EVENT NEWS EVENT NOTEBOOK PRO MODIFIED POINTS AFTER EVENT ROUND-BY-ROUND RESULTS FINAL ROUND RESULTS			THURSDAY GALLERY FRIDAY GALLERY SATURDAY GALLERY SUNDAY GALLERY

 

SUNDAY NOTEBOOK - VEGAS BRINGS US CLOSER TO NAMING CHAMPIONS

THE PRIZE FIGHT - It was only fitting in Las Vegas, the site of numerous great heavyweight title fights, that heavyweights Matt Hagan and John Force met in a classic final round battle.

Hagan, the points leader was no match for Force, who is in second place, in a crucial final round at The Strip.

Force clocked a 4.232-second time at 281.36 mph to defeat Hagan who came in at 6.926 seconds at 110.96 mph.

More important than Force’s win is the fact the 14-time champion closed the gap on Hagan. Force came to Vegas 64 points behind and now trails Hagan by 37 points.

“We got him (Hagan) in the finals,” the 61-year-old Force said. “Mike Neff (my crew chief) has been great taking the lead on this car and Austin Coil and Bernie Fedderly have allowed that to happen. The kid has brought more young energy to fight this fight.”

The title is now going to be decided at the 46th Auto Club NHRA Finals Nov, 11-14 at Pomona, Calif.

Force is chasing his 15th Funny Car world title. Hagan is only in his second year of competing in the class and he failed to make the Countdown to 1 playoffs last year.

The 27-year-old Hagan drives for Don Schumacher Racing.

Force ousted Jeff Arend, Melanie Troxel, and Bob Tasca III en route to the victory.

After Force lost to Dale Creasy in the first round at Reading, Pa., his team started searching for answers.

“We had to look at where we were off and it was mainly in weight,” Force said. “We make as much power as any of them (the other teams). We just had a weight problem. They took eight or nine pounds off of me and we put the car on a diet. They didn’t take away any safety, but it came without paint and it came without a lot stuff. There was no oil pressure gauge and we hung our fire bottles high to transfer weight and we got our 60 foots back. We can race with him now. I’m excited because of the money invested by Ford.”

During his post-race press conference, Force also took time to explain the importance of the movie Secretariat.

“If you have seen the two movies, Secretariat and Sea Biscuit, Sea Biscuit came from behind and they shipped him to California and he ended up winning the last two,” Force said. “Secretariat got whooped and he beat him in the last run by 25 horses. I live by my movies. Last night, I saw the Titantic and I cried. My wife (Laurie) said ‘your pathetic, it didn’t really happen this way.’ I didn’t mind her throwing the pearl over the boat, but I hated it when that kid drifted off into the water. I told my wife I would go into the water for you and she said, ‘yeah and you would be whining the whole time.”

Force also admitted he has no plans of retiring from driving anytime soon.

“I have been 25 years with Castrol and I have another year left and I’m trying to get a five-year extension,” Force said. “That would put me over 65. People retire at 65, but as long as my old race car will do the running, I’m not leaving. I love it too much. I’m holding my own with the young kids and it is all about energy. I have to pace myself. I told my wife we out ran him (Hagan) tonight, maybe with a little bit of luck. She told me it doesn’t matter how you run, you’re going to have a heart attack before you ever get to Pomona. That’s how we live, right on the edge.”

Although Force has won numerous world crowns, he realizes now how special it would be to capture another one, especially after his horrific crash in Dallas in 2007 where he sustained serious injuries.

“I won for so many years and after a while you take it for granted,” Force said. “Then you’re laying in a hospital bed and they’re telling you that you’re not going to walk possibly or you’re going to need a cane. I couldn’t lift my head. If I told you the nights that I crawled upstairs to get in my own bed instead of sleeping downstairs. Then, I would crawl out in my truck and I went through every drive-thru and I ate all day long because I had not eaten normal food. You then live in that gym and go through rehab and then you start thinking this is not working and you’re not going to make it. There were days I sat out in the car and cried because I didn’t have the energy to go in (to rehab). At the end of 2007, 2008 and 2009 I stunk. I was not even close, maybe I should have quit. But, I stayed with it and lived it and my family lived it with me, and I can race again. As long as I can remember, cars have been my life. Now, my kids are my whole life. They’re why I live. My wife loves me, she just doesn’t like
me. I can understand why because I’m a pain in the butt. I was so stupid, I was drunk all the time, winning championships and thinking I was something special and all I was, was just a real lucky guy with a great family and I was too stupid to know it.”

Now, Force believes he has a new lease on life.

“At the end of the day, I got a second chance and I ain’t going to screw it up again,” Force said. “I’m going to do my job, keep nose clean. If Hagan whips me. I’m going to say God Bless you kid. He’s fighting. He’s a tiger. He’s a bull, that’s what I like about him. It is hard to get up for him, he takes all I got. I’ve learned to time myself. I do not party anymore and I will not party tonight because we will be out here (at Las Vegas Motor Speedway) testing in the morning and (Austin) Coil wants me here at 8 o’clock to warm up. I go to bed at night. I eat right and I do not do the things I used to do. I had to change my lifestyle. I gave it everything I had today and that’s what it takes for me to stay up with the young bucks. Hagan might get stressed, but he doesn’t get tired.”

If keeping up with the young stars in the class wasn’t enough Force also had all his crew members kiss his race car for good luck Sunday.

“We all kissed my Hot Rod and everybody was laughing at us and asking us why we kissed the race car,” Force said. “It is just like if you kiss your wife once and awhile, she might like you. I said let’s all kiss the race car and tell it you love it because it has got soul and heart and it will deliver and we needed all of that to make it happen and a little bit of luck.”

A HEARTWARMING VICTORY FOR ANDERSON - The outcome of the Pro Stock final at the 10th annual NHRA Las Vegas Nationals was almost a moot point in the grand scheme of things; no matter who got the win light at the top end at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, every member of the Summit Racing-backed KB Racing team would be celebrating. In the end, incoming points leader Greg Anderson defeated teammate Jason Line to earn the 65th victory of his career and his fifth of the season.

The final round – let alone the win – was particularly special because it happened before the very eyes of team owner Ken Black, who had been absent from the racing circuit all season following a serious stroke he suffered last December.

"It was a great team effort, right from the top on down, starting with Ken Black," said Anderson. "I couldn't have drawn this weekend up on paper if I had asked the Lord for every wish he could ever grant. They all came true today. It was just unbelievable. I really hope this goes a mile towards Ken's recovery."

The final-round meeting was the 19th for the Summit Racing teammates, with Anderson holding a 9-4 advantage over Line entering the event. The two most recently met in the final round at last season's Brainerd race where Anderson scored the victory. Though some speculated that Line would lie down for his teammate in an effort to help him get closer to a 4th championship title, it was absolutely certain that there were no team orders when the scoreboards flashed remarkably close numbers: after taking an .011 advantage off the starting line, Anderson clocked a 6.654 at 207.43 mph to Line's 6.656 at 207.46.

"That was really cool," said Anderson. "That was absolutely the neatest thing ever. We have a lot of pride, Jason and I. This entire race team does. I think that we've proved over many years now that we never do any team orders, and we don't take any dives, and we are not going to start now. If you're going to win you have to feel good about yourself, and you have to feel like you earned it. It was a great race, and I love racing Jason. He's a great competitor and a great teammate.

"This is the best day I've ever had at a racetrack. It's just unbelievable. The competition these days is so tough, and I didn't have the advantage on anybody today. I didn't have lane choice any run. I wasn't making great runs, but somebody was just guiding my car to the finish line ahead of the other guy. It's like it was fate. This is the coolest thing that has happened to me in a long time. What feels the best is that I know it's going to help Ken Black. I just love the man, love the entire family, and love my race team."

On the way to the final, Anderson was better at both ends of the track to beat Rodger Brogdon, stopped Jeg Coughlin Jr. on a holeshot, and automatically advanced to the 95th final round appearance of his career when Shane Gray fouled out in the semi's.

Line got the best of Larry Morgan in the opening act, earned the decision in the quarterfinals when teammate Ronnie Humphrey went red, and then knocked out one of Anderson's nearest challengers for the championship title, Greg Stanfield, when he was first off the starting line by a thousandth and then first to the finish line.

The Strip has been a place of prosperity for Anderson, who has won at the Las Vegas track seven times in nine final rounds - the most of any professional competitor - in his 17 previous starts. He most recently won in Las Vegas at the fall race in 2007.

Team Summit was also awarded the Full Throttle Hard-Working Crew Award for getting both cars in the final at Black's first race back after his health issues.

"I can't think of better medicine for the man," said Anderson. "This is what we've been wanting to do all year, and that's why we beat ourselves up so bad when we weren't running good - because we want to do so much for Ken. He is so close to this sport of NHRA drag racing and this KB Racing team. It's his life. It's really what's keeping him driving every day to get better. A day like today, I wouldn't be surprised in a few days to see him jump out of that chair.

"It's going to be difficult because he's not quite ready to get up out of that chair yet, but Ken says he is coming to Pomona. This was a wonderful day. I love the Black family, every one of them. They're great, great people, and I am just a lucky man to be associated with them."

Anderson, with Rob Downing and Tommy Utt at the tuning helm, has been on a roll as of late and tallied four consecutive final round appearances for the sixth time in his career. The most recent hard-earned victory gave Anderson a 115 point advantage over second place Mike Edwards heading into the final race of the season, and the NHRA Finals in Pomona a mere two weeks away.

"What a comeback," said Anderson. "I think after Indy we were down a hundred and some points and didn't think we had any chance at all. We weren't running quite good enough to win, and the boys just dug down. They found a way to get the car close. We're certainly not outrunning people, we aren't dominating, but we have a chance every time we go up there. The cards just fell my way. I don't know why, I don't know what to say, it's just somebody is in control that is beyond me. That's for sure. I'm lucky. It's been a tough year, but if we could go ahead and close this deal at Pomona and win this championship, it certainly will be one that I will never, ever forget and I will always cherish. I have a lot of people to thank. I'm a lucky man."

A POTENTIAL MIRACLE - The Top Fuel final round at the 10th annual NHRA Las Vegas Nationals was a David versus Goliath story in the making with first-time finalist Dom Lagana looking to stand up to reigning world champion Tony Schumacher, but in the end, "the Sarge" was back in charge and scored a decisive win, 3.845 to 3.987. The victory was a critical step to keeping Schumacher in the championship chase, a position that he is re-earning a bit late in the season after falling off some in recent months.

All throughout the weekend, Schumacher's Mike Green-tuned U.S. Army rail was consistently the car to beat. He scored the 60th No. 1 qualifier award of his career and his second of the season and in the process set the national record for speed. During eliminations, he had the quickest car in every round, and in the quarterfinals, Schumacher reset the speed national record with a 325.61 mph blast.

"No question about it, that was a fun car to drive this weekend," said Schumacher, who was a distant 154 points out of the lead entering the event. "It almost brought a little bit of the pressure back, I was starting to feel a little bit of relaxation. We're in Vegas, I'm not actually in the points lead, and I'm not really even that close. Then all of a sudden, we have this fast car and this thing is amazing. It's just going down the track straight and perfect, and it's fun to drive."

In the final round, Schumacher had to pick off Lagana, the longshot finalist who was racing in the West for the first time in his very young Top Fuel career with the aid of Big O Tires and Tire Kingdom. Lagana, whose brother and tuner, Bobby Lagana Jr., was fresh off of winning the IHRA world championship, advanced from the first round when Clay Millican lost traction and proceeded to stay hot as he advanced to the final.

Lagana, son of reknowned match racer Bobby Lagana, pulled off what may be called the upset of the season when he got around Larry Dixon in the second round, 3.967 to 3.984. The road to his first final didn't get any easier for the 25-year-old driver when he drew Antron Brown in the semifinals, but a 3.892 to Brown's troubled 3.951 did the trick.

"If he would have won, I would have walked over there and held up his hand like a champion," said Schumacher. "It's just a cool thing to remember, your first final round against a good team like us, and they did a great job."

