 |
     |
 |
|
|
NHRA O'Reilly Summer Nationals
|
 |
|
The
latest results from the ninth stop on the 2004 NHRA POWERade Drag
Racing Series
|
By Bobby Bennett Photos by Ken Sklute, www.racersedgephotography.com |
| Our photo gallery is available at NHRA - Topeka SUNDAY FINAL - BERNSTEIN, BAZEMORE AND ANDERSON EARN O'REILLY SUMMER NATIONALS VICTORIES
(5-30-2004) -- Brandon Bernstein moved into the POWERade Series points lead by racing to the Top Fuel victory Sunday at the 16th annual O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals presented by Castrol GTX at Heartland Park Topeka. Whit Bazemore and Greg Anderson also were winners at the $1.9 million race, the ninth of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Bernstein powered his Budweiser/Lucas Oil dragster to a 4.729 second run at 294.43 mph to claim his third victory of the season and the sixth of his career. Doug Kalitta's Mac Tools dragster lost traction and posted a 4.874 at 291.95 in the runner-up effort. "It's great to be back in the points lead," said Bernstein, who led for one race in 2003. "This time we'd like to keep it a little longer. We're fortunate that Schumacher stumbled a little in Round 2. It opened the door for us." Bernstein used consistent 4.5-second runs to defeat Scott Palmer and Doug Herbert, and unleashed a 4.493 to beat defending series champ Larry Dixon in a titan second round meeting. "The crew did a great job," Bernstein said. "It was nice and cool early on and then it got hot later, which really says a lot about (crew chief) Tim Richards and his ability. He has a great tune-up for hot tracks and he's just as good when it's cold. It's great to win races any time and I'm still just as excited about this one as I was about the first. It's an awesome feeling to go through the field and run like we did today." Bernstein moved 20 points ahead of season-long points leader Schumacher, who lost in the second round to Scott Kalitta. Bazemore extended his points lead in Funny Car by outrunning first time finalist Eric Medlen. Bazemore clocked a 5.168 at 269.94 in his Matco Tools Dodge Stratus R/T while rookie Medlen's Castrol Syntec Ford Mustang lost traction and posted a 7.795 at 112.98.
"It was a perfect afternoon, a perfect weekend, really," said Bazemore, who beat Tony Bartone, Gary Densham and current points-rival Del Worsham to advance to the final round and earn his 17th career victory. "The car was virtually flawless until the final, but no one's perfect I guess," he added. "The car was actually in trouble earlier than it appeared. It started spinning the tires early on just a little bit and I thought about doing something about it but I didn't see him so I stayed with it to see if it would drive recover on its own. It wasn't until half-track when I had to pedal. I still didn't see him then so I figured he was having problems." It was Bazemore's second win at Heartland Park. With the victory -- his second of the season -- he increased his points lead to 76 over Worsham. "Topeka is great," Bazemore said. "I got my first win here in 1997. I remember that race well, against randy Anderson. We got there on different paths but I remember thinking I didn't want to give it away in the final. To come back now as the POWERade points leader and win the race and increase my lead is great. I've never been out front like this early in the season." Anderson claimed his seventh victory of the season and in the process earned more than $100,000 for the weekend, which included a $25,000 "double-up" bonus from NHRA.
"This is more money than I ever thought I could win at a drag race," said Anderson, who outsted early round opponents Mike Edwards, JR Carr and Allen Johnson en route to his 23rd career victory. "To come out on top and win all this money without out-driving people feels almost better then when you crush them. Every race I won this weekend it seemed like you couldn't tell who won when you went through the lights. We saw a lot of teams step it up." Anderson, who defeated rookie Dave Connolly for the King Demon Crown victory Saturday, drove his Vegas General Construction Pontiac Grand Am to a final round performance of 6.833 at 202.30 to hold off Kurt Johnson's ACDelco Chevy Cavalier, which ran 6.845 at 201.31. He is only the fifth Pro Stock driver to accomplish the rare double in NHRA history and the first to do it in 11 seasons. "The truth is when you race this hard and do this well you'd like your peers to pat you on the back once in awhile," said Anderson, who increased his series points lead to 312 with the victory. "That really hasn't happened to us." The NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series continues with the 40th annual Pontiac Excitement NHRA Nationals at National Trail Raceway near Columbus, Ohio, June 10-13.
