SAME DAY COVERAGE
NHRA CARQUEST Auto Parts Nationals
Joliet, Ill.
By Susan Wade; Photos by Roger Richards

Chicago Wrap-Up - Costly errors, tortoise beats hare again, that SoCal feeling . . . Plus a new-look, Force-fed Scelzi??

(6-14-2005) - Route 66 Raceway, renowned for its smooth surface and record-setting prospects, didn't yield any track marks this past weekend. However, it did produce some terrific side-by-side racing and some memorable moments. With a hearty "Holy Cow!" -- the trademark of the late Harry Caray, Chicago's beloved baseball broadcaster -- CompetitionPlus salutes the folks who put the "go" in Chicago . . . and to some who took the area's nickname of the Windy City to heart.

Biggest Winner of the Weekend: Kalitta Motorsports Top Fuel Team

This distinction comes with a bonus "Told Ya So" Award for Top Fuel winner Scott Kalitta. He outran cousin, teammate, and points leader Doug Kalitta in the quarterfinals on the way to his second victory of the season in the Mac Tools/Jesse James Dragster and break an eight-race drought.

That gave Kalitta Motorsports six victories in the season's first 10 races and four of the past five. Doug Kalitta, Scott’s cousin and driver of the Mac Tools Dragster, has won three times. Teammate Dave Grubnic, in the Zantrex-3 Dragster, has one victory. "It's impressive for Kalitta Motorsports," the Joliet winner said.

With earlier chatter that Scott and Grubnic were taking it for the team in match-ups with Doug to help his pursuit of his first Top Fuel championship, Scott put the talk to rest: "If they don't, then shame on 'em. What can you say? You can only beat a dead horse so long."

Biggest Loser of the Weekend: Matco Tools Iron Eagle Funny Car Team

A DNQ for Whit Bazemore and the Dodge Stratus could not have come at a worse time. Since winning at Las Vegas and regaining the points lead, Bazemore had lost in the first round four straight times. He undoubtedly was frustrated, but he publicly handled well his failure to qualify at the track where he was runner-up last spring and winner in both the spring of 2003 and fall of 2001. But Bazemore deserves a Grace Under Fire medal for his team-building, no-finger-pointing reaction throughout the ordeal.

The "We Knew What You Meant" Award: Chip Ellis

Discussing his early-season struggles, the Pro Stock Motorcycle winner had a down-home way of explaining them: "Drag racing is a real mental sport. And my mental wasn't being too good."

The "You're Starting To Sound Like John Force" Award: Gary Scelzi

We can imagine far worse trends, but Scelzi admitted he's starting to deliver Forcesque soliloquies when he gets in front of a camera. For example, he said, "I had a sick feeling today. I've had sick feelings when I've won. I've had sick feelings when I've lost first round. So there's no reason or rhyme to my feelings, so I don’t listen to myself. I just try to pay attention."

The "CompetitionPlus Can Stop Harassing Me" Award: Del Worsham

Del Worsham broke his streak of five first-round losses with his photo-finish victory over Ron Capps. Worsham won with a 4.872-second elapsed time at 309.77 mph to Capps’ 4.888/312.42. He lost to Eric Medlen in the next round.

"I'm not letting myself get too worked up over the wins and losses right now," The Checker Schuck's Kragen Team Chevy Monte Carlo driver said. "I'm after consistency and competitiveness. If we're consistent and competitive, the wins will come.

"On the other hand," Worsham said, "I'm not about to deny that winning Round 1 felt pretty darn good. It was a tight race against a great team, and this time we got there first. That's a big step, and it puts us back where we want to be and gives us some much needed confidence. As frustrated as we've all been, I would have accepted a win of any size or shape. If the other guy red lit, crossed the center line, smoked the tires, or whatever, I wouldn't have turned it down. But the way I wanted to bust out of this was to beat somebody, fair and square. It really was a big step."

Success has been a bad omen for the CSK Team. Ever since Worsham's teammate, Phil Burkart Jr. claimed the Funny Car points lead at Phoenix, he hasn't won a round. He lost to Jeff Arend in the first match-up at Joliet to extend his DNQ/Round-1-loss slide to eight events.

The "Just Like Back In SoCal" Award: Jack Beckman

Larry Dixon put a quick end to "Fast Jack" Beckman's weekend at Joliet -- Larry Dixon and the loss of traction. But Dixon, too, lost traction right away. The two-time champion used his nearly 600 rounds of experience to advance. Beckman said the previous time he and Dixon "were side by side, we were in 13-second street cars in the San Fernando Valley back in California. It's really neat to have come this far." As for what happened with Beckman's Menards/Mail Terminal Services, he said, "This is the first time since I've been driving this car that I've had to get on and off the throttle because of tire smoke. I saw Larry smoke the tires, so I hit the throttle again, but he was hooked up and I knew I
wasn’t going to catch him. Obviously, Larry Dixon is a little better at pedaling than I am, but I think if I get four or five more runs like that, I'll get the hang of it." Beckman was making only his third start in the Top Fuel class.

Dixon, who grew up in the glory days of drag racing in Southern California, faced Brandon Bernstein, who's a part-time Southern Californian, in Round 2. Dixon used a .077 of-a-second starting-line advantage to win one of the closest matches of the day in his Miller Lite/Ameriquest Dragster with a 4.541-second E.T. at 328.86 mph to Bernstein's 4.523/329.42 in the Budweiser/Lucas Oil Dragster. "I almost never win the really close ones!" Dixon, who in just two rounds already had had an eventful day, said.

The "Ruler On The Knuckles" Award: Warren Johnson

The so-called Professor of Pro Stock said qualifying No. 1 didn't ease the sting of missing the field for the King Demon Crown bonus race with its $50,000-to-win incentive.
"You've got to pay a penalty," he said of his poor performance in 2004, when drivers were accumulating points for the event.

"It's just like if you commit a crime you go to jail. We committed a crime all last year long, and we suffered the penalty," the GM Performance Parts Pontiac Grand Am driver said, poking fun at himself. The Professor was stood in the corner? "Absolutely," he said. "I didn't have a dunce hat on, but I had a helmet.

"It's just a learning curve," he said, referring to the fact that his performance suffered last season while he was working on refining GM's DRCE engine. "Some teams out there have enough wherewithal that they could have a separate development team doing that for them for a year while they raced their own particular program. We didn't have that luxury. That's just the way it is."

Johnson learned another lesson the hard way in Round 1 Sunday. Pro Stock veteran Bruce Allen claimed his first elimination-round win of the season in style -- by knocking off Johnson with a holeshot. Johnson had the quicker elapsed time -- 6.770 seconds in the GM Performance Parts Pontiac Grand Am to Allen’s 6.803 in the Reher-Morrison Grand Am. Johnson's speed was 204.45 mph to Allen's 202.24. The defeat cost him the points lead, as Greg Anderson replaced him. Johnson trails by 25 points.

The "I Get The Feeling I'm Forgetting Something" Award: Phil Burkart Jr.

"If anyone says you can't drive a Funny Car with your visor up, tell them they're wrong," the Checker Schuck's Kragen Toyota Celica driver said. "I accidentally rolled into both beams and lit both sets of bulbs, and that threw me off my routine," he said. "Usually I roll into the first set of bulbs, put down my visor, relax, put the fuel on the high side, and roll into the second beam. This time, when I rolled all the way into the second beam, I forgot to put my visor down. It was noisier than I'm used to, but not windy. . . . I was going to stick with it until I couldn't see. I could see all the way, so I just legged it out."

The "Helping A Fellow Patriot" Award -- Saturday Fans in The Right Lane Grandstands

Dave Dobson, an ESPN associate producer, sang the national anthem Saturday morning. He had a marvelous voice, if only the fans could have heard it for his full rendition. Unruffled by microphone glitches that made his voice cut in and out over the loudspeakers, Dobson continued singing. And the crowd joined in, a bit reluctantly at first. Sensing Dobson was going to continue having electrical problems, the fans became bolder, and their singing reached a crescendo on the final line of the song. After a rousing ". . . And the home of the brave," the grandstand singers got an appreciative cheer from the folks gathered on the starting line to observe the first round of the King Demon Crown specialty race for Pro Stock cars. NHRA President Tom Compton clapped for them and said with a broad smile, "That is cool!"

The "Hard Work Works For Us" Award: Andrew Hines and the Vance & Hines Screaming Eagle Team

After Andrew Hines nailed down his third No. 1 qualifying position in the Pro Stock Motorcycle order, he steered into the subject of parity in his class and addressed the rumors that some Suzuki riders have complained that the Harley-Davidsons still have an unfair advantage. He talked about the difficulties his team has overcome in adjusting to the additional 40 pounds that NHRA ordered in an attempt to equalize the class.

"There is parity out there now, Hines said.

He said he ran a 7.093 at Route 66 Raceway last year and qualified with a 7.167-second E.T. in similar conditions. "This year we qualified with a (7.)12, about 40 pounds heavier. I just ran a 7.13, and there was a Suzuki in front of me that ran a 7.12. I don't see that there's any reason for those guys to complain."

