NHRA QUICK HITS RACE DAY REPORT - DENVER

TOP FUEL

FIRST ROUND

VANDERGRIFF ADVANCES WITH HIS BEST OF THE WEEKEND - Bob Vandergriff defeated Morgan Lucas in a race where they had identical reaction times. Lucas had trouble from the start and Vandergriff ran his quickest time of the weekend (3.990 seconds at 304.94 mph) to advance.
 
BERSTEIN BACK TO WINNING - In a close side-by-side race, Brandon Bernstein got back on the winning track for the first time since the semifinals at Englishtown. In his fifth meeting so far this season with Grubnic, Bernstein clocked a 3.975-second elapsed time that turned out to be quickest of the round, at a 300.06 mph.
 
PALMER SCORES UPSET – No. 13 qualifier Scott Palmer defeated Terry McMillen. Palmer, already tossing his blower belt, took advantage of McMillen's tire-smoking run to upset the No. 4 qualifier.  The struggling, lo-budgeted Palmer, who has some fresh funding from Fischer Honda, scored his previous round-win at Richmond's Virginia Motorsports Park, a facility the NHRA has not visited since 2009. McMillen's fairy-tale weekend failed to produce his fourth round-win of the season.
 
WHO NEEDS EIGHT CYLINDERS? - This is the site where Doug Kalitta earned his most recent victory, in 2010, and he survived a run in which both drivers weren't running on all eight cylinders. "Sometimes you've got to be lucky," Kalitta said after his winning 4.161-second pass at 283.91 mph.
 
BROWN DRIVES AWAY FROM PASSEY – Antron Brown and the Matco Tools/Aarons/Toyota Dragster scored a runaway victory over Rob Passey. "We keep on pressing," Brown said at the top end. Brown's next opponent will be Vandergriff. It will be their first meeting of the year.
 
MAKING THE GRADE - Top Fuel points leader and No. 1 qualifier Spencer Massey graded his brand-new DSR-built car A++++ -- topping Brown's assessment of "A" with his own the run before. Steve Chrisman gave Massey a strong challenge, but Massey had the victory, with a 3.992-second .E.T. at a 308.92-mph speed that was best of the round, while Chrisman ran 4.127, 285.89.

TORRENCE ADVANCES - Steve Torrence led at every incremental, frustrating long-overdue Langdon. Torrence's winning numbers were 4.006, 300.53 in the Torrence Family / Capco Contractors Dragster. He'll meet Doug Kalitta in the second round.
 
BALOOSHI WINS HIS FIRST - For the most surprising result of the class, Top Fuel rookie al Khalid al Balooshi finally got his first round-win in the Al-Anabi/Toyota Dragster in Race No. 13 of the season. The Los Angeles-based Dubai native nicked seven-time champion Schumacher by one-thousandth of a second and afterward unzipped his fire suit to reveal a Post-It note of encouragement stuck to his shirt. "Today's your day - You can do it!" read crew chief Jason McCulloch's prophetic message. Massey will be al Balooshi's quarterfinal opponent. The scoreboard: 4.014, 301.81 for al Balooshi, 4.020, 304.19 for Schumacher.

QUARTER-FINALS

DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS -  This is the lone quarterfinal match-up in which the drivers had met previously this season. Doug Kalitta had a cylinder out early in the run, and Steve Torrence capitalized with his 4.016, 292.52 run. Kalitta posted a 4.055, 289.26. "We're going to do what we can, whatever it takes," Torrence said.
 
UGLY FREEBIE - Scott Palmer shut down his car on the starting line, handing Brandon Bernstein a free pass. He must have been especially frustrated with his turn of luck, as Bernstein lost traction and coasted to a 4.654, 171.49 victory.
 
CLOSE CALL - A pop and a bang from Bob Vandergriff's C&J Energy Services were all Antron Brown needed to nose him out and advance to the semifinals. Brown gave kudos to Vandergriff's team, then said his own needs "to dig deep" for the next round.
 