For his part, Schumacher trailered Bob Vandergriff Jr. in the opening round and then logged victories over Shawn Langdon and Dave Grubnic en route to his eighth final round of the season, 103rd career final, and ninth money round at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The round-win over Grubnic pushed him around teammate Cory McClenathan into the second spot in the Full Throttle Series standings, 85 marks behind points leader Dixon, and brought the championship trophy into his line of vision, whereas earlier in the day Schumacher didn't think he stood a chance.

"Before the first round I said to them, 'Congratulations, we are way too far out,' " said Schumacher. "They said, 'Look, Alan [Johnson, team manager] said that we're not spending the [championship] money, we're not even looking in that direction.' And then you know what, the events turned like they turned today. But you have to be realistic. We're way out there. It was a miracle for us to pull it off in 2006, and an even bigger miracle to pull it off in 2007.

"I'm looking forward to going to Pomona. I said it back in 2006 and even in 2007, it's kind of out of my hands. More than likely, I won't run Larry Dixon. If we do run each other, it's going to be in the later rounds and it won't matter. So we have to go out and set the national record and win this race, and we have a car capable of setting that record. He's got to go out and get beat or not show up, and I'm pretty sure he's going to show up. It's one of those miraculous things, but the best part about it is that we're in it. We haven't been written off. We're a long way out, and it's a super big longshot, but we're great at coming from behind. I haven't ever heard of anyone coming from ahead. It's our specialty."

THE DREAM IS STILL ALIVE - Back on August 15, LE Tonglet thought his Pro Stock Motorcycle season was done.

The 20-year-old rookie broke the cam chain on his bike during a first-round loss in Brainerd, Minn., and with his team’s limited budget that was detrimental.

Vance & Hines fixed up Tonglet’s damaged motor at a price Tonglet’s team could afford, proving to be the catalyst for Tonglet’s meteoric rise which continued Sunday at the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals.

Tonglet clocked a 6.951 second time at 188.86 mph to just clip Matt Smith’s 6.983-second effort.

“It has been an unbelievable year,” Tonglet said. “We came into the Countdown as seventh and left Indy as second. We’ve really been on a roll since Indy. We just have to keep this momentum going and see what happens. The Harley team is going to be a tough team to beat. Andrew [Hines] has been in this position before. He’s a really good rider. We just need to keep our head straight. If it happens, it happens.”

This was Tonglet’s fifth win and fourth in five races. Tonglet, who pilots the Nitro Fish Suzuki, now trails Andrew Hines by 34 points in the championship chase.

“The pressure is there, I just try not to think about it,” Tonglet said. “It kind of got me in Reading. I slipped up and [Andrew] got me on a holeshot. I said I wasn’t going to let that happen again. We came out here and I had a couple of horrible lights in the first few rounds but thankfully we got the round wins. I'm just tried to step up with every round.”

Smith, the 2007 Pro Stock Motorcycle world champ, actually had trouble starting his motorcycle in the final round and after a quick burnout he saw Tonglet waiting for him. Tonglet got the edge off the line on his Nitro Fish Gear Suzuki and never looked back.

Smith actually did Tonglet a huge favor by upending Hines in the semifinals.

“Matt helped us out a lot in this championship chase,” Tonglet said. “Without him taking out Andrew in the semis, we’d be further behind. I told [Matt] at the other end I wanted to kiss him. But, I wasn’t going to do that.”

Even in Las Vegas, that might not have been a wise move.

QUICK HITS, RACE REPORTING IN RAPID FASHION

TOP FUEL

FIRST ROUND

PUTTING UP HIS DUKES - Lucas Oil campaigner Shawn Langdon may not be in the thick of the battle for the points lead, but the competitive driver is having a serious go at climbing up a few spots before the season is done. When incoming fourth-place challenger Doug Kalitta failed to qualify for this event, it opened a door for Langdon (in 5th place) and Brandon Bernstein (6th in the standings) to make gains. Qualifying positions set Langdon and Bernstein up for a first-round meeting on raceday in which Langdon was characteristically first off the starting line and then sailed ahead for the win as Bernstein smoked the tires.

"That was big," said Langdon. "It was bad for Doug that he didn't qualify, but it sure did give us a great opportunity."

Also looking for a move up: Matco Tools pilot Antron Brown, who was seventh in the standings entering the event. Brown qualified 10th, his lowest start since barely making the field in St. Louis, but he took care of business in the first round when he beat TJ Zizzo on a holeshot. So how bad does he want a win after posting five runner-up finishes so far this season?

"Real bad," said Brown. "We're working hard over here. It's been a tough year, but all of our guys keep marching on. This Matco team isn't giving up."

Brown will have Mark Mariani second round, and Langdon will face low qualifier Tony Schumacher.

SURPRISE, SURPRISE: One of the early shocks in the first round was a round-win for Dom Lagana, the No. 11 qualifier, over No. 6 starter Clay Millican. Lagana set his career best in qualifying and bettered it with a 3.91 at 313.29 mph to beat Millican's tire-shaking effort.

"This is unbelievable," said an ecstatic Lagana, who will take on points leader Larry Dixon in round two. "My brother [Bobby Lagana Jr.] is doing a heck of a job with this car. We're going out west to Pomona next, and this is a dream come true. We have it made; we're spoiled right now."

Mariani was on the winning end of one of the biggest upsets in a long while. The native Australian, in his first NHRA start, went straight down the track with his quickest run of the weekend to beat championship hopeful Cory McClenathan who ran into traction troubles and could only watch as his title hopes slipped away. McClenathan's misfortune was a tremendous welcome to America gift for Mariani.

"Wow, that's fantastic," said Mariani from the top end of the track. "But we didn't come here and sit back, we wanted to take a shot at it, and we're having a great time. We love it here."

FOR A FRIEND: After notching a win over Chris Karamesines – who qualified better than he has all year with a start from the No. 2 spot – young Steve Torrence, a cancer survivor, had a few words for a friend.

"It's been an interesting weekend and we're just happy to be here and thankful for everything," said Torrence. "I have a buddy back home, Royce Walker, who is battling cancer right now. I wanted to give him a shout-out and say, 'Hey, this is for you.' "

RACEDAY COLOR CHANGE: Dave Grubnic showed up to the first-round with a fresh look for the weekend and scored when Scott Palmer smoked the tires.
"That wasn't a very good job," said Grubnic. "I missed the light and didn't do my job, but we wanted lane choice and we got it. We're flying Technicoat colors today, and we're going to do the best job we possibly can."

RECORD SETTERS – When Larry Dixon got the win light over Troy Buff, he tied Pro Stock legend Bob Glidden for having the most round wins in NHRA history at 597.

"I'm not worthy," said Dixon. "He is such a great competitor, and he just ruled the roost for so many years. To tie him with anything is a major accomplishment."

After resetting the national record for speed during qualifying at 325.14 mph, Tony Schumacher made another impressive blast in the first round with a low-of-the-weekend 3.794 at 324.51, the fourth-fastest pass in the history of racing to 1,000 feet.

"The timing of all of this is unfortunate," said Schumacher, who is all but counting himself out of the championship chase at this point. "But we've got a great race car, and we want to win these last two races. Whoever wins this championship, we don't want them to win these last two races."

 

QUARTER-FINALS

SOME WAKE UP, OTHERS KEEP DREAMING – Mark Mariani's dream weekend came to an end in the second round when Antron Brown outran him, but it was an incredibly respectable effort for the Australian team, while  the victory was another check mark in the confidence-builder column for Brown after recent struggles.

Dom Lagana's dream weekend kept right on trucking with an incredible upset over points leader Larry Dixon, who slowed to a 3.984 and saw Lagana win on a 3.967. Lagana was ecstatic, and in the process of knocking out Dixon in round two, he made a new friend in Cory McClenathan, who will head to Pomona still in the hunt.

"I didn't want to screw anybody up," said Lagana. "But this is unbelievable. We're having a blast out here, and I guess we're living the Vegas life."

NOT FINISHED YET - Parts failure cut McClenathan's weekend short in round one and he temporarily and prematurely relinquished his role in the title chase, which will now be decided in Pomona.

"It's one of those deals: when it breaks through that and it drops a valve, man, it can be catastrophic, and it was. And talk about timing being the worst. The timing couldn't have been any worse. We were going to run a 3.81, something like that . It would have been a good solid run to start the day out with. We never lose first round. I'm just proud of the FRAM guys and what they've done this year.

"Obviously, now we've kind of given it to Dixon. At the same time, now we have to defend our second spot against our DSR teammate Tony Schumacher. It looks like we're going into Pomona racing for second place: that's all there is to it."

YES, WE GET IT – Now that Tony Schumacher and the U.S. Army team have found whatever it is that was lost earlier, they just can't stop showing it off – and why not? They were nearly out of the championship battle until the recent turnaround and have reason to rejoice. In the second round, Schumacher utilized a killer 3.820 at 325.61 mph to yet again reset the national record for speed and put a stop to notorious tree-ace Shawn Langdon's point collecting for the weekend.

"I get more nervous racing Shawn than anyone else out here," said Schumacher. "He's just an awesome driver. But for U.S. Army and all the people out in the stands, we love you guys."


FINAL

SENTIMENTAL FAVORITE VERSUS REALITY – Rookie Top Fuel driver Don Lagana had sentimentality and good fortune on his side during the Top Fuel final. Tony Schumacher had reality.

Schumacher, the No. 1 qualifier, fended off the valiant effort of Lagana with a 3.845 elapsed time at 316.60 mph run. Lagana, for his part, was no pushover, as he made a race of it with a 3.987 second pass at 274.39 miles per hour.

FUNNY CAR

FIRST ROUND

SHOW OF FORCE: John Force is trying frantically to overtake Matt Hagan in his quest to win his NHRA record 15th Funny Car world championship.

Force, who qualified second, came into his first-round matchup trailing Hagan by 57 points. Force kept pace by defeating Jeff Arend. Force clocked a 4.122 second run at 309.56 mph to beat Arend’s 4.547 second effort.

“I told you we have to win eight rounds between here and Pomona,” Force said. “We can’t sit around here and wait for that kid (Hagan) to make a mistake. They’re too good of a team (Don Schumacher Racing). We just have to gobble points we can get in qualifying and maybe the national record at Pomona. I’m going down swinging.”

Force clashes with Melanie Troxel in the second round.

HAGAN ANSWERS FORCE: Shortly after John Force beat Jeff Arend, points leader Matt Hagan came to the line against Tony Pedregon.

With the pressure on him, Hagan responded with the win. Hagan had the low elapsed time of the round at 4.071 seconds at 305.49 mph. Pedregon slowed to 4.951 seconds.

“This Diehard Shelor car is running good,” Hagan said. “We just have to keep our heads about us and keep grounded. We got a car, but so does (John) Force. We are just trying to match this guy round for round and he’s just another guy like everybody else. It’s always an honor to race Tony (Pedregon). Those Pedregon brothers, they’re straight up and they always do things straight up, and that is the way we like to keep things.”

Hagan has Jim Head in round two as his opponent.

BECKMAN STAYS ALIVE: Sometimes lost in the points battle with Matt Hagan and John Force is that Jack Beckman is still in the hunt.

Beckman, who is Hagan’s DSR teammate, is third in points and kept his championship hopes alive by speeding past Bob Bode in the first round. Beckman had a solid 4.113-second time, while Bode slowed to 5.394 seconds.

“I didn’t get greedy on the starting line,” Beckman said. “A lot of times us drivers let our egos get in the way and we want a great light, so we take ourselves a couple of inches at the starting line and we cost ourselves lane choice. We want to win and we are running out of rounds. We want to keep winning rounds.”

CAPPS EXPERIENCES EXPLOSION: Ron Capps did win his first round race with Del Worsham Sunday morning, but it wasn’t without a scare.

Worsham smoked the tires off the line and Capps was cruising down the track when his motor exploded and his chutes came out.

Capp did get the win with a 5.824-second time to just edge Worsham, who got back on the gas, slowed to 6.332 seconds.

After his car came to a stop Capps came out and seemed dazed and sat next to the right side of his car.

“It was a big one,” Capps said. “I have not had that kind of explosion in a long time and I had to try and get my bearings. I thought for sure Del was coming around. We got lucky and we will put a new body on it and come back.

TASCA WINS: Bob Tasca had a consistent run in his opening round getting past Gary Densham. Tasca ran a 4.158 to  Densham's 6.190 seconds.

