TASCA, DIXON, COUGHLIN AND KRAWIEC SCORE VICTORIES AT TOYO TIRES NHRA NATIONALS

Bob Tasca raced to his second Funny Car victory of the season Sunday at the Toyo Tire NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway.

Larry Dixon, Jeg Coughlin and Eddie Krawiec also were winners in their
respective categories at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series
event. Only one race remains in the NHRA regular season before the
six-race playoffs – the Countdown to 1 – begins Sept. 18 at zMAX
Dragway near Charlotte, N.C.

Water seepage continued to be a problem on the racing surface Sunday,
delaying eliminations for more than four hours. NHRA and track
officials worked throughout the day to keep the track dry for the
safety of the participants and were able to complete eliminations
throughout a long day of racing.

Point standings (top 10) for NHRA professional categories following the
25th annual Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway, the 17th
of 24 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series -

Final round-by-round results from the 25th annual Toyo Tires NHRA
Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway, the 17th of 24 events in the NHRA
Full Throttle Drag Racing Series:

Bob Glidden was having the time of his life Saturday afternoon. The ten-time NHRA Pro Stock

Bob Glidden's presence at the ADRL Ohio Drags was welcomed by a
legion of race fans. He spent most of the day in his son Billy's pits
and on the starting line.

world champion walked the grounds of National Trail Raceway meeting and
greeting fans who clamored to be in his presence, and somewhere along
the line, he took the opportunity to hang out with his son, defending ADRL Extreme Ten Five champion Billy Glidden.

If the kid is a chip off of the old block it’s because he learned the
intricacies of being solid from the old man. If his performance during
this weekend provided the appearance that Billy had an edge, it very
well could have been because of his familiarity to the facility.

Simply put, if Indianapolis Raceway Park was his elder’s primary playground, National Trail Raceway was the satellite version.

Sometimes the path to victory runs directly through your kid’s pit area. That’s what Dean Goforth found

Dean Goforth had a tough run to his first ADRL win. He beat his son
in the first round and then faced three consecutive former IHRA world
champions.

out on Saturday at the ADRL Ohio Drags in Columbus, Ohio.

Goforth used a first round victory over Cary Goforth to set up wins
over Pete Berner, Brian Goforth and red-lighting Doug Kirk in the final
round. Ironically, the aforementioned three competitors are former IHRA
Pro Stock champions.

It was that kind of a day for Dean Goforth.

Thomas “Slick” Myers had different visions of his first ADRL Pro Nitrous victory and Saturday’s triumph at the

Thomas Myers traveled an improbably pathway to the winner's circle.

Ohio Drags didn’t fit the template. Regardless of how many style points
he gained, Myers triumph at the ADRL Ohio Drags is one he will cherish.

Throw out the calamities he’s endured this season and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more gracious winner.

The stunningly attractive blonde walking around National Trail Raceway looking for her glass slipper was shocked to

Cody Barklage takes a Gatorade bath in the winner's circle.

see a gentleman donning a firesuit wearing it. Cinderella might have
sported the iconic shoe in fantasy land, but for Lake Ozark, Mo.-based,
Pro Extreme racer Cody Barklage, he wasn’t about to hand it over.

In the face of the larger financed teams, Barklage ran just enough to
win each round. A likely bridesmaid in the final, he was nearly
two-tenths behind Josh Hernandez, his final round opponent all night
long.

The clock struck midnight for Hernandez and that was the break Barklage
needed to capitalize. Hernandez crossed the centerline while Barklage
thundered to a 3.912 elapsed time, 190.48 mph.

Billy Glidden brings out the best in the Extreme 10.5 competition, just ask Spiro Pappas. The hard-charging driver

Spiro Pappas is all smiles after scoring his first ADRL win.

from Glenview, Ill., brushed aside the hardships of arguably a tough
run of bad luck in the weeks leading into the event to get the break
he’s needed.

Pappas scored his first ADRL title in impressive fashion by running
into the three-second zone en route to beating the defending world
champion in the final. Glidden rolled a -.01 foul start.

Whether Glidden was trying to push the tree in the finals remains to be
seen, but what was clearly visible was that Pappas has the car to beat.
From his 4.039 (Jeff Paulk) to his 3.992 (Chuck Ulsch) in the semis,
Pappas was relentless in his pursuit of the revered ADRL Minuteman
trophy. As he limped his turbocharged Pontiac across the finish line 
with smoke trailing, he was never happier.

There is a benefit to running a body low in Funny Car. The rule book says the body on a Funny Car must be no
lower than three inches off the ground from the nose to 12 inches past
the center of the front spindle. Past that point the body can be no
lower than two inches off the ground. This distance gives the timing
light the space it needs to properly record when the car leaves the
starting line.

Two cars failed to meet that criteria in Brainerd during a round of
qualifying – the cars of Bob Tasca III and John Force. Subsequently,
all the Funny Cars making passes in the second session of qualifying on
Saturday were stopped at the scales and measured. Four additional cars
were found to be low.

The look on Dave Hance’s face told the story.

The Inwood, N.Y.-based, drag racer who also promotes the popular
Shakedown at E’Town event in Englishtown, N.J., dinged his turbocharged
Extreme 10.5 1957 Chevy during the final qualifying session.

Hance didn't suffer any physical injuries in the accident. What he did hurt was his feelings.