MAC Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals
Indianapolis
by Susan Wade, Bobby Bennett, Brian Wood; Photos by Roger Richards, Brian Wood and Bobby Bennett

MONDAY FINAL - WORSHAM DOUBLES-UP WITH FUNNY CAR VICTORY AT MAC TOOLS U.S. NATIONALS; Dixon, Anderson and Smith also earn victories at Indianapolis Raceway Park

(9-5-2005) – Del Worsham raced to the Funny Car victory Monday at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals and in the process pocketed more than $225,000 for the weekend at the world’s most prestigious drag race.

Larry Dixon, Greg Anderson and Matt Smith also were winners at the $2.6 million race, the 18th of 23 events in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.

Worsham became the sixth driver in the history of the event to double-up by winning today’s eliminations and Sunday’s Skoal Showdown bonus race for Funny Car competitors. It was Worsham’s second victory of the season, 21st of his career and first ever at Indianapolis Raceway Park.

Worsham clocked a 4.874 second run at 320.05 mph in his Checker Schuck’s Kragen Chevy Monte Carlo to hold off surprise finalist Frank Pedregon, the ’99 Indy winner who finished in 4.904 at 313.07 in his Toyo Tires Dodge Stratus.

“People always ask me which of my wins is more special,” said Worsham, 35, who started driving 15 years ago. “It used to be my first win at Atlanta in 1991, but I’m thinking now that the win this weekend overtook Atlanta as my favorite. We had a great car all weekend. I’ve been around the sport since I was six years old and driving since I was 20 and we’ve never had much success at this race. To come here and do what we did this weekend is a dream come true.”

Gary Scelzi lost in the semifinals, but moved into the series lead in Funny Car, one point ahead of rookie Robert Hight, who lost in the first round. Top qualifier John Force also was upset in the first round and now sits 47 points off the lead in fourth. Scelzi, a three-time Top Fuel world champion, joins Don Prudhomme, Kenny Bernstein and Ed McCulloch as the only drivers in NHRA history to lead the series standings in both Top Fuel and Funny Car.

Local favorite Dixon claimed his third U.S. Nationals Top Fuel victory by posting a 4.521 at 326.71 in his Miller Lite dragster to defeat world championship rival Tony Schumacher, whose U.S. Army dragster lost traction and recorded an 8.143 at 107.27. Dixon’s win ended Schumacher’s three year stronghold on the event.

“This race is everything to anyone who drag races," Dixon said. "To me it's as big as winning the championship. To beat a team in the final that has absolutely dominated this racetrack this decade only makes it better.”

It was Dixon’s second victory of the season and the 38th of his career and it moved him to within 79 points of series leader Schumacher and 39 behind second place Doug Kalitta. Dixon gave the trophy to his young daughter Alanna, but in an emotional moment he dedicated the victory to his father, Larry Sr.

“This win is for my dad,” Dixon said. “He's battling cancer right now and he's gonna beat it, but he was here and I'm so happy he got to see me win this race. He'd only been at the races one other time when I won, so this was special.”

Anderson continued his Pro Stock dominance at Indy, earning his third straight and fourth win overall at the historic event. He drove his Summit Racing Pontiac GTO to a 6.718 at 205.26 to hold off Richie Stevens’ Team Mopar Dodge Stratus, which clocked a 6.779 at 203.98.

With the victory, his sixth of the season and 37th of his career, Anderson increased his series lead to 135 over Kurt Johnson.

“This race is a career-maker,” Anderson said. “I'm so blessed to have won it four times. The guys are just so awesome at making the right calls with the setup. I love coming here. I wish we could race here 20 times a year.”

Smith, son of Pro Stock veteran Rickie Smith, took advantage of early exits by the top three riders and earned his first career victory in Pro Stock Motorcycle by edging Steve Johnson at the finish line. Smith powered his Red Line Oil/G-Squared S&S Buell to a 7.114 at 186.12 to narrowly defeated Johnson, who got the quicker start on his Suzuki, but posted a slower performance of 7.206 at 193.85.

“This is quite a thrill,” Smith said. “I don’t think I’ll lose this smile for a while. Dad gave me a hug and told me he was proud of me.”

Although he was upset in the first round, top qualifier Andrew Hines remained in the series lead, 17 ahead of teammate GT Tonglet, and 107 in front of third place Antron Brown.

The NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series continues with the 21st annual Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals, Sept. 15-18 at Maple Grove Raceway near Reading, Pa.

Final round-by-round results from the 51st annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway Park, the 18th of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:

TOP FUEL:

ROUND ONE -- Rod Fuller, 4.562, 321.73 def. Morgan Lucas, broke; Melanie Troxel, 4.591, 320.58 def. Scott Kalitta, 12.557, 76.10; Doug Kalitta, 4.540, 328.62 def. Clay Millican, 4.637, 317.42; Doug Herbert, 4.575, 321.50 def. Joe Hartley, 11.386, 83.19; Tony Schumacher, 4.536, 320.89 def. Jack Beckman, 15.606, 35.71; Cory McClenathan, 4.565, 325.06 def. T.J. Zizzo, 4.717, 306.81; David Grubnic, 5.250, 248.02 def. Brandon Bernstein, 8.618, 85.11; Larry Dixon, 4.606, 324.59 def. Scott Weis, 8.679, 95.61;

QUARTERFINALS -- Herbert, 4.599, 318.32 def. Troxel, foul; Dixon, 4.557, 326.79 def. McClenathan, 10.420, 87.94; Grubnic, 6.580, 123.85 def. D. Kalitta, foul; Schumacher, 4.541, 326.71 def. Fuller, 4.591, 325.69;

SEMIFINALS -- Dixon, 4.548, 326.00 def. Herbert, 6.238, 141.58; Schumacher, 4.659, 292.84 def. Grubnic, 5.943, 234.57;

FINAL -- Dixon, 4.521, 326.71 def. Schumacher, 8.143, 107.27.

FUNNY CAR:

ROUND ONE -- Eric Medlen, Ford Mustang, 4.923, 310.63 def. Tony Bartone, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.132, 250.41; Frank Pedregon, Dodge Stratus, 4.911, 309.84 def. Gary Densham, Monte Carlo, 4.966, 281.54; Phil Burkart, Toyota Celica, 5.461, 220.76 def. John Force, Mustang, broke; Del Worsham, Monte Carlo, 4.846, 318.47 def. Jim Head, Stratus, 8.935, 85.97; Tony Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 5.030, 294.18 def. Robert Hight, Mustang, 6.501, 146.15; Bob Gilbertson, Monte Carlo, 4.946, 307.58 def. Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo, 6.337, 181.86; Gary Scelzi, Stratus, 4.931, 315.78 def. Tim Wilkerson, Monte Carlo, 6.602, 139.92; Whit Bazemore, Stratus, 4.924, 315.64 def. Ron Capps, Stratus, 4.905, 310.48;

QUARTERFINALS -- Scelzi, 4.891, 318.02 def. T. Pedregon, 5.133, 241.54; F. Pedregon, 4.893, 314.83 def. Medlen, 4.919, 314.61; Worsham, 4.861, 319.14 def. Gilbertson, 4.958, 304.32; Bazemore, 4.892, 316.38 def. Burkart, 4.983, 308.00;

SEMIFINALS -- F. Pedregon, 4.884, 314.09 def. Scelzi, 10.492, 78.22; Worsham, 4.893, 314.09 def. Bazemore, 7.068, 126.65;

FINAL -- Worsham, 4.874, 320.05 def. F. Pedregon, 4.904, 313.07.

