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NHRA O'Reilly Fall Nationals - Dallas, Texas
The latest results from the NHRA O'Reilly Fall Nationals, Dallas, Texas., the twentieth stop on the 2004 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series tour
by Bobby Bennett
Photos by Roger Richards

SUNDAY - SCHUMACHER, WORSHAM AND CONNOLLY EARN VICTORIES AT O’REILLY NHRA FALL NATIONALS; Anderson clinches NHRA POWERade world championship in Pro Stock

(9-26-2004) – Tony Schumacher moved closer to his second NHRA POWERade Series Top Fuel world championship title with a victory Sunday at the O’Reilly Fall Nationals presented by Castrol Syntec while Pro Stock dominator Greg Anderson clinched his second consecutive series crown.

Del Worsham and Dave Connolly also were winners at the Texas Motorplex in their categories at the $1.7 million race, the 19th of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.

Schumacher took his second win at this track and 19th of his career by powering his U.S. Army dragster to a 4.575-second pass at 325.85 mph in the final to beat Australian Dave Grubnic, who remained winless in his career by clocking a 4.623 at 323.97 in the Red Line Oil dragster.

"This was a big day for us," said Schumacher of his eighth win of the season. "I feel good because I have a great team. Even if we started (the points chase) over again right now I'd still feel confident about our chances because if you look at the four races we've got left, I'd stack my guys up against any other team. We've won at all four places in the past so I feel like we can win any of them again.”

With the victory, Schumacher extended his series lead to 217 over Doug Kalitta..

"I won my first race ever at this race track in 1999 and we went on to win the championship that year so maybe we can do that again this year,” Schumacher said. “There are 16 rounds left and we have almost an 11-round cushion over Kalitta so it looks good. We're also looking at our win total. We have eight wins now and the record is nine (Gary Scelzi 2000 and Larry Dixon 2003) so maybe we can go after that too."

Anderson claimed his $200,000 world championship title for Pro Stock earlier than any driver in NHRA history when his closest points challenger, Jason Line, lost in the first round and became mathematically eliminated from contention. Line’s result made Anderson’s first round meeting with rival Kurt Johnson a moot point.

John Force previously held the mark for clinching a championship in the shortest amount of time as he won the ’96 Funny Car title in the semifinals at Indianapolis with four races remaining.

“It feels really good to clinch the championship again here in Dallas, although this year was two races earlier on the schedule,” said Anderson, a Duluth, Minn. native who now calls Charlotte, N.C. home. “These are some serious records and anytime you can be mentioned alongside John Force you know you must be doing something right.”

Anderson’s amazing 2004 season has included 13 victories in 15 final round appearances, 13 No. 1 qualifying awards and an elimination round record of 62-6. His points lead over Line is 638. All that, and he still has four races remaining on the schedule. Several other key records are within his reach, including most victories in a season, most No. 1 qualifying awards, most final rounds and most elimination round wins.

“What we’ve been able to do this year is just incredible,” Anderson said. “We have accomplished a lot, but winning this POWERade championship was our main goal. I have a great team with some talented guys and we have great sponsors in Summit Racing Equipment and Mac Tools. We are going to continue to work hard and see if we can win a few more races at the last four events. This season is really beyond our dreams. It’s that big.”

Worsham claimed his fourth victory of the season in as many final round appearances by outrunning veteran Cruz Pedregon in the final. Worsham posted a winning effort of 4.934 at 315.56 in his Checker Schuck’s Kragen Chevy Monte Carlo, while Pedregon trailed with a 4.948 at 307.02 in his Advance Auto Parts Monte Carlo.

"It's cool being 4-0 in finals this year but we haven't always been unbeatable in final rounds,” said a smiling Worsham, who has 18 career victories, and also won at the Motorplex in ‘02. “Go look at my record in the '90s. We do love running at this track though. This place is awesome for Funny Cars."

Force, eyeing a 13th POWERade title, increased his series points lead to 228 over Gary Scelzi with a semifinal effort.

Connolly earned his second career Pro Stock victory by defeating local favorite Bruce Allen from nearby Arlington. Connolly drove his Bullet Motorsports Chevy Cavalier to a winning time of 6.810 at 203.74 to hold off Allen’s charging Reher-Morrison Pontiac Grand Am, which clocked a 6.891 at 202.79.

"I looked over in the final and saw all those people behind (Allen's) car and one of them yelled over, 'Hey, let him win, he's from Texas,'” Connolly said with a grin. “I thought that was cool, but I wasn't going to give it up that easy.”

Connolly, making his fifth final round appearance in the last six races, moved to within two rounds of second place in the points standings with his victory.

“We're running real well right now but the scary part of this class is we could go into the off-season and everyone could catch us and pass us and make us look stupid by the spring,” he said. “You have to ride it when you can and that's what we're doing. Hopefully we can finish in second place. That would be pretty good for our first full year out here."

The NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series continues with the fourth annual CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals, Sept. 30-Oct. 3 at Route 66 Raceway near Chicago.

