2010 NHRA GATORNATIONALS - EVENT NOTEBOOK
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SUNDAY NOTEBOOK -
WILKERSON AND THE OLD GIRL REUNITED - Tim Wilkerson reunited with his “old girl” and all is good in his world.
Wilkerson’s “old girl” is the Springfield, Ill.-based Funny car driver’s chassis that he ran in 2008, the same year he finished second in the championship standings on the strength of six wins in seven final rounds.
Wilkerson and his reliable chassis certainly had a certain kind of magic at the NHRA Gatornationals, the third race on the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle season. He stopped teammate Bob Tasca III in the final round with his second quickest run of the weekend, a 4.097 at 303.78 miles per hour.
He believes he and the broken-in race car had a measure of mojo throughout race day.
“I shouldn’t have made it past the first round, but sometimes you have the luck of the draw,” said Wilkerson of his first round win against Jeff Arend. “I think we used our lucky run up on that round. I look back on my whole day and no one went down the track against me, so I had the mojo going on.”
Wilkerson went on to score wins over newly christened speed record holder and No. 1 qualifier Matt Hagan, and Tony Pedregon in the quarters and semifinal rounds, respectively.
Sunday’s victory marked his 14th in 21 career finals and first since Sonoma last season.
The most impressive part of his performances? Wilkerson competed in the same car crashed last September by Daniel. The car is now cloaked under a 2010 Shelby Mustang body, a body which provides a noticeable upgrade over its predecessor. The swoopy new body cloaking a proven chassis makes for a good combination.
“This car is a real friendly car and it makes you look good when you use it,” he explained. “I put my kid in it last year and he ran good in it … No. 6 on the list. He only made two runs with it and we were looking good until the wheels fell off of it.”
The trust factor in the chassis has provided a good measure of the same confidence he used to barnstorm the 2008 season. This is the same level of trust he believes has made some of drag racing’s greatest champions – namely 14-time Funny car champion John Force.
“I made some good runs and the car went down the track every time this weekend. When you can do that, it’s good for my guys to get the practice and it’s good for me in the car and to figure the car out.”
Of course, part of the lure to the proven chassis is the weight factor. Wilkerson estimates the chassis ran in Gainesville is about 60 pounds lighter than the standard three rail cars the Ford team has run for the past two seasons.
“I promise you I am the heaviest guy in a Ford,” Wilkerson admitted. “When you put all of that together, you have a problem getting that mass to move. Don Garlits hit it on the head 25 years ago, 100 pounds is a tenth of a second.
“When you look at the fact this car is actually 60 pounds lighter than those other cars. That makes it a lot friendlier car to tune and a lot friendlier car for me. I think that’s going to be the difference for me. This car was so safe every round that I couldn’t believe it. I think we are going to have something for them when we have to run 4.0’s to win the championship. I think we’re gonna have something for them when it’s hot. I hope we can wear them out.”
Meeting his teammate and defending event champion Tasca in the finals was a special treat and even though he hadn’t won a round entering this event, winning the race wasn’t a necessity to make the day a complete success.
“What a great day for our alliance,” Wilkerson exclaimed. “This is what Bob and I have been working towards for the last two years. We were stoked before the finals. We are the kind of teammates that it didn’t matter which one of us won. It’s really been a good relationship and we have some good things coming on the horizon.”
Chances are, Wilk and the “old girl” will be there, celebrating together.
BRINGING OUT THE BEST - When you’re the all-time Top Fuel winner and a seven-time series champion, chances are you’re going to bring out the
best in your competition. But, for Tony Schumacher, driver of the U.S. Army Top Fuel dragster, the level of the challenge might be close to bordering on unreasonable.Schumacher scored his fourth career NHRA Gatornationals title by stopping teammate Antron Brown.
“I go out in the first event of the season – [lose in a] tie race [with Larry Dixon] – then we go into the second race and [Steve Torrence] runs his quickest ever,” Schumacher explained. “If you look back into the books our team is responsible for all of maybe the lesser budget teams running their best ET’s.
“[Today] Terry McMillen runs a 3.86 [in the second round]. We do not stage our car and think it is an easy run. These guys are good. When they come up and the car isn’t going down the track, they try things. They turn things here and there and it sticks when you have a great race track like this. Unfortunately you get some good side-by-sides.”
Schumacher drove his way to the final round for the 96th time in his career by stopping Terry McMillen, Doug Foley and rival Larry Dixon. The two races between Schumacher and Dixon, this season, have been determined by a total of .003 of a second difference in elapsed time.
“That’s insane when you consider one was a dead tie,” admitted Schumacher.
Only three times in the history of Top Fuel racing have two drivers recorded identical elapsed times and speeds. Schumacher was involved in two of those historic races.
“Are you kidding me?” asked Schumacher, not enamored with his place in drag racing history. “There’s a lot of cars out here, pick on someone else.”
However, Schumacher understands those are the moments when everyone is a winner and there are no losers, even if you don’t take the win light.
“I’ve been very blessed to be a part of it,” Schumacher said. “You can’t win them all. But to be part of a race like that … that’s what it’s all about. That’s what we show for. Those huge moments like that when you have two great drivers, two great teams and two great sponsors … you get in your car and battle. At the end of the day, if you get the trophy – great. If not, you know that guy earned it. It’s an awesome battle.”
In Gainesville, Schumacher never emerged as a clear cut favorite but when it came crunch time, he pulled out just enough to win. Consistency was a key factor in Schumacher’s efforts as well as getting off of the line quicker. He credits a significant portion of the Gainesville success to improvements the team made to their overall combination between Phoenix and this race.
“Mike told me, ‘We haven’t been outrun all year. Not one time. I got beat on two good, close races,” Schumacher explained. “We worked extremely hard on changing the fuel system. Changing the blower and a little bit of the clutch to get our lights back.”
Three races into the season, Schumacher admitted his reaction times had been a cause for concern.
“My lights have been bad the first two races and we worked on it hard,” he explained. “We needed that confidence. I needed that confidence. It was perfect and exactly what we needed to do at the exact right time.”
Every time Schumacher lined up alongside an opponent in Gainesville, he left the starting line first. Preseason testing at Palm Beach International Raceway enabled crew chief Mike Green and the crew to know what adjustments to make. The Gainesville atmospheric conditions bore a striking resemblance to those in Palm Beach in January.
“We used a lot of the information and the conditions were similar. They couldn’t have been much different … maybe just a bit cooler,” he said. “It was great. That’s why we come to certain places and test. We gathered up an excellent amount of information at West Palm. I think it was the right place to test. It was effective for us to make run after run and adjust to the changing conditions. We did what we needed to do.”
All weekend the three Don Schumacher Racing Top Fuel dragsters were close in performance; a credit to their ability to share information between the U.S. Army team and input along the way from the Fram and Matco Tools teams.
“The guys work well together,” Schumacher said. “What started out as our tune-up, got put into Cory’s car and they did a heck of a job and I’m sure we gained something from those guys. Then we gained a bit from Antron’s car.
“It would be easy to be vengeful if you were just giving to them. But that’s not the case. We race and the closest races are going to be me and my teammates. We’re going to race and it’s going to be a battle. At the end of the year, if I can’t hold that trophy, I hope to God one of those guys will.”
PUTTING THE BEST FOOT FORWARD - Past NHRA Pro Stock champion Jason Line is all about putting his best foot forward. At the NHRA
Gatornationals, his best foot proved to be the left one.Line became the first Pro Stock driver in 2010 to stop the Mike Edwards steamroller. The KB Racing driver dumped the clutch .052 of a second quicker than Edwards on the starting line with the advantage accounting for a half-of-a-car length at the finish line.
“I guess right now the only way to beat Mike (Edwards) is with your left foot,” Line said. “We can't do it with the right, that's for sure. He's definitely faster than everybody. He's got us covered. Fortunately for us he gave us a little bit of room and we managed to get it done somehow.”
Line used a 6.580 elapsed time to fend off Edwards’ much quicker 6.556.
This kind of performance was far from what Line expected on Saturday afternoon when he entered the final qualifying session unqualified.
“We started off awful,” Line admitted. “I didn't think we were going to qualify. I really felt going into the third session, I really felt like this was going to be the time we didn't qualify. Some fan came up to me, he goes, 'Hi, I just want to meet you because you’re the only guy not qualified.' I said, 'thanks a lot buddy.'”
The reality of getting a DNQ was very real for Line.
“We've never missed the show,” said Line. “It's going to happen there is no question about it. It's going to happen just once. I would be lieing if I told you it wouldn't be a little bit devastating. I want to race on Sunday. That's what Summit is paying us for. That's why Ken (Black) has us out here. We need to be racing. It will be devastating when it does happen. But, we managed to get it done this week making the best of a bad situation.”
Today’s ability to overcome adversity goes a long way for the KB Racing team which has faced more than its share of adversity over the off-season. Line was honored to provide team owner Ken Black with his first victory since the car owner suffered a stroke in January.
Line wanted the victory for Black, who has worked hard in rehab after the illness.
