With the dawn of a new season upon us, we offer our picks to win the Full Throttle and Get Screened America Pro Mod titles this season. There’s nothing scientific behind our choices, but simply an analysis of the prior season and the movers and shakers in the off season to formulate the racers we best feel have what it takes to get the job done in 2012.  If necessary come November, we like our crow cooked medium-well.

Top Fuel

Antron Brown

We know, we know. How in the world could we possibly pick against any car or team associated with Alan Johnson? The Al-Anabi team has won back-to-back Top Fuel titles with Larry Dixon and Del Worsham and this season they’ve brought on statistically the best leaver in the category in Shawn Langdon. The best reaction times coupled with the best car is a potentially dominating formula. Khalid Balooshi, also new to the team, represents a bit of a Wild Card, in that he’s an exceptional champion driver whose only shortcoming at this point is experience in an 8,000 horsepower dragster. But we feel pretty strongly that this is Antron Brown’s year.

In 2011, the former Pro Stock Motorcycle standout won six races and led the points as late as the Arizona Nationals in Phoenix in what was a spectacular season by any measure. Ultimately it was Worsham who pulled away to the Full Throttle crown, with Brown settling for third in the Countdown chase, a little over for rounds out. And that’s left perhaps no one more hungry than the soft spoken driver of the Matco Tools dragster.

Antron Brown had the second best season of his Top Fuel career last year, winning six races on his way to a third place finish in the standings.

Brown returned to form last season after a somewhat dismal 2010 season season when he claimed just one victory after a career year in 2009 that saw him earn six wins in 10 final round appearances, seep the “Western Swing,” and amass more round wins and a higher winning percentage than any other driver in the class on his way to a third place finish in the Countdown.

We’re well prepared to dine with a double order of the aforementioned crow when the sun sets at Pomona, but with a new package at Al-Anabi Racing to shake things up in that camp, we think the winning combination of Brown and crew chiefs Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald will finally break through with that first championship this year.

Funny Car

Mike Neff

You’ve got to feel for Mike Neff after he amassed more points than any other driver in Funny Car from start to finish last season and missed out on his first championship as a driver. Unfortunately, under the Countdown format, it’s not necessarily how you start, but how you finish, and in those six closing races to the season, Matt Hagan rose to the occasion in a way his foes could not. Frustrating for Neff no doubt, but that’s how the game is played.

Not only do we feel that the former tuner-turned-driver will bounce back to win the title this season, but we WANT to see him win it. While his counterparts are calmly being strapped into their race cars, Neff, donning his full firesuit and helmet, is making last-second adjustments to the tune-up on his own race car before frantically climbing in the seat and riding his own bomb to the finish stripe. In a time when crew chiefs have one job and drivers have another, Neff is a virtual throwback to the days when one man did it all, and we can’t help but respect that.

Liek Matt Hagan before him, Mike Neff will be looking to bounce back from a frustrating season that he dominated before falling short at the end.

In just his third season as a driver and with only one win to his credit in those first two seasons, Neff came out swinging in 2011, winning Gainesville and taking the points lead following a runner-up finish in Houston – a lead he wouldn’t relinquish until the second Countdown race in Dallas in September. Along the way, he earned four more wins, including the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. But first round losses at three of the six Countdown races and quarterfinal finishes at Reading and Pomona spelled disaster for a season with such promise. Like Matt Hagan, who returned to claim the title following a crushing defeat the year prior, we think nothing is going to stop Mike Neff in 2012.

Pro Stock

Greg Anderson

With four-time champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. returning to the class, there’s little doubt that the entire face of Pro Stock is going to change this year. The 52-time Pro Stock winner joins a stout crop of racers chasing the title, including young Vincent Nobile, who claimed three impressive wins last season and fellow Mopar driver Allen Johnson who’s a championship waiting to happen, along with Erica Enders, Rodger Brogdon, Greg Stanfield, and others.

Last season, the Summit Racing teammates of Greg Anderson and Jason Line returned to their dominant early 2000′s form, and although Mike Edwards snuck in to close the year sandwiched between the two Summit Pontiac’s atop the points sheet, the Ken Black Racing teammates were the class of the field. Line, the 2006 Full Throttle Pro Stock champion, won a career high six races and led the points in all but four of the season’s 22 races. Despite reshuffling the points for the Countdown, he built up an insurmountable points lead by the fifth race in Las Vegas to seal the title.

To say that Greg Anderson and Jason Line were resurgent last season would be understatement. While Line captured the title in convincing fashion, Anderson was right there with a season to remember of his own.

Anderson, meanwhile, found himself on a late season charge that included another Indy trophy for his mantle, and it’s that momentum that we expect to see carried into 2012 as the four-time series championship seeks redemption for a pair of seasons out of the top spot.

Pro Stock Motorcycle

Andrew Hines

The Indiana-based rivals of Vance & Hines and Hector Arana Sr. and Jr. put on a heack of a show in 2011, and we can only hope for an encore performance in 2012. Arana Sr., a former champion in the class, put his son aboard a identical Lucas Oil Buell in a move that paid unparalleled dividends. The second-generation rider rode to three-wins in his rookie season as he and his father waged a tag team war against the Screamin’ Eagle Harley Davidson V-Rods of Andrew Hines and Eddie Krawiec. A war won by Krawiec.

Armed with unrivaled resources in the two-wheeled division, the Vance & Hines riders are the preeminent favorites year in and year out, and that’s not likely to change any time soon.

Hines, the second of team co-owner Byron Hines’ sons to win NHRA championships, hasn’t claimed a title since 2006, ending a run of three-straight championships. But during the years between then and now, the second-generation rider has never been far outside the championship chase, scoring multiple wins each season, including a career best five wins in 2010. In 2011, he finished third behind Krawiec and Arana Jr. For a rider with that much talent on a bike that good, it’s hard to believe five years has elapsed without a title, and for that reason, Andrew Hines is our pick to slap the #1 back on the wheelie bars of his Harley Davidson next winter.

Three-time champion Andrew Hines hasn't won a title since 2006, but he's also never been out of striking distance. We think "hungry" is the word.

Pro Modified

Danny Rowe

Considering the question marks that surround the category after a number of off season changes, Pro Modified is a real crapshoot.

If not for a rough start to the season that left them with too many points to make up, the turbocharged entries from Roger Burgess’ R2B2 camp could’ve completely changed the outcome of the championship. While they faltered, the nitrous entries of Khalid Balooshi, Mike Castellana, and Rickie Smith did what no one thought they could do and mopped the track with their forced induction brethren.

Reigning champ Balooshi has moved on to the Al-Anabi Top Fuel seat vacated by Del Worsham, and tuner Steve Petty, the virtual mastermind behind the crushing performance of the R2B2 cars in the latter half of the season, has moved to Troy Coughlin’s JEG’S operation. To add to that, following a number of recent developments, no one really knows for sure if R2B2 will even field any cars this year.

As good a season as champ Khalid Balooshi had, he still finished only 31 points ahead of Danny Rowe, who failed to qualify twice. Eliminate those races, and the California native likely hoists the trophy. For that and other reasons, he's our pick in 2012.

The one constant in all this change is California native Danny Rowe, who put together a spectacular season that was second only to the one delivered by Balooshi. Consistency was the name of the game, and at the season finale in Las Vegas, the driver of the Sterling Bridge Camaro was the only racer with a shot at Balooshi for the crown. All that separated the pair was a round a half, and if not for a pair of crushing DNQ’s at Atlanta and Indy, Rowe would’ve easily waltzed his way right to title town.

Del Worsham and Matt Hagan raced to their first NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series world championship titles and also earned race victories Sunday at the Auto Club NHRA Finals.

Veteran driver Worsham captured the Top Fuel season crown while Hagan avenged last season’s runner-up performance by taking the Funny Car title. Eddie Krawiec claimed his second Pro Stock Motorcycle championship. Pro Stock champ Jason Line secured his title two weeks ago in Las Vegas.

Greg Stanfield (Pro Stock) and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also were winners of the season-ending race in the NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship at historic Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.

Longtime Funny Car racer Worsham, 41, claimed the Top Fuel championship in dramatic fashion by edging series challenger Spencer Massey at the finish line in the winner-take-all semifinal round. He went on to claim his eighth victory of the season and 33rd of his career by outrunning Tony Schumacher in the final round. Worsham powered his Al-Anabi Racing dragster to a 3.796 second run at 318.02 mph to finish just in front of Schumacher’s U.S. Army machine, which posted a 3.799 at 321.50 and went winless for the season for the first time since the 2001 season.

“The semifinal round was the biggest of my 21 year career as far as what was at stake,” Worsham said. “Spencer Massey is a great competitor. It was so close, I didn’t know if I had won. When I saw the ESPN cameras coming over to me it was like, wow, I was speechless after that round.”

The $500,000 Full Throttle championship is the second consecutive and 10th overall in Top Fuel for Worsham’s team manager, Alan Johnson.

“Alan Johnson’s abilities are unmatched, he’s unbelievable and a great motivator,” Worsham said. “(Team owner) Sheikh Khalid put this team together with Alan, and Brian Husen did great in his first season as a crew chief. I was really down after (the race in) Reading  (Pa.), and we weren’t very good in Phoenix. Alan called me and Brian into his trailer after Phoenix and said we’re going to roll out a new chassis. This new car has been great for us.”

In Funny Car, Virginia cattle rancher Hagan, 28, avenged his painful loss to John Force last year by powering past teammate Jack Beckman in the quarterfinals and then outrunning two-time champ Cruz Pedregon in the semifinals to score his first world championship. He then claimed his second win of the season and fifth of his career by posting a track record performance of 4.009 at 317.79 in his DieHard Dodge Charger to hold off final round opponent Robert Hight in the quickest side-by-side race in Funny Car history. Hight trailed with a 4.031 at 318.92 in his Auto Club Ford Mustang.

“You come in expecting the worst and hoping for the best,” Hagan said. “It really is truly amazing this weekend to win the championship and win the race. It’s a testimony to all of my guys who have worked so hard on this DieHard team. They were so relaxed today. Being in that situation last year with John Force really helped us. I hate the phrase you’ve gotta lose one to win one, but in this case it’s sort of true. Last year we were trying so hard to make everything happen that we kind of chased it away I think, and this year we just let it all come to us.”

Hagan earned $500,000 for the championship title, which is the first for crew chief Tommy DeLago and the second Funny Car title for team owner Don Schumacher, who also won in 2005 with Gary Scelzi.

“I am really happy for DieHard and all the associates on the car,” Hagan said. “These Funny Car trophies are so hard to come by. When you can win it all, you have truly accomplished something.”

Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson rider Krawiec took his second Pro Stock Motorcycle title by winning the second round, which closed out his lone championship challenger Hector Arana Jr.

“This has been my championship all year long,” Krawiec said. “This championship validates the championship I won in 2008 when I didn’t win any races. For Andrew and I to go to the final two races and be winner and runner-up is amazing. Plus to have the opportunity to race with such great competitors, I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

Hines earned his second win of the season in Pro Stock Motorcycle, outrunning newly crowned champ Krawiec in the final. Hines took his 25th career victory with a 6.814 at 196.39 on his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson, while Krawiec fouled at the start on his Harley-Davidson.

“Pomona has always been on my list and it’s been a thorn in my side,” Hines said. “I’ve been racing here for ten years and it’s been a long road. I’ve had a lot of ups and downs at this track. Today, our guys did an outstanding job. Communication doesn’t need to happen in our pit area because everyone knows what to do. It’s amazing to see our whole team perform. We put both of our V-Rods in the final at the last two races this year and luckily, I was able to get the last win of the year. It’ doesn’t get any better than that.”

In Pro Stock, Stanfield scored his first win of the season and fifth of his career when he defeated Kurt Johnson in the final round. Stanfield finished in 6.597 at 209.59 in his Nitro Fish Pontiac GXP, while Johnson’s GXP broke on the starting line.

“Any time that you win the last race of the season, it makes the winter time a lot better,” Stanfield said. “We’ve been a bit behind in this game for a while, we’re a little bit off, the car has got a lot of runs, and we’ll be hoping to get a new car for next year. It takes a lot of people to put a program like this together. And I have to thank J.D. Coffman of Coffman Trucking and Kenny Koretsky of NitroFish for their help. We’re a small team so we try to run everything really tight. We use our equipment probably longer than we need to. But for them guys, it’s special to give them a win.”

The 2012 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season begins Feb. 9-12 with the 52nd annual O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals presented by Super Start Batteries at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.

Qualifying

Del Worsham raced to the No. 1 qualifying position in Top Fuel Saturday as rain shortened qualifying at the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals.

Matt Hagan, Mike Edwards and Andrew Hines also were qualifying leaders at the season-ending race of the 2011 Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship.

Worsham powered his Al-Anabi Racing dragster to the No. 1 spot early Saturday with a 3.773-second run at 320.05 mph. In total Worsham picked up eight bonus points in qualifying and took the points lead in the category by eight points over Spencer Massey heading into Sunday’s eliminations.

“We came into this race with a plan to try to make up a couple of points on Spencer and put a round on Antron (Brown), and we couldn’t have done any better to this point,” said Worsham. “Being a two-car team and watching Larry (Dixon) go 3.79 ahead of us, I’m sure that (team manager) Alan Johnson, (crew chief) Brian Husen, and Jason (McCulloch, Dixon’s crew chief) had a pretty good idea of what it was going to do.”

Worsham’s teammate and defending world champion Dixon qualified second for the event and currently sits 47 points behind Worsham in the standings, while third-place driver Brown qualified seventh and is 25 points behind the leader.

In Funny Car, Matt Hagan took the top spot in the class with his run early on Saturday. Hagan drove his DieHard Dodge Charger to a 4.033 at 315.27 to take his fourth No. 1 qualifier of the season and 10th of his career. Hagan also racked up a total of seven bonus points throughout qualifying to give himself a 12-point lead over teammate Jack Beckman heading into eliminations Sunday.

“We’re all glad as a team to be back here and back in this hunt,” said Hagan. “We were looking to get another qualifying run in tonight; unfortunately the weather didn’t allow that. We have to go forward tomorrow and hopefully make some laps and have a long day. I believe in our team and the guys that got us here, and I believe that (crew chief) Tommy DeLago is going to carry us through this thing. I just have to stand on the pedal and have some fun.”

Cruz Pedregon, who entered the event third in the Funny Car standings, qualified fifth for the event and moved to within 35 points of Hagan, while fourth-place driver Mike Neff qualified third for the race and sits 40 points behind the leader.

In Pro Stock, Edwards drove his Penhall/Interstate Batteries Pontiac GXP to the No. 1 spot with a run of 6.520 at 210.93. It was Edwards’ sixth No. 1 qualifier of the season and 40th of his career. It was also his third consecutive No. 1 in the Countdown to the Championship.

“We just missed the clutch set-up on both of today’s qualifying runs and it was worse in the second session,” said Edwards. “We changed engines this evening for the second session to see if it might run any better, but that didn’t happen. We’re struggling in the clutch area right now. We made a real nice run on Thursday, but we’ve just gone backwards since then.”

Hines stayed in the No. 1 spot in Pro Stock Motorcycle after four rounds of qualifying. His Thursday night run of 6.820 at 197.54 on his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson was strong enough to give Hines his second No. 1 qualifier of the season and 30th of his career.

“Right now, we’re just working on our consistency,” said Hines. “We showed that all through qualifying. I had the quickest bike in three rounds. On that last run, I lost a TPS (throttle position sensor) and the bike was misfiring badly. We slowed up but I’m lucky that happened today and not tomorrow.”

In the Pro Stock Motorcycle championship battle, series leader Krawiec holds a 69-point advantage over rookie rider Hector Arana Jr. The two riders could meet in the semifinals, but if Krawiec wins the second round he will be the champion. Arana Jr. needs Krawiec to lose in the first round and then he needs to win the race to take the title.

Last weekend, the IHRA season came to a head with the Summit World Finals presented by RacingJunk.com at Virginia Motorsports Park in Dinwiddie, Virginia.

All said, nine drivers had taken different world championships by Sunday night. Glenn Wright (Top Sportsman), J.B. Donati (Top Dragster), Gianni Cantusci (Super Stock), Phil Combs (Stock), Barry Ryan (Quick Rod), Steve Furr (Super Rod) and Chip Johnson (Hot Rod) all walked away winners in the Summit Tournament of Champions and J.P. Schuster (Box) and Matt Hawk (No Box) each took wins in the Summit SuperSeries, to earn the title of world champion. For all but two of the winners, this was their first championship.

“This is my first Ironman. I’ve been runner-up several times, been to all these Ironman Classic races, but I always choke. Not today. Nobody gave me a shot to win this thing in Stock and I felt that they overlooked me. That really helped me rise to the occasion,” said Phil Combs, Stock Champion.

200 racers started the weekend in Virginia, from a total of 26 states and provinces across North America. The weekend included qualifying rounds, and eventually, the highly competitive championship runoffs.

The rise of all the new champions this season brought many fresh faces into the spotlight. After losing to Barry Ryan, final round competitor Nick Folk laughed about having to do an online search on the new champion before the race.

Ryan took the championship with a .007 light and a near-perfect 8.901 at 161.69 in the 8.90 index class to take the Quick Rod crown, a career first for him.

“As a racer, the name Folk scares you. So I was surprised when Nick’s dad Ron come up to us after the race and made the comment that Nick had never heard of us and he had to look us up on the internet. He then said that when he saw what we were cutting for lights he said ‘I think we have a problem. I don’t know who this guy is, but he is mowing people down,’” Ryan said. “That is quite the complement coming from that bunch.”

Photos Courtesy of IHRA.com

From a payout standpoint, one of the biggest winners of the weekend was Steve Furr of North Carolina. Furr took the Summit Sportsman Spectacular $5,000 race on Saturday, then went on to sweep the Super Rod category again on Sunday, behind the wheel of his 1968 Camaro, to take the championship over Donald Webb, thus adding another $10,000 to his weekend’s winnings.

Furr took his fourth career IHRA championship by hitting an .017 light and running a perfect 9.90 at 159.38 in the 9.90 class to defeat Webb, who was perfect on the tree, but broke out. Despite the loss, Webb was the only driver to make two final rounds, claiming the runner-up spot in both Hot Rod and the Sportsman Spectacular.

Furr also bested defending champion Cameron Manuel, Charlie Stewart, Rick Bayus, and Chris Yates on his way to Sunday’s championship. Furr found his was into the tournament of champions with a second-place finish in Division 9.

“I wasn’t expecting to win today because I won yesterday. I thought maybe I had used my luck up then,” Furr said. “This is a good deal. I am super excited to win, I can’t lie about that. And to have it come down to us, Cameron (Manuel) and Donald is fitting. It was the three of us all season long and to have all three of us do well is a perfect way to end this deal.”

The only repeat champion of the weekend was Chip Johnson who earned the coveted No. 1 in the Summit SuperSeries last year. This year he will move that number over to his ’68 Camaro in Hot Rod after overtaking Donald Webb in the final round.

“Winning never gets old. What gets old is not turning the win light on,” Johnson said. “We have had a really bad year this year. We made a couple finals, but we were not up to what we are used to doing and this really means a lot and helps make up for what we have been through.”

Johnson earned an invite to the Tournament of Champions by winning at the same track last season, and won in a double-breakout race with a .002 reaction time and a 10.891 at 130.13, over Donald Webb’s 10.887 at 124.19 in the 10.90 class.

J.B. Donati defeated Austin Cowan to take the win in Top Dragster, while Glenn Wright won in Top Sportsman over Al Burkett.
Wright broke his car in semifinals, and said he had planned to simply stage the car and hope for a miracle. He lucked out when Burkett broke out by four thousandths of a second.

Top Dragster’s Donati had to fight his way through a tough field with wins over Scott Richardson, Stacy Hall, and David Barr, all before meeting Cowan in the final. Donati cut a .003 light in the final and ran a dead-on 7.306 at 180.14 on a 7.30 dial, edging Cowan out by just inches at the line.

Finally, Gianni Cantusci took home the only foreign championship. The Stittsville, Ontario native claimed the championship in Super Stock behind the wheel of his 2000 Firebird. Cantusci just squeaked by, gaining entry into the Tournament of Champions via a third-place finish in Division 1.  It mattered little on race day, as Cantusci defeated Gil Carty Jr., Jared Erichsen, multi-time world champ Anthony Bertozzi, and eventually Gilbert Johnson Jr. en route to the winner’s circle.

Cantusci cut a .016 light and ran a 10.273 at 125.88 on a 10.26 dial to win by approximately two feet at the line over Johnson.

All World Champions receive a $10,000 payout, and a special championship Ironman trophy as the IHRA closes the book on the 2011 drag racing season.

Summit SuperSeries trophies were taken by Matt Hawk and J.P. Schuster. Both drivers earned their way through a tough season and a tougher weekend at Virginia Motorsports Park. Hawk took home the No Box title, and Schuster claimed the Box

title.

Along with the trophy, Hawk took home a $10,000 prize, a brand new race trailer, a custom golf cart, a championship ring, and more. Hawk earned his way to the World Finals via random draw, joining last year’s champion from Salt Lake City as repeat Wild Card champions.

Schuster’s prize package included a brand new dragster, courtesy of Miller Race Cars.

Schuster humbly claimed his win, saying, “We were in the right place at the right time. Things just went our way this year.  These were the 16 best drivers in the world and it was definitely an honor to be among this group here this weekend.”

Sunday’s Final Results:

TOP SPORTSMAN Glenn Wright, Odessa, Texas, ’09 GXP, 26.650, 39.02 def. Al Burkett, Sandston, Va., ’95 Probe, foul.

TOP DRAGSTER J.B. Donati, Henrico, Va., dragster, 7.306, 180.14 def. Austin Cowan, San Antonio, Texas, dragster, 7.237, 182.60.

QUICK ROD Barry Ryan, Howell, Mich., dragster, 8.901, 161.69 def. Nick Folk, Durand, Ill., dragster, 8.938, 160.92.

SUPER ROD Steve Furr, Harrisburg, N.C., ’68 Camaro, 9.900, 159.38 def. Donald Webb, Four Oaks, N.C., ’69 Camaro, 9.884, 141.43.

HOT ROD Chip Johnson, Fayetteville, N.C., ’68 Camaro, 10.891, 130.13 def. Donald Webb, Four Oaks, N.C., ’70 Nova, 10.887, 124.19.

SUPER STOCK Gianni Cantusci, Stittsville, Ont., ’00 Firebird, 10.273, 125.88 def. Gilbert Johnson Jr, LeCompte, La., ’91 Calais, 10.445, 125.24.

STOCK ELIMINATOR Phil Combs, Demossville, Ky., ’66 Nova, 12.728, 97.11 def. Brent Darroch, Monaca, Pa., ’94 Camaro, 9.831, 131.90.

SUMMIT SUPERSERIES BOX J.P. Schuster, Damascus, Ohio, dragster, 7.834, 170.04 def. Sammy Hollingsworth, Greenwood, S.C., dragster, 7.408, 175.96.

SUMMIT SUPERSERIES NO BOX Matt Hawk, Tucson, Ariz., ’70 Maverick, 11.761, 111.53 def. Scott Vaughn, Stephens City, Va., ’64 Chevelle, 9.226, 143.54.

Jack Beckman raced to his third Firebird International Raceway win and took over the Funny Car points lead as racing came to a close Sunday at the NHRA Arizona Nationals.

Larry Dixon, Vincent Nobile and Hector Arana Jr. were also winners in their respective categories at the fourth of six races in the NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship, the six-race playoffs to determine the world championships.

Beckman powered his Aaron’s / Valvoline Dodge Charger to a 4.354-second run at 278.29 mph in the final round to get the victory over fellow Don Schumacher Racing teammate Johnny Gray. The win, his second consecutive in Phoenix and 12th of his career, moved Beckman into the points lead for the first time in his career.

“It’s hard to digest everything that happened here today,” said Beckman. “I’ve always said I want to control our destiny on the racetrack, but being three rounds behind with 12 left, (Mike) Neff and (Matt) Hagan had to lose relatively early to put us back in the hunt, and you can never bet on that because those are two phenomenal teams. For everything to happen the way it happened today, I’m not so gratified that I’m the points leader, I’m gratified that we got ourselves back into the championship hunt. It’s going to be interesting.”

Beckman’s teammate and points leader entering this event, Hagan, moved into the second spot in the standings with his second round finish, five points out of the lead. Regular season points leader Neff moved to the third spot in the standings with his first round loss to John Force Racing teammate Robert Hight.

Defending Top Fuel world champion Dixon held off Antron Brown in the final round to collect his second win of the season. Dixon drove his Al-Anabi Racing dragster to a 3.955 at 307.37 run en route to his third win in five final round appearances at Firebird International Raceway. The win also moved Dixon to the second spot in the standings, 20 points behind the leader.

“It’s been a long time since we won,” said Dixon. “You never know when you’re going to get the next one. Antron does such a great job in the car, and (his crew chiefs) Brian (Corradi) and Mark (Oswald) had their car running really well. Obviously, (my crew chiefs) Jason (McCulloch) and Ronnie (Thompson) didn’t take them lightly. We made our best run in the final round, we needed every bit of it. It was really nice to go some rounds today and get back in this points deal. It’s nice to win, but to have a shot at a championship is a big deal, a really big deal.”

Though Brown was unable to hold on for the race win, his final round appearance moved him into the points lead while teammate Spencer Massey dropped to third in the standings after he failed to qualify for the event. Regular season points leader Del Worsham sits fourth in the standings after his second round appearance.

In Pro Stock, rookie driver Nobile held off fellow Dodge driver Allen Johnson in the final round to secure his third race win of the season. Nobile powered his Mountain View Tire Dodge Avenger to a 6.678 at 208.30 and posted a reaction time of .009 to beat Johnson on a holeshot. The win moved Nobile up to the third spot in the point standings.

“This is huge,” said Nobile. “We definitely struggled in the last two races; going out in the first round. Which really hurts, especially in the Countdown. Our team kept their heads up, I kept my head up. I knew we could do it and we proved it today. They supplied me with a fast car, a consistent car for four rounds, and I did my job. It just proves that if you keep your head up that you can win races.”

In Pro Stock Motorcycle Arana Jr. raced to his second consecutive win and third of the season after he posted a perfect reaction time of .000 in the final round of the race. Arana powered his Lucas Oil Buell to a 6.884 at 194.30 past points leader Eddie Krawiec to collect the win in his third straight final round appearance. With the win, Arana Jr. sits 10 points behind leader Krawiec.

“I’m living a dream,” said Arana Jr., who along with Nobile is one of the candidates for the Auto Club Road to the Future Award. “This is amazing. I couldn’t have thought of or imagined this. I really feel like I perform well when it comes down to the wire and the pressure is on me. And I feel like it gives me that extra edge, the energy and the drive to win.”

Qualifying

Top Fuel points leader Spencer Massey failed to make the field Saturday as qualifying came to an end at the NHRA Arizona Nationals at Firebird International Raceway.

Larry Dixon, Cruz Pedregon, Mike Edwards and Hector Arana Jr. raced to the No. 1 qualifying positions in their respective categories at the 20th of 22 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series and the fourth of six races in the NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship, the six-race playoffs to determine the world championships.

Massey, who held a 65 point lead over the competition entering the event, was unable to race his FRAM dragster in to the field Saturday during qualifying. It was Massey’s second career DNQ and came on the third to final race of the season.

“It seems like from the first run to the last run, the car was wanting to run like it was at Maple Grove Raceway,” said Massey. “Obviously it hurts us tremendously because if we would have qualified we could get more points, we could’ve gone some rounds and had a shot for winning the race which would have helped us out tremendously in the points. Now this is just going to bunch everybody back up. We’re not going to have a 60 points lead. We might lose our points lead and that’s just the name of the game. Sometimes it’s a drag and sometimes it’s a race and we got the drag end of the deal this time.”

Dixon was able to keep his Al-Anabi Racing dragster at the top of the Top Fuel field with his Friday night run of 3.919-seconds at 303.84 mph. It is the third No. 1 qualifier of the season for Dixon and 51st of his career.

“I’m feeling good, as good as you can feel on a Saturday night,” said Dixon. “I’m not looking down the road, I’m thinking about getting our car prepared, getting a good night sleep, and going out there and trying to win the first round. It’s not as hot as it was in Dallas, but it’s hot, and that puts a lot of pressure on the teams and the crew chiefs to calm the cars down and get them down the track. The track surface is great; it’s the track temperature that makes it hard on the teams. We got ourselves in this position (fourth in points) and we can certainly get ourselves out of it, and having a good day tomorrow would certainly help the cause.”

Second-place driver in the point standings Antron Brown qualified in the sixth spot in the field while third-place driver in the standings Del Worsham took the third spot in Top Fuel.

Pedregon held on to his top spot in Funny Car with his Friday night run of 4.215 at 296.37 in his Snap-on Tools Toyota Camry. It was Pedregon’s sixth No. 1 qualifier of the season, 45th of his career and second in the Countdown to the Championship, with his last coming in Dallas.

“We’re just going to try to be steady,” said Pedregon. “That last run was important to us because the car did what we asked it to. It actually dropped a cylinder at the 330 mark, so we’ll go back and fix that, but we have a great car. We missed it on our first run today, but we’ve made three solid runs. We were second quickest that session, even with a cylinder out, so we’re looking good. We’re just going to go out there and try to be steady like we always do. We’re going to have to be on our toes, but I like our chances.”

By qualifying fourth and earning four bonus points Mike Neff moved back into the series lead in Funny Car, while Matt Hagan qualified sixth in the field in his DieHard Dodge Charger and now trails Neff by three points heading into Sunday’s 11 a.m. eliminations. Countdown contender Ron Capps was unable to qualify for the field, ending the longest current consecutive races qualifying streak in the category.

In Pro Stock, Edwards kept his Penhall/Interstate Batteries Pontiac GXP in the top spot on Saturday with a run of 6.617 at a track record speed of 210.28. It was his fourth No. 1 qualifier of the season, 38th of his career and third straight No. 1 qualifier at Firebird International Raceway.

“We ran good this morning, but we’re still struggling off the starting line,” said Edwards. “We just haven’t got it figured out and we’re a little bit concerned about that. We didn’t get down (the track in the second session), so we’re definitely scratching our heads. We feel good about how good we can run if we make a decent run off the starting line.”

