FINAL EDITION - THE KING LIVES!

 

There were a number of impressive performances at the NHRA Mopar Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colorado this weekend, but none more so than that of Allen Johnson. In a season when every single race had been won by a Summit Racing Camaro, and no Dodge had seriously threatened to topple Jason Line and Greg Anderson from their dominant positions, Johnson pulled out all the stops and made it to his tenth straight Denver final round. Think about that. He’s appeared in 10 straight final rounds in a single race – and he’s won far more often than not. He did so again this year, defeating Vincent Nobile’s Chevrolet in the finale.

But make no mistake about it, Johnson isn’t leaving Denver with one thin dime in his pocket because the team sacrificed two Hemi engines to get to the final round. The Saturday engine failure was about as spectacular as it gets in Pro Stock. A rather large ball of smoke billowed out from beneath the car as it neared the lights, followed by enough sparks to remind us of kids playing with sparklers on the Fourth. What is a Pro Stock engine worth these days? Well, prices vary, but considering some engine builders are asking – and getting -- $30,000 for a rental for a weekend, figure at least seventy-five grand and maybe closer to a hundred grand or even more to buy one.

When the weekend began, and the Summit cars appeared to be struggling, it would have been easy to write them off, but come race day both Anderson and Line started flying. From the first round on they began dropping six second runs on surprised opponents, and they kept at it right up until the semis, when their trains jumped the tracks. Line wasted a 6.952 on a redlight start against Nobile, who’s car went silent a couple of hundred feet out. His father would later say that “Vincent may have won that race, but Line really lost it ‘cause we were broken.” Anderson, usually a great leaver, had an 0.080 light against Johnson’s 0.030, leaving his quicker 6.968 a bit behind AJ’s 6.986.

They got Nobile’s Mountain View Tire Camaro back together for the finale, where he had an absolutely killer 0.008 Reaction Time, but the 7.037 that went with it wasn’t enough against Johnson’s 0.047-6.982/197.39.

 

 

In our coverage of the first two days of the Mile-Highs we’ve praised the local fans for their loyalty to drag racing and Bandimere Speedway, and we’re going to say it again. This may have been one of the better Sunday crowds we’ve seen this year. Yes, it was hot, but that hindered neither performances or enthusiasm.

Since we’ve touched on old ground right here, it’s time to say Bad Reporter! Bad! In our coverage of last night’s action we neglected to mention Tim Wilkerson’s wreck, and for that we apologize. By now you’ve seen our complete coverage of the incident elsewhere on CompetitionPlus.com, but rest assured your faithful reporter will be punished with an assignment covering mud drag racing in Kuala Lumpur. It’s a three-day event with a total of 12 entries. I can’t wait.

JFR dominated Funny Car while DSR was taking care of business in Top Fuel. It’s interesting that in an era when sponsorship is absolutely critical for success, and proper logo exposure may be more meaningful than a quick elapsed time, it appears that NHRA’s new header configuration rule may already be having a negative impact. As you may recall, DSR driver Ron Capps had his third qualifying run in Norwalk bounced because of a heat shielding plate that was affixed to the headers. While NHRA said it could be considered an aerodynamic device, it’s stated purpose was to keep the NAPA and other logos from being burned off the side of the car. Well, that plate is gone, and so are the trick header angles, with the result being that, as the day wore on, more and more Funny Cars were coming to the line with at least part of their main sponsor logos burned off. That was absolutely the case with Robert Hight’s Auto Club Camaro, with the headers also having a negative impact on both John and Courtney’s cars. Some of the DSR machines were also sporting burn marks as the rounds went by, and this can’t be ignored. Just imagine some corporate mogul sitting at home, watching the show, only to see that the car he’s spent millions backing is running with his name obliterated. Can you say “bad reaction?”

 

 

Skeptics – and there were a number of them – suggested that Hight took one for the team in the semis when he bulbed against Courtney, but until we hear that confirmed from someone with real inside knowledge, we prefer to ignore it. Although, when you get right down to it, Hight’s redlight was a big one, like 0.021 seconds red. Hmmmm.

Okay, so Courtney goes to the final, and so does her dad after slithering by Del Worsham with a four-zero-zero-five. OMG, what could be better than a father-daughter race on live TV? Do we think they planned it that way? Only John knows, so you ask him, because we won’t. Anyway, just to prove that the Old Man’s still got it, John nailed her to the starting line with a killer (in a Funny Car) 0.038 light. They both clocked 3.96s, his with a five, hers with a quicker three. And the crowd went wild (sorry, couldn’t resist that).

