Jerry Toliver and his new ROCKSTAR Energy Drink Toyota Funny Car delivered a
4.859-second qualifying run Saturday at the SummitRacing.com Nationals to
officially launch his return to NHRA competition.   
 
Not only that, but
the time came close to putting the Temecula, Calif.-based team into the starting
16. And it gave their confidence a boost.

HIGHT, BERNSTEIN DEDICATE LAS VEGAS VICTORIES IN MEMORY OF FRIEND ERIC
MEDLEN

Anderson increases POWERade Series lead with third Pro Stock victory of the
season

Less than a month after losing Eric Medlen in a tragic testing
accident, John Force Racing celebrated a Funny Car victory Sunday as Robert
Hight raced to the victory over POWERade Series points leader Ron Capps at the
SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals.

Hight was joined in an emotional winner's circle at The Strip at Las Vegas
Motor Speedway by Medlen's good friend Brandon Bernstein, who earned his 13th
Top Fuel title, and Greg Anderson, who claimed a track-record fifth Las Vegas
trophy in Pro Stock.

"It's amazing how many lives Eric has touched and it's not as fun coming to
the races without your best friend and teammate with you," Hight said. "But we
needed to come back out here and be with our family, our drag racing family, and
realize how many people Eric made happy in his life.

"I never have had much luck at Vegas but I felt like I had some extra help
today. Maybe Eric was watching over me. I know having his dad [John Medlen]
helping us with the car was special for all of us."

Both Hight and Bernstein, who beat Bob Vandergriff in the Top Fuel final,
immediately dedicated their wins to the Medlens. Hight presented his trophy to
Eric's father John, while Brandon sought out Eric's mother Mimi and gave her his
Wally. Anderson, meanwhile, was able to give Las Vegas-based team owners Ken and
Judy Black their fifth hometown win, making the team the most prolific in the
track's brief history. This time he beat Jeg Coughlin to get the hardware.

Final round-by-round results from the Eighth annual NHRA SummitRacing.com
Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the fifth of 23 events in
the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:

TOP FUEL:

ROUND ONE -- Morgan Lucas, 4.547, 316.82 def. Melanie Troxel, 4.611, 314.75;
Joe Hartley, 4.618, 328.70 def. David Grubnic, 4.686, 318.39; Bob Vandergriff,
5.955, 291.07 def. Brady Kalivoda, 6.576, 127.19; Larry Dixon, 4.588, 316.60
def. Hillary Will, 4.568, 326.56; J.R. Todd, 4.598, 315.86 def. Tony Schumacher,
6.153, 152.97; Cory McClenathan, 4.639, 316.60 def. Whit Bazemore, 6.270,
139.85; Rod Fuller, 4.580, 324.90 def. Mike Strasburg, 7.228, 114.79; Brandon
Bernstein, 4.955, 209.04 def. Clay Millican, 5.028, 240.64;

QUARTERFINALS -- Bernstein, 4.541, 328.14 def. McClenathan, 4.857, 226.47;
Vandergriff, 4.591, 319.07 def. Hartley, 4.669, 286.38; Fuller, 4.545, 327.11
def. Dixon, 4.584, 318.47; Lucas, 4.563, 324.83 def. Todd, 4.644, 313.15;

SEMIFINALS -- Vandergriff, 4.596, no speed def. Fuller, 5.413, 164.07;
Bernstein, 4.548, 326.95 def. Lucas, 4.585, 326.16;

FINAL -- Bernstein, 4.521, 330.07 def. Vandergriff, 4.828, 298.87.

Sunday's final results from the Eighth annual NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals at
The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The race is the fifth of 23 in the NHRA
POWERade Drag Racing Series:

Jim Head beat Ashley Force in the second round, but it wasn't before experiencing this nasty boomer. (Marty Reger photo)

Tony Schumacher, winner of
the past three POWERade Series Top Fuel
championships, showed Friday that he can also turn
left. The Chicago resident spent the down time
during Friday's qualifying by making laps at Las
Vegas Motor Speedway
at the Richard Petty Experience. The veteran Top
Fuel driver said he has no plans to switch fulltime to oval racing, but that he will compete in two NASCAR
Grand National West Series events for famed Bill
McAnally Racing.

"I just want to learn,"
Schumacher said. "It's just so different. I've run Formula Fords at Skip Barber's school. But it so
different. Every word, everything you do is the opposite of what we
do.

Rain, high winds, and frigid temperatures in Alabama forced officials to cancel the Shelor.com Motor Mile Spring Drags at Montgomery Motorsports Park. The race will be rescheduled as soon as an appropriate date can be determined.

Time finally ran out Saturday on John Force, the 14-time and reigning NHRA Funny
Car champion.  Drag racing's biggest winner will watch Sunday's eighth annual
SummitRacing.com Nationals from the sidelines at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor
Speedway after failing to make the 16-car starting lineup for the first time
since Oct. 31, 1987.

JOHN FORCE'S AMAZING NHRA POWERADE SERIES QUALIFYING STREAK ENDS AT 395
RACES

Schumacher, Ashley and Coughlin earn No. 1 qualifying positions; Kalitta also
sees qualifying streak end at 164 races

One of the most impressive streaks in motorsports came to an end
Saturday when 14-time Funny Car champion John Force failed to qualify for
eliminations for the first time in 395 races.

Force and Top Fuel contender Doug Kalitta, whose class-leading streak of
races also ended this weekend, will be observers when the SummitRacing.com NHRA
Nationals begin Sunday morning at 11 a.m.

Friday leaders Tony Schumacher, Mike Ashley, and Jeg Coughlin remained on top
of their respective fields at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event at The
Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Force last failed to qualify in 1987 at the NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif.

Jon Capps launched the newest brand of energy drink during his
Professional NHRA debut at the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals this weekend.
Vegas Fuel will be the primary sponsor on Capps' Funny Car, which is owned and
tuned by veteran Paul Smith. Capps plans to run the entire IHRA tour and
selected NHRA races with additional support from Palmer Electric and Ace
Masonry. "We're going after business to business relationships in launching
Vegas Fuel Energy Drink here this weekend," said Capps. "For me, its all about
the business and racing is just a perk." Capps, who was one of the expert
drivers in the movie "Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby", also serves
as the national account manager for Vegas Fuel.