2010 NHRA VEGAS-1 NATIONALS - EVENT NOTEBOOK
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SUNDAY NOTEBOOK -
THE CHAMPION LEAVES HIS FINGERPRINT ON VEGAS - The winningest driver in NHRA history, John Force, made more history at The 
Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He defeated former teammate and two-time world champion Tony Pedregon in the final round for his first Summitracing.com NHRA Nationals title and 129th national event win of his career. En route to the win Force defeated son-in-law Robert Hight, Houston winner Matt Hagan, and daughter Ashley Force Hood to reach the final.
Force faced a formidable foe in Pedregon in the final round. Even though Pedregon nearly burned his car in the semi-finals, the former Force Racing driver was at the line champing at the bit an hour later.
The two had squared off 77 times before the final round match-up with Force holding a 53-24 record. Improving his head-to-head record versus Pedregon to 54-24 also meant that his career record shifted to 1053-403.
His final round career record now stands at 129-77. Force has now won 23.5 per cent of all the races he has run since 1978 and 24.3 per cent of all the races he has started.
It's all part of why he is a 14-time champion.
Force had nothing but praise for Pedregon in the press room, who he also beat in the 2002 Las Vegas Nationals, in his only other win in Las Vegas.
“We all want a championship in the end but what I work for right now is to be able to compete and show my kids that I can still do it. I want to show them how much I love it and what it really means to me. I want to stop here first and say something about a young kid Tony Pedregon struggling with no budget. He is struggling to race and I saw him burning up the run before. He put it back together and doing whatever it takes. He was very emotional at the other end when I got in the car with him and he said to me ‘Force you know how I race. I may not have money and I may not have parts but I’ll give you a race.’ I said, ‘That is why I love you Tony.’ He was very emotional. I know he is struggling. He will get right. He’ll get it together or someone will take that kid because he is way too good. That group put that car back together and put on a show for the fans. They didn’t get the win but they were still right there. God bless that kid,” said Force.
A day earlier Force talked about just about how driven he is to show himself, his family and the world he can still get the job done.
“The eagle has left the nest,” said Force. “I've watched over Ashley and Robert for the past two years. They've left the nest and now its time for me to leave the nest and worry about how I am running. The eagle might return to the nest someday but right now, I'm soaring.”
It has been an amazing start to Force’s 33rd season. After a winless 2009 Force has roared out of the starting gate in 2010. He has reached four finals, collected three wins and been No.1 qualifier twice in six races. The boss is back and he is powered by the BOSS 500. While Force’s times were not world beaters he was consistent in the heat thanks to a masterful job of tuning by Mike Neff, Austin, Coil and Bernie Fedderly. Force dedicated the win to Mike Neff and presented him with the Wally in the Summitracing.com NHRA Nationals winners circle.
“I have been saying it all day. My Mustang knows how to run at night. It knows how to hunt in the evening. That old dog does not like the heat. We started in Pomona with (crew chief Mike) Neff and everywhere it ran good. In Houston the sun came out and we were history. We came right in here with the attitude start slow and make it go A to B. You noticed we were stumbling to get in the show,” said Force. “We got here in but we really learned a lot. I dedicated the trophy from this race to Mike Neff. I wanted to give him that trophy because as Coil said a little puppy has gotten the two old dogs off the couch. Coil said this not me. Coil said Neff gave us a fresh start of energy and of fight. Coil and Bernie are the best. They needed a little something to give them some change. Change is what I have been working with. I have shaken up everything.”
He is shaking up the competition, that's for sure.
DIXON GOES BACK-TO-BACK - It was a near flawless day for Larry Dixon and the Al Anabi Top Fuel dragster in the SummitRacing.com NHRA 
Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Dixon dispatched Steve Faria, Shawn Langdon and Doug Kalitta before squaring off again Cory McClenathan in the final round. McClenathan never had a chance. Dixon was out in front at the light and as McClenathan went up in tire smoke, Dixon cruised to his 51st career win with a 4.016 second, 313.37 mph pass.
“I love it when a plan comes together,” said Dixon. “You get over the 50th because that's last week's news. For me, we just needed to work on today. The car was just unbelievable all weekend.”
After picking up seven points over McClenathan in qualifying 11-4, Dixon knew if he and McClenathan met in the final round, a win would return him to the top of the point standings. Dixon now leads McClenathan 556-555 points. Dough Kalitta is third followed by Antron Brown and Tony Schumacher.
“It was just a great weekend all around for the Al Anabi team,” Dixon added, after talking about the points.”
Ironically, the only time Dixon paired up against anyone other than McClenathan was in the first three rounds. Dixon and McClenathan ran opposite each other in all four qualifying rounds.
Dixon's 51st win came on the new Goodyear D2681, but Dixon admittedly didn't know which tire he was running one – the new one of the soon to be old D2550.
“You're so asking the wrong person,” said Dixon when asked. “I have no idea. I know they were messing around with new and old because at some point in time I know we are going to run it.
“Whatever we had, they were Goodyear and we got four win light. So, I was happy.”
The final round wasn't as perfect as the remainder of the weekend, but in the end Dixon got the win, which was the goal in the first place.
“It went out there and shook; going by 60 feet it rattled the tires,” explained Dixon. “It was a decent run for peddling. As you are going down the track you are hoping you made the right choice. If the win light doesn't come on it doesn't matter.”
Dixon would love to be in a battle with Cory McClenathan for the remainder of the season for a rather selfish reason he said, “I would love it, because that would mean I would be in the battle.”
Dixon had no issue with the heat, but he knew his team was in a real battle with the sun.
“Not, from a driver's standpoint,” said Dixon of prepping for the heat. “You just get in the car and go. I know it is so challenging for the teams.
“I know last week we had such phenomenal weather through Friday and Saturday, in Houston, and then it got hot on Sunday. That gave you a little bit of track time for these conditions. Then you come here and you're at elevation, too. We're running as much down force as we possibly can at sea level and you come to elevation and you have less.
“When we go to St Louis it's always hot and humid there.”
Dixon is hoping the experience this weekend will give his team an edge in coming hot weather races.
OUTRAGEOUSLY DEPENDABLE AGAIN - Mike Edwards is like a 1950's radio show – the hits keep coming. And, when they stop, he just drops 
another quarter in the juke box baby!
Nearly shut out at Houston, he lost in the semi-final round, Edwards rolled into Las Vegas ready to gamble, not on luck, but on the solid performance of his race team.
“My team, as the Interstate logo says, is outrageously dependable,” said Edwards, after running his way to the fourth win of the season in six events, 24th of his career in 44 final round appearances. “To come here and run the conditions that were 180 degrees different from Houston, to make the adjustments to make this car run like it did here – they did an awesome job.”
Edwards matched up again Greg Stanfield in the final round, got beat off the line, .037 to .053, but did what he almost always does – runs the other guy down and beats them. His 6.751 final pass was more than enough to make up the deficit at the lights as Stanfield ran a 6.813.
While Edwards came close to running the table at Vegas, he did leave on small scrap to the rest of the field – he didn't have the quickest run in the first round of qualifying. After that, it was all Edwards all the time.
“I'm not sure where those came from,” said Edwards of his two lights which were in the teens. “I'm really pleased with that. It seems like when you get that bulls-eye (being defending champ) on you, you tense up and can't do the things you normally do.”
Edwards never once tensed up about his decision to stick with the left lane, despite seeing other drivers have problems, including Ron Krisher.
“Did you not see me in qualifying in the right lane?” Edwards quickly responded. “I about took the wall down both runs. I didn't want any part of it. I wasn't going over there no matter what anybody did. We just felt like we were prepared for the left hand lane.
“There were cars that had problems, especially Ron. I didn't even have a clue that was going to happen. I just knew that car was going to go down the race track. I was concerned when that happened, I will tell you that.”
For whatever reason, Edwards didn't have the same problems with the left lane, which was good because he'd told his guys they weren't going over in that right lane.
blowing the body off of his Funny Car during the NHRA Springnationals in Houston, the two-time Funny Car champion blazed up his flopper in the semi-finals against Del Worsham. Pedregon has long been an advocate of rules to produce safer engines for the nitro cars.