“Ken is definitely improving,” Line said. “I hope this is going to help. This Wally has his name written all over it. I talked to him on the phone last week. He's really doing good. He's working hard. The rehab has been tough. We want him out here and he wants to be out here. We're just hoping for the best.”
And today, Line put his best on the line – the starting line.
PARITY? MAYBE, MAYBE NOT - On a weekend where the motorcycle combination provided no apparent significant advantage, past NHRA Pro
Stock champion Eddie Krawiec felt fortunate he had the winning bike. A Suzuki established a new world record [6.855] and qualified No. 1.
Buells accounted for two of the first four spots in the qualified field.
In the end of the day, a Harley-Davidson rolled into the winner’s circle and the NHRA Gatornationals trophy provided a nice addition to Krawiec's trophy bearing mantle which already holds six Wallys.
“I think (the) parity is really close,” said an elated Krawiec, who up until 2009 was winless yet a champion. “Look at the top three qualifiers, they were all three different motorcycles within two – three hundredths of a second. That speaks volumes for the class. I think NHRA did a great job.
“Rather than putting weight on the faster motorcycles they sped up the slower ones. I think that is a step in the right direction. You had to go six eighties to be in the top eight. I can't remember the last time you had 10 six eighties in one session. It never happened. If you look the way the class is going it's exciting.”
There was a gaggle of 6.80s over the course of the weekend, a barrier once considered taboo for most of the riders in years past. There was an unwritten rule for the class if you went into the 6.80s or reasonably close, a pencil-whipping [or rule change] would be handed down in the following weeks.
Krawiec downplayed the unwritten rule, while cracking a smile. This weekend’s record-setting performances, he attributed to a significant tailwind blowing down track all weekend.
“I think if you took that tail wind away you probably would have saw some low 6.90's,” Krawiec contended. “I bet you that tailwind was probably worth a good five to six hundredths of a second. We're fortunate enough, for our motorcycles … they like the tailwinds because you aren’t having to fight through the wind.”
“The first session when we say that flag straight down the track everybody was licking their chops getting ready to go down the track.”
After continual allegations of sand-bagging and manipulating performances, Krawiec welcomed the Suzukis re-emergence as a contender. The Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson team didn’t do any testing over the off-season.
“We're just really excited to have Karen (Stoffer) number one qualifier set the national record,” said Krawiec. “It's a great thing for the Suzukis. Let alone, Vance and Hines because we're the ones that do their horsepower. So, we're excited about that. Vance & Hines Screaming Eagle Harley Davidson was just fortunate to get the win.”
Setting aside the horsepower debate; Krawiec believes the weekend eventually turned into more of a driver battle than a horsepower duel.
“It turned into a rider battle,” Krawiec said. “It shows you not always the fastest bike is going to win. I almost gave it up in the semifinals against Craig Treble, I stumbled a little bit. Was fortunate enough to be lucky; the horseshoe was on my side of the track that time. I'm just happy to be here.”
SHAKEN TO THE CORE - In a year which admittedly hasn't started very well, Jeg Coughlin Jr. was finally experiencing a weekend to his liking.
Solid passes on Saturday, both in the 6.55 second range, had Coughlin thinking whatever had ailed his JEGS.com Chevrolet Cobalt had been cured. Saturday's solid runs were followed up by a strong 6.559 at 211.73 mph win over Bob Yonke in the first round of eliminations in the 41st annual Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway.
Unfortunately, Coughlin's good feeling was shaken to the core in a disappointing second round loss to Greg Anderson.
“Never for one second did I expect this car to shake the tires like that,” Coughlin said of the main issue that lost him the round. “We were fully expecting another 6.55 out of this thing and as consistent as it had been yesterday and this morning, we were ready for a long day at the track. We thought our consistency was back.”
But in the quarterfinals, moments after he and Anderson carded identical .012-second reaction times, Coughlin's car couldn't find any traction and he was forced to abort the run outright.
“I left the line and almost immediately pulled second gear because I could feel the tires shaking, but it was already too far gone,” the 48-time Pro Stock winner said. “I went ahead and banged it through the gears but we'd lost all momentum by then and Greg was putting up a good run (6.587 at 210.60 mph) in the other lane so I pushed in the clutch.
“We prepped for the track being a little hotter and thought we had made all the proper adjustments, but the car was having none of it. We'll have to work hard to get this thing figured out for Charlotte.”
NOT ALL THAT WILD -- After Saturday's first qualifying session, the John Force Ford Mustangs were 1-2-3 in the Funny Car order and occupied
three of the top six spots in the final lineup. But they dropped out of Sunday's eliminations in quick order, all defeated by the second round.Ashley Force Hood's race against Melanie Troxel, her opening-round opponent for the second straight race, looked the wildest. Both cars were losing traction and whipping sideways, giving their drivers some new perspectives of Gainesville Raceway. Troxel regained control a few seconds quicker than Force Hood to take the win and a 2-1 edge in their meetings.
But Force Hood said her Castrol GTX Mustang didn't feel out of control.
"That run was not as crazy of a ride as everyone that is coming up to me thinks," she said. "A ton of people have been asking me about it, and I have had pedalfests before where you feel like you are getting sideways. I don't remember it being that bad. I think I am either getting used to that or since it was down on power it wasn't as violent as the times before. I felt like I was coasting, even though I was on and off the throttle. It didn't feel that crazy inside my Mustang."
She said she doesn't know what she could have done differently.
"I am not beating myself up about it," Force Hood said. "Usually it is the runs where you wish you would have done something differently that bug you. That run was just a collection of things that happened that made my car upset. It didn't want to get down the track. Melanie's car didn't want to get down there, either. She was able to recover hers quicker."
HURTING PARTS HURTS -- Reigning Funny Car champion Robert Hight beat Jim Head in the first round with a 4.122-second pass but couldn't match Bob Tasca III's 4.1 in the second round. "If we would have had our stuff together, we could have run 4.04 or 4.03 easily," he said. "We haven't hurt this much stuff in a long time. We had to switch motors this weekend, and they were just a little different. We scuffed a few pistons. We'll figure it out."
John Force -- the Winternationals winner, Phoenix runner-up, and points leader still as the tour heads to Charlotte, is talking like he did in the stretch of time when he dominated and won 14 series championships.
"This car wants to run hungry every round. I am hungry, too," he said.
"We have always been about consistency getting us wins. The competition is too tight now. You can't just be consistent -- you have to beat them. You have to outrun them. We came out aggressive in the first round and ran the third quickest E.T. We wanted to get another win. I know Austin (Coil), Bernie (Fedderly), and (Mike) Neff are throwing everything at it," Force said.
Ron Capps prevented him from stretching his Gatornationals victory record among all pro classes to eight, outrunning him and his Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang in the second round.
THE BUSCHMAN DRAGS
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SUNDAY QUICK HITS - RACEDAY REPORTING IN RAPID FASHION
TOP FUEL
CALL HIM MR. SPEED – Tony Schumacher actually ran too fast in his semi-final win over Larry Dixon to gather in a speed record at 324.98 miles per hour. The run was a full two miles per hour faster than his previous personal mark recorded in preseason testing at 322.88 miles per hour.
What was the secret to his success? According to Schumacher, he had a can of Full Throttle before the run and Dixon in the opposite lane.
“If that team, that car and that driver can’t get you ready to race, then it’s never going to happen,” Schumacher explained. “They are a great team and we are going to battle all year long. The fans got their money’s worth today.”
THE STREAK IS BACK ON – Schumacher, who had his first round streak broken last year at the NHRA Route 66 Nationals, is in pursuit of another run of good fortune. By winning the first round of eliminations, he extended his current first round win streak to 17.
Schumacher holds the consecutive first round win streak for Top Fuel at 35.
UPSETS A PLENTY – Out of eight pairs of Top Fuel cars, seven winners emerged from the right lane. The lone left lane winner was Brandon Bernstein in his blazing blue CoPart/Lucas Oil dragster.
JUST A BUMP IN THE ROAD - Morgan Lucas didn't have much of a chance Sunday morning against Steve Torrence as his dragster smoked the tires at the hit during first round eliminations. The combination of being the first pair out and getting put in the less advantageous left lane played a crucial role.
“We were lost in our first qualifying round on Friday and some parts we worked on in the second round screwed us up,” Lucas said. “We were chasing it all weekend after that.”
Torrence posted a 3.879 at 311.05 mph in front of Lucas' resigned effort of 7.782 at 91.43 mph.
“We're frustrated and thank God it's still early in the season,” Lucas said following the loss. “We can't use that excuse forever though. We've struggled in qualifying the last couple of races and it's because we are lacking the consistency. It's no reason to get down; it's just a bump in the road.”
FUNNY CAR
THE NEW SPEED MERCHANT – Hagan’s 316.15 mile per hour run in his first round win over John Smith was enough to secure a new national 
speed record. Unlike elapsed time records, speed records are not eligible for points, but they do come with bragging rights.
THOSE WIMMEN DRIVERS AT IT AGAIN – As Lenny Kravitz’s American Woman blared over the loudspeakers at Gainesville Raceway, female Funny Car racers Ashley Force-Hood and Melanie Troxel squared off in the first round for the second time in as many races.
