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The latest results from the the NHRA O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals, Memphis, Tenn., the 17th stop on the 2004 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series |
By Bobby Bennett Photos by Roger Richards |
SUNDAY - FORCE, DIXON, LINE AND BROWN SCORE VICTORIES AT THE O’REILLY AUTO PARTS MID-SOUTH NHRA NATIONALS
(8-23-2004) – Perennial Funny Car champion John Force extended his lead in the POWERade standings with his 113th career victory Sunday at the 17th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Mid-South Nationals at Memphis Motorsports Park. Larry Dixon (Top Fuel), Jason Line (Pro Stock) and Antron Brown (Pro Stock Bike) also were winners in their respective categories at the $1.6 million race, the 17th of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Force earned his fourth win of the season when he blasted his Castrol GTX Start Up Ford Mustang down the drag strip in 4.907 seconds at 308.00 mph, edging out Tim Wilkerson’s Levi, Ray & Shoup Chevy Monte Carlo which lost traction and shut off early, recording numbers of 5.105 at 252.33. “This POWERade points chase, I've heard all the talk on TV -- the young guys are the future, Force is done, all that noise -- it hurts but I'll be okay," Force said. "All these other guys are up for the fight. I saw the lights people were cutting early on. They're all in the game and I know it. But I had to let them know we're still in there to. We're up for it.” Force was able to take a big step towards his 13th overall series title with a second round victory over Gary Scelzi, currently second in the standings to Force.
“Guys like Scelzi, they know how to win,” Force said. “He got me on a holeshot last week (at Brainerd). I faced Wilkerson awhile back and I red-lit against him. We're all pushing each other. My car's been good because we've been able to adapt well to the 85-percent nitro deal (the NHRA recently mandated). But everyone is right there with us. It's a fight.” Dixon’s Miller Lite dragster covered the quarter-mile in 4.660 at 311.70 to defeat the Jesse James dragster driven by Scott Kalitta, which lost traction and completed the run in 7.055 at 121.99. Dixon, the NHRA POWERade Top Fuel champion the past two seasons, was making his fifth straight final round appearance at Memphis Motorsports Park and sixth overall, winning in 2002 and again on Sunday. The victory was the 35th of Dixon’s career, tying him on the all-time Top Fuel win list with his childhood idol, “Big Daddy” Don Garlits. “It's overwhelming," Dixon said of matching Garlits' mark. "It's like tying Michael Jordan for one of his records. When I grew up I didn't know much about any other sport. All I followed was drag racing and all I knew was that 'Big Daddy' ruled the earth. It's a big deal to me, without question. “This is the fifth year in a row that we've been to the final here and I don't have a clue why. I wish I knew so we could take that knowledge and apply it to other race tracks. Maybe it's Elvis. I know we won every time we ran that special Elvis Presley body before.
“I didn't feel quite as dominant as I have in the past. We got a break in Round 1 when we got in a pedaling contest and came out on top. The last two rounds the belt came off before the finish line and when that happens it's such a helpless feeling because you don't know where your opponent is and you just assume they're going to fly by. The finish line seems so far away. But it worked out for us today.” Dixon remained in sixth place in the POWERade standings, 19 points out of fifth and 55 points out of fourth. Current points leader Tony Schumacher, who lost in the second round to Morgan Lucas, extended his lead in the standings to a 141-point advantage over Doug Kalitta, who was eliminated in the first round of competition. Brandon Bernstein, also a loser in the second round, remained in third place in the chase for the Top Fuel championship, 177 points behind Schumacher and 36 points behind Kalitta. Line crossed the finish line in 6.806 at 201.58 in his KB Framers Pontiac Grand Am for his third career Pro Stock victory, easily outrunning final round opponent Dave Connolly who recorded a slower run of 6.878 at 198.85 in his Bullet Motorsports Chevy Cavalier.