“I believe the cars are built as safe as they’ve ever been,” Pedregon told ESPN2. “Do I believe the engine is? Absolutely not. I think regulating, whether its fuel volume or what we are doing with superchargers, downforce or traction, something needs to be done. I’m very vocal about that. I am very outspoken about that.
“It has nothing to do with cost. It could help some of the cost … it could help with a better show. I really think there are a lot more pros than cons. “The crew chiefs have a different opinion. When a crew chief tells me it’s as safe as it has ever been; maybe they need to get in the seat. They have not stared at death like some of us drivers have. I have been in that situation. I really believe it’s in the best interests of this sport to do something about these cars.” (Photos courtesy of LVMS.com)
THAT WAS HOT – LIKE 15 YEAR OLD HOT – Fire billowed from underneath the body of Tony Pedregon's Herzog Construction-sponsored Funny Car as the car rolled past the finish line. It was a stubborn fire which didn't go out completely even as Pedregon pulled the fire extinguishers.
When the car finally rolled to a stop, Pedregon crawled out through the roof, ran around to the front of the car and after a short struggle lifted the body up as the Safety Safari took control of the situation.
Pedregon described the fire saying, “It was HOT. It was like a fire from 10 to 15 years ago.”
JOHN FORCE RACING SCHOOL – When a 14-time Funny Car champion talks, lots of people listen. Force has been talking to folks at Las Vegas 
Motor Speedway about operating a driving school at the Strip and those people are listening.
Force says should the idea come to fruition, both his daughter Ashley Force Hood and his son-in-law, Robert Hight would be hands on involved in the school along with himself, of course.
Ashley Force Hood spent an evening recently putting together a three page syllabus for sister Courtney on the steps needed to becoming not just a successful driver in the car but one outside the car, as well.
Courtney is already following the outline laid out by her older sister.
TESTING - With one win already under its belt, the new Goodyear D2681, set to replace the D2550, will get a real workout today at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Testing today at the desert facility will be Don Schumacher Racing, Al Anabi Racing, John Force Racing and Bob Tasca Racing.
Tasca Racing will be working in several different areas, the most important of which is the continuation of integration of Force Racing parts in their engine and clutch area.
The first win for the new Goodyear tire came from Larry Dixon, who admitted he couldn't tell which tire he was racing, he just knew “it got four win lights.”
SAGE ADVICE – After defeating teammate Tony Schumacher in the quarterfinals, Cory McClenathan was ask if the team had given him any pre-race advice.
“They said, 'keep it in the groove,'” said McClenathan, driver of the Fram Top Fuel dragster.
MORE SAGE ADVICE - “It's going to be a tough day out here,” said Antron Brown after losing to Brandon Bernstein in the quarterfinals.
WHY YOU SHOULDN'T TAUNT AN OLD DOG – After beating his son-in-law Robert Hight, John Force exited his Castrol Ford Mustang and hollered out, “He told me, 'Hey, old man, if you can beat me, do it.'”
Force beat Hight on ET, on speed, and at the tree. Not bad for an old dog who kept saying he didn't hunt well in the heat.
“You go to really get up when you're racing these kids,” said Force.
WHAT WAS I THINKING? - “Well, I was thinking should I wear red...What do you think I was thinking?” shot back Ashley Force Hood after a wild second round matchup with Tim Wilkerson which she won.
“I was thinking, 'Oh Crap, I need to get this thing back where it belongs,'” finished Force.
He lost the Top Fuel final round at the 11th annual NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and in doing so slipped to second in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series point standings. The point leader headed into this weekend trails Vegas winner Dixon by one point.
This was his 60th career final round and third of the season.
Qualifying fourth, the driver of the FRAM Top Fuel dragster enjoyed lane choice throughout the day until the final round, having dismissed Terry Haddock with a 3.906-second lap at 312.35 mph in the first round, then his Don Schumacher Racing teammate Tony Schumacher with a 3.987, 303.64 in the quarterfinal. In the semifinal he defeated Brandon Bernstein with a 3.986, 304.39. Dixon, however, entered the final round after pulling out a quicker 3.910/313.88 lap in the semis.
McClenathan and Dixon pulled off nearly identical reaction times, but McClenathan struck the tires early, made a valiant attempt to pedal it to the finish line, but fell short with his 5.113, 158.41 pass to Dixon's winning 4.016, 313.37.
"We knew we were taking a chance, we knew we had to step up, we knew they were going to try to run good, so we did what we thought we needed to do to run our lane, and we just couldn't recover quick enough," said McClenathan.
"Lane choice was very crucial today on a tricky race track (under a hot sun and 124-degree track temperature). It's not the facility, it's just a tricky race track. When the sun hits it it changes things. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough haze or cloud cover out there to make it cooler.
"There's plenty of races left and we're certainly not out of the chase. We're testing here tomorrow. We're going to test the new Goodyear tires and some components for the future for DSR."
IN-N-OUT OF THE TOUR - Melanie Troxel and the In-N-Out Burger Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car team have made a lot of progress during the first six races of the NHRA Full Throttle Series season.
After winning another elimination round Sunday and generally running well throughout this weekend's 11th annual SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals, Troxel just hopes the team is able to land more funding so they don't have to break their momentum.
"Potentailly this could be our last race in the Funny Car for three months," Troxel said. "There's no races scheduled for In-N-Out Burger until mid-July when we go to Sonoma. It's a little disappointing to be making progress like this and not be able to continue on."
Troxel isn't giving up hope that her R2B2 Racing team will find funding to continue their season and try to secure a place in the Countdown to the Championship.
"Our situation can always change if we find a company that wants to come on board and sponsor the car," Troxel said. "You never know; you may see us back out there."
Troxel won't totally be on the sidelines as the In-N-Out Burger Pro Mod Corvette is scheduled to run April 30-May 2 in the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway International Raceway outside of St. Louis.
NOW THAT'S A BIKE –
Call your insurance agent and tell him you need full coverage on a motorcycle which is street legal and is valued at $150,000.
Tony Schumacher is calling his insurance agent on a reticulating motorcycle, the first of five to be built by Kris Krome. Krome found success at the S&S Cycle 50th Anniversary Biker Build-Off, placing second going up against industry legends like Arlen Ness. In 2009 Kris took it to another level winning a First Place and Second Place at the AMD World Championships. For 2010, Kris’s new Reflexion series of custom motorcycles, promises to showcase more cutting edge and sometimes controversial motorcycle designs, starting with the Tony Schumacher bike which was displayed for the first time at the 2010 V-Twin Expo in Cincinnati in the Custom Chrome exhibit.
Krome is extremely proud of the bike now turned over to Schumacher, from the 034 Stainless Steel tubing, to the Indian engine sporting a left side single barrel carburetor. The headlights and tail lights are craftily inserted in the design to the point they are almost invisible to even a tight scrutiny of the bike.
All Schumacher has to do, according to Krome is add side mirrors and hook up the speedometer which was left off the bike while it was being toured about the country.
Next up on the list to take possession of a Kris Krome Reflexion series motorcycle is rock star Ted Nugent.
QUICK HITS – RACE DAY REPORTING IN RAPID FASHION
TOP FUEL
FIGHTING THE TRACK - Morgan Lucas and his GEICO Powersports/Lucas Oil Top Fuel dragster were able to get a first-round victory before losing in the second round.
"We were happy we won the first round, but more happy that the car is going down the track a lot better," said Lucas, who beat Troy Buff in the first round before his day ended opposite of Doug Kalitta.
"The track seemed like it went away really fast in the heat and we smoked the tires," Lucas said. "We had even backed the car down, but didn't back it down quite enough for what was out there."
SCHUMACHER OUT IN THE SECOND ROUND - Tony Schumacher dropped a quarterfinal round race to his Schumacher Racing teammate, Cory McClenathan.
“There’s really not much you can say,” said Schumacher. “We had another hot track to deal with today (which baked to more than 125 degrees) and we just couldn’t lay down a clean pass against Cory. You have to tip your hat to them – they did what they had to do.”