PRO STOCK:

ROUND ONE -- Dave Connolly, Chevy Cobalt, 6.748, 204.35 def. V. Gaines, Dodge Stratus, 6.743, 204.42; Richie Stevens, Stratus, 6.772, 203.34 def. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.756, 204.42; Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.777, 203.19 def. Greg Stanfield, Chevy Cavalier, 7.039, 163.02; Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.780, 204.94 def. Jeg Coughlin, Stratus, 6.796, 203.98; Dave Howard, Cobalt, 16.445, 49.83 def. Jason Line, Pontiac GTO, broke; Mark Pawuk, GTO, 6.772, 203.71 def. Warren Johnson, GTO, 11.161, 79.98; Greg Anderson, GTO, 6.705, 205.16 def. Bruce Allen, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.766, 203.61; Rickie Smith, Cobalt, 6.763, 203.95 def. Erica Enders, Cobalt, 6.756, 204.26;

QUARTERFINALS -- A. Johnson, 6.794, 202.70 def. Howard, foul; Stevens, 6.764, 204.01 def. K. Johnson, 10.781, 83.16; Pawuk,6.778, 203.55 def. Smith, 6.783, 203.49; Anderson, 6.715, 205.26 def. Connolly, 6.762, 203.83;

SEMIFINALS -- Stevens, 6.777, 203.19 def. Pawuk, 6.781, 203.34; Anderson, 6.730, 204.45 def. A. Johnson, 6.823, 202.45;

FINAL -- Anderson, 6.718, 205.26 def. Stevens, 6.779, 203.98.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:

ROUND ONE -- Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.169, 185.77 def. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.236, 180.52; Chip Ellis, Buell, 7.109, 186.54 def. Mike Berry, Suzuki, 7.301, 181.08; Ryan Schnitz, Buell, 7.138, 183.94 def. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.341, 177.91; Angelle Sampey, Suzuki, 7.216, 180.45 def. Shawn Gann, Suzuki, 7.317, 182.21; Matt Guidera, Buell, 7.337, 177.56 def. GT Tonglet, Harley-Davidson, 7.532, 140.17; Geno Scali, Suzuki, 7.223, 181.64 def. Antron Brown, Suzuki, 7.323, 161.73; Matt Smith, Buell, 7.207, 185.72 def. Chris Rivas, Buell, 7.272, 176.81; Joe DeSantis, Suzuki, 7.345, 178.90 def. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, foul;

QUARTERFINALS -- Sampey, 7.227, 181.94 def. Scali, 7.290, 181.52; Johnson, 7.187, 189.20 def. DeSantis, 7.377, 175.59; Guidera, 7.211, 183.64 def. Schnitz, 8.776, 101.25; Smith, 7.162, 180.19 def. Ellis, 7.139, 185.82;

SEMIFINALS -- Johnson, 7.200, 189.39 def. Sampey, 7.285, 182.43; Smith, 7.178, 185.77 def. Guidera, foul;

FINAL -- Smith, 7.114, 186.12 def. Johnson, 7.206, 185.08.

MONDAY NOTES - Winging it with Kalitta; Glidden is a tough hombre and see ya later Force...

(9-5-2005) - Close call -- The slogan painted on the wing of Larry Dixon's Miller Lite/AmeriquestDragster is "Good Call." But it was appropriate for Kalitta Motorsports in the opening round.

Rahn Tobler and Connie Kalitta decided to switch Doug Kalitta and the Mac Tools Dragster into the right lane against Clay Millican after watching Scott Kalitta smoke the tires in the left lane in the previous pairing.

Millican had the starting-line advantage, Kalitta caught up quickly and gave the four-time IHRA champion and current Hooters Series points leader a thrilling side by-side run. Kalitta edged Millican by about a car length, with a 4.540-second elapsed time at 328.62 mph to Millican's 4.637/317.42.

"It looks like Connie and Rahn made the right call," Doug Kalitta said. "The car left good and stayed in the groove. I'm glad that one's over."

Said Tobler, "It was what we were looking for. We missed having low E.T. of the round by just four-thousandths (of a second), so we're right there, right where we want to be. I think we would have been foolish not to switch. But sometimes you just guess, because I really didn't see anything wrong over there."

Winning ugly -- Dave Grubnic, stuck with his worst qualifying position of the season at No. 13, eliminated Brandon Bernstein in the opening round of Top Fuel action. He smoked the tires on his Zantrex-3 Dragster but recovered to win with a 5.250-second elapsed time and a speed of 248.02 mph to Bernstein's 8.618/85.11.

"They lit back up," Grubnic said of his tires. "In all honesty, it was a terrible pedal-job on my part. I lost a second trying to get back in the throttle, and the thing juts rag-dolled me in there. The retard on our ignition control is supposed to take some of the magneto out when we get out of the throttle, but ours didn't forsome reason this time. And it made the thing a handful to drive.

"We'll take it, though," he said. "A win's a win."

Graduation – Brothers Mark and Allen Adkins created their Illusions Paint Shop with the vision of being the premiere place for professional race teams. This weekend’s 51st annual MAC Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals provided the opportunity for the brothers to step into a new arena – the nitro Funny Car division.

With efforts of talented graphics wizard Mark Brown of Great Art, the Illusions gang has managed a total of 12 Best Appearing Awards in both NHRA and IHRA competition. One of the Bristol, Tenn.-based shop’s creations even managed a top three finish in the prestigious Rat Hole Bike Show in Myrtle Beach, SC., Bike Week.

This weekend they won Indy. Funny Car driver Mike Ashley’s SKULL GEAR/Torco-sponsored Monte Carlo snagged the honors in the most prestigious of all drag races.

Ashley was one of their first customers along with past Pro Modified champion Mitch Stott.

“This is even better than a dream,” said Mark. “You set goals when you start a company and while you hope to achieve them one day, it still amazes you when you attain them. You never take for granted.”

When it comes to the innovative designs of the Illusions cars, teams provide Brown with a basic vision of what they want. Brown’s creative juices begin to flow amidst the wail of hard rock music.

“I never know what is going to come out of the brush, but when I get done, I always ask myself how I am going to top each one,” Brown said. “We always manage to do it.”

Mark even admitted a few of the top name teams have already inquired about future designs. Most of the professional teams utilize graphics wraps.

Three-time winner watches -- Cruz Pedregon, who the U.S. Nationals Funny Car title three times in the 1990s, failed to get his Advance Auto Parts Chevy Monte Carlo into the field. That was his first DNQ of the season and first since the 2003 season.

On his final qualifying pass, Pedregon smoked the tires at the hit of the throttle. His previous 5.010-second elapsed time at 233.64 mph wasn't enough to crack the 4.852-second bump spot that Phil Burkart claimed.

"Something happened in every run," he said, "and it just wasn't our weekend."

In Friday's first run, Pedregon's car broke a crank-hub bolt on a run that appeared to be capable of the 4.82 or 4.81 he had hoped for. But the engine quit at half-track.

He smoked the ties on the second chance. "On the third run, I got car toward the wall. That was my fault," he said. Then on Sunday, he said his tuning strategy was at the mercy of the parameters the rest of the field had set. On his last run, he said, "It was going, but it didn't hold on.

"To sum up our weekend, we got behind and the odds were stacked against us," Pedregon said. "Losing those to night runs hurt us."

He said some observers might say the loss of Wed Cerny as crew chief doomed his chances for a fourth Indianapolis victory. "But if Wes had been here, the bolt would have still broken, as much respect as I have for Wes, " he said. "No doubt we've changed the car, made it more aggressive like Tony's. We have to find that sweet spot."

He said he's anxious to move on. "I can't wait to get to Reading," he said, referring to the next race, the Sept. 15-18 Toyo Tires Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway. "Crew chief Ron Douglas and co-crew chief Sam Shockley are awesome, and I'm very confident this team will come back as strong as ever."

Better luck for Stevens -- For only the second time in seven races, Pro Stock's Richie Stevens advanced past the first round. He was the No. 11 qualifier, and he upset No. 6 Larry Morgan on a holeshot. Stevens used a . 047 light to get a head start on Morgan, who had a .093 reaction time. Stevens won with a 6.772-second elapsed time at 203.34 mph. Morgan had a 6.756/204.42 performance. The New Orleans native also earned lane choice against Round 2 opponent Kurt Johnson. He upset Kurt Johnson in Round 2 to advance to his first semifinal since June 12 at Joliet, Ill. That was nine races ago. That set up a semifinal match-up against surprising Mark Pawuk, who put his brand-new Pontiac GTO qualified in the 15th spot and upset first Warren Johnson, then Rickie Smith.

Indestructible Glidden? -- Neither Jeg Coughlin Jr. nor Richie Stevens has given team owner Don Schumacher a first Pro Stock victory since he added the door-slammers to his drag-racing organization. While some might wonder why crew chief Bob Glidden, a 10-time champion as an independent owner-driver, hasn't found the right combination yet.