In Pro Stock Motorcycle Arana Jr. put down an impressive run to take the top spot away from points leader Eddie Krawiec. Arana Jr. rode his Lucas Oil Buell to a 6.889 at 195.31 to set a track record for time and speed and collect his sixth No. 1 qualifier of the season and third straight No. 1 qualifier in the Countdown to the Championship.

“Even if we had another run on Friday night, I knew that we had the horsepower that showed in the back half (to get the No. 1 qualifying spot),” said Arana Jr. “We just had to get the clutch package together, and that’s what we did this morning. We got it to hook up, ran a 1.06 60-footer, and everything else came together for the 6.88. I honestly didn’t think we were going to run a .88, but we did, and we’re really very proud of that.”

It’s a beautiful Sunday here in Pomona as the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing season gets underway with final eliminations. It may be early in the season, but as as the professional teams have found, every point counts and racers in all three categories are aiming to kick the 2011 campaign off with a bang. Keep it tuned here to DRAGZINE as we bring you all of the days events live.

Special thanks to our event coverage sponsor Mickey Thompson.  Check out their full line of tires and wheels at www.mickeythompsontires.com

Round One Eliminations

Top Fuel

In an outstanding drag race, Doug Kalitta edged the young Steve Torrence by a mere .005 at the stripe, each driver recording a 3.83 elapsed time.

Morgan Lucas experienced some familiar engine trouble on the top end as he defeated a tire-smoking Brandon Bernstein to advance into round two. Teammate Shawn Langdon used an off-pace 4.01 to best a slowing T.J. Zizzo. Del Worsham recorded his first round win in Top Fuel in nearly two decades by besting veteran Bob Vandergriff with an impressive 3.803 at 322.11.

Tony Schumacher used a stout 3.782 at a booming 327.03 MPH – the fastest lap in the 1000′ era –  to advance over Troy Buff, and teammate Antron Brown was right behind with a great 3.790 at 325.37 to send Mike Strasburg packing.

In his first race driving for Don Schumacher, Spencer Massey recorded low ET of the round - that was equaled by Tony Schumacher in the next pair - with a 3.782 at 324.83.

The opening round of Top Fuel went pretty well according to plan until the final pairing, matching top qualifier Larry Dixon with upstart Terry McMillen. In a huge upset, Strasburg and the Amalie Oil team sent Dixona and company packing as both cars had trouble navigating the Pomona quarter mile, a 4.18 at 207 besting a 4.48 at 223.

Funny Car

John Force kicked off his championship defense with an opening round win over Paul Lee in the Jim Dunn-owned machine, 4.115 to an off-pace 4.45.

In an upset, #15 qualifier Jeff Arend sent Johnny Gray packing in his first race back in a flopper, popping and banging his way to a 4.33 while Gray struck the tires and slowed to an 8.51.

Jim Head edged out Bob Bode in a great drag race, 4.21 to 4.26 as Bode blew it up near the finish line, depositing oil in the shutdown area as a small fire ensued. Mike Neff recorded his first round win since the season bookend in 2009, defeating Tim Wilkerson by a 41.145 301.47 to 4.381 count.

Brothers Cruz and Tony Pedregon certainly had no intentions of facing off in the first round of the opening race of the year, but thats just how the cards fell on this particular day. In a tire smoking affair, Cruz pulled out the win to advance with a 4.573 to Tony’s valiant 4.86 effort.

Robert Hight will match up with boss John Force in round two after advancing over fellow Ford runner Bob Tasca, 4.121 at 305.84 to 4.21 303.37. Force will earn lane choice with his quicker 4.11.

Matt Hagan blasted his way to low ET of the round with a stout 4.060 at 308 as veteran opponent Gary Densham slowed to a 4.98 at at just 158 MPH.

In a pairing of DSR teammates, Ron Capps and the NAPA machine bested Jack Beckman with a game 4.134 at 306 as Beckman struggled on the top end, slowing to just a 5.35.

Pro Stock

Warren Johnson took a shot at the tree in his first round matchup with Ronnie Humphrey and left the red bulb in his wake, handing over the win.

Jason Line hammered out the quickest run of the weekend thus far in a defeat of V. Gaines’ Dodge, 6.538 at 211.89. Greg Stanfield continued where he left off last season, advancing with a stout 6.566 to easily advance over rookie Buddy Perkinsons’ slowing 7.66.

Ron Krisher bettered Jason Line's low for the weekend lap with a great run of his own, going 6.538 at 211.89 to defeat Rodger Brogdon's game 6.57 effort.

In another big opening round upset, rookie Vincent Nobile, running J&J power under the hood, stole one right out of the gate with a .002 bulb and a 6.561 to edge the quicker-but-losing 6.559 by Allen Johnson.

Top qualifier Erica Enders, in her first race back under the Cagnazzi umbrella, advanced to round two with a great 6.545 at a booming 212.43 MPH – the second fast run in history – defeat of Richard Freeman’s slowing 8.08. Greg Anderson made a nice run of his own with a 6.540 at 211.86 to end Shane Gray’s weekend early, and Larry Morgan’s red light handed a round two ticket to Kurt Johnson and his 6.58 at 210.77 effort.

Eliminations Round Two

Top Fuel

Morgan Lucas moved on to the semifinals with a 3.858 at 317 MPH, while opponent Terry McMillen had a flash of fire and lost the blower belt just past half track, slowing to a 3.94 at just 266 MPH.

Antron Brown put down a stellar 8.828 a 320.46 to dispose of Doug Kalitta who blew it up near the finish line and did a little disposing of his own in the shut down area. We're down for a cleanup...

Del Worsham, the lone remaining Al-Anabi car, moves into a semifinal matchup with Morgan Lucas on the heels of a 3.801 322.11 defeat of Spencer Massey, who hazed the tires and slowed to just a 4.10 at 229. Meanwhile, Shawn Langdon upset the Schumacher juggernaut, running a 3.841 at 309.66, while Schumacher struck the tires in the other lane and could only watch as Langdon sailed into the semfinals.

Funny Car

Mike Neff earned one the hard way, besting Jim Head on a holeshot, 4.243 at 293.28 to a quicker but losing 4.231 at 284.93.

Boss John Force will have to watch in the semifinals, as teammate Robert Hight put him away with a 4.107 at 308 to John's all-over-the-track 4.12 at 307.

DSR teammates Ron Capps and Matt Hagan both earned their way into the semifinals; Capps besting Cruz Pedregon 4.11 to a slowing 5.22, while Hagan edged Jeff Arend in a good drag race, 4.106 to a 4.16. It’s a Force and Schumacher battle in the semfinals.

Pro Stock

Erica Enders’ great weekend came to an untimely end in the first pair out, her Chevy Cobalt breaking on the burnout and unable to back up to the starting line.  Her car was pushed over along the wall and Ronnie Humphrey took his break solo into the semifinals. To add insult to injury for Erica, Humphrey rattled the tires just past the christmas tree and he coasted on through to a 12-second lap.

Greg Anderson went low for the round with a 6.531 at 211 to down Kurt Johnson's 6.58.

Jason Line made the semifinals a Summit Racing 3-for-4 affair as he defeated Vincent Nobile’s Dodge, 6.53 to a 6.55. Line and Anderson will square off in the next round. Meanwhile, Greg Stanfield used an .016 bulb and a 6.561 at 210 MPH to punch his way into the semi’s where he’ll face Humphrey.

Semifinal Eliminations

Antron Brown had a sizeable lead over Shawn Langdon at half track, but blew up his Matco Tools mount bigtime, allowing Langdon to sail into the final round with a 4.033 at 313 MPH. Antron left a trail of fluid and the Safety Safari is rolling...

It’ll be an all Lucas Oil final round in Top Fuel, as Morgan Lucas bested Del Worsham to join his teammate in the final. Lucas and Worsham both damaged a lot of parts and the race was on to see who could coast across the finish line first. With that, Langdon will choose his lane for all the marbles.

Funny Car

In a great drag race, Robert Hight edged out Ron Capps with a 4.070 to 4.079 count. In the money round, Robert will face off with Matt Hagan in another epic Force versus Schumacher battle as Matt Hagan defeated Mike Neff on a holeshot, 4.138 to 4.122.

Pro Stock

Greg Stanfield, the lone remaining car not from the Ken Black stable in Pro Stock, used a sizable holeshot advantage and a stellar 6.538 to send Ronnie Humphrey's 6.561 packing. In the other pairing, Jason Line parlayed a killer .001 reaction time and a 6.532 to defeat Greg Anderson's 6.563 and earn lane choice in the final.

Final Round Eliminations

Pro Stock

With .001 and .002 lights already to Jason Line's credit today, Greg Stanfield knew he had to be on his game and that he was, taking an .020 to .041 edge out of the starting gate, but the Safety Sentry Pontiac fell nearly .06 off its semifinal pace and couldn't fend off Line's low ET of the weekend 6.529 effort for the win.

Funny Car

Robert Hight earned his money in a big final round matchup with Matt Hagan. Hight grabbed a big .060 to .105 edge out of the gate and Hagan made a valiant effort but couldn't run the AAA Mustang down, a 4.056 beating the quicker but losing 4.023 of Hagan.

Top Fuel

With a whole pile of broken parts, it certainly wasn't pretty, but morgan Lucas got the job done in dream fashion today as both of his cars reached the final round in Top Fuel. Shawn Langdon got the slight jump at the tree, .027 to .045, but Langdon has to pedal it about 200' out and that was all she wrote as Lucas sailed to the win with a 3.835 at 316.38 to Shawn's trailing 4.04.

Words via NHRA Communications.

Tony Schumacher raced to the Top Fuel victory Sunday at the O’Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals at the Texas Motorplex.

Matt Hagan, Greg Anderson and LE Tonglet also were winners in their respective categories at the NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship playoff event at the famed all-concrete dragstrip that sits just south of Dallas.

Schumacher scored his fifth win of the season and first in the playoffs by outrunning Shawn Langdon in the final round. Schumacher posted a performance of 3.838 seconds at 320.43 mph in his U.S. Army dragster to hold off Langdon’s Lucas Oil/Speedco dragster, which trailed with a 3.908 at 298.67 in his second-career final.

With the victory, Schumacher took advantage of a second-round loss by rival Larry Dixon and now trails the series leader by 94 points with three playoff races remaining in the season. Cory McClenathan, who lost to Schumacher in the semis, is second overall in the point standings, 69 behind Dixon.

“When Dixon goes out [like he did today], you absolutely have to rise to the occasion and win and put some pressure back on him,” said Schumacher of his fifth Texas Motorplex victory and 66^th win of his career.  “I wish we could have done this a race or two earlier, but we didn’t and Dallas is a great place to start. It’s the site of my first career Top Fuel win. We’re only down [94] points with three races to go. I’ve been down a lot further than that. What NHRA and Full Throttle did was to make it this way, make it last all the way to the end.  I’m in a happy place right now. Not where I want to be yet, but a lot better place than I was at 9 a.m. this morning.”

Hagan made a major move in the playoffs by earning his third Funny Car win of the season. The Virginia cattle rancher powered his DieHard Dodge Charger to a 4.155 at 294.63 to beat series leader John Force, whose Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang lost traction near mid-track and finished in 4.491 at 203.74.

Hagan, who qualified 14^th, took the long road to the victory by knocking off early round foes Jeff Arend, Cruz Pedregon and Ashley Force Hood to advance to the final. With the win Hagan moves into second place and trails Force by 25 points.

“I left the line and never saw [Force in the final],” Hagan said, “but I was listening for him and looking over. I about hit the wall because I jumped up out of the [roof hatch] while it was still moving because it was overwhelmingly exciting. Coming in here [qualified] 14th and having to do a pedal job just to get into the show — it’s great to get the win. We definitely stepped up and did what we had to do, because coming in 14th you have to wonder how long your day is going to be, but we had confidence in [crew chief] Tommy DeLago tuning the car.”

Anderson overcame a near-perfect reaction time (.001) from Mike Edwards to claim his second consecutive playoff victory in Pro Stock. Anderson pushed his Summit Racing Pontiac GXP to a performance of 6.585 at 209.39 to drive around Edwards’ Penhall/Interstate Batteries GXP at the finish line.

“I had a big weekend last weekend and got myself back in the Countdown,” Anderson said. “Every race you go to is sudden death out here. If you have a really bad race you can knock yourself completely out of it. You just can’t make a mistake, and my team has been flawless for two races now and I’m so proud of them.”

Rookie Tonglet continued his hot streak in Pro Stock Motorcycle, winning his third consecutive playoff race over Andrew Hines. Hines fouled with a red-light start on his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson and gave NitroFish Gear Suzuki rider Tonglet the automatic win.

Tonglet, who covered the distance in 6.972 at 187.94, cut Hines’ series lead to 44 points with the victory.

“For him to go up there and red-light, you know that he had to be thinking about the pressure,” said Tonglet, who defeated Angie Smith, Karen Stoffer and Eddie Krawiec in the first three rounds. “It’s just unreal. When I saw the red-light and knew I was the winner even before I reached the finish line was really great. I try not to think too much about the pressure, but it’s there. We were just happy to be in the semis, and the win just made everything all that much better.”

Saturday

Larry Dixon claimed his seventh top qualifying effort of the year in Top Fuel by posting a track record time of 3.793 at 320.05 in his Al-Anabi Racing dragster. He will meet Scott Palmer in the opening round as goes for his third consecutive playoff victory.

“I really thought the two Schumacher cars that ran behind us would run better than that and I’m sure they did, too,” Dixon said. “We were just lucky to run a little quicker and get the pole. I’ve got a winner’s circle picture when I was crewing for Ed “the Ace” McCulloch in 1987 and I was with “Snake” [Don Prudhomme] when he got his last win in Top Fuel and Funny Car here, so I’ve got a lot of great memories from this track and we’re trying to make our own now.”

Tony Schumacher was second in his U.S. Army dragster with a 3.799 at 321.65 and will face Mike Strasburg, while Cory McClenathan was third in his FRAM dragster with a 3.805 at 321.58 and will meet Morgan Lucas in the opening round.

After failing to qualify for the second of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs last weekend in Charlotte, N.C., Tim Wilkerson made the necessary adjustments to get his Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford Mustang back in form and it responded with a category-best performance of 4.079 seconds at 305.77 mph at the all-concrete Texas Motorplex.

“We have a new combination that we’re testing and obviously it’s working pretty well,” said Wilkerson, who won at the famed Texas dragstrip in 2008. “I don’t know if I know how to race it yet, and we won’t find that out until tomorrow, but I think I do. We’ll just see how things go. Hopefully, I can prove that we’re not as dumb as we looked last weekend. Hopefully, we can go some rounds tomorrow and get back in the [Countdown]. That’s what we need to do and if the right people lose maybe we can get right back in the middle of it.”

Wilkerson will face Dale Creasy Jr. in the opening round as he seeks to make up some ground in the championship hunt, while series leader John Force will face teammate and defending world champ Robert Hight in the first round. Ashley Force Hood was second in her Castrol GTX Mustang with a 4.100 at 307.72 and Jeff Arend was third in his DHL Toyota Camry with a 4.121 at 305.56.

Allen Johnson posted a 6.611 at 209.04 in his Team Mopar Dodge Avenger to claim his fifth No. 1 of the season and 12th of his career. He will face four-time world champion Jeg Coughlin – who ran just quick enough in his JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt to sneak into the 16-car field on the last qualifying attempt – in the opening round.

“We don’t look at having to run Jeg Coughlin in the first round as a negative,” Johnson said. “Well maybe a slight little negative, but it gives me an opportunity to take out one of the contenders. We’ll take this number one and smile about it, and go for it and see if we can turn it into a win tomorrow.”

Pro Stock series leader and defending world champ Mike Edwards was second in his Penhall/Interstate Batteries Pontiac GXP with a 6.619 at 208.42 and Jason Line was third in his Summit Racing GXP with a 6.634 at 208.30. Edwards will square off against Richie Stevens, while Line will meet Warren Johnson in the first round.

Matt Smith rode his Al-Anabi Racing Buell to the top of the Pro Stock Motorcycle order and earned his second No. 1 qualifying position of the season. He covered the distance in 6.923 at 190.89.

“We made a picture-perfect pass,” Smith said. “The rain cleaned the track and then we had six pairs of Funny Cars in front of us and they laid down so much rubber, I knew we had to go for it. When I saw how good the track was, I got my laptop and upped the rpm and did everything I could to lock that clutch up as fast as I could. I threw everything I had at it down low and it stuck. It didn’t shake or spin. It was really good.”

Eddie Krawiec took the second spot on his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson with a 6.924 at 195.03 and Friday top qualifier Karen Stoffer dropped to third overall with a best of 6.953 at 192.41 on her GEICO Powersports Suzuki.

 Friday

Larry Dixon, an 11-time winner this season including the first two playoff events, covered the famed all-concrete dragstrip in 3.852 seconds at 308.85 mph in his Al-Anabi Racing dragster. If his performance holds through the final two qualifying sessions Saturday (11:15 a.m., 2:30 p.m.), it will be his seventh No. 1 position of the season and 47th of his career.

“It was really hot and it was a struggle to get down the track in the first session, then in the second session you get the sun off the track and that tightens it up and the cars got running,” Dixon said. “It was good, especially with our car running well. Alan [Johnson, team manager] and Jason [McCulloch, crew chief] hit it and got us some more of those bonus points, which we still need. Obviously, being at the back of the pack and getting to see what some of the other cars did or didn’t do helps them. They’re making adjustments as the session progresses, and it was just enough.”

Cory McClenathan was second in his FRAM dragster with a 3.881 at 311.56 and Brandon Bernstein was third in his Copart/Lucas Oil dragster, posting a 3.906 at 308.43.

Cruz Pedregon, still riding high following a win last weekend at Charlotte, paced the Funny Car order with a 4.129 at 299.26 in his Snap-on Tools Toyota Camry.

“What we’ve recently achieved is just more consistency,” said Pedregon, the 2008 and 1992 Funny Car world champ.  “It was kind of hard coming here [after the high of the Charlotte win], but on the other hand we wanted to get back to racing. We have a lot of challenges here. It’s very hot, very humid, and with hot track temperatures. I don’t think we’ve seen conditions like that all year. That made us forget all about Charlotte and get back to business.”

Jeff Arend was second in his DHL Camry with a 4.163 at 290.76 and Tim Wilkerson was the highest Countdown-eligible participant in the lineup, posting a 4.181 at 282.90 in his Levi Ray & Shoup Ford Mustang.

Allen Johnson got back on track in Pro Stock as he powered his Team Mopar Dodge Avenger to a 6.632 at 208.04 to lead the 200-mph category. Last weekend at Charlotte the veteran racer was disqualified after failing a random alcohol test and fell from second to fifth in the Countdown standings.

“There is a sense of seeking some redemption for this race,” Johnson said. “I’m very focused, as is the entire team. The encouragement from the fans, from everybody—our fan base probably doubled this week. Family, friends, fans, even the NHRA folks have just been phenomenal. We’ve put ourselves in the position to where we feel like we have to swing for the fence on every run. But we feel very strongly that we still have a shot at this thing and we’re going to try to take a negative and make it a positive.”

Jason Line pushed his Summit Racing Pontiac GXP to a 6.637 at 207.88 to hold down second place, while defending world champ and Countdown top seed Mike Edwards was third in his Penhall/Interstate Batteries GXP with a 6.654 at 208.14.

Karen Stoffer was quickest in Pro Stock Motorcycle, posting a 6.953 at 192.41 on her GEICO Powersports Suzuki.

“We’ve been getting the bike down the track pretty well recently, so it was a relief to be back in the no. 1 spot, where we haven’t been since the beginning of the year,” said Stoffer, who was the No. 1 qualifier at Gainesville in March.  “We know we have the bike but we’ve had issues all year long. The boys have been working hard on the tune-up, but they’ve been working harder on the chassis, so it was good to hit it right off the bat and learning how to tune on a hot track.”

Eddie Krawiec, Steve Johnson, Andrew Hines and rookie LE Tonglet, the winner of the first two playoff races, completed the top five in the two wheel category.

Words: NHRA Communications:

Larry Dixon continued his incredible season in Top Fuel and is a perfect 11 for 11 in final rounds as he won the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at zMax Dragway on Sunday.

Also taking home wins at the event in their respective categories were Cruz Pedregon, Greg Anderson and LE Tonglet.

Dixon faced Doug Kalitta’s Rocky Boots Dragster in the finals and as he has done 11 times this season he was able to get the win light and take the victory.  Dixon and his Al-Anabi Racing dragster ran 3.858 at 316.60 mph to a losing pass of 3.901 at 309.20 mph by Kalitta.  Dixon also extends his lead in the points by 85 over second place racer Cory McClenathan.  This is also the third consecutive win for Dixon.

“I can’t believe the amount of wins we’ve had and the amount of finals we’ve been in without losing,” said Dixon. “It’s hard to imagine when you think about all the great cars that are out here. It’s a credit to the team. They are an unbelievable bunch of guys. As a fan of this sport, I realize how hard it is.”

The day wasn’t without trouble for the team when Dixon smoked the tires early in the second round  and pedal the car when he was facing defending Top Fuel series champion, Tony Schumacher.

“I guess we win ‘em every different way. The race against Tony [Schumacher] was amazing. There is a period of about two-tenths of a second when I was off the throttle and it was quiet that I could tell it was quiet in the other lane, too. I had a 50-percent chance of hitting it right. Tony is still wearing no. 1, and he’ll continue to do so until someone takes it away from him.”

Pedregon and his Snap-On Tools Toyota Camry was the class of the Funny Car field all weekend long and was able to use his No. 1 qualifying position to his advantage and secured the win over Jack Beckman in his Valvoline / Mail Terminal Services Dodge Charger Funny Car.  In the finals Pedregon posted a winning run of 4.171 seconds at 299.13 mph to a trailing 4.212 seconds at 301.81 of Beckman.  This was the first win by Pedregon since his victory at the last race of the season in Pomona in 2008 and today was his birthday as well.

“I’ve had some great cars in my career when I drove for guys like Larry Minor and Joe Gibbs, but I don’t think I’ve been in a better car than I had this weekend,” said an emotional Pedregon. “I can’t say enough about the team. Me and [crew chief] Danny DeGennaro, who’s a young guy in his 30s, were both kind of on the sidelines this offseason. We worked real hard to get to this point. It took us awhile to get going, and there were times when I thought, ‘What the heck are we doing this for?’ but we stayed at it.”

“Our philosophy is to look at these races like we’re in the Countdown. I’ve been a champion twice before, and I need to act like a champion. Even though some people were surprised by us, we’re not coming into races thinking we’re underdogs. We had a great weekend. I’m afraid to change the oil on it before Dallas.”

Hometown Pro Stock racer Anderson used the support of friends, family and horsepower of his Summit Racing Pontiac GXP to get his third win of the season as he bested the Nitro Fish Apparel Pontiac GXP driver by Greg Stanfield in the finals.  Anderson recorded a time of 6.604 seconds at 209.30 mph to the losing 6.651 at 207.91 mph.  With the win Anderson moves to second in the Pro Stock category.

“This is not how we planned it, to have all three Summit cars on one side of the ladder but that’s how it fell. When you have three great cars on one side, you have a good shot to get one into the final. We made a couple mistakes on the other two cars and I feel bad for Jason and Ronnie. Otherwise, we could have done more,” stated Anderson.   “Today I had the best hot rod on the grounds, by far. I’m a lucky man. This is my home track, and I have struggled here but zMax Dragway is now officially my favorite track. Heck, I didn’t even know where the press room was until this weekend but now I want to race here ten times a year.”

“In the final, I made one of the most perfect runs I’ve ever made. It was so smooth. I thought, if I lose this race on a holeshot I’ll never be able to live with myself. Apparently I put too much pressure on myself. Sometimes you can press too hard and make mistakes. I had to treat this like another event and it all went smooth.”

In a rematch from the Mac Tools U. S. Nationals, Tonglet and his Nitro Fish Apparel Suzuki faced Andrew Hines on his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley Davidson in the finals for the second consecutive race.  Tonglet posted a run of 6.921 seconds at 192.82 mph to the losing run of Hines 6.972 at 189.63.  With the win Tonglet moves into the Pro Stock Motorcycle points lead by 66 points over Hines.

“We’re not even thinking about the Rookie of the Year anymore. We’ve got a bigger thing; the championship, on our minds. With Nitro Fish behind us, we have a good shot. Hopefully, we just keep going rounds and we can run this good in Dallas,” said Tonglet.  “I’m happy to be in the final again. We said we just wanted to get to the semi’s. Anything after that is a bonus. After the semi’s, I was on the return road and GT said we’re going to tune it up. We had been spinning the tire. We leaned it out a little more and it picked up a lot for the final. I’m still trying to believe that this is all happening.  I owe it all to Kenny [Koretsky]. Without him, we wouldn’t be here.”

NHRA fan favorite, Melanie Troxel got her first win in the Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series at the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals on Sunday.

In the finals Troxel had a single run as Scott Ray wasn’t able to make it to the line after he suffered an engine explosion in the semi-finals.  Troxel still posted a strong number in the finals during a run of 5.938 seconds at 245.94 mph.  Troxel now has wins in Funny Car, Top Fuel, Top Alcohol dragster and Pro Mod.

“I don’t really focus on the female aspect of things but for me to win in four different categories in the NHRA is pretty special,” said Troxel following the win.  “To be honest I don’t know if I will be running Pro Mod next year and I was starting to get a little worried that I have two more races left in the season and I was getting a little nervous about getting a win in before I might not run the class.  It was great for it to come today.

Saturday

Cory McClenathan secured the No. 1 qualifying position with his run of 3.831 seconds at 321.12 mph in his FRAM dragster that he posted during the optimal conditions during the Friday night qualifying session.  He was the No. 1 qualifier at this track in March and this is the 38th No 1. qualifier of his 397 race career.  McClenathan is currently second in the Countdown to the Championship and knows that while qualifying is important, having the best car on race-day is the key to winning a championship.

“Today, we got basically a race-day tune-up,” said McClenathan. “It’s much warmer, and the humidity’s here, and it looks like it’s going to be a little bit warmer tomorrow, so we just need to be careful. We can make it A to B. You can’t get the big E.T.s and speeds that we saw last night, but last night was perfect conditions as far as trying to go out there and lay one down, so we took advantage of it and picked up a few points along the way. That’s good for us.

“Today was just all about let’s go A to B and let’s get a race-day tune-up so we’re able to make it through some rounds. Our side of the ladder looks awful tough tomorrow, so we’re going to have to fight for it. You know what, I’ve had to depend on other people to take out some of the frontrunners here, and now maybe we’ll get a chance to do it ourselves tomorrow instead.”

Current Top Fuel point’s leader Larry Dixon qualified in the fourth position and will take on the 13th place qualifier Troy Buff in the first round of eliminations.

Leading the field in Funny Car was Cruz Pedregon in his Snap-On Tools Toyota Camry, who secured his first No. 1 position of the season and his first since the 2009 event at zMax Dragway.  The run of 4.078 seconds at 303.57 mph he posted Friday, gives him his 39th career No. 1 qualifier in Funny Car.

“We had a great day and made two great runs,” said Pedregon. “I didn’t expect the car to run a 4.11 in the last session, but sometimes the car does great things on its own. The way we struggled early in the year and came around to have a car like this, anything we do tomorrow is absolute gravy. It’s my first year as a driver/crew chief, and Danny DeGennaro and the crew have done a great job.

“I had a third of the budget I needed and no crew chief at the start of the season, but I wanted to race. I look at it like being on a desert island; you can  lay down and die, or you can eat the bark off trees and little critters to survive. I’ve won two championships, but I’m not quite done yet. Nobody would have given me a chance at the start of the season, but here we are. I hope to inspire people by showing them that patience and perseverance pays off.”

Countdown to the Championship contender Tim Wilkerson saw his championship hopes fade dramatically as he failed to make the 16 car field in Funny Car.  This was the first time he hadn’t made a race since the opening Pomona race in 2009 and comes off his first round loss at the previous event.

Jason Line blasted to the top spot with a run of 6.604 seconds and 209.56 mph in his Summit Racing Pontiac GXP to secure the No. 1 qualifying position in the Pro Stock category.  For Line, the 2006 series champion, it is his first No. 1 of the season and the 17th in his career.

“It feels good to be No. 1 anywhere but here is great because we have more friends and family at the track.  Honestly, it’s been so long I can’t remember what it feels like. Either Greg [Anderson] or I were No. 1 in all four sessions, and our other teammate Ronnie [Humphrey] ran good as well. We’re headed in the right direction. It’s good to be back near the top,” said Line after the session.  “We have power to run up front and getting [bonus points] is good. It’s been a hard season for us; we’re not as good as we’re accustomed to being.

“It’s a new day tomorrow. It feels good as a driver to know you can run as fast or faster than everyone else, especially if you’re an engine guy because you have a part in making the car go faster. When the car doesn’t run good your thoughts are on that. Tomorrow, I can focus on my driving. There is no reason that one of us can’t come through. It’s do or die as far as the championship. This is a defining moment and we need to make it happen.”

LE Tonglet continues his recent hot streak coming off his win at the Mac Tools U. S. Nationals and secured his first ever No. 1 qualifying position in the final session of the day.  His newly sponsored Nitro Fish Suzuki posted run of 6.910 seconds at 193.29 mph that puts him at the top charts going into finals on Sunday.  Tonglet is in his rookie season of NHRA Full Throttle Drag Pro Stock Motorcycle racing and is not only a candidate for the Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award but also a contender in the championship battle.

“Those eight points we got will be huge going into the next race. We need to get as many as we can. Now, I hope to be able to go some rounds tomorrow on the Nitro Fish Suzuki. My dad, (Gary) has been working on our tune-up. We’ve been spinning the tire but it’s getting better and better,” said Tonglet following qualifying.  “With this new [sponsor] he’s not so conservative anymore. In the final session we stepped it up. It slowed a bit in 60-feet but picked up in back half. I was really surprised that we ran that good. When I went to Gainesville, we just wanted to be No. 16. Now, we’re No. 1. The whole thing has turned upside down for us.

