2009 NHRA CAROLINAS NATIONALS - EVENT NOTEBOOK
 |
||||||
 |
||||||
 |
||||||
SUNDAY NOTEBOOK - OF EXHIBITIONS AND CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLES
GIMME FOUR WIDE - On September 20, 2009, the NHRA staged the first modern era four-wide nitro exhibition at zMAX Dragway in Concord, NC. In Funny
Car, Mike Neff beat out his competition that included John Force, Tim
Wilkerson and Del Worsham, winning the race on a hole shot. The Top
Fuel portion of the event belonged to Spencer Massey as he defeated
Brandon Bernstein, Morgan Lucas and Antron Brown.
Force described the experience as, "I haven't had this much fun since I
played high school football and we rushed the cheerleader showers."
The NHRA chose NASCAR’s backyard as a platform to showcase their unique
style of four-wide racing. Running in the shadows of Lowe’s Motor
Speedway, the NHRA launched 32,000 horsepower down four lanes of
concrete drag strip; the rough equivalent of 43 stock cars rumbling two
wide towards the green flag on one of the most famous 1.5 mile circle
tracks.
Monitoring elapsed times for two nitro cars can be complex, but on
Sunday afternoon the NHRA undertook the challenge. Graham Light, the
NHRA's VP of Operations, said the sanctioning body analyzed everything
from timing to safety before giving the exhibition the green light.
“The timing was in place because they [zMax Dragway] had done some
testing in those lanes and they did run some street type cars four
wide,” Light said.
Special bulbs were added above the existing stage and pre-stage lights
on the Christmas tree so that all four drivers would be able to know
the competitors in the other lines were properly staged.
“That’s critical with the fuel cars because once they pre-stage they
stage them up to three seconds, because they go on the high side,”
Light added.
Track preparation was no cakewalk either.
“We had two lanes that have been used very little and we had to put a
lot of rubber down,” said Light, of the steps to prepare the
seldom-used lanes to the right of the regular strip. “What we did, we
came in a couple days early with our Safety Safari people and our tire
drag machine. They were extensively prepared throughout the event
through dragging, washing and spraying.”
If the NHRA devoted a lion's share of attention to logistics, safety was given the attention of two lions.
“Well, we've got to be prepared for the worst case [scenario] and
that’s four serious accidents,” Light said. “At any race we are
prepared for two. It's a matter of basically doubling your emergency
response people on the top end and track side and the equipment that
you have and we've done that. I am very comfortable with the safety
aspect.”
Preparation included extra emergency trucks staffed with double the
personnel with one crew on each side of the two tracks. There were
extra medical units on standby as well as a second helicopter nearby.
The event went off like clockwork as evidenced by the thunderous cheers from the grandstands.
"It was a great success," said NHRA President Tom Compton. "You saw the
fans on their feet before the cars even came out here, just waiting for
it. One of our own workers said he had chills. It was fantastic. It was
great to utilize what we have here. It's such a gorgeous place with
four lane capability. I was just as excited as anyone else.
"I can tell you we have four lanes at a beautiful place. We're coming
here twice next year. We're certainly going to work on ways we can use
it and entertain the fans; that's for sure."
As for Light, he never imagined that one day he would witness some of
drag racing’s modern day accomplishments much less a four-wide run with
nitro cars.
“I also never envisioned being in a beautiful facility like this,” said
Light. “I never envisioned officiating with 300 mile an hour race cars.
A lot of people used to ask Wally if you ever envisioned the sport to
come to this and in the early days we didn’t. Wally started it as an
alternative to street racing and I started it as a hobby. It was even a
hobby when I drove Top Fuel cars; people did it as a hobby then. It's
turned into a profession. It's big money. It's very costly. There are a
lot of people making a very decent living and I think we all need to be
proud of that.”
HIGHT ANSWERS CRITICS - Robert Hight felt the best way to answer the critics of his inclusion within the Countdown to 1 battle was to 
let his actions speak louder than their words. Hight encountered a firestorm of controversy over a semi-final race win over team owner John Force to earn a berth into the NHRA’s Funny Car portion of the Countdown to 1.
“Just like John [Force] has always said to me you have to let your race car talk,” said Hight, who now has consecutive final round appearances on the tour. “At Indy I drove my car,” Hight continued. “I don’t play into any of the decision-making and I just go out there and try to win every round. I tried to beat Ashley in the final and she got me. Those aren’t my decisions and people can think anything they want if we win this championship but we deserve it if we win it. It’s definitely not going to be easy there are way too many good cars out there.”
Hight landed in the tenth and final position for the Funny Car division. His victory at the NHRA Carolinas Nationals vaulted him seven position from the 10th spot to the third spot in the Countdown.
Should he win the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Funny Car championship, Hight will feel no remorse in hoisting the trophy high in the presence of those who questioned the way he played the points system to compete for the championship.
“Going back when they first started the Countdown if they hadn’t have started it that year I would’ve been the world champ,” Hight contends. “So the Countdown works in your favor and against you. We’ve been for it because it definitely brings a lot of excitement for the fans and you know I lost that one. So I’m definitely not going to feel bad for coming way back and getting near the top here. This is the way it works and this is what it was designed to do. Luckily my car is running right at the right time.”
Hight drove his way from the No. 3 spot in Funny Car qualifying to the winner’s circle by stopping upset-minded Matt Hagan in the final round.
The victory represented Hight 12th career victory in 24 final rounds in five seasons of Funny Car racing.
“I probably got spoiled in the beginning because I won a lot right off the bat,” Hight explained. “But you definitely cherish it and you respect it a lot more when it takes you this long to get one.”
And after the last two months, switching cars and crew chiefs and the relentless controversy of testing and a supposed manipulated race, winning bodes well for him.
“I’d say it’s been a crazy month,” Hight confirmed. “With all the switching we did with me going to John’s car and vice versa it’s been great. For whatever reason, it’s worked. John Force is not a tuner but he knows how to shake things up. Whether it has had anything to do with it or not, it worked. You know Jimmy Prock since John drove his car in Maple Grove it has been almost the best car out there and he could have gone to the final round there in Maple Grove.
“It’s unbelievable timing we’ve got here. The first part of the year stunk, we were terrible. You start to even wonder if you will ever win because you look at all these races out here and it’s not easy to win.”
After one race in the Countdown, Hight will continue to follow the advice of his boss, he'll let the car do the talking.
BLOW OUT THE CANDLES - Having reached a point in his career where wins haven't come quite as often as birthdays, Cory 
McClenathan lit up the candles in his Fram Top Fuel dragster Sunday afternoon winning the NHRA Carolinas Nationals. McClenathan added icing to the cake as the win vaulted him to the top of the point standings, a spot he hasn't been in since 1998.
Racing to his 31st national event win in 57 final rounds, McClenathan dispatched Morgan Lucas, Larry Dixon and Doug Foley before overpowering Shawn Langdon in the final round.
The emotion of the win almost overpowered McClenathan.
"You feel bigger than life sometimes and that's the moments that I think I cherish the most," said McClenathan, who was qualified ninth coming into Sunday’s eliminations. "You're going down through there and you want that win light to come on so bad, you're almost willing your car to the other end, and when it did today, I was just overcome with Oh, my God, it’s been so long.
"Going a year and a half without winning a race, that's a long time. My teammate (six-time world champion Tony Schumacher) wins all the time, so it's easy for him to say, but for me it is that very moment, right then. It's unbelievable.
"This is for (crew chiefs) Todd Okuhara, Phil Shuler and all the FRAM Tough Guard guys who work on this car. I'm just trying to do the right thing in the cockpit, so I'm just really happy."
McClenathan attributes the teams improved performance from qualifying to eliminations to a host of things, mainly a change in confidence.
“The FRAM Tough Guard car just hadn't been itself, and the parts were unhappy and I saw that,” McClenathan said. “And all of a sudden today everything turned around. It got happy and it ran good. The guys found a couple of things last night. They don't want to tell anybody what it is. It is something we've been trying and we found one little thing that changed everything.
"I had more confidence this morning knowing it was going to go from A to B and not hurt itself, and it did."
EDWARDS CATCHES HIM - He did it.
On one weekend in Concord, NC, Pro Stock racer Mike Edwards did what he couldn’t do in six months of the regular season. The veteran Pro Stock racer caught and passed Jeg Coughlin Jr. in the Full Throttle Championship Drag Racing Series point standings.
Save for one qualifying session, Edwards completely dominated the Pro Stock division from qualifying No. 1 to establishing low elapsed time and top speed on race day with a 6.594 at 209.52 mph.
He defeated an upset-minded Greg Stanfield in the final round and made the most of a first round exit by Jeg Coughlin Jr.