Sportsman Finals

Sunday Notes - Not a good day for the underdogs; Anderson clinches and those cagey Johnsons

Underdogs run over - None of the second half qualifiers in Top Fuel survived the first round of eliminations.

Let the silly season begin – A fourth nitro car in the Kalitta camp, but this one a flopper? A Capps headed to the Schumacher clan? Prudhomme downsizing? Schumacher expanding? Burkart to Prudhomme? Those are all questions that have interesting rumors as answers. Time will tell where these lead to.

The first upset – The first upset of the day didn’t happen until the second pair of Funny Cars. Defending World Champion Tony Pedregon had the dubious honor of being the first top-half qualifier to go down in defeat. Ironically, it was a battle of oil cars with Phil Burkart running the Havoline entry and topping Pedregon’s Quaker State Chevrolet.

Those Johnsons, the spoilers – It wasn’t enough that Kurt Johnson took out Greg Anderson in the first round, but it was his father that got into the spirit of the kill. Warren Johnson, in the midst of one of his toughest seasons, took a successful stab at low qualifier Jeggie Coughlin and won.

"We were just a little too aggressive," Coughlin said. "We were fine down low [in first gear] but when I put it into second it just fried the tires. The car hopped right up and came over the top and that was all she wrote. I think I shifted straight into fourth gear trying to calm it down and I had my hands full there for a little while."

Kurt used a holeshot to get the best of Anderson.

“It’s a good feeling anytime you can put the World Champion on the trailer, especially on a holeshot. I had felt pretty confident yesterday, knowing that we were within a couple of hundredths of him. We made some changes to the car and it responded.

“It was just a good; old-fashioned drag race. I guess I’ve racked up enough losses against him in the last year and a half that it was bound to start swinging our way.”

Two losses = A Championship – That’s the way it worked out for Anderson as teammate Jason Line, second in points lost in the first round.

It is the earliest that any NHRA professional category driver has clinched an NHRA POWERade title. Funny Car kingpin John Force held the previous record by clinching his sixth series title in the semifinals at Indianapolis in 1996 with four races remaining on the schedule.

“Certainly that wasn’t the way we wanted to finish this championship run because we wanted to win this race, but that one round wasn’t the championship,” said Anderson, who has held the POWERade Series lead since the season’s opening event.

“I think the way we ran all season has put us in this position, and I am very happy to win the POWERade world championship again because you just never know if you are going to be able to win another one,” the driver of the Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac Grand Am added. “When I saw that Jason lost and I was told we had clinched, I think I just had a little break in concentration for that run and Kurt was on his game, which I expected.”

Anderson’s amazing 2004 season has included 13 victories in 15 final round appearances, 13 No. 1 qualifying awards and an elimination round record of 62-6. His points lead over Line is 638. All that, and he still has four races remaining on the schedule.

Who’s the Boss? – “You want to go out there in grand fashion and show them who’s boss. Today, Kurt showed us who was boss.” – Greg Anderson on losing to Kurt Johnson in the first round.

One Upmanship - In the opening round of the NHRA O’Reilly Fall Nationals at the Texas Motorplex, David Baca, from Brentwood, Calif., in the D. Baca & Family Top Fuel Dragster, ran a respectable 4.693-second pass, only to lose.

His opponent, Larry Dixon, ran the quickest time in round one – a 4.590 seconds at 321.60 mph.

“It seems like every time we run good enough to win, our opponent goes us one better,” said Baca. “We have a car that with some backing from corporate America can be the car that runs the top time of the round. We are building for next year and feel we are developing a tune up that will make a sponsor proud in 2005.”

Did he say that? – “It just like anything you do for the first time…it feels really good.” – Greg Anderson on winning the championship earlier than any other NHRA professional team. The response elicited a few chuckles in the pressroom.

Daughter Knows Best – “I don’t know that I ought to go up and wish him luck anymore, it always seems to put too much pressure on him.” – Ashley Force on reaching the winner’s circle while her dad lost in the semis.

The Scelzi Rollercoaster - Well, there's good and news and bad news
coming out of today's Funny Car eliminations for Gary Scelzi. The good news is that John Force did not win the event. In fact, he red-lighted for the third time this season in the semifinal round against Cruz Pedregon. The bad news is that Scelzi lost in the second round to Cruz Pedregon.

However, the combination of these two events brings some relatively good
news to Scelzi and his HEMI-powered Oakley Dodge Stratus team, as Force's lead in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Funny Car standings has extended to only 22 more points over Scelzi, and with four races remaining, Force has 1457 points, Scelzi 1229. Like they say, 'it coulda been worse,' and Scelzi remains in the running for his first Funny Car championship on top of three Top Fuel crowns.