Schumacher will hold on to fifth-place in the standings.
“We’re going to be just fine,” said Schumacher. “We’re continually inspired by the mental, emotional and physical strength displayed by our Army Strong Soldiers. We owe them a win as soon as possible.”
THE STRIP IS A BATTLEGROUND - Shawn Langdon hasn’t won the war at the finish line yet this season, but when the skirmish is on the starting line – he’s the man. His 2010 streak of starting line perfection remained intact as he left the line first against both Dixon and Strasburg, pushing his season mark to 16-0. The round win also ensured he would not lose ground in the Top Fuel points race.
"After we smoked the tires during our two rounds in Houston, I was prepared for that to happen again," Langdon said of his first round race. "We were really trying to make a safe run first round and we did, but each round you need to step it up if you expect to win."
St. Louis in two weeks will provide another challenge with Mother Nature.
"When we go to St. Louis (in two weeks), it's usually pretty hot there too so we can use a lot of the things we learned here when we get to Gateway," Langdon said. "We're close, but no cigar, at least not yet. It's nothing to be down on ourselves about. We lost a race to a guy who was low for the round. We knew he was going to run good. We didn't want to hurt it or get in a pedalfest with him; we wanted to get a good clean run. That's what we did. He just beat me."
FUNNY CAR
THE VETERAN KILLER - Ashley Force Hood defeated veterans Cruz Pedregon and Tim Wilkerson in the first two rounds. Her Ron Douglas - Dean “Guido” Antonelli tuned Mustang was always near the top in performance throughout the day and it had a handle on the heat all weekend. Her No. 2 qualifying position was the best of the three JFR Mustangs.
After her second round win over Wilkerson Force Hood was excited at the top end about her prospects for the rest of the day.
“(Ron and Guido) were talking a lot before that run and that makes me a little nervous. They usually don’t talk much and they are pretty confident. They were a little nervous. It is very tricky out there. We did a great job and we were very fortunate. I think Tim (Wilkerson) was right outside my window. I could feel him next to me,” said Force Hood. “Megan McKernan The daughter of Auto Club CEO Tom McKernan gave me a thumbs up before the run and she has done that twice now so I’ll need her back for the semis. I need that little bit of girl power. We are going to the semis in Vegas and I am happy.”
HAGAN OUT EARLY, STILL SECOND IN POINTS - No. 3 qualifier Matt Hagan landed in the quarterfinal round of Funny Car eliminations today at the 11th annual NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He held on to second place in the point standings, behind event winner John Force (120 points).
The driver of the DieHard Dodge Charger for Don Schumacher Racing got a lucky break in the opening round when Jeff Arend (the same opponent he beat to score his first career victory in Houston last week) smoked the tires on his car after Hagan's did it first while leading. Hagan recovered quickly, and snatched the victory at the finish line by .0508 of a second (17 feet), posting a 4.595-second run at 280.60 mph to Arend's 4.636/223.21.
"That left lane was definitely not the favorite of all the crew chiefs and drivers out there," said Hagan, who lost in the second round to John Force. "We have a great race car, although I know it didn't show it this weekend. I have a lot of confidence in our tuners and John (Medlen) and Tommy (DeLago) are doing a great job. We're going to stay here on Monday and test and we're looking forward to that.
BOUNCED OUT INTERNALLY - Ron Capps was sent packing early by Don Schumacher Racing teammate Jack Beckman in the opening round of eliminations.
"We're staying on Monday here and testing, bringing another car out," said Capps, who is now fourth in the point standings. "We had a lot of ideas of what we wanted to try here. This is the first weekend that the teams have seen this type of warm weather conditions (track temperature reached as high as 128 degrees) and we're going to see it a lot this year.
"We're basically on a four-day test. We tried some things during the weekend and we're going to stay here on Monday to test. The NAPA team learned quite a bit, even though the results didn't show it. You look at all the tracks coming up, including St. Louis, and you're going to see these types of conditions, where you're really going to have to get down the track. We'll see 130-plus-degree track temperatures.
DAY UNFITTING FOR A CHAMPION - 2009 Funny Car champion Robert Hight suffered the most from the heat and trouble with his previously dominant Auto Club Mustang. Throughout qualifying his team battled a variety of problems. Hight is looking forward to a full day of testing tomorrow at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and then moving onto St. Louis for the AAA Missouri NHRA Midwest Nationals.
“We just have to get our stuff together. We put ourselves in this position. It wasn’t just racing John in the first round. We should have done better. We still have some gremlins we are fighting. We could definitely use a test session. I hope we get her fixed tomorrow. It was awesome to see John win. We should have been racing him in the semis. I see what these guys are running out here and it is like this is not hard. We can run a lot better,” said a disappointed Hight.
PRO STOCK
RACING FOR KEN - Greg Anderson came into Sunday’s final eliminations of the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals intent on capturing his first win of the 2010 season, knowing exactly how he would commemorate the event. First, he would celebrate in the winner’s circle with the numerous representatives from Summit, after which he would drive to a rehabilitation center in north Las Vegas to present the trophy to his team owner Ken Black, who is recovering from a stroke suffered last December.
Anderson fell one round short of reaching the final round, losing to Mike Edwards.
“This Summit Racing team raced better today than we have all season,” said Anderson. “Naturally, we would have loved to come out here today and won in front of everyone from Summit, as well as Ken’s family and friends. We certainly gave it our best, and even though we came up a little short, there are still a lot of positives we can take from this weekend.
“We’ve had a tough season in 2010 with more down periods than up, and have been beating ourselves up mentally because we haven’t been performing like we know we should,” said Anderson. “A lot of that has to do with not having our boss man Ken Black here with us, because he’s always been able to keep our minds straight. That’s what we’ve missed in the first six races, and why we need him back out with us.”
NOT A GOLDEN DAY - Four-time Pro Stock world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. fell short of his 50th Pro Stock title as his JEGS.com Chevrolet Cobalt overpowered a hot racetrack in Round 2, allowing Ron Krisher to take the victory.
"We thought we had a better car going into the second round," Coughlin said. "We thought the right lane looked a little better than it did first round, so we had a last-second lane swap. We chased (the setup) the whole weekend. That's the bottom line. When you're in reactive mode instead of gameday mode, you can't always pull the rabbit out of the hat.
"We just didn't have a good foundation going into the weekend. Now we've just got to prepare better for St. Louis. I'm confident we'll come up with a game plan and execute. We'll show the brilliance we had the previous few races. For now, I think you lick your wounds and go home."
NOT THE RIGHT DECISION - Allen Johnson came up empty in his bid to win the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, losing in the quarterfinals to Greg Anderson.
After watching the cars in the left lane ahead of him, Johnson and his team decided to switch to the right lane. The move backfired, however, as Johnson’s Mopar Dodge got loose early in his 6.850/204.91 run, far short of Anderson’s 6.763/204.73 winning pass.
“We were so pumped up after the first round. We made almost a perfect run,” Johnson said. “We got up there in the second round, and we just messed up. We let the two guys in front of us make our decision for us when we should have run our own race. We should have taken the left lane, because the right hadn’t been good all weekend. The decision bit us. Hopefully we’ll learn from this mistake.”
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SATURDAY NOTEBOOK -
NEW TIRE WORKS WELL FOR WORSHAM - Del Worsham rode a set of the new Goodyear tires to the number one qualifying spot in the 
SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas.
Worsham's 4.187 second, 297.75 mph pass in his '10 Toyota Solara, his second on the new Goodyear tire, was eight thousands of a second quicker than Ashley Force Hood's second round qualifying effort on Friday.
The pole is Worsham's fifth on his career, but his first since Reading in 2007.
“The 4.18 is surprising but it's not a shocker,” said Worsham. “Had you seen our runs yesterday you wouldn't have been quite as shocked today.”
Worsham has struggled this year, and last, to find consistency in his Toyota. The addition of Dickie Venables as crew chief, and changes in the steering have worked to improve both the driver's and team's confidence.
