CARQUEST NHRA NATIONALS
Chicago, Illinois
By Bobby Bennett; Photos by Auto Imagery, Frank Smith, Bobby Bennett, Jr., Roger Richards, Brian Wood

SUNDAY FINAL - Force wins 120th Funny Car race; Kalitta wins fourth in a row

(6-11-2006) - Drag racing legend John Force won his record 120th Funny Car race Sunday at Route 66 Raceway to close to within 48 points of the championship lead.

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SUNDAY NOTEBOOK -

(6-11-2006) - Fitting Conclusion - Within an hour of completing the event, a rainbow stretched across Route 66 Raceway.

Fan Nationals Winner - Matt Sackman, 13, of Channahon, Ill., defeated hundreds of fan participants to become the local POWERade Fan Nationals Event Champion for the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals. Sackman, a driver in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Jr. Dragster League, will travel to Auto Club Raceway at Pomona to compete for the ultimate 2006 POWERade Fan Nationals title in November.

TOP FUEL

Get to the point - Top Fuel winner Doug Kalitta is a man of few words, but one thing is for certain, he knows where to place those words of credit. He adds there is plenty of season left despite winning four races in a row.

"It has been a nice stretch and we have by fortunate," Kalitta said. "It's hard to believe. My guys and Rahn has this thing ready to run. There's a lot of racing left and we aren't even halfway through."

One for the highlight reel - Melanie Troxel had quite the entertaining ride in the final round.

"We had been running so good all day long that I really expected the Skull Shine dragster to go right down the groove," she said of the final. "It
started shaking going into smoking the tires, and I tried to pedal it, but
unfortunately the car was already turning a little bit when it smoked the
tires the first time. When I put my foot down it smoked the tires again and
let the back end break loose and turn hard towards the centerline.

"The car got sideways, and that is one of the more bizarre things to happen.
But, I actually got the front end of the car back into our lane. It was the
back tires that clipped (the center line and the cone). That was a pretty
wild ride in the car.

"It's unfortunate, but they (Kalitta and team) went out and ran a 4.50, so
we would have had to go straight down the track without pedaling it to beat
that. So, really crossing the centerline didn't really matter at that point.

"The Skull Shine guys did a great job this weekend, and we did everything we needed to do, except (win) the final round.

"Still a good weekend considering how we struggled to get qualified. We made a great rebound from qualifying. We lost 20 points to Doug, but we still
hold the lead, and I feel really good about how the car ran today up to the
final."

Said crew chief Richard Hogan: "We were trying to run a .45 or .46, but it
didn't get that far. The sad part of it is it happened so soon and it didn't
have anything to do with any of the adjustments we made. We did everything
routine on the car before the run. It just went up there and smoked the
tires. Melanie tried to pedal it, and she did a good job saving it when it
got squirrelly.

"After yesterday's deal (making it into the field in the final qualifying
session), it's great to be in the final," added Hogan. "But, obviously we
need to beat those guys (Kalitta), or somebody does. We can run as good as
they can, it's not an issue of that, especially at this point. Melanie is
driving well and the car is running good, so we can definitely out-run
them."

Sign of the Times - Troxel can truthfully say that she never thought she'd see the day when a 4.47 would lose lane choice. Troxel lost it to Doug Kalitta by .006 with her victory over Alan Bradshaw.

"That's pretty bad," Troxel admitted. "It's a sign of the times and this is an incredible race track. With this track lane choice makes no difference anyway."

You again? – Alan Bradshaw had only one round to his credit entering Sunday’s final eliminations. He defeated Tony Schumacher to gain that monumental victory.

There were no thunderstorms at Route 66 Raceway on Sunday, but lightning definitely struck twice for the Top Fuel rookie as he not only outreacted Schumacher but also outdrove him to the finish line as well.

Bradshaw reached the final without a clue he’d won.

“I had no idea,” Bradshaw said. “I am happy for Bill Miller. This is awesome. This gives us something to build on. There are no easy pickings out here.”

He does have a point – With all the talk of the #1 qualifier curse being a harbinger of ill-performance in Sunday’s eliminations, announcer Bob Frey brought to light a scenario that could possibly come to pass. If not, it is still a good idea.

“Guys are going to bypass their scales to have their number one runs thrown out,” Frey quipped.

Parachute Problems - On a weekend where speed reigned supreme, on at least two occaisons a premature parachute blossomed during Sunday's eliminations. Cory McClenathan experienced that fate. On a weekend that opened with the Fram-sponsored driver bouncing off of the wall, the culprit was a flexing chassis which in turn moved the on-board camera into the parachute thus activating it.

“I thought the car was smoking the tires,” said McClenathan, “but when I realized the ’chutes came out I checked everything in the cockpit to make sure it didn’t come from the button (on the steering wheel that usually deploys it).  We looked and saw a camera cable wrapped around the parachute cable.  It was just an unfortunate circumstance.”

FUNNY CAR

It's all about the night before - The night before the race and the pills you take make all the difference in the world to John Force.

"It's all about what I eat and what I drink and whether I coffee up or not," said Force. "It's all about what I do to get back in fighting mode. I just had to change a few pills I was taking because they made me mentally lazy. I had to take them because they make me stay alive. If I can't win a race I might as well be dead anyway.

"I might drink a few beers with Scelzi the night before and let's get it."

It just so happened that he had quite an interesting night a few days with Gary Scelzi at Hooters.

"It was me Scelzi and Capps and I was rooting for him to qualify," Force said. "He's a good kid. The three of us were there and man...we power drank. Capps went out early, Scelzi in the semis and I won...so there.

'You can drink too much POWERade and too much coffee and spark your brain out. Then you can go the other way and fase your brain. You have to watch your medication. Then you can take Viagara and instead of looking at the tree, you're looking at the grandstands."

Good Ole Father-in-Law - Force confided that just before the final round, final round opponent, teammate and son-in-law Robert Hight told him that he was going for the record.

"I told him great," Force said. "I'm going for the win."

Force outreacted Hight and led the whole race until he suffered breakage close to the finish.

"I couldn't see Robert," Force said. "You can't see out of these things except through the windshield. Then he came by."

Hight's car stopped pulling just short of catching Force when he broke the blower belt.

Force got on the radio and asked co-crechief Bernie Federly if Robert had won the race. Apparently, Federly misunderstood Force and responded, "Yes."

"I got out of the car and I say the camera crew coming over and I thought they had seen me lose so many final rounds that they were going to interview me because they felt sorry," Force said. "I told Bernie...you just took the energy out of me. Robert hates losing. We talked a little bit after the run but not much."

Force still didn't know an hour what had happened to his car other than it "quit."

Hight, on the other hand, knew exactly what happened and it irked him.

“I had low ET every round," said Hight "We tried to go for the record in the final. We didn’t have anything to lose. (Crew Chief) Jimmy (Prock) thought he had some of our problems worked out and it was on a great run at 330 ft. It had everything in it but it was hurting before half track. I still stayed with it. It wasn’t until my blower belt came off that he (John Force) got around me. It was kind of an odd race. We gained some points on Capps and John moved up. I took out Scelzi and Capps today. It was a tough day but it all worked out pretty good.”

Oh Chute – This weekend Ron Capps could fall into the sewer and come out smelling like a rose after this weekend. As if overcoming the threat of a 70% chance of rain just to qualify isn’t enough, consider his first round match with Cruz Pedregon.

Capps had his parachute blossom just 800 feet into the run and yet he still won with a 4.935 at 276.86 miles per hour.

“I always wondered what that felt like,” Capps said. “You always see it happen to other people and you wonder. It creates so much of a load that it makes the car so much louder. It burns more fuel and gets loud. Your first instinct is that it is either smoking the tires off or blowing a clutch disc out of there and completely slipping through the clutch.

“In both cases, the rpms go sky high. I was looking down the track and instead of taking two-tenths of a second to the finish line it seemed like it took another second. It’s a very surreal feeling.”

Capps afterward traced the problem.

"We had some new packs on it that we were trying, and the parachutes just didn't stay in. They wanted to get out so bad and it was too easy for them to come out. That's never happened. I've always prided myself in making sure the parachutes are packed right. But that was my fault. I didn't check them obviously to make sure they wouldn't come out. That was another one I can notch on my belt that I've gone through so I can know what happens in the future. It's part of the deal. You live and learn."

That’s gotta be rough – A jovial John Force just doesn’t see how Ron Capps does it.

“Capps has something I don’t have and that’s a horse shoe,” Force said. “You can’t buy it and man….that thing has to be hard to sit on.”

Capps admitted that he didn’t have to buy it; he merely found it in a place Force is familiar with.

“He won all those championships by making people intimidate themselves in the other lane,” Capps said. “I snuck up in his bus and stole it.”

Force said it was Austin Coil that set him straight on the luck thing.

"I used to jump up and down when we were winning those championships," Force said. "Coil told me, 'You just don't know how lucky we are.

"When Capps would go out early, I'd say, we've got him. Then I'd go out right behind him."

Finally Got Around To It - John Force admitted that he's raced for decades and this weekend marked the first time he's ever dedicated a race to his wife Laurie.

"I've given it to everyone," Force said. "I even told her I loved her. It still won't get me in the house though. she lives in the big house and me...I live in the boat house.

Just to think he was waiting in line to run today in the first round and forgot to put his firesuit on. That action only came after he was reminded by Coil. One has to wonder if Coil put him up to dedicating the race too.

Brake Dancing – If it looked as if Gary Scelzi’s Oakley Charger was rolling more than usual during his first round defeat of Mike Ashley it’s because he was. Scelzi says it was because of cold brakes.

“You have to get carbon fiber brakes hot,” Scelzi said. “When it rolled in, it didn’t stop the way we wanted it to because they were cold. When they get like that, you have to sand them over because they get glazed.”

Makes sense to us – After winning his first round match, Eric Medlen made the well-thought comment that summed up the race.

“It’s always good to do good because that’s good.”

Spare the Rod - Sometimes parts fail and Mike Ashley found that out the hard way against Gary Scelzi in the first round.

Ashley had the quicker reaction time battle and appeared on the path to his first round victory of the season when he broke a rod just past the 60-foot mark. All he could do is be grateful for a weekend that produced his best qualifying effort (9th) of the season as well as a personal best elapsed time with a 4.756. He also recorded his fastest speed with a 329.83 blast.

“It’s kind of disappointing because you’re right there and it looks like things are going to play into your hands and then you break a rod,” Ashley said. “Scelzi was there for the taking. We had him in the early part of the run.”

“Some might say it is bad luck, but I consider good luck to just to be out here. We have Englishtown next week and after running our career best this weekend I think we are in our swing. I had a .040 light which I think is pretty respectable and I think we can build on that.”

Parts Attrition, Part 2 - Whit Bazemore and the Matco Tools Iron Eagle
Dodge Charger Funny Car team spent a large part of the early stages of the 2006 NHRA POWERade
Drag Racing Series getting back on their feet as championship contenders,
and they were clearly on their way. So, today, following an elapsed-time
personal-best performance in qualifying (4.674 seconds at 330.88 mph), they
were ready to showcase their improvement in eliminations.

But it was not to be, as the car suffered a freak parts failure in the
opening around against Phil Burkart Jr., putting Bazemore out of the race
and into a cloud of frustration.

"We had the best car," said Bazemore. "No one went quicker than our
qualifying time in that first round, but we had a problem with the motor. It
was just freak breakage, and it's happened to us before. I tell you, the
whole team is not only disappointed but frustrated because it's a brand-new
part and it just happened again.

"It's not tune-up related. We're frustrated, because the Matco Tools Dodge
Charger was on track to run what we ran last night (4.674) and I was in
(staged) a hundredth (of a second) or two, so it was going to be a 4.69
probably.

"So, we're leaving here with the fastest car and not the win, which is
frustrating. Everyone did their jobs right and we didn't win. Sometimes it's
easier to screw up and make a mistake, either driving or tune-up-wise and
lose that way than it is to be way ahead and have something stupid break on
the car. It's very, very disheartening."

PRO STOCK

Not Intimidated - One wouldn't have blamed Kurt Johnson if he was a bit intimidated by Greg Anderson's performances this weekend.

"I had to run a guy that run a 6.62, but we've run a 6.60 in testing before. They have the same equipment we do. They are good and they have a good time."

At last, Johnson has his "mojo" back.

"I think it's back," Johnson said. "Monday is another day, though. We will be off to Englishtown...but to win the first of three in a row is great. We have had good success at Englishtown and St. Louis. As long as we pay attention to what we are doing, we will be fine."

