Keep up with this weekend's NHRA Fall Nationals by reading our behind-the-scenes event notebook. We bring you the stories behind the numbers and win-lights throughout the course of the weekend. Tune in daily for the latest news from the pits.  

		EVENT NEWS EVENT NOTEBOOK POINTS AFTER EVENT ROUND-BY-ROUND RESULTS FINAL ROUND RESULTS			EVENT GALLERY

SUNDAY NOTEBOOK -

IF YOU ARE DREAMING, DREAM BIG - Four weeks ago, Robert Hight was staring down a near impossible task. Now, he's staring down from atop the Funny Car point standings.

“It's unbelievable,” said Hight, of his second consecutive win, and leap from tenth to first in the point standings in just two races. “It hasn't hit me yet. Going to the three final rounds in a row is tough.

“This is probably the best race car I have ever had. To be this dominant, this consistent, this steady. Jimmy Prock has definitely got a handle of this. We still have to give it to Guido and Ron Douglas. Without them we wouldn't be where we are at today. They helped us. Thank God Jimmy listened to them and worked with them.”

Hight is savoring his time in the spotlight and he is reflective thanks to a chance encounter with Leif Helander from Sweden, Hight’s first round opponent today.
“Something kind of hit me this morning actually last night. My first round match up was with Leif Helander from Sweden. He came by after I came by the press room and he introduced himself. He told me his story. He reminded me of that movie, The World’s Fastest Indian. We have had controversy here lately. We have had drivers arguing. Talking with a guy like that puts it in perspective what we are doing out here,” said Hight.

“This guy is 65 years old and he has dreamed all his life to come over here to the NHRA, what we take for granted. He is living the dream. We forget why we are here and why we do this and how fortunate we are to be a part of NHRA drag racing. It was really refreshing to see that guy and watch him in the pre race. He didn’t know where to stand or where to go. He is just a great guy and I’d like to get to know this guy a little better. He is going to Memphis and I wish him all the best.”
After Hight defeated Helander he dispatched a Who’s Who of championship contenders starting with Tim Wilkerson, Ashley Force Hood and then Jack Beckman in the final.
“You have to give it to Jack Beckman. He gave me a race in the final. That was probably the best run of the day in Funny Car in the right lane. Hat's off to those guys, they're going to be tough the rest of the way.”  

Beckman is now third in the point standings, 32 back of second place Ashley Force and 45 behind Hight.

With four races remaining on the schedule Hight is equally excited to know there is no break until after Richmond.

“It is so exciting as a driver to be able to go right out next week and maybe keep this streak going, because when you are on a hot streak you don't want go home and celebrate – you want to get back in that race car and keep it going. We have two more weeks. The first two weeks of the outcome couldn't have been any better for us – won them both. We went from worst to first. It's very exciting for me. It was something I thought was never going to happen. You dream big, but this is huge.”

YOU MEAN I CAN'T WIN? - Tony Schumacher continued Sunday to thumb his nose at National Hot Rod Ass'n. observers who said he couldn't survive without Alan Johnson.

The defiant U.S. Army dragster driver put new crew chief Mike Green's tune-up against that of Johnson in Sunday's Top Fuel final round at the O'Reilly Super Star Batteries Fall Nationals and won.

On what he called "just a massive day," Schumacher beat No. 1 qualifier Larry Dixon, Johnson's current driver, in the Texas Motorplex lane in which few drivers could win all day long. And he seized the points lead with just four more races remaining in the Full Throttle Drag Racing Series' Countdown to the Championship.

"It's crunch time," Schumacher had said going into the weekend. And nobody loves the heightened drama, these pressure-packed moments, better than Schumacher. He responded with a 3.944-second pass at 312.86 mph that held off Dixon's 4.232/225.18 in the Al-Anabi Racing dragster.

"Of all the years, this is the most dig-deep, bottom-line, bases-loaded (situation), " Schumacher said before dashing to the airport to catch a flight to Chicago so he still could celebrate son Anthony's eighth birthday Sunday night.

"Mike Green did a heck of a job," Schumacher said. "He said, 'Let's not 'get stuck' in the right lane - let's 'choose' it."

Schumacher was game, saying, "If you can't rise to the occasion, you don't need to be racing a car."

He said the right lane - the one J.R. Todd used to beat him here last year - "wasn't that bad. People who couldn't get down that lane just misjudged it."

What mattered to Schumacher, too, was making sure that Green got the proper recognition. "Mike Green took a lot of abuse at the beginning of the year," he said. "People said, 'Game over. Ha-ha.' But we're making it fun and making sure we enjoy the moment."

Schumacher was making his second straight final-round appearance at the Texas Motorplex, where he earned his first professional victory in 1999 and also won in 2004 and 2005. With this fourth victory here, his 61st overall, and fifth of the season, Schumacher leads Dixon in the standings by 27 points.

He's back on the top of the standings, where he has felt most comfortable. And it's in a version of the U.S. Army Dragster in which he feels comfortable. More than likely, Schumacher said, he'll stick with this chassis throughout the Countdown. "I wouldn't want to sit in any other car."

The Long Grove, Ill., resident is an avid hockey fan who even skates for an adult house-league team during week as time permits. Saturday night, he attended the Dallas Stars game and stayed for the first two periods. But he elected to skip the third, heading back to his hotel to prepare mentally for the day ahead. It was reminiscent of the Schumacher who added to his U.S. Nationals legend at Indianapolis a couple of years ago by keeping to himself and teaching himself to play the guitar.

All he needed to make the day complete was to catch that eight o'clock flight to O'Hare, to eat a piece of birthday cake with the eldest of his three children.

"If you can't be there during the day," he said referring to his son's birthday celebration, "then the least you can do is win."

It was, indeed, "a massive day" for Schumacher. What else would one expect in Texas?

NEVER ASSUME - Greg Anderson never - not once during the day Sunday - assumed anything.

Oh, well, maybe one thing. He might have assumed he was going to lose long before the final round. The winners circle? That was beyond daydreaming.

"I've been dragging my lip," the Pro Stock dominator-turned-struggler said. "I wouldn't have been surprised if I had exited early today. But we found a way each round to win."

Yes, Anderson won Sunday's O'Reilly Super Star Batteries Fall Nationals – he won. He got a reminder of what that feels like in August at Brainerd, Minn. That was his first victory of the season. The Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac GXP driver was runner-up to teammate Jason Line at Sonoma one race earlier. .

But none of that signaled a turnaround. Instead, Anderson dropped out in the quarterfinals at Reading and posted back-to-back losses at Indianapolis and Charlotte.

So he had no real idea Sunday that he would charge through the field - "slide" through the field, as he might have described it.

"I can't remember stealing one like we did today," Anderson said.

He almost had conceded the event to sizzling-hot Mike Edwards and the Young Life/A.R.T. Pontiac GXP.

"Mike Edwards has been making us all look bad lately," Anderson said. "He's got the baddest car that's ever been in Pro Stock. And lo and behold, something crazy happened (to Edwards)."

Edwards either experienced or caused a staging problem that disrupted his concentration and caused him to lose to Anderson in the semifinal.

The points leader had been nearly untouchable on the track, and he had an almost-unheard-of opportunity against Anderson to gain a huge advantage over his closest Countdown rivals. Jeg Coughlin succumbed to mechanical troubles early in his semifinal run against Johnny Gray. Jason Line, Greg Stanfield, Allen Johnson, and Kurt Johnson were finished for the day. But instead of a clean shot at semifinal opponent Anderson, all Edwards got was a head start to Memphis Motorsports Park for this weekend's O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals.

All Edwards said he knew was that "the light kept blinking" after he sat there at the line when Anderson took off with a not-particularly-spectacular .133 reaction time. Edwards decided to go, and he was charged with a .362 light and a 13.595 elapsed time to Anderson's 6.689-second pass at 207.37 mph.

Said Anderson, "I'm still trying to figure out what happened." He said the blinking light "somehow messed him up. It was bizarre. We're getting some luck today. We don't have the strongest car on the grounds."

After his victory, Anderson attributed the foul-up at the tree to nerves or lack of concentration -- something he said has plagued him in the past.

When, in Anderson's words, "you have a horse that strong," he said, "you can't be careless. You can't throw the race away. This racin' deal ... it's a mind thing."

Nevertheless, Edwards retained his Pro Stock points lead. He has 65 points more than No. 2 Jeg Coughlin and 80 more than No. 3 Anderson.

His final-round 6.684-second run at 207.11 mph topped Johnny Gray's 6.713/206.64 in his Dodge Stratus. It came in the version of the Summit Pontiac GXP with which brother-in-law Ronnie Humphrey had borrowed and found some success in recent NHRA races.

