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SAME DAY COVERAGE O'Reilly Spring Nationals Same Day Coverage:
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But Cruz
Pedregon, the other pro-class runner-up at the O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals
at Baytown, Texas, made an impressive showing in Funny Car competition
Sunday. He qualified 14th and chased rookie Robert Hight across the finish
line by just .0282 seconds (about 13 feet). 
The reigning
Top Fuel champion used a track-record 334.15-mph pass to back up his national
speed-record 335.32 in the final round to become NHRA's first two-time
winner in 2005. (That speed came one year and eight days after Doug Kalitta
ran the fastest pass in NHRA history with a 335.57 during a last-ditch
qualifying effort at Las Vegas.) 
The Funny
Car driver entered the race fourth in points, perhaps his best start in
his eight-year career - only two points behind third-place Tommy Johnson
Jr. While Cruz Pedregon and obert High each improved six places in the
standings, Gilbertson dropped five places for the worst tumble by any
pro driver Sunday. Gilbertson's only victory came at Houston in 2000.
But as TV commentator Marty Reid said as he watched Gilbertson lose to
eventual winner Robert Hight in the first round, "Forget about it,
Bob. Lightning will not strike twice."
Hight, a
former Force crewman and world-class trapshooter who qualified No. 1 for
the second straight event in the Team Castrol/Automobile Club of Southern
California Ford Mustang, took to Houston the car in which Gary Densham
set both ends of the track record in 2003. Hight rewrote the speed record
with a 326.16-mph pass and won the event, becoming the fifth different
driver to win in a Team Castrol/John Force Racing Ford Funny Car. 
Each national
event has had a member of a Johnson family in the winners circle. At Pomona,
it was Funny Car's Tommy Johnson, at Phoenix Pro Stock's Allen Johnson,
at Gainesville Pro Stock Motorcycle's Steve Johnson, and at Houston Warren
Johnson. 
The Pro
Stock Bike repeat winner has earned her only two NHRA victories at Houston
Raceway Park. She posted the entire pro ranks' best reaction time of eliminations
with a .003. The Minden, Nev., resident said, "I think I might have
to move to Houston or have all the races at Houston." 
The 13-time
Funny Car champion watched son-in-law Robert Hight earn his first NHRA
victory. Force also grabbed the points lead, trading places with Whit
Bazemore, whom he beat in the second round. Even though it was at his
own expense, as Hight beat him in the semifinals, Force said. "I
was so happy for Robert. To be where I could give him his chance and then
watch him make me look like I know what I'm doing, it was very emotional.
And I got to take the points lead away from Bazemore, too." 
The third-year
Pro Stock Motorcycle runner-up was riding in just his 10th NHRA national
event. He had 13 DNQs in his two previous years and didn't enter the bike's
season-opener at Gainesville. So if this were baseball, the Lafayette,
La., rider would be batting 10 for 23, for a stunning .434. 
Pro Stock
Bike competitor Chip Ellis beat Scott Valetti in the first round but lost
to Kurt Matte in the second. "I think we had the bike to beat,"
Ellis said of the S&S Buell. "We made the wrong tune up calls
for first round, but Chip drove it really well and got the win light,"
team co-owner George Bryce said. "In the second round, miscues at
the starting line got us behind and we never recovered." Ellis was
less politically correct, saying, "I got my timing messed up at the
start and it caused additional problems all the way down the track."
Sand, wind,
temperatures, a temperamental car, Cruz Pedregon and even themselves .
. . Those were the major obstacles Ron Capps encountered in trying to
advance his Brut Dodge Stratus Funny Car past the first round Sunday.
Capps ended up in the sand pit at the end of his final qualifying run
Saturday, and his Don Schumacher Racing team and crew chief Ace McCulloch
got the car prepared for eliminations. However, they encountered cooler,
overcast skies and a crosswind - completely different weather conditions
- for Sunday's eliminations. 
The Funny
Car darkhorse, who was runner-up at Pomona, left Phoenix as the points
leader, then failed to qualify at Gainesville and dropped to fifth place,
got another unpleasant jolt. At Houston, the Checker Schucks Kragen driver
qualified second as he debuted Jerry Toliver's Toyota Celica body. But
he lost in the opening round to Tony Pedregon, whose No. 15 effort was
his worst in 14 races, since last July at Seattle. 
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| Top Fuel -- Tony Schumacher, 4.505 seconds, 335.32 mph def. Cory McClenathan, 4.511 seconds, 327.74 mph. |
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Schumacher powered his U.S. Army dragster to a track record 334.15 mph in his semifinal win over Doug Kalitta and then he backed that up with a national-record 335.32 as he raced past Cory McClenathan in the finals to earn his second victory of the season and the 23rd of his career.
“That final is how it is supposed to be, the No. 1 guy racing the No. 2 guy in the final,” said Schumacher, who needed all the speed to outrun McClenathan’s FRAM Airhog dragster. “We had both been running great all day and it came down to a 4.50 beating a 4.51. That was just an awesome race.”
And it almost didn’t come to pass as just moments before the final race Schumacher’s oil pan began leaking and it soaked the entire clutch.
“We had the car all set up and we had to take it apart,” said Schumacher, who defeated Scott Palmer in the first round and Rod Fuller in the second. “We made it up (to the start line) with a minute to go. With that kind of pressure, that intense of a situation, I was just thinking, ‘It doesn’t seem like there’s time,’ but (Schumacher’s crew) did it.”
The other winners of the $1.7 million race included rookie Robert Hight, veteran Warren Johnson and Karen Stoffer.
Hight earned his first Funny Car victory in just his fourth start. Hight powered his Auto Club Ford Mustang to a 4.786 at 326.16 to defeat Cruz Pedregon, who finished in 4.818 at 321.12 in his Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Monte Carlo.
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| Funny Car -- Robert Hight, Ford Mustang, 4.786, 326.16 def. Cruz Pedregon, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.818, 321.12. |
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“I thought I’d really made it when I got a job working on John (Force)’s car a few years ago,” Hight said. “To be standing here with this trophy is unbelievable. This whole day has been a blur. I tried to stay busy so I wouldn’t get nervous or even think about where I was, but don’t get me wrong, I was still plenty nervous. John did tell me how many finals he’d been to before he won and he told me he’d worry himself sick for no reason. He told me to just relax and race like it was any other round.”
Hight defeated Bob Gilbertson, Tommy Johnson Jr. and team owner Force to advance to the final.
“The semifinal against John was actually the most relaxed I was all day,” he said. “There was nothing to lose because we knew one of the team cars would be in the final. Before the race John came to me and said, ‘I want you to try your best to kick my butt. Come after me.’ So that’s what I did. I didn’t even realize he didn’t get down the track until later.”
Johnson clocked a 6.714 at 205.01 in his GM Performance Parts Pontiac to earn his 93rd career Pro Stock victory, defeating Jason Line, who drove his KB Framers Pontiac to a 6.735 at 204.29.
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| Pro Stock -- Warren Johnson, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.714, 205.01 def. Jason Line, Grand Am, foul. |
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Six-time champion Johnson continued a remarkable start to his final season as a driver by moving into first place in the Pro Stock point standings, overtaking Dave Connolly by 26 points.
“I really think this is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Johnson, who outran Richie Stevens, Greg Stanfield and Connolly en route to the final round. “We have only three of these (DRCE-3) engines and each generation has run faster than the one before it.”
With the victory, Johnson, who turns 62 this July, became the oldest professional drag racer to win an event, passing the previous mark set by Top Fuel driver Eddie Hill in 1996.
“I started racing when they had wood-spoked wheels,” Johnson joked.
In a battle of Suzukis in the Pro Stock Motorcycle final, Stoffer claimed her second career victory by racing to a 7.173 at 188.12 to defeat first-time finalist Kurt Matte, who posted a 7.209 at 179.44.
“It’s so satisfying to win one for Geico just two races into our deal with them,” Stoffer said. “Everyone up there is thrilled. At first, when we didn’t qualify so well (No. 15), it was a tough call to make. But we found the tune-up today on this brand-new motor and each round that phone call became a lot easier.”
Stoffer defeated Andrew Hines, Ryan Schnitz and GT Tonglet en route to the win at the same track in which she won her only other event.
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| Pro Stock Motorcycle -- Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.173, 188.12 def. Kurt Matte, Suzuki, 7.209, 179.44. |
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“I’m starting to look at real estate in the area,” said Stoffer, who became the seventh different female to win a national event in an NHRA pro category at HRP last season. “If we could just talk the NHRA into running all 15 bike races here I’d be happy. I’m not sure why we’ve had our best races here, but this one was just great.”