6.66s are the Debil – On a week where many were leery of June 6, 2006 saying it was the devil’s day, it was ironic the number came up several times during the course of the weekend. For the record, five times did a driver run a 6.66 in qualifying with four of them making that their best run. During eliminations, six drivers ran 6.66.

How to Lose and Move Up - Dave Connolly was disappointed with his first red-light start of the season.  It’s one of the few things that have gone wrong for the SKULL GEAR Chevy Cobalt driver here in recent years.
 
But the quarterfinal exit didn’t prevent him from moving from fifth to fourth in Pro Stock points (564) as he continued his steady climb up the ladder.  He was 18th after three events and now fourth after 10.
 
“It was just driver error,” said Connolly of the red light against Kurt Johnson.  “I was a little light on the clutch and let it out a little bit too soon.”  He was four-thousandths of a second early and Johnson won with a 6.669-second, 207.18-mph run.
 
“I know we still have an awesome race. We ran good all weekend.  We’re looking forward to going to Englishtown (N.J.) next week.”
 
Connolly qualified third with a career-best 6.653-second time at 206.80 mph.  He has 564 points

Worth A Try - One can't blame a man for trying.

After all, No. 1 qualifier Richie Stevens Jr. had one of
the strongest cars in eliminations at the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway today, as he first breezed past Steve Schmidt (who red-lighted) into the second round, then beat KB Racing's Jason Line on a holeshot advantage to advance to the semifinal.

Stevens single-handedly tried to eliminate the KB Racing camp with the Team Mopar/Valspar Dodge Stratus R/T, as he then faced Greg Anderson in the semifinal, but fouled out at the start, handing the win to the three-time
defending POWERade Drag Racing Series champion.

Stevens staged deep at the starting line to try to get an advantage at the
hit of the throttle. "I didn't think I was going to go red," he said. "I
just think I rolled in there a little too deep into the box. I was trying to
go for it, and it cost us this time.

"I was trying to throw something at him. I was trying to get him to have a
.070 or .080 (reaction-time - .000 is perfect). It didn't work, obviously.
He's a good driver; that's why he has three championships."

Anderson's reaction time was a .039, while Stevens' was a minus-.016.

Stevens ran a 6.674-second pass at 206.95 mph in the first round (fifth
quickest), and had an outstanding light (.023) in the second round against
Line (.044) to win on a holeshot (6.681/206.10 for Stevens, 6.670/206.76 for
Line). 

Overall, Stevens is pleased with the team's performance. "We qualified great
and have obviously turned things around here for the better," he said. "We
went three rounds and that is the first time we've done that in a long time
(2005 U.S. Nationals, final round), so we can't hang our heads."

Stevens earned his first pole position of 2006 (third of his career) this
weekend with a blazing run of 6.635/207.40, and earned $3,000 as a
semifinalist in Saturday's King Demon Crown event.

"Having (crew chief) David Nickens, Terry Adams (assistant crew chief), and
Mike Sullivan (clutch specialist) here is kind of like John Force's team
with three crew chiefs - all very intelligent and working together. David
has done his homework in the engine department, and we are just going to get stronger from here.

Stevens moves to 13th (from 14th) in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Pro Stock point standings, with 413 points.

Off his rocker - Mark “Cowboy” Pawuk’s day ended after the engine in his borrowed Chevy Cobalt broke a rocker arm “at the top of first gear,” he reported.  
           
For the second race in a row Pawuk’s team muscled their car into eliminations, but a first round loss was not the result he was looking for.  “We ran our best elapsed times of the year during qualifying,” Pawuk said, “but so did a lot of other people.  We ended up in the 11th spot on the list, and we might have done even better with a fourth run, but it wasn’t to be.”
         
Pawuk was referring to NHRA’s cancellation of the fourth and final qualifying session on Saturday afternoon due to a series of rain showers that slowed down the action.  “That was probably the right call to make,” he said, “but I’m sure the guys who didn’t make the cut wouldn’t agree with that.  Including the King Demon Crown and the All-stars race there just wasn’t enough time to run everyone, which is kind of a shame, but that’s what happens sometimes in racing.”
         
Pawuk, who continues to compete with the Chevy Cobalt he borrowed from fellow Ohio racer Ron Krisher, was this weekend powered by an engine from Steve Schmidt Racing.
          
“I’ve had a lot of questions about that,” he said, “so here’s the explanation.  Ron and I continue to be good friends, and he’s the one who suggested to me that right now his engine program isn’t quite where he wants it to be.  He told me to do whatever I felt I had to do to remain competitive, so we’re using engines from Steve until Ron feels his powerplants are on a par with the competition.
           
“We got some good news from chassis builder Jerry Haas, who’s told us our new Pontiac GTO went into the paint shop a few days ago.  We should be able to pick it up during the Sears Craftsman Nationals in St. Louis in a couple of weeks.  I don’t think we’ll be able to run the car there, but we should be able to test on the Monday following the race.  After that, depending on how things go, we’ll make the decision as to whether or not we make the three races on the West Coast Swing.”

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

The Red Army – Both U.S. Army Pro Stock Motorcycles went out in the quarter-finals the victims of red-light starts.

Antron Brown committed the first infraction when he rolled the beams .027 too quick against Andrew Hines.

Angelle Sampey experienced the largest heartbreak when she exited on .002 too early against Matt Guidera. Adding insult to injury, Guidera’s bike broke early in the run and coasted to a 10.740 victory.

Give Me A Break - Steve Johnson’s Snap-on Tools Suzuki crew had his Pro Stock Motorcycle running better than it has all season, but luck and circumstances still kept the effervescent driver out of Sunday’s final eliminations at what’s become the fastest track on the NHRA POWERade Series circuit.             

When the rain that interrupted qualifying more than once finally drifted away, Johnson found himself on the outside looking in from the 17th qualifying position after the fourth and final qualifying session was surprisingly cancelled by NHRA officials, who cited time constraints as the main problem.
           
“We needed that fourth run,” Johnson readily admitted.  “We made the two best runs we’ve made all year in the second and third sessions, and were loaded for bear when we were told the fourth session wouldn’t happen.
“Believe me, I’d like to point fingers and place blame, but what are you going to do?  I know there are a lot of other competitors who felt the same way I did, because there’s no curfew here in Joliet and the track has very good lighting for night racing, so why that fourth session was cancelled is something I just can’t answer.  Believe me, it’s really disappointing.”
           
Johnson’s first run on Friday afternoon was officially disqualified, but the reigning U.S. Nationals champion wanted everyone to know that while technically accurate, he didn’t want anyone t think he’d done anything “wrong.” 
           
“On that first run our Snap-on Tools Suzuki left the starting line like a rocket, but when I hit second gear it almost got away from me, pulling me right over to the wall, so I had to lift.  We ended up with a nine second run, and there was no way that was going to be good enough to make the show, so I bypassed the fuel check area on the return road so we could get back to the pits and have that much more time to prep the bike for the second attempt.  When you skip fuel check or the scales, that’s an automatic disqualification, as it should be, but I just wanted everyone to know the real circumstances.
           
“Ya know,” he continued, “this has been one of those weeks where if they were doing a reality TV show on our team nobody would believe what they were seeing.  Our guys had to pick someone up at Midway Airport in Chicago a few days ago, and our tractor/trailer rig wasn’t designed for the narrow entry road.  I’ll skip the morbid details other than to say we’ve got some serious damage to our rig and left behind a couple of bent and broken highway signs.  And then, to come out here and go through this makes me wonder:  What’s a guy gotta do to catch a break?”

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SATURDAY QUALIFYING - SCHUMACHER CONTINUES QUALIFYING DOMINANCE; ELLIS JOINS MICKEY THOMPSON 6-SECOND CLUB

(6-10-2006) - Tony Schumacher ran the quickest Top Fuel pass of the year - a 4.447 at 327.27 mph - to lead a record-setting two days of professional qualifying at the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway. Qualifying ended Saturday with three of the quickest professional fields ever assembled.

Tommy Johnson Jr., Richie Stevens Jr., and Chip Ellis all topped record groups in their respective categories, with Ellis becoming only the second rider in NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle history to clock a sub-seven-second run. Johnson's 4.672 spanned to Tim Wilkerson's 16th-best 4.802 in Funny Car. Stevens' 6.635 bracketed Steve Schmidt's 6.700 in Pro Stock, and Ellis' 6.988 was anchored by Geno Scali's 7.119 on the bottom of the Pro Stock Motorcycle grid.

Professional eliminations begin Sunday at 11 a.m.

Schumacher, a three-time and defending series champion, has now earned six low qualifier awards this year for his U.S. Army team, but he'd gladly trade them in for his first victory of the season.

"The win is the thing," Schumacher said. "We know we have the car and we know it'll turn around at some point for us. When it does this car is going to fly and we'll win a bunch of races."

Johnson's 4.672 at 328.70 looked untouchable Friday, but Whit Bazemore gave him a run in the day's only Funny Car session when he dipped to a 4.674 at 330.88 mph. Still, Johnson remained the low qualifier in his Skoal Chevrolet Monte Carlo, the first time he's earned the No. 1 spot in five and a half years.

"We got the quickest field in NHRA history," Johnson said. "To lead after qualifying is impressive. To win the race against the quickest 16 ever would really be something. I hope we can get it done. We'd love to be the first No. 1 qualifier to win a race this year."

Nitro points leaders Melanie Troxel and Ron Capps sweated out Saturday's numerous rain delays and shortened schedule to move from out of the field to the top 16 in each of their categories. Troxel's 4.555 and Capps' 4.771 slotted them both in 12th place.

Stevens secured his third career No. 1 qualifier award with a 6.635 at 207.40 mph in his Mopar Dodge Stratus R/T. The run was the second quickest in class history and it got the attention of class dominator Greg Anderson, who qualified fifth with a 6.663.

"Hearing Greg say that they need to do something to catch that Mopar really gives you a boost of confidence," Stevens said. "To run big numbers is one thing. To run better than him is something else. It's a real credit to [crew chief] David Nickens and all the guys on this team. It's taken some time but it's coming around for us."

Ellis' 6.988-second run on his Drag Specialties S&S Cycle Buell V-Twin made him just the second Pro Stock Motorcycle rider to record a six-second pass.

"The thing of it is you need a bike that's good and you got to ride it good," Ellis said. "I'm really just glad we got to make a run at all the way the weather was. I've ridden a Funny Bike at 6.5-seconds and 200-plus mph a hundred times so it wasn't that big a deal to me. It was cool to do it on a Pro Stock Bike. I guess it just hasn't sunk in yet."

First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the Ninth annual CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway, the tenth of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday.

Top Fuel -- 1. Tony Schumacher, 4.447 seconds, 329.50 mph vs. 16. Alan Bradshaw, 4.640, 315.64; 2. Doug Kalitta, 4.496, 326.71 vs. 15. Joe Hartley, 4.611, 316.82; 3. David Baca, 4.504, 331.69 vs. 14. Brandon Bernstein, 4.610, 324.75; 4. Doug Herbert, 4.507, 321.35 vs. 13. Morgan Lucas, 4.589, 314.31; 5. David Grubnic, 4.507, 323.35 vs. 12. Melanie Troxel, 4.555, 308.50; 6. Rod Fuller, 4.518, 330.96 vs. 11. Cory McClenathan, 4.552, 329.67; 7. Bob Vandergriff, 4.528, 327.19 vs. 10. Larry Dixon, 4.540, 326.00; 8. J.R. Todd, 4.529, 326.40 vs. 9. Hillary Will, 4.539, 323.35.

Funny Car -- 1. Tommy Johnson Jr., Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.672, 328.70 vs. 16. Tim Wilkerson, Monte Carlo, 4.802, 314.97; 2. Whit Bazemore, Dodge Charger, 4.674, 330.88 vs. 15. Phil Burkart, Monte Carlo, 4.801, 305.91; 3. Eric Medlen, Ford Mustang, 4.681, 327.51 vs. 14. Del Worsham, Monte Carlo, 4.788, 322.42; 4. Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.685, 328.06 vs. 13. Gary Densham, Monte Carlo, 4.782, 316.97; 5. Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.689, 329.02 vs. 12. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.771, 313.00; 6. Tony Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.694, 315.34 vs. 11. Bob Gilbertson, Dodge Stratus, 4.764, 325.45; 7. John Force, Mustang, 4.731, 320.97 vs. 10. Tony Bartone, Monte Carlo, 4.761, 325.92; 8. Gary Scelzi, Charger, 4.742, 329.50 vs. 9. Mike Ashley, Monte Carlo, 4.756, 329.83.