FELL APART AT END - The Al-Anabi/Toyota Dragster driven by Khalid Al Balooshi had the edge almost all the way down the track, but -- like in Vandergriff's case -- a late pop and bang from the engine allowed Spencer Massey to drive past for the half-car-length victory with a 296.18-mph speed that was fastest of Round 2.

SEMI-FINALS

OH, BABY! - All along, Bernstein had hoped to have a terrific showing this weekend, not just to break his winless streak that dates back to 2009 at Richmond, Va., but also to put an exclamation mark on his momentous week. He and wife Tracey welcomed son Landon Russell into the world earlier this week to join daughter Lyla Faith. Now Bernstein will have the chance to go for a victory. Massey left the starting line first, but Bernstein overtook him and held him off for a .0087-second margin of victory.     
 
ANOTHER SWEEP IN MAKING? - Brown, who has swept the Western Swing, has a chance to start another run at it. He and Torrence were virtually even out of the gate but Brown had a 3.991, 306.33 to win. Torrence, who had been to four finals in the previous six races, trailed with a 4.303, 250.78. 

FINALS

STEP ONE OF SWEEP COMPLETE - Antron Brown denied Brandon Bernstein his first victory since October 2009 -- by one-hundredth of a second, or about three feet, to give Don Schumacher Racing a double victory following Jack Beckman's Funny Car triumph over Courtney Force. In a thrilling victory that went right down to the last inch of the 1,000-foot course, Brown prevailed with a 3.957-second, 308.21-mph performance in the Matco Tools/Toyota Dragster against Bernstein's 3.959, 307.58 in the MAVTV/Lucas Oil Dragster.

FUNNY CAR

FIRST ROUND

HIGHT SETS EARLY PACE - Robert Hight started the first round of eliminations in Funny Car in impressive fashion, running a strong 4.251 at 288.39 mph to easily outdistance Jeff Diehl in a commanding first-round win.

Hight never trailed and was never challenged after Diehl lost traction at the 330-foot mark and limped to a 5.142 at 162.70 mph. Hight, meanwhile, delivered a clean pass as he tries to win for the third time at Bandimere.
 
CAPPS DELIVERS TOP RUN OF ROUND - Ron Capps saw encouraging signs on Saturday when he was the only Funny Car driver to reach the 4.20s in qualifying.

Those good vibes continued in the first round against Alexis DeJoria, as Capps turned in what ended up as the top run of the round, going 4.235 at 295.98 mph to cruise past DeJoria and her 4.914 at 169.19 mph.

DeJoria got out of the groove early and couldn’t get back on track, but it likely wouldn’t have mattered against Capps, who was straight and true with an outstanding run.
 
BECKMAN CRUISES WITH ANOTHER SOLID RUN - Jack Beckman didn’t have to do much after Todd Simpson had a red light, but the No. 1 qualifier still turned in another solid run, continuing the trend that started on Friday.

Beckman ran 4.27 on another solid and straight pass, giving him five straight for the weekend, easily sending him to the quarterfinals after Simpson turned on the red light .181 ahead of time. Beckman said he saw Simpson leave well ahead of time.

“That’s when you know you have a freebie and that’s a good feeling. You just have to be sure you don’t cross the center line or something like that,” Beckman said.
 
CRUZ TAKES IT ON A HOLESHOT - Cruz Pedregon and Bob Tasca turned in a fantastic side-by-side race in the first round, but Pedregon won this one at the starting line, making his 4.261 at 290.26 mph stand up to Tasca’s quicker 4.258 at 293.98 mph.

But Cruz won it at the line thanks to a .059 reaction time, holding off Tasca in a thriller by .012, which amounted to about five feet. It was an encouraging sign for Pedregon, who had suffered through his share of frustrations this weekend.

“Anytime you race Bob, it’s going to be tough. We finally got it together here today. Our crew and everyone got their heads right and we have a car that can do something today,” Pedregon said.
 
NO PROBLEM FOR NEFF IN ANOTHER GOOD ONE - Mike Neff and Johnny Gray delivered another strong side-by-side race in the first round, but Neff had too much in the second half of the race, pulling away late with a 4.275 at 299 mph.