The finish line was a zoo. Television didn’t seem to know what was going on, pushing a highly animated Force to loudly state “I win the race and can’t even get a chickenshit interview!” Yeah, he wasn’t happy about it because if anyone understands media exposure, it’s 16X.

Somewhere back there in our earlier coverage we said something about tuner Mike Green and driver Tony Schumacher being capable of much more than they’d been showing. Well, they showed it today. They opened with Low E.T. of eliminations in destroying Doug Kalitta’s 3.832 in just 3.788 seconds. Nobody else came within an hour of that elapsed time all day and yes, that hour thing is a lie. Anyway, they marched through eliminations like, well, an Army should. After Kalitta, Schumacher got lucky against our pick to win, Steve Torrence, with a four second run as Torrence exploded spectacularly. Well, Steve didn’t explode, his engine did. Anyway, after that it was a close one over Clay Millican and then the finale against teammate Antron Brown. Antron’s car faltered as Schumacher sped to a 3.802. Think about that for just a second. A three-eighty-with-a-two in the final round! Now that’s goin’ for it. They went for it and got it.

Have we forgotten anything? Yes, we have. We haven’t mentioned Pro Stock bike, so here’s our mention: The Harley-Davidsons of Andrew Hines (the winner) and Eddie Krawiec dominated, as they do far too often. They are a fantastic team doing nothing more than taking advantage of the rules package they’ve been given. But there’s still something that just seems wrong about a national racing organization setting up a situation under which only two examples of a specific brand are allowed to compete. It just doesn’t seem logical that, with all of the H-D fans and riders out there that there are no other Harley-Davidsons racing in the NHRA Mello Yello Series. Someone in an official capacity should explain this to the media, but we guarantee you no one will because it’s a topic that the NHRA would rather ignore, or one they would prefer would simply go away, but the world doesn’t work that way. People like us are going to keep asking this question until it’s answered. That’s our job.

Denver is the first stop on the infamous Western Swing, and if this is any indication of what’s to come in the next couple of weeks (races in Sonoma and Seattle), man, you better get your tickets now! And one more thing. No matter how good you think the television coverage is, it ain’t squat compared to being there in person. No television is ever going to make your chest hurt from the noise. No television is ever going to give you the aroma of burned nitro and rubber. And no television is ever going to give you the real feeling of being right there when John Force is going off, or Erica Enders-Stevens is leaving the boys on the starting line. If you live in the west and miss Sonoma or Seattle, shame on you!

 

 

SATURDAY EDITION - JUST ANOTHER GREAT DAY ON THE MOUNTAIN

We were wrong, okay? Mistakes were made, and punishments will be handed out. There were a bunch of cars hiding in the pits, and there are 16 cars in each of the fuel fields, so there will be no bye runs on Sunday. However, there weren’t any Pro Stock cars hiding, so their field is short one entry.

Phew! Now that that’s behind us we can move forward – into another really terrific day of racing at Bandimere Speedway. We have talked endlessly about the fans at this facility, and they just have to be mentioned again. They not only turned out in huge numbers, just like yesterday, but when it rained again today they hung in there until it stopped, and then cheered their way through another night session that was nothing short of terrific. Maybe we’re jaded, but at most facilities 10 minutes of rain usually results in more than 50 percent of the fans bailing out for the day. That just doesn’t happen up here. No more than 10 percent of the people bailed because of the rain, and that speaks volumes for the Denver area fans and for the Bandimere family, a group that understands what customer service really means. It’s a shame, but you can count the tracks like this one on one hand, when in truth, every national event facility should be as fan-friendly as this one is.

It is really late as we’re writing this, and there comes that time of day (or night) when the words just won’t keep coming, and this is one of them, so we’re going to let the pictures tell today’s story.

 

FRIDAY INSIDER - WHEN IT COMES TO HARD CORE, NOBODY TOPS THE FANS AT BANDIMERE!

You’ve seen this movie before. You’re at the track, eager for qualifying to begin, and then the clouds begin rolling in. You keep glancing up at the sky, hoping that it’s just cloud cover, and it won’t rain – but it does. First a few drops, then a deluge. You head for the car, and you’re soaked by the time you get there. You and your buddies climb inside, and pretty soon the interior of the car is like a sauna, and pretty soon there seems to be universal agreement – let’s get the heck out of here!