Schumacher indicated that what they have accomplished is remarkable, considering what Glidden has gone through this year.

Never mind that he had nothing more than the pair of pliers in the back pocket of his work pants when he started assembling the two-car team last November. Forget that he has tried to prepare two cars in a class that's considered maybe the toughest among the pros. Glidden has suffered through -- and worked through -- numerous medical problems that would have flattened the average man.

Schumacher said Glidden still is suffering from the effects of a long-ago injury. Part of that involves some titanium studs for false teeth that have been infected at different times because his body rejects titanium.

"Years ago, he had a breaker bar on an engine that came around an hit him in the side of the head and crushed the side of his head. He's got a hole in the top of his mouth that goes into his sinuses and into his eye socket, and he's had infection in his sinuses," Schumcher said. "And he's had that work done during the course of the year."

In January, he underwent surgery to repair the hole in the top of his mouth. The doctor took a bone segment from Glidden's hip and inserted it into the hole. Then the sutures kept tearing out because of swelling and infection. That same day, Schumacher said, he was back in the shop, working. "About a month later," Schumacher said, "I found out he was in a wheelchair -- in the shop, working! Then he was out of the wheelchair and on crutches -- at the shop, working! That's what a committed individual he is. Bob has a personality that is a driven, driven personality. And he's probably lost 30 pounds."

Said Schumacher, "I care about his health to the point that I've said, 'Bob, who gives a damn if we miss some races? Take care of yourself. Get yourself healthy'. But that isn't Bob Glidden. He's driven to do what he's doing, and he wouldn't be happy with himself if he wasn't doing what he's doing. He's not going to let health or anything stand in his way."

The team owner said he continues to care about Glidden and his health and said he believes that takes a toll on a person's behavior. "It affects your health. It affects your personality. It affects your attitude," Schumacher said. "It affects everything, even though you're such a driven individual as Bob Glidden is. It affects what he says to everybody."

That, he indicated could be an explanation for part of what fans the sparks of frustration on the team. Despite the tensions, which Glidden confirmed are no fabrication, Schumacher said he plans to keep the team and its personnel intact in 2006. He said all will be the same "to the best of my knowledge."

"He has a health situation that is very concerning," the team owner said of Glidden. "I can't predetermine how that's going to affect things a month form now, two months from now, three months from now. It always concerns me. I don't expect anything to happen there. I don't expect Bob to quit. But Bob is such a hard, hard, hard worker.

Schumacher, sometimes with a chuckle, added that Glidden "is of the nature that he speaks his mind -- what he believes to be a spade a spade. Now, a lot of times it's a club. I don't know what else to say. That's just Bob. And either you know that working with Bob or you don't work with Bob, plain and simple."

Top-10 troubles -- Monday was a tough day for the top-10 driver and riders, especially by the end of the first round.

The top three in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class lost in the opening round. Points leader and No. 1 qualifier Andrew Hines, who had set both ends of the Indianapolis Raceway Park record in qualifying, was disqualified with a foul start. Matt Guidera's .004-second reaction time stung No. 3 qualifier GT Tonglet, who entered No. 2 in points. Tonglet, who won the $15,000 Ringers Gloves Bike Battle on Saturday, missed the chance to earn a $10,000 double-up bonus from the sanctioning body. And Antron Brown, third in points and fourth in the starting lineup, was an upset victim against Geno Scali.

Six of the top 10 in the Top Fuel standings were eliminated by the second round, including leader Doug Kalitta (pictured), who red-lit against teammate David Grubnic in the quarterfinals.

Three of the top four Funny Car drivers were done for the day in Round 1, including points leader Robert Hight and boss John Force, a 13-time series champion and four-time U.S. Nationals winner. Ron Capps was No. 2 but lost on a holeshot to teammate Whit Bazemore. Of the top 10 Funny Car drivers, only Del Worsham and Don Schumacher Racing teammates Bazemore and Scelzi remained in contention by the semifinals.

Two top-10 Pro Stock contenders didn't qualify, and four others didn't last past the first round.

Forced out -- Monday's result marked the seventh time Force has lost in the first round after qualifying No. 1, and its was the fourth time in the last two years that it happened against Burkart.

"We just can't seem to get it right," John Force said of his diappointing showing at IRP. "When the driver's on his game, the car isn't and when the car is, I suck. Today I did my job, but that doesn't make me feel any better. The Worshams have just beat us up this year."

Crew chiefs Austin Coil and Jimmy Prock had no quick answers about why their Ford Mustang race cars lost traction in the first round, sending No. 1 qualifier John Force and No. 2 qualifier and points leader Robert Hight (pictured) to early exits. Neither crew chief made any significant changes to the tune-up after Sunday's final qualifying session in which Force was quickest at 4.826 and Hight was second at 4.832.

Moreover, the track when the team ran Sunday night was 110 degrees. When they went to the starting line Monday morning, it was 108 degrees.

Although Force has qualified No. 1 in each of the last three years at the U.S. Nationals, he has won just two rounds of racing, losing in the second round in 2003 and 2004 and the first round this year. Force never has won a championship after losing in the first round more than five times in a season. In his 13 championship seasons, he never left Indianapolis without the Funny Car points lead.

Anderson sees teamwork -- Pontiac GTO driver Greg Anderson made five qualifying runs quicker than Indianapolis Raceway Park's Pro Stock elapsed-time record that Kurt Johnson had set in 2003.

The two-time defending series champion broke into the 6.6-second range en route to his fourth No. 1 qualifier of the season and 37th of his career with a track-record elapsed time and speed of 6.689 seconds and 205.51 mph.

"We've really made five runs within this much of being perfect, and the last three absolutely have been perfect. I just can't say enough about the job my guys have done on the race car, and the guys at the engine shop have worked so hard," Anderson, eyeing his fourth Indianapolis victory, said. "We wanted to come up with something special for Indy. It's the biggest race of the year.

"We've just been working, working, working, and it looks like we're peaking at the right time. It's crunch time," he said. "We've got six races to go, we've got a heck of a points battle going, and you've got Indy. I'm not sure which one's more important, winning Indy or winning the points championship. They're both so important and they both mean about as much. Everything's coming together at the right time, and everybody's functioning as a team like we did the last couple of years."

No Air - Funny Car racer Tim Wilkerson's day ended early due to a small leak in one of the air lines on the Levi, Ray & Shoup Funny Car.

Wilkerson nailed his opponent, Gary Scelzi on the tree and had a better 60-foot time, but that’s when Wilkerson got into trouble. Unknown to the crew, there was a leak in the air system that controls the clutch, so by the time Wilkerson completed his burnout and staging procedure the air bottle was empty. So as Wilkerson sailed down the track, the mechanics of his tuning decisions were not being deployed and he only ran 6.602 against Scelzi's 4.931.

"Unfortunately, the 50 cent piece got us today," explained Wilkerson. "I don't know that it was because of the fire yesterday, because it's up near the steering wheel where it's leaking. I don't know, maybe I stepped on it getting out of the car. It worked yesterday, so we don't know what happened. We didn't have air for any of the timers, so the mag retard didn't work, nothing worked. The motor was at 9000 rpm with my foot to the floor, because it didn't have any clutch. And of course, it was on a good run. It would have done a 4.85 easy because it was doing everything just perfect. But what are you going to do?"

'Strongest' doesn't survive -- No. 2 Pro Stock qualifier Warren Johnson said his new GM Performance Parts Pontiac GTO is "the strongest car from the 330-foot mark to the finish line" and said he would "just have to get to through the first 330 feet a little bit quicker, and we should be in great shape." He didn't and he wasn't Monday, losing to Mark Pawuk.

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SUNDAY - WORSHAM WINS $100,000 SKOAL SHOWDOWN; Schumacher, Force, Anderson and Hines earn No. 1 qualifying positions at Mac Tools U.S. Nationals

(9-4-2005) - Del Worsham raced to the $100,000 Skoal Showdown victory Sunday at the 51st annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, the world’s most prestigious drag race.

In other racing, defending NHRA POWERade Series world champions Tony Schumacher, John Force, Greg Anderson and Andrew Hines earned No. 1 qualifying positions and will lead their categories into Monday’s eliminations at historic Indianapolis Raceway Park.