“Having the support of Nitro Fish takes a lot of the pressure off. Now, we know we can make the rest of the races. It’s great for all of us. I can concentrate on riding and my dad and brother [GT] and tune the bike. Kenny [Koretsky] saw us in a bind and he stepped up to help us this year and hopefully next season.“

Friday

Cory McClenathan piloted his FRAM dragster to a pass of 3.831 seconds at 321.12 mph, which set a track speed record.  He trails current point’sleader Larry Dixon by only 46 points coming into the event.

“Have I told you how much I love zMax Dragway lately?” McClenathan asked rhetorically. “Tony [Schumacher] made a good run in the early session, and [Larry] Dixon and we both missed it. We were a little overzealous, but we backed it up and went A to B. When it hikes up the front end at halftrack going 278 [mph], it’s gettin’ it.

“Phil [Shuler] and Todd [Okuhara] are such opposites that they work great together as co-crew chiefs. Phil just wants to throw the whole trailer at it, while Todd is well thought out. We probably did about half of what Phil wanted, and it might a great lap. It nosed over at the end when it got on the rev limiter, or else it could have been even faster.”

In the Funny Car category, Cruz Pedregon made the most of the night qualifying session as his Snap-On Tools Toyota Camry leads the field with a run of 4.078 seconds at 303.57 mph.  If Pedregon is able to hold onto the top spot it would be the first of the season and his first since the event at zMax Dragway in 2009.

“It was an odd scenario, because we blew up on both runs,” said Pedregon. “We had an issue with a rod cap being put in backwards, and it broke a rod four seconds into the last run. I didn’t think the time would hold as number one for that reason, because there was more out there. It’s nice to know we’re turning the knobs the right way. I hope it gets hotter than blazes tomorrow so the 4.07 holds.”

Greg Anderson is looking for his first number one qualifying position of the year and provisionally holds the top spot with his pass in his Summit Racing Pontiac GXP of 6.624 seconds at 208.62 mph.  The three-time series champion is currently fifth in Countdown to the Championship points.

“I haven’t ever been in the press room at zMax Dragway. I’ve seen it from the inside but not the outside until now. I can’t think of a better place to be than here. I love it. I wanted to be able to show what we can do and make a few of my friends and family proud.  They’re all here this weekend and to be honest, I’ve been embarrassed before this. I don’t know why, but I just haven’t quite found the handle on this track,” said Anderson, a resident of Charlotte.  “We went back to an old car for this race. We just felt like we needed to shake things up. We’ve been a little bit off but this car is now working flawlessly. We need a big weekend in the points. We need to make up some ground on Mike Edwards and get back in the game. This is absolutely the time to pick up points.

Current Pro Stock Motorcycle point’s leader, Hines led the category on his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson after two rounds of qualifying with a pass of 6.913 seconds at 192.25 miles per hour.  Hines has two consecutive number one qualifying positions and is looking for his third of the season if he stays in the top spot following the conclusion of qualifying on Saturday.

“We’ve never run good here at zMax Dragway but the starting line is very good and we ran a good number, especially early in the run where we’ve been struggling.  LE [Tonglet] was also good, but we were able to make up ground on him,” said Hines following the run.  “I saw LE run a 6.91 but I knew my bike was right there with his. I must have been thinking about it because I didn’t roll in deep. As soon as I staged, I got on the throttle. I wanted every bit of E.T. that I could get.”

Brad Personett led the field following two rounds of qualifying for  the Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series at the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals.

Personett, who sits fifth in the points, was able to take his Big Stuff 1968 Camaro to the top of the pack with a time of 5.843 seconds at 249.26 mph.

Holding down the number two qualifying position was Rick Stivers in his Brad Anderson tuned 2006 Dodge Stratus with a pass of 5.941 seconds at 241.97 mph.

“The amazing thing about that run,” said Stivers after catching his breath, “is that there’s even more left in her.  It spun and shook a little, and I had to pedal it to keep it going straight – but, I’ll take that ’94 right now. I think Brad was even impressed with my driving on that run, and I’ll tell you, it’s hard to get that man to smile.”

Current point’s leader in the category, Von Smith and his Dr. Moon / Al-Anabi 1968 Camaro, sits in the third spot with a pass of 5.942 seconds at 244.52 mph.

Funny Car underdog Bob Bode stole the show on Sunday as he powered his way through the field on Sunday for his first career NHRA Full Throttle Series victory at the Lucas Oil Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, MN. He was joined in the winner circle by Larry Dixon (Top Fuel), Jeg Coughlin (Pro Stock), and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle). It was certainly a day for the ages for fans of the little guy, as three different competitors all had a shot at grabbing their first ever NHRA Wally’s, but only Bode emerged victorious. The Brainerd event marked the final opportunity for competitors to gain much needed points toward earning a position in the lucrative Countdown to the Championship, which begins at the next event at Indianapolis.

Larry Dixon kept his final round streak alive in Top Fuel, as he won his ninth straight final round, while also remaining perfect against opponent Cory McClenathan in final rounds. On his way to victory lane, Dixon also left Steve Torrence, Shawn Langdon, and Doug Kalitta in his wake.

“I feel fortunate,” said Dixon. “When I lifted (off the throttle), it popped … I got heat-treated a little bit … but I saw the win light.”

Bode began eliminations with a rout of Cruz Pedregon, 41.5 to 5.10, the in the second round grabbed a great holeshot defeat of Bob Tasca III, 4.14 to 4.12. In the semifinals, Bode bested a wheelstanding Tim Wilkerson to advance into the final, where he would meet Jack Beckman, who held a definitive performance advantage throughout the day. In a huge upset, however, Beckman struck the tires early, and Bode sailed on through to capture his first professional victory with a 4.53 at slowing 254.66 MPH.

“All of this is kind of like a dream I’m afraid I’m gonna wake up from,” Bode said. “I didn’t know if it would ever happen, but now that it did, I can’t believe it happened. It’s the best thing that ever happened to me in my entire life in the racing world. I have a wife and kid, wonderful things there, but the racing world, this is it.”

Coughlin nabbed his 52nd career Pro Stock victory in his third consecutive final round, defeating surprise finalist Shane Gray, 6.61 to Gray’s 6.65 after an oh-so-close -.001 red light. Coughlin edged Ron Krisher in the opening round, 6.612 to 6.619, Jason Line in roune two, 6.61 to 6.62, and mail order rival Greg Anderson, 6.60 to 6.64 to advance to the final.

“This is as close as we’ve been to the points leader all year,” said Coughlin. “That’s the way the playoff and the Countdown to 1 works. We’ve had that work to our advantage for a couple of years and had that work against us last year. This year, we were probably no way shape or form going to contend for our sixth world title, but we are.”

In a David vs Goliath Pro Stock Motorcycle final, first-time finalist Greg Underdahl had a shot at winning his first ever NHRA event, but just didn’t have enough for perennial favorite Andrew Hines, who not only won the event, but passes points leader Hector Arana to gain the No. 1 seed going into the Countdown.

“Big win,” Hines said. “I’ve never been No. 1 going into the playoffs so it’s nice to be in this position. Three or four races ago we were looking at the point and Hector had something like a 160-point lead and we just wrote it off that we wouldn’t make it there. Luck turned to our side, the motorcycle started performing better and Hector faltered a little bit and we capitalized on it.”

Saturday

Doug Kalitta unseated Friday leader Brandon Bernstein and captured his second No. 1 position in the last four races with a great 3.842 at 305.49 MPH in his Kalitta Air dragster.

“We managed to get down both lanes today so I think the track is pretty good,” said Kalitta. “(Sunday) is supposed to be a little cooler so I think the fans are going to be in for a treat with the performances. (Team owner) Connie (Kalitta) won this race in 1985 and I’ve had some luck here as well, so hopefully we can have a good day.”

Ashley Force Hood was the only leader from Friday that maintained her position atop the field with her 4.102 elapsed time.

“We won the last race before the Countdown (to 1) last year, so we’re trying to start a little tradition,” Force Hood said. “We can move up to sixth (place in the Funny Car point standings) and we really utilized our qualifying here. It was only a handful of points but they might be the ones we need later this year.”

In Pro Stock, the Mike Edwards juggernaut powered to the top of the field on Saturday, running a 6.644 in his Penhall/Interstate Batteries GXP to claim his NHRA-leading 11th pole position of the season.

“We’re not the man anymore, we’re just holding on and trying to be as good as we can. There are a lot of cars faster than us right now. We’re real fortunate to be No. 1,” Edwards said. “(Sunday), Pro Stock is going to be awesome. All the Full Throttle fans are in for some great side by side racing. I’m excited.”

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Andrew Hines improved upon his Friday performance with a 6.915 at 19.340 MPH to maintain his position atop the qualifying sheet heading into tomorrow’s eliminations.

“Everybody picked up (on Saturday),” Hines said. “Matt Smith picked up pretty good, he was right in front of me and when he was going down the track I’m like, ‘Oh he’s going No. 1.’ But as soon as I popped the clutch and felt my bike leave I’m like, ‘Oh he’s done.’

Friday

In Top Fuel, Brandon Bernstein grabbed the provisional pole in his Copart dragster, traversing the Brainerd course in 3.847 seconds at 302.97 MPH. It would mark Bernstein’s first No.1 qualifying position of the season if he remains atop the field.

“This is a great race for us to come on strong,” Bernstein said. “We’ve been right there the last four to six races and to be peaking right now is perfect, right before Indy and the countdown and then charge right on. We hope this is an indication that we’re going to be up there at the top and run for the championship.”

Bernstein is followed by Cory McClenathan, Morgan Lucas, Shawn Langdon, and David Grubnic in the top five after the rain-shortened single round of qualifying.

Ashley Force Hood currently sits atop the Funny Car field after one round with a great 4.102 at 302.55 MPH in her Castrol GTX Mustang.

“With all of the delays, and not knowing we were going to run, there was no time for me to talk to my crew chiefs about what we were going to run,” Force Hood said. “Suddenly we are going to run, and I didn’t want to bother the crew chiefs to ask them. I don’t need to know what’s in the tune-up; I just need to react to what the car is doing and get it A to B.”

The surging Allen Johnson sits atop the Pro Stock leaderboard going into tomorrows qualifying, and would stand as his third straight No. 1 qualifying performance if he can hold on to the spot. His 6.702 at 206.61 leads Mike Edwards, Johnny Gray, Ron Krisher, and V. Gaines.

“We made a really, really good run,” said Johnson. “We took our Denver momentum and our engine combination and improving on it a little bit. We’ll take that run and build on it for the next run and hopefully improve even more.”

Andrew Hines claimed the provisional pole on his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley Davidson with a stellar 6.977 at 191.46 MPH.

“It was a nice, clean, straight run; that was a great start to the weekend,” Hines said. “We’ve done a lot of work over the last couple of weeks and completely tore apart every engine we have, so we have a couple of different combinations we can try this weekend. We’ve got a couple of things up our sleeves and think we can go faster.”

It’s show time here at O’Reilly Raceway Park, as the NHRA Unleashed series kicks off the final two rounds of qualifying today, followed by tonight’s final eliminations under the lights. Stay tuned here to DRAGZINE for all the action.

Special thanks to our event coverage sponsor Mickey Thompson.  Check their wheel and tire offerings at www.mickeythompsontires.com

Round 2 Qualifying Notes

Pro Modified

Brad Personnett roasted the hides right at the hit in the second session, and sits a the bottom of the qualifying order with a 10.21.

Melanie Troxel made the best run of the round with a nice 6.111 at 242.63 MPH. Mike Knowles, meanwhile, was just a tick behind with a 6.223 at 236.88 MPH.

Von Smith recorded a stout 1.001 60' time in his Barwa Camaro, but it was just too much for the hot ORP surface, as he rattled the tires and slowed to a 14.34.

Roger Burgess recorded a 1.008 short time and was charging hard, but made a hard move toward the wall around the 330' mark that got everyones attention.

Round 2 Qualifying Order:

Mike Janis 5.981

Danny Rowe 6.046

Melanie Troxel 6.111

Mike Knowles 6.172

Von Smith 8.204

Roger Burgess 9.419

Raymond Commisso 9.492

Brad Personett 10.210

Outlaw 10.5

Brian Harrell made a great pass in the second round of qualifying, going straight to the top of the order with a nice 4.410 at 177.67 MPH that gives him a full tenth of a second advantage on the field.

Mike Kimmis stepped up from his off-pace 5.250 yesterday to the fourth spot with a stellar 4.703 at 167.82 MPH.

Round 2 Qualifying Order:

Brian Harrell 4.410

Tony Johnson 4.513

Ken Rainwater 4.672

Mike Kimmis 4.703

Curtis Rhodes 5.023

Rob Wells 5.031

Ed Parker 5.062

Brian Hicks 5.157

Danny Lowry 6.078

Tony Watkins 6.460

Limited Street

Keith Szabo struggled to get down the track during yesterdays opening session, but that wasn't a position anyone figured he'd be in for long. Keith laid down a great 4.833 at 163.67 MPH to jump to the tightly-packed top of the leaderboard.

Mike Jones made his presence known with a stout 4.856 at 157.04 MPH that placed him second just behind Szabo.

Dennis Bailey made a great, smooth 4.937 t 159.53 MPH to move up to the fourth position, just a tick behind the leaders.

Round 2 Qualifying Order:

Keith Szabo 4.833

Mike Jones 4.856

Kevin Scott 4.856

Dennis Bailey 4.937

Ruben Tetsoshvi II 5.358

Willard Kinzer 5.562

Jerry Gunter 5.978

EZ Street

Chad Henderson got his '87 Buick out of the gate soft, but stormed from the outhouse to the penthouse, going to the top of the order with a 5.213 at 145.85.

Yesterday's qualifying leader Matt Bell stepped up from his 5.403 to a 5.245 at 145.31 MPH to hold down the second spot behind Henderson. In the opposite lane, Bob Kurgan got a little loose about 100' out and had to lift, managing a 5.752 for the final position with one round remaining.

Round 2 Qualifying Order:

Chad Henderson 5.213

Matt Bell 5.245

Nick Yarber 5.445

Jimmy Martin 5.749

Bob Kurgan 5.752

Round 3 Qualifying Notes

Pro Modified

Roger Burgess was the only car in the class that made a productive lap with a 6.187 at 242.36 as everyone else struggled to get beyond the first couple hundred feet under power.

Like so many others, low qualifier Mike Janis rattled the tires hard out of the gate and had to abort the run after heading toward the centerline just beyond the 60' mark.

Final Qualifying Order:

Mike Janis 5.981

Danny Rowe 6.046

Melanie Troxel 6.111

Mike Knowles 6.172

Roger Burgess 6.187

Brad Personett 7.863

Von Smith 8.204

Raymond Commisso 9.492

Outlaw 10.5

Tony Johnson, who led after the opening round of qualifying, stepped up in the final session, making a little move near half track but still nailing down a 4.462 at 170.97 for the second spot heading into eliminations.

Rob Wells put together a great run to close out qualifying on a high note, running a 4.529 at 171.51 after a little sashay just past the christmas tree that was good enough for the third spot.

Brian Hicks and opponent Mike Kimmis both struggled to get ahold of the starting line, hazing the tires all the way to the 330' mark before lifting in unison to a 7.02 and 6.01, respectively.

Final Qualifying Order:

Brian Harrell 4.410

Tony Johnson 4.462

Rob Wells 4.529

Ken Rainwater 4.643

Mike Kimmis 4.703

Curtis Rhodes 4.941

Ed Parker 5.062

Brian Hicks 5.157

Tony Watkins 6.009

Danny Lowry 6.078

Limited Street

Keith Szabo is beginning to look a bracket racer, running a 4.834 in the final session to back up his earlier 4.833 to solidify his top qualifying position.

Final Qualifying Order:

Keith Szabo 4.833

Mike Jones 4.842

Kevin Scott 4.859

Dennis Bailey 4.937

Ruben Tetsoshvi II 5.358

Willard Kinzer 5.481

Jerry Gunter 5.978

EZ Street

Chad Henderson is looking like the picture of consistency, running a 5.217 in the final session that was right there with his earlier 5.213 that grabbed him the top qualifying spot going into eliminations.

Early qualifying leader Matt Bell blew the tires off before passing the christmas tree in his attempt to grab back the top spot, slowing to a 6.70 at just 97 MPH.

Final Qualifying Order:

Chad Henderson 5.213

Matt Bell 5.245

Nick Yarber 5.445

Jimmy Martin 5.620

Bob Kurgan 5.637

Final Qualifying Pit Notes

Tony Johnson and crew are busy making some routine adjustments before eliminations. The team indicated that they were set up soft off the starting line to cope with the high track temperature and some bald spots, and feel they can step it up a little in eliminations.

Ruben Tetsoshvi II and team were busy changing spark plugs prior to eliminations.

Mike Jones' crew was busy getting the intercooler buttoned back up after they discovered a crack in the tank that required some welding.

Low qualifier Brian Harrell's team found a crack in the exhaust tube on his '98 Mustang and are in the process of making the repairs before the first round.

Round One Eliminations

Pro Modified

All three of Roger Burgess' teams advanced to the semifinal round. Burgess himself came out on the winning end of a wild pedaling contest with Mike Knowles, his 6.84 just edging out Knowles' 6.86.

Raymond Commisso advanced with a struggling 7.017 at 222.84 MPH as opponent Mike Janis was force to lift after rattling the tires early.

Melanie Troxel had the best run of the round with a 6.492 at 234.66 to defeat Brad Personett, who blew the tires off just past the starting line and slowed.

Semifinal Pairings:

Commisso vs. Burgess

Rowe vs. Troxel

Limited Street

Keith Szabo took full advantage of his solo run, laying down the best run of the weekend with a 4.814 at 163.83 MPH. He will face Ruben Tetsoshvi II in the semifinals.

Kevin Scott was dead late with a .263 reaction time, but had more than enough to run down Willard Kinzers' 5.480 with his 5.032 lap.

Semifinal Pairings:

Szabo vs. Tetsoshvi II

Mike Jones vs. Kevin Scott

EZ Street

Chad Henderson made the best run of the weekend on his first round single, running a 5.189 at 146.72 MPH to advance the semi's, where he will face Nick Yarber, who downed Jimmy Martin, 5.29 to 5.71.

Matt Bell used a nice 5.351 at 145.16 MPH to dispose of Bob Kurgan, who struggled all weekend to get a handle on the race track and was forced to pedal his way to a 5.620 effort.

Semifinal Pairings:

Henderson vs. Yarber

Bell vs Bye

Outlaw 10.5

When Brian Harrell and Danny Lowry lined up for their first round matchup, both drivers lit the pre-stage and stage lights and had the boost built up, but recieved a very delayed tree. Lowry lifted off the loud pedal, while Harrell stayed on the chip until the tree fell, powering through for the win. Race officials brought them back for a re-run, where the two staged an epic battle, with Harell again getting the win in a great 4.425 to 4.452 race.

Brian Hicks finally made a good hit in his Dodge Challenger, but it wasn't near enough for Rob Wells' 4.517 at 173.05 MPH.

The higher-qualified Ken Raintwater blew the tires off before moving five feet and tried to collect it back up, but couldn't catch Ed Parker and his 5.283 to advance to the next round, where he will face Rob Wells.

Round 2 Pairings:

Harrell vs. Bye

Wells vs. Parker

Johnson vs. Rhodes

Round 2 Eliminations Notes

Pro Modified

Roger Burgess punched his ticket to the final round before he got by the christmas tree, as teammate and opponent Raymond Commisso left the red bulb on in his lane. Burgess legged it through to a 6.18 to Raymond's 6.29.

Danny Rowe advanced to the final round with a great 6.148 pass alongside Melanie Troxel, who got dangerously close to the centerline and had to lift around 1000', slowing to a 6.685.

Limited Street

Keith Szabo had the front end dancing along the surface as he laid down a great 4.834 to move on to the final round with a defeat of Ruben Tetsoshvi II's 5.24 effort.

Kevin Scott and Mike Jones put on a great show for the fans in their semifinal matchup, with Jones having to pedal 150' out and trying to chase down Scott, who won out with a close 4.87 to 4.89 margin.

Outlaw 10.5

In a big upset, Ed Parker took down the much quicker Rob Wells with a 5.043 when Wells engine went silent in a trail of smoke before the 200' mark.

In a battle of supercharged cars, Tony Jonson advanced to the semifinals with a nice and straight 4.692 at 152.26 MPH to defeat Curtis Rhodes trailing 5.060.

Semifinal Pairings:

Harrell vs. Parker

Johnson vs. Bye

EZ Street

Chad Henderson keeps getting quicker and faster with each trip down the track, running a5.147 at 147.02 MPH to defeat Nick Yarber, who began to lift wheels skyward and slammed the nose back to earth in a shower of sparks. In the final, Handerson will meet up with No. 2 qualifier Matt Bell, who tried to keep pace on his solo run with a 5.228 effort.

Round 3 Eliminations Notes

Outlaw 10.5

Brian Harrell, who was the quickest car in the class all weekend, will be kicking himself all the way back to Mississippi, as his car lurched through the staging beams in the semifinals, handing the win to Ed Parker who nailed won his best run of the weekend at 4.804 at 157.67 MPH.

Tony Johnson powered to a straight and true 4.447 at 172.32 MPH on his semifinal solo run.

Final Round Eliminations

Pro Modified

The Pro Modified final round under the lights was looking to be an epic battle between the remaining combatants, and it was exactly that, as Danny Rowe just edged out Roger Burgess in a great race to the stripe, 5.991 at 243.02 to a 6.046 at 243.02.

Limited Street

Keith Szabo saved his best run for last as he put down a killer 4.779 at 164.85 MPH to overcome the great .005 to .092 holeshot by Kevin Scott's and his trailing 4.935 at 153.89.

EZ Street

In the EZ Street final, Matt Bell did just what he needed to do, stepping up with a stellar 5.149 at 145.42. Unfortunately for him, Chad Henderson, who has been the class of the field all day, did just the same, blasting out the best run of the weekend at 5.051 and 148.05 MPH for the win and the Wally.

Outlaw 10.5

]]> http://www.dragzine.com/race-coverage/pro-racing-nhra-ihra/nhra-unleashed-indy-same-day-coverage/feed/ 5 http://www.dragzine.com/race-coverage/pro-racing-nhra-ihra/nhra-top-fuel-and-funny-car-a-look-before-the-western-swing/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=nhra-top-fuel-and-funny-car-a-look-before-the-western-swing http://www.dragzine.com/race-coverage/pro-racing-nhra-ihra/nhra-top-fuel-and-funny-car-a-look-before-the-western-swing/#comments Wed, 04 Aug 2010 21:57:25 +0000 Deborah Woodward http://www.dragzine.com/?p=18206

NHRA’s Top Fuel and Funny Car classes are on fire as two veteran drivers seem to be running away from the pack in an unprecedented streak of wins and with points lead strangle-holds as teams prepare for the western swing. As of mid-season following the NHRA Summit Racing Equipment Nationals in Norwalk, Larry Dixon is seven out of seven for title round wins and holding strong. John Force has reached his 208^th career final dominating the points lead all season in a big time come back. It’s unusual for a single team to dominate in a sport so competitive let alone two with so many top notch seasoned entries.

Going into the western swing, will Dixon and team Al-Anabi hold their lead or will Cory McClenathan come back to take the lead he started with this season? Will Dixon be able to break the six consecutive winning streak for seven time champion Tony Schumacher? Will team Force continue to monopolize the points lead or will Matt Hagan win only in his second year, sneaking up on the fourteen-time NHRA Full Throttle world champ? The western swing composed of Seattle, Sonoma, and Denver will mark the final push for teams to make a run at the top 10, which will be set in Brainerd in the final event of the summer.

John Force Racing, Dixon and team Al-Anabi, and both Schumacher teams have already clinched positions in the top 10 for the 2010 season. However, the western swing will undoubtedly be a blood bath as other teams turn up the heat in a battle to make the cutoff. It could well take its toll by impacting the season outcome if top players take a hit. Typically teams that are able to ace the western swing have an advantage going into the countdown and seasons finals, but this does not necessarily predict the Championship. In this article, we take a look at NHRA’s Full Throttle Drag Series in Top Fuel and Funny Car, examine the season before the Western Swing, and take a guess at who will be on top come November.

For prediction purposes, here is the basic run down for the 2010 season – starting with Top Fuel. Dixon has a healthy lead of 176 points over Schumacher, making it appear that he will be hard to catch as long the team continues to go rounds. There is a lesser margin of 50 points between Schumacher and McClenathan in third, however they have been holding in the top ranks as a team for a better part of the season. McClenathan led the points for several events as the season got underway before being overtaken by Dixon in Las Vegas by a margin of one point during the SummitRacing.com Nationals. Dixon has been actually holding the points lead for eight events.

McClenathan held strong to the second point’s position for another four events. Schumacher who had been working his way up grabbed the second position in Chi-town, bumping teammate McClenathan to third, which is where they both have continued to be positioned for the last four events through Norwalk. In order of position, Antron Brown, Doug Kalitta, and Brandon Bernstein are currently the mid top ten point’s players with 86 points between them and with Brown sitting 100 points back in the fourth position. Jumping another full 200 points back in order are Shawn Langdon and Morgan Lucas of the Lucas Oil team, and Steve Torrence. Terry McMillian a relative newcomer and David Grubnic of Kalitta Motorsports are sharing sides of the tenth position bump with Grubnic sitting on the outside.

In Funny car, the legend himself John Force stayed on the points lead for the first eight straight events of the season before giving the lead to team mate Robert Hight in Chi-town. At the same event Ashley Force Hood was tied for third with Matt Hagen giving team Force a strangle hold in the top three positions for a second time this season. Hight held the lead for two events and then passed it back to his boss in Bristol keeping it in the family. Force has remained in the number one point’s position with a 73 point lead over Hight. Though Hagen has been knocking on the door, so to speak, just waiting for an opportunity holding the number three position. In fact he has held the third position for three subsequent events following the tie with Force Hood and is 100 points behind Hight.

The line up for Funny Car is a much tighter field than Top Fuel. Fast Jack Beckman is just 14 points behind Hagen in the fourth position and Force Hood is just 22 point’s behind Beckman rounding out the top five. No one is safe however and fans could see wild shifts in the points chase as the season continues to unfold. Bob Tasca III is a close 21 points behind Force Hood in sixth and Tim Wilkerson in the seventh position is on Tasca’s heals with a 15 point gap having just won the event in Norwalk over Force. Ron Capps holding the eight position is only 26 points behind Wilkerson with Del Worsham in the ninth spot breathing down his neck in a 10 point difference. Tony Pedregon is currently sitting on the top ten bump.

The 2010 season started out with NHRA honoring their history, longevity, and success with a tribute to the 50th running of the Kragen O’Reilly NHRA Winternationals. Fourteen time Champion John Force finally broke a career down cycle with his first win since Topeka in 2008. It marked the end of a 40 event drought. Force demonstrated to fans that he still has it, taking a hole shot win over Capps to win the first race of the year. The last time Force had a season with no final round wins was in 1986. He has not led the points since November of 2006 where he clinched his 14th championship. Some were probably wondering if Force would ever make a come back.

Dixon appeared to perform in a near flawless string of runs to the win the season opener although was nearly taken out in the semi final round by fellow rival Tony Schumacher. Both drivers ran identical elapsed time and speeds with a twin 3.836 @ 317 mph. The round was awarded to Dixon based on a quicker reaction time. Dixon lost the Championship to Schumacher last year by just a few points. It remains to be seen if the same battle will play out for 2010, however the possibility seems like a good bet.

The Phoenix rain wreaked havoc on the second event of the season. Controversy ignited over track conditions and preparation compounds with wrecks in Pro Stock. The weekend turned into a disaster when the wheel and brake assembly broke from Antron Brown’s car and was propelled into the crowd tragically killing a spectator. The rain delayed race was completed post weekend on Monday and marked significant upsets for Top Fuel. Dixon was taken out in the first round by Chrisman and Schumacher lost to Torrence who took a hole shot advantage. When it was all over, McClenathan collected his 32nd Top Fuel victory against Doug Kalitta and seized the point lead as Dixon fell to third place. Force squeaked by with a narrow margin of victory of .001 seconds in round one against Cruz Pedregon.  Then he ran a career best of 4.044 in round two, and took out team mate Robert Hight in the final. It seemed everyone was glad to see the weekend come to a close and sights were set on Gainsville and hope for sunshine.

Gainsville did prove to be better and new speed records were set in both nitro classes; Schumacher with 324.98 mph and Hagan, who had the previous best speed in Funny Car, trapped 316.15 mph. Schumacher took the victory moving him into the points lead by 11 points over McClenathan. In Funny Car, Wilkerson earned his 14th title win and his first ever victory at the historic Gatornationals event.

The fourth event of the season in Charlotte marked the first time for racers to run on a four wide track. Drivers spent the first two days of qualifying getting used to running against more than one opponent and adjusting to the extra bulbs on the Christmas Tree. Debate erupted in the news as racers and spectators questioned the format following the event. In April the NHRA announced that the Four Wide Nationals will be scheduled in 2011 and will be the only race on the 2011 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series schedule that will showcase four-wide racing. Improvements are being planned with consideration of feedback from fans, teams, and sponsors. McClenathan and Force were the first to win an event in this format.

Houston marked a final of pedal fests. Hagan was on the hunt for his first win and Jeff Arend for team Kalitta. Scott Kalitta won his only nitro Funny Car race in Houston, in 1989. In the end Hagan was able to out pedal Arend with a 4.390 to 4.714. Dixon also found himself in a skirmish to get down the track against Brown making a long-shot run from a having to recover the car early in the track. It marked Dixon’s 50th in Top Fuel. At this point in the game, Dixon slid into a comfortable second in the points, McClenathan was still holding the lead, and Schumacher had slipped down to fifth. Force had already won twice in three final-round appearances at the first four remaining in the lead.

Odds makers in Las Vegas got their money’s worth predicting Dixon 5 to 2 and Force 2 to 1 favored to win. Sure enough Dixon claimed his third win of the season and the event marked an important changing of the guard with Dixon taking over the lead. The final round came down to a battle between McClenathan and Dixon respectively in the first and second position. Dixon simply out ran the McClenathan after he lost traction mid-track. The two drivers left Vegas headed for Madison having swapped spots. Force also came out victorious having widened his lead over Hagen by 120 points. By this time Hight had slipped down to the 9th position.

