AAA AUTO CLUB FINALS, Pomona, Ca.
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SUNDAY FINALS - SCHUMACHER COMPLETES GREATEST NHRA POWERADE SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP COMEBACK; Force and Hines also claim titles, while Anderson and Treble take victories at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona
Tony Schumacher completed the biggest comeback in NHRA drag racing history Sunday at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona and clinchedthe 2006 POWERade Series world championship with a national record final-round run that has to be considered the greatest quarter-mile pass of all time.
In Funny Car, John Force used a holeshot start to win his 122nd racejust two rounds after clinching his 14th title. Greg Anderson bettered new champ and teammate Jason Line by three hundredths of a second in Pro Stock, while Craig Treble got his first Pro Stock Motorcycle win in morethan two years on a day that featured Andrew Hines winning his third
straight motorcycle championship.
Entering the final round at the Auto Club NHRA Finals needing to win the race with a performance quicker than 4.437 seconds, Schumacher and crewchief Alan Johnson delivered with a stunning 4.428 at 327.98 mph in the U.S. Army dragster that earned him the championship by 14 points over a devastated Doug Kalitta.
It seems fitting that Schumacher's 35th career win tied him for thirdwith drag racing icon "Big Daddy" Don Garlits on the all-time wins list because his march to his fourth series title was nothing short of legendary.
There was only one way for Schumacher to win this championship -- win two more rounds than Kalitta on the day and set a national elapsed timerecord, which is worth 20 bonus points. He pulled it off by beating teammate Melanie Troxel in the final to completely erase a deficit that was 336 points at the season's mid-point.
"I probably felt better today than I ever had in my life because thepressure was so high that it was too much to even comprehend," said Schumacher, who joined Joe Amato as the only NHRA Top Fuel drivers to earn three consecutive titles.
"I don't know that there's ever been asingle pass in drag racing where so much was on the line in one round. To win it like this is unreal. It's beyond anything that you can everdream up."
Kalitta had a chance to clinch the title in the semis when he ran against Troxel. Despite running a quicker time -- 4.500 to 4.502 --Kalitta lost on a holeshot in his Mac Tools dragster. In the final,Troxel left on Schumacher but his U.S. Army dragster quickly made up the difference and took the win, the record, and the championship.
"What can you say about Alan Johnson," Schumacher asked. "He's simplythe best crew chief and tuning mind ever, period. No one comes close. To pull off what he just did should end all discussion on the subject. He's the best."
Force capped his championship day with his 122nd career victory, taking out upstart Beckman in the closest side-by-side race of the day.Beckman's 4.662 performance in his Matco Tools Dodge Charger set a national elapsed time record but wasn't enough to beat the quicker-reacting Force's 4.697 in his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang.
"It was really cool to race like that and I see that Beckman set arecord," Force said. "That's great for that kid. He's worked very hard to get up to this level and I'm happy for him. I hope that team comes atus next year. We'll be ready for them."
Force, who earned his world championship title by defeating Ron Capps in the second round, seemed relieved to secure his 14th crown.
"I've been so up and down emotionally all weekend but this is a greatway to end the year," Force said. "Our three Fords finished one, two, and four in the points and that's flat-out awesome. For Castrol, Ford,and the Auto Club, and all the others, this is for you. The old man isn't done yet."
Anderson and Line had nearly identical reaction times in their Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac GTOs in the Pro Stock final round, but Andersonworked the gears a 
little bit better and pulled away to claim his 43rd career victory and fourth of the season with a 6.652 at 208.14 mph to Line's 6.691 at 208.46 mph.
"This has been a blast," Anderson said. "Jason won the championship (two weeks ago) in Vegas so we were able to come in here and have fun and just race like weekend warriors with nothing to lose. It's cool that it came down to us in the final and I'm glad the champ let me beat him. You don't get many chances to race like this at this level."
Treble broke a two year winless drought when he ran away from challenger Tom Bradford in the Pro Stock Motorcycle final. Treble finished with a 7.072 at 190.81 mph on his Team Tigue Suzuki against Bradford's Hal's Speed Shop Buell, which ran 7.301 at 182.06 mph.