Final round-by-round results from the 19th annual O'Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals presented by Castrol Syntec at Texas Motorplex, the 20th of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series

TOP FUEL:

ROUND ONE -- Morgan Lucas, 4.684, 316.01 def. Doug Herbert, 5.033, 236.13; Larry Dixon, 4.590, 321.50 def. David Baca, 4.693, 313.51; Scott Kalitta, 4.937, 284.09 def. Scott Weis, 7.080, 117.36; Cory McClenathan, 4.664, 316.82 def. Joe Hartley, 4.847, 303.37; Tony Schumacher, 4.622, 322.19 def. Andrew Cowin, 4.720, 316.90; Brandon Bernstein, 4.610, 327.59 def. Rhonda Hartman-Smith, 4.721, 315.49; David Grubnic, 4.913, 241.71 def. John Smith, 6.756, 136.21; Doug Kalitta, 4.658, 311.77 def. Mitch King, foul;

QUARTERFINALS -- Lucas, 4.693, 313.07 def. D. Kalitta, 4.741, 303.78; Schumacher, 4.677, 316.75 def. McClenathan, 6.449, 130.35; S. Kalitta, 4.640, 320.20 def. Bernstein, 4.646, 318.77; Grubnic, 4.662, 319.07 def. Dixon, 4.615, 310.48;

SEMIFINALS -- Schumacher, 4.588, 325.14 def. Lucas, 4.653, 318.62; Grubnic, 4.632, 316.38 def. S. Kalitta, 6.377, 135.99;

FINAL -- Schumacher, 4.575, 325.85 def. Grubnic, 4.623, 323.97.

FUNNY CAR:

ROUND ONE -- Del Worsham, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.995, 254.81 def. Tim Wilkerson, Monte Carlo, foul; John Force, Ford Mustang, 4.883, 318.54 def. Jeff Arend, Chevy Corvette, 5.292, 238.05; Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 5.447, 208.33 def. Ron Capps, Monte Carlo, 6.471, 158.24; Phil Burkart, Monte Carlo, 4.948, 308.64 def. Tony Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 6.791, 129.55; Whit Bazemore, Dodge Stratus, 4.957, 300.60 def. Johnny Gray, Stratus, 7.397, 113.86; Eric Medlen, Mustang, 4.918, 316.90 def. Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo, 5.533, 196.33; Gary Scelzi, Stratus, 4.947, 297.02 def. Jerry Toliver, Toyota Celica, 7.358, 115.31; Gary Densham, Mustang, 4.896, 315.12 def. Tony Bartone, Pontiac Firebird, 5.985, 156.72;

QUARTERFINALS -- Worsham, 4.912, 316.60 def. Bazemore, 4.950, 306.33; Medlen, 4.924, 316.08 def. Burkart, 5.041, 302.82; Force, 4.891, 315.19 def. Densham, 6.073, 152.55; C. Pedregon, 4.950, 312.50 def. Scelzi, 5.296, 216.06;

FINAL -- Worsham, 4.934, 315.56 def. C. Pedregon, 4.948, 307.02.

PRO STOCK:

ROUND ONE -- Bruce Allen, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.850, 203.16 def. Ron Krisher, Chevy Cavalier, foul; Allen Johnson, Dodge Stratus, 6.834, 203.00 def. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.847, 203.31; Dave Connolly, Cavalier, 6.809, 203.37 def. Kenny Koretsky, Stratus, foul; Greg Stanfield, Cavalier, 6.832, 203.03 def. Jason Line, Grand Am, 6.841, 202.88; Rickie Smith, Cavalier, 6.819, 202.94 def. Mike Edwards, Grand Am, 6.796, 203.43; Steve Johns, Cavalier, 6.822, 202.52 def. Mark Whisnant, Cavalier, 6.833, 202.45; Kurt Johnson, Cavalier, 6.827, 202.42 def. Greg Anderson, Grand Am, 6.813, 203.34; Warren Johnson, Grand Am, 6.836, 203.12 def. Jeg Coughlin, Cavalier, 7.292, 162.08;

QUARTERFINALS -- Allen, 6.893, 201.85 def. W. Johnson, 6.956, 196.64; A. Johnson, 6.850, 202.82 def. Johns, 6.821, 203.22; Connolly, 6.838, 203.52 def. K. Johnson, 6.857, 202.58; Smith, 6.826, 202.85 def. Stanfield, foul;

SEMIFINALS -- Connolly, 6.816, 203.31 def. A. Johnson, 6.863, 202.76; Allen, 6.851, 202.94 def. Smith, 6.832, 202.55;

FINAL -- Connolly, 6.810, 203.74 def. Allen, 6.891, 202.79.

a d v e r t i s e m e n t

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Saturday - ANDERSON CAN CLINCH SECOND NHRA POWERADE SERIES PRO STOCK CROWN WITH FIRST ROUND WIN AT O’REILLY FALL NATIONALS; Kalitta, Force and Coughlin claim No. 1 qualifying positions at Texas Motorplex

(9-25-2004) – Pro Stock dominator Greg Anderson moved into position to clinch his second consecutive NHRA POWERade Series world championship by qualifying third Saturday at the O’Reilly Fall Nationals presented by Castrol Syntec at the Texas Motorplex.

Anderson needs only to win his first round match against rival Kurt Johnson in Sunday’s 11 a.m. eliminations to secure the $200,000 season-long title. Anderson, who is enjoying one of the most impressive seasons in NHRA Pro Stock history, also could set the NHRA single-season win record at 14 with a race victory.