The race was a wild pedalfest, with both drivers at one time turning nearly sideways, and one nearly scratching the wall. Troxel was declared the winner in what could easily be categorized as a highlight reel match.
“That was a crazy run,” said Troxel. “But we knew we had to step it up if we were going to beat Ashley. We pushed the car a bit, got out there and spun the tires – it got awful close to the wall. I knew when I didn’t see her that I had to get back into the throttle and get it to the finish line before her.”
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A WEEK MAKES – John Force admitted he was cheering for Ron Capps to win last weekend, but not this weekend.
Capps was participating in last weekend’s Bakersfield March Meet, a special nostalgia event featuring various classic Funny Cars, Dragsters and Coupes. The Napa-sponsored driver was driving a nostalgia Funny Car owned by Force’s former tuner Steve Plueger.
In a second round match-up this weekend, Capps outran Force.
UH OH – Bob Tasca III had a perfectly good explanation for his .153 reaction time in the first round of eliminations.
“My foot was going down and the light wasn’t on,” explained Tasca. “I pulled my foot back as the light went down, so I pushed it down again. I got lucky on that one but Cunningham [crew chief, Chris] and the boys bailed me out.”
Luckily for Tasca, Hight smoked the tires enabling the Motorcraft driver to pass him by with a 4.131 elapsed time.
PRO STOCK
A LITTLE TOO EAGER -- Greg Stanfield blamed his opening-round loss on one person: himself. It wasn't much consolation that opponent Jason Line turned out to be the driver no one else could beat Sunday, either. Stanfield was .036 of a second to eager at the starting line in his Pontiac.
"The driver lost focus," Stanfield said. "I have no one to blame but myself. I knew I needed about a perfect (.000 reaction) time. We'll just regroup and move on to the next race."
Crew chief Eddie Guarnaccia said, "Things like that happen. But we did learn a lot this weekend in the clutch department and we will have a competitive car to take to Charlotte."
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
PRINCESS KAREN -- Karen Stoffer said she didn't get to be Cinderella but she was content to be a princess at the Pro Stock Motorcycle season-
opener.
The No. 1 qualifier, who with a 6.855-second elapsed time Saturday was more than a hundredth of a second quicker than closest qualifier Eddie Krawiec. Although Krawiec wore the Prince Charming label, Stoffer set the national elapsed-time record at 6.847 seconds on the GEICO Powersports Suzuki.
She already had backed up her run with her qualifying mark, meeting the NHRA's requirement to record another pass within one percent of the record run at the same event in order for it to become official.
"We knew we had a bike that could win the race and the national record proved that," Stoffer said.
A FAIR DAY -- Craig Treble reached the semifinals in his return to Don Schumacher Racing after riding for the megateam in 2008. Although he advanced twice on his opponents' red-light fouls Sunday, Treble qualified the Valvoline Motorcycle Oils Suzuki sixth, his fortune ran out against eventual winner Eddie Krawiec.
He called his eliminations performance "all in all . . . a fair day," considering he has only six passes on the bike with the bigger motors after the NHRA added 100cc's to the Suzukis this season.
"We'll continue pressing on and trying to learn this new engine combination, and I'll try to learn how to ride the bike a little bit better," Treble said.
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SATURDAY NOTEBOOK -
A HORSE IS A HORSE … - If Friday was a “get back on the horse” day for Antron Brown then Saturday must have been a “give it the whip” day.Brown, rebounding from a serious crash two weeks ago at the NHRA Arizona Nationals in Phoenix, had his Matco Tools-sponsored thoroughbred galloping at breakneck speed during the final day of qualifications for the NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla.
“After the accident and to get back out here – you have to get back on that horse again,” said Brown. “The bad part about the accident is that we had two weeks off. I was sitting there over-thinking too many things. I knew the sooner I got back out here, the sooner I could let it go.”
Brown didn’t give the accident a second thought as he edged teammate and defending world champion Tony Schumacher with a track record 3.803 elapsed time at 321.04 miles per hour. He was the quickest Top Fuel driver after the first session with a 3.819.
“Getting back out and racing again was like medicine,” Brown admitted. “Going out there is and racing has been the cure we needed.”
There was a measure of apprehension when the weekend began, and the uneasiness wasn’t limited to the cockpit.
“Everybody was checking and double-checking everything on the car,” explained Brown. “They’re double-checking each other. They want to get back on track too. We’ve had little gremlins get us early this where it was last year we had everything go right.
“I see their confidence coming back to where it was before Phoenix. The nervousness is gone.”
Some of Brown’s most profound advice came from Darrell Gwynn, who has actively promoted his Darrell Gwynn Foundation this weekend. Gwynn was paralyzed in a crash during the 1990 season.
“I spent some time with Darrell and he pointed out that no two runs are ever the same,” recalled Brown. “You have to treat every run the same and just do what you do and stay focused. You just do it to the best of your ability and that’s what I did this weekend. It worked well and I feel back to normal.”
GOOD DAY IN THE OFFICE - Today was a big day in more ways than one for second-year Funny Car driver Matt Hagan.
Hagan, of Christiansburg, Va., drove the Diehard Batteries Dodge Charger to the No. 1 qualifying position at the NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla.
The former Pro Modified driver and his crew laid it all on the line, right in front of 14-time NHRA Funny Car champion John Force. He scored his third career No. 1 qualifier with a 4.060 elapsed time with a track speed record of 313.58 miles per hour.
“I knew Tommy [crewchief, Delago] was going for it and we were already qualified so we knew we could go for broke,” Hagan explained. “I knew when the clutch went one-to-one and set me back in the seat that it was going to be pretty good.”
Part of Hagan’s confidence could be traced to a key personnel acquisition team owner Don Schumacher made on Saturday. It was announced on Saturday that veteran tuner John Medlen would join the team as a co-crew chief with Delago.
Already, the 27-year old Hagan is brimming with excitement over the potential of the new Delago and Medlen alliance.
“It’s great to have him aboard and I believe we are going to see some stuff out of him as the season goes along. He and Tommy seems to be comfortable working together. I’m really excited and can’t wait to see what they produce.”
And, for Medlen, the excitement is mutual.
“You see the eye of the tiger in Matt,” Medlen said. “He is enthusiastic and ready to go. There’s an element of youth in Matt and you see it. He’s a strong competitor and wants to win. It’s our job to help him with that avenue.”
The all-out effort to go for the No. 1 spot was something Hagan is used to delivering for both himself and team owner Don Schumacher.
“I try to put it on the line every time I race and make myself happy first,” Hagan said. “When I get in that race car, I want to leave it all in that race car. You don’t get do-overs in here or second chances, it’s one of those things where it’s all or nothing. I hope we’re making Don happy ‘cause we’re making me happy.”
One more person who was a happy over the day’s performance was Erik Rosenstrauch, general manager of the DieHard brand business unit. Saturday was the executive’s first visit to an NHRA drag race. Hagan left a lasting impression.
"Fantastic," he said. "First off, we are so happy to be back in the sport, the most powerful in auto racing and [with] the most powerful battery out there. We're just beginning to build our relationship with Matt. He's a stellar man and a stellar driver at the same time. He embodies what the brand is about. We're about power, trust, reliability, performance, all the things that Matt is performing and doing for us and certainly doing for the race team today. He's putting on an extra show for us, perhaps."
NEAR PERFECTION - Thus far in 2010, defending Pro Stock champion Mike Edwards has participated in ten qualifying sessions, eight eliminations
rounds and has been nearly unbeatable in every one of them.Except for one round, Mike Edwards could rightfully claim total perfection and dominance.
One pesky qualifying session and a determined teammate in Ron Krisher were the only obstacles in Edwards’ bid for perfection.
“One point,” said a smiling Mike Edwards who captured his twelfth consecutive number one qualifying position dating back to July 2009.
Krisher ran .004 quicker than Edwards, who was not only qualifying in the final session but racing in the semi-finals of the postponed NHRA Arizona Nationals from Phoenix.
Edwards missed out on one of the three available bonus points for drivers who make the quickest qualifying run in each session. Up until this weekend he had gained the maximum number of bonus points at 21. He’s accumulated a total of 30 thus far.
“We came here and was able to run good, even with the changes to the car,” explained Edwards, referring to the mandatory rule changes of minimum rear weight handed down to the Pro Stock teams late last week.
“My guys adapted to those and we made the changes. I am just real proud of my team and want to give God the glory.”
The rule changes threw Edward and many of the teams a curve ball. Many of the Pro Stock teams use the redistribution of weight as a tuning tool.
“The three changes might sound like a lot to some people but it affect the balance of the car for us,” Edwards said. “We went and tested the car and had some initial issues but stayed long enough to get it straightened out.”
Edwards enters Sunday’s eliminations with a 6.537, 211.53 best and races Rickie Jones in the first round.
STOFFER SWINGS FOR THE FENCE - Karen Stoffer took advantage Saturday of what she considers the best conditions the Pro Stock
Motorcycle class will see all season. And, she parlayed those conditions not only into the No. 1 qualifying position but also a legitimate shot at the national record and its extra points.The GEICO Powersports Suzuki rider set the Gainesville Raceway elapsed-time record with a 6.855-second run (at 194.77 mph) that's four-thousandths of a second off Hector Arana's 6.851-second mark from last October at Memphis.
