrey (Pro Stock), and LE Tonglet (Pro Stock Motorcycle) lead the Pro fields into that opening round. |
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[11:10 a.m.] NHRA legend Shirley Muldowney kicked off the racing today, giving the command to start engines. After asking the drivers and crew chiefs if they were ready, Muldowney turned to the adoring crowd and asked if they were ready, the response to which was a loud roar of approval. She then told the crews to “light ’em up.” |
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[11:25 a.m.] Starting the cars is the latest in a series of activities and appearances for Shirley Muldowney this weekend. Muldowney took part in a series of autograph and Q&A sessions (left), and this morning, she walked the track with fans (below). |
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| [11:35 a.m.] The opening round of Top Fuel was a very odd one and, for a lot of drivers, a tough one with two rare red-light starts, a really late start, and a lot of tire smoke, including a double-tire-smoking match that resulted in a holeshot victory. One driver who didn’t have troubles that opening round was Spencer Massey, who wheeled his Fram-backed ride to a low-of-the-round 3.861. That gives him lane choice against Doug Kalitta next round. Other second-round pairings are Tony Schumacher vs. Morgan Lucas, Larry Dixon vs. Antron Brown, and Dave Grubnic vs. Del Worsham. |
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[11:45 a.m.] The odd first round in the nitro categories continues in Funny Car. In the third pair of cars, Brian Thiel’s roof hatch popped open on the starting line as he began to stage, then he was timed out, perhaps due to the distraction created by the roof hatch. That gave the automatic nod to No. 1 qualifier John Force, who blasted to a 4.119. |
[12 p.m.] Though John Force Racing drivers John Force (4.119) and Mike Neff (4.132) showed the way in the first round, the feel-good story of the round was Bob Bode, who defeated a tire-smoking Cruz Pedregon. A very giddy Bode, who repeatedly burst into laughter when he spoke, told the crowd over the PA system that winning a round for his team was “like winning the Super Bowl.” Bode will square off with Ron Capps next round. The other second-round matches are Force vs. Charlotte champ Jack Beckman, Neff vs. Matt Hagan, and Tim Wilkerson vs. Jeff Arend. |
[12:10 p.m.] After an interesting nitro first round, the Pro Stock opening round is also becoming quite intriguing. In the first three pairs, the lower qualified cars won. Among those was Larry Morgan, who earned a shocking win over Greg Anderson, who surprisingly red-lighted by .005-second. Morgan had lost his previous 23 matches against Anderson. |
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[12:25 p.m.] After the first three pairs, things got a little more “normal” with the remaining matches going to the top-half qualifiers. Among the winners was Mike Edwards, who posted a 6.629 that ranked as the best time of the round (Erica Enders also posted that number). That will give lane choice to Edwards when he faces Larry Morgan in round two. In the other second-round matches, No. 1 qualifier Ronnie Humphrey will face Greg Stanfield, Jason Line meets Vincent Nobile, and Texans Rodger Brogdon and Erica Enders will do battle. |
[12:35 p.m.] Though much of the first round went as expected with the higher-qualified bikes advancing, there were some surprises, including a first career round-win for Hector Arana Jr., who defeated his dad. Hector Jr. left the starting line first, then easily won the match when his dad’s Buell experienced troubles almost immediately and slowed. |
[12:40 p.m.] In the biggest surprise of the opening round, No. 1 qualifier LE Tonglet fouled out by .017-second, giving the freebie to Steve Johnson. Johnson has a second-round date with Eddie Krawiec, who continued to shine with a 6.910. Karen Stoffer had the best run of the first round, posting a 6.880 that gives her lane choice against Shawn Gann in the second round. Also in round two, Hector Arana Jr. faces Michael Phillips and Andrew Hines races Gerald Savoie. |
| [1:10 p.m.] The weather has been changing throughout the weekend, from sunny, clear skies Friday to cloud cover and a little drizzle yesterday to a combination of sun and clouds today, but race fans have been able to keep up with it thanks to a special weather forecast by KHOU forecaster Gene Norman that has been playing on the NHRA Mobile screen during the weekend. |
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[1:25 p.m.] The track has changed, but the story is the same in Top Fuel: the Al-Anabi Racing Team is showing the way again. Larry Dixon was low of the second round with a 3.864 that gives him lane choice against Tony Schumacher in a monster semifinal match. Dixon’s teammate, Del Worsham (pictured), wasn’t that far behind him with a 3.896 that will allow him to decide which lane he wants to be in against Doug Kalitta. |
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[1:35 p.m.] Last year’s Funny Car runner-up, Jeff Arend, pictured with daughter Jenna, still has a shot at going one better this year after he defeated Tim Wilkerson in the second round. Arend will face surprise semifinalist Bob Bode next round. Bode has lane choice thanks to a 4.29 to Arend’s 4.31. |