TROXEL MOVES ON: When Melanie Troxel sat in the cockpit during her first-round matchup with Tim Wilkerson, she was plenty of nervous.

“We had a fuel leak on the starting line so as a driver that kind of throws you off,” said Troxel, who pilots the In-N-Out Dodge Charger. “I see them looking as I’m backing up and they’re pointing at the ground that there is something under there. I got on the radio and said ‘hey guys they're looking for a leak.’ Luckily when the body came up, I could see it on the back of the injector, and I pointed it out to my guys and they got it sealed up. As a driver, you kind have to take a deep breath and get your focus back on things.”

During Troxel’s run she also smoked the tires late, but she was able to win because Wilkerson smoked the tires almost immediately as he left the line.

“I really expected, with the good track conditions out here, for it to go right on down the track,” Troxel said. “When you have to pedal it, you’re thinking oh no you do not want to see the other driver pull out ahead of you. Luckily enough for me, he wasn’t there, so I pedaled the car down the track for a round win. We’re going to the second round in Pro Mod and in Funny Car and it is a great day.”

HEADS UP: Veteran Funny Car driver Jim Head scored the first upset in the Funny Car bracket defeating Cruz Pedregon in round one.

Head clocked a 4.121 time at 305.91 mph to defeat Pedregon’s 4.273-second effort at 270.64 mph.

“It’s not my team that screws up, it is always me,” Head said. “I guess I’m doing OK. I’m happy with the win, but boy  they’re hard to drive. I would like to see Ray Charles drive one of these things.”

Head is coming off a semifinal performance at Reading, Pa., the previous race on the circuit. Pedregon won the Reading event.

Both Head and Pedregon oiled down the lanes causing a lengthy delay.

ASHLEY STAYS CONSISTENT: All weekend, Ashley Force Hood has been the most consistent driver in the Funny Car.

Nothing changed in the first round for Force Hood. Force Hood got past Paul Lee in the first round with a 4.127-second time at 308.99 mph to Lee’s 4.228-second effort.

“We’ve had good runs in qualifying and a great first round,” Force Hood said. “That was a close race and a big sigh of relief (to get the win). You have that moment after a win of excitement and then the stress settles in your belly for the next round. We will go back and get our Mustang back together and try to do it again three more times.”

Force Hood traced his stress to her legendary father John Force.

“Is there any question?” Force Hood said. “My mom is the stress-free zone and my dad is the crazy one, we all know that.”  

 KIDS SAY THE DARNDEST THINGS – John Force enjoys Halloween a lot better than April Fools Day. However, after one exchange with a young race fan, all bets are off.

The young fan gets an autograph from the 14-time champion and in making conversation with him, Force asked the kid what he planned to dress up like for Halloween. “A boat captain,” he responded. The kid asked Force, “What are you going to be Mr. Force?”

Force answered that he hoped to dress up like the point leader on Sunday evening. The kid never missed a beat and quipped, “You’re going to dress up like Matt Hagan?”

PEDREGON’S STREAK STAYS ALIVE:  When Tony Pedregon came to the Las Vegas NHRA Nationals it was with a new look.

The two-time Funny Car work champ is sporting Slick 50 on the side of his machine.

Pedregon says the Slick 50 paint scheme is just a one-race deal for Vegas.

“Slick 50 was just for this race,” said Pedregon, who came to Vegas 10th in the points standings. “At Pomona, Quaker State will be on the car.”

Slick 50 is a brand of Quaker State. The 2010 season concludes Nov. 11-14 at the Auto NHRA Finals in Pomona.

“I do not know anything about next year yet,” Pedregon said. “I hope I know before the offseason what I’m doing for next year, but I have nothing yet.”

Pedregon faced No. 5 qualifier and points leader Matt Hagan in the first round and was beat to end his day.

Pedregon has had a tough-go at The Strip as he didn’t even make the 16-car field until the last qualifying session Saturday night. Pedregon posted a 4.185-second time at 302.69 mph.

By qualifying, Pedregron remained tied with Ron Capps for the longest Funny Car national event qualifying streak at 85.

“I’ve been staring at the Grim Reaper a couple of times,” Pedregon said. “It’s not a good feeling and it is testing our mettle, but we have some good guys and good people.”

Pedregon wasn’t the only top-flight Funny Car driver who had qualifying problems. Tim Wilkerson slipped into the No. 4 spot after not being in the field and Robert Hight, the reigning Funny Car world champ, failed to qualify.

AREND KEEPS PLUGGING ALONG:  Throughout the regular season, Jeff Arend was in a battle to make the Countdown to 1 playoffs.

Arend just missed out on making it into the Top 10 in points as his Kalitta Motorsports entry, finished 11th.

Now, Arend is trying to play the role of spoiler at the Las Vegas NHRA Nationals Sunday and at the Auto Club NHRA Finals at Pomona, Calif., Nov. 11-14.

“The mindset of our team is pretty good,” Arend said. “Obviously, we ‘re all racers and we want to win whether we are in the Countdown or not.”

Arend qualified 15th for the Las Vegas Nationals and he faced No. 2 qualifier John Force Sunday in the first round. Arend came up short in the opening round against Force.

“We made a change to the chassis right before Brainerd (Aug. 12-15) and then we tested at Indy (before the U.S. Nationals),” Arend said. “We got the cars front halved and it seemed to make a pretty good difference right away. Nick (Boninfante) and Jon O (Oberhofer) have been working on a different way to run our clutch. The combination of those two things, having the chassis front halved so it works properly and you can get it going really good early and the way they run the clutch later on has made the car a lot better.”

Arend’s team made some real progress at Charlotte and Dallas. Arend made it to the semis at Charlotte before losing to Cruz Pedregon. At Dallas, he qualified third before getting upended by Matt Hagan in the first round. At Reading, Arend’s car was plagued by mechanical problems and he was beat by Jack Beckman in round one.

“We want to go some rounds and we would love to win at Las Vegas and Pomona,” Arend said. “Starting off next year, I think we’re going to have a way better car.”

Arenda believes the source of his team’s woes was the car’s chassis.

“The chassis was kind of the big deal for us,” Arend said. “At the really good race tracks like Topeka and the ones that were really smooth, we were able to go down the track and run well there. Then, we got to some tracks that had some bumps on them and our chassis would not absorb the bumps and our car would smoke the tires even if when we weren’t trying to run low ET. That is where the front half has helped us a lot. We used to have some problems smoking the tires in the middle of the track and with the new way we’re running the clutch, we have fixed that.”

Arend, who has been racing Funny Cars since 1995, has two career wins, the last coming in 2009 at Memphis.

Prior to coming to Kalitta Motorsports in 2008, Arend spend the 2007 campaign as a teammate with Del Worsham. The same Del Worsham who has been racing Funny Cars since 1990 and is going to run a second Top Fuel dragster for Al-Anabi Racing next season.

“Del and I are really good friends, and how do you say no to driving a second Top Fuel car for Alan Johnson,” Arend said. “I’m not going to say you are guaranteed a championship, but you are guaranteed a good run at one. There is no doubt about that. Del and I have talked about it and he has been racing Funny Cars for a long time, so he has race against the same guys for 20 years. He is a great driver and a good tuner and I think he is going to have some fun over there. I think he wants to beat up on some of those Top Fuel guys a little bit.”

 

QUARTER-FINALS

HAGAN DOESN’T FLINCH: Everywhere Matt Hagan turns, people are always telling him or reminding him he is leading legendary John Force in the point standings.

The pressure, however, doesn’t seem to be bothering the 27-year-old Don Schumacher Racing driver at all.

Hagan keeps answering Force punch for punch or round for round in this case. Hagan is in the semis, thanks to beating Jim Head. Hagan had a 4.133-second run to beat Head, whose run was plagued by engine problems.

“We’re just having fun,” Hagan said. “We have six more rounds of racing left. Right now, we have to worry about two more and then we will go one at a time and see what happens.”

Hagan tangles with Ashley Force Hood in the semifinals.

JOHN FORCE KEEPS SWINGING: John Force knows he has no time to waste if he’s going to come back and beat Matt Hagan for the world title.

Force’s sense of urgency has been present all weekend in Las Vegas and he was all smiles when he beat Melanie Troxel in the second round.

Force won a pedal fest with a 4.710-second time at 197.65 mph. Troxel came in at 4.856 seconds at 227.38 mph.

“I have been a mess my whole life, you have a problem with that (Alan) Reinhardt? Good man,” Force said at the top end of the track. “We’re going to give that kid (Hagan) a run for his money.”

Force has fellow Ford driver Bob Tasca III in the semis, but he’s also aware his daughter Ashley Force Hood has Hagan in the semis.

“I’m so proud of her,” Force said. “I want to see that kid excel. She’s my retirement.”

ASHLEY KNOCKS OFF BECKMAN: All weekend, Ashley Force Hood has been a case study in consistency.

Force Hood didn’t veer off course in the second round. Force Hood, the No. 1 qualifier, moved on to the semis by defeating Jack Beckman in the second round.

Force Hood came in at 4.135 seconds at 309.77 mph to beat Jack Beckman’s 4.213-second run.

“It is hard to race people who are good friends of yours, and Jack is a great guy,” Force Hood said. “He was my first racing teacher. He taught me in the Super Comp car more than 10 years ago. It is always tough to go up against Jack or my teammates or my own relatives. You just have to put that out of your mind and think of your team and try to do the best you can do. It’s easier to lose against those people because they are friends of yours. I was nervous that round. They are a really good team (Don Schumacher Racing) and they’re running strong. Jack and I are going back and forth in the points and Sunday we’re going to the semis and that feels good.”

Force Hood and Beckman came to Vegas fourth and third in the points, respectively.

Force Hood gets points leader Matt Hagan in the semifinals. The same Hagan who has a 57-point lead over her father John Force in the points chase.

“My dad better be nice to me,” Force Hood said.

TASCA CLIPS CAPPS: Bob Tasca III has had a strong run in Vegas.

After qualifying sixth, Tasca sped past Gary Densham in round one and then he enjoyed some good fortune in second round against Ron Capps.

Tasca’s engine was hurt almost right off the starting line, but it didn’t matter as Capps smoked the tires at 600 feet. Tasca claimed the win with a 4.305-second run, while Capps slowed to 4.763 seconds.

“The motor was wounded on the first hit and we hung in there and we will take that one,” Tasca said. “We have not had too many lucky breaks this season, so that might have just been the one to win this thing.

Things will not get easier for Tasca as he faces 14-time world champ John Force in the semis.

Tasca has rebounded nicely this weekend in his Motor Craft/Quick Lane Ford after losing in the first round to Del Worsham at Reading, Pa., the last national event.

FINAL

CLASH OF THE TITANS - If there ever was a heavyweight fight amongst Funny Car racers, 14-time champion John Force and title hopeful Matt Hagan staged a 15-round knockdown drag out in the final round.

Force successfully repelled Hagan’s youthful effort by beating him on both ends of the track.

With .024 in his pocket as they passed the tree, Force never looked back en route to a winning 4.232, 281.36. With the victory, Force now trails Hagan by 37 headed into Pomona.

 

PRO STOCK

FIRST ROUND

DO OR DIE – The first pair of 500 cubic inch machines to pull to the starting line was the highly anticipated pairing of defending Pro Stock world champion Mike Edwards, second in the standings entering the event, and Nitro Fish Pontiac driver Greg Stanfield, who was holding the third place position before qualifying. Both were looking to give points leader Greg Anderson a run for the money, but only one would emerge from the first round unscathed. Former Lucas Oil Series champ Stanfield slapped a .013 light on Edwards, who was .043 at the tree, and carried through to win the critical round on a holeshot, 6.682 to 6.655.

IN PROTECTIVE MODE - Meanwhile, Anderson was painfully aware that his first round challenger had the better racecar during qualifying. However, the odds were in Anderson's favor in terms of past performances – each of the previous six times the two had met, he was the victor. Also notable, qualifying position hasn't meant a lot for the three-time world champion this season. Despite starting from the bottom half 10 times, Anderson has been making it count on raceday with four wins in six final rounds. Three of his final rounds began with a bottom-half start.

In front of team owner Ken Black (on the mend from a stroke last year and reappearing at the drag strip for the first time), Anderson was first off the starting line, .039 to .064, and shut out Roger Brogdon at the top end by more than a hundredth.

