2009 NHRA THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS - SAME DAY COVERAGE
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SCHUMACHER, WORSHAM AND EDWARDS WIN NHRA THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS AT BRISTOL DRAGWAY
Tony Schumacher raced to his third victory of the season Sunday at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.
Del Worsham and Mike Edwards also were winners at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event.
Schumacher crossed the finish line in 3.857 seconds at 310.91 mph in
his U.S. Army dragster to edge Doug Kalitta, whose Kalitta Motorsports
dragster trailed at 3.879 at 303.43. It was Schumacher’s third victory
at the legendary Tennessee drag strip and the 59th of his career.
In earlier rounds, Schumacher beat Terry Haddock, Morgan Lucas and
Brandon Bernstein. With the victory the six-time NHRA Full Throttle
Series world champ moved back into the series lead.
"To be back in the points lead is outstanding," said Schumacher, who
now leads Antron Brown by 45 points. "We started this year with
everyone telling us we'd probably never win another race. To be sitting
here now with three wins in the first eight races is very satisfying,
I'm not gonna lie. Our team is working so well right now. I don't think
there's a guy on this team that would rather be somewhere else. It's a
group that wants to get up in the morning and go racing."
In Funny Car, Worsham claimed his second consecutive victory and 24th of his career, powering 
his
Al-Anabi Racing Toyota Solara past Tony Pedregon’s special-themed
Jimmie Johnson Foundation Chevy Impala in the final. Worsham posted the
quickest run of the weekend in the category to get the win, a
4.075-second blast at 304.67 mph, while Pedregon finished in 4.152 at
293.22.
"Aaron Brooks and Alan Johnson, that was their win," said Worsham of
his crew chief and team owner. "In the semifinals [the engine] blew up
on us, it kicked the rods out, and we kind of coasted across with a
4.12. But we went back and put a new engine in it, and when we came to
the final Aaron and A.J. told me the run was going to be at least a
4.08. A 4.07 was pretty close."
Worsham defeated Jeff Arend, Cruz Pedregon and Tim Wilkerson to advance to the final.
"I saw both sides of a team come together today, the Top Fuel and the
Funny Car guys, to put this car back together and basically change
every part on it for the final round," Worsham said. "That shows you
what kind of team this is; they all work together. Aaron Brooks leading
this team, it’s basically his first full season working as a crew chief
and he’s really stepped it up. This whole team has, and I just can’t
say enough about all of them."
Worsham closed the gap with series leader Ron Capps, who lost in the
second round. He now trails the NAPA Dodge driver by 57 points.
Edwards
claimed his second win of the season and 17th of his career in Pro
Stock, beating final round opponent Greg Anderson with a track record
time of 6.633 at 207.72 in his ART Pontiac GXP. Anderson’s Summit
Racing GXP trailed Edwards with a performance of 6.658 at 207.94.
"We just ran so good," Edwards said. "Every run it just seemed like we
got a little bit better,
and I can’t believe we ran this good every
run. Eight runs, and we were the fastest car every run down the track.
I don’t know if people really know how hard it is in this class to win
one of these races. I respect Greg Anderson and Jason Line, Warren and
Kurt Johnson, and everybody. They’re the guys you want to try to beat
because they’ve been up there so long. To beat those guys, I just never
dreamed I could be this competitive in this class, and to run like this
is just an awesome feeling."
Edwards, who was the No. 1 qualifier, zoomed past David Beckley in the
first round, used a perfect reaction time (.000) to beat Kurt Johnson
in the second round and had another stellar reaction of .010 against
Jason Line in the semis to move to the final round.
"I have a wonderful team," Edwards said. "These guys, they work so
hard. We have just tested and tested and tested, and it’s paying off
for us. My guys just work endless hours. Boy it feels good to do this.
I’ve always wanted to win this race. There is a lot of tradition around
here with that big old circle track over there. You get chills just
being around here, so this feels good."
Edwards remained in third place in the Pro Stock points order, 102 behind leader Jeg Coughlin and 46 behind second place Line.
The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series continues May 29-31 with the
O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka in Kansas.
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SATURDAY FINAL QUALIFYING - MCCLENATHAN, FORCE HOOD AND EDWARDS EARN NO. 1 QUALIFYING POSITIONS AT BRISTOL
Cory McClenathan raced to his first No. 1 qualifying position of the season Saturday at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.
Ashley Force Hood and Mike Edwards also will lead their categories into Sunday’s eliminations, which begin at noon. ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will provide three hours and 30 minutes of coverage of the race starting at 7 p.m. (ET).