Line is teammates with defending POWERade Pro Stock champion Greg Anderson and is the only other driver other than Anderson to have at least two victories this season. The two have combined to win 15 of the 17 races contended in 2004. The 21-year-old Connolly has been impressive lately, appearing in the final round at the last four NHRA events, scoring his first career victory at Brainerd, Minn. last week, defeating Anderson in the final. “I have a lot of respect for Dave and that team over there,” Line said. “Earlier in the year, a lot of other people were out here complaining about Greg and I and our team, but Dave’s team never did. That group of guys just went to work, which is all we have ever done, just go out and work hard.” Line also is a leading contender for the 2004 Auto Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award, given annually to the NHRA’s top rookie performer. Funny Car driver Eric Medlen, who scored his first career victory last week, also is considered among the favorites for the honors. “Eric Medlen came over before the final to wish me good luck and I did the same thing for him last week at Brainerd,” Line said. “He’s a good guy and we are becoming friends. The Road to the Future award is kind of out of our hands now. We just wish each other luck and we’ll see what happens.” Brown scored his first victory of the season atop his U.S. Army Suzuki when first-time finalist Matt Smith left the starting line early and fouled out on his Red Line Oil Suzuki, giving Brown his 12th career win. Sunday’s win was the first for Brown since his 2003 victory at Brainerd, Minn., and it moves him into second place in the POWERade standings, 196 points behind leader Andrew Hines and the Vance & Hines Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson team. “Our team's been so awesome," Brown said. "The bike's been there but we haven't gotten the wins. I've doubted myself a little bit. I’d get to the final and then either red-light or I'm sleeping (and late leaving the starting line). I'm like, what can I do? I needed to get like a bracket racer and just hammer out .020 lights. “(The team) stayed poised today. I think it's because I didn't sleep well so I've been tired all day. When it's like that I tend not to get too hyped up and make mistakes. We just wanted to try and run mid-7.20s and go heads up, may the best man or woman win.” The 23-race $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series continues with a historic event, the 50th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, Sept. 1-6, at Indianapolis Raceway Park.
Final round-by-round results from the 17th annual O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals presented by Pennzoil at Memphis Motorsports Park, the 17th of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series –
TOP FUEL:
ROUND ONE -- Clay Millican, 5.032, 271.73 def. Doug Herbert, 9.033, 85.45; Larry Dixon, 5.027, 276.92 def. Brady Kalivoda, 5.488, 238.26; Morgan Lucas, 4.843, 286.19 def. Bob Vandergriff, broke; Brandon Bernstein, 4.763, 300.26 def. Cory McClenathan, 4.913, 286.56; Scott Kalitta, 4.753, 302.55 def. Joe Hartley, 10.732, 62.67; Tony Schumacher, 4.650, 310.70 def. Rhonda Hartman-Smith, 5.251, 215.37; Scott Weis, 5.087, 223.62 def. Doug Kalitta, 5.133, 279.21; David Grubnic, 4.715, 303.23 def. Scott Palmer, 5.690, 172.10; QUARTERFINALS -- Dixon, 4.727, 305.29 def. Weis, broke; Millican, 4.728, 304.74 def. Grubnic, 4.687, 303.78; S. Kalitta, 4.703, 308.35 def. Bernstein, 4.731, 305.42; Lucas, 4.714, 304.94 def. Schumacher, 4.733, 307.51; SEMIFINALS -- Dixon, 4.654, 299.93 def. Lucas, 4.693, 303.50; S. Kalitta, 4.664, 311.13 def. Millican, 4.727, 298.93; FINAL -- Dixon, 4.660, 311.70 def. S. Kalitta, 7.055, 121.99.
FUNNY CAR:
ROUND ONE -- Del Worsham, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.117, 289.26 def. Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo, 5.394, 244.16; John Force, Ford Mustang, 4.994, 300.93 def. Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 6.930, 154.30; Tim Wilkerson, Monte Carlo, 5.068, 296.89 def. Jeff Arend, Chevy Corvette, 5.581, 203.46; Tony Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 5.135, 265.69 def. Jim Head, Toyota Celica, 5.253, 280.95; Phil Burkart, Monte Carlo, 5.287, 269.56 def. Eric Medlen, Mustang, 6.321, 183.99; Whit Bazemore, Dodge Stratus, 5.081, 290.19 def. Ron Capps, Monte Carlo, 5.270, 257.53; Gary Scelzi, Stratus, 4.996, 298.14 def. Bob Gilbertson, Pontiac Firebird, 5.090, 284.27; Gary Densham, Mustang, 5.055, 285.23 def. Tony Bartone, Firebird, 5.349, 224.43; QUARTERFINALS -- Wilkerson, 5.073, 293.15 def. T. Pedregon, 5.189, 272.39; Worsham, 5.132, 289.20 def. Bazemore, 6.404, 169.21; Force, 5.156, 273.33 def. Scelzi, 5.136, 277.26; Densham, 5.018, 295.53 def. Burkart, 5.031, 294.88; SEMIFINALS -- Wilkerson, 5.046, 291.51 def. Worsham, 5.735, 196.30; Force, 4.906, 308.78 def. Densham, 9.356, 74.16; FINAL -- Force, 4.907, 308.00 def. Wilkerson, 5.105, 252.33.
