SUNDAY FINAL - CAPPS, KALITTA AND LINE WIN AT O'REILLY THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS
Ron Capps beat drag racing legend John Force by one-hundredth of a second Sunday at Bristol Dragway to extend his Funny Car lead in the POWERade Drag Racing Series championship chase. Capps was joined by Doug Kalitta and Jason Line in the winner's circle at the $1.5 million O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals presented by Q, the sixth of 23 races in the $50 million POWERade Drag Racing Series.
Capps posted a run of 4.793 seconds at 319.52 mph in his Brut Dodge Stratus to beat Force's quicker 4.788 at 310.13 in his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang. The difference came at the starting line when Capps left in .080-of-a-second in front of Force's .104-second start.
"I'm in disbelief," said Capps of his third victory of the season and the 20th of his career. "I got on the radio and said, 'I can't believe it, we won again.' It's not that I don't have confidence in my guys, but it's just so hard to win and when it happens a lot like it has this year it's sometimes hard to believe. I love the competition and I love this class. This is just a great time to be racing right now."
In earlier rounds Capps defeated Scott Kalitta, Eric Medlen and teammate Gary Scelzi to advance. It was Capps' second win at Bristol Dragway, as he defeated Al Hofmann for the win here in 2001.
The final produced a swing of 40 points in the POWERade standings with Capps increasing his lead by 122 points over Force.
Kalitta repeated last year's Bristol Top Fuel final by beating Rod Fuller once again. This time Fuller's Valvoline/David Powers Homes dragster lost traction at the hit of the throttle and Kalitta's Mac Tools dragster powered to a time of 4.537 at a track record speed of 331.53. It was Kalitta's 25th career victory and third at this event.
"This has been a long time coming," said Kalitta, whose last victory came eight months ago in Brainerd, Minn. "It seems like forever since we've been to the winner's circle. The guys were just real hungry and they really wanted to win one, plus we've always run well here, which had us feeling confident. Rahn [Tobler, crew chief] has the set up for this place and we love being here. All the facilities Bruton Smith owns are first-class and we enjoy racing at his tracks."
Kalitta's machine was consistent throughout the day, staying in the mid-4.5-second range to claim round wins over Scott Weis, Brandon Bernstein, and reigning champ Tony Schumacher.
"Getting by Rod a second time in the final here is something," Kalitta said. "I thought he was going to put us in the right lane but he didn't and when I saw Capps go down the left lane it made me feel real good. Once you get to the final you really want to go ahead and finish it off and we were able to today."
Melanie Troxel's bid to tie a category record for consecutive final-round appearances ended when she left the starting line early against second-round foe Fuller. Troxel was trying to tie teammate Tony Schumacher's mark of seven straight final-rounds. Her lead in the POWERade Series standings was trimmed from 156 to 139 points over second-place Dave Grubnic.
Top Fuel driver Cory McClenathan, who escaped injury after a spectacular crash Friday night, returned to competition Sunday and lost in the opening round to Fuller.
McClenathan's FRAM/Carrier Boyz Racing crew worked throughout the day Saturday to prepare his back-up car, which covered the distance in 4.666 seconds at 317.49 mph in the first round loss.
In a battle between Summit Racing Pontiac GTOs, Line earned his ninth career Pro Stock victory and became the sixth different Pro Stock winner of the season when he took out series leader and teammate Greg Anderson by a 6.716- to 6.752-second margin.
"It's interesting that we've had six different winners and I'm glad I'm one of them but really it stinks because we want them all to belong to this team," Line said. "That's just the way we like it, but we also realize how hard this class is and we're just motivated to work even harder to get back on top."
Line's Summit Pontiac GTO was the quickest of each elimination round, running low 6.7-second passes all day in claiming round wins over Ron Krisher, Richie Stevens, and Larry Morgan. With the win, Line moved to second and cut Anderson's lead to 51 points.
The NHRA POWERade Series continues with the 26th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals presented by Pontiac, May 4-7 at Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Ga.
Final finish order (1-16) for professional categories at the sixth annual O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals presented by Q at Bristol Dragway. The $1.5 million race is the sixth of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.
TOP FUEL:
1. Doug Kalitta; 2. Rod Fuller; 3. David Grubnic; 4. Tony Schumacher; 5. Brandon Bernstein; 6. Melanie Troxel; 7. Morgan Lucas; 8. Clay Millican; 9. Hillary Will; 10. Larry Dixon; 11. Bob Vandergriff; 12. Cory McClenathan; 13. Scott Weis; 14. Doug Foley; 15. David Baca; 16. Doug Herbert.
FUNNY CAR:
1. Ron Capps, Dodge Stratus; 2. John Force, Ford Mustang; 3. Whit Bazemore, Dodge Charger; 4. Gary Scelzi, Charger; 5. Tommy Johnson Jr., Chevy Monte Carlo; 6. Eric Medlen, Mustang; 7. Phil Burkart, Monte Carlo; 8. Jim Head, Stratus; 9. Del Worsham, Monte Carlo; 10. Gary Densham, Monte Carlo; 11. Tim Wilkerson, Monte Carlo; 12. Tony Bartone, Monte Carlo; 13. Tony Pedregon, Monte Carlo; 14. Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo; 15. Robert Hight, Mustang; 16. Scott Kalitta, Monte Carlo.
PRO STOCK:
1. Jason Line, Pontiac GTO; 2. Greg Anderson, GTO; 3. Kurt Johnson, Chevy Cobalt; 4. Larry Morgan, Dodge Stratus; 5. Erica Enders, Cobalt; 6. Richie Stevens, Stratus; 7. V. Gaines, Stratus; 8. Dave Howard, Cobalt; 9. Warren Johnson, GTO; 10. Jim Yates, GTO; 11. Ron Krisher, Cobalt; 12. Greg Stanfield, GTO; 13. Allen Johnson, Stratus; 14. Dave Northrop, Stratus; 15. Mike Edwards, GTO; 16. Max Naylor, Stratus.
Final round-by-round results from the Sixth annual O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals presented by Q at Bristol Dragway, the sixth of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:
TOP FUEL:
ROUND ONE -- Rod Fuller, 4.502, 326.32 def. Cory McClenathan, 4.666, 317.49; Tony Schumacher, 4.496, 326.40 def. David Baca, 6.185, 143.29; Doug Kalitta, 4.550, 327.51 def. Scott Weis, 4.753, 302.82; Melanie Troxel, 4.504, 326.16 def. Doug Foley, 4.800, 241.15; Morgan Lucas, 4.612, 289.20 def. Hillary Will, 4.568, 319.82; Brandon Bernstein, 4.507, 330.72 def. Doug Herbert, 10.259, 92.55; Clay Millican, 4.601, 318.84 def. Larry Dixon, 4.577, 327.27; David Grubnic, 4.566, 327.27 def. Bob Vandergriff, 4.612, 317.94;
FINAL -- Line, 6.716, 205.35 def. Anderson, 6.752, 204.70.
Point standings (top 10) for NHRA professional categories following the Sixth annual O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals presented by Q at Bristol Dragway, the sixth of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series -
Top Fuel
1. Melanie Troxel, 541; 2. David Grubnic, 402; 3. Doug Kalitta, 387; 4. Rod Fuller, 360; 5. Brandon Bernstein, 345; 6. Morgan Lucas, 332; 7. Larry Dixon, 329; 8. Tony Schumacher, 320; 9. Doug Herbert, 294; 10. Cory McClenathan, 259.
Funny Car
1. Ron Capps, 602; 2. John Force, 480; 3. Tommy Johnson Jr., 342; 4. (tie) Phil Burkart, 334; Eric Medlen, 334; 6. Robert Hight, 319; 7. Cruz Pedregon, 315; 8. Del Worsham, 300; 9. Whit Bazemore, 284; 10. Bob Gilbertson, 246.
Pro Stock
1. Greg Anderson, 466; 2. Jason Line, 415; 3. Erica Enders, 371; 4. Mike Edwards, 361; 5. Jim Yates, 317; 6. Warren Johnson, 303; 7. Larry Morgan, 298; 8. Greg Stanfield, 297; 9. Kurt Johnson, 292; 10. Richie Stevens, 261.
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SUNDAY - Final Rounds
TOP FUEL - Doug Kalitta 4.537, 331.53, def. Rod Fuller 13.077, 73.32
FUNNY CAR - Ron Capps 4.793, 319.52, def. John Force 4.788, 310.13.
PRO STOCK - Jason Line 6.716, 205.35, def. Greg Anderson 6.752, 204.70.
“This has been a long time coming. We are happy to be back and this was a great day for us. This is a great place to run. I actually have an office close to here in Morristown. We had some great support this weekend. I am real happy that I was able to pull it off today.” – On winning this weekend.
“My guys were real hungry and that may have been a big part of it. We were getting down the track every run so we had the tune-up dialed in. We hit on it and it was a great day for us.” – On why his team ran so well.
“It’s great…the great facility that Bruton’s put together for us. This place is state of the art. Typically Bruton’s tracks are packed. It was just all good.” – On racing at Bristol.
FUNNY CAR
Ron Capps, Carlsbad, Ca., Brut Dodge Stratus
“It’s so early in the championship chase and I have been there before. I’ve finished second three times. I’ve been down that road. I’m a little more seasoned now. I am trying to learn to enjoy this because I was in a slump for a few seasons. Roland Leong gave me the best advice when he said, ‘Enjoy it while you can because you pass those same people going up the ladder as you do coming down.’
You treat those people with respect. You never want to disrespect anyone and you certainly never want to count your chickens before they hatch. That’s the main thing.” – On being in the points lead.
“I should have it by Columbus. It is being painted now. I am real excited about it. I drove the first one in a test session in Vegas so I am excited. It was wonderful and the numbers were really good. I am looking forward to it and we will test and do whatever it takes.” – On winning with the Stratus and the Dodge Charger.
I am in awe of my crew and Ed McCulloch. He raced here for many years. To have the thoughts in your head when you go up to the lane with lane choice and whether we will beat them and to pull it off the victory is great. It’s such a chess match out here. When you do win those runs and beat the man John Force in the final round is such a treat. If we would have had the in car camera…you would have seen me shaking my head in disbelief.” – On his crew’s contribution in beating John Force.
PRO STOCK
Jason Line, Terrell, NC., Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac GTO
“I have kind of struggled on raceday this year. Today was definitely the exception. We finally got it together and to race Greg in the final made it truly great. Not many people out here can say they beat Greg in the final round. He’s tough in the final round. – On his win at Bristol.
