At least one person was killed in two accidents near the Kentucky-Tennessee border Wednesday afternoon. The accidents happened in Whitley County on southbound I-75 Wednesday afternoon. The accidents happened about three miles apart at about 3 p.m. Police say a total of five vehicles involved, including two semis and an RV that was pulling a trailer that had race cars on it with race car fuel. One victim was flown to a hospital in Tennessee, and two others were taken by ambulance to local hospitals. Five people involved in the accidents were not hurt. Officials say they expect all lanes of I-75 south in the area to remain closed for several hours.
BRISTOL, Tenn. (May 14) – For sportsman racers looking to make their mark in the world of high stakes E.T. bracket racing, there is no better event than the annual K&N Spring Fling 20s. Held each May at picturesque Bristol Dragway in the Smoky Mountains of eastern Tennessee, the event is the brainchild of racers Peter Biondo and Kyle Seipel, who have made it one of the "must attend" races each season.
MOHNTON, Pa. -- Grove
 Mick Snyder celebrates win.
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Mick Snyder could do no wrong on Saturday at Maple Grove Raceway and he left with his second American Drag Racing League (ADRL) win.
BATON ROUGE, La. - After a meeting between the Division 4 Director and all of the drivers still in competition, "the plan" for resolving the postponed rounds is as follows:
COMMERCE, Ga. -- Nationals
 Torrence, Krawiec, Anderson and Capps
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Ron Capps raced to his first victory of the season Sunday at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway and ended John Force Racing's season-long stronghold on the winner's circle in Funny Car.
COMMERCE, Ga. (May 6) – Six feet is all that stood between JEGS.com Dodge Avenger driver Jeg Coughlin Jr. and a spot in the Pro Stock quarterfinals Sunday in the NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway
ADEL, Ga. (April 23) – Third generation drag racer Troy Coughlin Jr. scored one of the bigge
st victories of his career when he banked $20,000 Sunday at the Super Spring Buck Blast at South Georgia Motorsports Park.
In 2012, Jeg Coughlin Jr. is making his return to the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series after a one-year hiatus. Jeg is driving the all-new JEGS Mopar Dodge Avenger in the Pro Stock class. In his first outing since his return, he drove to a runner-up finish at the O’Reilly Auto Parts Winternationals.
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JULIAN, N.C. (April 18) – A week after taking the trophy at Kil-Kare Raceway in his home state of Ohio, Troy Coughlin Jr. went down south and added to his burgeoning drag racing resume with a semifinal finish in the Top ET Classic at Piedmont Dragway.
DELAWARE, Ohio (April 12) -- Taking a year off from drag racing has left four-time Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. out of the 2012 K&N Horsepower Challenge, but fans can still vote the 68-time national event winner into the special event via a special online poll.
Wichita Falls TX Here is the Updated Friday night 64 car $5k No Buyback Gambler List. We are now accepting alternates.
LAS VEGAS (April 2) – Sunday was a big day for five-time world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. as he claimed his second career Super Comp victory to give the Coughlin family its 92nd NHRA national event victory overall.
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Cruz Pedregon raced to the qualifying lead in Funny Car with a track record performance Friday at the Dollar General NHRA Summernationals at Heartland Park Topeka.
Antron Brown (Top Fuel) and Allen Johnson (Pro Stock) also were qualifying leaders at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event.
Pedregon powered his Snap-on Tools Toyota Camry to a leading performance of 4.046 seconds at 315.56 mph, bettering both ends of the Funny Car track record, to hold off Bob Tasca III for the top spot. Tasca was second with a 4.062 at 315.56 in the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Ford Mustang. The two-time world champion is very pleased with the performance of his new Toyota Camry body.
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Antron Brown
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Allen Johnson
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“We definitely have one of the quicker cars out there,” said Pedregon, a four-time winner at HPT and a two-time No. 1 qualifier this season. “So we just have to continue to do our job and not beat ourselves on Sunday.”
Pedregon was the quickest in both sessions, but his final run of the day continued the recent trend of his Snap-on team pulling out an impressive performance during a Friday evening qualifying session.
“To be honest with you, we don’t swing for the fence,” Pedregon said. “We try to race the track and be smart. We had 16 rounds in a row before we smoked the tires at our last race. That’s a credit to our thought process. The track was excellent, so there were a lot of good runs.”
In Top Fuel, Brown paced the Top Fuel division with a 3.797 at 324.98 in his Matco Tools dragster to move around recent first-time winner Steve Torrence, who ended up second overall with a 3.801 at 320.51 in his Capco Contractors dragster.
“It’s been awhile since our Matco Tools boys have been No. 1,” said Brown, whose last No. 1 came last season in Reading. “It’s not for lack of work. The class keeps getting tougher, so we have to keep digging deeper. It feels great any time you can take a swing and land it. You have to make some power to get through that clutch. We went out there trying to get after it. Brian [Corradi, crew chief] told me it was a little lazy coming off the starting line. We ran a .79, but the car did it from 150 feet through half-track, where it ran strong.”
Johnson, a past winner at this track who has earned two No. 1 qualifying positions this season and raced to one victory, led Pro Stock with a performance of 6.618 at 207.85 in his Team Mopar Dodge Avenger.
“We’ve got a great, consistent car now with the Mopar Dodge Avenger,” Johnson said. “We’ve finally climbed that mountain and have gotten settled on the top. We tested earlier in St. Louis and managed in similar conditions, and that helped us a bit this weekend. We’re trying to be close to the edge all the time now. You’ve got to do that to beat the Summit cars, Vincent [Nobile], and Mike [Edwards]. But we’re staying on this side of the edge so that we can maintain being consistent.”
Series leader Greg Anderson was second in the Summit Racing Pontiac with a 6.624 at 208.55, and defending world champ Jason Line was third with a 6.630 at 207.11 in his Summit Pontiac.
Qualifying continues Saturday with sessions at noon and 2:30 p.m. Sunday’s eliminations start at 11 a.m.
The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series heads to the heartland and Kansas, where it all began. The first NHRA event was held in Great Bend, Kan., a short drive from Heartland Park Topeka, where the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series will be this weekend, May 18-20 for the 24th annual Dollar General NHRA Summernationals.
It should be a great weekend of racing in Topeka, and those not attending can catch all the action on ESPN2/ESPN2HD beginning with qualifying on Saturday, May 19, at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT. Sunday’s race-day coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.
Here’s what viewers can expect when they tune in this weekend:
Turmoil turns into success: In the first part of the season, there was nothing but turmoil on the Ron Capps NAPA Auto Parts Funny Car team. A new crew, led by tuner Rahn Tobler, has Capps looking for his fourth final round in a row and second NHRA Full Throttle Series win. Is it Capps' year?
First for Torrence: Ripe off his first Top Fuel win, Steve Torrence, who posted the victory one year after he started his own team, will be featured in-depth on the ESPN broadcast. Torrence, who overcame Hodgkin's lymphoma several years ago, won Indy in Top Alcohol Dragster as well as the championship in 2005. We'll break down his amazing story.
No wins but in the points: Seven-time Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher is leading the Top Fuel points without winning a race. Will his winless streak come to a stop in Topeka?
K&N Horsepower Challenge update: The battle for the final spot in the K&N Horsepower Challenge is heating up. Vincent Nobile overtook Greg Stanfield for the seventh and last guaranteed spot. This battle should go down to the final race in Chicago.
Prestone’s Ask the Expert with David Grubnic: You can ask David Grubnic, who scored his first Top Fuel win in Topeka in 2005, a question on NHRA's Facebook page under Prestone's Ask the Expert column, and one lucky fan will have his or her question answered on ESPN2's telecast. It just might be the one selected for the weekend’s ESPN2 broadcast!
| News and views from the Dollar General NHRA Summernationals |
Last update: 11:15 p.m. Click for latest post |
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NHRA held its pre-event press conference yesterday at Top of the Tower in downtown Topeka. Kansas Governor Sam Brownback (left) was among the special guests on hand. (Above) Ray Irwin, president of Heartland Park Topeka, addressed the media, who also were able to ask questions of NHRA Full Throttle stars Morgan Lucas, Spencer Massey, and Robert Hight. (Below) NHRA Vice President-Racing Administration Josh Peterson, far left, and NHRA Division 5 Director Rob Park, far right, joined Irwin, Brownback, and the drivers in showing off copies of the official Proclamation from the State of Kansas declaring it Speedfest Week in Kansas and honoring the Dollar General NHRA Summernationals at Heartland Park Topeka. |
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(Above) To help kick-off the event, Heartland Park Topeka and NHRA hosted Speedfest, a free event for fans in downtown Topeka. Show cars, food, music, fan giveaways, and driver autograph sessions were among the many activities. (Below) Among the drivers in attendance were, from left, Shawn Langdon, Brandon Bernstein, Terry McMillen, Scott Palmer, Spencer Massey, Robert Hight, Hillary Will, Erica Enders, and Allen Johnson. |
The throngs of NHRA fans were greeted by the familiar large sign on Gary Ormsby Boulevard outside the Heartland Park Topeka facility as they headed through the gates to attend the Dollar General NHRA Summernationals. |
Lawrence, Kan., native Rob Wendland, crew chief of the NTB/Service Central Dodge Charger driven by Johnny Gray, is honoring Tim Baxter, who drove a long line of Jayhawker Top Alcohol Dragsters and took a young Wendland under his wing more than 20 years ago. Baxter lost his battle with cancer on Jan. 31 at age 56. |
Debuting his new Jerry Haas-built Camaro was seven-time F.I.A. European Pro Stock champion Jimmy Lars Alund. After this event, Alund’s Camaro will be airfreight from Chicago to Sweden, where he will start the 2012 European schedule at Santa Pod Raceway in June. |
Jason Line was No. 1 in the first Pro Stock session with a 6.646, and though he improved to a 6.630 in the second qualifying round, he ended up third in the order. |
Bob Tasca III set the pace with the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang when he ran a 4.15 in the opening Funny Car session. That run kept him in the top spot until Cruz Pedregon recorded a quicker 4.13. |
| Three Top Fuel drivers made their first passes of the season: Scott Palmer (above), Fred Farndon (below left), and Luigi Novelli (below right). Farndon is racing for the first time since car owner John LaPorte’s trailer was burglarized last year. |
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Morgan Lucas led the first session of Top Fuel qualifying. The GEICO driver ran a 3.853, 313.22 to add three bonus points to his tally. |
Greg Anderson, who has struggled sometimes this year in the early qualifying rounds, came roaring out of the box this weekend with a No. 3 time of 6.650 in the first Pro Stock session and moved up to the No. 2 spot in the second stanza with a 6.620. Anderson also reset the track speed mark on both runs with respective top-end charges of 207.66 mph and 208.55 mph. |
After running a fourth-best time of 6.654 in the first round of qualifying, Allen Johnson drove his Hemi Dodge to the No. 1 spot in the Pro Stock night session with a 6.618, breaking Mike Edwards’ two-year old track record of 6.638. |
| After Mike Neff’s car went lean and backfired toward the end of an otherwise-excellent run in the opening session, the Castrol GTX driver/tuner moved up to the third spot during the Funny Car night session with a 4.063, 311.05. |
Reigning Full Throttle Funny Car champ Matt Hagan, who has never qualified in the top half at this event, is in the provisional No. 7 spot. He ran a 4.105 in the second session just as DSR teammates Johnny Gray and Jack Beckman did. |
Cruz Pedregon made the quickest runs of both Friday Funny Car sessions with a new Toyota Camry body. The Snap-on driver set both ends of the track record with a 4.046 at 315.56 mph. |
Atlanta winner Steve Torrence stayed hot with the second-quickest runs of both Friday Top Fuel sessions. The Capco Contractors driver is on pace to continue his trend of qualifying in one of the top two positions that he started at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte. |
Antron Brown qualified No. 1 at this event in 2009 and 2010, and the Matco Tools driver is standing atop the Top Fuel field once more after running a 3.797 at 324.98 mph under the lights. |
Steve Torrence’s seemingly sudden explosion onto the Top Fuel scene with a commanding victory two weeks ago at Atlanta Dragway shouldn’t have been a huge surprise to many.
The 29-year-old Texan basically put together a team from scratch in the span of a year and won a race in the team’s 10th start. For most of the season, his team was showing signs that the Capco Contractors dragster was getting ready to make a move.
He had qualified in the top two at three straight races, including earning his first No. 1 position at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals. In Las Vegas and Houston, he lost in the semifinals in extremely close, good old-fashioned drag races with Spencer Massey and Antron Brown.
When he pulled to the Atlanta Dragway starting line two weeks ago in his first Top Fuel final against seven-time world champ Tony Schumacher, who was the event’s No. 1 qualifier and trying to put an end to a win drought and earn his first win at that track, Torrence was probably one of the few people at Georgia’s House of Speed who thought he had a chance to win.
When he powered away from Schumacher’s tire-smoking U.S. Army dragster and crossed the finish line first, Torrence felt as if he had finally arrived in the sport in which he has been working so hard to gain his footing since embarking on a Pro driving career in 2006, one year after he claimed the Top Alcohol Dragster national title in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series.
With a victory in hand, Torrence certainly will approach the Dollar General NHRA Summernationals, May 18-20 at Heartland Park Topeka, with more swagger. Spencer Massey (Top Fuel), Robert Hight (Funny Car), and Shane Gray (Pro Stock) are the defending winners of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event that will be televised on ESPN2HD.
“Anytime you can win a Top Fuel race – or any race – that definitely boosts your confidence, and it is just the motivation to go out and try harder,” Torrence said. “You are at the pinnacle of your sport, and you are driving a Top Fuel car and racing with the best teams and drivers – Schumacher, Alan Johnson, Morgan Lucas, and all of those guys. You can go out and say you won a race, and that’s a huge thing for us, especially.”
Torrence said the win has really pumped up his young crew, which he refers to as more than a team, led by veteran crew chief Richard Hogan, who has worked with some of the sport’s greats, including “Big Daddy” Don Garlits and Johnson, among others.
“We are really pleased to get that first win for the Capco team and Torrence Racing, but we are not satisfied with that,” Torrence said. “We want to keep going. If anything, it’s made us hungry for another win.”
He says the special circumstances surrounding his first win will always put it at the top of his personal highlight reel.
“Beating Tony in the finals was pretty special because I’ve looked up to that man for quite some time,” Torrence said. “He sets the bar for what a driver should be and do, in the car and the way he conducts himself at the tracks. That sets it apart for me, and it is something I will always remember.”
He also remembers his first NHRA national event victory, in 2005 during his TAD title run. He won that race at Heartland Park Topeka, a track that he says has always been good to him. With summer fast approaching, he expects similar weather conditions in Kansas that were present in Atlanta.
“The car performed well in the heat, and I think it will probably be hot for the race in Topeka,” Torrence said. “So that definitely bolsters our feelings quite a bit, knowing Richard has a good handle on the tune-up in the hot-weather conditions and on hot tracks.
“We are carrying a lot of confidence into Topeka.”
For Torrence to start a winning streak, he’ll have to outrun a host of challengers, including a very hungry Schumacher, defending winner Massey, Antron Brown, Lucas, Doug Kalitta, Brandon Bernstein, Shawn Langdon, David Grubnic, and Clay Millican.
“Our goal is to field a competitive race car,” Torrence said. “It would be awesome if we could win a race or two more and get established as a good team that can run with the Schumacher and Alan Johnson teams. What more could you ask for? If you look at the point standings right now, Tony Schumacher is the leader, and he hasn’t won in [30] races. Consistency is the key here. You don’t need to win a race here and go five or six races before winning another one. You need to be there every week and going rounds [in eliminations].”
In Funny Car, Hight will try to keep his HPT winning streak alive; the Auto Club Ford Mustang has won at the Kansas track the last two seasons. To turn the hat trick, Hight will need to hold off nine-time HPT winner John Force as well as four-time Topeka winner Cruz Pedregon. He’ll also have to contend with Atlanta winner Ron Capps, who has advanced to the last three final rounds in his NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger and is a three-time HPT winner. Others to watch in Funny Car include defending world champ Matt Hagan, who is trying to climb back into the top 10 after a slow start to the season, Houston winner Mike Neff, Jack Beckman, Bob Tasca III, Jeff Arend, Tony Pedregon, and high-profile rookies Courtney Force and Alexis DeJoria.
Greg Anderson has been leading the way in Pro Stock with three victories and holds the series lead over teammate Jason Line, the defending world champ who is also a winner this year. Team Mopar’s Allen Johnson, Mike Edwards, Vincent Nobile, Erica Enders, and Larry Morgan are among the top contenders in the 200-mph category.
* SCHEDULE: NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series qualifying sessions are scheduled for 4:30 and 7 p.m. on Friday, May 18, and noon and 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 19. Final eliminations will begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, May 20.
* TICKETS: For tickets for the Dollar General NHRA Summernationals, call Heartland Park Topeka, 785-43-RACES (72237), or log on to www.hpt.com.
* ON TV: ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise two hours of qualifying coverage at 5 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 19. ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise three hours of eliminations coverage at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 20.
* LUCAS OIL SERIES: The Dollar General NHRA Summernationals also will feature competition in seven categories in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, where some of the future stars of the NHRA Full Throttle Series are born. Lucas Oil Series qualifying begins at 8 a.m. on May 18. Lucas Oil Series eliminations begin at 8 a.m. on May 19 and continue through May 20.
NHRA officials have announced the formation of a Nitro Technical Advisory Council. The Nitro Technical Advisory Council will be chaired by NHRA Vice President-Technical Operations Glen Gray and will provide input on rules and other technical matters.
The Nitro Technical Advisory Council members represent a cross section of the current Professional nitromethane teams and include Mike Green, crew chief, U.S. Army Top Fuel dragster; Alan Johnson, owner, Alan Johnson Racing; Mike Neff, driver and crew chief, Castrol GTX Ford Mustang; Tim Wilkerson, owner and crew chief, Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford Shelby Mustang; and Del Worsham, crew chief, Tequila Patron Funny Car.
“We believe this group of seasoned and experienced participants in the Top Fuel and Funny Car categories can assist NHRA in both the short- and long-term,” said Gray. “The group understands the intricacies of the fastest-accelerating vehicles on the planet, and their knowledge could serve to help NHRA in rule making and technical matters that are in the best of interest of the entire sport.”
The first meeting of the Nitro Technical Advisory Council is set for this weekend during the 24th annual Dollar General NHRA Summernationals at Heartland Park Topeka.
NHRA Now is a weekly Web series that gives fans an inside look at the lives of the drivers and teams of the NHRA and keeps everyone up to date on the latest happenings on and off the track, all season long. NHRA Now also is shared on NHRA's Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages each week.
In this week’s episode, host Alex Baca previews the Dollar General NHRA Summernationals at Heartland Park Topeka and shares fun facts about the event. She also announces the Show Off Your NHRA Nitro Gene video contest on NHRA’s Facebook page and gives instructions on what we’re looking for and how to enter.
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Where would any of us be without the people and the events that came before us? It can be quite a daunting question, but if you’ll grant me a paragraph or two, I’d like to share why this weekend’s 24th annual Dollar General NHRA Summernationals at Heartland Park Topeka is going to be a special weekend.
For those of you who might have missed it, my 86-year-old grandmother, Fran Rieff, passed away on Saturday during the most recent race in Atlanta. An obvious fan of her grandson, she also became a huge fan of NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing, never missing an ESPN2 show. A beautiful Christian woman who will be truly missed, she was very proud that I was part of such an incredible series, and I was VERY lucky to have her to pave the way for my family.
In a similar way, the state of Kansas is responsible for paving the way for all of us. In 1955, on an airstrip near Great Bend, Kan., the sanctioning body’s first “national event” was held. The National Championship Drags – known to many simply as The Nationals – has evolved into the biggest drag race, the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals. Granted, NHRA is rooted firmly in the Southern California soil, but as Ron Capps, driver of the NAPA Auto Parts Funny Car, recently said, “Heartland Park Topeka is a long way from what it was like at Great Bend, but the spirit of competition is still there.” Well said.
Staying with Funny Car, without question, Capps’ competitive juices are flowing following the first win of his season in Atlanta. Since Don Schumacher made wholesale changes following a Las Vegas DNQ, swapping crews/crew chiefs/trailers with Jack Beckman’s Valvoline team, Capps has been in three straight finals while moving from eighth to a second-place tie with Castrol’s Mike Neff (a shocking nonqualifier in Atlanta) in the Full Throttle points standings. That also means that the John Force Racing streak of six straight race wins to start the season is officially over. But a streak still exists with points leader Robert Hight and his Auto Club team; they have won the last two stops in Topeka. Other drivers with success in the heartland include John Force (nine wins), Cruz Pedregon (four), Tony Pedregon (three), and Capps (three). Care to take a shot at predicting what will happen this year? Nineteen cars are competing for 16 elimination positions. Good luck.
