NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

With a week off between the recent Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd and the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals, NHRA pros descended on Lucas Oil Raceway for two-days of testing. The combination picture-perfect weather and a freshly prepped and manicured racing surface provided an initial challenge for the tuners, but after a few runs they managed to hone in on a workable set-up.

As a side note, NHRA rules prohibit professional vehicles from testing on a national event track one week before the start of the event and with pro qualifying at the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals set for Friday night, the Wednesday-Thursday test presented the best possible opportunity for Mello Yello series pros to tune-up for the sport’s biggest event, and the looming Countdown to the Championship.

In addition to the Top Fuel and Funny Car teams, there were a handful of Pro Stock Motorcycle and Pro Mod racers also tuning up for “the Big Go”.
Here’s a chronological look at some of the day’s most notable action, which will be updated throughout the day.

Tony Schumacher
The U.S. Army team has no reservations about being the first car to test the track surface at Lucas Oil Raceway Indianapolis even though Schumacher’s first run results in tire shake and an early shut-off.

Billy Torrence
The second CAPCO car is here with family patriarch Billy Torrence doing the driving. Despite being out of the seat for nearly a year, the elder Torrence looks solid with a half-track shut off.

J.R. Todd
The first Funny Car down the track doesn’t fare much better than the first Top Fuel dragster with recent Sonoma winner Todd taking his foot off the gas early when the DHL Toyota shakes the tires.

Ron Capps
Capps, using his patriotic American flag covered NAPA body, is off the throttle at 100 feet after more tire shake.

Tommy Johnson Jr.
Another swing, another miss. Shake. Shut-off. Repeat

Austin Prock
John Force Racing development driver Austin Prock is continuing to get seat time behind the wheel of Anthony Dicero's Nitro University A/Fuel dragster. The 21-year old looks poised and confident with a 5.28 pass. at over 275-mph.

Jonnie Lindberg
The Head Racing Toyota can’t get through the shake zone without rattling the tires.

Shawn Langdon
Langdon must win at least a round or two in order to have any chance of making it into the Countdown and he acknowledged that his Global Electronic Technologies dragster has recently developed an electrical problem. Their first run of the day is not what the Kalitta team was looking for as Langdon is out of the throttle long before half-track.

Brittany Force
Finally, we get a somewhat full pull as Brittany Force drives the Monster Energy dragster to a 3.998 at 258.83 indicating an early shut off.

Courtney Force
Tire shake, a puff of tire smoke and the Advance Auto Parts Camaro joins a list of drivers who coast to the finish line with the parachutes still in the pack.

Larry Dixon
No, the three-time champion will not be racing Top Fuel at Indy but he will be in the Bartone Bros. Hussey Performance Copper Gaskets Camaro Top Alcohol Funny Car. Getting some seat time ahead of the “Big Go” Dixon logs a competitive 5.578, 260.06.

J.R. Todd
Todd's second run is significantly better than his first. The DHL car stays stuck to the race track and he records a respectable 4.110  after shutting off around the 800-foot mark.

Billy Torrence
Another planned shut-off for Billy Torrence nets a 4.064, 222.80. Interestingly enough, this car is not currently entered for the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals.

Shawn Langdon
 The second run is a much better effort for the Global Electronic Technology dragster. Langdon throws the chutes early and still manages a 3.877 at 248.93 mph.

Schumacher
The Sarge lights up the scoreboard with a 3.762, 327.74 pass in the Army car

B. Force
The pieces are starting to fall together nicely as teams get a handle on the freshly-prepped track surface. Brittany is solid with a 3.773 despite an early shut off at just 301.07 mph.

Torrence
Billy Torrence does not look like someone who has been out of the car for more than a year. A nice 3.819 is exactly what the Capco crew was looking for.

 Johnson Jr.
A step in the right direction for the Make-A-Wish team with a competitive 4.02 pass at 305.88 mph.

Beckman
Almost instant tire smoke for former champ Beckman

Capps
The current points leader makes his best run of the day, so far with a strong 3.915, 323.50 in his NAPA Dodge. Last year at the Indy test, Capps waited until the final run of the final day in order to turn in a similar performance.