Johnny Gray could never quite the combination to get into the 4.20s this weekend and that proved detrimental against the talented Neff. This time, Gray went 4.366 at 282.95 to stay competitive with Neff, but Neff was able to hold off Gray.

“Johnny’s a great competitor and has a great car, and I feel real fortunate to get that win,” Neff said.
 
FORCE TRACKS DOWN T-PED - John Force needed this one, and he chased down Tony Pedregon to get it. It was another first-round performance featuring a pair of huge names and they delivered one more entertaining side-by-side run, but Tony Pedregon couldn’t hold on and Force won with a 4.357 at 290.07 mph.

Pedregon had a great .009 reaction time, but got loose at half-track and had to watch Force go around him as he finished with a 4.468 at 228.81 mph.

“I need to get a win for myself and I just need to get my stuff together,” Force said.
 
ANOTHER WIN FOR ANOTHER FORCE - Courtney Force followed her dad in eliminations and also followed him into the quarterfinals. She went 4.39 at 284.21 mph in an important first-round win against Tim Wilkerson, who ran into trouble almost immediately and finished with a 5.453 at 136.12 mph.

Wilkerson couldn’t repeat his 2008 win at Bandimere, throwing away a better reaction time against Force by smoking the tires early. Courtney gets teammate Robert Hight in the quarterfinals, but she also helped keep Wilkerson at bay as he was trying to track down John, who is currently 10th in points.

“I love the Wilkerson family to death, but we really needed that win. That was a huge win for us and hopefully we can keep this car consistent and getting down to the other end,” Courtney Force said.
 
AREND SLIPS BY HAGAN IN THRILLER -  The first round ended with every higher qualified car advancing, though Jeff Arend just barely held off No. 9 qualifier Matt Hagan in the closest race of a dynamite first round.

In yet another great side-by-side race, this one took the prize for best race of the first round, as Arend and his 4.32 at 291.89 mph was enough to beat Matt Hagan and his 4.327 at 286.38 mph by a mere .0004.

Hagan was quicker off the line, but Arend had just enough to slip by at the finish line, taking the win by a scant two inches.

“I saw the win light come on, and I just got lucky there. These guys have given me a great car,” Arend said.

QUARTER-FINALS

CAPPS DOES HIS PART TO NIP NEFF - After showing the strength of the car in the first round, Ron Capps showed his driving prowess in a great matchup between Don Schumacher Racing and John Force Racing.

It was team DSR who took this one and Capps took it on a holeshot, as his 4.333 at 289 mph held up against Neff and his 4.308 at 292.20 mph, thanks to a better .060 reaction time.

Neff wasn’t able to get into the 4.20s as track temperatures rose, but he did his job on the starting to advance to the semifinals.

To advance to the finals, Capps will have to get by Courtney Force.

“You have to do your job. It was a close race and we’re onto the next round,” Capps said.
 
C. FORCE OVERCOMES ISSUE TO MOVE ON - Courtney Force ran into trouble early, but Robert Hight had it later and that gave Force the opening she needed to advance to the semifinals with a 4.496 at 274 mph.

She had a cylinder go out early, but Hight couldn’t make it done without trouble later, running into issues of his own.

Force quickly reset, found the groove and ran past Hight, who finished with a 4.498 at 244.96 mph. It was gutsy performance for Force, who finds herself in the semifinals after plenty of popping and banging to slip past Hight by just more than a foot.

“I drove this car as hard as could. I just kept driving and kept fighting and tried to keep it in the center. I was able to drive around Robert and that was exciting. Hopefully we can keep going,” Force said.
 
J. FORCE KNOCKS OUT ANOTHER PEDREGON - John Force seems to be finding his rhythm at Bandimere and a second Pedregon was sent home because of it. Force went 4.412 at 281.83 mph, and Cruz washed out at the starting line, finishing with a disappointing 5.591 at 141.31 mph.

It was a big win for Force, who cemented his hold in the top 10 with a win and moved closer to an all-Force final against his daughter. First, he will have to get past Jack Beckman in what is one of two heavily-anticipated semifinals.