He said of the added weight he and teammate/points leader G.T. Tonglet received, "We struggled with it. We're still trying to make the power to overcome it. We’re getting a lot closer now. The main reason is our 60-foots. We built two brand-new chassis, and they’re working awesome. You can predict what they’re going to do on almost every pass."

Almost defiantly, he said, "It has been a great year so far, and we're going to keep marching along with the Screaming Eagle Vance & Hines team."

Hines said, "I’m just out here doing my deal. I'm going to focus on my program. If those guys want to squawk all they want, let 'em have it. This is NHRA drag racing. It's a toss-up right now who could win this race. You never know."

Turns out it wasn't Hines or Tonglet.

Some Pro Stock Bike observers wonder if NHRA will impose further limits on the Harley-Davidsons. "I can’t put words in NHRA’s mouth, but I'd really hate to see them do that," Hines said. "The class is really good right now. If anything, they should make both bikes faster. We've been struggling with this deal for a whole year. We're still not back on top of it. If they give us something else, then who knows what can happen? We're just focusing on our own deal. I want to win another championship. There might be some bumps along the way. If they did something to us, that'd be a major bump in the road."

The "Slow But Sure" Award: John Smith

Top Fuel driver John Smith hardly could be called a turtle. But the No. 12 qualifier surely was inspired by the fable of the tortoise and the hare. After eliminating No. 5 Doug Herbert, Smith reached his first semifinal since the 2003 Gatornationals by beating David Baca in the most improbable way. Smith smoked the tires of his Hartman Motorsports Dragster early in the run, but he continued to pedal the car down the track in what appeared to be a futile effort. But Baca's engine flamed out and lost power at the top end of the run. Smith advanced with 5.911-second E.T. After he exited the car, Smith put his accomplishment in perspective: "With everything going on in the world today, we're just happy to have the privilege to be out here."

The "1-2-3 Red Light" Award: John Force Racing

Remember that old song from the late 1960s ("Every time I try to kiss you, Baby, . . . ")? The Castrol/Auto Club of Southern California team was singing it Sunday. The John Force Racing contingent has put its Ford Mustangs 1-2-3 in the Funny Car lineup five times without a victory. Eric Medlen took the Castrol SYNTEC Ford Mustang to the final round for the first time this season, but Gary Scelzi ripped off a 4.744-second pass at 330 mph in the final to win. With underfunded and overmatched Dale Creasy Jr. driving in front of his home crowd in the other lane in the first round, Force's engine misfired. That first loss in 12 meetings to the plucky "Peanut" halted Force's streak of three straight victories. He's still the points leader, but just by 64 points.

The "Busted" Award: Tony Schumacher

Tony Schumacher's U.S. Army Dragster covered the quarter-mile in 4.500 seconds at 333.33 mph in his first-round victory over Scott Weis. "The Sarge's" E.T. was eight-thousandths of a second quicker than his top-qualifying number. His 333.33 was a mere .25 of a second slower than David Grubnic’s track-record speed of 333.58.

But the top qualifier missed his golden opportunity to shine in front in his hometown in the U.S. Army Dragster, in front of Army brass on hand to celebrate the service’s 230th birthday, and in the wake of points leader Doug Kalitta’s second-round exit. Rod Fuller busted “The Sarge” with a 4.546-second effort at 314.53 mph to the reigning series champion’s 4.687/323.89.

"It was driver error, pure and simple," said Schumacher, who was plagued with laryngitis in addition to the extra pressure to perform in front of family and friends and to make up the 26 points by which he trailed Kalitta in the standings. "I'm not making excuses, by any means, but I haven't been myself all weekend, being sick and all."

He said that during a brief rain delay just before his second-round run, he remained strapped in the seat as the car sat in the staging lanes. "I knew I should've gotten out and walked around," Schumacher said. "By the time we got up to the line, I felt like my right leg was falling asleep. When I hit the throttle, the car left hard, as it always does, and it threw my foot off [the pedal]. I obviously got back on it, but it was too late."

Advantage, Mr. Kalitta.

The "Live By The Light, Lose $50,000 By The Light" Award: Jason Line

Line repeated his Pro Stock event victory at Joliet with a .0015-second margin over Jeg Coughlin Jr. in the most closely contested elimination round in any category. His 6.783-second E.T. at 203.09 mph in the Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac Grand Am nipped Coughlin’s 6.800/202.48 in the Jeg's Dodge Stratus. It was worth $1,000, as it gave Line the "Motel 6 Who Got the Light?" Award.

But being quick -- too quick, that is -- cost Line $50,000 last weekend. He had a red-light disqualification in the final round of Saturday’s $50,000-to-win King Demon Crown specialty race. Had he beaten Dave Connolly, he would have received a $25,000 double-up bonus from NHRA.

The "Teflon Driver" Award: Dave Connolly

The young Pro Stock driver keeps on rolling, despite whatever life throws his way. He won the King Demon Crown title and its $50,000 winner's share of the specialty-race purse in the Torco Chevy Cobalt. It was a huge victory for him, for it avenged his loss to Greg Anderson in 2004. And it was a big victory for new team owner Evan Knoll, who purchased the team earlier in the week. In mid-May, Connolly and his crew had been ditched suddenly by the previous owner in an attempt to straighten his finances. Mark and Andy Carrier funded his trip to Topeka so he would keep his momentum in the points chase rolling, and they helped facilitate Knoll's purchase, just before their father (IHRA founder Larry Carrier) passed away last week. Connolly had stayed focused at Topeka and finished as runner-up.

SUNDAY - SCELZI MOVES INTO CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENTION WITH FUNNY CAR VICTORY AT CARQUEST AUTO PARTS NHRA NATIONALS; Kalitta, Line and Ellis also earn victories at Route 66 Raceway

(6-12-2005) – Gary Scelzi closed in on John Force’s world championship points lead by racing to the Funny Car victory Sunday at the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway.

Scott Kalitta, Jason Line and Chip Ellis also were winners at the $1.8 million race, the 10th of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.

Scelzi took advantage on a rare first round loss by Force and cut the 13-time champ’s series lead to 64 when he powered past Force teammate Eric Medlen in the final round.

Scelzi covered the quarter-mile distance in 4.740 seconds at 330.80 mph in his Mopar/Oakley Dodge Stratus to claim his second victory of the season and 31st of his career. Medlen trailed with a 4.805 at 321.73 in his Castrol Syntec Ford Mustang in his first final round appearance of the season.

“We have to capitalize on any chance we get and today we took out some heavy hitters,” said Scelzi, who beat Bob Gilbertson, Tommy Johnson Jr. and Robert Hight to advance to the final round. “Anytime you can beat two of Force’s cars in the same day it’s a good thing because that doesn’t happen very often. I hope we can keep it going and make a horse race out of this championship.”

Kalitta earned his second Top Fuel victory of the season and 18th overall by outrunning Rod Fuller in the final. Kalitta clocked a 4.518 at 330.15 in his Jesse James/Mac Tools dragster to pull away from Fuller, who finished in 4.602 at 323.58 in his David Powers Homes dragster.

Kalitta had some tough early rounds, including wins over Morgan Lucas and Larry Dixon. However, his toughest round may have been a second-round win over his cousin and current series points leader Doug Kalitta.

“We’ve been frustrated with the car so today we set it up today exactly like Doug’s car and it showed the results,” said Scott, a two-time POWERade Series world champion (1994-’95) who moved into sixth in the current standings with the victory. “This worked out as good as it could for us because it’s all about bringing a championship to Kalitta Motorsports, no matter to which of the three cars.”

Despite the second-round loss, Doug maintained a 25-point lead over top rival and defending world champ Tony Schumacher, who also lost in the quarterfinals.

Line claimed his second win of the season and sixth of his career in Pro Stock in a photo-finish (.0015 margin of victory) over Jeg Coughlin. Line drove his Summit Racing Pontiac to a 6.783 at 203.09 to hold off Coughlin’s Jeg’s Mail Order Dodge Stratus, which posted a 6.800 at 202.48.

“It’s good to beat Jeg, especially since this is my first race with the new sponsor,” said Line, who moved into his fourth final round of the season with early round wins over Greg Stanfield, Dave Connolly and Richie Stevens . “I had a good feeling coming here. It’s a great track and we seem to run well here.”

Line moved into third place and his teammate, two-time defending champ Greg Anderson, moved into the points lead for the first time this season, continuing the strong recent surge for the KB racing duo.

“Our team chemistry is the best it’s ever been,” Line said. “We are excited and going in the right direction.”

Anderson, who lost to Coughlin in the semifinals, moved ahead of season-long category leader Warren Johnson by 25 points. The top four drivers in the standings, who also include Line and Connolly, are separated by 86 points.

Ellis captured his first victory of the season and second of his career in Pro Stock Motorcycle, clocking a 7.203 at 180.79 on his G-Squared S&S Buell to defeat local favorite Geno Scali, who posted a 7.343 at 178.30 on his Trim Tex Suzuki.

“I was glad we could pull it off today and win this for Ken (Johnson),” said Ellis, referring to his crew chief who is continuing to recover from a broken leg he suffered last weekend in a freak accident. “It took five people to do his job, but we got it done. That just shows you what this team is capable of when we all pull together. Jackie (Bryce) talked to him a while ago on the phone and he said that’s the best medicine he’s had.”