As excited as the cartoon character Wiley E. Coyote would be if he was able to catch the elusive Road Runner, Edwards isn’t about to celebrate his victory.
“Jeg Coughlin has that No. 1 on the window for a reason,” Edwards said. “That’s a talented team and a talented driver. We’re battling every round and every run. The new points system, a few points here and there, might win this thing.”
How dominant was Edwards? If he would have secured a new national record, his performance would have collected 128 of the maximum 130 points available at an event.
The dominant victory marked his second since winning the NHRA Northwest Nationals in Seattle back in July. Concord marked his fourth 2009 victory in nine final rounds.
With the win, Edwards expanded to 25 an elusive club of drivers who have led the NHRA Pro Stock points since the inception of the class in 1971.
“It doesn’t get much better than that,” Edwards said of the win. “It’s hard to leave on Greg Stanfield. I told him at the finish line that I must had the caution lights come on my side before they did on his.
“This was a phenomenal weekend and the car was flawless.”
So flawless for Edwards that he left the post race press conference to supervise a tear down of his engine by the NHRA tech department.
DO WE HEAR A THREE? - Two years ago, Hector Arana was just another struggling Pro Stock Motorcycle rider working to find his first 
win.
This week, Arana is on a streak, capturing his second win in as many races and the fifth of his career.
“I would like to make three in a row, now,” said Arana. “I want to stay focused so that I can have a chance at the championship.”
Arana started the season first in the point standings, with a win in the Gatornationals at Gainesville in March. Since then, Arana has now clocked four wins, including the US Nationals and this week's NHRA Carolinas Nationals.
“I'm really happy. It's been so far the best time in my life. Many years I struggled, worked hard, never gave up. So many years went by and I was doubting myself, but now this is my moment.”
Arana dominated the event as the No. 1 qualifier and low et – 6.965. Top speed was the only honor he did not collect, losing out to Michael Phillips 192.22 mph.
Of the four rounds to the trophy, the toughest were the second and third after Joe Desantis redlighted in the first round and Karen Stouffer did the same in the final round. Arana handily beat Steve Johnson in the second round and used an impressive .003 light, to defeat Eddie Krawiec in the third round by a thousandth of a second.
STATING HIS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR CASE - Rookie Shawn Langdon did his part 
to improve his status in the running for NHRA’s Rookie of the Year award on Sunday afternoon in the NHRA Carolinas Nationals at zMAX Dragway. Langdon powered his way to a runner-up finish. Losing to veteran Top Fuel driver Cory McClenathan.
Langdon, the driver of the Lucas Oil Top Fuel dragster, moved to within 49 points behind the man who defeated him. Langdon, ninth in the standings entering the first race of the Countdown, leaves Charlotte fifth.
Following the same pattern he has all season, Langdon dominated the line reacting to the tree better than all four men he raced. Langdon also posted low elapsed time of the weekend running a 3.826 at 315.78 mph in his victory over defending NHRA Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher in the semi-finals.
A dropped cylinder in the final round may have been the only thing that kept Shawn Langdon out of the Winner’s Circle in Sunday’s race. McClenathan finished his run with a 3.857 at 312.64 mph while Langdon recorded a 3.980 at 280.49 mph.
"I've said all year that I'd be happy just getting to a final to see how it felt," Langdon said. "But now I know that to get this close to my first win and come up a little short is really tough to take. Once you get so close that you can taste it you want to go ahead and finish it off.
"It would have been a dream come true to beat a guy the caliber of Cory McClenathan. Hopefully, we'll have another chance very soon.
"It's unreal to think we're one race into the playoffs and we're right there near the top of the points. It's going to be a crazy finish to the season and after running that 3.82 in the semis I think we've proven we have a car that can run with anyone. This weekend is a huge positive all the way around. The only thing that could have made it better was if we had won it all."
ALSO STATING HIS CASE - Matt Hagan drove the Valvoline Engine Guarantee/shelor.com Dodge into his second final round of the 2009 
NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series today at the NHRA Carolina Nationals, losing to John Force Racing's Robert Hight.
The contender for the 2009 Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award as an NHRA rookie-of-the-year frontrunner had missed a spot in the Countdown to 1 playoffs, which began this weekend at zMAX Dragway, but he demonstrated his and the team's ability to still win rounds.
Before he met up with Hight in the final, he disposed of both Pedregon brothers: points leader Tony in the opening round with a 4.141-second pass at 305.91 mph, then Cruz in the semifinal with a stout 4.102/307.72, each quicker than his No. 13 qualifying pass of 4.145/292.14.
In between the Pedregon dismissals, he ousted Jeff Arend with a 4.143/304.67 in the quarterfinal.
"Just a great day of racing," said 26-year-old Hagan, who is awaiting the birth of his second child and first daughter Penny Louise at any moment. "I am so proud of my crew chief Tommy DeLago and everybody on the Valvoline/shelor.com team. I think we all did our jobs out there this weekend. Hight just had a little better car and got me a little bit on the light (reaction time).
"I have nothing to complain about. I had a .074 light to his .066, and he ran a 4.09 and we ran a 4.10. You can't ask for closer drag racing than that. Robert had the best car today." Margin of victory: six feet.
"Obviously, it's one race too late," he added of his not making the Countdown at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, "but we want to go some rounds, and try to get the Wally (event trophy named after NHRA founder Wally Parks) in each race that is left. If this is a sign of what's coming in the next five races, I sure am excited.
"I just kept doing the same thing all day. I started driving the way I wanted to drive and Tommy said, 'Hey, go do your thing up there,’ gave me the reins, and I tried to run with it. To be a rookie out here I'm tickled with that.
"I'm very disappointed that we didn't win because I know we have the race car to do it. I know it's going to happen; we have five more races to do it.
"I was nervous all day long, from the word go. It's mentally exhausting and physically exhausting for all of us out here, and I'm just super proud of everybody on this team."
ONE AND DONE – For the second race in a row, the Countdown to One top seed Antron Brown lost in the first round of Top Fuel eliminations. This week, in NHRA Carolinas Nationals in Concord, NC, it was Terry McMillen who stole the win from Brown.
“That’s drag racing,” said a dejected Brown. “You can go from hero to zero real quick. This is just the start of the Countdown. There are still five races after this one.”
McMillen, a regular on the IHRA tour, plans to make the transition over to the NHRA in 2010.
“You come over here to the NHRA to run the best,” said McMillen, in just his fourth event on the 24-event tour. “Antron Brown … look at the numbers that guy has put down all year long. It wasn’t pretty for either one. The bottom line is we got down here and got our first win. NHRA - what an awesome deal.”
NEEDED, A SPONSOR – Doug Foley entered the NHRA Carolinas Nationals knowing his second race of the season would be his last for 
2009 unless he could perform well enough to attract a last minute sponsor.
“For a team who is going to park it on Monday, this is huge,” Foley said.
Foley presented an excellent case for why his team would be a wise marketing investment for a sponsor.
Foley eliminated Brandon Bernstein in the first round and drove past Doug Herbert in the second. He lost a close race in the semis to eventual winner Cory McClenathan.
“We really didn’t show our talent this weekend,” said Foley after the first round win over Bernstein. “Doug Kuch, by far, is one of the best [crew chiefs] out here. He’s never really gotten the opportunity to show what he is doing because none of his teams have run the full season. If it’s up to me, we are going to find the funding and bring this dragster out full time. That’s what we are going to do every Sunday. We’re working on it.”
THE EDUCATION CONTINUES – Ashley Force Hood is in her third season of racing a nitro Funny Car. She drove a strong race all the way to the semi-finals before losing to teammate and eventual winner Robert Hight.
“I’ve just been trying to hammer down and get focused and not think too much about it,” Force Hood said. “I want to think enough about it to improve. And, I am. It’s just experience and that’s what it takes in these cars. It’s not easy out here driving one of these things whether you have thirty years of experience or three like me. At least I know I am going in the right direction. I know I am going to make mistakes. As long as they are few and far in-between, I don’t mind them.”
PEDREGON’S LAST HURRAH – When CompetitionPlus.com asked defending Funny Car world champion Cruz Pedregon how many years were left on his Advance Auto Parts contract, he made it known that was nobody’s business.
After a first round victory at the NHRA Carolinas Nationals in Concord, NC, Pedregon might have given a hint as to his status for the future.
“It’s a shame that the economy is the way it is because we may not be back,” Pedregon said. “I’m not sure.”
AW SHUCKS - It didn't take long for the Pedregon-Force battle to become a misunderstanding, then an embarrassment, and finally a friendship once again.