Sportsman Finals -
Final round-by-round results from the 16th annual O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals presented by Castrol GTX at Heartland Park Topeka, the ninth of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series - TOP FUEL: ROUND ONE -- Doug Kalitta, 5.167, 275.79 def. John Smith, 6.888, 156.75; Larry Dixon, 4.582, 326.00 def. David Grubnic, 5.311, 209.62; Doug Herbert, 4.678, 302.82 def. David Baca, 11.244, 91.02; Scott Kalitta, 4.609, 326.24 def. Brady Kalivoda, 12.667, 84.85; Bob Vandergriff, 6.123, 171.12 def. Darrell Russell, 9.294, 75.15; Brandon Bernstein, 4.536, 330.55 def. Scott Palmer, 8.722, 98.41; Cory McClenathan, 4.528, 320.05 def. Mike Strasburg, 11.878, 62.58; Tony Schumacher, 4.589, 323.97 def. Scott Weis, foul; QUARTERFINALS -- Herbert, 6.322, 143.25 def. Vandergriff, foul; S. Kalitta, 4.530, 329.99 def. Schumacher, 4.549, 327.74; Bernstein, 4.493, 328.14 def. Dixon, 7.628, 99.25; D. Kalitta, 4.487, 329.91 def. McClenathan, 6.350, 121.79; SEMIFINALS -- Bernstein, 4.555, 327.66 def. Herbert, 6.388, 146.57; D. Kalitta, 4.549, 324.59 def. S. Kalitta, 10.643, 65.67; FINAL -- Bernstein, 4.729, 294.43 def. D. Kalitta, 4.874, 291.95. FUNNY CAR: ROUND ONE -- Phil Burkart, Pontiac Firebird, 4.906, 317.49 def. Jerry Toliver, Toyota Celica, broke; Eric Medlen, Ford Mustang, 4.826, 314.09 def. Bob Gilbertson, Chevy Camaro, 13.445, 85.10; Tony Pedregon, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.800, 313.22 def. Jeff Arend, Chevy Corvette, 5.366, 220.19; Whit Bazemore, Dodge Stratus, 4.821, 320.97 def. Tony Bartone, Camaro, broke; Del Worsham, Monte Carlo, 4.810, 319.29 def. Ron Capps, Monte Carlo, 5.398, 206.23; John Force, Mustang, 4.806, 319.60 def. Tim Wilkerson, Monte Carlo, 5.938, 170.41; Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo, 7.920, 121.37 def. Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo, foul; Gary Densham, Mustang, 4.780, 324.05 def. Gary Scelzi, Stratus, 4.826, 315.78; QUARTERFINALS -- Worsham, 4.774, 321.73 def. Burkart, 4.898, 284.03; Medlen, 4.739, 319.45 def. Force, 4.793, 323.43; Bazemore, 4.772, 326.00 def. Densham, 4.804, 315.49; T. Pedregon, 4.834, 279.96 def. Johnson Jr., 4.826, 322.42; SEMIFINALS -- Medlen, 4.796, 319.52 def. T. Pedregon, 4.933, 280.02; Bazemore, 4.799, 322.11 def. Worsham, 5.036, 240.47; FINAL -- Bazemore, 5.168, 269.94 def. Medlen, 7.795, 112.98. PRO STOCK: ROUND ONE -- Dave Connolly, Chevy Cavalier, 6.841, 201.13 def. Rickie Smith, Cavalier, 6.871, 201.04; JR Carr, Cavalier, 6.890, 199.46 def. Jerry Haas, Cavalier, 6.888, 200.17; Allen Johnson, Dodge Stratus, 6.879, 200.59 def. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.864, 201.04; Kurt Johnson, Cavalier, 6.845, 201.31 def. Bruce Allen, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.897, 200.74; Jason Line, Grand Am, 6.827, 202.00 def. Warren Johnson, Grand Am, 6.870, 200.44; Kenny Koretsky, Stratus, 6.869, 200.44 def. Jim Yates, Grand Am, 6.894, 199.49; Greg Anderson, Grand Am, 6.832, 201.52 def. Mike Edwards, Grand Am, foul; Steve Johns, Cavalier, 6.840, 202.24 def. Troy Coughlin, Cavalier, 6.907, 199.37; QUARTERFINALS -- K. Johnson, 6.840, 201.28 def. Koretsky, 6.866, 200.77; Johns, 6.838, 201.79 def. Connolly, 6.845, 201.16; A. Johnson, 6.886, 200.35 def. Line, 6.871, 201.34; Anderson, 6.816, 202.06 def. Carr, foul; SEMIFINALS -- K. Johnson, 6.861, 201.04 def. Johns, 6.827, 201.94; Anderson, 6.816, 201.97 def. A. Johnson, 6.890, 201.01; FINAL -- Anderson, 6.833, 202.30 def. K. Johnson, 6.845, 201.31.