With the victory, Ellis, who had struggled for most of the season, becomes the fifth different winner in the category and moved into second place in the point standings, 28 behind leader GT Tonglet, who suffered a rare first-round loss.

“Just like a pitcher in Major League Baseball we had to break out of a slump,” said Ellis, one of the top contenders for the 2005 Auto Club Road to the Future Award which recognizes the best rookie performer of the season. “The bike wasn’t struggling, I was. Drag racing is a very mental sport and for the last few races my mental wasn’t very good. But today we moved from eighth to second and that just shows how valuable those POWERade points are.”

The NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series continues with the 36th annual K&N Filters SuperNationals, June 16-19 at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, Englishtown, N.J.

Sunday's sportsman final results from the Eighth annual CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway. The $1.8 million race is the 10th of 23 in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:

Final round-by-round results from the Eighth annual CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway, the 10th of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:

TOP FUEL:

ROUND ONE -- Rod Fuller, 4.565, 325.30 def. David Grubnic, 4.551, 317.57; Scott Kalitta, 4.547, 326.87 def. Morgan Lucas, 18.400, 36.16; Larry Dixon, 5.552, 289.63 def. Jack Beckman, 10.219, 80.87; John Smith, 7.250, 230.65 def. Doug Herbert, 7.294, 229.27; David Baca, 4.627, 316.52 def. Cory McClenathan, 11.717, 75.32; Brandon Bernstein, 4.535, 331.61 def. Tim Cullinan, 10.438, 84.11; Doug Kalitta, 4.534, 329.18 def. Bobby Lagana Jr., 11.377, 80.36; Tony Schumacher, 4.500, 333.33 def. Scott Weis, 4.749, 298.07;

QUARTERFINALS -- Smith, 5.911, 303.30 def. Baca, 6.117, 138.80; Dixon, 4.541, 328.86 def. Bernstein, 4.523, 329.42; S. Kalitta, 4.529, 325.53 def. D. Kalitta, 4.569, 324.83; Fuller, 4.546, 314.53 def. Schumacher, 4.687, 323.89;

SEMIFINALS -- Fuller, 4.567, 323.35 def. Smith, 11.643, 86.53; S. Kalitta, 4.556, 325.92 def. Dixon, 4.584, 317.27;

FINAL -- S. Kalitta, 4.518, 330.15 def. Fuller, 4.602, 323.58.

FUNNY CAR:

ROUND ONE -- Tommy Johnson Jr., Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.807, 325.45 def. Tim Wilkerson, Monte Carlo, 4.862, 314.68; Tony Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.847, 299.33 def. Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo, foul; Del Worsham, Monte Carlo, 4.872, 309.77 def. Ron Capps, Dodge Stratus, 4.888, 312.42; Eric Medlen, Ford Mustang, 4.789, 325.85 def. Gary Densham, Monte Carlo, 4.843, 313.58; Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.758, 319.75 def. Bob Bode, Pontiac Firebird, 4.920, 308.50; Dale Creasy Jr., Monte Carlo, 4.891, 310.34 def. John Force, Mustang, 5.084, 244.78; Jeff Arend, Monte Carlo, 4.862, 315.71 def. Phil Burkart, Toyota Celica, 10.683, 85.39; Gary Scelzi, Stratus, 4.755, 330.39 def. Bob Gilbertson, Monte Carlo, 8.570, 117.83;

QUARTERFINALS -- Arend, 4.896, 312.64 def. Creasy Jr., foul; Johnson Jr., 6.649, 207.94 def. T. Pedregon, 9.456, 124.50; Medlen, 4.958, 306.74 def. Worsham, 11.060, 83.62; Scelzi, 4.801, 327.98 def. Hight, 6.466, 139.29;

SEMIFINALS -- Medlen, 4.835, 323.58 def. Arend, 4.890, 291.57; Scelzi, 4.802, 309.06 def. Johnson Jr., 4.810, 323.66;

FINAL -- Scelzi, 4.740, 330.80 def. Medlen, 4.805, 321.73.

PRO STOCK:

ROUND ONE -- Richie Stevens, Dodge Stratus, 6.781, 203.61 def. Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.820, 202.42; Jeg Coughlin, Stratus, 6.781, 203.34 def. Rickie Smith, Chevy Cavalier, 6.797, 203.34; Ron Krisher, Chevy Cobalt, 6.756, 203.83 def. Kenny Koretsky, Stratus, 6.771, 203.43; Dave Connolly, Cobalt, 6.799, 202.24 def. V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.777, 203.83; Jason Line, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.745, 204.20 def. Greg Stanfield, Cavalier, 6.787, 203.43; Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.745, 204.60 def. Mike Edwards, Grand Am, 6.825, 202.55; Bruce Allen, Grand Am, 6.803, 202.24 def. Warren Johnson, Grand Am, 6.770, 204.45; Greg Anderson, Grand Am, 6.745, 203.92 def. Jim Yates, Grand Am, 6.795, 203.09;

QUARTERFINALS -- Stevens, 6.793, 203.19 def. Allen, 6.825, 201.76; Anderson, 6.750, 203.92 def. Krisher, 6.781, 203.49; Line, 6.759, 203.68 def. Connolly, 6.794, 202.61; Coughlin, 6.794, 203.03 def. K. Johnson, 6.773, 204.20;

SEMIFINALS -- Line, 6.781, 203.16 def. Stevens, 6.793, 203.83; Coughlin, 6.787, 203.22 def. Anderson, 6.762, 203.86;

FINAL -- Line, 6.783, 203.09 def. Coughlin, 6.800, 202.48.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:

ROUND ONE -- Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.216, 185.41 def. Chris Rivas, 7.276, 180.19; Angelle Sampey, Suzuki, 7.238, 185.13 def. Shawn Gann, Suzuki, 7.320, 169.85; Ryan Schnitz, 7.207, 185.82 def. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.195, 188.36; Chip Ellis, 7.172, 179.61 def. Matt Guidera, 7.413, 149.88; Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 7.549, 139.83 def. Michael Phillips, Suzuki, foul; Antron Brown, Suzuki, 7.179, 186.00 def. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.226, 185.61; Geno Scali, Suzuki, 7.213, 186.77 def. GT Tonglet, Harley-Davidson, foul; Matt Smith, Suzuki, 7.115, 186.87 def. Mike Berry, Suzuki, broke;

QUARTERFINALS -- Johnson, 7.226, 184.75 def. Hines, 7.256, 192.93; Sampey, 7.232, 188.73 def. Brown, foul; Ellis, 7.229, 183.02 def. Schnitz, 7.270, 183.62; Scali, 7.171, 187.26 def. Smith, 7.242, 183.52;

SEMIFINALS -- Ellis, 7.253, 181.96 def. Sampey, 7.227, 188.02; Scali, 7.231, 185.84 def. Johnson, 7.304, 182.85;

FINAL -- Ellis, 7.203, 180.79 def. Scali, 7.343, 179.30.

SUNDAY NOTES - Group singing, Scelzi's winning ways and Visor up driver

(6-11-2005) - Oh, say can you hear? -- Dave Dobson, an ESPN associate producer, sang the national anthem Saturday morning at Route 66. He had a marvelous voice, if only the fans could have heard it for his full rendition. Unruffled by microphone glitches that made his voice cut in and out over the loudspeakers, Dobson continued singing. And the crowd joined in, a bit reluctantly at first. Sensing Dobson was going to continue having electrical problems, the fans became bolder, and their singing reached a crescendo on the final line of the song. After a rousing “. . . And the home of the brave,” the grandstand singers got a rousing cheer from the folks gathered on the starting line to observe the first round of the King Demon Crown specialty race for Pro Stock cars.

Awesome but no cigar -- Tony Schumacher’s U.S. Army Dragster covered the quarter-mile in 4.500 seconds at 333.33 mph in his first-round victory over Scott Weis. “The Sarge’s” elapsed time was eight-thousandths of a second quicker than his top-qualifying number. His 333.33 was .25 of a second slower than David Grubnic’s track-record speed of 333.58.

Finally! -- Del Worsham broke a five-race Round 1 jinx with his photo-finish victory over Ron Capps. Worsham won with a 4.872-second elapsed time at 309.77 mph to Capps’ 4.888/312.42.

First things first -- Gary Scelzi took care of maybe his toughest task well before eliminations began.

“The week before every race I tell my wife, 'I've got to win this race, I've got to win this race,' and she always yells back, 'You have to qualify first,' ” the Mopar/Oakley Dodge Stratus driver said. “And sometimes we forget that. With the equipment that we have and the resources that Don gives us that shouldn't be an issue, but sometimes it is."

He wasn’t discussing the subject in the context of teammate Whit Bazemore’s DNQ in the Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge Stratus. But that underscored what he was saying.

"We're ready to go. We're one of the most consistent cars here,” Scelzi said following his ninth-place qualifying effort. “The last time we [were that consistent] was in Sonoma in '03, and I remember what happened there very well.” He won his first Funny Car race.

His job Sunday seemed almost easier than qualifying, at least in the first round. He ran away from opponent Bob Gilbertson with a 4.755-second pass at 330.39 mph. That prompted track announcer Bob Frey to say that “the Oakley car is running on mean.”