Top Fuel may have the most story lines, and it all begins with first-time winner Steve Torrence and the Capco group, led by crew chief Richard Hogan. A brand-new team still short of its first birthday, it dominated in Atlanta while keeping Tony Schumacher and the U.S. Army in the headlines. Which story intrigues you the most about “the Sarge”? A 30-race winless streak for the winningest driver in class history? Or would it be the fact that he is 0-11 in finals (including four this year) during that stretch? Perhaps it’s that despite the aforementioned struggles, he is still the Top Fuel points leader? How does that happen, or, better yet, when is the last time that someone went seven races into a season without a win but led the points? That is a Stat Guy Lewis Bloom special, and you’ll have to watch this weekend’s race on ESPN2 to find out! I’m such a tease! Spencer Massey (three wins), Antron Brown (one), Morgan Lucas (two), and Torrence round out the top five in the points standings. It should be an eventful weekend as 20 Top Fuel dragsters are entered.
In Pro Stock, the Summit Racing team, led by Greg Anderson’s three wins, still enjoys a stranglehold on the field, which will be 23 cars strong this weekend. Defending series champ Jason Line also has a win for the 1-2 punch in the points. Allen Johnson (third), Mike Edwards (fourth), and Vincent Nobile (fifth) have also won and are separated by just nine points. In 2006 at HPT, Erica Enders became the first woman to qualify No. 1 in Pro Stock.
Pro Stock Motorcycles are off and will resume at the next series stop in Englishtown.
The road is paved for you as well to check out all the action. Tickets to the Dollar General NHRA Summernationals are as easy as a phone call, 785-43-RACES (72237), or a stop at the Internet address, www.hpt.com.
ESPN has the event covered like a glove starting with live session-two qualifying Friday, May 18, beginning at/around 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN3.com. Two hours of qualifying follow on ESPN2 Saturday beginning at 5 p.m. ET. Then on Sunday, ESPN3.com has live coverage all day beginning at noon ET followed by a three-hour eliminations show at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
As always, questions and comments are welcome at drieff@cox.net or via Twitter, @DaveRieffNHRA. God bless Fran Rieff and the state of Kansas!
Six years ago, J.R. Todd commanded attention as he made his Professional debut in a Top Fuel dragster, and now, after a hiatus from NHRA competition that spanned more than two seasons, he has returned behind the wheel of a second car out of the Bob Vandergriff Racing stable. With the first two of a handful of scheduled events behind him, the Indiana-based nitro pilot is prepared to make a powerful impression with a strong showing at his sponsor’s event, the Dollar General NHRA Summernationals at Heartland Park Topeka.
The former Jr. Dragster racer is acutely aware of his potential and is bringing it all to the table, just as he always has. Despite a limited schedule in his debut season, Todd finished in the top 10 in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series standings after tallying three victories in four final rounds and earned the 2006 Auto Club Road to the Future Award as the top rookie driver. Time away from NHRA competition was not time away from drag racing, either. Todd allowed no time for an accumulation of rust and raced a partial schedule in Pro Mod in the ADRL series and traveled to Qatar to run in the Arabian Drag Racing League, where he won the points championship.
“I was definitely nervous when I was waiting to make that first qualifying pass in Houston,” said Todd, who had not piloted a Top Fuel dragster at an NHRA event since the NHRA Sonoma Nationals in 2009. “I had some butterflies because it was the first run back in competition, and I kind of felt like a rookie again. But the more runs I make, the more comfortable I am – and the more comfortable Kurt [Elliott, crew chief] is in his role. Our confidence is building together, and now we’re ready to go out there and race these guys and show them what we’re capable of.”
Although new to the crew chief position, Elliott has had no trouble getting the Dollar General dragster down the racetrack on each run. That first clean streak at the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries at Royal Purple Raceway produced a 3.95 at nearly 312 mph, and on his second pass, Todd clocked a career-best speed of 319.52. The team showed immediate signs of jelling, qualifying 11th and respectably earning a race-day start at its first event together.
The second outing, the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway, showed equal promise with another string of straight-down-the-track passes and a first-round match with eventual event victor Steve Torrence. Although Todd did not get the win in the first round, he clocked his quickest and fastest run of the weekend, a 3.859 at a career-best 319.67 mph.
“These last two races have gone really smooth for us, especially being that we are a relatively new team,” said Todd. “The competition is way tougher now than I ever remember it before in Top Fuel. You have to be able to run mid- to low 3.80s at will and in the heat now, and that’s pretty tough to do.
“Even though we haven’t been the quickest and fastest car out there, we’re going down the track, and I have to give it to Kurt for that. I think he was nervous at first, but I kept telling him, 'We’ve got nothing to lose these first few races; why not go for broke and show them what we’re capable of?' We’re learning every run and making improvements each time, and I was proud of him after that first run in Atlanta. I’m happy with the way things are going, and I’m so thankful Bob has given me the opportunity to drive.”
Todd and Vandergriff have been friends since Todd became a Pro in 2006, and the joining of forces is something that they have long been trying to make happen. Initially, the agreement is to race four to five events this year, although they are working to build the funding required to race 10 to 12 this season and a full schedule in 2013.
“When I left in 2008 – that was my last full-time ride – I didn’t know what was going to happen,” said Todd. “I finally got this lucky break with Bob, and I really hope we can build on it. It’s a little like having a carrot dangled in front of me, and I don’t want to have it taken away just yet.
“Hopefully, we can keep this going and do well for everyone at Dollar General this weekend. All of the big execs will be there, and they’ve never been to a drag race before. It will be cool to get them up there on the starting line between two Top Fuel cars, and hopefully we can put that big yellow dragster in the winner’s circle on Sunday. That would be the ultimate dream.”
For tickets, call Heartland Park Topeka, 800-43-RACES (72237), or log on to HPT.com.
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Ford Driving Skills for Life will hit the racetrack for the first time this weekend as it heads to Topeka for the 24th annual Dollar General NHRA Summernationals at Heartland Park Topeka. Ford DSFL is a program built to teach teens how to drive safely, and teaming up with Courtney Force, one of drag racing’s newest up-and-comers, as national spokesperson was a no-brainer for the organization.
Ford DSFL travels the country to assist young drivers in improving their skills in a handful of key areas that are directly related to a majority of teen vehicle crashes: hazard recognition/distractions, vehicle handling, space management, and speed management.
“Courtney Force has been an excellent spokesperson for Ford Driving Skills for Life, and we are thrilled to have her working with us for a second year in a row,” said Jim Graham, community relations manager, Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services. “She is a young, vibrant racer that teenagers are able to look to as a role model. We enjoy having her share our mission of teen driving safety and look forward to meeting her fan base at the NHRA Full Throttle Series in Topeka.”
Force, driver of the Traxxas Mustang Funny Car, knows the importance of being a safe driver on and off the track.
“It really is an honor to be the spokesperson for Ford Driving Skills for Life. It’s an amazing opportunity,” said Force. “It’s important to get the word out to both parents and teens to get them to visit the website, DrivingSkillsforLife.com, and learn how to be a safer, better driver. I really think this is a great program, and I really hope to get the word out to more and more people. Since it’s more of a hands-on activity for kids to learn with, I think it’ll be more beneficial in the long run.”
At the Dollar General NHRA Summernationals, Force will help spread the Ford DSFL message at an autograph session at the program’s display between Funny Car rounds Saturday.
“It’s a big opportunity for Ford DSFL to be coming to an NHRA event,” Force said. “I’m excited to bring something new to NHRA for the Topeka race. I really think the fans will react positively to it, and it’s something really great to have out there. NHRA is obviously big on safety and safe driving. We want to make sure everyone is driving safe on the road too. I think it’ll benefit everyone. It’ll be really cool to give the fans a different view on driving.”
The Ford DSFL display will showcase the specially equipped training vehicles used in Ford DSFL programs, and fans will have the chance to enter the featured sweepstakes, Mustang 5.0 Fever, in which a lucky fan could win a '13 Ford Mustang GT.
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Seven races into the 2012 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season, a trend has emerged during qualifying in the highly competitive Pro Stock class; Allen Johnson and Jason Line have already qualified 1-2 four times. At the last two events, the talented tandem each held the No. 1 position, with Johnson taking the honors at the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries in Houston and Line claiming the pole at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals in Atlanta, performances that earned each driver $3,000 in K&N Horsepower Challenge bonus money. The prestigious event will be held July 7 in Norwalk during the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals.
Johnson took advantage of the favorable conditions on Friday evening at Royal Purple Raceway to clock a quick 6.546 with a top speed of 211.93 mph, then held on through Saturday’s final two sessions to claim the top spot by four-thousandths over second-place Line. It was the 20th No. 1 qualifying performance of the Team Mopar Dodge Avenger driver’s career, second of the 2012 season, and first at the Houston speedplant, not only solidifying his fourth-place ranking in the K&N Horsepower Challenge standings, but also allowing him to close to within 90 points of third-place Greg Anderson.
"One of the greatest moments of my career thus far is winning the 2008 K&N Horsepower Challenge,” said Johnson. “I wear my K&N championship ring proudly. With the No. 1 qualifier spot at Gainesville and now with our most recent pole at Houston, the Mopar Dodge Avenger team is in line for a great starting position for the 2012 K&N championship. The program is just great, and it brings a bright spotlight and shines it on the exciting and highly competitive racing that exists today in the Pro Stock class. I think I speak for all Pro Stock drivers when I say we can’t thank the folks at K&N enough for all they have done to promote our sport through the K&N Horsepower Challenge. I hope I can seize that second championship in July at Norwalk.”
Line, meanwhile, continued an impressive string in which the Summit Racing Pontiac driver started in either the first or second position at 15 of the last 16 races. Faced with the pressure of qualifying for his sponsor’s race in Atlanta, Line responded by posting the quickest elapsed time in three of the four sessions, with his 6.607, 209.04 pass in Saturday morning’s third session claiming his fourth pole of 2012, 28th of his career, and first at Atlanta Dragway.
With only four races remaining before the field is set for this year’s K&N Horsepower Challenge, Line leads second-place Mike Edwards by an impressive 230 points. In addition, his 750-point edge over eighth place guarantees that he will make his eighth start in the NHRA’s longest-running Professional specialty race, making him the first driver to lock himself in this year’s field.
“It was a great thing to be the No. 1 qualifier at the Summit race in Atlanta,” said Line. “As our primary sponsor, those races are very important to us. They like nothing better than to see us go faster than everyone else, and we want to do whatever is necessary to make Summit Racing proud that we carry their name on the side of our race cars. Just as they have all season, my team gave me a great hot rod, and we were able to take advantage of it by putting it on the pole, earning the K&N bonus money for the fourth time this year.
“I can’t say enough about K&N’s contributions to the sport of drag racing and the Pro Stock class. I appreciate everything they do for us and was proud to represent them once again as the No. 1 qualifier in Atlanta. They are a great company with tremendous people and an even better product.
“We’re looking forward to this year’s K&N Horsepower Challenge in Norwalk, and even though we are locked into the field, this entire KB Racing team is going to work very hard to keep our No. 1 ranking. After all, there’s going to be a lot of money on the table, and we want to take home the win and the big check.”
As Line has continued to increase his lead at the top of the Challenge standings, the fight for the seventh and final guaranteed starting position continued to rage, with Mountain View Tire Avenger driver Vincent Nobile and MavTV Pontiac pilot Rodger Brogdon swapping positions after Atlanta; Nobile is in the transfer spot by just 40 points. The eighth spot in the field is decided by fan vote. With a maximum of 175 points available at each of the remaining events, this battle figures to go down to the final qualifying race at Route 66 Raceway in Chicago.
Current K&N Horsepower Challenge points standings
John Force and teammate Robert Hight will honor the legacy of the King of Rock 'n' Roll during the 12th annual Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals presented by Tri-Cities Area Ford Dealers at Bristol Dragway, June 15-17. In conjunction with Elvis Presley Enterprises Inc. and Lionel NASCAR Collectables, John Force Racing will again feature Elvis on its Ford Mustang Funny Cars. Each driver will be competing in a specially designed Elvis 35th anniversary Ford Mustang Funny Car for this onetime special weekend. A number of fan promotions surrounding this event are also in the works.
“I love Elvis, and I am honored to be racing with him on the hood of my hound dog in Bristol. I always say I saw Elvis at 1,000 feet in Memphis, and I really believe that. Elvis was such an amazing performer and an icon. I remember listening to his music growing up and heading to the racetrack. I still make sure my girls all know his songs,” said Force, one of the most recent inductees into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.
Lionel NASCAR Collectables will offer 1/24- and 1/64-scale diecast cars of both Force’s Castrol GTX High Mileage/Elvis 35th Ford Mustang Funny Car and Hight’s Auto Club/Elvis 35th Ford Mustang Funny Car. Each diecast is available for preorder at NHRAdiecast.com, home of the officially licensed diecast of the NHRA.
This will be the first time that Hight has driven an Elvis-themed Funny Car. The importance of representing a legendary figure is not lost on the 2009 NHRA Funny Car champion and current Full Throttle points leader.
“Elvis has fans all over the world, and to be associated with a person of that stature is amazing. Music has always been an important part of my life, and when you think of rock 'n' roll, the first name that pops into your head is Elvis. I won at Bristol last year, and it would be amazing to get my Auto Club/Elvis 35th Ford Mustang back into the winner’s circle this year,” said Hight.
Quite simply, Pro Stock driver Shane Gray would like a repeat of last season’s event at Heartland Park Topeka. The eldest son of Funny Car driver Johnny Gray – brother Jonathan races in Comp – scored the second victory of his career in his Service Central-backed Pontiac there last year but hasn’t seen the inside of the winner’s circle since. The Gray Motorsports team has been tireless and persistent, though, and is aiming at seeing its efforts come to fruition at the upcoming Dollar General NHRA Summernationals.
True to his humble character, former NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Comp pilot Gray was modest regarding last season’s accomplishment and gave credit to his team.
“I think everybody just missed it last year, and we didn’t,” he said. “My guys did a great job out there, and it happened to be our day – but I don’t think we have more than anyone else unless you take into consideration how hard these guys all work. We probably put 100 runs on the car in testing before we won that race, and this year, we’ve tested just as much.”
At the 2011 event, Gray qualified in the top half for the first time that year with a 6.67 that was good for the No. 7 position. He got ahead of a tire-shaking Erica Enders in the first round of eliminations before taking on the power-packing Summit Racing cars of Jason Line and Greg Anderson, respectively, in the second round and semifinals.
In his meetings with the KB Racing cars, Line and Anderson each spun the tires while Gray got the power to the ground more effectively for the win light. In the second round versus Line, Gray improved on his qualifying best by a thousandth for a 6.674 to 6.690 victory, and his 6.710 in the semi's was quicker than Anderson by .08-second.
“There was a lot of excitement as we were going rounds, especially when we were able to beat Jason and Greg,” recalled Gray. “But when it came time for the final, I just said to myself, ‘It is what it is; let’s see what happens,’ and I treated it like it was another one of those test runs.”
It was a test that Gray and his Service Central Pontiac GXP passed. Final-round opponent Greg Stanfield was seven-thousandths quicker off the starting line and gave a good fight, but by half-track, Gray had the lead and followed through to win by .007.
This season has been a battle of another kind for Gray as the Gray Motorsports group has been digging to find more of those priceless ponies. In the factory hot rod category, where every bit of horsepower is critical to the game, the team has experienced bright spots of hope. But as it is for every other team, the hunt continues for more of what they need: power.
Entering this season’s event, Gray is in the same position in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series standings as he was at this point last year: 11th. The triumph at Heartland Park Topeka lifted the Denver, N.C.-based driver into the top 10, and he maintained a berth there for the remainder of the season, ultimately finishing in the top 10 for the second consecutive year in his second season driving in the category.
“That luck and momentum got us kicked off and going a little bit,” said Gray, a four-time finalist who won his first national event at the season-closing Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals in Pomona in his rookie season. “We didn’t find the consistency that we wanted, but our confidence level really rose, and we went to Englishtown and qualified No. 2. We’ll be thinking about that as we head over there this year, and we’ll see what we can do in our Service Central Pontiac.”
Gray will be wheeling the team’s trusty GXP with an NTB scheme at the Dollar General NHRA Summernationals but plans to debut a brand-new Jerry Haas-built Chevy Camaro in the near future. Until they can click off a few more test laps in the Camaro, they are content to continue fine-tuning their program in the Pontiac and would like to send it to pasture on a high note.
“We were lucky there in Topeka last year,” said Gray. “I sure wouldn’t mind if a little of that luck fell our way again.”
For tickets for the Dollar General NHRA Summernationals, call Heartland Park Topeka, 785-43-RACES (72237), or log on to HPT.com.
As one of the most accomplished students of the great history of NHRA Championship Drag Racing, Ron Capps gets goose bumps just thinking about returning to Kansas to compete in a professional drag race.
Due to the flat landscape and its central proximity to the rest of the country, in 1955, Kansas served as the official host for NHRA’s first “national event,” on an airstrip near the town of Great Bend. It was simply called The Nationals, and with that event, hot rodding enthusiasts across the U.S. could test their machines against the best of the best.
That race evolved into what is today the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, but Kansas has solidified its place in NHRA Drag Racing history. Heartland Park Topeka has hosted NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series events since 1989 and in some seasons hosted two per year. Today, the track is regarded as one of the fastest on the circuit, and every year, drivers get to return and pay homage to the sport’s roots.
“What is so special to me is just going to Kansas to race where it really all started,” Capps said. “I’m a West Coast guy, but the first NHRA national event 57 years ago was held here in Kansas at Great Bend. Now, Heartland Park Topeka is a long way from what it was like at Great Bend, but the spirit of competition is still there.”
Capps’ competitive spirit is at an all-time high as the NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger driver is riding a wave of momentum from his first victory of the season two weeks ago at Atlanta Dragway. After Capps failed to qualify for the Las Vegas event in April, team owner Don Schumacher made a change to Capps’ team, reassigning veteran crew chief Rahn Tobler to the job. Since then, the team has produced great results and has advanced to three consecutive final rounds, ultimately winning in Atlanta.
Capps is ready to keep his hot streak going at the Dollar General NHRA Summernationals, May 18-20 at Heartland Park Topeka. Spencer Massey (Top Fuel), Robert Hight (Funny Car), and Shane Gray (Pro Stock) are the defending winners of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event that will be televised on ESPN2HD.
“This is such a great team, and right from the get-go in Charlotte, the first run reminded me how fun it can be to race again,” Capps said. “When Don [Schumacher, team owner] made the move and put me with Rahn [Tobler] and John Collins, I’m telling you, it was just unbelievable. It is so much fun to get in the car and know it’s going to be a hot rod.”
With the win, Capps moved into a tie for second place in the points standings with Mike Neff, who failed to qualify for the race in Atlanta after winning in Houston. The series leader, Hight, has won the last two events at HPT and will be trying for a three-peat in his Auto Club Ford Mustang. Earlier this season, Hight won four consecutive races to open up a big lead on the rest of the top 10 drivers in the category.
Though Hight has dominated at the Kansas track in recent years, Capps has had quite a bit of success himself at Heartland Park: He claimed wins there in 1998, 2006, and 2009 and posted a runner-up finish to John Force in 2000.
“We won for the first time there in 1998, beating Al Hofmann, but it wasn’t until eight years later when we won again,” Capps said. “We have been able to celebrate there three times, so I like the track.”
Other Funny Car drivers who have had success at Heartland Park include Force, who has won there nine times, and two-time world champ Cruz Pedregon, a four-time winner at HPT. The only other active driver in the 7,000-horsepower category who has won there is Tony Pedregon, a three-time winner. Others to watch include defending world champ Matt Hagan, who is trying to get into the top 10 in the standings after a slow start to the season, Jack Beckman, Johnny Gray, Bob Tasca III, and high-profile rookies Courtney Force and Alexis DeJoria.
In Top Fuel, most of the story centers around seven-time world champ Tony Schumacher, who is in a 30-race winless drought that dates back to October 2010. He hasn’t won in 11 straight final-round appearances, including four this season, but all is not lost as he comes into the event as the series points leader in his famed U.S. Army dragster. Schumacher’s lone win at HPT came in 2010. The Top Fuel drivers who have been winning all of the races this season include three-time winner Spencer Massey and two-time winner Morgan Lucas. Antron Brown and Steve Torrence have also visited the winner’s circle. Several past HPT winners in the field would like to make a repeat performance, including two-time winner Brandon Bernstein, David Grubnic, Doug Kalitta, and Hillary Will.
Greg Anderson has been leading the way in Pro Stock with three victories and holds the series lead over teammate Jason Line, the defending world champ, who is also a winner this year. Team Mopar’s Allen Johnson, Mike Edwards, Vincent Nobile, Erica Enders, and Larry Morgan are among the top contenders in the 200-mph category.
* SCHEDULE: NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series qualifying sessions are scheduled for 4:30 and 7 p.m. on Friday, May 18, and noon and 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 19. Final eliminations will begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, May 20.
* TICKETS: For tickets for the Dollar General NHRA Summernationals, call Heartland Park Topeka, 785-43-RACES (72237), or log on to HPT.com.
* ON TV: ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise two hours of qualifying coverage at 5 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 19. ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise three hours of eliminations coverage at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 20.
Bob Vandergriff Jr.
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J.R. Todd
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To kick off the 24th annual Dollar General NHRA Summernationals at Heartland Park Topeka, May 18-20, Dollar General-sponsored Top Fuel competitor J.R. Todd and team owner Bob Vandergriff Jr. will be at a local Dollar General location for an autograph signing Wednesday, May 16.