"Facing Kurt in the first round is perfect," Anderson said of his former teammate. "We have a lot of history together and I’m sure both of us will be looking forward to it. This is where we clinched our championship last year and I would like nothing more than to do it here this year too, especially since it’s two races earlier than last year."

Should Anderson beat Johnson in their first round meeting, it would be the earliest that any NHRA driver has clinched a championship title. In 1996 John Force secured his sixth championship in the semifinals at Indianapolis with four races remaining on the schedule.

Doug Kalitta, Force and Jeg Coughlin earned No. 1 qualifying positions at the $1.7 million race, the 19th of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.

Kalitta claimed his fifth No. 1 effort of the season and the 21st of his Top Fuel career by posting a 4.536-second run at 306.26 mph in his Mac Tools dragster.

"We just wanted to get a good run in without throwing out the rods," said Kalitta, who had engine troubles during both of his Friday passes. "We drove it on down through there with a 4.61 and it was nice and clean at the other end so we're feeling a lot better about tomorrow. We figured out we had too much compression so we put a different injector on there. Then it was just a matter of getting the fuel mixture right.”

A winner at the Motorplex in 2002, Kalitta desperately needs another victory here tomorrow to keep his championship hopes alive against leader Tony Schumacher, who qualified fourth in the U.S. Army dragster.

“We need to be ready to go tomorrow because there aren't any gimmes,” Kalitta added. “We could get (Tony) Schumacher in the semis so if we can take him out and win the race we'll gain two rounds back. That would be huge."

Force earned his fifth top qualifying effort of the year and the 122nd of his career in Funny Car by clocking a 4.784 at 324.20 in his Castrol GTX Start Up Ford Mustang. It was his 11th No. 1 at the Motorplex, a track Force says is one of his favorites.

Force is trying to close in on his 13th POWERade Series championship and says he is counting every single point, including the eight he earned today. He leads closest contender Gary Scelzi – who qualified third in his Oakley Hemi Dodge Stratus – by 208 following qualifying.

"The competition out here is the best that it's been since I've been racing Funny Car," said Force, who has earned six of his 113 career victories at the Texas track. “There isn't just three or four hitters any more, there's 16 guys who can win at this event. Every one of these guys has run 4.80s before and if you can run 4.80s, you can win races, plain and simple."

Coughlin earned his first No. 1 effort in more than a year and eighth overall by powering his Jeg’s Mail Order Chevy Cavalier to a track record performance of 6.774 at 204.35.

"Our last No. 1 qualifier was last year in Memphis so this feels real good," Coughlin said. "We've had a real resurgence over the last three races. We rolled out with three new motors and have picked up each race since then. We did well in Brainerd, finished in the semifinals at both Memphis and Indy, and now here we are. We'll see if we can't go coast-to-coast tomorrow.

Coughlin, a two-time NHRA world champion, hopes his late season surge is a sign of good things to come as he and the rest of the Pro Stock community continue to try and find a way to beat Anderson.

"There have been a few other teams challenging Greg (Anderson) and now we're getting into the mix,” Coughlin said. “I hope we can finish 2004 strong and get into the top five. Plus we'd like to get a win. There have only been four winners in the class this year and I'd like to be No. 5."

First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the 19th annual O'Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals presented by Castrol Syntec at Texas Motorplex, the 20th of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday.

Top Fuel -- 1. Doug Kalitta, 4.536 seconds, 320.36 mph vs. 16. Mitch King, 4.813, 298.47; 2. David Grubnic, 4.540, 326.79 vs. 15. John Smith, 4.756, 300.20; 3. Brandon Bernstein, 4.578, 326.40 vs. 14. Rhonda Hartman-Smith, 4.716, 316.23; 4. Tony Schumacher, 4.582, 324.36 vs. 13. Andrew Cowin, 4.706, 316.38; 5. Cory McClenathan, 4.585, 305.70 vs. 12. Joe Hartley, 4.696, 319.37; 6. Scott Kalitta, 4.589, 324.75 vs. 11. Scott Weis, 4.679, 309.98; 7. Larry Dixon, 4.590, 317.94 vs. 10. David Baca, 4.648, 312.06; 8. Morgan Lucas, 4.619, 318.24 vs. 9. Doug Herbert, 4.631, 316.38.

Funny Car -- 1. John Force, Ford Mustang, 4.784, 324.20 vs. 16. Jeff Arend, Chevy Corvette, 4.932, 312.93; 2. Tony Pedregon, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.810, 318.02 vs. 15. Phil Burkart, Monte Carlo, 4.912, 313.58; 3. Gary Scelzi, Dodge Stratus, 4.830, 321.42 vs. 14. Jerry Toliver, Toyota Celica, 4.912, 311.34; 4. Whit Bazemore, Stratus, 4.834, 322.04 vs. 13. Johnny Gray, Stratus, 4.910, 313.44; 5. Del Worsham, Monte Carlo, 4.835, 317.72 vs. 12. Tim Wilkerson, Monte Carlo, 4.898, 314.02; 6. Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.845, 316.38 vs. 11. Ron Capps, Monte Carlo, 4.892, 315.64; 7. Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo, 4.848, 320.97 vs. 10. Eric Medlen, Mustang, 4.879, 317.79; 8. Gary Densham, Mustang, 4.855, 318.17 vs. 9. Tony Bartone, Pontiac Firebird, 4.859, 312.71.