It was a good round for KB Racing as all three of their Summit Racing cars advanced: Jason Line beat Larry Morgan and Ronnie Humphrey got the nod when Ron Krisher fouled by .022.

THAT HURTS – No. 2 qualifier V. Gaines has been remarkable as of late in terms of performance – he also nabbed the second spot in Reading, his best position all season. First round he laid down another stellar run in his Kendall Dodge – a 6.640 that was low of the weekend – but it was for naught as he illuminated the red bulb by .016.

The red-light was a gift for Bob Yonke, who was making his first start since Denver and hadn't won a round since Englishtown.

RIVAL REVIVAL – Former teammates and rivals Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Dave Connolly had a chance to square off in the opening stanza, just like old times. This time, Coughlin, in the JEGS.com Cobalt, was better at both ends of the track and got the best of Reading winner Connolly, setting up a second round meeting for Coughlin with his longtime performance parts house rival, Summit Racing-backed Anderson.

NO REST FOR THE WEARY – Stanfield has historically seemed to almost enjoy being the underdog, but his bursts of success, including a win at the U.S. Nationals and a serious bid for the championship, along with backing from Kenny Koretsky's Nitro Fish brand, have necessitated a revocation of his Underdog Card that has been replaced with a badge of Don't Underestimate Me. Now he just has to get past the massive horsepower of low qualifier Allen Johnson in the second round, who wants those points just as bad as he does.

QUARTER-FINALS

COMING TO THE END OF THE ROAD – Allen Johnson has a ton of horsepower beneath the hood of his Mopar Dodge Avenger, and he has a ton of skill and a boatload of determination, but raceday has not been kind to the racer who has qualified No. 1 seven times this season and had entered the Countdown to the Championship with a very real possibility to win it all for the first time in his career.

The title was a longshot entering the event, but for the third race in a row, Johnson flexed the muscle of his Hemi powered Avenger and raced to the pole in qualifying. He clicked off a win over Johnny Gray in the first round, but come round two, his luck turned when he was second to leave the starting line next to Greg Stanfield and forfeited the round on a holeshot.

STILL IN IT - Stanfield's round win over Johnson brightened his own championship hopes considerably. The No. 8 qualifier called on his starting line prowess to stay in the game in his match with the low qualifier and cut a .016 light to beat AJ's .048 reaction.

"I'm doing everything I can," said Stanfield. "I don’t know what that light was there, but I swear that Christmas tree wiggled when I went by it. For Kenny Koretsky, Greg Hill, Eddie [Guarnaccia, crew chief], and all the whole crew, hey, we're having fun today in Vegas."

WHATEVER IT TAKES – Stanfield wasn't the only one getting it done at the starting line. Greg Anderson wheeled his Summit Racing Pontiac out of the gate with a .025 reaction to opponent Jeg Coughlin Jr.'s .038 and parlayed it into a holeshot win at the top end, 6.663 to 6.659. According to NHRA announcer Bob Frey, it was the first time in Anderson's career that he had won a round over longtime rival Coughlin on a holeshot.

"I don’t care, that win light is on and that is all that matters," said an emotional Anderson before he even emerged from his racecar at the top end. "I don't care how it happened. I love this place, and I just want to bring it home so bad for the Black family. We've got all the Summit VIPs here this weekend, so that would look pretty good."

DECISIONS ON LAUNCH – The outcome of every match in the Pro Stock quarterfinals was decided at the tree. Stanfield and Anderson both won on holeshots, and Jason Line and Shane Gray both advanced on red-lighting opponents.

 

SEMI-FINALS

FOR KEN – Summit Racing teammates Greg Anderson and Jason Line wasted no time in making their KB Racing owner Ken Black feel right back at home in his return to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Anderson was a terrific .019 at the tree and clocked a 6.677, but opponent Shane Gray's red-light start followed by traction troubles assured Anderson a final round advancement.

"Obviously, it's my lucky day," said Anderson. "The Lord is looking out for me today, along with the Black family and the Summit crew. There is something about Las Vegas. I don't know what it is, but I love this place, and I've had a lot of success here. It's just been a magical day so far, and I can't imagine one way to finish it off even better and make it even more magical than to put this thing in the winner's circle."

On the other side of the ladder, Summit teammate Line was a thousandth quicker off of the starting line than notoriously quick leaver Greg Stanfield, and he closed the deal at the top end with a 6.652 to beat the Nitro Fish driver's 6.664.

"This is for Ken Black," said Line. "Ken and Judy have been through so much this year, and I love them. I'll tell you right now, no matter what, this is the best day of racing in my life. I'm just so proud to be here to represent Ken and Summit and everybody. I'm very happy right now."

 

FINAL

A CRUCIAL WIN - The final round was a win-win situation for team owner Ken Black but not his point-leading driver Greg Anderson. With a victory over teammate Jason Line, he could all but shut the door on his closest challenger Mike Edwards.

Anderson slammed the door shut with a .011 starting line advantage and a 6.654, 207.43 to 6.656, 207.46 win over Line.

Anderson leads Edwards by 115 points headed into Pomona.

 

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

FIRST ROUND

THRASHING IN THE PITS: During a qualifying run Saturday, Pro Stock motorcycle rider Matt Smith had a wild ride at the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals.

Smith, the 2007 Pro Stock Motorcycle world champ, clocked a 6.985-second pass at 190.67 mph in the right lane at The Strip.

Just after Smith crossed the quarter-mile finish line, he was in trouble because he had no brakes.

Smith, who rides the Al-Anabi Racing Buell, could not slow down and he went up the hill and eventually came to a stop after crashing in the pea gravel trap at the end of the track. Smith walked away from the accident unhurt.

Smith was especially frustrated about his wreck because his bike was making its debut this weekend.

Smith had his older bike in the hauler, but he and his crew thrashed in the pits and rebuilt the new bike and ran it in the final qualifying session Saturday night.

Smith, the No. 6 qualifier met No. 11 qualifier Michael Phillips in the first round, and his hard work paid off. Smith scored the win with a 7.045-second run at 187.00 mph. Phillips had engine problems and slowed to 10.172 seconds.

ARANA STAYS HOT: It appears Hector Arana’s struggles since July have finally vanished. Arana the reigning Pro Stock Motorcycle world champ, won the No. 1 qualifying spot with a 6.909-second time.

Arana and his Lucas Oil Buell kept rolling in the first round with a 6.993-second time at 188.41 mph to beat Scotty Pollacheck’s 7.286 effort.

Pollacheck from Medford, Ore., was making his Pro Stock Motorcycle national event debut. Arana’s string of good runs will be put to the test in round two against LE Tonglet. Tonglet, a 20-year-old rookie, is locked in a points battle with Andrew Hines to win the championship.

TONGLET’S MOTOR COMES AROUND: During the first round of qualifying Friday, LE Tonglet broke his motor.

The same motor that powered him to three national events and runner-up performance in the last three races. Tonglet’s Nitro Fish Gear Suzuki team put in a new engine in the motorcycle and the motor came through in round one.

Tonglet beat Bailey Whitaker with a 6.986-second time at 188.91 mph. Whitaker slowed to a 7.126-effort. That was Tonglet’s best time of the weekend.

“We know the motor is strong, we just had to get some runs on it,” Tonglet said.

UNDERDAHL STAYS CONSISTENT: Jim Underdahl of Forest Lake, Minn., qualified fourth at Vegas with a 6.954-second time and he proved the time was no fluke.

Underdahl stayed consistent with a 7.017-second time at 191.76 mph to edge David Hope. Hope came in with a 7.124 second time.

Up next for Underdahl is Shawn Gann in round two.

GANN SURGING IN VEGAS: This season has been a struggle for Shawn Gann.

The veteran Pro Stock Motorcycle racer lost in the first round at six consecutive races and then skipped the Dallas event.

Gann returned at Reading and made it to the second round before losing to Eddie Krawiec.

Gann looks even better in Vegas. Gann qualified fifth and he clocked a 7.103-second effort to beat Angie Smith’s 7.112-second run.

Gann get Underdahl in round two.

KRAWIEC SURVIVES HOLESHOT: Eddie Krawiec had a bad light in his round one race against Matt Guidera. Fortunately for Krawiec, his .096 reaction time didn’t cost Krawiec the victory.

Krawiec clocked a 6.976-second effort at 191.40 mph to chase down Guidera.

HINES WINS, GETS TEAMMATE NEXT: Andrew Hines is in the midst of a tight points battle with Tonglet. He came to Vegas 72 points in front of Tonglet for the points lead.

Tonglet won in round one and Hines countered with a win over Craig Treble. Hines clocked a 6.992-second run at 190.06 mph. Treble was at 7.072 seconds.

Hines knows plenty about his second-round opponent. Hines meets his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson teammate Eddie Krawiec.

Hines and Krawiec last met in eliminations at Reading, Pa., the national event before Vegas, and Hines won. Hines had a 6.906 second time, while Krawiec slowed to a 6.980.

STOFFER CLAIMS VICTORY: Karen Stoffer has had a solid weekend in Vegas. She qualified seventh and she came out in the first round and knocked off veteran Steve Johnson. Stoffer clocked a 7.002-second run at 188.81 mph to edge Johnson’s 7.118-second run.

 

QUARTER-FINALS

TONGLET STOPS ARANA: Most of the weekend, LE Tonglet has been chasing good times. Hector Arana, meanwhile, was setting the pace in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class in Las Vegas.

None of that mattered in the second round.

Tonglet, a 20-year-old rookie, kept his title hopes alive and well by defeating Arana with a 7.004-second run at 187.26 mph. Arana’s motorcycle had engine problems and slowed to 13.665 seconds.

Tonglet faces Jim Underdahl in the semis.

Tonglet is trying to extend his streak of making it to the final round to five. Tonglet, who is from Metairie, La., won at Indy, Charlotte and Dallas and was a runner-up at Reading, Pa., the last race before Vegas.

Underdahl made it to the semis by zipping past Shawn Gann. Underdahl’s winning elapsed time was 7.024 seconds, just edging Gann’s 7.078-second effort.

SMITH’S REWARDED: Matt Smith and his crew on the Al-Anabi Racing Buell had a busy Saturday night. He and his crew spent the night repairing his brand new motorcycle he wrecked during qualifying Saturday.

“I have the best crew out here,” Smith said. “We all worked hard to get my bike together after I put it in the sand. I messed my back and neck up and I’m pretty sore, but I’m going rounds.”

SEEING RED: The second-round battle between Harley-Davidson teammates Andrew Hines and Eddie Krawiec didn’t materialize. That’s because Krawiec had a redlight with a negative .011 reaction time.

Krawiec’s redlight gave Hines the win. Hines, who came into Vegas 72 points ahead of Tonglet, his 10th final round this season, has five wins so far this season.

SEMI-FINALS

TONGLET’S STREAK CONTINUES: When LE Tonglet blew his engine in qualifying Friday, it didn’t seem like a good sign.

Well, it didn’t slow Tonglet down. The 20-year-old rookie made it to his fifth consecutive national event final round Sunday.

Tonglet is going to run for the championship at the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals, thanks to beating Jim Underdahl in the semifinals. Tonglet clocked a 6.948 second run at 190.22 mph. Underdahl had a solid run at 6.988 seconds at 190.78 mph.

Tonglet came to Vegas trailing Hines by 72 points for the points lead. This is Tonglet’s seventh final round and five of them were against Hines. Tonglet has four final round wins.

“This is huge,” Tonglet said. “We were struggling hard in qualifying and we put in our new motor from Vance & Hines and it seems to be hauling butt. I hate to see Andrew lose, but we really want to win this championship with Nitro Fish and everybody behind us.”

SMITH KNOCKS OFF HINES: If LE Tonglet was going to make some points on Andrew Hines for the race to the world championship, he was going to need some help. And, he received it from Matt Smith.

Smith, the 2007 Pro Stock Motorcycle world champ, beat Hines in a photo finish in the semifinals. Smith clocked a 7.037-second pass at 187.73 mph to defeat Hines, who came in at 7.041 seconds at 189.82 mph.

Smith’s trek to the finals is especially impressive since he ran his brand new Buell into the pea gravel in the run-off area at the end of the track during the first qualifying session Saturday.