“The confidence has definitely been building. I'm still a little bit worried about the fact we have to go down the track four times tomorrow. We haven't been down the track half the time today. We really need to work making sure we're consistent.”
While Worsham admits he didn't notice a difference in the new tire versus the old tire, he felt the new tire came into play in his final qualifying attempt.
“As much as I don't want to tell the competition we were on the new Goodyear tire and it seems to be sticking. Larry's (Dixon) is on it and his car is sticking well. It definitely doesn't hurt us. If anything, possibly, it's as good or better than the old tire.”
More importantly than the tire, Worsham is happy with recent modifications to the car.
“Right now, we made some adjustments in handling,” said Worsham. “I've had a little bit of trouble driving this car since we first put it together. It's a little different configuration that what I had been driving the rest of my career. Up through Gainesville I was just having a heck of a time with this thing. We made some modifications and now when I turn the wheel it goes in the direction I want it to go.”
On this day, Worsham wanted the car to go to the top of the heap and there it went.
ANTRON: WORKING TO THE FUTURE - As Antron Brown peeked out his window this morning what he saw brought a smile to his face. Brown 
had expected to see clouds in the sky. What he saw was blue sky which was just perfect.
The day prior, Brown had predicated his 3.881 from the second round of qualifying couldn't survive the possible onslaught from his competitors running on a cooler racetrack.
“I saw the sun coming out and I actually started smiling a little bit,” Brown said. “Actually the track held up pretty good even though we had the heat on it all day. Somebody could have thrown it out there if they had really leaned on it.”
Brown was one of three Top Fuel drivers on the new tire in the second session and it performed for him.
“We're comfortable,” Brown said. “We're looking for tomorrow. Tomorrow is going to be a tough day. It's going to be a little hotter. The sun is going to be out and we're going to race in the prime time of the day.
It's definitely going to be a cat fight tomorrow going down that racetrack. We're not going to be fighting the other person in the other lane. We're going to be fighting the racetrack. It's going to be really challenging for the crew chief.
“But, I like my odds with the guys I have in my pit area.”
Beyond qualifying, Brown is excited about what his team is learning now that will help them throughout the summer.
“The tracks are not going to get any easier as the summer comes,” said Brown. “This is surprising for Vegas right now. It's the springtime still, not summer yet. It's April and this feels like summer weather.”
Brown says the times and speeds they are running now is getting the team amped up over how they will perform as summer takes hold.
“It feels good to be working on stuff for the future instead of working on trying to solve problems of the past.”
THREE IN A ROW - Mike Edwards rode his third round qualifying pass of 6.67 seconds, 205.99 mph, to the number one qualifying spot for the 
SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals at The Strip in Las Vegas.
This is the fifth pole position for Edwards in six races this year, third straight at this track and 27th of his Pro Stock career.
Track temperatures soured above the 120 degree mark during the final session and we at their peak as Edwards squared off against Roger Brogdon. Brogdon closed the gap between himself and Edwards in the round, but will go off third in Sunday eliminations, behind Edwards and Ron Krisher.
“It was definitely better for several teams,” said Edwards of the first session of the day which went off at 11:30 in the morning. “We made an exceptionally, I mean exceptionally nice run, so I am really proud of my guys.”
With both air and track temps rising rapidly, Edwards and company decided to take a risk and try some things. What they found didn't impress them, but they were the fastest of the round.
Edwards led three of the four rounds of qualifying, picking up nine bonus points. The maximum a driver can earn in qualifying is twelve.
“I would like to say hat's off to my team mate Ron Krisher, the Valvoline team,” said Edwards. “They've qualified second three or four times this year and I am really happy for that team. They've worked extremely hard.”
Edwards will get lane choice in the first round of eliminations, it a choice he hopes he can hold all day lone.
“If it looks like it is today, I would like to stay in that left lane,” admitted Edwards with a chuckle. “It seems like we've got a better handle on it.
“If the sun is out, you are going to see exactly what you saw today. It's going to be faster in the mornings and as the day goes on the track is going to be hotter and greasier.”
Hot, cold or otherwise, Mike Edwards continues to be the man to beat, and the only man apparently capable of beating Edwards is Edwards.
HADDOCK’S CONSERVATIVE ZONE - Terry Haddock skipped first round qualifying. He skipped second round qualifying. He skipped third round qualifying. And then he qualified. Haddock made a respectable, full pass without oiling down the track.
“That's what we were trying to do,” said Haddock at the top end when asked about making the clean pass. “We're thankful the NHRA has let us out here to play.”
D2681 FASTEST - Larry Dixon, one of three Top Fuel drivers on the new Goodyear tire, posted the quickest pass Saturday. Dixon's 3.936 second pass just edged out Cory McClenathan's 3.950.
Both the D2681 and Goodyear’s D2550, which was used in competition during the last two seasons, are available for use at Las Vegas. Most teams opted to use the D2550 Friday and Saturday, as they have the most data on that tire.
Both the new D2681 and the D2550 will continue to be available at the next NHRA race at Gateway International Raceway.
DOUBLE ANIMAL STYLE - Dropping cylinders on the left side almost from the start of the run, Melanie Troxel took out a double set of cones which in turn took a bite out of the nose of her In-N-Out Burger Dodge. "We've got the parts it takes to come out here and run competitively," Troxel said. "We've actually got two more In-N-Out bodies on the truck ready to go. That's not going to slow us down one bit."
YOU'RE OUT – Jeff Diehl and Paul Lee didn't make the 16-car Funny Car field as Cruz Pedregon and Jack Beckman both improved their performances in the first round of qualifying on Saturday morning. Beckman claimed the 12th spot while Pedregon settled into 15th.
Beckman will line up against team mate Ron Capps and Pedregon against Ashley Force Hood in the first round of eliminations.
I DID NOT – John Force confirmed, just prior to the final round of qualifying that at no time did he consider purchasing the Don Prudhomme operation.
“I was interested in some chassis they had but only for use as show cars,” said Force.
DIVERSIFICATION – At the same time Force talked about not being interested in Prudhomme's operation, Force also revealed that he is looking at everything from paint shops to driving schools as a hedge against possible future economic downturns.
“I offered my sponsors a stimulus package of my own to help them out in these economic times and it has paid off with extensions,” Force said, adding, “Now I am looking at diversifying the business interest of this company for the future.”
Three-time Pro Stock champion Greg Anderson completed a solid qualifying effort on Saturday, capturing the fifth starting position for Sunday’s final eliminations of the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas, NV.
QUICKER THAN ONE AND ALL - Mike Edwards, in his '09 Penhall/Interstate Batteries GXP slammed the hammer down during the third round of qualifying for the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals Saturday morning. Edwards posted a field killing 6.687 second pass at 205.88 miles per hour, four hundredths of a second quicker than second quickest of the round, Roger Brogdon. Ironically, the difference between Brogdon and 16th quickest of the round, Rickie Jones, was also four hundredths of a second.
KEN BLACK'S PRESENCE INSPIRES ANDERSON - Three-time Pro Stock champion Greg Anderson completed a solid qualifying effort on 
Saturday, capturing the fifth starting position for Sunday’s final eliminations of the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas, NV.
This marks Anderson’s 14th Top Five qualifying effort in 16 starts on the Nevada quarter-mile as he looks to add to his NHRA-leading six wins at this spectacular facility. Naturally, racing in his sponsor’s event at his convalescing team owner’s home track, he has more than enough reasons to do well. Even so, he is keeping everything in perspective heading into race day.
“It’s been a great weekend so far, and we want to keep it going tomorrow,” said Anderson. “We have all the dignitaries from Summit at the track with us, and we want to put on a show for them, as well as for (team owner) Ken Black and his family. We may have a lot on the line, but we’re going to go out and have fun.
“We’re not going to over stress or over think everything that’s going on this weekend, we’re just going to race the way we’re capable of. If we do that, I’m confident we’ll get the results we’re looking for.
“I’m a lot more positive than I have been all year, and all it took was an attitude adjustment from Ken to get us straightened out. The mind is a big part of this game, and we beat ourselves up every time we do something wrong, after which we would often spiral down, not thinking straight.