While there were no significant changes for the point leaders, Madison marked the started of a comeback for both Hight and Schumacher. Hight was actually off to a rough start of season with just four round wins in the first six events Hight defeated Beckman in the event for the Wally, the 15th of his career. Schumacher who entered the event still in fifth place with only one title win for the season made large strides in the point’s battle. In the final round he easily walked away from Doug Kalitta with a 3.84 to 4.04 and landed himself just 92 point short of the points lead.

Atlanta brought more good luck for team Force. Hight earned a second Funny car win in an all Force final against team mate Force Hood giving the team a monopoly of the first, second, and third positions in the point battle. Team patriarch John Force is still holding the number one position at this point seeming unstoppable. Atlanta is actually a good luck charm for Force Hood who scored her breakthrough Funny Car win here in 2008 and it seems fitting location for team Force to be on top. Dixon was not letting up either taking his fourth win of the season marking 4 and 0 in final round wins. In the final round of Top Fuel Bernstein gave the match up with a .003 red light allowing Dixon easy passage. Dixon also defeated Schumacher in the semi’s keeping him at bay in the fourth position.

Things really started to heat up in Topeka with Hight taking his third straight Funny Car win in a row. Hight is on a hot roll at this point moving past teammate Ashley Force Hood into second place just 49 points behind his boss, John Force. Schumacher is as well on the move at this point. In the final round teammates Schumacher and McClenathan each were aiming for their third win of the season. McClenathan is still in the second position hoping to catch Dixon, but Schumacher gets the win with a hole shot. By the end of the event McClenathan is 97 points behind leader Larry Dixon, and Schumacher is just 11 points behind his team mate. It’s a sure bet that the seven time champion is gunning forDixon with a clear shot in sight.

The vision was however short lived as Dixon came back in Chi-town with his fifth win and in Englishtown with a sixth win putting a 199 point lead on Schumacher still in second place. Things were less than eventful for team Force as Hagan broke Hight’s winning streak and set a new record with a 4.035 @ 312.78 mph picking up 20 valuable points. Despite the break for Hight, Force was bumped off the lead position for the first time in the season moving Hight to number one where each remained until the conclusion of Bristol.

Bristol marked the third event of a grueling four races scheduled in June. Schumacher had to make a move on Dixon who was running further and further ahead. The two had met seven times in 11 races with Dixon holding a 4-3 advantage giving Schumacher a difficult challenge in attempting to hold on to his world-championship streak. Schumacher in true form pulled it off marking his fourth victory of the season, following wins in Gainesville, Madison, and Topeka. Force also reclaimed his lead from team mate Robert Hight. Although Force managed to hold the points lead for most of the season, he was at risk with not having won an event since Las Vegas in April. It was actually his second round victory over Hagan that gave Force back the season-long points lead he had lost two events earlier. The clock is running short at this point as racers pack up to head to Norwalk for the 13th of 17 events in the Countdown’s regular season leading up to the playoffs with Dixon and Force in the lead.

Finishing Norwalk, Schumacher can’t catch a break as Dixon wins yet another race making a perfect 7 and 0 for title round wins in the season. Team Al-Anabi is definitely hot this year as Dixon continues to elude the seven time champion and damper the U.S. Army team’s hopes of winning the 2010 Championship. Looking back at the season thus far it seems the two racers have been trading off the wins. However Dixon is not leaving anything on the table and he seems the most likely candidate for the 2010 season championship.

Team Force has had a strangle hold on the lead position all season long. It more than fair to say John is back with a vengeance and that the 60 year old veteran is enjoying one of his finest seasons in years. Norwalk marked the sixth time this season Force has been to a final round. With team mate Robert Hight positioned by his side in second place and daughter Ashley Force Hood rounding out the top five, there is a great chance fans will see team Force in the final come November.

Justin Humphreys and crew prepare his 2010 Mustang for a test hit. Photo: Jason Miller

If you look back nearly 25 years you may be able to find a strong contingent of Ford power in the NHRA Pro Stock class. Since that time there have been attempts to regain the prominence that the likes of Bob Glidden once had behind the wheel of a Ford but to some dismay those attempts have usually foiled out quickly. While Glidden was a fierce competitor and racked up 85 national event wins, no one has come close to duplicating these performances behind the wheel of a Ford.

Fast forward thirteen years from when the last time Bob Glidden was behind the wheel of a Pro Stocker and you have up and coming star Justin Humphreys preparing to unveil his new Jerry Haas built 2010 Mustang. Humphreys has been behind the wheel over the past few seasons and with several round wins to his credentials he was able to assemble a promising deal with Roush/Yates on their  engine program. Humphreys will be the very first to unveil the Roush/Yates power plant and he is looking to outgun the few Fords that have been running in the NHRA.

Larry Morgan has been the most successful thus far with his Mustang but you also have Jim Cunningham and Erica Enders’ two car team which have been steadily improving. Morgan posted a number twelve qualifying effort at the last event in Denver with a 7.028 @ 196mph. Anywhere else in the country Humphreys will have to be just a bit faster to stay in the field with his new Haas built Mustang. Most recently we received the photo above courtesy of Jason Miller at Maryland International Raceway where Justin and his crew were testing the brand new car. We were unable to pry any numbers away from them so I guess we will have to wait and see how he performs on the national event stage.

Effective July 21st, the organization has mandated that Top Fuel Dragsters, Funny Cars, Top Alcohol Dragsters and Top Alcohol Funny Cars make use of the carbon fiber components in rear brakes. By August 11th, carbon fiber front brakes become mandatory for all race cars in the Funny Car and Top Alcohol Funny Car classes.

A statement issued Wednesday by the NHRA notes that “The vast majority of vehicles in these classes already use this equipment.”

A vehicle shutdown device, already in use by Top Fuel and Funny Car drivers, will become required equipment for the Top Alcohol classes, beginning next season. The RF-activated device would shut down the fuel supply, cut ignition and release the parachutes when the car crosses the finish line, if they were not already.

Beyond this, the organization reports that it is working with manufacturers on a backup device or method to prevent detachment of the car’s parachutes. Top Fuel, Funny Car, Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car classes will be required to implement the results, once complete.

The current initiatives build on a number of other safety improvements already put in place earlier this year for the Top Fuel and Top Alcohol classes. Racer Mark Niver died last Sunday in a Top Alcohol Dragster crash at the Northwest Nationals, near Seattle, WA. In June, Neal Parker died in a Top Alcohol Funny Car crash at the Supernationals in Englishtown, NJ.

In a class where thousands of dollars are routinely being spent for mere thousandths on the E/T clock, innovation and new developments take place almost every test session. To most of us, shelling out $5,000+ for a set of wheelie bars is unheard of, but since Don Ness has devised a set of carbon fiber wheelie bars for Pro Stock cars, a few in the Pro Stock pits are already giving it a whirl – including veterans Larry Morgan and Warren Johnson.

Not only is it rumored that these particular bars are quite a bit stronger than their Moly or Titanium counterparts, they’re a heck of a lot lighter. Larry Morgan says they’ve taken about 15 lbs. off the rear of the car, while Warren Johnson says they’ve shed more than twice that from the rear. Johnson also went on to say that while they’re fighting the new setup blues with these bars, when they get them figured out they’ll be a huge advantage for them. It might just be a mind game between racers on what the actual amount of weight savings is, but they’re saving weight no doubt. Jerry Bickel Race Cars reports that they’re 20% stronger than 4130, 60% lighter than 4130, 50% stronger than Titanium, and 15% lighter than Titanium. We’re not usually a big fan of the numbers game, but these ones sound pretty sweet.

After Titan Motorsports inquired about a set for their ADRL cars, it was learned that Ness has already sold 25+ sets, and deposits for a set are rolling in left and right, so where else will we see them? In the rules-lacking ADRL, it’s pretty certain that we’ll see a few sets put to good use very soon. If you can get past the significant price, Ness’s carbon bars are already available for sale through most of the popular chassis building shops including Jerry Bickel, Tim McAmis and Jerry Haas. Check ‘em out here for more info. Is this Pro Stock’s newest big innovation?

The first rendering featuring an ADRL logo on Tony's car. Photos By: ADRL.us

Other than the fact that they’ve got wheels, an engine, and we love to watch ‘em run down the track, NHRA Funny Cars and the world’s most elite Door-slammers in the ADRL have pretty much nothing in common, that is, until we noticed an ADRL decal adorning Pedregon’s Chevy Impala Funny Car. All in all, it’s just a sticker and could be a mere indication that the ADRL is trying to reach out to a similar fan-base, but ADRL’s Agent 660 is hinting pretty heavily that there’s more news to come from the Pedregon camp in regards to envolvement with ADRL. Read more at ADRL.us

What started off as a rendering nabbed off the photocopier at ADRL headquarters in O’Fallon, MO, has quickly turned into a slew of rumors hinting that the past-NHRA Champ Pedregon is seeking a future in driving door-slammers. With car counts slipping in some ADRL classes, some look at this possibility of a new car in the field as something positive, though there seem to be some mixed emotions around the idea.

Given the NHRA’s grueling schedule that Pedregon has to work with, it’s doubtful we’ll see him in a door car this year when most ADRL events overlap NHRA ones with the exception of the August race at Gateway and the finals at the Texas Motorplex. Could the more affordable door-slammer heads up racing be appealing in hard economic times, or is someone just looking for a change? T. Pedregon and the ADRL have kept their lips sealed thus far, but expect some sort of announcement or development soon. The longer the silence, the more our minds wander..

Sunday

Cory McClenathan, Tim Wilkerson, and Greg Anderson all collected wins on Sunday at the NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceway in Seattle, WA.

McClenathan, who swept the three-race Western Swing 13 years ago, began his march to do so again with a final round defeat of another drive who accomplished that same feat last season, Antron Brown, with a 3.88 to 3.90 count to collect his 34 Top Fuel Wally. Corry Mac opened eliminations with a rout of Mike Strasburg, and advanced on to the semifinals with a 3.85 to 3.91 count. He than made his way into the final opponent Shawn Langdon banged the supercharger at the hit of the throttle.

“There’s Antron (Brown) and myself in the final, we’ve both won (the Western Swing) … I want to be the first to win it two times,” said McClenathan. “I know that’s a lot to ask for, but you can’t get there until you win this first one and that’s what we did.”

Wilkerson, who traditionally runs very well in the summertime heat, found himself in his third consecutive final round and with and captured his second win of the summer portion of the schedule, besting Ron Capps in a great Funny Car final, 4.22 to 4.24. Wilkerson used defeats of Bob Tasca III, Cruz Pedregon, and Matt Hagan to make his way into the money round. With the win, Wilkerson and the LRS team moved into fifth place in the points standings.

“We’re happy to be in the position we’re in and we seem to really come into our own in this kind of weather,” said Wilkerson. “We try not to think about it or do anything to pull us backwards. Just go run the racetrack every round.”

Greg Anderson won his second straight at Seattle in Pro Stock, running a stellar 6.59 to Johnny Gray’s trailing 6.62. Anderson began his run to victor lane with an opening round defeat of a red-lighting Greg Stanfield, topped Rodger Brogdon in round two, 6.63 to 6.64, and then sent home the Mike Edwards juggernaut, with a holeshot 6.60 to 6.59 win.

“I’m the only guy (in Pro Stock) with a chance two sweep (the Western Swing),” said Anderson. “It’s a neat, neat deal. I’ve been able to do it once in my career and I remember what a great feeling that was. It’s still a long way down the road, and I’m not going to say we’re going to win those two races, but we’ve got a chance. I’ve got a great hot rod right now.”

Saturday

Doug Kalitta held on through Saturdays two remaining qualifying sessions to capture his first No 1. Qualifying position in Top Fuel since 2006, as the competition was unable to best his 3.844 at 313.58 MPH run from Friday evening. Kalitta will receive a bye in the opening round of eliminations.

“Obviously we held on today. Larry Dixon got close (a 3.896 in the third qualifying session). I’m real proud of my guys. It’s nice to get some performance out of (the Kalitta Air dragster) and our first low qualifier in awhile,” Kalitta said.

In Funny Car, Robert Hight garnered his 38^th career No. 1 qualifying award with his Friday evening pass, and will open alongside Jeff Diehl in the opening stanza.

“The top 10 cars are so bunched up, anyone can win this deal,” Hight said. “It’s a big deal being No. 1 for points, but it really means nothing. No matter (where you qualify) in Funny Car, you’ve got a tough race.”

In Pro Stock, Mike Edwards was the only professional driver to make a move to the top of the qualifying sheet, running a 6.598 at 209.75 to earn his 10^th No. 1 qualifier of the 2010 season.

“(On Friday), we stepped outside the box and tried a few things, and didn’t like what we seen (so) we went back (Saturday) morning and kind of ran the thing the way we ran it here last year,” said Edwards. “I really thought it was going to work out (Friday) … and it didn’t”

Friday

Doug Kalitta and the Kalitta Motorsports team stormed to the provisional top spot in Top Fuel qualifying with a great 3.844 at 313.58 MPH. If Kalitta can hold on to the position, it would be his first pole award since the Pomona finals in 2006.

“We were really happy with that,” Kalitta said. “Conditions were really coming to us at the end of the day. Obviously tomorrow (with cooler temps forecast) will be a little more challenging but so far so good for today.”

Robert Hight leads the Funny Car contingent into Saturday qualifying with a great 4.194 at 291.57 MPH.

“It’s supposed to cool off so I don’t know if that 19 is safe,” said Hight. “We knew it was going to be better than last year and that 4.19 was better than anyone ran all throughout last year – and it was probably hotter (today than it was at any point in last year’s race) so hat’s off to Seattle.”

Jason Line powered his Summit GXP to the provisional pole position in Pro Stock with a 6.612 at 209.01 MPH that, if it holds, will mark his first pole award of the season.

“I got six bonus points and that’s more than I’ve got since they started the program,” said Line. “(The 6.621 pass) is not going to hold up (Saturday). The weather’s going to be a lot different and as you know the Pro Stock drivers are affected dramatically by that.”

Some of the NHRA’s top professional and sportsman racers utilize JE Pistons in their power plants, and several of those competitors enjoyed considerable success at last weekends events: the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio and the NHRA Lucas Oil Series race in Woodburn, Oregon, with seven class victories and six runners-up finishes overall.

For more on JE Pistons and their product offerings, check out their website.

Antron Brown’s Matco Tools Top Fuel Dragster qualified second and advanced all the way through eliminations before falling to points leader Larry Dixon in the money round by a 3.88 to 3.90 count. In Funny car, JE-equipped Tim Wilkerson won his second event of the season in defeating John Force. Nearly half of both the Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car fields were represented by JE customers, with Frank Manzo and Mickey Ferro meeting in the final round of the flopper class, with Manzo ultimately claiming another victory. Engine builder Pat Musi also returned to an NHRA final round in the Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge for the first time since 1981 and outran Brad Personett to claim his very first NHRA Wally. Veteran super class racer Dan Northrop took home the Super Gas crown, while James Monroe did likewise in Top Dragster.

In Woodburn, Brian Hough and Tom Malicki grabbed wins in Top Alcohol Funny Car and Top Dragster, respectively, while Shawn Cowie fell in the final round of Top Alcohol Dragster, and Quentin Chambers in Top Dragster, Ken Heard in Super Gas, and Shane Molinari in Top Sportsman all advanced to the final rounds.

JE also provided us with some interesting facts and specifications regarding their Top Fuel and Top Alcohol pistons:

Top Fuel:

- 2^nd and 3^rd ring are similar to a Small Block Chevrolet

- Typically 3-5 runs per set

- 800-900 grams per piston weight, twice as much as a typical small block Chevy

- Hard anodized coating specifically for the nitromethane fuel

- Skirts are .250 thick, with decks at .356 thick

- 6:1-7:1 compression, typically changed on altitude races by varying the head gasket thickness

- JE has been manufacturing these since the early ‘70s

- Small 4.187 bore, though 4.500 stroke

Top Alcohol:

- 4.446 bore with no coating

- 750 grams piston weight

- Skirts .140 thick with a .300 thick deck

Parts failure at 8000HP is still apparent no matter how good the quality.

]]> http://www.dragzine.com/news/top-fuel-piston-quick-tech-je-pistons-equipped-racers-enjoy-success-at-norwalk/feed/ 0 http://www.dragzine.com/race-coverage/pro-racing-nhra-ihra/nhra-at-norwalk-full-race-recap/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=nhra-at-norwalk-full-race-recap http://www.dragzine.com/race-coverage/pro-racing-nhra-ihra/nhra-at-norwalk-full-race-recap/#comments Mon, 28 Jun 2010 20:05:27 +0000 Andrew Wolf http://www.dragzine.com/?p=17988

Greg Anderson displayed signs of his once-dominant form at Norwalk with a sweep of the Pro Stock action, While Larry Dixon, Tim Wilkerson, and Matt Smith also won their respective categories over the weekend at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park.

Larry Dixon and Al-Anabi team claimed their seventh victory of the season in Top Fuel, besting Antron brown in the final round with a 3.88 to Brown’s 3.90. Dixon used defeats of Troy Buff, Doug Foley, and rival Tony Schumacher to advance to the final round and claim the 55^th win of his career.

“Seven for seven, I feel fortunate,” said Dixon. “There’s been a lot of tight races (this year). Out of this four race swing, to have three wins out of four that’s huge. That’s the only way you can stay ahead in the points. Nobody can catch you if you’re winning rounds. We got four more races before the Countdown starts, and we’ll go from there.”

Tim Wilkerson grabbed his second win of the season in Funny Car with a defeated of John Force in a rematch of the final last weekend in Bristol. Force got the best of Wilkerson in that pairing, but Wilkerson turned the tables on Force this time, outrunning the points leader 4.19 to 4.27. Wilkerson began the day be besting fellow Ford runner Bob Tasca III, then faced the DHL Toyota of Jeff Arend and Del Worsham in the semifinals.

“It was great to win over John because he’s so good, and he’s coming into his own again. After one bad year, he’s making us all look like we don’t know what we’re doing again, so we’re happy to have that win over John. Last weekend, we let him off the hook. We need to do our deal and keep going down the track run after run after run. There’s still four races left [in the regular season], so we have to keep on our game,” said Wilkerson.

Anderson, already riding high after winning the K&N Horsepower Challenge on Saturday afternoon and pocketing $50,000 for his efforts, set his sights on the sweep and the bonus check for doing so. Anderson opened eliminations by defeating Johnny Gray in a close contest, 6.69 to 6.72 after Gray got a slight lead at the tree. In round 2, he set down Jeg Coughlin Jr. by a 6.71 to 6.74 count, and advanced to the final with a holeshot defeat of Summit teammate Jason Line. With the double-up bonus on the line, Anderson got the advantage out of the gate and drove away from the strong-running Allen Johnson, who encountered trouble and slowed, to grab the big check and the Wally with a 6.722 at 204.54 miles per hour to cap a dominating weekend.

“This is beyond a dream weekend,” said Anderson. “I couldn’t have even have dreamed anything this big before we came here this week. I just hoped and prayed that we came here with a good performance and functioned properly throughout the weekend and just had a slight chance of sneaking a few round-wins and maybe a lucky victory away, and we ended up sweeping the weekend and taking every doggone nickel they had to give. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a weekend like this. I guess I’ve got to go back three or four years when we had a car that could do these things.”

Matt Smith picked up his second win of 2010 in Pro Stock Motorcycle, defeating perennial favorite Hactor Arana in the final, 7.07 to 7.08. Smith also bested Craig Treble, Michael Phillips, and David Hope on his trip to the winners circle.

We came here to run with the best of the best, and we ran with them this weekend,” said Smith. “Our goal is to try and be in the top five come Indy, and that just helped our progress.”

Doorslammer veteran Pat Musi returned to the final round of an NHRA national event for the first time since 1981, winning the GSA Pro Modified Challenge by defeating Brad Personett in the Get Screen American Pro Mod Challenge at Norwalk. Musi parlayed defeats of Troy Coughlin, Ed Hoover, and Raymond Commisso into the final round berth, which he won with a with a close 5.98 to 5.99 defeat of the venerable turbo car.

Saturday

Each of Friday’s qualifying leaders maintained their positions through Saturdays two rounds, as the hot summer conditions proved unfavorable for big improvements.

Larry Dixon grabbed his 4^th pole position of the season with his 3.780-second lap on Friday evening. He will be paired alongside Troy Buff in the opening round of eliminations.

“It’s nice to be no. 1 qualifier out here, and that’s all about hitting it right on Friday night,” said Dixon. “The Friday night session is something like a long ball contest in golf. We made it stick, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of other good cars going in to eliminations tomorrow; we’ll have to be able to putt when we need to.”

Ashley Force Hood will face father John Force in a titanic opening round battle after capturing her third number one qualifying position of the year and 12^th of her career with Fridays track record pass of 4.032 at 311.99. Rain showers cut short the final session of Funny Car qualifying with only seven of the 17 cars on the grounds getting to make a pass.

“I just have a really good running car,” Force Hood stated. “We have had it all weekend long and we are excited to be going into race day feeling this confident. The car doesn’t know who is in the other lane whether it is dad, my brother-in-law, my best friend or someone you don’t like. It just doesn’t know the difference. That is how we race and especially when we race my dad. He talks so much and he is so involved and I have a very different style than him. I do my own thing. I do think he tries to mess with me. I don’t think he does it on purpose but he is constantly talking about everything to do with the runs. I want to tell him, ‘Dad you just do your thing you have been doing it for over 30 years. I’ll do my thing.’ Whoever has the best car will go on to the next round and most importantly whoever wins should go out and win the race.”

Jeg Coughlin earned the 17^th top qualifying spot in Pro Stock with his 6.592 at 208.97 to lead a strong field into Sundays eliminations. He will face Wesley Wells in the opening round on Sunday.

“It’s exciting to qualify No. 1 at any event, and in my career, there’s not been too too many No. 1 qualifying efforts but we’ve had great success. We’ll certainly take this No. 1 effort as it is. It’s a good effort,” said Coughlin.

Steve Johnson remained atop the Pro Stock Motorcycle heap for the first time in 15 years with his track record run of 6.929 at 193.60 from Friday evening.

“We sat out because we were No. 1 qualifier and we have a budge to deal with and we want to save parts,” said Johnson. “We’ve got a Vance & Hines engine that’s extremely strong. It’s a great engine, the best you can buy, but at the end of the day, we’ve only got one of them. The big focus now with the Full Throttle Series is just getting in the Countdown [to 1]. The reality for me is we’re No. 1 and this is so cool for our team.”

Raymond Commisso held on to the spot in Pro Modified with his 5.910 248.20 lap and defeated Rick Stivers in the opening round. Also, nitrous racer Rickie Smith upset the higher qualified points leader Von Smith in round one.

Friday

Top Fuel points leader Larry Dixon continued his stranglehold on the class, posting the quickest lap of the opening day of qualifying with a 3.780 at 320.43 to lead a strong field of cars on the grounds this weekend.

“That was a great run by the Al-Anabi team,” Dixon said. “You have to bring it on Friday night to get the pole or to even get close to it. We looked at the computer data after the run, and we definitely got all of it. There wasn’t much left. I’m still learning to drive this car. That was a really nice run. It’s normally a handful on really good runs. It had a lot of grip tonight, though.”

Ashley Force Hood piloted her Castrol GTX Mustang to the top spot in Funny Car with a track record lap of 4.023 at 311.99 miles per hour. Del Worsham also blasted to a track record speed of 313.15 in his Al-Anabi Toyota.

“The track really was perfect conditions, and everybody knew that going up there,” Force Hood said. “We were really excited that we got to run later in the pack, and we wanted to take advantage of it. It was our best run that we ever made. It felt really good. I am surprised that [Matt] Hagan (second, 4.043) and Robert [Hight] (fourth, 4.067) didn’t go around me. When I saw their flames going right down the track as we were towing back, I was like, ‘If they’re going all the way down, they’re doing it,’ but we managed to hang onto it.”

Ohio’s own Jeg Coughlin leads the Pro Stock contingent going into Saturday’s final qualifying rounds on the heels of a stellar 6.592 at 208.57 in the Jegs.com Chevy Cobalt. Coughlin leads a quick field of Pro Stock cars that could struggle in the warm conditions to unseat him from the top of the charts.

“We made some good runs today,” Coughlin said. “As the track was getting cooler and the sun was going down and that full moon was blaring its head out there, the crew chiefs were back in the pits changing the Pro Stock cars. You could hear the air wrenches flying and just a lot of changes for tonight. The key to tonight was keeping the car in the center of the groove, and really, that’s something we’ve struggled with with the car, but the last four or five races, we’ve got the car running extremely straight and pretty efficient. That was key tonight, and we were able to be the only car in the 6.5s, which was stellar.”

Steve Johnson was the surprise qualifying leader in Pro Stock Motorcycle on Friday with his track record 6.929 at 193.60.

“The conditions are awesome,” said Johnson. “We didn’t want to make another run because we’re on a major budget program and it was going to be hot, but with the situations that had been happening on the track, it got cooler and cooler and cooler, and it was like, ‘Hey, there’s probably going to be a better run,’ plus your first run isn’t going to be your best run. The track’s great, the weather conditions were better, and we had a good tune-up in the motorcycle to make a great run.”

Raymond Commisso charged to the top of the leaderboard in Pro Modified with a stout 5.919 at 248.20 lap in his ’68 Camaro.

I do feel fortunate to be the No. 1 qualifier,” Commisso said. “It will probably stay that way because the final round of qualifying will be in the sunshine so it shouldn’t be as quick. I know every time I step off the clutch in my racecar that I can go to the No. 1 spot. We have the horsepower and the people to get it done.”

John Force claimed his record 130th career win on Sunday at the 10th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway in Bristol, TN. In doing so, Force also regained the class points lead that he held early in the season before relinquishing it to teammate Robert Hight. Tony Schumacher returned to the Top Fuel winners circle, and Mike Edwards continued his stranglehold on Pro Stock with wins on Fathers Day after a sweltering hot weekend of action in Bristol.

Schumacher began his run to the final with a narrow defeat of part timer Dog Herbert in round one, 3.99 to 4.01 after Herbert got the jump at the tree. He then easily handled an up-in-smoke Morgan Lucas in round two to set the semifinal matchup with Cory McClenathan. Tony and Cory were welded together down the course in a great drag race, 3.97 to 3.99. With lane choice in the final, the U.S. Army team won their fourth even of the season with a 3.98 after Bernstein’s Copart dragster erupted in a fireball and slowed.

“That was an amazing deal, me, Dixon (98) and (Joe) Amato were all at 99 (final rounds) and only one guy’s getting to 100 first. To be the first to go to 100 finals in Top Fuel is just awesome,” said Schumacher.

Force kicked off eliminations with a defeat of Paul Lee in the opening stanza, and then disposed of Matt Hagan,s Diehard Charger in round two, 4.29 to 4.35. In the semifinals, he was paired with the Ford of bob Tasca III. Tasca hazed the tires early, giving Force a trip to the money round., where he would continue his consistency in the heat with a 4.31 that was never headed by Wilkerson after he banged the blower right at the hit.

“To get this win is really great. I’ll be honest, I was jacked up on so much Full Throttle I thought I was going to explode … oxygen, everything I could take just to keep up with the kids,” said the 61-year old Force, who left Bristol with a 58-point lead over teammate Robert Hight as he seeks to win his NHRA-record 15th championship. “I’m going to stay young and thank the fans who keep screaming and giving me the energy.”

What else is there to say about Mike Edwards? He collected his eight win of the season on Sunday with Rickie Jones’ red light in the final round. Edwards as vulnerable though, getting out of shape and lifting at half track. Edwards sat down Bob Yonke, Greg Stanfield, and Jeg Coughlin on his trip to the final round.

“(Bristol Dragway) is probably my favorite place to come race, just an awesome place. The fans … they’re just race fans, no matter what kind of racing it is, they’re race fans,” Edwards said. “It is my second time winning here and with so much heritage and tradition around here, this track and that big track over there, it’s just a real honor to come here and run good and win this race.”

Von smith won his second straight Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge event in his Barwa-backed ’68 Camaro, defeating Jay Payne in the final, 5.99 to 6.03. With the win, he holds a commanding 92 point lead in the series standings. Smith rode wins over Tony Pontieri, Rick Stivers, and Ray Commisso to the money round.

Saturday

Antron Brown held onto his 3.856-second provisional pole run from Friday to nail down his first top spot of the season going into Sundays eliminations. He will open Sundays action alongside Doug Kalitta.

Said Brown “the track today is as hot as it has been all weekend long, and it’s just tricky. That last run, it was actually spinning out there before the finish line, so it popped a little early, and we still went a 4-flat. I think if tomorrow we can run anywhere between a 3.97 to a 4-flat or 4.01, that’s what it’s going to take to win rounds tomorrow. I’ve got all the confidence in the world in my team, and when the weather gets like this, we can definitely get our car A to B. I feel confident for tomorrow, but we’ve just got to take it one round at a time.”

Ashley Force Hood also maintained her class best run set on Friday night as the heat prevented anyone from stepping up to overtake her benchmark, a 4151 at 296.70 MPH to lead Funny Car into Sunday for the second time in 2010. She will ace Jeff Diehl in the opening round.

“I think it’s going to be exciting for the fans (Sunday) because it’s going to be very unpredictable what’s going to happen. This is not a race that goes along on paper what you think is going to happen. I think people that either can recover from tire smoke and get their car down or even people that just get A to B are going to have the best shot at winning the race tomorrow, so obviously we’ll try to get A to B but if that doesn’t happen, I’ll do my best to pedal it and get it down there, but this is a very tricky track.”

Local Tennessean Allen Johnson has been steadily creeping up on the Mike Edwards juggernaut, and on Satursay, moved around Edwards in the heat to grab the Pro Stock pole position with a 6.722 at 205.10 MPH and will face Warren Johnson in the first round.

“It’s been awhile since we’ve had our whole family here, but this weekend, family, friends, employees, everybody is here and Dad (crew chief Roy Johnson) worked so hard and has for 20-something years at this. To come out here and do this, it’s just so emotional for me,” said Johnson.

