Spencer Massey raced to his third Top Fuel victory of the season Sunday at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals and in the process qualified for the Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s playoffs.

John Force (Funny Car), Mike Edwards (Pro Stock) and Karen Stoffer (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also were winners at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event at Bandimere Speedway near Denver.

Massey powered his Prestone/FRAM dragster to a performance of 4.150 seconds at 269.67 mph to hold off seven-time world champ Tony Schumacher, who trailed with a 4.255 at 266.95 in his U.S. Army dragster. Massey became the second Top Fuel driver to earn a post season playoff berth, joining current series leader Del Worsham.

Massey outran Brandon Bernstein, Shawn Langdon and Antron Brown in earlier rounds to advance to his fifth final of the season and move to second in the point standings, 68 behind leader Worsham, who lost in the second round to Brown.

“I’m just ecstatic,” said Massey of his fifth career victory. “I wanted to do well at this race, especially with our sponsor’s race at Sonoma being next week. Now we get to go there with a full head of steam. The final round was kind of crazy, because it started hazing the tires at the eighth-mile. I just kept my foot in it and hoped that our Gates belt held on. I never saw Tony. When I saw the win light, I started going crazy.”

In Funny Car, Force won his first race of the season and the 133rd of his career, as he took an automatic win light when final round opponent Matt Hagan fouled at the start in his Mopar/DieHard Dodge Charger. Force finished in 4.361 at 285.23 in his Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang to claim his sixth win in nine career finals at the scenic mile-high dragstrip.

In the first three rounds Force raced past Tony Pedregon, series leader and teammate Mike Neff and Jeff Arend to advance to a record 214th career final round.

“Like the military, it’s all about teamwork, and we have great guys,” Force said. “(Crew chiefs) Dean Antonelli and Ron Douglas have been struggling, and Mike Neff and Jimmy Prock stepped in to help them. Robert Hight, the president of the company, even spoke up and told me, ‘It’s you. You have to get back in the game. Your head is hopscotching to the air show and the Indy 500 and every place you’re going. You taught me that you need to live it.’ He was right. I’m back in the game today.”

Neff, who became the first Funny Car driver to secure a Countdown playoff berth during the weekend, maintained his series lead, 192 points ahead of teammate Robert Hight. Force climbed from eighth to seventh in the standings with his victory.

Edwards scored his third win of the season and 31st of his career by holding off Bandimere Pro Stock dominator Allen Johnson in the final round. Edwards ran 6.970 at 197.56 in his Penhall/Interstate Batteries Pontiac GXP in the final but ultimately wouldn’t need the strong performance as Johnson turned on a rare red-light at the start in his Team Mopar/J&J Racing Dodge Avenger.

“We got the Wally, but I believe that Allen Johnson is still ‘King of the Mountain’,” said Edwards, who beat Warren Johnson, Jason Line and Larry Morgan to advance to the final round.

“It’s so sweet to come up here because the Bandimere family does such an awesome job, and the fans are great,” Edwards continued. “It’s such a privilege to come up here and race because it is such a unique place. We have to change everything from one end of the car to the other [to adjust for the increased] altitude, and it’s a game to see which team can make the best guesses and best choices, and who can be ‘King of the Mountain’ for one year. I just give praise to God because this team is all about Him.”

With the win, Edwards trimmed Jason Line’s series lead to six points.

Stoffer ended a four-year winless drought in Pro Stock Motorcycle as she sped to her sixth career victory with a 7.283 at 182.58 on her GEICO/Powersports Suzuki and held off fellow Suzuki rider Michael Phillips, who trailed with a 7.394 at 182.01 on his Racers Edge sponsored bike.

“Our main goal this season was consistency and to go as many rounds as available at each racing event,” said Stoffer, who beat Shawn Gann, Jerry Savoie and Eddie Krawiec in the first three rounds. “If you do that and do it right, you’re going to get the win lights and you’re going to get the Wallys. We had to wait and be patient. We went to three final rounds this year and had to wait until about mid-season before we could bring it home, but we finally made it happen.”

With the victory, Stoffer regained the series lead and moves 33 points ahead of Krawiec with three bike races remaining until the playoffs.

“We got the double whammy here by taking home the Wally and also getting in front of the points,” Stoffer said. “We’re now in control of our own destiny.”

Saturday

Allen Johnson continued his success at Bandimere Speedway by racing to the No. 1 qualifying position in Pro Stock Saturday at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at scenic Bandimere Speedway near Denver.

Del Worsham (Top Fuel), Cruz Pedregon (Funny Car) and Hector Arana Sr. (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also will lead their respective categories into Sunday’s 11 a.m. eliminations at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event.