Pro Stock -- 1. Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Cavalier, 6.774, 204.35 vs. 16. Warren Johnson, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.819, 202.73; 2. Steve Johns, Cavalier, 6.780, 204.14 vs. 15. Mark Whisnant, Cavalier, 6.816, 202.61; 3. Greg Anderson, Grand Am, 6.786, 203.55 vs. 14. Kurt Johnson, Cavalier, 6.812, 202.88; 4. Mike Edwards, Grand Am, 6.786, 203.49 vs. 13. Rickie Smith, Cavalier, 6.808, 203.25; 5. Jason Line, Grand Am, 6.788, 203.52 vs. 12. Greg Stanfield, Cavalier, 6.807, 203.61; 6. Kenny Koretsky, Dodge Stratus, 6.793, 203.31 vs. 11. Dave Connolly, Cavalier, 6.803, 202.85; 7. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.794, 203.65 vs. 10. Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.803, 203.25; 8. Ron Krisher, Cavalier, 6.799, 203.83 vs. Bruce Allen, Grand Am, 6.801, 203.77

Now That's a Hot Head

SATURDAY NOTES – Stewart joins the Boyz, Scelzi’s in control and Coughlin rules

Welcome Aboard - Veteran crew chief, John Stewart, has joined Carrier Boyz Racing as the co-crew chief on the Carrier Boyz Berryman Products Top Fuel Dragster.

“Todd Smith is the crew chief for our program here at Carrier Boyz Racing, and we have brought John Stewart on as co-crew chief to be another set of eyes for Todd,” said McClenathan. “In this day and time, as complex as these Top Fuel dragsters are, two heads are better than one. This is especially true when you’re up against teams like the three Kalitta cars, Dick LaHaie’s and Tim Richards’ beer cars,2 and Alan Johnson’s the Army of One car.

“Todd and John worked really good together last year when all three of us were with Darrell Gwynn Racing. This year, Todd has done real well taking this car to two finals and winning one. But if you are going to chase a championship you need a total package, and that what’s we have with Todd and John. Together they do such a good job. It’s hard to overlook that.”

Scelzi’s got it under control – Gary Scelzi loves it when a plan comes together.

"Aside from the first run yesterday (5.847,163.69), the HEMI-powered Oakley Dodge has done everything Mike's wanted it to do. We're still trying to refine some things in the clutch to not make it smoke the tires. We missed it a little bit on the first run today (4.865, 5308.07), and it didn't run exactly how we wanted it to. Instead, it dropped a cylinder, but it still ran an .85.

"This afternoon we tried to run a low .80 and -poof! - here comes an .83 at 321 mph. It's acting like it's supposed to do.

"I think we're in great shape. The racetrack was actually really tight, so it may have taken a little bit more. You don't want to go for the throat. You want to know what you can race with and that's what we've been doing. So we ran an .83. It has all been in the .80s. Everything is ready to roll and we'll just go see what happens tomorrow."

Scelzi will face Jerry Toliver in the first round of eliminations.

Hold that flight! – Top Fuel racer David Baca had a tough time on Friday. After missing his flight on Thursday evening, the quickest he could get to the track was on Friday. The only problem is that he didn’t arrive until Friday afternoon, causing him to miss the first session. However, he was able to make it in for the second round, and entering the final session, was still in the show.

An Aussie will figure it out – When Aussie Top Fuel racer, Andrew Cowin, hurt the supercharger on his Friday pass, it created another problem the team inadvertently overlooked for the first session on Saturday. In repairing the wounded blower, the rotors were inadvertently reinstalled backward. When troubleshooting what created a less than spectacular effort, the team conferred with fellow Aussie Top Fueler David Grubnic. He’s the one that successfully diagnosed the problem.

Cowin produced his best run of the weekend during the ensuing session with a 4.706, 316.38.

Coughlin for real - Jeg Coughlin secured his eighth career Low Qualifier award Saturday at the Texas Motorplex. The feat is worth $3,000 from King Demon Crown.

Coughlin proved his class-leading, Friday night pass of 6.775 seconds at 204.20 mph was a true representation of his Jeg's Mail Order Chevrolet Cavalier's potential. He then backed up the run in Saturday's heat with a slightly quicker 6.774 at 204.35 mph. Both marks set the Motorplex track records. This is Coughlin's first No. 1 qualifying effort of '04.

"Getting the No. 1 qualifier means a lot to us," Coughlin said. "We always enjoy adding to our list of accolades, and this particular low qualifier award comes during a time when I think we're seeing our class at it's finest. Pro Stock is the toughest it's ever been, so any time you can say you're No. 1, even if it's just for a day, is an honor.