Pro Stock -- 1. Richie Stevens, Dodge Stratus, 6.635, 207.40 vs. 16. Steve Schmidt, Pontiac GTO, 6.700, 206.10; 2. Mike Edwards, GTO, 6.650, 207.27 vs. 15. Dave Northrop, Stratus, 6.698, 205.13; 3. Dave Connolly, Chevy Cobalt, 6.653, 206.80 vs. 14. Dave Howard, Cobalt, 6.691, 206.99; 4. Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.659, 207.27 vs. 13. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.686, 206.20; 5. Greg Anderson, GTO, 6.663, 207.75 vs. 12. Warren Johnson, GTO, 6.685, 206.89; 6. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.664, 207.43 vs. 11. Mark Pawuk, Cobalt, 6.683, 206.26; 7. Jim Yates, GTO, 6.667, 206.64 vs. 10. Erica Enders, Cobalt, 6.680, 207.02; 8. Jason Line, GTO, 6.669, 206.99 vs. 9. V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.678, 206.83.

Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Chip Ellis, Buell, 6.988, 189.26 vs. 16. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 7.119, 188.44; 2. Matt Smith, Buell, 7.020, 188.52 vs. 15. Marco Andreano, Buell, 7.118, 184.65; 3. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 7.029, 190.48 vs. 14. GT Tonglet, Harley-Davidson, 7.115, 187.68; 4. Matt Guidera, Buell, 7.051, 186.59 vs. 13. Chris Rivas, Buell, 7.102, 185.23; 5.
Angelle Sampey, Suzuki, 7.058, 189.15 vs. 12. Joe DeSantis, Suzuki, 7.102, 189.04; 6. Antron Brown, Suzuki, 7.073, 189.28 vs. 11. Tom Bradford, Buell, 7.085, 187.55; 7. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.079, 190.35 vs. 10. Ryan Schnitz, Buell, 7.081, 187.00; 8. Michael Phillips, Suzuki, 7.080, 189.15 vs. 9. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.081, 189.12.

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

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SATURDAY NOTEBOOK - Greg Anderson = Cha-Ching; TJ remorseful and DSR gremlins

(6-10-2006) - Wishing Upon An All-Star - The Jeg's All-Stars competition came to a thrilling end with Division One scoring the team championship.

In the Top Alcohol Dragster division, Marty Thacker ran a 5.370, 262.64 to defeat Steve Torrence in an all- Knoll Gas-Torco Race Fuels final round. Thacker defeated Art Gallant in the first round and gained a bye run into the final round.

Frank Manzo repeated as the Jeg's All-Star Top Alcohol Funny Car champion by driving his Lucas Oil-sponsored flopper to the monumental victory over Cy Chesterman. Manzo reached the finals by defeating Brandon Lewis and Bucky Austin.

Jeff Taylor conquered Competition eliminator by defeating Glen Treadwell's F/Econo Altered entry. Taylor's march to the finals included a solo run in the opening round and a win over Joe Tanksley in the semis.

Don Duke's stick-shifted Nova was the master of the Super Stock division as his SS/H entry defeated Kevin Smith while Don Pires won Stock with his B/Stock Automatic Nova over Mickey Waley.

Other winners included Shawn Langdon who defeated Gary Stinnett in Super Comp; Rock Haas who defeated George Smith in Super Gas and Lynn Hoosigian who defeated Michael Ruff to win Super Street.

Just hang around five minutes and… - The weather will change at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Illinois. After a comfortable day on Friday, the rains set in about an hour after qualifying concluded.

The rain subsided about 10 AM and the track drying commenced. Pro Stockers were the first to run and halfway through a rain delay paused the action. The first round of the King Demon Crown was contested and the Pro Stock Motorcycles followed before another rain shower hit.

An hour later, Top Fuel kicked off before rain stopped the action for another two hours. By 7:04 the marathon seven-hour qualifying session came to a conclusion.

Anderson is the King of Demons – Greg Anderson may have given up a little bit on the starting line, but he got downright greedy at the finish line. The Mooresville, NC.-based driver of the Summit Racing Grand-Am ripped off the quickest elapsed time in the history of the Pro Stock division by reeling off a 6.620, 208.20 to edge out teammate Jason Line’s impressive 6.637, 207.53. The difference between $50,000 first place money was a .0036 margin of victory.

Anderson entered the King Demon Crown as top the top-ranked entry. He used a sizzling performance to defeat V. Gaines (6.664, 206.89) and Richie Stevens (6.701, 206.48) to reach the finals.

“This is a fun race, period,” Anderson said. “We were the top two cars and we had great cars this weekend. We have struggled in the past few races. We’ve been up and we’ve been down and I can’t think of a better time to get our act together.

For his part, Line entered the program as the second-seeded driver and used a stellar performance to stop Allen Johnson (6.694, 206.07) and Erica Enders (6.650, 206.67).

Anderson and Line combined for $102,000 in winnings.

“This is the most money we can win in a season,” Anderson said. “It’s more money than we can win at Indy. I love winning races and winning money. Racing for points is the stressful part of it. Racing for money like this is the fun part. There was a lot of money on the line and we took all Barry Grant had to offer.”

King Demon Results

ROUND ONE -- Richie Stevens, Dodge Stratus, 6.677, 206.20 def. Kurt Johnson, Chevy Cobalt, 6.695, 206.83; Jason Line, Pontiac GTO, 6.694, 206.07 def. Allen Johnson, Stratus, foul; Erica Enders, Cobalt, 6.703, 205.88 def. Warren Johnson, GTO, 6.685, 206.23; Greg Anderson, GTO, 6.664, 206.89 def. V. Gaines, Stratus, foul;

SEMIFINALS -- Line, 6.650, 206.67 def. Enders, 6.718, 206.48; Anderson, 6.656, 206.89 def. Stevens, 6.701, 206.48;

FINALS -- Anderson, 6.620, 208.20 def. Line, 6.637, 207.53.

TOP FUEL

Procrastination – Melanie Troxel needed a major dose of reality, but she wasn’t looking for it. Headed into today’s rain-plagued qualifying, the current point leader was unqualified and faced with the likely prospect of not even getting a chance to run again.

With a 70% chance of rain forecast for Saturday her chances looked grim. The skies allowed for competition to get underway a little after Noon and while sitting in the lanes, it began raining.

Troxel would not accept this as her fate.

“I sat in the car for about 20 minutes and kept telling myself that it was not sprinkling,” Troxel said. “I was ready to go. My crew just kept looking at me. This is a huge relief for us.

“I am just happy to be in the field and we’ll face tomorrow – tomorrow.”

No Days of Thunder – Since making contact with the retaining wall during Friday’s opening session, Cory McClenathan made consecutive picture-perfect runs.

He ran a 4.552 at 329.77 in his Saturday run.

“You had two picture-perfect runs and one richochet,” finish line interviewer Alan Reinhart proclaimed.

“I know the two were good runs,” McClenathan said. “But as for that richochet run, this isn’t NASCAR. Rubbing is not racing at the drags.”

Train is steaming ahead – Tony Schumacher made the seventh quickest run in the history of drag racing with a 4.447 elapsed time at 327.77 miles per hour pass during Saturday’s first session.

Schumacher admitted he had a problem with the brake that caused him to stage deeper than normal.

‘Alan Johnson has a race car now,” Schumacher said.

Not Counting Sheep Anymore - Andrew Cowin is just happy to be back in action this weekend. The driver of the Scott Griffin Motorsports/Serta Mattresses Dragster has been idle for almost a month and a half. He wasted little time getting back into the swing of things.

Cowin’s team took a break to regroup after an explosive showing during an IHRA event in Rockingham, NC., and had their plans cancelled due to border crossing snafus prior to last weekend’s IHRA Canadian Nationals in Grand Bend, Ont.

Cowin ran a 4.657 at 316.38 mph to provisionally qualify in the #14 position at the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals held at Rt. 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill. Cowin last competed at the IHRA Nicko’s NY Style Pizza Spring Nationals at Rockingham Dragway, finishing as runner up to Cory McClenathan.

“It felt good to get back out here,” Cowin said Friday night. “The layoff was pretty long, but we were able to get down the track this afternoon. The crew did a great job setting the car up, my job is easy when they do their jobs so well.”

In the evening qualifying session the team suffered engine damage. Stewart, the Crew Chief, and the rest of the team will have a long night getting the car ready for Saturday.

“Sure, there’s some work to do, but we have one of the best crews in the business,” team owner Scott Griffin said. “We’ll be ready for tomorrow. We had a really strong run this afternoon, now we are going to see if we can turn things up a little bit and put together an even better number. Andrew did an outstanding job driving the car today, it was like he hadn't had the long layoff. He was right back in the groove out of the gate.”

Tony Schumacher is in the #1 qualifying spot in Top Fuel for now after posting a 4.484/329.50 pass in the afternoon session.

Griffin was also excited about being able to perform well in his sponsor's back yard. Serta's headquarters is in nearby Hoffman Estates, Illinois.

"We're very excited to be in Serta's neighborhood," Griffin said. "We're happy we were able to bring the Serta Counting Sheep home for them."

FUNNY CAR

Upon Further Review – Tommy Johnson, Jr., learned a valuable lesson after his first top qualifying effort since 2001 Winter Nationals in Pomona, Ca. The Skoal-sponsored driver found out a husband should never pray for rain in order to remain number one when his wife is not yet qualified. If Momma ain’t happy no one is happy.

Actually, the tension wasn’t as bad as one might think in the Johnson and Melanie Troxel motorhome.

“She was actually in good spirits,” Johnson said. “I knew I screwed up last night when I said that. I had a change of heart. I wanted them to get Top Fuel in and then for it to rain.”

As fate would have it, Troxel not only made the show but Johnson retained the top spot.

“This morning I wanted a shot at the (national) record,” Johnson said. “I wasn’t surprised it smoked the tires on the last run. They had it loaded for bear. It’s hard to improve on a 4.67. Now, we just have to go out and take it one round at a time on Sunday and hopefully end that No. 1 qualifier jinx.”

Smokin’ – Ron Capps had his back against the wall and at that point everything became oblivious, even a fire that ignited just shy of the finish line. Capps was unqualified headed into the single session of rain-shortened qualifying.

Capps ran a 4.771 at 313.00 miles per hour to earn a spot into the field. 12th
He wasn’t aware that he’d earned a spot in the field as the came to a smoky stop.

“I knew they were either too busy being happy that we were in or they were discouraged,” Capps said. “All I heard was a something seven out of Ace. The car was on fire and I guess I forgot to get out. I lit the bottles but I was more concerned with whether we were in or not than I was with being on fire.

“I figured I should get out but then I became concerned that I wouldn’t be able to hear what they said.’

Capps was then asked, “You mean you would sit through a fire just to find out what you ran? We would have told you.”

“To me, not qualifying in Chicago would have been worse than being in a fire,” Capps responded.

Reportedly, the Brut Dodge broke a rear-end pump which led to the fire. That was just another incident in a weekend full of calamity.

"The weekend got started with just stuff that happens with teams where you
have parts breakage," he said. "These things are under so much stress and it
broke a piece of the bottom end of the engine in our first run on Friday.
Then it broke the reverser on our second run.

"Probably what happened was that the first run kind of put a chain of events
into effect where, when it broke what it broke on the first run on Friday,
it created a tremendous amount of vibration and stress on the rest of the
parts. And some of the parts that broke didn't last as long as they would
have normally.

"This Brut Dodge has been so consistent all year that I'm not used to this.
The Brut team has really blessed me with a great car. So having fires and
having it blow up and stuff is strange. I really feel sorry for Ace (crew
chief Ed McCulloch) because he's chasing a gremlin right now.

"We're in the show. That was one of the biggest moments we've had this year.
I'm just happy we're racing on Sunday. I woke up on Saturday morning feeling
like we were not going to have a chance because of rain.”

Swinging for the Fence - Persistent rain showers couldn’t dampen the enthusiasm of Mike Ashley who was hovering well above the rain clouds pelting Route 66. Ashley, who drives the SKULL Gear-sponsored Monte Carlo, was on Cloud Nine with his finest effort of the season by landing in the ninth position.

Ashley earned a solid place in the field with a career best 4.756 elapsed time at 329.83 miles per hour. Knowing he was assured a solid berth in Sunday’s final eliminations, crewchief Mark Oswald and Ashley made the calculated decision to swing for a home run effort and subsequently loaded the car with an abundance of horsepower.