“It’s all about the love of the sport. Cruz is an animal out there, but I’m fighting for everything I got,” Force said.
 
BECKMAN STAYS CONSISTENT IN QUARTERFINAL WIN - Jeff Arend delivered a great run and made Jack Beckman sweat, but chalk up another consistent run – and another round win – for Beckman, the No. 1 qualifier.

Beckman went 4.358 at 286.80 mph to beat Arend and his 4.474 at 250 mph, but it wasn’t easy, even with a better reaction time. Still, Beckman had more than enough to hang on, winning by plenty.

It sets up some juicy semifinals, as DSR’s Beckman will face John Force, and DSR’s Neff will meet Courtney Force.

“It’s going to be an interesting deal. It’s getting hot out here and it’s going to be survival of the fittest. I think we have a good shot to put both these (DSR) cars in the finals,” Beckman said.

SEMI-FINALS

BECKMAN GETS GIFT FROM J. FORCE - It’s certainly a rarity, but a red light from John Force sent Jack Beckman to the finals in Funny Car.

Force went red by .005, gift-wrapping a finals appearance for Beckman, who still turned in a solid 4.384 at 280 mph.

Force ran the slower 4.40, so it might not have mattered, but Beckman got the win light early. It’s the second red-light win handed to Beckman today, who will certainly take it as he moves to the finals. Beckman also moved to 18-6 in his career against Force with the round win.

“They don’t give a smaller trophy. It doesn’t matter what the other lane does as long as you get the win. To get past Force is huge,” Beckman said.
 
C. FORCE DELIVERS BEST RUN OF DAY TO UNSEAT CAPPS - Courtney Force turned in her best performance of eliminations, running a 4.259 at 295.79 mph to turn in a dominant semifinal victory against Ron Capps, who slowed to a 4.367 at 286.32 mph.

Capps had his worst run of eliminations at the worst time, but it might not have mattered as Force led throughout an in impressive wire-to-wire run, which also advances Force to her second final in 2012.

Force also broke an 0-for-4 winless streak against Capps, inching closer to her first career win.

“It’s pretty crazy. I was trying to do everything I can and to get to another final is awesome. I have a great team behind me and I’m so excited. We’ll see what happens,” Force said.

FINAL

BIG RUN SENDS BECKMAN TO VICTORY - Courtney Force and Jack Beckman delivered a great side-by-side race in the final, but it was Beckman who capped off a wire-to-wire win, running a 4.277 at 293.79 mph to beat Force and her 4.289 at 283.49 mph by a slim .009 in a thrilling Funny Car final.

Force gave it everything she had, sticking with it even as it started to get a little hairy late in the run, but Beckman had enough power in his Mopar to chase her down at the finish line, winning by four feet. It was a valiant effort from Force, who pushed her Funny Car to the limit and led at 660 feet in her second final.

Beckman, though, had a weekend to remember, putting together solid passes on every run in eliminations and qualifying, winning for the second time at Bandimere, the second time in 2012 and giving another victory to Don Schumacher Racing.

PRO STOCK

FIRST ROUND

ANDERSON TAKES STAR-STUDDED OPENER - It was an incredible matchup to kick off the first round of eliminations in Pro Stock, but Greg Anderson turned a better reaction time into a first-round win.

Anderson had the early lead, thanks to a brilliant .014 light, and Anderson’s 6.978 at 197.28 mph edged Jeg Coughlin’s 6.983 at 196.99 mph.

It’s been a roller-coaster weekend for Anderson, but he hoped the round win was a good sign for the rest of the day, though he gets Allen Johnson in the quarterfinals.

“We certainly started off a little behind. You need about 20 runs out here, but hopefully we can find some more magic and give (A. Johnson) a run,” Anderson said.
 
NOBILE STAYS HOT, ADVANCES - Vincent Nobile entered eliminations having won his last seven rounds. Well, make that eight after he cruised in a commanding first round win against Warren Johnson.

Nobile went 6.987 at 197.45 mph and coupled with an .027 reaction time, it was plenty to distance himself from Johnson, who had a 7.041 at 195.59 mph.