Johnson will go for his third consecutive victory and fourth in the last five seasons at Thunder Mountain from the No. 1 qualifying position. He powered his Team Mopar/J&J Racing Dodge Avenger to a 6.978 second run at 197.65 mph to earn his second No. 1 of the season, 17th of his career and third at this event.

“I just wish we could copy this Mopar race and take it with us to all the other events on the NHRA schedule,” said Johnson, who will meet Steve Kalkowski in the opening round. “Because it is an event sponsored by Mopar, and we are the Mopar team in Pro Stock, we’ve taken it very seriously. We’ve tested a lot at this track the last few years and have built up a lot of very valuable data that has contributed to our success. We feel that this is our race, and we do everything we can to perform at our very best level. Tomorrow’s conditions should be very similar to what we had today, and we actually left a little bit on the table on that 6.97 run. So there’s a chance that we could improve slightly during Sunday’s eliminations.”

Local favorite V. Gaines from nearby Lakewood claimed the second spot in his Kendall Oil Dodge Avenger with a 6.982 at 197.02, while Mike Edwards posted a quicker run in his Penhall/Interstate Batteries Pontiac GXP at 6.986 at 197.19, but dropped from first to third in the final order.

In Top Fuel, Worsham took his fourth top qualifying effort of the season and ninth of his career by virtue of his Friday performance of 3.933 at 314.53 in his Al-Anabi Racing dragster. He will face Steve Chrisman in the opening round of eliminations.

“This season just continues to be amazing,” said Worsham, who on Friday became the first Top Fuel driver to clinch a position in the Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s six-race playoffs. “I’ve only had nine No. 1 qualifying spots in my whole career, and four of those happened this season. What we ran last night gave [team manager] Alan Johnson and [crew chief] Brian Husen the chance to feel their way around the track today, and I feel good about tomorrow. Clinching a spot in the Countdown is a big deal. Now our goal is to clinch the No. 1 spot heading into the playoffs. If that happens, it would be amazing.”

Bob Vandergriff was second in his C&J Energy Services dragster with a 3.937 at 310.55 and defending winner Doug Kalitta was third with a 3.973 at 312.21 in his Kalitta Motorsports dragster.

No one bettered Pedregon’s powerful track record performance of 4.095 at 307.51 in his Snap-on Tools Toyota Camry Solara, and the two-time Funny Car world champion claimed his third No. 1 qualifying position of the season, 42nd of his career and his first ever at the mile-high Denver dragstrip. Pedregon will race Jeff Diehl in the first round.

“The way I felt this morning, you’d have thought that we won a race,” Pedregon said. “The attention we received from the fans and the media was overwhelming. It was cool to be on the cover of the Denver Post. We didn’t fare as well today in the heat, and we’ need to figure that out quick. I think we learned a lot about what not to do today. We tried to back it down to get it down the track, but we obviously didn’t make big enough moves. Bandimere Speedway is a great track; it just got a little warm. At the same time that you want to slow a car down, you don’t want to make it a turtle. I still think we’re in a good position for tomorrow.”

Defending event winner Robert Hight sits second in the Auto Club Ford Mustang with a 4.172 at 300.93 and Mopar/DieHard Dodge Charger driver Matt Hagan was third with a 4.194 at 300.06.

Hector Arana Sr. earned his second No. 1 of the season in Pro Stock Motorcycle by posting a 7.240 at 185.69 on his Lucas Oil Buell. It was Arana Sr.’s 17th career No. 1 and second at this track. He will meet rookie Justin Finley in the opening round of eliminations.

“We had electrical problems in Friday’s first session, and had trouble finding out what was wrong,” Arana said. “The way that my son [Hector Arana Jr.] was running, he was starting to make his dad look ‘old’. But once we figured it out, our motorcycle ran very well. I’m very pleased with the track conditions. Both lanes are great, so lane choice won’t matter tomorrow. With so many bikes running very well this weekend, the key to tomorrow’s eliminations will be who can leave the line the hardest and produce the best 60-foot times. That’s the area that we will be focusing on Sunday.”

Karen Stoffer moved into second place on her GEICO Powersports Suzuki with a 7.245 at 184.65 and Eddie Krawiec fell from first to third on his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson with a 7.258 at 185.84.

Friday

Del Worsham raced to the Top Fuel qualifying lead Friday at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway near Denver.

Cruz Pedregon (Funny Car), Mike Edwards (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also were qualifying leaders at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event.