One can’t blame a man for trying to up the ante on a track that has delivered three of the quickest field in the history of the four NHRA professional divisions this weekend.

“We knew we were in the top ten solidly, so we threw everything we had at it,” Ashley said. “It looked like a grand-slam on paper but the track just wouldn’t cooperate. A lot of other guys did the same thing. We just couldn’t connect. It was all or nothing for us.

“We’ll return to our proven combination and be ready for tomorrow.”

Them Critters - Gary Scelzi has tried everything short of bringing in a priest or chanting over chicken bones. For some reason, fate just doesn’t seem to swing his way this season.

"We're consistent," he laughed. "I told them down there (at the top end), I
said, People are out there running their personal-bests, 4.83s, jumping up
and down, and we're running a 4.75 and it's like somebody called our mother
a dirty name.

"It's got a governor on it. We'll be fine tomorrow, but it's kind of comical
that we ran a .76, a .74, a .75, and (in mph) a 329, a 329.

"Somewhere there's a little gremlin in there. Tonight we're going on a
gremlin hunt. We're going to kill that little bastard.

"We'll see what happens tomorrow. We're in the show, it's a tough field, and
anything can happen. Who knows what it's going to bring, but we're fine,
we're in good shape."

Scelzi's quickest lap was a 4.742/329.50, produced in last night's
second session. His other attempts included a 4.764/326.87 in the first round, and a 4.750/329.50 in the third and final session.

Restless Moments - Del Worsham sat around, paced, ate two lunches, talked to everyone who would listen, and watched it rain, just like everyone else.  Finally, after 6:00 pm, the Funny Cars proceeded to the staging lane to make only one of the two scheduled Saturday runs, with much drama built
into the proceedings.   Worsham entered the session in the No. 13
spot, but within just a few pairs he knew he'd have to bump his way
back into the field, as car after car made stout laps, continually
shuffling the qualifying deck.   To add to the gut-wrenching suspense,
Ron Capps (who entered the session well outside the race grid) worked
his way into the top 16, but did so while oiling the track from the
starting line on.  While Worsham sat strapped in his car, waiting to
run, worried sick about a second consecutive DNQ, the clean up took a
solid 30-minutes, though it seemed to take much longer.

Just moments after telling a crew member, via radio, "I think I'm
going to puke in my helmet," Worsham rolled into his burnout and took
to the track with a monumental task at hand. The bump spot had
already been lowered to 4.802, making this the quickest Funny Car
field in history. Worsham would need to outrun that mark to be
a part of the festivities on Sunday.   He did so, running a big 4.788
under all that pressure, securing the No. 14 spot in the race field.
He will face Eric Medlen in round one.

"They could not have possibly scripted that to make it any more
awful," Worsham said.  "We sat around all day in this piddly rain that
barely got you wet, and there's nothing more exhausting than a rain
delay.  Then, we go up there in the 13th spot and before I can even
get my helmet on four cars ran quicker and knocked us out.   After
that, just to add some suspense, we had the Capps' oil down and that
took forever to clean up.   I was going pretty much nuts in there, but
I wasn't getting out so I tried to stay focused.  I talked to the guys
about the tune-up, and I waited.  And then I waited some more.   The
tension was building and building, like some sort of horror movie.

"When we finally got to run, it left the line really well, right on
the mark for what we were trying to run, which was a 4.76 or so.  For
some reason it laid over a bit on the top end, but we got there with
the 4.78 and that was enough to get us in.  Am I happy to be 14th?
No, but I'm extraordinarily happy to be in the field.  Can we win
tomorrow?  Well, it will be as hard as any race anyone has ever won,
but I guarantee you that you can't win the race if you're not in the
show.  We got in, and we have the chance.  We may take a shot at
something new just to see what we can do.   We'll go up there trying
to win, I know that."

PRO STOCK

Good Day – Richie Stevens had the best day in the office he has experienced in a while.

Stevens handily dismissed Kurt Johnson in the first round of the King Demon Crown competition with a stellar 6.677/206.20 lap to Johnson's losing 6.695/206.83. The pair's reaction times were outstanding: .020 for Stevens, .018 for Johnson. Stevens was past Johnson by the 60-ft. mark, then led to the finish stripe.

The run doubled as a qualifying attempt and Stevens' two qualifying passes
on Friday produced the pole-setting 6.635/207.40, and a 6.685/206.61.

"The track was real good out there, and we were going for it," said Stevens
of the run against Anderson. "It picked the front end up and gradually it
kept getting higher and higher, so it unloaded the chassis on the
wheelie-bars and went into tire shake down low. It made a hard move towards the center line and I just kind of chased it back the rest of the way. Greg made a good run, and when it's your day, it's your day, and when it's not, it's not.

"All in all, it's been a good weekend. We're on the pole and we've got a
great car for tomorrow. We really think we can win the race," says the
27-year old New Orleans native. "It would have been awesome to have won the King Demon Crown, but we're definitely focused on the race win. It would
really mean a lot for this program right now."

Stevens takes home $3000 for his semifinal finish.

"We'll see what tomorrow is like. I'm pumped up to get it going," he added.
"We have lane choice and we'll probably be last or second-to-last pair, so
we should have a good handle on the track before we run. I'm feeling pretty
good about it; the car has been running awesome and it's so consistent right
now. We're definitely getting our stuff together here at Team
Mopar/Valspar."

Stevens faces Steve Schmidt in the first round of Sunday's final
eliminations.

Another Notch - Dave Connolly lowered his personal best elapsed time to 6.653 seconds (at 206.80 mph) and qualified third for Sunday's final eliminations.

The winner of two of the last three NHRA POWERade Series races meets Dave Howard (14th, 6.691 seconds at 206.99 mph) in the first round. 

Connolly's quick time came in Friday's last session, one that saw many quick runs. He began qualifying with a 6.668 at 206.80 before crew chief Tommy Utt dialed it in his best effort.  On a cold, wet Saturday, Connolly's SKULL GEAR Chevy Cobalt shook the tires hard and didn't get down the track on his lone run.  Intermittent rain eventually forced cancellation of the fourth run.

"I was trying something different and just didn't have the courage to make a big change," said Utt, "and we shook the tires because we didn't have enough power."

"We're not complaining about what happened," Connolly said.  "I do wish we had gotten both runs in because I use the last two to work on my (reaction time) lights.  We did make some good runs here and I know that won't have any effect on us Sunday."

Darned if he does  - Shaun Carlson just can’t catch a break.

Carlson ran his quickest elapsed time of his young Pro Stock racing career, a 6.708-second ET at 204.79 mph. The downside to that milestone is he was up against the quickest field in NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series history,
and lost his final chance to bump himself into the field. (He was just .008
of a second short of qualifying 16th.) Because of rain, NHRA officials were
forced to cancel the final round of qualifying for the CARQUEST Auto Parts
NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway.

The Team Mopar/SRT Dodge Stratus R/T crew made significant changes to the
car before today's first session, which led to the Southern California
native's quick pass. "Bright and early this morning Terry (Adams, assistant
crew chief) changed the four-link suspension, pinion angles, rear shocks and
sway bar, the third-member rear-end and the transmission," he said. "He
wanted to see what it would do with all those changes, because he said if
you don't ever make any changes then you'll never know what is going wrong.
It definitely worked because the car ran awesome. It had power all the way
through the low gears and gave me my quickest run ever."

His Friday qualifying runs produced a 13.786/60.84 when the car veered hard
to the right off the starting line, and a 6.755/205.01.

"I'm close. It's a big jump from a 6.740 (previous best ET, Gainesville,
Fla.) to a 6.708. Now that we made that move, we should be able to do really
well next week. It's too bad that we weren't able to go back out there for
the final session because I really think we would have gotten this Team
Mopar/SRT Dodge Stratus into the show.

"I would have liked to have gotten into this race because Don (Schumacher,
team owner) and Mopar have really stuck with me, and I hope the 6.708 is
starting to show that we are getting it down the track. David Nickens, Terry
(Adams) and Mike (Sullivan, clutch specialist) are making this a better car
to drive every time I climb into it. I really feel like we are getting
close."

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

It’s A Six! – Last evening, Chip Ellis said that six-second runs were overrated and that straight, smooth passes were more meaningful. Ellis made an overrated qualifying attempt during Saturday’s rain-interrupted third qualifying session.

Ellis became the second member of the Mickey Thompson Six Second Club as he established a new track record with a 6.988 at 188.60

Ellis receives $3,000 as the second member of the club. The third rider to accomplish the feat will receive a check for $2,000 and the fourth rider will earn $1,000. Four checks worth $500 each will be distributed to riders five through eight in the club.

Each member of the NHRA Mickey Thompson 6-Second Pro Stock Bike Club will receive a special recognition plaque to honor their achievement.

“This is cool,” Ellis said. “The run didn’t feel like it was as quick as it turned out to be. The bike actually hiccupped during the course of the run. I didn’t have to drive it. It was on a mission.

“I’m happy and I don’t mind the hype.”

FRIDAY RESULTS - RECORD-SETTING TIMES POSTED IN CHICAGO IN OPENING QUALIFYING ROUNDS; NITRO POINTS LEADERS HAVE YET TO MAKE CUT

(6-9-2006) - Funny Car driver Tommy Johnson Jr. covered Route 66 Raceway in 4.672 seconds Friday night to highlight a very quick opening day of racing at the ninth annual CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals. The $1.9 million race is the 10th of 23 on the $50 million POWERade Drag Racing Series.

Johnson's pass was his best ever and the third quickest in category history. Richie Stevens also earned high praise for posting a 6.635 at 207.40 mph, the second quickest Pro Stock pass ever. Qualifying concludes on Saturday.

Top Fuel's reigning champion Tony Schumacher continues to qualify well, carding a 4.484 at 329 mph to lead Top Fuel, while Chip Ellis teased the Pro Stock Motorcycle world with a track record 7.015, which led the quickest NHRA motorcycle field of all time.

Johnson could break a five and a half year drought if his 4.672 at 328.70 mph keeps his Skoal Chevrolet Monte Carlo No. 1 in Funny Car through the final two qualifying sessions. Johnson last recorded a low qualifier at the first Pomona race in 2001, his initial event with Don Prudhomme Racing.

"I knew that was a good pass but I didn't know it was that good," Johnson said. "I had to drive it around quite a bit down there. My radio wasn't working and when I came around the corner they held up a No. 1 so I knew then it was quick. But when they said 4.67, I was like, 'What did you say?' I couldn't believe it."

Schumacher's 4.484 at 329.50 mph in a brand new U.S. Army dragster set him up for his sixth low qualifier award of the year if that number holds. While the 4.48 was impressive, Schumacher seemed more pleased with the 4.62 he posted in the second round.

"We made two runs in a row, yeah," Schumacher said. "You need a car that goes down the track more than once a weekend. I think we've finally got it. It's no secret that Alan [Johnson, crew chief] made a bunch of changes in the car since Topeka and we're just starting to see what it's all about now. So far, so good."

Melanie Troxel and Ron Capps, the current points leaders in Top Fuel and Funny Car, have not qualified for their respective fields at the midway point of time trials.

It appears crew chief David Nickens has gained some control of Don Schumacher Racing's Mopar Dodge Pro Stock program as he tuned Stevens to his track record number in just his fifth race at the helm.

"David did a lot with the motors over the past two weeks," Stevens said. "He really didn't have time to do much more than dyno them since he's been here but having a weekend off between Topeka and here gave him a chance to get them back to his shop and totally break them down and work some of his magic. I'm happier for him right now than anything else."

Perhaps the most perplexing part of the Pro Stock Motorcycle action was Ellis' inability to improve on his opening run of 7.015 at 189.26 mph in the cooler evening session. After his first pass, anticipation was high that he would become just the second rider ever to record a six-second run, but he slowed to a 7.05 instead.

"All this hype about the sixes is just that, hype," Ellis said. "I just want to go out there and make the best pass we can make. We went 7.05 [in Round 2] and that's pretty good. If we work on making good passes then we'll have the success we want. If [a six-second run] happens, it happens."

FRIDAY NOTEBOOK - Sarge doesn't like the dark; TJ wouldn't mind rain and the t-shirt you have to have...

TOP FUEL

Two In A Row, That’s a start – Tony Schumacher was ecstatic following qualifying but not because he was on the provisional pole. He was just happy that he made two consecutive runs without shaking the tires.

Friday’s evening run was an aborted run, but Schumacher still managed a 4.61 despite cracking the throttle at half-track.