Both drivers will be available for interviews to preview the race weekend. Dollar General edition hero cards will be available to fans, and country station 102.9 KTOP will be broadcasting live from the event. The autograph session will run from 5 to 7 p.m. The branch is at 3410 SE 29th St., Topeka, KS 66605.
Todd is entering his third race of the 2012 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season and is bringing additional exposure to the event sponsor for the eighth race on tour.
“Going into Topeka, I am definitely more comfortable in the car than I was going into our first race in Houston. Kurt Elliott [crew chief] and the guys are doing a good job getting the car down the track every run, which builds my confidence and Kurt's as well,” said the accomplished driver, who has six wins and eight final-round appearances. “This race is extra special for us as it's the Dollar General event, and we'll be running the Dollar General car. Since this is their first time being involved with NHRA, we want to go out there and represent them the best that we can and put on a good show,” he added.
“It's always great to interact with the fans at these events, and hopefully we can attract some new fans at the Dollar General display and help grow our fan base within the NHRA,” Todd said.
Todd’s team is operated by Bob Vandergriff Racing; both cars are housed in its new race shop in Brownsburg, Ind.
“I am very thankful for Bob Vandergriff giving me this opportunity to drive his second team car. Bob is one of if not the best at putting deals together, and I'm hoping we can turn this into a long-term partnership. Given the way this team has performed in the past, I know that we are plenty capable of qualifying well and going rounds on race day,” Todd said.
For tickets, call Heartland Park Topeka, 800-43-RACES (72237), or log on to HPT.com.
The last time that Tony Schumacher had a winless streak going like this one was in 1999. However, at that time, he had yet to win a race. The Chicago racer advanced to eight consecutive final rounds before he finally claimed that elusive first victory. He raced to that inaugural win at Texas Motorplex in Dallas and carried that momentum to win his first world championship title later that season.
Schumacher finds himself in a similar pattern now behind the wheel of his famed U.S. Army dragster. His last victory came in October 2010 in Las Vegas. He has since gone to 11 straight final rounds and come up empty in all of them. His most recent runner-up finish was at Atlanta Dragway on May 6, when as the event’s No. 1 qualifier, he fell to first-time winner Steve Torrence.
As “the Sarge” heads to Heartland Park Topeka for the Dollar General NHRA Summernationals, May 18-20, he hopes that he can finally turn the corner and put an end to this pesky winless streak. A winner at the ultrafast Kansas multipurpose motorsports facility in 2010, Schumacher is more than ready to add another Wally to his category-leading total of 67. This season, he has posted runner-up finishes in Phoenix, Gainesville, and Charlotte in addition to his Atlanta showing. In 2011, he was a runner-up seven times.
“We will stay at it; you can count on that,” Schumacher said. “There’s a lot of racing left, and we’re not going to settle for being runner-up all of the time. We will bring home some trophies this year.”
Just as in 1999, Schumacher is leading the points standings despite not having earned a victory. Another similarity to 1999 is the intense competition in Top Fuel. Back then, he was battling with an all-star cast that included Gary Scelzi, Joe Amato, Mike Dunn, Kenny Bernstein, and Larry Dixon, among others. Today is equally as tough, as there are so many drivers who can step up and win races at any time, such as Spencer Massey, Antron Brown, Morgan Lucas, Torrence, Doug Kalitta, Shawn Langdon, Brandon Bernstein, Clay Millican, and Bob Vandergriff Jr.
“It’s always a good thing to be leading the points,” said Schumacher, who is 25 points in front of Massey. “But let’s face it; you don’t have any easy rounds out here. This isn’t an easy sport. You can win a race one weekend and not qualify the next. These guys are tough. Every car out here is capable of winning. If somebody beats us, it is because they had a great car. We’ve been getting beat by some great performances lately.”
For a driver who has become so accustomed to winning races during his amazing career, Schumacher says the winless streak, now at 30 races and counting, doesn’t really bother him.
“I don’t think about it,” Schumacher said. “No more than I thought about winning 15 races in one season. As a driver, you just put your nose to the grindstone and do your job. It’s probably more difficult trying to win your seventh race in a row because you think about all the little things that can go wrong. Right now, I know we’re going to win one of these things because we have a great car and a great team. We’ve just had some terrible luck. It always turns. We’ll just keep the guys motivated. We can start a winning streak soon.”
The defending winners at the Dollar General NHRA Summernationals are Massey in Top Fuel, Robert Hight in Funny Car, and Shane Gray in Pro Stock. The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event will be televised on ESPN2HD.
“We’re going to keep fighting,” Schumacher said. “This is not over by a long shot. I have full confidence that wins are right around the corner for the U.S. Army team.”
In Funny Car, Hight will be going for a three-peat; the driver of the Auto Club Ford Mustang has won that race the past two seasons. Earlier this season, Hight reeled off four consecutive victories and leads the standings by a commanding 203 points. If he’s going to turn the Topeka hat trick, he’ll need to hold off a strong contingent of rivals, including three-time Topeka winner Ron Capps, who won in Atlanta and has advanced to the last three final rounds since joining forces with new crew chief Rahn Tobler following the Las Vegas event. During that stretch, Capps has moved into a tie for second place in the standings with Mike Neff. John Force is a nine-time winner in Topeka, and Cruz Pedregon has won there four times. Others to watch in Funny Car include Johnny Gray, Jack Beckman, Bob Tasca III, Jeff Arend, Courtney Force, and Alexis DeJoria.
Pro Stock points leader Greg Anderson has raced to three victories this season and holds a sizable lead over defending world champ Jason Line. Anderson is a four-time winner in Topeka and will be challenged by Team Mopar’s Allen Johnson, two-time Topeka winner Mike Edwards, Vincent Nobile, Erica Enders, Jeg Coughlin Jr., and Larry Morgan.
Many of the biggest names in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series will put the fans on the edge of their seats and bring plenty of on-track excitement. As always, fans will have the opportunity to interact with their favorite drivers as they’re granted an exclusive pit pass to the most sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet.
* SCHEDULE: NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series qualifying sessions are scheduled for 4:30 and 7 p.m. on Friday, May 18, and will continue at noon and 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 19. Final eliminations begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, May 20.
* TICKETS: For tickets, call Heartland Park Topeka, 800-43-RACES (72237), or log on to HPT.com.
* TELEVISION: ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise two hours of qualifying coverage at 5 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 19. On Sunday, May 20, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise three hours of eliminations coverage at 7 p.m. ET.
Longtime friends Carroll Shelby, left, and NHRA founder Wally Parks shared a laugh in 2007 at the NHRA Motorsports Musuem.
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Carroll Shelby, a longtime friend of the NHRA and an innovative car builder who gave the world the famous Cobra sports car and loaned his name to a series of special-edition Mustangs, died May 11 in Dallas. He was 89.
“The automotive industry has lost a pioneer and the motorsports world a legend with the passing of Carroll Shelby,” said NHRA President Tom Compton. “He and our founder Wally Parks were very good friends, and Carroll frequently attended events at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum presented by the Automobile Club of Southern California. On behalf of everyone at NHRA, our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.”
Shelby’s influence stretched from Detroit, where automakers soon learned that the kind of horsepower Shelby stuffed into that first AC Cobra would command legions of fans, to France, where his entries famously finished 1-2 in the 1966 24 Hours of LeMans, and even to the dragstrip thanks to his long friendship with NHRA legend Don "the Snake" Prudhomme.
Shelby, left, with Don Prudhomme
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In 1967, Shelby sponsored Lou Baney’s Prudhomme-driven 427 Ford Cammer dragster, which was called Shelby's Super Snake.
Shelby, who had a keen eye for talent, became aware of the Southern California hotshoe after his numerous early successes in Top Fuel. The partnership paid off for both, and the Super Snake was the first car to break the six-second mark. The partnership ended in 1969 when Ford pulled out of racing, but the two remained friends for decades and even reunited in 2009 for a special-edition Ford Shelby GT500 Mustang street car that bore the famous names of both.
“I took a real liking to him and I think him to me,” said Prudhomme. “I always felt that. I always felt he was proud of me as his drag racer because I came up the same way he did, scraping and scratching for everything. He was a real hot rodder and respected the drag racing guys.
“Even after he got out of racing, we always stayed in touch and called to just BS. He was a great guy and a really good friend.”
Racetrack owner Bruton Smith was another longtime Shelby friend. “Carroll was one of the best friends I ever had,” he said. "He was known all over the world as an icon in the automotive industry and one of the greatest names in the history of motorsports. He was a great Texan and a great innovator with a style of his own. I’ll never forget how he would climb out of that sports car with bib overalls and a cowboy hat. Ford will do all but close the company because of his passing. I admired him a great deal and will miss him greatly as a friend and a business partner.”
Do you have the NHRA Nitro Gene? If you give the time to the hundredth of a second, call a freeway exit ramp your “shutdown area,” refer to your garage as your “pit,” and thoroughly enjoy the smell of burnt rubber, chances are you do.
NHRA announced today the launch of the Show Off Your NHRA Nitro Gene video contest and sweepstakes to celebrate NHRA’s season-long tribute to the generations of families, both on the track and in the stands, who have made NHRA the world’s largest motorsports sanctioning body. The contest is a way for fans to show their Nitro Gene to the world.
Beginning May 11, fans can enter both the Show Off Your NHRA Nitro Gene video contest and sweepstakes by visiting NHRA’s Facebook page.
Fans are encouraged to shoot a short video, no longer than 60 seconds, to show why they have the NHRA Nitro Gene, then post it to NHRA’s Facebook page via the Show Off Your NHRA Nitro Gene video contest app. Fans will have the chance to share their videos with their friends and vote for their favorites throughout the contest.
“The Nitro Generation is what the NHRA is all about,” said Pro Stock driver Erica Enders. “I definitely have the Nitro Gene and couldn’t think of a better way for our fans to show off theirs than by putting together awesome videos. I can’t wait to see them all and especially the winning video on ESPN2.”
In true NHRA Drag Racing fashion, the top 16 entries will be identified based exclusively on a fan vote and advance to the second round. The first round of fan voting ends on July 23, 2012. The second round of fan voting will narrow down the top eight at the conclusion of the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd Int’l Raceway on Aug. 19, 2012.
A panel of NHRA and ESPN2 judges will evaluate the top eight finalists and pick the winning entry, which will be shown on ESPN2 during the telecast of the 58th running of the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals. The winning fan will also win two tickets to four 2013 NHRA events of their choice.
Fans entering the sweepstakes have a chance to win a pair of tickets to the 2013 NHRA event of their choice or an official NHRA T-shirt.
For the official rules of the Show Off Your NHRA Nitro Gene video contest, click here, and for the official rules of the Show Off Your NHRA Nitro Gene sweepstakes, click here.
Opportunity didn’t just come to Shawn Langdon – he worked hard for it, with his accomplishments on the racetrack speaking volumes of his capabilities. When Al-Anabi Racing tapped Langdon to drive the silver car for its Alan Johnson-managed, Sheikh Khalid Al Thani-owned team in 2012, it chose a diverse and established racer with three Lucas Oil Series championships, experience in six categories – seven if his early beginning in the Jr. Dragster ranks is taken into account – and five final rounds in his first three years of driving at the Professional level.
The 29-year-old, known for his exceptional starting-line abilities in every class that he has raced, brings a lot to the table in terms of skill, particularly after the experience gained driving the second Top Fuel car for Morgan Lucas Racing in the past three seasons. It seems a recipe for success to mesh those innate abilities with those of Johnson – arguably one of the most innovative and successful crew chiefs in NHRA Top Fuel history, who has 14 national championships and became team manager at Al-Anabi Racing in 2009 – and crew chief Brian Husen, who spent eight successful seasons with Johnson at Don Schumacher Racing assisting on the U.S. Army Top Fuel dragster driven by Tony Schumacher.
“It’s a great opportunity just to be part of this team that has had so much success in the past,” said Langdon. “Getting a phone call from Alan Johnson and Sheikh Khalid was an opportunity that I really couldn’t pass up. Alan Johnson’s past success with Gary Scelzi, Blaine Johnson, Tony Schumacher, Larry Dixon, and Del Worsham – they’re really just legends of the sport, and it’s pretty nice to think about what could potentially happen.”
Al-Anabi Racing has won the Top Fuel title for the last two consecutive seasons – Dixon won in 2010 and Worsham in 2011 – and so a lot of focus is on the silver and gold team cars driven by Langdon and Top Fuel newcomer Khalid alBalooshi.
Shawn Langdon, right, and teammate Khalid alBalooshi are both still looking for their first wins this season for the Al-Anabi team.
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alBalooshi has regularly qualified in the top half of the field, and Langdon has qualified in the quick eight at all but one of the first seven events of the 2012 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season. He qualified No. 1 in Phoenix and went to the semifinals at back-to-back events, in Phoenix at the NHRA Arizona Nationals and in Gainesville at the Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals presented by NAPAFilters.com.
“Everything has been really good; we just haven’t had the success that we had hoped for to start off,” admitted Langdon. “It’s been a little tough here in the beginning, but once everything starts clicking, our chances are going to be pretty good. We know what this team is capable of, and we know what our goal is: We want to win the championship.”
This season is a different animal for Langdon, a previous multiclass hot-lapper who has put Sportsman racing at NHRA national events on hold to concentrate fully on the Top Fuel team – although he will still bracket race on off-weekends. The overall nature of the team is also a departure from his early roots, the past three years when he drove Top Fuel with good friend Morgan Lucas, and the days of racing Super Comp with Jack Brand.
“This is a big change for me because I grew up racing with my dad,” said Langdon. “We had enough money to go to the racetrack, but for a few years, we didn’t even have a trailer, and we made our sandwiches every night. When I raced with Jack Brand and then the Lucas family, it was always a family deal – but this team is like a business, and I represent the country of Qatar for Sheikh Khalid and everyone. There is a lot of pressure to do well, but Alan is so easy to work with, and he has made it an easy transition. He understands a lot of things that I think a lot of other people don’t from the driver’s perspective, and working with Brian Husen has been great. We all get along so well. They remind me that the little mistakes I’ve made are all part of learning and coming over to a new team. When I sit down with Alan and Brian or talk to Sheikh Khalid, everyone tells me that we may hit some bumps along the way, but to just keep doing what I’m doing, and everything will come together.”
The next event on the Full Throttle Series tour is the Dollar General NHRA Summernationals at Heartland Park Topeka, and with seven races gone by and Langdon tied for sixth in the Top Fuel standings, the Al-Anabi Racing team will be looking for valuable points to keep its driver well in the mix.
“I’ve never really had great success in Topeka; it has always been one of those tracks that has gotten the best of me, but I’m looking forward to going there because Alan, Brian, and this whole team have always done well there,” said Langdon. “I’ll follow their lead, keep the car straight, cut a good light, and hopefully success will come.
“I’m very competitive, so I always want to do well – not only for myself, but also for this team so that I can show them why they hired me. Every day when I come to work, I have the confidence of knowing that we could have the best race car out here based on what these guys have done in the past. We have the potential to go out at every racetrack and set low e.t., qualify No. 1, and win. Alan has always been one step ahead of everybody else, and when Alan says we’ll be fine, I take his word for it.”
Autograph seekers rejoice! Bristol Dragway is taking some of the legwork out of chasing a few of NHRA’s biggest signatures.
While NHRA competitors are the most accessible athletes in sports, a limited number of pre-autographed tickets are available for fans who purchase in advance for the June 15-17 Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals presented by Tri-Cities Area Ford Dealers.
John and Courtney Force, Tony Schumacher, Antron Brown, Spencer Massey, Ron Capps, Matt Hagan, Jack Beckman, Johnny Gray, Greg Anderson, Jason Line, and Alexis DeJoria have signed tickets to be given to fans who purchase in advance for the event.
On Wednesday, May 16, the autographed tickets will become available to fans ready to experience the jaw-dropping excitement of the NHRA in Thunder Valley. Fans must call Bristol Dragway to choose the ticket they want included with their purchase. Due to limited quantities, each ticket account will receive one autographed ticket while supplies last.
John Force, arguably the biggest name in NHRA racing, is a 15-time Funny Car champion and owner of John Force Racing. His daughter Courtney is one of NHRA’s youngest stars, competing in her first full season on the circuit. Though she only has been in the premier series for a few months, she already has become a fan favorite.
Tony “the Sarge” Schumacher has a Top Fuel career that would make any driver jealous, and his Don Schumacher Racing teammates Brown and Massey are amassing impressive resumes as well. Capps is the most recent Funny Car winner on the NHRA circuit, and Hagan is the defending Funny Car champion.
DeJoria, also in the midst of her debut season of nitro Funny Car competition, is a veteran Top Alcohol Funny Car racer and event winner. She also has developed a vast fan following in a short period of time.
Teammates Anderson and Line won the 2010 and 2011 NHRA Pro Stock championships, respectively, and have combined to win six NHRA Pro Stock championships since 2003. Easily two of Pro Stock’s most decorated racers, Anderson and Line are battling each other atop the 2012 points standings.
To buy one of the autographed tickets, fans are encouraged to call the Bristol Dragway ticket office, 423 BRISTOL (423-274-7865) or 866-415-4158, early on May 16. The ticket office will open at 9 a.m.
Every ticket is a pit pass, giving fans amazing access to the teams as they thrash to prepare their cars for the next round of competition. Fans also can meet the fearless men and women who pilot these extreme machines and feel the unique experience that is the Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals presented by Tri-Cities Area Ford Dealers. Three-day combo and single-day event tickets are available.
Prime camping spaces still are available for the event in the Medallion Camping area overlooking the pit area in Thunder Valley. Each paved site is 20 feet by 50 feet and includes electric, water, and sewer hookups. The cost is $350 for the event (Thursday-Monday).
Gates open at 9 a.m. on Friday, June 15, with the first round of Pro qualifying slated for 5 p.m. The Pro cars will return at 7:30 p.m. for the exciting night qualifying round. Gates open at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 16, with Pro qualifying set for noon and 2:30 p.m. Sunday’s action kicks off when gates open at 8:30 a.m., and final eliminations begin at noon.
NHRA Now is a weekly Web series that gives fans an inside look at the lives of the drivers and teams of the NHRA and keeps everyone up to date on the latest happenings on and off the track, all season long. NHRA Now also is shared on NHRA's Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages each week.
In this week’s edition of NHRA Now, host Alex Baca recaps the racing action in Atlanta, including Steve Torrence’s first Top Fuel win, Ron Capps earning his first win of the season, and Drew Skillman’s double in Sportsman competition. She also gives us an update on the Snake & Mongoose movie and checks in with a couple of drivers to see what they have planned for Mother’s Day.
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Thunder Road Raceway Park in Gilliam, La., and Showtime Dragstrip in Clearwater, Fla., are the newest additions to the NHRA Member Track network. Thunder Road will be a part of the NHRA South Central Division and Showtime a part of the NHRA Southeast Division.
“It is a pleasure to have these two facilities come onboard as part of the NHRA Member Track network,” said Josh Peterson, NHRA vice president-racing administration. “Tim Pafford is a true supporter of NHRA Drag Racing, and we look forward to working with Robert Yoho and his staff at Showtime Dragway [formerly Sunshine Dragstrip]. We have a large number of racers in both of these areas and are thankful to these tracks for continuing to offer NHRA Drag Racing to them.”
As NHRA-sanctioned tracks, the two facilities will be eligible to offer racers a variety of NHRA racing opportunities, including the NHRA Summit Racing Series, the Jr. Drag Racing League, and the NHRA Drags: Street Legal Style presented by AAA program. Additionally, the tracks have the opportunity to host NHRA’s specialty events, including the National DRAGSTER Challenge, NHRA Summit King of the Track, and NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League Challenge.
“I’ve raced with NHRA all my life and have managed an NHRA track for 19 years [U.S. 19 Dragway]. We’re so excited to be a part of NHRA,” said Thunder Road Raceway Park General Manager Pafford. “There is so much potential for this facility, and we believe in selling fun.” Thunder Road Raceway Park is in the northwest corner of Louisiana and close to the Texas and Arkansas borders.
“We’re looking to make some changes to the facility and to bring families back out to the track and motorsports back to the community,” said Yoho, of Showtime Dragstrip. "I’ve been involved in motorsports and around this facility since the ‘70s and can’t wait to get things moving and get cars back out on the track.” Showtime Dragstrip is near the Tampa/St. Petersburg, Fla., metropolitan area.
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Tony Schumacher and Antron Brown will deliver a tire-smoking Memorial Day salute on behalf of Don Schumacher Racing and its sponsors May 27 as part of the exciting show before the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
It’s believed to be the first time at a NASCAR race that a pair of NHRA Top Fuel dragsters will light up their giant rear slicks with power equivalent to 16 Cup stock cars.
“Tony and Antron, along with their crews, wanted to spend Memorial Day weekend at Charlotte to help show appreciation for those who have served our country and salute what their sacrifices mean to all Americans,” said Don Schumacher, who owns the seven-car DSR operation in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.
Schumacher, the seven-time Top Fuel world champion, echoed his father’s thoughts.
“I look forward to putting on a good show for the NASCAR fans in Charlotte,” he said. “More importantly, given the weekend’s significance, I welcome the opportunity to join so many folks in remembering and honoring those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.
“Needless to say, I will also be supporting my U.S. Army NASCAR teammate Ryan Newman and really hope he can win the race – it would be a great gift to all of our Army Strong soldiers.”