Stoffer moved within two points of series leader Steve Johnson, who lost in the semifinals.
“We’re on the exact same path as last year, but in 2004 we fell off later in the year,” she said. “Now, with the Geico Motorcycle behind us, we’re planning on being a lot more consistent and the fact that we’ll be able to test a lot more should really help us.”
The NHRA POWERade Series continues with the sixth annual NHRA Summitracing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, April 14-17.
Sportsman Finals
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| Top Alcohol Dragster -- Duane Shields, 5.372, 265.64 def. Jeff Wilson, 5.500, 252.99. |
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| Top Alcohol Funny Car -- David Ray, Dodge Avenger, 5.675, 254.66 def. Bob Newberry, Chevy Monte Carlo, 7.220, 132.06. |
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| Competition Eliminator -- Glen Treadwell, Dragster, 8.319, 157.80 def. Scott Cashio, Chevy Cavalier, 8.932, 148.69. |
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| Stock Eliminator -- Mark Faul, Chevy Chevelle, 10.983, 118.78 def. Jeff Hefler, Pontiac Formula, 10.873, 112.43. |
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| Super Comp -- Ray Connolly, Dragster, 8.905, 177.81 def. Mike Fuqua, Dragster, 8.882, 168.96. |
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| Super Gas -- Shawn Langdon, Chevy Corvette, 9.930, 144.81 def. Jason Lynch, Corvette, 9.892, 161.98. |
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| Super Street -- Chris LeBlanc, Chevy Corvette, 10.897, 133.37 def. Rick Huffman, Chevy Camaro, 10.922, 135.06. |
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Final round-by-round results from the 18th annual O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Pennzoil at Houston Raceway Park, the fourth of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series -
TOP FUEL:
ROUND ONE -- Rod Fuller, 4.587, 319.67 def. Clay Millican, 8.984, 78.73; Scott Kalitta, 4.604, 326.08 def. Brandon Bernstein, 9.527, 83.30; Morgan Lucas, 4.560, 325.30 def. David Baca, 8.422, 98.04; Larry Dixon, 4.536, 326.71 def. David Grubnic, 4.546, 326.95; Doug Kalitta, 4.592, 318.92 def. T.J. Zizzo, 4.690, 309.42; Doug Herbert, 4.571, 323.74 def. Bruce Litton, 6.352, 138.83; Cory McClenathan, 4.531, 326.08 def. Scott Weis, 4.677, 315.12; Tony Schumacher, 4.505, 331.36 def. Scott Palmer, 8.730, 104.01;
QUARTERFINALS -- Lucas, 4.552, 321.88 def. Herbert, 4.580, 323.43; D. Kalitta, 4.500, 328.38 def. Dixon, 4.538, 326.24; McClenathan, 4.568, 324.90 def. S. Kalitta, 7.591, 97.82; Schumacher, 4.548, 329.50 def. Fuller, 4.560, 327.51;
SEMIFINALS -- McClenathan, 4.589, 322.42 def. Lucas, 7.226, 107.84; Schumacher, 4.500, 334.15 def. D. Kalitta, 5.172, 293.98;
FINAL -- Schumacher, 4.505, 335.32 def. McClenathan, 4.511, 327.74.
FUNNY CAR:
ROUND ONE -- Del Worsham, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.835, 320.43 def. Tony Bartone, Monte Carlo, 4.980, 303.84; Eric Medlen, Ford Mustang, 4.764, 325.61 def. Tim Wilkerson, Monte Carlo, 5.080, 270.05; Tony Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.865, 316.01 def. Phil Burkart, Toyota Celica, 4.849, 321.42; Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.799, 324.05 def. Bob Gilbertson, Monte Carlo, 4.877, 315.64; Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.867, 314.39 def. Ron Capps, Dodge Stratus, 4.870, 314.75; John Force, Mustang, 4.825, 325.53 def. Frank Pedregon, Stratus, 5.217, 227.50; Whit Bazemore, Stratus, 4.842, 317.34 def. Gary Scelzi, Stratus, 4.795, 323.19; Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo, 4.906, 313.88 def. Jeff Arend, Monte Carlo, 4.983, 306.95;
QUARTERFINALS -- Worsham, 5.328, 198.76 def. T. Pedregon, 5.955, 249.81; C. Pedregon, 4.850, 317.49 def. Medlen, 4.820, 312.71; Hight, 4.802, 319.98 def. Johnson Jr., 4.868, 315.78; Force, 4.781, 324.83 def. Bazemore, 4.818, 321.12;
SEMIFINALS -- C. Pedregon, 4.792, 318.84 def. Worsham, 4.823, 314.39; Hight, 4.790, 316.08 def. Force, 7.364, 115.80;
FINAL -- Hight, 4.786, 326.16 def. C. Pedregon, 4.818, 321.12.
PRO STOCK:
ROUND ONE -- Greg Stanfield, Chevy Cavalier, 6.755, 203.80 def. V. Gaines, Dodge Stratus, 6.776, 203.74; Jeg Coughlin, Stratus, 6.755, 204.35 def. Kurt Johnson, Cavalier, 6.773, 204.23; Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.764, 203.71 def. Ron Krisher, Cavalier, 6.733, 204.11; Dave Connolly, Cavalier, 6.775, 203.95 def. Mike Edwards, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.765, 203.74; Jason Line, Grand Am, 6.767, 204.01 def. Erica Enders, Cavalier, foul; Warren Johnson, Grand Am, 6.706, 205.16 def. Richie Stevens, Stratus, foul; Greg Anderson, Grand Am, 6.742, 204.63 def. Jim Yates, Grand Am, foul; Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.781, 202.45 def. Rickie Smith, Cavalier, 6.769, 203.74;
QUARTERFINALS -- Connolly, 6.768, 203.46 def. A. Johnson, 6.805, 202.15; Line, 6.740, 203.61 def. Coughlin, 6.747, 204.14; Anderson, 6.745, 203.65 def. Morgan, 6.804, 203.31; W. Johnson, 6.749, 204.23 def. Stanfield, 6.757, 203.55;
SEMIFINALS -- W. Johnson, 6.708, 205.04 def. Connolly, 6.747, 204.73; Line, 6.747, 204.17 def. Anderson, 6.734, 204.54;
FINAL -- W. Johnson, 6.714, 205.01 def. Line, foul.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:
ROUND ONE -- Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.150, 185.92 def. Geno Scali, Suzuki, foul; Ryan Schnitz, 7.193, 182.82 def. Shawn Gann, Suzuki, 7.292, 182.03; GT Tonglet, Harley-Davidson, 7.196, 186.54 def. Matt Smith, Suzuki, 7.288, 180.40; Chip Ellis, 7.241, 180.00 def. Scott Valetti, Kawasaki, 8.898, 99.55; Kurt Matte, Suzuki, 7.200, 179.33 def. Chris Rivas, 7.235, 178.02; Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.203, 185.84 def. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 7.199, 183.42; Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.201, 180.98 def. Antron Brown, Suzuki, 7.234, 180.14; Mike Berry, Suzuki, 7.287, 180.72 def. Angelle Sampey, Suzuki, 7.275, 179.71;
QUARTERFINALS -- Matte, 7.201, 182.55 def. Ellis, 7.236, 180.21; Tonglet, 7.210, 183.02 def. Treble, 7.243, 180.02; Johnson, 7.195, 185.79 def. Berry, 7.279, 181.28; Stoffer, 7.146, 188.15 def. Schnitz, broke;
SEMIFINALS -- Matte, 7.247, 178.59 def. Johnson, foul; Stoffer, 7.157, 186.72 def. Tonglet, 7.266, 179.78;
FINAL -- Stoffer, 7.173, 188.12 def. Matte, 7.209, 179.44.
KABOOM - That's gonna leave a mark Del...
(4-10-2005) - Del Worsham booms this one in Sunday's eliminations. (Motel6 Vision by CrewGuy)
SUNDAY NOTES – Rivalries and Upsets abound in the first round, Tough Day for Team Schumacher and Son-In-Law reaches the finals…
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| In the next version of "War of the Worlds," Top Fuel dragsters will do battle with military helicopters. |
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Money Talks – In a post-race interview, a reporter reminded Pro Stock winner Warren Johnson that he was the class' fourth victor in as many races. The cagey veteran said, “There are a few teams that have spent a lot of money to go quick and to win. That’s kind of blindsided a lot of people - including me.”
Triple-A is Always There – According to John Force, daughter Adria received the call from husband Robert Hight informing her that he had delivered his first national-event Funny Car victory for his sponsor, the Automobile Club of Southern California. Ironically, Adria was being towed at the time by The Auto Club of Southern California because her car had broken down.