“Night runs are not my favorite, but that’s no big secret either,” Schumacher said. “It’s too dark out there. If you’re not running in broad daylight, then you’re running too fast. This was going to be a good pass.”

Schumacher admitted that he hit a dip in the right lane which pushed him out of the groove.

“To go down the track twice and not shake the tires impresses me,” Schumacher said. “I promise you when I get back to the pits [crewchief] Alan Johnson is going to be happy.”

What? Cut my hair? – Luigi Novelli remembers nine years ago when he began growing his trademark ponytail. This weekend he’s prepared to cut it off in the name of performance.

If Novelli runs in the 4.50s, he will rid himself of the excess hair.

“That will be too bad,” Novelli admits.

This might not be such a milestone challenge as one might think. Novelli’s race operation now consists of a new McKinney dragster, new fuel system and a handful of new parts. The car only has six runs on it headed into this weekend.

Novelli plans to run a ten race schedule this season. He recorded his third round win since 1994 in Topeka with a surprise first round victory over Bob Vandergriff, Jr., two weeks ago in Topeka.

Helping Out – Ben Marshall, team manager and Top Fuel dragster test driver for Kalitta Motorsports, will drive the new Tim and Renee Coghlan-owned Old River Volvo/Volvo Trucks Top Fuel dragster at this weekend’s CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals in Chicago.

Top Fuel pilot Brady Kalivoda was scheduled to drive for the new team this weekend in Joliet, but a family emergency for Kalivoda led to Marshall being tapped to drive.

Top Alcohol Dragster Allstar Troy Buff will be the permanent driver of the new ride as soon as he completes his competition license upgrade.

Marshall, who last drove a Top Fueler for StriVectin-SD at last year’s NHRA national event in Sonoma, Calif., is excited about this surprising, albeit short, opportunity to drive the new dragster for the Coghlans and crew chief Keith Adams.

“The circumstances are unfortunate, but I’m nevertheless thankful for the chance to drive,” Marshall said. “Our thoughts and prayers are certainly with Brady and his family.

“Anytime you get a chance to drive one of these cars it’s awesome. I want to thank the Coghlans for asking me, and I want to thank Jim (Oberhofer, Kalitta Motorsports general manager and crew chief on the Hillary Will-driven Top Fueler) and Connie (Kalitta, team owner) for allowing me to step away from my duties at Kalitta Motorsports this weekend.”

Marshall’s career best elapsed time in a Top Fueler is 4.52 seconds, and his career best speed is 326 mph.

Scrubbed the wall – During the first qualifying session, Cory McClenathan had an entertaining ride. Just past the finish line, McClenathan’s dragster made contact just as his front tires crossed the finish line. The run was disqualified sending McClenathan into the final session without a qualified run.

He rebounded in the second session with a 4.576 at 327.98 to claim the 10th spot.

"We had to get into the show on that run because we don't know what the weather will be like Saturday," McClenathan said.  ""The guys did a great job.  The car went straight down the track and got us into the lineup.  I'm real happy.  Wes (Cerny, team crew chief) and Tony (Shortall, assistant crew chief) did the smart thing . . . making sure we got in."

FUNNY CAR

Rain, Rain, Come Today – Tommy Johnson, Jr. joked that he wouldn’t mind if it rained tomorrow’s qualifying out. Should that scenario play out, the Skoal-sponsored driver would lead qualifying for the first time since Pomona 2001.

Johnson blistered the racing surface with a 4.672 elapsed time at 328.70 miles per hour.

“This track is always killer for traction,” Johnson said. “You generally come up here and throw everything you have at it. Last year, we ran a 4.69 and that was my career best. The weather conditions really played into our hands today.

“I knew the car was going to run because they made changes to the car that we’ve never made before. They were really getting after it. I knew it was going to be a good run.”

Johnson was surprised initially when he found out how good the run was.

“I felt it was a good run, but I didn’t think it was that good,” Johnson said. “I had to fight the car and drive it all the way. From half-track on, it was a handful.”

Johnson didn’t know he had run that quick until his crew arrived on the top end to pick him up. His radio had ceased to work properly.

“They were giving me the thumbs-up,” Johnson said. “I knew it had to be good. I initially thought their gestures meant a 4.71. One of the crew guys yelled through the window telling me I had run a .67.

“The only words I could speak were, ‘You mean I ran a .67?”

Johnson might regret his rain wishes though, wife Melanie Troxel failed to make it into Friday's provisional field.

What good is it? – After the first session, John Force Racing’s Mustangs represented the quickest three Funny Cars. Robert Hight (4.714), John Force (4.731) and Eric Medlen (4.761) represented the early leaders. However, with the jinx against number one qualifiers this season, Force doesn’t seem to be impressed.

Said Force, “That’s great, but it don’t seem to do us any good on race day.”

Ironically, Medlen is the last driver to win from the pole position having won Brainerd last year.

Milking Success – This week has been one of the best of Dale Creasy’s career since he began professional drag racing in 1997. Creasy drove the Knoll Gas – Torco Race Fuels Funny Car to his first career national event less than a week ago.

Creasy defeated Bob Gilbertson to win the IHRA Mopar Canadian Nationals in Grand Bend, Ont.

Since acquiring the trophy in the shutdown area last Sunday, the trophy has never left his possession or that of his crew. In fact, perched atop his tool box in the Route 66 Raceway pit area, Creasy displays his first “Iron Man.”

“I got to keep it the first night,” Creasy said. “Each one of the crewmembers took a turn keeping it. We’re proud of it. Everyone is proud of it. We even took it to dinner last night.”

Family Affair - Most weekends you'll find Bob Gilbertson racing his Autolite XP Spark Plugs/Prestone Antifreeze nitro Funny Car somewhere in the U.S. while his 12 year-old son Jake is across the country racing Motocross with the rest of the Trick Tank team.

But not this weekend as the senior Gilbertson will be competing at the CARQUEST Auto Parts Nationals at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Illinois and Jake will be racing in the SuperCross events in Rusty Ott's Pro Source Arsenal Run at the nearby Joliet Motocross Park on Friday and Saturday nights.

"This is going to be an exciting weekend for both me and Jake," Gilbertson said.  "I'll be busy racing the Funny Car at the fastest track on the circuit where I've had some success and ran my fastest speed ever.  Jake will be right around the corner racing SuperCross with some of the best riders in the country and I'm going to be making a lot of hot-laps back and forth to support him when the drag racing schedule permits."

Gilbertson will probably miss Jake's Friday night race due to the fact that he'll be in the seat of the Funny Car for night qualifying but he'll leave Route 66 right after Saturday's afternoon session and be at the SuperCross for the main event Saturday night.

"I always race better when my Dad is there but most of the time during the Summer he's at the drag races," Jake added.  "It's going to be cool to have my Dad at the MX track to work on my bikes and watch me race and I'll get to watch him race the Funny Car on Sunday. It would be great if we could both win the same weekend, that's been a dream I've had for a long time."

Almost – We just can’t see some things happening but announcer Bob Frey was so impressed with Tony Bartone’s quickest-ever 4.772 elapsed time at over 325.92 miles per hour that he quipped, “That run impressed Big Jim Dunn so much that he’s going to go home to put on his suit and tie.”

PRO STOCK

Leap of Faith – Richie Stevens left crewchief David Nickens with a smile on his face during the second session. The driver of Don Schumacher’s Pro Stock team laid down the quickest run during Friday’s evening session to ascend to the top of the qualifying list.

The Mopar SVT-sponsored Stevens propelled his Dodge Stratus to the second quickest lap in the history of the class with a 6.635, 207.40 second quickest run ever behind Greg Anderson.

"Earlier today we had one of the best 60-ft. times out there (.982, third best of the first session)." His 60-ft. time in this last round was
even quicker, at .976 (second quickest).

"I was kind of worried about the right lane, then I watched [Allen Johnson]
go down it (to a 6.659), so I knew I had to be on my job up there. I staged
it as shallow as possible and we got it. We executed the run perfectly. I
haven't seen the run on the computer yet, but it felt good from A-to-B. I
don't think there were too many flaws in it."

The run also established a new track record and represents the first engine to come out of the Nickens shop based in Texas. It also provided Stevens with newfound momentum which comes at an opportune time.

"I'm glad that he [David Nickens] got it, and I'm glad that I was able to do it for him. It shows that he's still got what he had. It's Bob Glidden's design, but David's taken it a step further and putting his own parts into it. I'm happier for him than for anyone else. The team needed it and we needed something to boost our morale."

Stevens is ranked fifth headed into tomorrow’s King Demon Crown competition.

"I'm excited, and I'm glad that we came out here and showed that we can do it. It feels really good going into the King Demon Crown shootout tomorrow with a car that is capable of winning."

Stevens even went as far as to say this may be the best car he’s ever driven.

”It's a really forgiving car, and it handles excellent. Jerry Haas built an excellent car for me. We've had the car since Bristol 2005, and ever since we got it we really didn't have to work with it. We went to the finals that race and it was that car's first race out. It's been a great performing car since day one. They have new cars lined up for next year, but I don't know if I want to give it up, especially not after today.

"It feels good. I know Mopar is happy with it. It's the quickest a
Mopar car has ever run, so that's good."

The Turnaround Continues - Good things continued to happen for Dave Connolly as he drove the SKULL GEAR Chevy Cobalt to his career-best elapsed time of 6.653 seconds during Friday’s evening session.

The performance gave him a provisional No. 3 starting position for Sunday's race.  Two more runs are scheduled Saturday.  The driver from Elyria, Ohio was third after his opening run of 6.668 seconds.

"I thought we made a pretty good run," said Connolly, who has won two the last three NHRA POWERade Series races.  "We are still in pretty high spirits.  Victor's (Cagnazzi) guys gave us a new motor and we are working on the tune-up.  We might be able to run better Saturday."

Connolly's previous best elapsed time, 6.667 seconds, also came at Route 66 Raceway.  He won his first NHRA event here driving a Super Comp dragster in 2002 and his first Pro Stock race here in 2004.  He added a win in the special King Demon Crown here last year and collected $50,000.

The Timing Is Right - Bob Brockmeyer is working another weekend for the NHRA overseeing the timing system and making sure things run smoothly.

Brockmeyer, the developer of the Compulink timing system used at drag strips over the world, laughs at the notion the NHRA’s timing woes ceased with his presence. He admits he just performed routine pre-race maintenance.

“We’re just doing the same thing we’ve done for 22 years,” Brockmeyer added. “I’m not sure we really fixed anything. We just went in there on late Wednesday of Topeka and did our normal tune-up. There’s nothing magic we did to fix what was going on. We just did our normal routine.”

Brockmeyer pointed out that some tracks just have the normal wear and tear on the timing systems associated with weather and often times animals. Topeka had significant damage that was caught in time.

Brockmeyer’s agreement with the NHRA is on a week-to-week basis.

“Jeff Foster will be in Englishtown for part of the weekend,” Brockmeyer added. “After that, we’ve negotiated for someone to be at the U.S. Nationals. We’re still talking about other events.”

In support of Brockmeyer’s return several of the Pro Stock teams are sporting Compulink decals.

Can’t Fix Stupid – Larry Morgan has never been one to mince words when it comes to a controversial topic. That is why when asked for a solution to the NHRA’s timing situation in an article written by Torco’s CompetitionPlus.com writer Susan Wade two weeks ago, the veteran driver uttered without hesitation, “You can’t fix stupid.”

Always the opportunist, Morgan’s apparel trailer had a new shirt for sale with the phrase, “You can’t fix stupid.”

When asked for comment, Morgan declined comment citing only, “I’ve already tempted fate once. That’s enough for me.”

KJ The Perfectionist - Despite the fact Kurt Johnson qualified with a solid 6.664 at 207.34 he's not totally happy.

“We’ve got some work to do,"Johnson said. "In both runs, we were off two hundredths to the 330-foot mark.  If we can pick that up, we’ll be looking pretty good.  We just have to figure out how to get there.  There’s one hundredth in the first 60 feet, and another in the 60 to 330 foot mark, so it’s all in the first part of the racecourse, so I think I know what to do.

“Qualifying in these mineshaft conditions puts a lot of pressure on the entire team, because you know you have to do well.  In some ways you have to roll the dice and hope it sticks, and that it doesn’t shake the tires or burn the clutch up.  We made a couple changes to our ACDelco Cobalt for tonight’s run, and it definitely helped the back half performance.  Now we just have to work on getting better in the front part of the run, which is what we’ll work on tomorrow.”