That matched him with No. 1 qualifier Robert Hight in the quarterfinals. Scelzi joked that the hot rookie’s continued success will backfire on him: “Robert doesn’t know any better. He doesn’t realize he’s making us bite our nails every week.”

Scelzi eliminated the top qualifier, as Hight struck the tires.

Doubly sweet -- Pro Stock veteran Bruce Allen earned his first elimination-round win of the season in style -- by knocking off top qualifier Warren Johnson in the opening round with a holeshot. Johnson had the quicker elapsed time -- 6.770 seconds in the GM Performance Parts Pontiac Grand Am to Allen’s 6.803 in the Reher-Morrison Grand Am. Johnson’s speed was 204.45 mph to Allen’s 202.24.

Consistent -- and frustrated -- No. 4 Tim Wilkerson had the highest-qualifying Funny Car behind the John Force Racing trio of Robert Hight, Force, and Eric Medlen.

His Levi, Ray & Shoup Chevy Monte Carlo ran consistent 4.8s. "We have a pretty nice bracket car this weekend," Wilkerson said. "Gary Scelzi and I are the only two cars that went down the track all four times.” Wilkerson was a first-round victim of Tommy Johnson Jr. The Springfield, Ill., native has qualified second, third, and fourth at the past three events -- a major improvement from his first four races, when he could manage no better than 11th in the order.

In the first round of action today, Wilkerson said he "just needed to go faster, and we needed to have some guts. The Skoal team went out there and knew they had their hands full if they did anything wrong. They handed it to us and there's not much we could do about that. We haven't smoked the tires at the hit since Bristol, so maybe now it's time to get our guts back out and start acting like we have some again. But we're so happy having the car go down the track that we don't want to upset the apple cart.

"We went up there with all intentions of rotating the earth," he said. "But after watching all those dragsters smoke the tires, we backed it up. But it didn't like it. It did just what you think it would: it went backwards. But we're really seeing good things and I know we're going to get there, and hopefully soon."

’Mano against ’mano -- Tony Pedregon said he didn’t prefer to race older brother Cruz at all, but their first-round match-up wasn’t the family classic it appeared to have been. Tony drove his ‘Q’ Racing Monte Carlo to a 4.847-second E.T., and Cruz was right alongside him with a 4.849 in his Advance Auto Parts Chevy. But Cruz’s run was in vain, because he red-lighted , 44-thousandths of a second too quick on the Christmas Tree.

When they discovered Saturday that they were paired against each other, Tony said, “Cruz and I have competed against each other since we were children. I would prefer to not have to race against him in the first round, but at least, we know that one of us will move to the second. And I am racing to win.”

Dickie Venables, Tony Pedregon’s crew chief, said, “We race the race track. That is our focus.”

Cruz made good on his prediction that he would “put on a strong first run” but said, “The goal for this weekend was to be consistent during qualifying. And we have achieved it with two passes in the 4.80s. Now, we’re working on different things so we can achieve 100 percent performance.”

Persistence pays off -- Top Fuel driver John Smith hardly could be called a turtle. But the No. 12 qualifier had to be inspired by the story of the tortoise and the hare. After eliminating No. 5 Doug Herbert, Smith reached his first semifinal since the 2003 Gatornationals by beating David Baca in the most improbable way. Smith smoked the tires of his Hartman Motorsports Dragster early in the run, but he continued to pedal the car down the track in what appeared to be futile effort. But Baca’s engine flamed out and lost power at the top end of the run. Smith advanced with 5.911-second E.T. After he exited the car, Smith put his accomplishment in perspective: “With everything going on in the world today, we’re just happy to have the privilege to be out here.”

Oops -- When Phil Burkart qualified in the No. 7 spot Saturday with the Checker Schuck‘s Kragen Toyota Celica, he did so in an unusual manner. "If anyone says you can't drive a Funny Car with your visor up, tell them they're wrong," Burkart said.

"I accidentally rolled into both beams and lit both sets of bulbs, and that threw me off my routine,” he said. “Usually I roll into the first set of bulbs, put down my visor, relax, put the fuel on the high side, and roll into the second beam. This time, when I rolled all the way into the second beam, I forgot to put my visor down. It was noisier than I'm used to, but not windy. The
problem is the clutch dust swirling around in there, but I wanted to get a good lap on the board. So my brain registered that I was going to stick with it until I couldn't see. I could see all the way, so I just legged it out and we put a nice lap on the board.”

He had no magic formulas Sunday. With his visor down, he lost to upset-minded Jeff Arend in the opening round.

Missed opportunity -- Tony Schumacher qualified No. 1 among the Top Fuel drivers. And his 4.500-second E.T. and 333.33-mph speed from his Round 1 victory were nearly records. Otherwise, he missed his moment to shine in his hometown in the U.S. Army Dragster, in front of Army brass on hand to celebrate the service’s 230th birthday, and in the wake of points leader Doug Kalitta’s second-round exit. Rod Fuller busted “The Sarge” with a 4.546-second effort at 314.53 mph to the reigning series champion’s 4.687/323.89.

“It was driver error, pure and simple,” said Schumacher, who was plagued with laryngitis in addition to the extra pressure to perform in front of family and friends and to make up the 26 points by which he trailed Kalitta in the standings. “I’m not making excuses, by any means, but I haven’t been myself all weekend, being sick and all.”

He said during the brief rain delay just before his second-round run, he remained strapped in the seat as the car sat in the staging lanes. “I knew I should’ve gotten out and walked around,” Schumacher said. “By the time we got up to the line, I felt like my right leg was falling asleep. When I hit the throttle, the car left hard, as it always does, and it threw my foot off [the pedal]. I obviously got back on it, but it was too late.”

He knew the significance of his loss to Fuller. “We had a great race car today, one that could‘ve won the race,” he said. “I feel really horrible for my U.S. Army team. You hate to give away opportunities like that.”

He blew the chance to seize the Top Fuel points lead. “That’s two races in a row that we saw [Doug] Kalitta go out before we ran and neither time did we take advantage.,” he said.

Big DRAW -- Saturday night’s DRAW auction raised about $60,000. The organization supports injured racers and their families.

Giant Killer

(6-12-2005) - The upset of the first round was Dale "P-Nut" Creasy taking out the defending champion John Force. (Mike Garland Photo)

SATURDAY - CONNOLLY RACES TO KING DEMON CROWN VICTORY AT ROUTE 66 RACEWAY; Schumacher, Hight, Johnson and Hines claim No. 1 qualifying positions at CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals

(6-11-2005) – Dave Connolly raced to the $50,000 King Demon Crown victory Saturday at the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway.

In other racing Saturday, Tony Schumacher, Robert Hight, Warren Johnson and Andrew Hines earned No. 1 qualifying honors in their respective categories at the $1.8 million race, the 10th of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.

Connolly claimed his first victory in the special bonus event for the season’s eight-quickest Pro Stock cars when final round opponent Jason Line fouled at the start.

Connolly, who qualified fifth for Sunday’s 11 a.m. eliminations, drove his Torco Gear Chevy Cobalt to round wins over Mike Edwards and Kurt Johnson to make it to his second-straight Demon Crown final. The win avenged Connolly’s runner-up effort in last year’s King Demon Crown. He lost to Greg Anderson in that race by a very narrow margin.

“It’s good to get a little revenge,” said Connolly, who added the feat to his list of accomplishments at Route 66 Raceway. “There’s definitely a horseshoe above our heads at this track. I love coming here.”

In the final, Connolly had the slower car (6.823 to Line’s 6.775), but Line left the starting line before the green light flashed, resulting in instant disqualification.

“I thought I was beat,” Connolly said. “I thought I hit the tree good for once the whole day and then I hit fifth gear and I looked over and he was already around us by a lot. I looked up at the scoreboard and saw the win light and about shut it off and pulled the parachute and started celebrating.”

With a victory tomorrow, Connolly can pocket a $25,000 ‘Double-Up’ bonus from NHRA, bringing his total weekend earnings to more than $100,000.

“With what this team has been through in the last two weeks, to perform the way they did at Topeka and now win the King Demon Crown, what a great team,” said Connolly, whose team faced an uncertain future before it was purchased by Evan Knoll prior to this event. “I can’t ask for a better weekend, unless we win Sunday and take home the Double Up bonus from NHRA.”

Schumacher raced to his fourth No. 1 position of the season and the 14th of his career in Top Fuel with a 4.508 second run at 329.58 mph in his U.S. Army dragster.

"It's nice to start number one, especially on the occasion of the U.S. Army's 230th birthday celebration," said local favorite Schumacher, from nearby Long Grove, Ill. "Now, we have to deliver the real present to our soldiers on race day - a win."

Rookie Hight claimed his fourth top qualifying effort in Funny Car by clocking a 4.726 at 328.86 in his Auto Club Ford Mustang.

“It’s good for everybody’s ego to be No. 1,” Hight said. “But qualifying is over now and we have to work hard to win the race tomorrow. There's a lot of really good cars in the field and there are no easy rounds.”