PRO STOCK:
ROUND ONE -- Rickie Smith, Chevy Cavalier, 6.863, 200.95 def. Kurt Johnson, Cavalier, broke; Ron Krisher, Cavalier, 6.867, 201.04 def. Bruce Allen, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.866, 200.05; Jason Line, Grand Am, 6.849, 200.65 def. Kenny Koretsky, Dodge Stratus, 6.876, 200.86; Greg Anderson, Grand Am, 6.827, 201.25 def. Mike Edwards, Grand Am, 6.841, 199.94; Dave Connolly, Cavalier, 6.850, 201.31 def. Steve Johns, Cavalier, 6.890, 200.32; Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.859, 200.26 def. V. Gaines, Stratus, foul; Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.850, 200.95 def. JR Carr, Cavalier, 6.871, 199.58; Jeg Coughlin, Cavalier, 6.847, 201.07 def. Jim Yates, Grand Am, 6.885, 199.11; QUARTERFINALS -- Connolly, 6.836, 201.28 def. Smith, 6.846, 201.16; Line, 6.838, 200.47 def. Morgan, 6.842, 201.46; Coughlin, 6.824, 200.98 def. Krisher, 6.943, 197.16; Anderson, 6.814, 200.50 def. A. Johnson, 6.838, 201.19; SEMIFINALS -- Line, 6.827, 200.74 def. Coughlin, 6.838, 201.22; Connolly, 6.820, 201.13 def. Anderson, 6.799, 201.22; FINAL -- Line, 6.806, 201.58 def. Connolly, 6.878, 198.85.
PRO STOCK BIKE:
ROUND ONE -- GT Tonglet, Harley-Davidson, 7.249, 182.85 def. Chip Hunter, Suzuki, 7.373, 180.12; Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.247, 182.85 def. Michael Phillips, Suzuki, 7.350, 179.71; Geno Scali, Suzuki, 7.246, 182.50 def. Mike Berry, Suzuki, foul; Antron Brown, Suzuki, 7.331, 182.65 def. Kurt Matte, Suzuki, 7.399, 180.28; Angelle Savoie, Suzuki, 7.212, 183.52 def. Blaine Hale, Suzuki, foul; Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 7.213, 184.55 def. Lloyd Straus, Suzuki, 7.335, 183.15; Matt Smith, Suzuki, 7.301, 181.08 def. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.332, 180.79; Shawn Gann, Suzuki, 7.271, 183.59 def. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.305, 179.68; QUARTERFINALS -- Brown, 7.268, 182.90 def. Gann, 7.310, 181.98; Smith, 7.284, 182.03 def. Scali, 7.255, 183.27; Hines, 7.319, 183.07 def. Tonglet, 7.465, 160.44; Savoie, 7.248, 181.89 def. Treble, 7.316, 186.00; SEMIFINALS -- Smith, 7.290, 179.92 def. Hines, 10.052, 85.36; Brown, 7.307, 179.92 def. Savoie, 7.293, 180.12; FINAL -- Brown, 7.264, 182.60 def. Smith, foul.
Post-Race Notes...
TOP FUEL · Two-time defending NHRA POWERade champion Larry Dixon powered the Miller Lite dragster down the quarter-mile in 4.660 seconds at 311.70 mph, easily outrunning the Jesse James/Mac Tools dragster driven by fellow two-time series champ Scott Kalitta, which lost traction and rolled across the finish line in 7.055 at 121.99. Dixon was making his fifth straight final round appearance at Memphis Motorsports Park and his sixth overall. He has two victories and four runner-up finishes at the Tennessee facility. · Dixon’s win at Memphis gave the native Southern Californian 35 career victories, tying him for third on the all-time Top Fuel wins list with his childhood idol, ‘Big Daddy’ Don Garlits. Joe Amato leads all Top Fuel competitors with 52 career victories, followed by Kenny Bernstein with 39. · Native Australian Dave Grubnic earned his fifth No. 1 qualifying position of the season and the sixth of his career when he covered the distance in his Red Line Oil dragster in 4.580 at 315.34. Memphis Motorsports Park was the site of Grubnic’s first and only No. 1 spot prior to this season (1999). · The top three drivers in the POWERade point standings all had early exits at Memphis. Current leader Tony Schumacher and third-place Brandon Bernstein were both eliminated in the second round of competition while second-place Doug Kalitta was ousted in the first round by Scott Weis. Schumacher has a 141-point lead over Kalitta and a 177-point lead over Bernstein in the POWERade standings. · Local favorite Clay Millican and the Elvis Presley-themed 104+ Octane dragster defeated Grubnic for the Motel 6 Who Got the Light Award ($1,000). Millican’s margin of victory over Grubnic was .0006-second in the second round of Top Fuel eliminations. FUNNY CAR
· Whit Bazemore earned the No. 1 qualifying spot for the fourth time this season and the 28th time in his career. His Matco Tools Dodge Stratus R/T recorded an event-best time of 4.856 at 309.77 to pace the 16-car field. · With the win, combined with his victory over Gary Scelzi in the second round of eliminations, Force increased his lead in the POWERade standings to a 220-point advantage over Scelzi and to a 243-point lead over Bazemore, who also was eliminated in the second round.
