Final round by round results Sunday for the 25th annual Lucas Oil Slick
Mist NHRA Nationals at Firebird International Raceway. It is the second
of 24 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series in 2009.

TOP FUEL

First round – Larry Dixon, 3.815, 313.73 def. Terry Haddock, 4.376,
270.92; Doug Kalitta, 3.845, 313.0 def. Cory McClenathan, foul; Spencer
Massey, 3.847, 309.42 def. Mike Strasburg, foul; Brandon Bernstein,
3.890, 306.33 def. Joe Hartley, 9.214, 82.49; Tony Schumacher, 7.997,
77.94 def. Troy Buff, foul; Shawn Langdon, 3.876, 312.93 def. Clay
Millican, 3.922, 305.29; Antron Brown, 3.977, 232.39 def. Del Cox Jr.
4.056, 283.55; Morgan Lucas, 4.287, 228.58 def. David Baca, 8.113, 94.31

Second round – Dixon, 3.802, 317.27 def. Kalitta, 3.883, 309.34;
Bernstein, 3.844, 310.05 def. Massey, 5.416, 130.53; Schumacher, 4.038,
262.08 def. Langdon, 7.779, 80.73; Brown, 3.885, 303.78 def. Lucas,
3.898, 302.55.

Semifinals – Brown, 3.819, 315.34 def. Schumacher, 3.852, 313.29; Bernstein, 3.844, 310.05 def. Massey, 5.416, 130.53.

Final – Brown, 3.846, 310.63 def. Bernstein, 5.173, 143.54.

Sunday’s final-round results for the professional categories for the
25th annual Lucas Oil Slick Mist NHRA Nationals at Firebird
International Raceway. It is the second of 24 events in the NHRA Full
Throttle Drag Racing Series in 2009.

Saturday’s nitro qualifying at the NHRA Lucas Slick Mist Nationals in Phoenix, Az., produced a memory for the generations.

For the first time in NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing history a father
and a son tuned their drivers each to a No. 1 qualifying position in
their respective nitro divisions.

Saturday in Phoenix was a good day to be a McCulloch.

Ford’s new slogan encourages consumers to drive one today.

Erica Enders remembers when she got her first opportunity “to drive one today”.

She was standing in the staging lanes with friend and fellow Pro Stock
driver Richie Stevens when a concerned crew chief for Ford racer Jim
Cunningham approached her in the staging lanes at O’Reilly Raceway Park
in Indianapolis, just last year.

“Mark walked up to me and asked if I wanted to drive,” Enders recalled.

To accommodate NHRA's East Coast
fans who don't want to miss ESPN's qualifying highlights from this
weekend's Lucas Oil Slick Mist NHRA Nationals from Phoenix but can’t
stay up to watch Saturday night’s original broadcast (scheduled to air
at 9 p.m. PT, midnight ET), the program will be shown again Sunday at
11 a.m. ET on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD.

If hindsight is 20/20, then it’s understandable why Matt Hagan
is glad he spent more than the usual amount of time at Firebird Raceway
testing during the National Time Trials last month in preparation for
the 2009 season.

Though he only lasted atop the qualifying list for Friday’s opening
session at the NHRA Lucas Slick Mist Nationals for one round, he
couldn’t help but believe the previous time at the track in the desert
afforded him that short opportunity.

Sometimes you can’t help but notice when a car is giving off good vibes.

Larry Dixon remained No. 1 in Top Fuel qualifying at the NHRA Lucas
Slick Mist Nationals in a car that could seemingly do no wrong and with
a crew equally determined to keep every mechanical element in check.

Pomona’s DNQ is all but a distant memory.

A team of wild horses, or to be more accurate, sixteen other Funny Car teams couldn’t budge Ron Capps from the top qualifying position at the NHRA Lucas Slick Mist Nationals in Phoenix, Az.

Capps maintained the No. 1 qualifying position he set on Friday driving
the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Funny Car to an elapsed time of 4.023 seconds
at 305.63 providing his eighth career pole position and his first since
the 2005 NHRA season.

Capps was also No. 1 at Firebird Raceway in 2000.

Anyone who keeps pace with the Pro Stock news is well aware that
Mike Edwards has been on a tear since last spring.

It just so happens his improved performance coincides with the debut of
his new engine. Those who know the ever-determined Edwards say this
impressive display of potential is really no shock.

“We’ve made strides on our program this winter and it’s starting to pay
off for us,” Edwards said. “We have the engine shop and the race team
at the race shop. We’ve worked some long hours and put in some hard
time and I think it has showed off this weekend but it’s a long season.
We feel good about the results we have had. Hats off to my team and all
of my guys, for su

CAPPS, DIXON AND EDWARDS TAKE NO. 1 QUALIFYING POSITIONS AT PHOENIX

Ron Capps raced to his first No. 1 qualifying performance in Funny Car in more than four years Saturday at the Lucas Oil Slick Mist NHRA Nationals.

Larry Dixon and Mike Edwards also will lead their categories into
Sunday’s 11 a.m. eliminations at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing
Series event.

Capps, who won the season-opening race two weeks ago in Pomona, Calif.,
powered his Napa Dodge Charger to a 4.023 second run at 305.63 mph to
claim his eighth career No. 1 qualifying position and second at
Firebird International Raceway near Phoenix.