SATURDAY - ANDERSON EARNS NHRA KING DEMON CROWN VICTORY, WHILE McCLENATHAN, BAZEMORE AND JOHNS TAKE TOP QUALIFYING HONORS AT O'REILLY NHRA SUMMER NATIONALS
(5-29-2004)- Greg Anderson won the $50,000 NHRA King Demon Crown Saturday during the O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka. Cory McClenathan, Whit Bazemore and Steve Johns will lead their respective categories into Sunday's 11 a.m. eliminations at the $1.9 million race, the ninth of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Anderson defeated rookie David Connolly by 0.0001-second in the lucrative bonus event for Pro Stock racers. Anderson drove his Vegas General Construction Pontiac Grand Am to a performance of 6.907 seconds at 198.93 mph to overcome a holeshot start by Connolly, who was edged at the finish when his Bullet Motorsports Chevy Cavalier posted a 6.964 at 198.64. "What a drag race," Anderson said. "I was afraid to look over. I knew I was behind and the car shook on every gear change. I finally took a peek at 1,000 feet and it looked like I was behind. Then we got past the scoreboards and the win light in my lane was on." The final round of the bonus event was moved to Heartland Park after inclement weather left NHRA officials with no time to complete the race last weekend at Route 66 Raceway near Chicago.
It was Anderson's first King Demon Crown victory, and his latest conquest in his two-year domination of the 200-mph category. Should he win tomorrow, Anderson can pocket a $25,000 "double-up" bonus from NHRA, bringing his weekend winnings to more than $100,000. "Everything that could go right for me this year has fallen my way," Anderson added. "I couldn't wait to get to this race. This is our biggest paycheck of the year and I felt like I let it slip through my fingers last year against Kurt (Johnson)." McClenathan claimed his 28th career No. 1 position and first since the 2002 season with a 4.513 at 320.58 performance in his Berryman/Carrier Boyz Top Fuel dragster. "It's been a little while since this has happened," McClenathan said. "It's just so hard to get (the No. 1 spot) nowadays, especially with the Kalitta group out here. They seem to win all of them. I am so proud of my team. We've basically just been together since Las Vegas and although I knew we had a good group and never thought it would all come together this soon. This is the first time in a long time where I feel real confident about our car no matter if it's hot or cool out there. It's a nice feeling." Bazemore earned his second No. 1 position of the season and 26th of his career by driving his Matco Tools Dodge Stratus R/T to a 4.792 at 323.19.