Worsham, who had never won in his nine previous starts in the lucrative bonus event for the season’s quickest Funny Cars, outran Eric Medlen in the final after beating Tony Pedregon and Robert Hight in earlier rounds.

Worsham powered his Checker Schuck’s Kragen Chevy Monte Carlo to a 4.866 at 319.22 to get past Medlen’s Castrol Syntec Ford Mustang, which lost traction and posted a 7.960 at 103.36. If Worsham can win tomorrow’s 11 a.m. eliminations he will earn more than $225,000 for the weekend.

"I've grown up my entire life watching this race," Worsham said. "To win here in Indy is special. I remember watching Kenny Bernstein double-up here in 1983. That was huge. I never thought I'd become a Funny Car driver, let alone win this race. My dad (Chuck, crew chief) and I had been talking about winning one of these big-money specialty races one day and now we got it done. It’s awesome."

In Top Fuel, Schumacher claimed his eighth No. 1 qualifying position of the season and 19th of his career with his track record performance of 4.459 at 329.18 in his U.S. Army dragster. Schumacher has four U.S. Nationals victories, including the last three in a row.

“Qualifying No. 1 is very important because we gained four points on Doug (Kalitta) and now we’re tied for the points lead,” said Schumacher of his intense season-long battle with the driver of the Mac Tools dragster. “If that doesn’t show how important every point is, I don’t know what does.”

Force earned his first No. 1 position of the season and the 125th of his career, leading the quickest 16-car Funny Car lineup in NHRA history with a track record time of 4.726 at 326.24 in his Castrol GTX Start Up Ford Mustang.

“We’re still trying to figure out what went wrong (in the Showdown), but I’m happy for Worsham; I’m glad to see them win it,” Force said. “We had a fast hot rod but just couldn’t pull it out. I always try to look at the positives, so we are going to learn from today and get ready for the race tomorrow. Winning today would’ve been good, but we want to win the championship. I’ve said it many years before, and I’ve raced against (Don) Prudhomme and (Kenny) Bernstein, but this is the toughest season I’ve ever seen. It’s going to be a tough day tomorrow but we’ve got three good cars and we’ll give ‘em a fight.”

Anderson took top qualifying honors for the fourth time this season and the 37th in his career, with a track record performance of 6.689 at 205.51 in his Summit Racing Pontiac GTO. Anderson is a three-time Indy winner, including the last two years.

“I wanted to come up with something for Indy because this is the biggest race of the year and we’ve just been working, working, working and now we’re peaking at the right time,” Anderson said. “We’ve got a heck of a points battle going and you’ve got Indy and I’m not sure which one is more important.”

Hines raced to his eighth top qualifying effort of the season and the 16th of his career with a track record performance of 7.081 at 193.85 on his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson.

"We stayed consistent today and that's important," Hines said. "I've got a really fast bike and I think the Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines team is making a statement here.”

First-round pairings for Monday's professional eliminations at the 51st annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway Park, the 18th of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Sunday.

Top Fuel -- 1. Tony Schumacher, 4.459 seconds, 329.18 mph vs. 16. Jack Beckman, 4.701, 270.64; 2. Doug Herbert, 4.463, 3.26.56 vs. 15. Joe Hartley, 4.623, 321.50; 3. Cory McClenathan, 4.497, 328.14 vs. 14. T.J. Zizzo, 4.615, 319.37; 4. Brandon Bernstein, 4.502, 326.32 vs. 13. David Grubnic, 4.613, 324.67; 5. Doug Kalitta, 4.510, 327.59 vs. 12. Clay Millican, 4.601, 318.99; 6. Larry Dixon, 4.510, 326.71 vs. 11. Scott Weis, 4.591, 322.65; 7. Scott Kalitta, 4.516, 328.78 vs. 10. Melanie Troxel, 4.565, 326.48; 8. Rod Fuller, 4.520, 326.63 vs. 9. Morgan Lucas, 4.534, 325.30.

Funny Car -- 1. John Force, Ford Mustang, 4.726, 326.24 vs. 16. Phil Burkart, Toyota Celica, 4.852, 317.79; 2. Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.731, 326.00 vs. 15. Tony Pedregon, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.837, 321.88; 3. Frank Pedregon, Dodge Stratus, 4.732, 326.08 vs. 14. Gary Densham, Monte Carlo, 4.835, 311.20; 4. Del Worsham, Monte Carlo, 4.746, 328.14 vs. 13. Jim Head, Stratus, 4.833, 320.81; 5. Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo, 4.748, 325.77 vs. 12. Bob Gilbertson, Monte Carlo, 4.827, 313.29; 6. Eric Medlen, Mustang, 4.755, 322.73 vs. 11. Tony Bartone, Monte Carlo, 4.811, 322.19; 7. Gary Scelzi, Stratus, 4.763, 327.74 vs. 10. Tim Wilkerson, Monte Carlo, 4.779, 322.65; 8. Whit Bazemore, Stratus, 4.768, 324.12 vs. 9. Ron Capps, Stratus, 4.769, 322.34.

Pro Stock -- 1. Greg Anderson, Pontiac GTO, 6.689, 205.72 vs. 16. Bruce Allen, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.757, 203.74; 2. Warren Johnson, GTO, 6.727, 205.66 vs. 15. Mark Pawuk, GTO, 6.755, 204.32; 3. Kurt Johnson, Chevy Cobalt, 6.728, 205.35 vs. 14. Jeg Coughlin, Dodge Stratus, 6.752, 204.23; 4. Jason Line, GTO, 6.730, 204.94 vs. 13. Dave Howard, Cobalt, 6.751, 203.86; 5. Greg Stanfield, Chevy Cavalier, 6.735, 204.51 vs. 12. Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.748, 203.46; 6. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.736, 204.48 vs. 11. Richie Stevens, Stratus, 6.748, 204.08; 7. Rickie Smith, Cobalt, 6.737, 204.70 vs. 10. Erica Enders, Cobalt, 6.746, 204.14; 8. V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.737, 204.70 vs. 9. Dave Connolly, Cobalt, 6.743, 204.17.

Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 7.081, 193.85 vs. 16. Joe DeSantis, Suzuki, 7.205, 181.69; 2. Matt Smith, Buell, 7.090, 187.94 vs. 15. Chris Rivas, Buell, 7.201, 183.29; 3. GT Tonglet, Harley-Davidson, 7.096, 187.81 vs. 14. Matt Guidera, Buell, 7.190, 182.18; 4. Antron Brown, Suzuki, 7.101, 187.76 vs. 13. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 7.184, 187.81; 5. Angelle Sampey, Suzuki, 7.102, 192.25 vs. 12. Shawn Gann, Suzuki, 7.162, 187.11; 6. Ryan Schnitz, Buell, 7.112, 185.31 vs. 11. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.138, 188.89; 7. Chip Ellis, Buell, 7.112, 185.82 vs. 10. Mike Berry, Suzuki, 7.135, 181.67; 8. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.120, 192.91 vs. 9. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.125, 188.44.

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“We got a few breaks” says Skoal Showdown winner Del Worsham

(9-4-2005) - Del Worsham has no problem enduring a tough start to the season as long as it yields a victory at the prestigious Funny Car Skoal Showdown during the MAC Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals. The headaches and frustrations of the 2005 season were quickly forgotten – in 4.866 seconds to be exact

“This is great,” Worsham said. “We got some lucky breaks and things just fell into place. We are ready to double-up and that would be great.”

In a tradition started last season, a parachutist delivered the $100,000 prize to Worsham for his victory over Eric Medlen.

To qualify for the eight-car race within a race, Funny Car drivers earned points during qualifying in a 23-race span. Drivers started earning points for the 2005 season at the 2004 U.S. Nationals and will continue to accumulate points through the O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals in Memphis, Tenn.

Medlen earned $15,000 for his efforts.

The first round of eliminations got underway in the warmest of conditions with temperatures hovering in the low-eighties and generating a track temperature in the 118-degree range.

Worsham adjusted to the conditions the best as he laid down the quickest run of the first round with a 4.875, 314.31 to take out Tony Pedregon. Pedregon wasn’t in the ball game with a losing 5.227.