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

Is that all? - When teammates Matt Smith and Chip Ellis pulled to the lane for their second qualifying attempt, the general consensus was this match could easily produce the first-ever side-by-side six second run in the class.

When Ellis posted a 7.062 and Smith a 7.096, one could feel an overall feeling of disappointment when neither failed to improve from their earlier showings.

“We thought the air was going to be a bit better than it was,” said Ellis. “George [Bryce] usually makes the tuning calls, but I begged him to let me put more fuel in it tonight. We just put too much.

“We have a good bike. I just hope the weather holds up for Saturday. The adjusted altitude dropped about 300 feet in one hour. I just figured it would get a little bit colder and the air would come to us. It was exactly the same as when I left the trailer to the point I returned.”

Ellis admitted that he doesn’t necessarily need a six second run to feel successful.

Ellis added, “All I needed was a straight run. It didn’t have to be a six. It just had to be good and smooth.”

SPORTSMAN

Scary Moment - A Lucas Oil Series sportsman driver from Michigan was
taken to the hospital after an incident involving two Super Gas race vehicles during qualifying on Friday.
 
Bill Hanes, 62, of East Lansing, Mich., complained of lower back pain and was transported to Silver Cross Hospital in Joliet for evaluation. The other driver involved, Rick Cates, 56, of Canyon, Texas, was not injured.

Chicagoland Speedway/Route 66 Raceway
500 Speedway Blvd.
Joliet, IL 60433
www.chicagolandspeedway.com
www.route66raceway.com

FRIDAY'S HEADLINE - No place like home for Team Schumacher

(6-9-2006) - Keeping drama to a minimum is all in a day's work for Chicago-based team owner Don Schumacher. However, that is quite a chore when you have as many competitive teams as Schumacher does.

Schumacher is finding out this year when one team stumbles, another is there to pick up the slack. His teams lead three of the four NHRA POWERade professional category point standings. Last season, he had two world champions. In both of those categories, the incumbents have fallen off the pace this season only to be replaced at the top by teammates.

Funny Car provides the first scenario. Ron Capps may be popular for his movie-star good looks and quick smile, but in 2005 he was the man who got dangerously close to his first Funny Car world championship title only to finish second in the closest points chase in recent NHRA memory – losing by 8 points to his Don Schumacher Racing teammate, Gary Scelzi, driver of the Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger.

At the same time, in the same camp, Melanie Troxel quietly began her crusade to loosen her teammate Tony Schumacher’s hold on the sport’s fastest category and finished second to Schumacher in the final event of 2005, then reached the final round of six of the season’s first eight events, winning in Pomona and Las Vegas. Last spring Troxel was without a ride, living vicariously through her husband, Funny Car driver Tommy Johnson Jr. – but her successful return to POWERade Series competition has netted her comparisons to none other than … Schumacher.

As if that wasn’t enough drama for one team, Pro Stock motorcycle teammates Angelle Sampey, the winningest female driver of NHRA history, and Antron Brown battled to hold off the Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson duo of GT Tonglet and Andrew Hines, the eventual world championship title winner of 2005. And, this season in Pro Stock, the Mohawk-sporting Shaun Carlson brought a little punk to the Schumacher roster when he joined Richie Stevens in the camp.

This year the champions are struggling. Last fall, Tony Schumacher set the national E.T. record at a blistering 4.437 seconds in his U.S. Army dragster at Route 66 Raceway. He eventually earned his third and second consecutive world championship titles in the category. This year Schumacher has shown his customary strength during qualifying – but his weak performances on Sunday has left the door wide open for Troxel, his biggest threat.

“We just can't seem to establish any consistency,” Schumacher said. “We'll get down the track one time and then struggle to make it past the 100-foot mark the next time. Hopefully, we can cure our ills real soon. We're overdue for giving our hard-working soldiers a victory. Perhaps, in honor of the U.S. Army's birthday at Joliet, we can serve them up a nice present.”

In Funny Car, Brut Dodge driver Capps is holding firm to the top of the point standings with four victories and has led since the season’s second event. A slumping Scelzi has dropped steadily and now sits 10th overall.
Schumacher’s third driver in the category, Whit Bazemore, has faired slightly better with a mid-season surge in his Matco Tools Dodge Charger and is seventh.

The Pro Stock team has been the weak point for DSR since personnel changes have shook up the picture. A few races ago Bob Glidden, who essentially built the team, was dismissed from his role as crewchief and replaced by David Nickens. While Stevens has remained for the most part consistent, teammate Shaun Carlson has struggled in his role as driver of the "red" Dodge Stratus.

The Pro Stock Motorcycle team, on the other hand, appears to be in control of their destiny and to them, they are happy as long as the yellow and black of the U.S. Army defeats that other army of Harley-Davidsons and Buells.

And, just when the dust might have settled somewhat on the drama, Schuamcher announced that he will be managing the new Funny Car team of Evan Knoll beginning in Denver.

THURSDAY HEADLINE - Drivers prepare for the Barry Grant King Demon Crown

(6-7-2006) - Greg Anderson admits that he hammers away all season long in qualifying in order to aim for center stage when King Demon Crown competition rolls around.

Anderson will lead the field for the third year in a row for this year's King Demon Crown competition traditionally reserved for the Saturday of the NHRA CARQUEST Nationals at Route 66 Raceway..
        
A purse of $76,000 is available for the eight drivers competing in the NHRA King Demon Crown. The winner of the 22nd annual King Demon Crown will earn $50,000. The runner-up will earn $10,000, the two semifinalists $3,000 each, and the four first-round finishers $2,500 apiece. Should a driver win Saturday’s NHRA King Demon Crown and Sunday’s Pro Stock eliminations at the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals, he or she will earn a $25,000 ‘Double-Up’ bonus from NHRA.
           
Anderson, from Charlotte, N.C., qualified No. 1 at 10 of the 23 NHRA national events that drivers could earn King Demon Crown points. It is Anderson’s fourth career appearance in the bonus event.
           
The $145,000 King Demon Crown showcases the eight best Pro Stock qualifiers during a 23 race span between the 2005 CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals in Joliet, Ill., and 2006 O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka. Besides the $76,000 available in the King Demon Crown, bonuses of $69,000 were paid to quick Pro Stock qualifiers throughout the 23-race NHRA King Demon Crown series.
           
Drivers accumulated points during qualifying at those events, and a $3,000 bonus was awarded to the No. 1 qualifier at each race.
           
This year's King Demon Crown field features three past winners, last season’s runner-up and two rookies. Defending King Demon Crown winner Dave Connolly did not qualify for the event.

Top seed Anderson, who won the event in 2004 and was runner-up in ’03, will face first-time King Demon Crown finalist V. Gaines in the opening round. Jason Line, last season’s runner-up, and Allen Johnson will battle in the first round; while former multi-time winner Warren Johnson will meet King Demon Crown rookie Erica Enders – the first female to ever qualify for the bonus race. King Demon Crown veterans Kurt Johnson, a three-time winner, and Richie Stevens, making his fourth appearance and first since 2001, also will meet in round one.
           
King Demon Crown rounds are scheduled for noon, 3 p.m. and 4:25 p.m. on June 10.

THURSDAY NOTEBOOK - Troxel says rest time is over, Medlen is the cause of #1 Curse? and Connolly the tree chopper...

Top Fuel

Better Get Going - Melanie Troxel has led the Top Fuel point
standings since the beginning of the season but she says the team need to step it up to maintain that spot.

With Doug Kalitta coming on strong at the last four events, winning three of
them, Troxel's margin, which had been as high as 156 points in a season in
which she's reached six final rounds and won twice so far, has dwindled to
96.

Troxel, who has not yet lost a first round in eliminations this year, has
qualified No. 1 two times in her SKULL Shine dragster and enjoys a 23-7 round-win record, is well aware that nothing in NHRA drag racing is a given.

"We talked all year long about the consistency of going rounds and that
definitely is still a big part of our game plan," she says. "But Dougie is
coming on quick, so we're going to have to find some way to step up our
program a little bit here in the near future.

"It may be enough to just go out and be consistent and they may go out early
in a race or so, but we certainly can't rely on that. Right now, it's
looking like they have a pretty hot combination and we need to really be on
top of our game and at the very least not lose any more of our points lead
to them."

Mother Nature and three-race swings - Joliet represents the first three-race swing of the season. After this event completes, racers will travel to Englishtown, New Jersey and St. Louis, Missouri on consecutive weekends. Then there will be a two-week break to prepare for the second half of the season.

Larry Dixon is fully aware that a good performance is crucial at this point in the game. The Miller Lite/Lucas Oil-sponsored driver is fifth in the Top Fuel points standings. The forecast for this weekend calls for temperatures in the mid-70s providing teams with the opportunity to gun for the big numbers.

 “Joliet is a great race track and a great facility,” Dixon said. “There again, I think performance is determined more by the weather than the track surface. So, if it’s cool like we’ve seen in the past, you can have national records set, but if it’s hot, you’ll see some side-by-side tire-smoking matches. Either way, it will produce some drama.

“From a driver’s standpoint, if you get into a tire-smoking race, at that point it’s all in the driver’s hands. You obviously want to win those. I take those losses as hard as I take holeshot losses because it’s on the driver to get it down the track. If you win them, it’s great and if you lose them, it’s terrible.”

Bean Counting - Though David Grubnic is not counting points like a greedy bean counter, he’s certainly taking inventory of a run for the top spot.

“Okay, so right now we’re 190 points back,” Grubnic said. “That’s a lot, but it’s definitely not insurmountable. We still have 14 races left including the race in Chicago. We just need to be consistent and go rounds and put together some event wins – one round at a time. We are certainly not in a panic mode yet.

“Route 66 is a great racetrack. It’s probably the best prepared racetrack on the tour. The weather usually cooperates with us there too, so the numbers can get astronomical. I can’t wait. Maybe we’ll get in the winner’s circle and close in on Melanie.” 

This weekend’s event comes at an opportune time. It just so happens that Grubnic holds the speediest time slip in the history of Route 66 Raceway. His 333.58-mph blast there in October of 2004 remains the fastest speed ever at the racetrack that is well known for producing NHRA record-setting performances.

Mid-Term Test - As she rapidly approaches the mid-point of her rookie season, Hillary Will, driver of the KB Racing LLC-owned, Kalitta Motorsports-managed Top Fuel dragster, experiences her first three back-to-back-to-back race experience this month.  Beyond that, she will be facing some of the warmest conditions thus far in her young career.

Will, who will be experiencing her first full summer season of driving professionally, knows that she can count on her crew chief, Jim Oberhofer (known to the racing community as Jim “O”), her crew, and teammates (KB Racing: Greg Anderson and Jason Line/Kalitta Motorsports: David Grubnic, Doug Kalitta, and Scott Kalitta) to provide the leadership during this hot, exhausting period.

“I’m extremely thankful for the support I receive from my teammates,” said Will.  “I know that I have a lot to learn so I try to listen and learn as much as possible.
 
"My crew chief, Jim O, understands that I am learning and trying the best I can.  He is very encouraging, and I appreciate how he always maintains a positive attitude.  I have come to realize that he is building our team with one eye on the very next race and one eye on the future."

“Hillary is a team player,” Jim O is quick to add.  “She doesn’t have an ego that has her thinking that she’s better than anybody out there.  She knows that she has a lot to learn.  That’s the best part about her.

“We work together as a team – driver, crew chief, crew and teammates.  It’s what makes us a success.  It’s like that old saying: there is no ‘I’ in TEAM.”

Will, from Fortuna, Calif., who now lives near the Kalitta Motorsports shop in Ypsilanti, Mich., is No. 11 in the NHRA POWERade Top Fuel point standings with 361 points. The 26-year-old driver is just 38 point, less than two round wins, out of the top ten.

Crunch Time - Cory McClenathan’s resume includes two Top Fuel low qualifying awards from races at Route 66 Raceway since 1998.  But, he believes, there’s more in store.
 
“I don’t know what my problem has been at that track,” says McClenathan, “because it’s one of the best tracks we race at.  I just haven’t been too successful there, but I do believe our Carrier Boyz FRAM Boost dragster is capable of getting the job done this weekend.”
 
The CARQUEST Auto Parts Nationals will be the only stop in Joliet for the NHRA POWERade tour.
 
“I am confident that (crew chief) Wes Cerny, (assistant crew chief) Tony Shortall and the crew will give me a race car that can win races.”
 