McClenathan held on to the top spot in Top Fuel with his 3.874 second run at 312.21 mph from Friday in his FRAM dragster. It is the 33rd No. 1 effort of his career and first at this track. He will face Michael Gunderson in the first round of eliminations.
"I’ll definitely take that No. 1, but at the same time, tomorrow is the most important; we need to go rounds," McClenathan said. "That’s the one thing this FRAM Top Fuel dragster has been able to do this year is go rounds. We’ve been in two finals. We’ve not won a race yet with this car, but it has been consistent. I think the FRAM Tough Guard guys have done a great job with that.
"Consistency is everything to me. Our car has been very consistent. That’s what Todd [Okuhara] and Phil [Shuler, crew chiefs] and the guys have really done for me this year. They’ve given me a car that no matter what racetrack we go to, we may not be the quickest car all the time but we’re always right in the hunt with everybody and it does go A to B. I’m in a really good comfort zone because I know this car is going to run good all the time."
In other Top Fuel news of the day, rookie Spencer Massey failed to qualify in his Don "the Snake" Prudhomme-owned U.S. Smokeless dragster.
In Funny Car, Force Hood claimed her second No. 1 position of the season, also with her Friday run of 4.105 at 298.67 in her Castrol GTX Ford Mustang. It is her second top qualifying run of the season and fifth of her career. She will face Andy Kelley in the opening round.
It will be a bittersweet celebration for Force Hood as her teammate Robert Hight suffered a rare DNQ in his Auto Club Mustang.
"I know it’s frustrating for those guys and we feel for them because we’ve all been in that situation," Force Hood said. "Funny Car is such a competitive category, and it’s great that it’s like that, but when you’re on the outside looking in, it’s tough. But they’re doing exactly what they need to do. They’re bummed, but they’re looking forward. They’re working with our other teams and they’re staying positive, and that’s the only way to come out of it. My dad’s been through it, and he’s won more championships than anybody, so if anyone can give them advice, it’s him."
None of the Pro Stock teams were able to improve over Edwards’ 6.698 at 205.72 performance from Friday. It is Edwards’ fourth No. 1 of the season and 10th of his career in his ART Pontiac GXP. Edwards will race David Beckley in the first round.
"Tomorrow is a different day, but we have made some really good runs here," Edwards said. "My guys, I can’t say enough about them. They’ve done an awesome job here this weekend. They’ve worked really well together and made all the right adjustments. It’s a pretty tricky track, and they’ve really done a good job and I’m really proud of them. I think I have as good of a chance as anybody [tomorrow]. I’ve struggled a little bit on Sunday with my driving, but hopefully, I can turn that around and make this a great weekend for us."
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First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the Ninth annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway, the eighth of 24 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday. DNQs listed below pairings.
Top Fuel -- 1. Cory McClenathan, 3.874 seconds, 312.21 mph vs. 16. Michael Gunderson, 4.191, 290.63; 2. Brandon Bernstein, 3.875, 312.64 vs. 15. Joe Hartley, 4.130, 283.31; 3. Tony Schumacher, 3.883, 306.60 vs. 14. Terry Haddock, 4.036, 296.76; 4. Larry Dixon, 3.886, 312.93 vs. 13. Pat Dakin, 4.033, 296.44; 5. Shawn Langdon, 3.892, 309.70 vs. 12. Dom Lagana, 3.995, 297.02; 6. Clay Millican, 3.897, 310.20 vs. 11. Morgan Lucas, 3.952, 300.53; 7. Antron Brown, 3.898, 313.07 vs. 10. Troy Buff, 3.950, 298.14; 8. Doug Herbert, 3.906, 307.23 vs. 9. Doug Kalitta, 3.916, 307.37. Did Not Qualify: 17. Spencer Massey, 4.302, 294.88; 18. Chris Karamesines, broke.
Funny Car -- 1. Ashley Force Hood, Ford Mustang, 4.105, 298.67 vs. 16. Andy Kelley, Dodge Stratus, 4.633, 241.67; 2. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.109, 295.08 vs. 15. Jerry Toliver, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.456, 223.65; 3. Del Worsham, Toyota Solara, 4.128, 298.93 vs. 14. Jeff Arend, Solara, 4.335, 280.02; 4. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 4.139, 295.66 vs. 13. Tony Pedregon, Chevy Impala, 4.218, 292.39; 5. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.151, 291.95 vs. 12. Bob Bode, Chevy Impala SS, 4.210, 292.90; 6. Cruz Pedregon, Solara, 4.153, 295.53 vs. 11. Mike Neff, Mustang, 4.186, 291.01; 7. John Force, Mustang, 4.154, 297.94 vs. 10. Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.184, 298.07; 8. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.163, 289.88 vs. 9. Jim Head, Solara, 4.166, 293.41. Did Not Qualify: 17. Robert Hight, 5.229, 274.66.