"I feel less pressure when I race Greg in the final round. It’s actually fun. At that point the team has already won. He’s beat me more than I have beat him so it’s neat to beat him." – On the pressure of racing Greg in the final round.
"We don’t like that. From now on, we can end it at six different winners. Greg and I would like to hog them. This is a real tough class." – On six different winners in six races.
FEATURE STORY:
SHARK, DOG, WHATEVER HE CALLS IT,
MIGLIZZI COOKS UP DELICIOUS INFO
Lanny Miglizzi looked as if he were about to prepare a dish of beef jerky.
However, the ingredients that he spread out in a cooking pan were discarded pieces of rubber scraped from the Bristol Raceway racing surface.
"We'll go back and put a thin layer of this on the starting line," Miglizzi said. "We can scrape up the old and put some new down there."
That's Miglizzi's job. Don Schumacher has retained him to read the track and report to his two Top Fuel, three Funny Car, two Pro Stock, and two Pro Stock Motorcycle teams.
Evidently it has been effective. Don Schumacher racing has had at least one winner in 10 of the last 11 races, dating back to the Reading, Pennsylvania, finals last September 18. Four times in that stretch, the team has sent two drivers/riders to the winners circle.
If you watch closely when the starting line crews scrape the track, you'll see them discard the excess rubber into a silver cooking pan that Miglizzi provides. He returns to the pits to analyze the rubber pattern.
Now, Miglizzi has another weapon in his arsenal, and it is called "The Shark."
Before an event, Miglizzi or a team member will perform a procedure called "walking the dog," or rolling the device down the track to measure co-efficient and friction of the racing surface. The device, which is manufactured in Europe, gives a traction value to each racing surface.
Schumacher Racing isn't the only organization to use the device. Dick LaHaie used it when he was crew chief for Larry Dixon's Miller Lite Dragster at Don Prudhomme Racing. Reportedly, John Force's team has been experimenting with it, as well.
Miglizzi arrives at a race track a day or two ahead of schedule to analyze the lanes with his binoculars, camera, temperature gun, and pen and notebook.
"I'll do the inspection for them so that when they get there, they have a mental picture of what's going on at that particular event," Miglizzi said. "The track may not be flat. Where are the bumps? Where is it more or less porous? What changed from last year? Tracks change."
This energetic, not-afraid-to-get-dirty 24-year drag-racing veteran also helps Dan Olson run the DSR clutch program at the massive and nearly do-it-all-yourself shop in Brownsburg, Indiana.
"You can't go through drag racing without Lanny," Rodger Whitworth, clutch specialist for Tony Schumacher's U.S. Army Dragster, said.
Ace McCulloch, Brut Dodge crew chief for Bristol Funny Car winner Ron Capps would have to agree.
NEWSMAKERS OF THE DAY: Connie Kalitta and Doug Kalitta
Nearly 41 years ago, Connie "The Bounty Hunter" Kalitta established top speed during the NHRA Springnationals at Bristol with a 209 mph that was unheard of at the time.
He and nephew Doug Kalitta added another page to the family drag-racing lore Sunday.
In the final round against Rod Fuller, Doug Kalitta took the Mac Tools Dragster to a speed of 331.56 mph That set the track speed record, trumping Tony Schumacher's 2004 mark of 331.36 mph. Connie, who helps crew chief Rahn Tobler determine the combination, had a major hand in Doug's first victory of the season.
Doug Kalitta showed another dimension to his repertoire of skills Friday night at Bristol Dragway, welding the bottom metal frame rails of his Attac chassis. His car bounced at the end of his 4.647-second, 326.95-mph run and scraped the chrome-moly tubing on the track. That sent out showers of sparks, a spectacle Kalitta said he "probably inadvertently caused" by jumping hard on the brakes.
Kalitta's father, Doug Sr., taught him to weld at an early age, and the 41-year-old airline owner is an accomplished student.
Said Doug Kalitta, "It was a good chance for me to get back in practice and to help my guys fix what I probably caused in the first place."
(4-30-2006) – A New Face – Bristol Dragway is the track will be resurfaced before next year’s event. Reportedly, the work will begin in the fall.
Exhibitionists – The NHRA POWERade event in Bristol showcased two unconventional racing divisions between rounds.
Race fans were entertained by almost two dozen Pro Modified entries and half a dozen nitro-burning Harley-Davidsons.
Nitro Harley rider Mike Romine ran a 6.360, 220.15 in the final round to defeat Tommy Grimes, who lost with a 6.388, 219.65.
The AMS Pro Modified Challenge presented by RPM Depot was won by Jay Payne who reeled off a 6.089, 235.43 to beat Joey Martin, who shook the tires and lifted.
TOP FUEL
365 Day Later Do-Over – Rod Fuller had a long time to think about his final round loss at Bristol last year.
“I left one on the table last year,” Fuller said. “I got beat on a holeshot and I sure don’t want to let that happen again.”
After losing on the starting line and then smoking the tires, Fuller will have another year to think about it.
As Fate Would Have It – It has been said the best way to overcome a spill is to get back up on the horse. Cory McClenathan attacked his Friday incident head on by coming out in the first pair of cars on Sunday. It just so happened that the car in the opposite lane was the one driver in the next pair on Friday that saw his accident – Rod Fuller.
Fuller beat McClenathan by a 4.502 to 4.666 margin.
“The guys are awesome,” McClenathan said. “My hat’s off to them. I’m fine, just a little sore in spots. I was ready for this moment. It felt good to be in the car again. Brad Hadman has built us a good car.
“Wes Cerney and Tony Shortall did an excellent job making this all happen.”
Best Sponsor Play – NHRA announcer Bob Frey knows how to work a sponsor. After watching Clay Millican beat Larry Dixon on a holeshot, Frey quipped, “And he won that one by a gill.”
Gas Crunch – Morgan Lucas admitted after his first round victory over Hillary Will that his car has been having a fuel system problem.
What kind of a problem? He’s been running low on fuel during the last part of the race track.
“We’ve been having a problem with it running out of fuel on the big end,” Lucas said. “It’s a helpless feeling waiting on someone to pass you.”
Lucas and his team had cured the problem prior to the Houston wheelstanding incident, but the incident forced them to start over again.
Decisions, Decisions …- Larry Dixon already has plans for Labor Day weekend, but so does his wife Allison.
The couple is expecting their third child on Labor Day weekend.
Streak ends at six – We are taught that green means go and stop means red. Melanie Troxel was reminded of that very lesson when her six consecutive final round streak came to an abrupt stop opposite of Rod Fuller in the second round.
Troxel drew a -.034 foul.
“I was trying to cut a good light,” Troxel said. “I don’t know if the tree took longer than usual or what. I was just ready to go.
“I actually thought I had a really good light until I saw the red bulb come on. I am disappointed because I let my crew and everyone at Torco race Fuels and Skull Shine down.
“We still have a good car and we will leave here with the points lead. We’ll come back and try to improve next time.”
It’s about time – By reaching the finals in Bristol, Doug Kalitta ended a dry spell that dates back to Brainerd of 2005. He sealed his fate by defeating Scott Weis, Brandon Bernstein and Tony Schumacher.
Kalitta’s second round over Bernstein was won on a holeshot. He became the first driver to do it twice this season with that win.
By defeating Fuller in the finals, he became a two-time winner at the facility since Bruton Smith’s purchase in 1997.
FUNNY CAR
Give me that freaking win-light – Gary Scelzi has wanted to take the win light plenty of times this season. During the first round, he snagged it literally. In the shut down area Scelzi’s Dodge Charger made an abrupt shift towards the wall as he crossed the finish line. He corrected but not before his parachute ripped the driver’s win-light off of the wall.
“I don’t know what happened down there,” Scelzi said. “I kind of held it in the middle and about a thousand-foot, I had my hand on the parachute levers and it started moving right. I got the chutes out but it shot me over real quick.
“We stole the win-light on that one.”
Scelzi felt a bit remorseful.
“Maybe we’ll get about three more of them this weekend,” Scelzi said. “Maybe we will buy a whole case of them.”
Huh? – Somewhere along the line, Eric Medlen has acquired the nickname “Little Elvis.”
Knowing Medlen’s tendency to cram as many words into an interview as possible, top-end announcer Alan Reinhart suggested, “In 10,000 words or less…why do they call you Little Elvis?”
“I haven’t a clue,” Medlen answered with a smile, thus creating the shortest response the Team Force driver has ever given to a question over the PA system.
One day earlier, his boss John Force gave the shortest interview of his career by limiting Reinhart to only one question with an answer of, “I don’t know.”
He’s a Streaker - When 13-time NHRA Funny Car Champion John Force rolled to the line Sunday for the first round of the sixth annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway, he made his 375th consecutive start in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. To put that in perspective, the second longest active streak is 143 straight by Top Fuel driver Doug Kalitta. The second longest streak in history was 303 straight races by Pro Stock driver Warren Johnson, one that ended at Sonoma, Calif., in 2002.
Of all the records the 56-year-old veteran has set in a 32-year driving career, television commentator Bob Frey believes that qualifying streak, which began on Feb. 6, 1988, is the most impressive. The last time Force failed to make a 16-car starting lineup was Oct. 31, 1987 at the season-ending World Finals at Pomona, Calif.
During the streak, Force has led the qualifying 125 times, has gone to the final round 176 times and won 118 races.
Pain in the Neck – If Ron Capps walked gingerly over the course of the weekend, he had a valid reason. An inadvertent turn on Thursday led to a pinched nerve in his neck.
According to Capps, Bristol Dragway officials put him together with a local chiropractor. That was the cure he had been looking for.
Dr. Todd Muncie of Chiropractic Care in Bristol proved to be the perfect remedy for his ailment.
“I had pinched a nerve in my neck,” Capps said. “He fixed me up and I owe him everything.”
Scelzi Kids Say the Darndest Things – Gary Scelzi worked his fingers to the bone but you have to wonder if it was to give Don Schumacher his money’s worth or keep his sons Dominic and Giovanni off his back.
Scelzi made a plea to his wife Julianne after beating Tommy Johnson, Jr., in the quarterfinals. He let her know he was working hard and his boss was getting his money’s worth.
Last week Dominic won a race. Dad is still winless.
“He let me know that I am the only Scelzi who is winless,” Scelzi said. “Believe me, I hear about it every night.”
And he will hear about it again tonight. Scelzi lost to teammate Ron Capps in the semifinals.
Bazemore Down and Out? – Whit Bazemore will be the first to admit that his team was looking pretty ragged in late 2005 and earlier this season. The driver of the Matco Tools-sponsored Dodge Charger Funny Car pointed out that the resiliency of the team seems to have changed the course.