This stop is the 10th of 23 events and, McClenathan noted, is important because it kicks off a critical three-race stretch. 
 
“Realistically, I think we can still make a charge toward the top in points,” he said.  “Wes is getting more comfortable with the tune-up on our new car. This will be its third race (since the old car was destroyed in an accident in Bristol, Tenn.).  It has been a learning experience for Wes and Tony.”
 
McClenathan is ninth with 423 points, which puts him 86 behind No. 5 Larry Dixon.
 
“The car qualified No. 2 at Topeka (Kan., May 28) and was consistent going down the race track during qualifying,” McClenathan continued.  “But on race day the tune-up was too much for the track to handle and we shook the tires and lost in the first round.
 
“These next three races may separate the contenders from the pretenders.  We go to Englishtown and then have a night race at St. Louis.  The latest race results show more drivers are beginning to step up (competitively) and I want our FRAM Boost dragster to be among the leaders.  I want us to get hot on it.”

Funny Car

Gee Thanks - Who wants to qualify on the pole anymore? Eric Medlen pulled off the feat twice in 2005, but no other driver has been able to do it. Zero times, zip, nothing...nada. It's almost as if the milestone has become a curse.

"I think it's harder to win (from No. 1) now days because the field is only separated by a tenth of a second," said the driver of the Castrol SYNTEC® Ford Mustang.  "Sometimes in the past, No. 1 and No. 2 were separated by that much. 

"The competition is just so close anymore.  Guys used to be satisfied just making the show.  Now they know if they get in, they've got a real chance to win."

Medlen, who won last August as the No. 1 qualifier at Brainerd, Minn., wasn't able to capitalize this year on No. 1 starts at Phoenix, Ariz., and Bristol, Tenn., but no matter where he qualifies this week, he likes his chances in the ninth annual CARQUEST Nationals at Route 66 Raceway.

"We've made a lot of progress in the last two races," said the four-time tour winner and once aspiring rodeo cowboy.  "We've changed a few things in the engine department as far as how we set the engines up and the parts we're using and it's made a big difference.  The power level and the horsepower's still the same, but the tuning window's a lot wider.  It's a little bit more forgiving now."

What that means is that crew chief John Medlen, Eric's dad, should be better able to adjust for changing weather and/or track conditions.  Medlen identified the difference in track and weather conditions from Friday night to Sunday afternoon as another major contributor to the "No. 1 curse."

"So many times, No. 1 is (determined) Friday night, when the weather is cool and there's no sun on the track," Medlen said.  "Then you go to race day, it gets warmer, the track gets hotter and then you're just one of the guys.  You might wind up racing a car that qualified 12th because they missed the tune up on Friday night, but they ran really good in the heat.  Well, if it's hot, who has the advantage?  It's not very often that we race in Friday night conditions."

This week might be an exception, though.

"If it cools off,  I think you'll see a few cars in the 4.60s," Medlen predicted.  "Hopefully, we've got three of them (a reference to his Mustang and those of teammates John Force, the track and national record-holder at 4.665 seconds, and Robert Hight)."

So, what of the "curse?"

"There's no curse," Medlen said.  "It's just racing and the team that does the best job overall, the team that sends a car down the track every time, they're gonna be hard to beat.  That's the position we're trying to get to and I think we're close.  This week, whether it's cool or whether it's warm, I think we've finally got a car that can race.

Points Lead = No Rest - What good is a points lead if you can't relax and enjoy it? NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Funny Car
points leader Ron Capps says he just can't relax and enjoy it.

Despite taking the Brut Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car to the Charger model's first win (Capps' other three wins in 2006 were in a Dodge Stratus) at the last event in Topeka, Kans., and after defeating second-place John Force for the third time in three finals, Capps still feels that target on his back.

The California native knows it's no fun having 13-time champion Force, over
whom he maintains a 109-point lead, aiming that arrow at him as the summer
season begins, bringing with it a number of challenges, including a
back-to-back three-event swing.

"I find it hard right now to enjoy being the points leader, because we're so
focused on making sure we keep pushing ourselves and keep doing well," he
says. "You would think that we'd be able to enjoy it a lot more. I'm hopeful
that at the end of the year we could enjoy it, but I don't want to get
complacent. Every minute I stop to think, Wow, we're leading the points and
how great it feels, I feel like I have to stop myself and remind myself and
everybody on the Brut team that we have to stay on top of our game, because
Force being on our heels is more reason than any to make sure that we don't
get too lazy or too cocky.

"We said it time and time again, when you get to parts of the season when
you have three races in a row, and especially with the three we have coming
up, with completely different conditions as far as tracks and weather go,
the cream of the crop is going to rise to the top. That's a cliché, but
those rising to the top are the crew chiefs who can adapt. So far, Ace (crew
chief Ed McCulloch) and the Brut guys have done a great job adapting
everywhere we've gone. We brought out the new Charger body and gave it its first win."

Capps' Route 66 record includes his Chicago 2 win here in 2005 and a
runner-up at Chicago 2 in 2002.

Invigorated - When Whit Bazemore’s Matco Tools entry was running poorly, he didn’t get enthused about running any particular track. Now that he’s got things firing on all eight cylinders, he’s eager to run – especially this weekend in Chicago.

The bottom line for Bazemore is that Chicago is very generous when it comes to handing out quick and fast elapsed times and speeds.

"Chicago is a great track," he says. "It's probably the fastest track on the
schedule now. So, naturally, we really love coming here because this is
still what drag racing is all about, in spite of the all the rules that have
been imposed on us.

"When you go to Chicago, the conditions allow you to let it all hang out the
best you can, so you still have a chance to run quicker than you've ever run
before. That's one reason we are drag racers. It's always exciting to come
here.

"As I said many times, the Matco Tools team has already made a lot of
progress this year. We still haven't reached our potential in terms of
performance, but maybe in Chicago we can, and that's going to be our No. 1
goal, for sure, depending on the conditions, of course. But if it's anything
but scorching hot, I think we'll have an opportunity to run our career
best."

Makes Sense to us - The Pedregon Brothers, Cruz and Tony, will also be making a couple appearances in the Chicago area for GREAT STUFF and Snap-on.  They visited with employees at the GREAT STUFF manufacturing plant in Wilmington, IL on Wednesday and will make an appearance at Snap-on headquarters in Kenosha, Wis. on the Monday following the race. 

“We’re happy to be back in the Chicago area because that is close to our sponsors, GREAT STUFF and Snap-on,” said Tony.  “One thing is certain:  There are only a few things you really need in life – food, water, oil and tools, and we know we’ve got the best oil and tools for our team.”

Auto-Focus - Mike Ashley is an admitted multi-tasking enthusiast. This week his second-nature was put to the test.
 
In addition to running his Lend-America mortgage banking office, the official mortgage source for the National Hot Rod Association, Ashley was firmly entrenched in the responsibilities of assisting Evan Knoll with the formation of a new nitro Funny Car team to debut in Denver. In the midst of this whirlwind of responsibility remains another – prepare for the tenth stop on the 23-race NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.
 
“You do what you have to do,” Ashley said. “In this case, I am intensely   focused on every task at hand. I don’t look at these kinds of scenarios as adverse conditions. Rather, they are challenges. I enjoy meeting challenges head on and beating them.”
 
Ironically it was this same weekend a year ago that the Melville, New York-based mortgage banker faced a similar trial. Ashley was the points leader in the Pro Modified division in the midst of a four-race winning streak and, with the blessings of his sponsor — Knoll, began licensing procedures the day after the Joliet event.
 
One day earlier, Ashley was the Pro Modified champion. On that Monday, he became a Funny Car rookie. However, his actions declared that he was not your average rookie.
 
On the maiden voyage behind the wheel of Dale Creasy’s nitro-burner, Ashley was instructed to run to the eighth-mile and shut-off. Murphy’s Law was in effect as the Pontiac flopper encountered a stuck throttle, sending Ashley beyond the shut-off point.
 
Ashley refused to panic and merely killed the fuel flow causing the motor to shut-off. The only damage to the car was a blown supercharger and light cosmetic damage when the engine dropped a cylinder, pulling him toward the right retaining wall.
 
Ashley exited the car knowing this was going to be a tough but attainable undertaking. The ability to focus on the task at hand was his saving grace that day.
 
“It was all about the focus,” Ashley said. “That was the key then and remains the key today.”

Perceptions – A baseball player finds the “sweet spot” on a bat, why can’t a drag racer do the same when it comes to a race track?

Robert Hight is confident that he’s found one for Route 66 Raceway.

"Right past 60 feet, the groove moves inside real fast," Hight said, "and when you look at it, it's pretty obvious why.  (When you leave the starting line), the guardwalls on both sides are black with a lot of sponsor identification.  But right at 60 feet, (the guardwall) turns bright white.

"I think that subconsciously the white jumps out (when you see it in your peripheral vision) and you drive away from it."

It is knowing such things that has made Hight such a quick study and helped the 36-year-old qualify his 7,000 horsepower Ford on the drag racing "pole" nine times in his first 32 pro races.  He comes into Route 66 having started the last two races from No. 1 and having set track records in three of the last five events.
 
 Hight, the only one of the Team Castrol Funny Car drivers to have won a race thus far this season, recorded a personal best time of 4.680 seconds last month at Atlanta, Ga.

The Fans Ought to Notice -  With the 'Madman Murray' car
this weekend, Phil Burkart's objective is to make sure the big Route 66 Raceway crowd remembers his team.

A bright yellow car with a Madman on the hood is one way to grab the
fans' attention.  Putting the Madman into what is sure to be a stout
race field will be mission No. 1, followed by a win light in the first
round on Sunday.   Taking the Madman the rest of the way will be the
overriding mission in Joliet.  As Phil Burkart might say, in his best
Dan Aykroyd/Elwood Blues voice, "We're on a mission from Murray's."

Something has to change – The season began with so much promise and now for Bob Gilbertson, he’s wondering what went wrong. With a third of the NHRA POWERade season behind him, Gilbertson is looking to change his fortunes this weekend.

Gilbertson and his Autolite XP Spark Plugs/Prestone Antifreeze nitro Funny Car team find themselves mired in the 13th spot in the Top Ten points standings and they want to climb their way back up into the top ten.

"It's no secret that we've been struggling lately," Gilbertson said.  "We started out the season really strong but when we had to switch to the new tire, that threw us for a loop and with all the other stupid mechanical problems we've had it really put us behind.  But I'm looking forward to racing at Route 66.  It's a track that I've run very well at, ran my fastest speed ever there last year and it's arguably the quickest and fastest track on the circuit.  We've been doing some testing lately and my crew chiefs Nicky (Boninfante) and Tommy (Delago) believe that they've now got a handle on the tire and the CARQUEST Nationals will be proving ground for this team."

Dry Spell - The most prolific Funny Car driver in the history of the class tries to stay away from the stats, but one seems to jump up and strike him. John Force never has secured a series championship after going this deep into the season without a victory.

That may be cause for hope among the 13-time champion's Funny Car rivals, but for Force, it's just another challenge, another  opportunity to do something he hasn't done before.

"We've got a fast car," Force said of his national record-holding 2006 Castrol GTX® Ford Mustang.  "It just hasn't been consistent.  But once (crew chiefs Austin) Coil and Bernie (Fedderly) get it figured out, we're gonna win some races."

It's not like Force hasn't had his chances.  He's been to the final round four times in the first nine events in the 2006 NHRA POWERade Series.  Each time he came up just short; three times against current points leader Ron Capps, whom he trails by 109 points as the tour moves this week to Route 66 Raceway for the ninth annual CARQUEST Nationals.

"Cappsie and (crew chief Ed) McCulloch have just been doing a better job.  It's as simple as that," Force said.  "But it's a long season.  The toughest part is still ahead of us.  We'll see what it looks like at Indy (site of the Labor Day Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, the event that traditionally starts the stretch run to the championship)."

Force, who sped down the Route 66 quarter mile in 4.665 seconds at 333.58 miles per hour more than 18 months ago, setting track and national Funny Car records, may have a car capable of going even quicker this weekend.

The new Mustang, in development since shortly after he drove a 2003 model to the current record (Oct. 2, 2004), carried Force through the timers in a barrier-busting 4.664 seconds at the season-opening CARQUEST Winternationals at Pomona, Calif., and has qualified the 119-time tour winner on the "pole" four times in nine events.

Force's first victory at Route 66 Raceway (June 4, 2000), was the 86th of his career, enabling him to pass Bob Glidden and become the winningest professional driver in NHRA drag racing history.