Hight teammates John Force (4.744, 326.24) and Eric Medlen (4.771, 324.51) were second and third respectively in their Castrol Mustangs. It is the fifth time Force Racing has claimed the top three spots in the qualifying order and the second time at this track.

“We’ve never won and capitalized on (being 1-2-3),” said Hight, who will face veteran driver Jim Head in the first round. “We’ve got to get this car into the winner’s circle and the way it ran today I like our chances.”

Johnson earned the 135th No. 1 qualifying effort of his career and his fifth of the season by posting a 6.762 at 204.08 in his GM Performance Parts Pontiac.

"We felt like we could run relatively close to what we ran this morning based on the fact that was a new engine," Johnson said. "We made some tune-up adjustments, but we didn't expect it to pick up that much. We're just trying as hard as we can.”

Hines claimed his third top qualifying effort of the season and 11th of his career by riding his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson with a performance of 7.123 at 183.10.

“We had a consistent bike all weekend and we’re happy to get another No. 1 qualifying effort for this Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines team,” Hines said. “We weren’t the quickest today and a few teams threw out a few runs during that last session, but we were able to hold on to the top spot.”

First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the Eighth annual CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway, the tenth 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, 4.508 seconds, 329.58 mph vs. 16. Scott Weis, 4.709, 313.88; 2. Doug Kalitta, 4.516, 329.83 vs. 15. Bobby Lagana Jr., 4.706, 317.12; 3. Brandon Bernstein, 4.527, 328.94 vs. 14. Tim Cullinan, 4.701, 309.20; 4. Cory McClenathan, 4.527, 325.14 vs. 13. David Baca, 4.699, 309.42; 5. Doug Herbert, 4.530, 321.12 vs. 12. John Smith, 4.640, 314.97; 6. Larry Dixon, 4.533, 327.43 vs. 11. Jack Beckman, 4.638, 286.32; 7. Morgan Lucas, 4.548, 327.90 vs. 10. Scott Kalitta, 4.595, 323.74; 8. David Grubnic, 4.566, 326.87 vs. 9. Rod Fuller, 4.592, 326.71.

Funny Car -- 1. Robert Hight, Ford Mustang, 4.726, 328.86 vs. 16. Bob Bode, Pontiac Firebird, 4.906, 300.40; 2. John Force, Mustang, 4.744, 326.24 vs. 15. Dale Creasy Jr., Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.890, 309.84; 3. Eric Medlen, Mustang, 4.771, 324.51 vs. 14. Gary Densham, Monte Carlo, 4.887, 314.02; 4. Tim Wilkerson, Monte Carlo, 4.775, 322.96 vs. 13. Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo, 4.842, 319.60; 5. Tony Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.780, 323.50 vs. 12. Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.840, 323.19; 6. Del Worsham, Monte Carlo, 4.791, 322.73 vs. 11. Ron Capps, Dodge Stratus, 4.826, 322.04; 7. Phil Burkart, Toyota Celica, 4.795, 318.02 vs. 10. Jeff Arend, Monte Carlo, 4.823, 310.27; 8. Bob Gilbertson, Monte Carlo, 4.801, 324.59 vs. 9. Gary Scelzi, Stratus, 4.816, 324.12.

Pro Stock -- 1. Warren Johnson, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.762, 204.08 vs. 16. Bruce Allen, Grand Am, 6.817, 202.00; 2. Kurt Johnson, Chevy Cobalt, 6.769, 204.08 vs. 15. Mike Edwards, Grand Am, 6.815, 202.55; 3. Greg Anderson, Grand Am, 6.769, 203.55 vs. 14. Jim Yates, Grand Am, 6.815, 202.21; 4. Jason Line, Grand Am, 6.784, 202.97 vs. 13. Greg Stanfield, Chevy Cavalier, 6.813, 201.97; 5. Dave Connolly, Cobalt, 6.789, 202.91 vs. 12. V. Gaines, Dodge Stratus, 6.812, 202.61; 6. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.795, 202.42 vs. 11. Kenny Koretsky, Stratus, 6.809, 202.48; 7. Jeg Coughlin, Stratus, 6.799, 203.03 vs. 10. Rickie Smith, Cavalier, 6.803, 202.58; 8. Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.800, 201.97 vs. 9. Richie Stevens, Stratus, 6.802, 203.31.

Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 7.123, 188.36 vs. 16. Michael Phillips, Suzuki, 7.265, 188.57; 2. Antron Brown, Suzuki, 7.126, 188.75 vs. 15. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.264, 184.55; 3. Chip Ellis, Buell, 7.150, 185.66 vs. 14. Matt Guidera, Buell, 7.260, 184.25; 4. Matt Smith, Suzuki, 7.168, 186.36 vs. 13. Mike Berry, Suzuki, 7.246, 184.60; 5. GT Tonglet, Harley-Davidson, 7.173, 190.65 vs. 12. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 7.238, 184.52; 6. Ryan Schnitz, Buell, 7.202, 183.74 vs. 11. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.224, 184.22; 7. Angelle Sampey, Suzuki, 7.203, 184.25 vs. 10. Shawn Gann, Suzuki, 7.220, 185.79; 8. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.204, 185.21 vs. 9. Chris Rivas, Buell, 7.205, 185.13.

In Memoriam

(6-11-2005) - Evan Knoll's Pro Stock operation paid tribute to the late Larry Carrier, who passed away earlier this week.

SATURDAY NOTES - King David reigns supreme, Happy Birthday G.I. Joe and a show of Forc

(6-11-2005) - Hail, King Connolly -- Pro Stock’s Dave Connolly was $50,000 richer after defeating Jason Line in the King Demon Crown final round.

The previous time Connolly raced at Joliet, last October, he won the Pro Stock final despite his car breaking down, because opponent Greg Anderson jumped the light and was disqualified. Saturday’s huge payoff came because Line, Anderson’s teammate, committed the same error. Connolly’s winning performance in the Torco Chevy Cobalt was a 6.823-second pass at 202.55 mph.

The victory also was the first in NHRA Pro Stock competition for the new Chevy Cobalt.

“I think I have a horseshoe here,” Connolly said. “This is where I also started my career (in 2003), and it‘s where I won my first national event, in the Super Comp class.”

Connolly, driving the Torco Gear-sponsored Chevrolet Cobalt for the first time, began repaying new owner Evan Knoll for ensuring his future in the sport by taking over this past week. Former team owner Mike Drzulla abandoned Connolly and his crew just before the Topeka event.

The triumph was a bit of a surprise for Connolly, who will receive a $25,000 double-up bonus from NHRA if he wins the event Sunday.

“I thought we were done," Connolly said of his final-round performance. "I thought I hit the tree good, for once the whole day, and then I hit fifth gear and I looked over and he was already around us by a lot. I looked up at the scoreboard and saw the win light, and I about shut it off and pulled the ’chute because I was so excited.

“You don't really see a lot of red-lights in Pro Stock, but I think you will more and more because all the drivers are turning it up so much,” he said “The cars are running so close, and that's where you have to learn how to race, at the starting line. Everybody's stepping up to the plate and tightening up the bulbs, and that stuff's going to happen. That's just a part of racing.”

His victory was another chapter in a series of remarkable achievements for this team that had won twice in three final rounds in the season’s first five races and owned the points lead twice. Under pressure, Connolly was runner-up at Topeka as No. 2 qualifier, thanks to financial help from Mark and Andy Carrier. Then after hooking up with Knoll, the 21-year-old from Elyria, Ohio, qualified fifth at Route 66 Raceway and padded the team’s needy bank account.

"With what this team's been through the last couple of weeks, to come out here and perform like they did, what a great team,” Connolly said. “Fred (GM rep Simmonds) said something about a first Cobalt win in Topeka, but I forgot about it. Extra thanks to GM for all of the help that they give us."

He added, "It's great to continue the success by winning the King Demon shootout. Torco Racing Fuels and Gear (which Knoll owns) really stepped up to the plate Monday, and I think it's something that will really work out in the future. The whole team is excited about that.

"I can't ask for a better weekend,” Connolly said, “unless we can win Sunday and take home the $25,000 bonus."

Connolly avenged his 2004 loss in the specialty race. Greg Anderson, Line's teammate, edged him by one-thousandths of a second, as the final round was completed at Topeka, delayed a week by rain in Joliet.

Connolly also dedicated the victory to the late Larry Carrier, father of the Carrier Boys. Carrier passed away earlier this week.

How it went down for the Crown -- In the first round of the King Demon Crown bonus race for Pro Stock class, Kurt Johnson in the ACDelco Chevy Cobalt bested last year's King Demon Crown winner, Greg Anderson, in his Pontiac with an elapsed time of 6.769 seconds at 204.08 mph to Anderson's 6.773 and 203.34.

Connolly drove his Chevy Cobalt past Mike Edwards' Pontiac with an elapsed time of 6.799 seconds at 202.73 mph to a 6.826 and 201.97 for Edwards.

In the bottom half of the bracket, Jason Line in a Pontiac beat Kenny Koretsky in the NitroFish Dodge Startus with a 6.784 E.T. and 202.42 mph to a 6.862 and 201.58 for Koretsky. In a battle of Stratuses, Jeg Coughlin defeated Larry Morgan with a 6.814 E.T. at 201.97 mph to a foul start for Morgan. (Morgan failed to qualify for the race by fourth-thousandths of a second.)