Mike Castellana grabbed the top qualifying spot in Pro Modified behind the wheel of his Al-Anabi Racing ’68 Camaro with a 5.993 and led the list of opening round winners on Saturday afternoon, besting Joe Baker with a low-for-the-round 6.002.

Friday

Antron Brown set the pace in Top Fuel under the lights in Bristol valley, nailing down a 3.856 at 314.24 MPH to lead the field into Saturday’s final two round of qualifying. The hot forecast may play into Brown’s favor to hang on for his fourth number one qualifier of the season.

“We just want to keep on doing well and carry it into raceday,” Brown said.

Ashley Force Hood also grabbed the provisional pole in Funny Car on Friday night to open the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway with a 4.151 at 296.70 MPH.

“It’s always fun to run good on the Friday night session, but we all know that it won’t do us any good on Sunday other than position,” said Force Hood, who pilots the Castrol GTX Ford Mustang. “The conditions are not going to be anything like tonight. It’s fun to run in the night session and do well, but we’d be just as happy if we can get some good runs (Saturday) in the heat because that’s what’s going to help us on Sunday.”

Cruz Pedregon, Matt Hagan, Del Worsham, and Jack Beckman rounded out the top five.

Mike Edwards continued right where he finishes off on most weekends these days, at the top of the Pro Stock pack, with a 6.722 at 204.94 MPH that leads Kurt Johnson, Ron Krisher, Allen Johnson, and Johnny Gray.

“I think that battles between our team and A.J. for the No. 1 spot are what you’re going to see more often in the races to come,” Edwards said. “If Allen and Roy Johnson haven’t caught us, they certainly have closed the gap. A couple of other teams are gaining on us too, and I think that by the Countdown that there will be about four or five other cars that we’re going to have to contend with.”

Mike Castellana grabbed the early lead in Pro Modified qualifying – a rarity these days for a nitrous-equipped car – with a 5.993 at 241.10 MPH lap. Nipping at his heels with one round of qualifying remaining on Saturday are Jay Payne (5.998), Danny Rowe (5.999), and fellow nitrous racer Rickie Smith (6.006).

Photo Credit: Auto Imagery/NHRA

“Englishtown was my first race this year”, said Patrick. “We have been doing some dyno and R&D since December of last year. That’s when we first got parts and the body. We’ve been working pretty hard on it. We’ve had some setbacks with our R&D but we finally got the motors where they are making decent power and reliable so we brought them to the track.”

Patrick has been working with longtime engine builder Bob Ingles of J&B Performance and Carl Foltz of CFE Cylinder heads on the new Ford 500 inch Pro Stock program.

“I’m feeling pretty good about the program. We made four runs from A to B. This is on the sixth run with this engine in the car down the track. This is a brand new combination. We’re pretty pleased so far. We ran a 6.76 and I think a low 6.60 was in it. We’re going to go back, do more dyno work and get ready for Norwalk.”

In today’s NHRA Pro Stock class the cylinder heads are the critical part of any Pro Stock engine program and Patrick has teamed with CFE Racing Products who currently are considered the best cylinder head porter in the business, just ask 2009 NHRA Pro Stock Champion Mike Edwards.

Patrick is going to sit out the Bristol, Tennessee NHRA round this weekend and concentrate on a return at Norwalk, Ohio. “It’s more beneficial for us to miss Bristol and test then go to Norwalk and try to make the show”, said Patrick. “We have two motors completed right now. Between now and Norwalk, I’m going to skip Bristol, and I’m going to test with these two engines. We have a third motor that is going to be on the dyno next. We’re going to try to have all our guns loaded for Norwalk, go up there and try to qualify. If we do good and run close to the bump or get in, then we’re going to go out west and run the West Coast Swing.”

Patrick is a longtime Ford Pro Stock racer and is excited to see the new Ford Pro Stock parts finally become available. “When I raced in NHRA Pro Stock before, we used the equipment Bob Glidden developed,” recalled Patrick. “It wasn’t current; it was the older head and block. All the hard work that Mose Nowland has put in on this deal, it’s really starting to pay off. I know we have some good pieces. It’s going to take some time to catch these guys with us being out of the loop since 2003. It is going to take some time figuring the gearing out, but I think we’re getting close on the power. It’s just figuring the rest of it out.”

SOURCE

Ford Racing

Recently, E3 has proudly announced that they will be providing assistance toward the famous NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series which is racing in Bristol this Father’s Day weekend. E3’s contribution will allow anyone unable to make it to the event to view it on ESPN2 on Saturday, June 19th for qualifications at 7p.m. EST and Sunday, June 20th beginning at 4p.m. EST for final eliminations. Although this is not the first time E3 has sponsored an NHRA event, drivers, promoters, and fans still say they are gracious for the contribution.

Some of the other series’ E3 Spark Plugs helps with are the Hot Rod Power Tour, E3 Spark Plugs Monster Truck Series, Endurocross Motorcycles, the IHRA, Monster Jam, and the Car Craft Summer Nationals.

For all of the children reading, remember to do something special for this Father’s day. If you can, take him the the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Races. Can’t make it? Sit down with your “ol’ man” and enjoy the races on ESPN2.

For several years, the NHRA has been researching and acquiring data in an initiative to eventually slow down the nitro cars, curtail the amount and scope of catastrophic engine failures, and in turn reduce overall operating costs. Implementation and testing of these ideas has been ramped up in 2010 with two test sessions already conducted in an effort that many hope will lead to a return to full quarter mile racing.

Following up on the results of an earlier session at Gateway Raceway in St. Louis, the NHRA, along with John Force Racing and Don Schumacher Racing, conducted another round of testing on Monday following last weekends Route 66 Nationals in Joliet, IL. Three different concepts were put to the test: a 75-gallon fuel pump, a 413 cubic inch engine, and a restrictor plate on the inlet of the supercharger.

John Force utilized the 75gpm fuel pump on his Castrol GTX Mustang, running a best of 4.22 in his three laps down the Joliet track. Force tested an even smaller 60gpm pump at Gateway and could only muster mid 4-second laps to the 1,000 foot marker. Mike Neff also piloted a second JFR Mustang with Jimmy Prock turning the dials, with a 413-inch bullet between the framerails and sporting a 3.50:1 gear ratio. Neff didn’t make a complete pass in the car, but did net a stellar .909 60-foot clocking.

“We tested the NHRA new gear and engine combination,” said Prock. “We only made two attempts and it will take some time to evaluate what we saw.

It is in the early stages of evaluation and we are glad to help. This is something that the NHRA is looking into and they have invested in so they asked us to run it so they could look at the results.”

Antron Brown’s Matco Tools dragster – the first Top Fuel car to participate in the testing sessions – tested the much talked about restrictor plate concept, along with a smaller fuel pump. Brown managed a best of 3.89 at 304 MPH in two passes – only minutely slower than the cars performance sans the restrictor plate.

“We ran a 21.56 square inch plate on top of the blower (supercharger) that reduced the inlet size,” stated crew chief Brian Corradi. “We also ran a smaller fuel pump, backing it down 5 gpm at one point in the run and around 7 gpm at another point to compensate for less air going into the motor.  I’m not sure if it will run that well all the time, given we don’t have enough test runs or data after just two runs and only one at full pass. With that said, we were happy with the car’s performance as this combination didn’t hurt any parts. Our goal at DSR is to work with the NHRA and do what we can to make the sport as safe as possible.”

The NHRA will hold another test session at Bristol Dragway on Monday, June 21, following the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. Among the items on the slate for future testing will be a larger restrictor plate.

Special thanks to our event coverage sponsor Mickey Thompson.  Check their wheel and tire offerings at www.mickeythompsontires.com

Sunday Morning Update

a large crowd watches on as Dave Rieff and Mike Dunn broadcast "NHRA Raceday" live on ESPN leading into todays final eliminations.

Ashley Force Hood is undeniably a favorite amongst fans at any stop on the tour, and with her great success here at Atlanta - including her first professional win in 2008 - is a favorite to win here today she leads the field into eliminations as the top qualifier.

The always popular Jack Beckman will face Matt Hagan in the opening round of Funny Car today.

Troy Coughlin has run very well here this weekend, laying down a 5.99 in the heat of the final qualifying session and sitting down Dennis Radford in the opening stanza. The JEG's Camaro will face #1 qualifier Mike Janis in todays second round.

Round 1 Eliminations

Top Fuel

In a big upset, independent racer Pat Dakin took down Antron Brown on a holeshot at the stripe by a mere .002 second.

Perennial favorite Tony Schumacher advanced with a 3.928 defeat of Steve Torrence, whose engine expired in a big fireball at half track.

Cory McClenathan was out of the gate first against Shawn Langdon and never trailed, 3.89 to 4.00.

T.J Zizzo def. Bob Vandergriff

Morgan Lucas def. David Grubnic

Tony Schumacher def. Bobby Lagana Jr.

Doug Kalitta def. Terry Haddock

Brandon Bernstein def. Terry McMillen

Funny Car

Tony Pedregon won an exciting affair with Del Worsham, 4.52 to 4.58, as both drivers began to haze the tires on the top end and struggled to the stripe.

Ashley Force Hood advanced to the second round on a single as Jeff Diehl broke and was pushed away before staging.

Jack Beckman def. Matt Hagan

Robert Hight def. Melanie Troxel

Ron Capps def. Jim Head

Bob Tasca def. Jeff Arend

Tim Wilkerson def. Cruz Pedregon

John Force def. Bob Bode

Pro Stock

In a monster upset, the young Rickie Jones took down the Mike Edwards juggernaut on a holeshot that drew a raucous applause, 6.69 to 6.64.

Johnny Gray advanced with a defeat of Bob Yonke, 6.68 to 6.69.

Greg Anderson sent Steve Speiss home early with a stellar 6.66 to 6.70 count.

Kurt Johnson edged Shane Gray on a holeshot, 6.70 to 6.69 after an .096 to .106 advantage.

Greg Stanfield def. Jason Line

Jeg Coughlin def. Ronnie Humphrey

Allen Johnson def. Warren Johnson

V. Gainesdef. Ron Krisher

Pro Stock Motorcycle

Steve Johnson ran a great 6.96, his best of the weekend, to sent Shawn Gann's 6.99 packing.

Craig Treble advanced in a holeshot defeat of Eddie Krawiec's Harley Davidson, 7.0w to 7.01.

Hector Arana went low for the round in defeating Wesley Wells with a 6.956 at 192.03.

Michael Phillips def. LE Tonglet

Karen Stoffer def. Angie Smith

Matt Smith def. Jim Underdahl

Andrew Hines def. Mike Berry

David Hope def. Gary Moreno

Pro Modified Round 2 Eliminations

Rick Stivers moved on to the semifinals with a nice 6.01 while Danny Rowe made a move to the centerline and lifted.

Mike Janis finally got the track figured out after his opening 5.91 to take the pole, and outran Troy Coughlin in a great race to the stripe, 5.95 to 5.98.

Michael Gullqvist will race in the semifinals on the heels of 5.97 lap. Scott Ray was .055 red and lifted.

Von Smith def. Jay Payne

Semifinal Round Update

Pro Modified

Michael Gullqvist took out Von Smith and the al-Anabi team with a great 5.983 to 5.951 count, and will face Mike Janis in the final round.

Top Fuel

In a matchup of heavyweights, Larry Dixon defeated rival Tony Schumacher, 3.89 to a tire-hazing 4.33. Dixon will meet Brandon Bernstein in the final round.

Funny Car

Crew chief Jimmy Prock celebrates as Robert Hight takes down Jack Beckman, 4.19 to 4.24, to advance to the final where he will meet teammate Ashley Force Hood.

Pro Stock

Rickie Jones continued his amazing run this weekend, defeating avery late Johnny Gray and will race Jeg Coughlin in the money round.

Pro Stock Motorcycle

Hector Arana's son celebrates as Hector sits down heavy-hitter Matt Smith to advance to the final to meet Andrew Hines. Arana was dead late, but benefited from Smith's problems at mid track.

Final Round Eliminations

Pro Modified

Michael Gullqvist, who came all the way from Europe to drive the R2Bs Camaro for the very fist time this weekend, finished up an amazing weekend for that team by defeating Mike Janis in the final. 6.00 to 6.08.

And the crowd goes wild!

Pro Stock Motorycle

Andrew Hines defeated Hector Arana in a great final round matchup, running a 6.96 to Hector's slowing 7.04.

Pro Stock

Jeg Coughlin ended Rickie Jones' amazing run to the final, besting the kid with a 6.65 to 6.68 count after two nearly identical lights.

The win here at Atlanta marked Coughlin's 50th career victory in Pro Stock.

Funny Car

In a battle of Force Racing teammates, Robert Hight bested Ashley Force Hood, 4.18 to 4.25.

Top Fuel

Brandon Bernstein was oh-so-close to having a huge advantage on Larry Dixon in the final but was .003 red, handing the win to Dixon who ran a nice 3.91 at 311.49.

Yes it is a true Indy Pace Car convertible.

Taking a step aside from the crazy world heads up racing and take a look at one of the most competitive sides of drag racing. Stock and Super Stock are often associated with stock appearing, factory muscle cars that do huge wheelstands. These classes have produced some of the very best racers to ever hit the NHRA circuit like Dave Connoly and Jason Line. The Richardson family is another one of the greats that have graced the sport and we have recently found their legendary 1969 Camaro Indy Pace Car for sale on eBay.

Check out eBay for more unique racing memorbilia.

Edmond and Scotty Richardson are most likely two of the winningest drivers ever to compete in the NHRA sportsman ranks and now you to can own the Camaro that had taken them to two world championships. Aside from the championships the Camaro has won countless races and graced the pages of National Dragster too many times to count. Currently set up to run in Stock/Automatic with a small block Chevrolet under the hood this car could be a record holder at just about any track in the United States.

Owning a car with the prominence of this one with its two world championships is great but then look at the fact that this is a true Indy Pace Car convertible which makes it truly a rare piece in its own. It started life as a Z11 option 4-speed car and even has the original trim tag on the car. Don’t miss out on your chance to own a rare car in more ways than one or you could suit up and head to the track for a little NHRA Stock Eliminator competition and scare the competition when they think Edmond and Scotty Richardson have shown up.

Friday

On Friday, the Tournament of Champions took center stage in Rockingham as racers vied for the 2009 World Championships in their respective categories after waiting the entire winter for their shot at carrying the number one.  The IHRA altered the sportsman format in 2009, and competitors waited with high anticipation all season, only to see rain in October force the postponement of the race until 2010.

Seven drivers were left standing when the dust settled and were crowned champions following the inaugural winner-take-all Tournament of Champions.  Donny Urban (Top Dragster), Mike Koontz (Top Sportsman), Slate Cummings (Super Stock), Michael Beard (Stock),  Bo Upton (Quick Rod), Tommy Maedgen (Super Rod), and Keith Mayers (Hot Rod).

Friday’s Tournament of Champions recap at IHRA.com.

Saturday

Bruce Litton and Peter Gallen continued right where they left off at the last IHRA Nitro Jam event in Baton Rouge, LA with wins on Saturday evening in Rockingham.  In the Top Fuel final, Litton laid down a seasons-best 4.699 at 310.91 MPH to top second-time finalist Spencer Massey’s 4.828.

Prostalgia Funny Car again wow’ed the crowd on hand, as Gallen took his second straight win and made it 2-for-2 in final rounds, defeating Greg Jacobsmeyer with a stout 5.820 /240.64 to the slower 6.136.

In Pro Fuel, Michael Manners ran down Rich McPhillips after an .058 to .110 holeshot, running a 5.370/267.69 to a game 5.435/253.71.

Full Saturday Recap at IHRA.com.

Sunday

Litton and Gallen didn’t let up on their opposotion on Sunday, nor did Michael Manners in Pro Fuel, as all three swept their respective categories at “The Rock.”
Litton came out ahead in a rather ugly Top Fuel final.  Opponent bobby Lagana lost traction around half track, and Litton proceeded to toss the blower belt at the 1,000 foot marker, coasting across the line with a 5.56 at 181 MPH to Lagana’s 8.038 at 92 MPH.

Gallen once again marched through the Prostalgia Funny Car field handily, running  5.905 in the initial bout and a 5.897 at 236.26 MPH to take down Steve Nichols’ 6.221 214.38 in the final.

Pro Fuel saw Manners and McPhillips again face off for all the marbles, with Manners having to chase down McPhillips for the second time, but the .029 to .081 holeshot wasn’t enough to stop the “The Shredders” charge as the 5.393 264.18 easily handled the losing 5.598 236.22.

Full Sunday recap at IHRA.com.

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For full event results, be sure to visit NHRA.com.

Tony Schumacher, Robert Hight, Warren Johnson, and Michael Phillips collected wins at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals after a wild and wacky day of final eliminations at Gateway Int’l Raceway. It was Johnson’s first Pro Stock win in more than four years.

The seventh stop of the 23-race NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series was packed with upsets in both Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle and a busy day for Jeg Coughlin, who reached the final in both Pro Stock and Top Dragster. Coughlin was shooting for both his 50th career Pro Stock win and to become the first driver since Pat Austin in 1992 to win in both a Pro and Sportsman class at the same event; Austin accomplished the rare feat in Topeka in 1991 and in Phoenix in 1992, winning both in Top Fuel and Top Alcohol Funny Car.

Coughlin, at the wheel of brother John’s JEGS dragster, completed the first leg of his impressive quest by winning the Top Dragster final. Coughlin left little room for Mallori McCullar-Rodgers, cutting a .010 light and running a 6.600 — dead-on his dial – to force her to break out. It was Coughlin’s second Top Dragster win, on the heels of a win four years ago at the 2006 JEGS Cajun SPORTSnationals, and the 63rd of his career, but his milestone 50th Pro Stock win would have to wait as Coughlin’s Pro Stocker stunningly broke a rocker arm just off the line in the Pro Stock final against Johnson, who collected career win No. 97.

Warren Johnson

Johnson, the winningest driver in Pro Stock history, hadn’t been to a final round in almost three years — since the 2007 event in his Atlanta hometown – and hadn’t been to the winner’s circle in more than four – since the 2006 Phoenix event – and worked his way to the final round, the 151st of his career, in bizarre fashion. Not noted of late as a great starting-line driver, W.J. nonetheless beat Ron Krisher on a 6.68 to 6.66 holeshot in round one then got past trouble-plagued Allen Johnson in round two with a 6.69 to earn a semifinal date with the untouchable points leader, Mike Edwards, who had run 6.62 (low e.t. of the meet at the time) and 6.63 in the first two frames. Edwards’ Penhall Pontiac, however, would not fire for their semifinal duel, and a grateful Johnson soloed to the final round with a 6.66.

“Everybody I raced did something wrong and I was just cruising,” said Johnson who had just one round-win in six previous races this season. “I’ve had a few strokes of luck once in a while before but never three times in a row. That’s phenomenal. I guess I woke up on the right side of the bed this morning.

“I still realize that we’re not where we want to be, performance-wise. We’re down four or five hundredths, but we can fix that. Other racers have stepped up, but sooner or later we’ll get back on top. I had to rely on luck and other people’s mistakes. We’ll still take it. There is no such thing as a bad win.”

Independent of his sizzling five-round winning performance in Top Dragster, Coughlin’s JEGS Cobalt ran a steadily-improving string of runs, beating Erica Enders with a 6.66, Greg Anderson with a 6.63, and Greg Stanfield with a 6.607, low e.t. of the meet, in the semifinals to reach his 79th Pro Stock final and his second of the year following his victory in Houston as the prohibitive favorite against Johnson. Coughlin’s former teammate, Dave Connolly, was the last driver to come close to winning in both divisions, scoring a win in Super Comp and a runner-up in Pro Stock in Seattle in 2004.

The Top Fuel final featured a pair of second-generation drivers in Schumacher and Doug Kalitta who’ve spent their entire great careers in the class, but the win went easily to Schumacher, 3.84 to 4.04, to pull the reigning season champ to within 92 markers of the points lead.

“I was talking with Mike [Green, crew chief] in the lounge today and he said, ‘Every time we back it down, we get in trouble.’ He went for it and made some nice runs,” said Schumacher. “If you look back, a lot of these races are won in the second round and semifinals by putting up a stout run and keeping lane choice in the late rounds.

“We got beat in some really good races this year. It seems like our biggest hurdle is in the second round and we do pretty well after that. This was a great win. We outperformed everybody we raced and got a lucky break against Pat [Dakin, against whom he hazed the tires].”

It was a get-well weekend for defending world champ Schumacher, who entered the event languishing in fifth place with

Tony Schumacher

just one prior final-round appearance – a win in Gainesville – to his credit this season. “The Sarge” got the U.S. Army dragster back to the final – the 97th of his career – by defeating Scott Palmer, Dakin, and arch-rival Larry Dixon. In what was the 62nd meeting between the two world champs, Schumacher won for the 34th time and reached the final on the strength of a 3.86 to 3.93 conquest.

Kalitta reached his fourth final of the season and the 62nd of his career by wheeling the special-edition Rocky Boots dragster to early victories over Steve Torrence and Antron Brown – Brown had upset low qualifier Cory McClenathan in round one – then ending Brandon Bernstein’s second straight semifinal outing in the Copart dragster with a 3.92 that was punctuated by an engine-consuming fireball, making plenty of work for Kalitta Motorsports team prior to the final.

Hight, whose first Funny Car championship defense had gotten off to a tough start with just four round-wins in the first six events, picked a great event – one sponsored by the parent of his sponsor, the Automobile Club, to turn it around. Hight defeated Beckman for the Wally, the 15th of his career, on a 4.14 to 4.20 count and now sits sixth in points.

“It’s been an unbelievable week,” said Hight, who also threw out the first pitch Wednesday night before the Cardinals vs. Braves game at Busch Stadium. “The timing for this was perfect. I wanted to come here and win and give a trophy to the folks at AAA of Missouri. They have supported us all along but I’ve never had much luck here.

“We’re starting to turn it around. We’re not that far off. John [Force] has been killing them and we duplicated his car. Actually he duplicated mine. We just had a lot of little things go wrong. We stayed here real late last night and went back to our old combination from two three years ago and it worked.”

Robert Hight

Hight’s Automobile Club of Southern California Mustang zipped past Dale Creasy Jr., boss John Force, and Ron Capps with a improving sting of 4.23, 4.16, and 4.15 to reach the final, the 27th of his career.

Beckman, a winner earlier this year in Phoenix with the Valvoline/MTS Charger, got back to the final, the 19th of his Funny Car career, by trailering Tony Pedregon, homestate favorite Tim Wilkerson, and Gainesville runner-up Bob Tasca III with a trio of 4.2-second passes. Beckman now sits in third place but could have gone to second with a final-round win.

After a day of upsets, the Pro Stock Motorcycle final pitted Phillips against first-time finalist LE Tonglet, but it was Phillips who collected career win No. 4, using a 6.92 to drive around Tonglet’s clutch .001 reaction time and 7.00 in what was the first all-Suzuki final round since the 2006 Reading event.

“It is my best performance,” said Phillips. “Rodger [Brogdon] bought me a new engine and that’s big. On the first couple of runs I didn’t get a handle on it. Craig Treble sent me a clutch but I wasn’t going to use it but after I made a couple runs in qualifying, I decided to put it in. After a couple of passes I got it tuned.

“LE’s motorcycle is my old bike. That’s the one that Eddie Murphy rode. I told him I can’t let you beat me on my old piece. That kid didn’t cut me any slack. He’s a good rider and he’s gonna be tough. Now that the Suzuki guys have bigger engines, it’s going to be real competitive this year. It’s not just going to be the V-Rods and the Buell’s. Now, we can all make a statement.”

Phillips wheeled his The Racers Edge Suzuki to his 10th career final and his second of the year – he finished third in the Four-Wide Nationals final but, as such, did not receive runner-up status – by racing past David Hope and former world champs Matt Smith and Eddie Krawiec with runs of 6.98, 6.97, and a 6.94 that earned his final-round lane choice against Tonglet.

Tonglet, a 20-year-old second-generation racer from Louisiana following in the footsteps of his father, Gary, and older brother GT, reached his first final aboard the family Suzuki at the same event where GT won his first event, in 2001. Tonglet reached the money round with a trio of stunning upsets, racing past world champ Andrew Hines – former Harley-Davidson teammate of GT Tonglet – who red-lighted with a -.003 in round one, and Tonglet followed with his second straight 7.02 to beat 2009 rookie of the year finalist Doug Horne in round two. Reigning world champ Hector Arana had Tonglet firmly in his sights but even a superlative 6.92 couldn’t compensate for a tardy .103 reaction time and Tonglet scampered in to the final on the strength of his best run of eliminations, a 6.97.

Pro Stock racer Rodger Brogdon emerged uninjured after a spectacular first-round crash in his Kent Services & Trucking/The Racers Edge Pontiac. Brogdon, the No. 2 qualifier, lost the handle on the car, rolled it, and struck the wall at the 1,000-foot mark, igniting a fire. NHRA safety regulations and the quick action of the NHRA Safety Safari presented by AAA were crucial in Brogdon’s safe exit from the car.

Von Smith captured the win in the Get Screened America Pro Mod final round, powering his ’68 Camaro to a 5.93 to beat Dennis Radford’s ‘70 Duster.

Defending event champ Jeff Taylor went back to back to collect career win No. 41 in Super Stock, defeating Jimbo Fields in the final, while Bobby Brannon collected career win No. 2 in Stock with his B/SA ‘69 Camaro on Kevin Cradduck’s foul.

Bob Fuller scored his fourth career win by defeating Tommy Phillips in the Super Comp final, while Super Gas honors went to Jerry Duke in a double-breakout final-round battle with Scott Vandewalker. IHRA hitter Marco Abruzzi defeated Rich Smith in the Top Sportsman final for his first NHRA event win.

by Kevin McKenna, National DRAGSTER Senior Editor

The qualifying lead changed in Top Fuel Saturday at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals in Madison as points leader Cory McClenathan vaulted to the top spot with a 3.815 from his FRAM dragster. The lead also changed hands in Pro Stock Motorcycle as Hector Arana went around Friday’s leader Craig Treble to lead the Pro Stock Motorcycle class. The top spot in Funny Car did not change as John Force’s 4.10-second run from Friday held as low elapsed time while Mike Edwards claimed another pole in Pro Stock, although he needed a strong effort on Saturday afternoon in order to do it.

Following the severe thunderstorms that forced the cancellation of most of Friday’s second Pro qualifying session, Saturday dawned warm and sunny in Madison and the hearty crowd was able to take in a full day of on-track action.

McClenathan was the star of the show during Top Fuel qualifying, posting a 3.815 Saturday morning that nudged his teammate, Tony Schumacher, from the top spot. McClenathan has now qualified in the top spot 36 times in his career, including three this season following his similar efforts in Pomona and Charlotte.

“On our No. 1 run it was on a string,” said McClenathan. “We had good conditions and everything went right. I shut it off at 900 feet so I was surprised it ran that quick. As the day went on, conditions changed and it got tricky. We didn’t see any really good runs in the left lane and had to abort the last run. The hardest thing is that going into tomorrow we’ve only had a few good runs. If it is cool and cloudy, we can run another [3.]81, but if it’s hot and sunny, we need to back off a little. In a day’s time, we have seen it all as far as weather. I’d like to see some clouds tomorrow but we have to adapt to it.

McClenathan’s Don Schumacher Racing teammate Antron Antron Brown struggled in qualifying with his Matco Tools dragster as the defending event champ did not complete a full run and ended up on the bump spot with a 4.48 and will be McClenathan’s first-round opponent,

“It’s tough when you fall on the same side of ladder as Antron but it will be a good drag race either way. It’s kind of tough because we are all trying to chase points and trying to do the best job we can for our sponsors and Don Schumacher Racing. Tomorrow, the exchange of information will end and we’ll go slug it out.”

Schumacher remained in the second spot with his U.S. Army dragster while Larry Dixon and Dave Grubnic are third and fourth with runs of 3.86 and 3.89, respectively. Schumacher will race Scott Palmer in round one while Dixon squares off against Luigi Novelli and Grubnic will face Terry Haddock.

The lone non-qualifier in Top Fuel was legend Chris ‘the Greek” Karamesines, who was celebrating the 50th anniversary of his controversially historic 200-mph pass, which occurred in Alton, Ill., not far from Gateway Int’l Raceway.

Very little changed in the Funny Car class as John Force held on to the top spot with Friday’s 4.10 run although his daughter, Ashley Force-Hood moved to second following a 4.123 run, the best pass of the day. John will face Justin Schriefer in round one while Force-Hood will meet Jeff Diehl.

“My run last night was really good in the cool air,” said Force, who has now qualified in the top spot 134 times and is just four short of Warren Johnson’s NHRA record of 138. “When we put that 4.10 on the board it was good but I think Ashley was more impressive with that 4.12 today. That’s the car to beat. I’m struggling in the heat but I have a good hot rod so I can race.

“They let me keep my job but for the last two years when it looked like I forgot how to race,” Force continued. “Mike Neff [in his role as a crew chief] has got everyone excited. I think a little bit of change don’t hurt. I’m not saying its working for [President] Obama but it works for me. When one gets in trouble we help each other and that’s how it works. The bottom line; I have to win on Sunday but it’s gonna be tricky. It’s supposed to be cooler but we have to watch the conditions.”

“Fast Jack” Beckman is solidly in the third spot with a 4.18 in his Mail Terminal Services/Valvoline Dodge while DSR teammate Ron Capps is fourth with a 4.19 and Al-Anabi’s Del Worsham is fifth quickest with a 4.21. The rest of the top-half qualifiers are Paul Lee, Bob Tasca III, and Dale Creasy, who is starting in the top half of the field for the first time since the 2002 Denver event.

Mike Edwards

Edwards grabbed the lead in Pro Stock for the 15th time in the last 16 events with a demoralizing 6.640 Saturday afternoon that trumped the 6.644 of Rodger Brogdon, who was seeking to lead the field for the first time in his career. Edwards, who currently has a 266-point lead over Allen Johnson, will take his Penhall Pontiac up against the Kendall Dodge of V. Gaines when the first round of eliminations gets underway tomorrow. Edwards has now qualified in the top spot 28 times during his career.

“We had some misfortune this morning so we came back and regrouped,” said Edwards. “We put in a new K&N filter and a fresh Interstate battery and it worked. Seriously, we just didn’t make the right choice on our tune-up this morning but this afternoon’s run was much better.

