Welcome to season-ending Pomona! This week in The Recliner Report we learn about a staging duel that almost led to a picnic, witness a superhero riding a Pro Stock motorcycle, and find out what 78-pound bundle of joy will soon visit Dickie Venables in the hospital! Let’s recline, peeps!

Welcome to season-ending Pomona! This week in The Recliner Report we learn about a staging duel that almost led to a picnic, witness a superhero riding a Pro Stock motorcycle, and find out what 78-pound bundle of joy will soon visit Dickie Venables in the hospital! Let’s recline, peeps!

E3 Sparkplugs Hotshot! Top Fuel champ Shawn Langdon was the E3 Sparkplugs Hotshot, and we were taken on a trip back in time with the guy who grew up only 11 miles from Pomona and graduated from Jurupa Valley High School (home of the fighting Jaguars!) back in 2001. Viewers met Shawn’s old principal Mike West and Industrial Arts teacher Mike Free. Interestingly, the room where Shawn honed his auto skills contained what appeared to be a cutout magazine advertisement hanging on the wall that featured Top Fuel driver Bob Vandergriff…who had hair in the photo! Next, viewers watched as Langdon visited the baseball field that he referred to as, “…my home.” Standing on the pitcher’s mound, the right-hander tossed his best fastball, a pitch that would’ve brushed back any hitter on the right side of the plate. “Good thing I drag race” he commented, smiling into the camera. Jaguars senior catcher Josh Gonzalez, who was shagging his efforts, was impressed, saying, “For 12 years, you’re throwing good. You’re throwing pretty hard!” The man’s got skills! The segment was followed by still photos of Shawn bringing the heat. Really cool stuff. Let’s have more “back in time” segments like that!

“I just gotta get to the semis!” Vincent Nobile has three wins this season, all coming against Jeg Coughlin in the final round. So, here goes: what driver needed to get to the semifinals to be named Pro Stock champ? Yep, Jeg. And, what driver was Jeg facing in the first round of the day? You got it. Vincent. Hmmm…more later on this one. Making it more interesting? Who was Mike Dunn’s pick for the Tequila Patron Upset Alert? Yessir, Vincent over Jeg. Man, this is getting good!

Ka-blammo! Remember Antron Brown’s “Kablooey of the Year” at the 2013 Winternationals? Man, how quickly we forget. AB’s rocket ride was revisited before his first round matchup, and that explosion was epic. (Though definitely not in a good way.) After watching the video and hearing an explosion that sounding almost atomic, the fact that Antron even returned to the next race in Phoenix showed how much he defines courage. AB, you are THE man!

The Recliner Report Riddle of the Day! What two Funny Car champs during the Countdown Era did not win a national event the year after taking the title? The answer is at the end of the column!

A pink hot rod? Well, yeah! Courtney Force rocked the pink wrap on her TRAXXAS funny car. The black/pink combo just kills! Though she fell to Bob Tasca III in Round One, her ride looked great crossing the finish line, even if it didn’t arrive first! Would love to see those colors in 2014!

Pass the wings! Buddy Perkinson and Bruno Massel’s 54-second Pro Stock staging duel was pretty darn sweet. Drivers who were to follow them in first round action were seen setting out checkered tablecloths and uncovering tubs of chicken and potato salad while waiting on the pair to leave the line. In the end, Perkinson pulled out the victory, and the chicken wings were killer!

Hey, look at me! Epic photobomb by Vincent Nobile during John Kernan’s interview with Vincent’s father, John! Vincent ducked into the shot and wagged his tongue, all while giving a smile that let viewers know that he was immune to the pressure of his upcoming battle with Jeg.

Mike’s the man! Mike Edwards will undergo surgery during the offseason to repair a torn rotator cuff. His recovery time? Three months. The beginning of the 2014 season? Three months. The guy who is determined enough to make it back on time? Yup, Mike Edwards. The man is tougher than a two-buck steak. From all of us at the Report, you’re in our thoughts, Mike.

Pro Stock Showdown Jeg vs. Vincent. Epic. Fast. Pressure-packed. A title on the line. Two real pros at work, but only one will walk away the winner. Jeg brings it, and he moves on to Round Two. Best of all? The first guy to congratulate the winner? Yup…Vincent. That’s pro.

Forget Adam West…we want Gann! Shawn Gann defeated Adam Arana by eight inches in first round Pro Stock Motorcycle action. The guys at The Recliner Report give credit to Gann’s Batman outfit as the reason for the advantage at the tape. Forget all those other wannabees that played the Caped Crusader in the movies. We want Shawn for the next sequel. Dude needs his name in lights!

Even more pink Brittney Force defeated Brandon Bernstein to advance to her first semifinal. Sweet. The girl also rocks her pink and black Top Fuel wrap. Pink goes fast, baby.

And the winner is… Lewis “The Stat Guy” Bloom let viewers know that Don “The Snake” Prudhomme won 21.3% of the races he entered in his illustrious career, while John Force has been victorious in 22%. So, who is numero uno? Yep, “Big Daddy” Don Garlits, with a stunning 30% win rate. Lewis, you are epic!

Hey…you put on weight? 78 pounds. That’s the weight of Jeg Coughlin’s Mello Yello Pro Stock championship trophy. After Jason Line’s second-round loss gave Coughlin the title, the JEGS pilot was so pumped that he almost lifted the hardware with one hand. Almost. Still, Coughlin was walking on air.

Home away from home-- Eddie Krawiec has appeared in the last six finals at Pomona, winning half of the races. Six finals. We’re betting he looks at the calendar and says to himself, “Yep, think I’ll make that trip. I kinda like the place.” He’s sorta good there.

Tears at the top end-- By defeating Allen Johnson in the Pro Stock final, Rickie Jones became the 57th winner in the history of the category. Sitting in his car, the 24-year-old was shedding tears of pure joy. A great win for a deserving guy.

A helping hand in the hospital “That’s for Dickie Venables!” Those were the first words out of the mouth of Matt Hagan after his victory in the Funny Car final over John Force. Hagan promised to take the Wally to Venables’ hospital bed to provide encouragement to his laid-up crew chief.

Dude’s got class The first racer to congratulate Hagan? Yep, John Force. Hagan, ever the classy winner, told Force, “Always an honor to run you. Always.” You’ll be hard pressed to find another sport where competitors show that much respect to each other.

Make yourself at home Shawn Langdon might buy property close to Pomona. The 2013 Top Fuel champ started and ended the season with victories at the historic facility, so all of us at the Report wouldn’t be surprised to see him pitch his tent somewhere over in the grandstand area. A cool win for a local boy who did good.

Answer to “The Recliner Report Riddle of the Day”! What two Funny Car champs during the Countdown Era did not win a national event the year after taking the title? Jack Beckman and Matt Hagan.

Well, folks, there you have it! The first year of The Recliner Report is now in the books. We appreciate you reclining with us and hope you enjoyed the ride.

If you loved the column, let Bobby (The brains and editor behind CompetitionPlus.com) know that all was cool. If you’d rather see the space occupied by articles like, “16 Ways to Build a Carburetor in Your Basement,” sorry, the Recliner Report staffers are just not that smart. Heck, we have a tough time just spelling words like carr…carburr…carrburree…you get the idea. Thank goodness for editors who can spell well.

Anyway, hope you had half as much fun reading these columns as we did writing them. So, see you down the road, and keep reclining!

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