If she runs quicker than 6.851 during eliminations Sunday, Stoffer will earn 20 key points that would give her momentum heading into the upcoming Four-Wide Nationals at Charlotte.
"We had a tailwind, cloud cover, and all these great conditions," she said, after the lightning fast run.
"Tomorrow could be huge," Stoffer said. "We're in the batter’s box and we want to take a big swing at that record. That would be a first for me, and I would love to be able to do it here in Gainesville. I don't know if we're going to see these kind of conditions the rest of the year, so I think it's going to be critical to get it done here."
Her "spring training," of sorts, was a refresher course with motorcycle magician George Bryce.
"I had a little problem getting off the line in the last couple of years," Stoffer said, adding that she felt she needed some fresh instruction in how to harness the "additional potential power" of the Geico Suzuki. "I had to go back to George Bryce's school to learn to drive it."
She indicated that she's aware that other riders have the potential to hit a home run and will be swinging for the fences Sunday, too.
"I think we'll see some other teams step up, and we should see the national record broken. That's my prediction," she said.
"I’ve gotten the No. 1 before but I never had to fight for it like that," Stoffer said after reclaiming the top spot from Eddie Krawiec in the third and final session to lead the quickest field in class history.
"It was nerve-racking to see Eddie Krawiec go out the pair in front of me, set low E.T., and take the top spot away from us. At least we knew we had a fast enough bike to get it back. I just had to do my job," she said.
Ironically, she has an engine prepped by Vance & Hines, the Brownsburg, Ind., shop where Krawiec is based and whom he represents on the track.
Stoffer, going for her sixth career victory in the 2010 Pro Stock Motorcycle kickoff, earned her only other No. 1 position since the 2008 race at Infineon Raceway, her hometown track in Sonoma, Calif.
It was a major improvement for Stoffer, the 2007 Gatornationals winner who began the day unqualified in 20th place because of what she called driver error in Friday's rain-shortened qualifying.
In the opening round of eliminations, she'll face Redell Harris, who qualified last in the 16-bike order with a 7.032-second, 186.48-mph effort.
Promising young rider Doug Horne, one of last season's rookie of the year nominees, failed to qualify. He was 18th, behind first alternate Darin McCurdy, the racer from nearby Punta Gorda, Fla., who missed the cut by two-thousandths of a second.
BUSCH GIDDY ABOUT GATORS - NASCAR Sprint Cup headliner Kurt Busch has captured a series championship in America's most popular
motorsports arena and earned close to $40 million in his still-young stock-car racing career.But going through the National Hot Rod Association's tech inspection Tuesday and "getting that little decal that said participant of the Gatornationals -- that was a big moment for me," he said.
"I felt like an eight-year-old schoolboy," Busch said. "It's been an honor and a privilege to be part of the Gatornationals."
Because early-weekend rain delays at Gainesville Raceway forced Busch's drag-racing debut at the Tire Kingdom Gatornationals to wait until Monday, the newest and most recognizable Super Gas competitor said he has had a marvelous time here anyway. He has spent his idle NASCAR weekend experiencing "the laid-back atmosphere of NHRA racing" while appreciating what he called "the seriousness of the fierce competitors."
Busch, driver of the No. 2 Roger Racing Miller Lite Dodge, is ready to begin campaigning the 1970 Dodge Challenger that he built along with pal Jesse Walker, Project Manager at Mooresville, N.C..-based Kurt Busch Inc., and best man at his wedding, and former NHRA Super Comp crew member.
Wife Eva sparked Busch's interest in drag racing, giving him a certificate to Roy Hill's Drag Racing School.
"Little did I know how serious we were going to jump into it," Busch said. "When I followed him and learned more about the drag racing world, I learned that there was quite a bit I didn't understand. Roy took me under his wing, and we had some fun together. And when you do something wrong, he's the first one to tell you straight to your face. It reminds me a little bit of how my dad taught me how to drive in the oval ranks."
With what he called "great support from Dodge and Mopar" and some sponsorship help from Swiss watchmaker and technology innovator Tag Heuer, Busch and Walker have enthusiastically lavished their limited free time on this effort. That includes sometimes getting carried away with all the modifications to this beauty that serves as a display vehicle, street car, and Super Gas race car.
"We said, 'Hey -- we probably should put fuel injection on this car. That way I can just fire it up and drive it anytime, instead of having a carburetor on it." Then he recalled the next sentence: "Well, if we're doing that, we might as well put a turbo on it," followed by, "Well, if we put a turbo on it, we may as well put Powerglide transmission in it.' We just kept bouncing ideas off each other. And the next thing you know, it's like, 'Wow. We're going to have an eight-second car.' It's just been one thing after the next," Busch said.
Busch indicated he's enjoying his hands-on racing project.
"I've been jumping in there," he said, "whether it's the wastegate we're trying to adjust, the tire pressure, the four-link rear suspension. It's just a regular street car that we're having some trouble with. It's been a unique challenge."
Busch did have a taste of drag racing, once, as a guest at the U.S. Nationals of team owner and sport legend Don Prudhomme. He also took to the track for an exhibition event at Charlotte's ZMAX Dragway right before its hosted the inaugural Carolinas Nationals.
He said he remembered thinking, "There's going to be nobody out there who can beat me on the NASCAR side. That was really the main objective," he said with a laugh.
He has arranged to drive in a "PINKS! All Out" show during NASCAR's Talladega weekend, and he said as his schedule permits, he's eager to run at some divisional events -- to "get our feet wet, get the mojo going. It's tough to commit full time."
For now, he said, "We're here. We're enjoying ourselves. Running with the Super Gas division, it's really neat, the camaraderie with the guys, hanging out in the pit area and just being one of the group.
"It's very casual, and it's very enjoyable to enjoy this time away from the NASCAR circuit and the high-pressure zone that we're always in. This is big pressure, too, with these guys in NHRA. But it's an open paddock. The fans can walk around and enjoy and see things from the inside out. In NASCAR, it's tough to get into the garage area."
Already Busch, who won the previous weekend's Cup race at Atlanta, has tried to integrate his drag-racing knowledge with his NASCAR procedures.
"This past weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, we had all those restarts, and I was practicing like I was on the [drag racing starting] line, making sure I wasn't burning up my tires and getting good traction on those restarts," Busch said.
"The correlation I can draw is when you're in drag racing - I've only made a few passes so far - you're in it with the thousandths of a second. Hundredths mean a lot. Tenths of a second, you're too late in the NHRA world. In NASCAR, a tenth of a second means a lot of time,'" he said. "It's been a lot of fun to dissect my NASCAR stuff into thousandths of a second."
Busch has made only about a dozen passes down the dragstrip in testing and has run in the nine-second range. But he quickly has developed lofty goals. "I think we can get the car into the seven seconds, once we really start working on it," he said.
The purpose of his drag-racing venture, he said, is "trying to learn something different, challenge myself in another area of motorsports. I still hope that I've got 10 or 15 years left on the Cup circuit Who knows? The opportunity could be out there in the NHRA."
He had no delusions, though, that he would win races right away. He predicted that in his debut, "I'll probably get burned up on the tree."
No matter what, Kurt Busch described himself as "just a racer at heart."
Busch isn't the only NASCAR “star” hanging out in Gainesville. NASCAR luminaries Michael Waltrip -- who was hanging out with NAPA colleague Ron Capps -- and Scott Speed -- who was watching brother- and sister-in-law Matt and Angie Smith race in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class -- took in the straight line culture. And in the heart of The South's drag-racing cradle, which rocked "Big Daddy" Don Garlits, Kurt Busch got quite a lesson this weekend.
T-PED CONTINUES AGGRESSIVE MARKETING - Two-time Funny Car champion Tony Pedregon, hit hard by the country's downward economic spiral and that of General Motors in particular, said in a Saturday interview with WFO Radio that he has some sponsorship help to continue racing and has a possible deal or two in the works to keep him competitive.
He also indicated that he hasn't completely let go of the problem he had with former boss John Force that erupted last Labor Day at Indianapolis. He also hinted that he isn't afraid to stand up for his opinions again.
Pedregon said he and two-time titlist brother Cruz Pedregon, who share a shop in Brownburg, Ind., are "trying to figure out how to survive, how to remain competitive. One thing Cruz and I have been able to do is win championships, be competitive, and be very efficient. We've been able to do a lot with very little, and you can only do that for so long. We can't even get close to outspending the John Force team and the Don Schumacher team and some of the other competitors we face."
His one solace is his conviction that "money doesn't buy you everything." But he understand he needs it to thrive, and he took a positive approach.
Kenny Koretsky has sponsored Tony Pedregon with his Nitro Fish brand of apparel for three races this season, and Pedregon said Quaker State is going to be his primary sponsor for eight or nine more events with its Gumout and Slick 50 brands. (Meanwhile, Cruz Pedregon's primary sponsor.) - What does this mean?
"There's another company or two that we're working on . . . I would love to be able to announce something soon," he said.