“That’s where Ken would get us back on track, doing it right at the scene if we had a bad race. It had been a half-dozen races since we’d seen him, and obviously we need him in our corner. Of so many ways that we miss the man, that’s just one.
“He gave us a little pep talk on Thursday night, and it obviously showed in our performance. We’re certainly not going out there and dominating, but we’re racing better than we have all year. These are extremely tough conditions. We’re dealing with a really hot racetrack with a greasy starting line, and we don’t have a lot of power because we’re up in altitude, which is something we haven’t had to deal with all year.
FAMILY FEUD - In the marquee match-up of the first round 2009 Funny Car champion Robert Hight will have to race teammate, current points leader and 14-time champion John Force. Hight is one of a handful of drivers that has a career winning record over the legendary driver, posting a 10-8 record with four wins in their last five meetings. It will not be a positive experience for the drivers as Hight felt they both let an opportunity slip past them today.
“It is our own fault we get John in the first round. We had a mistake tonight on our car and it was slow. Honestly he should have stepped up too. We should have both run way better than we did. We brought it on ourselves. When you qualify that low, that is my worst of the year and John’s I think. When you are that low that is what you get. Even meeting in the second round is too early to race a teammate. It is our fault for not being 1-2-3 or at least in the top five. Tomorrow we need to turn this Auto Club Ford around,” said Hight.
“(Auto Club of Southern California CEO) Tom McKernan told me a great story earlier today. He was telling me a funny line from the movie Smokey and the Bandit when Jackie Gleason who played the iconic Sheriff Buford T. Justice said ’I didn’t come all this way to go home with empty pockets.’ That really applies to what we do. We need to go home with full pockets. We have to do whatever it takes to get that done.”
LINE REACHES PERSONAL MILESTONE - Pro Stock standout Jason Line reached a personal milestone on Saturday at the SummitRacing.com 
Nationals in Las Vegas, NV, simultaneously etching his name into the NHRA record books. On the strength of a 6.748-second, 205.07 mph run in the morning session, the Minnesota native claimed the ninth starting position for Sunday’s final eliminations at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This not only marks the 150th start of Line’s Pro Stock career, but is also the first time anyone in the class has qualified for their first 150 races.
Although pleased to have surpassed the mark set by legendary Pro Stock racer Bruce Allen, Line was more concerned about the inconsistent performance of his race car as he looks to score his second win of the season at his sponsor’s race in his team owner’s home town.
“It’s pretty cool to be the first guy in Pro Stock to qualify for his first 150 races,” said Line. “I’d rather be talking about my 150th win, but it’s still a tremendous accomplishment that we can all be proud of. More than anything, it shows just how good this Summit Racing team is, and shows what we are capable of doing. Of course, I’d be a lot happier if we were running better.
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FRIDAY NOTEBOOK -
BROWN: CONDITIONS CAME TO US - Driving the same car he drove last year, Antron Brown put the Matco Tools dragster on top of the field 
with an impressive warm weather setup. Brown ran a 3.881 second, 316.60 mph which just beat out Larry Dixon's 3.894 second, 314.24 pass in the opposite lane during first day qualifying at the NHRA Summitracing.com Nationals in Las Vegas.
Brown's run was the slowest qualifying pass of the season to take the number one spot. Brown's first round pass, a 5.085 run was ninth of the day at that time.
“We called an .88 and we ran an .88 with a one,” said Brown of his second round run. “When you've got a group of guys like that, that can call that, especially the way the track was – I'm just fortunate to be part of that team.
“Conditions definitely came back to us,” admitted Brown.
Saturday's final two qualifying runs are going to be extremely important according to Brown. While he thinks Sunday is going to start out with conditions much closer to those he faced in the first round – 128 degree track temperatures – the final rounds should offer up conditions closer to track temps the competitors will see tomorrow.
“I think tomorrow is suppose to be more overcast. I think Sunday is going to be closer to what we saw today but we'll start earlier. Hopefully, tomorrow we can stay in the top five in qualifying.”
The most important part of Saturday qualifying will be the opportunity to see both lanes in similar conditions. On this day, an almost 20 degree temperature difference between rounds was more than a team likes to see when it comes to making lane choice.
“Lane choice is going to be a key factor if one lane gets better than the other on race day. We definitely want to go into Sunday with lane choice and hold it.”
Despite the difference in conditions, the second run round did provide valuable information.
“On race day, we have to go by the temperature. If we get cloud cover and the track drops to around 106 degrees then we have a run for that.”
Last year, when Brown got on a run, he got on a run, which didn't bode well for the competition. From the look in his eyes, Brown appears to be on the start of another run like last year.
FINDING HER VEGAS NICHE - Ashley Force Hood accomplished a feat Friday afternoon no other Funny Car team was able to do. She made two 
full passes down the Strip at Las Vegas and both passes dominated qualifying for the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals.
Force Hood powered her Castrol GTX Ford Mustang to a leading performance of 4.195 seconds at 295.14 mph to pace the 16-car lineup.
"We're definitely very excited we got down both runs under power A to B,” exclaimed Force Hood. “It's a trick track with the weather. It definitely helped to get the first run down – we had more data.”
Force was quick to point out that her Castrol Ford Mustang wasn't the only car making a full pass in the second round. She just happened to be quickest of the batch.
“I'm sure my time isn't going to stay first, but if the conditions improve and everyone can outrun us, then that means we can improve as well. So, that is what we'll be looking for tomorrow.”
The first round run gave Force Hood the position in the qualifying order she needed, saying, “It definitely let them push it a little more. We were obviously watching what the other teams were doing. I'm sure they were a little conservative.
“It's been a while since we've been excited to run in the teens. Yet, going into that session my crew member, Matt, and I were both asking Guido if we could please run into the teens.”
A run into the teens might have been enough to secure the top spot going into Sunday's eliminations.
EDWARDS IMPROVISES ALL THE WAY TO NO. 1 - Mike Edwards didn’t get mad at his situation, he just fixed it.
Edwards jumped from his paltry No. 5 qualifying position in the first round to the provisional pole position during Friday’s second qualifying session at the NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals in Las Vegas.
“We had engine issues the first session,” said Edwards, who stands on the cusp of his fifth pole position of 2010. “We had a motor that had some issues, so we changed it out.”
Edwards stepped up from his initial 6.757 to end the first day with a 6.706, 205.47 best.
“I’m extremely proud of my guys,” said Edwards. “We had a bit of adversity, but battled back from it. We went into that second session without a lot to go on – engine data wise.”
Edwards’ credited a familiarity with the Strip at Las Vegas with providing making up for the engine data shortcomings. He needed the experience when facing a 120-degree racing surface.
“We’ve made lots of runs here and even tested before the Pomona race,” said Edwards. “We’ve got a lot of notes from here and it takes a lot of notes when you start off like we did.”
Edward hopes Friday’s turnaround spells out success in Friday’s big picture – most notably on Sunday.
“You never know if you are going to win or lose, but you do have to have the performance,” Edwards conveyed. “We have the performance, but you have to be able to race the track on Sunday. You have to see what it gives you and take it from there.”
On Saturday, the Pro Stock division runs their third session at 11:40 am.
Edwards couldn’t say with a degree of certainty his run would hold through the day but is confident the third session will produce better runs than Friday.
“That will probably be the best session,” Edwards said. “We’re going to have to come out and give our best in the morning.”
This is the time of the year is when you’ll see Edwards cramming in the most testing because its where he hold the least advantage, when the summer rolls in, he’s in his element.
“When the air is bad and the altitude is really high, I feel that we have the better program,” admitted Edwards. “I can’t really explain why, but we have a summer ahead to work on improving that part too.”
THE NEW TIRE - Goodyear introduced a new tire for use at The Strip at Las Vegas – the D2681.
The tire never saw use. Both Top Fuel and Funny Cars stuck with the existing D2550. Several teams discussed using the new tire in testing on Monday, however the scheduled test may also include Tuesday, at least for the Schumacher teams.
