By Candida Benson, National DRAGSTER Associate Editor
Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel), Robert Hight (Funny Car), Mike Edwards (Pro Stock), and Junior Pippin (Pro Stock Motorcycle) grabbed the provisional poles in their respective classes following a rain-shortened opening day at the Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway.
After rain washed out all of Thursday’s activities, it appeared the same fate awaited competitors today with rain starting early in the morning and continuing until about 1 p.m. Fortunately, skies cleared around 1:15, and the NHRA Safety Safari was able to get the track dry and in fine condition for a single qualifying run to kick off the annual East Coast opener. Though competitors and fans had to wait several hours after the original start time it was well worth it because conditions were fantastic and the runs put on the boards reflected that with both ends of the track records being broken in both of the nitro categories.
The rain did create a little more havoc than just the limiting of runs today. It further postponed the remainder of Pro Stock eliminations from the NHRA Arizona Nationals, which will now be completed entirely on Saturday. In addition, due to water in the pits, most Lucas Oil Sportsman classes have been put on hold indefinitely. Only Top Alcohol Dragster, Top Alcohol Funny Car, and Comp will make runs Saturday. If conditions permit, the other classes will return on Sunday; if not, they will be pushed to Monday.
Running alongside on-track nemesis and defending event winner Larry Dixon, Schumacher and his U.S. Army team made a statement with a 3.823 at 318.02 mph pass that gave him the No. 1 position and both ends of the Gainesville Raceway track record.
“The track was fine, actually a lot better than what we just ran,” said Schumacher. “There was definitely room in the car, no questions asked. That was a good run, and it was fairly soft; just a nice, easy run down the racetrack. I’m kind of surprised the other cars didn’t do better. There’s probably a lot more track than they thought. It’s a good track, a good facility.
“Three No. 1 qualifiers are defending champs? That’s a great stat that I won’t even think about on Sunday because we’ve won this race before. This is a big race. It’s like Indy and Pomona, the list of people who have won this one is amazing. People spend extra time and energy to win this one. I don’t know how we dig any deeper than we dig normally, but this is Gainesville. It’s an amazing place, an amazing crowd, a great track, and I just love winning this one. It’s a great trophy to put on your shelf.”
Sophomore runner Shawn Langdon grabbed the provisional No. 2 spot with a 3.829, and Doug Kalitta, who is running a special Coors Extra Gold scheme in honor of local hero Darrell Gwynn, is currently third after posting a 3.846. Doug Foley and the Dote Family Racing team made a strong debut with a fourth-best 3.891. Steve Torrence, Antron Brown, Morgan Lucas, and Pat Dakin occupy the fifth through eighth spots. Terry McMillen landed in the 12th spot with an 8.085.
Only 14 cars made runs today, but more, including Chris Karamesines, are expected to make attempts on Saturday. Cory McClenathan and Bobby Lagana Jr. were the two drivers who were unable to crack the top 12 and will start from scratch on Saturday.
Hight reset both ends of the Gainesville Raceway Funny Car track records when he powered his Auto Club-backed Mustang to a 4.060 at 310.13 mph to nab the No. 1 spot in the ladder for now.
“A lot of guys went out there and shook, but Jimmy Prock has got a good handle on this race car,” said Hight. “We were hurting it a little bit in Phoenix, so he decided to put a new fuel pump on it, and he was even second-guessing himself a little after we had the threatening weather and one run today. But he stuck with it, and as you can see, it ran 310. It was a flawless run. If we can get some more conditions tomorrow, maybe we can lower that a little bit because there’s a lot of other cars out there that can do that. An .06 is a great start, and it’s definitely going to stay in the top four, five.
“This was the start of our big problems last year, and we learned a lot. That’s why I’m not going to get overconfident and too excited about what we’re doing now because this sport is very humbling; you can change in a hurry. We’ve just got to work hard and stay doing what we’re doing. We’re not changing a whole lot and refining what we have, and it’s awesome. That No. 1’s also a target out there because there’s a lot of Funny Cars that want that on the side of their car next year, so we’re going to have to do a good job to regain that this year.”