It also earned him a first-round victory over Warren Johnson and a second-round victory over Allen Johnson.

HECTOR BEING HECTOR - The one rider every Pro Stock Motorcycle rider is gunning for as the 2009 NHRA season rolls to a finish isn't worried about being the hunted.

“It is better that I have the target than they have the target,” said Arana after scoring his fourth win in five races, the last three in a row on his Lucas Oil Buell. Arana continues to be perfect once he reaches the final round, winning five of five. He also leads the point standings by 27 over Eddie Krawiec and 111 over Andrew Hines who is third.

If there is championship pressure mounting, Arana isn't showing it, but offers no reason why saying, “I don't know. All this is new to me. I am just going to keep doing what I have done all my life, work hard and be Hector.”

That and riding a bike which makes him happy.

“I am really pleased with the performance of the bike. This S & S motor is a helluva piece. The crew is working hard to give me the opportunity to keep winning rounds, winning races and to win the title. Something that we worked hard for, for so many years. I believe it was 18 years for me to win my first race. Its amazing how everything has turned around and now I have five in one year. I just need three more for this year and I'll be good.”

One area of minor concern for Arana are the new qualifying points. Do you shoot for every point possible or do you use qualifying runs on Saturday to get ready for race day?

“The qualifying points on Friday and Saturday is good on one hand, but in the other hand it's huh (challenging). Can we give up the extra points?  The end result is on Sunday we're winning the races.”

BROTHER CAN YOU SPARE A DIME, OR 20K? - Broken parts and pieces, along with broken dreams, littered the Haddock pits following his first round loss to Antron Brown in the O'Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals at the Texas Motorplex.

“We're trying to run good – race hard and do our best,” said Haddock as he pointed out parts and pieces damaged beyond repair. “We're just trying to show we can compete, even if its with used parts and pieces.”

The record will show Brown easily dispatched Haddock. The record won't show the six thousandths of a second separating the two drivers at the tree or the 12.58 mph difference between a car at full throttle and one with the blower hanging by a thread off to the side of Haddock's dragster.

“It let go at 3.6 seconds and it still ran 3.98 at 300 mph. My crew and everybody is so dedicated. We just want to stay out here long enough to be able to land sponsorship.”

By his own admission, Haddock has been racing from week to week, feeding off the “trashcans” of others. He has attended every race on the schedule with either his dragster or his funny car and only failed to qualify for one event – Gainesville.

As much as it pains him, making the trip from Ennis to Memphis this next week might not be possible. He can cannibalize parts and pieces from the funny car to be used on the dragster. Not the best solution he admits. It is however, his best option at this time.

Rebuilding the dragster is the easier task. Rebuilding his travel budget is not going to be so easy.

Without diesel fuel, hotel rooms and food for the transport and crew, Haddock is parked.

“This could be a season finisher for us. Every race could be our last race when you race on such a tight budget. Up there I wanted to say thank you to my crew and everybody who has helped us so far. We are grateful for the things we get,” said Haddock.

At this time, Haddock is looking for $15-$20 thousand to get his program back on track. If he doesn't find it, he'll park the team and work towards the 2010 season.

“We're never going to quit. We just might have to take a break for awhile. I don't know how to talk to people – I know how to talk to parts and pieces, which could be our downfall.

The man who beat Haddock firmly believes the sport needs guys like Haddock. Brown hopes there might be a sponsor out there who could step up to get Haddock to the next event and possibly through the end of the season.

“Terry is doing an exceptionable job,” said Brown. “I was worried for him when I saw him go past me in the shutdown area with half his motor hanging off. His eyes looked weary. The best thing about today is he came out safe.

“He's out here doing it out of his own pocket and doing well. He's got the talent. He can drive and tune a car. It's a hard job to tune it, drive it and keep the funding going right.

“I'll think he'll do a sponsor well. He's a part of what makes our sport go. He deserves to be out here.”

TREE TRIPS UP EDWARDS - Official starter Rick Stewart gave Mike Edwards crew member Allan Lindsey the clear message that he wasn't going to entertain any protest after the Christmas tree blinked oddly and cost the Pro Stock dominator a chance to extend his points lead.

Edwards, who had been nearly untouchable on the track, had an almost-unheard-of opportunity to gain a huge advantage on his closest Countdown rivals. Jeg Coughlin succumbed to mechanical troubles early in his semifinal run against Johnny Gray. Jason Line, Greg Stanfield, Allen Johnson, and Kurt Johnson were finished for the day. But instead of a fair shot at semifinal opponent Greg Anderson, all Edwards got was a head start to Memphis Motorsports Park.

All Edwards said he knew was that "the light kept blinking" after he sat there at the line when Anderson took off with a not-particularly-spectacular .133 reaction time. Edwards decided to go, and he was charged with a .362 light and a 13.595 elapsed time to Anderson's 6.689-second pass at 207.37 mph.

Said Anderson, "I'm still trying to figure out what happened." He said the blinking light "somehow messed him up. It was bizarre. We're getting some luck today. We don't have the strongest car on the grounds."

FUEL-ISH TROUBLE - Jeg Coughlin said he was "given some bad fuel" before the first round on Sunday. Then he had to run down a determined Rodger Brogdon and won by only seven 10-thousandths of a second. Then, in the semifinal, his JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt slid sideways just off the starting line, and he had to shut off his engine to avoid crashing. He referred to his result against Johnny Gray as "disappointing to beat yourself, which is how this feels." He said he didn't want to take anything away from Gray: "He won the round, and I congratulate him. But I sure wish we could have made it down the track and given ourselves a chance. We fought hard all day, and it was a real battle." He said after the fuel fiasco, all the Victor Cagnazzi Racing team changed was the fuel. "The car almost didn't run at all," he said of his first-round situation. "All we changed for Round 2 was the fuel and we picked up considerably, so I'm not sure what the deal was with the fuel supply. I guess we should be happy we made it as far as we did."

Coughlin went on to add with the four-races-in-four-weeks schedule that starts the Countdown, "you don't have much time to think about things. You just press forward. Mike (Edwards) was the only guy ahead of us in the points, and he lost in the semis, also. So no harm, no foul there. We've got a good race car, and we'll just go hard in Memphis, a track that's been very good to us in the past."

MAKE THEM BEAT THEMSELVES - Jack Beckman reached his fourth final round of the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, and 16th of his career, at the NHRA Fall Nationals at Texas Motorplex, bowing out to Robert Hight.

En route to the money round in the Valvoline/Mail Terminal Services Dodge Funny Car, No. 7 qualifier Beckman dismissed his teammate Matt Hagan in the first round with a 4.241-second pass at 292.77 mph, then disposed of 14-time world champion John Force in the second round with a 4.219/294.11.

It was important to earn lane choice for every run, as the right lane produced only one winner all day in the Funny Car class, and that was Jerry Toliver, whom Beckman was matched up against in the semifinals. Beckman had the luxury of choosing his lane in that round and eliminated Toliver with a 4.546/218.55 to reach the final against Robert Hight.

The only stanza for which Beckman failed to earn the coveted lane choice today was the final one. With a track steaming at 114 degrees, the duo took off. And, although Hight grabbed the victory with a 4.218-second run at 296.44 mph, Beckman was right there with him to the finish, crossing the stripe in 4.271 seconds at 292.58 mph. Margin of victory: .0821 of a second.

"I have to tell you, losing in the final round stinks," said Beckman, who moved into third in the Countdown to 1 playoffs standing, "but we recognize what we did here and everybody on this Valvoline/MTS Dodge crew has that look in their eye right now. We did what nobody could do all day, we got down that right lane. And our goal on that one - what Johnny (West, crew chief) wanted to do - was make them beat themselves.

"If I had stayed shallow (at the starting lights) we'd have run a 4.23 on that pass, which is a decent run in either lane and we did it in the less-favored lane. They just did a better job. And that's what lane choice got them that run.

HANG ON BABY, NITRO DADDY IS COMING - The driver of the Shelor.com Dodge Funny Car Matt Hagan has been up to his elbows in babies lately – baby cows or calves, if you will. However, the most important baby to Hagan is the baby girl Rachel, his wife, is carrying, which is now two weeks late in arrival. They plan to name their baby girl Penny Louise.

Last weekend in Concord, NC, Hagan was ready to make the quick trip home on a moment's notice. This weekend, the NHRA tour is in Texas and Hagan is keeping tabs via his cell phone and
text messages.