“We were down and out and looking pretty poor,” Bazemore said. “We didn’t impress anyone. The team hung tough and we have a great group of guys. At the end of the day, it’s all about the people. Money and budget is important but doesn’t mean a thing if you don’t have the right people.”
Bazemore’s second round victory over Phil Burkart tied his best performance of the season. One race ago, he reached the semifinals in Las Vegas.
Feeling better – After beating Jim Head in the quarterfinals, John Force smiled. He felt confidence in the potency of his hot rod again.
“She’s a bad hombre right now and that might not win you races, but it will sure make your ego feel better when it has been crushed all year,” Force said. “I am real excited.”
Then he scored another win over Whit Bazemore and he gave an indication that success may be hazardous to your health.
“I came down here and I saw Capps jumping around and I wondered what he was doing,” Force said. “I thought I had red-lighted or something. I guess he decided that he got lane choice or something.
“I have to shove this old Ford down all those Dodge throats. It’s good to be here in Bristol. I threw away my blood pressure pills. I’ve had enough of that losing.”
Dad you’re embarrassing me – Papa John Force is proud of his daughter Ashley and the efforts she made in licensing as a Funny Car driver. He was so excited that he bragged about his offspring in front of all the spectators in Bristol.
“They talked about my daughter earlier and it wasn’t that she ran the number just to get licensed, she did it on a loose track on a Tuesday in Las Vegas and then she pedaled it and it smoked the tires. It hiked the wheels about a foot in the air and that old female just trucked it down there and made me real proud of her."
PRO STOCK
Team Effort – Sometimes fate has a way of making momentum for a drag racing. When Jason Line and Greg Anderson qualified one and two that marked the 13 th time the duo had qualified one and two for Sunday’s eliminations.
Bristol also marked the 13 th time that either Line or Anderson had qualified on the pole since Indy last season.
Nine times the two reached the finals following the final round in Bristol. It marked the third time that Line was victorious.
Six for Six – By winning the Pro Stock crown in Bristol, Jason Line represented the sixth winner in as many events.
Win some, lose some – Drag racing has the tendency to allow drivers to reach a significant milestone and still not light the win-light. Mike Edward, the champion in Houston, drove his Young Life-sponsored Pontiac GTO to the Top Speed of eliminations during his first round match with Eric Enders. The only problem with that is drag racing is measured in elapsed time.
Edwards lost by a 6.72 to 6.77 margin.
Sunday Spectator – Shaun Carlson got to play on Sunday in Vegas. Bristol returned the same fate that befell him on the first four events of the season.
"On Friday night, we changed engines and the transmission," explained Carlson.
"On Saturday morning we had a transmission problem when the car popped out of second gear during the run. It was really bad timing because that is when
all the other cars were getting their best times."
His four qualifying runs produced a 6.825-second elapsed time at
201.79 mph, a 6.795/202.30, a tire-shaking 13.059/64.19, and a
6.857/202.52.
Despite not qualifying, he is not looking back and is already eager to get
to next weekend's NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway. "We have a lot
of data from testing there last week. I think that will be a big advantage
for us, as we won't have to guess on a setup heading into qualifying. It's
not like the weather conditions are really going to change much in 10 days.
"I feel very comfortable with everything that is going on," he continued. "I
think the team is working well together with all of the changes: new people,
new parts, and the learning curve involved with that. It's hard to accept
that we didn't qualify, but it's definitely been a stepping stone for the
next race."
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SATURDAY - TROXEL, MEDLEN AND LINE EARN NO. 1 QUALIFYING POSITIONS AT O'REILLY THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS
(4-29-2006) - Melanie Troxel became the seventh woman in NHRA history to top a professional elimination field after qualifying No. 1 Saturday at Bristol Dragway. Troxel posted a 4.539 at 324 mph in her Skull Shine/Torco Race Fuels dragster to lead the sixth annual O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals presented by Q, the sixth of 23 events on the $50 million POWERade Drag Racing Series.
Troxel will try to make more history Sunday if she can race to her seventh consecutive final round, which would tie her with teammate Tony Schumacher for the category record. Fellow low qualifiers Eric Medlen (Funny Car) and Jason Line (Pro Stock) are each searching for their first victories of the 2006 season.
Troxel actually was part of two bits of history as she and rookie Hillary Will became the first pair of women to qualify first and second in a professional field. Will completed the best qualifying effort of her brief career with a 4.562 at 321.04 mph in her KB Racing dragster.
"I've stopped pinching myself to see if all this is real because the good things just keep happening and we're starting to see that it's the result of a lot of hard work by this Torco race team," Troxel said. "We've had our fair share of things going our way but we're also getting better and better as a team."
Reigning series champion Tony Schumacher is seventh after a 4.609 in the U.S. Army dragster, just ahead of Cory McClenathan, who ended up eighth overall with a 4.624 in the Fram Boost2 dragster. McClenathan, who was checked and released from the hospital late Friday night following a scary crash, plans to race Sunday in a new car. He did not make any attempts Saturday as his crew spent the day putting his new dragster together.
Castrol Syntec Ford Mustang driver Medlen appeared relieved to hold onto the No. 1 spot he earned Friday night after several drivers made runs at his posted performance of 4.755 at 306.53 mph. His biggest challenge came from his boss and Ford Racing teammate John Force, who moved up to third with a 4.766 at 323.19 mph in his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang.
"Any more, all that being No. 1 qualifier means is that you get to race on Sunday with 15 other guys," Medlen said. "How many No. 1 qualifiers have won this year? Not many, if any at all. Our car's good, don't get me wrong, but I think if you asked anyone out here they'd tell you they'd take consistency over being No. 1."
Series points leader Ron Capps is mid-pack with a 4.818 in his Brut Dodge.
Former Rookie of the Year Line used a track record top speed of 204.66 mph to push his Summit Racing Pontiac GTO through a 6.727-second pass, which made him the No. 1 qualifier for the second time this year. The entire Pro Stock field was separated by just .037 seconds.
"I think I probably take more pride when Greg [Anderson] is No. 1 because tuning his car is still my top priority," Line said of his teammate. "I still feel that responsibility towards his car first. We try to make them the same but the truth is, as much as we want to think otherwise, there are still some things we just don't understand with these cars.
Anderson, whose car is tuned by Line, slipped to second place Saturday despite improving to a 6.734 at 204.26 mph in his Summit Racing GTO. Greg Stanfield returned to form here by qualifying third with a 6.736 at 203.92 mph in his PiranaZ GTO.
Eliminations begin at noon.
First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the Sixth annual O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals presented by Q at Bristol Dragway, the sixth of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday.
Top Fuel -- 1. Melanie Troxel, 4.539 seconds, 324.59 mph vs. 16. Doug Foley, 4.694, 319.14; 2. Hillary Will, 4.562, 321.42 vs. 15. Morgan Lucas, 4.684, 296.70; 3. Brandon Bernstein, 4.563, 329.34 vs. 14. Doug Herbert, 4.667, 296.76; 4. David Grubnic, 4.588, 323.58 vs. 13. Bob Vandergriff, 4.658, 319.75; 5. Clay Millican, 4.590, 315.19 vs. 12. Larry Dixon, 4.658, 324.20; 6. Doug Kalitta, 4.599, 326.95 vs. 11. Scott Weis, 4.653, 318.99; 7. Tony Schumacher, 4.609, 326.79 vs. 10. David Baca, 4.643, 325.53; 8. Cory McClenathan, 4.624, 321.81 vs. 9. Rod Fuller, 4.629, 312.50.
Funny Car -- 1. Eric Medlen, Ford Mustang, 4.755, 306.53 vs. 16. Del Worsham, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.871, 317.42; 2. Whit Bazemore, Dodge Charger, 4.763, 327.03 vs. 15. Tim Wilkerson, Monte Carlo, 4.863, 318.02; 3. John Force, Mustang, 4.766, 323.19 vs. 14. Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.861, 310.63; 4. Gary Scelzi, Charger, 4.777, 325.06 vs. 13. Tony Bartone, Monte Carlo, 4.855, 313.44; 5. Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo, 4.791, 323.97 vs. 12. Tony Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.851, 311.05; 6. Jim Head, Dodge Stratus, 4.803, 296.76 vs. 11. Gary Densham, Monte Carlo, 4.836, 321.27; 7. Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.808, 320.58 vs. 10. Phil Burkart, Monte Carlo, 4.832, 317.57; 8. Ron Capps, Stratus, 4.818, 320.58 vs. 9. Scott Kalitta, Monte Carlo, 4.821, 320.66.
Pro Stock -- 1. Jason Line, Pontiac GTO, 6.727, 204.66 vs. 16. Ron Krisher, Chevy Cobalt, 6.764, 203.52; 2. Greg Anderson, GTO, 6.734, 204.26 vs. 15. Dave Northrop, Dodge Stratus, 6.763, 203.43; 3. Greg Stanfield, GTO, 6.736, 203.92 vs. 14. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.762, 204.54; 4. Warren Johnson, GTO, 6.741, 204.57 vs. 13. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.758, 203.49; 5. Erica Enders, Cobalt, 6.744, 204.57 vs. 12. Mike Edwards, GTO, 6.757, 204.23; 6. Jim Yates, GTO, 6.746, 203.83 vs. 11. V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.752, 204.26; 7. Max Naylor, Stratus, 6.747, 203.49 vs. 10. Dave Howard, Cobalt, 6.752, 204.51; 8. Richie Stevens, Stratus, 6.748, 203.83 vs. 9. Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.749, 204.57.
SATURDAY NOTEBOOK
LOW QUALIFIER QUOTES
Top Fuel
“I think this is an indication that our qualifying has turned around. It wasn’t that many races ago that we were struggling to get into the field. Even though we were having a lot of success on Sunday, we had a reasonable amount of information from those times of not getting down the track. It also helps to be in the top half of the field and have an easier draw on Sunday morning. I think this is an indication that our package is getting more solid. I really think all along that we have been doing a great job and we’ve certainly had our fair share of things going our way. I think we are getting better and better as we go.” - Melanie Troxelon qualifying being another dimension of her momentum.
“I think it we had gone anything in the .40s, I might have had more confidence going into today that pass would hold. I think right before we got ready to run, it got cool. I was a little concerned there for a little bit. The longer we waited, the more it warmed up. You never know. It cooled off some this afternoon again. The track was certainly good enough.” - Melanie Troxelon being comfortable atop the list headed into Saturday's last qualifying session.