Hight’s teammates, John Force and Ashley Force Hood, follow the reigning champ on the charts with respective runs of 4.093 and 4.094. The John Force Racing trio is followed by the three Don Schumacher Racing entries: Matt Hagan (4.104), Ron Capps (4.110), and Phoenix winner Jack Beckman (4.135). Jeff Diehl landed in the important No. 12 spot, and his 7.705 will be the final time that will count towards the final order.
Del Worsham, Jim Head, defending event champ Bob Tasca III, Jeff Arend, and Paul Lee are the five drivers who enter Saturday not qualified and needing to bump into the field.
Edwards continues to just make it look easy, once again pacing the Pro Stock field with a 6.610 from his Penhall/Interstate/K&N GXP that gives him the provisional No. 1 after the first qualifying day. If it holds, this would be Edwards’ 12th straight start from the top spot, dating back to Brainerd last August.
If there is a bright spot for Edwards’ competitors it’s that his advantage over the rest of the field isn’t too big, just six-thousandths over engine customer Ron Krisher. Rodger Brogdon ranks third with a 6.629, and Vinnie Deceglie is the current No. 4 qualifier with a 6.631. Jeg Coughlin Jr., Warren Johnson, Shane Gray, and Greg Stanfield round out the quick eight. Allen Johnson is the final driver whose time will carry over the Saturday after he posted a 12th-best 6.670.
“We figured the track would be pretty good,” said Edwards. “Of course, it rained most of the day, but when it did dry off, we had cloud cover all day, so we knew the track would be cool. So we thought the track would be pretty good, and it was. It’s just unfortunate that we couldn’t get both runs in, but tomorrow looks a lot better, so tomorrow will be a different day. I think conditions will be a whole lot better, so I think today is a little premature of what you’re going to see tomorrow.
“[With Phoenix eliminations tomorrow], the focus does change. You’re doing two things at once. It’s different. You know, you’re qualifying but you’re also racing, so your mindset’s going to be a little different, that’s for sure. It’s going to be a little nerve-racking because if conditions change a lot, we’ll have to make a lot of changes to these cars, so we’ll just have to wait and see.”
One of the surprises of the first qualifying session was Greg Anderson, who had troubles early and slowed to a 12.818 that places him 22nd out of 24 cars at the event. Bob Yonke, one of the eight drivers still in contention for the NHRA Arizona Nationals title that will be up for grabs Saturday, also struggled on his run and enters Saturday outside the field. Others on the outside looking in include Kurt Johnson, Justin Humphreys, and Steve Spiess.
Pippin’s best start in NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle competition is sixth, a position he started from in Reading and Las Vegas last year, but he is on his way to his first pole after posting a 6.959 that is a hundredth and a half better than the rest of his competitors.
“We just threw a Hail Mary at it to be honest with you, and, by golly, she went on down the boulevard, so I guess we’ll throw more Hail Marys at her,” said Pippin. “For the first pass I’ve made since Pomona [in November], we’re really happy and surprised. It felt good. I short-shifted a couple of gears, so there’s more in it. We’ll come out tomorrow and see if we can’t get faster because I’m sure the .95 won’t stand up, but it’s the best start we’ve had.
“We put the Pomona setup in it. This is a brand new engine and a brand new motorcycle, I mean, it’s a new chassis and everything. We’ve only made three pulls on the dyno. Rick Maney and Trent Griffin, I just can’t say enough about how hard they worked on it. These guys have worked so hard on the Pirana Z Buell. For the last two years, we’ve really worked hard on it. We’ve had some little glitches here and there, but hopefully it’s all coming together now. It’s not because of lack of effort, I’ll tell you that.”
Shawn Gann sit second after posting a 6.972 and is followed on the sheets by former world champ Matt Smith, who debuted his new Al-Anabi Racing program in fine fashion with a 6.986. Another former season titlist, 2008 champ Eddie Krawiec, is another thousandth back with a 6.987. David Hope is fifth, followed by reigning champ Hector Arana, Jim Underdahl, and Angie Smith. Darin McCurdy earned the 12th spot — the final time that transfers into Saturday — with a 7.140.