Brown, who also represents the U.S. Army, is equally honored by the opportunity.
“It’s giving back. Tony is my U.S. Army teammate, and we’re going out to give a little something back for what all of our soldiers have done for us and give them a little extra show.
“NHRA Drag Racing is a true, true American-born and -grown sport. We’re going to use our dragsters to give a special salute to our veterans and all the men and women in the armed forces.”
After four consecutive wins in the 2012 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season and maintaining the series lead, Funny Car driver Robert Hight hopes to continue his success at Heartland Park Topeka at the 24th annual Dollar General NHRA Summernationals, May 18-20.
Last season, Hight faced fellow John Force Racing teammate Mike Neff in the final round of the event and captured the 200th win for John Force Racing.
“Last year was a huge win for me and John Force Racing,” Hight said. “Neff and I were in the final, and we were racing for JFR’s 200th Funny Car win. I got the win light and was able to repeat at Topeka. That was a win I will never forget since I started as a crewmember on John’s Castrol team, and then to get the 200th Funny Car win for the organization was a big deal.”
Not only is Hight the defending event winner, but he also has won the event the past two seasons and hopes to continue that success in 2012 with a third straight victory at Heartland Park.
“I am looking for a three-peat this year with my Auto Club Ford Mustang,” Hight said. “When you have streaks, you’re going to want to keep that momentum. We started the season with six wins in a row for JFR, and I won four in a row before Neff got the win in Houston. Our Auto Club Ford Mustang has run really well in Topeka, and we are getting excited about getting on the track there.”
Hight leads the Funny Car points battle. Ron Capps in his NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger for Don Schumacher Racing is tied for second place with Neff, followed by Capps' DSR teammate Jack Beckman in fourth; Cruz Pedregon, Johnny Gray, John Force, Bob Tasca III, Courtney Force, and Jeff Arend round out the top 10.
Top Fuel driver Spencer Massey, who has won three races this season, is also hoping to defend his 2011 win in Topeka this season. Fellow DSR teammate Antron Brown, GEICO/Lucas Oil dragster driver Morgan Lucas, and seven-time world champ Tony Schumacher are among those to watch. Atlanta winner Steve Torrence, Shawn Langdon, Doug Kalitta, Bob Vandergriff Jr., David Grubnic, and Clay Millican hold down the remaining spots in the top 10.
In Pro Stock, the Summit Racing duo of Greg Anderson and Jason Line, who have won four events this season between them, are one and two in the points, respectively. Sophomore sensation Vincent Nobile is third, followed by Mike Edwards, and Allen Johnson.
Many of the biggest names in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series will put the fans on the edge of their seats and bring plenty of on-track excitement. As always, fans will have the opportunity to interact with their favorite drivers as they’re granted an exclusive pit pass to the most incredible and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet.
* SCHEDULE: NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series qualifying sessions are scheduled for 4:30 and 7 p.m. on Friday, May 18, and will continue at noon and 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 19. Final Professional eliminations will begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, May 20.
* TICKETS: For tickets, call Heartland Park Topeka, 800-43-RACES (72237), or log on to www.hpt.com.
* TELEVISION: ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of qualifying coverage at 5 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 19. On Sunday, May 20, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise three hours of eliminations coverage at 7 p.m. ET.
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| Schedule | Tickets | Entries | Results |
| Team reports | Photos | Video |
| Ron Capps
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| Steve Torrence
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| Greg Anderson
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| Eddie Krawiec
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Related stories:
Friday: Schumacher, Hight, Line, Arana lead Friday Atlanta fields
Saturday: Friday's leaders remain atop fields in 'Hot-lanta'
| News and views from the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals |
Last update: 4:45 p.m. Click for latest post |
After collecting career round-win No. 600 last weekend in Houston, the big question remains for Tony Schumacher: When are you going to win again? His second-round exit in Houston pushed his string of winless events to 29, yet he has qualified No. 1 at this event for the first time in his career at the only race on the schedule that he has never won. Also, the week before the race, Schumacher also potted his first hole-in-one on the golf course. Omen?
In what continues to be the not-so-funniest season in Funny Car, Atlanta was Mike Neff’s turn in the DNQ barrel when the John Force Racing/Castrol driver failed to make the cut. On his final attempt, Neff appeared to be on a run good enough to qualify when the blower backfired before the finish line.
Neff’s streak dated back to the 2008 Dallas race in his rookie season, spanning 56 events (he sat out 2010 to tune Force to his 15th championship, and it’s his first DNQ since returning from that hiatus). Team boss John Force has the longest current qualifying streak in Funny Car at 81 races, four more than Bob Tasca III. Pro Stock’s Greg Anderson has the longest active streak at 216 races.
The carnage raises memories of 2008 because when by season’s end eight of the previous year’s top 10 — Hight, Gary Scelzi, Beckman, Mike Ashley, Force, Jim Head, Del Worsham, and Ashley Force Hood — had missed at least one show, including Hight. Only reigning champ Tony Pedregon and fourth-place Capps had no DNQ demerits on their scorecard.
Despite two wins already this season, Morgan Lucas continues to have a Jekyll-and-Hyde car in qualifying. After qualifying No. 1 three times in the season’s first four races, he ranked only 14th at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, then returned to the No. 1 spot last weekend in Houston only to plummet to No. 13 this week. "We've had a lot of weird things happen in qualifying this weekend," Lucas said. "We're still ironing out some kinks, but we're not worried. The run in Q3 was looking really strong until it dropped a valve. That might've changed the whole outlook of qualifying because it probably would've put us in the top half of the field."
After going through the season’s first-five events without facing one another even in qualifying, high-profile rookie Funny Car racers Courtney Force and Alexis DeJoria have paired off three times in the last two events. Force defeated DeJoria in round one in Houston, and they paired off twice in qualifying on Saturday. DeJoria went 4.16 to Force’s 4.17 in the first go-round (though Force may boast she reached the finish line first), and DeJoria, who has an excellent and consistent car this weekend, ran 4.22 in the final session after Force’s car broke traction.
Dan Wilkerson remained perfect in his young career after qualifying for the Funny Car field for event sponsor Summit Racing Equipment in his seventh start. His first-round opponent will be Capps, against whom young Wilk was racing in Memphis, Tenn., in 2009 when the rear wheels sheared off and caused him to crash. "As soon as I heard that we race Capps, I thought about Memphis,” he confessed. “This time, the plan is to get out ahead of him again but this time try not to crash. As long as the wheels stay on, I think we'll be OK in that department, but we're going to have our hands full with a very fast car and a very good driver. I bet my dad tells me we're just going to race the track and not worry about the other guy. He always says that."
Race-day Sunday started with a Track Walk with past event champs that allowed fans to make a "pass" down Atlanta Dragway to get up close and personal with "Georgia's House of Speed." |
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(Above) The Automobile Club Funny Car team of low qualifier Robert Hight methodically went about its pre-race preparations in anticipation of today's first round, scheduled for 11 a.m. (Left) Steve Torrence, left, and crew chief Richard Hogan are quietly confident after qualifying their Capco Contractors dragster No. 2 in Top Fuel for the second straight event. |
As always, NHRA's star drivers, like Top Fuel ace Spencer Massey, are meeting and greeting fans. |
| [11 a.m.] Terry McMillen (above) won the day-opening first pairing in Top Fuel, scoring his second round-win of the season by defeating Khalid alBalooshi. McMillen dropped a cylinder early, and alBalooshi seemed well on his way to his first career Top Fuel round-win but smoked the tires downtrack. McMillen raced by for the win, taking it in a blaze of fire from the engine. McMillen's other round-win this season also came against alBalooshi, in Las Vegas. (Right) Brandon Bernstein ran 3.843 against Hillary Will to advance, which was second best of the round behind Spencer Massey's 3.823. Second-round pairings (lane choice first): Tony Schumacher vs. McMillen, Massey vs. Kalitta, Steve Torrence vs. Bob Vandergriff Jr., and Bernstein vs. Clay Millican. |
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[11:45 a.m.] Ron Capps (above), racing a special-edition NAPA Brakes Charger Funny Car at the national event closest to NAPA Auto Part's headquarters in Atlanta, advanced to round two over Daniel Wilkerson with a 4.148. Capps has been runner-up here three times but has not advanced out of the semi's since 2001. Courtney Force (below) collected the fifth round-win of her rookie career by beating Jack Beckman by just .006-second. She'll have lane choice over teammate/low qualifier Robert Hight in round two. Other second-round pairings (lane choice first): Cruz Pedregon vs. Jim Head, Capps vs. Matt Hagan, and Johnny Gray vs. Jeff Arend. |
[12:15 p.m.] Erica Enders (above) beat Shane Gray on a holeshot in round one of Pro Stock, 6.618 to 6.617, but she'll give up second-round lane choice to Allen and Roy Johnson (below), who reset low e.t and top speed with a 6.594 at 209.98 mph. Other second-round pairings (lane choice first): Jason Line vs. Vincent Nobile, Mike Edwards vs. Ronnie Humphrey, and Greg Anderson vs. Steve Kent. |
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| [12:45 p.m.] Eddie Krawiec (above) reset low e.t. in round one of Pro Stock Motorcycle with a 6.888 to defeat Michael Phillips. He'll take on Karen Stoffer in round two. Chip Ellis (right), whose weekend began with a broken motorcycle Friday, upset No. 3 qualifier Hector Arana Jr. to advance but will cede lane choice to Shawn Gann. Other second-round pairings (lane choice first): Hector Arana Sr. vs. Scotty Pollacheck and Andrew Hines vs. Michael Ray. |
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[1:20 p.m.] A first-time season winner was assured after round two of Top Fuel because none of the four semifinalists have scored this season, Doug Kalitta (above), who beat Don Schumacher racing teammates Antron Brown and Spencer Massey in rounds one and two, respectively, will face the third DSR car, the Army dragster of Tony Schumacher, who will have lane choice. Neither driver has won since the 2010 season. The other semifinal will feature Steve Torrence with lane choice against Brandon Bernstein. |
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It's been a rough Sunday for Terry McMillen. He won his first-round race, but it cost him two holes in his engine block (left), and then he repeated his fiery feat (above) in his second-round loss to Tony Schumacher. |
[1:30 p.m.] After upsetting Tim Wilkerson in round one, Jim Head (above) bested No. 4 qualifier Cruz Pedregon to advance to his first semifinal of 2012. He'll race Robert Hight in semi's, where Hight gets to pick his lane. The other semi will pit Jeff Arend (below, beating Johnny Gray in round two) against Ron Capps, who has lane choice. |
| [1:35 p.m.] Ronnie Humphrey, representing the event sponsor through its Genuine Hotrod Hardware line, has everyone talking after reaching the Pro Stock semifinals on back-to-back holeshots in the first two rounds. Humphrey beat Kurt Johnson, 6.64 to 6.63, in round one and Mike Edwards, 6.67 to 6.64, in the second round. He'll take on teammate Jason Line in the semifinals, where Line has lane choice The other semifinal match will pit Greg Anderson, in the third Summit car, against Allen Johnson, who has lane choice. All four of the top qualifiers have reached the semifinals. |
[2 p.m.] Attack of the shiny suits. (Above) Shawn Gann, near lane, defeated Chip Ellis, and (below) Michael Ray, near lane, upset Andrew Hines allowing both brightly attired riders to make the semi's, though neither will have lane choice. Ray will run Hector Arana Sr., who reset low e.t. with a 6.863, and Gann will tackle Eddie Krawiec. |
[2:35 p.m.] After beating a tire-smoking Doug Kalitta in the semifinals, Tony Schumacher is one round away from winning at the only venue on the tour at which he has never won. Schumacher also is winless in his last 29 starts, dating back to the penultimate race of 2010. The only guy standing in his way is Steve Torrence (below), who will be appearing in his first career Top Fuel final and will have lane choice after beating Brandon Bernstein. |
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| [2:35 p.m.] Ron Capps (right) made it to his third straight final round and is looking for his first win of the season after defeating Jeff Arend in the Funny Car semifinals. Capps' opponent will be Robert Hight (above), whose four-race winning streak Capps stopped last weekend in Houston. Capps will have final-round lane choice over Hight based on his 4.164 vs. Hight's 4.194 victory against Jim Head. |
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[2:50 p.m.] As it was last year, Summit Racing Equipment teammates Greg Anderson (above) and Jason Line (left) will square off for the Pro Stock title at their sponsor's event. Line, the defending event champ, will have lane choice after his 6.634 victory against Ronnie Humphrey; Anderson ran 6.670 against Allen Johnson. |
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| [3 p.m.] The Pro Stock Motorcycle final will pit reigning season champ Eddie Krawiec (above left) against first-time finalist Michael Ray (above right); Krawiec will have lane choice after a 6.953 in the semi's to Ray's 7.060. | |
Eddie Krawiec, far lane, defeated Michael Ray to win his 13th Pro Stock Motorcycle Wally, 6.90 to 7.03. |
Greg Anderson, near lane, reversed the outcome of last year's Pro Stock final, beating Summit teammate Jason Line on a holeshot, 6.64 to 6.61, to claim his 73rd career win. |
Ron Capps, far lane, ended John Force Racing's six-race 2012 dominance of the Funny Car class, defeating Robert Hight in the final round, 4.16 to 4.34. |
Steve Torrence, far lane, a former world champ in the Top Alcohol Dragster class, scored his first career win in Top Fuel and kept Tony Schumacher winless at Atlanta Dragway, beating him in the final with a 3.89. |
The event's Full Throttle winners, from left, Ron Capps, Steve Torrence, Eddie Krawiec, and Greg Anderson. |
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| Schedule | Tickets | Entries | Results |
| Team reports | Photos | Video |
| Robert Hight
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| Tony Schumacher
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| Jason Line
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| Hector Arana Sr.
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Related story:
Friday: Schumacher, Hight, Line, Arana lead Friday Atlanta fields
| News and views from the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals |
Last update: 4:30 p.m. Click for latest post |
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As the Full Throttle teams once again unloaded their cars from their race shops on wheels, fans began streaming through the front gates at "Georgia's House of Speed," Atlanta Dragway, in anticipation of the dramatic final-two qualifying sessions of the 32nd annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, the seventh stop on the 2012 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series calendar. Unlike Friday's wet start, today has dawned sunny and clear. |
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The morning hours are devoted to the opening rounds of eliminations in the Lucas Oil classes, including Super Comp (above) and Top Sportsman (left). The Full Throttle teams will take the track at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. to set the fields for Sunday's all-important final eliminations. Among those not yet qualified are Houston winners Morgan Lucas (Top Fuel) and Mike Neff (Funny Car). |
One of the great things about coming to an NHRA event is the chance for fans to interact with the drivers and collect autographs and keepsake photos with drivers, like Hillary Will (above) and Matt Hagan (below). |
[11:15 a.m.] The nitro teams are test firing their engines in preparation for today's first qualifying session, which begins at 11:30 a.m. Among them is the Optima Batteries team of Top Fuel racer David Grubnic. |
[11:45 a.m.] Although Eddie Krawiec didn't better his Friday run of 6.895 and Hector Arana Sr. remained atop the Pro Stock Motorcycle pack with a 6.894, Krawiec lowered the boom on the class with a devastating 6.928 in the heat and humidity that was a full four-hundredths quicker than the next-best pass of 6.969 by Arana. |
| [12:25 p.m.] Even the day's oppressive heat and humidity couldn't stop Jason Line from setting the new low e.t. for Pro Stock in the day's first qualifying session. The defending event champ and former two-time event runner-up gave his and event sponsor Summit Racing Equipment a lot to cheer about with a 6.607, improving on his 6.612 Friday best. Allen Johnson had the round's next-best time, 6.618, and remains No. 2 with his Friday 6.613. |
The Coca-Cola Company and Full Throttle Energy Drink made a $250,000 contribution to the United Service Organization (USO) as part of a partnership aimed at celebrating and honoring the efforts of our country’s military heroes. Pictured, from left, are NHRA President Tom Compton, Full Throttle's Ben Reiling, USO's Bette Rose, and U.S. Army Top Fuel driver Tony Schumacher. |
| [1 p.m.] Steve Torrence, the No. 2 qualifier in Top Fuel last weekend in Houston with his Richard Hogan-tuned Capco Contractors dragster, is No. 2 again so far this weekend with a 3.827, trailing only Tony Schumacher's track-record 3.815. Torrence also had the second-best pass of the day's first qualifying session, a 3.884 that was bettered only by Brandon Bernstein's 3.851. Torrence has already banked four qualifying bonus points this weekend, pulling him to within two points of fifth-place Shawn Langdon. |
Houston winner Morgan Lucas entered the day not qualified in Top Fuel, but he remedied that quickly but not solidly with a 3.903 at just 280 mph that has him in the No. 13 spot with one run to go. |
[1:25 p.m.] Cruz Pedregon's special-edition SnaponFranchise.com Toyota tooled right down the track to an impressive 4.149 and just 298 mph early in the day's first Funny Car qualifying session. |
[1:40 p.m.] Cruz Pedregon's run held up as the best of the round until the final pair when Tim Wilkerson raced to a 4.148 at just 293 mph. Wilk is qualified No. 5 on his earlier 4.138. |
(Above) The Castrol GTX crew of Mike Neff is hard at work between rounds because the Houston winner sits just 15th in the Funny Car field. With 19 entries on hand, they'll be looking to improve their position in the final qualifying session. (Below) Sparks and heat between rounds in the nitro pits. |
The pits at Atlanta Dragway are packed with race fans soaking in the great weather and even hotter racing. |
| From left, Rosalee and Terry Noble of the Drag Racing Association of Women were manning their popular booth on the midway, where they are accepting donations for DRAW's upcoming spring live auction, Saturday, June 2, at the Toyota NHRA SuperNationals in Englishtown. More information about the auction can be found here. |
| Top Dragster and Super Comp racer Laureen Freer, a former competitor in NHRA's Jr. Drag Racing League, has good company in her pits with her Georgia-appropriate bulldog Cooper. Earlier in the day, Freer won her first-round match in Top Dragster. |
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[2:35 p.m.] Michael Ray (above) has his Riding For Kids Buell qualified a season-high No. 4 with a 6.981 best. (Left) Twenty-year-old Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Joey Gladstone qualified for the field on his final pass; the Townsend, Del.-based newcomer guided Matt Smith's Awesome Engines Buell to a 7.153 to qualify No. 16. Gladstone also qualified earlier this season in Gainesville. Hector Arana Sr., the low qualifier last weekend in Houston, finished atop the pack again based on his Friday 6.894 but laid down a stout 6.914 in the heat of the final qualifying session to show he's serious about race day, too. |
[2:50 p.m.] Five-time Atlanta winner Warren Johnson hung on to qualify at his hometown event, placing his Sugar Hill-based Pontiac GXP Pro Stocker 16th with a 6.710, putting him in the show for just the second time in six starts this year. |
[3:05 p.m.] Mike Edwards, who won this event back to back in Pro Stock in 2008 and 2009, had the third-best pass of the final qualifying session, a 6.645 that was within shouting distance of No. 1 qualifier Jason Line's 6.629. Line remained No. 1 based on his earlier 6.607; Edwards is qualified No. 5. |
[3:25 p.m.] Veteran Top Fuel racer Pat Dakin, who's been racing since the 1970s and was runner-up at this event in 1998, qualified his Commercial Metal Fabricators dragster for his second straight event. |
[3:50 p.m.] Spencer Massey, who won this race back to back in 2007 and 2008 in Top Alcohol Dragster and was runner-up in Top Fuel in 2009, has the three-event-winning Prestone dragster qualified No. 4 in Top Fuel. |
[4 p.m.] In a season full of surprise DNQs in Funny Car, this week it was Mike Neff's turn to miss the field; he fell short of the 4.32 bump spot. Neff, second in points, looked to be on a solid qualifying run on a final attempt that would have qualified him, then the engine backfired at the top end. It's Neff's first qualifying miss since the Dallas event in fall 2008, ending a streak of 56 straight events. Five of last year's top six finishers — Neff, Matt Hagan, Jack Beckman, Cruz Pedregon, and Ron Capps, and — have now failed to qualify at a race this season. |
[4:20 p.m.] Former Funny Car world champ Tony Pedregon qualified a season-best No. 6 after a 4.139 in his K-LOVE Impala. It's just the fourth top-half berth in the last two and a half seasons for the veteran racer. |
[4:30 p.m.] Robert Hight put down a trio of great passes in Funny Car qualifying — 4.14, 4.10, and 4.15 — to lead the field for the fourth time this year and the 43rd time in his career. |
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Hector Arana Sr.