There would be no rushing home from Texas. If Rachel went into labor, Hagan was prepared to rely again on the cell phone and text messages.

“She’s miserable and we’re ready for the baby to come out,” Hagan said. “The most important thing is that they are both happy and we went to the doctor the other day and everything is on course.”

Throughout the baby watch Hagan has keep a cell phone in his firesuit to get the instant updates.

It didn’t matter if he was in the lanes or in the car, he wanted to be notified, although he wasn’t about to answer a cell phone while commandeering an 8,000 horse nitro race car.

“We have an agreement that if she goes into labor that someone’s going to text my phone and the labor process can take hours or days,” Hagan said. “I just don’t want there to be any complications and obviously that plays in the back of your mind when you are out there racing.”

Hagan know that his job is to race and win races, but clearly understands his main priority is husband and father.

“I was there for my first child and I’d like to be there for this one,” said Hagan, of their son Colby Matthew born in 2006 when he raced in the Pro Modified division. “Come Monday, hell or high water, we are going to have a baby.”

Doctors plan to induce labor on Monday, and with his first round loss to Jack Beckman in Dallas, Hagan should be there in time.

RACEDAY QUICK HITS - NEWS IN QUICK FASHION

GENERAL HITS

CURIOUS PAIRINGS - Some esoteric match-ups marked the first round of pro-class eliminations. The Top Fuel ladder pitted neighbor against neighbor with Tony Schumacher and T.J. Zizzo. In Funny Car, it was Jack Beckman beating teammate Matt Hagan, Bob Tasca III beating best pal Tony Pedregon, and vendor Robert Hight beating customer Leif Helander. Pro Stock action saw one-time student Greg Anderson defeat mentor Warren Johnson.

LANE CHOICE MATTERS -- All of the Top Fuel and Funny Car drivers with lane choice won and did so from the left side in the first round of eliminations.

TOP FUEL

SCHUMACHER KEEPS ROLLING ALONG - Tony Schumacher broke an 0-3 winless streak against rookie Spencer Massey in the semifinal round of the O'Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals. With that, he drove the U.S. Army Dragster into his second straight final at the Texas Motorplex, the sixth final of the season, and the 94th final of his career.

LANGDON FINDS POSITIVES - Larry Dixon sped into an Indianapolis rematch against Tony Schumacher with a semifinal victory over Shawn Langdon. While Langdon naturally was disappointed that Dixon had lane choice - which he knew probably had doomed him - the rookie indicated he was thrilled to reach his seventh semifinal and keep his top-five status. "The car ran great, but ... no one was winning in that lane," Langdon said. "But, if you had told me before the playoffs started that I'd have a runner-up and a semifinal finish in the first two races, I would have taken that in a heartbeat. I like the way things are going right now, and everyone that works on this Lucas Oil/Mach 1 Global Services dragster should be proud of what they've accomplished. We're still right in the hunt, and I can't wait to get to Memphis on Friday and do it all over again."

NEVER COUNT HIM OUT - Tony Schumacher keeps proving people wrong. He did it again in the quarterfinals, grabbing the Top Fuel points lead by eliminating Antron Brown. For those who thought Schumacher would stumble mightily without the tuning prowess of now-rival crew chief Alan Johnson, consider that Schumacher has climbed from fifth since the season opener and from third since the Countdown. In exactly half of 20 races this year, he has advanced to the semifinals or beyond.

WHEW - Brandon Bernstein led eliminations with a victory over fellow Texan Steve Torrence. Although Torrence smoked the tires on the Dexter Tuttle-owned dragster, Bernstein said he was afraid he might lose because his blower belt tore loose right before the finish line.

RIVALRY CONTINUES - It's no longer the beer wars. But Brandon Bernstein and Larry Dixon still have one of the best rivalries in the Top Fuel class, and Sunday's second-round pairing proved it. Dixon won this one -- by about five feet, or, more precisely, 0.0112 of a second. Bernstein continues to have the career advantage, 17-13, as well as the slight edge in second-round match-ups, 9-8.

GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS - In the fourth pairing, Antron Brown earned his first round-win of the Countdown against opponent Terry Haddock who blew up his engine. After receiving a hearty hug from Brown, Haddock said, "We don't have a sponsor. It's race-to-race for us. If we can get it fixed, we'll be happy. If not, we won't." Haddock had said before race day that his performance here would determine whether he enters next weekend's Memphis race.

NUMBERS GAME - In the first round, Larry Dixon and Tony Schumacher ran 3.884-second elapsed times in their respective victories over Mike Bowers and T.J. Zizzo. But for three other drivers with identical E.T.s, the results were mixed. Bob Vandergriff, Shawn Langdon, and Antron Brown all recorded 3.911-second passes. Langdon and Brown won, but Vandergriff lost on a hole shot to the higher-qualified Spencer Massey, who advanced with a 3.931.

FUNNY CAR

PLEADING THE FIFTH - Despite the second round loss, Bob Tasca remains fifth in NHRA’s Countdown to 1 championship standings.

“We’ve put ourselves in a position to compete right down to the wire with this Countdown to 1 by winning a round in Charlotte and winning a round here in Dallas,” said Tasca. “That second round loss today was painful but we’ll learn from it and move on to Memphis. We’re still in a position to win the championship.  We just need to keep going rounds and that’s what we’ll do next weekend.”

FIRST ROUND NOTABLE QUOTES – Bob Tasca after beating former Funny Car champion and the best man at his wedding, “If you want to be a champion you have to beat a champion.”

John Force after his first round matchup with Grant Downing, “Nobody owes you. You earn everything you get.”

Robert Hight after easily getting past Leif Helander of Sweden, “His story reminds me of the movie, “The World's Fastest Indian”. I want to get to know this guy better and I hope to see him in Memphis.”

Jerry Toliver after getting past Jeff Arend in the first round, “Everybody wants to win. This team wants to win and we are working hard to win.” Toliver went on to beat Bob Tasca in the second round before losing to eventual finalist Jack Beckman.

IT'S A WIN-WIN SITUATION – After dispatching team mate Mike Neff and learning she would face another team mate, Robert Hight, in the semifinals, Ashley Force Hood quickly turned a negative into a positive.

“I would rather look at it in a positive way,” said Force Hood of the matchup. “There is a 50 percent chance of one of use winning in the final round.”

BENT BY BECKMAN - Matt Hagan was ousted by his Don Schumacher Racing teammate Jack Beckman in the opening round of Funny Car eliminations.

Beckman, vying for the Funny Car championship in the Countdown to 1 playoffs, faced off against Hagan, who is not in the playoffs but is still seeking his first victory of the season after reaching two final rounds. Hagan is also a contender for the 2009 Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award as an NHRA rookie-of-the-year frontrunner.

PRO STOCK

STORMING BACK - Jeg Coughlin proved he was more than eager to erase the memory of his first-round defeat at Charlotte in the previous race. He led from wire to wire beating Steve Spiess in the opening round Sunday, then bested Rodger Brogdon by .0007 of a second -- about three inches -- in the second round.

NOW HE KNOWS - Matt Hartford fouled out by a mere 61-hundredths of a second in his quarterfinal race against Johnny Gray. Hartford's consolation is he now knows what to expect at the Texas Motorplex Christmas tree when he returns to this track in a few weeks to compete for an ADRL series championship.

LITERALLY BY A WHISKER - Allen Johnson might be 8-26 against Greg Anderson and 5-8 in second-round match-ups against him. But in Sunday's second round loss, the Team Mopar / J & J Dodge driver had no reason to feel ashamed.  Anderson won by four ten-thousandths of a second, or one measly inch. When Anderson got out of his car and learned the margin of victory, he said, "You've got to be kidding me. We've got some serious Pro Stock racing."

RIGHT-LANE JINX? - Ron Krisher, in the Valvoline Chevy Cobalt, was the first driver to win from the right lane, but whether he solved the mystery of the right lane is a moot point. He won because Greg Stanfield (who had a great chance to break out of his tie for third place in the standings) red-lit at the starting line. In the next pairing, Rodger Brogdon used the right lane to nose out Kurt Johnson. Three match-ups later, No. 4 qualifier Tom Hammonds became the lone driver to choose the right lane. Maybe he wishes he hadn't, for he lost with a 6.699-second elapsed time at 206.32 to Allen Johnson's diabolic 6.666/207.40.

OKLAHOMA ROCKET SHIP - Top qualifier and points leader Mike Edwards, in the Young Life/ART Pontiac GXP, distinguished himself from the rest of the field in the opening round with a 6.629-second blast at 208.14 mph eliminating V Gaines in the process. Edwards had five-hundredths of a second on next-quickest driver Johnny Gray (6.673) and was the only competitor in the 208-mph range.