Pro Stock -- 1. Mike Edwards, Pontiac GXP, 6.698, 205.72 vs. 16. David Beckley, Dodge Stratus, 6.796, 203.61; 2. Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Cobalt, 6.712, 205.85 vs. 15. Ronnie Humphrey, Stratus, 6.792, 204.01; 3. Greg Anderson, GXP, 6.716, 205.44 vs. 14. Justin Humphreys, GXP, 6.782, 203.00; 4. Greg Stanfield, GXP, 6.721, 204.76 vs. 13. Johnny Gray, Stratus, 6.761, 204.39; 5. Jason Line, GXP, 6.722, 204.91 vs. 12. Rickie Jones, Stratus, 6.753, 204.20; 6. Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.723, 205.10 vs. 11. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.748, 204.14; 7. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.725, 205.07 vs. 10. Warren Johnson, GXP, 6.747, 204.79; 8. Rodger Brogdon, GXP, 6.726, 205.79 vs. 9. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.726, 204.79. Did Not Qualify: 17. Dave Northrop, 6.811, 203.65; 18. Steve Spiess, 6.821, 202.30; 19. Bob Benza, 6.895, 200.11; 20. Erica Enders, 6.900, 199.26; 21. V. Gaines, 6.912, 203.12; 22. John Gaydosh Jr, 6.949, 199.32.
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FRIDAY QUALIFYING - FORCE HOOD, MCCLENATHAN AND EDWARDS LEAD QUALIFYING AT BRISTOL
Ashley Force Hood raced to the qualifying lead Friday at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.
Cory McClenathan and Mike Edwards also were No. 1 qualifiers in their respective categories at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event.
Force Hood posted a 4.105 second run at 298.67 mph in her Castrol GTX Ford Mustang to take the top spot in Funny Car. If her performance holds through Saturday’s final two qualifying sessions (12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.) it will be her second No. 1 of the season and fifth of her career.
"The first session was just about getting from A to B so that we'd have a good base for the rest of our runs, and fortunately things went our way and we made a good run," Force Hood said. "But we knew that a lot of the teams would probably improve and go around us tonight. We knew conditions would be stellar, and we were hoping not to miss that chance. As every team knows, you never want to give up that Friday night run, and fortunately for us everything went smoothly and we made a nice pass."
Force Hood was the qualifying leader following the first session, but then several cars moved in front of her during the second session. She was able to reclaim the position with a strong run to close out Funny Car qualifying for the day.
"I knew it was good run," she said. "It felt so much faster than the first run. It was pulling really hard, I just didn't know if it was good enough to get that No. 1 because a lot of other teams had run well, too. Fortunately, it did. Who knows what tomorrow will bring, but hopefully we'll keep making good runs. The bigger picture is doing well on race day, and we have two good runs so far, so we're excited about that."
McClenathan took the top spot in Top Fuel with a performance of 3.874 at 312.21 in his FRAM dragster.
Like Force Hood, McClenathan saved his best for last and pulled out the impressive performance under the lights.
"[Crew chiefs] Todd Okuhara and Phil Shuler may have run Funny Car for a lot of years, but they've done a great job with this Fram Tough Guard Top Fuel dragster," said McClenathan. "This car goes A to B at every racetrack we go to. They told me, 'We're going to step on it, we're going for it, so be ready to lift if you have to,' but it was a flawless run. It ran almost 277 [mph] to half-track, and those numbers prove that they can do it and get the job done.
"I want to be fast and I always want to be No. 1, but I'd gladly give that No. 1 up for a win on Sunday. That's the biggest thing."
Edwards covered the distance in 6.719 at 205.19 in his ART Pontiac GXP to lead Pro Stock qualifying. It would be his fourth No. 1 qualifying effort of the season and 10th of his career if his time holds through tomorrow.
"We made two really good runs here, and my guys are doing a good job," Edwards said. "We spend a lot of the time at the racetrack, not so much at the national events, but we’ve been doing a lot of testing, and it’s really starting to benefit us. My hat’s off to my guys at the shop. I think I’ve about worn them all out, but when you see results like this it sure makes you feel like your work is not all in vain."
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Results Friday after the first two of four rounds of qualifying for the Ninth annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway, eighth of 24 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday's final eliminations.