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| News and views from the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals |
Last update: 8:30 p.m. Click for latest post |
[11 a.m.] Welcome to a slightly wet Atlanta Dragway and the opening day of the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals. Rain began falling early this morning but finally has relented, and the NHRA Safety Safari presented by AAA is on the job, drying the track. While the starting-line crew works the launch pad with hand blowers, the jet dryers have been burning fuel and getting replenished at the conveniently located (and appropriately named) RaceTrac gas station just outside the facility. Drying is expected to be completed in time for the first of the day's two Full Throttle qualifying sessions that is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. |
[11:45 a.m.] Things are looking up in Atlanta! Track drying continues ... |
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| [1 p.m.] The Full Throttle teams are unloading their race cars in anticipation of two qualifying runs today that are scheduled for 3:30 and 6 p.m. Tony Schumacher's U.S. Army team (above) will have an interesting chance to break two dry spells this weekend: their 29-race winless streak and a victory at the only track on the NHRA tour where Schumacher has failed to win a race. Johnny Gray's NTB/Service Central Funny Car squad (right) will hope to get their driver back to the final round in Atlanta, which he last reached in 1993, when he was runner-up to Tony Pedregon. |
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| (Above) The Stockers hit the track at 1:15 p.m., almost four hours behind schedule. (Right) Young Funny Car driver Blake Alexander is back in action this weekend with his Auto Service Plus Monte Carlo. This will be his third outing of the season in the Paul Smith-tuned machine that qualified successfully in Gainesville and Charlotte. Alexander also will compete this Spring in Bristol and Englishtown, and at select races later in the year. |
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Tim Wilkerson, left, will be joined in Funny Car competition this weekend and later this year in Norwalk by his son, Daniel, who is wheeling a Funny Car backed by event sponsor Summit Racing Equipment. |
Despite poor weather this morning, a strong crowd has turned up for today's opening qualifying rounds. |
[4 p.m.] Reigning world champ Eddie Krawiec led the performance charge in the first qualifying session of Pro Stock Motorcycle, running 6.895 at a track-record 195.42 mph, breaking the 195.34 mark last year. Hector Arana Sr. (6.926) and Jr. (6.955) were the second and third quickest of the opening stanza, respectively. |
[4:35 p.m.] Allen Johnson, the low qualifier a week ago in Houston, again is at the top of the Pro Stock pack with his Mopar Avenger after clocking a 6.620 at 209.07 mph to set both ends of the performance bar in Q1. Mike Edwards is No. 2 at 6.638 and Greg Anderson third at 6.647. |
| Stratford, Conn.-based Top Fuel racer Rit Pustari, who has only made it to a handful of races over the past three seasons, showed up with skateboard-hardware maker Surf Rods bannered on his dragster and veteran Jimmy Walsh as his crew chief. He opened with an early-shutoff 5.10 on his first pass. |
[5:10 p.m.] Bob Tasca III grabbed the early lead in Funny Car, pushing his Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby to a 4.121 to grab the No. 1 spot. Cruz Pedregon was second at 4.135 and Robert Hight third with a 4.140. |
[5:55 p.m.] Brandon Bernstein's MavTV dragster is the Top Fuel leader after one session with a 3.881 at 317.05 mph. Tony Schumacher is No. 2 with a similar 3.881, 316.60. Antron Brown is No. 3 with a 3.885, 317.34 (top speed). |
[6:15 p.m.] Hector Arana Sr. predicted he'd take over the Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying lead and delivered as promised, eking his Lucas Oil Buell past first-session leader Eddie Krawiec's 6.895 with a 6.894. |
[6:55 p.m.] Jason Line made event sponsor Summit Racing Equipment proud by driving their Pontiac to the No. 1 spot in Pro Stock with a 6.612. First-session leader Allen Johnson fired back with a just-missed 6.613 that leaves him in the second spot. Line's Summit teammate, Greg Anderson, is third with a 6.625. |
Grace Howell got 'er sideways on her burnout in Jim Cunningham's Mustang Pro Stocker and was shut off on the starting line when fluids were discovered leaking from the car. |
[7:25 p.m.] John Force didn't have a lot to celebrate on 63rd birthday today; the 15-time Funny Car champ's 4.261 best has him outside the top 12 heading into Saturday's final-two qualifying sessions. |
[7:45 p.m.] Robert Hight moved the Auto Club Mustang into the top spot of the Funny Car sheets with a 4.104, bumping early-session leader Ron Capps' 4.114 to second. Six races into the season, Hight has won four races, been the No. 1 qualifier three times, and moved up the all-time Funny Car win list (from ninth to seventh). |
Grime Boss hand-cleaning wipes, an active partner in IndyCar and NASCAR Nationwide teams the past year, will now get to experience 300-plus-mph runs on the dragstrip with Jim Dunn Racing’s Funny Car team. Grime Boss hand-cleaning wipes has become a major sponsor of Jim Dunn Racing, signing a multiple-year agreement with the team that begins at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals this weekend.
Grime Boss will have the primary-sponsor paint scheme on the Funny Car at the Chicago, Seattle, Brainerd, and Indianapolis NHRA national events. Jon Dunn, business manager for Jim Dunn Racing, is not only excited about the new promotions that will surround the race team, but also use of the product.
“Our sport is a perfect fit for Grime Boss hand wipes,” said Dunn. “In the NHRA, like many other motorsports, our mechanics are constantly getting their hands dirty working on the engine, clutch, and other components from the time the race car is rolled out of the trailer through the end of each race day.”
Grime Boss hand wipes have become very popular due to their dual role of having a tough side that removes grease, grime, paint, and adhesives and a smooth side gentle enough for the face and other areas with no harsh chemicals. The wipes contain Vitamin E and aloe and have a clean citrus scent.
In addition to driving the Jim Dunn Racing Funny Car, Todd Lensko operates a Fountain Tire franchise in Edmonton, Alta., where he uses Grime Boss hand wipes as much as during race weekend.
“Our Fountain Tire center in Edmonton has technicians replacing tires, brakes, and suspension components all day. Those type of parts are full of road dust, grease, and other materials when they come off of a car or truck,” said Lesenko. "A package of Grime Boss wipes is perfect to have at each of our garage bays for the technicians to use, or take the portable package with them if they are on a service call.”
Grime Boss is familiar with motorsports and found the right fit in drag racing with Jim Dunn Racing to further its product awareness and create additional retail exposure. Jim Dunn Racing also has already connected Grime Boss to new retailer partners.
NHRA Now is a weekly Web series that gives fans an inside look at the lives of the drivers and teams of the NHRA and keeps everyone up to date on the latest happenings on and off the track, all season long. NHRA Now also is shared on NHRA's Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages each week.
On this week’s NHRA Now, host Alex Baca recaps the exciting race weekend in Houston with Morgan Lucas’ second win of the season in Top Fuel, John Force Racing’s dominance in Funny Car, Vincent Nobile defending his 2011 event Pro Stock title, and Andrew Hines using up some of his luck with a perfect light to score the Pro Stock Motorcycle win against Hector Arana Jr. She also looks forward to the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals in Atlanta, where Dan Wilkerson will be making his 2012 debut in Funny Car, and reveals who fans think will be the first active female driver to win an NHRA event.
The champions of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series descended on Atlanta’s World of Coca-Cola Wednesday night for the annual NHRA Full Throttle Partnership Dinner, where those gathered for the evening celebrated 11 years of the company's combined POWERade/Full Throttle partnership with the sport.
Fourteen world champions attended the event hosted by Full Throttle Energy Drink and The Coca-Cola Company two nights before the 32nd annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals roars to life at nearby Atlanta Dragway. 2011 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series world champions Del Worsham (Top Fuel), Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Jason Line (Pro Stock), and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were among the evening’s honorees, which also included executives from NHRA, The Coca-Cola Company, and broadcast partner ESPN as well as past champions, their guests, and team owners.
The other past world champions in attendance were Greg Anderson, Hector Arana Sr., Jeg Coughlin Jr., Larry Dixon, Mike Edwards, Robert Hight, Andrew Hines, Cruz Pedregon, Tony Pedregon, and Tony Schumacher.
Morgan Lucas
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As the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series heads south to Atlanta Dragway May 4-6 for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, the competition in Top Fuel is so tight that predicting the race winner is nearly impossible.
Morgan Lucas has finished in 10th place in the championship points battle the last two years, but this season, the outcome could be a lot different. The GEICO/Lucas Oil driver is coming off his second win and fourth No. 1 qualifying position of the season in Houston, which puts him in third place in the championship standings as the NHRA heads to Atlanta, site of his first victory in 2009.
“Houston might have been the best race we’ve ever had,” Lucas said. “Not only did we qualify No. 1, but we had low elapsed time of every round on race day. That’s never happened for us before and the reason we're encouraged as we look forward to Atlanta.”
Top Fuel points leader and defending event winner Antron Brown also hopes to continue the success he has had this season. The Matco Tools driver has earned one victory in five final-round appearances and has a little extra confidence from three wins in Atlanta. Needless to say, Brown likes his chances as the team heads south.
"I've always considered it to be an East Coast track, an older track where guys like my dad and uncle raced," Brown said. "It's a track we visited often from Pro Stock Bike days to now. You get that sense of the great old tracks. It puts me back in my element -- what I grew up around -- and I feel real comfortable there.”
Brown’s Don Schumacher Racing teammate Spencer Massey is in second place in the points thanks to three wins this season in his FRAM/Prestone Top Fuel dragster. As the circuit heads to one of Massey’s favorite tracks, he is out to prove that his second-place finish last season was no fluke.
"For whatever reason, Atlanta likes me, and I like Atlanta," Massey said. "Sometimes you shine at some tracks, and others you don't. It's the luck of the draw in a way. It has nothing to do with tune-up or whatever you might think; that's just how it works."
Massey’s DSR teammate Tony Schumacher may be experiencing the longest win drought of his career, currently at 29 races, but thanks to three final-round appearances this season, “the Sarge” is in fourth place in the points order. Atlanta Dragway is one of the few tracks where the U.S. Army pilot has yet to win, but the way that the Top Fuel competition has been, there is no reason his 68th victory couldn't also be his first in Atlanta.
Tony Schumacher
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“I’m a positive-minded person and truly believe we will take home a bunch of race trophies this year,” Schumacher said. “And, of course, we want to take home the biggest trophy of them all at the end of the year.”
Steve Torrence is making an impact in Top Fuel with his Capco Contractors dragster in his first season as a driver and team owner. He sits in sixth place after back-to-back semifinal appearances and his first No. 1 qualifying position. Al-Anabi driver Shawn Langdon is still seeking his first win and sits in fifth place, but with Alan Johnson (team manager) power, that car could end up in the winner’s circle on any given Sunday.
Team Kalitta drivers David Grubnic and Doug Kalitta are also keeping things interesting in the 7,000-horsepower class, as are Bob Vandergriff Jr., Clay Millican, Brandon Bernstein, Terry McMillen, and Khalid alBalooshi. The top 10 is anyone’s game this season, and with 10 races remaining before the cutoff event for the Countdown to the Championship, the racing is expected to get even more exciting.
Funny Car has been dominated by John Force Racing, which has won all six races this season. Robert Hight leads the points, followed by Mike Neff in second, John Force in seventh, and Courtney Force in ninth. NAPA Auto Parts driver Ron Capps has rebounded well after a DNQ in Las Vegas and moved to third after back-to-back final-round appearances. His DSR teammate Jack Beckman is right behind him in fourth, Cruz Pedregon sits fifth, Bob Tasca III is eighth, and Jeff Arend is 10th.
In Pro Stock, Summit Racing teammates Greg Anderson and Jason Line remain atop the points standings, and sophomore sensation Vincent Nobile moved to third after his win in Houston. Former Pro Stock world champ Mike Edwards is fourth, Nobile’s Dodge teammate Allen Johnson is fifth, and Erica Enders sits sixth.
The two-wheel class heads to Atlanta for its third appearance of the season, with the Screamin' Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson duo of Andrew Hines and Eddie Krawiec leading the championship points standings. Lucas Oil Buell rider Hector Arana Jr. is right behind them in third, followed by GEICO Suzuki rider Karen Stoffer. Matt Smith, Hector Arana Sr., Scotty Pollacheck, LE Tonglet, Michael Ray, and John Hall round out the top 10 in the class.
* SCHEDULE: NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series qualifying sessions are scheduled for 3:30 and 6 p.m. on Friday, May 4, and 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 5. Final Professional eliminations will begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, May 6.
* TICKETS: For tickets for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, call NHRA, 800-884-6472, or log on to NHRATix.com.
* ON TV: ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise two hours of qualifying coverage at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 5. ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise three hours of eliminations coverage at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 6.
* LUCAS OIL SERIES: The Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals also will feature competition in seven NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series categories, where some of the future stars of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series are born. Lucas Oil Series qualifying begins at 8 a.m. on May 4. Lucas Oil Series eliminations begin at 8 a.m. on May 5 and continue through May 6.
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The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series is heating up, both literally and figuratively. Fresh on the heels of a steamy Houston event, we head east to where the peaches grow, Georgia, and more specifically to a place we like to call Hotlanta. The early forecast for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway calls for the mercury to test the 90-degree mark every day, and that will give crew chiefs a fit trying to tune, drivers a handful trying to navigate, and last, but most importantly, another day of drama for the fans!
The second time this year with races back to back, the series gets serious now because after this weekend’s seventh stop, there will be only 10 races to qualify for the Countdown to the Championship. Translation: The margin of error is getting smaller for the teams that are struggling. Names that you would expect in the top 10 that aren’t (yet) include Brandon Bernstein (winless since Richmond 2009), Matt Hagan (only one round-win this season), Tim Wilkerson (he loves a hot racetrack), and Jeg Coughlin Jr. (two broken engines led to testing before Atlanta).
Going back to back doesn’t leave a lot of time for anything else, but here is a sampling of what’s going on and who is moving and shaking in each of the four Pro categories.
Top Fuel: Morgan Lucas and the GEICO team are coming off their second win (both in dominating fashion), and in addition to having a "fit pit" area, Lucas is working out with his teammate at PitFit Training in Indianapolis, and it certainly appears to be paying dividends. After beginning his career 0-5 in finals, Lucas is on a streak of six straight final-round wins. Spencer Massey and the FRAM crew spent time at Kliebert Gator Farm outside of Atlanta taking “chomping” lessons, and J.R. Todd and his Total Equipment team took in baseball, watched C&J Energy’s Josh Comstock and other execs get drag racing lessons courtesy of Frank Hawley, and played a game called Dragster Mayhem (I have to get on that!). Following six races, Houston runner-up Antron Brown and his Matco team are in the points lead, followed by Massey (-1 spot), Lucas (+1), and the Army’s Tony Schumacher (-2). The top four teams are running away and are separated by two rounds of racing.
Funny Car: John Force Racing saw one streak end and another continue. After winning 17 straight rounds of racing, which included four national event wins in a row, Robert Hight and the Automobile Club of Southern California team broke the tires free in the Houston semi’s, which makes Ron Capps and his NAPA crew the answer to the trivia question "Who stopped the streak?" But when Capps got to his second consecutive final, a JFR car was waiting. This time, it was Mike Neff’s Castrol GTX flopper that won the race, which means it is still a season sweep for the JFR crew (Force, one; Hight, four; and Neff, one). Life is still good for Hight, though; with 597 points through six races, he has earned more than any other Professional driver. Leading into the weekend, I can’t wait to see where Capps' first pitch at the Atlanta Braves game goes on Thursday (Alexis DeJoria will be at Turner Field, too); it’s a given to be shown on ESPN2 this weekend.
Pro Stock: Boy, was youth served in the Lone Star State as Vincent Nobile earned his second straight Houston win in his Mountain View Tire Dodge when he beat the always-tough Dave Connolly and his Alamo Iron Works Chevy. The fourth win of his career moved him into third in the standings behind Summit’s Greg Anderson and Jason Line, respectively. For all you Twitter followers, get onboard with Vincent (@vincent154) and check out the photo of the Wally strapped safely in the back seat for the trip home. Safety first… It is priceless!
Pro Stock Motorcycle: Andrew Hines used a perfect reaction time (.000) to offset a quicker elapsed time by Lucas Oil’s Hector Arana Jr. (6.905 beat a 6.886) and the 20 extra pounds that NHRA added to the Vance & Hines Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidsons after Gainesville to win in Houston for the third consecutive year. Knowing that he needed to push the Tree, Hines added in his post-race interview, “I’m lucky I didn’t roll in an eighth of an inch more or I’d have red-lighted.” Hines took over the points lead from his teammate, Eddie Krawiec, but both have company from Arana in third! This weekend marks the third of 16 starts for the two-wheeled warriors.
Well, the wash is done; time to stuff it back into a suitcase and roll! And that gets me to the weekend schedule: Friday, May 4, live qualifying on ESPN3 at 6 p.m. (all times ET); Saturday, May 5, qualifying recap on ESPN2 at 7 p.m.; and Sunday, May 5, finals recap on ESPN2 at 7 p.m.
The only thing that would be better is to be there! Come on out and join us at Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Ga. For tickets, call NHRA, 800-884-6472, or log on to NHRATix.com.
As always, if you have questions that we can answer on-air, off-air, or for that matter anywhere, please do not hesitate to throw me a line either by email (drieff@cox.net) or Twitter (@DaveRieffNHRA).
See you from Hotlanta!
Bob and Alice Bode, with son Bob III
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Oh, how Bob Bode’s world has evolved. The former power boat champion made his Professional NHRA debut in a nitro Funny Car at Atlanta Dragway in 2001 and has since raced the circuit part time, simply enjoying the heavily horsepowered journey as often as he wished. This weekend, Bode returns to Atlanta for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, and the pace has quickened by a bunch as he has joined with apparel brand Stupid Fast Racing to take on the entire 2012 season of NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing for the first time.
“It’s pretty amazing,” said Bode. “We always wanted to get to the point where we could try to run all the races, and so far this year, we are way better than we thought we would be. We were a top 10 car there for two races in a row [the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas and the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte], and that’s big for us. We figured if we had a good car, we had a shot at doing that – but when it actually happened, boy were we happy.”
A semifinal performance at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway boosted Bode to the No. 10 spot, and a first-round exit at the most recent event, the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries in Houston, bumped him to a slim 23 points outside. Right on the cusp, Bode is on something of a mission to break back in – and stay there. The team fully intends to keep its expectations reasonable, but they know they have a good race car, and Bode has a little something else nudging him forward from quite a close proximity.
“For the last decade, my wife Alice has wanted to go to the NHRA awards ceremony at the end of the year,” said Bode. “It’s an expensive dream, and I’ve always said that I won’t go unless I’m in the top 10. Well, this year she says that I need to be in the top 10 because she expects to go.”
Considering his current position and the source of motivation, Bode thinks the goal is a distinct possibility. He knows that he and Alice, along with their son Bobby III, are part of a great and motivated crew that includes crew chief and rocket scientist/chassis builder Walt Przybyl Jr., Alex Diekfuss, Rich Carp, Mike Dusinski, Jake Fahy, Nick Kruger and Eugene Gray.
“We really just want to see the car get better and better every weekend. These guys out here always want to run top half or be the quickest; I just want to be above the No. 16 line. I want to qualify at every race, and let’s see what happens after that.”
Bode is taking the challenges of his first full season in stride. Whereas before, the only folks he had to please were his family, himself, and his team, he is now in the world of accountability to a major sponsor. So far, though, there are smiles all around, and the performance of Bode and the Stupid Fast Racing Funny Car have exceeded expectations.
Another factor ahead will be the exertion of running the full schedule. Bode has regularly entered the first three events of the season, but he swore off back-to-back events after his initial foray and is now facing a summer full of back-to-back races, three in a row, and even bursts of four consecutive weekends racing at national events.
“That’s really going to be the first big challenge for us so far this year,” he said. “But we’ve got back-up pieces and parts and we’re using back-up guys from local areas at some of those events. Last year, my son Bobby went to 19 Jr. drag racing with his little car, and I went to 11 events, so we raced 30 weekends. We’re pretty used to going racing, it’s just going to be a little different.”
This weekend is the first back-to-back adventure for Bode, but it is somewhat eased by the fact that the venue is a landmark in his personal history.
“Atlanta Dragway holds great memories for me,” said Bode. “I vividly remember my first run – it was a single – and I remember that we followed Top Fuel in qualifying, and I pulled up as the dragsters were finishing up. We lined up right behind Kenny Bernstein in the Budweiser dragster. They were a uniformed crew with a million dollar racecar and we were in T-shirts with our car sitting right behind them waiting to go down the track, just not the same program.
“I remember being in awe that I was the guy who got to do this. We didn’t qualifying, but just fielding a car for us was a major, major success back then. And standing on the same asphalt right after Kenny ran his car, man it was awesome. We were just so excited. It’s amazing to be able to go back all of these years later with a much better race car and a much better understanding of what drag racing is about. We’re so lucky to be able to do this.”
For tickets for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, call NHRA, 800-884-6472, or log on to NHRATix.com.
Before David Grubnic straps into his Top Fuel dragster to vie for the title at the 32nd annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway this weekend, the popular driver will take time to discuss racing strategy with fans during a meet and greet on behalf of series sponsor Full Throttle Energy Drink.
On Thursday, May 3, the driver of the Candlewood Suites Top Fuel dragster for Kalitta Motorsports will sign autographs and greet fans from 5 to 6 p.m. at the Walmart at 30983 Highway 441 South in Commerce, Ga.
With the store’s proximity to the track as well as its inventory of Full Throttle Energy Drink and NHRA Originals T-shirts, Grubnic points out that Walmart is the perfect stop for fans heading to the race. Depicting a class front-engine dragster and the iconic NHRA Championship Drag Racing logo, the gray-heather-color men’s shirt is exclusively available at all Walmart stores nationwide.
"There is no better way to start the race weekend than by spending some time with the fans while representing our title sponsor, Full Throttle Energy Drink,” said Grubnic. “I can't wait to meet the great folks shopping at Walmart, and if they want to drop by and pick up one of those great NHRA nostalgia T-shirts, I’ll be happy to autograph it.