“I hate to focus too much on the female part of the story. I think it’s more of a focus for the outside world. I think it’s something we are all pretty used to in drag racing. I think it’s great that we have more than just women competing. They are competitive and capable of winning. I think that has to be good for the sport as a whole. - Melanie Troxel on female drivers being one and two headed into Sunday.
FUNNY CAR
“I think if we can turn what we have going on with Saturday into something on Sunday, we’ll have something special. You can have a good run here because the facility is so nice. I haven’t been racing a long time here, so it all feels fresh to me.” - Eric Medlen on his success in Bristol.
“To get a win here in NASCAR country would be big. You have a lot of fans that really respect you out here. Getting up close to see you and interact is big for them and us too. We hear a lot of people say that it is their first drag race. Just to put on a great show for them is great. To win here, would be spectacular.” - Eric Medlen on how huge winning in Bristol would be.
“I wasn’t sure it would stand because the forecast was scattered. I knew that if we had any clouds that a few of these cars could run quicker than that 4.75. I felt that if it was taken away that I was capable of getting it back. You always try to be pretty humble and give the other racers credit because if it wasn’t for them we wouldn’t push ourselves as hard. All in all, anyone’s low qualifier run can fall.” - Eric Medlen on feeling confident that his run would stay No. 1.
PRO STOCK
“Last night’s run was not good. We’ve struggled with this car to get it to sixty-foot. When it does get a good sixty foot run, it makes a good run. I guess I didn’t think I would go much faster today. I was wrong.” - Jason Line on his struggles Friday evening.
“The track was definitely slippery and it became a case of who could get down the race track the best. It was a nice run but it was definitely loose in the middle of the run.” - Jason Line on the Nitro cars struggling while the Pro Stock cars were excelling.
“That will make it interesting and certainly even things out. It’s good and bad and will most likely come down to who makes the best judgment on the tune-up and chassis. A Pro Stock car is naturally aspirated and that means we pick up a lot of power when the air gets cool like that. It should be interesting. I think it’s fun because it evens things out going into race day. If it is cool, it will change it for everyone.
“I still think its fun. Right now Greg has the quickest car, we just have the quickest run of the weekend. - Jason Line on the cool conditions forecast for Sunday.
NEWSMAKERS OF THE DAY - Rod Fuller and Hillary Will; They Were Next
Cory McClenathan crashed Friday evening in a shower of sparks. Sitting in the burnout box were two drivers, “Hot Rod” Fuller andHillary Will. One saw it and the other didn’t want to.
“I didn’t see the run and I’m glad I didn’t,” Will, a rookie Top Fuel driver, said. She said she didn’t even want to see the replays before she ran.
“We were all very relieved when we heard he was out and OK,” Will said. “For a moment we all think, ‘Why are we so crazy that we do this?’
“I do it because I love it. We don’t drive these cars for any other reason other than we love it.”
Fuller had a front-row seat for the incident. All he could do was un-strap himself and walk away.
“I always have a habit of watching the pair before me to see how the track is,” Fuller said. “The crash looked pretty bad to me and I just wanted to get out of the car, because I didn’t want to see what was going on down there.”
Fuller returned to his Chevrolet Suburban tow vehicle and spent some time alone. He couldn’t help but remind himself of one scary detail not commonly known.
“His car was a sister to the one I drive,” Fuller said. “They were on the jigs at the same time. I am a strong believer that I am in God’s hands and that protects me. It was nothing short of miraculous that he was uninjured. It’s a testimony to the safety of the NHRA and Brad Hadman cars.”
As Fuller admitted, drivers know the dangers associated.
“That’s why I put my helmet on and got ready to race once the track was cleared.”
TOP FUEL
Standing ovation -- Cory McClenathan walked out on Saturday to the starting line and received a standing ovation. That gesture proved two things. First, the "Carrier Boyz," brothers Mark and Andy Carrier, and their driver, McClenathan, have become favorites at the facility. Second, McClenathan cheated fate on a crash that could have easily had disastrous consequences.
“I feel pretty good,” McClenathan said in a Saturday press conference. “These things happen, and that’s why we have the safety crews and standards in place like we do.
“I’m a little sore, but I’m OK," he said.McClenathan said the FRAM Boost Dragster was on a very good pass and nothing was wrong with it.
“I went from a point where I was looking down track and then I quickly transformed to a point where I was looking down at the front end of the car from above,” McClenathan said. “I realized I was in trouble at that point. I was no longer a driver. I was just along for the ride.
“At that point, I took my hands off of the wheel and grabbed my belts. I just hoped for the best at that point.”
McClenathan credits the efforts of the NHRA’s Safety Safari for coming to his rescue and the forethought of Bristol Dragway’s staff for preparing a safe facility. He was likewise grateful that he didn’t run into Bob Vandergriff Jr., who was inthe other lane, during the mishap.
“Thank God I didn’t run into Bobby,” McClenathan added.
By daybreak Saturday, Drew Olson, son of crewman Brian Olson, and some team members already had loaded the spare car onto one of Don Schumacher’s trucks and driven to Bristol.The team spent all day Saturday switching the salvageable parts on the dragster onto a new chassis.
In the trailer, the Carrier Boyz team has the same car it parked in Gainesville. The bent frame rails on that dragster were repaired from a first-day qualifying incident at the Gatornationals, but the team elected to go with the new chassis.
McClenathan, while feeling a bit sore, said he wouldn’t have minded driving Saturday, but NHRA’s Eddie Hill rule mandates that the team can run a new car in eliminations if it crashes the other, but if it makes a pass in the new car on Day 2 of qualifying, the team will lose credit for the previous effort.
McClenathan made a point to dispel any notions about the Brad Hadman dragster design.
“There’s nothing wrong with Brad Hadman’s cars,” McClenathan said. “He builds a very good race car and tomorrow when I strap in my car, I will feel confident that we can go out and win some rounds.”
Burning a Rod – Doug Kalitta said he had a feeling that his welding background would come in handy one day.
On Friday’s night qualifying session, Kalitta’s dragster hammered out a 4.647-second, 326.95-mph blast. A shower of sparks spewed from underneath his 7,000-horsepower mount as he slowed at the end of the run.
The chassis began bouncing as he decelerated, and the bottom metal frame rails of the car's Attac chassis were scraped in a couple of places near the center. The chrome-moly tubing is only approximately 1/16 of an inch thick, so any loss of material obviously causes a concern for the dragster's durability -- and consequently, and most importantly, the safety of the driver.
Kalitta was commissioned into service and quickly donned his welding helmet. He welded c-shaped, half-pipe metal band aids to both of the damaged underside spots.
Kalitta was raised around welding. His father, Doug Sr., owns a welding supply shop in Kalitta's hometown of Mt. Clemens, Mich. The NHRA Top Fuel veteran has been welding since he was old enough to do so safely.
He has impressed his fusion peers in the past by welding the sharp edges of two razor blades together and by placing two welding beads down the length of a single razor's sharp edge.
"I got on the brakes pretty hard down there," Kalitta said. "I probably inadvertently caused it to bounce a little more than it normally would have. I hadn't done any welding in a while, so it was a good chance for me to get back in practice and to help my guys fix what I probably caused in the first place."
Five Star – The NHRA O’Reilly Thunder Valley Nationals had a special guest during Saturday’s qualifying. General William S. Wallace, a four-star Commanding General, based in Fort Monroe, Virginia, was attending in support of U.S. Army-sponsored driver Tony Schumacher.
FUNNY CAR
Not in the mood – John Force edged out point leader Ron Capps in a side-by-side qualifying effort during the third qualifying session. It took a while to get Force’s car off of the track because something had apparently locked up.
After engaging Ron Capps in the importance of running John Force, announcer Alan Reinhart walked over to Force for equal time.
Reinhart then asked Force if it matters who he runs in qualifying and he answered abruptly.
“I don’t care,” Force said, and then he walked off.
Bob Frey seized on the opportunity to note a bit of history.
“That may have been the shortest John Force interview in history,” Frey quipped.
Qualifying Matters -The fact that reigning POWERade Funny Car Champion Gary Scelzi and 2003 champion Tony Pedregon both have failed to qualify for a race this season makes John Force's record of having qualified a Castrol GTX Funny Car for 374 consecutive tour events all the more remarkable. He last failed to make a 16- car starting lineup October 31, 1987, at the NHRA Finals at Pomona, California.
FEATURE STORY - SCELZI FINDING THE POSITIVES IN FRUSTRATING FUNNY CAR REIGN
Gary Scelzi has smiled and been gracious through four early-round defeats and one failure to qualify in the first five races of this season.
Then, when he arrived Wednesday in East Tennessee for the O'Reilly Thunder Valley Nationals and some fun Thursday at the Country Club of Bristol in a fundraiser for Speedway Children's Charities, he got another piece of unhappy news. Josh Adams, the wheel, tire, and clutch specialist for his Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger, fell from a second-story hotel balcony to the concrete below. Miraculously, Adams escaped with only a banged-up wrist and some bumps and bruises.
How could his reign as NHRA Funny Car champion be so star-crossed? National Speed Sport News editor Mike Kerchner even asked, "What's the matter with Gary Scelzi? Has his contract with The Devil run out already?"
It certainly might seem like that. Despite the adversity, Scelzi said that through testing after the Las Vegas event, he and crew chief Mike Neff and the rest of the Don Schumacher Racing team found some ways to improve the performance of the car.
It paid off with Scelzi's No. 4 qualifying position with a 4.777-second elapsed time at 325.06 on the Bristol Dragway quarter-mile.
"Monday's test [after the Las Vegas race] revealed a lot of things that were going on that the computer didn't show and some things we learned about [teammate Whit] Bazemore's Charger. Bazemore made it to the semis in Vegas. We tried those things on our car with great results," Scelzi said. "The Mopar/Oakley Dodge quit shaking immediately. It smoked the tires on a few runs, but ran a 4.73 (-second elapsed time) at 327 (mph) and then a .70 flat at 329 with absolutely no tire shake.
"We hadn't had a test result that good since this new tire [which Goodyear and NHRA have mandated] has been brought out and we started struggling in Gainesville."
He indicated that competing in back-to-back events at Bruton Smith-owned facilities has him pumped up -- at least comfortable.
"Bristol is one of my favorites," Scelzi said. "The place is just incredible, with all the money that Bruton (Smith) has spent on it. It's got great lighting, which all the drivers really enjoy. So the night runs aren't a factor.
"The track is always prepared well. If it rains, the track has great drainage. So the races wouldn't be delayed for very long if they were to have rain showers. It's just one of those places - like where you park the motor home in the drivers' parking lot with plug-ins and all - where
everything is just first class and the people are just so nice and polite. It's just absolutely one of the pleasures of competing on the NHRA circuit."