"This is way overdue," said Treble of his ninth career victory. "What an unbelievable day and a great win. They just told me we're in the top 10 now. I didn't even know we had a chance to get there. I was planning ongoing home. I guess we're going to the banquet party now. I need a tuxedo and my wife gets to go shopping."
Hines secured his third straight Pro Stock Motorcycle championship when his final challenger, Antron Brown, lost in the quarterfinals to Treble. Hines joins brother Matt and Angelle Sampey as the only riders to win three consecutive crowns. The younger Hines says this title is the most satisfying.
"The first one was hard because we started real strong and won three of the first six races," Hines said. "Last year we ran strong and consistent all year. I knew I had a bike that could make up for some of the mistakes I might make during the run. It was like a safety net. That was totally gone this year. This one I really feel like I had to earn it from start to finish."
The 2007 NHRA POWERade Countdown to the Championship begins Feb. 8-11, 2007 with the CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.
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SATURDAY QUALIFYING - KALITTA, BECKMAN, LINE AND HINES EARN NO. 1 QUALIFYING HONORS AT AUTO CLUB NHRA FINALS
Top Fuel points leader Doug Kalitta outran championship rival Tony Schumacher with a dramatic 4.452-second pass in the final qualifying session of the Auto Club NHRA Finals to earn the No. 1 qualifying position heading Sunday's 11 a.m. eliminations.
Jack Beckman (Funny Car), Jason Line (Pro Stock), and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also qualified on top of their respective categories at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in the final of 23 races in the $50 million POWERade Drag Racing Series.
Kalitta's run was made in his back-up car. In the day's earlier
session, his chassis was damaged during his run and he was forced to
switch to a back-up car. His Rahn Tobler-led race team responded with
their best pass of the year, a 4.452 at 328.22 mph in the Mac Tools
dragster."The car was fresh out of the box and it actually ran better than I thought it would," Kalitta said. "It was good to get a run on it before race day, especially one that strong. Rahn [Tobler, crew chief] told me to take it down there if it felt good. He did remind me that it was our only car at this point so I didn't want anything out of the ordinary to happen. It was a great job by everyone on our team to get this thing ready."
Anticipation was high that Schumacher and crew chief Alan Johnson would set a national record in the evening round, but fluid began leaking from Schumacher's U.S. Army dragster onto the track following the burnout. Two NHRA officials gave Schumacher the signal to shut his machine off but crew chief Johnson gave Schumacher the 'OK' signal to make the run. The car lost traction immediately at the hit of the throttle. The incident is currently being reviewed by NHRA officials.
Fresh off his first Funny Car victory in Las Vegas, newlywed Beckman
has now bagged his first low qualifier award as well. He actually ran
the quickest of both Saturday sessions but the first pass was thrown
out due to a fuel violation. Unshaken, he responded with a 4.671 at a
track record speed of 333.66 mph in the final session to earn the No. 1
slot."This Matco Dodge is a bracket car these last two races," Beckman said. "It's making me look a lot better than I am at this point. I don't want to go as far as to say it's easy to drive this thing by any means, but it's definitely making me look good at the moment. I figure I need 30 or 40 more runs until my mind catches up with this thing. It's an animal."
The three men still fighting for the POWERade Funny Car championship -- points leader John Force, his son-in-law and teammate Robert Hight, and Ron Capps -- all finished on the top half of the grid and ended up on the same side of the elimination ladder. Should they all advance past the opening round, Force will face Capps in the second round, while Hight would get the winner of that tilt in the semifinals.
As it stands through qualifying, No. 2 qualifier Hight (4.672) has moved into second place by one point over No. 6 qualifier Capps (4.725). Hight trails No. 3 qualifier Force (4.677) by 72 points.