It's been less than two weeks since the US Nationals where the Pedregon brothers tossed hardballs at John Force Racing over a semifinal run between Force and Robert Hight, which was won by Hight.
Fast forward to driver introductions for the NHRA Carolinas Nationals at zMAX Dragway and what can be found behind the curtain but John Force and Cruz Pedregon in a private conversation which included smiles, laughter and a handshake. Along the way, Force also had a phone conversation with Tony Pedregon, which was facilitated by Bob Tasca.
SFI TO EXAMINE WHEEL - Members of the TASCA Racing crew worked until 10:30 Saturday making sure their race car was capable of being raced on Sunday, following a potentially devastating wreck during the final round of qualifying.
The crew not only inspected the chassis, which was not damaged, they also checked out their compliment of rims. While inspecting the rims, the team determined one rim just didn't appear to their liking. That rim, along with the damaged rim from Saturday, are now in the possession of the NHRA.
The NHRA will ship both rims to SFI for evaluation in hopes of understanding what caused the rim bead to break away from the rest of the rim.
Additionally, the NHRA was scheduled to download data from the Ford Blue Box. That data will help the sanctioning body have a better understanding of how well the cockpit worked in their ongoing efforts to keep the drivers safe from injury during violent incidents.
FUNNY CAR TUNING IN DRAGSTERS - Clearly there is a difference between tuners working on Funny Cars and tuners working on Top
The driver of the Fram Top Fuel dragster, Cory McClenathan, has lived the difference this year. So has Antron Brown, driver of the Matco Tools Top Fuel dragster. Both are working with tuners who last year work on Funny Car teams.
McClenathan, paired with Todd Okuhara and Phil Shuler, has quickly learned he is working for a very aggressive pair of tuners. The difference say McClenathan is, “just in the way they think.”
“They are more apt to throw the trailer at it. As far as a Friday tune up, I think they want to go A to B and be safe and they seem to really want to get after it on Friday night. I’ll tell you Phil Shuler and Todd Okuhara are ready to throw it at it on Friday nights.”
As a seasoned veteran, McClenathan drew on experience as he adjusted to his new tuners. For Antron Brown, a sophomore driver, it was crucial he learned quickly that a clenching fist hand signal meant, “I had better tighten my butt cheeks on this one.”
Brown was paired with Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald this season when Mike Ashley Racing purchased the assets of the team formerly owned by Tim Buckley.
Corradi and Oswald tuned Mike Ashley in 2007 and together they pushed Ashley into the Funny Car speed record. Last season the pair tuned Melanie Troxel to one Funny Car win.
This season Brown, Corradi and Oswald have qualified No. 1 six times. The trio have started from the bottom of the ladder only once this season, in tenth. Even then, Brown won the event.
“We’re only aggressive when the car really says we can be,” Corradi said. “Trust me we want to go down the track as quick as possible just like everybody else. The aggressiveness is there only because the car allows it and it’s not as temperamental as the Funny Car.”
The general consensus is the tuning window for the Funny Car is narrower than that of the dragster.
“The clutch in the dragster provides a bigger window of opportunity so you can be a little off on the tune up and still make it,” said McClenathan. “I’ll tell you these guys are making big power and great decisions in the clutch department.”
Happy with his current co-tuners, McClenathan wonders if his former tuner, Jimmy Prock, returned to the class who might come out on top.
“Jimmy can make a dragster run really good,” McClenathan said. “He does very well in a Funny Car and I’m not knocking him but I’ve always felt like he is best served as a Top Fuel crew chief. I think he could be more lethal than Alan Johnson and a lot of people over here if he was tuning a dragster. Not knocking him because he’s the stuff – the stuff champions are made of. There’s a reason why they call him the Prock Rocket.”
Brown can't speak to Prock's abilities but, he can tell you the competition among the dragster teams is a lot closer today then it has been in the past.
“If you look at past years you had like four teams who were in the top spots,” said Brown. Now if you look at the whole class you have eight to ten cars in our class. Look at the winners … we’ve had six or seven different winners in our class this year. On any given day anyone can win and it’s made our class way tighter. We are winning and losing drag races at 315 miles an hour by four thousands of a second. We’re like the Pro Stock of the fuel cars.”
COLLECTOR’S CHOICE - You would expect race car drivers to collect wins, but helmets?
Tony Schumacher is a helmet collector and so, it appears, is another Tony. Tony Stewart. When Stewart visited the Army drag racing team at the recent US Nationals, it wasn't just a quick in and out deal to fill a sponsor obligation. Stewart came to learn, enjoy and to collect another helmet.
As a fellow collector, Schumacher doesn't just give away helmets. He trades for them. So it was, when Stewart departed Indy with the helmet Schumacher wore while winning his record tieing 8th Top Fuel US Nationals, Schumacher found himself in possession of the helmet Stewart wore when he clinched his spot in NASCAR's Chase for the Championship.
Stewart's helmet was still in Schumacher's hauler which was parked in the pits at zMAX Dragway.
“Actually I still have it right here,” claimed Schumacher. “Tony (Stewart) said I don’t sell helmets but I’ll trade you. He wore his at the last race which locked him into the top spot and I wore mine that I won Indy in. I have some cool helmets; I have Eric Medlen’s at home.”
Schumacher has been collecting helmets for awhile, “since the beginning of time” he says. But, he is particular about what he is looking for in a helmet.
“I don’t want a fake helmet either, there’s no reason to have a cool paint job. I can buy a cool paint job. It’s cool to have one that the racer actually wore and won a race in or set a record in. It’s just unique, it’s a neat thing to have a piece of history sitting up on your shelf.”
Real helmets, according to Schumacher, have the smell of competition in them. The sweat, the blood, the effort that it takes to win permeates “real” helmets.
However when Stewart handed over his helmet in trades, Schumacher jokingly asked about the history of the helmet.
“I told Tony Stewart that if it smells like the Burger King Whopper I’m giving it back or whatever you see him eating on TV. It’s just fun and it’s nice to have a collection. I’m sure I don’t have nearly the collection that he’s got. But now we know that he’s going to have the US Army US Nationals winning helmet and that’s pretty awesome for him, good collection.”
Schumacher, who admits most of the helmets in his collection belong to him, those to do not are extremely special.
“Most of them are mine,” Schumacher said. “I’ve collected mine the whole time. I still have (Eric) Medlen’s, which at some point in time I’m going to give to John Medlen. I’ve wanted to do that for some time but I haven’t had the chance to.
After we lost Eric, a lot of people gave him helmets and I was going to be the one to do it because the helmet I bought I bid against John Force for, when we had a charity event at Pomona for Darrell Russell. I bid on it. My wife actually bought that one. I just think it doesn’t belong anywhere but sitting on John's shelf. It's a good helmet. It was done just for Darrell Russell and with the crazy turn of events I’d like to give it to (Medlen).”
LUCAS CONTRACT EXTENSION - NHRA officials announced that Lucas Oil Products has signed a multi-year agreement that renews its title sponsorship of the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, through the year 2012. Significantly, at that time it will represent an 11-year partnership dating back to the 2002 season.
In addition, Lucas Oil will continue its designation as the “Official Oil of NHRA” and its presenting sponsorship of NHRA’s weekly magazine show on ESPN2, NHRA Race Day presented by Lucas Oil.
“Words simply can’t describe the relationship between Forrest and Charlotte Lucas, the entire Lucas Oil Products company, and NHRA and the racing community,” said Tom Compton, president, NHRA. “Forrest and Charlotte Lucas epitomize what NHRA and NHRA sportsman racing is all about. They are involved, not only for the value it represents to their products, but for the love of the sport.”
One needs to look no further than a national or divisional event to see the impact Lucas Oil Products has had on the sport of NHRA Drag Racing. Not only in terms of its series sponsorship, but in the number of teams who are indebted to Lucas Oil for sponsorship at all levels of competition.
“We are true fans of NHRA and have a strong relationship with and deep respect for the sportsman racing community,” said Forrest Lucas, president and CEO of Lucas Oil Products. “We know so many drivers in the series that we have a special bond that makes it feel like our second family. But, perhaps more importantly, a great deal of our success as a company can be attributed to our involvement with NHRA , its racers and its loyal fans.”
Lucas Oil’s relationship with NHRA extends across all platforms of the business: sportsman series entitlement; official product status; on-site presence; national event sponsorship; television print and online advertising; presenting sponsorship of NHRA Race Day; race team sponsorship.
The NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series is showcased during each of the 24 national events and at 44 divisional events around the country. In addition, NHRA produces 16 one-hour television shows, aired on ESPN2, and originating from NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series events which feature categories in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series.