“Everybody has been saying that I’ve been dominating but if you look at the back half numbers, our performance is not much different than the rest of the field. We’ve just been making good runs and that’s why we’ve been beating them. There are a lot of good cars out here and it’s really really close. That’s what our fans come out to see. [No. 1 at 6 of 7 races] is a good start. My hat is off to my guys, and to K&N Filters for putting up the bonus money. My team has been together for three and a half years, and we’re all pulling the rope from one end.”

Brogdon, who had never been qualified higher than No. 3 in his brief Pro Stock career, but had to settle for second place. Five-time world champ Jeg Coughlin was not qualified heading into the final session but delivered a strong effort with a 6.647 that was good for the No. 3 spot, just ahead of Mopar driver Allen Johnson, who posted a 6.653 for fourth. After much shuffling late Saturday, V. Gaines ended up on the bump spot with a 6.686 best. The entire field Pro Stock is separated by just .046-second, setting up a highly competitive battle during Sunday’s final eliminations.

The biggest shocker of the weekend came in the Pro Stock class as former champion Jason Line missed the field for the first time in 150 previous events. With 27 entries on the grounds, Line wasn’t the only Pro Stock driver who left Gateway Int’l Raceway disappointed Saturday night as Larry Morgan, Vinnie Deceglie, and Phoenix runner-up Bob Yonke also missed the cut.

There are several intriguing match-ups set for Sunday including a pair of father-son races. Warren and Kurt Johnson will race for the 67th time while Johnny Gary will be paired with his son, Shane, for the first time.

Arana, the reigning NHRA Full Throttle champ, captured his 11th career pole after posting the best elapsed time of the weekend with a 6.905 aboard his Lucas Oil Buell. Arana also ran a 6.98 Saturday afternoon and will be paired with Angie Smith’s Coffman Truck Tanks Buell when final eliminations begin tomorrow.

“This track is awesome on the starting line and I had a hard time getting the right combination,” said Arana, who also led the field at the most recent event at Houston Raceway Park. “I knew if I could get it today that we’d be okay. I dropped the clutch and the rpm came up quickly so I knew it was a good run. Then [the track crew] gave me the No. 1 sign and I knew I was the quickest.

“To keep this bike running strong is a dream come true for me,” Arana continued. “I can’t ask for anything more. The only help that I have this weekend is my two boys, Hector Jr. and Adam. One of them reads track and the other helps me [start] the bike. It’s pretty much just the three of us. So far it’s looking good but I know we have to start doing some R&D in order to keep qualifying at the top. I’m waiting for a break so I can devote some time to finding horsepower. I have been to two finals this year but it’s time to get some wins.”

Friday leader Craig Treble slid to second with his earlier 6.90 despite destroying an engine during Saturday’s first session. Treble and his Valvoline team were able to get the bike repaired in time to make the second run, but slowed to a 7.03.

All told, 10 riders qualified in the six-second zone, including former champs Matt Smith and Andrew Hines, who are third and fourth, respectively. Smith posted a 6.932 while Hines, the 2008 Madison champ, made the quickest run during Saturday’s second session with a 6.937 effort.

Current NHRA elapsed time record holder Karen Stoffer is also solidly in the field with a fifth-best 6.94 from her GEICO Powersports Suzuki with Michael Phillips (6.95), Eddie Krawiec (6.96), and Jim Underdahl rounding out the top half of the field.

Top Fuel Dragster:

Psn  Driver               Vehicle                            ET   Speed
   1. Cory McClenathan     Fram Tough Guard Dragster       3.815  305.63
   2. Tony Schumacher      U.S. Army Dragster              3.829  318.62
   3. Larry Dixon          Al-Anabi Racing Dragster        3.861  314.83
   4. David Grubnic        Kalitta Air Dragster            3.896  310.55
   5. Brandon Bernstein    Copart/Lucas Oil Dragster       3.903  307.09
   6. Morgan Lucas         Geico Powersport/ Lucas Oil Dr  3.918  307.30
   7. Terry McMillen       Amalie Oil Dragster             3.931  300.06
   8. Doug Kalitta         Rocky Boots Dragster            3.939  305.22
   9. Steve Torrence       Simple Mobile Dragster          3.972  292.52
  10. Pat Dakin            Commercial Metal Fabrications   3.994  285.11
  11. Troy Buff            Bill Miller Racing/Okuma Drags  4.005  281.19
  12. Shawn Langdon        Lucas Oil/Speedco Dragster      4.072  295.08
  13. Terry Haddock        Dragster                        4.082  241.50
  14. Luigi Novelli        National Machine Repair Dragst  4.091  290.44
  15. Scott Palmer         Tigerflow Dragster              4.236  264.75
  16. Antron Brown         Matco Tools Dragster            4.688  206.20
          --------- Not Qualified ---------
  17. Chris Karamesines    Strange/Impact Dragster         6.114  106.11

Funny Car:

Psn  Driver               Vehicle                            ET   Speed
   1. John Force           Castrol GTX Mustang             4.103@ 307.23&
   2. Ashley Force Hood    Castrol GTX Mustang             4.123  298.60
   3. Jack Beckman         Valvoline/MTS Charger           4.182  298.01
   4. Ron Capps            NAPA Auto Parts Charger         4.197  297.02
   5. Del Worsham          Al-Anabi Racing Solara          4.218  293.60
   6. Paul Lee             Jim Dunn/Canidae/Lucas Oil Imp  4.250  292.39
   7. Bob Tasca III        Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang   4.260  281.83
   8. Dale Creasy Jr.      Tek Pak Inc. Impala             4.299  286.44
   9. Robert Hight         AAA of So. Cal Mustang          4.323  282.01
  10. Cruz Pedregon        Snap-On Solara                  4.399  253.28
  11. Tim Wilkerson        Levi, Ray & Shoup Mustang       4.415  247.25
  12. Matt Hagan           DieHard Charger                 4.418  267.06
  13. Jeff Arend           DHL Solara                      4.446  213.20
  14. Tony Pedregon        Herzog Impala                   7.405   75.70
  15. Jeff Diehl           Rimz One Monte Carlo            8.180   83.09
  16. Justin Schriefer     Creasy Family Camaro           15.222   74.85

Pro Stock:

Psn  Driver               Vehicle                            ET   Speed
   1. Mike Edwards         Penhall/K&N/Interstae GXP       6.640  207.82
   2. Rodger Brogdon       Kent Services & Trucking GXP    6.644  208.01
   3. Jeg Coughlin         Jegs.com Cobalt                 6.647  207.75
   4. Allen Johnson        Mopar/J & J Racing Avenger      6.653  208.55
   5. Ron Krisher          Valvoline Cobalt                6.659  207.21
   6. Greg Anderson        Summit Racing Equipment GXP     6.660  207.75
   7. Greg Stanfield       Nitrofish GXP                   6.665  206.89
   8. Rickie Jones         Elite GXP                       6.673  206.39
   9. Johnny Gray          NTB GXP                         6.675  206.48
  10. Shane Gray           Tire Kingdom GXP                6.678  206.73
  11. Kurt Johnson         Mark Christopher Cobalt         6.681  206.48
  12. Warren Johnson       K&N Filters GXP                 6.684  207.27
  13. Ronnie Humphrey      Pro Stock Grills/THM GXP        6.685  207.59
  14. Erica Enders         Mustang                         6.685  206.48
  15. Justin Humphreys     RaceRedi Motorsports GXP        6.685  205.88
  16. V. Gaines            Kendall Oil Avenger             6.686  207.15
          --------- Not Qualified ---------
  17. Steve Spiess         Billet Specialties Cobalt       6.688  206.23
  18. Bob Yonke            Adrenaline Motorsports GXP      6.695  206.76
  19. Jason Line           Summit Racing Equipment GXP     6.701  207.34
  20. Larry Morgan         Lucas Oil/Summit Mustang        6.705  206.45
  21. Vinnie Deceglie      Mountain View Tire Avenger      6.706  207.27
  22. Steve Schmidt        Schmidt Competition Engines Co  6.729  205.38
  23. John Nobile          Nobile Racing Mustang           6.744  204.63
  24. Dave River           River Racing Cobalt             6.823  201.97
  25. John Gaydosh Jr      Gaydosh Performance GTO         6.865  200.74
  26. Mark Hogan           EMSI Inc. GTO                   6.930  204.82
  27. Danny Gruninger      Cunnningham Racing Mustang     11.656  204.76

For full event results, be sure to visit NHRA.com.

Rain threatened to interrupt the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals for most of the day but held off long enough to allow the professional fields at Gateway Int’l Raceway to begin to take shape. One full round of qualifying was completed for competitors in all four NHRA Full Throttle Pro classes and rain hit midway through the second Pro Stock session before activities were halted for the evening based on the less-than-favorable forecast for the rest of the evening.

Tony Schumacher

Tony Schumacher, John Force, Mike Edwards, and Craig Treble will head into Saturday as the provisional low qualifiers in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle, respectively. Of the four, only Treble got in two passes on the day. Qualifying resumes Saturday with the final two qualifying sessions at this, the seventh event of the 23-race 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, to set the fields for Sunday’s final eliminations.

Just four Top Fuel dragsters posted three-second runs on Friday but Schumacher was able to put nearly a tenth on No. 2 qualifier Brandon Bernstein with a stout 3.82 from his Mike Green-tuned U.S. Army dragster. If he were to remain in the top spot, it would mark Schumacher’s first low qualifier at Gateway Int’l Raceway.

“That was an outstanding run by the U.S. Army team,” said Schumacher. “The car left great and we shot right through the shake zone. I didn’t know the number, but I felt like it was a pretty good lap.

“It’s only one run, but it looks like the test we had right after the Las Vegas race is producing the kind of results we wanted. We tried a lot of things to try and get the car to run consistently. We need to go some rounds this weekend to try and turn this thing around. Before too long, we’ll start moving up in the standings.”

Bernstein, who celebrated the birth of his daughter, earlier this week, is currently No. 2 with a 3.90 while Morgan Lucas and Doug Kalitta are also solidly in the show with runs of 3.91 and 3.92 respectively.

John Force

Force, who has already qualified in the top spot at two events this season, is on track for a third after a 4.10 in his Castrol Mustang. Force’s run was especially impressive as on other driver in Funny Car ran quicker than 4.26. Like Schumacher, Force has also never qualified No. 1 in Madison.

“We learned how to run on good tracks with cool air and we have learned how to run in the hot air,” said Force. “We are also able to learn from the other two [John Force Racing] Mustangs. I watched Robert [Hight] go out and spin his tires and then saw Ashley [Force-Hood] do almost the same thing.

“[Crew chiefs] Mike Neff, Austin Coil and Bernie Fedderly got together and made some adjustments on my Castrol hot rod. Getting everyone in the top half of the ladder when you have weather coming in is important.”

Ron Capps is currently No. 2 with a 4.26 while Del Worsham (4.27), Paul Lee (4.34), Jack Beckman (4.36) and Cruz Pedregon (4.39) are the only other drivers to make anything resembling a competitive run during Friday’s lone session. Bob Tasca III, Tony Pedregon, and Jeff Diehl are currently not among the top 12 qualifiers.

The broken record that has become Pro Stock qualifying did not skip a beat as Edwards once again showed the way with a

Mike Edwards

6.64. Edwards has been the low qualifier at 13 of the last 14 events dating back to the middle of the 2009 season. In Madison, Edwards wheeled his Penhall Pontiac to a 6.64 in the opening round and although he was one of six drivers who did not get to run the second session, he remained in the top spot.

Allen Johnson, who earlier boasted that his Mopar team has closed the gap on Edwards, stated his case with a 6.661 that is currently good for the second spot.

Like Edwards, he did not get to complete his second run before the rains hit. Ron Krisher, Johnny Gray, Shane Gray, V. Gaines, Greg Stanfield and Ronnie Humphrey round out the top eight.

Justin Humphreys currently holds down the No. 12 spot with a 6.709 and the long list of drivers who will have to make the field on Saturday includes former world champions Jeg Coughlin, Jason Line, and Warren Johnson.

Treble, in his first full season aboard Don Schumacher’s Valvoline Suzuki, could grab his first No. 1 qualifier award since the 2003 Auto Club Finals if his 6.90 can hold up through Saturday’s two scheduled qualifying rounds. Treble opened qualifying with a 6.92 and then became one of the few riders to improve his elapsed time under the lights Friday night.

“Conditions are lacking. It’s real wet but have a stout tailwind so that helped,” said Treble. “I can’t say enough about [crew chief] Steve Tartaglia. I don’t want to say we’re flopping around, but we are certainly not on our A-game. We have to get used to a new [engine] combination. We knew this bike would be stout, and Steve has slowly but surely snuck up on it. This bike is a pleasure to ride.

“Actually, I could have ridden better on that [6.90] pass. I short shifted the 1-2. I’m still learning how to ride it the way

Craig Treble

it’s supposed to be ridden. I guess I’m happy because this team got put together in February. I was gonna go work construction in Phoenix when Don Schumacher called me and I wasn’t going to say no to him. At the same time, we got a big increase for the Suzuki engines. We also had to put our rig together, and order parts. We didn’t do any testing until after Houston. Steve is still not concerned about rotating the earth. He’s just trying to get it down the track.”

Former national champ and past Gateway winner Matt Smith piloted his Al-Anabi Buell to a 6.94 for the second spot while reigning champ Hector Arana is third with a 6.96. After two runs, there are eight riders in the six-second zone and the 12-bike bump spot is an impressive 7.03 by Douglas Horne.

Competitors in the Get Screened America Pro Mod Series completed both of their scheduled qualifying sessions and Houston champion Danny Rowe is the provisional low qualifier with a 5.955 from his Sterling Bridge/Hottinger Group Camaro. Three other drivers — Jay Payne, Mike Janis, and Brad Personett — are also qualified in the five-second zone. The current bump is held by Houston runner-up Melanie Troxel with a 6.137 from her In-N-Out Burger Corvette. Pro Mod racers are scheduled to receive one additional qualifying run tomorrow morning before moving to eliminations later Saturday afternoon.

Top Fuel Funny Car-
Psn  Driver               Vehicle                            ET   Speed
   1. Tony Schumacher      U.S. Army Dragster              3.829  318.62
   2. Brandon Bernstein    Copart/Lucas Oil Dragster       3.903  307.09
   3. Morgan Lucas         Geico Powersport/ Lucas Oil Dr  3.918  307.30
   4. Doug Kalitta         Kalitta Air Dragster            3.939  304.53
   5. Luigi Novelli        National Machine Repair Dragst  4.156  288.70
   6. Pat Dakin            Commercial Metal Fabrications   4.643  233.03
   7. Larry Dixon          Al-Anabi Racing Dragster        4.927  148.41
   8. Cory McClenathan     Fram Tough Guard Dragster       5.475  121.27
   9. Shawn Langdon        Lucas Oil/Speedco Dragster      6.729   89.88
  10. David Grubnic        Kalitta Motorsports Dragster    6.750   90.06
  11. Chris Karamesines    Strange/Impact Dragster         6.784   88.97
  12. Antron Brown         Matco Tools Dragster            7.157   88.55
          --------- Not Qualified ---------
  13. Terry Haddock        Dragster                        7.465   93.11
  14. Terry McMillen       Amalie Oil Dragster             8.668   74.70
  15. Troy Buff            Bill Miller Racing/Okuma Drags 10.926   77.92 

Top Fuel Funny Car-

Psn  Driver               Vehicle                            ET   Speed

1. John Force           Castrol GTX Mustang             4.103  307.23

2. Ron Capps            NAPA Auto Parts Charger         4.262  297.02

3. Del Worsham          Al-Anabi Racing Solara          4.274  293.60

4. Paul Lee             Jim Dunn/Canidae/Lucas Oil Imp  4.343  274.72

5. Jack Beckman         Valvoline/MTS Charger           4.364  298.01

6. Cruz Pedregon        Snap-On Solara                  4.399  253.28

7. Robert Hight         AAA of So. Cal Mustang          4.581  184.47

8. Ashley Force Hood    Castrol GTX Mustang             4.640  186.36

9. Jeff Arend           DHL Solara                      4.641  186.18

10. Tim Wilkerson        Levi, Ray & Shoup Mustang       7.970   85.47

11. Matt Hagan           DieHard Charger                 8.409   79.54

12. Dale Creasy Jr.      Tek Pak Inc. Impala             8.625   77.60

--------- Not Qualified ---------

13. Bob Tasca III        Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang   8.684   75.79

14. Tony Pedregon        Herzog Impala                   9.756   47.22

15. Jeff Diehl           Rimz One Monte Carlo           21.461   52.97

Pro Stock-

Psn  Driver               Vehicle                            ET   Speed
   1. Mike Edwards         Penhall/K&N/Interstae GXP       6.644  207.75
   2. Allen Johnson        Mopar/J & J Racing Avenger      6.661  208.55
   3. Ron Krisher          Valvoline Cobalt                6.684  206.51
   4. Johnny Gray          NTB GXP                         6.694  206.32
   5. Shane Gray           Tire Kingdom GXP                6.695  206.39
   6. V. Gaines            Kendall Oil Avenger             6.696  206.73
   7. Greg Stanfield       Nitrofish GXP                   6.696  205.79
   8. Ronnie Humphrey      Pro Stock Grills/THM GXP        6.698  206.20
   9. Kurt Johnson         Mark Christopher Cobalt         6.699  206.45
  10. Rodger Brogdon       Kent Services & Trucking GXP    6.701  207.40
  11. Greg Anderson        Summit Racing Equipment GXP     6.705  206.26
  12. Justin Humphreys     RaceRedi Motorsports GXP        6.709  205.26
          --------- Not Qualified ---------
  13. Jeg Coughlin         Jegs.com Cobalt                 6.712  207.75
  14. Vinnie Deceglie      Mountain View Tire Avenger      6.712  207.27
  15. Rickie Jones         Elite GXP                       6.712  205.98
  16. Erica Enders         Mustang                         6.715  206.26
  17. Jason Line           Summit Racing Equipment GXP     6.716  206.61
  18. Steve Spiess         Billet Specialties Cobalt       6.717  205.91
  19. Larry Morgan         Lucas Oil/Summit Mustang        6.718  205.47
  20. Bob Yonke            Adrenaline Motorsports GXP      6.735  205.51
  21. Warren Johnson       K&N Filters GXP                 6.736  206.04
  22. Steve Schmidt        Schmidt Competition Engines Co  6.757  204.51
  23. John Nobile          Nobile Racing Mustang           6.762  204.14
  24. Mark Hogan           EMSI Inc. GTO                   6.763  204.82
  25. Danny Gruninger      Cunnningham Racing Mustang      6.763  204.76
  26. John Gaydosh Jr      Gaydosh Performance GTO         6.866  200.53
  27. Dave River           River Racing Cobalt             6.893  198.03

Release from NHRA:

For the last 13 seasons, Gateway Int’l Raceway has been Larry Dixon’s own personal Bermuda Triangle on the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series circuit.

His racing history at the multipurpose motorsports complex just across the Mississippi River from the famed St. Louis Arch is at best an unexplained mystery.

Dixon’s highly decorated NHRA Top Fuel career includes 51 victories and two world-championship titles. His name is in the record book for a significant accomplishment at every track on the NHRA schedule except one.

Dixon has never won, posted a runner-up finish, or claimed a No. 1 qualifying position at GIR. In fact, his best finish there is a semifinal effort. He has qualified No. 2 once, but his average qualifying position is seventh. He posted a rare DNQ in 2002, the year he won his first series crown. His 13-year winning percentage at GIR is a mind-blowing .478 (11-12).

For stats geeks, palm readers, and highly superstitious people, this is really neat stuff.

For Dixon, who has always been great at keeping a proper perspective, GIR is just another track that he needs to conquer. He’ll try once more at the 14th annual AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals, April 30-May 2. Antron Brown (Top Fuel), Del Worsham (Funny Car), Jeg Coughlin Jr. (Pro Stock), and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are the defending winners of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event, which will be televised on ESPN2HD.

“Dale Earnhardt went to Daytona a bunch of times before he won the Daytona 500,” Dixon said. “He didn’t give up, and the Al-Anabi team won’t either.”

Dixon refuses to get all caught up in the mystical analysis of why he hasn’t hoisted a Wally in GIR’s winner’s circle. Or why he has never visited the track’s media center for a post-race interview.

That’s not his department. His specialty is driving a race car, and he knows he has a very good one in his Jason McCulloch-tuned Al-Anabi Racing dragster that has posted back-to-back wins, in Houston and Las Vegas, at the last two NHRA Full Throttle Series events.

Could this season finally be Dixon’s time to shine at GIR?

“It’s not at all frustrating not to have won in St. Louis,” Dixon said. “I don’t feel like I’ve had bad luck there or anything; it’s just that one thing or another has gone wrong to prevent us from winning there. We’ll go into St. Louis, do our best, and try to close the deal.”

Not only does he head to GIR riding a two-race winning streak, but he also comes into the seventh race of the season as the series leader. He moved one point ahead of longtime rival and good buddy Cory McClenathan in the points standings with his Las Vegas victory. Seven-time defending world champ Tony Schumacher, a resurgent Doug Kalitta, and a very hungry Brown are some of the others who have indicated that they intend to be major players in the championship hunt this fall.

“The Top Fuel points battle isn’t just one or two teams,” Dixon said. “There are several very good cars that are in the mix so far this season, and it’s exciting to be one of them. We have to play hard every round; there are no easy rounds … you have to be prepared for a battle every time you go to the starting line.”

At the last two races, Dixon moved into the points lead by taking out leader McClenathan in head-to-head meetings. In Houston, Dixon beat McClenathan in the semifinals, and in Vegas, the two faced off in the final round. Dixon expects to see a lot more of his old friend this year, given that McClenathan’s Fram dragster has performed like the world’s quickest bracket car all season.

“I like racing Cory, and Cory likes racing me … he’s told me that,” Dixon said. “Nobody plays any games. We go up there and do our thing. We both do our best on the line, and we let the cars do the talking. It’s just nice to race somebody like that that you have a lot of respect for. He’s one of the guys I looked at when I started driving. Both of us are fighting for a championship this year, so it’s fun to be a part of that.”

In Funny Car, 14-time world champ John Force has turned back the clock to post three victories and lead the standings in the 7,000-horsepower category in his Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang. Matt Hagan may not have earned rookie of the year honors last year, but the sophomore driver is turning heads in his DieHard Dodge Charger this season with strong performances, including his first career victory in Houston. Other pre-race favorites include defending series champ Robert Hight, who is hoping to turn his season around in the Auto Club Mustang, and Ashley Force Hood, who has moved to third in the points standings after a slow start in her Castrol GTX Mustang.

Defending world champ Mike Edwards has continued his domination in Pro Stock this season and opened a big lead in the points standings with four wins in his Penhall/Interstate Batteries Pontiac GXP. Allen Johnson, Greg Anderson, Jason Line, Greg Stanfield, and Ron Krisher are a few of the other favorites in the 200-mph class.

Series leader Hector Arana is going for back-to-back world titles aboard his Lucas Oil Buell in Pro Stock Motorcycle competition; however, the Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson team of Houston winner Andrew Hines and Gainesville winner Krawiec are hot on his trail. Others to watch in the two-wheel division include Charlotte winner Matt Smith, Karen Stoffer, Craig Treble, and Michael Phillips.

• SCHEDULE: Full Throttle Series qualifying sessions are scheduled for 3:15 and 5:45 p.m. April 30 and 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. May 1. Final eliminations begin at 11 a.m. May 2.

• TICKETS: Tickets are available for the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals. For tickets, call Gateway Int’l Raceway, 866-35-SPEED (77333), or log on to www.gatewayraceway.com.

• ON TV: ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at 9 p.m. ET Saturday, May 1. ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise NHRA Race Day presented by Lucas Oil, a 30-minute pre-race show, at 10 a.m. ET Sunday, May 2. ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise three hours of eliminations coverage at 7 p.m. ET Sunday, May 2.

• LUCAS OIL SERIES: The AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals also will feature competition in four categories in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, where the future stars of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series earn their racing stripes. Lucas Oil Series qualifying begins at 9 a.m. April 30. Lucas Oil Series eliminations begin at 8:30 a.m. May 1.

• GET SCREENED AMERICA PRO MOD SERIES: NHRA’s newest touring series will make its third start of the season at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals. The series features some of the world’s-fastest unique doorslammer cars, with an eclectic mix of vintage and late-model body styles, in quarter-mile competition.

Release from NHRA:

NHRA Pro Stock sophomore racer Danny Gruninger is about to fulfill a dream thanks to Pro Stock team owner Jim Cunningham.

Gruninger, 24, has been selected to drive the Cunningham Motorsports Pro Stock Ford Mustang for the next two NHRA Full Throttle national events, beginning this weekend at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Int’l Raceway in Madison.

“I’m very grateful for Jim and Gloria Cunningham to give me the opportunity to drive for them,” said Gruninger, who has been driving his family’s Colorado-based USRecognition.com Pro Stock car for the last two seasons. “It’s only a two-race deal for St. Louis and Atlanta at this time, so my main focus is to go out there, drive the best I can, and help this team as much as possible in this short stint. I’ve been eating, breathing, and dreaming NHRA Pro Stock for the majority of my life, and to be part of such a first-class operation with such good people is what I’ve dreamed of for many years.”

Gruninger recently spent a weekend with the Cunningham team at Capitol Raceway in Crofton, Md., gaining valuable seat time behind the wheel of the team’s Ford Mustang in preparation for the race in Madison. Gruninger made a solid half-track pass with incremental times showing promising results. The group at Cunningham Motorsports and its newest team driver are very excited about the prospects this weekend in Madison.

“It’s no secret Pro Stock racing is won back at the shop, and this team really does have ‘it,’ ” Gruninger said. “Jim and Gloria have put together all the equipment needed and more importantly a great group of people that work as many hours as any team out there. Jim and Gloria Cunningham, Cunningham Racing Engines, the staff at Capitol Raceway, and Ford Racing have put forth a lot of effort preparing this red Mustang, and it’s my intention to represent them well. Also, my family members and employees back at US Recognition are working their tails off giving me the chance to do this. Without the support of everyone around me, I’d never be in this position. I’m just an extremely thankful person this weekend and hope we can give the Ford Racing fans something to cheer about.”

Release from NHRA:

Danny Rowe made a fast turnaround to his race program following an uncharacteristic DNQ at the season-opening NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series event at Florida’s Gainesville Raceway in mid-March.

What a difference a few weeks can make.

In early April, he raced to victory at Houston Raceway Park and, with his NHRA Wally in hand, served notice that he intends to be a player in the world-championship title chase in NHRA’s newest touring series.

The veteran Laguna Hills, Calif., driver qualified third in Houston in his Sterling Bridge ’68 Camaro and defeated multicategory competitor Melanie Troxel in the final round, which vaulted him from the very bottom of the points standings into the top five.

“I couldn’t be more impressed with this Sterling Bridge team,” Rowe said following the race. “As always, it takes a team effort to win out here with this level of competition … we had a little luck on our side, that’s for sure, but I think you have to when you’re racing against the caliber of cars and teams that we have out here.”

Featuring the world’s fastest and most unique doorslammer cars with an extremely diverse collection of vehicles, including ’63 Corvettes, ’68 Camaros, ’67 Mustangs, ’68 Firebirds, as well as late-model cars, the NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series offers something for every kind of hot-rodding enthusiast.

Mix in an incredible amount of driving talent that in addition to Rowe and Troxel includes Burton Auxier, Joe Baker, Gainesville winner Kenny Lang, Jay Payne, Mike Knowles, Troy Coughlin, Tim Tindle, Ed Hoover, Ray Commisso, and Roger Burgess, and you have the setup for what promises to be an incredible shootout for the series crown.

“You look at the qualifying sheets, and it’s mind-blowing,” Rowe said. “The cars out here are the best in the world, and the competition is insane. Every Pro Mod car that rolls through the gates is capable of winning – they’re all championship contenders.”

Sitting fourth in the points standings following his Houston victory, Rowe is looking forward to continuing his advance toward the top spot during the Pro Mod portion of the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Int’l Raceway near St. Louis, April 30-May 2. The Pro Mod competition will be televised on ESPN2HD May 9 at 10 a.m. ET.

Rowe has won twice in NHRA Pro Mod exhibition racing at the southern Illinois multimotorsports complex near the Mississippi River and within view of the famed St. Louis Gateway Arch. In 2001, he qualified No. 1 and beat Hoover in the final round. In 2004, he outran Von Smith for the victory.

To win this time, he’ll have to outperform points leader Troxel, who pilots the In-N-Out ’68 Corvette, as well as 2009 GIR Pro Mod exhibition winner Burgess, who drives an ’05 Corvette.

Given the Houston performance, Rowe is confident in his team’s chances this season.

“I was talking to Jimmy [Rector, crew chief], and I told him that I really think we have a great program this year,” Rowe said. “The car is running great, everyone is working hard, and you never know – this might be our year.”

But given the level of talent in this new series, he remains very modest at the same time.

“You can go from a hero to a zero real fast in this deal,” Rowe said. “So we’ve got to stick to our game plan of taking each race one round at a time.”

• SCHEDULE: NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series qualifying sessions are scheduled for 2:45 and 5 p.m. April 30 and 1:30 p.m. May 1. The first round of eliminations is set to begin May 1 at 4 p.m. Eliminations will continue May 2 at approximately 2 p.m.

• TICKETS: Tickets are available for the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals. Call Gateway Int’l Raceway, 866-35-SPEED (77333) or log on to www.gatewayraceway.com to purchase tickets online.

• ON TV: ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise 30 minutes of Pro Mod racing highlights from the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals Sunday, May 9, at 10 a.m. ET.

IHRA’s best sportsman competitors will be on hand Friday for the inaugural Tournament of Champions.

Release from IHRA:

After a grueling wait and months spent staring at the April 30 date the drivers making up the 2009 Tournament of Champions have less than a week left before returning to Rockingham Dragway where the first champions under the new format will be crowned giving the IHRA its first ever sportsman champions decided via on-track competition.