“I’m sure it’s going to be a great time, and hopefully, they will all join us and the other stars of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series in Commerce this weekend.”
U.S. Army Top Fuel driver Tony Schumacher met with military and USO personnel at the announcement in advance of Saturday's presentation.
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Schumacher with the USO's Bette Rose.
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Full Throttle Energy Drink prides itself on delivering hardworking energy. The USO provides support for America’s hardworking military men and women and their families. This common ground has led the organizations to join in an impactful partnership aimed at celebrating and honoring the efforts of our country’s military heroes.
The new collaboration will include custom USO-centric Full Throttle packaging and point-of-sale materials, co-branded traditional and digital media, and USO integration and experiential interactivity at Full Throttle’s NHRA event footprint.
To help inaugurate the project, Full Throttle will make a $250,000 contribution to the USO in a check presentation during the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals on May 5 in Atlanta. Fittingly, U.S. Army Top Fuel driver and seven-time world champion Tony “the Sarge” Schumacher was on hand to help make the announcement.
“Full Throttle is for the everyday hardworking men and women that need reliable energy,” said Eric Helms, director of marketing, Full Throttle. “There’s no better representation of that classification than the men and women in the armed forces, and for more than 70 years, the USO has provided unwavering support to them and their families. We’re excited to partner with such a terrific organization and look forward to joining their great cause.”
The mission of the USO is to lift the spirits of America’s troops and their families. When the USO was formed in 1941, Coca-Cola was the first to step up and help serve troops around the world, in battle zones, and coming home. The Full Throttle venture is the latest high point in a relationship that continues to prosper.
“Every day of the year, the USO works to provide our servicemen and women with the things they need most, such as comforts of home and a connection to their loved ones during lengthy deployments,” said USO SVP and Chief Development Officer Kelli Seely. “Partners like Full Throttle make it possible for the USO to lift the spirits of troops and their families. We are grateful for Coca-Cola’s longstanding support and excited about this latest phase of our partnership.”
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The excitement of NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing returns to Atlanta Dragway for the 32nd annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, May 4-6. The seventh race of the 2012 season is a favorite for all drivers in the four Professional classes of Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle.
Matco Tools Top Fuel driver Antron Brown is the defending event winner and could not be more excited to return to this track as he pursues his first Top Fuel world championship.
“I love it when we go back to Atlanta,” Brown said. “The track and all the fans are great. It feels like we can really do no wrong there. You know what they say, sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good, and Atlanta kind of seems to always be nice to us. We always race really well in Atlanta, and the car always runs well, so it feels good to go there especially as defending event champ.”
Also last year, Jack Beckman, driver of the Valvoline NexGen Dodge Charger, defeated Mike Neff in the Funny Car final, and Jason Line defeated Greg Anderson in an all-Summit Racing Pro Stock title round; in Pro Stock Motorcycle, LE Tonglet earned his first win at Atlanta Dragway by outrunning Karen Stoffer.
The highly touted Funny Car rookie duo of Courtney Force and Alexis DeJoria will make their Atlanta Dragway debuts at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, and Force is looking forward to her first visit to Georgia’s House of Speed.
“I’m so excited heading into the Atlanta race and feel like I’m learning so much as a driver so far this year,” Force said. “The racetrack in Atlanta is fairly new to me, but I feel confident having a great car, supportive sponsors like Traxxas, and an amazing team going into it.”
NHRA is offering a limited number of NHRA Nitro Generation Fan Packs for the event, featuring a great day of fun and racing action for a family of four, including two adult and two child seats, preferred parking, four hot dogs, four small Coca-Colas, and an event program. The NHRA Nitro Generation Fan Packs are available in limited quantities for each day of the event, with Friday priced at $82 and Saturday or Sunday at $114. The NHRA Nitro Generation Fan Packs must be purchased in advance. As always, fans will have the opportunity to interact with their favorite drivers as they’re granted an exclusive pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet.
Don’t miss your chance to walk the track with 2011 event winners Brown, Beckman, and Line Sunday before the pre-race ceremony at 9:30 a.m. The track walk allows fans to walk on the actual race surface before racing kicks off at 11 a.m. Fans can stick around after the track walk to participate in driver introductions and the rest of the pre-race ceremony on the starting line at Atlanta Dragway.
SCHEDULE: Pro qualifying sessions will run at 3:30 and 6 p.m. on Friday, May 4, and 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 5. Final Professional eliminations begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, May 6.
TICKETS: For tickets for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, call NHRA, 800-884-6472, or log on to NHRATix.com.
NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series drivers Ron Capps and Alexis DeJoria will be on center stage as part of pre-game ceremonies at Turner Field May 3 when the Atlanta Braves take on the Philadelphia Phillies.
Capps, driver of the NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger, will be a guest of primary sponsor NAPA Auto Parts and throw out the ceremonial first pitch. DeJoria, driver of the Patron Tequila Funny Car, will then make the announcement to the players to take the field and join Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez at home plate for the presentation of the evening’s starting lineup.
For tickets for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, call NHRA, 800-884-6472, or log on to NHRATix.com.
NHRA announced Tuesday that it has fined Mike Green, crew chief for Don Schumacher Racing, $5,000 for making a derogatory comment to an NHRA official at last weekend’s O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals at Royal Purple Raceway.
Green was fined for violation of 1.3.1 regarding participant conduct, found on page four of the 2012 NHRA Rulebook. Green must pay the fine in full prior to being allowed to participate at any future NHRA events. The fine levied by NHRA is appealable as outlined in Section 1, pages 18-25 of the 2012 NHRA Rulebook.
Frank Nelson Jr., a longtime member of the Division 6 safety team, has been named NHRA Northwest Division director.
“Nelson is well-established in the Northwest Division, and his familiarity with the racers and NHRA member tracks in the region made him the ideal candidate for the job,” said Josh Peterson, NHRA vice president-racing administration. "His entrepreneurial assets as a small-business owner are well-suited to assist and grow the NHRA member-track network in the Northwest.”
Nelson began working with the Division 6 Safety Safari in 1994 and served as safety director starting in 2007. He is a certified SFI instructor, and as safety director, he works with racetracks both within and outside the division on the SFI Safety Program.
Outside his duties at NHRA-sanctioned events, Nelson is a managing partner of Pacific Power Batteries of Bellingham, a retail battery store in Bellingham, Wash. Prior to that, Nelson worked for Waste Management Northwest for 13 years.
“I’m excited to serve the racing community, both drivers and track owners and operators, in Division 6,” said Nelson, who resides in Lake Stevens, Wash. “I have worked for years within the Pacific Northwest and believe the relationships I have developed will advance and grow racer participation and tracks in the region.”
Nelson began his new role as Division 6 director May 1.
NHRA’s Northwest Division is responsible for conducting and overseeing drag racing activities in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan. There are 17 NHRA member tracks in the region: one in Idaho, two in Montana, six in Oregon, five in Washington, and three in western Canada.
John Force has raced dozens of Funny Cars in his Hall of Fame career, and this week, the 15-time NHRA Funny Car champion will display a one-of-a-kind Castrol GTX High Mileage Hall of Fame special-edition Ford Mustang Funny Car at Talladega Motor Speedway. In advance of Force’s induction into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, the Funny Car will list Force’s most notable accomplishments and have the International Motorsports Hall of Fame logo on it. The Funny Car will arrive at the Hall of Fame on May 1.
“I always thought they put you in the Hall of Fame when you were done racing or dead. Well I’m not done racing, and I promise you I ain’t dead. This is a big deal to go down to Talladega with Kenny Bernstein and Richard Childress. I am proud to represent my sponsors like Castrol, Ford, Auto Club, Mac Tools, Traxxas, and BrandSource. They have supported me over the years, and they are going into the Hall of Fame with this old truck driver,” said Force.
“I have to thank all my crew guys and especially my crew chiefs like Austin Coil, Bernie Fedderly, and Mike Neff who helped me win 15 championships. The brain trust was also a big part of our success, so I have to thank Jimmy Prock, John Medlen, Dean Antonelli, and Ron Douglas.”
The first and only driver to win 100 NHRA tour events and 1,000 racing rounds, the first Funny Car driver to overcome a points deficit on the final day of the season to win the championship, the first to win series titles in three decades, and the oldest champion in any racing discipline, Force is without a doubt one of the most iconic figures in all of motorsports.
The 1996 Driver of the Year and a four-time winner of the Jerry Titus Memorial Trophy that identifies the driver receiving the most votes for the AARWBA Auto Racing All-America team, Force this year is bidding for his 16th title in 23 years and his team’s 18th.
If there was one moment that ever caused Force to question his chosen career path, it was the 2007 death of team driver Eric Medlen, a tragedy that led to the creation of the Eric Medlen Project at JFR East in Brownsburg, Ind.
“Winning is still the priority,” Force said, “but today, it goes hand in hand with safety. Vince Lombardi said, ‘Winning is everything,’ and I used to go with that. It’s what I told my team. But I don’t think Lombardi ever lost a man on the playing field.”
Refusing to accept the explanation that Medlen’s accident was a one-in-a-million fluke that never again could happen, Force commissioned the first major changes to the basic Funny Car chassis in 25 years. It was work that paid immediate and unexpected dividends when he crashed heavily on Sept. 23, 2007, exactly six months after Medlen’s death. That crash in Dallas left him with injuries that required six hours of reconstructive surgery and months of rehabilitation.
Nevertheless, though he suffered broken bones in both hands and both feet, broken fingers, broken toes, severe lacerations, and tendon damage to an already injured right knee, he significantly had no head, neck, or torso injuries, and five months after his crash, the sport’s biggest winner was back in a race car.
He won the Dollar General NHRA Summernationals in Topeka in 2008, but he now admits that it wasn’t until the 2010 season that he really felt up to the day-to-day grind of competing for a championship. Today, he makes no concessions to his age. He insists, especially after undergoing ACL reconstruction surgery in the off-season, that he’s in the best shape of his life.
Of course, if he never won another race or another championship, his legacy would be secure. He did add to his legend by winning the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Funny Car championship on the last day of the season to cap a Hall of Fame recovery and continue a Hall of Fame career.
Funny Car driver Mike Neff earned his first win of the 2012 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season in Houston, and his victory was the sixth of the season of six NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series races for his John Force Racing team.
“There are a lot of high expectations, especially when you are on a top team like John Force’s team,” Neff said. “John Force Racing is built on winning. Everyone knows what’s at stake here, and anything can happen out here. You get one shot at it, and you either get it right or it’s over with, and we got it right.”
As the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series heads south May 4-6 for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway, JFR looks to continue its dominating performance one race at a time. Neff’s win snapped his JFR teammate Robert Hight’s impressive span of four race wins in a row.
“That was a heck of a string he had going,” Neff said. “That’s hard to do in Funny Car or any class for that matter. I’m just glad I could keep the string going for John Force Racing.”
Neff earned his first win of the season in his third final-round appearance, defeating Don Schumacher Racing driver Ron Capps and his NAPA Auto Parts Funny Car. Capps made his second straight final-round appearance after struggling early in the season and suffering a tough DNQ in Las Vegas.
“That’s two finals in a row for this NAPA team, and that’s great,” Capps said. “This crew is just top-notch. Like I said all weekend, Rahn Tobler [crew chief] could make this car go down the return road.”
Capps’ DSR teammate and the defending event champ at Atlanta Dragway, Jack Beckman, struggled in Houston, where he failed to qualify for the first time in 87 races, which was the longest qualifying streak of active drivers. Last season, Beckman defeated Neff in the final round in Atlanta, and he hopes for the same success this year. DSR’s other two Funny Car drivers, defending Funny Car world champ Matt Hagan and Johnny Gray, have struggled this season as well but plan to turn that around in Atlanta.
Snap-on Tools driver Cruz Pedregon is coming off a semifinal finish and his second No. 1 qualifying position of the season as the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series heads to Atlanta, where the two-time world champ has earned one victory, in 1998, beating none other than John Force.
Rookies Courtney Force and Alexis DeJoria are still working to make their impact on the 7,000-horsepower class. DeJoria’s Kalitta Motorsports teammate, Jeff Arend, is coming off his first semifinal finish of the season, and Pedregon’s teammate and brother, Tony, is looking to earn his first round-win of the season. Despite all of the JFR dominance this season, the top 10 is still up for grabs with 10 races left before the Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s championship playoffs, which kicks off in Charlotte in September.
Matco Tools Top Fuel driver Antron Brown is coming off his fifth final of the 2012 season and regained the championship points lead even after losing to GEICO/Lucas Oil driver Morgan Lucas, who is in third place. Brown’s DSR teammates, Spencer Massey and Tony Schumacher, are in second and fourth place, respectively, and Al-Anabi Racing driver Shawn Langdon is fifth. Capco Contractors pilot Steve Torrence, who is coming off his second straight semifinal-round appearance, is in sixth place, followed by Doug Kalitta, Bob Vandergriff Jr., David Grubnic, and Clay Millican.
In Pro Stock, the Summit Racing duo of Greg Anderson and Jason Line are still atop the points standings, and sophomore sensation Vincent Nobile moved up to third after his win in Houston. Former Pro Stock world champ Mike Edwards is fourth, Nobile’s Dodge teammate Allen Johnson is in fifth, Erica Enders sits sixth, Ronnie Humphrey is seventh, Greg Stanfield is eighth, Rodger Brogdon is ninth, and Larry Morgan is 10th.
The two-wheel class heads to Atlanta for its third appearance of the season with the Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson duo of Andrew Hines and Eddie Krawiec leading the championship points standings. Lucas Oil Buell rider Hector Arana Jr. is right behind them in third, followed by GEICO Suzuki rider Karen Stoffer. Matt Smith, Hector Arana Sr., Scotty Pollacheck, LE Tonglet, Michael Ray, and John Hall.
* SCHEDULE: NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series qualifying sessions are scheduled for 3:30 and 6 p.m. on Friday, May 4, and 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 5. Final Professional eliminations will begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, May 6.
* TICKETS: For tickets for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, call NHRA, 800-884-6472, or log on to NHRATix.com.
* ON TV: ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise two hours of qualifying coverage at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 5. ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise three hours of eliminations coverage at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 6.
* LUCAS OIL SERIES: The Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals also will feature competition in seven NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series categories, where some of the future stars of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series are born. Lucas Oil Series qualifying begins at 8 a.m. on May 4. Lucas Oil Series eliminations begin at 8 a.m. on May 5 and continue through May 6.
* ON THE WEB: Get live timing, scoring, multimedia, and the latest news updates from every NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event on the Internet at NHRA.com. Visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.
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Mike Neff continued John Force Racing's dominance in Funny Car as he raced to his first victory of the 2012 season Sunday at the 25th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries at Royal Purple Raceway. With the win, Neff gave John Force Racing its sixth consecutive win to open the season.
Morgan Lucas (Top Fuel), Vincent Nobile (Pro Stock), and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also earned victories at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event near Houston.
Neff powered his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang past Ron Capps’ NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger R/T in the final round of eliminations. Neff’s 4.239-second pass at 301.67 mph was too much for Capps, who hazed the tires in the Texas heat and clocked a 4.476, 211.79.
| Mike Neff
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“This whole race was one of a kind," Neff said. "To not be qualified until the last session and then have a wacky couple of rounds today was a nail-biter. Racing Jim Head, my old buddy, it took so long for the Tree to come on. I never let go of the brake, but I blipped the throttle. Thankfully, I was staged shallow, so I didn’t red-light. I looked down and saw green, so I legged it, and then it smoked the tires. It was a total mistake on my part as a driver and a crew chief.”
Neff struggled during qualifying and made it into the 16-car field during the final qualifying session in the heat of the day Saturday. That tune-up proved to be what the JFR driver needed throughout Sunday’s eliminations as he beat first-round foe Head, top qualifier Cruz Pedregon, and defending event winner Jeff Arend en route to his seventh Funny Car victory.
Neff is second in the NHRA Full Throttle points standings behind his JFR teammate Robert Hight, who saw his four-race winning streak snapped with a semifinal loss to Capps.
“That was a heck of a string he had going," Neff said about Hight. "That’s hard to do in Funny Car or any class for that matter. I’m just glad I could keep the string going for John Force Racing. I feel pressure, but that’s just the business we’re in. We’re a top team, and we were built on winning. I feel it, but I don’t get pressure from John or anyone else. Just myself.”
| Morgan Lucas
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| Vincent Nobile
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| Andrew Hines
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In Top Fuel, Lucas proved that he is a championship contender with his win as he posted low e.t. during each round of eliminations. The GEICO/Lucas Oil dragster driver outran Antron Brown’s Matco Tools dragster in the final round with his 3.848, 320.81 to Brown’s 5.894, 117.05.
“I’m just as proud as can be for this race team, the whole GEICO pit area, and my parents [Forrest and Charlotte],” Lucas said. “Just to be able to go up to the starting line on race day and feel like you can beat anybody is a feeling that I’ve never had before. This is probably the first time in my career, Top Alcohol Dragster included, that I’ve ever had low e.t. of every round of eliminations."
Lucas started from the No. 1 qualifying spot for the fourth time of the season, and the win moved him to third in points. With the runner-up finish, Brown took over the series points lead.
Nobile earned his first Pro Stock win of the season by outrunning veteran driver Dave Connolly in the final round. Nobile’s 6.595, 210.14 in his Mountain View Tire Dodge Avenger edged Connolly’s 6.604, 210.41 in his Alamo Iron Works/KLR Group Chevy Cobalt to claim his second consecutive win in Houston.
“It’s an amazing feeling [to win this event two years in a row]," said Nobile, who beat Greg Stanfield, Larry Morgan, and Mike Edwards to advance to the final. "In the semi's, we actually had to swap motors in that short amount of time [before the final], and the crew did it with no flaws, and everything was perfect. The crew produces a really fast race car. I owe it to all of them. My dad taught me everything I know about driving a race car and drag racing period. This win is a win for the both of us. He never won a Wally because he never had the power. But now we’re doing it both together.”
Nobile’s win moved him from fifth to third in the series standings.
Hines used a perfect reaction time to beat sophomore rider Hector Arana Jr. in the final round in Pro Stock Motorcycle. Arana’s 6.886, 196.33 on his Lucas Oil Buell was quicker than Hines' 6.905, 194.52 on his Screamin' Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson, but Hines won the race on the starting line.
“I knew I’d need a good light, but I wasn’t expecting a .000," Hines said. "I’m lucky I didn’t roll in an eighth of an inch more or I’d have red-lighted. We had to add 20 pounds, so I figured I’d need to win on a holeshot in order to have a chance, especially after he [Hector Jr.] ran that 6.84 in the semifinals.”
Hines has won this event three years in a row and is now the series leader in Pro Stock Motorcycle.
“I knew this was the 25th anniversary of this race, so I really wanted to win that silver Wally,” Hines said.
In the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by ProCare Rx, No. 3 qualifier Danny Rowe earned his first victory.
Rowe’s Sterling Bridge ’68 Chevy Camaro powered to a winning performance of 5.969, 244.43 in the final round to beat Kenny Lang’s 6.043, 238.51.
Rowe defeated Mike Knowles, Troy Coughlin, and Danny Walsh in earlier rounds en route to his first final-round appearance of the season.
The next Pro Mod event is at the Toyota NHRA SuperNationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown May 31-June 3.
Lucas Oil winners:
Top Alcohol Dragster
Jim Whiteley, 5.264, 273.77 def. Duane Shields, 5.380, 268.97.
Top Alcohol Funny Car
Jay Payne, Ford Mustang, 5.631, 260.06 def. Steve Gasparrelli, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.652, 259.26.
Super Stock
Doug Baumgardner, Chevy Camaro, 9.468, 134.36 def. Gary Emmons, Pontiac Firebird, 10.005, 126.21.
Stock
Hagen Gary, Plymouth, 10.132, 128.79 def. Britt Cummings, Chevy Corvette, 10.503, 126.00.
Super Comp
Britt Cummings, Dragster, 8.920, 164.85 def. Shannon Brinkley, Dragster, 8.898, 167.97.
Super Gas
Luke Bogacki, Chevy Corvette, 9.918, 144.41 def. Jeff Lopez, Corvette, 9.878, 152.68.
Top Dragster
Rob McKinley, Dragster, 6.303, 220.69 def. Todd Schumert, Dragster, 6.654, 203.68.
| News and views from the O'Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries |
Last update: 4:50 p.m. Click for latest post |
In round one, seven-time NHRA Top Fuel champ Tony Schumacher (pictured) will be seeking to become just the fifth NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series driver to record 600 round-wins. He’ll have to beat Doug Kalitta to reach the milestone accomplished previously only by John Force, Warren Johnson, Larry Dixon, and Kenny Bernstein.
Former Funny Car world champ Robert Hight will be gunning for his fifth straight victory, which would make him just the fourth driver to accomplish the feat, joining Force, Bernstein, and Cruz Pedregon. After a first-round loss at the season opener in Pomona, Hight scored consecutive victories in Phoenix, Gainesville, Las Vegas, and, two weeks ago, Charlotte at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals. Hight’s first-round opponent will be two-time former world champ Tony Pedregon.