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
 |
Click to visit our sponsor's website
SATURDAY NOTEBOOK -A WILD DAY IN CHARLOTTE, YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE
TASCA'S SCARY RIDE - Eric Medlen's death has saved another life. This according to Bob Tasca, driver of the Motorcraft/Quick Lane 
Shelby Ford Mustang Funny Car.
Ironically, Tasca's violent ride occurred in a fourth round qualifying match up with John Force, Medlen's car owner at the time of his catastrophic accident.
“The car was on an awesome run and we were just a click behind John,” said Tasca as he started to describe the wild ride. “It was dead straight as an arrow and I am not sure what happened first. I remember the car smoking the tire and I remember shutting it off. When it gets out of shape at that point in the race track, it will make some violent moves. I was compensating but it was like I wasn’t even driving it.
“And then it made a very violent move to the centerline. It wouldn’t come back and then it actually clean snapped the rim from the hub. It broke the weld on the rim. Then it came back towards the wall real hard. I had enough sense to try to stop it. There were no brakes. It cut the caliper clean off of the car. I knew the ‘chutes were out. I shut the fuel pump off and I actually had the car somewhat straight.”
With the car under control, Tasca was able to worry about the next step in the process – getting stopped.
“I got on the radio and said, [to crew chief Chris Cunningham] ‘This may be interesting. I have no brakes'. At that point, [the body] fell down on the chassis and I could feel [the car] dragging.
When the car started to smoke the tires, Tasca went into reaction mode. There was no time to think about what he was going to do; he just did it.
“I knew that the car lost traction. You just go into what you normally do … off the throttle … you keep the car straight but then I knew something was terribly wrong. The way it was throwing me around and the steering input … I was one hand on the wheel trying to steer it so hard. Then I felt the car shift. I was looking out the window differently.
“I thought the tire came off. I thought that we had lost the rear tire. As a driver, you worry about the driver next to you more than you worry about yourself. I knew John was next to me but I didn’t see him. When the car started to get violent and I lost vision, I didn’t know where John was. I was just focused on keeping the car in my lane. Fortunately John made a good run and was way past everything. And, we didn’t hit the wall.
“If we got any luck, we didn’t ruin the race car.”
While not identical to the wreck in which Medlen died, it was close.
“[Medlen] broke a rear end and the oscillation is what did so much damage to the car.”
Editor's Note:
Jeff Stange of Strange Engineering contacted the CompetitionPlus.com
office on Tuesday and offered the following rebuttal to comments made
by Tasca.
“After looking in the Eric Medlen crash, it was determined that the
tire blew and the oscillation of that mass is what broke the chassis.
Upon receiving the rearend, it was fully intact. We fully inspected
every part of that rear end.”
With all the changes made to the cars since Tasca walked away with only minor discomfort.
“Thanks to the Han’s Device, the padding in the cockpit, I was being thrown around in that cockpit pretty violently. Other than a sore back, I have no big issues. I just hope the race car isn’t bent because if it is that will really set us back for tomorrow.”
More will be known about the incident once the team is able to download the information from the Ford Blue Box which is installed in all of the nitro burning cars – Top Fuel and Funny Car.
“We are looking forward to downloading the Ford Blue Box because that technology is going to let us know what I experienced. Fortunately everything went okay. That’s top fuel racing. It’s a violent deal.”
After getting the wheel back from the NHRA, crew chief Chris Cunningham did his best to describe what he felt happened.
“It appears the weld that holds the inside bead ring onto the wheel itself broke when we smoked the tires, but I can’t tell for sure,” said Cunningham. “It’s kind of a grey area. You could see our car in the video drop down on the right side so the wheel, at some point, did give up. It is inconclusive now.”
Until further inspection can be performed Cunningham said the team will take preventative action with their remaining wheels.
“Preventively right now, we’re going to take every set of wheels and tires we have and dismount them and look at the welds inside every wheel we own.”
Both Tasca and Cunningham confirmed this is the first time they had ever seen a wheel come apart in this manner.
“We’ve never seen anything like this before now.”
PRO STOCK IMPOUNDS CONTINUE - The NHRA continued their inspection of Countdown to 1 finalists in the
Pro Stock Car and Motorcycle divisions on Saturday afternoon. 
Friday
evening, five Pro Stock drivers and motorcycle riders were forced to
leave their cars and bikes in the care of technical inspectors after
second round qualifying.
The process of impounding the cars and
bikes is not without precedent although Pro Stock low qualifier Mike
Edwards said Friday evening in a press conference that he’d never been
subjected to an impound of this nature.
The NHRA has twice
performed inspections without representation, first in 2007, with the
final four Countdown finalists and last year, the top five points
earners were subjected to the scrutiny of the tech inspectors.
All
of the teams who spoke with CompetitionPlus.com had no problem with the
inspection of their cars. It’s the fact a representative any of the
team was allowed to oversee the inspection process that is the issue.
Today
marked the third time that three-time NHRA Pro Stock champion Greg
Anderson had been subjected to this type of race car impound.
Anderson
welcomes the inspections but the fact he cannot have a team member
present opens the possibilities for accidents to happen, he believes.
“You
know the intricacies, the wiring and the plumbing, of your cars, better
than they do,” said Anderson. “That’s not a cut on them [the NHRA];
they just didn’t build these cars they don’t really know what they are
doing. If they are yanking and pulling and disconnecting then what if
they forget to put something back together? That’s what we’re worried
about.”
Matt Smith said his Suzuki was inspected in Friday’s
group. He substantiated Anderson’s concerns by the way he described the
return of his bike.
“They unplugged stuff last night and cut off
some tie wraps,” Smith said. “I mean they did a lot of stuff. We had to
really go back over and check everything and make sure every thing is
right and make sure nothing comes undone.”
Kurt Johnson is no
stranger to NHRA inspections and while many of his Pro Stock
constituents are upset with the notion of leaving their cars in the
care of NHRA inspectors, he’s not.
“I trust the NHRA tech
officials; I think they are doing their job down there,” Johnson said.
“I’m actually glad that they are paying attention. As long as there are
no crew chiefs or anyone spying down there they can have that blue and
white Cobalt, doesn’t bother me.”
The overwhelming fear,
according to those interviewed by CompetitionPlus.com, in addition to
the potential for mechanical miscues, is the potential for the sterile
inspections to become compromised.
“It’s not a good deal
because anybody can come in and take pictures from a distance,” Smith
added. “It would be nice if they put a tarp up in between the bikes so
you can’t see everybody’s stuff, and you have to sit there; but you can
actually watch what they are doing.”
Pro Stock team owner Victor
Cagnazzi said this type of inspection is common in NASCAR with that
said, as long as the rules are equally enforced, he has no problems.
NASCAR inspections are conducted after every race, however, they are
done in an open atmosphere where even other teams can view the
inspection.
“I don’t have a problem with it as long as my
competitors aren’t there,” Cagnazzi said. “I don’t have an issue with
it they do it in NASCAR all the time where they take the cars. I guess
if my competitors were there and I wasn’t allowed to be there then I’d
probably be mad.”
CONSPIRACY THEORISTS PLOTTING - The conspiracy theorists are already plotting what will happen if No. 1 qualifier Cruz Pedregon 
and his brother Tony Pedregon meet in the semi-finals of Sunday’s final eliminations for the NHRA Carolinas Nationals in Concord, NC.
If the match materializes, bet on a Pedregon.
“If we can get to the semi-finals that will be a good problem to have,” said the defending Funny Car world champion, Cruz Pedregon. “In this day and age, if you can get past the first two rounds you know you’ve arrived. The best bet is to get a couple or rounds under your belt and then go from there. Tony will be a tough customer for tomorrow.”
Both Cruz and Tony share the same tuner in Rahn Tobler.
“That 4.09 run was pretty effortless, it will be interesting,” Pedregon added.
Cruz wasn't keen on talking about what might happened if he meets his brother, Tony, finally saying “I can tell you this … we want to win a race to salvage our year. Whoever is in the other lane is going to have to beat us. I’ll leave it at that.
“We have a car capable of doing it. We just need to do it. It will be interesting. Of all the racing, this is going to make for a good show. Team cars are going to be racing and they are going to duke it out.”
CATCHING UP, EDWARDS STYLE - Throughout the regular season in the Full Throttle Pro Stock championship battle, Mike Edwards was 
faced with very few opportunities to make up ground on rival Jeg Coughlin Jr. Now that the NHRA offers bonus points in qualifying, Edwards’ strength, he’s making the most of the opportunity.
In addition to snagging six points over Coughlin in standard qualifying, he gained an additional ten points on the strength of being the quickest in three of the four qualifying sessions. The one session that he didn’t pace, he was third, for one additional point.