In the semifinals, Connolly ran an elapsed time of 6.819/202.24 to Kurt Johnson's 6.835/ 203.58 mph to reach the King Demon Crown finals for the second consecutive year. Line drove his Pontiac around Jeg Coughlin’s Dodge Stratus in the other semifinal.

Connolly starts the race third in POWERade Series points. He's been to four finals in the season's first nine races, winning twice.

WJ by the numbers -- Team publicists Jon and Joann Knapp have supplied the following fast facts about Warren Johnson’s top-qualifying performance this weekend:

* This is the 135th No. 1 qualifying performance of WJ’s career, which is more than any other driver in NHRA history.

* This is Warren’s second No. 1 qualifying performance at Route 66 Raceway.

* He was the No. 1 qualifier at the inaugural event here in 1998.
This is the 34th time in their respective careers that Warren and Kurt have qualified 1-2, second time this season, and second time at Route 66 Raceway.

* This is WJ’s fifth No. 1 qualifying performance of the 2005 season, which is the most in the Pro Stock category.

Weighty issue -- Andrew Hines, the Pro Stock Bike class’ No. 1 qualifier, said, “There is parity out there now. We’re just going to go along with it and hopefully win the race tomorrow.”

He said he ran a 7.093 at Route 66 Raceway last year and qualified with a 7.167-second E.T. in similar conditions. “This year we qualified with a (7.)12, about 40 pounds heavier.” He said of the 40-pound weight added to his Harley-Davidson and to G.T. Tonglet’s in an NHRA attempt to equalize the class, “We struggled with it. We’re still trying to make the power to overcome it. We’re getting a lot closer now. The main reason is our 60-foots. We built two brand-new chassis, and they’re working awesome. You can predict what they’re going to do on almost every pass.

“It has been a great year so far, and we’re going to keep marching along with the Screaming Eagle Vance & Hines team,” he said.

He said he has heard that several Suzuki drivers have complained that the Harley-Davidsons still have an unfair advantage, “but I just ran a 7.13 and there was a Suzuki in front of me that ran a 7.12. I don’t see that there’s any reason for those guys to complain. I’m just out here doing my deal. I’m going to focus on my program. If those guys want to squawk all they want, let ‘em have it. This is NHRA drag racing. It’s a toss-up right now who could win this race. You never know.”

Some Pro Stock Motorcycle observers wonder if NHRA is poised to establish further limits on the Harley-Davidsons. “I can’t put words in NHRA’s mouth, but I’d really hate to see them do that,” Hines said. “The class is really good right now. If anything, they should make both bikes faster.

“We’ve been struggling with this deal for a whole year. We’re still not back on top of it. If they give us something else, then who knows what can happen? We’re just focusing on our own deal. I want to win another championship. There might be some bumps along the way. If they did something to us, that’d be a major bump in the road.”

No. 1 Birthday Gift -- Long Grove’s Tony Schumacher and his U.S. Army Dragster rolled over the field in Top Fuel qualifying. With Major General Michael Rochelle, head of the U.S. Army’s recruiting effort, among those on hand Saturday at Route 66 Raceway to help celebrate the service’s 230th birthday, Schumacher dominated with a 4.508-second elapsed time at 329.58 mph to claim his fourth No. 1 qualifying position of the season.

Speaking in near-whispers because of laryngitis, Schumacher said drag-racing fans “are going to see some awesome racing” in Sunday’s final eliminations that are scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.

Schumacher qualified eighth-thousandths of a second quicker than No. 2 Doug Kalitta, the Mac Tools Dragster driver he trails in the standings by just 26 points.

Earlier in the afternoon, Schumacher’s pit area was teeming with fans who stopped by to share a piece of birthday cake with the racing team and soldiers in attendance.

You forgot Cory! -- Tony Schumacher, the quickest qualifier in the Top Fuel field, said he and No. 2 starter Doug Kalitta have dragsters that are “the two best in the field” this weekend and in the standings. However, he said the rest of the top five -- Brandon Bernstein, Cory McClenathan, and Doug Herbert -- and Larry Dixon are dangerous competitors.

“We all know Dixon can run fast in the heat,” Schumacher said. “But Cory McClenathan’s name has been left out of some conversations. He ran a low (4.)50 in the heat today.” It was a 4.527 that was identical to Bernstein’s elapsed time, but Bernstein got the No. 3 spot with a faster speed: 328.94 to McClenathan’s 324.67.

Show of Force -- Rookie Robert Hight and his Auto Club of Southern California Ford Mustang were quickest among the Funny Car field with a 4.726-second, 328.86-mph performance. That gave him his fourth No. 1 position as he seeks the second victory of his career.

Boss and father-in-law John Force qualified second in the Castrol GTX Start-Up Mustang at 4.744 seconds, and teammate Eric Medlen was third with a 4.771 clocking from the Castrol Syntec Ford. It was the fifth time overall the trio was 1-2-3 for the fifth time overall. It also was the second time that occurred at Route 66 Raceway, making this track the only one at which the feat ever has happened.

The number of times that John Force Racing has parlayed that 1-2-3 punch into a victory is surprising: zero.

“Qualifying’s over,” Hight said. “It’s good for everybody’s egos, but it starts all over again. Basically it’s two different races.”

He reiterated that qualifying at the top of the list doesn’t necessarily give anyone an edge on race day. “We have to be perfect,” he said. “And you know how long perfection lasts.”

Tough teacher -- Points leader Warren Johnson, nicknamed “The Professor of Pro Stock,” tutored his competitors with his 6.762-second, 204.08-mph blast in the final qualifying session. He took the No. 1 position away from son and teammate Kurt Johnson.

“I had to qualify No. 1 to teach him a lesson for picking the lane he did,” Warren Johnson said. “They (Kurt and his crew) just flat screwed up is what they did. They overanalyzed it.”

The six-time series champion is making his “School’s Out” Farewell Tour in his last season of fulltime driving. The GM Performance Parts Pontiac Grand Am driver is a stern taskmaster, for he said, “School’s out at the end of the year -- no recess.”

Trust your family -- Reigning Pro Stock Motorcycle series champion Andrew Hines held onto his to his top spot with a 7.123-second E.T. at 188.36 mph. He and his Harley-Davidson V-Twin have led the lineup for the third time in the class’ six appearances on the NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series.

He’s seeking his first victory of 2005 and will start with a match-up against Michael Phillips.

Hines said he has trusted dad Byron, who runs the Vance & Hines Screaming Eagle team, and older brother Matt, a three-time champion. “They’ve been tuning bikes for 40 years combined. They knew what the conditions were, and they made the right call,” he said.

Andrew Hines set the track E.T. mark (7.093 seconds) last May, and his brother’s 191.19 mph from 2001 remains the Route 66 Raceway speed mark.

Bug in car bites Bazemore -- Whit Bazemore failed to qualify the Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge Stratus Funny Car for the first time since the 2003 event at Reading, Pa.

Bazemore, who has won twice this season and led the Funny Car point standings through three events, struggled in each of the four qualifying rounds. His 5.032-second E.T. at 308.35 mph in the first session Friday was sufficient for a No. 14 spot at the time. He followed that with a 4.930/318.77, which dropped him out of the running.

His consistent passes of 4.976/311.85 and 4.929/317.49 in the next two sessions did not improve his position, and he missed his chance for a fourth Joliet victory.

"It’s a feeling of failure you never want to feel,“ Bazemore said. “But you play the game and sometimes you feel it. It's part of the sport. I feel bad for the guys on the Matco Tools team and, of course, all our supporters and all the Matco Tool distributors here, but (crew chief) Lee Beard is making a huge effort. Our whole team is.”

He said the crew hasn’t discovered why the car isn’t performing well. "There's a bug in the car. We're plenty frustrated. The car just didn't respond at all. We had the whole team in our pits, with Beard and all the other crew chiefs on the team: Dan Olson, Ed McCulloch, Zippy (Mike Neff). We tuned the damned thing up where it really should have hauled ass, but it didn't seem to make much difference.”

"We're not in a very good place right now as a team, but we've got great people, great support. We need to keep our heads up and work through it. It's not a sport that you're going to be successful in if you quit when you're down, and we've been down many times, and we always manage to come back stronger than we were before. I'm sure this time we'll make the right effort and we'll come back stronger and maybe we'll add to our win tally this year."

SATURDAY - Connolly scores $50,000 payday in King Demon Crown competition

(6-11-2005) - It didn't take long for newly christened Pro Stock team owner Evan Knoll to gain a return on his investment. That's because his driver Dave Connolly drove the Torco Gear-sponsored Chevrolet Cobalt to a $50,000 prize by defeating Jason Line in the final round.

Just to think, Connolly thought he lost it.

"I looked over in fourth gear and he was just driving away from me," Connolly said. "I thought we were done. Then I hit fifth and looked up and saw the scoreboard lights on in my lane and I just about threw the chutes and shut the car off I was so excited.

"For all this team has been through in the last few weeks, this is just awesome," said Connolly. "The runner-up in Topeka with the Carrier Boyz was big and now to win this race for Torco and Evan Knoll is even better. They stepped up big time and rescued us."