"We've been to four finals in the last five races, I mean, this is a dream right now," Bazemore said. "It's fantastic. Lee Beard (crew chief) and this team, what can you say? They continue to give me a perfect car every round and that's key because you have to go down the track every session, regardless of the conditions, if you want to win rounds. Maybe we'll be competitive tomorrow. We'll just have to wait and see. It's a drag race so you have to go out there and win every round. I like our chances, things could not be better right now." In Pro Stock, Johns took his first career No. 1 qualifying award by clocking a 6.853 at 201.10 in his Sportlite Chevy Cavalier, owned by Victor Cagnazzi. "Something like this happening to this team early on is really a bit of a surprise," Johns said. "It's a lot of fun and we'll definitely take it, even if it feels a little out of place for us. I mean, we have gotten some signs from Dave Connolly, who also uses Grump (Bill Jenkins) horsepower and we hoped we were getting close, but I'm not sure we would have picked Topeka as the place we'd get it done. This is a great boost for our team and for Grump. Bill's 73 now but he's still hard at it every day. This form of racing is extremely tough but he's been a part of it since it since the start 30-something years ago. I know he's excited." First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the 16th annual O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals presented by Castrol GTX at Heartland Park Topeka, the ninth of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday. Top Fuel -- 1. Cory McClenathan, 4.513 seconds, 320.58 mph vs. 16. Mike Strasburg, 4.952, 295.66; 2. Brandon Bernstein, 4.566, 325.45 vs. 15. Scott Palmer, 4.799, 305.36; 3. Darrell Russell, 4.570, 325.45 vs. 14. Bob Vandergriff, 4.738, 305.01; 4. Scott Kalitta, 4.576, 325.61 vs. 13. Brady Kalivoda, 4.733, 305.01; 5. Tony Schumacher, 4.579, 321.42 vs. 12. Scott Weis, 4.690, 312.21; 6. Doug Herbert, 4.602, 314.61 vs. 11. David Baca, 4.682, 317.34; 7. Larry Dixon, 4.615, 320.51 vs. 10. David Grubnic, 4.640, 309.20; 8. John Smith, 4.630, 315.56 vs. 9. Doug Kalitta, 4.631, 319.82. Funny Car -- 1. Whit Bazemore, Dodge Stratus, 4.792, 323.19 vs. 16. Tony Bartone, Chevy Camaro, 4.952, 299.73; 2. Tony Pedregon, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.798, 320.66 vs. 15. Jeff Arend, Chevy Corvette, 4.950, 311.99; 3. Eric Medlen, Ford Mustang, 4.805, 318.32 vs. 14. Bob Gilbertson, Camaro, 4.926, 312.28; 4. Phil Burkart, Pontiac Firebird, 4.826, 315.27 vs. 13. Jerry Toliver, Toyota Celica, 4.925, 310.27; 5. Del Worsham, Monte Carlo, 4.830, 317.05 vs. 12. Ron Capps, Monte Carlo, 4.918, 314.53; 6. John Force, Mustang, 4.831, 316.38 vs. 11. Tim Wilkerson, Monte Carlo, 4.879, 313.51; 7. Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.833, 311.27 vs. 10. Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo, 4.867, 318.02; 8. Gary Scelzi, Stratus, 4.837, 319.60 vs. 9. Gary Densham, Mustang, 4.846, 315.42. Pro Stock -- 1. Steve Johns, Chevy Cavalier, 6.853, 201.10 vs. 16. Troy Coughlin, Cavalier, 6.909, 199.35; 2. Greg Anderson, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.857, 200.68 vs. 15. Mike Edwards, Grand Am, 6.903, 199.35; 3. Jason Line, Grand Am, 6.859, 200.53 vs. 14. Warren Johnson, Grand Am, 6.903, 199.61; 4. Kenny Koretsky, Dodge Stratus, 6.865, 200.20 vs. 13. Jim Yates, Grand Am, 6.902, 198.64; 5. Kurt Johnson, Cavalier, 6.871, 200.95 vs. 12. Bruce Allen, Grand Am, 6.902, 199.55; 6. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.884, 200.83 vs. 11. Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.902, 199.91; 7. Jerry Haas, Cavalier, 6.890, 199.97 vs. 10. JR Carr, Cavalier, 6.900, 199.23; 8. Dave Connolly, Cavalier, 6.890, 199.70 vs. 9. Rickie Smith, Cavalier, 6.893, 200.17.