“We’re on a hot streak for sure and my team has given me a great car. Hopefully we can go three more rounds today,” Nobile said.
 
MORGAN PULLS THE UPSET AGAINST ENDERS - Larry Morgan needed every bit of his fantastic .007 reaction time in his first-round upset against Erica Enders.

Morgan went 7.005 at 196.39 mph – his quickest run of the weekend – and it was good enough to beat Erica Enders and her 6.975 at 196.10 mph, which was also her best run of the day. But Morgan got her at the line and held on to win by three feet.

“I don’t know how we lucky and won that round. We needed that .007 I’m sure, and it’s just good to be in the second round,” Morgan said.
 
LINES TURNS HEADS IN WIN -  It didn’t end up as the track record for long, but Jason Line had the track record for a few minutes, running an outstanding 6.948 at 197.10 mph to chase down Deric Kramer and his 7.073 at 194.63 mph.

But Kramer had a big advantage at the line thanks to a .049 reaction time, and Line needed all of that 6.94 to slip past Kramer.

Line escaped with a win, but he was sweating bullets until the finish line.

“We’re getting there and anytime you get a round win in the mountains, it’s a good thing,” Line said.
 
JOHNSON PERFECT, BUT GAINES GETS WIN - Kurt Johnson had a perfect reaction time, but even that wasn’t good enough as V. Gaines went into the 6.94s as well, going 6.949 at 198.12 to chase down and pull away from Johnson.

Johnson was perfect on the tree, but struggled to a 7.076 and Gaines had no trouble getting around Johnson despite trailing by nearly .100 at the starting line.

A. JOHNSON SETS TRACK RECORD, PITTMAN NOT SERIOUSLY INJURED IN HUGE CRASH - Allen Johnson re-set the track record in a brilliant run, but the focus quickly shifted to Paul Pittman, who was involved in a huge crash at the top end of the track.

Johnson went an incredible 6.916 at 198.70 mph in an outstanding run, but the attention was on Pittman after he went sideways.

After getting out of the groove, Pittman drifted towards the centerline and then darted hard to the right. Pittman pulled it back to keep it off the wall, but the car barrel-rolled and hit the left guardwall. Pittman’s car then went back across the track, slamming hard into the right wall. It drifted back into the left wall for one more hard hit before coming to a stop.

The NHRA safety team was quickly on the scene and Pittman was out of the car almost immediately and appeared to suffer no serious injuries.

It was a very tough break for Pittman and certainly a devastating way to end the weekend for a driver making his Pro Stock debut.

“I’m excellent. I’m in real good shape,” Pittman said when asked if he had any injuries.

“The main and important thing is you’re able to walk away. All weekend we’ve been struggling leaving the starting line and we finally did that. I just thought, ‘I’m going to make a run here,’ and next thing I know I’m going towards the cones. I veered to the right and she started fishing all over the place. Before I knew it, the car was on the roof and I knew it was going to be a real hard hit.” VIEW THE FULL SEQUENCE

EDWARDS WINS, BUT NOT OVERLY PLEASED - For Mike Edwards, it was a win and that’s about it.

Edwards had a solid 6.969 at 197.16 mph to easily beat Steve Kalkowski and his 7.228 at 178.87, but he wasn’t overly satisfied with his performance.

Kalkowski’s run was actually thrown out after he drifted over the centerline and hit the blocks.

It was a workmanlike performance for Edwards, but he was hardly overjoyed with the performance after watching three straight 6.94s before him.

“We’ll have to pick it up a little bit if we want to keep going rounds. We’ll see what happens,” Edwards said.
 
KRISHER STAYS CONSISTENT, GETS WIN - Ron Krisher qualified with a 6.973 and that’s what he delivered in his first-round win against Shane Gray, going 6.973 at 197.74 to easily beat Shane Gray.

The pair were nearly identical off the starting line, but Gray’s 2012 Camaro could only muster a 7.022 at 196.42, sending Krisher to the quarterfinals.