"It looks like you have a group of cars between 6.65 and 6.68 -- and then you have a rocket ship (Mike Edwards' car) going a 6.61," Kurt Johnson said after qualifying Saturday afternoon. "Edwards' run was pretty breathtaking. We're racing for second place right now." Johnson didn't help his chances Sunday, though, losing by a nose to Rodger Brogdon in the first round.

BIG WEEKEND - Matt Hartford, who found out at 12:45 this past Monday afternoon that he would be racing Kenny Koretsky's Nitro Fish Ultimate Gear Dodge here, qualified No. 15 and upset Jason Line, the No. 2 qualifier and No. 3-ranked driver in the standings.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

ONE ROUND DOWN – In her first round of competition riding the Karl Klement-owned Buell, Angie McBride got a little help from the other lane. Shawn Gann tripped the lights early, -.057 seconds, to hand the win to McBride. In the second round of eliminations, McBride was first off the tree but couldn't hold off the superior power of Eddie Krawiec's Harley V-Rod.

BITTEN BY THE
HOLE SHOT – Karen Stoffer rode her Geico Powersports Suzuki to a respectable 7.102 second pass, but lost to David Hope's 7.119 at the tree. Stoffer cut a rare slow light, .094 which was not nearly good enough to overcome Hope's .023 light.

NOT ENOUGH OF A HOLESHOT – Junior Pippin is coming into his own of late, however his .008 light to Matt Smith's .051 was enough to take the win light. The horsepower of Smith's Suzuki was just too much for Pippin as Smith took the win - 7.102 to 7.119.

 

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SATURDAY NOTEBOOK - A HOT DAY AT THE TRACK WITH AN EQUALLY HOT SUNDAY FORECAST

PRO STOCK TRIFECTA – If Mike Edwards were a horse, which some in the Pro Stock division would claim he is, then he would have returned the best possible payoff during two rounds of qualifying for the O'Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals.

If a driver makes a qualifying attempt, leads all four rounds of qualifying, and posts the quickest overall lap, a qualifying trifecta, the payout is a handsome 30 points. The best a fellow competitor could do would be 25 points. That would be the best mind you. Jason Line, second quickest after two days of qualifying scored 21 points. Jeg Coughlin, third quickest overall, also scored 21 points.

“A point is a point,” agreed Edwards. “If you gain a point, that’s one more in your total. It’s good right now because we are getting the points. But one round can change it all. It’s a battle and will be one until the end.  That’s what Pro Stock is all about.”

With just five races remaining in the Countdown to 1, Edwards is looking to leave even the smallest scrap on the table.

“I’m out here trying to win every round,” Edwards said. “Every point you get is important. You try to win all you can but if we could win this race, it would be huge. There’s 15 other guys trying to do the same thing, too. I think we are capable, so we’ll have to come out here in the morning and see what happens.”

As track temperatures soared more than 20 degrees over the course of the afternoon, and close to 30 more than the surface temps Friday night, Edwards displayed the strength of his crew.

“My guys really made some good judgments on this last run,” said Edwards. “We had a 122 (degree) track temp and made a phenomenal run. It moved around just a little. It was really nice and hopefully we can make good decisions tomorrow. I’m happy with my team, the car and our performance. But, tomorrow is a new day and we’ll see what happens.”

FORCE DUO – HIGHT AND HOOD - Robert Hight held onto the top qualifying spot for the 24th annual O’Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals presented by Castrol Syntec as the track got hot which cooled the competition.

The sole disappointment for Hight was not getting down the track under full power during both of Saturday's qualifying sessions.

“We knew last night that that run, the 4.10 second pass, with the weather we were going to have today we would definitely stay number one. No one was going to run 4.10 or better,” said Hight. “We only got down the track once today though. I would feel better going into race day if we would have gotten down the track one more time in the heat. We dropped a cylinder on that last run. If that had not have happened we would have run up there with the quick cars.”
In the first round Hight will be racing custom painter and funny car racer Leif Helander of Sweden. Hight knows he will have to be on his toes and he can also relate to the excitement Helander must be feeling.

“You know he (Helander) has to be hungry. There are no easy ones. You know that guy is going out there trying to get his first round win at an NHRA national event. We are going to have to do our job tomorrow. There are a lot of first round match ups of Countdown cars. If we can do what we did in Charlotte a lot of those guys will be gone early and we can still continue to keep this thing rolling. It is not going to be easy,” said Hight.

“Another one of my jobs at John Force Racing is selling parts and we sell a lot of parts to Sweden and other countries in Europe. I look online and follow what they do. I don’t know anything about Leif but I am looking forward to meeting him tomorrow. I am a drag racing fan so I follow drag racing all over. I remember my first day when I first qualified for an NHRA national event so I am excited for him and I am glad he qualified. We still have to go out and do our job and try and beat him. He is going to try and whooping us I guarantee you that.”

After Hight exited the press room Helander made a surprise visit to talk with the media. On the heels of Hight’s positive comments the assembled media was interested in getting a feel for the Swede. He showed that like American funny car racers it is about passion and showmanship.

“I am going to kick his (rear),” Helander jokingly told the media.

“We are here to learn. We will take one step at a time. I hope we can do better than we did today. We have been here (to America) three times with our car. This is the first time with a fuel funny car. I have raced six years in Europe,” added Helander.

With even warmer temperatures expected tomorrow Hight and crew chief Jimmy Prock will have their hands full on the tricky Texas Motorplex all concrete track.

“It is supposed to be hotter tomorrow. Jimmy Prock is starting to race really smart. We have to go down the track tomorrow to win. Having to pedal it and all that is a big part of it but we have to be going down the track under power. Look at Ashley’s car she made two good runs today. There are a lot of good cars out here and it will be tough to win out here,” said Hight, the 2006 Fall Nationals winner.

The hot track conditions were also top of mind for newly installed Funny Car points leader Ashley Force Hood. Ashley picked up seven more points in qualifying and is now six points in front of Tony Pedregon.

“We have been running really well this weekend. This is not an easy track. Ron and Guido (co-crew chiefs Ron Douglas and Dean “Guido” Antonelli) make it look easy. The groove is really narrow. The conditions are pretty warm. The starting line can get a little greasy when it is hot like this. Those are all battles they have to fight. They have to get the car down the track but also get it down the track fast. If we can keep doing that and run how we have run in qualifying tomorrow we should be in really good shape. We got down the track all four runs,” said the number four qualifier.

IT'S FUNNER IN TEXAS – Life is different in Texas, just ask Larry Dixon.

“Yesterday was funner than today,” said Dixon, when asked to describe his third and fourth round qualifying runs.

“Conditions are pretty warm and we went out there and tried a few things – probably out of our box on the first one and went back to a normal combination and it still got the tire loose that time. We’ll calm her down a little more and it’s supposed to be hotter tomorrow. We have to make sure we get our car down the race track.”

Weather conditions aside, Dixon isn't worried.  Confidence stares in the face just before ever run.

“When you’re sitting in that car waiting to run, and the last person you see is Alan Johnson, you don’t worry about anything,” Dixon said. “It’s a good feeling. I used to get scared, now I get happy.”

And, that happy stays with him each time he sees the win light.

“It’s race day and anything goes at that point,” Dixon said. “You don’t care how ugly your run is as long as you get that win light. Obviously, you are doing your best and trying to keep the car in the groove and cutting a good light, but when you get that tire loose, you hope you’re in the middle of a pedal-fest and you still have a chance of getting the win light. It doesn’t matter the ET, just as long as the win-light comes on. You have to be ready for it.”

TIME TO SHINE? - Eddie Krawiec isn't counting out his competition, but from his owns words you can estimate his confidence – high, with a twist.

“You look at any of the competitors out there and there are a lot of quick bikes who happen to go from A-to-B, it’s not just Hector (Arana),” Krawiec said. “Hector is doing a great job on his tuneup, but it’s not just him. There are a couple of other competitors who are out there running strong. I don’t take any competitor out there lightly.

“They might stumble onto something tomorrow in the second round against you and if you think they are not going to find what they are looking for, then you are going to get beat. The best thing is to go out and race your race.”

Weather conditions perfect for a day at the beach, kept Krawiec's competition at bay through the final two rounds of qualifying. Andrew Hines was quickest in third round qualifying and Arana took the final session with a 6.930. Krawiec was third quickest in both of Saturday's rounds, but no one was quicker than his Friday afternoon run of 6.908, 192.36 mph.