“It can actually determine the outcome of the championship,” said Edwards of the extra points he earned. “I’m a big fan of this new points system, I can tell you that from qualifying.”
The bonus points are added incentive for Edwards.
“Anytime you can pick up some points before race day it’s pivotal,” he added. “The points we picked up today were almost as big as a round win. This program is going to spice up this championship for sure.”
The combination of losing key races during the regular season and the ability to bridge the points gap between himself and Coughlin provides enough inspiration for him to turn up the tuning wick more often than not.
“I just think every qualifying session is so important now and now there are no more throw-a-way rounds,” Edwards said. “It’s just like the first round because you’re up there racing the track but you are also up there racing against the other teams trying to get the points. There are 18-20 cars trying to do the same thing you did.”
But, clearly not as quick as Edwards is.
ARANA GAMBLES ON BONUS POINTS - If hindsight is 20/20 then Hector Arana can see clearly now.
Arana, who captured his sixth No. 1 qualifying effort of the season during the NHRA Carolinas Nationals in Concord, NC, is second guessing his decision to test new parts during the final two sessions of qualifying.
He missed the combination on both of the Saturday runs, shaking the tires in the first run and breaking the transmission on the second, managing a 7.06 elapsed time, far below Friday’s 6.965.
On Friday, Arana swept the bonus qualifying points. On Saturday the testing provided nothing but a headache as he missed out on the opportunity to gain six additional bonus points. The decision to test on Saturday only makes Sunday’s eliminations more challenging.
Arana won’t make the same mistake of testing within the national event parameters again.
“That’s what it looks like, that’s what we are going to have to do,” answered Arana, when asked if he will test outside of an event next time. “There’s no way to be here and try those things I wanted to try.”
And next time, Arana says, he won’t leave those bonus points on the table, no matter how overwhelming the desire arises to test.
“I was skeptical about the points system coming in and how it was going to work. So far in the first event it has worked to my favor,” Arana said. “I’m loving it, but it was kind of hard to make a decision on things I wanted to try out today. I thought about it [testing] but I have to do things to win races on Sunday.”
SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE - Qualifying in the top spot is nothing new for veteran Top Fuel driver Larry Dixon but the system in 
which he does it has changed. Seeded second in the Countdown to 1, Dixon admits the NHRA’s new bonus points have changed his view on qualifying.
“I would say before I wouldn’t really care whether I qualified first or third but now being first in a session means you get those three bonus points,” Dixon said, “It’s putting more precedence on the pole now than before.”
Dixon posted the quickest run of the weekend, 3.844 at 313.66 mph in Saturday’s morning qualifying session. His pole in the NHRA Carolinas Nationals in Concord, NC gives him five for the season and is the 36th in his career. This is Dixon’s first pole since the NHRA Northwest Nationals in Seattle, Washington.
Dixon’s new philosophy is to separate testing from qualifying and the new bonus points tie right into this.
“We get four test sessions allowed a year so we try to do our testing then. You come in here and we’re trying to do our best in every session,” adds Dixon, “Only difference now the ones who do well are going to get points for it.”
The spread in Top Fuel qualifying for Sunday’s race from 1st to 16th is a total of nine hundredths. Dixon knows what this means for Sunday eliminations.
“I don’t know what the qualifying spread was in Pro Stock but I think ours was nine hundredths between one and 16,” adds Dixon, “You can’t pedal a car and get back in it to save nine hundredths.
“Having a field that tight from one to 16 is going to keep you honest and race hard.”
With the amount of upsets that have occurred over the NHRA season, Larry Dixon is not looking past first round opponent, Terry Haddock, on Sunday.
“Terry beat Tony earlier (this year) to snap his round winning streak,” says Dixon.
ALL HAIL PAUL SMITH - Bob Gilbertson was as excited as he could be while competing at the NHRA Carolinas Nationals. His excitement while channeled through racing for sponsor Rinnai and performing before his home crowd paled in comparison to the end result of qualifying on Saturday.
Gilbertson, through the tuning efforts of veteran Paul Smith, made four runs where he didn’t smoke the tires, and most importantly, didn’t break parts.
“I only wish it was [on] Sunday,” Gilbertson said. “That’s what I’ve been thinking the whole time how I only wish it was in eliminations. 4-0 in qualifying it’s a good deal to come out here after being away for a while of course. Even in testing we ran four good runs here, the mighty Paul Smith I have to bow down to him no question. John Smith, Paul Smith they make a pretty good team.
“Without that guy we’d be shaking the tires like we did last year, we have to give it all to him. He makes me look good, bottom line.”
DECISION REVERSED – After several successful runs with their in-house chassis by Cory McClenathan, Don Schumacher Racing talked like they would cloak another in-house chassis in ARMY colors for defending Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher.
After setting low e.t., and winning the US Nationals, Mike Green, Schumacher's crew chief, along with other members of the organization decided it would be best to continue the dance with the chassis that got them there.
According to Mike Lewis, the shop assured the team they could get the new chassis finished in time for the NHRA Carolinas Nationals, but the effort would include some long days and nights. It was just the right thing to do, stated Lewis about staying with the current ARMY chassis they were using.
SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED - Motorcraft and Ford’s growing national network of Quick Lane Tire & Auto Centers announced today they have extended their sponsorship of Bob Tasca III and Tasca Racing’s Shelby Mustang Nitro Funny Car.
For the past two years, Ford Customer Service Division (FCSD) brands – Motorcraft and Quick Lane – have been the primary sponsors of the Tasca’s Shelby Mustang in the NHRA Full Throttle Racing Series. This multi-year extension ensures the two primary brands will remain on the car for years to come.
“We are proud to extend our relationship with Bob Tasca and everyone at Tasca Racing,” said Ken Czubay, Vice President, Ford U.S. Marketing, Sales and Service. “Our sponsorship with the Motorcraft and Quick Lane Shelby Mustang fits with our business plan and performance of solid products and results.
“From a start-up operation just over a year ago, to winning races and being in position to contend for the NHRA Funny Car title is a credit to the hard work this team has put in.”
Tasca begins the 2009 Countdown to 1 “playoffs” with two wins, and in fourth place in the Funny Car standings.
“I’ve always said the best gift someone can give another is to believe in them,” said Bob Tasca III. “Racing the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang has been amazing and to have Ford Customer Service Division invest in us is an honor because they believed in me. I’m an all F
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
 |
Click to visit our sponsor's website
FRIDAY NOTEBOOK -A CONTROVERSIAL FIRST DAY; TEARDOWNS INVADE PRO STOCK CARS AND BIKES
CONTROVERSIAL TEARDOWNS - Mike Edwards was late to his Friday evening press conference at the NHRA Carolinas Nationals in 
Concord, N.C. The Coweta, Ok.-based driver was one of five drivers selected by the sanctioning body for a tech inspection after second round qualifying.
Edwards was not upset that he was flagged for a tear down. He was upset that he was not allowed to be in attendance nor was another member of his team.
The NHRA selected five teams for the tear down and according to Edwards, those five were himself, Ron Krisher, Jeg Coughlin Jr., Allen Johnson and Rickie Jones.
“They made everybody leave their cars and everybody had to leave,” Edwards explained. “I wasn’t very hip on that. I don't like leaving my personal property, not at least without some member there. If they want to take me apart, I'll take any anything apart on my car they want me to. I want somebody from my team there with it. I don't like the way they did, but I went along with it. That's not right. That's my personal property.
“If they want to come over to my pit area, and take me apart, I don't care what I have to take apart. I'll do anything they want me to do as long as I am with my property. I don't know what they did. They made everybody leave. It was down there about 45 minutes to an hour.”
The NHRA’s media relations department confirmed that in addition to the five Pro Stockers inspected on Friday, five Pro Stock Motorcycles were likewise subjected to tear down. The balance of the Countdown teams in those divisions will be checked before the weekend is complete.
The NHRA stated the teams were asked to leave the inspection area in an effort to curb team interference and said this was a common procedure for this type of a inspection.
If it’s standard inspection procedure, that’s news to Edwards.
Asked if he could remember a time when his entire team had to leave the inspection area, Edwards said, “No, since I've been racing, that I actually couldn't have a member, or me, or somebody with my team with my car.”
Edwards believes the balance of the tear downs will come tomorrow.
“I assume there'll be the other five cars in the Countdown,” Edwards said. “I would sure hope so. I don't know what went on. Nobody knows what when on. I guess you just have to trust them. It's not so much the trust; it's the fact we work so hard on these cars and it's our stuff. Anytime you're not there to protect it from whatever, I don't think it's right.”
And tomorrow before he runs, it’s a sure bet, Edwards and his team will do their own inspection.