Currently 170 of the best drivers from 2009 are gearing up for a trip to Rockingham Dragway to compete in an event several months in the making. Champions in IHRA’s seven sportsman classes were slated to be crowned in October of last year, but a vicious storm forced the postponement of the event to the Spring Nitro Jam this weekend at “The Rock.”

And on Friday hundreds of the sports biggest stars will descend on Rockingham Dragway to compete in the most exciting championship tournament in motorsports today.

“The field of returning racers is stout. This reminds me of a prize fight more than a drag race. You’ve got the big name sportsman stars and the names many folks probably have never heard of. We’ve got racers from the North, South, East and West ready to prove they are worthy of a championship based on pure on track performance,” said Skooter Peaco, VP of Race Operations. “How much money and where you live are yesterday’s excuses. Now it is all about proving yourself among the best in the country which at the end of the day is really what this whole IHRA Tournament of Champions is about.”

TOC participants will have an opportunity to win a World Championship and win a spot in the 2010 tournament this weekend at ‘The Rock.’

While the postponement of the inaugural event was certainly not ideal, the extra time has increased the anticipation of this weekend’s event as many of the drivers have, in some cases, had well over a year to think about this one race and the $10,000 prize, championship Ironman and bragging rights that goes along with it.

Fans have even gotten in on the action via an online poll predicting who they think will win the tournament this weekend. So far thousands have logged on to voice their opinion of who will be left standing Friday night.

Those drivers who have confirmed their return to Rockingham to take part in the inaugural Tournament of Champions – and possibly earn a spot in the 2010 edition with the Nitro Jam national event the following day – are:

TOP SPORTSMAN

Ricky Adkins, Gary Bingham, David Dwayne Dins, Ronnie Dodson, Allen Firestone, Bob Gulitti, Chris Gulitti, Gilmer Hinshaw, John Hochstedler, Mike Koontz, Rick McDonough, Mark Payne, Bob Phillips, Jeff Pittman, Steven Pym, Donn Rudd, Jeff Rudisill, Mike Sowards, Billy Thigpen, Bruce Thrift, Scott Wasko, Kamron Wright.

TOP DRAGSTER

Ricky Adkins, J.R. Baxter, Chris Bermond, Rob Berschneider, Britt Cummings, Brian Folk, Travis Harvey, Jimm Huggett, David Johns, Jacky King, Tom Koenen, Russell Leach, Jason Lynch, Brad Marcotte, Vincent Musolino, Brett Nesbitt, Ed Pauley, Jim Rubino, Randy Scheuer, Steve Schmidt, Casey Spradlin, Dylan Stott, Chad Taylor, Donny Urban, Wes Washington, Danny Waters Jr., Troy Williams Jr., Steve Witherow,

SUPER STOCK

Anthony Bertozzi, Jacques Blais, Gil Carty Jr., Mike Crutchfield, Larry Cummings, Slate Cummings, Bob Cupp, Pete D’Agnolo, Alex Denysenko, Nick Folk, David Hunt, Jerry Jennings, Byron Latino, Michael Lyons, David Mercer, Brandon Peterson, Bob Phillips, Missy Phillips, Scott Richardson, Tracy Robbins, Greg Rowe, David Simmons, Bryan Worner.

STOCK

Aaron Allison, Michael Beard, Lisa Bolton, Michael Bolton, Slate Cummings, Brent Darroch, Wallace Dent Jr., Nick Folk, Gene Jordan, Adam Keir, Jeanne Linke, Bob Marshall, Craig Marshall, Jim Marshall, Mike Mayhew, Myron Piatek, Gale Pinkston, Don Pires Jr., Scott Richardson, Jody Simoneaux, Hillarey Sloan, Terry Taylor, Ronald Traupman, Michael Lee Truell.

QUICK ROD

Jay Bunce, Lisa Collier, Allen Constantine, John Dustin, David Elrod, Jacob Elrod, Ron Folk, Lauren Freer, Brendan George, Tony Helms, Jason Hoff, Pat Martin, Jeremy McCormick, Mark McKay, Steve Mikus, Steve Muller, Brett Nesbitt, E.J. Parker, Michael Pennington, Stuart Smith, Billy Ray Upton, Donny Urban, Matt Weston.

SUPER ROD

Joe Bauman, Calvin Butler, Shawn Carter, Robby Clarke, Tom Dimond, Jacob Elrod, Tony Elrod, Danny Estep, Jeffrey Estep, Brian Folk, Steve Furr, Dale Koncen, Richard Scott Lawton, Jim Lintner, Shane Maddox, Tommy Maedgen, Ben Massey, Lance Pinto, Billy Smith, Todd Thompson, Shannon Waycaster, Donald Webb.

HOT ROD

Tim Anderson, Edward Bolton, J.J. Brock, Jay Bunce, Chris Carpenter, Tom Coonly, Chris Dean, Tony Elrod, Glenn Ferguson, Patrick Forster, Bryan Harris, Travis Harvey, Jeff Heilmeier, Chip Johnson, Nick Karas, Ray Knight, R.L. Koontz, Ken MacNicol, Keith Mayers, Mark McKay, Brian McLaughlin, Sidney Norwood, Bitsy Satterly, Kenny Underwood, Donald Webb, Tim Wilson, Doug Wood

Del Cox (above) won his first career race at Rockingham Dragway last year on his way to the 2009 Top Fuel championship.

Release from IHRA:

Perhaps no track in the history of the International Hot Rod Association holds more history than Rockingham Dragway. Rockingham Dragway was the site of the very first national event held by the sanctioning body in 1971 and, minus a brief absence in the mid-90s, “The Rock” has been a part of every IHRA season since. In fact Rockingham Dragway is the only track from the original season that still exists on the IHRA schedule today. During that span hundreds of the best drivers from across the globe have made passes on the North Carolina quarter-mile and more than a few of those drivers have gone on to win championships in both IHRA and NHRA competition.

“I don’t hesitate when someone asks what my favorite track is. I always say Rockingham Dragway,” said six-time IHRA Top Fuel champion Clay Millican. “Not only did I have a piece of the Rock, but that Rock helped build my house. We won a lot of races there and a lot of money. There is no place in the country quite like Rockingham Dragway.”

And while success at Rockingham has always boded well for future champions, more recently that success has had a direct correlation to championship seasons.

Take for example the stars of Top Fuel. Known the world over as the “Kings of the Sport,” IHRA Top Fuel champions are almost always born through successful weekends at “The Rock.” In fact an eerie list of statistics almost always places successful Rockingham racers in the championship hunt at years end.

Through 29 seasons as an IHRA sanctioned facility and 59 national events held at the track a grand total of 22 Top Fuel World Champions have had successful weekends at “The Rock” during their championship years. Even more interesting, since 1982 every single IHRA Top Fuel World Champion has been to a Rockingham final round during their championship season either at the spring or fall race.

No one has had more success at Rockingham Dragway than Clay Millican.

“When you show up there you look down the track and realize all the legends that have been there. You name it they have driven here,” Millican said. “Just to run a Top Fuel car on that track, for me, was unbelievable. I never really considered winning there. The first time we showed up there I was ecstatic just to be running on the same track that has played such an important role in drag racing history.

“To go on and have as much success as we eventually had at the track is actually pretty amazing.”

Millican, who went on to claim six championships and 51 career victories in IHRA competition, made his first career final round in the spring of 2000 at Rockingham Dragway and eventually went on to become the winningest driver in the history of the track with 11 Rockingham wins. In fact in 14 races run at “The Rock” Millican made the finals 12 times.

Millican also set the national standard for elapsed time in the fall of 2005 with a 4.484-second pass – a record that still stands today.

“There have been so many magical things that happened there for us. We went the quickest in IHRA history there. We went 4.48 which is just unbelievable and still no one has went quicker,” Millican said. “It was all about that racetrack. When we showed up at that track if we did not win the event or at least make the final we were disappointed.More recently since 2001 every single IHRA Top Fuel champion – including Millican – has won a race at Rockingham at some point during the season. During the past two years eventual champions Del Cox Jr. and Spencer Massey, both rookies at the time, claimed their first career wins at the spring race on their way to claiming the title.

Talk about a leap – going from rookie to champion all in one season – but both Massey and Cox were able to pull it off. Now Massey hopes a return trip to the North Carolina track will help spur another momentum boost after a less than stellar start to the 2010 Nitro Jam season.

“We had a lot of good times and accomplished a lot at Rockingham Dragway so I am really looking forward to going back there,” Massey said. “It is a great track with a lot of history behind it and it means a lot for a driver to do well there. It is a special event for the drivers and for the fans and I can’t wait to get out there and compete again.”

Both Cox and Massey will be trying to make it three-in-a-row for Mitch King Motorsports at the Spring Nitro Jam as both drivers have taken home spring Ironman trophies the past two seasons.

“The Mitch King team has done very well at Rockingham Dragway. This team has won the spring race and clinched the championship at the track two years in a row,” Massey said. “I look forward to seeing what we can do again this year with the new format.”

Massey’s teammate and defending IHRA World Champion Cox is also thrilled about a return to the site of his first career victory.

“That was certainly an incredible weekend. To get our first win in only our second race at a track with that much history was pretty special,” Cox said. “Rockingham helped set the stage for the rest of our season and I can’t wait to go back there and see if we can capture that success once again.”

Spencer Massey made a splash in 2008 with his first quarter-mile win at Rockingham Dragway.

Another driver that knows a thing or two about success at “The Rock” is 2007 Top Fuel champ Bruce Litton. Litton is a four-time Rockingham winner and has seen his share of big moments at the track including winning his first career race at the track in the spring of 1999 and clinching his only championship during the World Finals in ’07.

“Before we ever raced at Rockingham you always knew the history surrounding that place. You always saw big names race there and big names win there and that was always a place you wanted to do well at,” Litton said. “Since Steve Earwood took it over he signed with IHRA and it has really become a special place to race.

“It has always been a race I look forward to going to. Early in my career that was where we got our first win and then I won the championship there in October of ’07. You always love the tracks you do well at and we have certainly done well there.”

Along with winning a championship Litton also admits that just being able to add his name to the list of legends that have conquered “The Rock” is an honor in itself.

“The history of Rockingham is unbelievable and that is what makes it so special. It is not just a drag strip it is a historical landmark,” Litton said. “It is just really neat for all of us, from sportsman to professional, to race at a track that has so much history and to be a part of that history.”

And the man who has seen it all firsthand is longtime Rockingham owner and promoter Steve Earwood. Earwood has seen records fall, champions crowned and even a few drag racing firsts through the years and yet he still enjoys every single weekend of racing that takes place at his timeless facility.

“Rockingham Dragway has a unique tradition as the track has hosted national events for 40 years. We are one of the very few tracks that have flown the flag of every major drag racing sanctioning body. In fact, we were the second national track ever sanctioned by the IHRA,” Earwood said. “I think the tradition is an appeal to all drivers who compete here. This track certainly enjoys sustainability unlike any other.”

Bruce Litton won his first race and clinched his only championship at Rockingham Dragway.

Now, the weekend of May 1-2, Rockingham Dragway will once again host another first as the brand new Nitro Jam series travels to the facility with an all-new format and all-new classes to put on a show unlike any other for the North Carolina fans.

Featuring three nitro-powered classes, including Top Fuel and Pro Fuel Dragsters and Prostalgia Nitro Funny Cars, along with the regions best heads-up doorslammer and dragster racing, the debut of dueling jet semis and the “Cool Bus” wheelstander, the Spring Nitro Jam promises to be an event unlike any other during the 30th installment of IHRA drag racing at Rockingham Dragway.

“That is one of the most historical tracks in the entire country and any fan that has been there, they understand it,” Millican said. “Anybody that hasn’t been there should go because it is a magical place.”

Release from IHRA:

“The ‘Chicago Fire’ Prostalgia Nitro Funny Car has been a work in progress this season” says Mike Faser, owner of the potent fueler based out of Plainfield, Illinois.  In recent years the team has campaigned the car as an AA/Fuel Altered, running the car well into the 5-second zone at nearly 250 mph. That all changed for this season.

“What’s going on for us now is very different for us”, Faser said. “We’re catching up to a different engine combination based on the new guidelines.”

In previous years, Faser’s car has been one the most formidable AA/Fuel Altered’s in the country, but the recent change to the IHRA Prostalgia Nitro Funny Car class has made for an interesting start to the 2010 season.

“When we got the invite from John (Dunn) and IHRA to run in the Nitro Jam, we naturally had to consider what the new body and engine/clutch guidelines would do to our set-up. Let’s just say it’s added an entirely new element to how we run the car,” Faser said. “The full size body changed the way the car launches, how it uses the clutch, burns fuel, engine timing, and everything else in-between. However we do believe we’re approaching our safe zone again.

“We were happy to at least see six flat on the boards in Baton Rouge and at first glance not hurting anything, that was until after the traps when the crazy thing kicked a rod out. However as any seasoned racer will tell you – that’s just racing.”

Between rounds the “Chicago Fire” car went through a semi-typical look-over with Dan Minick diving for the oil pan for a routine swap out of rod bearings, then clutch servicing and mixing fuel. Andy Kacena worked over the top side of the engine including cylinder head servicing and superchargers. Faser worked with Minick on the bottom end as well as all aspects of the car while prepping the tune-up for the next run. Rick Krafft is the team’s driver and over-seer, while providing feedback to improve the car’s next run and Brett Walker keep’s the flow of things going between rounds as well as transportation.

“We are very excited about going to Rockingham. We are headed there to not only race, but to redeem ourselves,” Faser said. “We have a great car and crew and feel our competitive edge is just around the corner. Hopefully ‘The Rock’ will be the place that happens. Our goal is to just get from point A to point B in solid form like we used to. Once we do that – look out. With all our guys on top of the tune-up and with Ricky driving we hope to have a real hot rod again.”

And to accomplish that goal the “Chicago Fire” crew is going to need a true team effort.

“Funny Car racing is a team effort at any level, especially when there is money and a points chase involved. Our guys have been working together for years now where simple gestures often tell the other crew person what to do. You need that when time is of the essence, and spectators are there to see a good show,” Faser said. “In that regard,  we can’t say enough about IHRA’s vision and forward thinking about what fans want to see, and then putting the entire Nitro Jam together. It was an incredible effort. We also would like to thank John and Melissa Dunn for their coordinating with IHRA, and then especially the great family of funny car teams for their efforts thus far. We are elated to be part of the greatest drag racing show on earth.”

Release from NHRA:

NHRA announced today that the 2011 NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMax Dragway will once again feature four-wide racing in all four Full Throttle categories. The spring event in Charlotte will be the only race on the 2011 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series schedule that will showcase four-wide racing.

“Few would argue the amount of attention the four-wide race received leading up to and even following the event from our fans, racers, and the media,” said Tom Compton, president, NHRA. “The spectacle of four-wide racing is nothing short of breathtaking, and we want to build on that and share the four-wide experience with our fans once again in 2011.”

Based on feedback from the fans, the racing community and sponsors, NHRA is planning to improve upon the format and make adjustments to enhance the experience for everyone. Areas under review include the experience on-site for the fans, improving television for fans watching at home, maximizing sponsor value, and working with the race teams on operational functions including the staging process.

“I want to thank Bruton and Marcus Smith and everyone at SMI for believing in NHRA and having the vision to build a facility that is truly one of the crown jewels of the sport,” said Compton.

Lisa Bolton and family

Release from IHRA:

In a little over two weeks many of the best drivers from across the nation will converge on Rockingham Dragway for the running of the 2009 Sportsman Tournament of Champions.

Featuring an assortment of national and special event winners and Summit Pro-Am champions from the 2009 racing season, the inaugural Tournament of Champions will determine the very first IHRA sportsman champions via on-track competition. Regardless of money, location and especially gender, from this collection of sportsman superstars will be seven World Champions crowned as undisputed champions for the first time in IHRA history.

And of the dozens of drivers currently holding a spot on the championship ladder are five women itching for their chance to make history in trying to become the first female sportsman champion since Brenda Grubbs claimed the Stock title in 2002.

In fact, in the history of the IHRA, only two women have ever claimed a sportsman championship in IHRA competition. Other than Grubbs the other female champion was Ann Peto who claimed the Modified title in 1989 and 1990.

“I think it would be an honor to win a world championship because it is a title not many people – men or women – can say they have,” said Stock competitor Lisa Bolton. “Regardless of who you are a championship is the ultimate goal of most racers and it would certainly be special to add my name to that list.”

Jeanne Linke

Bolton is one of five female TOC participants competing at Rockingham later this month along with fellow Stock drivers Hillarey Sloan and Jeanne Linke, Quick Rod driver Lisa Collier and Super Stock competitor Missy Phillips.

All five are thrilled about the opportunity to compete for a world title and some are even a bit excited to make a few grown men shed a tear or two in the process.

“I don’t think gender makes a difference behind the wheel, but I have noticed that there are some guys who have a harder time losing to a woman,” Bolton said. “I think it is because they are often times teased for getting beat by a girl.”

“There is the occasional competitor or fan who looks down on women drivers, people who assume we really don’t know anything about racing or cars,” Collier added. “And every once in a while there’s a guy that really doesn’t like to get beat by a girl. Overall, though, I really don’t think about it.

“Once we strap into that race car all things are equal.”

Bolton has been racing since 1992 when, after years of watching her husband compete, she decided it was her turn to give straight-line racing a try. And from the moment she strapped into a vehicle she knew this was the sport for her.

“I used to go to the races to watch Eddi

e, but eventually I grew tired of just watching. One night he unhooked the tow vehicle and let me drive. From the first time down the track I was hooked,” Bolton said.

Over the next few years the pair traveled the country competing at various events culminating with Bolton’s husband claiming the first family title when he won the Hot Rod championship in 2002. Now, eight years later, Lisa is ready to add her own trophy to the family mantle.

“My husband won the Hot Rod World Championship in 2002 and at that time I could only hope to win my own championship one day,” Bolton said. “If I could win the championship it would be even more impressive because there aren’t too many husband and wife teams racing together. And for both of us to be World Champions would be pretty special.”

Some of Bolton’s toughest competitors, however, are two fellow female Stock drivers including one that she met in an all-girl Summit Pro-Am final at Maryland International Raceway last year.

That racer is 25-year-old Jeanne Linke.

Linke certainly doesn’t look the part of your average racer. Standing at 5-foot-2 and weighing in at roughly 110 pounds with blond hair and blue eyes, Linke certainly doesn’t fit the bill as your typical driver. But whatever you do, don’t doubt her abilities on the track.

Linke is a multi-time event winner and earned her spot in the tournament via a championship in the Patriots Division on the Summit Pro-Am Tour. She got her first taste of racing at the age of four when she attended races with her father and uncle and has been around the sport ever since.

“I basically grew up around that particular crowd. At age 13 I began racing Junior Dragsters at my home track of Old Bridge Township Raceway Park and have been doing this ever since,” Linke said. “I was an athlete and participated in basketball so between that and traveling to races with my dad I raced juniors for fun.

Hillarey Sloan

“When I reached my senior year I decided to continue racing for fun while commuting to Kean University. It is just fun being the girl of our guy group. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.”

While racing has always been a part of Linke’s life, her looks have often times drawn second glances from the competition. But on the racetrack she always enjoys proving that she belongs.

“Because I consider myself one of the guys being a girl never really becomes a factor. I support my racing off my paychecks and tow the car myself and I’ve never felt the intimidation that some girls talk about,” Linke said. “But I loved racing against Lisa Bolton last year in the all-female final at MIR. I have to admit that I didn’t feel like one of the guys in that particular race.

“I was more nervous racing against a girl than anyone else because it rarely happens. It would be amazing if the championship could come down to us once again.”

Along with Linke and Bolton the third piece to the Stock trio is Hillarey Sloan.

Sloan is a fourth generation racer with both her parents and grandparents racing over the years. Sloan even admits that her first pass in a race car came before she was even born.

“My mom raced when she was pregnant with me so I guess it got in my blood early,” Sloan said. “It was pretty much a way of life for me from very early on.”

Sloan has been anxiously awaiting this tournament since the event was rained out at the end of last year. Just to have an opportunity at a championship is one thing, but being placed on a tournament ladder with all things equal has Sloan thrilled about the opportunity in front of her.

For Lisa Collier, racing and family go hand-in-hand

“I have been looking forward to this all winter. My dad came close to winning a championship in IHRA Modified Eliminator years ago and I would love to be able to achieve that goal for him,” Sloan said. “It would mean the world to him and to me.

“I would feel very accomplished if I were to win the TOC because I know that I will be competing against the best of the best.”

While the trio of female competitors in Stock are more than capable of adding their name to the list of women champions, it will be a bit of a tougher climb for two other competitors.Lisa Collier and Missy Phillips are the lone female representatives in their classes and both are anxious for their shot at a title.

Quick Rod driver Collier is the daughter of three-time IHRA Top Sportsman champion Gary Bingham and both drove their way into the history books last season with both father and daughter winning at the same national event thus ensuring the possibility of a family championship in Rockingham.

“My dad is a great example to me. He wins with honor and loses with honor and he has taught me everything I know about racing,” Collier said. “It was incredibly thrilling to win with him in Epping last year. We seem to feed off of each other’s enthusiasm and energy.

“It will be fun and exciting to compete for a championship together on the same day. I can’t imagine how awesome it will be if we both win.”

Along with winning her first national event Collier was also recently married making for a year unlike any other in 2009. If she can cap that year with a championship later this month it would be a fitting end to a storied season.

“I would feel a great sense of accomplishment and gain a lot of confidence in the rest of my racing career if I could win a championship,” Collier said. “I just have to thank everyone for helping me get here. Now it is up to me to go out and try to win this thing.”

Super Stock driver Phillips brings to the Tournament of Champions the most experience of the bunch and has seen firsthand what it means for so many young women to have the opportunities they have today. Phillips spent her childhood at a small track owned by her family which paved the way for her to get into the sport herself.

She admits it wasn’t easy starting out, but she has persevered and it has helped shape the person and driver she is today.

Missy Phillips

“When I first started racing in the mid 80s there were not a lot of women in the sportsman ranks like there are now. I remember qualifying on Saturday and leaving the track without checking the qualifying sheet to see who I had to run. When I got back to the track on Sunday morning people would be telling how my first round opponent was bragging about how he was going to spank me and send me home crying,” Phillips said. “Today that has changed because there are more of us out there and we have certainly shown that we can be just as competitive.”

So after years of paying her dues, what would it mean to cap her sportsman career with a championship at “The Rock”

“It would be very special. I have won nationals and divisional and years ago determined that I would never win a World Championship because of the time it would take away from my family.

“With the tournament that part is out of the equation so just being able to have the opportunity is great. There are a lot of great drivers in Stock and Super Stock that are great competitors and sportsman and for me to be able to race with them is a privilege.”

The inaugural Tournament of Champions will take place Friday, April 30 at Rockingham Dragway the day before the Nitro Jam event May 1-2.

Don’t miss the best sportsman drivers from across the globe later this month at “The Rock.”



by Phil Burgess, National DRAGSTER Editor

The Las Vegas oddsmakers certainly got it right as favored Larry Dixon, John Force, and Mike Edwards did the expected, grabbing wins at the 11th annual SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The trio of victors – who also all opened their seasons with wins at the 50th annual Kragen O’Reilly NHRA Winternationals – all left Las Vegas with the points lead after the sixth of 23 events on the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series schedule. Dixon was a 5/2 favorite in Top Fuel, John Force was 2/1 in Funny Car, and reigning Pro Stock champ Mike Edwards was rated even by Fred Crespi, oddsmaker for The Palms Resort Casino, and none disappointed despite another challenging day in which race teams had to endure more high air and track temperatures, putting a premium on racecar setup.

Larry Dixon

Dixon, who collected his milestone 50th career win in Top Fuel last weekend in Houston, didn’t wait long to get started on his second 50 as he won again in Las Vegas, defeating Cory McClenathan in a final-round battle with the points lead in the balance. Dixon took the win, his third of the season, and the points lead – by a single marker — easily with a 4.01 after McClenathan smoked the tires. With 51 wins, Dixon now holds pole possession of 13th place on NHRA’s list of all-time winners.

Dixon, winner of the season’s first and its most recent events, in Pomona and Houston, respectively, with the Jason McCulloch-tuned Al-Anabi dragster reached his 95th career final with a series of progressively quicker passes. Dixon, the No. 2 qualifier, wheeled his way through some mid-track tire smoke in round one to beat fireballing Steve Faria with a 4.13 then drove around Shawn Langdon’s holeshot in round two, 3.97 to 4.01. Dixon and company turned up the wick in the semifinals with a 3.91 to defeat Doug Kalitta’s 3.98 to reach their third final of the year.

McClenathan and his Fram dragster reached the final, the 60th of his Top Fuel career by sitting down Terry Haddock, teammate Tony Schumacher, and resurgent Brandon Bernstein with a trio of 3.9-second passes. McClenathan’s 3.90 opening blast against Haddock was the best run of the first three rounds by any driver, and he followed it up with a pair of consistent 3.98s to trailer “the Sarge” and Bernstein.

The sport’s two winningest Funny Car racers faced off in the final round where Force, with 128 wins to his tally, and former hired driver Tony Pedregon, a 43-time winner, went at it for the flopper jackpot. Pedregon, who has had a terrific string of back luck and blowups, including a body-tossing explosion last weekend in Houston, had more of the same in Las Vegas as his 4.41 to 4.61 semifinal victory over traction-hampered low qualifier Del Worsham was punctuated by a nasty top-end fire that severely damaged his Impala body. The team got their ride back together in time to face Force, but went up in smoke. The win is Force’s third of the year, including victories at the season-opening Winternationals and the Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte. He has a 120-point edge over second-place Matt Hagan.

The final-round meeting with Pedregon capped Force’s day of seeing familiar faces in the other lane as he opened

John Force

eliminations by eking out a tight 4.24 to 4.26 win over his top gun teammate, world champ Robert Hight, and, after besting Houston champ Hagan in the second round, squared off against his daughter, Ashley Force Hood in the semifinals. The warm track definitely limited performance in the class as Force’s trio of passes – 4.24, 4.33, and 4.28 – probably would not have won the weekend before in Houston, but the 14-time champ also left on all three of his opponents.

Prior to his fiery semifinal win, Pedregon had beaten former John Force Racing teammate Gary Densham and Phoenix winner Jack Beckman with passes of 4.24 and 4.31 to help him reach his first final of the year and the 76th of his great career.

Edwards expanded on his points lead in his first Professional title defense as the reigning world champ went wire to wire from the No. 1 spot to claim the win, his fourth of the season, capping it with a 6.75 to 6.81 victory over Greg Stanfield for his 24th career Pro Stock victory. Edwards now owns a substantial 216-point edge on second-place Allen Johnson.

Mike Edwards

After having his seasonlong streak of final-round appearances stopped last weekend in Houston, Edwards worked his Penhall/K&N/Interstate Pontiac right back to the money round in Las Vegas, the 44th of his Pro Stock career and his fifth this season. As usual, Edwards, the low qualifier, also had the quickest run of each round, running 6.72 to beat Rickie Jones, 6.74 to trailer Warren Johnson, and 6.73 to defeat the event’s sponsor’s car, the Summit Pontiac of Greg Anderson, which fell with a 6.75.

Stanfield and his NitroFish Pontiac reached their second final of the year – counting the four-wide finale in Charlotte, where he finished third – upset lower-qualified Shane Gray on a first-round holeshot, 6.79 to 6.77, then beat Rodger Brogdon in round two with a steady 6.80. Another 6.79 then ended Ron Krisher’s second straight good outing in the semifinals and pushed Stanfield into his 13th career Pro Stock final and 34th overall.

In Lucas Oil action, a pair of supercharged entries battled for Alcohol Dragster honors with Shawn Cowie scoring an easy win on Joey Severance’s red-light. Jay Payne drove his FireIce Mustang to his 37th career win, taking Top Alcohol Funny Car honors over Sean O’Bannon’s Monte Carlo. The win was significant to Payne as it moved him into the top 25 of all-time NHRA winners, tied with Peter Biondo

Las Vegas resident Justin Lamb used the hometrack advantage to his credit, wheeling his SS/DM ’09 Cobalt to victory against Brad Plourd’s SS/AM ’05 Cavalier by just .005-second. In other action, Larry Gilley was .001 on the Tree in the Stock final with his E/SA ’69 Dart to defeat Mick Alley and his AA/SA ’69 Camaro while Dick Vander Meer edged Thomas Bayer for Super Comp glory, and former world champ and class veteran Mike Ferderer collected again in Super Gas with his ’06 Grand Am, defeating Dennis Paz and ’41 Willys.

Del Worsham raced to his first No. 1 qualifying spot of the season in Funny Car while Friday leaders Antron Brown in Top Fuel and Mike Edwards in Pro Stock remained atop their fields as the ladders were set for Sunday’s final eliminations at the 11th annual SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Another day of air temperatures in the high 80s and season-high track temperatures kept the crew chiefs hopping and, with but a few exceptions, improvements were hard to come by and teams worked instead on improving raceday setups for Sunday’s final eliminations at the event, the sixth of 23 in the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series schedule. The tour also returns to Las Vegas in the fall for the season penultimate event.

Improvements were few and far between in Top Fuel Saturday, so much so that Saturday’s final order looks an awful lot like Friday’s finish with Brown’s Matco Tools dragster pacing the pack with his Friday 3.881. His 3.92 in the first session was second best of the day but the Gainesville qualifying leader still held on for his second pole of the season and the 23rd of his career.

“I thought it was going to be overcast today, so when I got up this morning and I saw the sun coming out, I actually started smiling a little bit,” said Brown. “The track actually held up good even though we had a lot of heat on it. We were running low 3.9s, and somebody could have gone out there, like Cory [McClenathan] or Tony [Schumacher] or [Larry] Dixon or somebody, and could have threw it out there if they really leaned on it. Dixon ran that .91 the first pass today, so it got your attention. It was definitely up in the air.

“We’re happy with the whole effort this weekend. The car ran exactly what we wanted it to, and we’re looking forward to

Antron Brown

tomorrow. Tomorrow is going to be a tough day. It’s going to be a little hotter. The sun’s going to be out, and we’re going to race in the prime time of the day. It’s definitely going to be a catfight tomorrow down that racetrack. We’re not going to be fighting the other person in the other lane, we’re going to be fighting to get down the racetrack. It’s going to make it really challenging for the crew chiefs, but I like my odds with the guys in my pit area.”