Saturday's final results from the 20th annual King Demon Crown at Heartland Park Topeka. The $50,000 race is special race within a race for Pro Stock competitors in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series: KING DEMON CROWN: ROUND ONE -- Dave Connolly, Chevy Cavalier, 6.853, 203.03 def. Kurt Johnson, Cavalier, 6.873, 202.61; Greg Anderson, Cavalier, 6.808, 203.25 def. Allen Johnson, Dodge Stratus, 6.873, 202.00; Bruce Allen, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.846, 202.70 def. Warren Johnson, Grand Am, 6.842, 202.85; Jeg Coughlin, Cavalier, 6.842, 201.88 def. Mike Edwards, Grand Am, 6.851, 201.37; SEMIFINALS -- Connolly, 6.833, 202.67 def. Coughlin, 6.834, 201.58; Anderson, 6.813, 202.18 def. Allen, 6.866, 201.55; FINALS -- Anderson, 6.907, 198.93 def. Connolly, 6.964, 198.64. Anderson, 6.907, 198.93.
FRIDAY - BAZEMORE, McCLENATHAN AND JOHNS LEAD QUALIFYING AT O'REILLY NHRA SUMMER NATIONALS
(5-28-2004) - Whit Bazemore raced to the qualifying lead in Funny Car Saturday at the O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka. Cory McClenathan and Steve Johns also were leaders in their respective categories at the $1.9 million race, the ninth of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Bazemore covered the quarter-mile distance in 4.792 seconds at 323.19 mph in his Matco Tools Dodge Stratus R/T to pace the 16-car order. "We under-performed for the conditions," Bazemore said. "And because of that we're surprised to be here. But no one took advantage of the sun going down. It was nice to take (the No. 1 position) away from (Tony) Pedregon. We have a little rivalry going since we were both chasing the title last year and he got the better of us there so any time we can pick his pocket, even if it's Friday night qualifying, I'm happy." Pedregon was second with a 4.798 at 320.66 in his Quaker State Chevy Monte Carlo, while rookie Eric Medlen drove his Castrol Syntec Ford Mustang to a run of 4.805 at 318.32 for third place. With warm weather conditions for much of both sessions, none of the drivers approached the high-octane 330 mph performances produced last weekend at Route 66 Raceway near Chicago. "That speed (323 mph) feels really slow now," Bazemore said with a grin. "I was telling (John) Force at the other end after the first session how boring it was to run a 4.95 after running all those low 4.70s in Chicago. It felt weak, like we left a lot on the track." McClenathan powered his Berryman/Carrier Boyz dragster to a leading run of 4.513 at 320.58 to take the provisional No. 1 spot in Top Fuel. "These last few weeks have been such a cool time for me," McClenathan said. "It's like a second chance, a second life. I'm feeling so much excitement right now and I'm so happy to be where I'm at with this team." If McClenathan hangs on to the top spot through Saturday's two qualifying sessions (11 a.m. and 3 p.m.) it will be his 28th career No. 1 position. It is another strong effort for the veteran driver who recently ended a long dryspell from winner's circle in Atlanta and credits much of his team's turnaround to the addition of new crew chief Todd Smith.
"I was the first one to believe in Todd," McClenathan said. "I knew he could do it at this level. He just didn't have a chance to show his stuff before. He's a thinking guy but he's not afraid to go for it when the right conditions present themselves. He told me he was going for it tonight and he did. Brandon Bernstein was second with a 4.566 at 325.45 in the Budweiser/Lucas Oil dragster, while Darrell Russell was third with a 4.582 at 325.30 in the Amato Racing dragster. "There were plenty of capable cars behind us," McClenathan added. "I knew Darrell could go past us, and for sure the two Kalitta Racing cars. But I was down there listening to the announcers say they would run better than us and maybe that worked to our favor. Maybe they heard that and twisted the knobs a little too hard." Surprise Pro Stock leader Johns, the 1992 NHRA Comp Eliminator champion and former crew chief for several top Pro Stock teams, drove his Sportlite Chevy Cavalier to a 6.853 at 201.10 . "This is a tremendous thing for us," Johns said. "I'm sure Greg (Anderson) will be back. We just caught him on a siesta, I guess. What a huge day for all of us at Jenkins Performance and Cagnazzi Racing.