Scelzi prepared himself mentally, as well, by spending some fun father-son time -- and some racing time without pressure on him -- with son Dominic and his Junior Sprint experience. In that world, Scelzi's "job" is co-crew chief for the young man who will turn nine years old this Tuesday.
Dominic Scelzi races at the Park Plaza circuit in Visalia, California.
And like his father, the energetic Dominic has come to understand the joys and disappointments of racing.
He qualified on the pole Friday, April 14, won his heat race, then suffered a mechanical problem in the main event. This past Friday, April 21, Dominic won the main event. The Monday after, dad Gary happily cleaned his son's Junior Sprint with co-crew chief Brian Cardoza.
"Well, Brian is the real crew chief. I'm just the assistant," Scelzi said.
"Dominic qualified on the pole [April 14] and won his heat race, but he and a kid got together (on the track) and it broke some engine bolts," Scelzi said. "So, we had to take the motor off and repair it and bring it back out there. And in the rush to get it ready for the main event we pinched a fuel line. They inverted the start and he went from the third row right to the back and pulled it in. We couldn't catch it. We didn't see what was wrong with it until he after he pulled in. It was too late, so we gave up that race.
"Last Friday he won the main event. He did good."
"He's got this weekend off and the week we're in Atlanta he's racing again," Scelzi said. "I
figured I'd get the cleaning done before I left for Bristol and get all the parts ordered I need and get everything squared away. I'm being a good dad."
The younger Scelzi is expected to compete in at least eight of the 14 Junior Sprint events this season.
"He's going to run the whole season," Scelzi said, "but he's going to miss a few, obviously, to come to the races with me. You have three throw-away races, where the points don't count. We've never chased points in this class because of my racing. I want him and his mom (Julie) to come with me to a lot of the NHRA races. We'll just see how it goes. If he's leading the points and doing real well, then there's a chance he may miss more of my races, but I really don't want that to happen, not at 8 or 9 years old. He has plenty of time to race."
As for his own championship chase and frustration, Scelzi said, "I don't think it would have been [considered] as bad of a slump as it is, but [points leader and teammate] Ron Capps has gone to the final round and at least to the semis in every race so far, and that's dug us into a pretty deep hole. He's got a big lead. It's not something that we can't climb out of, but we're going to have to work hard to get back in this points chase."
He'll have another chance in Sunday's eliminations.
FRIDAY - TROXEL, MEDLEN AND ANDERSON TOP QUALIFYING ORDER AT O'REILLY THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS
(4-28-2006) - Top Fuel points leader Melanie Troxel raced to the qualifying lead Friday at the O'Reilly Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway and was joined at the top by rookie Hillary Will. It was the first time that women anchored the top two positions in an NHRA qualifying order.
Funny Car was led by Eric Medlen while Greg Anderson topped the Pro Stock lineup at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event.
The day was marred by a spectacular accident involving veteran Top Fuel driver Cory McClenathan, whose FRAM dragster went out of control and crashed near the finish line. McClenathan was reported to be alert and conscious by NHRA emergency services officials and was transported to Bristol Regional Medical Center for observation. A team spokesperson reported later that McClenathan was checked and released from the hospital.
Running in the final pairing of the day, Troxel posted a 4.539 at 324.05 mph in her Skull Shine/Torco Race Fuels dragster to move around Will's 4.562-second effort in her KB Racing dragster.
"I did see that Hillary was No. 1 and we wanted to get around her so it's neat the way it worked out with us being 1-2," Troxel said. "I don't like it when the story is about the novelty of women driving against the guys but when we get in a story based on what we're accomplishing on the track then it's a lot better."
Medlen raced to a track-record elapsed time of 4.755 seconds at 306.53 in his Castrol Syntec Ford Mustang to lead the Funny Car order.
"It was moving around quite a bit and got a little close to the wall so I had to lift early but a 4.75 is good and we'll try to go from there tomorrow," Medlen said.
Three-time Pro Stock champ Anderson led his category with a 6.734 at 204.26 in his Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac GTO.
"We've given everyone the blueprint on how to build a successful team and a lot of people have caught up to us in the performance department," said Anderson, who currently leads the championship chase by 40 points.
"It's come down to execution on race day and so far this year a lot of people have out-executed us."
Qualifying continues Saturday with sessions at 12:30 and 3 p.m. Sunday's eliminations start at noon.
Results Friday after qualifying for the Sixth annual O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals presented by Q at Bristol Dragway, sixth of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday's final eliminations.
Top Fuel -- 1. Melanie Troxel, 4.539 seconds, 324.05 mph; 2. Hillary Will, 4.562, 321.42; 3. Brandon Bernstein, 4.563, 329.34; 4. David Grubnic, 4.588, 323.58; 5. Clay Millican, 4.590, 315.19; 6. Tony Schumacher, 4.609, 326.79; 7. Cory McClenathan, 4.624, 321.81; 8. David Baca, 4.643, 325.53; 9. Doug Kalitta, 4.647, 326.95; 10. Larry Dixon, 4.686, 311.92; 11. Doug Foley, 4.694, 319.14; 12. Bob Vandergriff, 4.699, 319.45; 13. Doug Herbert, 4.713, 288.09; 14. Rod Fuller, 4.717, 300.80; 15. Alan Bradshaw, 4.732, 312.50; 16. Morgan Lucas, 4.787, 266.37.
Funny Car -- 1. Eric Medlen, Ford Mustang, 4.755, 306.53; 2. Whit Bazemore, Dodge Charger, 4.763, 327.03; 3. Gary Scelzi, Charger, 4.777, 325.06; 4. Tommy Johnson Jr., Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.791, 323.97; 5. Jim Head, Dodge Stratus, 4.803, 294.37; 6. Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.808, 307.58; 7. Ron Capps, Stratus, 4.818, 320.58; 8. Scott Kalitta, Monte Carlo, 4.821, 320.66; 9. John Force, Mustang, 4.823, 308.00; 10. Phil Burkart, Monte Carlo, 4.832, 317.57; 11. Gary Densham, Monte Carlo, 4.836, 321.27; 12. Tony Bartone, Monte Carlo, 4.855, 313.44; 13. Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.861, 310.63; 14. Tim Wilkerson, Monte Carlo, 4.863, 318.02; 15. Tony Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.864, 302.01; 16. Mike Ashley, Monte Carlo, 4.873, 274.00.
Pro Stock -- 1. Greg Anderson, Pontiac GTO, 6.734, 204.26; 2. Erica Enders, Chevy Cobalt, 6.744, 204.35; 3. Jim Yates, GTO, 6.746, 203.83; 4. Jason Line, GTO, 6.762, 204.08; 5. V. Gaines, Dodge Stratus, 6.769, 203.68; 6. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.771, 202.91; 7. Dave Connolly, Cobalt, 6.772, 203.68; 8. Rickie Smith, Cobalt, 6.774, 203.43; 9. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.774, 203.19; 10. Richie Stevens, Stratus, 6.774, 203.52; 11. Warren Johnson, GTO, 6.777, 203.98; 12. Dave Northrop, Stratus, 6.783, 202.67; 13. Mike Thomas, Stratus, 6.786, 202.36; 14. Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.787, 203.25; 15. Mike Edwards, GTO, 6.788, 203.65; 16. Dave Howard, Cobalt, 6.788, 203.43.
"We're glad to know that Cory's fine and that everything's going to be OK with them [the Carrier Boyz/FRAM Boost team]. But that is tough when you see that and it's kind of the last thought going through your mind before you get up there. I was already strapped in the car so I didn't see [the crash] first hand, but I did see a couple of the replays. But the job you have is to be able to block out all those distractions. It's a distraction that's kind of no different than the 30 other things we're trying to block out of our minds. It's unfortunate for them, but we know they'll be back out here and we're glad to see that Cory's OK. That's the whole idea behind being last at the end of the session, to have that opportunity when the air gets cooler and to have that shot at it. We're happy to be [in] that very last pair out there. Obviously we made the most of it.
"It wasn't a perfect run. The car was moving around down there a lot. We've struggled to make those big runs on Friday night. We haven't really qualified all that well, so this is kind of a change for us." - Troxel, about earning her tentative No. 1 position after Cory McClenathan's accident and how the clean-up delay actually played out in her favor, with cooler conditions more conducive to quick times and fast speeds.
Funny Car -- Eric Medlen, Castrol Syntec Ford Mustang (track record 4.755-second E.T., 306.53 mph)
"I don't know what it looked like from the stands, but boy, she was sure movin' around there inside. I got it a little bit close to the wall, which usually doesn't bother me. But it was movin' around when I was close to the wall. So I shut it off a scosch early. I've been told that a scosch is a little bit between 'a little bit' and a whisker. I tried to do the wise thing. I guess maybe I'm officially getting old now, but I don't think so.
"You should have seen [public-relations representative Dave] Densmore parallel park out there. That was pretty impressive." - Medlen, describing his second-session pass
"Everybody's pushing their motors so close to the edge, [so] that's going to happen. The crew chiefs and the crew guys, they're the real heroes out there. They're the ones doing all the work, and they have some serious conditions to mull over and some crucial decisions to make." - Medlen, regarding the value of the crew members
Pro Stock -- Greg Anderson, KB/Summit Racing Equipment Racing Pontiac GTO (6.734-second E.T., 204.26 mph)
"The track got a lot better tonight, and that always happens -- as soon as the sun goes down, the temperature goes down, too. You've got to make the hay while the getting's good, and tonight's when you had to do it, because tomorrow's supposed to be another beautiful day like today. When that sun's out, the rubber's a little slicker. It's going to be tougher tomorrow, but I'm not going to say other cars can't do it or we can't run close to that tomorrow, but we sure feel a lot better going into Saturday morning being on the pole after a nice Friday-night run like this.
"It's just fun when the lights go down like this and the track gets tacky. You lick your chops. You can't get in the car quick enough. You want to get out there. You roll up there and you see all those big numbers coming up. I was behind Jim Yates [in the second session] and he rolled off and ran a 6.74. I thought that was going to get the pole, and I honestly didn't think I could do it. I let the clutch out, everything felt perfect in running through the gears, and I really couldn't find much wrong with the run going down the race track. I haven't seen the computer yet, but it felt pretty darn close, and I thought if we didn't get the pole -- you know what? -- Jim Yates deserves it, because that's probably about all we've got. We came through at the right time, and if it gets us another pole, then wonderful. And if it doesn't, then my hat's off to whoever gets it tomorrow, because they will have to earn it.