OUTSIDE OF THE HEADLINES - On property but not making either qualifying session was Terry Haddock. Haddock was seen working hard on his Top Fuel dragster throughout the day.
Bob Bode shocked the crowd during first round qualifying with the only full pass of the session until Force Hood made her run. Bode was second after first round with a respectable 4.238 to Force Hood's 4.236.
While Bode was unable to make a full pass in the second round, Gary Densham stepped up to wow the crowd with his 4.220 pass to Force Hood's 4.195 and Matt Hagan's 4.217.
The list of driver's in Funny Car not yet qualified include Cruz Pedregon, Jeff Arend, Jack Beckman along with Paul Lee, Jeff Diehl and Jim Head.
VEGAS PROVES NO RACE DAY LUCK FOR EDWARDS - In the past nine months, there have been very few obstacles capable of stopping Pro 
Stock racer Mike Edwards. Amazingly, the Strip at Las Vegas has been one of those obstacles.
“Not sure why I have never done well at this track,” said Edwards, who lost last year’s fall Las Vegas event in the quarter-finals. He needed the round win to clinch the 2009 championship.
“If I knew exactly what it was I would fix it and start turning on a ton of win lights in the desert. We do make good runs, but little things have bitten us in the past that we cannot explain.”
Edwards, who has qualified on the pole five times thus far this season, has instructed his crew to do the necessary maintenance and double-checking to ensure the Vegas race day shortcomings cease this weekend.
Edwards qualified No. 1 in both 2009 Vegas races but didn’t make it past the second round in either event. Historically Edwards has never reached the semi-finals in Las Vegas.
The Strip at Las Vegas is one of only two tracks on the NHRA tour where Edwards has not reached a final round; the other being Brainerd Int'l Raceway.
“In all honesty, this should be one of my favorite tracks on the tour,” Edwards admitted. “We have many fond memories of Las Vegas over the years of racing and we always hope those would carry over to the quarter-mile.”
Edwards first broke into Pro Stock in 1982 with Las Vegas team owner John Kight.
PRUDHOMME GM: FORCE HASN’T BOUGHT TEAM - Recently there have been internet rumor making the rounds suggesting 14-time Funny Car world champion John Force has purchased Don Prudhomme Racing’s entire operation.
“Just not true,” said Skip Alum, DPR General Manager. “He’s [John Force] had some of his employees come over and look at one of our trailers. Force hasn’t bought anything.”
Force made statements last weekend in Houston alluding to youngest daughter Courtney Force making her way into Top Fuel racing. These statements have likely led to the speculation.
Alum confirmed the team owner who has purchased the most of the DPR inventory has been Kenny Bernstein Racing, and those purchases have been engine parts and tools. Former DPR employees Donnie Bender and Todd Smith are now with KBR.
Prudhomme announced his retirement from drag racing team ownership prior to the 2010 season and last month began liquidating racing assets.
“No one has bought any of the dragsters or a single tractor trailer,” he added. “None of the big ticket items have been sold.”
Alum isn’t ruling out the possibility of a Force purchase in the future but for now, the conversations between the parties have been limited.
“Force hasn’t bought anything yet, that’s not to say that he won’t. We haven’t had any conversations with him [Force] other than the one trailer.”
COMING UP THE RANKS - Las Vegas native Jessica Cherniak, who made her first five second run back in February, qualified 16th in her first event national event in the Top Alcohol class. Her blaze orange Mustang, just purchased two weeks ago, performed quite well in her first two passes in the car, both qualifying runs.
The team credits the quick performance to painted pinky nails. Cherniak painted all her fingernails orange to match the car and the rest of the team, all men, painted their pinky nails the same color.
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THURSDAY NOTEBOOK - GETTING READY FOR THE VEGAS MAGIC
AND THE ODDS ARE ... - Larry Dixon, John Force and Mike Edwards are favored win the NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals’ pro-category finals Sunday afternoon at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Fred Crespi, oddsmaker for The Palms Resort Casino in Las Vegas, tapped Dixon (5/2) over defending champion Tony Schumacher (7/2) in the Full Throttle Drag Racing Series’ Top Fuel Dragster class. NHRA veteran John Force leads the Funny Car parade at 2/1. Defending Pro Stock champion Mike Edwards, who was eliminated in the semi-final round last weekend in Texas, is favored at even money.
The following odds are slated to be posted today at 5 p.m. (Pacific) and also may be wagered at: the South Point Hotel & Casino (Las Vegas Blvd.), the Rampart Casino in Summerlin, the Cannery Hotel & Casino on Craig Rd. near LVMS, the Eastside Cannery Hotel & Casino on Boulder Hwy. and the Virgin River Hotel/Casino/Bingo in Mesquite.
TOP FUEL DRAGSTER
Larry Dixon 5/2
Cory McClenathan 3/1
Tony Schumacher 7/2
Antron Brown 5/1
Doug Kalitta 6/1
Morgan Lucas 7/1
Shawn Langdon 8/1
Brandon Bernstein 10/1
Steve Torrence 14/1
David Grubnic 15/1
Field (all others) 22/1
FUNNY CAR
John Force 2/1
Matt Hagan 3/1
Robert Hight 7/2
Ron Capps 9/2
Jack Beckman 11/2
Ashley Force Hood 6/1
Del Worsham 7/1
Jeff Arend 7/1
Tim Wilkerson 9/1
Bob Tasca 10/1
Tony Pedregon 12/1
Cruz Pedregon 15/1
Field (all others) 18/1
PRO STOCK
Mike Edwards EVEN
Jason Line 5/2
Greg Anderson 3/1
Jeg Coughlin 4/1
Allen Johnson 5/1
Greg Stanfield 6/1
Ron Krisher 7/1
Ronnie Humphrey 9/1
Bob Yonke 11/1
Kurt Johnson 14/1
Warren Johnson 18/1
Field (all others) 12/1
BECKMAN NEEDS MORE VEGAS GLITTER - Jack Beckman competed in his first National Hot Rod Association Top Fuel race at Las Vegas in 2005.
He has won in Funny Car once in two fall final-round appearances since 2006 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
He returned there as a new daddy in 2007.
During his pro-ranks tenure, Beckman has visited the military hospital at Nellis Air Force Base, ridden with the USAF Thunderbirds, participated in a handful of autograph sessions at various casinos, and has bowled and played poker for Speedway Children's Charities.
But this time, as he approaches this weekend's SummitRacing.com Nationals, the driver of the Don Schumacher-owned Valvoline/Mail Terminal Services Dodge Charger Funny Car has two goals. They are, he said, to "get back on that horse right now" after a disruption in his early-season momentum and to "and get back deep into Sunday's eliminations program."
With a victory at this year's Phoenix event in hand, Beckman (who's fifth in the standings), said he wants "to get a better handle on what could be a warm race track with some new parts."
His Rahn Tobler-led crew will be partnering with teammate Ron Capps' NAPA Auto Parts team and his crew chief, Ace McCulloch. That means eight qualifying passes between the two cars, weather permitting -- and the forecast looks spectacular with sunshine and temperatures in the mid-80s. So with data on his new parts from eight qualifying runs, Beckman will have something to work with on race day.
"We typically do have ideal conditions in Vegas," Beckman said. "And here's where you can get out that home-run bat again and take a swing with it.And typically the track is consistently good all four runs on race day. The wrench that can be thrown into the works is that the weather in Vegas can change so radically over the course of a week or even a day. We're not even sure if we're going to have a cold or a hot race track."
Odds are favorable for a warm track, and, Beckman said, "We know we need to step into that direction as we get into the warm-weather race tracks."
Naturally, he's bothered by the fact that he began the season with a semifinal finish and victory, then hasn't generated much excitement after the Phoenix triumph.
At Gainesville, he struck the tires and lost in the opening round to Bob Tasca II, who had lane choice.
"Now I have to walk the walk," Beckman said then. "I've been saying that, with this Valvoline/MTS team, we've got the attitude and we've got the chemistry and I think everybody can be a good winner. I think the mark of the team that's going to win this deal this year is the one that can lose and keep the right attitude and go into the next race and do well again."