“I really didn’t think my run was going to hold up through the session today,” Krawiec said. “I was fortunate enough that it got a little hotter and the humidity went up, weather conditions weren’t as good – so we were able to hold them off and maintain the No. 1 position.”

Krawiec meets Redell Harris in the first round and doesn't plan on looking any further forward until he sees the win light, despite feeling confident of his chances.

“I like my chances on any race day; it really doesn’t matter where you qualify,” said Krawiec.  “The bottom line is that as long as you are qualified, you have a shot. I don’t take any competitor out here lightly. They all have fast motorcycles. They just have to get tuned in to the track and weather conditions.  I think anyone can shine out there tomorrow. I don’t take anyone lightly. I am just going to go out there and race my own race. “

TERRIFIC INTRODUCTION - Mike Bowers bounced around in the bottom half of the Top Fuel ladder in his NHRA professional debut, from 10th to 12th to 15th and finally to 16th place during qualifying for the O'Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals. But the Plano, Texas, native -- who competed for about 15 years in the Top Alcohol Dragster class -- said he's excited with his performance.
 
Although fans might not be familiar with Bowers, they certainly are with his crew chief, Kevin Poynter, who emerged from the late Eric Medlen's Funny Car team to step into the Top Fuel crew chief ranks for J.R. Todd and Doug Herbert with outstanding results.
 
Bowers, 41, earned his Top Fuel license this past spring and competed at the Dallas and Tulsa IHRA races to -- in his words "get our act together a little bit, knowing we can get down the track, not hurt stuff, and be competitive." He said he received his NHRA Top Fuel license less than three weeks ago.
 
He said Poynter "helped us put this program together, did it the right way" for the Swindahl car that has been front- and back-halved.
 
"We showed Friday night with a 4.01 that we have a tune-up and compete now. And we've been good on our equipment," he said. "We're basically a small team, but we've got good stuff -- just not a lot of it.
 
"It was a little stressful," Bowers said of his transition to a 7,000-horsepower dragster. "But everything's operating. We made it happen. Just to be here and be functioning and be competitive has been an accomplishment. Now that we know we have something to work from, we're excited."
 
Bowers pulled his Elite Motorsports Dragster out of the qualifying line for the fourth and final session, knowing that he was locked into the field in the final slot. Urs Erbacher, Scott Palmer, and Todd Simpson failed to qualify.
 
Bowers might not be thrilled to draw No. 1 qualifier Larry Dixon for his first Top Fuel eliminations opponent. But, he said, "As long as you're getting down the track in a competitive fashion and you're only maybe a tenth (of a second) off of them, they're going to have to beat you.
 
"They know we're here."
 
Bowers has been active in all aspects of drag racing, handling public relations for racers Michael Brotherton and Billy Lynch, heading some hospitality efforts, and even announcing at San Antonio Raceway while a student at Southwest Texas State University at nearby San Marcos.

THE POWERS THAT BE (HERE) - Spotted in the Top Fuel pits Saturday was former racer and team owner David Powers, the Houston-area contractor who sold his Brownsburg, Ind.-based racing operation this past off-season. He said he "came up to see Antron (points leader Brown, his former driver in the Matco Tools Dragster) and Lee Beard (Brown's former crew chief, who's general manager at Don Schumacher Racing today) and the guys, my friends." He said he has spent his time away from drag racing "trying to struggle through home building."

NOTHING SAYS LOVE MORE THAN DIAMONDS – And, a morning breakfast at the Waffle House. Celebrating their 28th wedding anniversary, John Force took his lovely bride to the 24-hour greasy spoon as a joke. The two-carat diamond she was sporting, was no joke.

CHANGES = IMPROVEMENT - Veteran Funny Car driver Jerry Toliver, who has had 16 first-round losses and a DNQ in 19 previous races this season on the way to a 2-18 elimination-round record, nailed down the No. 3 qualifying spot Saturday. Toliver, who beat Mike Neff in Gainesville in March and Jack Beckman in Reading in August, was beaming about his newfound top-performance numbers.  
 
"I've been hiding it. I've been hiding it," joked Toliver about his Canidae/Lucas Oil/WileyX Chevy Monte Carlo. "Actually, to be honest with you, we changed bodies back in Indy and ever since then, this car's really been coming around.
 
"The body's 35 pounds lighter.  We got some new pieces. Jim (team owner Dunn) bought one of (Bill) Miller's new blowers. And it's working really well. He does extremely meticulous work," Toliver said. "So we've got ourselves a nice little tuning window, as Jim calls it. The Canidae car's really doing well now, so we're extremely excited. It keeps going down the racetrack. It's running good numbers. So, you know, hey, it just took awhile. We're on a same par as the rest of the guys, in terms of body design. This new Impala has really turned this program around. Maybe it's just coincidental -- maybe Jim just finally got on his tune-up, too. But we're in a good spot right now."
 
Toliver, the only Funny Car driver besides points leader Tony Pedregon still to compete in a Chevrolet, said he's happy because the new body not only is an improvement but it also "is doing what Jim's asking it to do. That's important, because a lot of times they don't. Usually it doesn't do anything or doesn't do what you want it to do. The car's reacting to what he's telling it to do, so we've got a good hot rod."
 
He said he has no idea whether he'll use this body in 2010. "Finances will dictate all that," Toliver said. "We're just trying to get through this year and keep it all together and see what's going to happen."

CRUZ PLANS TO RACE IN 2010 -- In an effort to clarify his position about his 2010 outlook, reigning Funny Car champion Cruz Pedregon said, "I have every intention of racing not only next year but beyond that. Our team, we've all worked hard at building something. But the economy is going to dictate that," he said. "My intentions are to come back and race for years to come, but there is no guarantee for any of us. My intentions have never wavered. From one year to the next, everything is subject to be looked upon by scenarios that are out of my control."
 
"The reality is that people are losing their jobs daily. Hopefully we've seen the worst of it (the economic downward spiral).  I hope the worst is behind us," he said.
 
Pedregon said his smaller, leaner-budgeted operation doesn't allow much sponsorship-procurement activity. "We don't have the infrastructure these other teams do. Unfortunately I haven't been exposed to as many alternative resources," he said. "I need to shift in (marketing) gear. It's just so hard when you try to race for a championship, then you try to stay in the championship, then you miss the championship cut, and now we're just trying to win some races and salvage the year. Time has not been on our side to do other things.
 
He saw a positive side to the situation, too. "For NHRA as a whole and auto racing as a whole, I think some good things are going to come out of this," Pedregon said. "Yeah, we've lost some good, young talent in drag racing . . . But for the most part, the NHRA is reaching out and doing what they can for teams. We still draw the numbers. We're still on TV. We have all these things going for us. We need more companies to look this way. All these fans out here buy the products. We need the drivers we've lost -- we're barely filling the field.  We need each other out here, no matter what happens. We'll pull together. We'll all survive."    
 
Pedregon said he has "some meetings coming up."
 
BURIED THE HATCHET -- Cruz Pedregon said he wishes he had reacted better at Indianapolis to John Force's and Robert's Hight's semifinal match-up that generated controversy. But he said he still supports the Countdown system.
 
"The points system builds drama. You've got to be in the top 10 to be elite. If you're not, you've got to take it on the chin, like we did. We've got to come back next year and make darn sure we're going to be in the top 10. What jumped out, of course, was the incident in the semifinals. The reality is that, collectively, as a team, we didn't score enough points," he said.
 
"I think the drama is OK the way it is. It created a mini-drama," he said. "If your sponsorship is based on wins and losses, you're doomed." He said hospitality and driver goodwill in the community constitute a large part of the equation.
 
Pedregon said representatives from his sponsor, Advance Auto Parts, didn't comment on his remarks at Indianapolis. But he wanted to Saturday.
 
"I personally wish I would had been more calm, cool, and collected and not used the 'C' word," he said, referring to his charge that Force "cheated." He added, "But in the heat of the moment, I said what I said. John and I have since buried the hatchet. I have so much respect for him. Did I like what he did that particular round on that particular day? No. But life goes on."
 
Cruz said he and Force "have been through the wars for so many years, I think, there isn't a bone in my body that hates him or that feels anything but respect for him. It'll probably continue to be a touchy situation when his cars race each other, particularly when the chips are down and there are implications one way or the other."

SOUND STRATEGY -- Tom Hammonds, the former NBA forward turned Pro Stock owner/driver, called a time out about four months ago. After re-emerging with a No. 8 qualifying position and a quarterfinal finish at Charlotte, he improved dramatically this weekend with his '09 Chevy Cobalt, earning the No. 4 spot in the order.  
 