“We'll start from one end to the other because we don't know what happened,” Edwards confirmed. “We'll be out here late tonight looking at everything. The other thing, we had some issues on the run and wanted to get back. We had some issues with our engine and we wanted to see what was going on. You just don't know and when you’re backed up another hour, you just worry about the thing. We'll look it all over and much as we can and hopefully every thing's alright.”
CRUZ GOBBLING UP BONUS POINTS - Even though any points Cruz Pedregon earns during the final six races won't count towards an 
NHRA Full Throttle Funny Car Championship, it doesn’t mean he can’t take away a few from those in the title hunt.
Pedregon drove his Advance Auto Parts-sponsored Toyota to the provisional pole position on Friday evening at the NHRA Carolinas Nationals in Concord, NC. His efforts earned him three bonus points. Three points any one of the ten drivers in the Countdown would have wanted for themselves.
“We didn’t come out here and plan to take points from anyone,” said Pedregon whose second round loss in Indianapolis combined with a Robert Hight second round victory eliminated him from championship contention.
“We’re just out here trying to salvage our season. We just kind of didn’t get things going early enough in the summer and we’re out here just trying to perform at a high level. It’s unfortunate that we missed the Countdown by just a little bit … we had a car that was capable.”
Pedregon needed a good first day at Charlotte to compensate for the week following the controversial NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.
“My week was a bummer; I’d be lying if I told you it didn’t affect us,” Pedregon said. “It was really hard getting out of bed in the morning because you work so hard on these things all year. Ashley Force said it best and very classy in an interview when she commented on the pushing and yelling and everything. Everybody’s out here working hard with the blood, sweat and tears.”
Despite rumors that have questioned whether his performance in the Countdown will dictate his chances of racing next year, Pedregon said it has no bearing.
“We won the championship last year and lost money and sponsorships,” Pedregon said. “It’s one of those things where we live in a tough environment now and the economy is tough, I think it’s coming around and it’s coming back. Our contracts and our business are predicated on racing and finishing the year. Luckily it’s not about how you do.
“Kenny Bernstein said about 20 years ago that if your sponsorship is predicated on winning then you’re going to be in trouble. Winning is a bonus and winning is something you have to enjoy. You have to enjoy the fruits of winning and the agony of losing.”
PLOTTING THE POINTS WITH HECTOR - Hector Arana faces a dilemma. Should he continue to push for the three bonus points afforded 
any professional competitor who leads their respective session, or should he drift away from the proven combination that vaulted him to the top of the Pro Stock Motorcycle division during first two sessions of qualifying for the NHRA Carolinas Nationals in Concord, NC.
Arana recorded the quickest times in both qualifying sessions on Friday, ending the day with a best 6.965 elapsed time at 189.98 miles per hour. He picked up the full complement of bonus points at six.
“I’m taking advantage of this points system but let’s see what is going to happen,” Arana said.
Saturday, Arana admits, he might forgo the bonus points to experiment for Sunday’s eliminations. It will be a tough decision.
“There are times that when you qualified well you can go on and try other things,” Arana said. “You have to think do you really want to do this and can we really make this happen?”
Should he emerge as the quickest of the two remaining sessions, he could pick up another six bonus points and before he rolls to the line for the first round he could garner a total of 30 points, 12 more than he would have earned in the regular season.
“I have six points right now and that’s why we have to try something for tomorrow because what it counts is on Sunday, race day,” Arana said. “I don’t know about six points but I’m willing to sacrifice one. But I have to because we have to see what can happen and hopefully the change is for the better. We just have to know for Sunday, I can’t go into Sunday asking what if. I have to eliminate the “if”.”
PRESSURE? WHAT PRESSURE? - Performance cuts through the pressure of winning a championship, according to Antron Brown. Seeded 
number one in the Countdown to 1, Brown has leaned on his team to take off the pressure of a championship run.
“They tell me just do what you do, Tronics,” said Brown, the provisional Top Fuel No. 1 qualifier at the NHRA Carolinas Nationals in Concord, NC, “It's a team sport and I have a great team. When I don't step up to the plate, they do and when they take a step back, I take a step forward.
“That's how a team works and that's how we did on the Western Swing. We had each other's backs.”
For the first time the NHRA is adding bonus points for the top three quickest qualifying runs in each session. The points, 3-2-1, are awarded on a sliding scale.
“Now there's no more give me round. It’s back to ground zero and everybody is bunched up,” said Brown, “It's a six race stretch and if you don't perform here you're done.
“You'll find yourself at the back of the pack real quick like in the 10 or 9 spot. I don't want to be there so I put a little added pressure on myself.”
Brown qualified number one with an elapsed time of 3.847 seconds at 317.87 mph, but not before the competition turned up the heat.
“Tony went out there before us and dropped low e/t. The track was really good and we just had to be careful about it because a couple people got too aggressive,” adds Brown, “You don't want to get too aggressive because you don't want to lose those valuable points.”
Even with the added pressure, Brown plans to change what has happened in the past.
“I've been this close to a championship before and I'm not going to let this slip away from me. There's a lot of pressure out there. This is it; this is for all the balls of wax and the big trophy at the end of the year.”
TRONICS? - Antron Brown revealed during his post qualifying press conference his team has given him the nickname Tronics. Why? “Because he is always making up words that don't exist,” said his publicist.
IF YOU ARE KEEPING SCORE, PART TWO – Add Antron Brown, Cruz Pedregon and Mike Edwards to the list of drivers who have collected three points for being the fastest qualifiers in their respective divisions during second round qualifying. Hector Arana repeated as fastest qualifier in Pro Stock Motorcycle and is now six points richer in this battle for a world title.
The NHRA's new qualifying points system, which rewards points to the fastest three qualifiers on a 3-2-1 qualifying scale is meant to enhance the four rounds of qualifying prior to eliminations. The slate is wiped clean with each subsequent round where more points are then awarded. A driver good enough to be the fastest in all four rounds would pick up a maximum of 12 points.
The cumulative totals after two rounds of qualifying are –
Top Fuel
Antron Brown - 5 points
Tony Schumacher - 4 points
Doug Herbert - 3 points
Brandon Bernstein - 1 point
Funny Car
Robert Hight – 4 points
Mike Neff – 3 points
Cruz Pedregon – 3 points
Ashley Force Hood – 2 points
Pro Stock
Mike Edwards – 4 points
Allen Johnson – 3 points
Jason Line – 2 points
Ronnie Humphrey – 2 points
Greg Stanfield – 1 point
Pro Stock Motorcycle
Hector Arana – 6 points
Andrew Hines – 4 points
Angie McBride – 3 points
Michael Phillips – 1 point
ONCE A RACER - The look of intensity on David Pearson’s face told the story.
The look of the 75-year old former racer, a 105-time winner on the NASCAR tour as he sat astride a 350-horsepower Suzuki, assuming the position of a competitive rider, was one of total concentration.
Pearson, a special guest of NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Karen Stoffer during the NHRA Carolinas Nationals in Concord, NC, listened intently as Stoffer guided the cagey veteran through the nuances of navigating the six-second, 200-mph bike down the quarter-mile.
“It didn’t fit me too good,” said Pearson of the Geico Powersports Suzuki. “Of course the thing was built for Karen. I was just a little bit too big for it. I can see how it would be fun to run one of those.”
The brief tutorial worked well for Pearson, as he often intermingled his own Harley-Davidson riding experience, into the conversation.
Person didn’t race a motorcycle but his days are now filled partially with riding his custom Harley-Davidson.
Pearson is best know for racing stock cars ,but like many of his oval track counterparts kept an eye on other forms of motorsports. Drag racers always caught his eye because he used to be one of them.
Pearson, along with Richard Petty and Cotton Owens, all drag raced in 1965 while under contract to Dodge, which was boycotting NASCAR because of rules banning the Chrysler Hemi and other limited edition engines.
Pearson raced a 1964 Dodge Dart station wagon nicknamed the “Cotton Picker” and did so that season at the old Spartanburg Dragway, a drag strip located on the south side of Spartanburg, S.C.
“That car had a Hemi in the rear,” said Pearson of the car classified as Factory Experimental. “The first time we ever ran it was at Spartanburg.”
And Pearson was proud of that car.
“We won, every time we ran it,” Pearson said. “Racing has been awful good to me. I can’t complain a bit. I’m satisfied with where racing took me.”
As quickly as Pearson entered the Stoffer pit, he was gone, ready to take in all the changes in the pits which have taken place over the years, but not before leaving these parting words.
