2010 NHRA FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS - EVENT RESULTS
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EVENT FINAL - FORCE, McCLENATHAN, EDWARDS AND SMITH RACE TO VICTORY IN INAUGURAL NHRA FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS AT zMAX DRAGWAY
John Force continued his resurgence and made history Monday by racing to victory at the rain-delayed NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway.
It was the second win of the season for the 60-year-old Funny Car icon, who increased his series points lead to 89 over his rivals. Force, a 14-time world champion who suffered career-threatening injuries in a spectacular crash in Sept. 2007 in Dallas and endured one of the worst competitive seasons of his storied career in 2009, has returned to his familiar position as a championship-challenger this season.
"This is a little taste of history,” Force said. "This was special, like beating the dragsters at Bristol (2000 Winston Showdown). Thanks to (zMAX Dragway owners) Bruton and Marcus Smith. They took the money and spent it to make this happen. The hardest part was racing Ron Capps. He is always tough and (Matt) Hagan, now that he has (co-crew chief) John Medlen there, will put the fear into you. My own daughter also leaves nothing on the table. I’m proud of Ashley. She’s learned the game. This track is so good that we took wing off of it. I don’t usually run big speed, but it did this weekend.”
In the four-wide final, Force powered his Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang to a 4.036 second run at 316.23 mph to finish ahead of his daughter, Ashley Force Hood, longtime rival Ron Capps and second-year driver Matt Hagan. It was Force’s 128th career victory and first at zMAX Dragway. Runner-up Force Hood set a national speed record at 316.38 mph in her Castrol GTX Mustang.
Cory McClenathan (Top Fuel), Mike Edwards (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also were winners at the first NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event to featuring racing in four lanes instead of the traditional two.
Veteran driver McClenathan became the first Top Fuel driver to win a four-wide race, finishing in front of runner-up Doug Kalitta and semifinalists Antron Brown and Doug Herbert. McClenathan, who regained the series points lead with the effort, finished in 3.820 at 319.60 in his FRAM dragster to earn his 33rd career victory and second of the season.
"(Crew chiefs) Todd Okuhara, Phil Shuler and the FRAM boys are just so good this year," McClenathan said. "They give me what it takes to go out there and win drag races. We came here with the opinion that we need to be able to go four-wide, we need to be able to understand the lights, and I had a certain way that I went about it all weekend long. I kept the same plan and it worked out for us. I was happy with the whole thing.”
Edwards raced to his third victory of the season and 23rd overall in Pro Stock, holding off Jason Line, Greg Stanfield and Bob Yonke. Edwards finished in 6.596 at 210.05 in his Penhall/Interstate Batteries Pontiac GXP to take his second win at the North Carolina track and first-ever in the four-wide configuration.
"I'll tell ya, this four-wide deal is hard on people, but it's been a great weekend,” Edwards said. "It was fun; it was confusing a lot of times, but it was fun. It was different, but you still had to do everything right. I had a good time, and anytime you can win a race it's a great time. This is a great start to hopefully another great season. I feel real blessed to have won again and thank God and give him all the glory.”
Local-favorite Smith of King, N.C., raced to his first Pro Stock Motorcycle victory of the season and 11th of his career. He rode his Al-Anabi Buell to a 6.973 at 189.84 to finish in front of defending world champ Hector Arana, Steve Johnson and Michael Phillips.
"I love this four wide deal,” Smith said. “I’m glad that NHRA and Bruton [Smith] did this. It was fun, just like NASCAR having road races. It was a different atmosphere."
The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series continues April 9-11 with the O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals at Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, Texas.
MONDAY RESULTS
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SUNDAY FINAL - NHRA FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS ELIMINATIONS AT zMAX DRAGWAY POSTPONED UNTIL MONDAY DUE TO RAIN
Persistent rain showers and a forecast for more severe weather throughout the evening Sunday forced NHRA officials to postpone the completion of the
inaugural NHRA Four-Wide Nationals to Monday at zMAX Dragway.Top Fuel and Funny Car competitors completed two rounds of racing before the rain started to fall just past 2 p.m. (ET) at the first NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event to feature racing in four lanes instead of the traditional two. One round of racing was completed in Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle.
Racing will resume Monday, weather permitting, at 10 a.m. with the continuation of several classes of racing in the Lucas Oil Series. The Top Fuel and Funny Car final rounds will begin at 11 a.m. and will be followed by the second round of Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle. Final rounds for Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle will be completed at approximately 12:30 p.m.
Top qualifier Cory McClenathan, Doug Kalitta, Antron Brown and local favorite Doug Herbert, from nearby Lincolnton, will decide the Top Fuel final. In Funny Car, 14-time world champ John Force, his daughter Ashley Force Hood, Matt Hagan and Ron Capps will race for the Wally at the historic event.