Harry Hruska
We switch it up with a turbo Pro Mod and it’s Hruska driving the Precision Turbo entry to a 6.010, 235.35

J. Force
The 16x champ is out of the throttle early and coasts to a 4.222 at 216.41 mph in his Peak Chevy

Hagan
Hagan’s team doesn’t plan to make many runs today but this one is solid with 3.981, 275.00. Like almost everyone who tested today, he shut off well before the finish line.

Dan Stevenson
Pro Mod racer Stevenson is here with his turbocharged Camaro and he posts a very strong 5.856, 252.57

Beckman
Whatever the team tried here, it didn’t work. The tires break loose early and the net result it a 5.006.

Lindberg
A step in the right direction for the Head car with a 3.994 at 274.44. The team believes that a full pass would have netted a low 3.9-second effort.

Dixon
Straight down broadway as former NHRA announcer Bob Frey would say. Dixon lights up the scoreboard with a 5.550, 264.29.

C. Force
Nice solid run for Courtney with a 3.917, 325.06 that provides a bit of encouragement for the Advance Auto team.

Hight
Jimmy Prock may have just found the limits of how hard he can push the Auto Club Camaro after Hight blows the tires off at 300-feet.

B. Force
Another early shut-off, but a solid effort for the Monster team with a 3.998, 221.63.

Langdon
Tire smoke just past the Tree results in an early shut off for the Global Electronic Technology team.

Wayne Newby
The Rapisarda car makes a late-afternoon run and it’s a solid effort with an early-shut off 3.832 at just 290.28

Antron Brown
The three-time champ makes the cleanest run of the day with a 3.753, 325.30

Torrence
Torrence continues to impress with a 3.850, 315.19

Johnson
The late-afternoon heroics begin with T.J. making his best run of the day with a 3.944. He’s in the throttle until the finish line with a competitive 328.54 mph speed. With the sun beginning to fade below the west side grandstands, header flames are now visible

Lindberg
After some significant tune-up changes, Lindberg makes his most impressive run of the day with a 3.952 at just 286.74 mph. He has every reason to think that a full pass would have been a new career-best.

Stevenson
How about a little Pro Mod wheelstand action? Stevenson’s Camaro is on the bumper for the better part of 200-feet before he finally decides to chop the throttle and coast to the finish line. The car appears none the worse for wear.

Hagan
We have a new leader in the club house in Funny Car. Hagan powers to a 3.861, 332.92 to eclipse Hight’s earlier mark by two-thousandths.

Schumacher
Boom!  Anyone want to bet against Schumacher winning an 11th Indy title this season. The Army team is on the march with a strong 3.707, 327.19. For NASCAR fans, this is what you’d call “Happy Hour” with each team making their best runs.

Castellana
Another stellar effort from the Pro Mod points leader with a 5.756, 250.74. Castellana’s half-track speed was 198.50, which is solid for a blown car.

Capps
Clean, straight pass for Capps who logs a 3.898, 327.98. Is it also fair to remind everyone that the reigning world champion still lacks a U.S. Nationals victory?

Langdon
The Kalitta team is committed to running the wheels off of Langdon’s car in order to find the right combination to get in the Countdown. This time, the cars storms to half-track before the two-time Super Comp champ lifts and runs 3.902, 235.27.

Dixon
Another full pull for Dixon and the Bartone team with a very consistent 5.567, 256.80

Newby
The Aussie is the last nitro driver down the track and he makes a statement with a 3.806 at just 309.77. It’s pretty clear that the Rapisarda team has every intention of being competitive next week.

NOTEBOOK

Three runner-up finishes in the last four events wasn’t enough to satisfy Tommy Johnson Jr. and the Make-A-Wish team so they elected to embark on a rigorous testing program during the two-day Indy event. Johnson got off to a rocky start on Wednesday morning when a magneto shorted.

“It was the craziest thing,” Johnson said. “We had a washer come off the car. It flew up in the air and landed on one of the mags and shorted it out so we made the run on one mag. Of all the places it could have landed. Then, we put on a new fuel pump and dropped a cylinder and then we got it to run on all eight and it blew the tires off.

“We’re trying a lot of off-the-wall stuff so you could say the is a real test session and not just practice,” Johnson said. “We haven’t figured out how to go 3.7s yet but we need to get closer. Some of the stuff we’re doing is a little wild but we’re trying to be cautious. My guys have said, ‘Just take it as far as you feel comfortable.’”

Late in the day, Johnson powered to a 3.944 at over 328-mph  to indicate that the team was headed in the right direction.