Three-time world champ Andrew Hines is among the riders who enter Saturday not qualified after he was only able to muster a 7.174. Also among those on the nonqualified list at this moment are last year’s seventh-place points finisher Karen Stoffer and veteran competitor Steve Johnson.
Top Fuel Dragster
Psn Driver Vehicle ET Speed 1. Tony Schumacher U.S. Army Dragster 3.823@ 318.02& 2. Shawn Langdon Lucas Oil/Speedco Dragster 3.829 317.12 3. Doug Kalitta Technicoat Dragster 3.846 315.49 4. Doug Foley DAM Dragster 3.891 312.35 5. Steve Torrence Simple Mobile Dragster 3.893 311.99 6. Antron Brown Matco Tools Dragster 4.208 203.40 7. Morgan Lucas Geico Powersport/ Lucas Oil Dr 4.258 245.76 8. Pat Dakin Commercial Metal Fabrications 4.458 192.60 9. David Grubnic Kalitta Motorsports Dragster 4.520 169.23 10. Brandon Bernstein Copart/Lucas Oil Dragster 7.784 84.15 11. Larry Dixon Al-Anabi Racing Dragster 8.004 83.38 12. Terry McMillen Amalie Oil Dragster 8.085 85.83 --------- Not Qualified --------- 13. Cory McClenathan Fram Tough Guard Dragster 8.407 78.10 14. Bobby Lagana Jr. NTB Dragster 8.798 82.14 @ = Track ET Record
Top Fuel Funny Car
Psn Driver Vehicle ET Speed 1. Robert Hight AAA of So. Cal Mustang 4.060 310.13 2. John Force Castrol GTX Mustang 4.093 307.72 3. Ashley Force Hood Castrol GTX Mustang 4.094 308.99 4. Matt Hagan DieHard Charger 4.104 304.12 5. Ron Capps NAPA Auto Parts Charger 4.110 303.64 6. Jack Beckman Valvoline/MTS Charger 4.135 306.05 7. Tim Wilkerson Levi, Ray & Shoup Mustang 4.136 300.00 8. Bob Bode Alard Machine Products Impala 4.165 292.65 9. Tony Pedregon Quaker State Impala 4.198 302.21 10. Melanie Troxel In-N-Out Burger Charger 4.255 271.41 11. Cruz Pedregon Snap-On Solara 7.435 83.43 12. Jeff Diehl Ideal Racing Monte Carlo 7.705 92.33 --------- Not Qualified --------- 13. Del Worsham Al-Anabi Racing Solara 7.967 82.70 14. Jim Head Head Racing Solara 8.114 80.12 15. Bob Tasca III Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang 8.455 77.18 16. Jeff Arend DHL Solara 9.131 77.45 17. Paul Lee Jim Dunn/Canidae/Lucas Oil Imp 11.867 76.33
Pro Stock
Psn Driver Vehicle ET Speed 1. Mike Edwards Penhall/K&N/Interstae GXP 6.610 208.97 2. Ron Krisher Valvoline Cobalt 6.619 207.91 3. Rodger Brogdon Kent Services & Trucking GXP 6.629 208.26 4. Vinnie Deceglie Mountain View Tire Avenger 6.631 207.53 5. Jeg Coughlin Jegs.com Cobalt 6.642 208.49 6. Warren Johnson K&N Filters GXP 6.650 207.91 7. Shane Gray Gray Motorsports GXP 6.654 206.83 8. Greg Stanfield Nitrofish GXP 6.655 207.69 9. Johnny Gray Gray Motorsports GXP 6.660 206.42 10. Jason Line Summit Racing Equipment GXP 6.661 207.59 11. Larry Morgan Lucas Oil/Summit Mustang 6.661 206.95 12. Allen Johnson Mopar/J & J Racing Avenger 6.670 207.62 --------- Not Qualified --------- 13. Rickie Jones Elite GXP 6.684 206.26 14. Kurt Johnson Mark Chriastopher Cobalt 6.685 207.02 15. Justin Humphreys RaceRedi