Series leader Mike Edwards, Gainesville winner Jason Line and Phoenix runner-up Bob Yonke are among those still in contention in Pro Stock eliminations. Top qualifier Jeg Coughlin was upset in the first round, along with Greg Anderson, who set a national speed record during qualifying.
Four of the top-five points leaders in Pro Stock Motorcycle were upset in the first round. Defending series champ Hector Arana, top qualifier Matt Smith and past Charlotte winner Steve Johnson are among the two-wheel racers who advanced to the second round.
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SUNDAY ELIMINATIONS UPDATE
SUNDAY FIRST ROUND PAIRINGS
SATURDAY - COUGHLIN ENDS EDWARDS’ QUALIFYING STREAK AT NHRA FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS
McClenathan, Hight and Smith also take No. 1 qualifying positions at historic Full Throttle Series event at zMAX Dragway
Jeg Coughlin ended Mike Edwards’ streak of 12-consecutive No. 1 qualifying positions in Pro Stock competition Saturday at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway.Cory McClenathan (Top Fuel), Robert Hight (Funny Car) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also will lead their categories into Sunday’s noon eliminations at the first NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event in NHRA history to feature racing in four lanes instead of the traditional two.
Coughlin posted a track-record time of 6.520 seconds at 212.29 mph in his JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt to take the top spot away from recent category-dominator Edwards, who was second overall with a 6.548 at 212.13 in his Penhall/Interstate Batteries Pontiac GXP.
“It feels fantastic and it's an honor to be first low qualifier for the Four-Wide Nationals," Coughlin said. "It gives us great momentum going into tomorrow. We had a car that struggled for the first three races of the year and now we’ve got a little momentum built. My dad, Jeg Sr., came back out in Gainesville and helped us. We made a couple of test runs before Gainesville, and made quite a few changes. Once we got there, we had a car that qualified No. 2."
It is Coughlin’s first No. 1 position since the 2008 season and his 16th overall. He will face Rodger Brogdon, Phoenix runner-up Bob Yonke and rookie Shane Gray in the opening round of eliminations. He is looking forward to the challenge of four-wide eliminations.
“I’ve been a drag racer my entire life, and this [four wide] is definitely more of a challenge for a driver,” said Coughlin, a four-time Pro Stock world champion. “I’ve made thousands of runs in many kinds of cars and this is more of a challenge, but I’m looking forward to it. I’ve tried to prepare over the last few weeks. We’ve talked about how the format works. Mentally I’ve put a lot of time and thought into it as far as how we will handle different situations. I had a lot of them play out on four of my qualifying runs this weekend. Coming in, I’d say my comfort level was about 60-percent, but it’s now well above 90-percent."
Also making news in Pro Stock was three-time world champ Greg Anderson, who set a national speed record at 212.46 mph. However his time of 6.570 seconds in his Summit Racing GXP was only good enough for fifth in the ultra-quick starting lineup.
McClenathan claimed the No. 1 position in Top Fuel with his Friday performance of 3.790 seconds in his FRAM dragster, as no one ran quicker than that in Saturday’s two sessions. It is McClenathan’s 35th career No. 1, second of the season and first at zMAX Dragway.
“I think we have a car that they are going to have to step up to beat us,” said McClenathan, who also posted Saturday’s quickest run at 3.810 seconds. “We’ve had the same car all year long. We have either shined or taken someone for granted this year. Todd [Okuhara, co-crew chief] said we were going to try and run 3.79 again but I was happy with an 81. That’s the perfect package for tomorrow. Thought it was a gutsy call, though. The track temp jumped up but at the same time, Todd and Phil [Shuler, co-crew chief] were swinging for fences and I like that.”
McClenathan will face Brandon Bernstein, Morgan Lucas and Rhonda Hartman-Smith in the first round.
"As for the four lane, it is very interesting,” McClenathan said. “I’ve gotten a lot of feedback from fans, all positive. Everything is different from the track to the time slip but it’s all been handled very well. All four lanes are raceable. Everything is smooth. I do like lane two better, but maybe that’s because we won in that lane last year. At the same time, I’m good with all of them.”
In Funny Car, no one improved on Hight’s track-record performance of 4.024 seconds at 314.24 mph from Friday and the defending world champion earned his second No. 1 of the season and 34th of his career. He will pull his Auto Club Ford Mustang to the expanded starting line against Paul Lee, Matt Hagan and Jeff Arend in the first round.
"The car is good," said Hight. "We tried to set the national record on the first run today but we were too far into the day, but I'm excited about tomorrow. The record is still out there for us, and for a lot of other people. The conditions are supposed to be cool tomorrow. I told my crew I don't even want to know who I'm running tomorrow. I don't want to think about who's in what lane when I'm staging. It's just go up there, see the amber, and step."