PRO STOCK · Rookie sensation Jason Line scored his third victory of the season behind the wheel of the KB Framers Pontiac Grand Am with his run of 6.806 seconds at 201.58 mph, holding off 21-year-old Dave Connolly who made it to the finish line in 6.878 at 198.85 in his Bullet Motorsports Chevy Cavalier. · Line and teammate Greg Anderson are the only two Pro Stock drivers with multiple victories on the season. Line and Anderson have combined to win 15 of 17 races this year. Connolly (Brainerd, Minn.) and Kurt Johnson (Phoenix) account for the other two wins. · Connolly was making his fourth straight final round appearance (Seattle, Sonoma, Calif., Brainerd, Minn., and Memphis, Tenn.) and his sixth overall (Phoenix and Columbus, Ohio) this season. · Connolly earned his first career No. 1 qualifying position in his Cavalier, setting low E.T and top speed of the event with his effort of 6.777 at 202.61. · Defending NHRA POWERade champion and current leader of the POWERade point standings, Anderson, qualified his Summit Racing Pontiac Grand Am in the No. 5 position, his lowest qualifying spot since the 2003 season-opener at Pomona, Calif., when he started eliminations from the No. 9 spot. He has qualified in the top three at 38 of the past 40 events beginning with the 2003 season-opener, with 26 No. 1 spots, eight No. 2’s and four No. 3 positions, one No. 5 and one No. 9 spot. · Anderson, who has a 58-5 record in elimination rounds this year, was defeated in the semifinals by Connolly, his second semifinal loss of the season. Anderson has yet to be defeated in the second round of eliminations all season and has one first round loss (Englishtown, N.J.) in 2004. · Six-time champ Warren Johnson failed to qualify for eliminations. It was the third consecutive event that Johnson had posted a DNQ. Johnson had never failed to qualify for two consecutive races prior to 2004. In his 449-race NHRA career, Johnson has failed to qualify at a total of 11 national events, four of them coming this season. · Anderson currently has a nearly insurmountable lead in the POWERade standings with a 552-point lead over Line. Connolly has moved to third with his recent performance, 116 points behind Line and 48 points ahead of slumping Kurt Johnson, who dropped to fourth following his first round loss at Memphis.
PRO STOCK BIKE · Antron Brown ended a winless drought that spanned more than one calendar year, riding his U.S. Army Suzuki to the winner’s circle when first-time finalist Matt Smith left the starting line too early atop his Red Line Oil Suzuki and was disqualified. Despite the red-light start for Smith, Brown did have a perfect reaction time of .000 in the final round en route to his 12th career victory. · Andrew Hines continued his impressive season atop the Vance & Hines Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson, earning his seventh career No. 1 qualifying position, all coming this season. Hines’ Harley-Davidson sped to the finish line in an event-best time and speed of 7.132 at 188.17 to pace the two-wheel category. · Brown’s victory moved him into second place in the POWERade standings, 196 points behind Hines. Brown’s teammate, Angelle Savoie is three points behind him in third place while Shawn Gann dropped to fourth, 19 points behind Savoie and 10 points ahead of fifth place Craig Treble.