QUARTER-FINALS

NOBILE NEVER TRAILS IN IMPRESSIVE PERFORMANCE - Make that nine straight rounds wins for Vincent Nobile. After his impressive double-up in Norwalk, Nobile is back in the semifinals with his best all-around performance of the weekend in Denver.

It came against Mike Edwards, and after a .004 reaction time, Nobile and his 6.988 at 197.36 mph was enough to hold off Edwards and his 6.999 at 197.68 mph.

Nobile never trailed and now takes plenty of momentum into another semifinal.
 
GAINES ENSURES NO MORGAN UPSET HERE - Larry Morgan couldn’t pull off another upset, as V. Gaines never trailed in rolling to the semifinals with a strong 6.965 at 197.54 mph.

Morgan slowed to a 7.018 at 196.13 mph, and trailed immediately after Gaines had the better reaction time as well (.023).

Gaines will meet Nobile in a great semifinal matchup, and will have lane choice.

“I’m having so much fun, you wouldn’t believe it. This is just fantastic,” Gaines said.
 
LINE DOES HIS JOB TO GET INTO SEMIFINALS - After an impressive performance from his 2012 Camaro in the first round, Jason Line relied on his reaction time to advance to the semifinals after beating Ron Krisher despite a sluggish 7.011 at 196.24 mph.

Line, who had a rough .111 reaction time in the first round, was much better here, cutting a .036 light to beat Krisher and his 6.996 at 196.19 mph.

Line said his car had immediate trouble, but he was just good enough on the starting line to secure the win by a little more than a foot.

“It jumped out of third gear. We were very lucky to get by that round, but we’ll take it and move on,” Line said.
 
JOHNSON’S DOMINANT RUN CONTINUES - Another round, another dose of spectacular for Allen Johnson, who delivered the best run of the round one more time with a 6.945 at 198.15 mph in a second-round win against Greg Anderson.

He’s been the quickest in every qualifying pass and now through two rounds of eliminations, easing past Greg Anderson and his 6.988 at 197 mph.

The pressure seems to build each round for Johnson, who added a great .023 reaction time, but it hasn’t bothered Johnson thus far.

“There’s a lot of pressure, but we’re going rounds and that’s what matters,” Johnson said.

SEMI-FINALS

OH, BABY! - All along, Bernstein had hoped to have a terrific showing this weekend, not just to break his winless streak that dates back to 2009 at Richmond, Va., but also to put an exclamation mark on his momentous week. He and wife Tracey welcomed son Landon Russell into the world earlier this week to join daughter Lyla Faith. Now Bernstein will have the chance to go for a victory. Massey left the starting line first, but Bernstein overtook him and held him off for a .0087-second margin of victory.     
 
ANOTHER SWEEP IN MAKING? - Brown, who has swept the Western Swing, has a chance to start another run at it. He and Torrence were virtually even out of the gate but Brown had a 3.991, 306.33 to win. Torrence, who had been to four finals in the previous six races, trailed with a 4.303, 250.78. 

FINAL

JOHNSON CAPS IT OFF IN STYLE - It was one of the most dominant weekends of his career and Bandimere Speedway continued to be very good to Allen Johnson after he went 6.951 at 197.31 mph to beat V. Gaines in an all-Mopar Pro Stock final.

Johnson left first with an .031 reaction time, and never trailed, which was the theme for his incredible weekend. Gaines closed with a 7.14 at 160.35 mph, which was far off his usual performance on what was an otherwise memorable weekend at his home track.

Still, nobody could top Johnson, who ran low E.T. of every round of qualifying and eliminations, was the No. 1 qualifier, set the track record and ended with his fourth win at Bandimere and third win of 2012.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

FIRST ROUND

DAY OF UPSETS - Nos. 9, 10, 11, 12, and 15 qualifiers moved on to the quarterfinals -- thanks to three red-light fouls that included two by the husband-wife team of Matt and Angie Smith. Jerry Savoie had the other red light, passing LE Tonglet through to the quarterfinals.
 