Top Fuel -- 1. Cory McClenathan, 3.874 seconds, 312.21 mph; 2. Brandon Bernstein, 3.875, 312.64; 3. Tony Schumacher, 3.883, 306.60; 4. Larry Dixon, 3.886, 312.93; 5. Shawn Langdon, 3.892, 309.70; 6. Clay Millican, 3.897, 310.20; 7. Antron Brown, 3.898, 313.07; 8. Doug Herbert, 3.906, 307.23; 9. Doug Kalitta, 3.916, 307.37; 10. Troy Buff, 3.950, 298.14; 11. Morgan Lucas, 3.952, 300.53; 12. Dom Lagana, 3.995, 297.02. Not Qualified: 13. Spencer Massey, 4.015, 294.88; 14. Terry Haddock, 4.026, 296.76; 15. Michael Gunderson, 4.079, 290.63; 16. Joe Hartley, 4.277, 279.09; 17. Chris Karamesines, 4.591, 215.31.
Funny Car -- 1. Ashley Force Hood, Ford Mustang, 4.105, 298.67; 2. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.109, 295.08; 3. Del Worsham, Toyota Solara, 4.128, 298.93; 4. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 4.139, 295.66; 5. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.151, 291.95; 6. Cruz Pedregon, Solara, 4.153, 295.53; 7. John Force, Mustang, 4.154, 297.94; 8. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.163, 277.49; 9. Jim Head, Solara, 4.166, 293.41; 10. Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.184, 298.07; 11. Mike Neff, Mustang, 4.186, 291.01; 12. Bob Bode, Chevy Impala SS, 4.210, 292.01. Not Qualified: 13. Tony Pedregon, 4.233, 292.39; 14. Robert Hight, 4.240, 274.66; 15. Andy Kelley, 4.722, 241.67; 16. Jeff Arend, 5.598, 126.34; 17. Jerry Toliver, 6.921, 96.92.
Pro Stock -- 1. Mike Edwards, Pontiac GXP, 6.698, 205.72; 2. Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Cobalt, 6.712, 205.85; 3. Greg Anderson, GXP, 6.716, 205.29; 4. Greg Stanfield, GXP, 6.721, 204.76; 5. Jason Line, GXP, 6.722, 204.91; 6. Allen Johnson, Dodge Stratus, 6.723, 204.94; 7. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.725, 205.07; 8. Rodger Brogdon, GXP, 6.726, 205.79; 9. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.726, 204.79; 10. Warren Johnson, GXP, 6.747, 204.57; 11. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.748, 203.52; 12. Rickie Jones, Stratus, 6.753, 204.20. Not Qualified: 13. Johnny Gray, 6.759, 203.31; 14. Ronnie Humphrey, 6.762, 203.49; 15. David Beckley, 6.766, 203.49; 16. Justin Humphreys, 6.785, 203.00; 17. Dave Northrop, 6.786, 203.65; 18. V. Gaines, 6.794, 203.12; 19. Steve Spiess, 6.805, no speed; 20. Bob Benza, 6.875, 200.11; 21. John Gaydosh Jr, 6.901, 199.32; 22. Erica Enders, 6.904, 198.99.
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EVENT PREVIEW - BERNSTEIN FLYING UNDER RADAR; LOOKING TO CHANGE THE PATTERN AT NHRA THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS
Brandon Bernstein must feel like his Budweiser/Lucas Oil Top Fuel dragster has assumed the shape of a B-2 Stealth Bomber.
Just like the Air Force’s highly-sophisticated undetectable aircraft, he's powered along this season at a rapid pace, quietly knocking out round wins and accumulating points. However, mission control hasn’t turned him loose to bag the big one yet.
With runner-up finishes in Phoenix, Las Vegas and St. Louis, and six races of qualifying in the top five positions, Bernstein has put himself in solid position in the NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship. A top-three player in the point standings all season long, Bernstein hopes a victory at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol will provide the boost his team needs to move to the top of the standings where they can pursue their ultimate season goal – winning a world championship title.
Bernstein, who claimed victories at scenic Bristol Dragway in 2007 and 2003, hopes to earn his third at the historic Northeast Tennessee drag strip during the ninth annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, May 15-17. Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel); Melanie Troxel (Funny Car); and Dave Connolly (Pro Stock) are the event’s defending winners. The race will be televised by ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD.