Pro Stock

Not Conducive for Championship – Kurt Johnson loves a thrilling ride as much as the next one. However, when that thrilling ride is his 2006 season instead of  at an amusement park, the man who answers to the nickname KJ ceases to find anything thrilling about the experience.

Johnson is confident that bumpy ride is complete and he can finally zero in on his primary objectives of winning.

We’ve had some inconsistencies so far this season, which we have finally tracked down to the clutch,” detailed Johnson.  “It’s an important discovery, because we had made extensive changes to other areas of the car throughout the year trying to make it run better.  This made it harder to adjust to the conditions at the different tracks.

“However, having found the problem, we know we can leave everything else alone and concentrate on getting the clutch straightened out.  We’ve made a lot of progress in the last few weeks, and, as a result, we believe our ACDelco Cobalt will be a much more consistent performer from here on out.”

Johnson comes into this event with a prior record of success at Route 66 Raceway, having charged from the fifteenth starting position to the winner’s circle in the spring of 2003.  Armed with that knowledge, and coming off a tremendous runner-up performance at the last race in Topeka, KS both Kurt and his crew are cautiously optimistic about their chances of duplicating that result in this year’s edition

“In looking at our notes from the last few races at Route 66 Raceway, I can see that it’s one of the smoothest tracks we run on,” said Johnson.  “The entire facility is tremendous, and we certainly look forward to racing there.  We’ve had some success there in the past, winning this race in 2003, a performance we’re hoping to repeat this weekend.  You always look to improve upon your last race, and we were the runner-up in Topeka, so we’re aiming for the winner’s circle in Joliet.”

Lumberjack – Dave Connolly has been the master of the tree of late and because of that mastery he has won two of the last three events to move up from 18th place to fifth place. Connolly brought in a new crew chief in Tommy Utt before Atlanta and his fortunes have certainly taken a turn for the better with the two victories. His win in Topeka made him the first multiple winner in Pro Stock after eight consecutive events with eight different winners to open the season.

Time to school the yung’uns - Throughout his stellar career, GM Performance Parts GTO racer Warren Johnson has been known for his countless innovations in furthering the development of drag racing’s Pro Stock category.  From the inclusion of Funny Car-style roll cages and improved braking systems to the GM Drag Racing Competition Engine (DRCE), virtually every vehicle in competition today reflects the results of “The Professor’s” forward thinking.

Therefore, it is somewhat ironic that as Johnson and his crew prepare for this weekend’s Carquest Auto Parts NHRA Nationals in Joliet, IL, they will be adjusting their competitive strategy. In lieu of the pursuit of an ever-elusive perfect run, they will instead be giving top priority to finding the combination to deliver a consistent performance every time down the track.
“Sometimes you have to give up a hundredth in order to make runs that are consistently good” detailed Johnson. “So far this season we’ve been going after the ultimate performance package, which contains components that you know will eventually be quicker.  However, as we have found, it also offers a smaller window to operate in. 

“Therefore, we have gotten ourselves settled into the mode of not worrying about making that one ultimate run.  Instead, we will back things up and focus on making four good runs in qualifying that we can tune from on race day.  We started in that direction in Topeka, and it was pretty evident that it was beginning to come around, because our GM Performance Parts GTO was as good as anybody in the first round, and we were fortunate enough to get the win light.  We got a little too aggressive in the second round and it bit us, but going into Chicago, we know where we need to be.”

Route 66 Raceway, site of this weekend’s race, has been a part of the NHRA national event circuit since 1998.  Featuring a unique stadium-inspired design, it is considered one of the premier facilities in the POWERade Drag Racing Series, and one both racers and fans look forward to.  Having scored two wins on the Chicagoland quarter-mile in 1999 and 2001, Johnson is well-versed on what it takes to succeed in Joliet.

“Early on, the track at Route 66 Raceway was a little rough, which played into my hands,” recalled Johnson.  “I’ve always liked it when there are a few moguls or chicanes out there to challenge the driver.  However, we did have a few people go on their lids due to inexperience, so the management rightfully attended to it, making it one of the better racetracks in the series.  As a result, we can still run fast on it, but so can everyone else, which, I guess, is only fair, so we’ll just have to settle down and win the old-fashioned way, doing our job better than everyone else.”

A Devilish Battle - The Pro Stock drivers will be competing for the $50,000 first prize that goes to the winner of the King Demon Crown, which will be on the line this weekend at Route 66 Raceway. The top eight best-averaging qualifiers in the category during the last season will compete in the event, won last year by Dave Connolly. Connolly did not qualify this year. Three-time defending POWERade Series world champion Greg Anderson is the No. 1 seed.

A Strong Ticker - There have been eight different winners in nine races and the tight battle for the championship is the result. This class is not for the faint at heart.
 
Jim Yates is more than happy to be among those running close to the top of the standings.  Yates’ SeaRay Boats/B&W Pontiac GTO has one victory (Columbus, Ohio) and one runner-up finish (Houston), helping boost him to third in points.
 
The veteran driver from Occoquan, Va. is a two-time champion accustomed to the extremely close competition.  “It’s really been that way for the last four or five years,” he said.  “We had nine different winners in the first nine races of 2002.”
 
Yates was a title contender that year and finished second.  “But then the Greg Anderson juggernaut (he won titles in 2003-2005) disrupted that for three years, but it looks like the rest of us have caught up,” he added.
 
Right now, Yates is intent on making his way to the top.  He is 89 points behind Anderson and 16 behind runner-up Jason Line going into the 10th of 23 POWERade series races
 
“I like racing at Route 66 Raceway,” said Yates.  “It is a great race track.”
 
He has one runner-up (2001) and was No. 1 qualifier there in 2002.
 
“This class is tougher than ever.  You can’t just go up there and outrun everybody.  It’s a challenge, but it’s an exciting one.”

Sportsman

The Gang Is All Here - On Saturday, June 10, a field of 62 of the best NHRA sportsman drag racers in will do battle for a share of a $100,000 payout during the 22nd annual JEG'S Allstars competition. The JEG'S Allstars features racing in eight NHRA sportsman eliminators – Top Alcohol Dragster, Top Alcohol Funny Car, Competition, Super Stock, Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, and Super Street. Competitors earn their way into this prestigious event by accumulating points during Lucas Oil Series events held within their home divisions. The seven divisional points leaders in each eliminator are joined by the defending event champs, who are invited to return as blockers.

Racers are competing for both individual and team honors during the event. The Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car champions will each receive $7,000. The Comp and Super Stock winners will earn $6,000 each and the champions in Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, and Super Street will take home $4,500 apiece. The team that accumulates the most round wins during the competition will share in a $20,000 bonus. In addition, any racer who wins the JEG'S Allstars title on Saturday and returns on Sunday to win his or her respective category during final eliminations for the CARQUEST Auto Parts Nationals will receive double prize money directly from JEG'S.

Last year, the team from the North West Division claimed a narrow 1,200 to 1,000 point victory over the host team from the North Central Division. The championship was just the second for the North West Division, whose racers last won the title in 1988.

Last year’s individual category winners were Gene Snow (Top Alcohol Dragster), Frank Manzo (Top Alcohol Funny Car), Dave Barcelon (Comp), Kevin Smith (Super Stock), Rod Johnson (Stock), Shawn Langdon (Super Comp), Steve Cohen (Super Gas), and Eric Reiff (Super Street). Manzo, a six-time JEG'S Allstars champ, who represents the North East Division, also won the CARQUEST Auto Parts Nationals title, earning a $14,000 payday.

The JEG'S Allstars competition will get underway at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 10 with the semifinal round scheduled for 2:30 p.m., and the final rounds for 4 p.m. Following the final rounds, JEG'S will host an awards dinner for all of the competitors and their crews.

2006 JEG'S Allstars Rosters

Top Alcohol Dragster

Division 1         Art Gallant
Division 2         Artie Allen
Division 3         Marty Thacker
Division 4         Steve Torrence
Division 5         Richard Putz
Division 6         none
Division 7         Mike Austin
Blocker            none

Top Alcohol Funny Car

Division 1         Fran Manzo
Division 2         Mark Billington
Division 3         Mick Snyder
Division 4         Brandon Lewis
Division 5         Cy Chesterman
Division 6         Bucky Austin
Division 7         Doug Gordon
Blocker            Danny Townsend

Competition

Division 1         Frank Aragona
Division 2         Glen Treadwell
Division 3         Jeff Taylor
Division 4         Joey Tanksley
Division 5         Michael Johnson
Division 6         Michael Stone
Division 7         Dean Carter
Blocker            Dave Barcelon

Super Stock

Division 1         Joe Santangelo II
Division 2         Hugh Meeks III
Division 3         Jeff Dona
Division 4         Joe Teuton III
Division 5         Don Duke
Division 6         Mike Lewis
Division 7         Greg Luneack
Blocker            Kevin Smith

Stock

Division 1         Don Pires
Division 2         Mickey Whaley
Division 3         Ben Wenzel
Division 4         Jimmy Hidalgo Jr.
Division 5         Gene Mosbek
Division 6         Mike Lewis
Division 7         Errol Farmer
Blocker            Joe Sorenson

Super Comp

Division 1         Dick Dorr
Division 2         Todd Ewing
Division 3         Ron Erks
Division 4         Doug Miller
Division 5         Gary Stinnett
Division 6         Ty Anderson
Division 7         Greg Boutte
Blocker            Shawn Langdon

Super Gas

Division 1         George Smith
Division 2         David Tatum III
Division 3         Rock Haas
Division 4         Jimmy Lewis
Division 5         Butch Kleewein
Division 6         Wayne Linder Jr.
Division 7         Rick Beckstrom
Blocker            Steve Cohen

Super Street

Division 1         Lynn Hoosigian
Division 2         Mike Ruff
Division 3         Justin Rosenbohm
Division 4         Jeremy Wilson
Division 5         A.J. Percival
Division 6         Ray Carlson
Division 7         Gary Thompson
Blocker            Eric Reiff

Time To Concentrate - Ashley Force has spent much of this season with television cameras stuck in her face filming Driving Force, the new real-life series that focuses on her and her two younger sisters, the drag racing daughters of 13-time NHRA Funny Car Champion John Force.
    
That freedom will enable Force to resume her pursuit of the 2006 NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster championship, for one week at least, outside of the glare of the cameras.

The last time producer Brent Travers' crew wasn't tracking her every move, Ashley drove the Castrol dragster to victory in the Summit Racing Southern Nationals at Atlanta, Ga. 

After falling from first to second to fifth place in the NHRA Lucas Sportsman Series standings over the past four weeks, she and car owners Jerry Darien and Ken Meadows need another Atlanta-like result to thrust themselves prominently back into contention for a championship.

Despite all the distractions, it is on that elusive championship that Ashley has remained focused.

"Jerry and Ken have done just about everything in drag racing," she said.  "They've won the U.S. Nationals, the Jeg's All-Stars race, the Auto Club Finals, Gainesville (Fla.), Atlanta, Dallas, but they've never won the championship.  They've been close, but they've never won and to win one with them and this Castrol team would be so awesome."

Decisions, Decisions… - You could say Mike Coughlin is playing on both sides of the fence this weekend.  Coughlin plans to present trophies to the winners of the annual JEG'S Allstars competition, which is sponsored by Coughlin’s family business, JEG'S Mail Order. Coughlin is also hoping to win a trophy for himself as he will be competing in the Super Comp category in Joliet.

“I was planning on going to Joliet to represent JEG'S Mail Order and to greet the racers who are competing in the JEG'S Allstars,” said Coughlin. “I thought that as long as I was going to the race, I might as well bring a race car so I entered Super Comp.”

Coughlin briefly contemplated bringing his JEG'S Mail Order dragster to the event, but later decided to race his new Chevy Cobalt, even though the car was built for the Top Sportsman class, and requires the use of a throttle stop device to be effectively slowed to the 8.90-second Super Comp index. Coughlin raced the Cobalt in Super Comp at the recent Pontiac Performance Nationals in the team’s hometown of Columbus, Ohio, where he drove to a second round finish.

“I've only run this [Cobalt] in two events and I really could use some more seat time so that’s why I decided to race it here in Joliet,” said Coughlin, who has enjoyed past success at Route 66 Raceway with a runner-up finish in the Super Gas class in 2003. “It probably isn't the ideal car for Super Comp, but with a few adjustments, I believe it can be effective. The other factor that made my decision easy was the fact that this car is just so much fun to drive. It can run over 180-mph even using the throttle stop so it’s a pretty thrilling ride.”

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