QUICK ON THE DRAW -  Michael Ray used a .009-second reaction time to eliminate Colorado's favorite son, Littleton's Mike Berry. Ray had a 7.419-second E.T. and 176.01-mph speed, while Berry's snoozy .145-second light left him with a  quicker and faster but losing 7.322, 181.47. Berry said, "I just went brain-dead" to allow the holeshot defeat. Ray said he could see fuel coming out of his bike -- "and that's not good" -- but said he didn’t want to let off the gas because this is Race Day. He said he has plenty of parts in the trailer and assured he would get his bike fixed for his semifinal meeting with top qualifier Hector Arana Jr.
 
BOTH SEEING RED - No. 10 starter Karen Stoffer said she and crew chief husband Gary Stoffer had been "saving it all for Sunday" after her 7.263-second victory on the GEICO Suzuki that could muster only 7.351 in qualifying. "We have a bracket bike, but I was hoping we'd have a tenth better than a bracket bike," she said after inning a double-red-light pairing. Matt Smith jumped the gun by .019 seconds, and Stoffer was .002 of a second too quick.
 
.002 LIGHT NOT HELPFUL - Shawn Gann cut a .002 reaction time but Eddie Krawiec, the two-time series champion from Vance & Hines organization kept the Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson domination going with a 7.246, 185.13 that trumped Gann's 7.330, 182.01. Krawiec's speed was best of the round.
 
HOTTY SCOTTY -   The veteran Steve Johnson launched first but Pollacheck, but Scotty Pollacheck, the Buell rider from Oregon, recovered to reach his fifth quarterfinal appearance of the year.
 
HARLEYS MATCH TIMES - Andrew Hines defeated Michael Phillips with a 7.246-second elapsed time that matched teammate Eddie Krawiec's winning time against Shawn Gann. This win set up a showdown between himself and Pollacheck in the semifinals.  
 
ANOTHER GIMME - Top-seeded Hector Arana Jr. broke the track E.T. record by a thousandth of a second, at 7.237 seconds on the quarter-mile, but he didn't need to do that to keep his first-round blemish limited to the Atlanta race. Angie Smith, who was rebounding from her wild ride past the sand trap at Norwalk two weeks ago, was overeager to become known for something besides that scary highlight-reel performance. She fouled out by .107 seconds.
 
ANOTHER UPSET - Matt Guidera, out of the No. 15 slot, overtook No. 2 starter Arana Sr., who lost after his Lucas Oil Buell started wiggling a bit down track. Guidera, who won with a 7.495-second pass, will face Stoffer in the second round.  

QUARTER-FINALS

NOT SO FAST, MISTER - Stoffer stopped upset-minded Guidera in his tracks, beating the fellow West Coast racer, 7.370, 180.31. She won this event last July and will face Hines for the right to try for a repeat victory.
 
GUNNING FOR A GIFT - Hines, who spent much of his life in Trinidad, Colo., said he felt no pressure to carry the Harley-Davidson banner at his hometown track. But he might have felt some pressure to bring wife Tanya a Wally winner's trophy for her birthday Sunday. She's back home at Indianapolis, so for now he gave her a shout-out following his 7.263-second victory.
 
SWEET MATCH-UP-  The top-half-of-the-ladder semifinal will be a showdown between Arana Jr., who had the quickest E.T. of the first two rounds, and Eddie Krawiec, who recorded top speed of the first two rounds.    
 
GOTCHA - Both of these series champions understand the importance of being sharp on the Christmas Tree. This time Krawiec had the edge with a .002-second light, but Tonglet was no slouch with a .018 reaction time. Krawiec advanced with a 7.283, 183.89 to Tonglet's 7.373, 179.44 but lost lane choice in the semifinals to Arana Jr., who dispatched Michael Ray with a 7.246-second run at 183.15 mph. Ray had a 7.515, 157.65.

 SEMI-FINALS

FINALS

KRAWIEC BACK IN THE CIRCLE - Eddie Krawiec earned his fourth victory of the season as his Vance & Hines Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson teammate Andrew Hines, red-lit and disqualified himslef. Krawiec won with a 7.301-second E.T. at 182.28 mph. Hines, two-thousandths of a second too early off the starting line, wasted a 7.285-second run at 181.94 mph.

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