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It wouldn't be the Midwest without extreme swings in weather patterns, and today we've been met with a complete 180-degree change in temperatures from what was experienced earlier in the week, as the mercury at the start of eliminations is just 61 degrees with an expected high of 69 following several 100 degree days.
Antron Brown will be vying for his first Indy win today in Top Fuel and he'll do it from the #1 starting position. Brown is set to square off with Shawn Langdon in what should be a great opening round matchup.
The infamous Top Fool Alcohol Crew, a group of party-hardy campers in the campground on the west side of the Lucas Oil Raceway, create a themed float over a few cold adult beverages each year at Indy. This year, they've concocted a 9/11 themed float in honor of the upcoming 10-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the United States.
Under conditions we haven't seen all weekend, eliminations are set to get underway at the 57th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals.
In a huge upset, Bob Vandergriff downed eight-time Indy champ Tony Schumacher in the opening round of Top Fuel, giving his hopes of making the Countdown a solid boost.
Terry McMillen downed a tiremsoking Rod Fuller in the opening round of Top Fuel, but a massive engine explosion at the stripe cost him 10 points and a lot of work for he and his crew to make the call for round two.
In another big upset characteristic of the U.S. Nationals, Brainerd winner Johny Gray, needing to go rounds today in order to claim a spot in the Countdown, shook the tires and rattled the parachute loose, allowing young Daniel Wilkerson to sail into the next round.
The hits just keep on coming, as Jeff Arend in the DHL Toyota downed #1 qualifier and three-time Indy winner Cruz Pedregon in a huge upset holeshot victory, 4.139 to 4.127.
Erica Enders, still searching for her first Pro Stock win, downed Kurt Johnson, who ran what was low ET of the event at 6.581, on a holeshot in round one with a 6.59.
Reigning U.S. Nationals Pro Stock champion Greg Stanfield dropped his opening round matchup with Allen Johnson, 6.58 to 6.62.
Chip Ellis took down Michael Phillips in a great opening round matchup, winning it by less than a thousandth of a second on a holshot, 6.962 to 6.959.
Brandon Bernstein ended Bob Vandergriff's run toward another final round showing at Indy in the second round on a holeshot, matching his qualifying time with a 3.846 to Vandergriff's quicker 3.841.
Reiging Indy Top Fuel champ Larry Dixon advanced to the semifinals with a defeat of Spencer Massey with low ET of the event, a 3.813. Dixon's Al-Anabi Racing teammate Del Worsham equaled his elapsed time with a 3.813 of his own to best Terry McMillen, who lost his bid for a Countdown berth with the loss.
In a pairing of Don Schumacher Racing stablemates, Matt Hagan punched his ticket into the semifinals with a 4.06-second defeat of Jack Beckman, who was right there with a game 4.11. With speeds of 315.05 and 314.31, this was one of the fastest side-by-side races in the 1000-foot era.
Melanie Troxel's impressive outing in Funny Car came to a screeching halt in the second round when the parachutes shook loose from her In-N-Out Burger flopper, allowing Bob Tasca to cruise in the semifinals with a 4.18.
Greg Anderson ahs been dominant thus far in eliminations, cranking off low ET of the race in the first round at 6.547 and bettering it in the second round with a 6.544-second defeat of Rodger Brogdon.
Jim Underdahl is a surprise semifinalist in Pro Stock Motorcycle after defeating Hector Arana, 6.96 to 6.98. There, he'll meet another of the lower qualified riders, rookie Jerry Savoie, who bested Eddie Krawiec, for a trip to the final round at the Big Go.
Mike Castellana will race for a chance to go to the finals in Pro Modified at Indy after defeating teammate Khalid Balooshi in round two. But first, he'll have to face the always-tough Jay Payne and his supercharged entry. Meanwhile, teammates Melanie Troxel and Eric Dillard will meet on the opposite side of the ladder, assuring a turbocharged R2B2 entry in the money round.
In a heavyweight semifinal matchup, Larry Dixon blazed the hides just off the starting line and could only watch as former Indy Pro Stock Motorcycle champ Antron Brown sailed into the Top Fuel final with a 3.819. In the money round, he'll meet the other half of the Al-Anabi team, Del Worsham, for the U.S. Nationals crown. Neither driver has ever won Indy in Top Fuel.
It'll be an all Ford Mustang affair in the Funny Car final, as Bob Tasca and Mike Neff, who have never won at Indy, will square off for the U.S. Nationals title.
Based on their performance all week long, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that Summit Racing teammates Greg Anderson and Jason Line will meet one another for the U.S. Nationals Pro Stock title. Jason will have lane choice by just one thousandth of a second.
Antron Brown scored his second career U.S. Nationals title and first in Top Fuel from the #1 qualifying position, defeating Del Worsham in a great side-by-side drag race. With the win, Antron became the only driver other than Dixon or Tony Schumacher to win in Top Fuel at Indy in the last decade.
Mike Neff cruised to his first U.S. Nationals crown in Funny Car, as fellow first-time Indy finalist Bob Tasca blew up in a big way near the 800-foot marker. Neff recorded a 4.06 for the win - his third straight 4.06-second pass in eliminations.
Jerry Savoie's Cinderella Story run to the Pro Stock Motorcycle ended just one win light short of a U.S Nationals victory, as Hector Arana Jr., also making his first Indy start and final round appearance, cranked off low elapsed time of the event with a 6crushing 6.867 at 192.60 to Savoie's off-pace 7.00.
Eric Dillard, in his very first NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Series race, made it all the way to the final round in the brand new R2B2 Mustang, where he downed Mike Castellana with the quickest run of the weekend, a 5.830 at 253.99.
Greg Anderson, who has won Indy five times prior, denied teammate Jason Line his first win at the Big Go on a holeshot, grabbing an .033 to .065 advantage out of the gate and just fending off Line's low elapsed time of the event and new track record 6.538 with a 6.552. The win gives Anderson his sixth Indy win and the 70th national event win of his career.