“(Drag racing is) a lot different from whenever I did it back then,” said Pearson. “I like any kind of racing. But when you can come out here and see these cars go 300 miles per hour; it’s just amazing. I like talking to the guys and learning what they do to make them go that fast.”
HAMMONDS’ PATRIOTIC PRIDE - Tom Hammonds admits taking a sabbatical from the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Pro Stock Series was one of the toughest and best decisions he has had to make.
The former NBA basketball superstar suspended his racing operation in May of this year. He’s returning to competition for two races, this weekend’s NHRA Carolinas Nationals in Concord, NC, and next week’s NHRA Fallnationals in Ennis, Texas.
“We’ve really tried to work hard on our sponsorship program,” said Hammonds. “Probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life is trying to secure a sponsorship. I knew that in order to be successful we couldn’t put the cart before the horse; we had to secure our program financially to make sure we can win next year and years down the road. For us to take three or four months off to secure that success that was important.”
One of the programs Hammonds has cultivated during his time off has been with the United States Marine Corps. He’s carrying their logo on the front fender of his Chevrolet Cobalt, but this relationship transcends a sponsor/car owner relationship.
Hammonds has incorporated the Marines into his Race for Achievement effort, a national school program intended to inspire student achievement.
The off-time enabled Hammonds to immerse himself in the project all the while developing a working relationship with the Marines.
“We’ve been involved with the Marines for about five or six months now and they are really involved with our Race for Achievement program,” said Hammonds.
In the days leading up to the race in Concord, Hammonds visited the Marines at Camp Lejeune. It was an inspirational experience.
“I’ll tell you what Camp Lejeune is no joke … it’s a top notch military facility. They breed nothing but fighting machines at Camp Lejeune. Right as you drive in there it says ‘Welcome to Camp Lejeune’ and then right after that there’s a big sign that says ‘Come to Fight, Come to Win.”
“That’s what America is all about. It really sent chills down my spine.”
Hammonds knows a thing or two about patriotic pride. As a member of the 1986 United States Olympic basketball team, he and his teammates defeated Russia for the gold medal, 87 – 85, in the championship game.
“One of the proudest moments of my life, other than when I got my [college] degree, was I had that chance to fight for my country,” said Hammonds, of the Olympic championship. “That was just a proud, proud moment in my life just getting that Gold Medal from the King of Spain. It made me realize how important it is that our troops are fighting for our country. I was just able to do a little part to bring back some pride to the United States.”
In short, Ashley cares. She worries about every action she takes against her competitors and she attributes the trait to being female.
“I don’t know how many times,” says Force Hood, “I’ve come back and asked 'did I sit too long?' and my crew chief says, 'don’t worry about it. Don’t worry about the other guy, they aren’t thinking about you'.
“That’s one bad habit I have and I’m trying to clear it - just trying to be competitive and not worrying about the other team. I guess that’s just a female habit in me. I don’t think too many men have that habit.”
In just her third year as a Funny Car driver, Force has captured her second and third career wins, including the prestigious US Nationals. She finished 10th in the point standings in 2007, improving to sixth in 2008. She currently sits third in the standings, behind Tony Pedregon and Ron Capps.
Those who drive race cars, be it a Funny Car, a Top Fueler, or anything with wheels for that matter, will tell you the most valuable asset of any great driver is experience. Force Hood is no different.
“There are so many scenarios that can happen in the race car,” explained Force Hood when asked if she was catching up to her race car. “It’s really taken me sometime to go in there and register what is happening and be able to correct the situations. I finally feel like I’m starting to recognize stuff instead of having to think about it and by that time it’s too late. My body is just kind of reacting because it’s been in that situation before and that just comes from experience. There’s really no way to get around that, you can have a background in mechanics like Robert but I don’t think it’s quite the same as driving. There’s nothing that can take the place of experience and however many years that would take. You have to take those experiences and make yourself better.”
The learning curve for Force Hood, has by her own admission been shortened by the opportunity to drive in quality equipment. For that, she is truly thankful.
“I definitely think the advantage I’ve had, because I am racing people that have been doing it for many years, and sometimes I feel that it’s unfair to a lot of the other drivers. I got put in a really good car with a good team and really good parts,” said Force Hood. “That’s a really good part of it; I was able to have a really good place to start from. I couldn’t imagine trying to learn in a car that didn’t go down the track and have parts failure and stuff like that. That’s maybe why I think the learning curve was a little quicker.”
One former Funny Car driver, Whit Bazemore, praised Force Hood's Indy performance saying that from what he saw on television, the daughter of 14-time Funny Car Champ John Force display skills equal to or above car she drives.
Force, the father and car owner, came close to agreeing with Bazemore. As a driver, the senior Force is an aggressor. He lives the life of a man always on the edge. Occasionally, as in Indy, Force's emotions carry him over the edge. Ashley, he proudly admits, gets the job done in a far gentler manner.
“She’s not better than the car but she is getting pretty close,” said Force as part of media day at zMAX Dragway the day before the start of the NHRA Carolinas Nationals, before adding a comment about her skills off the racetrack.
“As a boss, I am proud of her because it isn’t just the competition like taking on the boys. It’s taking on the crowds, the interviews, the pressure and she’s not going to do it my way. I live on the edge. She’s her mother’s personality, she’s the best, she’s calm and cool. At the end of the day that’s going to make her a better driver.
“As a father, I’m proud of that little girl that fell off the top of a pyramid in cheerleading and got back up stunned and started crawling back up. I watch that girl sick to her stomach back stage when she had to go out at Long Beach and play the piano and sing. She said ‘Mom I think I’m sick’ and when they yelled Ashley you’re on she hit that floor. She gathered it up and went out there and sang. Let me tell you something she don’t need to be a race car driver. Hollywood wants her right now, she can dance, she can sing, Dancing with the Stars wants her right now but she can’t free her schedule. That kid has so much talent beyond me and I have none.
“This kid is the future of the sport. A female with the Earnhardt name. She’s going to do some real damage.”
IF YOUR KEEPING SCORE – Mike Neff, Allen Johnson and Hector Arana are all three points richer in their respective championship battles – Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle. Doug Herbert, in only his second appearance in Top Fuel, grabbed the three points for being the quickest qualifier in that division.
The NHRA's new qualifying points system, which rewards points to the fastest three qualifiers on a 3-2-1 qualifying scale is meant to enhance the four rounds of qualifying prior to eliminations. The slate is wiped clean with each subsequent round where more points are then awarded. A driver good enough to be the fastest in all four rounds would pick up a maximum of 12 points.
Antron Brown, Robert Hight, Jason Line and Andrew Hines picked up two points each, while Tony Schumacher, Ashley Force Hood, Mike Edwards and Angie McBride picked up a single point for being third quickest.
Points are awarded based on elapsed time and not speed.
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
THURSDAY NOTEBOOK - THE DAY BEFORE THE COUNTDOWN
QUESTIONS ABOUT FOUR-WIDE - When Bruton Smith decided to build a drag strip in the shadows of Lowe's Motor Speedway, he felt that if two lanes were good, then four lanes must definitely be better.
We'll find out Sunday afternoon as the NHRA pairs up two sets of Funny Cars and two sets of Top Fuelers just prior to the final round of eliminations in the NHRA Carolinas Nationals at zMAX Dragway.
“Ever since we built (the track) we've been asking them (NHRA) to do something like this,” said Adrian Parker, Director of Media Relations for the drag strip. “Ultimately, we couldn't do it without their approval. They actually came to us a few weeks ago and said, 'here's what we'd like to do' and we said, 'let's do it'.”
In fact, Smith has been urging the NHRA to test out his four lanes of racing surface even before the first spade of dirt was turned in the construction of zMAX Dragway. Traditional drag strips are built with two lanes, Smith wanted four. Renderings of the facility showed four lanes. Smith wanted four lanes of racing and with two exhibition runs this coming Sunday, the NHRA, after getting feedback from team owners and drivers at Reading, just a month ago, will dip their toes into the asphalt pool and see how it goes.
There will be eight men or women, strapped in to 8,000 horsepower land rockets, each ready to snap the throttle and thunder down 1000 feet of race track. That's 32,000 ground pounding, earth shaking, ear splitting, heart quaking horsepower all in one blast, not once, but twice.
It's a spectacle that shouldn't be missed. Or is it?
At this time, no one, not even the NHRA knows who will be strapped into those race cars. The list of potential candidates won't be known until after the first round of eliminations. When 8 of 16 are no longer racing for the “Wally”, only then will the NHRA be able to pair up four Funny Car and four Top Fuel drivers.
This exhibition of four wide racing is a winning opportunity for four losers, in a manner of speaking. Four drivers with the vision to be part of an experiment which conceivably could alter the course of drag racing forever.