Train 'Em Up Right – Force added that his first grandchild, Autumn Danielle Hight, already has been through Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School before learning to walk.
Then the 13-time champion turned to Pro Stock winner Warren Johnson,
a six-time titlist, and talked about the youth movement within professional
drag racing.
"We have a lot of experience, don't we?" Force said.
“We have a lot of experience at a lot of things, Force,” Johnson replied.
Force thought for a moment in an unusually characteristic moment of silence and pointed out, “OK, that’s why you’re great and I’m only good.”
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| Dave Grubnic lost a tough one in the first round against Larry Dixon. |
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Odd Versus Evens – With two rounds of Top Fuel
in the history books, Tony Schumacher is hoping that he isn’t the
odd man out in the end. Schumacher, at #1, is the only odd-numbered qualifier
left in competition. The frustrating thing for Schumacher is that he lost
lane-choice for the semis.
Less Filling or Lose Weight? – Give Larry Dixon
credit, he has a great chance of becoming a philosopher. Following his
first round dismissal of Zantrex-3-sponsored driver Dave Grubnic, Dixon
said, “The interviews are a lot better when you come out on the
winning end of things.”
Close – Top Fuel low qualifier Tony Schumacher
proclaimed that 4.40s would be needed to win the event. Schumacher came
the closest from any driver to the mark en route to low E.T. of the round
with a 4.505, 331.36 to eliminate Scott Palmer.
Dueling 4.500s – Doug Kalitta took over low elapsed
time of eliminations with his second-round victory over Larry Dixon. His
elapsed time was a 4.500, about as close as you could come to a 4.40 without
dipping into them. That mark stood until the semis, when Tony Schumacher
took back the mark with an identical 4.500. The deciding factor was the
334.15-mph speed "The Sarge" recorded in his semi-final victory
over Kalitta.
Pedregon = Upset – Leave it to brothers
Tony and Cruz Pedregon to overcome the odds before them. It took ten pairs
of fuel cars before the first slower-qualified car won a round of competition.
Credit Tony Pedregon with being the drag racing equivalent to the biblical
figure David as he became the first underdog winner of the event. The
Quaker State-sponsored driver took out a quicker-qualified Phil Burkart.
Announcer Bob Frey summed it up best by saying, “You’d think
if you’re qualified No. 2, you would be afforded an easier draw
in the first round.”
Not to be outdone, brother Cruz, No. 14 in the final order, eliminated
third-quickest driver Ron Capps just two pairings later.
Tony Pedregon's feat was short-lived. He fell in the quarterfinals to
Del Worsham. However, Cruz advanced by taking out Eric Medlen.
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| Four starts later, Robert Hight is a nationl event champion. |
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Better Season for TJ – Funny Car racer Tommy Johnson
is having more fun this season and it shows. With a national event win
under his belt thus far in 2005, the Skoal-sponsored Monte Carlo driver
seems to have the first round jinx behind him.
“We got back on track and got over that first-round jinx,”
Johnson said. “We chased some things this weekend, but it wasn’t
bad. We just got outrun in that race. We stepped up the performance of
the race car, but it wasn’t enough. We’re considerably better
than we were last season. Now, I’m excited heading into each event,
and Las Vegas is my favorite race.”
Bad News, Good News – Suppose you’re a rookie
driver and you have a chance to reach your first career national event
final and the only thing that’s standing in your way is John Force,
who also happens to be your boss. That’s the predicament Robert
Hight faced heading into the semi-finals.
When Force, who is also Hight's father-in-law, smoked the tires, it opened
the door for Hight to reach the finals in only his fourth event.
No Diving Zone – If Robert Hight’s victory
over John Force didn’t do enough to shake up the traditional outcomes,
Jason Line’s conquest of Greg Anderson in the semis might have stirred
things up a bit. By a victory margin of .002 of a second, Line earned
a final-round berth over his teammate.
Big Assessment – When John Force squared off against
Frank Pedregon's NitroFish-backed Don Garlits tribute car, NHRA Announcer
Bob Frey added to his list of quotables by suggesting, “This might
be the closest that John Force will ever get to racing Don Garlits.”
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| Jeggie Coughlin eliminated Kurt Johnson during the first round of eliminations. |
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My Boy Can Beat Yours – One of the more storied
battles over the years has featured the Johnson family versus the Coughlin
family. As patriarchs Warren and Jeg, Sr., have looked on many times before,
this time Jeggie took out Kurt in the first round of eliminations.
Back to Back to Back – In three consecutive matches,
a red-light sent Erica Enders, Richie Stevens and Jim Yates packing. Instead
of making it a fourth, Allen Johnson had the right stuff as he beat Rickie
Smith on a holeshot.
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| Angelle Sampey was eliminated early by Mike Berry. |
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Gecko Beats The Eagle – In the rough-and-tumble
world of brand mascots, Geico Insurance’s Gecko scored a decisive
victory over the longtime Harley-Davidson representative “The Screamin’
Eagle.” Karen Stouffer scored that monumental victory as she rode
her Geico-sponsored bike to victory over defending series champion Andrew
Hines in the first round of Pro Stock Motorcycle and later G.T. Tonglet.
Army Massacred – The first round was not kind to
the U.S. Army-sponsored Pro Stock Motorcycle team, as both riders Antron
Brown and low qualifier Angelle Sampey were casualties. Brown was the
first of the two to fall, going down to Craig Treble. Sampey followed
with an uncharacteristic holeshot loss to Mike Berry.
A True Army Of One – By the completion
of the second round of professional eliminations, only one of the Team
Schumacher competitors was left in competition. That honor belonged to
defending Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher – The Army of One. Last
year, at Houston, Schumacher lost in Round 2 to Larry Dixon.
SATURDAY - SCHUMACHER TOP QUALIFIER FOR THIRD TIME IN FOUR EVENTS; Hight, Johnson and Sampey round out top qualifiers at O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals
(4-9-2005)
- Tony Schumacher’s 4.495-second pass from Friday night
held up Saturday and the defending Top Fuel world champion will enter
Sunday’s final eliminations as the top qualifier at the O’Reilly
NHRA Spring Nationals at Houston Raceway Park.
It marks the third time in four events that the pilot of the U.S. Army dragster has entered the final eliminations of an NHRA POWERade Series event as the top qualifier. It is his 14th career No. 1 qualifying position.
Schumacher backed up the Friday night run with the best effort of the day Saturday, a 4.521-second pass that validated his run from the night before.
“I get more confidence from (the 4.521 Saturday) right there than from the 4.49,” Schumacher said. “Friday night is Friday night and if it’s cool and cloudy (Sunday), great. But I don’t think it will be. I’ll say this; I would have been a little uneasy if we hadn’t gotten down that time.
Schumacher got the front end up right off the start and it remained up nearly halfway down the quarter-mile track.
“That last run was fun,” he said. “That reminds me why I drive these things. It’s not for the money or whatever; it’s for runs like that. The front end was up longer than I wanted but it was pulling so strong I didn’t want to lift. I almost got nervous. I could feel my knees rattling for a second. But then it settled down and just took off.”
Robert Hight’s
pass from Friday night (4.767 seconds at 323.27 mph in the Auto Club Ford
Mustang) also held up Saturday and he will lead the field of 16 drivers
into Funny Car final eliminations. It is the second consecutive event
the rookie has been the top qualifier entering eliminations.
“I’m just happy to be qualified, I really am,” said Hight, who currently sits in ninth place in the Funny Car point standings. “We made two good runs in the 4.80s today on a really hot racetrack so between that and running good last night when it was cooler we feel like we have a good handle on this track no matter what conditions we see. They say there might be clouds tomorrow, but who knows. We’ll be there.”
Hight will face Gainesville runner-up Bob Gilbertson in the opening round, and should he advance, the match-ups don’t get any easier.
“I’m looking at the ladder and I see a lot of big hitters going up against each other in the first round,” he said. “That means we could see some big moves in the points and we’d love to be able to move up as far as we can.”
Similar to Schumacher,
Warren Johnson backed up an impressive run Friday night with another on
Saturday – except Johnson actually surpassed his time in spite of
the sunnier, warmer conditions.
Johnson backed up his 6.707-second run from Friday night with a 6.696-second pass Saturday in his GM Performance Parts Pontiac to earn a record 131st No. 1 qualifying position.
“I really didn’t know what to expect today,” Johnson said. “We knew the conditions would be better than (Friday night) but since we have no down time between now and next weekend in Las Vegas we decided to use (Saturday’s) two runs as a test session. We put in a brand new powerplant that had a completely different power curve than the one we ran yesterday and all we’d done to this point was about five pulls on the dyno so we were happy to see the performance.”