Medlen pulled out a victory over Johnson based on horsepower. The Castrol Syntec-sponsored driver was sluggish getting off of the line, but that served as little deterrent as he nailed down a 4.897, 314.83. Johnson, carrying the banner for the Showdown sponsor Skoal, gave it a valiant effort with a 4.984.

Hight won a battle over his father-in-law Force by outmuscling him to the stripe with a 4.823, 323.81. Force lost with a 4.911, 323.35.

Scelzi closed out the round with a 4.943, 309.20 to defeat Cruz Pedregon’s 5.035, 254.14.

Headed into the semi-finals, all of the Big Three manufacturers were represented. Ford had the largest representation with Hight and Medlen winning their first round battles.

In the end, it turned out to be a classic Ford versus Chevrolet battle as Worsham won a tire-smoking pedalfest opposite of Hight. Medlen sped to a 4.883, 315.86 to knock off Scelzi.

The final round was all Worsham as he snagged a slight starting line advantage and never looked back en route to a 4.866, 319.22. Medlen struck the tires at half-track and slowed to a 7.960.

SKOAL SHOWDOWN:

ROUND ONE -- Del Worsham, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.875, 314.31 def. Tony Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 5.227, 219.12; Eric Medlen, Ford Mustang, 4.897, 314.83 def. Tommy Johnson, Monte Carlo, 4.984, 317.64; Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.823, 323.81 def. John Force, Mustang, 4.911, 323.35; Gary Scelzi, Dodge Stratus, 4.943, 309.20 def. Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 5.035, 254.14;

SEMIFINALS -- Medlen, 4.883, 315.86 def. Scelzi, 4.940, 307.51; Worsham, 5.636, 307.02 def. Hight, 5.958, 219.97;

FINAL -- Worsham, 4.866, 319.22 def. Medlen, 7.960, 103.36.

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SUNDAY NOTES -

(9-4-2005) - Peaking at right time -- Greg Anderson, looking for his third straight Pro Stock triumph in NHRA's marquee event and fourth overall, said he thinks he and his Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac GTO team made two runs Sunday that were "every bit as good as the one last night."

The Charlotte, N.C.-based driver repeated his top qualifying effort, setting both ends of the IRP record at 6.689 seconds at 205.72 mph. Anderson, who's leading the standings in pursuit of a third consecutive series title, has won two of the past three events and five in all.

"We're peaking at the right time," he said. He said he believes his GTO has "a deadly combination," but he was cautious. "I don't want to be overconfident," Anderson said.

The racing-surface conditions contributed to the accomplishment, as well. "The track has gotten better with each run," he said.

Sitting out his first -- Richie Stevens' father, Richie Sr., remained in New Orleans this past weekend to survey the damage to the family business (Stevens Collision Center) and to his own home and Richie's from Hurricane Katrina -- and to recover from the destruction.

"This is the first race he's ever missed, THE first race he's not come to in the 10 years I've been racing," the Team Mopar/Valspar Dodge Stratus Pro Stock driver said. "If it was for any other reason, I might be upset. But my mom and my sister come first. I'm fine."

His mother, JoAnn, and sister, Brittney, 19, also survived the storm.

"I don't need somebody to look over me now," Stevens said. "The three of them are back at home, trying to pick up the pieces and keep it going."

Stevens said his parents' home "got some damage. My house, from hearsay, is pretty much underwater. The body shop is underwater, too. There's not a lot of good, as far as houses and businesses go, but all four of us made it through. That's the best part."

Stevens and four friends fled to Hattiesburg, Miss., to try to avoid the hurricane. But the storm changed directions and raked across Hattiesburg. "The storm ended up coming right where we were. The eye of the storm ended up passing right over Hattiesburg," he said. "Luckily we were in a well-built hotel. The hotel that was right next to us got torn down to nothing. We lost power. We lost water Sunday night and stayed there until Wednesday. We didn't have a choice -- we couldn't really leave.

"The problem was I had used up all the fuel getting there. When it came time to leave, I couldn't leave because I didn't have any gas in our car. We had three cars between the five of us. One of the cars had about a half a tank of gas. Five of us piled into one car.

"I knew I had to be in Indy. I knew I had to race this weekend," Stevens said. "And, I knew I wouldn't be able to catch a flight from anywhere."

Stevens said, "It's probably not going to really hit me until I go back home and see what's gone. I just got my house a year ago. I've probably lost all my personal stuff, clothes, pictures, yearbooks, everything like that. If word is right about the 10 to 15 feet of water, then what I have with me is probably all I have."

Enders Slamming in 2006 – Pro Stock driver Erica Enders has a reason to smile outside of qualifying for the NHRA U.S. Nationals. The rookie driver for Cagnazzi Racing will be sponsored Slammers Ultimate Milk for the balance of the season throughout 2006.

"This year has been unbelievable for me," Erica said. "Not only am I getting the chance of a lifetime to follow my dreams, but now I have been given the opportunity to represent an awesome company with world class partners."

Bravo! Foods' Slammers first signed on with Cagnazzi Racing and Erica for a three-race trial run back in July and extended the sponsorship for an additional two races immediately thereafter. Liking what they saw, Bravo! decided to commit a solid marketing effort.

"I'm excited about continuing our relationship with Bravo! Foods," Team Owner, Victor Cagnazzi said. "There is so much marketing potential with our program, and I can't wait to show them what we can do on and off the track."

Trying out the Dunlop – During Sunday’s qualifying, Andrew Hines mounted a new slick from Dunlop. However, one run was all the test lasted. Hines pointed out the tire just hasn’t been tested to the extent the Mickey Thompson slicks have. Most riders utilize MT tires in competition.

What may or may not be known is that Dunlop tires are OEM on factory Harley-Davidson bikes. Dunlop is part of the Goodyear racing family. Hines pointed out the lack of data is what necessitated the change.

“It still has a lot more development to go,” Hines said. “We really wanted to see what it could do. “

The most recent endeavor for Goodyear in motorcycle was in the Top Fuel motorcycle division.

No Biggie – Living three and a half miles from Indianapolis Raceway Park and coming from the pedigree of classic NHRA U.S. Nationals competitors doesn’t particularly stir the gear-head excitement in Hines that some would suspect.

“I’ve made hundreds of runs down this strip,” Hines said. “To me, it’s just another race. Although I tend to do better at the more prestigious races. I think the key is that we just keep coming out here with the right attitude. For me, I just try to do the best that I can do on every run.”

Change Will Do You Good - Even though he went to the final round of the Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle, Chip Ellis was very much aware that a change was in store for the final two qualifying sessions and eliminations.

“We put a new engine in for the final two qualifying sessions,” said partner and co-owner George Smith. “The other engine got us through the Ringers Gloves Battle but was going away as we headed into the semifinal and final rounds. With the Battle behind us our concentration is now on the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals.”

G Squared Motorsports debuted its second generation Buell at the start of this event. Ellis’ best pass of five qualifying opportunities aboard the new motorcycle came in the first round of the Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle, which doubles as a qualifying session. Ellis produced a weekend best 7.112 seconds at 181.28 mph.

Look out James Brown – Gary Densham doesn’t have a lot in common with singer James Brown, but if he could sing a song after qualifying, it would most likely be the Godfather of Soul’s “I feel good.”

Densham nailed down the fifth qualifying spot with a 4.873, 14.83. Admittedly, he hasn’t felt this good in a while.

"If I could jump up and kick my heels together, I think I would," Densham said (who did just that with a big smile). "But needless to say, I'm a happy guy. We made great runs down the track all weekend. It would be great to have a tenth on everyone going into eliminations, but we're in the field and we're thrilled to be racing tomorrow. Everyone is so close, it's going to be a battle."

The 2004 U.S. Nationals Funny Car winner said it may not look like it, but he and the team are accomplishing goals every weekend.

"We have said from the first day that we wanted to be in a position to win a race," Densham said. "We may not win a race this season, but we want to be a threat to win a race and I think that every weekend we get a little closer. The entire team is working so well together and everything is as perfect as it can be going into tomorrow's race.

"We want to run with the pack and I think we've done that this weekend. There was a lot of competition for those 16 qualifying spots and we're in one of them. Now we just have to go out tomorrow and see what we can do."