"So there's some good things out there," Tony Pedregon said. "We're very persistent, very motivated to stay out here. You're never going to hear me complain about the economics. You hear it everyday on the news. Things seem to be stabilizing. It's still a great sport. It's a great product. There's still a lot of value here that companies are intrigued by, interested in. The glass is half full."
The aces that the Pedregons have in hand are their four series championships and their Hispanic heritage.
"We are Latinos. We have been able to leverage our ethnic background," Tony Pedregon said. "It's important to our sponsors. It's important to us. We do want to leverage our assets -- our experience, our championships, our background. We do want to tap into the Hispanic market. You look into the eyes of some of these people, and they really want to connect with you. [With] some of them, you might be the reason they're out here."
He defended his display of emotion at last year's U.S. Nationals, when he confronted former boss John Force at the top end of the track. Racing, he said, fundamentally is cars, machines, but what people connect with are the personalities, the charismatic drivers -- the ones, he said, "who stepped out of the box and let their true colors show."
Said Pedregon, "Our job is to leverage that and spin it in a positive way. It's about the drivers and their personalities, and we need more of that."
He did say he was a bit chagrined to learn that his 10-year-old daughter's teachers and classmates were discussing the Labor Day incident in school the next day. But he hinted that the public might see more of it from him, if he feels it's necessary.
"There's unsettled business," Pedregon said, "and if it rears its head again, we'll do it again."
MORE DRIVERS JOIN TRACK WALK -- Drag racers Jeff Arend, Dave Grubnic, Jim Head, and Doug Kalitta, as well as NASCAR Sprint Cup regular Scott Speed are getting their walking shoes on. They're among the volunteers who'll participate in Sunday morning's "Track Walk For Those Who Can't" that will benefit the Darrell Gwynn Foundation. For a $20 donation to the Davie, Fla.-headquartered foundation, fans can walk on the racetrack beginning at 8 a.m. Sunday, sharing conversation with the drivers. Proceeds will go to the Darrell Gwynn Foundation's ongoing work to provide education about spinal-cord injury prevention and support fo those living with spinal-cord injuries and debilitating diseases.
A LOT OF CHANGE - The atmosphere has changed greatly in the last nine years for the Pro Modified division at Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville,
Friday morning six of the leading drivers in the Get Screened America Pro Modified series participated in the NHRA’s first official press conference since recognizing the class as an official professional division.
Danny Rowe, who participated in two of the first five 2001 events, joined series sponsor Roger Burgess, Raymond Commisso, Mike Knowles, Jay Payne and Melanie Troxel in the media gathering.
Rowe’s first event was the 2001 NHRA Midwest Nationals in St. Louis, Mo., an event where he drove his supercharged 1938 Chevy to the No. 1 qualifying position as well as the victory over the course of the weekend.
On that particular weekend, Rowe and his fellow racers competed in an eight-car field and pocketed a meager $5,000 for winning the event. A winner this weekend will pocket $10,000.
“I honestly cannot say that I saw the class turning into what it has become,” Rowe said. “There was a lot of skepticism back then. We were excited to be racing on the big stage. We were all excited to show up even though there were some skeptics. The idea that it would grow to this level was unimaginable. There were a lot of dedicated people who made this happen.”
Burgess, the driving force behind the Pro Modified series for the last two seasons, believes the newly recognized professional status is largely in part because of those racers and sponsors who worked through those early seasons.
“You have to really thank all of those who kept the series alive over the years,” Burgess said. “It was a real struggle early on, with the new class and new people, and as an exhibition category it was tough to attract people and keep them in the series. Thanks to all of those guys who were out there early who made this happen. We’re all standing on their shoulders.”
MEDLEN CHANGES TEAMS - Team owner John Force confirmed with Attitude’s CompetitionPlus.com that John Medlen resigned his position at 
John Force Racing on Friday.
“It’s hard to talk about because I love John Medlen and I feel like he loves me,” said Force, who is competing at this weekend’s NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla. “John Medlen made a choice yesterday to leave this camp. I never thought that he would. Whoever gets John Medlen, they don’t know what they’ve got. I’m not just talking the technology and stuff.
“John Medlen is the man who gives you more than a day’s worth of work. He lives it. He’s sacrificed more than anyone. John and his son saved my life. I didn’t want to lose him and I tried hard to keep him. John Medlen had his reasons.”
Medlen said it was just time for a change.
“It is a season of change and just sometimes the season changes and the weather changes and you have to just go sometimes where you feel you need to go,” Medlen said.
The direction for Medlen is to Don Schumacher Racing where he will serve as co-crew chief with Tommy Delago on the Matt Hagan-driven Diehard Funny Car.
Medlen said he has no regrets about leaving JFR, although he did point out leaving the team was a tough decision to make.
“I spent a wonderful 15 years over there with some phenomenal people,” Medlen explained. “I have a great opportunity and it was time to move on. This was an extremely tough decision to make. I just took a long hard look and the future and sometimes you have to make the hard decisions. I’m not a person who looks back.”
“If I ever did anything wrong to John Medlen … wronged him in any way … I apologize,” Force said. “I love him dearly and clearly it was his choice to leave. I chose to respect that because I respect him.”
Force insists there are no hard feelings.
“He’s still my friend and I will hug him, regardless of who he is with,” Force said. “I will tell them they have got a good man.”
Though Medlen was under contract with JFR, Force said he will not keep his former team member from accepting another role on an opposing team.
“My contracts say that I have my rights that they signed certain things,” Force explained. “I don’t play that game. John Medlen, what he gave us … he gave us what he knew … we gave him what the brain trust knew. I’m gonna wish him well.”
As for the Eric Medlen Project, the safety initiative launched by JFR in August 2007, Force has said he will continue the program with the blessings of Medlen.
“Whatever they want to do,” said Medlen. “But you know, Eric Medlen Project doesn’t live in a building or a piece of equipment. It lives in my heart and the desire to make these cars safer is in one individual, and that will go with me wherever I go. The Eric Medlen Project will be right square in the middle of everything we do.
“But just like in cancer research, there are centers all over the world. You have multiple entities working together for one common goal. One common goal is to keep the drivers safe. Having more than one will be even better.”
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FRIDAY NOTEBOOK -
THE LEADER OF THE CHAMPIONS - Tony Schumacher set both ends of the 1,000-foot Gainesville Raceway record to ensure an esoteric stat in
Friday's rain-delayed first day of qualifying for the Tire Kingdom Gatornationals."All three No. 1 qualifiers are last year's [series] champions," Schumacher said, musing about the feat he shared with Funny Car's Robert Hight and Pro Stock's Mike Edwards.
"That," the U.S. Army Dragster driver said, "is a great stat that on Sunday I will never think about."
Schumacher narrowly beat out Shawn Langdon by six-thousandths of a second for the provisional top qualifying spot that will be his second straight if it holds up Saturday. He ran a 3.823-second pass at 318.02 mph to top Langdon's 3.829 / 317.12 in the Lucas Oil / Dixie Chopper Dragster.
"We were pretty darn lucky that we got at least one run today," Schumacher said, adding that it would be frustrating to head into Saturday with no current data.
He's fourth in the standings, seeking his first victory of the young season.
"We ran well in both Pomona (Calif.) and Phoenix, so we're quite capable of going home with the trophy," he said.
Just the same, he said this season will produce "some first-time winners."
Earlier in the day, he and Brown helped the U.S. Army introduce its School Challenge Program, which offers teams of students mission, mental, and physical challenges.
"It was a lot of fun to coach the kids," Schumacher said. "You could see they were all quite motivated to be successful."
Ditto for the seven-time and reigning series champion.
"This is Gainesville. This is a great crowd. This is the trophy we all look forward to putting in our trophy cases," Schumacher said.
He has three -- from 2004, 2007, and 2008. A fourth Gainesville victory would tie him with Larry Dixon and retired Joe Amato for most in the class at the historic racetrack.
Schumacher is ready, too, to atone for his quarterfinal loss at Phoenix to eager Steve Torrence. "I got beat by a kid who ran his quickest ever," he said, repeating his mantra that even if he remains No. 1 in the order, no opponent should be overlooked.
If no more Top Fuel drivers make runs Saturday, the Nos. 1 and 2 on the grid will have bye runs in Sunday's opening round of eliminations. Bobby Lagana, an International Hot Rod Association Nitro Jam winner at Florida's Palm Beach International Raceway earlier this season, anchors the field at No. 14.
HIGHT ON TOP - Robert Hight knew headed into this weekend’s NHRA Gatornationals, this race was an important race for him for more than the
prestige the event holds. This was the event where the reigning Funny Car series champion pinpointed his early season tailspin began last year.“This sport is very humbling,” said Hight, who edged out boss/father-in-law John Force for the No. 1 spot with a 4.060. “You can change in a hurry. We just have to work hard, stay doing what we're doing. We're not changing a whole lot; and refining what we have. It is awesome. But, that No. 1 is a target out there, because there are a lot of other Funny Cars that want that on the side of their car next year. We're going to have to do a good job to regain that.”
The good job begins with a confident crew chief and Hight believes he has one with Jimmy Prock.