SATURDAY - GRUBNIC, BAZEMORE, CONNOLLY AND HINES EARN TOP SPOTS AT MEMPHIS
(8-21-2004) – Funny Car driver Whit Bazemore earned his 28th career No. 1 qualifying position Saturday at the 17th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Mid-South Nationals at Memphis Motorsports Park. David Grubnic (Top Fuel), Dave Connolly (Pro Stock) and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Bike) also were the No. 1 qualifiers in their respective categories at the $1.6 million race, the 17th of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Bazemore scored his fourth No. 1 spot of the season when he sped down the track in his Matco Tools Dodge Stratus R/T in 4.856 seconds at 306.26 mph to lead the 16-car field heading into Sunday’s eliminations where he will face No. 16 qualifier Ron Capps. Bazemore has had some good fortune the past two seasons at Memphis Motorsports Park, earning the top spot en route to the victory at last year’s event. The Indianapolis resident hopes to build on this weekend’s positive qualifying performance and gain some ground on the two drivers ahead of him in the POWERade standings, points leader John Force and his teammate Gary Scelzi. “Everything is still out there and possible to attain,” Bazemore said. “We haven't done ourselves any favors lately (losing in the first round at four of the last six events), but there are still seven races left and we must do everything we can to take advantage of every opportunity. The championship is within reach if all goes as planned. People get criticized for stating their goals and then coming up short later. Not us, we hang it all out there. We tell everyone our goal. We want the championship.”
Scelzi’s Hemi-powered Oakley Stratus recorded a time of 4.863 to secure the No. 2 spot, followed by Gary Densham, Tim Wilkerson, and defending NHRA POWERade champion Tony Pedregon. Grubnic powered the Red Line Oil dragster to the No. 1 spot in Top Fuel for the fifth time this season and for the sixth time in his career when he crossed the finish line in 4.580 at 315.34 to pace the field. Grubnic joined Kalitta Racing prior to the start of the 2004 season and once again his dragster out ran teammates Doug Kalitta and Scott Kalitta, who qualified second and fourth respectively. “The car has run the numbers to win," said Grubnic, who is 0-for-4 in final round appearances this year, including last weekend at Brainerd, Minn. "More than once in fact, but I let everyone down last week [with a holeshot loss in the final] and even though it wasn't a bad light I've still been carrying a brick around in my gut. It's tough to take.” “It's cool to do this here because I got my first No. 1 qualifier at this track in 1999 when I was with John Mitchell Racing. Also, Tim Kerrigan, the owner of Red Line Oil, is here with us this weekend and I know he's excited.”
Grubnic will meet sponsor-favorite Scott Palmer and the O’Reilly Auto Parts dragster in the opening round on Sunday. Current POWERade points leader Tony Schumacher qualified the U.S. Army dragster in the No. 3 spot and Brandon Bernstein will begin eliminations in the Budweiser dragster from the No. 5 position. The 21-year-old Connolly grabbed the No. 1 spot for the first time in his career, steering his Bullet Motorsports Chevy Cavalier to a category-best time of 6.777 at 202.61. Connolly, who has been in the final round at the last three events, continues to impress the rest of the field with his performance, which includes the first victory of his career last weekend at Brainerd, Minn. “The more and more laps you have when your car is running like this, the harder and harder you want to work because you just want more,” Connolly said. “This is really cool to be No. 1. The only thing that sucks is we have to race our buddy Stevie [Johns] in Round 1. That's just the way it shook out this week
Greg Anderson, who has dominated Pro Stock this year in the Summit Racing Pontiac Grand Am, qualified fifth, his worst starting position since he qualified ninth at the 2003 season opener at Pomona, Calif. Six-time Pro Stock champion Warren Johnson failed to qualify for the third straight event and for the fourth time this season. Johnson, who qualified for 303 straight events between 1987 and 2002, has failed to qualify 11 times in 449 career NHRA events. Hines rode his Vance & Hines Screamin’ Eagle Harley Davidson to the top of the qualifying order for the seventh time this season, all coming in 2004, with a time of 7.132 at 188.17 to lead all competitors in the two-wheel category. “I can't wait to get our V-Rod on the track tomorrow,” said the 21-year-old Hines. “We have a POWERade championship to win and it's all about going rounds at this point. We know what we need to do, I feel confident in my riding, and the Vance & Hines team is working real hard. We hope to have a big day tomorrow.” Hines entered the event with a category-best three victories in five final rounds and a 192-point lead over his closest competitor in the POWERade standings with four races remaining on the 15-race Pro Stock Bike schedule following the O’Reilly Auto Parts Mid-South Nationals. First-round pairings for Sunday’s eliminations for the 17th annual O'Reilly Auto Parts Mid-South Nationals at Memphis Motorsports Park, the 17th of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.