Connolly's march to the monumental title began with a decisive victory over Mike Edwards and that set up a semi-final match that saw him stop Kurt Johnson on both ends of the track.

On the other side of the ladder, Line defeated Kenny Koretsky and Jeg Coughlin, Jr., to reach the final round.

Saturday's final round-by-round results from the 21st annual King Demon Crown at Route 66 Raceway, a $151,000 bonus event for qualified Pro Stock competitors:

KING DEMON CROWN:

ROUND ONE -- Dave Connolly, Chevy Cobalt, 6.799, 202.73 def. Mike Edwards, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.826, 201.97; Jeg Coughlin, Dodge Stratus, 6.814, 201.97 def. Larry Morgan, Stratus, foul; Jason Line, Grand Am, 6.784, 202.42 def. Kenny Koretsky, Stratus, 6.862, 201.58; Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.769, 204.08 def. Greg Anderson, Grand Am, 6.773, 203.34;

SEMIFINALS -- Line, 6.797, 202.97 def. Coughlin, 6.811, 203.03; Connolly, 6.819, 202.24 def. Johnson, 6.835, 203.58;

FINAL -- Connolly, 6.823, 202.55 def. Line, foul.

FRIDAY - SCHUMACHER, HIGHT, ANDERSON AND HINES PACE QUALIFYING FRIDAY AT CARQUEST AUTO PARTS NHRA NATIONALS

(6-10-2005)– Local favorite Tony Schumacher raced to the qualifying lead Friday night at the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway.

Schumacher, from nearby Long Grove, Ill., was quickest in his U.S. Army Top Fuel dragster, clocking a 4.508 second run at 329.58 mph.

“Honestly, I didn’t think the run was quick enough to stand as No. 1,” Schumacher said. “It’s great to lead qualifying here in front of the hometown fans and for the U.S. Army, who is celebrating its birthday this weekend.”

Robert Hight, Greg Anderson and Andrew Hines also were qualifying leaders at the $1.8 million race, the 10th of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.

Rookie Hight drove to the top of the Funny Car lineup with a 4.726 at 328.86 in his Auto Club Ford Mustang and was followed by his teammates, John Force (4.744, 326.24) and Eric Medlen (4.771, 324.51), second and third respectively in their Castrol Mustangs.

“Our car shook on the first run and Jimmy (Prock, crew chief) has enough confidence in the tune-up to stay with it,” Hight said. “I figured John would run a 4.69 in that session and even (Gary) Scelzi and a couple of the other guys, but the 72 held up. It’s 1-2-3 for these Fords and that’s pretty good. We’ve never had much success on race day when we’ve been 1-2-3 and we want to change that this weekend.”

Anderson posted a 6.769 at 202.85 in his Summit Racing Pontiac to lead Pro Stock. On Saturday he will lead the action in the King Demon Crown, a lucrative bonus event for qualified Pro Stock drivers. He faces rival Kurt Johnson in the first round.

“This is the best track we’ve been on all year but we just don’t have any air,” Anderson said. “The killer numbers aren’t going to be there. What it means is that we’ll see some great racing. It will bring the driving more into the equation. It’s going to be a heck of a dogfight in the King Demon Crown because we have a tough first round match with Kurt and the rounds don’t get any easier.”

Hines rode a Harley-Davidson to a performance of 7.123 at 183.10 to lead Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying.

“The rain and sunshine put a lot of humidity in the air,” Hines said. “But my brother (Matt) and dad (Byron) have been tuning bikes for 10 and 30 years respectively and knew what the track would take. The bike is very consistent right now. I like being No. 1 , but I want to take home the Wally.”

Qualifying continues Saturday with sessions at 11:45 a.m. and 3 p.m. The $50,000 King Demon Crown starts at 11:30 a.m., with rounds to follow at 3 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Results Friday after qualifying for the Eighth annual CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway, 10th 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, 4.508 seconds, 329.58 mph; 2. Doug Kalitta, 4.516, 329.83; 3. Doug Herbert, 4.530, 317.87; 4. Larry Dixon, 4.533, 327.43; 5. Cory McClenathan, 4.563, 325.14; 6. David Grubnic, 4.566, 326.87; 7. Morgan Lucas, 4.573, 324.36; 8. Rod Fuller, 4.592, 326.71; 9. Brandon Bernstein, 4.610, 322.58; 10. Scott Kalitta, 4.620, 323.74; 11. Jack Beckman, 4.638, 286.32; 12. David Baca, 4.699, 309.42; 13. John Smith, 4.702, 307.58; 14. Bobby Lagana Jr., 4.706, 317.12; 15. Scott Weis, 4.709, 313.88; 16. Joe Hartley, 4.713, 319.82.

Funny Car -- 1. Robert Hight, Ford Mustang, 4.726, 328.86; 2. John Force, Mustang, 4.744, 326.24; 3. Eric Medlen, Mustang, 4.771, 324.51; 4. Tim Wilkerson, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.775, 322.96; 5. Tony Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.780, 323.50; 6. Del Worsham, Monte Carlo, 4.791, 322.73; 7. Phil Burkart, Toyota Celica, 4.795, 318.02; 8. Bob Gilbertson, Monte Carlo, 4.801, 324.59; 9. Gary Scelzi, Dodge Stratus, 4.816, 324.12; 10. Jeff Arend, Monte Carlo, 4.823, 310.27; 11. Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.840, 323.19; 12. Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo, 4.843, 319.60; 13. Gary Densham, Monte Carlo, 4.887, 314.02; 14. Bob Bode, Pontiac Firebird, 4.906, 300.40; 15. Ron Capps, Stratus, 4.907, 314.97; 16. Jim Head, Stratus, 4.926, 317.79.

Pro Stock -- 1. Greg Anderson, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.769, 202.85; 2. Kurt Johnson, Chevy Cobalt, 6.783, 203.98; 3. Warren Johnson, Grand Am, 6.783, 203.52; 4. Dave Connolly, Cobalt, 6.789, 202.91; 5. Jason Line, Grand Am, 6.793, 202.97; 6. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.795, 202.18; 7. Jeg Coughlin, Dodge Stratus, 6.799, 202.21; 8. Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.800, 201.97; 9. Rickie Smith, Chevy Cavalier, 6.803, 201.97; 10. Richie Stevens, Stratus, 6.814, 202.55; 11. Mike Edwards, Grand Am, 6.815, 202.55; 12. Kenny Koretsky, Stratus, 6.815, 202.00; 13. Bruce Allen, Grand Am, 6.817, 201.82; 14. Ben Watson, Cavalier, 6.818, 200.56; 15. Greg Stanfield, Cavalier, 6.820, 201.70; 16. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.821, 201.70.

Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 7.123, 187.78; 2. Chip Ellis, Buell, 7.150, 185.66; 3. Matt Smith, Suzuki, 7.194, 183.87; 4. Angelle Sampey, Suzuki, 7.203, 184.25; 5. GT Tonglet, Harley-Davidson, 7.219, 187.23; 6. Shawn Gann, Suzuki, 7.220, 185.46; 7. Ryan Schnitz, Buell, 7.224, 183.64; 8. Antron Brown, Suzuki, 7.228, 183.32; 9. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.233, 184.30; 10. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 7.244, 184.42; 11. Mike Berry, Suzuki, 7.246, 184.60; 12. Chris Rivas, Buell, 7.262, 184.02; 13. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.269, 183.97; 14. Kurt Matte, Suzuki, 7.271, 184.50; 15. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.276, 183.12; 16. Michael Phillips, Suzuki, 7.279, 183.37.

FRIDAY NOTES -

Hight leads Force trio --- Rookie Robert Hight's 4.726-second elapsed time at 328.86 mph in the Auto Club of Southern California Ford Mustang gave the John Force Racing team a 1-2-3 hold on the Funny Car field. Force was .018 of a second slower at 4.744 for No. 2, and Eric Medlen was third with a 4.771.

"Our car shook early. We retarded the timing at a different spot, and Jimmy [crew chief Prock] went back to the way we were running earlier in the year at Houston and Atlanta. And it was perfect," Hight said. "With a chance of rain tomorrow, I'd have been happy with 4.80. But Jimmy, he has enough confidence -- he knows what it's going to run."

He said he was surprised that his time held up. "I actually figured John might run a (4.)69 here. They ran so well in the fall here. I thought with Scelzi and a lot of those guys, that (4.)72 would be vulnerable."

Hight said Route 66 Raceway is "probably THE best race track in the country."


Can't talk about it -- Tony Schumacher took the provisional No. 1 qualifying position for the Top Fuel class and was speechless following his 4.508-second pass at 329.58 miles an hour. He wasn't overwhelmed by the numbers. He had laryngitis. Communicating in whispers, the U.S. Army Dragster driver indicated he thought his performance was "nothing extraordinary" and that he didn't think it would last as quick time.

How much does it mean? -- Mike Edwards has worked, like seven others, for one calendar year for the opportunity to win $50,000 in tomorrow’s King Demon Crown -- the richest one-day payoff for Pro Stock drivers. And while the $50K can buoy any racing team, Edwards said if he wins, he also would take satisfaction in knowing he beat the best.