"This isn't a fluke. We've been near the front of the pack for the last few races. At this particular race we've had the best speed and back half on every pass. That's very encouraging. We just haven't put it all together on race day yet. We keep getting to the semifinal, but we need to find a way to go four rounds and get a win."

Diamond in the rough – Funny Car racer, Jeff Arend extended his qualifying streak to 12 races on Saturday. It was the 14th time this season that Arend has qualified the CMKXtreme Machine Corvette for an NHRA national event. The 41-year-old Canadian native grabbed the No. 16 position and will face No. 1 qualifier, John Force, during the first round of eliminations on Sunday.

FRIDAY - FORCE, KALITTA AND COUGHLIN QUALIFYING LEADERS AT O’REILLY FALL NATIONALS

(9-23-2004) – John Force raced to the qualifying lead in Funny Car Friday at the O’Reilly Fall Nationals presented by Castrol Syntec at the Texas Motorplex.

Doug Kalitta and Jeg Coughlin also were qualifying leaders in their categories at the $1.7 million race, the 19th of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.

Force powered his Castrol GTX Start Up Ford Mustang down the famed all-concrete quarter-mile in a leading time of 4.784 seconds at 324.20 mph to pace the 16-car field.

"Billy (Meyer, track owner) was a Funny Car guy so he built a track that he knew would work good for Funny Cars," Force said. "The track was good tonight and so was the air so we were able to put a good number up there. Plus, we ran a 4.91 in the opening round so we knew we could push it tonight and still be safe if we smoked the tires.”

Force, a six-time winner at the Motorplex, is trying to put the finishing touches on a record 13th NHRA world championship and he says every point counts this late in the season.

"(Crew chief Austin) Coil says I've got the best car I've had in the last 10 years,” Force said. “It runs good at night and it runs good in the day, in the heat. That's important. We need the best car because we need to earn points, even in qualifying, and get this championship done. That's what we're thinking about right now."

Tony Pedregon was second with a 4.810 at 318.02 in the Quaker State Chevy Monte Carlo, while Whit Bazemore drove his Matco Tools Dodge Stratus to a third place effort of 4.834 at 322.04.

Kalitta raced to the front of the Top Fuel lineup with a 4.536 at 306.26 in his Mac Tools dragster, however at the end of both of his qualifying attempts today his car suffered minor engine explosions.

"We tried a different (set up) with the injector and blew it up pretty good," Kalitta said. "But until it threw the rods out we were running strong. The car quit at about 1,000 feet that time so it probably had a lot more in there. We're upset about blowing up but happy to get a good number up there and put our team in a good position for Sunday.”

Like Force, Kalitta hopes to maximize points earning opportunities in the last five races. However, unlike Force, he is chasing series leader Tony Schumacher, who experienced mechanical problems on the second of two runs today and is currently ninth with a 4.633 at 317.57 in his U.S. Army dragster.

"We can't be blowing anything up on race day,” Kalitta said. “Our chances of catching Schumacher are getting pretty scarce. If we don't gain a big chunk at each of these last few races we're in trouble. But I have a great group and we'll stay after it and see what happens."

Kalitta teammate David Grubnic is second with a 4.540 at 322.11 in the Red Line Oil dragster, while Cory McClenathan posted a 4.585 at 305.70 in his Carrier Boyz/Berryman dragster for third overall.

Coughlin drove his Jeg’s Mail Order Chevy Cavalier to a track record performance of 6.775 at 204.20 to lead the Pro Stock order.

“From daytime to night this track gets so much better," Coughlin said. "And today, especially after the fuel cars ran a round and filled in the bare spots, this track was great from start to finish. My guys did a good job of hitting the set-up just right and we were able to open strong. We're happy. We’ve got a new motor in the car and it's satisfying and a real credit to our guy's labor that we've been able to close the gap on Greg Anderson and the two Grump-powered cars. Like I said, we're pretty happy right now."

Anderson, who could clinch his second POWERade Series world championship this weekend, was second with a 6.786 at 203.55 in his Summit Racing Pontiac Grand Am. Anderson needs to qualify in the top four and advance to the second round in order to claim the series crown.

Qualifying continues Saturday at noon and 2:30 p.m. Eliminations start Sunday at 11 a.m.

Results Friday after qualifying for the 19th annual O'Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals presented by Castrol Syntec at Texas Motorplex, 20th of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday's final eliminations.

Top Fuel -- 1. Doug Kalitta, 4.536 seconds, 311.20 mph; 2. David Grubnic, 4.540, 323.89; 3. Cory McClenathan, 4.585, 305.70; 4. Scott Kalitta, 4.589, 315.12; 5. Brandon Bernstein, 4.607, 326.40; 6. Larry Dixon, 4.625, 316.38; 7. Doug Herbert, 4.631, 316.38; 8. Morgan Lucas, 4.632, 314.17; 9. Tony Schumacher, 4.633, 317.57; 10. David Baca, 4.648, 293.41; 11. Joe Hartley, 4.696, 319.37; 12. Rhonda Hartman-Smith, 4.729, 313.95; 13. Scott Weis, 4.755, 309.98; 14. John Smith, 4.756, 300.20; 15. Mitch King, 4.813, 298.47; 16. Bill Ancona, 4.869, 281.07.