Billy Torrence hasn’t raced in Top Fuel for more than a year but he plans to make a return during the Countdown in order give his son, Steve, the best chance to win the Mello Yello championship. Torrence made several half-passes to get re-acquainted with the car.

“It is still very impressive when you hit the gas on one of these cars,” Torrence said. “When I started driving it took me probably seven or eight races to get comfortable to where I could worry about cutting a light and connecting all the dots. Now, I just want to get comfortable again and get some of the cobwebs.”

At this point, Torrence does not plan to enter the U.S. Nationals but will likely make appearances in Dallas, Las Vegas, and Pomona to act as a blocker for points leader Steve’s team.

“I’d like to race more often but we’re blessed and busy at Capco [Contractors], Billy said. “That’s what I do best so I think it’s best to stick with it. I would like to fit in another race or two if I can.”

There are several Pro Mod teams testing today including current points leader Mike Castellana and his supercharged AAP Camaro. Castellana tested at the recent Division 3 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Lucas Oil Raceway and recorded several impressive runs, including a 5.82 and a 5.77. On Wednesday, Castellana bettered those numbers with a 5.75 at over 250-mph. He also added a 5.77 later in the day. According to crew chief Frank Manzo, the team is well prepared to take on the massive 31-car field at the sport’s premiere event.

“Mostly we want to break-in some new parts; nothing fancy,” said Manzo. “We have a pretty good break in our schedule between the last race in Norwalk and Indy so that gives us a good chance to test and make sure our stuff is right.

“We came out here for the points meet, more or less to break in some tires and we kind of fooled around for a couple of days,” Manzo said. “Then, the last two runs of the day, I said, ‘Let’s treat this like the semifinals and final of a national event and we ran 5.82 and 5.77. That’s what I wanted to see.”

After eight races in J&A Service Pro Mod series, Castellana enjoys a solid 82-point lead over second-ranked Troy Coughlin. After Indy, the series will visit Charlotte, St. Louis, and Las Vegas.

Other Pro Mod drivers who are testing at Indy on Wednesday include Clint Satterfield, Dan Stevenson, and Billy Glidden, who is returning to action following a devastating pre-season crash in Orlando, Fla.

After four U.S. Nationals victories in Top Fuel, Larry Dixon will have the unique opportunity to add a Top Alcohol Funny Car win to his resumé when he drives the Bartone Brothers’ Hussey Copper Head Gaskets Camaro. Dixon, a winner in his TA/FC debut at the regional event in Norwalk, got a chance to test the Steve Boggs-tuned machine and carded a competitive 5.57.

“We have a lot of things we want to test,” said Dixon. “Clutches, headers, wheelie bars; you name it, we’re going to try it. There is a lot of stuff that we need to sort out this week. A lot of what we’re trying is things that Boggs has wanted to try all year but hasn’t had the chance. We just don’t test very often.”

After spending his entire career in a Top Fuel dragster, Dixon has adapted quickly to a Funny Car. He also admits that as much as he’d love to have a full-time nitro ride, the opportunity to race at Indy is what matters most.

“I get to race at the most important race in the world, and do it in a car that can win,” he said. “I can’t ask for anything more than that. It gives me goose bumps whenever I think about having a chance to win this race. As you get older, you don’t know how many opportunities you’re going to have to compete. I’m going to enjoy every one of them.”

Jonnie Lindberg plans to make several runs in the Jim Head Racing Toyota on Wednesday and Thursday before returning home to Sweden for this weekend’s FIA European Championship round at his home track, Tierp Arena. Lindberg will take an overnight flight on Thursday and plans to return on Monday. Lindberg will be busy at Indy driving Head’s car, and tuning the Top Alcohol Funny Cars driven by his brother, Johan, and Jay Payne.

“We made three runs early on Wednesday and we figured a few things out,” said Lindberg, who needs to win a few rounds at Indy to work his way back into the top ten. “On the first one it was too aggressive and then we hurt a piston. The third run was good. It probably would have run about 3.95. That’s good, but we need to be quicker.”

“You know something isn’t right when the best run you’ve made in the last two months came in Denver,” team owner Head chimed in. “We had low E.T. in one of the sessions in Chicago and then did it again in Q4 in Denver. Since then, not much. And Robert [Hight] has been super human. We don’t even compare ourselves to him anymore. There’s Robert and then there’s everyone else.”