“Hat’s off to my guys for rebuilding this bike from scratch,” said Smith, who pilots the Al-Anabi Buell. “This bike came from Johnny Gray’s shop and I have to thank Al-Anabi and Red Line Oil for giving me the opportunity because we have a pretty good bike. That kid (Tonglet) has been hot, but I’m due to catch me a fish.”

 

FINAL

THE KID IS HOT AGAIN - The L.E. Tonglet party train continues to roll down the tracks. With one race remaining in 2010, the rookie of the year lock pulled within 34 points of leader Andrew Hines by winning the final round over Matt Smith.

Tonglet gained a round on Hines following his Reading runner-up and used a 6.951 elapsed time at 188.86 miles per hour to drive around Smith, who lost with a 6.983, 189.03.

Tonglet can claim the title by sweeping qualifying plus going one round further or winning two more rounds than Hines in Pomona.

   

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SATURDAY NOTEBOOK - MOMMA SAID THERE'D BE DAYS LIKE THIS

A STRANGE NIGHT INDEED - After hours and hours of oil delays and fierys crashes, Ashley Force Hood ended the day where she began it, atop the Funny Car qualifying ladder.

Force Hood’s 4.032-second time on Friday enabled her to capture the pole Saturday night at the Las Vegas NHRA Nationals.

“I was most nervous with the change of conditions and then I was hoping we would get to run in cool temperatures,” Force Hood said. “Then, we got a longer delay and I was worried if might be too cold. I was just glad I got the car from A to B. It was so long of a delay and I do not think any of us have been in this long of session. I was just glad we made a good pass to make it worth the wait.”

Force Hood concluded the never-ending night with a 4.057-second run.

“That run showed it was just a perfectly good track despite all those obstacles,” Force Hood said.

Matt Hagan remains atop the points chase at 2,477, followed by John Force (2420), Jack Beckman (2381) and Force Hood (2348). Force Hood picked up four bonus qualifying points Friday.

This was Force Hood’s fifth pole of the season and 14th of her career. Force Hood’s pass Friday night was the 10th quickest at 1,000 feet in NHRA history.

It was thought Force Hood may try to break Hagan’s national record elapsed time of 4.011 seconds Saturday night, but she wasn’t complaining about her 4.05-second effort.

“Everybody wants to go for that number (4.011), but I would rather take an A to B run any day than not get down the track,” Force Hood said. “Ron (Douglas) and Guido (Dean Antonelli) (Force Hood’s crew chief) are doing a great job. This has been a strange night and thanks to the fans who stuck around and I’m glad we could give them a good run to finish the night.”

SCHUMACHER HOLDS ON FOR TOP SPOT - At the conclusion of an exceptionally long day of qualifying packed with excessive oil downs and other lengthy delays, U.S. Army driver Tony Schumacher stood out as the best with his 3.812 at 325.14 mph which he recorded Friday evening. No one could get around the reigning Full Throttle Series champ, and to punctuate his presence he backed up the 325.14 pass with a 324.12 in the first session on Saturday to secure the national record.

The low qualifier award was the second of the season for Schumacher, and the 60th of his career. The No. 1 marks the 20th time this season that he has qualified in the top half of the sixteen car field.

"[The extended delay] is not what you hope for, but NHRA did the best that they could do, and I'm sure that the guys who oiled the track down, they're not trying to do it," commented Schumacher. "It's not fun. We were supposed to be running at 3:30 and having a nice meal, watching the freaky people dress up in Vegas for Halloween. But here we are, it's 8:00 at night and Funny Car has just started. The conditions are a little bit too cold with the track being 68 degrees, but some of the guys made it, so good for them."

Many Top Fuelers didn't get down the track in the final session under the lights, including Schumacher, his season-long rival Larry Dixon, and DSR teammate and championship challenger Cory McClenathan. Those who did make full passes were Australian Mark Mariani, in his first NHRA event driving the car formerly owned and driven by David Baca. Mariani put a 3.986 on the scoreboard for the No. 15 spot, and Bob Vandergriff Jr., Scott Palmer, Steve Torrence, and Dave Grubnic all made their way from A to B.

Grubnic's respectable 3.838 -- good for the No. 3 position -- was especially rewarding as Kalitta Racing teammate Doug Kalitta missed the field for the first time this season.

Unfortunately for all, massive oil downs ruled the day, and GEICO driver Morgan Lucas was horribly let down when his final run of the weekend was in the delaying group. Lucas desperately needed a full pass to break into the field, but in the end, he failed to qualify for the first time this year.

"I'm not disappointed with anything but my driving right there," said Lucas. "It started shaking really hard, and I thought I got out of it. I was just going to get back on it one time and try to get it to go. I think I just wanted it way too bad, and I got in way over my head.

"I'm just really dejected right now. Dickie [Venables, crew chief] and Kurt [Elliot, co crew chief] and the rest of the guys are doing a great job; if I could just get my head out of my you-know-what, we'll be alright."

Schumacher, 154 points behind points leader Dixon entering the event with McClenathan between them in the second position, looks to put the strenuous qualifying sessions behind him and start fresh on raceday.

"It's been a long day, but tomorrow will be great," said Schumacher, who will pull up next to Vandergriff in the first round. "We'll have great weather. I can't wait. I look forward to it, and I wouldn't want to race against my car tomorrow. We have an awesome car, the guys are doing an incredible job, and we definitely have the right tune-up for this track and these conditions."

IT'S A THRILLER - It figures on the eve of Halloween, NHRA pro qualifying was a nightmare at the Las Vegas NHRA Nationals.

Oil downs, fiery explosions and crashes were common place at The Strip.

The worst wreck came when Funny Car driver Jeff Diehl had a wild ride in his Rimz One Chevy Monte Carlo.

Diehl’s car launched from the starting line and veered sharply toward the right. The throttle hung open and Diehl’s car smashed into the right side wall and the impact pulled the car’s body off the chassis, sending it over the wall. The chutes came out as Diehl jerked the chassis back, crossed the center line and then hit the left wall where fire erupted from the car.

Shortly after the car stopped, Diehl jumped out and walked away from the potentially horrific accident. Robert Hight was in the left lane but his car had handling problems at the same place where Diehl’s car initially veered to the right.

“It was a hard hit,” Diehl said about the initial contact his car made with the wall. “It took my breath away. I’m all right, I’m just a little upset. The car went out there and shook and I lifted, but the throttle just hung wide open. I do not know what it hung on. We messed with the linkage in the pits and maybe something was wrong there. It was just wide open and it was driving and shaking and just turned into the wall. I’m like damn, ‘what do I do here?’ I just had to ride it out.”

The crash was especially devastating for Diehl’s team, which is on a limited budget.

“It is killing me right now,” Diehl said. “I want to go look at the car so bad and I guess I don’t. I just need some help. I can do this. I just need some help. I’m not a dummy. I think I have proved it. I keep walking away from these messes and I do not even want to be in them. They keep happening and I do not know what it is. I love driving these things and I know where I’m at. I was scared I was going to hit Robert (Hight). I didn’t know if he smoked the tires. What a mess. I’m embarrassed.”

Diehl was qualified 15th in the field at 4.42 seconds, before his crash.

 

ALLEN JOHNSON STAYS ON TOP - For the third consecutive race, Mopar Dodge Avenger driver Allen Johnson raced to the top of the Pro Stock pack, and for the second straight event, the top two spots were occupied by Dodge entries; Kendall Dodge pilot V. Gaines will enter raceday in the No. 2 position. The No. 1 is the seventh of the season for Johnson and the 14th of his career.

With tuner Mark Ingersoll on the wrenches, the Greenville, Tenn., resident harnessed the Hemi power provided by his father, engine builder Roy Johnson, and clicked off a cool 6.646 at 207.75 mph to improve on his previous time and emphasize his possession of the pole. A very extended first session in the nitro ranks pushed the final round of qualifying to much later than expected and cooled the track considerably, which worked in Johnson's favor.

"We knew that this run was going to be the best one after over four hours of down time," said Johnson. "The sun goes down, and the track gets awesome here. We knew we had to get after it to keep [the pole], and that's what we did, we stepped it up."

Though he has qualified fourth or better at all but three races this season, the three most recent previous events have been trying for Johnson. In Charlotte he was disqualified, and in Dallas and Reading he collected low qualifier honors but fell in the second and first rounds, respectively.

"Our car, I have to tell you, is a little bit unpredictable, and that's been our problem on raceday," admitted Johnson. "We worked on it some, and hopefully we made that a lot better for tomorrow. But we're not going to change a lot for raceday running behind the fuel cars instead of in front of them. We have to make a few adjustments, but we're going to keep that kill button pushed."

Johnson's first-round opponent will be No. 16 qualifier Johnny Gray, who, surprisingly, barely made the field. Gray, 9th in the Full Throttle Series standings prior to the race, has earned a ticket to compete on Sunday at every event since the spring race in Charlotte. Prior to qualifying, Gray's crew chief, Craig Hankinson, reported that they were trying a new engine design to see if they were moving in the right direction for next season.

Another standout first-round pairing is the meeting between defending series champion Mike Edwards and Nitro Fish GXP driver Greg Stanfield, incoming points leader Greg Anderson's nearest challengers for the championship title; Edwards trailed Anderson by 36 points and Stanfield was 85 marks back entering the event.

Anderson, who qualified ninth, will forfeit lane choice to Attitude Apparel/Pistonator GXP driver Rodger Brogdon, who starts from the No. 6 spot.

No. 2 qualifier Gaines will take on the second Nitro Fish car driven by Bob Yonke, who made the field for the first time since Denver. Drivers who weren't as fortunate as Yonke included 97-time national event winner Warren Johnson, who hasn't logged a DNQ since Houston, and Vinnie Deceglie, who hadn't made an appearance at a national event since the recent Charlotte race and missed the No. 16 spot here in Las Vegas by a mere thousandth.

Johnson racked up some nice bonus points in qualifying for leading three of the four sessions, and Gaines and Jeg Coughlin Jr. snatched up the rest available in the final two rounds of qualifying.

Heading into tomorrow, Johnson is realistic but hasn't lost sight of the main objective of the season.

"Reading really kicked us in the butt, losing first round there and actually, second round at Dallas, too," said Johnson, who was fifth in the standings prior to racing in Las Vegas with 185 points separating himself from the lead points position. "If we would have been to the semis at both of those races, we would have a legitimate shot at the championship. Now we have to have a miracle happen, but we're going to scratch and claw and keep on getting after it."

ARANA ON TOP HEADED INTO SUNDAY - The Hector Arana from last year showed up this weekend in Las Vegas.

Arana, the reigning Pro Stock Motorcycle world champ, looked like one Saturday night as he captured the pole for the Las Vegas NHRA Nationals with a track record time of 6.909 seconds at 193.60 mph.

“For me, this run means everything,” Arana said. “I wanted to show people that I can come back. I’m going to fight until the end and I’m going to keep working harder. I knew I had a problem and we went and found it and fixed it. We’re back running what we should have been doing from the get go.”

This is Arana’s sixth No. 1 qualifying spot of the season and 15th of his career. Arana’s last pole on his Lucas Oil Buell came at Sonoma, Calif., in July.

Arana actually had the No. 1 spot taken from him by Eddie Krawiec moments before his own qualifying pass. Krawiec, on his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson, posted a 6.911-second effort with a track record speed of 196.02 mph. Krawiec takes on Matt Guidera in the first round.

Since the Mile-High Nationals in July, Hector Arana has been struggling to find just what ailed his bike, droping from first in the points standings to seventh in the process.

Arana has rediscovered his magic and he doesn’t want to change a thing.

“I’m going to tell you one thing, that belt is staying in that chassis, and it is not coming off,” Arana said.

Arana, who won a career-high five races a year ago, is still searching for his first win this season. He has lost in the first round at the last two events, Charlotte and Dallas, but he’s upbeat about Sunday.

“I’m going to try to relax, so I can have a good night sleep and concentrate for Sunday.”

Arana clashes with No. 16 qualifier Scotty Pollacheck in the first round.

Andrew Hines, the Pro Stock Motorcycle points leader, qualified third and second place LE Tonglet is eighth. Hines meets Craig Treble in round one and Tonglet tangles with Bailey Whitaker.