"Two years ago we started working on a 500-inch motor and we just finished this particular one Wednesday and shipped it over. Victor (Cagnazzi, team owner) has had a long-term plan for this team and his car is like a science project. We may have looked bad early on but we've been collecting a lot of data and adding it up. We've been gaining on it and I think we started to show our stuff a little in Chicago. Then we found 15 more horsepower with this one and here we are." If Johns keeps his car at the top of the qualifying ladder it will be his first career No. 1 effort in Pro Stock. Anderson, who has qualified No. 1 at six of eight races this season, was a tick off the pace in second with a 6.857 at 200.68 in the Vegas General Construction Pontiac Grand Am. Anderson's teammate, rookie Jason Line, was third with a 6.859 at 200.53 in the KB Framers Grand Am. Friday's qualifying results for the 16th annual O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals presented by Castrol GTX at Heartland Park Topeka, ninth of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday's final eliminations. Top Fuel -- 1. Cory McClenathan, 4.513 seconds, 320.58 mph; 2. Brandon Bernstein, 4.566, 325.45; 3. Darrell Russell, 4.582, 325.30; 4. Doug Herbert, 4.602, 311.56; 5. John Smith, 4.630, 315.56; 6. David Grubnic, 4.640, 309.20; 7. Doug Kalitta, 4.676, 316.23; 8. Scott Kalitta, 4.684, 306.53; 9. David Baca, 4.689, 317.34; 10. Scott Weis, 4.690, 303.78; 11. Brady Kalivoda, 4.733, 305.01; 12. Bob Vandergriff, 4.738, 305.01; 13. Scott Palmer, 4.799, 305.36; 14. Larry Dixon, 4.882, 268.06; 15. Rhonda Hartman-Smith, 5.123, 288.95; 16. Joe Hartley, 5.677, 162.57. Funny Car -- 1. Whit Bazemore, Dodge Stratus, 4.792, 323.19; 2. Tony Pedregon, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.798, 320.66; 3. Eric Medlen, Ford Mustang, 4.805, 318.32; 4. Phil Burkart, Pontiac Firebird, 4.826, 315.27; 5. John Force, Mustang, 4.831, 316.38; 6. Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.833, 311.27; 7. Gary Densham, Mustang, 4.846, 312.93; 8. Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo, 4.867, 318.02; 9. Del Worsham, Monte Carlo, 4.869, 311.63; 10. Tim Wilkerson, Monte Carlo, 4.879, 313.51; 11. Gary Scelzi, Stratus, 4.880, 319.60; 12. Ron Capps, Monte Carlo, 4.918, 314.53; 13. Jerry Toliver, Toyota Celica, 4.925, 310.27; 14. Bob Gilbertson, Chevy Camaro, 4.926, 312.28; 15. Jeff Arend, Chevy Corvette, 4.950, 311.99; 16. Tony Bartone, Camaro, 5.672, 174.26. Pro Stock -- 1. Steve Johns, Chevy Cavalier, 6.853, 201.10; 2. Greg Anderson, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.857, 200.68; 3. Jason Line, Grand Am, 6.859, 200.53; 4. Kenny Koretsky, Dodge Stratus, 6.865, 200.20; 5. Kurt Johnson, Cavalier, 6.871, 200.95; 6. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.884, 200.83; 7. Jerry Haas, Cavalier, 6.890, 199.97; 8. Rickie Smith, Cavalier, 6.893, 200.17; 9. JR Carr, Cavalier, 6.900, 199.23; 10. Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.902, 199.91; 11. Bruce Allen, Grand Am, 6.902, 199.55; 12. Jim Yates, Grand Am, 6.902, 198.64; 13. Warren Johnson, Grand Am, 6.903, 199.61; 14. Mike Edwards, Grand Am, 6.903, 199.35; 15. Mark Whisnant, Cavalier, 6.910, 198.99; 16. Mark Pawuk, Grand Am, 6.915, 198.64.
|