TOP FUEL 1. David Grubnic, 4.580 seconds, 315.34 mph vs. 16. Scott Palmer, 4.799, 295.59; 2. Doug Kalitta, 4.580, 309.63 vs. 15. Scott Weis, 4.790, 298.47; 3. Tony Schumacher, 4.581, 318.92 vs. 14. Rhonda Hartman-Smith, 4.774, 291.57; 4. Scott Kalitta, 4.582, 317.94 vs. 13. Joe Hartley, 4.758, 293.54; 5. Brandon Bernstein, 4.583, 320.51 vs. 12. Cory McClenathan, 4.750, 297.94; 6. Morgan Lucas, 4.605, 311.85 vs. 11. Bob Vandergriff, 4.727, 285.65; 7. Larry Dixon, 4.630, 314.39 vs. 10. Brady Kalivoda, 4.704, 309.70; 8. Doug Herbert, 4.642, 315.05 vs. 9. Clay Millican, 4.657, 303.43.
FUNNY CAR 1. Whit Bazemore, Dodge Stratus, 4.856, 309.77 vs. 16. Ron Capps, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.036, 295.53; 2. Gary Scelzi, Stratus, 4.863, 310.20 vs. 15. Bob Gilbertson, Pontiac Firebird, 5.027, 299.40; 3. Gary Densham, Ford Mustang, 4.866, 308.99 vs. 14. Tony Bartone, Firebird, 4.986, 299.13; 4. Tim Wilkerson, Monte Carlo, 4.874, 313.22 vs. 13. Jeff Arend, Chevy Corvette, 4.985, 286.32; 5. Tony Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.892, 298.73 vs. 12. Jim Head, Toyota Celica, 4.983, 305.77; 6. Eric Medlen, Mustang, 4.896, 307.16 vs. 11. Phil Burkart, Monte Carlo, 4.974, 305.70; 7. John Force, Mustang, 4.899, 309.91 vs. 10. Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.948, 296.37; 8. Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo, 4.905, 304.94 vs. 9. Del Worsham, Monte Carlo, 4.922, 309.84.
PRO STOCK 1. Dave Connolly, Chevy Cavalier, 6.777, 202.61 vs. 16. Steve Johns, Cavalier, 6.828, 201.49; 2. Jeg Coughlin, Cavalier, 6.787, 201.64 vs. 15. Jim Yates, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.826, 201.01; 3. Larry Morgan, Dodge Stratus, 6.794, 202.52 vs. 14. JR Carr, Cavalier, 6.821, 201.01; 4. Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.794, 201.19 vs. 13. V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.814, 201.49; 5. Greg Anderson, Grand Am, 6.799, 202.12 vs. 12. Mike Edwards, Grand Am, 6.813, 200.62; 6. Jason Line, Grand Am, 6.799, 201.37 vs. 11. Kenny Koretsky, Stratus, 6.810, 201.79; 7. Ron Krisher, Cavalier, 6.806, 202.03 vs. 10. Bruce Allen, Grand Am, 6.809, 202.00; 8. Rickie Smith, Cavalier, 6.806, 201.73 vs. 9. Kurt Johnson, Cavalier, 6.807, 201.61.
PRO STOCK BIKE 1. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 7.132, 188.17 vs. 16. Lloyd Straus, Suzuki, 7.333, 180.67; 2. Antron Brown, Suzuki, 7.191, 186.10 vs. 15. Kurt Matte, Suzuki, 7.322, 181.35; 3. Angelle Savoie, Suzuki, 7.200, 183.82 vs. 14. Blaine Hale, Suzuki, 7.315, 183.54; 4. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 7.216, 184.32 vs. 13. Mike Berry, Suzuki, 7.288, 182.58; 5. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.222, 184.95 vs. 12. Matt Smith, Suzuki, 7.255, 182.82; 6. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.222, 184.17 vs. 11. Michael Phillips, Suzuki, 7.254, 183.94; 7. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.222, 184.22 vs. 10. Shawn Gann, Suzuki, 7.233, 184.55; 8. GT Tonglet, Harley-Davidson, 7.226, 184.09 vs. 9. Chip Hunter, Suzuki, 7.229, 182.58.
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(8-21-2004) - Things got a little warm for Pro Stock Bike racer Angelle Savoie during Saturday's first qualifying session. (Roger Richards sequence)
FRIDAY - SCHUMACHER, BAZEMORE, CONNOLLY AND HINES ARE EARLY QUALIFYING LEADERS AT THE O’REILLY AUTO PARTS MID-SOUTH NATIONALS
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| Tony Schumacher blasted the U.S. Army dragster down the track in 4.581 seconds at 318.92 mph to lead the 16-car field after the first day of qualifying.. |
(8-20-2004) – Tony Schumacher led all Top Fuel competitors Friday at the 17th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Mid-South Nationals at Memphis Motorsports Park.
