Words compiled from press releases courtesy NHRA Communications.

Robert Hight outran teammate Mike Neff in the Funny Car final at the 23rd NHRA Summer Nationals Sunday to win the 200th race for John Force Racing.

The other winners at the seventh of 22 races in NHRA’s 60th anniversary season were Spencer Massey (Top Fuel) and Shane Gray (Pro Stock).

It was the 21st career win for Hight, whose less-than-stellar 4.284-second final-round pass at 264.86 in his Auto Club Ford Mustang was still good enough to defeat Neff’s 4.562 and 215.27 in his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang.

“I came to this race 16 years ago to be a part of John Force Racing and I thought then my dreams had come true. I didn’t know what I was going to do, I didn’t care,” Hight said. “To be part of history like this, 200 wins, this is now my dream come true. This is unbelievable.”

Massey’s win came at the expense of Bob Vandergriff, who extended his NHRA record of runner-up finishes without a win to 13.

“It feels unbelievable,” said Massey, who ran a 3.914 at 312.78 to Vandergriff’s 3.962 at 302.21. “We have the consistency now and that’s what it takes to do it.

“We’ve smoked our tires and beat ourselves; at Atlanta (May 13-15), we talked about getting down the track and make the other car beat us and that’s what we did (reaching the semis), and we did it again here at Topeka.”

Gray won for the second time in his career and moved back into the Top 10 in the standings with his final-round 6.679-second pass at 206.95 mph in his Service Central Pontiac to Greg Stanfield’s 6.695 at 206.29 in the NitroFish Pontiac.

“We’ve struggled pretty much since the year started, had car issues, engine issues, we just went back to the shop, regrouped, dissected the motor, dissected people, made probably 100 test runs, came here and the car ran really well,” Gray said.

“This win goes to (crew chiefs) Ian (Landies) and Craig (Hankinson) and the entire Service Central team,” Gray said.

Saturday

Tony Schumacher extended his NHRA record for Top Fuel No. 1 qualifiers to 64 when he paced the field Saturday at the 23rd annual NHRA Summer Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka.

The other No. 1 qualifiers at the seventh of 22 races in the 2011 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season were Jack Beckman (Funny Car) and Mike Edwards (Pro Stock).

Schumacher, who also pulled to within two of NHRA Legend Kenny Bernstein for fifth place on NHRA’s all-time No. 1 qualifier’s list (all classes), set the pace (3.798 at a track record 324.12 mph) in the U.S. Army dragster on Friday and it held up Saturday.

“Just a few years ago, my crew chief Alan (Johnson) left and everyone in this room wrote me off. I was told ‘we’re never going to win, much less win a championship’,” Schumacher said. “Qualifying No. 1 means my guy (Mike Green) did better than his guy at this particular moment, at this race.”

Beckman, who’s currently second behind Mike Neff in the Funny Car standings, also set the pace during Friday night’s optimal conditions with track records for both time and speed (4.054 at 313.66) in his Aaron’s Dodge Charger.

“This is typical Summer schedule night session where you get one run that is not at all representative of Sunday,” Beckman said. “It’s still awesome to have bragging rights to do that and the fact that we get more points certainly doesn’t hurt.”

The reward for Beckman, as he seeks to win his second straight race and third overall this season, is a difficult first-round matchup with sixth-place Jeff Arend and the DHL team.

“I leaned in his car before he made (his final qualifying) run and I said you need to get your you-know-what together so we don’t race first round … he didn’t listen. That’s not our fault,” Beckman joked.
Nothing changed in Pro Stock either as Edwards, from nearby Broken Arrow, Okla., earned his third straight No. 1 at Heartland Park Topeka with a Friday night pass of 6.640-second pass at 207.05 mph in his Penhall/Interstate Batteries Pontiac.

“We didn’t make as good of a run (Saturday) … conditions changed (and Sunday)’s going to be event hotter,” Edwards said. “(Sunday) is going to be even more challenging. It’s going to be whoever can adapt to that starting line. You know, it always comes down to who can leave first.”

Friday

Seven-time Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher ended the first of two days of qualifying at the NHRA Summer Nationals Friday with a 3.798-second blast at a track-record 324.12 mph to earn the provisional No. 1 qualifying position.

The other provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the seventh of 22 races in the 2011 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season were Jack Beckman (Funny Car) and Mike Edwards (Pro Stock).

The No. 1 would be the 64th of Schumacher’s career, pulling him within two of NHRA Legend Kenny Bernstein for fifth place on NHRA’s all-time No. 1 qualifier’s list.

“We know how run down this race track, same crew chief, same guys,” said the driver of the U.S. Army dragster who had been shut out at Heartland Park Topeka before winning in 2010. “In reality, it’s Topeka, it’s a great place, the air was perfect and, uh…we’re No. 1.”

Beckman, coming off of a win at last week’s Summit Racing NHRA Southern Nationals, left with the overnight qualifying lead after a 4.054 at 313.66 in his Aaron’s Dodge Charger.

“We are pretty good on cool race tracks. I was pretty confident,” Beckman said. “That (cool conditions) is what puts us in our comfort zone … when there are wicked quick conditions.”

In Pro Stock, 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Series champion Edwards, from nearby Broken Arrow, Okla., earned the provisional No. 1 with a 6.640-second pass at 207.05 mph in his Penhall/Interstate Batteries Pontiac.

It would be his third straight No. 1 at Heartland Park Topeka where he’s also been to consecutive final rounds, winning in 2010.

“I don’t know (why we’re on such a good run at this track), I guess it’s close to Oklahoma,” Edwards said. “Some of the tracks you go to, you just feel really comfortable, you have a really good handle on it.
“We made just a phenomenal run tonight. Hat’s off to my guys,” Edwards said.