Fort Worth, Texas, hotshoe Spencer Massey (pictured) will be seeking his third straight and fourth overall win in Top Fuel. Massey qualified his Prestone/FRAM dragster No. 3 and will take on Terry McMillen in round one.
Rookie Funny Car sensations Courtney Force and Alexis DeJoria will finally pair off against one another for the first time in their debut seasons. The duo has not even run against one another in qualifying, let alone eliminations. Five races into the season, Force has three round-wins, DeJoria one; Force will get lane choice after outqualifying DeJoria, 4.150 to 4.183.
For the first time in 87 races dating back nearly four years to the 2008 Englishtown event, Sunday’s Funny Car field will not include Jack Beckman, who failed to qualify. Beckman’s streak was the longest among active Funny Car racers; that mantle now falls to John Force, who has a streak of 80 races. Force, who once qualified for 395 consecutive events, has the seventh-longest current streak; Pro Stock’s Greg Anderson is the leader with 215 straight.
Five Texas racers are hoping that the home-state advantage will give them a boost toward collecting their first Full Throttle victories. Top Fuel’s Steve Torrence (pictured), of Kilgore, qualified his Capco Contractors dragster No. 2 and will begin his quest against TJ Zizzo in round one, and Spring's Troy Buff will take on low qualifier Morgan Lucas. In Pro Stock, six-time runner-up Erica Enders, a Houston native now living in New Orleans, and Tomball’s Rodger Brogdon, runner-up at this event last year, will be looking to cradle their first NHRA Wallys. Enders will open against veteran Larry Morgan, and Brogdon will take on Enders’ teammate and crew chief, Dave Connolly. In Pro Stock Motorcycle, New Braunfels-based Michael Ray will seek his first win aboard his Buell; he faces Shawn Gann in round one.
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| (Above) The cellphone and digital cameras were up as eager race fans crowded around the pit area of Mike Neff as his team warmed up their Castrol GTX Ford Mustang Funny Car. (Right) Drivers, as always, were out in force this morning, welcoming and chatting with fans and, of course, signing autographs. Top Fuel ace Terry McMillen autographed this fan's helmet. |
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| (Above) The Traxxas radio-control car corral is always packed with fans checking out the latest cars and watching the high-flying acrobatics of the Traxxas stunt team. (Left) A popular new attraction on Nitro Alley is the GEICO display, where fans must first virtually assemble a Top Fuel engine, then tune it to run. The results of their efforts are projected onto a big screen for all to see. |
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(Above) During the pre-race ceremony, NHRA's Graham Light presented a special silver Wally to Royal Purple Raceway's Angel family in acknowledgement of the event's 25th anniversary. (Left) Funny Car rookies Courtney Force, left, and Alexis DeJoria will meet for the first time in their careers in Funny Car eliminations. |
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| Low qualifier Morgan Lucas (above) had low e.t. of round one of Top Fuel, a 3.776 that nearly matched his 3.772 qualifying pace. The victory earns him second-round lane choice over Tony Schumacher (right), who became just the fifth NHRA Full Throttle driver to record 600 round-wins when he defeated Doug Kalitta. Other second-round pairings (lane choice first): David Grubnic vs. Bob Vandergriff Jr.; Shawn Langdon vs. Steve Torrence; Antron Brown vs. Spencer Massey. |
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[11:50 a.m.] Funny Car rookies Alexis DeJoria, near lane, and Courtney Force squared off for the first time in their debut seasons in round one. DeJoria got a slim lead at the start, but Force's Traxxas Mustang collected the win light, 4.12 to 4.20. Force will have lane choice against Ron Capps in round two; other second-round pairings (lane choice first): Cruz Pedregon (who set new low e.t. in round one at 4.057) vs. Mike Neff; Jeff Arend vs. Tim Wilkerson; Bob Tasca III vs. Robert Hight. |
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[12:15 p.m.] Dave Connolly (above) continues to look good in just his second Pro Stock outing of the season, advancing past last year's runner-up, Rodger Brogdon, in round one with a 6.569. He'll have second-round lane choice over Greg Anderson. Larry Morgan (left) upset crew chief Connolly's teammate, local favorite Erica Enders, in round one but will cede lane choice in round two to Vincent Nobile. Other second-round pairings (lane choice first): Allen Johnson vs. Ronnie Humphrey; Jason Line vs. Mike Edwards. |
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| [12:30 p.m.] Mike Berry (right) had the biggest upset in round one of Pro Stock Motorcycle, advancing on the -.005 red-light of low qualifier Hector Arana Sr. He'll face Michael Ray in round two; Ray has lane choice. John Hall (above) also advanced from a lower seed, at the expense of his Sovereign/Star Racing teammate, Scotty Pollacheck. Hall will face Andrew Hines in round two; Hines gets to pick his lane. Other second-round pairings (lane choice first): Hector Arana Jr. vs. Matt Smith; Eddie Krawiec vs. Karen Stoffer. |
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Texas race fans have packed Royal Purple Raceway for final eliminations day. |
| Retired former Pro Stock Motorcycle world champ Angelle Sampey, a four-time winner at this event in the 2000s, showed up with her daughter, Ava, to visit her extended family and received a warm welcome from racers and fans alike. |
[1:15 p.m.] Antron Brown ended Spencer Massey's eight-round winning streak in round two, defeating his Don Schumacher Racing Top Fuel teammate by .006-second. Brown will have lane choice over Steve Torrence in the semifinals; the other semi will pit Morgan Lucas against Bob Vandergriff Jr.; Lucas will have lane choice. |
[1:25 p.m.] Robert Hight, who scored his first win in 2005 at Royal Purple Raceway in only his fifth start as a Professional, had low e.t. of the second round of Funny Car, a 4.139 to defeat Bob Tasca III. Hight will have semifinal lane choice over Ron Capps. The other semi will be Mike Neff vs. Jeff Arend; Neff has lane choice. |
[1:35 p.m.] Mike Edwards, a four-time event winner, surprised Pro Stock points front-runner Jason Line in round two, beating him by .008-second on a holeshot, 6.603 to 6.591. Edwards will have semifinal lane choice over Vincent Nobile. In the other semifinal, Allen Johnson will have lane choice against Dave Connolly. |
| [1:45 p.m.] Michael Ray, who went to the Pro Stock Motorcycle semifinals at last fall's event in Charlotte, returned to the final four in Houston, defeating Mike Berry on a second-round holeshot, 6.995 to 6.994. He'll face Andrew Hines, who has lane choice, in the semifinals. The other semifinal match will feature Hector Arana Jr. picking his lane against Karen Stoffer. |
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| [2:45 p.m.] Low qualifier Morgan Lucas (above) reached the Top Fuel final round with a 3.870 victory over Bob Vandergriff Jr. and will have lane choice in the final round against Antron Brown (right). Lucas, No. 1 qualifier at four of the season's first six races, will be looking for his second event win of the season. Brown and crew chiefs Mark Oswald and Brian Corradi have had the hottest Top Fuel team in the NHRA Full Throttle Series in the past 15 events going back to the 2011 season. In that span, the Matco Tools dragster has won five event titles and advanced to the championship round 10 times. |
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[2:50 p.m.] Ron Capps (above) ended Robert Hight's 17-round winning streak in the Funny Car semifinals with a 4.162 to earn lane choice over Mike Neff (left), who ran 4.176 to beat defending event champ Jeff Arend in a rematch of last year's final round. Capps, who won Houston event titles in 2006 and 2007, also became the first Funny Car driver to reach 315 at this event in 1997. |
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[2:55 p.m.] Vincent Nobile (left) who scored his first Pro Stock win at this race in his rookie season last year, will run for the money again after outrunning Mike Edwards in the semifinals. Dave Connolly (above) will oppose Nobile in the final and will have lane choice after defeating low qualifier Allen Johnson on a holeshot, 6.584 to 6.580. |
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[3 p.m.] Andrew Hines (left), who has won this race the last two years in Pro Stock Motorcycle, will race for the Wally again after riding his Screamin' Eagle Harley to a 6.95 against Michael Ray. Hector Arana Jr. (above) will have lane choice in the final against Hines after resetting low e.t. with a 6.846 in the other semifinal to trailer Karen Stoffer. Hines beat Arana's father, Hector Sr., to win the 2010 event title. |
Jim Whiteley (above) won his second race of the season in Top Alcohol Dragster, defeating world champ Duane Shields in the final. Jay Payne (below) beat Steve Gasparrelli for Top Alcohol Funny Car honors. |
Danny Rowe defeated Kenny Lang to win the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by ProCare Rx title. |
Houston Full Throttle winners, from left, Morgan Lucas, Vincent Nobile, Mike Neff, and Andrew Hines. |
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Cruz Pedregon (Funny Car), Allen Johnson (Pro Stock), and Hector Arana Sr. (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also were No. 1 qualifiers and will lead their categories into Sunday's 11 a.m. eliminations at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event near Houston.
The GEICO/Lucas Oil Top Fuel team ran low e.t. of the event Friday evening, and the 3.772-second pass at 327.74 mph held up as the No. 1 qualifying position throughout Saturday’s warm weather conditions.
| Morgan Lucas
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| Cruz Pedregon
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| Allen Johnson
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| Hector Arana Sr.
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“We were real fortunate that the Friday night session ran a little late for us, and we got the conditions to run that big number,” Lucas said. “We also had the opportunity to test a little bit [with the hotter temperatures] today, but for tomorrow, we’ll put the car back to where we know it can run well. We obviously have a good handle on the car and can make it run consistent 3.80s.”
Lucas will start from the No. 1 position for the eighth time and will face No. 16 qualifier Troy Buff in the opening round.
No one in Funny Car bettered Pedregon’s Friday pass of 4.103 at 305.29. The Snap-on Tools Toyota Camry driver will start from the No. 1 position for the second time this season and 47th time of his career. He will face No. 16 qualifier Gary Densham in round one.
“Thankfully, we made two good runs yesterday because we dropped a cylinder on both runs today,” said Pedregon of his eighth No. 1 qualifying effort at Royal Purple Raceway. “The good news is that we stayed No. 1. I’m already thinking about race day.”
In Pro Stock, Johnson held on to the No. 1 spot as no one outran the Team Mopar Dodge Avenger racer’s Friday evening pass of 6.545, 211.73.
“Our motto in the Mopar camp is consistency, and I think we’ve accomplished that this weekend,” Johnson said. “We weren’t quite as fast as we wanted to be, but we were just a hundredth off. I think tomorrow will be a knock-down drag-out, but the Mopar Avenger team is ready for that. Everybody has their winning hats on, and we’re learning how to win.”
This is Johnson's second No. 1 of the season and 20th of his career. Johnson will race Shane Gray and his Tire Kingdom GXP Sunday morning.
In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Lucas Oil rider Arana set low e.t. of the weekend during Saturday’s final qualifying session when he posted a 6.850, 194.86 and secured his first No. 1 of the season and 18th of his career. Arana’s Lucas Oil Buell teammate and son, Hector Arana Jr., is qualified second in the 16-bike field.
“We just worked hard,” Arana said. “We know the Harleys are fast, but we can’t think about them. We just keep working, and the results show. I was happy when I ran, but I felt even better when my son was No. 2. We keep tuning on the bike, and little by little, it’s getting better. We’re making excellent runs, and that’s what’s giving us an edge.”
Arana will race No. 16 qualifier Mike Berry in the opening round of eliminations Sunday, and Arana Jr. will face Steve Johnson, the No. 15 qualifier.
In the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by ProCare Rx, No. 3 qualifier Danny Rowe was among the first-round winners Saturday when he advanced his Sterling Bridge ’68 Chevy Camaro.
Rowe’s 5.951, 244.92 was too much for Mike Knowles, whose '68 Camaro lost traction almost immediately and coasted across the finish line at 11.413, 78.30. Rowe will face Troy Coughlin in round two Sunday. Coughlin defeated Leah Pruett to advance.
Defending event winner and No. 1 qualifier Mike Castellana was upset in the opening round by Steve Matusek. No. 2 qualifier Rickie Smith also lost in round one, to Donald Walsh.
Other second-round pairings include Brad Brand vs. Kenny Lang and Walsh vs. Pete Farber; Matusek will get a bye run.
Pro Mod eliminations will continue on Sunday at approximately 2 p.m.
Related story:
Friday: Lucas, Pedregon, Johnson, Krawiec lead Friday fields in Houston
| News and views from the O'Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries |
Last update: 4:50 p.m. Click for latest post |
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| Welcome to day two of the O'Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries. Royal Purple Raceway has welcomed a pit area packed with eager Texas race fans, who are taking advantage of warm weather to soak up one-on-one time with NHRA's Pro drivers. Sportsman qualifying and eliminations opened the day and will lead up to the final two Full Throttle qualifying sessions, scheduled for 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. to set the fields for Sunday's final eliminations. |
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(Above) The new Aaron's display in Nitro Alley attracted a large crowd this morning eager to meet the Aaron's Lucky Dog and collect free T-shirts and hats and to get more information about the nation’s leader in the sales and lease ownership and specialty retailing of residential furniture, consumer electronics, home appliances, and accessories. (Left) Local Pro Stock hero Erica Enders signed autographs for her fans, who are hoping she'll score a historic victory in her hometown as the first woman to win in the factory hot rod class. |
Star Racing owners George and Jackie Bryce welcomed their Hungary-based Sovereign Racing partner Jeno Rujp, right, to Houston. The Bryces helped Rujp's team win the 2011 UEM European Drag Racing Pro Stock Motorcycle championship, and he brought the trophy. John Hall and Scotty Pollacheck are riding for the team this weekend. Both riders are currently qualified in the Pro Stock Motorcycle field. |
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| [11:50 a.m.] Hector Arana Sr. (above) raced his Lucas Oil Buell to the top of the qualifying charts in Pro Stock Motorcycle's third qualifying session, running a 6.852 to take the No. 1 spot from the Harley team, which struggled in the session and did not have a top-three time. Arana's run puts him within a few thousandths of a second of the track record, which LE Tonglet set last year at 6.849. Scotty Pollacheck (right) rode his Sovereign/Star Racing Buell to the No. 2 spot with a 6.871. Hector Arana Jr. had the third-best run, a 6.884, which qualified him fourth behind incoming qualifying leader Eddie Krawiec, who ran just 6.888 in the session. |
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[12:15 p.m.] Jason Line had the best pass of the third Pro Stock session, a 6.554, but couldn't surpass incoming leader Allen Johnson's 6.546 or his own 6.550, both recorded Friday. Johnson's 6.563 was the second-quickest pass of the round, and Greg Anderson's 6.575 -- one of three recorded in the session -- was third-quickest, based on speed, 211.00, compared to 210.77 for Vincent Nobile and 210.64 for Erica Enders. |
| [12:45 p.m.] Antron Brown entered the third Top Fuel session on the outside looking in, but a strong 3.845 has all but assured that the Matco Tools driver will qualify for his 75th straight race. Brown's run was best of the round and placed him sixth. Morgan Lucas (3.772) still leads the field. Brown, who won his first Top Fuel national event title at this event in 2008, has the third-longest qualifying streak among active Top Fuel drivers, behind teammate Tony Schumacher (205) and Brandon Bernstein (110). In addition to winning the Top Fuel title here in 2008, he was runner-up in 2010 in Top Fuel and in 2004 on a Pro Stock Motorcycle. He qualified No. 1 with his dragster in 2009 and on the motorcycle in 2001. |
[1:20 p.m.] Jack Beckman entered Saturday not qualified. He squeaked in on the bump spot with a 5.07, then was bumped again from the show, putting in jeopardy his streak of 87 straight successful qualifying outings, which is tops among all active Funny Car drivers. He has good company: Mike Neff, who has qualified at 55 straight, also is not yet qualified with just one session remaining. |
[1:35 p.m.] Robert Hight and the AAA of Texas Mustang had the best pass of the third Funny Car qualifying session, a 4.140 that ranks him sixth in the field. Cruz Pedregon remains atop the pack with his Friday 4.103. Bonus points also went to Ron Capps (4.166) and Alexis DeJoria (4.183) for the round's next-best times. |
| As always, there are plenty of free samples of Full Throttle for thirsty race fans. |
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| With a quick turnaround between qualifying sessions, work was frantic in the Funny Car pits. Bob Bode (above) thrashed on the engine of his Stupid Fast Apparel entry, and crew chief Lee Beard and driver Cruz Pedregon (right) warmed up their field-leading Snap-on Toyota. |
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[2:50 p.m.] Jerry Savoie and crew chief Mark Peiser eked their White Alligator Racing Buell into the Pro Stock Motorcycle field with a 7.018, good for the No. 14 spot; they'll face world champ Eddie Krawiec in round one. |
[3 p.m.] Steve Kent, who calls nearby Lottie, La., home, improved to a 6.59 in his Charter Pontiac to solidify his position in the Pro Stock field. Shane Gray (below) bumped into the show with a 6.62 that ended up as No. 16. Allen Johnson remained atop the field, and Jason Line (who ran his third straight 6.55) is second. |
[3:30 p.m.] After watching Bruce Litton run in his lane just before him and bump him from the Top Fuel field with a 4.009, TJ Zizzo fired right back into the field with a 3.990 to bump out Litton. Zizzo ended up No. 15. |
| [4 p.m.] After having their Friday night 3.778 disqualified for a technical infraction, Tony Schumacher and the U.S. Army Top Fuel team bounced back with runs of 3.860 and 3.850, the latter of which was the best pass of the final qualifying session. Schumacher will be looking to score his 600th round-win in the opening round Sunday. Only four other drivers in NHRA history – John Force, Kenny Bernstein, Larry Dixon, and Warren Johnson – have hit that mark; "the Sarge" will have to get by Doug Kalitta to do it. |
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| [4:50 p.m.] (Above) Jeff Arend had an excellent two days of qualifying in the DHL Toyota Funny Car with passes of 4.138, 4.187, 4.203, and 4.223 that put him in the No. 4 spot. For the first time this season, high-profile rookies Alexis DeJoria (below left) and Courtney Force (below right) will square off, in Sunday's opening round. |
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Morgan Lucas (Top Fuel), Allen Johnson (Pro Stock), and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also were qualifying leaders at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event near Houston.
Pedregon powered his Snap-on Tools Toyota Camry to the top of the Funny Car qualifying field during the evening session with his pass of 4.103 seconds at 305.29 mph, a run that Pedregon almost didn’t complete.
| Cruz Pedregon
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| Morgan Lucas
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“We almost didn’t run because the reverser lever fell off in my hand; I threw it out the window,” Pedregon said. “Lee Beard [crew chief] didn’t know what to do with it. I’m just glad we got it in 1st gear because we really made a nice run.”
Pedregon’s Snap-on Tools Toyota Camry team struggled in the beginning of the season, but Pedregon believes that the team is finally coming together. If he holds on to the No. 1 spot through Saturday’s qualifying sessions, it will be his second of the season and 32nd of his career.
“Our car is coming around; I feel it in my bones,” Pedregon said. “We should have won the last race, but the driver let us down. We should have run a 4.07 on that run, but it dropped a cylinder. I know the time is coming when we can run with anybody.”
In Top Fuel, Lucas posted a 3.772 at 327.74 in his GEICO/Lucas Oil dragster to earn the qualifying lead. If Lucas holds on to the top spot, it will be his fourth of the season and seventh of his career. Several dragsters hit the 3.77-second mark during the exciting session, including second-place Steve Torrence, Spencer Massey, and Tony Schumacher.
“All I could think of when it left the line so aggressively was, ‘God, please let this thing stick,’ ” Lucas said. “We’re really fortunate to have the team that we do right now. It’s a good way to bounce back from what we did in Charlotte [first-round loss].”
In Pro Stock, Johnson drove his Team Mopar Dodge Avenger to the provisional No. 1 spot with his pass of 6.545 at 211.73.
“The air got about 300 feet better, and the track cooled down about 20 degrees, so that was good for us,” Johnson said. “We left a little bit on the table, but we were consistent. The morning qualifying round tomorrow could be as good or better as it was in today’s second session.”
If Johnson maintains the No. 1 position, it will be his second of the season and 18th of his career.
Pro Stock Motorcycle points leader Krawiec rode his Vance & Hines Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson to the top of the pack with his performance of 6.872 at 197.83.
“The humidity went down on the second run, and we had a pretty stout tailwind,” Krawiec said. “If we’d had that tailwind in Gainesville, I would have run 200 mph. That was about a picture-perfect run. The bike went straight, and I tucked in and motored down the track. I don’t think there was much left, maybe a few thousandths, not hundredths.”
Qualifying action continues Saturday with sessions scheduled for 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Eliminations get under way Sunday at 11 a.m.
Mike Castellana powered his Al-Anabi Racing Chevy Camaro to the top of the qualifying order in the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by ProCare Rx.
The defending event winner ran low e.t. during the opening round of qualifying and held on to the top spot through the second session. If he keeps the No. 1 spot through Saturday, it will be the second of his career.
Veteran driver Rickie Smith trails Castellana with his 5.930, 242.15 pass, and Danny Rowe sits third with a 5.940, 245.14. Kenny Lang is fourth with a 5.960, 242.63, and Pete Farber is fifth with a 5.978, 245.32.