The next race was the Four-Wide Nationals at Concord, N.C., and Beckman knew beforehand that it was "going to be an odd one. It's a four-wide, three-ring-circus type of environment." It turned out not to be the place where Beckman would regain his momentum.
Neither was Houston, where he exited in the first round again but expressed suspicion about the role that track prep might have played there.
"I'm not so sure they weren't doing different things with the Houston track preparation," Beckman said. "In all of Sunday's eliminations in the nitro categories, there are 60 passes (among) the dragsters and the Funny Cars. I cannot remember a race in all my years of going to races where I've seen so many of those 60 runs be tire-smoking passes."
But Beckman wasn't making excuses. As the Las Vegas weekend neared, he reiterated, "Here's where I want to live up to what we've talked about.
"We go to the semifinals and get a win in the first two races. We performed well in the four-wide race in Concord, N.C. - but I almost think of that as more of a distraction on the tour, because that race will never happen again this year - and then we go to Houston and we cannot find a handle on our race car."
He said he understands that "it's OK to stumble a couple of times. It's going to happen to every nitro team out there. And with the Countdown format it's not nearly as critical as it was years ago in the early part of the season.
"But when you realize why we do our jobs -- that thrill of competition, setting the standard high, getting the trophy, representing our sponsors real well -- all that dictates is that on Sunday we need to be around late in the day," Beckman said. "And that's our goal again." - S
CAPPS READY TO TAME NEW TIRE - "D2681" sounds like some code that factors into a high-tech thriller movie. But it's the designation of Goodyear's latest drag-racing tire, and Funny Car veteran Ron Capps said it's going to play a major role in this weekend's Summitracing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
In a statement released Wednesday, Goodyear said full conversion to the D2681 from the current D2550 edition is expected to begin at the following event, the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals, at Madison, Ill., near St. Louis.
But Capps said, "We're not going to wait until St. Louis to run it."
Capps, driver of Don Schumacher's NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger, said he certainly isn't the only one who will be taking the opportunity.
"I think you're going to see a lot of teams start running the tire right away," Capps said.
"We know the tire will be quite a bit different, and you have to applaud Goodyear for staying on top of the advancement in technology," Capps said. "The biggest thing we'll face is having the crew chiefs adapt to this new tire. When a new tire comes out, more often than not, it's never a 'throw it on and continue down the road' situation. It's going to be quite a bit of change.
"Some teams will adapt quickly and some not," he said. "So, we'll see. We hope we can adapt pretty quickly to the tire."
Carolyn Ashbee, Goodyear's sales account manager for drag racing, underscored Capps' explanation for introducing the new version.
"The cars and the conditions under which they operate evolve continuously, and we feel the tire needs to evolve as well," she said. "We have made this change for that reason. It is important for the teams to know that we are not changing any other aspect of the construction of the current tire."
Said Capps, who's third in the standings after five of 23 events, behind John Force and his own teammate Matt Hagan, "Even though it's early in the year, and the teams are not really focused on points quite yet, Vegas is going to be a pivotal race in the 2010 season" because of the new tire and its deadline for mandatory use.
Capps said the D2681 tire "will probably be mandatory from St. Louis on. Goodyear's announcement said that full use of the new tire "is expected to begin" at the suburban St. Louis race but said the "NHRA will allow the D2550 tire for so long as the tire is available in sufficient supply from Goodyear onsite to be used by all the Top Fuel and Funny Car teams. After that point, the D2681 tire will be the only one available for use by the teams."
Nevertheless, Capps seemed to think teams will want to get a head start on the adjustment period. He said this timing could be perfect for him, for he knows he is in decisive hands and on a track where he has been successful.
"What's great about Don Schumacher Racing, among all the crew chiefs and all the teams, is the communication that we're able to have when something like this happens," he said. "That's the benefit of having all these great crew chiefs around. The drivers can relay back to the crew chiefs what they feel with this new tire, and the crew chiefs will work on adapting to it.
"At this time of the year in Vegas, the conditions are still pretty good. It's not too hot out, and we know the track is a great track," Capps said. "so you can always take that out of the variables. And it's obviously been great for me. I've won there three times."
He won this event last year in his third final-round appearance in the spring race, and he was champion at the 2001 and 2005 fall Las Vegas races.
Goodyear's manufacturing plant in Akron, Ohio, has promised to have a full supply of the D2681 for all the racers to use at Las Vegas if they choose. Goodyear also will offer the existing D2550 tire at Las Vegas. - Susan Wade
SPONSORSHIP ACTIVATION - At this moment Jason Line must feel like he’s on one of the world’s biggest roller-coasters. This wild and wacky thrill ride resembles your every day street 
sedan, but goes through its ups and downs at more than 210 mph.
While the 2006 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series world champion has shown at times he’s certainly capable of adding a second championship crown to his resume, there are other times when he’s trying simply to hang on as his season speeds sharply into a double-loop.
The former head dyno operator for Joe Gibbs Racing on the NASCAR circuit hopes to turn his fortunes around in the hometown of his team owner Ken Black, who continues the recovery process after a recent bout with some health issues.
For Line, giving Black the Wally from the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals, April 16-18 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, would be some very good medicine. It is something he and teammate Greg Anderson will try very hard to do at the sixth of 23 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event. Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car), and Jeg Coughlin (Pro Stock) are the defending winners of event, which will be televised on ESPN2 HD.
Line was impressive earlier in the season when he beat current category dominator and defending world champ Mike Edwards with a holeshot start in the final round at the tradition-rich Tire Kingdom Gatornationals at historic Gainesville Raceway in Florida. He also showed his flexibility in racing to a runner-up finish at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway near his home in Charlotte, N.C.
On the other side of the coin, he’s suffered first round losses at the season-opening 50th Winternationals as well as last weekend’s event in Houston.
It all totals to a third place position in the point standings as the circuit heads to Las Vegas, a place where Line has won and his teammate Anderson has dominated with six wins since 2003. A welcome site for the team for sure.
“We’ve shown we have the potential to run with the best in our class, but we need to do it on every run,” Line said. “It’s something we’ve been working on non-stop, and I believe we’re making progress. It’s just a matter of time before we get there, but it can’t come soon enough for any of us.”
Line and the rest of the field are trying to catch the runaway locomotive that is defending world champ Edwards, who has continued his domination of the category this season. He has posted three wins in four final rounds in his Penhall/Interstate Batteries Pontiac GXP and raced to four No. 1 qualifying positions. His series lead now stands at 192 points over second place Allen Johnson after a semifinal appearance and No. 1 qualifying effort at Houston.
“We’re still chasing Edwards, and although he’s a great guy and we like him, we’re just tired of him having all the fun,” Line said. “We think it’s about time we had some fun, but we want to earn the right to do so by beating him, as well as everybody else, and we’re working hard to do just that.”
For several seasons Line and Anderson were the class of the field in their identically-prepared Summit Racing Pontiac GXPs. During a span from 2003-2006, the duo combined to earn four consecutive world championship titles, 51 victories, 25 runner-up finishes and 59 No. 1 qualifying positions.
After such an amazing performance, which no doubt took incredible discipline, late nights working and much sacrifice for both drivers, one might think that getting up for yet another championship pursuit would take some major effort. Line says the team is still hungry. As hungry as ever.
“Motivation is certainly not a problem, and never has been,” Line said. “When we get to the shop each morning our common goal is to find a way to not only put ourselves back at the top of the page, but to keep us there at every race. We’re paid to win and that is what we want to do.”
Other top contenders in the Pro Stock category include Team Mopar’s Johnson, currently second in the point standings, along with Houston winner Jeg Coughlin, who has regained his form from last year in the regular season when he won seven races in his JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt. Greg Stanfield and Bob Yonke also have recently formed a partnership and proved to have a solid working relationship as both drivers are anchoring spots in the Full Throttle Top 10.
In Top Fuel, Cory McClenathan has led the point standings early on with two victories in his FRAM dragster. The rivalry between seven-time champ Tony Schumacher and two-time champ Larry Dixon has intensified, as each driver seems determined this year to add to their championship trophy collections. Doug Kalitta has returned to the championship hunt with three runner-up finishes, and Antron Brown is proving that his first two successful seasons in a 7,000-horsepower dragster was not a fluke as he is currently fourth in the point standings in his Matco Tools dragster.