After coming very close to winning the 2007 world championship title with five victories in seven final round appearances, Bernstein has hit a bit of a dry spell since that amazing title run that ended in the semifinals at the season’s final race. In 2008 he was uncharacteristically shut out of victory lane, earning only four runner-up finishes, and finished seventh in points. An offseason change to a new crew chief in Rob Flynn and assistant crew chief in Mike Guger has blossomed more quickly than expected after longtime tuners Tim and Kim Richards decided to retire last season. The team’s new chemistry coupled with their early season success has Bernstein feeling very confident that his winless drought is about to be over.
“It’s been a great start for us and we’ve been to (three) finals and feel like everything is coming together,” said Bernstein, a 17-time winner on the Full Throttle tour. “Rob and Mike are doing a great job and we feel like we can win some races and make a run for this Full Throttle championship. We’d love to give the championship trophy to Budweiser in their final year with us.”
Last month InBev, new owners of the Budweiser brand, announced it would not return as sponsor of the Bernstein team after this season. The announcement brings to an end a 30-year relationship, the longest such sponsorship in motorsports.
Bernstein says that his drive to win races and the championship is as intense as ever and says a title celebration at the end of the season would be a fitting finale to their incredible partnership with the popular beer brand. He says the team is very focused on the goal.
“There’s some pressure to perform this year, but mostly it’s the pressure that we put on ourselves,” Bernstein said. “Obviously we know what we need to do. We need to win races and do everything we can to win the championship. Whenever you can have success on the track and keep your team out there in front of everyone, the better it is to find a new sponsor, too.”
And a victory at Bristol would go a long way in helping the team in that area. Bernstein says racing at Bristol has always been a feel-good weekend for the team, despite the outcome on the track.
“It’s just a great weekend overall for our team whenever we go to Bristol,” Bernstein said. “We’ve got a great relationship with Holston Distributing (local Tri-Cities Budweiser distributor) and they’ve really been good to my dad (NHRA legend Kenny Bernstein, team owner) over the years and a big supporter of our team. We’ve had our share of success at that track and hopefully we’ll have some more this time out.”
He says the setting at Thunder Valley just puts you in the mood to race.
“There’s just something special about racing at Bristol back there in the mountains with all of the trees and beautiful scenery all around,” Bernstein said. “From the moment you drive into that place and see the NASCAR track sitting there and just the sounds that are created from the echoes as cars race up the valley, it’s just really cool.”
While Bernstein hopes for a return to the winner’s circle, series point leader Antron Brown continues to set the pace with two victories in three final round appearances in his DirecTV/Matco Tools dragster. Tony Schumacher is a close second in points with two victories in his U.S. Army dragster. However, a host of drivers are jockeying for position in the top 10. Morgan Lucas, Larry Dixon and Doug Kalitta have also earned victories this season, while Cory McClenathan, and rookie Spencer Massey have joined third-place points earner Bernstein in making final round appearances. Of that group of drivers, Kalitta has the best record at Bristol Dragway, posting three wins here from 2001-’06.
Funny Car point leader Ron Capps will be trying to keep the momentum going in his NAPA Dodge Charger. The California driver has won three races this season in four final round appearances and seems poised to make another run for the championship. He’s had great success at Bristol Dragway over the years, winning there two times, his most recent in 2006. John Force, the 14-time world champ, has two wins at Bristol Dragway, and leads a quartet of capable cars from his race team into competition, including the Ford Drive One Mustang of last season’s runner-up Mike Neff. His other two cars, driven by daughter Ashley Force Hood and son-in-law Robert Hight, are also consistent top 10 performers. The 2003 Bristol winner in Funny Car, Del Worsham, won the recent race in St. Louis with his new team and could be a threat to capture another title. Other favorites in the category include rookie Matt Hagan from nearby Christiansburg, Va., two-time world champ Tony Pedregon and Gatornationals winner Bob Tasca.
In Pro Stock, 2007 Bristol winner Jeg Coughlin has been the driver to beat this season behind the wheel of his JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt. He has posted three victories in four final rounds and appears very comfortable in his quest to claim his third consecutive world championship title and fifth overall. Greg Anderson and his former mentor, Warren Johnson, have both been solid at Bristol Dragway over the years, winning two times each. Hometown favorite Allen Johnson, from nearby Greeneville, Tenn., hopes to put his J&J Racing Team Mopar Dodge Stratus into victory lane at his home track for the first time. Others to watch in the 200 mph category include two-time season winner and ’06 Bristol champ Jason Line, ’03 Bristol winner Kurt Johnson and surprising early-season front-runner Mike Edwards, who has claimed three No. 1 qualifying awards and a victory in two final rounds this season in his ART Pontiac GXP.
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