This is Whitaker’s second race of the season.

“I raced at Gainesville and I blew up everything I had,” Whitaker said. “I’m a spoiler at this race. We’re coming in and trying to spoil the boys who are running for the points. I’m going to team up with Matt Guidera and Mohegan Sun and Rum Bum Racing and we’re going to run a full season next year.”

 

 

 

BIG NUMBERS FOR LITTLE BROTHER - At 25 years of age, Dom Lagana is one of the youngest nitro drivers in the NHRA ranks, and he only has a handful of races under his belt, but this weekend the Scarsdale, N.Y., resident drove like a veteran as he piloted the Big O Tires/Tire Kingdom Top Fuel dragster to a career best 3.928 at 309.27 mph in the same car that his brother, Bobby Lagana Jr., just drove to the IHRA world championship.

After losing the first run of the day when the radio antenna popped off the body and fell into the blower, causing it to backfire and throw the burst panels, the team was elated to lay down the quick pass in Friday's second qualifying session.

"We were pretty disappointed with that first run, so to come back last night and run that .92 was awesome," said Dom. "That was pretty much right what we were shooting for."

It's all about team effort in the Lagana camp. Bobby can do everything from drive the rig to pilot and tune the race car, and Dom doesn't just drive the car, he also does the bottom end between rounds.

"I love the job, and I've been doing it for 10 years," said the younger Lagana. "If I couldn't work on the car, I definitely wouldn't be out here, that's for sure. Everybody here chips in and puts in their honest and best effort, and it's not just me in the car when I'm driving; everybody has a piece of themselves in there.

"Our goal is to get the car down the track and not overstep our boundaries. We just try to run within our means, and [because of that] I have all the confidence in the world. It just makes it easy for me to go in and do my job driving the car."

Having a world champion as a brother is a decided advantage for the young driver as well. Dom recognizes that when Bobby started driving, they didn't have the most competitive car and though their drag racing father, Bobby Lagana Sr., was a good teacher, his brother learned a lot on his own.

"There are definitely certain things that you can only learn by experience, but Bobby has taught me so much," said Dom. "Any kind of question I have, I can ask him, and right away he knows what I'm thinking. It's been a real smooth ride for me as far as learning how to drive, and heck, every run I learn something new."

The drag racing brothers have alternated driving the car in the NHRA ranks, but looking into the future, big brother Bobby says that the tentative plan for the team is to run the Top Fuel dragster at seven NHRA events next season, with Dom behind the wheel.

For now, they are concentrating on finishing the weekend at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on a high note, and then they're off to Pomona to compete at the NHRA Finals for the first time.

"It has been a dream of ours to run our car out west," said Dom. "Big O Tires and Tire Kingdom came up big for us, and we appreciate it. It's going to be fun running [in Pomona]. It's such a historic place, and we really can't wait."

SCARY MOMENT - Everything seemed normal for Matt Smith on his Saturday morning qualifying pass at the Las Vegas NHRA Nationals.

Smith, the 2007 Pro Stock Motorcycle world champ, clocked a 6.985-second pass at 190.67 mph in the right lane at The Strip.

Just after Smith crossed the quarter-mile finish line, he was in trouble because he had no brakes.

Smith, who rides the Al-Anabi Racing Buell, could not slow down and he went up the hill and eventually came to a stop after crashing in the pea gravel trap at the end of the track. Smith walked away from the accident under his own power.

“They said when I left the starting line, the brake pad was laying on the ground,” Smith said. “There is a bolt that holds the two pads in and the bolt vibrated loose and the pad was there. I had no front brake whatsoever and the rear brakes, they do not stop these bikes at all. They’re just there for show. Soon as I pulled the brake on the handle bar, I knew I had no brakes. I kept pumping and pumping them. Then, I put my right foot down and it started getting hot and I pulled it up. It burned a whole through my shoe.”

With his motorcycle not slowing down, Smith went into survival mode.

“I just wanted to try and keep the bike straight up, but I couldn’t, and I had to go in at over 100 mph into the gravel,” Smith said. “They have little ruts down through there (in the run-off area) and I got right in the rut and all of a sudden the rut turned and I couldn’t turn enough. The bike laid down and it pitched me plum off and I landed on the back of my head, and it kind of dazed me for a little bit. I tumbled about 30 to 40 feet past my bike.”

Angie Smith, Matt’s wife and fellow Pro Stock Motorcycle racer, watched Matt’s run unfold in front of her eyes. Angie was preparing to make a qualifying run, in the same right lane, right after Matt.

“It is really hard when you’re married to somebody and you compete together,” Angie said. “Then, you see them down there and they are not in the position they usually are. It shook me up pretty good. We went out there and made a good run down the race track. It was good, but it is hard. When you look up and see your husband up there, I wanted to get down there and give him a hug. I wanted to see for myself that he was all right, but I knew I had to make a run.”

Angie did climb off her Coffman Tank Trucks Buell for a few minutes while the NHRA Safety Safari was tending to Matt, but she knew her place was at the starting line.

“I know without a shadow of a doubt that he (Matt) would want me to make the run,” Angie said. “No matter what, I knew that’s what he wanted so that’s what I did and I knew I could get down there to see him. When I saw him (on the AC Delco vision screen) get up and he was laughing, that made me feel a little better. When he came inside our hauler, I hugged him and I told him I loved him.”

Smith was especially frustrated about his wreck because his bike was making its debut this weekend.

“I was pissed because this is a brand new bike, and that was just the third hit on it,” Smith said. “We will see what happens if I can ride it again. I have my other bike in there (in the hauler).”

Smith says he also crashed his Pro Stock Motorcycle several years ago at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa.

“That was a long time ago, but that time I just stopped in the sand,” Smith said. “I didn’t get thrown from the bike that time, like I did this time.”

BACK WHERE HE BELONGS - Much has been right in the world of KB Racing lately. Heading into the 10th annual NHRA Las Vegas Nationals, Summit Racing Pontiac driver Greg Anderson was in the points lead for the first time since 2008, and the three-time world champion had been to three consecutive money rounds, with four wins on his scorecard thus far this season in six final rounds.

Anderson's Summit Racing teammate, 2006 world champion Jason Line, entered the event fourth in the standings with one win in four final rounds and a No. 1 qualifier scored at the Charlotte event.

All of that is fine and dandy, but the big story coming out of the KB Racing pits this weekend is the return of their leader, chief-motivator, friend, and team owner, Ken Black. After suffering a serious stroke last December that left him with a long and arduous road to recovery, Black has finally returned to the racetrack to watch the team that he has supported through thick and thin battle for the championship title.

"It's just so great to be back," said Black on Friday between qualifying sessions. "I consider all of these people my family, and it's really special having everybody here. I couldn't wait; I could hardly sleep last night."

Las Vegas resident Black and his wife, Judy, made an early appearance at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Thursday during the week of the event. They got comfortable with the handicap motorhome loaned to them by friend Sam Schmidt where Black would have a chance to stretch out and rest as needed during the course of the weekend.

Black was also able to make a dry run to gauge how well he could manage riding in the golf cart so that he could be trackside for every run his team would be making. The mission was a success, and the distinguished gentleman in the trademark cowboy hat arrived on Friday with an unmistakable gleam in his eye.

Throughout the day, Black was surrounded by a plethora of well-wishers, and the enjoyment of the parade of supporters was only surpassed by finally having the opportunity to experience the hearty rumble of Pro Stock engines and the wafting smoke of pre-launch burnouts live and in person once more.

"It was tough to be away," said Black. "I very seldom missed a race, I went to almost every one, and then I wouldn't watch it on TV when I came home because I'd already seen it. [This past year] it was tough to watch it on TV, but I already knew the results because when you'd see Uncle Les [Anderson's uncle and a KB Racing crew member] on the phone there on the starting line, it was usually me that he was talking to, letting me know what was going on."

Black admits that seeing his team do well has been a contributing factor to his recovery, and he beams with pride when speaking of their performance.

"Since Indy, they've just been phenomenal," he praised. "We struggled the first of the year, but you have to take the bad with the good. Nobody ever gave up, and I don't give up on these guys. They work too hard. Greg and Jason, they work at the shop, they're not just paid drivers. I know how many hours they put in trying to find a little extra. It's hard for me to get discouraged. They just keep plugging away, and here we are, back where we should be.

"When I was still in the hospital and we had the spring race [in Las Vegas], they came to visit me and said, 'You know, we haven't done very well.' They were downcast, and I sat there and said, 'Just go out and have fun like we used to.' That's why we do this. We enjoy winning, and we're used to winning, too, but they didn't let the bad times keep them down. They just worked that much harder. I never doubted them for a minute."

Black is buoyant, and his team is just as thrilled about their leader's return. On Friday night, the KB Racing squad held a celebratory dinner in their pits and presented Black with a welcome back gift: a brand new Stetson cowboy hat, a white version of the black Stetson Anderson was awarded in Dallas after winning at the Texas Motorplex several races ago.

If the remainder of the weekend goes well, an energized Black said that he would like to also attend the season-ending NHRA Finals in Pomona in two weeks. Next season, he is hoping to be free of the wheelchair and back to a regular routine of attending every race and visiting the team shop in Mooresville, N.C., every so often.

Black says he feels good, and though he is still partially paralyzed on his left side, he is able to move his arm, hand, and leg a bit. The original prognosis was grim, but with determination, excellent medical care, and a whole lot of emotional support, the longtime drag racing enthusiast – a former competitor himself – is getting back in the game.

"This is my life," he said. "Being able to come back out here has been an uplifting experience, and I know without a doubt that the lord answers prayers."

KEEPING HIS HOPES UP - During the past four races, LE Tonglet has been nearly untouchable in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class.

The 20-year-old rider won at the U.S. Nationals, Charlotte, and Dallas before posting a runner-up finish in Reading, Pa. Those performances left Tonglet in second place in the points standings, 72 behind leader Andrew Hines.

Tonglet’s string of good fortune ran out during the first round of qualifying Friday morning at the Las Vegas Nationals.

Tonglet clocked a 7.217-second time at 160.79 mph, which left him 14^th in the field, but that was the least of Tonglet’s worries.

“We hurt the motor on that run and the motor broke,” the 5-foot-11, 135-pound Tonglet said. “That’s the one we won all the races with. It kind of sucks to lose the one you have all the information with. It (the motor) started vibrating real bad on the run and it just locked up and the crank went out on it. The crank had a lot of runs on it. It was bound to happen, but we wished we could have finished out the year on it.”

The season concludes Nov. 11-14 at the Auto Club NHRA Finals.

Back in mid-August, at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd, Minn., Tonglet broke the cam chain on his motor. Tonglet only was able to enter Indy because Vance & Hines repaired his damaged motor at a price Tonglet’s limited budget team could afford.

That motor powered Tonglet on his victory binge and now it's dead.

Following Indy, Kenny Koretsky and Nitro Fish Gear came on board to sponsor Tonglet for the remainder of the season, which is now crucial after what happened Friday.

“Kenny got us a brand new Vance & Hines motor,” Tonglet said. “We just have to get some more runs on it. It has a brand new crank in it and it is going to take time to loosen up.”

Tonglet’s first run with the new motor came Friday afternoon and he had a 7.125-second run at 186.67 mph. His second run with the motor Saturday morning was a 7.106-second effort.

“We had it all set up soft for that first run, just to see what it would do,” Tonglet said. “It bogged off the line (Saturday morning) and had over 2,000 RPMs. When you did that on a Suzuki it just knocks it all out of itself. Even though it bogged that bad it still ran really fast in the back half of the track. The new motor is coming around.”

AUGUST AT THE STRIP - The Top Fuel entry list was pleasantly packed for the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals, and on the first day of qualifying, 26 cars took a shot at the field. The familiar red rail belonging to the Hartley family and usually driven by Joe Hartley was among them, but this time, with versatile alcohol racer Ron August Jr. behind the wheel.

"This is the first time I've driven for the Hartleys," said northern California-based August, who made his professional class debut in Mitch King's dragster at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in 2009 and barely missed the field. "I talked to the Hartleys about driving in Sonoma, but things didn't work out so I just set Vegas as a goal. It's good to be back out here; haven't raced since the spring race here when I was in my alcohol car."