Johnson, who is in his final year as a driver, sits in second place in the overall NHRA POWERade point standings, 20 points behind Dave Connolly.
“This year is no different than any other year for me,” he said. “The fact I’m retiring from driving doesn’t make winning any more important than it’s been in the past. It would be nice to go out on top but our effort for doing that remains the same as it’s always been.”
Angelle Sampey
regained the top qualifying position in Pro Stock Motorcycle over defending
category champion Andrew Hines with a track record 7.055-second run on
her U.S. Army Suzuki. U.S. Army teammate Antron Brown qualified third.
“Our first goal at any race is to qualify our two U.S. Army bikes in the top half of the field,” Sampey said. “Then we try to get them up at the top. We love to be 1-2 on the ladder but 1-3 three is the next best thing and that’s where we are this race. That means the only way we’ll race each other is in the final.
Hines ran side-by-side with Sampey and delivered a track record speed of 195.73 mph atop his Vance & Hines Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson, but he crossed the line just behind Sampey in 7.067. The two dueled a third time in the final qualifying round in the afternoon, but neither could top their morning run.
“I’m not totally surprised to be ahead of (the Harley-Davidsons) but I am surprised that they’re not faster than they are. It’s a mystery to me why their not blowing us away with all that horsepower. I know if we had twice the cubic inches and electronic fuel injection we’d be running a lot quicker than we are now. We’d be in the sixes every pass.”
Final eliminations in all four classes are scheduled to begin Sunday
at 11 a.m.
First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the
18th annual O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Pennzoil at Houston
Raceway Park, the fourth of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade
Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended
Saturday.
Top Fuel - 1. Tony Schumacher, 4.495 seconds, 327.90 mph vs. 16. Scott Palmer, 4.807, 282.90; 2. Cory McClenathan, 4.496, 329.10 vs. 15. Scott Weis, 4.777, 297.55; 3. Doug Herbert, 4.505, 328.14 vs. 14. Bruce Litton, 4.757, 286.01; 4. Doug Kalitta, 4.512, 325.53 vs. 13. T.J. Zizzo, 4.723, 311.56; 5. Larry Dixon, 4.515, 326.71 vs. 12. David Grubnic, 4.611, 316.38; 6. Morgan Lucas, 4.540, 325.30 vs. 11. David Baca, 4.581, 312.13; 7. Scott Kalitta, 4.566, 327.59 vs. 10. Brandon Bernstein, 4.576, 327.51; 8. Rod Fuller, 4.566, 322.11 vs. 9. Clay Millican, 4.573, 318.47.
Funny Car - 1. Robert Hight, Ford Mustang, 4.767, 323.27
vs. 16. Bob Gilbertson, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.992, 288.09; 2. Phil Burkart,
Toyota Celica, 4.813, 320.36 vs. 15. Tony Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.919,
297.16; 3. Ron Capps, Dodge Stratus, 4.814, 314.17 vs. 14. Cruz Pedregon,
Monte Carlo, 4.908, 310.27; 4. John Force, Mustang, 4.816, 323.27 vs.
13. Frank Pedregon, Stratus, 4.904, 295.46; 5. Gary Scelzi, Stratus, 4.822,
321.35 vs. 12. Whit Bazemore, Stratus, 4.899, 309.13; 6. Eric Medlen,
Mustang, 4.841, 311.70 vs. 11. Tim Wilkerson, Monte Carlo, 4.898, 302.14;
7. Del Worsham, Monte Carlo, 4.844, 322.73 vs. 10. Tony Bartone, Monte
Carlo, 4.889, 309.27; 8. Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo, 4.852, 317.49
vs. 9. Jeff Arend, Monte Carlo, 4.864, 313.66.
Pro Stock - 1. Warren Johnson, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.696,
205.63 vs. 16. Richie Stevens, Dodge Stratus, 6.767, 204.14; 2. Jason
Line, Grand Am, 6.713, 205.51 vs. 15. Erica Enders, Chevy Cavalier, 6.762,
203.61; 3. Greg Anderson, Grand Am, 6.713, 205.44 vs. 14. Jim Yates, Grand
Am, 6.753, 204.01; 4. Rickie Smith, Cavalier, 6.723, 205.29 vs. 13. Allen
Johnson, Stratus, 6.751, 203.37; 5. Mike Edwards, Grand Am, 6.723, 204.70
vs. 12. Dave Connolly, Cavalier, 6.744, 204.63; 6. Ron Krisher, Cavalier,
6.724, 205.26 vs. 11. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.741, 204.85; 7. Kurt Johnson,
Cavalier, 6.726, 205.57 vs. 10. Jeg Coughlin, Stratus, 6.733, 204.70;
8. Greg Stanfield, Cavalier, 6.726, 205.04 vs. 9. V. Gaines, Stratus,
6.733, 205.07.
Pro Stock Motorcycle - 1. Angelle Sampey, Suzuki, 7.055,
189.60 vs. 16. Mike Berry, Suzuki, 7.179, 187.16; 2. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson,
7.067, 195.73 vs. 15. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.175, 187.39; 3. Antron
Brown, Suzuki, 7.096, 188.25 vs. 14. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.171, 186.74;
4. Chip Ellis, Buell, 7.104, 187.00 vs. 13. Scott Valetti, Kawasaki, 7.159,
188.73; 5. Chris Rivas, Buell, 7.111, 187.00 vs. 12. Kurt Matte, Suzuki,
7.156, 187.16; 6. GT Tonglet, Harley-Davidson, 7.114, 190.46 vs. 11. Matt
Smith, Suzuki, 7.152, 187.50; 7. Ryan Schnitz, Buell, 7.120, 189.68 vs.
10. Shawn Gann, Suzuki, 7.143, 190.19; 8. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.131,
188.62 vs. 9. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 7.137, 191.29.
SATURDAY NOTES - Cobalts, Celicas..oh my, Ellis the autograph seeker and the fickle world of Bazemore...
Scary
Moment - Joe Hartley went for a wild ride in the final qualifying
session for Top Fuel. The car's right rear wheel sheared off before the
car went 60 feet and the wheel then went way down the track. Meanwhile,
the dragster spun around and backed across the centerline, hitting the
left wall. The throttle hung open and the remaining tire kept spinning,
propelling the car along the wall on its left side. The chutes came out
and the car eventually ground to a halt. After a few anxious moments,
Hartley climbed from the car, uninjured.
The Cobalts Are Coming – Word floating around Houston Raceway Park is that GM will unveil the new Cobalt Pro Stockers for NHRA competition in Bristol, Tenn., shortly before noon the Friday of the O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. Our source also revealed that by mid-summer the Pontiac racers will be running the GTOs. The Cobalts in Bristol will belong to Kurt Johnson, Dave Connolly, Eric Enders, and Ron Krisher.
The IHRA debuted three Cobalts in its Torco Race Fuels Pro Stock division last week at San Antonio.
In Case You Were Wondering – If the question pops up about why the CSK team made the switch from Chevrolets to Toyotas, the official word we’ve heard is that this is a move designed to help Jerry Toliver. The former Funny Car racer is contractually bound to have a Toyota on the track, and the Worsham family stepped in to offer its assistance by running the Celica bodies. The Chevrolet flopper bodies the Worshams ran were ones they purchased themselves; those bodies were not provided as part of a factory deal.
If Toliver comes back, Team Worsham might also have a factory Toyota deal, as well. The Celica bodies are legal until 2006.
On The Right Track – The third session of the Pro Stock Motorcycle division nailed down both ends of the track record. Angelle Sampey claimed the E.T. portion of the accolades with an astounding 7.055-second run to land in the top spot. Harley-Davidson flagship rider Andrew Hines was the fastest with a 195.73-mph blast.
He Does parties, Too – David Baca is not ready to quit driving a Top Fuel car to be a clown, but he’s wondering if he might have a future in performing a juggling act.
Baca and co-tuner Larry Meyer sat in front of the Baca Motorsports' computer screen late Saturday afternoon, looking at graphs and discussing what tune-up changes they need to make to the team's Top Fuel dragster before eliminations begin Sunday morning.
"This is a like a juggling act, like walking a tightrope," said Baca. "We're deciding how much we can get away with in our tune-up. We're trying to come up with the best one that doesn't spin the tires. It is a challenge."
What Baca described as a "tricky Houston Raceway Park racing surface," is causing all the consternation. Baca's dragster did get down the track in two of the four qualifying sessions. The best, 4.581 seconds at 312.13 mph, put him 13th in Sunday's starting lineup and up against rookie driver Morgan Lucas, who was sixth with a 4.540 at 325.30 mph.