That doesn’t happen at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colorado. Oh, sure, the first part happens, but not the second. Nope. Denver fans are hard core. They know that not only are most showers just that, they also know that the track has been carefully designed to enable fast draining and a quick clean up. And, with the NHRA Safety Safari in town, with all of the equipment and experience they bring with them, the track drying will be quick and efficient – and that’s just how it went.

It was well after 9:00 PM when the second session began, and the grandstands were packed, packed solid. But the wait was worth it because track records fell like a high school offensive lineman might facing a charge from the likes of J.J. Watt. There were stunners, such as Erica Enders-Stevens speeding to the Number 1 spot in Pro Stock, her finest performances of the season to date. Yes, Friday is a long way from Sunday and yes, we’re deep into the season, but could this be the first step in Ms. Stevens’ attempt at defending her title? She could still make the Top 10 and get into the Countdown. It’s not too late – but from here on out she and the Elite Motorsports team will have to be flawless.

Fifteen cars appeared in Pro Stock qualifying thus far, and for the first time this season the Chevrolets of Greg Anderson and Jason Line aren’t near the top of the list. They’re 9th and 11th, with Line admitting that they may have made a tactical error in skipping the Bandimere test session of a week or so ago.

 

 

 

 

 

Nine cars are in the six second range, from Enders-Stevens’ 6.963 to Anderson’s 6.990. Also in that range are Drew Skillman, Alex Laughlin, Jeg Coughlin, Jr., Shane Gray, Vincent Nobile, Allen Johnson and Bo Butner. Johnson has owned the Mopar Mile-High Nationals in recent years, but unless he steps up considerably on Saturday and then drives like a man possessed on Sunday, that period of dominance may be at an end.

The factory Harley-Davidsons of Andrew Hines and Eddie Krawiec are atop the Pro Stock Motorcycle list, to no one’s surprise. The two Suzukis amidst the hoard of Buells and Victorys are those ridden by Jerry Savoie and LE Tonglet. Of the four pro categories only Pro Stock Motorcycle has plenty of entries, with 23. Every other category is short of the 16-car field count, at least at this point, because we know there are several cars sitting back in the pits, waiting to run on Saturday to save a little money.

There are times when a performance advantage can’t be ignored, and in Top Fuel that appears to be the case after Steve Torrence drove his Richard Hogan-prepared machine to the top spot with a very impressive 3.776/325.14. Yes, that run obliterated the track record. What particularly impressed was Torrance’s edge over the driver in second place, Clay Millican. Millican’s 3.815 was 0.039 seconds slower than Torrence’s run, and that’s a huge amount of time – and distance – in 1,000 feet of racing surface.

Nine of the 11 Top Fuel cars that have run are in the threes, and as we mentioned, there are more cars that have yet to run, but it appears unlikely that we’ll have a full field. The same situation exists in Funny Car, where only 13 machines have gone down track. Big Jim Dunn’s car has yet to make an appearance, and there may be one or two more hiding somewhere in the pits, but we kinda doubt that. For NHRA’s first foray on the Fox network, less than full fields isn’t going to look good on national television, but you never know. Careful commentary from the broadcast booth along with some good editing of the early rounds (which apparently won’t be live) may cover up these shortfalls. We’ll see on Sunday afternoon how that all shakes out.

Courtney Force leads the pack with a 3.917, but her father earned the honor of being the first three second Funny Car runner on The Mountain, and somehow, that seems fitting. The senior member of the clan has a long term relationship with the Bandimere family and has won often enough up here to be the most popular driver on the grounds. When we said “up here” let’s be more specific. For a long time on Friday the corrected altitude was pushing 9,000 feet, and that’s mighty thin air. Physically, the track is at 5,800 feet.

Joining the Forces in the threes was Del Worsham with a ninety-six-three, while at the bottom of the list are Todd Simpson in the sevens and Ron Caps, uncharacteristically in the sixes. Expect a dramatic improvement from at least one of them, and we’ll let you pick who you think that will be.

There are very few venues on the Mello Yello Series trail that can boast of near sellout crowds on all three days of a race, but this is definitely one of them. We expect a tremendous turnout Saturday and Sunday, and based on the times that have already been recorded, the racing should be terrific. And, while no rain is predicted, if an errant shower temporarily drenches the track, we know the fans are going to stick it out. And they won’t be disappointed.