Line waited until the final session to run the quickest Pro Stock pass
in track history, a 6.663 at 207.59 mph, that earned his Summit Racing
Equipment Pontiac GTO race team its seventh low qualifier award of the
year and third in a row."Both cars are really running great." said Line. "[Co-crew chiefs] Rob [Downing] and Jeff [Perley] and all the guys are doing a fantastic job. That was a pretty sporty run by Greg. Those were definitely the best track and weather conditions of the weekend, but honestly, I didn't do that great of a job of driving or it probably would have run a 6.65."
Hines' second low qualifying award of the year in Pro Stock Motorcycle was huge for the ramifications it had in the championship points standings. The Screamin' Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson rider entered the race 37 points ahead of Antron Brown. Now, after qualifying No. 1 with a 7.020 at 191.00 mph against Brown's 10th-place effort of 7.106 at 184.70 mph on his U.S. Army Suzuki, Hines is ahead by 43 points. Brown must now go three more rounds than Hines to pass him in the points as each round win is worth 20 points.
"Luckily we got the maximum points we could and at the same time Antron faltered a little bit so we were able to gain a round," Hines said. "I was looking forward to a second-round race against Antron but he moved down to 10th in that round. It would have been great to get him and end this deal once and for all. Hopefully, I can get my third championship and tie my brother [crew chief and three-time champion Matt Hines.] It'll make it easier around the house."
First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the 42nd annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, the final of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday.
Top Fuel -- 1. Doug Kalitta, 4.452 seconds, 328.86 mph vs. 16. Alan Bradshaw, 4.585, 320.28; 2. Tony Schumacher, 4.458, 328.54 vs. 15. David Baca, 4.583, 312.57; 3. Brandon Bernstein, 4.473, 332.34 vs. 14. Mike Strasburg, 4.578, 324.44; 4. Melanie Troxel, 4.485, 329.83 vs. 13. Steve Torrence, 4.577, 320.58; 5. David Grubnic, 4.488, 326.00 vs. 12. Morgan Lucas, 4.567, 324.75; 6. Larry Dixon, 4.508, 331.12 vs. 11. Cory McClenathan, 4.559, 331.85; 7. Rod Fuller, 4.509, 327.19 vs. 10. Doug Herbert, 4.535, 321.50; 8. J.R. Todd, 4.515, 324.28 vs. 9. Hillary Will, 4.535, 326.48.
Funny Car -- 1. Jack Beckman, Dodge Charger, 4.671, 333.66 vs. 16. Scott Kalitta, Toyota Solara, 4.843, 319.37; 2. Robert Hight, Ford Mustang, 4.672, 328.94 vs. 15. Bob Gilbertson, Dodge Stratus, 4.838, 318.54; 3. John Force, Mustang, 4.677, 328.22 vs. 14. Jim Head, Stratus, 4.831, 322.34; 4. Del Worsham, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.712, 309.56 vs. 13. Gary Densham, Monte Carlo, 4.799, 322.88; 5. Eric Medlen, Mustang, 4.723, 323.58 vs. 12. Phil Burkart, Monte Carlo, 4.774, 325.30; 6. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.725, 328.86 vs. 11. Tim Wilkerson, Monte Carlo, 4.772, 317.57; 7. Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo, 4.725, 327.35 vs. 10. Gary Scelzi, Charger, 4.766, 328.70; 8. Mike Ashley, Charger, 4.730, 331.85 vs. 9. Tony Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.745, 323.35.
Pro Stock -- 1. Jason Line, Pontiac GTO, 6.663, 207.59 vs. 16. Jim Yates, GTO, 6.714, 206.13; 2. Greg Anderson, GTO, 6.668, 207.59 vs. 15. Bob Panella, Dodge Stratus, 6.712, 206.67; 3. Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.686, 207.27 vs. 14. Erica Enders, Stratus, 6.710, 205.79; 4. Kurt Johnson, Chevy Cobalt, 6.688, 206.29 vs. 13. Dave Northrop, Stratus, 6.710, 206.39; 5. Tommy Lee, Cobalt, 6.691, 206.26 vs. 12. V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.705, 206.13; 6. Mike Edwards, GTO, 6.693, 207.30 vs. 11. Tom Martino, GTO, 6.704, 206.45; 7. Jeg Coughlin, Cobalt, 6.697, 206.32 vs. 10. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.703, 205.98; 8. Greg Stanfield, GTO, 6.699, 206.54 vs. 9. Dave Connolly, Cobalt, 6.700, 206.51.
Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 7.020, 191.00 vs. 16. Tom Bradford, Buell, 7.142, 188.62; 2. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.046, 190.54 vs. 15. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.133, 184.62; 3. Angelle Sampey, Suzuki, 7.066, 188.07 vs. 14. Matt Smith, Buell, 7.131, 181.42; 4. Shawn Gann, Suzuki, 7.081, 188.28 vs. 13. Mike Berry, Suzuki, 7.118, 186.95; 5. Matt Guidera, Buell, 7.081, 185.59 vs. 12. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.109, 187.60; 6. Chip Ellis, Buell, 7.081, 184.40 vs. 11. GT Tonglet, Harley-Davidson, 7.107, 186.54; 7. Ryan Schnitz, Buell, 7.088, 186.98 vs. 10. Antron Brown, Suzuki, 7.106, 184.70; 8. Michael Phillips, Suzuki, 7.094, 190.11 vs. 9. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 7.102, 188.78.
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FRIDAY QUALIFYING - SCHUMACHER, WORSHAM, LINE AND HINES LEAD QUALIFYING AT AUTO CLUB NHRA FINALS; Spectacular Worsham crash closes second day qualifying at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona
Tony Schumacher led Top Fuel qualifying Friday at the Auto Club NHRA Finals.
Schumacher followed Thursday's 4.490-second pass
with a 4.506 to maintain the
No. 1 position in the provisional field at
Auto Club Raceway at
Pomona.
Del Worsham, Jason Line and Andrew Hines also were qualifying
leaders in their categories at the final of 23 races in the $50 million
NHRA
POWERade Drag Racing Series.
Schumacher didn't run quicker on
Friday than his opening pass of 4.490 at 328.54 mph in his U.S. Army
dragster, but his 4.506 Friday afternoon
on a hot racetrack was impressive,
especially since fellow championship
contenders Doug Kalitta and Brandon
Bernstein's dragsters lost traction during their attempts. Bernstein is now
third with his 4.519 at 330.47
mph, while Kalitta fell to sixth with a 4.546
at 326.87 mph.
"Top Fuel running before Funny Car definitely hurt us
today because it
was warmer," Schumacher said. "Tomorrow night we'll make
that last pass
in the dark and we will try our best to set that
record."
Worsham retained the Funny Car lead with his previous pass of
4.712 seconds but was involved in a spectacular crash Friday. His
Checker
Schuck's Kragen Chevy Monte Carlo's engine exploded and the car went
out
of control and flipped into the sand traps at the end of the
track's shutdown area. He emerged from his car under his own power, but as
a
precaution he was transported to a local hospital for observation.
"I'm sore, but I'm more bummed than hurt," Worsham said. "It just
blew up down there and there was no way for me to get my hand to
the
parachute lever, so I was along for the ride. When it finally
stopped
tumbling, I just got out and walked away from it, already mad about
what had happened. Here we are, still the No. 1 qualifier and we're
running
great, and this has to happen. I know the team is already preparing
the
back-up car, so we'll just have to see how I feel."
Newly-crowned
Pro Stock champion Line raced past Thursday leader Greg Anderson with a run
of 6.667 seconds at 207.21 mph in his Summit Racing
Equipment Pontiac GTO.
"My job this weekend is to have fun and enjoy everything, at
least that's what I've told myself," Line said. "The championship has
been
decided and it's time to enjoy it. I have a lot of family and
friends
here and it's just turned into a big celebration. It's fun to be able
to race without the pressure we've been under."
Hines still has the
quickest Pro Stock Motorcycle on the property as he posted another 7.020 on
his Screamin' Eagle Vance & Hines
Harley-Davidson, this one at 190.27
mph, to maintain the provisional
pole at the midway point of
qualifying.