Local favorite Smith of nearby King, N.C. claimed his 33rd No. 1 qualifying position in Pro Stock Motorcycle with a track-record time of 6.875 at 193.18 on his Al-Anabi Racing Buell. Smith topped the quickest bike field in NHRA history, which was anchored by Doug Horne’s 7.025-second run on a Buell.
"We struggled at the first race [in Gainesville] but we've worked on it quite a bit and made a lot of strides,” Smith said. “As long as nothing mechanical happens, we have the bike that can win. We should be in the final four and we'll see what happens there."
Smith will meet Horne, Junior Pippin and Craig Treble in the first round. Eddie Krawiec qualified second on his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson with a 6.882 at a track-record speed of 195.42.
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SATURDAY QUALIFYING - FINAL SESSION
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SATURDAY QUALIFYING - THIRD SESSION
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FRIDAY QUALIFYING - McCLENATHAN, HIGHT, LINE AND SMITH ARE EARLY QUALIFYING LEADERS AT NHRA FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS AT ZMAX DRAGWAY
Cory McClenathan raced to the Top Fuel qualifying lead Friday at the inaugural NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway.
Robert Hight, Jason Line and Matt Smith also were leaders in their respective categories at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event, the first in NHRA history to feature four-wide drag racing.
McClenathan posted a track-record time of 3.790 seconds at 315.93 mph in his FRAM dragster to hold the early lead over teammates Antron Brown, who was second with a 3.819 at 213.93 in his Matco Tools dragster, and third-place Tony Schumacher, who posted a performance of 3.830 at 315.49 in his U.S. Army dragster.
"The last time we were here we did well,” said McClenathan, who won here last September during the Countdown to 1 playoffs. “Todd [Okuhara, crew chief] said he was gonna push it and see what it would hold. The lane was good; it was fantastic all day long. At 800-feet I knew it was on a good run. We punished the motor a little but [team owner] Don [Schumacher] will be OK with it. I look at this as being a special event. It seems to come together for me. Now, we’ll just see how it stacks up."
The day featured many spectacular four-wide runs with thrilling side-by-side-by-side-by-side finishes in all four pro categories. In Brown's first session run it was the first of the day where four nitro cars crossed the finish line together at full speed, producing an incredible rush.
"I was just relaxed and wanted to have some fun," Brown said. "I watched the entire Pro Stock car and Funny Car sessions and that gave me a chance to get accustomed to the staging process. It's just a different atmosphere than what we're used to with staging against one other car. When we went down there, all the cars were between a 3.86 and 3.88 and that just shows how phenomenal this facility here at zMax really is."
Defending world champ Hight set both ends of the track record to lead Funny Car qualifying. He posted a 4.024 at 314.24 in his Auto Club Ford Mustang to edge first session leader Ron Capps, who was second with a 4.039 at 310.34 in his NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger. Jack Beckman was third in his Valvoline/MTS Charger with a 4.040 at 310.48.
"So far, our first two runs have been flawless,” said Hight, whose leading time was just short of Capps’ 1,000-foot national record time of 4.023 seconds.
“NHRA has done a great job setting up the tree so we can see who is where in staging,” Hight continued. “[Crew Chief] Jimmy Prock lives this car night and day. He gave it a ton more fuel and it worked. We haven’t run that well since back when these cars were 150 pounds lighter. I’ve had the quickest runs in quarter-mile and 1,000-feet, but I’ve never gotten a record. Tomorrow, my goal is to back it up. I’m going to have to, or I won’t be the No. 1 qualifier."
Local-favorite Line was quickest in Pro Stock. The Troutman, N.C.-based driver posted a 6.584 at 210.50 in his Summit Racing Pontiac GXP to pace the 16-car order. Jeg Coughlin was second in his JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt with a 6.584 at 210.08, while defending world champ Mike Edwards was third with a 6.601 at 209.85 in his Penhall/Interstate Batteries GXP."It feels good to run that good and have the Summit car on the pole, especially in front of a lot of friends and family and friends in our hometown," Line said. "I don't know if it will stay No. 1, but it's good to be there for one night. The four-wide thing is definitely throwing us Pro Stock guys for a loop and it's a challenge to get used to, but we're definitely enjoying it. The run itself is no different, but you stage a Pro Stock car with the throttle and the clutch, so it's a bit of a challenge. By Sunday we should have it down pat."
In Pro Stock Motorcycle, another North Carolina resident, Smith of King, N.C., powered his Al-Anabi Racing Buell to a leading performance of 6.904 at 193.16. Andrew Hines was second on his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson with a 6.941 at 192.93, while defending world champ Hector Arana was third with a 6.942 at 191.59 on his Lucas Oil Buell.
"We ran the first race here two years ago and I really wanted to win,” Smith said. “I was confident that I could pull it off, but it just didn’t work out. This time, if I can stay No. 1 and do my job I think we’ve got a good chance."