Funny Car -- 1. John Force, Ford Mustang, 4.784, 324.20; 2. Tony Pedregon, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.810, 318.02; 3. Whit Bazemore, Dodge Stratus, 4.834, 322.04; 4. Del Worsham, Monte Carlo, 4.835, 312.93; 5. Gary Scelzi, Stratus, 4.851, 320.28; 6. Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo, 4.869, 319.37; 7. Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.875, 312.71; 8. Eric Medlen, Mustang, 4.893, 306.53; 9. Ron Capps, Monte Carlo, 4.894, 315.64; 10. Tim Wilkerson, Monte Carlo, 4.898, 314.02; 11. Phil Burkart, Monte Carlo, 4.912, 283.85; 12. Frank Pedregon, Pontiac Firebird, 4.945, 305.84; 13. Gary Densham, Mustang, 4.984, 293.92; 14. Jeff Arend, Chevy Corvette, 4.995, 306.67; 15. Tony Bartone, Firebird, 5.146, 256.55; 16. Jerry Toliver, Toyota Celica, 5.180, 289.32.

Pro Stock -- 1. Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Cavalier, 6.775, 204.20; 2. Greg Anderson, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.786, 203.55; 3. Mike Edwards, Grand Am, 6.791, 203.49; 4. Larry Morgan, Dodge Stratus, 6.794, 203.34; 5. Jason Line, Grand Am, 6.801, 202.45; 6. Ron Krisher, Cavalier, 6.802, 203.28; 7. Dave Connolly, Cavalier, 6.803, 202.85; 8. Kenny Koretsky, Stratus, 6.811, 203.31; 9. Greg Stanfield, Cavalier, 6.812, 202.88; 10. Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.815, 202.97; 11. Bruce Allen, Grand Am, 6.816, 203.52; 12. Steve Johns, Cavalier, 6.820, 202.79; 13. Rickie Smith, Cavalier, 6.825, 203.16; 14. Kurt Johnson, Cavalier, 6.829, 202.36; 15. Warren Johnson, Grand Am, 6.831, 202.42; 16. V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.841, 202.67.

FRIDAY NOTES – Two ways of taking the pole, Brandon the Bachelor and Team Mancuso’s Top Fuel Harley success

(9-24-2004) -Good News, Bad News for Doug Kalitta – The good news for Doug Kalitta is that he potentially has a leg up on his fifth low qualifying effort of the season. The bad news is that it cost him two engines to do it. Fortunately, the Mac Tools-sponsored driver had three oildown credits headed into the event.

The Jeggie Way - Jeg Coughlin drove a brand-new powerplant to a pair of Texas Motorplex records as well as taking the top qualifier position Friday at the O'Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals near Dallas. Coughlin, who won the Pro Stock title at this event in 2002, posted a class-leading 6.775-second pass at 204.20 mph in his powerful Jeg's Mail Order Chevrolet Cavalier, to set the early pace.

"This new motor is mean," Coughlin said. "It's certainly the meanest thing we've had in a while. We rolled out three new motors from our shop recently, and our performance has picked up with each one. It's satisfying and a real credit to our the hard work our guys have put in, that we've been able to close the gap on [points leader] Greg Anderson and the two Grump-powered cars. We're pretty happy right now."

Not necessarily known as a driver who shoots for the No. 1 spot during qualifying -- he has just seven poles in seven years of Pro competition -- Coughlin was quick to praise his engine builders, who benefited greatly from the extra research and development time resulting from last weekend's rainout in Reading, Pa.

"We actually finished this third motor just before Reading, but when we looked at the weather radar up there we elected not to put it in because we didn't want to try out a brand new motor at a race where the possibility of losing rounds to rain looked like it would be a sure thing," Coughlin said. "After the race rained out we had extra time to test back home, and we knew we had something to play with right away."

No “Wonder” it was a bad day - Johnny Gray and Don Schumacher's Wonder Wagon Dodge Funny Car struggled through two rounds of qualifying today, ending up 18th and out of the field with a 5.834/165.50 at the O'Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals at the Texas Motorplex,.

In today's first session the Wonder Wagon lost a cylinder, causing Gray to move left toward the centerline and out of the groove, In this evening's round he failed to start the lap.

"They began to start the car, they pulled one set of wires and it didn't start," he said of the second run. "So they pulled the other set and it started . The car ran for a few seconds and one of the coils started smoking real bad. It wasn't going to run real good on one mag anyway and you didn't want to stand the chance of something going amiss in the electronics and blowing the body off of it, so we just shut it off.

"We'll be fine tomorrow. We're not concerned. We'll go out and stick ourselves right in the top half of the field and be ready for Sunday."

Brandon Bernstein the Bachelor? – Sometimes being a Top Fuel driver has its privileges. For Budweiser-sponsored Brandon Bernstein, the reality show “The Bachelor” was very interested in him. However, scheduling conflicts for the show’s taping killed the idea before it ever began. The taping was scheduled to begin in January and last for eight weeks.