“He has always looking at what he can run under these conditions and he goes for the throat,” Hight said. “That is how he races. It's gotten us a lot of number one qualifiers and won me some races. It's a better feeling when he definitely got a handle and we're going down the track more. Even when we were struggling he throws the long ball. We didn't qualify a couple times last year because of it. He definitely has a handle on it and he never takes the conservative approach.”
The early success in Gainesville is a bit of a rebound for Hight, who admittedly struggled some two weekends ago in Phoenix. Friday’s iffy weather provided a challenge to his tuner as well.
“We were hurting it a little bit in Phoenix so he decided to put a brand new fuel pump on it,” Hight explained. “He was even second guessing himself a little when we were having threatening weather and only one run today. But, he stuck with it. As you can see it ran 310. It was a flawless run. If we get some more conditions tomorrow, maybe we can lower that a little but because there are a lot of other cars out there that can do the same; .06 is a great start. It's definitely going to stay in the top four or five. It's pretty cool that John Force racing is one, two, three right now.”
Three races into the season Hight believes it’s pretty cool being referred to as the champion.
“It's awesome because you get to see all the fans for the first time that you haven't seen,” Hight said. “They are always yelling champ. It was pretty funny last weekend. We went up to Bakersfield and people were calling me champ up there. Force would look and say, “ah no, they were talking to you.” I still think they are talking about him because he's won a lot more than me.”
HAIL MARY, AHEAD OF THE PACE - Junior Pippin admitted he was never really big enough to play football. However, Friday evening at the
NHRA Gatornationals, he used one of the most famous plays in football history to claim the provisional Pro Stock Motorcycle pole position.He went “Hail Mary” on the competition.
“This is a new bike,” Pippin admitted. “We've only made three pulls on the dyno.”
With rain cutting Friday qualifying to just one run, Pippin went back to last year’s Pomona2 combination and let it rip.
“For the first pass I made on it since Pomona, we're really happy and surprised,” said Pippin. “It felt good. I short shifted a couple of gears. There is more in it. We'll get on tomorrow see if we can't get faster. I'm sure the .95 won't stand up. It's the best start we've had.”
But for today, he’s not surprised the 6.95 stood the test.
“These guys have worked so hard on the Piranaha Z Buell,” Pippin said. “For the last two years we've really worked hard on it. We've had some little glitches here and there. Hopefully it's all coming together now. It's not because of lack of effort, I'll tell you that. These guys have really worked hard on it.”
Maybe, tomorrow the run won't hold. Maybe, Pippin’s got the stuff to stay on top.
“There is more in the motorcycle, trust me,” he said. “It showed really good numbers on the dyno. We'll see if we can't speed it up tomorrow because I am sure we'll have to.”
And if necessary, he’s got another “Hail Mary” in reserve.
GONNA TAKE SOME ADJUSTING -- If there ever was a race when the NHRA Pro Stockers needed their full complement of four qualifying runs,
Last week, the NHRA handed down the edict forcing all teams to adopt a talledr wickerbill and install a mandatory splitter. Those rules, according to many of the teams, were relatively easy to adjust to. The third rule mandating all cars must weigh 1,090 pounds on the rear has proven anything but a simple adaptation.
According to three-time NHRA Pro Stock champion Greg Anderson, the mandatory weight minimum on the back half of the car, takes away one of the most effective tuning tools he has available. He tested in the days leading up to the event in Bradenton.
“It wasn’t a rousing success for us and just watching the other cars, there were other teams who had problems too,” said Anderson. “You are going to struggle with this as conditions change. We lost a valuable tool [moving around weight] in tuning the car.
“In the first day of testing, we had real good air and all kinds of power and the cars were trying to flip over backwards and no one could get down the track. Then the air went away and everyone was able to make it down the race track. You can’t count on the weather at every race you go to.”
And when that weather changes, Anderson believes the fuel cars will be better adapted to the conditions than the Pro Stockers will.
“The fuel cars can adjust through their clutch,” Anderson said. “We can’t do timers on timing or anything with a lock up clutch. We already have so few tuning devices and then one was taken away.”
Pro Stock qualifying was limited to one session on Friday because of a rain-delay. Compared to a year earlier, the No. 1 qualifier was .01 slower and the 12th qualifier was .011 off.
“We have to change around our combinations had made the adjustment a
real challenge,” added V. Gaines, driver of the Kendall Pro Stock Avenger. “We’re very concerned about it and there were a lot of us in Bradenton trying to get a handle on it.”
The rule adjustment was intended to create more downforce on the car at the top end of the run, but for many of the teams the issue lies primarily with trying to get off the starting line.
Adam Lambert, a technical rep for Penske Shocks, a leading supplier for the Pro Stock division, was busy for most of Friday assisting teams with finding a better combination.
“The rule changes affect the Pro Stock cars more on the starting line than at the finish,” Lambert explained. “That’s not what the NHRA had in mind when they created this rules. Everything we’ve seen, the car isn’t affected on the top end.”
For Anderson, he believes the rules were implemented with the purpose of improving safety at the finish line based on what transpired at the NHRA Arizona Nationals in Phoenix, Az. However, once the culprit for the crashes was determined to be a combination of track prep and the racing surface, the rule changes became unnecessary.
“I think we jumped the gun,” Anderson said. “I think it was going too far and is going to hurt the performance of these cars. We just don’t have the tunability that we used to have.”
Anderson believes there is no foreseeable future time when the teams will effectively get a handle on a new combination utilizing the new rules.
“I have no idea when we’ll get a handle on it or if we ever will,” Anderson said. “They took a huge tool away from us. I spent two days testing and I don’t know that I am any closer today than when I started.”
For Gaines, for a while, the Pro Stockers might demand a new skill for some.
“We don’t pedal much in Pro Stockers, but we might have to learn how to,” Gaines added.
GWYNN'S MISSION COMES HOME -- The townspeople lined the streets. The colorful parade of haulers and cars past the University of Florida
And young Darrell Gwynn soaked in all the glory of spring and sunshine and waves and cheers and being the privileged kid to ride in his dad's roadster in the middle of it all.
"I was nine years old at the time, thinking, 'This is the coolest thing in the world, and I want to be a race-car driver someday. And I want to win this race,' " Gwynn said.
That was in 1970.
Twenty years later, with two Top Fuel Gatornationals triumphs among his 28 overall and with drag-racing magnificence almost a given, Gwynn again was the center of attention -- in the worst of ways. A crash during an exhibition run at England's Santa Pod Raceway April 15, 1990, just one month after his 1990 Gatornationals victory, left him paralyzed from the chest down.
A leap forward 20 more years has found Gwynn settled into his new role as administrator of his foundation that works to help individuals and families affected by spinal cord injuries and debilitating disease through paralysis-prevention education, support, and fundraising for a cure.
Gwynn long ago made peace with his own situation. But he showed Friday at the 41st edition of the Gatornationals that he certainly cherishes the fun days.
"I miss the driving part of it more than anything. Team ownership has its heartaches and sleepless nights. I don't know too many drivers who don't sleep very well, worried about the race the next morning, as much as the owners," he said with an easy laugh. "The ownership was a lot of headaches -- great times, good driver, Mike Dunn. At the end of the day, I'd rather have been in the cockpit.
"I'd much rather be driving a car today than driving a car 20 years ago," Gwynn said. "We had no neck braces. We didn't have the helmets they have now. We didn't have the restraints. Yeah, they go faster, but if you crash at 290 or 315, not a big difference if you hit a wall. In general, the cars are real safe, and NHRA does a good job of keeping them in line. The reason drag racing is a safer sport than most other forms of motorsports is the fact that they're going in a straight line. Crashes continue to go in a straight line."
Gwynn did drive a specially built dragster, a labor of love by former crew member Mike Gerry, at the 2001 U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis. But he never has sat in it again. "Nope, and I'm not going to," Gwynn said. He told historian Steve Gibbs, as they debated for a second or two whether to stage the unique pass annually, "We're never going to be able to duplicate what just happened here. Let's just preserve that moment." He insisted that he "never had the urge. Nope. It'll never be like that moment."
But this whole weekend has provided another special moment for Gwynn at his home track.
Doug Kalitta, no slouch at Gainesville Raceway himself with a pair of victories here (2000, 2005) is driving the Coors Extra Gold Special tribute dragster to commemorate Gwynn's second consecutive Gainesville victory in 1990.
"We are so glad that Darrell and Kalitta Motorsports joined forces to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his last win in Gainesville. Darrell's contributions to our sport and now to help those with spinal cord injuries are truly remarkable," Doug Kalitta, who owns an air ambulance service in Michigan, said. "The last time the Coors Extra Gold dragster was on the track in Gainesville it went to the winner's circle with Darrell. We hope we can return it there again for him."
Darrell Gwynn calls it "a home run."
He said, "It's touching all of our buttons," for it draws attention not only to Gwynn's racing performances but also the impact his foundation is making. "It's an honor to have them represent me and Coors Extra Gold 20 years later. It brings back such great memories.
Referring to team owner Connie Kalitta, Doug's uncle, Gwynn said, "Connie's family and mine have been friends forever."
Connie Kalitta raced Gwynn six times in his career, and Gwynn won five times.