Qualifying continues Saturday with sessions at 1:15 p.m. and 3:45 p.m. Sunday’s eliminations start at noon.
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Results Friday after the first two of four rounds of qualifying for the Inaugural NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway, fourth of 23 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday's final eliminations.
Top Fuel -- 1. Cory McClenathan, 3.790 seconds, 315.93 mph; 2. Antron Brown, 3.819, 312.93; 3. Tony Schumacher, 3.830, 315.49; 4. Doug Kalitta, 3.848, 314.97; 5. Larry Dixon, 3.850, 314.97; 6. Steve Torrence, 3.879, 307.30; 7. David Grubnic, 3.880, 304.25; 8. Morgan Lucas, 3.888, 309.13; 9. Shawn Langdon, 3.898, 302.96; 10. Doug Herbert, 3.911, 303.84; 11. Doug Foley, 3.912, 276.75; 12. Pat Dakin, 3.915, 308.28; 13. Terry McMillen, 3.954, 302.82; 14. Rhonda Hartman-Smith, 3.982, 307.02; 15. Brandon Bernstein, 7.622, 91.09; 16. Bobby Lagana Jr., 10.061, 84.14. Not Qualified:
17. Luigi Novelli, 12.038, 82.07.
Funny Car -- 1. Robert Hight, Ford Mustang, 4.024, 314.24; 2. Ron Capps, Dodge Charger, 4.039, 310.34; 3. Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.040, 310.48; 4. John Force, Mustang, 4.067, 310.77; 5. Ashley Force Hood, Mustang, 4.074, 308.99; 6. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.088, 293.86; 7. Jeff Arend, Toyota Solara, 4.091, 306.12; 8. Melanie Troxel, Charger, 4.105, 304.19; 9. Cruz Pedregon, Solara, 4.110, 303.43; 10. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.179, 262.74; 11. Tony Pedregon, Chevy Impala, 4.229, 268.97; 12. Bob Gilbertson, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.723, 158.06; 13. Paul Lee, Chevy Impala SS, 7.251, 91.64; 14. Del Worsham, Solara, 7.631, 78.54; 15. Jeff Diehl, Monte Carlo, 8.256, 80.83; 16. Matt Hagan, Charger, 8.720, 77.18.
Pro Stock -- 1. Jason Line, Pontiac GXP, 6.584, 210.50; 2. Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Cobalt, 6.586, 210.08; 3. Mike Edwards, GXP, 6.601, 209.85; 4. Bob Yonke, GXP, 6.601, 209.62; 5. Greg Stanfield, GXP, 6.621, 209.20; 6. Rodger Brogdon, GXP, 6.622, 209.01; 7. Rickie Jones, GXP, 6.623, 208.55; 8. V. Gaines, Dodge Avenger, 6.626, 208.91; 9. Allen Johnson, Avenger, 6.627, 208.97; 10. Greg Anderson, GXP, 6.628, 210.18; 11. Steve Spiess, Cobalt, 6.631, 207.88; 12. Shane Gray, GXP, 6.635, 208.49; 13. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.638, 208.52; 14. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.642, 208.17; 15. Ronnie Humphrey, GXP, 6.644, 210.31; 16. Johnny Gray, GXP, 6.664, 208.26. Not Qualified: 17. Warren Johnson, 6.676, 208.49; 18. Larry Morgan, 6.684, 206.80; 19. Jimmy Alund, 6.713, 206.29; 20. Bob Benza, 6.749, 206.70; 21. John Gaydosh Jr, 6.837, 204.29; 22. Wally Stroupe, 7.336, 166.72; 23. Vinnie Deceglie, 7.550, 135.74; 24. Erica Enders, 8.252, 118.13; 25. John Nobile, 12.642, 85.86; 26. Justin Humphreys, 13.429, 64.87.
Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.904, 193.16; 2. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.941, 192.93; 3. Hector Arana, Buell, 6.942, 191.59; 4. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 6.949, 195.34; 5. Junior Pippin, Buell, 6.957, 190.65; 6. Shawn Gann, Buell, 6.958, 192.19; 7. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 6.991, 189.04; 8. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 6.992, 191.32; 9. Michael Phillips, Suzuki, 6.993, 193.60; 10. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.999, 189.23; 11. Jim Underdahl, Suzuki, 7.005, 192.17; 12. LE Tonglet, Buell, 7.019, 190.92; 13. Douglas Horne, Buell, 7.025, 191.16; 14. David Hope, Buell, 7.034, 190.59; 15. Mike Berry, Buell, 7.056, 188.83; 16. Angie Smith, Buell, 7.064, 188.12. Not Qualified: 17. Darin McCurdy, 7.090, 189.60.
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FRIDAY SECOND SESSION
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FRIDAY FIRST SESSION
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SPORTSMAN QUALIFYING