August recently sold his Top Alcohol Funny Car to Australian racer Maurice Fabietti, who will ship it overseas to race down under. Though he has no plans to let alcohol racing go by the wayside for too long, August also has other blooming interests in addition to Top Fuel racing: he's pretty keen on trying his hand at Pro Mod.

"I'm interested, but I don't know how easy it would be to get into it," said August. "I'm going to try to do a half-dozen races with Top Fuel next season and then maybe work my way into Pro Mod. There are a couple of cars for sale that I'd like to go look at, but I also enjoy [Top Fuel.]

"Selling the alcohol car wasn't something I really wanted to do, but I'm not out of it for good. I love that class more than anything else, but I'd like to just see where things fall."

August is no stranger to The Strip and won the spring Las Vegas event in 2006 in his alcohol Funny Car and a Lucas Oil Series event at the track in 2007, but for the moment, August is enjoying his latest venture in the Hartley's car.

"You know, we just want to qualify well, and we'll go from there," he said.

 

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FRIDAY NOTEBOOK - GETTING READY FOR A LONG DAY

THE SARGE MEANS BUSINESS - Larry Dixon may be leading the Top Fuel points, but U.S. Army driver Tony Schumacher certainly isn't about to lie down and watch his rival run off with the championship. Schumacher proved he is still a contender with a 3.812 at 325.14 mph that was good for the provisional No. 1 spot and a serious chance at establishing a new national record for speed on the first day of the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals.

Schumacher entered the event third in the standings, 154 points behind Dixon with DSR teammate Cory McClenathan in between the two in second place.

"It would be really good if the national record came with 20 points – or 40, that would be even better," joked Schumacher. "But in all seriousness, our car is fast; we know we have a great racecar."

The day began with Schumacher making a firm statement with a 3.871 at 321.73 that reset the track record for speed and scored three bonus points. He entered the second session in the top spot with McClenathan earning a couple of bonus points for his second-quickest 3.892 and Clay Millican, in the Nitro Fish rail, going 3.932 for a mark.

In the second session, the early standout was Steve Torrence, who clicked off a nice 3.865 for the top spot but was knocked down by Dixon's 3.825 that was on top of the heap until Schumacher's quick and fast blast.

Dominic Lagana made a fantastic career best pass with a tidy 3.928 at 309.27 mph that has him heading into the second day of qualifying in the 11th position. With 26 cars taking a shot at the field today, there are plenty still on the outside, including Doug Kalitta, who was fourth in the standings entering the event.

If the U.S. Army team can make it stick, the No. 1 will be Schumacher's second of the season and 60th of his career. Though he is on the pole for now, Schumacher addressed the reality of the remainder of the season.

"We've won six championships in a row, but it doesn't look like we're going to win one," said Schumacher. "People have said, oh, what are you going to do? Well, I'm going to get up and race. I love racing. I don't get down on it. We've won five races this year, Dixon has won 12. It's an amazing accomplishment, but we've won the second most.

"I believe we're an amazing team, and we've been beat by some incredibly close races and had some rough breaks this year. But we have a great car, a great crew chief, a great assistant crew chief and the best sponsor you can put on the side of the car. I'm enjoying life. I just want to go out there and win the last two races and not let Larry get all the money."

STILL IN IT TO WIN IT - Mathematically, Ashley Force Hood still has a chance to win the Funny Car world championship.

She kept her slim hopes alive by taking the provisional pole Friday with a 4.03-second run at 309.70 mph at the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals.

“You can really get caught up in all this, but in my dad’s words at the end of the day when you go up there, you really have to just push your car to the point of making a really good run, but not past the point of it not getting from A to B. We can’t go up there worrying about what did this person run and how many points does this person have. It is distracting. Our car is only going to do what it going to do.”

Matt Hagan remains atop the points chase at 2,453, followed by John Force (2390), Jack Beckman (2359) and Force Hood (2318). Force Hood picked up four bonus qualifying points Friday.

If Force Hood keeps the pole it will be her fifth of the season and 14th of her career. Force Hood’s pass Friday night was the 10th quickest at 1,000 feet in NHRA history.

When Force Hood went to the line for her second qualifying session, she didn’t expect her Castrol GTX Mustang to capture the pole.

“Guido (Dean Antonelli, Force Hood’s crew chief) before the run said they weren’t going for it in the run, they were just trying to get a good solid pass,” Force Hood said. “I was like what happened? And, all the guys were laughing because they knew he was going for that (No. 1) position. I was left in the dark and maybe that was a good thing. If you go up there and you think they’re gunning for it, you might feel things differently.”

On her first qualifying run, Force Hood clocked a 4.105-second time, so she was pleased about her team’s effort for Friday.

“Our team is excited,” Force Hood said. “We got down both runs today and that’s a great way to start a weekend here in Vegas.”

Force Hood doesn’t expect her team to change anything with its game plan for Saturday’s qualifying.

“We’re approaching each round just trying to run the best possible run we can and I’m sure every team out here is trying to do that same thing,” Force Hood said. “We’re not thinking about records. We’re not thinking about other people in the field and where they line up and who we might have. We’re just going to take each run as it goes. Saturday, we will have to take a look at how the conditions are and what we think the car will run and then we will really push it. We would really love to get two more good runs Saturday because then you will feel confident for Sunday.”

NO HOLDING BACK - Mopar Dodge Avenger pilot Allen Johnson isn't holding anything back at this late hour of the championship chase, and The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was his playground in the second qualifying session of the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals.

Johnson entered the event fifth in the Full Throttle Series championship standings, some 168 points behind incoming points leader Greg Anderson. In the first session of the day he picked up a bonus point for his 6.671 at 207.09 mph which was third quickest of the round, and in the second session, he blasted that away with a very quick 6.660, 207.46 mph to end the day in the provisional No. 1 spot.

If it holds, the No. 1 will be his seventh of the season and the 14th of his career.

"The first run, we didn't make a very good run at all, so we knew we had a little bit left in the car," said Johnson. "The left lane is the lane of preference here for Pro Stock, and we had it there that session. The sun went down about halfway through that session, and it helped us out a lot. We made a very, very good run. The guys got the Hemi power, and now they're just putting it down. I'm telling you this is a strong engine."

Johnson's 6.660 bettered the first session's leader, reigning Pro Stock champion Mike Edwards, by seven thousandths. Edwards, who trailed Anderson by 36 points entering the event, claimed three bonus points for his 6.667, and Attitude Apparel Pistonator driver Rodger Brogdon, 10th in the standings, was second-quickest in the opening round with a 6.670 for two bonus points.

In the day's closing session, Anderson, with a 6.680, picked up a pair of bonus marks, and teammate Jason Line scored one for his third-quickest 6.695.

As usual, the top 12 quickest times will carry over to the second day of qualifying, but all others are thrown out, leaving 11 competitors on the outside looking in until their first run tomorrow. Those still fighting for a raceday start include Nitro Fish GXP driver Greg Stanfield, who established himself as a serious threat to win the championship after moving up from 8th to 3rd in the standings with a win at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis followed by a runner-up to Anderson in Charlotte. Fellow top 10 competitor Johnny Gray has also yet to make the field in Las Vegas.

Johnson doesn't have his eye on the other title-chasers at the moment; the concern of his camp is with his own program.

"We're on kill," said Johnson. "The kill button is pushed in, and we are being aggressive. We're going to be aggressive every run now, try to go for all the bonus points we can, and hope for a miracle."

MUCH NEEDED SUCCESS - Since the Mile-High Nationals in July, Hector Arana has been struggling.

The reigning Pro Stock Motorcycle champ has dropped from first in the points standings to seventh.

Arana finally rediscovered some his magic Friday during qualifying at NHRA Las Vegas Nationals as he is holding the provisional pole at 6.929 seconds.

Eddie Krawiec was second in qualifying at 6.963 seconds and also set a new mph track record as he clocked 194.13 mph on the pass.

If Arana keeps the No. 1 qualifying spot, it would be his sixth of the season and 15th of his career.

“We struggled with the performance on the bike and there was something going on and we figured it out and we’re back,” Arana said. “We made that awesome run.”

Unfortunately for Arana, the data from his No. 1 qualifying run in the first qualifying session was lost somewhere on his computer’s hard drive.

“I thought we could improve on that (second) run, but I downloaded the information from that run and I lost it,” Arana said. “I can’t find it in the computer. Hopefully, we can download this pass that we made in the second qualifying run and we can improve Saturday.”

Arana admitted he has analyzed everything inside and out on his Lucas Oil Buell in the past three months.

“We have replaced a lot of things,” Arana said. “I told my son (Hector) that this is it. We have pretty much done everything. If not, we just need to do one more thing, and he looked at me and said ‘what?’ and I said that would be the driver. He was happy, but he will be here next year racing.”

None of the Pro Stock Motorcycle riders were a match for Arana Friday, but the 108-story free fall from SkyJump Las Vegas on top of the Stratosphere Tower Thursday night was more than Arana could handle.

“I was going to do the jump and I went all the way to the tower and I didn’t make the jump,” Arana said. “I came back and I couldn’t sleep because I didn’t make the jump. If I feel better today and I’m not as tired, I want to give it another shot.”

Arana was at the Stratosphere because Melanie Troxel challenged other drivers to make the leap off the SkyJump to raise money for Speedway Children’s Charities.

Unlike a year ago, Arana can’t win a world championship, but he’s not focusing on being a spoiler either.

“I have not considered knocking anybody out, only the ones I’m racing against on Sunday,” Arana said. “I have worked hard and I would like to finish the season with two wins.”

The 2010 NHRA season concludes with the Auto Club NHRA Finals Nov. 11-14.

SCHUMACHER: I KNOW MY LIMITS - Tony Schumacher knows his limits.

He’ll drive a Top Fuel dragster at 325 miles per hour to set a record, and it matters not if the car is upside down or on fire. Jumping out of an airplane is not off limits either.

Walking off the side of a perfectly good building is another thing, especially if the plunge is a little further than the length of a quarter-mile.

For Schumacher, bungee jumping might as well be the devil.

Schumacher declined to participate in former teammate Melanie Troxel’s challenge to her fellow racers to strap in to the SkyJump and jump from the top of The Stratosphere Hotel & Casino Tower, 108 stories above the lights of the Las Vegas Strip. The event raised $6,400 for the Speedway Children's Charities Thursday night.

Not one dime was earned on Schumacher’s behalf.

“One word – scared,” Schumacher responded when asked why he didn’t participate in the event. “I was sweating just watching the others walk out there. When they went down, I was pretty sure I was going with them.”

The media center erupted in laughter, but Schumacher was serious albeit with a smile. It was the first time one of his press conferences could have doubled for a Vegas comedy act.

“I have jumped out of planes, driven tanks, zoned near the border of Iraq,” Schumacher explained. “I DO NOT like bungee jumping.”

Then Schumacher explained why.

“It’s a proven fact that when you jump out of a plane, it’s not the initial hit that kills you, you die when you bounce,” Schumacher said. “If you’re going to fall, you had better find a grassy field and hold on. Bungee jumping, you’re screwed. You are already too close to make a decision.

“I’ll proudly wear that chicken shirt. I couldn’t care less. I went to the hotel a few years ago and watched the ride where the arm goes out and extends over the side of the building and spins around. Why would you do that? What makes a person want to have that much fear. You might as well swim with the sharks. Duct tape meat to your legs and swim with the sharks. If you want to do that, whatever.

“I can drive a Top Fuel car on fire. But I don’t like heights and sharks. And I don’t like the boogeyman either. I saw that movie when I was too young … thanks to Halloween and [fictional murderer] Michael Meyers.”

And Schumacher smiles, shakes his head, and walks away knowing even the slasher Meyers wouldn't jump off the building either.

MR. HINES, MR. CONSISTENCY - This year, Andrew Hines has been a study in consistency in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class.

Hines, who pilots the Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley Davidson, has won five races this season and been runner-up four times.

Although Hines has been leading the points standings since Aug. 15 at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, Minn., his team isn’t taking anything for granted.

At the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals earlier this month in Reading, Pa., Hines and his teammate Eddie Krawiec swapped motors.