Beach Brut – Ron Capps found out during Saturday’s final session that sand and Brut aren’t exactly the sweetest smelling combination.
"The throttle was stuck wide open. I was spending a lot of time, using the loop (a safety device on the throttle), trying to pull it back, and the throttle wouldn't come back," he said.
"A lot of stuff goes through your mind. You're trying to get the car stopped and not hit your opponent, and then you're thinking about not hurting the car at the finish line.
"But at that point when it sticks that far down - (co-crew chief) Dan Olson saw on the computer that it went over six seconds under power, which is way past the finish line - it turns into a pretty scary ride," Capps said.
"I thought about making the turn at the end. I figured I was going a little too fast and just put it into the sand.
"We're lucky it went in at a good angle, and it didn't hurt the body too bad. It looks like it didn't hurt the chassis, which is the main concern," he said. "It got a little dirty. The Brut guys are up to the challenge to get the thing back together."
Must Be The Autograph – Chip Ellis is not your average autograph-seeker. He seeks the autographs of those whose outstanding performances might rub off on him.
The second-year rider for George Bryce and George Smith’s G-Squared Buell turned in a better performance on this day than yesterday. Credit that to an Angelle Sampey autograph on his t-shirt. Said Ellis, “I wanted some of that performance to rub off.”
It did.
“Chip is getting all his shifts down and doing a good job of handling the G Squared/ S&S Buell,” Bryce added. “Also, our tuning quartet of Ken Johnson, George Smith, Jackie Bryce, and yours truly are making the right calls and the motorcycle is running better and better.”
Maybe they all got autographs.
Any Given Sunday – Final eliminations for NHRA Top Fuel usually produce an incredible challenge to win. Top Fuel low qualifier Tony Schumacher said he is confident that tomorrow’s race will demand everyone to bring his best game to the table.
This time, however, Schumacher has to be relieved to know that Alan Johnson, his crew chief, is an ally and not a foe.
“I’ve raced against Alan Johnson for many years, and I’ve learned that he can pull out a run on Sunday morning that is just ruthless.”
Schumacher said he's confident that tomorrow’s eliminations will require 4.40s all day to win.
Sometimes
You Get The Bear– Pro Stock racer Richie Stevens is ready
to head to Las Vegas, but it’s not to drag race. He’s counting
his lucky stars for ending up qualifying for Sunday’s final eliminations.
Or, maybe not.
"I cannot even believe that we're still in the field," Stevens said. "We have yet to make a decent run this whole weekend. We made two runs on Friday of which neither one was completed. We held on, luckily. I guess if there was a decent run, it was the one this morning, but it wasn't even picture perfect.
"In this last one we hurt the engine. It has just been one hell of a weekend. I'm shocked that we're even in the show. This is my home race (closest NHRA national event to New Orleans) and it never goes right," he said. That includes a race here five years ago in which he experienced similar problems.
Sometimes The Bear Gets You - If he thought it would get any easier, Stevens was kidding himself. He drew low qualifier Warren Johnson in the first round.
"We get Warren Johnson first round," he said. Ironically, Stevens' teammate Jeg Coughlin Jr., who qualified 10th, will face Warren's son Kurt in the first round. "W.J. laid down a heck of run in qualifying. Maybe we can take both of them out. I know we got the electrical miss fixed; now we have a motor problem. I guess we'll put another one in and hope for the best."
Stop The Roller Coaster!– Whit Bazemore has had enough of the roller coaster ride. After winning in Gainesville, he qualified 12th for Sunday’s eliminations in Houston.
"This shows you how fickle this sport can be when, on the first day, the first run, we had low E.T. of the first round. We were kind of on a high. We knew it didn't mean that much, but it's still good to have low E.T. of any round," he said.
"We just have a problem with the car. It's not responding at all to Lee's input," Bazemore said, referring to crew chief Lee Beard, "So we're going into Sunday as a big underdog, not only to our teammate (he faces Gary Scelzi in the first round), but to most people in the field.
"That's OK," he said. "It's still anybody's game. We've got a great team over here and Lee's a great tuner. The car just isn't responding. Sometimes in this situation you can be one run away and you find your problems and you come out and you look like you never even struggled.
"I'm still extremely confident. And I kind of relish the situation where we can go out as a team and no one really has any expectations for us here and maybe surprise some people, like we did in Gainesville."
FRIDAY - JOHNSON LEADS PRO STOCK QUALIFYING AT O’REILLY NHRA SPRING NATIONALS; Schumacher, Hight and Hines also are leaders at Houston Raceway Park
(4-8-2005)
- Veteran Warren Johnson, in his final season as a driver in
the NHRA POWERade Series, is the leader after two rounds of Pro Stock
qualifying at the O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals Friday at Houston
Raceway Park.
It’s the first time Johnson has led a field in qualifying since setting the pace at St. Louis back in June, 2003. If his time holds at the top it will be his 131st No. 1 qualifying position, the most for any NHRA professional driver.
His leading run of 6.707 seconds at 205.10 miles per hour in his GM Performance Parts Pontiac Grand Am will be the time to beat in the final two rounds of qualifying scheduled for 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Saturday. Final eliminations in all four classes are scheduled to begin Sunday at 11 a.m.
“After all the work that we’ve done it’s coming around,” Johnson said. “It’s still not up to its potential. This is a great way to start but there’s still a lot of good cars out there and they can all step up. We’re certainly happy where we are, but we’ll see what happens (today).”
Also in the Pro Stock class, 21-year old Houston native Erica Enders nudged her way into the top 16 after a second-round pass of 6.762 seconds at 203.61 miles per hour in her Cagnazzi Racing Chevy Cavalier.
The other top qualifiers Friday were Tony Schumacher in Top Fuel (4.495 seconds at 327.90 in the U.S. Army dragster), Robert Hight in Funny Car (4.767 seconds at 323.27 mph in the Auto Club Ford Mustang) and Andrew Hines in Pro Stock Motorcycle (7.087 seconds at 187.99 mph on the Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Suzuki).
Schumacher,
the Top Fuel points leader, was quickest over Cory McClenathan, who posted
a run of 4.496. Schumacher also just missed the Top Fuel track record
(Gary Scelzi, 4.480 in 1999) by .015 of-a-second.
“(Crew chief) Alan (Johnson) tuned Gary Scelzi to a 4.480 way back in 1999 and that’s still the track record here,” Schumacher said. “You know Alan has the ability to run the number when he can but the fact we didn’t get down the track at all in round one forced us to play it safe.
“After they told me I went 4.49, I thought for sure someone would blow by the record because everyone was still left to run. Somehow, it didn’t happen and we stayed on top.”
If Schumacher retains the top position in today’s final rounds of qualifying, it will mark the third time in four events in 2005 that he has entered final eliminations as the top qualifier.
“Maybe we can go quicker. The other two times (in Phoenix and Pomona) we got the No. 1 qualifier deal this year we did it in the daytime so who knows what will happen,” Schumacher said.
In Funny
Car, Hight, who set the pace in Gainesville, will also be looking for
a second consecutive top qualifying position.
“This is the first night run that I’ve ever made all the way down the track,” said Hight, who is ninth in the Funny Car point standings. “In a Funny Car you have a limited view anyway and when you get all the clutch dust in there and it’s dark it can be a little hard to see.
“I was just focusing on driving the car down the track. I had no idea that it ran that quick,” he said. “I don’t think that run will stand. I think we’ll see some mid-4.80s (today). As tough as the Funny Car field is, I just consider myself lucky to be out here driving. To have a rookie be in the top two at the first three races is pretty good.”
In Pro
Stock Motorcycle, Hines passed Angelle Sampey – who led after the
first round and is in second after two rounds - in his second trip down
the quarter-mile track.
“The conditions were a lot better that time and we really wanted to go for it but after the first round (where he ran a 7.179) we just decided to get it down the track,” Hines said. “We still have four or five hundredths in there so we’ll see what we can do in the morning. I’m happy to be No. 1 and I know I’ll sleep a lot better tonight knowing I’m No. 1.
If Hines holds onto the top spot, it would be his second top qualifier in a row – Hines also was the top qualifier at the first Pro Stock Motorcycle event of the season, the Mac Tools Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla. in March.
“We’re all pretty excited because we found a problem that has been slowing us down for three years now,” he said. “The manufacturer of the ignition we use just told us that there is a built in delay so we’ve been getting false information all this time. We finally know why our 60-foot times have always been terrible. Now we know, watch out.”
Results Friday after qualifying for the 18th annual
O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Pennzoil at Houston Raceway
Park, fourth of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing
Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday's final eliminations.