"The competition level has risen this year. We kind of set the bar. Other people have been out-executing us on Sunday. There's no margin for error in this class. We need to win a race and get our confidence level up. We want that good feeling. This is where I got my first win back in 2001. I love this facility."
FEATURE STORY - Novelty Aspect Not Real Story Anymore:
Top Fuel's Troxel, Will Are Competitive
For the first time in NHRA history, women occupy the top two qualifying spots in any class.
Melanie Troxel took the provisional No. 1 qualifying position in the Top Fuel class Friday at the O'Reilly Thunder Valley NHRA Nationals, and Hillary Will was No. 2.
Troxel clocked a 4.539-second elapsed time at 324.05 mph in the Skull Shine Dragster in the final pairing of the day.
Will was 23-thousandths of a second slower at 4.562 (with a best time Friday of 321.42 mph) in the Ken Black Racing LLC Dragster that's operated by Kalitta Motorsports.
If Troxel can hang onto the top spot in the 16-car lineup, she will lead the field for the first time. In Sunday's eliminations, if she advances to the final round, she will tie teammate Tony Schumacher's class record for reaching seven consecutive final rounds. She has appeared in the last six showdowns, dating back to last November at Pomona, and has won twice (Pomona/Winternationals and Las Vegas).
Will is a rookie who, like Troxel, earned her experience in the Top Alcohol Dragster ranks before turning professional.
Troxel, who has surprised all but herself, her family, and crew this season with her Richard Hogan-tuned, Don Schumacher-owned dragster, said she has sorted out her feelings about the female phenomenon and the constant questions about it.
"You know, it's funny -- I've gone for so long [with] my own little spiel I'd give about that, about not wanting to focus on the whole female aspect of everything. But I've kind of softened, now that we're running so well," she said.
"My issue has always been that you don't want the entire story to be just that 'Oh, there are some females out there, running with the guys.' You can't be proud of the fact that you're a female," Troxel said. "It's not something I've had a choice in the matter of. I am a female. I chose to come out here and race. If that's the whole story, the novelty aspect of it, I think you lose your enthusiasm for that story. Now that the story is really about us being competitive, and 'Oh yeah, that happens to be a female.' I guess that's a lot easier for me to take.
"For Hillary and I being 1 and 2, I guess that story doesn't bother me nearly as much as the female part used to. It's neat to see us both out here, running really well," she said.
"I didn’t watch her run, but did kind of look up on the scoreboard and saw she had that No. 1. Nothing about her being a female, but I wanted to have that No. 1 spot for ourselves. So it's kind of neat the way it worked out."
Someone suggested that perhaps Troxel can relate more to Will because each finally is getting an opportunity in the sport to drive a dragster, the sanctioning body's marquee nitro class.
"Male, female, it doesn’t matter -- it's tough to get these opportunities, especially with really good teams. It's nice to see new drivers out here getting opportunities."
NEWSMAKER OF THE DAY-- Cory McClenthan, Top Fuel driver of the FRAM Boost Dragster
Cory McClenathan, who won the Top Fuel Ironman trophy last Sunday at the IHRA Spring Nationals at Rockingham (North Carolina) Dragway, had said he was eager to compete here for car owners Mark and Andy Carrier because of their rich drag-racing heritage at this facility. And just Thursday, McClenathan won the Darrell Russell Cup (for the second time in three years) in a charity golf tournament that raises funds for Speedway Children's Charities and honors his fallen fellow driver. And his fortune continued through Friday's first session of qualifying, as he was No. 3 with a 4.624-second, 321.81-mph pass.
But his weekend turned ugly in the Friday night session, as his Carrier Boyz/FRAM Boost Dragster, on an outstanding run, bowed up in the middle, broke in half, rolled over, hit the wall and skidded down the track in flames.
McClenathan, 43, was alert and conscious throughout the entire ordeal, and was transported to nearby Bristol Regional Medical Center. The Lake Havasu, Arizona, resident reportedly was set to be released by midnight (Eastern Time).
Carrier Boyz Team spokesman Joe Sherk said McClenathan had complained of a sore ankle but that x-rays proved negative.
Dan Brickey and his Safety Safari staff reported that McClenathan was conscious and trying to free himself from the car when they arrived at the scene. He reportedly was out of the car on his own power within two or three minutes.
Andy Carrier said that McClenathan was "moving all his extremeties" and that he was alert and aware of everything that had happened.
He reportedly instructed his crew, when they reached the crash site, that they should haul out the back-up car and prepare it for Saturday's final two qualifying sessions. He was qualified seventh.
This dragster debuted in March at Gainesville as a replacement for the chassis that broke during the first Friday qualifying session for the Gatornationals.
PIT e-PATTER
Annual helmet raffle begins -- Fans attending this race, next week's at Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Georgia, and the May 18-21 Pontiac Performance Nationals at National Trails Raceway near Columbus, Ohio, will have a chance to win a piece of motorsports history.
For the ninth straight year, the Central Ohio Pontiac Dealers will raise money for the Columbus Children's Hospital by raffling a Simpson Racing helmet signed by more than 50 NHRA drivers. Fans attending the Dave Gill Pontiac-GMC NHRA Fanfest Wednesday, May 17 in Columbus, Ohio, also will have a chance to enter the contest.
To register, contestants will donate one dollar for each entry form they submit at the Pontiac-GMC display on the NHRA Manufacturers Midway. Special giveaways to contestants are also part of the helmet raffle.
The helmet winner will be announced May 21 before the final round of the finals at Columbus. All proceeds collected from the raffle will go to the Children's Hospital. The winner does not need to be present on the day of the drawing, and the helmet will be shipped to their home.
Founded in 1892, Children's Hospital, Inc., has developed into one of the largest and most sophisticated health-care centers in the country, having more than 300,000 patient visits annually. Children's delivers high-quality, cost-effective care to all children, from newborns through age 21, regardless of patients' ability to pay. Last year, the helmet giveaway raised nearly $11,000 for Children's, a hospital recognized as one of the nation's premier pediatric care centers.
"The helmet raffle has been a great program and we've had a lot of success raising money for the hospital," Fred Simmonds, Pontiac Drag Racing Marketing Manager, said.
A group of GM racers will visit Children's Hospital Thursday, May 18 to sign autographs and meet some of the kids and hospital staff. Kurt Johnson's ACDelco Chevy Cobalt will also be there on display.
Top Fuel
Going for three -- Doug Kalitta has a special mission this weekend: to become Bristol Dragway's only three-time NHRA national-event winner.
The Mac Tools Dragster driver won the 2001 race that marked a "grand reopening" of the facility that used to be called Thunder Valley and a return of drag racing in Bristol after an absence of more than 30 years. He's also the defending event winner in the sanctioning body's quickest and fastest class.
"Bristol has been kind to us," Kalitta said. "It's one of the best facilities on the tour. The track is great. The whole facility is really nice. I always like racing in Bristol."
He still liked it well enough after Fridays two sessions. In the first, he was 11th in the order, while teammates Dave Grubnic in the StriVectin Dragster and Hillary Will in the Ken Black Racing LLC Dragster were 1-2, respectively. He ended the day No. 9 with a 4.647-second elapsed time at 326.95 mph.
Kalitta, sixth in the standings, said he knows he can't re-create the magic he experienced here last year. "Last year when we won, we took over the points lead. We're not going to be able to do that again this year, but we're going to go out there and give it our best shot."
In last year's final, Kalitta beat defeated Rod Fuller by about three feet on a holeshot (4.593
seconds, 322.50 mph to 4.588/327.35).
Kalitta, a 41-year old resident of Ann Arbor, Mich., is a two-time Top Fuel
championship points runner-up (2003-2004). He has 24 NHRA national event
victories in his nine-year drag racing career. He also holds the time slip
for the quickest run in NHRA history, 4.420 sec., Chicago 1 – 2004.
In 1998,
Kalitta was the Auto Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award
winner for NHRA rookie excellence, and he’s a former USAC National Sprint
Car Champion (1994).
History Lesson - Melanie Troxel has heard all the talk about the potential for a new drag racing record and admits a record sixth consecutive final round to start the season would suit her fine.
“It would be neat to have that record,” Troxel said. “For me it's far more important for us to be looking at the long-term points chase, that that really doesn't even enter into my thinking. You know, I'm not concerned about, oh, are we going to be able to get that record? For me, it's much more important that we're working on a long-term plan of consistency.
“We could go 10 years down the road and definitely people are going to remember you a lot more for winning a championship than that streak of final rounds. It will be one of those things that if it happens, it will be a neat record to have. Really even just worrying about going to another final isn't in the big picture because you're not going to go to every final round. You can't win every race. As long as we can continue to working on making our qualifying and our Sunday runs consistent, I'll be happy with the outcome.”
Troxel can’t ignore the fact the Top Fuel champion for the last four years has led the points headed into Bristol. With her team only a year old is what should be the most impressive tidbit.
“I would probably doubt that any of those teams were less than a year old. With a driver that has been out of the seat for two years prior to the team coming back, so I know we have our challenges ahead of us. But at the same time I think everybody's doing a great job and I don't think that we're getting too caught up in all the hoopla around leading the points and everything. We're just trying to stay focused on what we're doing.”
Practice Makes Perfect – Testing is the key to any successful drag racing team.
During the two-week break following the Las Vegas race, the Jim Dupuy-led, UPS-sponsored team of Bob Vandergriff Jr., continued a tradition that started when they worked with Joe Amato and then driver Darrell Russell.
With Vandergriff as their employer nothing has changed. A few of the team members live in Louisiana and each year they run an exhibition at No Problem Raceway in Belle Rose, La. during the NHRA Jegs.com Cajun SportsNationals. This outing gave the team a chance to test some new equipment and gather a little more info about the new Goodyear tire that became mandatory for the fuel classes to run at Gainesville.
Funny Car
Not that bad?! -- Veteran driver Jim Head downplayed the powerful engine concussion and spectacular fire that engulfed his unsponsored 2005 Dodge Stratus on Friday night's run.
It might have caused his crew a few hours of extra work, but the run did lift Head from unqualified at 18th to fifth place in the lineup.
"It wasn't quite that bad," he said. Then, after admitting, "I don't like this part of it," he said, "It beats a slow run in a dragster, believe me. Pretty frustrating. Not sure -- it has been pretty soft lately."
No. 2 not enough -- Whit Bazemore, driver of the Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge Charger, ran the fastest speed among the 21 Funny Car entrants Friday with a 327.03 mph. But his 4.763-second elapsed time couldn't beat provisional No. 1 qualifier Eric Medlen's track-record 4.755-second E.T. "I'm a little pissed off that we're No. 2, to be honest," he said.