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Scary Moments

(9-4-2005) - Bruce Biegler of DragRaceCanada.com captured the scary moments when Tony Pedgregon had the throttle stick during the first Funny Car qualifying session on Saturday.

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SATURDAY - TONGLET RACES TO VICTORY IN RINGERS GLOVES PRO BIKE BATTLE; Schumacher, Force, Anderson and Hines lead qualifying at Mac Tools U.S. Nationals

(9-3-2005) - GT Tonglet raced to victory in the Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle Saturday at the 51st annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, the world’s most prestigious drag race.

Tony Schumacher, John Force, Greg Anderson and Andrew Hines, all defending NHRA POWERade world champions -- were qualifying leaders in their categories at the $2.6 million race, the 18th of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.

Tonglet covered Indianapolis Raceway Park’s quarter-mile in 7.288 seconds at 176.60 mph on his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson and pocketed the $15,000 winners share in the Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle by defeating Chip Ellis for his first victory in the bonus event. Ellis clocked a 7.345 at 177.04 on his G-Squared S&S Buell for the runner-up finish in the race that showcases the season’s eight best Pro Stock Motorcycle riders.

“The Battle has been great for me,” said Tonglet, currently second in the qualifying order with a 7.096 at 187.81. "I’ve run the race twice, been in the final both times and this time I got the trophy. The team is doing a great job right now. We have a great combination and our performance is showing that. I’ve got to thank Ringers Gloves for putting up the money. It was an awesome field and a fun race.”

Schumacher solidified his position as the Top Fuel qualifying leader by recording an identical performance to his leading 4.459 second effort in his U.S. Army dragster. Schumacher said his team was geared up for a quicker number after watching Doug Herbert clock a 4.463 in his Snap-on Tools dragster and Cory McClenathan post a 4.497 in his FRAM Airhog dragster.

“We wanted the 20 (bonus) points for the world record,” said Schumacher, who currently holds the national performance mark at 4.441 seconds (Oct. 2003, Reading, Pa.). “We wanted to run a 4.43 but in the last 800 feet of the run the car laid over a little bit. We are in a serious race for the championship and those 20 bonus points would’ve been huge and even better to do it here at Indy. When I saw those other cars post some good runs, like Herbert who made an outstanding run, I was salivating. I know Alan (Johnson, crew chief) is disappointed too, because for some reason down track it lost some of its umph. You don’t get a lot of chances at setting a world record, so we are disappointed. I am happy with the run, but it could’ve been better. It was so close, but that’s what world records are. Everybody can get close, but it takes a little more to get a world record.”

Force, the top seed for Sundays $100,000 Skoal Showdown, moved into position to claim his first No. 1 qualifying effort of the season in Funny Car with a track record run of 4.726 at 326.24 in his Castrol GTX Start Up Ford Mustang. He moved past his rookie teammate Robert Hight (4.731, 326.00 in the Auto Club Mustang) for the top spot in the quickest 16-car field in NHRA history.

"Leading the quickest field ever is cool," said Force, who has earned 124 No. 1 qualifying positions in his career. "I haven't said this in a long time but it was really good for our guys to do this, especially here at Indy, because they've been getting sick and tired of getting their butts kicked every weekend.

Force will race Hight in the first round of tomorrow’s Skoal Showdown, a race that the 13-time world champion has won a record five times, his last coming in 2000.

Anderson was quicker and faster in Pro Stock, posting a track record performance of 6.689 at 205.51 in his Summit Racing Pontiac GTO to remain in the No. 1 position. Anderson was the only driver to break into the 6.6-second zone.

“For some reason a lot of guys are struggling,” Anderson said. “The track is absolutely awesome and the best it has been and it gets better every run. We were a lot closer today because we backed the car down a lot and it ran great. We left it alone tonight and bulls-eye, we hit it right on the money. It really made a nice looking run there. I am not going to stand here and say we could run any better than that because that run really got it all. It felt really good in the car. I am shocked that the rest of the cars aren’t doing any better. It seems like they are struggling with the first 100 foot of the racetrack and throwing too much at it.”

Kurt Johnson was second in the ACDelco Chevy Cobalt with a 6.728 at 205.35 and Larry Morgan put his Dodge Stratus into third with a 6.736 at 204.20.

Tonglet’s teammate Hines stayed at the top of the Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying order with his track record time of 7.081 at 189.04 on his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson.

“That’s a pretty good statement considering all three runs (this weekend) were below the track record from last year,” said Hines, who has earned seven No. 1 qualifying efforts this season. “We’re just going to focus on keeping the No. 1 qualifying position for the U.S. Nationals. Like I’ve been saying all year long, if I can qualify No. 1 here that’s one more that I can check off my list. We'd like to keep these V-Rods running well and stay in the top two positions.”

Just behind second place Tonglet was two-time Mac Tools U.S. Nationals winner Angelle Sampey, whose run Friday was disqualified after failing a post-run fuel inspection. Sampey rode her U.S. Army Suzuki to a performance of 7.102 at a track record speed of 192.25 mph.

Qualifying continues Sunday with sessions at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Skoal Showdown eliminations start at 12:30 p.m. Final eliminations are Monday at 11 a.m.

Results Saturday after qualifying for the 51st annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway Park, 18th of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Sunday for Monday's final eliminations.

Top Fuel -- 1. Tony Schumacher, 4.459 seconds, 329.18 mph; 2. Doug Herbert, 4.463, 326.56; 3. Cory McClenathan, 4.497, 328.14; 4. Brandon Bernstein, 4.502, 326.32; 5. Doug Kalitta, 4.510, 327.59; 6. Larry Dixon, 4.510, 326.71; 7. Scott Kalitta, 4.516, 328.78; 8. Rod Fuller, 4.520, 325.61; 9. Morgan Lucas, 4.534, 325.30; 10. Melanie Troxel, 4.565, 326.48; 11. Scott Weis, 4.591, 322.65; 12. David Grubnic, 4.613, 324.67; 13. T.J. Zizzo, 4.615, 319.37; 14. Joe Hartley, 4.623, 321.50; 15. Clay Millican, 4.654, 318.84; 16. Jack Beckman, 4.701, 270.64.

Funny Car -- 1. John Force, Ford Mustang, 4.726, 326.24; 2. Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.731, 326.00; 3. Frank Pedregon, Dodge Stratus, 4.732, 326.08; 4. Del Worsham, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.746, 328.14; 5. Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo, 4.748, 325.77; 6. Eric Medlen, Mustang, 4.755, 322.73; 7. Gary Scelzi, Stratus, 4.763, 327.74; 8. Whit Bazemore, Stratus, 4.768, 324.12; 9. Ron Capps, Stratus, 4.769, 322.34; 10. Tim Wilkerson, Monte Carlo, 4.779, 322.65; 11. Tony Bartone, Monte Carlo, 4.811, 322.19; 12. Bob Gilbertson, Monte Carlo, 4.827, 313.29; 13. Jim Head, Stratus, 4.833, 320.81; 14. Gary Densham, Monte Carlo, 4.835, 310.77; 15. Tony Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.837, 321.88; 16. Phil Burkart, Toyota Celica, 4.852, 317.79.

Pro Stock -- 1. Greg Anderson, Pontiac GTO, 6.689, 205.51; 2. Kurt Johnson, Chevy Cobalt, 6.728, 205.35; 3. Larry Morgan, Dodge Stratus, 6.736, 204.20; 4. Jason Line, GTO, 6.736, 204.26; 5. V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.737, 203.92; 6. Rickie Smith, Cobalt, 6.739, 204.54; 7. Warren Johnson, GTO, 6.744, 205.47; 8. Greg Stanfield, Chevy Cavalier, 6.744, 203.98; 9. Dave Connolly, Cobalt, 6.746, 203.40; 10. Richie Stevens, Stratus, 6.748, 203.95; 11. Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.748, 203.46; 12. Dave Howard, Cobalt, 6.751, 203.86; 13. Jeg Coughlin, Stratus, 6.752, 203.71; 14. Mark Pawuk, GTO, 6.755, 203.98; 15. Erica Enders, Cobalt, 6.758, 204.14; 16. Jim Yates, GTO, 6.758, 204.11.

Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 7.081, 189.04; 2. GT Tonglet, Harley-Davidson, 7.096, 187.81; 3. Angelle Sampey, Suzuki, 7.102, 192.25; 4. Chip Ellis, Buell, 7.112, 183.52; 5. Antron Brown, Suzuki, 7.118, 187.76; 6. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.120, 187.81; 7. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.138, 184.14; 8. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.140, 183.89; 9. Matt Smith, Buell, 7.144, 187.42; 10. Ryan Schnitz, Buell, 7.173, 184.70; 11. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 7.184, 187.81; 12. Matt Guidera, Buell, 7.190, 182.18; 13. Chris Rivas, Buell, 7.201, 183.29; 14. Michael Phillips, Suzuki, 7.224, 185.41; 15. Wesley Wells, Suzuki, 7.227, 184.40; 16. Buddy Robinson, Suzuki, 7.256, 182.77.

Round-by-round results for Saturday's Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle, a special race-within-a-race bonus event for qualified Pro Stock Motorcycle competitors contested during the 51st annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway Park.

ROUND ONE -- Chip Ellis, Buell, 7.112, 181.28 def. Angelle Sampey, Suzuki, 7.102, 192.25; GT Tonglet, V-Rod, 7.096, 187.81 def. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 7.184, 187.81; Antron Brown, Suzuki, 7.118, 187.76 def. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.120, 187.81; Andrew Hines, V-Rod, 7.081, 184.25 def. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.140, 183.89;

SEMIFINALS -- Tonglet, 7.221, 183.99 def. Brown, foul; Ellis, 7.231, 182.01 def. Hines, foul;

FINAL -- Tonglet, 7.288, 176.60 def. Ellis, 7.345, 177.04.

SATURDAY BOOMER - Don Reed Lights it up

(9-3-2005) - Kokomo, Indiana's Don Reed had the capacity crowd at IRP on their feet as he led off Saturday night's Top Fuel session with some spectacular action. After flirting with the guardwall just after the launch, Reed kept his foot in it only to lose an engine in a fiery blast as he approached the top end.

Tonglet beats Ellis in the battle of adversity for Ringer’s Gloves Pro Bike Battle crown

(9-3-2005) - Team Harley-Davidson rider G.T. Tonglet spent most of his team this week surveying the damage of Hurricane Katrina close to his Metairie, La., home. Racing in this weekend’s NHRA U.S. Nationals was at times most likely the furthest thing from his mind. But, then again, the determination of Tonglet has proven that winning is high on his list of priorities.

Chip Ellis, whose season has endured more adversity than one could imagine, had the Ringers Pro Bike Challenge on his mind. When your crewchief suffered a devastating accident and your complete race team is stolen during the course of the season, it inspires a person to find that one thing to turn the tide of misfortunes.

The first installment of the Ringer’s Pro Bike Challenge provided each driver with the perfect opportunity to erase those tough memories.

Riders began earning points for the 2005 Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle at the 2004 Mac Tools U.S. Nationals. The eight riders accumulating the most qualifying points during the 15-race Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle series, which concluded at the 2005 O'Reilly NHRA Mid-South Nationals at Memphis Motorsports Park, earned a berth in the Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle.

The eight qualifiers included Andrew Hines, Antron Brown, Chip Ellis, G.T. Tonglet, Angelle Sampey, Geno Scali, Steve Johnson and Craig Treble.

The total purse of $51,000 in the Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle in 2005 consisted of the $36,000 is available for the Battle, and $15,000 in bonuses were awarded to the quickest Pro Stock Bike qualifiers throughout the Battle series.

In today’s event, the Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle winner received $15,000. and the runner up gained $5,000.

The first round of the Ringers Pro Bike Battle was favorable to the American-based bikes as three of the four pairs resulted in victories for either Harley-Davidson or Buell. The quickest two victories belonged to the Harley-Davidsons as Hines nailed down the lead with a 7.081, 184.25 (Craig Treble) and Tonglet followed suit with a 7.096, 187.81 (Geno Scali). Chip Ellis was third quickest with his 7.112, 181.28 in his victory over Sampey.

Brown was the lone Suzuki winner with a 7.118, 187.76 when coupled with a .009 reaction was more than enough to do in Steve Johnson.

The Harley-Davidson and Buell domination continued in the semis as Brown fouled slightly with a -.001 reaction advancing Tonglet. A -.006 foul by Hines opposite of Ellis prevented an all Harley-Davidson final round.

In the final round, Tonglet was .02 quicker out of the gate, and that was more than enough for him to reel in the victory with a 7.288, 176.60. Ellis fell short with a 7.345, 177.04.

SATURDAY NOTES - Tony P's bizarre crash; WJ not quitting; More money for the professional drivers

(9-3-2005) - Quaker State of Confusion - Tony Pedregon's Q Racing Chevy Monte Carlo went out of control at the starting line before the former Funny Car champion had a chance to perform a burnout in Saturday's early qualifying session at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway Park.

Crew chief Dickie Venables was treated at the track emergency-care center for first- and second-degree burns to his legs, and engine builder Cody Pendergrass sustained bruises and a minor dental injury.

Trying to improve from his No. 12 spot, Pedregon took the left lane and rolled through the water box. His Q Racing Chevy Monte Carlo was stopped, as crew chief Dickie Venables tried to adjust the idle. Venables signaled for a crew member to lift the body. When he did so, the body caught the throttle linkage. That made the car lurch to the right and crash into the blunt near end of the concrete A-board that separates the lanes and lies between the starter's box and the Christmas Tree.

Venables and Pendergrass were transported to the track medical center but within the hour were back in their pit, working.

The accident forced cancellation of the Pro Modified, Sport Compact, and Harley-Davidson Exhibition segments of the program.

Forever Yellow Tour - The retirement talk was fun while it lasted. In a press conference on Saturday, the multi-time champion Warren Johnson revealed that sponsor GM Performance Parts had made him an offer that he couldn't refuse. Johnson inked a lucrative three-year deal with the third year optional.

"I'm a salesman for GM Performance Parts," Johnson said. "I have always approached my racing as a business, as my chosen way of making a living. "In today's economy, an integral part of the equation is in having a long term sponsor.

"I realize the end of my driving career is in sight but I believe we have adequately shown throughout 2005 that we can and will continue to contend for the championship."

Johnson declined to name a leading successor for the third year citing, "That's too far into the future to tell."

GM's ACDelco brand also announced the extension of Kurt Johnson's contract to an additional three years.

All alone -- Angelle Sampey had to take center stage at the rider introductions for the Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle without her Suzuki. Referring to Hurricane Katrina, the Mathews, La., resident said, "I've had a rough week back home, and as you can see, it hasn't stopped here. I don't have my motorcycle. They're still working on it."

The U.S. Army crew brought her bike to her for the pre-race photo session. But her winless streak grew to nine in the elite bonus race for the class' eight best qualifiers in a year's stretch. Sampey lost to Chip Ellis in the opening round. He used a .014-second reaction time to post a holeshot victory over her. Sampey ran a quicker and faster 7.102-second elapsed time at 192.25 mph but lost to Ellis' 7.112/181.28.

G.A. is O.K. -- Greg Anderson continued to be the man to beat in the Pro Stock class Saturday, as he topped his own track-record elapsed time to take a stronger hold on the provisional No. 1 position. He registered a 6.689-second E.T. in his Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac GTO to hold off rival Kurt Johnson, who stood on his 6.728-second run in the ACDelco Chevy Cobalt from Friday to stay No. 2 on the grid.

Anderson said he was a little surprised that more drivers didn't improve their times Saturday. "A lot of guys are struggling. I don’t know if they're trying to do too much," he said.

"Last night was not a perfect feeling, and neither was the fist one today. But that one right there," Anderson said, "was close. It felt pretty. It felt right."

He said he knows a number of drivers could find the right combination for this track with two more outstanding-weather chances left in qualifying: "No way we're going to have four-hundredths on everybody Monday."

Said Anderson, the three-time Indianapolis champion, "I feel awfully good right now but not overconfident. At least we know we're close. We've got a good package." He said the Pontiac GTO is "the best thing GM' has ever developed."

As for his rivals, Anderson quipped, "Our best hope is that they run out of time."