John Force headlines one of the best feel-good stories of the season, as he has returned to championship form in his Castrol GTX High-Mileage Ford Mustang. After enduring one of the worst competitive efforts of his career in 2009, the 14-time world champ is off to a hot start with two victories this season. His longtime rival, Ron Capps, also is running well in his NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger. Force teammates Ashley Force Hood, and defending world champ Robert Hight, are also among the pre-race favorites, as well as Houston winner Matt Hagan in the DieHard Charger, Jack Beckman in the Valvoline/MTS Charger and Bob Tasca in the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Shelby Mustang.
PRO MEETING WILL DETERMINE GROUP'S NEXT MOVE - The NHRA, on Page VI of its 2010 Rulebook, lists in the basics of drag racing section, a definition of drag racing.
It is that one simple line in the rulebook which has the Professional Racers Organization up in arms over the recent NHRA 4-Wide Nationals to the point the board issued a letter to both the NHRA’s upper management and zMax Dragway’s Bruton Smith stating their intentions of not racing another four wide event for points.
They did, however, point out a willingness to discuss participation in a non-points earning version of the event.
On Saturday, April 17, 2010, the PRO board will meet as a group to determine how they intend to move forward on this issue.
The combination of the letter sent to Smith and NHRA upper management and the upcoming meeting is being viewed by many as a line drawn in the sand.
Two of the three parties in the controversy, Bruton Smith and members of PRO, have spoken with the media while the NHRA says it’s reserving judgment until after its gathered all data.
Smith took offense to the racers’ objections during an interview which was posted on ESPN.com.
“I won't be a part of this kind of negativism,” Smith told ESPN.com. “I have invested huge dollars to move this sport forward and help build the NHRA. But based on this [vote], I will just back away.
“I guess they don't want to promote the sport and grow. I will not be a party to this. We will pull in our horns from the NHRA.”
The article also stated Smith held past PRO President Kenny Bernstein as the responsible party for spearheading a campaign against the event’s future as a full-fledged point earning event. While Bernstein’s role as PRO president ended at the end of 2008, instead of walking away from the group completely, he remained as one of the Board of Directors.
Bernstein’s signature was the first on a survey, which only asked, “Do you want to participate in a 4-wide National Event for Points Again?”
Sixty-three drivers/owners cast their vote on the issue, sixty-one of which were opposed to future four wide events staged for points.
Don Schumacher, a member of the PRO board, believes Bernstein has been unfairly judged as a leader of an implied boycott movement.
“Kenny is getting a terribly unfair rap,” said Schumacher, who is one of eleven members on the PRO board. “This was not his undertaking nor did he need to take the lead in this thing. We all talk on the PRO board and universally we're against doing the four wide racing again. I take as much responsibility as Kenny Bernstein, as does every PRO board member. PRO needs to step up and take the responsibility rather than have this burden be on his shoulders. This is not Kenny’s fault or his responsibility. He is not the president of PRO. He’s just a board member like us.”
Schumacher wasn't the only PRO member to speak in Bernstein's defense.
“This isn’t Kenny Bernstein against Bruton Smith and to say it is, is very unfair,” added Bill Miller, another PRO board member. “As a group we simply said we didn’t want to do this when it affects the championship race. It’s just not fair.”
PRO’s intentions to not participate in future four wide events, involving points, were published in an article on March 31, 2010 in Attitude’s CompetitionPlus.com before the PRO board could agree on the verbiage contained in the letter, and before it was delivered to both Smith and Compton.
The wording in letter published on this site was the same as the wording in the letter eventually delivered to Smith and the NHRA.
In the opinion of many of the professional teams, they are appreciative of the investment Bruton Smith has made in drag racing’s future. Many reluctantly supported the first event in a points-earning capacity out of respect for Smith, but a second event with championship ramifications is asking too much.
“It was an experiment that we were all willing to partake in,” Schumacher said. “I think we all learned and realized a lot with the experiment. I do wish the NHRA and Bruton would have come to the PRO board when this thought process came about. When they ran the exhibition event last year, I had conversations with NHRA management and the conversations centered on it being a non-points, special race as some of the sponsors did in the past. I think that would have been a great experiment and taught us a lot. To put it in the mix of a championship race creates a really difficult situation. Every point is important.”
Four wide nitro racing in the modern era was first introduced last September prior to the final rounds of the NHRA Carolinas Nationals. Seven different team owners participated in the exhibitions.
Schumacher didn’t allow his teams to participate.
The bone of contention for Schumacher is safety.
“Some teams felt it was a safety issue and others didn’t,” Schumacher said. “In a non-points environment, they may feel comfortable in doing it again. I feel the safety was compromised. And, as the NHRA works very hard all the time on the sport’s safety, I don’t think we should compromise at all. With some of the things that went on there, we know it wasn’t up to the standards the NHRA and Safety Safari has at all of the other venues because it was so different. It wasn’t that they did anything wrong with safety. It was so different and overwhelming to everybody.”
In a race with no points, many believe the risks would be lesser. A driver who has a championship on the line might be inclined to drive their car closer to the edge.
Miller's team sat out the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals.
Some feel that by PRO claiming safety as an issue but then saying it could be acceptable as an exhibition race, make it sound like PRO has a double standard. However, former NHRA official turned Kenny Bernstein Racing GM, Len Imbrogno feels PRO’s position is exactly correct.
“It is a matter of risk management,” said Imbrogno. “Most teams are obligated by sponsorship contract agreement to run all national events as well as chasing points towards the championship and therefore have little choice but to run the event. However, as an exhibition event, team owners would have the choice on whether or not to put their teams and/or sponsors at risk in such an event”.
Miller believes while Smith’s contributions to the sport have been great, his efforts of attempting to create an influx of excitement through four lane drag racing might have been a mistake.
“I think he’s a very courageous man, who has made a living in doing courageous things,” Miller said. “When you go to the city of Concord and threaten to move your oval track 30 miles down the road, that’s pretty ballsy. For him to build a four wide drag strip, I figure that was on him. It would certainly be my assumption that the attempt to build the four wide drag strip in Vegas, he was probably talked out of that one. In his mind, he probably wanted to build the four lane drag strip because he believed this was the direction drag racing needed to go.
“I commend Bruton for making a pretty courageous move in building a four wide drag strip. It’s like every business in the world, sometimes you make a decision and it’s wrong. I’ve made a thousand decisions in my life that are wrong. All I say is, ‘that didn’t work.' When that happens, you have to step back and figure something else to do.”
A source close to the situation told Attitude’s CompetitionPlus.com the NHRA initially tried to talk Smith out of building the four lanes in Concord but his desire prevailed. Only one of Smith’s four facilities has four lanes – zMax Dragway.
“Can Bruton survive a four lane drag strip if we only run two?” Miller continued. “Of course he can. He can carve the whole thing to the ground and start all over again. If he can move a multi-million dollar oval track down the road, he can fix a couple of lanes.”
Tim Wilkerson, who fills the dual role of team owner and driver, believes the issue is cut and dry.
“I believe if just one fan or one sponsor, in this current economic climate, thinks this is a bad thing, then it shouldn’t be attempted again for a points-earning event,” Wilkerson said. “I think it’s a terrific novelty and no offense to Bruton because he is thinking outside of the box.”
With a line drawn in the sand, it is yet to be seen if the car owners and competitors in the NHRA will stand together behind their convictions, if the NHRA will accede to the wishes of their membership and if Bruton Smith will stand by his words and just forget about the matter completely.
“We can all dig our heels in here and be all nasty, blame everyone else for everyone’s problems … but the fact remains – here we are,” Miller explained. “We have to make a decision on what to do. We all need to get in a room and talk about this, be gentlemen and ladies and see what reasonable conclusion we can come to. At this point it appears you have a 75-percent rejection of four wide drag racing by the polls online.” - Bobby Bennett
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