“I’ve won the U.S. Nationals and sportsman world championship, but winning this race would be almost more impressive,” Edwards said. “When you are one of the best eight drivers for 23 races leading to the event, it shows you have a team capable of winning. With the level of competition in the King Demon Crown you must defeat, it makes it that much rewarding if you can get the big prize.”

Edwards will meet Dave Connolly in the first round.


Back in Funny Car seat -- Ron Capps will have to get used to driving a Funny Car again. Since the May 29 O’Reilly Summer Nationals at Topeka, the Brut Dodge Stratus driver has tested teammate Tony Schumacher’s championship-winning U.S. Army Top Fuel dragster and finished ninth while competing with a handful of NASCAR Nextel Cup regulars in a super late model stock car race.

“That was unbelievable.I got to drive I twice,” Capps said of his stint in “The Sarge” during Monday testing at Heartland Park Topeka. He said on the second run, before he started getting out of the groove near the 800-foot mark, the computer reflected half-track numbers comparable to Schumacher’s record-setting run at Columbus of 4.489 seconds at 336 mph.

“I hadn’t driven a Top Fuel car in 10 years. It was very strange feeing after driving the Funny Car the last nine years. I hope to get to do it again. Alan [Schumacher’s crew chief Alan Johnson] says we would. It was just a lot of fun. To be able to go that quick right off the bat in a Top Fuel car again definitely caught my attention.”

Then this past Wednesday, on the half-mile clay oval at fabled Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, Capps held his own among the elite of the circle-track set in a specialty race called “The Prelude to the Dream.” Kenny Wallace won, track owner and NASCAR Cup favorite Tony Stewart was second, and World of Outlaws icon Danny Lasoski finished third. Ahead of Capps in the final results were Ken Schrader, Bill Elliott, Dave Blaney, Bobby Labonte, and Red Farmer. Capps finished ahead of Matt Kenseth, Jeff Green, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Petty, and Mike Wallace.

“I grew up loving dirt racing,” Capps said, “so Eldora is . . . one of the , if not the most prestigious dirt racks in the country. This event is kind of like an IROC race, because they’re all identical dirt cars. And as a drag racer, to be invited to race with the likes of Harvick, Kenseth, Stewart, and Petty, and even the legendary Red Farmer, is quite an honor.”

He said he met many of the NASCAR drivers when he tested for the IROC series in 2003 at Talladega, Ala., and he said many are drag racing fans.

That’s what Capps has to focus on again. He’s sixth in the Funny Car standings and entered this event just 73 points out of second place. He registered a career-best run in his Funny Car during the Memorial Day test session: 4.71 elapsed time at 328 mph. His other passes clocked E.T.s of 4.78 and 4.84 seconds.

He said he loves racing at Route 66 Raceway because of its capacity for eye-popping numbers. “I’m always excited about Chicago. . . . You can look at the record books in NHRA in just about every class, and most of the records were set in Chicago.”

Don’t head west, young man -- When the NHRA makes its Western Swing through Denver, Seattle, and Sonoma, Round Lake, Ill., resident T.J. Zizzo and his Torco Racing Fuels Dragster will stay in the Midwest and compete in International Hot Rod Association races at Martin, Mich., and Norwalk, Ohio. He said he’ll try to make the race at Milan, Mich., as well. He’ll be the teammate of Evan Knoll, Torco president and one of his primary sponsors.

Treble, Lartigue join forces -- Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Craig Treble has a new weapon against the powerful Harley-Davidsons -- new business partner Harry Lartigue. This weekend’s CARQUEST NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway is their first event with the Matco Tools/Lucas Oil bike.

Despite Treble’s assessment that “it’s like driving a station wagon,“ he qualified their Matco Tools/Lucas Oil Suzuki 15th in the 16-bike field with the 7.276-second elapsed time at 183.12 mph in Friday’s first qualifying session. Andrew Hines led the Pro Stock Bike class with a 7.123/187.78.

Drag racers have known Lartigue for a quarter-century as a tough-rival-turned-top-tuner and developer of promising talent. So Treble tried to forge a deal with him in the offseason.

Lartigue instead chose to try his luck with seven-time AMA Pro-Star champion Rickey Gadson. They couldn’t find the right combination for their Suzuki, and Lartigue decided to quit the business. Treble talked him back onto the tour and they formed their team less than two weeks ago.

“These Harleys are killing us right now,” he said on behalf of his fellow Suzuki riders, “and it isn’t going to get any easier. Especially in the middle of the summer, when it starts getting hot and nasty, they’re going to start shining. When we get to Denver (in July), they’re going to destroy us.

“It took them three years to get where they are,” Treble said. “They’ve really been stepping up a lot here lately and getting their reliability down.”

Actually, Treble said, he has wanted one “since those things came out” but knows a switch isn’t in the current budget. He said Lartigue doesn’t place as much importance on that. “Harry wants to win races. He doesn’t care if I’m on a Moto Guzzi.”

Treble said Harley-Davidsons are expensive but “it’s looking like the way to go racing, if you want to be competitive.”

Lartigue said, “Whatever it takes is what we’re going to do. As long as it’s legal, we’ll do it.”

Something to smile about -- Brian Olson, team manager for both Top Fuel’s Cory McClenathan and Pro Stock’s Dave Connolly, helped give Mark and Andy Carrier a bright spot in an otherwise solemn week. He helped tune the FRAM AirHog Dragster to the provisional No. 1 qualifying position after the first session Friday with a 4.563-second, 325.14-mph run. Connolly kept rolling, despite even more emotional ups and downs this past week. He was fourth after the opening session (6.797/202.91).

Two weeks ago, Connolly, the rising Pro Stock star was the talk of Topeka, at first pitied, then praised. With two victories and a third-place showing in the standings, he was shocked to learn that his former team owner was pulling out of the sport. The Carriers Boyz funded Connolly’s trip to Topeka, where he was runner-up to Greg Anderson. Torco Racing Fuels President Evan Knoll bought the team this past week, ensuring Connolly not only will continue racing but also will do so with his own personnel.

However, the Carrier Boyz owners lost their father, Larry, after a longtime illness. About 3,000 persons paid their respects at the Thursday funeral at the First Baptist Church of Blountville, Tenn.

22 and Counting -- Mike Edwards reports that through the first nine races of the season, the “Team on Mission” project he spearheaded has sent 22 youngsters to a Young Life camp.

Air assault -- Funny Car points leader John Force and contender Gary Scelzi, close rivals on the track and close friends away from it, traded good-natured barbs on Rik Anthony’s radio show “Back in the Pits” before qualifying began.

For instance, Anthony asked Scelzi to regale the listeners with a humorous story. He related a tale about an overactive toilet in his motor home that splattered his clothing and how he had to shuck down and clean up. “Was that story supposed to get funny when you got naked?” Force needled. Said Scelzi, “Hold on, Pee Wee, you’ll get your turn.” A minute or so later, when it was Force’s turn to comment, he said, “I still don’t see why that story was funny.”

Force said, “the trouble with Scelzi is he gets a few too many stories.” He said they tease each other about talking about their children, “but we’re two dad having a great time out here.” Then he poked fun at Scelzi for referring to him as “Seabiscuit.”

“Yeah, like that worked,” Scelzi said. “I call him that and we goes out and wins three in a row. I’ll have to go to something new.”

More horsepower this time -- In the Friday night Funny Car session, Robert Hight jumped from 20th in the 21-car order to first with a 4.726-second run at 328.86 miles an hour in the Auto Club of Southern California Ford Mustang. The John Force Racing rookie said his only previous ride down the track that’s famous for its record-setting runs was on a scooter.

Getting Ready for the Show

(6-10-2005) - The final touches of preparing the new Knoll Gas Motorsports Cobalt for competition began on Friday morning. New decal livery for the Dave Connolly-driven machine was added on Friday morning. The team is sponsored by Torco Race Fuels and Gear.

(6-9-2005) - Stay tuned as our staff arrives in Joliet, Ill. for the NHRA CARQUEST Auto Parts Nationals. Check in daily for news and notes from this event.   

FRIDAY, June 10, 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) 7:00 PM
Nitro Qualifying Session (Funny Car / Top Fuel Dragster) 8:00 PM
Secure Track 9:30 PM

SATURDAY, June 11, 2005
King Demon Crown Introductions 11:00 AM
King Demon Crown - Round 1 11:30 AM
Pro Stock Qualifying Session (PS Car / PS Motorcycle) 11:45 AM
Nitro Qualifying Session (Top Fuel Dragster / Funny Car) 12:30 PM
King Demon Crown - Round 2 3:00 PM
Pro Stock Qualifying Session (PS Car / PS Motorcycle) 3:05 PM
Nitro Qualifying Session (Top Fuel Dragster) 4:00 PM
King Demon Crown - Final 4:30 PM
Nitro Qualifying Session (Funny Car) 4:35 PM
Secure Track 7:00 PM

SUNDAY, June 12, 2005
Pit and Spectator Gates Open 8:00 AM
Sportsman Eliminations 9:00 AM
Pre-Race Ceremonies 10:00 AM
Final Eliminations 11:00 AM
Secure Event 4:30 PM

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