Hines stays No. 1 -- Andrew Hines improved his track-record elapsed time from 7.085 seconds to 7.081 to remain Pro Stock Motorcycle's provisional leader with two Sunday qualifying sessions to go. However, not everything went the Harley-Davidson rider's way Saturday.

He advanced to the semifinals of the Ringers Gloves Bike Battle bonus race, beating Craig Treble, one of his longtime friends and advisor. But he red-lighted against Chip Ellis, jumping the gun by six-thousandths of a second.

Angelle Sampey recorded top speed so far with a pass at 192.25 mph in her first-round Bike Battle loss to Ellis. "Put me in the left lane, and I'll get the speed back," Hines said.

"It's tough to have a bike that's quickest and go out on a red light," the defending specialty-event winner said. "But you've got to take the bad with the good. Sometimes it just doesn't go your way. I was ready to go." He said he has some consolation that his foul start meant he was "six-thousandths of a second away from perfect."

Hines said his Vance & Hines Screamin' Eagle team will be testing a new Dunlop tire that he hopes to switch to later this season. He said he has done 90 percent of his testing on that model, although he, like the rest of the class, runs the Mickey Thompson brand in eliminations. Hines said he'll ride on Dunlops on both the front and back Sunday.

Teammate GT Tonglet, the Bike Battle winner, improved from 10th Friday to second, giving the V-Rods a 1-2 punch. Sampey will enter Sunday in third place.

Not-so-easy rider -- Shawn Gann was runner-up at the U.S. Nationals the past four years -- to Antron Brown last season, Reggie Showers in 2003, and to Angelle Sampey twice, in 2001 and 2002.And after three of five qualifying chances, the Stoneville, N.C., rider was not in the field of 16. He was 18th, behind Mike Berry and five-thousandths of a second slower than Buddy Robinson's bump time of 7.256.

Crunch and Burn -- Don Reed of nearby Kokomo, Ind., woke up the crowd at the start of Top Fuel's final qualifying session Saturday by getting a little too close for comfort to the retaining wall. He then lit up the night sky with a shattering engine explosion.

In & Out -- David Grubnic, who was 21st in Friday's opening qualifying session, and Scott Weis, who didn't make a Friday run, made the field Saturday afternoon. They bumped Doug Herbert and Mitch King.

Oh, 'chute -- Top Fuel's Larry Dixon, a two-time U.S. Nationals winner (1995, 2001) and two-time series champion, improved just one spot Saturday afternoon, from ninth to eighth, trading places with Brandon Bernstein. But his second pass was far less eventful than his first. And with his third run, Dixon jumped to the No. 6 spot with a 4.510-second run at 326.71 mph.

The parachutes on the Don Prudhomme-owned Miller Lite/Ameriquest Dragster came out early at the end of Friday's pass. Despite that, he made the middle of the pack with a 4.615-second elapsed time at 291.51 mph. He ran quicker and faster -- 4.570 at 326.32 -- to overtake Bernstein early Saturday .

"I believe the game plan was to try and run a low- to mid-4.50," Dixon said of his opening run. "Those are the numbers that we ran here in testing last week. The motor put a cylinder out early in the run, and that's the same trouble that we had a Memphis. Then, towards the finish line, the parachute backing failed and the chute came out early. The dropped cylinder probably affected the E.T. by five- to six-hundredths (of-a-second) and the parachute another three to four hundredths (of-a-second)."

Off we go . . . -- Ashley Force's Darien and Meadows Top Alcohol Dragster team hasn't raced in more than a month because Jerry Darien has been recovering from hernia surgery. However, Force put the free time to good use. She started flying lessons.

Eric Medlen, who drives the Castrol Syntec Ford Mustang for John Force Racing, pondered the idea of Ashley Force flying the team to races in the future. "I wonder if we gave her an extra thousand dollars, would she take us to Cancun on the way?"

Welcome to the NFL, rookie - Former NFL head coach jerry Glanville once made the striking comment to a referee that the NFL stands for "Not For Long if you keep making calls like that." Anyone who has spent time around Funny Car rookie Mike Ashley immediately draws the conclusion that he will be around for a while. Nevermind the fact a fuel pump failure led to his first oildown as a nitro Funny Car driver during the early Saturday session, his actions outside of the car have put him on the fast track to becoming a fan favorite.

Case in point, Friday proved to be a busy day for the defending NHRA Pro Modified champion who is pulling double-duty in his regular division. The activities started with the unveiling of his new nitro Funny Car and the announcement of a two-year commitment to a minimum of 12 races in the 2006 season and a full 23-race season for 2007 with his sponsor, SKULL Gear/Torco Racing Fuels, along with a long-term agreement with Del Worsham and Worsham Racing. Pulling double-duty on the quarter mile, Ashley vaulted to the No. 3 position in the TLR/AMS Pro Modified Challenge behind the wheel of his ‘67 Shelby Mustang GT and then made a tire-shaking inaugural pass in his 2004 SKULL Gear Monte Carlo.

Faced with the demands of running two distinctly opposite styles of race cars, Ashley remained focused on the tasks at hand: getting the cars down the track.

As if Friday's schedule wasn't demanding enough, Ashley chartered a plane home that evening in order to attend a bah mitzvah on Saturday morning. Ashley returned just in time to see his car rolling to the staging lanes for his first qualifying shot. He was able to get to his rig in time to don his firesuit just in time to run a 6.18. His schedule eased a bit when the third session was cancelled by the NHRA to alleviate scheduling delays.

Uh . . . Oops -- Ashley Force, last year's Top Alcohol Dragster winner at the U.S. Nationals, owns the Indianapolis Raceway Park elapsed-time record at 5.287 seconds in her Castrol/Hot Wheels entry. But she also has something else memorable from IRP -- a startling experience in her father's 7,000-horsepower ride -- the world's quickest and fastest Funny Car.

She made four launches in her dad's Castrol GTX Start-Up Ford, but the one that really got her attention was the second one. The car lost traction on her first test run. Then on the second, she drove about 350 feet before the engine dropped a cylinder and the left rear tire slid out of the groove. That caused the car to make a quick move to the left guardwall.

"They told me it dropped a couple of cylinders," she said. "I didn't think I was that close, but I hit it. I really felt terrible, because it wasn't just any car. It was dad's No. 1 car that he's going to drive (in pursuit of his fifth U.S. Nationals Funny Car championship). If that wasn't bad enough, when I came out of the roof at the other end, I set off the fire bottles. It was a disaster."

"Just part of learning" was how John Force explained it. "When I was starting out, I crashed every week. That's part of the game that you can't tell anybody. They've just got to go out there and learn it for themselves. She did great. She got right back in it and made two more runs."

Ashley Force got a trophy, of sorts, following the incident. The crew gave her the crumpled header pipes, and she said she would hang them in her office at John Force Racing, Inc., in Yorba Linda, Calif.

Top Alcohol Dragster qualifying concluded Saturday, with Gene Snow leading the field with a 5.268-second elapsed time at 265.53 mph. Ashley Force, the defending event champion, barely made the cut. She anchors the lineup with a 5.608 E.T.

Outlook changed in 4.748 seconds -- Tommy Johnson Jr.'s 4.748-second blast Friday night that earned him the No. 2 qualifying spot in the Funny Car lineup was the second-best of his career. Johnson, driver of the Don Prudhomme-owned Skoal Racing Chevy Monte Carlo, held onto the position -- one-thousandth of a second behind quickest qualifier Robert Hight.

"That was the most nervous that I've been all season before that run," Johnson said. "Indy is such a big race and you've got to take advantage of the two night sessions to get in the show. To run a 4.74 right out of the box changes your entire outlook on the weekend. Now we can go after it since we're ahead of the game. The car nosed over at the finish line, so there's more left in it."

Johnson recorded his career-best time and speed in eliminations of another longstanding and prestigious event -- the season-opening Winternationals in Februar at Pomona (Calif.) Raceway.

Oakley ventures into fire territory – One of the more interesting press conferences held over the course of the weekend belonged to Oakley. The official NHRA lifestyle manufacturer gave the media a demonstration of their exclusive line of highly fire resistant O-CarbonX clothing. O-CarbonX