"We worked really hard," Hammonds said. "We sat out for the last four months. It's really gratifying to know we've come a long way."
 
Team general manager Chris Harrison, who said Hammonds tested at Rockingham, N.C., before entering the Charlotte event, said he was elated with Friday's pass that held up for fourth-quickest in the 16-car field. "We were pretty pleased with the first round out yesterday -- (6.)62-flat -- not bad."
 
But this, Hammonds said, is the end of the line for him in 2009.
 
"This is the last race of the year for us. We'll continue to work on our program throughout the winter," he said. "We should have an announcement in about another 30 days regarding our sponsorship for 2010.  We've been working with the Marine Corps for a number of months, and we want to continue our relationship. I feel really good about our future. I feel really good about having the chance to run for the championship in 2010."

Hammonds said he's not just testing -- he'd like to earn his first Wally trophy. "We have everything to gain and nothing to lose here. That's the way we're going to approach it," he said. "The Marines, their motto is they come to fight and they come to win. That's what we’re going to try to do."
 
SEMPER FI, SEMPER FUN -- One of the more popular interactive attractions in the pits is the chin-up bar in Tom Hammond's hospitality area. Sporting the slogan "Pain is weakness leaving the body," the U.S. Marine Corps display challenges men and women to try chinning themselves -- intimidating with a handful of Marines watching and counting. One well-conditioned young man managed to do 18, and Hammond's crew member Mark Huston, 54, treated the crowd to a few. He said volunteers monitoring the display reward fans with small prizes: "You do so many, they give you something -- it's like the State Fair!"  
 
FROM MOTHBALLS TO MAINSTREAM -- Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Angie McBride improved from 17th to 16th Friday, then jumped to ninth by the time the field was set. That's especially remarkable, because, as Rush Racing team owner Karl Klement said, "this is the first time the bike's been cranked up in a year. It's just been sitting there. We've been working the bugs out." The Buell -- the very one that Peggy Llewellyn won this race aboard in 2007 and the same one Angelle Sampey rode -- had clutch problems at the start of the weekend. But, Klement said before the final qualifying session, "We think we got it figured out now." He was right.
 
"Everything's there -- we've just got to get the bugs worked out of this one, Klement said. "We should have gone out an tested before we came here, but it's going to work out OK."
 
Klement, from nearby Decatur (north of Dallas), said this is the last race for which he plans to bring the bike -- "unless something changes." He indicated he doesn't expect anything to change, though. He said he's pleased with McBride's riding.
 
Asked if he's actively seeking sponsorship, Klement sighed a bit and said, "Oh, I don't know. I've got so many companies that are suffering from the economy that I need to be there more than anything. Being absent from them is what hurts." He declined to say how many businesses he owns and said he didn't quite know how to label himself as an entrepreneur -- "might be 'Broke,' if it keeps going the way it is."
 
In the positive sense of the word, McBride will go for broke Sunday, starting with opponent Shawn Gann in Sunday's first round of eliminations.

 

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FRIDAY NOTEBOOK - OF SANDBAGGING, BONUS POINTS AND FAMILAR FACES RETURN

QUALIFYING IS RACING, TOO! - No one gets eliminated, however Larry Dixon agrees the new qualifying points have morphed qualifying into another form of racing.

“No question about it,” said Dixon. “If your competitors take those 12 points from you – that's a half a round of racing. You have to be conscious of it and you need to know what's going on and grab some if you can.”

Dixon dominated both rounds of qualifying with runs of 3.942 and then stunning 3.833 which knocked Morgan Lucas from the top spot. Cory McClenathan posted the top speed at 315.86. Dixon believes with the right conditions on Saturday, the track might give up some additional speed and time.

“It will be warm tomorrow which will allow you to press a little harder to see what you can get away with on Sunday. I know we can run a 3.94. If you can run a 3.90 flat or an 88, obviously that kind of information will help you on Sunday.”

An apparent byproduct of the qualifying procedures has been a noticeable absence of lengthy delays typically caused by oil downs. Dixon says his routine isn't bothered by delays but he knows they are  not good for the sport.

“Where I'm at, is I feel bad for the fans,” said Dixon. “They don't pay to see oil downs. We need every fan we can get and we need to put on a good show for them. When I oil down, I apologize to the teams and the fans, because they have to deal with it. I feel bad for them.”

THIS WAS THE PLAN ALL ALONG – Running well, qualifying well and finishing well were all on Robert Hight's to do list back in January. Fortunately, he's getting around to doing all three at just the right time, even if it is at the last moment.

“People have been joking with me saying , 'You've sandbagged all year.' That's not the approach we took, trust me. I would have loved to have had this a lot sooner. But, we're definitely going to take it now that we've got it.”

What Hight has is good fortune, Lady Luck, the rabbit's foot, a horseshoe and any other good luck charm he can find stuffed in his pockets. All those charms added up to a 4.109, 305.56 mph run in the second qualifying round.

“The trick and the goal here is to keep doing this,” admitted Hight, who earlier this year couldn't get out of the path of a marauding tortoise.

Even though Hight struggled in the first round, ninth fastest at 5.204, he didn't get down. Confidence was the reason. Confidence he admittedly lacked as little as four races ago.

“To be honest with you, my confidence wasn't really good leaving Reading Pennsylvania. John switched us around. My car finally started running well. I get in his car and we qualified well, but smoked the tires two rounds. We got lucky the first round. As a driver you start thinking 'Maybe it's me here. Maybe I am the one causing both cars to smoke tires.' Austin Coil gets sick, we flop back and my car got on the string and just continued doing what John and Jimmy (Prock) started doing in Reading.”

By race day in Indy, Hight was pumped up. His car was running well, on a consecutive string of making solid runs. Additionally, Prock, Hight's crew chief, was on a string as well.

“When we were struggling he would go to that box a hundred times before a run. Just no confidence. Now, he leaves the pits with a pretty good combination and then he goes out and looks at the track, see what a few guys runs, maybe makes one change and bam it goes (down the track).

“Jimmy is totally tuning this car different than he use to.”

CLAIMING POINTS WITH HORSEPOWER – Mike Edwards continues to prove he has the stoutest engines among the Pro Stock contingent. Edwards turned in back to back 6.599 and 6.597-second runs in the two qualifying sessions for the O'Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals at the Texas Motorplex.

Edwards picked up the maximum qualifying points, six, while his competition, led by Jason Line and Jegs Coughlin picked up the dregs.

“The conditions are good enough to run 50's,” said Edwards. “I think the track was real tricky the first run. Tonight, we go a little bit more weather in here as far as humidity and it really affects these aspirated engines. That might have slowed some of us down a little bit.”

Quicker than the remainder of the field, Edwards was certain he left a few hundredths still sitting on the table because of weather and track conditions.

“We actually went pretty hard left (second round). I feel like for the et we got, we ran pretty good. I think we could have run a little bit better.”

Edwards believes conditions Saturday morning might bring about even quicker laps.

HARLEY BACK GUY – Twice today, Eddie Krawiec lined up opposite Hector Arana and twice he had the quicker bike. The reward is six bonus points courtesy of NHRA's new qualifying point system.

“It's good to go out there and run with him. I think the weather came to our setup. It benefited me.”

Weather or not, running quickest in both rounds of qualifying was according to Krawiec, “Huge.

“Six bonus points. We count ever point that there is. With that new scoring system and points now it gives you an opportunity, hopefully, to get 20 points by the end of the weekend if you are the number one guy. I got the first half of that, now let's just hope I can get the second.”

Krawiec, who has been absent from the spotlight for the past few weeks, revealed the team arrived early hoping to give his Harley a thorough check out.

“For awhile I didn't know if my Screaming Eagle Vance & Hines Harley Davidson would make it back into the number one spot. We did some work in between the last race and this race. We go here a few days early and went to work on the bike.”

It also didn't hurt as weather conditions arrived which better suited the setup on the bike.

“The track is great. Weather conditions are almost second to none. You always know you are going to have good sea level air here and good barometer. To have low humidity along with it is a great thing. I'd say conditions right now, we are getting about as much et out of it as we can.”

PICKING UP WHERE HE LEFT OFF -- The Top Fuel class will have to contend with capable Texan Steve Torrence once again this weekend.
 
After qualifying 12th in Friday's first session, Torrence said that he and car owner Dexter Tuttle "had an opportunity to get back in the car for a couple of races. We're going to do the best we can." He will take a 10th-place showing into Saturday's final two qualifying sessions.
 