“I’ve watched many of the Bachelor episodes,” Bernstein said. “It would have been fun to have had an opportunity to be on the show. It’s an honor to be considered for the recruit list, but the filming schedule conflicts with our racing season. We’ll be interested to see who they pick for the show next season.”

Ouch – KJ snapped off a cylinder head bolt following his first qualifying session. The team had to change engines between sessions and the end result was the 14th quickest lap with a 6.829, 202.36. He still managed to stay ahead of his father Warren, who posted a 6.831. The elder Johnson utilizes the DRCE3, a new and reportedly improved version of the trusty DRCE2.

By the way, KJ’s bolt was found at the 1,200-foot mark by an NHRA official and returned to its rightful motor. The only damage sustained to the car was a small ping to the hood.

North Dallas Forty – Dallas Cowboys fullback Richie Anderson was on hand for this weekend’s racing action.

Van Halen Rules – If you’re a fan of the rock group Van Halen, then you will be in luck this weekend. Van Halen has a concert in Dallas on Saturday and plan on making it out to the track on Sunday.

A Costly One - It only took Tim Wilkerson one qualifying attempt to get the Levi, Ray & Shoup Funny Car solidly in the show today at the 19th annual O'Reilly Fall Nationals. Even though there were two qualifying sessions, Wilkerson had to wait until his nighttime pass to get into the program.

Wilkerson went out on the first pass of the day with a new Monte Carlo body and the set-back blower that he had tested earlier in the week. Uncharacteristic of Wilkerson, he ran into trouble on his run. He crossed the centerline and took out three cones. This resulted in a dnq for Wilkerson and major damage to the nose of the beautiful new Levi, Ray & Shoup fuel coupe.

The team had to bring out the old Monte Carlo from the second story of the transporter for the night pass. On this run, Wilkerson made a strong, straight 4.898 second 314.02 mph run, which put him in the No. 10 spot at the close of the day's qualifying.

"We had the brand new body on the car there," explained Wilkerson, "and looking at it we really thought everything was fine. We got underneath it, stared at it, and made sure all the steering linkage cleared and it looked real good. But what happened is when it was going down the track, the air pushing down on the body shoved it back just a little bit and there's a brace under the front fender and it got into the left front tire and I couldn't steer it. When we compared the old body to the new body that brace is about three inches further back on the new body. So what it's doing is shoving it back into the tire. We looked and looked and couldn't see nothing and then I finally saw a big gnarr in the left front tire, and said, 'where did this come from?' We figured it out and put the other body on because we knocked the nose off the new one. It really was a bad deal to do to the new car, but what do you do now. It's too late to cry about it now.

Olympic Guests – The U.S. Army will have two special guests this weekend: fresh from their Olympic adventure in Athens. Sgt. 1st Class James T. Graves, a member of the U.S. Olympic Skeet Team and Sgt. 1st Class Charles P. Gartland, an official USA Shooting gunsmith for the Olympic team, will both be at the Fall Nationals this weekend.

Anderson’s Championship Watch – The first driver to clinch a POWERade championship could be Pro Stock runner Greg Anderson. If Anderson qualifies in the top four, and wins one round of competition on Sunday, he could clinch the coveted title.

More Rock -n- Roll – In a Friday press conference, the Pedregon brothers announced a new marketing partnership with legendary musician and guitarist Carlos Santana. The joint venture will benefit and promote Santana and his wife Deborah’s Milagro Foundation.

As part of today’s announcement at the Texas Motorplex, Pedregon Racing and NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series drivers Cruz and Tony Pedregon unveiled two new special ‘Santana’ paint schemes. Cruz pilots the Advance Auto Parts Monte Carlo Nitro Funny Car, while Tony, the 2003 Nitro Funny Car champion, drives the Quaker State Racing Monte Carlo. The special liveries will be run during the fourth annual AC Delco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Oct. 28-31.

Additionally, Carlos Santana will be making a special appearance during the AC Delco Nationals in Las Vegas, Nev., on Sunday, Oct. 31, 2004.

“I am honored that the Pedregon brothers recognize the mission of the Milagro Foundation and want to join us in helping children all around the planet,” Carlos Santana said. “The idea of bringing attention to Milagro through the popularity of the NHRA Series, was an interesting idea that has turned into something rather unique. The Pedregon brothers are good people who believe that we should transcend cultural borders and biases.”

The Pedregon Brothers – After six pairs of Funny Car qualifiers, ironically, the top three qualifiers all had the Pedregon name.

Team Mancuso = Domination – This weekend’s Nitro Harley exhibition is something that Houston-based Johnny Mancuso has waited for patiently…but it hasn’t been easy. Mancuso, who owns one of the largest Harley-Davidson dealerships in the world, brings nine wins this season in only ten outings to the Texas Motorplex.

The accumulated wins have been procured either by Mancuso or his hired rider Steve Stordeur.

“This is pretty incredible for us,” Mancuso said.

Stordeur won the last Nitro Harley event on the NHRA tour last April in Las Vegas.