"I've moved on to a different phase of my life. It's all about the Darrell Gwynn Foundation. For them to recognize that in this celebratory manner is an honor for me. When was the last time you ever heard of a competitor putting another competitor's colors on their car? It's a lot about Connie Kalitta and that whole team."
A brief ceremony Friday before Doug Kalitta made his first qualifying pass in the tribute car reminded fans that they can sign up to participate in the NHRA-first "Walk The Track" event to raise money for the Darrell Gwynn Foundation.
"No matter what happens, it's already a home run for us," Gwynn said.
Then, teasingly, Gwynn said, "There's no pressure. That Coors Extra Gold car has only raced here twice -- and it has won both times. It won in 1989 and it won in 1990."
On a more serious note, he said, "I still get the chills when I enter the gate here. I was here for the first race. I've missed only one Gatornationals since then. It was in 1972, when I had bad grades and my dad wouldn't let me come.
"Coming to Gainesville brings back so many great memories," he said. "I've been fortunate to win the Gatornationals three times (including his 1984 Top Alcohol Dragster victory) and runner-up some others."
In addition to the Kalitta tribute car, a meticulously replicated 20th Anniversary Coors Extra Gold Special show version of Gwynn's 1990 Top Fuel dragster is on display on the manufacturers midway. The show car was sold three times during the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Show at Scottsdale, Ariz., in January. Ron Pratte purchased it first, then Bill Gannon was the owner for awhile. Its final purchaser, Floridian Joe Riley, also returned it to Gwynn so it can be auctioned again next month at the West Palm Beach Barrett-Jackson Auction. The foundation's goal is to raise $1 million through the show car, and it's almost halfway there.
As the foundation prepares for the "Walk the Track" charity, the scene is set. Townspeople will line the track. The hot rods are in town again for the Gatornationals. And once again, Darrell Gwynn is at the center of it all.
REMEMBERING A CHAMPION – Bob Glidden was really busy Friday morning, turning the wrenches and meticulously preparing a workable
combination for his driver, Justin Humphries. Glidden, a ten-time NHRA Pro Stock champion, took time to pause for a minute to reflect on his experiences against a fellow champion.
Thursday marked 25th anniversary of the death of one of Pro Stock’s more prolific drivers, Lee Shepherd. Shepherd was killed in a while testing in Ardmore, Ok.
Glidden and Shepherd staged some of the fiercest championship battles dating from 1980 through 1984, and were already in the formative stages of another in 1985 when Shepherd died.
“Time has flown by so fast that it doesn’t seem like he’s been gone that long,” said Glidden, who retired from active full-time competition in 1997. “It seems like it was yesterday when we had some of those duels.”
Glidden was clearly the man to beat in 1980 when Shepherd, driving for the Reher-Morrison Chevrolet team, presented the most formidable challenge he’d encountered in two seasons of dominance. Shepherd led the points from the first race until the final round of the final 1980 race when Glidden pulled off an unbelievable victory.
Glidden has two Shepherd memories related to the NHRA Gatornationals. In 1980, Shepherd beat Glidden on a hole shot to win when both drivers ran 8.51 elapsed times.
Ironically it was Glidden who qualified No. 1 at the 1985 Gators, the first race contested after Shepherd’s passing. The NHRA staged a parade in Shepherd’s honor with Glidden relinquishing the pole position in the parade as a missing man formation to honor some mistakenly assumed was his bitter rival.
“I’d say I was more of a bitter rival with David [Reher] than I was with Lee,” Glidden said. “Lee never had any rivals. He was within his own little world and had peace within himself. When he went to the starting line, he certainly wanted to beat me. That was as far as it ever went.”
“I won’t say that some of my fondest memories was the times he kicked my a**,” Glidden continued, cracking a smile. “He did that quite a bit. But you know, I never really had a time where he and I sat down and talked because he just wasn’t an outgoing person.”
Glidden will never forget the moment he got the call telling him that Shepherd was gone.
“Etta and I were on our way to a race when we got the call,” Glidden recalled. “We just pulled off of the road and sat there for a while. You don’t think about stuff like that happening to someone you know and respect, but when it does, when it comes down to the hard knocks of life, it was tough to handle. When you’re here one day and gone the next, that’s not a good feeling.”
Nowadays, Glidden has been coaxed out of retirement to tune for a youthful Humphreys, a driver he says reminds him a bit of himself. He’s convinced that if Shepherd were still around, drag racing wouldn’t be part of his life at this time.
“I think he might have raced another four or five years, and dominated, and he would have had enough of it,” Glidden speculated. “I think by that time he would have been ready to stay at home. He would have been ready to go back to a normal life, but that’s just my opinion. I’ve thought about that a lot of times.”
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THURSDAY NOTEBOOK -
FINISHED BEFORE WE BEGAN - Persistent rain showers and a forecast for more showers and thunderstorms throughout the day forced NHRA officials to postpone Thursday’s scheduled racing at the Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals at historic Gainesville Raceway.
Weather permitting, racing will begin Friday at 8 a.m. Friday’s Full Throttle Drag Racing Series qualifying sessions are scheduled for noon and 2:45 p.m. Saturday’s two qualifying sessions also are set for noon and 2:45 p.m. Sunday’s eliminations begin at 11 a.m.
Among the highlights of the weekend include the completion of three rounds of Pro Stock eliminations from the weather-delayed Phoenix event; NASCAR champ Kurt Busch’s NHRA debut in the ultra-competitive Super Gas category in the NHRA Lucas Oil Series; the debut of NHRA’s newest touring series, the NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Series; the first race of the 2010 season for the Pro Stock Motorcycle category; and plenty of exciting racing in the NHRA’s marquee Full Throttle Series as points leaders Cory McClenathan (Top Fuel), John Force (Funny Car), and Mike Edwards (Pro Stock) race to build on their championship point leads.
And now, one day before the Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals gets underway at Gainesville, Fla., he knows.
“We had a pretty good test session in Bradenton (Fla.) and we were very happy with the way the motors ran,” said Smith, who won the 2007 Pro Stock Motorcycle championship. “The bike is running good and I was doing a good job on the (starting) lights. I had five good lights – from (a perfect) .000 to .048-second – and I never had a red light.”
Smith is eagerly awaiting Friday’s qualifying start at Gainesville Raceway. He spent much of the off-season in engine research and development, and the promising test results bolstered his hopes that he will once again be a championship contender. “We were on the dyno a lot in the last few weeks getting the motors ready to test,” he said.
“I think we could qualify in the top two or three this weekend,” he added. “I’m excited to have my own engine program again. His Highness Sheik Khalid Al Thani of Qatar has given me a great opportunity for a couple of years to ride for Al-Anabi Racing and promote Qatar. I’m happy to be part of it.”
Smith won four of his 10 career events en route to his championship and added four more victories in 2008, when he placed third. His first two trips to the winner’s circle came in 2006 when he wound up fifth. He rode for Don Schumacher Racing in 2009 and was fourth.
Smith’s wife Angie and Doug Horne will also be running his V-Twin power plants. Smith also serves as his Angie’s crew chief.
“The competition is still tough out there. There are some good teams. I think it’s going to be a good year for all three bikes coming out of our camp,” Smith predicted.
TREBLE BACK TO DSR - Craig Treble has rejoined DSR to ride the Valvoline Motorcycle Oils Suzuki in this weekend's NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series' Pro Stock Motorcycle season-opener.Treble last rode a DSR motorcycle in a limited season in 2008, winning once in one final round and reaching the semifinals two times. Career-wise, he has won 14 national events in 29 final rounds, including two victories in three final rounds in 2009, running his own team.
Longtime DSR Pro Stock Motorcycle crew chief Steve Tartaglia will tune the Valvoline Motorcycle Oils Suzuki.
"I'm thrilled to be back with Schumacher and with Steve Tartaglia," said Treble, who will relocate from New Orleans to Brownsburg, Ind. "The NHRA has given the Suzukis 100cc's, which is a huge deal. The way I see it I'm pretty much on the fastest Suzuki in the class, if history repeats itself. And the 100cc's may be what we need to get a real shot at coming after the V-Twins. They've been beating the class up pretty good for the last couple of years." Matt Smith rode the same Suzuki to one final round in 2009 and was No. 1 qualifier twice, ending the season fourth in the standings on the top Suzuki in the class.
"We're pleased to have Valvoline Motorcycle Oils come on board to sponsor the Suzuki in the first two races of the 2010 season," said team owner Don Schumacher. "It will help raise the awareness among motorcycle owners that Valvoline offers a high-quality motorcycle oil that is available in retail auto parts stores. We will continue to pursue other sponsorship for Treble to continue to compete for the rest of 2010.
"It ought to be a very interesting year, to say the least," added Treble. "We have to come out swinging and kick some butt in the first couple of races. Hopefully we can give Valvoline Motorcycle Oils a good value for their investment. I know we're going to have a fast bike and Steve is a very smart man."
DAY ONE OF THE BUSCH ERA - Fresh off his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win last weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Kurt Busch will swap his No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger for a Mopar-powered 1970 Dodge Challenger Super Gas car. The 2004 NASCAR Sprint Cup champ is set to do battle on the drag strip in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series at the 41st Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals. The event is scheduled for March 11–14 at Gainesville (Fla.) Raceway.