Paton still waitin’ – Bluff City, Tennessee, resident Todd Paton began to build his nitro resume several seasons ago when he took over behind the wheel of the Nitro Fish Funny Car.
After a couple of years in the NHRA Funny Car ranks, he moved over to the IHRA Top Fuel class. His first love was for the flip-top cars, however, and when the IHRA resurrected the Funny Car class for 2006, Paton sold his dragster and purchased a flopper.
Plans called for Paton and his team to run a limited schedule in both NHRA and IHRA competition in 2006, but a major sponsorship deal fell through just three weeks ago, leaving the former multi-time IHRA Alcohol Funny Car champion on the outside looking in, at least for a while.
"We really wanted to debut our new car here in Bristol, but now we have to wait and see if some other sponsorship deals we've been working on bear fruit," Paton said. "With any luck, well be at the next IHRA race in Ontario."
That’s not all bad news for the transplanted Canadian from Brantford, Ontario, who could make his return to the class in front of his hometown fans.
Life after Nitro – Almost a decade ago, Jim Bailey was having the time of his life as a driver for Doug Herbert’s Snap-on Tools team. The ride eventually ended but the addictive urge for Bailey never did.
Bailey now helps out with Jim Head’s Funny Car for his fix. “I have to go to every other race to keep from having withdrawal pains,” Bailey said. “I’m retired and I’m unemployed.”
Bailey’s primary duties on the team include supercharger maintenance and engine rebuilding between rounds. That fully compensates for not being behind the wheel.
“I’m over driving a fuel car,” Bailey said. “I have a good time driving my Stocker.”
Bailey’s play-toy may not run 300 miles per hour, but when you drive a 1963 Max Wedge Dodge, you don’t have to in order to stand out. He competes in the A/Stock Automatic division.
Bailey is credited with eight Top Fuel victories on the IHRA side and an Alcohol Funny Car as well. He’s even captured one win with the Stocker.
Bristol Stomp Master – Whit Bazemore merely smiled when it was pointed out that he’s the most successful driver at Thunder Valley since the NHRA began contesting events at the famed facility in 1999.
Bazemore has reached three of five finals at the Thunder Valley Nationals.
Bazemore's lone victory came in 2002 and his runner-up finishes were earned in 2003 and in 2004 (as low qualifier).
"We like Bristol a lot," said Bazemore. "It's another Bruton Smith track where he's done it right, invested a lot of money in our sport, and made it a showcase.
"We really like coming here. It's a great place for the fans. It's one of the best drag racing facilities in the country in terms of cleanliness, acoustics, and fan-friendliness. It's first-class all the way. It's motivating, because you're proud to be part of it.
"It's very cool to hear that we're the most successful Funny Car racer here. I wish I could say that about every other track we race on."
Hording Points – Don’t be surprised if you see Ron Capps grabbing every point he can get during the course of the season.
"Right now we are just not comfortable with the points lead we have," he said. "It's great to be leading. I'd rather be chased than doing the chasing. But you can't, this early in the year, get comfortable about a 105-point lead, especially when John Force, Gary Scelzi, Whit Bazemore and all those guys back there can run you down any time. It doesn't take much to go out early and have a guy gain a lot of points on you.
"After last season, you just don't want to leave any points on the table, whether it's round wins, qualifying or whatever," said Capps, who has never won a Funny Car crown and who lost the championship in 2005 by a mere eight
points.
Pro Stock
The Scoop on the Scoop – In the competitive world of NHRA Pro Stock, every performance advantage is worth its weight in gold.
Even though the car was built by another chassis builder, Greg Stanfield and Bart Price are implementing a new style of hood scoop designed by Jerry Haas. The key is in the opening.
The new scoop has a larger opening at the top, designed to force more air into the engine. His previous version provided more of a ‘V” shape. “We tested in Atlanta and it seemed to work well,” Stanfield said. “This should be better in the wind tunnel.
The Krisher-go-round – The last two weeks at Ron Krisher’s shop have provided anything but a stable environment. The reason for the unsettled situation has been horsepower, or the lack thereof.
Krisher had decided to release his engine team and things got sordid from that point on. They were then brought back and the engines were taken to Larry Morgan’s dyno.
“We found out where we were at,” Krisher said. “That was something we needed to know.”
Krisher then brought his engines back to the shop and realized the problem wasn’t on the dyno. His engines just weren’t producing.
Krisher’s team has found some horsepower but he admits they are somewhat flying blind with the torque curves and related issues.
“We’ll give it two races to sort out,” Krisher said.
Bart Price, a fellow Pro Stock team owner and Krisher friend, has said that he refuses to let his buddy quit. “I won’t let him, because drag racing needs more people like him,” Price said.
Even Krisher mentions quitting with a measure of sadness in his voice.
“It’s a real big issue because this is my life,” Krisher said. “I have a lot of friends out here and when you spend as much time as we do you get attached. You talk to them here and you go home and you talk to them on the phone.
“Ninety-percent of your life revolves around this deal. It’s way more than just a hobby.”
He Got His Schoolin’ At WJ’s – Greg Anderson went from high school to a place of higher learning. This time the curriculum was purely horsepower and the defending NHRA POWERade champion isn’t ashamed to say the lessons came from Warren Johnson.
“You know, I guess the best way I can explain it, is that I did not go to any kind of college,” Anderson said. “I graduated high school and I jumped right into racing full-time right then. I can't imagine a better college to go to than the WJ University of Drag Racing. I learned so much there. I not only learned how to work on every end of the car, every end of the engine, but I also learned how to win races and how to perform at the racetrack, which is just something that's about impossible to learn on your own. You have to be around someone who can do that and has done that and can show you how to do that.”
Anderson’s lessons led to a measure of respect regardless of the stories that suggest the two are at odds.
“That's what he did,” Anderson said. “I mean, I respect the guy. I respect the heck out of the guy. Honestly, all those years I worked for him, I never planned on leaving there. I thought I'd probably work there the rest of my life and eventually drive one of his cars. Unfortunately it didn't work out that way. There wasn't room for another driver as time went on. I didn't see myself ever leaving there. It was a great opportunity, a great shop. He had great resources, a whole bunch of knowledge between him and Kurt (Johnson, Warren’s son and a Pro Stock driver). I learned a lot from them. It certainly helped me get to where I'm at now. At the same time I've had to take some of them lessons that I learned then and move forward from there. I've had to learn a whole lot more since I left those doors out on my own. He taught me a lot of ways to learn things.
“You’ve got to pay attention. You got to surround yourself with good people. Those are a couple of the very important things that I learned from him. I couldn't imagine a better college to go to. It was a great university.”
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THURSDAY NOTEBOOK
NEWSMAKER OF THE DAY - Josh Adams, Don Schumacher Racing
One drag racing crewman realizes that life on the road as a drag racing crewman can be a rough and tumble world - literally.
Don Schumacher Racing mechanic Josh Adams was examined and released from Johnson City Medical Center in Johnson City, Tennessee, following a freak tumble Wednesday evening from a second-story hotel balcony.
Hospital and team sources have reported that Adams did not suffer any broken bones.
The team is in East Tennessee for this weekend’s Thunder Valley NHRA Nationals at Bristol Dragway.
Adams, the wheels, tires, and clutch assistant for Gary Scelzi’s Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger Funny Car team, leaned on the railing. According to fellow crew member Rod Centorbi, it “snapped like Styrofoam.”
Hospital House Supervisor Bobbie Clawson said Adams was treated and released.
Rodger Whitworth, clutch specialist for Tony Schumacher’s U.S. Army Dragster, said late Wednesday that Adams “bruised his hip and arm. He has a bump here and a bruise there. He’ll be at the track tomorrow.”
Adams, of Indianapolis, fell approximately 10 to 12 feet to the pavement below.
“He was examined and released. They said everything works - go rest,” said another Schumacher teammate who asked not to be identified. “They told him he’s going to be sore but that if he feels worse than he thinks he ought to, to go back [to the hospital].”
Centorbi was with Adams at the time of the accident, and he stayed with his teammate throughout his ordeal.
Adams, a five-year Funny Car crew veteran, previously worked for Don Prudhomme Racing on Ron Capps’ Skoal Chevy.
Pit e-Patter
The Weather Channel – Of course the largest topic of the weekend will not be who runs low elapsed time and top speed, but rather the weather. The long-range forecast looks very favorable, with moderate temperatures and clear skies, but with Bristol’s unpredictable weather tendencies, those conditions are subject to change.
TOP FUEL
Used to be our playground – It was called Thunder Valley when they were growing up. But today, Andy and Mark Carrier see the remnants of their dad Larry Carrier’s finest creation as a modernized version named Bristol Dragway. There isn’t a trace of the old facility, but the new horsepower palace Bruton Smith constructed in its place would’ve made Larry proud.
The Carrier patriarch also established the International Hot Rod Association in 1971. Just last week in Rockingham, NC, the site of the very first IHRA national event, the Carrier Boys and driver Cory McClenathan won their very first race within the sanctioning body.
Winning Bristol would be more than a dream for the Carrier Boys.
“To win here at Bristol would rank right up there with winning Indy (NHRA U.S. Nationals, held in Indianapolis and considered to be the sport’s oldest, most prestigious event) as far as Mark and I are concerned,” Andy said.
Overtime Paying Off – Larry Dixon and have been racking up the overtime hours in 2006. The two-time NHRA Top Fuel champion (2002-03) and his Don Bender-led race team tested three times prior to the start of the season, and have made multiple test runs following three of the first five races of ’06, including five passes on Monday after the Las Vegas race two weeks ago.
Dixon hopes all the extra effort pays off this weekend. He’s got eyes a second career victory at Thunder Valley after scoring the first Bristol win in 2002. Bristol Dragway is one of 19 active NHRA tracks where the 38-time NHRA winner has claimed at least one victory.
“I feel really good coming into Bristol (Tenn.),” Dixon said. “I thought we had a great test on Monday after (Las) Vegas. The car ran 332 (mph), which might be the top speed anyone has run this year with the new ignition rules and tires. We seem to do well at elevated tracks and Bristol is one of them. I’m looking forward to making the trip.”
The Miller Light team has advanced past the opening round at each race en route to third place ranking. Proof positive from the team’s many test passes. Dixon has qualified in the No. 2 position at three of the five events and posted top speed of the meet (330.80 mph) at Las Vegas.