The final Pro Mod qualifying session will take place on Saturday at 1 p.m., with the first round of eliminations scheduled for 4 p.m.; eliminations will continue Sunday.
| News and views from the O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries |
Last update: 8 p.m. Click for latest post |
| It's a blustery morning at Royal Purple Raceway in Houston, but the clouds are expected to give way to sunshine and temperatures in the low 80s on opening day of the O'Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries. Full Throttle teams will qualify at 2:30 and 5 p.m. |
| On Thursday, racers and sponsors took part in the Darrell Russell Memorial Golf Tournament at Evergreen Point Golf Club, vying for team and individual awards to honor the late Houston-based Top Fuel racer. |
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| Racers, including Pro Mod ace Leah Pruett (right), took part Thursday night in a go-kart competition at J&J Speedway in Baytown, Texas, and were welcomed by the Ledwig family, which operates the facility. Joining Pruett in the wheel-to-wheel competition were Jack Beckman, Tony Schumacher, Shawn Langdon, and Spencer Massey. | |
The Full Throttle teams are unloading their cars and beginning preparations for the first of today's two scheduled qualifying sessions, set for 2:30 and 5 p.m. |
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(Above) J.R. Todd, right, will be making his first start since the 2009 Sonoma event at the first of several races he will run under the Bob Vandergriff Racing umbrella for sponsor Total Equipment, a subsidiary of C&J Energy Services, which backs Vandergriff's Top Fuel dragster. Kurt Elliott, left, is the crew chief. (Left) Gary Stoffer puts finishing touches on the GEICO Suzuki ridden by his wife, Karen, who won the Pro Stock Motorcycle crown at this event back to back in 2004 and 2005. The Stoffer team's efforts will be chronicled next week in National DRAGSTER magazine's All Access feature. |
[3:10 p.m.] Reigning rookie of the year Hector Arana Jr. grabbed the No. 1 spot in Pro Stock Motorcycle's first session with a 6.892 on his Lucas Oil Buell. Karen Stoffer (6.908) and Andrew Hines (6.933) are 2 and 3. |
[3:30 p.m.] Allen Johnson has the provisional Pro Stock pole with a 6.554 in his Mopar Avenger. A.J. has qualified sixth or better at all five events this season, including in the top three at the last three races. Greg Anderson is second and reigning event champ Vince Nobile third, both at 6.586; Anderson faster, 210.50 to 210.34. |
[4:30 p.m.] Charlotte runner-up Cruz Pedregon grabbed the No. 1 spot in Funny Car in the first session with a 4.133 in the Snap-on Toyota. Courtney Force is a career-best No. 2 for now at 4.150, Ron Capps No. 3 at 4.177. |
[5 p.m.] David Grubnic has his best provisional spot since 2006 after piloting his Candlewood Suites Top Fuel entry to a field-leading 3.868 in Q1. Shawn Langdon (3.870) and Spencer Massey (3.878) are next-quickest. |
With the event's proximity to the Gulf of Mexico and his Louisiana home state, it's no surprise that Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Jerry Savoie and buddy Bruce Kennedy have the Cajun seafood cooking in their pit. |
[6:15 p.m.] Eddie Krawiec, who led every Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying session at the season opener in Gainesville, rebounded from his No. 4 pass in the opening session with the best run of Q2, a field-leading 6.872 at a track record 197.83 mph. Hector Arana Sr. and Jr. are qualified Nos. 2 and 3 at 6.886 and 6.892, respectively. |
[6:35 p.m.] Jason Line, who in the season's first five events has been the No. 1 qualifier three times and started No. 2 the other two times, grabbed the No. 1 spot in Pro Stock with a 6.550 only to see Allen Johnson take it back on the final pass of the session with a 6.546. |
[7:10 p.m.] Ron Capps continues to rebound from his Las Vegas DNQ. He raced to the No. 2 spot in Q2 of Funny Car with a 4.107 that led until Cruz Pedregon regained the No. 1 spot with a 4.103. Bob Tasca III is No. 3 at 4.123. |
NHRA four-wide racing is done, and now the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series heads back to two-wide racing at Royal Purple Raceway for the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries, April 27-29. If you’re not attending the first stop in Texas, you can watch the series on ESPN2/ESPN2HD beginning with qualifying on Saturday, April 28, at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT. Sunday’s race-day coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD.
Here is a sneak peek at what is in store for viewers at home when they tune in this weekend:
Record-setting Spencer Massey: Massey is coming off a record-setting weekend at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte, resetting the national speed record twice en route to winning his third race of the season and taking the NHRA Full Throttle points lead. Clearly, last year’s run for the Full Throttle championship was no fluke, and he looks as strong as ever in 2012. We’ll ask him and his team about their secret for success.
All access with TJ Zizzo: Zizzo is back in the seat for this weekend’s race, and the ESPN2 cameras go all access with the always-entertaining Top Fuel driver from Chicago. Where will Zizzo take us, and what will he say?
Two weeks ago no. 4, this week no. 5? Can Robert Hight, the runaway points leader in Funny Car, win an unprecedented fifth straight tour victory? Only four other drivers have won four consecutive NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series events, and the list is a who’s who of Funny Car racing: Don “the Snake” Prudhomme, Kenny Bernstein, Cruz Pedregon, and John Force (twice). All previous winners say that Hight’s feat in 2012 is by far more impressive given the competitive field. ESPN2 will break down the previous four-peats and Hight’s odds of winning a handful in a row.
Memory Lane for Vincent Nobile: Nobile returns to the track where he became the youngest driver in Pro Stock history to win an event at the ripe old age of 19. In his second season behind the wheel in by far the closest side-by-side racing in all of motorsports, ESPN2 will see how he has progressed since that win in 2011. Is Nobile a threat to win it all in 2012?
Pro Stock Motorcycles back in action: After a two-race hiatus, the two-wheel machines are back in action this weekend in Houston. The Harley-Davidson teams, coming off a dominating performance in Gainesville last month, have had the rules adjusted and as a result will carry an additional 20 pounds when they hit the dragstrip. Do the Pro Stock Motorcycle competitors think that’s enough or too much?
Ask the Expert with Warren Johnson: This week’s Prestone Ask the Expert will go to Warren Johnson. He has the most wins in the Pro Stock class at this track, his first in 1990 and his last in 2005. Go to NHRA’s Facebook page and post a question to Johnson. It just might be the one selected for the weekend’s ESPN2 broadcast!
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When the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by ProCare Rx returns to action during the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries, Mike Castellana will be returning to the site of his first professional Pro Mod victory riding a wave of success.
Castellana, in his Al-Anabi Racing ’12 Camaro, is the defending winner at Royal Purple Raceway. The victory has special meaning for him as it marked his return to NHRA racing after overcoming cancer.
“It was a good win for us,” Castellana said. “Not finishing the year before for health reasons, it was good to come back and get a win at the first NHRA race we were entered [that season], so it was good feeling. We are familiar with the track; we race there a lot, so we are coming into this race with a good bit of confidence.”
Since his return, Castellana has entered eight Pro Mod events, raced to the final round six times, and scored three victories. During this streak, the mind-set hasn’t wavered for the team.
“Last year’s attitude was, 'Let’s just come out and enjoy ourselves,' ” Castellana continued. “We will come
out and race hard, but more importantly, just go out and enjoy ourselves and have a good weekend. It’s working, so I think we are going to stick with it. I owe it all to my crew, really. They are the guys that do all the hard work, crew chief Shannon Jenkins and the team. They are the ones that give me this great car to race with, and team owner Sheik Khalid Al Thani gives us the resources to do it.”
He earned his most recent NHRA Wally with his victory at zMAX Dragway, where he was to face Leah Pruett in the final round. Pruett couldn't make it to the starting line due to engine damage suffered in her semifinal victory. Castellana and his team were excited for the win. The car ran a big number even though the other lane was empty, and as a result, the team obtained data to use later in the season.
“We did change the car a little bit and did some things we normally wouldn’t try,” he said. “It’s a sigh of relief because you know you’ve pretty much got the win unless something crazy goes on and the car doesn’t start, but it takes some of the joy away, the excitement. You know you won, but if you race someone and win, it is more exciting.”
Other top drivers expected to compete at the event are Troy Coughlin, Jay Payne, and Danny Rowe.
Featuring the world’s fastest and most unique doorslammer cars with an extremely diverse collection of vehicles, including ’63 Corvettes, ’68 Camaros, ’67 Mustangs, and ’68 Firebirds as well as late-model cars, the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by ProCare Rx offers something for every kind of hot rodding enthusiast.
• SCHEDULE: NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by ProCare Rx qualifying sessions are scheduled for April 27 at 1 and 4:30 p.m. and April 28 at 1:30 p.m. The first round of eliminations begins on April 28 at 4 p.m. Eliminations continue on April 29.
• TICKETS: For tickets, call 281-383-RACE (7223) or log on to www.royalpurpleraceway.com.
NHRA Now is a weekly Web series that gives fans an inside look at the lives of the drivers and teams of the NHRA and keeps everyone up to date on the latest happenings on and off the track, all season long. NHRA Now also is shared on NHRA's Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages each week.
This week’s edition of NHRA Now previews the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries. Host Alex Baca checks in with Erica Enders, Courtney Force, and Steve Torrence about racing in Texas, and she talks with J.R. Todd about his return to NHRA Drag Racing. The episode also includes a poll question, so check it out and let us hear from you.
Top Fuel dragster pilot Spencer Massey is riding a two-race winning streak heading to his home state of Texas for the 25th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries at Royal Purple Raceway, the first of two stops in the Lone Star State during the 2012 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.
“It’s awesome to come off any race as the winner, much less two in a row,” Massey said. “Winning four-wide was great, and winning Vegas was fun, so obviously, we have lots of momentum heading into a track that is kind of close to home. We’ll have lots of friends and family out, so it’s going to be a great weekend.”
Not only has the Texas native won two events in a row, but he’s also won three of the first five races this season and is the national speed record holder after his 332.18-mph performance during the final round at the circuit’s most recent event in Charlotte that held off his hard-charging teammates, Antron Brown and Tony Schumacher.
“We’re not trying to set the world on fire, but somehow, we managed to just set the national record and win the race,” Massey said. “It’s awesome to set the speed record. We’re the fastest team out there in NHRA Drag Racing thanks to [crew chiefs] Todd [Okuhara], Phil [Shuler], and my guys, and it should stick for quite a while. The No. 1 goal for us is to keep going rounds and winning races. We came so close last year, and we want to make sure we get it done this year.”
Massey and his Prestone/FRAM team came close to winning the Top Fuel world championship in 2011, taking their fight all the way to the final race of the season. The team lost the championship on the last day of the season, and Massey doesn’t want that same fate for his team this year. He has all the faith in his team to earn their first NHRA Full Throttle Top Fuel world championship.
“It's still early in the year, and we still have the Countdown to the Championship, so I don’t want to use up all of my luck in the beginning of the season, but there are ups and downs throughout the year, and right now, we’re on the upside,” Massey said. “We’re not going to win every race; even though we’d love to, it’s just not going to happen. I’m hoping we ride this for a while and then hit another stride toward the end of the season during the Countdown. I know we have everything we need to go one more step this season and win the championship.”
Massey isn’t the only Texas native in Top Fuel ready to race for the Wally at Royal Purple Raceway. Steve Torrence, who earned his first No. 1 qualifying position in Charlotte, is looking to ride his own wave of momentum into Houston. Torrence is working to earn his first NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event win, seven-time world champ Schumacher is hoping to end his 28-race win drought, and Brown is looking to close the gap on points leader Massey.
Four-time world champ Greg Anderson leads the points standings in Pro Stock and is followed closely by his Summit Racing teammate Jason Line. Mike Edwards sits third, Allen Johnson is in fourth, Vincent Nobile is fifth, and Houston native Erica Enders is sixth; Greg Stanfield, Rodger Brogdon, Ronnie Humphrey, and Jeg Coughlin Jr. round out the top 10.
John Force Racing Funny Car driver Robert Hight, who is riding a four-race winning streak heading into Houston, has dominated all season and leads the points standings in the 7,000-horsepower class. His JFR teammate Mike Neff trails in second place, and Jack Beckman, Johnny Gray, and John Force round out the top five. Rookie Courtney Force is in ninth, and defending world champion Matt Hagan is outside of the top 10 after a DNQ in Charlotte.
* SCHEDULE: NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series qualifying sessions are scheduled for 2:30 and 5 p.m. on Friday, April 27, and 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 28. Final eliminations will begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, April 29.
* TICKETS: For tickets for the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries, call Royal Purple Raceway, 281-383-7223, or log on to RoyalPurpleRaceway.com.
* ON TV: ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise two hours of qualifying coverage at 6 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 28. ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise three hours of eliminations coverage at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 29.
* LUCAS OIL SERIES: The O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries also will feature competition in seven categories in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, where some of the future stars of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series are born. Lucas Oil Series qualifying begins at 8 a.m. on April 27. Lucas Oil Series eliminations begin at 8 a.m. on April 28 and continue through April 29.
* PRO MOD SERIES presented by ProCare Rx: NHRA’s popular Pro Mod touring series will be featured at the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries. The series features some of the world’s fastest and most unique doorslammer cars, with an eclectic mix of vintage and late-model body styles in quarter-mile competition. Two rounds of qualifying will be held on April 27, with one additional round of qualifying on April 28 followed by the first round of eliminations. Eliminations will continue on Sunday, April 29.
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On behalf of the entire NHRA membership, it is time to call this DieHard Race Week Start-Up meeting to order (cue the gavel sound effect)!
I’d like to begin by thanking all of you who read this page and of course invite any and all forms of comment, question or otherwise. You may direct those to me via email at drieff@cox.net or through Twitter (@DaveRieffNHRA) or Facebook.
Let’s begin with old business! It has been nearly two weeks since the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte, and as expected, opinions still vary widely. I am only here to present the facts.
1) Eliminations proved to be very exciting, with the three Pro finals each producing moments that will be talked about for quite some time. After winning the one-off race in Pro Stock for the second time in three years, Summit Racing’s Greg Anderson said, “I’ve complained about this [four-wide] concept, but I guess it’s time to embrace it.” In Funny Car, Robert Hight and his Auto Club crew became the fifth in class history to win four straight races (joining Don Prudhomme, Kenny Bernstein, Cruz Pedregon, and some guy named John Force). And it was the kings of the sport, most notably FRAM’s Spencer Massey, who blew us all away when he registered a 332-mph pass, the fastest ever. Let the record show it was Army driver Tony Schumacher who hit the 330-mph mark first.
2) As an ordained pit reporter, this journalist did take note of what Adrian Parker and the rest of the staff at zMAX Dragway happily reported: a 20-percent increase in ticket sales from the year before and the biggest three-day crowd for the Four-Wide Nationals. Well done!
3) And finally, ESPN2 reported the best rating that the NHRA has received since 2009. In addition, the Four-Wide Nationals was the most-viewed program on ESPN2 that day.
Everyone is free to make his or her own conclusions about what all of this means. Might I add one little tweak? The sound of 30,000 horsepower is undisputable. Take that sound and add the sight of 8-foot header flames, and we are talking sensory overload! Might have to push the race back a month or so, but … just a thought.
One last piece of business: I spoke with Chris “the Greek” Karamesines about the team’s starting-line incident in Charlotte. Both injured men are going to be OK. Dennis Swearingen took the hard fall and suffered rib fractures and bruising, and Phil Paul still has soreness in his ear. Everyone is healing, and "the Greek" said that they will rejoin the tour in Atlanta.
Now let’s move on to new business: the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries at Royal Purple Raceway in Houston. That’s right, we’re heading to Texas, where everything is big! The sixth race of the year for the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series is the second time we’ll have Pro Stock Motorcycles this season.
To recap Gainesville, Eddie Krawiec ran the table aboard his Vance & Hines Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson, resetting the elapsed time (6.750) and speed (199.26 mph) records, qualifying No. 1, and gobbling up every point possible (150). Among those who took note was NHRA’s Tech Department, which has since added 20 pounds to the Harleys. It is a big story and will garner lots of attention this weekend. Twenty-one two-wheel warriors are pre-entered, and it will be nice to have them back on tour!
You can’t race in Houston without mentioning Erica Enders and her GK Motorsports crew, who are looking for their first Pro Stock win. A native of H-town, Enders has raced at Seth Angel’s facility for more than 20 years, and many of her firsts came there (Jr. Dragster win at age 8 and her first NHRA national event win in Super Gas, among others). Another name with plenty of clout is David Nickens, legendary engine builder and quarter-mile campaigner, who will have Chris McGaha behind the wheel and could give all the regulars all they want to handle! And let’s not forget about Tomball, Texas’ Rodger Brogdon. A total of 20 cars will compete for the coveted Wally!
Of course, the nitro divisions will have plenty to talk about as we follow the path of Hight and team in Funny Car as they try to add to their streak of four event wins in a row. Plus, we will see how Matt Hagan and the Aaron’s team rebound after a rough weekend. John Force Racing also looks to continue its season sweep; the 15-time champ began the season in the winner’s circle before Hight's team took fire! Terry Haddock and Todd Simpson will represent the home state at the event, which boasts 20 very capable cars on the entry list.
And in Top Fuel, a familiar face will be back in a car: J.R. Todd! He will drive a second car for Bob Vandergriff Jr., who will play host for his sponsor C&J Energy Services, which calls the Houston area home. Massey leads the points and will be joined in the field by two other Texas digger drivers, Steve Torrence and Troy Buff. After two straight series titles, when will the Al-Anabi group get it together? ESPN is on the case, with Top Fuel boasting a solid 21 pre-registered entries!
To purchase tickets to the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries, call Royal Purple Raceway, 281-383-RACE (7223), or log on to RoyalPurpleRaceway.com.
ESPN’s schedule for the weekend: Friday qualifying, ESPN3.com, 6 p.m. (all times ET); Saturday qualifying, ESPN2, 5-7 p.m.; Sunday final eliminations, ESPN2, 7-10 p.m.
Go Hard or Go Home! We’ll see you this weekend … I’ll be the one smiling!
ENNIS, Texas --
 Phillips, Line, Pedregon and Vandergriff
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Cruz Pedregon raced to his first win of the season and moved into the third spot in the Funny Car point standings as racing came to an end Sunday at the AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals at Texas Motorplex.
Eddyville IA "Wanna thank everyone with Frank's team,we beat the odds and outran some prety fast funny cars and almost broke the track record. I had a great time and was one of the largest turnouts in the tracks history.Thanks again for everyone that came out to support Napa and the great people at Eddyville Raceway.This is a great picture I wanted to share." RC
Tommy Phillips earned his fourth major event victory of the young season Sunday when he drove his Tigerflow/K&N Engineering backed Corvette Roadster to the victory in Super Gas. Phillips, who doubled up at the IHRA Nitro Jam event in San Antonio (winning Quick Rod and Super Rod) and won Super Comp at the recent NHRA Spring Nationals in Houston, earned the Super Gas crown at SRCA Dragstrip with a final round victory over Chris Burrell. In the six rounds of the event, Phillips used the strength of reaction times varying just .016 (from .002 to .018) to propel him to victory.
COMMERCE, Ga. – After struggling through three qualifying sessions, Terry McMillen and his Amalie Oil/UNOH Top Fuel Dragster used the fourth and final session to sneak into the 14th position for the 31st annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals. McMillen made the most of his last chance qualifying and parlayed it into a career best semifinal appearance.
DOMINATION
In The Dictionary, Mike Ferderer’s Photo Should Be Next To This Word
The word domination is defined as the act of ruling over; or to be a major influence; to occupy a commanding position.
COMMERCE, Ga. -- MoparR Dodge Avenger NHRA Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson returns to action this week at a track that he is very familiar with and at which he has experienced a good amount of success over the years - Atlanta Dragway, site of the 31st Annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, May 13-15.
Neil Mahr lost his battle with cancer last Friday. He was 72, and is survived by four children and 26 grand- and great-grandchildren, enough for several race teams. Mahr was never a world champion drag racer, but you knew he was there if for no other reason than his larger-than-life personality. Despite his relative lack of fame as a competitor, it’s safe to say that everyone in the top professional categories knew him – and can probably tell outrageous stories about him.
David Rampy Partners with The Racers Edge
After securing a Top 10 finish in just the 2nd year of NHRA Pro Stock competition, Rodger Brogdon, Steve Kent and the entire Racers Edge / Attitude Apparel team are looking for an even bigger & better season in 2011.
Holley Performance Products This Saturday morning Horsepower TV airs its episode all about LS Fest! The show starts at 11:30 a.m. E/P (10:30 a.m. CST) on SPIKE . You'll be able to sit back and relax while catching up on everything you either experienced or might have missed during this past September! Follow the link below for a bit more inform...ation!
A crew from the popular Science Channel TV program How It's Made visited Morgan Lucas Racing last year to film a special show entitled "Dragsters" that will air for the first time at 9 p.m., Friday, Jan. 21.
Christiansburg, Va. – It’s been a longer winter than usual for Matt Hagan on his hilltop farm nestled in the mountains of southwest Virginia. Back-to-back snowfalls have kept him busy getting feed to his herd of Black Angus cattle. In the evenings, there’s the memory of a near miss of the Funny Car title in the NHRA’s Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.
Memphis Motorsports Park will soon have a new owner after being out of commission for the past year.
The property will be sold at a live, on-site auction Dec. 14 at one of the facility’s parcel locations, 5500 Tay-For Road, near Millington.
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