Top Fuel - 1. Tony Schumacher, 4.495 seconds, 327.90 mph; 2. Cory McClenathan, 4.496, 329.10; 3. Doug Herbert, 4.505, 328.14; 4. Doug Kalitta, 4.512, 325.53; 5. Morgan Lucas, 4.540, 325.30; 6. Rod Fuller, 4.566, 322.11; 7. Clay Millican, 4.573, 318.47; 8. David Baca, 4.581, 312.13; 9. Larry Dixon, 4.584, 323.43; 10. David Grubnic, 4.611, 316.38; 11. Bruce Litton, 4.757, 286.01; 12. T.J. Zizzo, 4.761, 311.56; 13. Scott Weis, 4.777, 297.55; 14. Scott Palmer, 4.807, 282.90; 15. Chris Karamesines, 4.934, 296.89; 16. Bill Ancona, 5.137, 255.97.
Funny Car - 1. Robert Hight, Ford Mustang, 4.767, 323.27; 2. Phil Burkart, Toyota Celica, 4.813, 320.36; 3. Ron Capps, Dodge Stratus, 4.814, 14.17; 4. Gary Scelzi, Stratus, 4.825, 321.35; 5. John Force, Mustang, 4.835, 323.27; 6. Eric Medlen, Mustang, 4.841, 305.36; 7. Del Worsham, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.844, 322.73; 8. Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo, 4.852, 317.49; 9. Jeff Arend, Monte Carlo, 4.864, 313.66; 10. Tony Bartone, Monte Carlo, 4.889, 309.27; 11. Tim Wilkerson, Monte Carlo, 4.898, 302.14; 12. Whit Bazemore, Stratus, 4.899, 309.13; 13. Frank Pedregon, Stratus, 4.904, 295.46; 14. Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.947, 304.05; 15. Bob Gilbertson, Monte Carlo, 5.050, 273.05; 16. Jim Head, Stratus, 5.077, 300.80.
Pro Stock - 1. Warren Johnson, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.707, 205.10; 2. Jason Line, Grand Am, 6.713, 205.51; 3. Rickie Smith, Chevy Cavalier, 6.723, 204.82; 4. Mike Edwards, Grand Am, 6.723, 204.70; 5. Ron Krisher, Cavalier, 6.724, 204.79; 6. Kurt Johnson, Cavalier, 6.726, 205.13; 7. Greg Stanfield, Cavalier, 6.726, 205.04; 8. Greg Anderson, Grand Am, 6.729, 205.04; 9. V. Gaines, Dodge Stratus, 6.733, 204.94; 10. Jeg Coughlin, Stratus, 6.733, 204.60; 11. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.741, 204.85; 12. Dave Connolly, Cavalier, 6.744, 204.35; 13. Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.751, 203.37; 14. Erica Enders, Cavalier, 6.762, 203.61; 15. Jim Yates, Grand Am, 6.764, 204.01; 16. Richie Stevens, Stratus, 6.778, 201.97.
Pro Stock Motorcycle - 1. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson,
7.087, 189.34; 2. Angelle Sampey, Suzuki, 7.089, 188.49; 3. Chris Rivas,
Buell, 7.111, 186.72; 4. Ryan Schnitz, Buell, 7.120, 188.89; 5. Geno Scali,
Suzuki, 7.173, 187.78; 6. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.174, 186.74; 7. Steve
Johnson, Suzuki, 7.182, 186.33; 8. Antron Brown, Suzuki, 7.183, 187.16;
9. GT Tonglet, Harley-Davidson, 7.195, 182.60; 10. Michael Phillips, Suzuki,
7.205, 183.39; 11. Kurt Matte, Suzuki, 7.206, 184.88; 12. Mike Berry,
Suzuki, 7.212, 185.41; 13. Shawn Gann, Suzuki, 7.216, 186.18; 14. Matt
Smith, Suzuki, 7.217, 183.69; 15. Chip Ellis, Buell, 7.217, 182.77; 16.
Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.233, 186.00.
FRIDAY NOTES - Scelzi
going back? Hines finds gremlin and another Miller accident…
(4-8-2005) – Scelzi Returns To Roots – Gary Scelzi got the call to the major leagues under the most unfortunate circumstances in 1997. Prior to that, the Fresno, Calif.-based driver had developed quite a name as a Top Alcohol driver. Scelzi confirmed that in Las Vegas next week he will be behind the wheel of a Top Alcohol Funny Car arranged by former Mr. Gasket leader Bob DeVour.
More where that came from – In going to the top spot in Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying, defending champion Andrew Hines admitted his team has stumbled onto something they’ve overlooked for the last three years.
“We have more left in the bike and I would venture to say we shaved four to five-hundredths off of our time tonight,” Hines admitted. “I’m confident we could have gone as quick as a 7.03. There was more beyond that.
“I’m pretty sure everyone planned on it being warmer. I don’t think we took full advantage of the conditions we had available.”
Hines pointed out the problem was ignition related. He commented that the team runs its tachometer output through the ignition and it has provided false information on more than one occasion.
“I think we can tune the bike more consistently since we found that out,” Hines said. “I think there will be less second-guessing now.”
Brut
by the gallon? - As part of the Brut marketing campaign, crew
members carefully apply Brut cologne to the car's headers before each
warm-up and again during the starting process at the line before a race.
After complaints that the five-ounce bottles of the scent don't last long
enough, the team has asked manufacturers to look into providing the liquid
by the drum. That's the equivalent of about 705 bottles of Brut at about
$5.00 per bottle, or $3,520 per drum. And they are complaining about the
price of Nitro? Ah, the costs of marketing.
Announcer Bob Frey added, “The last time I saw someone use a 55-gallon drum of Brut was on my prom night.”
Night Flier? – Funny Car low qualifier Robert Hight admitted tonight’s pole-sitting run was the result of his first completed run at night. The driver of John Force’s third flopper said he felt his run was just quick enough to make it into the field. He said he was astonished to learn that he was the low qualifier Friday.
“I usually don’t pay attention to reaction times during qualifying and that’s what might have thrown me off,” Hight said. “John was way out in front of me and I felt it was enough to get us in the show, but when I saw a 4.767 I was blown away.”
Miller
Accident, Part 2 – During the first Top Fuel qualifying
session, team owner Bill Miller lost his second car this season. Newly
appointed driver Bobby Lagana Jr., lost the brakes at the end of the run
and the combination of that and a late parachute put him in a precarious
position with T.J. Zizzo, opposite-lane driver. Zizzo, driving the Torco
Race Fuels entry, was motioned to turn and that forced Lagana to take
evasive action, which inevitably led to severe damage on the Miller entry.
Team owner Miller was understandably unhappy with the situation as evidenced by his demeanor following the delivery of the mangled car to his pits.
Lagana declined comment on the situation.
Zizzo’s car sustained a damaged front wing.
You’ve
come a long way, baby – Just last season Erica Enders drove
her way to a Super Gas win. Today, she drove a Pro Stocker a little more
than two seconds quicker into a place within the provisional 16-car field.
Enders landed in the show with a 6.762, 203.61.
Keeping Up – When motorcycle icons George Bryce and George Smith formed G-Squared Motorsports and decided to campaign a Buell in the Pro Stock bike class, the consensus was that the two would go all the way to the top. However, the first day of qualifying was one they’d just as soon forget.
Team
rider Chip Ellis was 15th following the end of Friday’s second session,
while fellow Buell racers Chris Rivas and Ryan Schnitz were third and
fourth respectively.
“We expected to do more with our run tonight,” said Smith, “but feel there is still a lot more left in this G2/S&S Buell. It will be up to us to find the right combination for tomorrow’s two passes so that we can move further into contention and qualify in the top half of the field.
“We’re really pleased with the runs of the other Buells.
Chris Rivas, aboard the Mohegan Sun motorcycle, had an outstanding run
in this last qualifying session and Ryan Schnitz put together two good
passes today. Also, our hats are off to Matt Guidera on the Rockland HD
Buell as he made his first full lap in competition and there will be continued
improve for this team both at this event and in the future.”
Darrell’s
Top Eliminator Club – Honoring the memory of hometown hero
Darrell Russell, Houston Raceway Park has named its Top Eliminator Club
after the former driver for Joe Amato. Russell was honored during a ceremony
prior to the second session of Top Fuel qualifying. A bronze plaque will
commemorate the renaming.
Just
like old times – For much of the ‘seventies and ‘eighties,
Warren Johnson and Rickie Smith did battle on the IHRA side in the mountain
motor Pro Stock ranks. In fact, during the 1980 season, the two met in
three final rounds and finished one and two in the final points tally.
Smith gained a measure of revenge by becoming the first driver that season
to record a seven-second elapsed time, a feat that Johnson publicly coveted.