“As far as testing goes, I’ve always been for whatever it takes to make our team a better team,” Dixon said. “We didn’t test a lot before because Dick LaHaie could sort a lot of that stuff out in his head without having to start the car up. Donnie (Bender) has been there for all of that, but at the same time, he’s the kind of guy that whatever happens you have to prove it on the track and see it on the time slip. He’s gathering runs in his head. LaHaie had all those runs in his head and Donnie is playing catch up.
“I think it’s great to work for a team owner like Don Prudhomme that allows us to test as often as we need. There’s no difference, it still costs the same amount of money to go down the race track in testing. Snake has always been that way, but this proves that he’s in it to win it.”
My Hero – Morgan Lucas is donating space on his Top Fuel dragster to honor his NASCAR hero.
Lucas will be honoring the late Dale Earnhardt by carrying the No. 3 decal on his 325-mph dragster as part of the commemoration of Dale Earnhardt day on April 29, his birthday.
On next Tuesday, Lucas will go to the Lowe’s Motor Speedway to meet his son, Dale, Jr. during a test session for the upcoming Coca-Cola 600.
I love this place – When one experiences as much success at a track they tend to favor racing there. Doug Herbert loves racing at the facility that was once called Thunder Valley.
Herbert began his long string of success at Bristol Dragway back in 1992 when he drove to the first Top Fuel victory of his career at the IHRA Spring Nationals. 'Dougzilla' went on to dominate the Bristol quarter-mile, winning the Top Fuel title six times in a row between 1992 and 1997. It's easy to see why Bristol Dragway is one of Herbert's favorite race tracks.
"I love racing at Bristol," said Herbert. "It's where I won my very first race so it will always be special. There are a lot of Snap-on Tools employees in Elizabethton and Johnson City so we always have a big turn out of fans, which makes the race plenty of fun."
Enough with the woman driver angle… - That’s what NHRA POWERade Top Fuel point leader Melanie Troxel feels about the publicity surrounding the onslaught of media attention given to the gender of drivers.
“It doesn't matter how good of a driver you are, if you're not -- if you don't get into working with a team that has a car that has the capabi
"I'm in disbelief," said Capps of his third victory of the season and the 20th of his career. "I got on the radio and said, 'I can't believe it, we won again.' It's not that I don't have confidence in my guys, but it's just so hard to win and when it happens a lot like it has this year it's sometimes hard to believe. I love the competition and I love this class. This is just a great time to be racing right now." 
"This has been a long time coming," said Kalitta, whose last victory came eight months ago in Brainerd, Minn. "It seems like forever since we've been to the winner's circle. The guys were just real hungry and they really wanted to win one, plus we've always run well here, which had us feeling confident. Rahn [Tobler, crew chief] has the set up for this place and we love being here. All the facilities Bruton Smith owns are first-class and we enjoy racing at his tracks." 
"It's interesting that we've had six different winners and I'm glad I'm one of them but really it stinks because we want them all to belong to this team," Line said. "That's just the way we like it, but we also realize how hard this class is and we're just motivated to work even harder to get back on top." 
In the final round against Rod Fuller, Doug Kalitta took the Mac Tools Dragster to a speed of 331.56 mph That set the track speed record, trumping Tony Schumacher's 2004 mark of 331.36 mph. Connie, who helps crew chief Rahn Tobler determine the combination, had a major hand in Doug's first victory of the season. 
365 Day Later Do-Over – Rod Fuller had a long time to think about his final round loss at Bristol last year. 
Gas Crunch – Morgan Lucas admitted after his first round victory over Hillary Will that his car has been having a fuel system problem. 
Streak ends at six – We are taught that green means go and stop means red. Melanie Troxel was reminded of that very lesson when her six consecutive final round streak came to an abrupt stop opposite of Rod Fuller in the second round. 
Give me that freaking win-light – Gary Scelzi has wanted to take the win light plenty of times this season. During the first round, he snagged it literally. In the shut down area Scelzi’s Dodge Charger made an abrupt shift towards the wall as he crossed the finish line. He corrected but not before his parachute ripped the driver’s win-light off of the wall. 
Huh? – Somewhere along the line, Eric Medlen has acquired the nickname “Little Elvis.” 
He’s a Streaker - When 13-time NHRA Funny Car Champion John Force rolled to the line Sunday for the first round of the sixth annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway, he made his 375th consecutive start in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. To put that in perspective, the second longest active streak is 143 straight by Top Fuel driver Doug Kalitta. The second longest streak in history was 303 straight races by Pro Stock driver Warren Johnson, one that ended at Sonoma, Calif., in 2002. 
Pain in the Neck – If Ron Capps walked gingerly over the course of the weekend, he had a valid reason. An inadvertent turn on Thursday led to a pinched nerve in his neck. 
Bazemore Down and Out? – Whit Bazemore will be the first to admit that his team was looking pretty ragged in late 2005 and earlier this season. The driver of the Matco Tools-sponsored Dodge Charger Funny Car pointed out that the resiliency of the team seems to have changed the course. 
Win some, lose some – Drag racing has the tendency to allow drivers to reach a significant milestone and still not light the win-light. Mike Edward, the champion in Houston, drove his Young Life-sponsored Pontiac GTO to the Top Speed of eliminations during his first round match with Eric Enders. The only problem with that is drag racing is measured in elapsed time. 
Troxel will try to make more history Sunday if she can race to her seventh consecutive final round, which would tie her with teammate Tony Schumacher for the category record. Fellow low qualifiers Eric Medlen (Funny Car) and Jason Line (Pro Stock) are each searching for their first victories of the 2006 season.
Castrol Syntec Ford Mustang driver Medlen appeared relieved to hold onto the No. 1 spot he earned Friday night after several drivers made runs at his posted performance of 4.755 at 306.53 mph. His biggest challenge came from his boss and Ford Racing teammate John Force, who moved up to third with a 4.766 at 323.19 mph in his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang.
Former Rookie of the Year Line used a track record top speed of 204.66 mph to push his Summit Racing Pontiac GTO through a 6.727-second pass, which made him the No. 1 qualifier for the second time this year. The entire Pro Stock field was separated by just .037 seconds.
“I didn’t see the run and I’m glad I didn’t,” 
“His car was a sister to the one I drive,” Fuller said. “They were on the jigs at the same time. I am a strong believer that I am in God’s hands and that protects me. It was nothing short of miraculous that he was uninjured. It’s a testimony to the safety of the NHRA and Brad Hadman cars.”
“I feel pretty good,” McClenathan said in a Saturday press conference. “These things happen, and that’s why we have the safety crews and standards in place like we do.
Not in the mood –
Then, when he arrived Wednesday in East Tennessee for the O'Reilly Thunder Valley Nationals and some fun Thursday at the Country Club of Bristol in a fundraiser for Speedway Children's Charities, he got another piece of unhappy news. Josh Adams, the wheel, tire, and clutch specialist for his Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger, fell from a second-story hotel balcony to the concrete below. Miraculously, Adams escaped with only a banged-up wrist and some bumps and bruises. 
Running in the final pairing of the day, Troxel posted a 4.539 at 324.05 mph in her Skull Shine/Torco Race Fuels dragster to move around Will's 4.562-second effort in her KB Racing dragster. 
Medlen raced to a track-record elapsed time of 4.755 seconds at 306.53 in his Castrol Syntec Ford Mustang to lead the Funny Car order. 
"We've given everyone the blueprint on how to build a successful team and a lot of people have caught up to us in the performance department," said Anderson, who currently leads the championship chase by 40 points. 
If Troxel can hang onto the top spot in the 16-car lineup, she will lead the field for the first time. In Sunday's eliminations, if she advances to the final round, she will tie teammate Tony Schumacher's class record for reaching seven consecutive final rounds. She has appeared in the last six showdowns, dating back to last November at Pomona, and has won twice (Pomona/Winternationals and Las Vegas). 
Cory McClenathan, who won the Top Fuel Ironman trophy last Sunday at the IHRA Spring Nationals at Rockingham (North Carolina) Dragway, had said he was eager to compete here for car owners Mark and Andy Carrier because of their rich drag-racing heritage at this facility. And just Thursday, McClenathan won the Darrell Russell Cup (for the second time in three years) in a charity golf tournament that raises funds for Speedway Children's Charities and honors his fallen fellow driver. And his fortune continued through Friday's first session of qualifying, as he was No. 3 with a 4.624-second, 321.81-mph pass. 
Practice Makes Perfect – Testing is the key to any successful drag racing team. 
No. 2 not enough -- Whit Bazemore, driver of the Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge Charger, ran the fastest speed among the 21 Funny Car entrants Friday with a 327.03 mph. But his 4.763-second elapsed time couldn't beat provisional No. 1 qualifier Eric Medlen's track-record 4.755-second E.T. "I'm a little pissed off that we're No. 2, to be honest," he said. 
Life after Nitro – Almost a decade ago, Jim Bailey was having the time of his life as a driver for Doug Herbert’s Snap-on Tools team. The ride eventually ended but the addictive urge for Bailey never did. 
Hording Points – Don’t be surprised if you see Ron Capps grabbing every point he can get during the course of the season. 
The Scoop on the Scoop – In the competitive world of NHRA Pro Stock, every performance advantage is worth its weight in gold. 
“You know, I guess the best way I can explain it, is that I did not go to any kind of college,” Anderson said. “I graduated high school and I jumped right into racing full-time right then. I can't imagine a better college to go to than the WJ University of Drag Racing. I learned so much there. I not only learned how to work on every end of the car, every end of the engine, but I also learned how to win races and how to perform at the racetrack, which is just something that's about impossible to learn on your own. You have to be around someone who can do that and has done that and can show you how to do that.” 
One drag racing crewman realizes that life on the road as a drag racing crewman can be a rough and tumble world - literally. 
Overtime Paying Off – Larry Dixon and have been racking up the overtime hours in 2006. The two-time NHRA Top Fuel champion (2002-03) and his Don Bender-led race team tested three times prior to the start of the season, and have made multiple test runs following three of the first five races of ’06, including five passes on Monday after the Las Vegas race two weeks ago. 
My Hero – Morgan Lucas is donating space on his Top Fuel dragster to honor his NASCAR hero.
Herbert began his long string of success at Bristol Dragway back in 1992 when he drove to the first Top Fuel victory of his career at the IHRA Spring Nationals. 'Dougzilla' went on to dominate the Bristol quarter-mile, winning the Top Fuel title six times in a row between 1992 and 1997. It's easy to see why Bristol Dragway is one of Herbert's favorite race tracks. 
Enough with the woman driver angle… - That’s what NHRA POWERade Top Fuel point leader Melanie Troxel feels about the publicity surrounding the onslaught of media attention given to the gender of drivers.