Tuttle, along with Tony Shortall,  has been helping Tony Pedregon since the Funny Car points leader parted ways with crew chief Dickie Venables and his assistant, Kurt Elliott. And Torrence said that has whetted Tuttle's appetite for more involvement again.
 
"I think that really gave him the itch. I've been at home, watching on TV, and it's driving me crazy, not being be out here. I'm glad to be back," he said.
 
His first pass Friday, he said, "was the last pass since Pomona of last year, so I was a little bit nervous about it. It wasn't too bad on the tree. The car went pretty good. We went out and smoked the tires, but I caught it pretty quick. For being out of the car that long, I was impressed with my reaction to what happened. I didn't go out and make a fool out of myself."
 
He said Tuttle has hauled out the dragster "for a couple races" but said, "We've got some things going on for next year. So hopefully what we've got going will materialize and we'll be back out here. Right now we're scheduled for here and Vegas, for sure, most likely Pomona, also. We're going to try to schedule that in, but we're going to take it race by race."
 
Torrence is from Kilgore, a small college town in northeast Texas that's famous for its high-kicking, Radio City Music Hall Rockettes-like drill team, the Kilgore Rangerettes. Someone suggested that he invite the Kilgore Rangerettes to the racetrack to cheer him on and attract attention for the Tuttle team.
 
Had he ever considered that? "I'm thinking' about it now," he said. "That probably would be a good thing, but it probably would be a distraction to my guys, though."
 
DEEP IN HEART OF TEXAS AGAIN -- All the elements are here for Swiss Top Fuel driver Urs Erbacher: "nice weather, nice people, good track." Oh -- and a goal to "win the Wally, be the first European" to do so. The four-time European (FIA) champion rejoins the NHRA circuit in the state where he made a spectacular first-round appearance earlier this season. At Houston, against Larry Dixon in the opposite lane, Erbacher rode out a huge explosion that threw shrapnel higher than the three-story tower and was unhurt as he stopped the car safely. He's back in the Wayne Dupuy-tuned Midland Oil/SCS Procurement Services/Johnny Bang's Bang & Bump Shop Dragster, but it naturally is a rebuilt car with new sections of the chassis.
 
Dupuy, of Jacksboro, Texas, said the Texas Motorplex is the best place to try out all of his summer handiwork as he and Erbacher prepare to run also at Las Vegas and Pomona to finish this season.
 
"It's close. It's fast. It's all concrete," Dupuy said. "It's getting cool this time of year, and I have all the confidence in the world with this track. Racing at Dallas is close to home for me. And what a better way to get the bugs out of all this fresh stuff? So with everything fresh and new once again, it's time to put all our hard work to the test."
 
Said Erbacher, "We've had good luck racing in America in the past. I fit in this car so much better now, and I know Wayne and the team will have us ready to race further than we ever have before." He advanced to the semifinals of the 2008 Finals at Pomona.
 
By splitting his time in Europe and the United States, Erbacher didn't get to challenge for a championship in either endeavor. Habving proven everything he needed to in Europe, Erbacher said he'd like to try his hand at a Full Throttle Series crown.
 
"The FIA season is very short, and it's hard to get into a rhythm with just a few events in the NHRA," he said. "Hopefully we'll find the backing to run a full season in 2010 and give a big sponsor plenty of exciting times to experience with our team."
 
OLD CAR, FRESH EXCITEMENT -- Funny Car part-timer Grant Downing is making an especially remarkable effort here at the Texas Motorplex, considering his Silver Fern Racing '06 Monte Carlo is the oldest body in the field, save for Swede Leif Helander's '05 Starkotter Camaro. Downing is
 
"I'm just really fortunate right now to be able to come out and do more races. This is my fifth race this year, and the most I've ever done until now is three in one year. So this is huge," he said. "I'm going to do two more (Las Vegas and Pomona), if I don't hurt too much stuff."
 
With Chuck Worsham tuning the car -- continuing his longstanding relationship with the Worsham family -- he has a strong arrow in his quiver.
 
"Chuck loves coming out here," Downing said. "He doesn't want to [do the whole schedule] but he's happy to do the few that we're doing."
 
That, he said his a big help, along with the low car count. He said he also lists Dave Wollery, of Wollery's Pizza, and longtime Worsham racing partner John Fink as "people who really help me get here."
 
In his five appearances, Downing has qualified at four, including Denver, Seattle, and Indianapolis. "The only one we DNQ'd at was Sonoma. We broke a brand-new belt every single run. The car was running good."
 
"I've never driven a fuel car here before today," he said. Even though he was 16th in the order, he said he found "no surprises." Said Downing, "We'll get a handle on it. We'll get four good runs before the weekend is over." He ended the day in the No. 13 spot.
 
Downing, a New Zealand native, counts Orange County, Calif., as his U.S. base.
 
He began his U.S. career in the Sport Compact Series and for awhile worked on the crews of Rhonda Hartman, Mert Littlefield, and Gary Densham. One year at Sonoma, he was "on loan" to Del Worsham. They became close friends, and Downing spent a yea and a half as Worsham's crew member for the Checker Schucks Kragen car and was Worsham's chassis builder.
 
ON SHORT NOTICE -- Landing on the bump spot might sound troublesome to most drivers, and it is to Pro Stock's Matt Hartford, too. He wants to make good use of the two qualifying sessions left to him Saturday, for 17 cars are vying for just 16 positions.
 
However, his performance was pretty memorable, considering that he learned only at 12:45 Monday afternoon that he would be racing Kenny Koretsky's NitroFish Ultimate Gear Dodge this weekend.
 
He is the third driver this season to drive the NitroFish Dodge, following Johnny Gray, who ran it through the Western Swing, and Dave Northrop, who has driven the car off and on all season. And he was No. 13 in his first run Friday.
 
Besides making a positive showing with his chance to compete in the Pro Stock class, which he calls "a dream come true," Hartford gets a close look at the Texas Motorplex quarter-mile. That's especially relevant, because he'll return here in three weeks in pursuit of an ADRL Pro Stock championship with a mountain-motor version of the factory hot rods.
 
"Our final race is here in Dallas.  At least we get to see what it looks like," he said.
 
The Arizona resident might not be all that familiar to Pro Stock fans, who have seen him in NHRA action several times before this season. But he is a champion -- a two-time champ, at that. Hartford, who works in the engineering department for Total Seal (and who's competing against his customers this weekend) won the 2001 Pro RWD and 2002 Modified series titles.
 
He got the chance to race for Koretsky this weekend through his association with close Koretsky friend David Nickens.
 
"I raced with David Nickens for half the season last year," Hartford said. "This deal came up with Nickens and Koretsky. They asked me if I wanted to run at Indy, test at St. Louis and run at Indy. They had some other commitments with Dave Northrop, who ran last weekend. This weekend Dave couldn't come. I think I'm sitting in a pretty good pit space."
 
Some might confuse him with off-again, on-again Pro Stock driver Matt Scranton. But Hartford said that's understandable.
 
"I ran Sport Compact the entire time that Matt Scranton ran it. We were competitors back then. A lot of people get us confused," he said, "because we both ran Sport Compact and we both won championships over there, then we both showed up in Pro Stock the next year."
 
Hartford said Koretsky "didn't say a word about it," but that he certainly thought about Koretsky's qualifying crash here at Texas several years ago with Metroplex native Bruce Allen. He said the same situation nearly happened with himself and Jason Collins in a recent ADRL race.
 
"About five or six weeks ago, at St. Louis, I had a crash that looked like it was going to be the same kind of deal as Kenny and Bruce Allen," he said. "I crossed lanes, upside down, right in front of Jason Collins. When I looked at the footage, the first thing I thought of was Kenny's accident with Bruce Allen, because it looked the same. Flipping over a car in front of someone else is never a good idea. He had shaken and gotten out of the groove."

 

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THURSDAY NOTEBOOK -

BITTERSWEET – Robert Hight leaves the elation of racing and winning at zMax Dragway and enters the Texas
Motorplex, a facility where he’s cultivated a bittersweet relationship.

In 2006 Hight stood in the winner’s circle only to chalk up a DNQ in 2007. He is looking forward to getting on another all-concrete race track to show off the tuning skills of Jimmy Prock and the Auto Club team.

“I’ve had good and bad luck in Dallas,” Hight said. “I’ve won there before and two years before I failed to qualify when
John had his big accident. Dallas is the first of its kind. It’s an all-concrete track. It’s been in existence for over 20 years and is still in great shape. You see a lot of the tracks like Charlotte now that are going to concrete, no asphalt. It’s great and if we get some good conditions it’s going to be fast. That’s definitely what my Auto Club Ford likes. We like to tune this thing up and try to run in the oh’s.”