Larry Dixon’s Al-Anabi entry had the day’s best Top Fuel run, a 3.916 in the first session and his 3.93 also was the quickest of the second session, making him a raceday favorite. Dixon, whose run of record in Las Vegas is his Friday 3.894, has qualified in the top three at all six races this season, including a No. 1 last weekend in Houston. Of note, Dixon’s team was running the new Goodyear tire during Saturday’s sessions.

Doug Kalitta, a thee-time runner-up already this season with the Technicoat/Kalitta Motorsports entry, remained third with his earlier 3.909 and two-time season winner Cory McClenathan fourth with the Fram dragster at 3.912. Schumacher (3.942) and Morgan Lucas (3.980) stayed fifth and sixth, respectively, while Lucas teammate, Shawn Langdon, made the most significant move of the day, going from ninth to seventh with a 3.991 after a 4.08 best Friday, knocking Brandon Bernstein’s 4.000 down one spot to eighth.

Rob Passey’s MSP Motorsports ended up on the bump spot with a 4.562, just .002-secodn ahead of Steve Torrence’s 4.564, making Torrence the lone non-qualifier. Only 16 cars ran Friday, but Terry Haddock, on his lone pass of the event after being shut off in the morning session, qualified for the field in the 13th spot with a 4.137 in the last session, bumping Torrence.

In what was the day’s performance improvement highlight, Worsham leaped from sixth to first with a 4.187, a solid half-tenth improvement over his best previous runs. It’s the first No. 1 of the season for the Al Anabi Toyota driver, who earlier this season had qualified second and third, and the fifth of his career. He was last No. 1 at this event in 2004.

Del Worsham

“It’s been a frustrating year,” said Worsham, who like teammate dixon also was on the new Goodyear tire. “When the track’s been above 100 degrees we’ve just had a heck of a time getting down the track. [Crew chief] Dickie Venables, based on past performance, has just been great in those conditions, so he’s been very frustrated, along with [team manager] Alan Johnson and [assistant crew chief] Kurt Elliott. Yesterday’s 4.23 run was actually better than that because it made all the e.t. it made today early, where it’s hard to make e.t., we just ran it so slow through the middle of the track and the top end to make sure we got down there that we kind of left a little on the table, so the 4.18 wasn’t a total shocker.

“I’m still a little worried that we have to go down the track four times tomorrow and we went down the track half the time today, so we really need to work on making sure it’s consistent. That has been our problem when the track’s been above 100, so hopefully after this weekend with the data that they have and all of Dickie’s racing experience will pay off.”

Friday leader Ashley Force Hood could not improve on her Friday 4.195 with the Castrol GTX Mustang and slipped to second and Houston winner Matt Hagan and his DieHard Charger likewise slid one spot, to third, after failing to better their 4.217. Veteran Gary Densham, who opted to sit out the final session, nonetheless qualified a season-high fourth with a 4.220.

The tight top eight is round out by Ron Capps (4.221), Robert Hight (4.223), Bob Bode (4.238), and Bob Tasca III (4.243). There are a couple of intriguing first-round matchups for fans including a rematch of last Sunday’s Funny Car final, pitting Hagan against Jeff Arend, as well as a team shootout between reigning season champ Hight and his boss, points leader John Force.

Veteran Jim Head ended up in the 16th and final spot with a 4.565 and will face Worsham in round one. Jeff Diehl and Paul Lee were left on the outside looking in.

For the 14th time in the last 15 races, points leader Edwards sits atop the pack in Pro Stock and, to add salt to the wounds

Mike Edwards

of the rest of the field, was one of the few to improve on his Friday best. After clocking a field-leading 6.70 Friday, Edwards’ Penhall/K&N/Interstate GXP ran 6.687 in Saturday’s opening session to bolster his position. The No. 1 qualifying berth is his fifth in six races this season and the 27th of his career and his third straight in Las Vegas.

“This morning was definitely better for several teams, and we just made an exceptionally nice run. I’m very proud of my guys,” said Edwards. “We changed some things there this afternoon and tried some things and didn’t like what we seen. We felt like it was going to be a slower session, so we thought it might be time to do it. It’s great to be able to come up here and qualify No. 1 and get some of that great K&N [Horsepower Challenge] money for qualifying No. 1.

“If tomorrow is like it is today, I’d like to stay in that left lane; it seems like we’ve got a better handle on it. If the sun’s out, you’re going to see exactly what we seen today. It will be faster in the morning, and as the day goes on, it will be hotter and greasier, so you’ll just have to make the adjustments. I look for more of the same.”

Engine customer Ron Krisher remained second behind Edwards with his Friday 6.716 from his Valvoline Cobalt, his fourth No. 2 spot of the year (all behind Edwards poles). Rodger Brogdon sits a career-tying-best third with a 6.725 in the Kent Services & Trucking/Racers Edge Pontiac and Allen Johnson’s Dodge fourth with a 6.732; both runs also were recorded Friday.

Greg Anderson, representing event sponsor Summit Racing Equipment, has his GXP ranked fifth with a 6.737, just ahead of the 6.738 of Shane Gray, who will be making his first top-half start with the Tire Kingdom GXP. Phoenix runner-up Bob Yonke (6.745) and veteran Warren Johnson (6.745) round out the top eight.

For the third time this season and the second straight event, Rickie Jones ended up on the bump spot after posting a 6.767. He’ll be Edwards’ first-round opponent Sunday. Kurt Johnson and Larry Morgan were the biggest surprises among the nine non-qualifiers.

Top Fuel-
Psn  Driver               Vehicle                            ET   Speed
   1. Antron Brown         Matco Tools Dragster            3.881  316.60
   2. Larry Dixon          Al-Anabi Racing Dragster        3.894  314.24
   3. Doug Kalitta         Kalitta Air Dragster            3.909  315.56
   4. Cory McClenathan     Fram Tough Guard Dragster       3.912  312.57
   5. Tony Schumacher      U.S. Army Dragster              3.942  308.07
   6. Morgan Lucas         Geico Powersport/ Lucas Oil Dr  3.980  303.50
   7. Shawn Langdon        Lucas Oil/Speedco Dragster      3.991  308.14
   8. Brandon Bernstein    Copart/Lucas Oil Dragster       4.000  306.19
   9. Terry McMillen       Amalie Oil Dragster             4.031  290.19
  10. Mike Strasburg       B & J Transmissions Dragster    4.039  306.19
  11. Troy Buff            Bill Miller Racing/Okuma Drags  4.094  276.29
  12. David Grubnic        Kalitta Motorsports Dragster    4.105  295.46
  13. Terry Haddock        Dragster                        4.137  283.55
  14. Steven Chrisman      Chrisman Driveline Dragster     4.149  283.61
  15. Steve Faria          System One Filtration Dragster  4.528  185.23
  16. Rob Passey           MSP Motorsports/Mattinson Race  4.562  241.15
          --------- Not Qualified ---------
  17. Steve Torrence       Simple Mobile Dragster          4.564  228.34
Funny Car-
Psn  Driver               Vehicle                            ET   Speed
   1. Del Worsham          Al-Anabi Racing Solara          4.187  297.75
   2. Ashley Force Hood    Castrol GTX Mustang             4.195  295.14
   3. Matt Hagan           DieHard Charger                 4.217  297.16
   4. Gary Densham         NealInvestments/LawsonRock&Oil  4.220  295.92
   5. Ron Capps            NAPA Auto Parts Charger         4.221  291.70
   6. Robert Hight         AAA of So. Cal Mustang          4.223  300.00
   7. Bob Bode             Alard Machine Products Impala   4.238  297.22
   8. Bob Tasca III        Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang   4.243  293.66
   9. Melanie Troxel       In-N-Out Burger Charger         4.250  302.28
  10. Tim Wilkerson        Levi, Ray & Shoup Mustang       4.255  292.90
  11. John Force           Castrol GTX Mustang             4.263  297.94
  12. Jack Beckman         Valvoline/MTS Charger           4.289  287.47
  13. Tony Pedregon        Herzog Impala                   4.301  287.78
  14. Jeff Arend           DHL Solara                      4.314  292.58
  15. Cruz Pedregon        Snap-On Solara                  4.532  269.24
  16. Jim Head             Head Racing Solara              4.565  257.73
          --------- Not Qualified ---------
  17. Jeff Diehl           Rimz One Monte Carlo            4.809  212.73
  18. Paul Lee             Jim Dunn/Canidae/Lucas Oil Imp  5.064  293.22
Pro Stock-

Psn  Driver               Vehicle                            ET   Speed

1. Mike Edwards         Penhall/K&N/Interstae GXP       6.687  205.88

2. Ron Krisher          Valvoline Cobalt                6.716  205.38

3. Rodger Brogdon       Kent Services & Trucking GXP    6.725  205.16

4. Allen Johnson        Mopar/J & J Racing Avenger      6.732  204.88

5. Greg Anderson        Summit Racing Equipment GXP     6.737  204.73

6. Shane Gray           Tire Kingdom GXP                6.738  204.39

7. Bob Yonke            Adrenaline Motorsports GXP      6.745  204.57

8. Warren Johnson       K&N Filters GXP                 6.745  204.26

9. Jason Line           Summit Racing Equipment GXP     6.748  205.07

10. Jeg Coughlin         Jegs.com Cobalt                 6.751  205.51

11. Greg Stanfield       Nitrofish GXP                   6.754  204.45

12. Vinnie Deceglie      Mountain View Tire Avenger      6.754  204.32

13. Johnny Gray          NTB GXP                         6.761  204.60

14. V. Gaines            Kendall Oil Avenger             6.761  204.57

15. Ronnie Humphrey      Pro Stock Grills/THM GXP        6.766  204.70

16. Rickie Jones         Elite GXP                       6.767  204.14

--------- Not Qualified ---------

17. Steve Spiess         Billet Specialties Cobalt       6.772  203.37

18. Larry Morgan         Lucas Oil/Summit Mustang        6.781  203.34

19. Kurt Johnson         Mark Christopher Cobalt         6.785  203.58

20. Erica Enders         Mustang                         6.793  204.32

21. Danny Gruninger      www.usrecognition.com Stratus   6.816  202.79

22. Gordie Rivera        Gordies Speed Center GXP        6.821  201.70

23. Jim Cunningham       Cunningham Motorsports Mustang  6.921  202.79

24. John Nobile          Nobile Racing Mustang          13.381   62.50

25. Justin Humphreys     RaceRedi Motorsports GXP       18.570  202.85

by Phil Burgess, National DRAGSTER Editor

Antron Brown, Ashley Force Hood, and Mike Edwards are the low qualifiers after the first day of qualifying at the 11th annual SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

With air temperatures pushing 90 degrees and track temperatures during the first nitro session at about 126, a lot of teams struggled. The temperatures for the second session dropped about 10 degrees, and with the track shaded by the grandstands, teams had an easier time getting a handle on things. The event is the sixth of 23 in the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series schedule, and race teams had just a few days to hightail it from Houston, site of last weekend’s O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA SpringNationals, to Las Vegas for the second of the season’s back-to-back race weekends. Teams first went back to back at the season opener in Pomona in early February and the next event in Phoenix.

Brown grabbed the top spot on Top Fuel in the middle of the second session with a strong 3.88 from his Matco Tools dragster which held off all other challengers including Houston champ Larry Dixon’s 3.894 on the final pass of the day. Brown was the No. 1 qualifier in Gainesville, No. 3 in Charlotte, and No. 2 last weekend in Las Vegas. Brown has 22 career low qualifiers from his competition in both Top Fuel and Pro Stock Motorcycle.

Doug Kalitta, a three-time runner-up already this season, sits third behind Brown and Dixon’s Al-Anabi dragster while points leader Cory McClenathan’s Fram dragster is fourth at 3.912  312.57. World champ Tony Schumacher’s U.S. Army machine is fifth at 3.942. Morgan Lucas (3.980), Brandon Bernstein (4.000), Mike Strasburg (4.039) round out the day’s top eight.

Steve Chrisman’s 4.149 denotes the No. 12 spot, the final e.t. that will transfer into Saturday’s two final qualifying sessions. Sixteen Top Fuelers made passes Friday.

Force Hood, whose Castrol GTX Mustang led the first session with a 4.236, had been bumped to sixth by the time she ran at the end of the second session, but had no problem regaining the lead with a 4.195. Force Hood, the No. 2 qualifier in Houston, is seeking her first No.1 qualifying position of the season and the 10th of her career.

Force Hood’s pass bumped Houston winner Matt Hagan’s Die Hard Dodge from the top spot, which he had grabbed with a 4.217 that held on for second. Veteran privateer Gary Densham is the surprise No. 3 qualifier with a 4.220 in just his third appearance of the season. Ron Capps and the NAPA Auto Parts Charger sits fourth at 4.221 just ahead of world champion Robert Hight’s Auto Club Mustang sits at 4.223 and Del Worsham and the Al-Anabi Toyota at 4.235. Bob Bode (4.238) and Melanie Troxel (4.250) round out the top eight

Tony Pedregon sits in the No. 12 spot with a 4.301 and with 18 cars on the grounds, there will be a battle for the top 16 spots. Among those not yet qualifier are Cruz Pedregon, Houston runner-up Jeff Arend, and Phoenix champ Jack Beckman.

Edwards, whose streak of 12 consecutive No. 1 qualifying berths was broken two events ago in Charlotte, seems intent on starting another long run of pole positions as last weekend; qualifying ladder in Houston is back atop the pack halfway through qualifying in Las Vegas with his Penhall/K&N/Interstate Pontiac. After a down-low wiggle cost him in the first session, Edwards took advantage of the better conditions and zoomed from fifth to first with a 6.706 in the afternoon session to take the lead.

“We didn’t do a very good job the first run, that’s for sure,” said Edwards. “We did a better job with the adjustments tonight, and it really paid off. We had some issues with the motor — we changed motors between runs — but we didn’t do very good on the starting line either, so hats off to my guys because they really, really did a good job tonight. We didn’t have much to go off of because of the run the first run, but we made a lot of good changes and a lot of good adjustments and made a nice run.

“I’m not sure. We run at, I think, 11:30 in tomorrow morning, so that will probably be our best session. I look for things to change around, so you’re going to have to come out and try to make the best run that you can.”

Edwards engine customer Ron Krisher, whose Valvoline Cobalt led the first session with a 6.716, dropped to second after he wasn’t able to improve on that number while Houston runner-up Allen Johnson made it three different makes atop the pack when he powered his Mopar Dodge to a 6.732, also in the first session. Event sponsor Greg Anderson’s Summit Racing Pontiac is fourth at 6.737 and Rodger Brogdon’s The Racers Edge Pontiac is fifth at 6.746. Johnny Gray (6.761, 204.60), V. Gaines (6.761, 204.11), and Houston champ Jeg Coughlin (6.762) round out the top eight.

Shane Gray’s Tire Kingdom GXP holds down the 12th and final transfer spot to Saturday qualifying with a 6.773. Thirteen drivers – including perennial qualifiers Rickie Jones, Greg Stanfield, Warren Johnson, and Kurt Johnson — will be trying to make the cut in Saturday’s final two sessions.

Top Fuel-
Psn  Driver               Vehicle                            ET   Speed
   1. Antron Brown         Matco Tools Dragster            3.881  316.60
   2. Larry Dixon          Al-Anabi Racing Dragster        3.894  314.24
   3. Doug Kalitta         Kalitta Air Dragster            3.909  315.56
   4. Cory McClenathan     Fram Tough Guard Dragster       3.912  312.57
   5. Tony Schumacher      U.S. Army Dragster              3.942  308.07
   6. Morgan Lucas         Geico Powersport/ Lucas Oil Dr  3.980  303.50
   7. Brandon Bernstein    Copart/Lucas Oil Dragster       4.000  306.19
   8. Mike Strasburg       B & J Transmissions Dragster    4.039  306.19
   9. Shawn Langdon        Lucas Oil/Speedco Dragster      4.083  297.29
  10. Terry McMillen       Amalie Oil Dragster             4.088  284.03
  11. David Grubnic        Kalitta Motorsports Dragster    4.105  294.24
  12. Steven Chrisman      Chrisman Driveline Dragster     4.149  283.61
          --------- Not Qualified ---------
  13. Steve Faria          System One Filtration Dragster  5.090  147.41
  14. Rob Passey           MSP Motorsports/Mattinson Race  7.001   95.92
  15. Troy Buff            Bill Miller Racing/Okuma Drags  8.879   56.53
  16. Steve Torrence       Simple Mobile Dragster          8.960   80.94

Funny Car-

 Psn  Driver               Vehicle                            ET   Speed
   1. Ashley Force Hood    Castrol GTX Mustang             4.195  295.14
   2. Matt Hagan           DieHard Charger                 4.217  297.16
   3. Gary Densham         NealInvestments/LawsonRock&Oil  4.220  295.92
   4. Ron Capps            NAPA Auto Parts Charger         4.221  291.70
   5. Robert Hight         AAA of So. Cal Mustang          4.223  300.00
   6. Del Worsham          Al-Anabi Racing Solara          4.235  292.90
   7. Bob Bode             Alard Machine Products Impala   4.238  297.22
   8. Melanie Troxel       In-N-Out Burger Charger         4.250  302.28
   9. Tim Wilkerson        Levi, Ray & Shoup Mustang       4.255  292.90
  10. John Force           Castrol GTX Mustang             4.263  297.94
  11. Bob Tasca III        Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang   4.290  293.66
  12. Tony Pedregon        Herzog Impala                   4.301  270.86
          --------- Not Qualified ---------
  13. Paul Lee             Jim Dunn/Canidae/Lucas Oil Imp  4.302  293.22
  14. Cruz Pedregon        Snap-On Solara                  4.371  235.64
  15. Jeff Arend           DHL Solara                      4.568  248.57
  16. Jeff Diehl           Rimz One Monte Carlo            4.746  186.95
  17. Jim Head             Head Racing Solara              5.289  143.51
  18. Jack Beckman         Valvoline/MTS Charger           7.194   93.98

Pro Stock-

 Psn  Driver               Vehicle                            ET   Speed
   1. Mike Edwards         Penhall/K&N/Interstae GXP       6.706  205.47
   2. Ron Krisher          Valvoline Cobalt                6.716  205.38
   3. Allen Johnson        Mopar/J & J Racing Avenger      6.732  204.88
   4. Greg Anderson        Summit Racing Equipment GXP     6.737  204.51
   5. Rodger Brogdon       Kent Services & Trucking GXP    6.746  205.13
   6. Johnny Gray          NTB GXP                         6.761  204.60
   7. V. Gaines            Kendall Oil Avenger             6.761  204.11
   8. Jeg Coughlin         Jegs.com Cobalt                 6.762  205.38
   9. Vinnie Deceglie      Mountain View Tire Avenger      6.762  204.32
  10. Jason Line           Summit Racing Equipment GXP     6.764  204.82
  11. Ronnie Humphrey      Pro Stock Grills/THM GXP        6.766  204.70
  12. Shane Gray           Tire Kingdom GXP                6.773  204.26
          --------- Not Qualified ---------
  13. Rickie Jones         Elite GXP                       6.790  202.91
  14. Greg Stanfield       Nitrofish GXP                   6.793  204.01
  15. Warren Johnson       K&N Filters GXP                 6.796  203.22
  16. Bob Yonke            Adrenaline Motorsports GXP      6.798  204.11
  17. Steve Spiess         Billet Specialties Cobalt       6.798  203.09
  18. Kurt Johnson         Mark Christopher Cobalt         6.804  203.19
  19. Justin Humphreys     RaceRedi Motorsports GXP        6.810  202.85
  20. Larry Morgan         Lucas Oil/Summit Mustang        6.811  203.03
  21. Erica Enders         Mustang                         6.812  203.49
  22. Danny Gruninger      www.usrecognition.com Stratus   6.815  202.70
  23. Jim Cunningham       Cunningham Motorsports Mustang  6.865  202.79
  24. Gordie Rivera        Gordies Speed Center GXP        6.903  191.27
  25. John Nobile          Nobile Racing Mustang          13.549   62.29

While we surfed through DART’s Facebook Page, we saw something interesting – Larry Morgan alongside Richard Maskin, and DART’s Pro-Stock engine builder Jeff Lake discussing some engine technology along with some hands-on interaction out in the shop.

Morgan has much more on his plate than some other competitors, being that all of his engines are done in house at his award-winning shop in Ohio. Bringing Ford back into the Pro Stock class attempting to be competitive after their absence for years is quite difficult for Morgan and others. Morgan has made several comments about their downfalls thus far, while he noted horsepower wasn’t an issue, he did make note that these engines were wanting something a little different in the tuning department, and that he’d like to put an end to hurting engines so much.

With that in mind, could Morgan’s next step be either gaining a multitude of knowledge that DART obviously has, or possibly even having DART whip him up an engine package? There’s no official word yet, but we’re certain they weren’t having a leisurely talk about last night’s baseball game.

Larry Morgan currently sits 13th in the Pro Stock points standings (A mere 3 points behind Rickie Jones in 12th) as the NHRA rolls into Las Vegas this weekend for the SummitRacing.com Nationals.

Press release from IHRA:

At the end of this month the most talked about Nitro Jam in the history of the series will travel to Rockingham Dragway for the annual Spring Nitro Jam May 1-2 at the track known the world over as “The Rock.”

Featuring new classes, new drivers and a brand new format, the Spring Nitro Jam will be an event fans will be talking about for years to come as Nitro Jam officials pull out all the stops to create a one-of-a-kind motorsports thrill show all centered around some of the best competitors in drag racing today.

And one of those classes, the incredibly popular Prostalgia Nitro Funny Car class, will be at the top of the list of must-see races when the lights go down and the fire flares up next month at Rockingham Dragway.

“I can’t wait for Rockingham. To race in front of all those screaming fans and to put on a show at such a historical track will be a thrill for me and my team,” said Peter Gallen, driver of the “Poverty Stricken” ’74 Vega. “I haven’t been this excited for a race in a long time.”

Gallen, who won for the first time last month in Baton Rouge, said he is thrilled about the new class and what it has meant for the drivers and for Nitro Jam fans. Featuring older body styles and liberal rules, these Nitro Funny Cars have produced lap after lap of side-by-side runs and incredible numbers in the first two races.

And Gallen says that the fun factor, both for the drivers and for the fans, is why he got behind the wheel in the first place.

Through two Nitro Jam events Gallen has a remarkable 6-2 round win-loss record with one victory. He also currently holds the Prostalgia NFC record for elapsed time and speed with a blistering 5.813 second pass at 246.84 mph set in Baton Rouge last month.

“I am having a lot of fun, not just because we are winning, but because of the way we are being treated. We are treated like we are stars here with the IHRA so I feel we are very blessed,” Gallen said. “I am elated so far with the way we are running. This car is a legal VRA car and that really says a lot about our performance out here.”

Gallen currently sits second in points, just nine markers behind leader Greg Jacobsmeyer. Steve Nichols, Mike McIntire and John Dunn round out the top five.

The spring Rockingham race is the third event on the 2010 Nitro Jam Tour and is one of the oldest and most prestigious events in all of drag racing. The Spring Nitro Jam dates back to the early 70s and has featured drag racing legends – both past and present – over its storied history.

Along with the brand new Prostalgia Nitro Funny Car class the Spring Nitro Jam will also feature Top Fuel and Pro Fuel Dragsters, the county’s best doorslammers and dragsters in heads-up competition, the “Cool Bus” wheelstanding school bus, the battle of the jet trucks, fireworks and more.

Don’t miss a minute of the action May 1-2 at Rockingham Dragway!

Credit: AutotImagery.com/NHRA.com

When speedway mogul and SMI CEO Bruton Smith announced his intentions to conduct a four wide NHRA Full Throttle national event on his brand new zMax Dragway – a move that was seemingly a given after the four lane drag strip was built – it was met with very mixed opinions.

The racers – who approached NHRA with their displeasure collectively under the Professional Racers Organization (PRO) banner – cited their concerns primarily on the safety aspect of four, 300 MPH vehicles navigating the quarter mile at the same time.  And when Matt Hagan and Jeff Diehl both blew the bodies off their Funny Cars during qualifying, sending debris across all four lanes, it simply added to the racers’ “We told you so’s.”

The fans, many of whom are part of a generation that had never seen or even heard of four cars racing down the quarter mile, were mostly enthusiastic and eager with anticipation for the event.  And the packed grandstands, which are a staple of SMI’s four drag strips, seemed to go along with that fact.

Following the event, however, the negative thoughts on the event spread like wildfire and become a hot topic on the internet.  While much of it centered around simply the breaking of tradition of two cars and two lanes, much has been made of the fact that fans simply didn’t care for four cars racing down the track, and two of them advancing. The controversial nature of the race, coupled with the negative reaction that many of the fans expressed after witnessing the first four wide race prompted ESPN to place a SportsNation fan poll on their website this week, asking “Do you like NHRA 4-wide racing?”

With roughly 8,100 votes as of this writing , the poll surprisingly slants heavily to a “No” vote, 71% to 29% in favor. Immediately following the Charlotte event, the members of PRO voted 60-3 against competing in future four wide, points-paying events, and issued a statement to the NHRA outlining their stance on the matter. During the ESPN telecast, Bruton Smith was gung-ho on the idea, going so far as to state that following the success of the inaugural event, he would be adding the additional two lanes to the Las Vegas facility.  It would seem that a lot of behind-the-scenes controversy may ensue in the coming months, with the NHRA squarely between the two opposing parties, and it’ll be interesting to see how it plays out and if we’ve seen the last of four-wide drag racing or just the beginning.

Press release from IHRA:

The 2008 Nitro Jam season was an especially memorable one for Top Fuel star Spencer Massey.

As a rookie that year Massey produced an unheard of four victories and five final round appearances on his way to winning the ’08 IHRA Top Fuel championship all after earning his license just one week prior to the start of the season.

Now, two years after that incredible run Massey, who has since added an NHRA Rookie of the Year award to his resume last season, returns to the track where his career took off at Rockingham Dragway for the annual Spring Nitro Jam May 1-2 at “The Rock.

“We had a lot of good times and accomplished a lot at Rockingham Dragway so I am really looking forward to going back there,” Massey said. “It is a great track with a lot of history behind it and it means a lot for a driver to do well there. It is a special event for the drivers and for the fans and I can’t wait to get out there and compete again.”

Massey claimed his very first quarter-mile victory at Rockingham Dragway at the Spring Nitro Jam two years ago and went on to claim the ’08 championship at the legendary North Carolina facility later that year.

“It was special winning our first quarter-mile race at Rockingham. And then to turn around and clinch the championship at the World Finals later that year was amazing,” Massey said. “There have been so many memorable races and incredible drivers who have raced at the track. I am honored to be among those who have added their name to the Rockingham history books.”

After a one year stint with the NHRA where Massey collected two victories, a top-five points finish and Rookie of the Year honors, Massey returned to Nitro Jam competition at the beginning of this year driving the second car in the Mitch King Motorsports stable. Massey is paired with 2009 IHRA Top Fuel champion Del Cox Jr. who surpassed his friend and teammate with five victories and a championship last year – also as a rookie.

Just like Massey, Cox claimed his very first quarter-mile victory at the Spring Nitro Jam last season as the Mitch King duo tries to make it three-in-a-row next month.

“The Mitch King team has done very well at Rockingham Dragway. This team has won the spring race and clinched the championship at the track two years in a row,” Massey said. “I look forward to seeing what we can do again this year with the new format.”

Through two events surprise points leader Bobby Lagana Jr. sits on top of the standings with two victories and an incredible 6-2 round win-loss record. Lagana, the only non-champion among the foursome, has stunned the field with consistent laps and some of the best passes of his career.

In second is Bruce Litton, driver of the Lucas Oil Slick Mist machine. Mitch King Motorsports teammates Cox and Massey round out the Top Fuel standings entering the Spring Nitro Jam at “The Rock” May 1-2.

“It is a great place to race and a great place to watch a race. I look forward to competing in front of the huge crowds and putting on another great show for the fans,” Massey said. “It should be a good one.”

By virtue of a special drawing, the Top Sportsman and Top Dragster blocker positions for the 2010 JEGS Allstars event will go to the NHRA Pacific Division and the NHRA Southeast Division, respectively. The two classes were added to the prestigious program at last year’s 25th Anniversary JEGS Allstars event;  2010 is the first year of competition for them. Officials held the drawing last weekend at the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Pennzoil.

The JEGS Allstars event, held Saturday, June 5, during the United Association Route 66 NHRA Nationals, pits the top points earners form NHRA’s seven geographic divisions against each other in the culmination of a yearlong points battle. Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series competitors in Top Alcohol Dragster, Top Alcohol Funny Car, Comp, Super Stock, Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, Super Street, Top Sportsman, and Top Dragster vie for team and individual honors and a share of the $119,000 purse. The defending JEGS Allstars champion in each class is invited back as the blocker and final competitor in the eight-car competition in each class.

Additionally, to guarantee full eight-car fields in all classes of JEGS Allstars competition, the blocker-selection process will be expanded. Currently, the blocker position is awarded to the defending JEGS Allstars champion and then to last year’s runner-up if the defending champion is either the current year’s division points leader (and would compete as the division’s rep) or cannot attend the competition.

Additions/changes are outlined below.

For all classes in 2010: If for any reason the defending JEGS Allstars champion and the runner-up cannot compete as the blocker, the blocker position will be awarded to the No. 2 driver in points from the defending champion’s NHRA division. If the No. 2 driver cannot attend, then it will go to the No. 3 driver and so on. Example: The previous year’s JEGS Allstars champion is the blocker for the following year. If he or she is the division rep, then the previous year’s runner-up would be the blocker. If the runner-up is the division’s rep (or cannot attend the competition), the blocker position would go back to the defending champion’s division and to the No. 2 points finisher in that division.

For all classes beginning in 2011: If the defending JEGS Allstars champion cannot compete as the blocker for any reason, the blocker position will remain in the champion’s division and will go to the next-highest JEGS Allstars points driver. Example: If the defending JEGS Allstars Top Alcohol Funny Car champion is also the division Allstars points leader, he or she will compete as the division rep, and the No. 2 driver in Allstars Top Alcohol Funny Car points in that division will go in the blocker position.