Busch banked his 21st career NASCAR Sprint Cup win at the Kobalt Tools 500. He’ll celebrate his victory and a rare break in the hectic NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule to race his rebuilt Dodge Challenger, powered by a stroked Mopar 6.1L HEMI® engine, in NHRA competition. The Sportsman car pumps out 1,167 horsepower. Qualifying for Super Gas will take place on Thursday, March 11, with eliminations beginning on Friday, March 12.
“Gainesville is one of the marquee events on the NHRA calendar, and it’s a privilege to compete against the best Sportsman racers out there,” said Busch. “I spent over 30 hours at Roy Hill’s drag racing school, and have had two tests in my own Dodge Challenger, but that’s nothing compared to the seat time many of these guys have in their own cars. We are going to go out there and do our best competing against these talented Sportsman racers.”
Busch will take part in a Team Mopar autograph session at the Mopar Image Center, located in the manufacturer’s midway at Gainesville Raceway. Busch is scheduled to appear on Saturday, March 13, with the time of his appearance to be announced at the track.
FORMER CHAMP ADJUSTED TO NEW SPEC - Jeg Coughlin Jr. took the NHRA's three new Pro Stock rule modifications in stride, even though teams only had two weeks to figure out the balance of their hot rods before this weekend's event.
"After everything that happened in Phoenix the NHRA mandated some pretty significant changes," Coughlin said. "They increased the size of the rear wickerbill, added an air dam up front, and had us move more weight to the rear of the car. We had to go test and figure out a new balance for the car."
After two rollovers and a number of complaints about traction problems over the back half of the Phoenix track from Coughlin's fellow racers, NHRA postponed the final three rounds of eliminations of the Arizona Nationals to this Saturday's qualifying sessions. The tech department then implemented the new rules in an effort to provide the cars with more downforce and stability.
"The rear wickerbill went from 5/8ths to 3/4ths of an inch," Coughlin said. "That might not sound like much but it makes a big difference. The air dam up front is like a little lip along the bottom of the nose of the car. It's about 3/8ths of an inch, so it's fairly big. That will keep the front end down, which will make it easier to steer these things. And the weight they added to the rear end will help keep the car planted on those big Goodyears.
"We were going to test any way but after they informed us of these changes the primary goal of the test shifted to making sure the car would work they way we need it to with a different overall balance."
Coughlin and crew spent two days at Bradenton Motorsports Raceway just south of Tampa Bay. The first day produced runs of 6.53, 6.54, and 6.57 seconds, all at top speeds in excess of 211 mph. The second day offered up a pair of 6.55s at 210 mph.
"We were very pleased with the runs we made," Coughlin said. "We posted the quickest runs both days out of the group of teams that were there, which was encouraging. The first day, I'd guess there were 60 or so runs attempted and only 20 made it down the track, so to be a part of that small group was exciting."
SHOWING OFF FOR THE SPONSOR - Having your sponsor’s name blazing larger than life on the side of your beautiful new race car carries a special pride and commitment. Pro Stock newcomer, Shane Gray feels that excitement every time he opens the door of his Tire Kingdom Pontiac GXP and climbs in. When that same sponsor is the title sponsor of one of the biggest races of the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing season, the 41st running of the Tire Kingdom Gatornationals, it puts added excitement and definition to your relationship and your career.
“It means so much to me to be representing Tire Kingdom,” said Gray. “I feel very honored. I’m thrilled that they are willing to step out there and help us, especially at such an early time. Our stuff is still new and we’re working out the bugs daily. This will be my third race. They’re putting faith in me as being able to get the job done so we’ll just get out there and do the best we can and try to represent them in the way they want to be represented.
“Having them as the title sponsor of the Gatornationals just as they come on board with us is an exciting way to kick-off to our program. I just hope that we can perform for them as well as I hope to since it’s early in the game for us.”
“I’m looking forward to everything we have going on this weekend,” said Gray. “With their headquarters just a few hours away from the track we’re going to have a lot of guests and I’m looking forward to meeting all of them, getting to know them and make them feel at home here. We have a load of activities planned and I know we’ll be busy every minute. We’re going to have to find the time to race. I’m looking forward to having a great time and I know that my guys and I will do our best to make them proud of us both on and off the track.”
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THURSDAY - MCCLENATHAN IN MIDST OF AGGRESSIVE CHAMPIONHIP PUSH
Veteran Top Fuel driver Cory McClenathan, who has accomplished much during his highly-decorated NHRA racing career, still needs to check off two 
pesky items that stand out near the top of his drag racing bucket list.
Item one – A win at the tradition-rich Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals, one of NHRA’s major events
Item two – An NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Top Fuel world championship title
If early season performance indicates anything, the Anaheim, Calif. native may be well on his way to crossing both off the list in 2010.
He’s called his FRAM dragster a “bracket car” for its incredible consistency early on this season. Crew chiefs Todd Okuhara and Phil Shuler have mastered the tune-up and can dial up a 3.81 when needed almost at will. Factor in McClenathan’s years of driving experience, and the combination could produce a champion’s trophy by year’s end.
McClenathan opened the season as the No. 1 qualifier at the NHRA Winternationals, then posted a semifinal finish at the Southern California season-opener before claiming his 32nd career victory one week later in Phoenix.
He heads to historic Gainesville Raceway for the Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals, March 11-14, as the Top Fuel points leader, a position he hopes to hang on to for the entire 10-month season. Larry Dixon (Top Fuel), Bob Tasca (Funny Car), Jason Line (Pro Stock) and Hector Arana (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are the defending winners of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event, which will be televised on ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD.
“Right now we’re the points leader and we’re going in there with the same attitude of, ‘Let’s qualify very well, let’s try to keep lane choice on race day, and try to put this FRAM car in the winner’s circle,’” McClenathan said. “The FRAM car is definitely the car to beat right now and I think people know that and they’re taking notice of it. Obviously our teammates’ cars, Tony’s (Schumacher) and Antron’s (Brown), are running well; Larry Dixon’s running good also; and Doug Kalitta, obviously.”
Amazingly, McClenathan’s effort last season is his only final round appearance at the Florida track. He posted a runner-up finish to Larry Dixon. He knows the importance of the Gatornationals in NHRA lore and he would love to add his name to the impressive list of winners.
“We’ve done fairly well there in the past,” McClenathan said. “Every time you go to a track you never won at you want to walk away with that Wally on those weekends. And if you have been driving as long as I have been, you want to win at every single race track on the tour, and that’s one that has eluded us. We had some very good weekends there, we qualified well there, went to a final, but we never seemed to be able to make it to the winner’s circle there.”
And after he qualified No. 1 at Pomona, McClenathan made it very clear what his objective was for the season. He said at the time he wanted to make his presence known early on and not lurk in the background. He said he wanted to go toe-to-toe with the competition from day one. At the same time, he is very respectful of the competition.
“We’re not taking anybody lightly from here on out,” he said. “We’re just going to run our own race, but at the same time it definitely feels good to be the points leader for a (while) before we do roll into Gainesville. We’re kind of going with the flow. Yes, it’s nice to be the points leader; we’re only there by a few points and it could change every single weekend, and we know that. I think nowadays when we look at the Countdown we would like to be points leader the whole season and have those few extra points when we do go into the Countdown. But at the same time it’s about winning races, going rounds, and trying to take home as many trophies as we can before the Countdown starts.”
And about that 320-mph bracket car? He’s having a great time driving it. He hopes to put it in the Wally Parks NHRA Museum one day as the 2010 Top Fuel world champion.
“I think in testing we did exactly what Todd and Phil wanted to do,” McClenathan said. “And, in the off-season we all looked at what the car really needed and that was to shed some weight and be real close to the minimum weight. And now we have a weight bar on the car and we’re able to control that, and a lighter car goes quicker and faster. That’s all there is to it.”
“We kind of parlayed two different things into one and that’s really worked out great for us,” he continued. “The more runs that Todd and Phil have in the dragster the more confident they become, the more competent I become behind the wheel, and I think that will just keep on getting better.”
In Funny Car, 14-time world champ John Force has advanced to two consecutive final rounds, winning at the Winternationals, and currently leads the point standings in that category. Jack Beckman earned the Phoenix win, while teammate Ron Capps has also been strong early on in his NAPA Dodge Charger. Others to watch include defending world champ Robert Hight, Ashley Force Hood and two-time series champ Tony Pedregon.
During Gatornationals qualifying, eight Pro Stock racers will simultaneously continue the rain-delayed eliminations from the NHRA Arizona Nationals. The highlight of those pairings include a quarterfinal meeting between defending world champ Mike Edwards, the winner of the season-opener, and three-time world champ Greg Anderson.
The race will showcase the season-debut of the Pro Stock Motorcycle category. Defending world champ and event champ Arana will try to continue his recent success on his Lucas Oil Buell. His competition will be stout and include past champs Eddie Krawiec, Andrew Hines and Matt Smith. Others to watch in the two-wheel category include Doug Horne, Karen Stoffer, Craig Treble, Steve Johnson and David Hope.
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