By making a qualifying run, Worsham secured a spot in the Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s six-race playoffs that start Sept. 15-18 at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte, N.C. He also could claim his fourth No. 1 qualifying position of the season if his performance holds through Saturday’s two qualifying rounds (1:45 and 4:15 p.m.). Sunday’s eliminations start at 11 a.m.

Worsham, the Top Fuel series points leader with five victories in six finals this season, covered the distance in 3.933 seconds at 314.53 mph in his Al-Anabi Racing dragster, which now features a new black paint scheme.

“It was definitely perfect timing,” said Worsham of his 3.93-second blast. “We ran well in the coolest conditions with the sun off the track where we could take advantage of the most grip. I’m impressed by the entire group of guys on the Al-Anabi teams. With our car being prepared consistently well, it allows [team manager] Alan Johnson and [crew chief] Brian Husen to do these types of things.

“I don’t tune the car, but I know from my tuning experience that you have to make big moves here. The altitude will eat up everything you do. I’ve noticed from my experience with this team that Alan and Brian will probably use the runs tomorrow to find the boundaries of what we can do on race day.”

Bob Vandergriff was second with a 3.937 at 310.55 in his C&J Energy Services dragster and Doug Kalitta posted a 3.973 at 312.21 in his Kalitta Motorsports dragster for third best.

Two-time world champ Pedregon led Funny Car with authority by setting both ends of the track record, powering to a stellar 4.095 at 307.51 in his Snap-on Tools Toyota Solara.

“That was really the run of my career,” Pedregon said. “I’ve been in some great cars over the years, but that was the best run I’ve ever made when you consider the altitude. There is a formula where you can factor in a run for atmospheric conditions, and that was probably a 3.96 or 3.97 at sea level.  It was loaded for bear, and it held on.”

Pedregon’s time was well ahead of second place Robert Hight, who ran 4.172 at 300.93 in his Auto Club Ford Mustang. Third-place Matt Hagan covered the distance in 4.194 at 300.06 in his Mopar/DieHard Dodge Charger.

After struggling in the opening qualifying session Pedregon said he knew he was in for a great ride as soon as his car launched on his second attempt.

“As much as we thought we had our act together for this race, we broke traction in the first round after posting a good 60-foot time,” Pedregon said. “We went back to the pit knowing that it would cool down for the night session. The car picked up the front end halfway through the run, and I was worried about it getting out of the groove and crossing the centerline. I’m thrilled to make a run like that in front of these great fans at Bandimere Speedway.”

Also in Funny Car, series leader Mike Neff also secured his Countdown playoff berth by making a qualifying attempt. He sits fourth after two rounds of qualifying with a 4.204 at 302.21 in his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang.

Edwards raced to the lead in Pro Stock with a 6.989 at 196.50 in his Penhall/Interstate Batteries Pontiac GXP.

“We made a great run tonight,” Edwards said, “but I think that it’s premature to say that this is going to automatically end up as the No. 1 qualifying run for the weekend. V. Gaines has a real strong car now. He ran as quick as 6.96 in testing, and even with the later starting time for tomorrow’s first qualifying session [it was 11 a.m. in 2010], I believe that he has a chance to run quicker than we did today.”

Allen Johnson, who has won three of the last four Pro Stock titles at this event, including the last two, was second in his Team Mopar/J&J Racing Dodge Avenger with a 6.992 at 196.96. Local favorite V. Gaines, of nearby Lakewood, was third in his Kendall Oil Avenger, posting a 7.011 at 196.19.

With Johnson and Gaines lurking, Edwards hopes he can hang on to the top spot, which would be his fourth No. 1 of the season, the 38th of his career, and his second in Denver.

“We’re just going to have to make two solid runs on Saturday if we expect to hold on to the top spot,” Edwards said.  “It’s not like we’ll just be working on our tune-up for Sunday’s eliminations. I’ve been racing for 30 years, and I just love racing here at Bandimere Speedway. It’s always a challenge to make your car run real fast here, and I think that’s why I like competing here so much.”

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Krawiec rode his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson to the top of the order with a 7.311 at 181.96. Krawiec said he was aided by his team’s test sessions at the track last week. If the time stands it will be Krawiec’s second No. 1 of the season, eighth of his career and second at the mile-high dragstrip.

“We always like racing here in Denver,” Krawiec said. “It’s one of the most unique tracks on the NHRA circuit, and Vance & Hines spent about 10-12 years in Colorado, so we still have a lot of fans and friends here. We don’t feel any pressure we race here. It’s more of a confidence thing.”

David Hope was second with a 7.312 at 181.98 on his VROOM Racing Buell, while Hector Arana Sr. was third on his Lucas Oil Buell with a 7.313 at 179.95.