Sometimes it takes a quarter of a century to resume a rivalry. Smith went from fifteenth to first with a 6.723, 204.82. However, WJ upped the ante with a 6.707, 205.10.
Jason Line then bumped Smith to third.
Not a good position to be in – Tony Pedregon missed out on an opportunity to pull himself out of the basement. The Quaker State-sponsored driver had fallen to 17th when it came time for his second attempt Friday. However, mechanical problems prevented him from firing the car and will send the former champion into the final day of qualifications on the outside looking in.
Brother Cruz Pedregon lost an engine and blazed on the top end. He was in the field, though, and improved on his position with a 4.947, 294.18.
Just the opposite – Headed into the second session
on Friday, the quickest Team Force entry was listed at ninth. By the time
John Force and Robert Hight rolled to the starting line for their runs,
Hight was 16th and Force was 17th. Medlen had dropped to 14th. In one
session, all three leapt into the top half of the field.
Houston
Pre-Race Notes
By Susan Wade
(4-7-2005) - Scott Kalitta did it in a Funny Car --
and with a broken leg. His cousin Doug did it 14 years later in Top Fuel
record-setting fashion. Larry Dixon did it with a new but not-so-secret
weapon. Pro Stock points leader Dave Connolly already has done it this
year. Warren Johnson has done it five times, and his son Kurt has done
it twice. Brandon Bernstein did it last year and his father, Kenny, did
it three times.
What did they do? Win at Houston Raceway Park.
Just nine weeks ago, Connolly drove his Chevy Cavalier to the exhibition
Pontiac Pro Stock SuperBowl victory, using it as a prelude to his Winternationals
win to begin the season. He'll try to hold onto his 20-point lead in the
NHRA Powerade standings this weekend at the 17th annual O'Reilly NHRA
Spring Nationals presented by Pennzoil.
Brandon
Bernstein (Top Fuel), Tim Wilkerson (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock),
and Karen Stoffer (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are hoping to recapture the magic
of their previous trips to Baytown, Texas, and earn their first victories
of 2005.
Hoping to continue the momentum are Gatornationals winners Doug Kalitta,
who ended a Top Fuel slump in Gainesville and said he and his Mac Tools
team "have a much better attitude in our pits now; Funny Car points
leader Whit Bazemore, a winner seven times in nine rounds this year who
said crew chief Lee Beard predicted their Matco Tools Funny Car Dodge
Stratus will run even better; Doug Kalitta won the Houston event in 2003
after qualifying No. 1 with a track speed record-setting performance of
4.486 seconds at 333.91 mph. Gary Scelzi, a Funny Car contender, owns
the HRP Top Fuel elapsed-time mark: a 4.480-second pass in October 1999.
He won two of the four now-discontinued Matco Tools Supernationals also
at HRP.
Gary
Densham, struggling since sponsors busted him to a privateer this year,
has both ends of the Funny Car track record at 4.755 seconds and 325.69
mph. Anderson claimed both the E.T. and speed records for Pro Stock (6/693/205.72).
In the bike class, reigning series champion Andrew Hines is quickest ever
at Houston in 7.072 seconds, while Shawn Gann will try to protect his
three-year-old speed mark of 192.96 mph.
Keep watching as our Competition Plus staff provides same-day coverage
of all four pro classes, as well as sportsman and Pro Modified action.
Check out Roger Richards' photos and photo gallery, Matthew Brammer's
entertaining and informative videos, and pit notes by Brammer and magazine
publisher Bobby Bennett.
Here's a list of news to keep an eye on this weekend:
Top Fuel
Scott Kalitta --
who went on to earn back-to-back Top Fuel crowns in 1994-95 -- won his
first NHRA national event 16 years ago at Houston. He had a broken left
leg but insisted on driving that March day. What he wants to do now is
break the backs of his opponents and claim his second victory of the season.
Since winning the Winternationals, he has slid to fourth place, but the
Mac Tools/Jesse James Dragster driver is just 28 points off Tony Schumacher's
pace.
Tony Schumacher was impressive in setting top speed of the meet at Gainesville (333.95 mph). It tied Scott Kalitta's Oct. 2003 effort for the third-fastest speed in NHRA history but it didn’t translate to another victory for the Phoenix winner. He maintained an eight-point lead, prompting him to say he needs "to take care of business in Texas." He added, "We need to re-capture our stride after winning at Phoenix in February."
Larry Dixon remembers
his triumph at Houston's 1999 fall race, one that has been dropped from
the tour. But it's one of his vivid memories, for it was just his second
win with crew chief Dick LaHaie, his partner in consecutive NHRA championships.
"It was neat because earlier that year at Houston, we ran the first
4.40 and Doug Herbert ended up winning the race running 4.60s," Dixon
said. "Dicko (LaHaie) was his crew chief at the time. We had the
national record, but Dick and Doug (Herbert) got the win. We showed up
at the second Houston race with LaHaie tuning our car, and (Gary) Scelzi
bettered our performance and got the E.T. record. But we beat him in the
final." They won in their next trip there, the following spring.
"It reconfirmed what I always believe and how LaHaie runs his program,"
Dixon said. "He tries to run the best he can without giving it away,
and he's been very successful that way." Can the Miller Lite/Ameriquest
team do it again? If so, the victory would move Dixon ahead of "Big
Daddy" Don Garlits and give team owner Don Prudhomme his 100th victory
in a combined driver-owner career.
"Aussie Dave" Grubnic reached his first final round at Houston
in 1998 and lost to Cory McClenathan. The Zantrex-3 Dragster driver has
advanced to seven in all but is looking for his first victory. If he wins,
it would make three jackpots for Team Kalitta this season. Said Grubnic,
42, "I have unfinished business in Houston. I've been trying to finish
that business for seven years now. I want to win there now to add to those
memories before they fade away. I am getting older, you know." He's
third in points, 24 out of the lead.
Rookie Rod Fuller
will compete this weekend in front of his hometown crowd, where sponsor
David Powers Homes builds nearly 500 custom houses each year. Crew chief
Richard Hogan tunes the dragster with the familiar black-and-white paint
scheme, but this weekend it will carry a new Valvoline-highlighted look.
Chris Russell, brother of the late Darrell Russell, is team manager. Fuller
was a standout NHRA sportsman competitor who earned 13 victories in Super
Comp and Super Gas.
Clay Millican of Team 104+ Performance Additives/Lehman Racing will return
to the site of his first NHRA Top Fuel final-round appearance (which ended
in a loss to Brandon Bernstein but began a string of three runner-up finishes).
He's coming from his IHRA-record 38th victory at San Antonio last weekend.
Twenty-one-year-old
Morgan Lucas enters just eight points away from first place. He's seeking
his first NHRA pro-class victory for more than himself, crew chief Wayne
Dupuy, and team owner Joe Amato. "We want to do it for Darrell,"
Lucas said, referring to Darrell Russell, victim of a fatal crash last
June. Houston Raceway Park officials on Friday will unveil a bronze plaque
bearing a likeness of Russell that will be mounted in front of the newly
named Darrell Russell Top Eliminator Club. Lucas, who has three runner-up
finishes in only 11 starts, said "I think we're going to win our
first one there. That would be huge to me. Darrell's family will be there,
(widow) Julie will be there, all his friends and fans will be there. It
would be a dream come true to win it for them." Russell autographed
a bent wheel years ago for Lucas, and his kindness kindled the youngster's
interest in drag racing. "He has been a huge motivation for this
team to keep going and keep doing a good job. Our first win will be for
Darrell."
David Baca, who said that "on occasion, we have shown we can perform with the best of the cars on the circuit," is looking for consistency in his family-owned dragster. "We haven't realized our potential thus far this year." A win could elevate him into the top 10.
Funny Car
Whit Bazemore has
303 elimination rounds to his credit, and that experience tells him he
can't take being No. 1 in the points for granted. The last time he led
the standings, it slipped away after three midseason races with three
straight first-round defeats. He seized the lead after No. 1 Phil Burkart
failed to qualify at the Gatornationals. This is the earliest in the season
he has led. "You still have to work every race and work hard to get
what you earn," he said. Bazemore never has won at Houston, although
he was runner-up to Cruz Pedregon in 1998 and qualified No. 1 in 2002.
Gary Scelzi, Bazemore's teammate at Don Schumacher Racing, said he and
his Mopar/Oakley Dodge Stratus team are "extremely motivated right
now" and knows he needs to be. "Houston is going to be a tricky
race track, especially with the sun," he said. "The track has
some bumps in it. I don't know if they've addressed any of those problems
or not. It's not as fast a track as it used to be. But we feel we can
go down tricky race tracks, even when the sun comes out. That was a big
thing for us in Gainesville. . . . We feel we've got a car that is the
car to beat."