Motorsports GXP 6.700 207.11 16. John Nobile Nobile Racing Mustang 6.709 205.35 17. John Gaydosh Jr Gaydosh Performance GTO 6.880 199.88 18. Bob Benza BNB Racing GXP 8.083 116.61 19. Ronnie Humphrey Pro Stock Grills/THM GXP 8.614 169.15 20. Erica Enders Mustang 11.251 78.61 21. V. Gaines Kendall Oil Avenger 12.456 69.95 22. Greg Anderson Summit Racing Equipment GXP 12.818 66.89 23. Steve Spiess Billet Specialties Cobalt 15.402 75.67 24. Bob Yonke Adrenaline Motorsports GXP 32.803 401.86
Pro Mod
Psn Driver Vehicle ET Speed 1. Jay Payne FireIce *'68 Camaro 5.887 241.28 2. Melanie Troxel *'63 Corvette 5.888 236.71 3. Mike Knowles '63 Corvette 5.909 244.60 4. Kenny Lang *'53 Corvette 5.924 241.24 5. Michael Gullqvist Pro Care RX '68 Camaro 5.933 244.47 6. Tony Pontieri QualityPlus Compressors *'69 C 5.957 241.07 7. Rickie Smith '68 Camaro 6.007 236.88 8. Chip King '69 Daytona 6.017 236.46 9. Ed Hoover Trussell *'68 Camaro 6.019 235.84 10. Tim Tindle *'67 Mustang 6.044 236.13 11. Roger Burgess ProCare RX *'05 Corvette 6.423 239.40 12. Joe Baker *'68 Firebird 6.974 148.28 13. Brad Personett Big Stuff '68 Camaro 7.102 145.06 14. Khalid Balooshi *'68 Camaro 7.548 113.98 15. Rick Distefano *'70 Camaro 8.492 108.87 16. Adam Flamholc *'68 Camaro 8.740 107.87 --------- Not Qualified --------- 17. Dennis Radford '70 Duster 10.140 88.76 18. Mike Castellana Al-Anabi '70 Camaro 10.313 85.22 19. Von Smith Dr. Moon /Al-Anabi '68 Camaro 10.829 76.38 20. Mike Janis Eaton '68 Firebird 11.074 82.71 21. Raymond Commisso *'63 Corvette 11.184 77.16 22. Danny Rowe '68 Camaro 11.509 69.82 23. Troy Coughlin Jeg's '68 Camaro NT 24. Scott Ray Ohio Crankshaft '53 Corvette DQ 25. Burton Auxier Al-Anabi '68 Firebird DQ * = Supercharged Engine
Pro Stock Motorcycle
Psn Rider Vehicle ET Speed 1. Junior Pippin Pirana Z Buell 6.959 190.14 2. Shawn Gann Rum Bum Racing Buell 6.972 190.70 3. Matt Smith Al-Anabi Racing Buell 6.986 190.35 4. Eddie Krawiec Screamin' Eagle/Vance & Hines 6.987 191.51 5. David Hope VRoom Racing Buell 7.000 189.66 6. Hector Arana Lucas Oil Buell 7.059 190.40 7. Jim Underdahl Suzuki Extended Protection Suz 7.067 188.20 8. Angie Smith Coffman Tank Trucks Buell 7.083 185.38 9. Douglas Horne Horne Racing Buell 7.086 184.93 10. Craig Treble Valvoline Motorcycle Oils Suzu 7.093 189.10 11. LE Tonglet Buell 7.127 187.16 12. Darin McCurdy Darin McCurdy Racing Suzuki 7.140 188.60 --------- Not Qualified --------- 13. Steve Johnson Steve Johnson Racing Suzuki 7.148 190.97 14. Mike Berry MB Machining/ LAT Racing Oil B 7.148 186.61 15. Andrew Hines Screamin' Eagle/Vance & Hines 7.174 189.55 16. Wesley Wells Kendall Suzuki 7.266 185.66 17. James Surber South County Cycles Racing Bue 7.366 186.33 18. Katie Sullivan Sullivan Family Racing Susuki 7.459 181.84 19. Joe DeSantis Team Joey D Suzuki 7.471 179.14 20. Karen Stoffer Geico Suzuki 8.496 107.08 21. Redell Harris Master P/No Limit Record Buell NT