[1:35 p.m.] In the other Funny Car semifinal, Mike Neff will take on Charlotte winner Jack Beckman. Neff was the best of the second round with a 4.122 clocking that gives him lane choice against Beckman. Beckman defeated Neff’s boss, John Force, on a 4.18 to 4.17 holeshot in round two. |
[1:45 p.m.] Rookie-of-the-year frontrunner Vincent Nobile continues to impress, racking up more round-wins in his Mountain View Tires-backed Dodge. Nobile ran a strong 6.621 to defeat a red-lighting Jason Line in round two and advance to the semifinals. Nobile was just a thousandth slower that round pacesetter Mike Edwards, who defeated Larry Morgan to advance. Nobile will select his lane against Greg Stanfield in the semifinals, and Edwards has lane choice against Rodger Brogdon. |
| [1:55 p.m.] Though the Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines team continues to set the pace, Michael Phillips has also come to life today. He posted a 6.898 in his victory against Hector Arana Jr. That was the second-best run of the round behind Andrew Hines’ 6.892. Phillips and Hines are on opposite sides of the ladder, giving them lane choice in their respective semifinal matches with Eddie Krawiec and Karen Stoffer. |
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[2:40 p.m.] While the NHRA Full Throttle Series competitors have been getting ready for the semifinals, the fields have been cut down in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series categories. Among the storylines developing there is Texan Steve Burck, who has made the Top Alcohol Funny Car final round but has a lot of work to get ready for that title bout against Tony Bartone. When Burck deployed his chutes after defeating Todd Veney in the semifinals, they never fully blossomed, and Burck went into the sand. His team is thrashing in the pits trying to make it back for the final. |
| [3 p.m.] Two weeks ago in Charlotte, the Al-Anabi team finished 1-2. They will do the same here; the only question that remains is in what order. Larry Dixon (pictured) and Del Worsham won their semifinal matches against Tony Schumacher and Doug Kalitta, respectively, to continue their stranglehold on the Top Fuel class. Dixon was the better of the two in the semifinals, 3.88 to 3.89, so he’ll have lane choice. |
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[3:05 p.m.] Mike Neff just continues to march and now enters the final as the favorite to win it all. Neff clocked another 4.1, a 4.133, to defeat Jack Beckman and earn a final-round date with Jeff Arend, who is in his second straight final here at Royal Purple Raceway. |
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[3:15 p.m.] We are guaranteed to have a first-time winner in Pro Stock because Vincent Nobile and Rodger Brogdon won their semifinal matches. Nobile defeated Greg Stanfield, earning a third straight final-round berth and denying Stanfield the points lead (he trails Jason Line by one). Brogdon, left with team owner and Pro Stock rookie Steve Kent, stopped Mike Edwards. Nobile was the better of the two in the semi’s, 6.63 to 6.64, giving him lane choice. |
[3:25 p.m.] Like he did in the second round, Andrew Hines paced the Pro Stock Motorcycle pack in the semifinals, clocking a 6.888 that firmly plants him as the favorite entering the final round against Michael Phillips. Phillips ran a 6.95 to defeat Hines’ teammate, Eddie Krawiec, and advance to his 12th final round. |
[4:40 p.m.] Mike Castellana just did what no other Get Screened America Pro Mod racer has been able to do so far this year: defeat Khalid Balooshi. Castellana left the starting line first and outran Balooshi to claim the trophy. In NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series action, Jim Whiteley (Top Alcohol Dragster), Tony Bartone (Top Alcohol Funny Car), Chase Williams (Comp), Larry Stewart (Super Stock), Hagen Gary (Stock), Tommy Phillips (Super Comp), Ryan Baudoin (Super Gas), Rick Huffman (Super Street), and Bob Gulith (Top Sportsman) were the winners. |
| [4:55 p.m.] Andrew Hines made it a perfect 2-0 for the Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines team when he defeated Michael Phillips, 6.900 to 6.946, in the Pro Stock Motorcycle final. This is Hines’ second straight win at Royal Purple Raceway and the 24th of his career. |
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[5 p.m.] Vincent Nobile cemented his status as the driver to beat in the Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award balloting by picking up his first win. In a thrilling final that was decided by a thousandth, Nobile defeated fellow first-time finalist Rodger Brogdon on a 6.625 to 6.624 count. |
[5:05 p.m.] At the site of the late Scott Kalitta’s only Funny Car win, Jeff Arend put “Scott’s car” back in the winner’s circle, defeating Mike Neff in the final. Arend, last year’s runner-up finisher at this event, got the nod when Mike Neff double stepped on the starting line and fouled out. |
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[5:10 p.m.] The end result in Top Fuel was the same as two weeks ago in Charlotte with Del Worsham finishing ahead of teammate Larry Dixon. This time around, Worsham ran a 3.880 to Dixon’s 3.900. Worsham is now a perfect 3-0 in Top Fuel finals, and the car he is piloting, the same one Dixon drove last year, is a perfect 15-0 in title rounds. |