Whit Bazemore (Funny Car), Dave Connolly (Pro Stock) and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Bike) also were the provisional qualifying leaders of their respective categories at the $1.6 million race, the 17th of 23 races in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.
Schumacher blasted the U.S. Army dragster down the track in 4.581 seconds at 318.92 mph to lead the 16-car field after the first day of qualifying. The final two rounds of professional qualifying are schedule for Saturday at 3 and 6 p.m.
Schumacher, the current leader of the POWERade point standings, has a memorable history at the Memphis quarter-mile. In 2000 and 2003 Schumacher’s dragster went out of control near the finish line, resulting in spectacular crashes on both occasions. Following the 2003 incident, which occurred during the second qualifying session, the Chicago native earned some redemption by using a backup dragster and eventually winning the race.
"Teams can get momentum and then lose it and no one knows that better than us,” Schumacher said. “Because in 1999 (the year Schumacher won the championship), coming into this race, we fought off a huge potential shift in momentum. I remember we had one qualifying run that year, and smoked the tires. We weren't (qualified at that point) and then it rained like hell and we thought we were done. Joe Amato was 20 points behind us in the standings. But (NHRA) gave us one more qualifying session Sunday morning and we ran a big number and got in. We could have crumbled, but we didn't.
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| Whit Bazemore sped to the finish line in 4.862 at 309.77 to put his Matco Tools Dodge Stratus R/T atop the Funny Car order, giving Schumacher Racing the No. 1 spot in both nitro categories. |
“It seems like every season has those types of situations. I don't know if we've had it yet but I know that win last week in Brainerd was big and coming in here and getting the No. 1 spot tonight is big. The pressure starts to mount as you come down the stretch. We had a good first run today and that was key to our success, because it gave us a chance to run last in the night session."
Bazemore sped to the finish line in 4.862 at 309.77 to put his Matco Tools Dodge Stratus R/T atop the Funny Car order, giving Schumacher Racing the No. 1 spot in both nitro categories. Bazemore, the defending event champion, has been mired in a mid-season slump following a streak of four straight final round appearances and two victories which catapulted him atop the POWERade Funny Car point standings for the second time in his career.
"We've had a tough couple of months," Bazemore said. "We had an 80-point lead in the standings and we've given it all back and then some. But this is a never-say-die team. It's a very tight group and we all have the same goal; win the POWERade championship. Two good runs tonight doesn't mean we're back in the hunt just like that, but it does mean we're going in the right direction, which is very encouraging.”
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| David Connolly covered the quarter-mile in 6.790 at 202.58 behind the wheel of the Bullet Motorsports Chevy Cavalier to pace the Pro Stock field.. |
The 21-year-old Connolly covered the quarter-mile in 6.790 at 202.58 behind the wheel of the Bullet Motorsports Chevy Cavalier to pace the Pro Stock field. Connolly continues to build momentum following his first career victory last week at Brainerd, Minn. To earn the win the Ohio, native outran Greg Anderson in the final round. Anderson has dominated the Pro Stock category this season but Connolly has been improving over the past few weeks, appearing in the final round at the last three NHRA events (Brainerd, Sonoma, Calif., and Seattle).
"It's surprising to be outrunning Greg again," Connolly said. "I saw him down [in the shutdown area] and he thought he had made a good run with that 6.81. He asked me what I ran and when I said 6.79 he looked very surprised. Our team's a lot like his, we tasted victory and now we're working harder then ever to taste it again.”
Anderson has nearly secured his second consecutive NHRA POWERade Pro Stock championship by winning 12 of the first 16 events this season, but the final order of the Pro Stock standings is far from set.
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| Andrew Hines rode his Vance & Hines Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson to the finish line in 7.132 at 188.17 to lead the two-wheel category. . |
"This season's far from over. We could work our way up to second place if we keep this up. The team is strong and the guys are doing a great job. We won't catch Greg this year but we'll try to get some more wins from him. I just wish we could start next season right now."
Hines rode his Vance & Hines Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson to the finish line in 7.132 at 188.17 to lead the two-wheel category. Hines’s second qualifying pass of 7.183 was the quickest time of the round. Surprisingly, Hines’ leading time was ran during the first round of qualifying, when the track temperature was noticeably higher than during the later qualifying session.