Ron Capps, buoyed
by his Brut Dodge Stratus Funny Car ride for Team Schumacher, is said
he's pumped up even more "because the Funny Car class is so bunched
together right now points-wise. . . . These next few races are going to
start to get pretty busy, and it's going to show who's going to be tough
this year. For having a brand new team I'm very optimistic about our chances."
He was a finalist in Phoenix. "I drove a Top Fuel car to my first
300-mph run in Houston in 1995, so it's got some meaning to me. It would
be a great place to win," Capps said.
Tommy Johnson Jr. was part of history three years ago at Houston. Trouble
was, it came at his expense as John Force scored his 100th career victory.
“It's like being the guy who gave up (Mark) McGwire’s 62nd
home run ball," Johnson said. "This time, it's our chance to
get No. 100 for Snake (Prudhomme), and it would be just fine with me if
Force was in the other lane." The Winternationals champion would
like to be Funny Car's first two-time winner in 2005.
Phil Burkart, chagrined
by his DNQ at Gainesville, said going into the Houston race that all systems
are checked and double-checked, by a team that's primed for lift-off.
He wants to rocket back into first place. "We've had about a year's
worth of emotion pile up on us in just three races, so to us it feels
like the year is a lot further along than it probably does to a lot of
other teams," he said. His Checker-Schucks-Kragen Team tested the
Monday after the Gatornationals. "We won the 'Monday Nationals' in
Gainesville. We stayed around to test and put a 4.84 and a 4.82 on the
board. For four laps during qualifying we couldn't go 30 feet, but on
Monday we just flew right down there. The good news was that we got our
confidence back. We know we didn't just turn dumb
overnight and forget how to do this. This sport has so many odd contradictions
to it."
Del Worsham, Burkart's teammate, has a favorite Tex-Mex restaurant in Houston, but before enjoying his favotite meal in Texas, he knows he can't choke at this event. He knows he must perform well, for he's a distasteful10th in the standings and the next few races will feel like he has been through a meat-grinder. "This is a very important race for us," he said. "We go through this every year, but it never fails to slap you in the face when you look at the calendar," Worsham said. "Those first three races take forever, (but after that) nine more races will have been run in the span of just 12 weeks, and the season will be half over." He's ready -- and a little sentimental: "It was a win in Houston, back in 2001, that really jump-started all the success we've had over the last few years. Coming into that race, we had three wins in 10 seasons. Now, just four years later, the red CSK team has 19 trophies and our blue team has three. Thank you, Houston." He's only 36 points out of third place.
Pro Stock
Dave
Connolly is scheduled to drive his new Chevy Cobalt later this month.
But he'll be happy to take Mike Dzurilla's Bullet Motorsports Chevy Cavalier
to another victory or two. He won the season-opener at Pomona and was
runner-up in Gainesville. In this fourth race of 23, he has proven he
can win on this track, beating No. 1 qualifier Richie Stevens in the Feb.
5 preseason tune-up. Connolly also will drive a Super Comp dragster that
is part of Dzurilla's five-car Bullet Motorsports team. "I still
have a lot of time during the races, and I love to race in Super Comp.
That's where I grew up racing. I think it keeps the driver sharp, plus
it helps me learn the different tracks we race on. I'm able to get more
of a feel for the track."
Jason
Line and Greg Anderson were strong at Gainesville, with Line winning in
the KB Racing Pontiac Grand Am and Anderson, the two-time defending world
champion, rewriting both ends of the national performance records in the
Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac. "It was just a matter of bearing
down, getting back to the race track, doing a lot of test runs, getting
back in sync with each other, and getting that thought process back where
it needs to be -- where we had it last year," Anderson said. "We're
still not where we want to be, though, especially when you look at how
some of these other teams are stepping up. It's definitely beginning to
come around."
Could Warren Johnson
or Kurt Johnson repeat as winner? It might happen, considering this race
has produced a different Pro Stock winner in each of the last five seasons.
At No. 2 in the standings, he trails Connolly by only 20 points. He predicted
he and his GM Performance Parts Grand Am should win the championship and
if not, son Kurt and his ACDelco Chevy Cavalier would do it. He said he
stands by that.
Bruce Allen said HRP historically is "one of the 'go-fast' tracks
we race on." He and his Reher-Morrison team, from upstate in Arlington,
has been runner-up twice but is looking to complete the deal for the first
time at any race since 2002 at Phoenix. He tested in Dallas the first
three days of this week, "working hard at working out the kinks,"
he said.
Jim Yates, the 1996-97 class champion, is off to his best start since
2002, when he was runner-up in points. He has two semifinal-round appearances
and a No. 1 qualifying spot and is third in the chase, 41 points off pace.
"We are back in championship mode," he said.
Richie Stevens
Jr. said he's feeling the pressure of performing in front of friends and
family from New Orleans. But with taskmaster Bob Glidden tuning his and
teammate Jeg Coughlin Jr.'s Team Mopar HEMI-powered Dodge Stratus R/Ts,
he should rise from ninth place in the standings. "It's where I raced
in my first drag race ever," he said of HRP. (He was runner-up in
the 1996 SuperBowl in an IHRA Pro Stock car.) Said Coughlin, "I know
what it takes to win the championship and this team has all the ingredients."
Erica Enders and her Cagnazzi Racing team have a new associate sponsor,
automotive tool manufacturer Chicago Pneumatic. The 21-year-old, who has
takena some time off from studies at Texas A&M University in College
Station, Texas, is a Houston hometown favorite. She broke into the sport
at HRP as an NHRA Junior Dragster competitor and won 37 times.
Mark Pawuk earned his first Pro Stock victory at Houston in 1990.
Mike Edwards is a two-time winner (1996, 2000).
Kenny Koretsky, Nitro Fish Wear Dodge Stratus driver, said he has the
potential to jump into the top five. "We came up short on race day"
is how he assesses his performance so far. "We're tired of it,"
he said. "We want to show people that we do have a competitive car.
We like the Houston track, even though we didn't qualify there last year.
It's time for us to get things together."
Pro Stock Motorcycle
Steve
Johnson, winning at Gainesville for only the second time in his 19-year
career, said, "This is the first time I've ever led the points, so
I'm going to make the most of it as long as it lasts." So he painted
a 10-foot-tall "#1" on the back door of his transporter. Underneath
that it reads: "POWERade Points Leader March 20, 2005, at 5:15 p.m.
Until . . . " The inimitable Birmingham, Ala., resident displayed
his dynamic personality by positioning himself in front of cameras and
grandstands, then lying on the ground and having a "conversation"
with his trophy before the formal winners circle celebration.
Chip Ellis, who red-lighted aboard the G Squared/S&S Buell in the
bike-opening Gatornationals, said, "What happened in Gainesville
stays in Gainesville." The quiet South Carolinan since tested, and
he said crew chief Ken Johnson "has got this bike straightened out.
We're going to be ready for them at Houston.”
Angelle Sampey
and Antron Brown were ready to put a U.S. Army-sponsored Don Schumacher
Racing Suzuki in the winners circle at Gainesville, but she was disqualified
for leaving the starting line too early against Brown and he lost to Johnson
in the semifinal because he left a bit too late. They'll look for a balance
at Houston.
CMKXtreme rider Connie Cohen made the quickest run of her career (at the
time) at HRP last year. She missed the grid at Gainesville but would like
to be the third woman in a row to win this class at this race.
EVENT SCHEDULE:
FRIDAY, April 8, 2005
Pro Stock Qualifying Session (PS Motorcycle / PS Car) 3:30 PM
Nitro Qualifying Session (Funny Car / Top Fuel Dragster) 4:30 PM
Pro Stock Qualifying Session (PS Motorcycle / PS Car) 6:30 PM
Nitro Qualifying Session (Funny Car / Top Fuel Dragster) 7:30 PM
Secure Track 8:30 PM
SATURDAY, April 9, 2005
Pro Stock Qualifying Session (PS Motorcycle / PS Car) 11:30 AM
Nitro Qualifying Session (Top Fuel Dragster / Funny Car) 12:30 PM
Pro Stock Qualifying Session (PS Motorcycle / PS Car) 2:30 PM
Nitro Qualifying Session (Top Fuel Dragster / Funny Car) 3:30 PM
Secure Track 6:30 PM
SUNDAY, April 10, 2005
Pit and Spectator Gates Open 8:00 AM
Pre-Race Ceremonies 10:00 AM
Final Eliminations 11:00 AM
Secure Event 4:30 PM 