"One of our goals this weekend was to be as consistent as
possible in qualifying," Hines said. "We ran two 7.020s so far so you can't
get any
more consistent than that. We really want to earn as many points
as
possible in qualifying, both for the Full Throttle (pit crew
challenge award) and the championship."
Qualifying continues at 11
a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday.
* * *
Results Friday
after qualifying for the 42nd annualAutomobile Club of Southern California
NHRA Finals at Auto Club Racewayat Pomona, final of 23 events in the $50
million NHRA POWERade DragRacing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday
for Sunday's finaleliminations.
Top Fuel -- 1. Tony Schumacher, 4.490 seconds, 328.54 mph; 2. Rod
Fuller, 4.509, 327.19; 3. Brandon Bernstein, 4.519, 330.47; 4. David
Grubnic, 4.524, 323.97; 5. Doug Herbert, 4.535, 318.24; 6. Doug Kalitta,
4.546, 326.87; 7. Larry Dixon, 4.549, 327.90; 8. Cory McClenathan,
4.559, 331.85; 9. Melanie Troxel, 4.559, 321.35; 10. J.R. Todd, 4.565,
313.15; 11. Morgan Lucas, 4.567, 324.75; 12. Hillary Will, 4.574,
326.48; 13. Mike Strasburg, 4.578, 324.44; 14. David Baca, 4.583,
310.98; 15. Steve Torrence, 4.599, 318.92; 16. Bob Vandergriff, 4.610,
322.50.
Funny Car -- 1. Del Worsham, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.712, 309.56; 2. Robert
Hight, Ford Mustang, 4.724, 328.54; 3. Eric Medlen, Mustang, 4.730,
318.69; 4. John Force, Mustang, 4.731, 323.74; 5. Tony Pedregon, Monte
Carlo, 4.745, 323.35; 6. Jack Beckman, Dodge Charger, 4.755, 326.32; 7.
Mike Ashley, Charger, 4.762, 328.38; 8. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.769,
324.36; 9. Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo, 4.774, 325.14; 10. Gary
Scelzi, Charger, 4.824, 322.58; 11. Bob Gilbertson, Dodge Stratus,
4.838, 318.54; 12. Scott Kalitta, Toyota Solara, 4.843, 319.37; 13. Gary
Densham, Monte Carlo, 4.845, 320.43; 14. Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo,
4.860, 287.84; 15. Phil Burkart, Monte Carlo, 4.881, 315.12; 16. Tony
Bartone, Monte Carlo, 4.895, 291.51.
Pro Stock -- 1. Jason Line, Pontiac GTO, 6.667, 207.34; 2. Greg
Anderson, GTO, 6.677, 207.59; 3. Allen Johnson, Dodge Stratus, 6.688,
207.27; 4. Dave Connolly, Chevy Cobalt, 6.701, 206.51; 5. V. Gaines,
Stratus, 6.705, 205.94; 6. Tom Martino, GTO, 6.707, 206.45; 7. Kurt
Johnson, Cobalt, 6.709, 206.23; 8. Jeg Coughlin, Cobalt, 6.714, 206.32;
9. Bob Panella, Stratus, 6.715, 206.67; 10. Greg Stanfield, GTO, 6.717,
205.94; 11. Mike Edwards, GTO, 6.718, 207.30; 12. Tommy Brown, GTO,
6.722, 206.45; 13. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.723, 206.76; 14. Erica
Enders, Stratus, 6.725, 205.79; 15. Dave Northrop, Stratus, 6.727,
206.20; 16. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.730, 205.98.
Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 7.020, 191.00;
2. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.046, 190.35; 3. Angelle Sampey, Suzuki,
7.066, 188.07; 4. Shawn Gann, Suzuki, 7.081, 188.28; 5. Chip Ellis,
Buell, 7.081, 183.10; 6. Matt Guidera, Buell, 7.087, 185.59; 7. Michael
Phillips, Suzuki, 7.094, 190.11; 8. Ryan Schnitz, Buell, 7.099, 185.59;
9. Antron Brown, Suzuki, 7.106, 184.70; 10. GT Tonglet, Harley-Davidson,
7.107, 186.54; 11. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 7.108, 188.78; 12. Steve Johnson,
Suzuki, 7.109, 187.08; 13. Mike Berry, Suzuki, 7.118, 186.95; 14. Karen
Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.133, 184.47; 15. Tom Bradford, Buell, 7.142, 188.62;
16. Scott Lewis, Suzuki, 7.149, 181.01.
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THURSDAY QUALIFYING - WORSHAM RACES TO FUNNY CAR QUALIFYING LEAD AT AUTO CLUB NHRA FINALS; Schumacher, Anderson and Hines also quick at Pomona
Funny Car racer Del Worsham is on pace to close a sub-par year with a big finish
by racing to the qualifying lead Thursday at the Auto Club NHRA Finals.
Currently in danger of finishing outside the top-10 for the first time
in a decade, Worsham produced 4.712-second pass in his Checker Schuck's Kragen
Chevy Monte Carlo, the quickest of his career, to take the early lead. Tony
Schumacher (Top Fuel), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock), and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock
Motorcycle) also are qualifying leaders at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. The $1.8
million race is the final of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag
Racing Series.
As the top qualifier, Schumacher stands to gain a little
ground on points leader Doug Kalitta, who qualified fifth overall with a 4.546.
Funny Car hopefuls John Force and Ron Capps are just two positions and
three-hundredths of a second apart after one qualifying session. Hines continues
to do all he can to hold off Antron Brown and Angelle Sampey, who both qualified
in the top half of the field.
Southern California native Worsham thrilled
the locals with a spectacular 4.712 at 309.56 mph that ended with big explosion
just as his machine went through the lights. The pass put Worsham on top of the
field for the first time in two years.
"We're definitely racing on a
record-setting track," Worsham said. "It will happen this weekend because all
those guys are going for it. They have to. That was the quickest run I've ever
made and we're excited. I didn't know what I'd run until the crew guys got down
there and told me 4.71. Then I went from being upset about banging the blower to
all of us high-fiving and hugging each other. It was like we'd won the
race."
Schumacher's much-anticipated run at a national record will have
to wait another day as his 4.490 at 328.54 mph in his U.S. Army dragster was
well off the national mark of 4.437 he'll need to better to gain the valuable
bonus points a record is worth. Nevertheless, he drives the only dragster in the
4.4-second range so far.
"Our goal was to do a back-up run (for the
record)," Schumacher said. "We wanted a 4.46 or 4.45 but the car was extremely
weak in the middle. Saturday night will be the session. We'll be running at
night so it should be perfect. Alan [Johnson, crew chief] is the best there is
at getting the most out of the track so I guess a 4.49 was the best we could
have hoped for there."
Brandon Bernstein, who remains mathematically
alive for the Top Fuel title, is second after clocking a 4.519 at 330.47 mph in
his Budwesier/Lucas Oil dragster. Kalitta is fifth with a very conservative
4.546 at 326.87 mph in his Mac Tools dragster.
Anderson ceded the Pro
Stock title he held for three years to teammate Jason Line two weeks ago in Las
Vegas but he let his protégé know he's already working on regaining the crown in
'07 by equaling Line's track record elapsed time of 6.677 seconds in his Summit
Racing Pontiac GTO.
"We're not under any illusion that we were that much
quicker than the rest of the field, we just did a better job that session and
it's another feather in the cap for our two crew chiefs - Rob Downing and Jeff
Perley, and the great team behind me," Anderson said. "That's why we're going to
finish first and second in the championship this year."
Points leader
Hines immediately showed he will be tough to catch this weekend when he started
off qualifying with a stout 7.020 at 191.00 mph on his Screamin' Eagle Vance
& Hines Harley-Davidson.
"We learned that the Vegas tune-up is too
violent for this track," Hines said. "Dad [team co-owner Byron Hines] wanted to
run a six. The good news is we know where to go from here and we should see some
mid 6.90s this weekend. Our bike is in such a zone right now. It reacts so well
to everything we're doing to it."
Fellow championship contenders and U.S.