THESE BOOTS ARE MADE FOR NITRO - ROCKY Boots will once again take a spin with the Kalitta Motorsports’ No. 50 Top Fuel dragster driven by drag racing veteran Doug Kalitta at this weekend’s, O'Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals.

ROCKY Boots last served as the primary sponsor on Kalitta’s nitro-fueled, 8,000-horsepower, 300+mph dragster at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event in Norwalk, Ohio, in June. The company began their partnership with Kalitta Motorsports at the beginning of the 2009 season as a full-time associate sponsor and as the Official Footwear of Kalitta Motorsports.

“We saw a tremendous amount of success with our partnership with Kalitta Motorsports in Norwalk, so when the opportunity arose for us to be the primary partner again in Dallas we jumped at the chance,” said Chris Lorenzo, Marketing Manager for ROCKY Work. “We’re looking forward to even more successes this weekend with Team Kalitta and hopefully that culminates with a trip to the winner’s circle for the ROCKY Boots Top Fueler on Sunday.”
 
“We’re extremely excited about having ROCKY Boots back as a primary sponsor this weekend,” Kalitta, a 45-year old resident of Ann Arbor, Mich., said. “Everyone at ROCKY has been so great to us and we’re happy to be able to help them with their marketing efforts in Dallas.

TESTING TO SUCCESS? – Matt Smith hopes that a post Concord test is a harbinger of good things to come in Dallas.

"Testing went really well," said Smith, who is sixth in the Countdown to 1 playoffs for the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, which began in Concord for the remaining five races for the PSM class. "We made five runs and we ran three all-out passes and I'm hoping that we're on our game.

"We took the motor out of the bike that we ran in Concord and found a problem with the cam shaft and we stuck another motor in for Monday's test. We put another set of carburetors on it, and I think it's the carburetors more than anything that's been plaguing us all year long.

“First pass we went 7 (seconds) flat, second pass we went 6.93 at 191 mph, and the next time, when it got really hot, the track got really bad, the sun stayed out, we went 6.99 at 191. Every run we made down the track we went quicker and faster than we did on the race weekend.”

The improvement of the team this weekend could have a lot to do with tuner Steve Tartaglia and Smith finding a common ground of the Suzuki.

"I'm feeling really good," added Smith, who was runner-up at the NHRA Fall Nationals in Ennis last year. "I'm actually excited. Steve and I had a 35-minute meeting Sunday evening, in which we discussed what we were going to do, what we want to do. We really got on the same page.

"We know we have to step our program up these last four races, and that's what we've done. We decided to stay and test and do everything it took to get it done. I'm really excited about Texas."

DOESN’T GET THE POINT - Jack Beckman makes no qualms that he’s not a fan of the new qualifying points system which rewards drivers with bonus points who qualify in the top three positions. His loss in the second round in Concord last weekend, along with the fact he did acquire any of those bonus points, leaves him with less than a positive outlook on the program that was instituted upon the completion of the NHRA’s regular season.
Because he did not collect any bonus points (three, two and one for the top three, respectively, in each qualifying round) in Concord and then bowed out in the second round of eliminations, the California native enters the Fall Nationals at Texas Motorplex in sixth place, 45 points out of the top spot.

"It's too early to tell what will happen," said Beckman, who qualified fifth in Ennis last year and made it to the semifinals.
"We're less than three rounds out of first place. We're certainly a lot closer to first than we've been since the second race of the year, because of the resetting of Countdown points.

"However, these new bonus points available for qualifying - which I'm not in favor of, as I believe that rules changes should be announced at the beginning of a season - are going to really shake things up. Unfortunately, I think that, in the long run, it's going to help determine the outcome of a couple of championships. It's certainly going to affect funny Car. So, we're going to have to suck it up.

"We're going to have to try to gobble up a couple of those points per race. We didn't get any of them in Concord. We have five races left, and, if we want to have a chance of ending up at the banquet at the end of the year with the big trophy, we're going to need to go 12 rounds and count on some of the lead cars stumbling a little bit.

EXTRA BACKING - Coming off his first final-round appearance of his rookie campaign, Top Fuel driver Shawn Langdon has picked up the sponsorship support of Mach 1 Global Services, a worldwide industry leader in the overnight freight forwarding business.

Langdon will race the Mach 1 Global Services/Lucas Oil Top Fuel dragster at this weekend's 24th annual O’Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals and will pick up a boisterous group of supporters from the organization's Dallas office as well as a huge group of Mach 1 customers.

The company will also have a presence on team owner Morgan Lucas' GEICO Powersports/Lucas Oil dragster.

"We're excited to join Morgan Lucas Racing and be on Shawn's dragster for this event," CEO Jamie Entzminger said. "Dallas is a very important market for us and to have a chance to introduce our loyal customers to NHRA drag racing through a professional race team as highly regarded as this one should only strengthen our position in the DFW area.

"We had a chance to meet Shawn and Morgan earlier this year and have been following them ever since. The synergy between Lucas Oil and Mach 1 is tremendous. We're both family-owned and operated businesses that strive to be the best in our respective industries. We're very excited about this upcoming weekend and our future with Morgan Lucas Racing."

Mach 1 certainly joins the race team at a perfect time as both Langdon and Lucas are solidly in the fight for 2009 Full Throttle Championship. Langdon's big weekend in Charlotte at the first of six Countdown to 1 playoff races lifted him to fifth place in the crowded rankings. He's now just 48 points off the class lead. Lucas is just a few ticks behind Langdon in eighth place.

"Mike Entzminger (Mach 1 founder) and his daughter Jamie are great people and it's very cool to have Mach 1 Global Services on Shawn's car this weekend,"

Lucas said. "Hopefully, he'll have another big weekend and we can kick off our relationship with Mach 1 in the winner's circle.

"Shawn's car and crew won the Dallas race last year so they know how to get it done at the Texas Motorplex. Plus, the way Shawn is driving this year you know they're going to be tough. It should be a great weekend."

SWITCHING RIDES - Greg Anderson prides himself in being a leader. However, this weekend headed into the NHRA Fallnationals in Ennis, Tex., he's hoping to follow the lead of teammate Jason Line.

Earlier this year, the Summit Racing team made a bold change prior to their sponsor's race in Norwalk, Ohio, with Line moving from the Pro Stock Pontiac he had used in the first 11 races of the season to the car Anderson had campaigned in 2008. The move paid immediate dividends, as Line not only won that weekend's race, but advanced to the final round in the next five races.

Anderson, the three-time champion, will now park the car he started the season with and jump into the tangerine-colored Summit Racing GXP originally driven by Line and most recently leased and raced by Ronnie Humphrey. With this year's Full Throttle Pro Stock championship on the line, it was a gamble Anderson felt was worth taking.

"With so much on the line, we felt the time was right to shake things up, so this weekend I'll be racing Jason's Summit Racing Pontiac from the beginning of the year," explained Anderson. "Just like it was with Jason before Norwalk, I'm sure there's nothing wrong with my race car. However, for whatever reason, it has just not been responding the way we'd like, so we decided to alter the formula.

"We're not going to change anything but the driver. Hopefully, we'll not only get back to running the way we should, but we'll also see where we went wrong with the other car. It worked for Jason and Robert Hight (a Funny Car racer who swapped rides with his boss John Force earlier this season), so maybe it will work for me, putting us back into contention in the Countdown."

NITRO FISHIN' - Matt Hartford returns to the driver’s seat in Kenny Koretsky’s Nitro Fish Dodge Pro Stock entry for the O’Reilly Super Start Batteries Fall Nationals, Friday through Sunday at the Texas Motorplex in Ennis, south of Dallas.

Hartford believes this weekend he can accomplish what he wasn’t able to do in the U.S. Nationals three weeks ago – qualify in the top 16.  He recorded solid runs early in qualifying at Indianapolis but was eventually sidelined by mechanical issues.

“Our plan is to have a much better weekend at the Motorplex,” Hartford said.   “Eddie (Guarnaccia, crew chief) has worked hard to get the car running better and David (Nickens) has been working on the motors.   I’m 100 percent certain they will be able get us solidly qualified in the show.”

Guarnaccia echoed the optimistic outlook.  “The car is obviously better, so if things stay together, we should be able to get quicker elapsed times early in the run.  If it does, then I think we have a good chance of qualifying.”

“Eddie does have the car running good,” said Koretsky.  “We came within nine-thousandths of a second of having Dave Northrop qualify for Sunday’s race at Charlotte.  We’d like to get in there Sunday and win some rounds.

 

 

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