However, that vision comes at a price. First you have to lose in the first round, something no driver and/or car owner wants to do. Then, the driver or car owner has to decide if the experience is worth the cost.
Burning nitro for 1000 feet is not free. It comes at a cost. The biggest single obstacle for the teams at this time, appears to be renumeration for making the run. One car owner reports that the NHRA is only paying $2,500 for the pass. It might not be enough for the top teams and it might not even be enough for those on much slimmer budgets.
Don Schumacher, owner of two Top Fuelers and three Funny Cars, isn't ready to say no to the exhibition, but he isn't ready to say yes either.
“I really don’t want to make that decision right now,” Schumacher said. “It depends on a lot of factors. Through PRO's negotiations, we got NHRA to agree to at least compensate the teams $2500 for that run – to cover tires, nitro and miscellaneous stuff. I really have to look over the safety issues when I am there. I believe NHRA has addressed everything. I am quite confident in that. I do have concerns about how the other two lanes are going to be prepped. I really won't make that decision until I am there.”
Bob Vandergriff Jr., a Top Fuel team owner whose dragster is driven by Hot Rod Fuller, pointed out that he’s hasn't liked the idea from the moment he heard of it.
“I think it's gimmicky,” Vandergriff said. “I think it demeans the competitive side of our sport. I don't agree with it. I am just curious, after we do this, are we going to have to drive through a ring of fire to draw attention. Is that the next step? I think it gimmicky and demeaning to the competition side of our sport.”
One guy, Terry Haddock, who has struggled to make every event doesn't see “gimmick”, he sees opportunity. Haddock, who planned on just running his Top Fueler this weekend, will also bring his Funny Car along, just in case.
“I would love to be a part of it,” Haddock said. “I think it will be great. I don't think it is going to lead to four wide racing as part of an event, but I would be honored to be a part of this exhibition.
“I think this is a really special event and think the NHRA is definitely doing something good for the sport to get the sport and the drivers more exposure.”
However, Haddock isn't going to let his enthusiasm dictate his pocketbook. He can't run an exhibition race if it means doing so might hinder him making the next race.
“I know what it costs me to make a run down the track. I just made two exhibition runs in Milan (Mi) and made $12,000. I know I couldn't do it for $2500 but I could do it for $4000. My costs are not as high as some of the other teams.”
Tim Wilkerson hasn’t thought much about the exhibition as he hopes to pad his championship aspirations by making it past the first round, however if he should lose in the first round, he'll consider running the exhibition.
“I don't think you need to look at it as a financial gain,” Wilkerson said. “There's no doubt about that. I think the only way you can approach this is you're trying to enhance the sport. If you're looking at it any other way, you're wasting your time.”
The NHRA isn't looking to waste anyone's time. Participation is voluntary and it doesn't count against the testing limit, which in itself could convince some to participate.
This is after all a test. And, testing is never free, but it can be very beneficial to both a team and the sport.
COIL RETURNS - Crew chief Austin Coil plans to be back at work this weekend.
On an all-concrete zMax Dragway track on which neither has yet won a single racing round, John Force and Coil try this week to apply an exclamation point to their 25-year collaboration and, at the same time, take a first tentative step toward securing their 15th joint Funny Car Championship.After taking a one-race medical leave, Coil returns to work at this week's second annual Carolina Nationals with an opportunity to earn his 1,000th round win with Force as his driver.
How good is that? Well, do the math. Divide 1,000 rounds by 25 years and what you get is 40 – as in 40 rounds won every year for a full quarter of a century.
Unfortunately, it's a statistic that will mean nothing this week when Force and Coil begin their latest championship quest 80 points behind pacesetting Tony Pedregon in the Full Throttle standings that were adjusted following the Labor Day Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis, Ind.
"The only round that makes any difference," Coil has said, "is the last one. If you won the last won, then there's the chance you can win the next one and if you happen to be lucky enough to win four-in-a-row, well, you're back in the winners' circle."
OBJECTIVES ACHIEVED, NEW ONES ON TAP - Top Fuel racer Morgan Lucas established a set of goals for his team at the start of the 2009 
season. He's won races and garnered a spot in the Countdown to 1. Now it is time to go after a new goal. One that was more a dream than a goal back in January.
Lucas wants a Full Throttle Drag Racing world championship.
"Our goals for this season were pretty simple: We wanted to win a few races, get both team cars in the Countdown to 1, and have as much fun as possible,” said Lucas. “We've managed to do all three things and we couldn't be happier. To me that makes us a little more dangerous right now because we're not putting any pressure on ourselves."
Credit crew chief Jimmy Walsh and his supporting cast of Morgan Lucas Racing team members.
"The guys have given me a great race car and Jimmy's been aggressive," said Lucas, who also owns rookie Shawn Langdon's Lucas Oil/Dixie Chopper dragster. "If we can minimize our mistakes and keep the right mindset, we can really surprise some people down the stretch here."
EIGHT IS ENOUGH - Eight lucky drag racing fans will take part in a history-making event when they get the opportunity to stand behind the starter as Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars race four wide at zMAX Dragway on Sunday, Sept. 20, during the NHRA Carolinas Nationals.
Earlier this month zMAX Dragway and NHRA officials announced that for the first time in NHRA history, modern Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars will race four lanes, four wide and unleash 32,000 horsepower on the Bellagio of drag strips. Eight fans will get to feel the force of all that
horsepower and smell the nitro as they stand behind the starter on both sets of lanes when the cars launch from the starting line.
"Fans are the backbone of this sport and we felt they needed to be a part of this history-making exhibition," said Marcus Smith, Speedway Motorsports, Inc. president. "Those eight lucky fans will definitely have the experience of a lifetime Sunday as they feel 32,000 horsepower at point-blank range at zMAX Dragway."
Fans will have a chance to be up front and center as history is made by signing up at specially marked booths on Friday and Saturday. Names will be randomly selected and the eight lucky fans in attendance will be announced Sunday morning during pre-race activities.
The drivers for each of the four-wide exhibition races will be determined that day among those who lose in the first round of eliminations.
Drivers who have the higher standing in the NHRA championship points order will be given the first opportunity to participate in the unique exhibition.
MAKING THE MOST OF THE OPPORTUNITY - How he got here is not important, Robert Hight is in the NHRA playoffs and has every intention of making the most of the opportunity.
Put aside his struggles, and the fact he made his way into the Countdown to One with one round left in the regular season.
Hight has found his groove at the best possible time.
“It looks like we’re finally getting our act together at the right time,” said Hight. “I guess it’s better late than never, but we’re happy to have all of our Ford Mustangs in there. That was a major accomplishment for us. It wasn’t an easy thing. The way my Auto Club Ford Mustang is running now, we could actually win it from the number 10 spot. I can’t wait for Charlotte; that race cannot come too soon. It would be nice to keep this roll going because our Mustang is running very well. It takes a lot of work and if you struggle a little like we did, you can get behind and almost not make it. I’m excited that six of the top 10 are Ford Mustangs and, you know what, one of us ought to win this Championship.”
Hight managed to keep his focus intact despite last minute driver and crew chief shuffles. When the playoffs were on the line, he delivered with a No. 1 qualifying effort and an event runner-up finish.
The stellar performance saved his season.
“If you don’t make the Top 10 it means your season is over for all practical purposes,” Hight explained. “I guess you could look at it like you can start testing for next year, but I wasn’t ready for my season to be over. It’s just now getting started, the way I look at it. I’m very excited about that, relieved, but excited going into Charlotte, knowing that we could be moving up in this deal.”
Hight admits that even though the situation looked grim, he never lost sight of how close the team was in regaining their performance.
“Well, people probably got tired of hearing me, throughout all the struggles, say, ‘We’re close.’ I would say that Jimmy – crew chief Jimmy Prock- is not that far off, he’s getting closer, and of course things would happen and we wouldn’t do well,” Hight said. “Little things would come up, mistakes were made, but everybody stuck together. I still have the same exact team that I had last year. We stuck together as a team, worked through it, and we believed in each other. We knew we were close, and we just kept working hard, and that’s what it takes to win.”
Last year, at this event, Hight qualified No. 2 and had the car to beat, but in the semi-finals Jack Beckman, by his own admission guessed the light, and recorded a spectacular .002 reaction time (.000 is perfect) and he defeated Hight with a slower 4.15 second run to Hight’s 4.10 second pass. Beckman went on to win the inaugural event and Hight ultimately finished fourth in his quest for his first Funny Car championship.
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
 |
Click to visit our sponsor's website
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
 |
Click to visit our sponsor's website
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
 |
Click to visit our sponsor's website
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
 |
Click to visit our sponsor's website