Army teammates Brown and Sampey both earned top-half positions. Sampey is third
with a 7.066 on her Suzuki, while Brown is eighth with a
7.106.
Qualifying continues Friday at 1:30 p.m.
Results Thursday after qualifying for the 42nd annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, final of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Friday for Sunday's final eliminations.
Top Fuel -- 1. Tony Schumacher, 4.490 seconds, 328.54 mph; 2. Brandon Bernstein, 4.519, 330.47; 3. David Grubnic, 4.524, 323.97; 4. Rod Fuller, 4.537, 327.19; 5. Doug Kalitta, 4.546, 326.87; 6. Cory McClenathan, 4.561, 331.85; 7. J.R. Todd, 4.565, 313.15; 8. Morgan Lucas, 4.567, 324.75; 9. Larry Dixon, 4.568, 327.90; 10. Mike Strasburg, 4.578, 324.44; 11. David Baca, 4.583, 310.98; 12. Steve Torrence, 4.599, 318.92; 13. Doug Herbert, 4.614, 302.82; 14. Hillary Will, 4.620, 311.77; 15. Clay Millican, 4.640, 307.16; 16. Alan Bradshaw, 4.693, 300.86.
Funny Car -- 1. Del Worsham, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.712, 309.56; 2. Eric Medlen, Ford Mustang, 4.730, 318.69; 3. John Force, Mustang, 4.731, 323.74; 4. Mike Ashley, Dodge Charger, 4.762, 328.38; 5. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.769, 324.36; 6. Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo, 4.798, 320.81; 7. Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.805, 313.37; 8. Tony Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.808, 316.67; 9. Scott Kalitta, Toyota Solara, 4.843, 319.37; 10. Gary Densham, Monte Carlo, 4.845, 320.43; 11. Phil Burkart, Monte Carlo, 4.881, 315.12; 12. Frank Pedregon, Dodge Stratus, 4.939, 285.95; 13. Bob Bode, Monte Carlo, 4.973, 289.32; 14. Tony Bartone, Monte Carlo, 5.223, 218.80; 15. Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 5.231, 221.09; 16. Robert Hight, Mustang, 5.637, 170.90.
Pro Stock -- 1. Greg Anderson, Pontiac GTO, 6.677, 205.94; 2. Jason Line, GTO, 6.688, 207.34; 3. Dave Connolly, Chevy Cobalt, 6.701, 206.35; 4. V. Gaines, Dodge Stratus, 6.711, 204.91; 5. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.719, 206.23; 6. Tommy Brown, GTO, 6.722, 204.79; 7. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.723, 205.85; 8. Mike Edwards, GTO, 6.724, 206.76; 9. Jeg Coughlin, Cobalt, 6.725, 206.32; 10. Dave Northrop, Stratus, 6.727, 205.01; 11. Tom Martino, GTO, 6.729, 206.45; 12. Greg Stanfield, GTO, 6.730, 205.88; 13. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.730, 204.85; 14. Richie Stevens, Stratus, 6.736, 204.85; 15. Jim Yates, GTO, 6.739, 205.32; 16. Warren Johnson, GTO, 6.745, 205.98.
Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 7.020, 191.00; 2. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.059, 189.84; 3. Angelle Sampey, Suzuki, 7.066, 188.07; 4. Chip Ellis, Buell, 7.081, 183.10; 5. Matt Guidera, Buell, 7.087, 185.59; 6. Michael Phillips, Suzuki, 7.094, 190.11; 7. Ryan Schnitz, Buell, 7.099, 185.59; 8. Antron Brown, Suzuki, 7.106, 184.70; 9. GT Tonglet, Harley-Davidson, 7.107, 185.61; 10. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 7.108, 186.51; 11. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.109, 187.08; 12. Mike Berry, Suzuki, 7.118, 186.95; 13. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.133, 184.47; 14. Tom Bradford, Buell, 7.142, 188.62; 15. Marco Andreano, Buell, 7.162, 181.98; 16. Shawn Gann, Suzuki, 7.179, 185.05.