"I think a lot of people overestimated the track tonight," said Hines. "I lined up against my teammate GT [Tonglet] so we were really racing each other and having fun, trying to put on a good show for the fans. My bike just didn't leave as hard as it did in the first round. That 7.13 was the best pass we've made since [the rules committee] added 40 pounds to the V-Rods."
Friday’s qualifying results for the 17th annual O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals presented by Pennzoil at Memphis Motorsports Park, the 17th of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.
TOP FUEL -- 1. Tony Schumacher, 4.581 seconds, 318.92 mph; 2. Scott Kalitta, 4.603, 314.31; 3. Brandon Bernstein, 4.630, 313.44; 4. Larry Dixon, 4.637, 314.39; 5. David Grubnic, 4.640, 300.26; 6. Doug Herbert, 4.642, 315.05; 7. Brady Kalivoda, 4.704, 308.71; 8. Joe Hartley, 4.758, 293.54; 9. Morgan Lucas, 4.782, 301.13; 10. Scott Weis, 4.790, 298.47; 11. Scott Palmer, 4.814, 294.82; 12. John Smith, 4.876, 293.73; 13. Rhonda Hartman-Smith, 4.899, 267.80; 14. Cory McClenathan, 4.900, 297.55; 15. Clay Millican, 4.920, 286.86; 16. Bob Vandergriff, 4.967, 285.65.
FUNNY CAR -- 1. Whit Bazemore, Dodge Stratus, 4.862, 309.77; 2. Tommy Johnson Jr., Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.905, 304.80; 3. Gary Densham, Ford Mustang, 4.906, 306.53; 4. Eric Medlen, Mustang, 4.920, 307.16; 5. Tony Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.964, 298.73; 6. Phil Burkart, Monte Carlo, 4.974, 305.70; 7. Gary Scelzi, Stratus, 4.974, 297.09; 8. Del Worsham, Monte Carlo, 4.985, 296.24; 9. Jeff Arend, Chevy Corvette, 4.985, 286.32; 10. Tim Wilkerson, Monte Carlo, 4.991, 303.91; 11. Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 5.020, 279.56; 12. John Force, Mustang, 5.025, 292.96; 13. Bob Gilbertson, Pontiac Firebird, 5.027, 299.40; 14. Tony Bartone, Firebird, 5.039, 295.59; 15. Jim Head, Toyota Celica, 5.130, 289.32; 16. Ron Capps, Monte Carlo, 5.147, 281.07.
PRO STOCK -- 1. Dave Connolly, Chevy Cavalier, 6.790, 202.58; 2. Greg Anderson, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.816, 201.49; 3. Bruce Allen, Grand Am, 6.820, 201.64; 4. Jason Line, Grand Am, 6.824, 201.34; 5. Larry Morgan, Dodge Stratus, 6.826, 201.82; 6. Rickie Smith, Cavalier, 6.826, 201.22; 7. Jim Yates, Grand Am, 6.832, 200.59; 8. Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.833, 200.80; 9. V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.834, 200.98; 10. Kenny Koretsky, Stratus, 6.838, 201.10; 11. Jeg Coughlin, Cavalier, 6.842, 201.16; 12. Ron Krisher, Cavalier, 6.848, 200.80; 13. Kurt Johnson, Cavalier, 6.850, 201.10; 14. Mark Whisnant, Cavalier, 6.854, 200.98; 15. Steve Johns, Cavalier, 6.855, 201.22; 16. Mike Edwards, Grand Am, 6.858, 200.32.
PRO STOCK BIKE -- 1. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 7.132, 188.17; 2. Antron Brown, Suzuki, 7.199, 186.10; 3. Angelle Savoie, Suzuki, 7.200, 183.82; 4. GT Tonglet, Harley-Davidson, 7.228, 184.09; 5. Chip Hunter, Suzuki, 7.229, 182.40; 6. Shawn Gann, Suzuki, 7.233, 184.55; 7. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 7.233, 182.55; 8. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.237, 184.17; 9. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.238, 184.22; 10. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.240, 184.95; 11. Michael Phillips, Suzuki, 7.254, 183.94; 12. Matt Smith, Suzuki, 7.255, 182.82; 13. Mike Berry, Suzuki, 7.288, 182.58; 14. Blaine Hale, Suzuki, 7.315, 183.54; 15. Kurt Matte, Suzuki, 7.322, 180.89; 16. Lloyd Straus, Suzuki, 7.333, 180.67.
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