“In Reading, I actually ran the motor Eddie ran in Dallas, and he ran the motor I ran in Dallas at Reading,” Hines said. “Now, we’re back to our original motors here at Las Vegas. We changed motors at Reading because we wanted to see if my bike was down on power so we put it in his bike and he out ran me with that one. We found out that the tuneup was off a little bit on my bike and that shined the light on that for us.”

Hines won at Reading, and came to the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals 72 points ahead of LE Tonglet in the standings.

And, Hines is not changing anything with his game plan for the season’s final two races. The 2010 season concludes Nov. 11-14 at the Auto Club NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif.

“I just have to go out there and do the same thing every time,” Hines said. “I’ve lost championships and I’ve won championships, so whatever happens, happens. This is a nice facility here (in Vegas). The track has a little bump out in the middle where the tunnel is that upsets the bikes a little bit. Pomona is in desperate need of some reworking everywhere in the track. The shutdown is pretty short and you have to be on your brakes pretty fast.”

Hines won three Pro Stock Motorcycle crowns from 2004-2006.

Following Friday’s two qualifying sessions, Hines is fourth on the ladder at 7.002 seconds. Krawiec is second at 6.963 seconds.

“We’re keeping our heads focused and we’re not really paying attention to what everybody else is doing,” Hines said. “We’re just doing our own deal.”

DSR TAKING MORE PARTS IN-HOUSE - There’s no question the powerful Don Schumacher Racing team is always evolving and improving.

Following the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals this Sunday, DSR will be doing some testing Monday at The Strip with some connecting rods on its Top Fuel dragsters driven by Tony Schumacher, Cory McClenathan and Antron Brown.

“We’re producing our own connecting rods right now,” said Lee Beard, the team manager at DSR. “I have 20 of them here (in Vegas) with me and the cars are staying here (in Vegas) on Monday and they will be testing with them then. We consume such a large volume of those pieces that the main reason we are manufacturing them in-house is just to try and cut our overhead cost on the rods.”

Beard said Brown ran some DSR-produced connecting rods during qualifying at the NHRA Fall Nationals in Dallas last month.

“We ran some rods in the Matco car during qualifying at the Dallas race and they looked real good,” Beard said. “We went ahead and built about 20 more. We are just testing these (the connecting rods) in the three (DSR) dragsters right now. They’re still in the development stage and before we put all eight of them in a motor and run it to the finish line, we want to make sure we have good parts.”

According to Beard, the plan is to also use the DSR in-house connecting rods in the DSR Funny Cars driven by Matt Hagan, Jack Beckman and Ron Capps.

“The main reason why you do not test them in a Funny Car is that if there was a problem with them (the connecting rods) when they blow an engine in a Funny Car they always have a chance of catching fire and ruining that body,” Beard said.

Although Hagan is leading the Funny Car points standings and Cory Mac and Tony Schumacher are still in the championship mix, Beard isn’t expanding his role as DSR’s team manager.

“Each crew chief runs his own car,” Beard said. “As far as me getting in there and telling the crew chiefs what to do, no that is not my role. I will try to assist them with anything they need and now we’re kind of focused on manufacturing. We get input from all of the (DSR) teams and try to make the parts and pieces that they think will make their cars better.”

Beard has 30-plus years experience as a Top Fuel and Funny Car crew chief. He led the late Gary Ormsby to the Top Fuel crown in 1989 and guided Cruz Pedregon to the Funny Car title in 1992.

“The Funny Cars are a lot different today than when I raced Funny Cars and these guys (the crew chiefs) are awfully good at it,” Beard said. “I was in Reading, Pa., and watched that Diehard car (driven by Hagan) run that 4.01 and it was so cool to see that. The tuneup that they run and the components that they have are so different than when I was racing a Funny Car, that I do not really know how much help I could be to them. The biggest thing is that you really have to be dedicated as a crew chief. You have to eat, sleep Funny Car 24 hours a day and these guys are dedicated to doing that. When they’re in that mode, it is pretty hard to advise them on a whole lot.”

A SENSE OF URGENCY - John Force knows a thing or two about winning championships.

The legendary driver has won 14 world titles, but his last crown came back in 2006.

So, the 61-year-old definitely has a sense of urgency for the final two races of the season, the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals this weekend and the Auto Club Finals at Pomona, Calif., Nov. 11-14.

Force came to Vegas 64 points behind leader Matt Hagan and 29 points in front of third-place Jack Beckman. Hagan and Beckman both drive for Don Schumacher Racing.

“You can’t wait for them to make a mistake,” Force said. “They are too good of a race team at Schumacher or anybody else. We had to look at where we were off and it was mainly in weight. We make as much power as any of them. We just had a weight problem.”

Force says the extra bulk resulted in some immediate changes.

“They took eight or nine pounds off of me and we took a bunch of weight out of the car,” Force said. “We brought her (the car) with no paint on her and that was 10 pounds right there. We have so much safety stuff, that’s why we’re so heavy, but we can’t take away our safety stuff. We’re going to have to come out of the box swinging. We’re going to be bad ass or we’re going to be real bad, it is either going to go one way or other. That’s what it is going to take to beat them and win the championship.”

In the first round of qualifying Friday afternoon, Force had some engine woes and slowed to 6.12 seconds.

Despite leading the point standings for most of the season, Force says he is enjoying the role of being the hunter instead of the hunted at this point in the season.

“When you are in the lead, you try to hang on to every round and you try to make sure you are qualified,” Force said. “When you are behind, you ain’t got nothing to lose. Ashley (Force Hood) is still in this hunt. She has a shot. It is a long one, but she has a shot. Robert can do some damage. His old hot rod, when it gets a mood swing, and it runs, it is bad, so we will see what happens.”

Force Hood is fourth in the points chase, 138 points behind Hagan and Hight, the reigning world champ, is in sixth 213 points out of first.

According toForce, his daughter Courtney is going to move up to the nitro Funny Car class, but it is a work in progress.

“She will be testing in (Top Fuel) Funny Car, but she is not going to go right into the game,” John said. “I’m not going to do that to her. She needs seat time and with NHRA’s rules there are not a lot of chances to test. I’m going to be testing some motors for them and do whatever I can to get her on the race track. I have to find her some money because I do not have the money to run a fourth car.”

John said neither Courtney or Brittany is racing in the Top Alcohol Dragster class this weekend in Vegas.

“Brittany is trying to finish her teaching credentials and she didn’t have the opportunity to race this weekend,” John said. “Courtney has gone and moved into the Funny Car and I do not want to put her back in the A Fuel (dragster). Soon as this season is over and these boys get a break, then we’re going into test (with her).”       

IN PLAIN VIEW - The experience of what it's like to ride along in a 300 mph-plus Top Fuel dragster will be clearer than ever at the 10th annual NHRA Las Vegas Nationals this weekend.

ESPN and JEGS Mail Order are installing the first HD in-car camera into the Lucas Oil/Speedco dragster driven by Shawn Langdon.

The camera and associated equipment is about 10 pounds total and will bring the clearest view of the inside of a Top Fuel run ever during the qualifying and race day broadcasts from The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

TAKING TIME FOR THE KIDS - On Thursday nights at many NHRA events you will catch the professional teams out seeing the city, doing autograph sessions, leaping from tall buildings, or relaxing before the stress of the race weekend. That is not how the defending NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock champion starts his race weekend. Instead, he takes an approach that helps puts everything that will transpire over the course of the next couple days into perspective.

For the last 10 years, Edwards and his Penhall/K&N/Interstate team have hosted the “Giving Kids Hope” program at the track urban Young Life kids. These kids come from socially and economically challenged backgrounds, and Edwards and his team try to bring some hope for the future to these kids.

“This is what this team is all about, reaching out to these kids and hopefully making a difference,” Edwards said. “These aren’t just any kids, they area a special group of kids that have some major challenges in their lives.

“To me, all the awards and accolades we receive on the race track the rest of the weekend, pale in comparison to what we are trying to accomplish through this program. If we can turn the life of just one kid who sees us on a given weekend, we have done what we set out to do nearly a decade ago.

The kids from Young Life come to the track and Edwards pit area, where they enjoy some food, tours of the trailer and car, along with several activities with a racing theme. Edwards closes the evening by telling the kids how God has changed his life and how he can make a change to them. He also shares the role God has played in his racing career and lets each kid know that many people care about them and God will always be there for them.

“It is a great feeling when you stand in front of these kids and see the future in their eyes,” Edwards said. “You hope what you will say to them will help them in some regards realize there is a better way in life if you only allow God to be part of it.”

Since the programs inception in 2000, Edwards has hosted nearly 100,000 kids. “To us, Thursday night means more to us than what happens on Sunday,” he added. “In the big picture, what happens on race day will come and go, but an impact you can make on the life of a kid will last forever. That is why we do it.”

With only two races left in the Pro Stock season, with the help of all the kids, Edwards sees what the championship means. “To get a second crown, it lets those kids know when you put your heart and mind to something anything is possible,” he said. “I know I’m a few points behind Greg Anderson as we sit before the Las Vegas event, but when you look at the entire scheme, that is only a little hurdle to overcome, yet these kids have mountains they have to go over. It makes you stop and think of how blessed we are as a team to be able to out here doing what we love.”

Edwards hopes to close the season the same way he opened at the closing two facilities, Las Vegas and Pomona, where he captured the Wallys. “If we go out and perform to what we are capable of, I know we can duplicate what we did early in the season at these two tracks, and if we do that, the championship race will take care of itself.”

JUMPING FOR CHARITY - Drag racing superstar and adrenaline junkie Melanie Troxel and friends raised $6,400 for the Speedway Children's Charities Thursday night when she strapped in to the SkyJump and jumped from the top of The Stratosphere Hotel & Casino Tower,108 stories above the lights of the Las Vegas Strip.

"That was great," Troxel said.  "The step off was the hardest part, you free-fall just a little bit, then you realize it's going to be OK. It was a beautiful view, and a lot of fun."

Troxel dared all of her fellow nitro drivers to jump along with her and decided to make it more enticing by promising to donate $100 to the Speedway Children's Charities in the honor of every driver who jumped.

Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson offered the same bounty for drivers in his class and NHRA announcer Bob Frey picked up the $100 tab for every Pro Stock Motorcycle rider who made the leap.

Prior to the SkyJump was the NHRA fan fest in downtown Las Vegas at the Fremont Street Experience.   Frey made sure to announce the planned jump and invite fans to watch the jump at The Stratosphere.

Frey also took the opportunity to taunt all the drivers who weren't already signed up to jump, and encourage the fans to donate money to the Speedway Children's Charities while they were getting their favorite drivers' autographs.

Immediately following the fan fest everyone headed over to the Stratosphere and Troxel was the first one off the platform.

"The other drivers I jumped with started taunting me from the other side of the glass, trying to mess with me when I was on the platform," Troxel said.

Fans watched from the landing deck as all of the drivers dropped one at a time off the top of The Stratosphere.  Morgan Lucas, Clay Millican and Cory McClenathan represented the Top Fuel class, Jack Beckman made sure Troxel wasn't the only Funny Car driver to jump, but Johnson was the lone Pro Stocker to take the plunge.  Pro Stock Motorcycle riders had the strongest showing with Matt and Angie Smith, David Hope, Katie Sullivan, Redell Harris and Mike Berry all making the jump.

"The guys who showed up were great," Troxel said.  "The rest of them who chickened out -- you know who you are."

Several drivers who didn't jump made a $100 "chicken out" donation to buy their way out of the 855-foot plunge.

After all the fun and teasing that went on between the drivers and fans during the jump the donations were all added up and a total of $6,400 was raised for the Children's Speedway Charities.

"It was a great night for everyone," Troxel said.  "The Stratosphere was a fantastic host for us. The fans at the autograph session that chipped in for Speedway Children's Charities deserve a big thank you too.

"The event really took off thanks to and Bob Frey and the TBC Retail Group which got on board at the autograph session and boosted our final total."

TBC Retail Group, which represents NTB, Tire Kingdom, Big O Tires, Service Central and Merchant's Tire & Auto Centers, donated $2500 of the $6400 raised.

The money raised will be presented to the Children's Speedway Charities on Sunday morning during driver introductions during prerace ceremonies for the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals at The Strip as Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

GUIDERA RETURNS - The wait is finally over for Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Matt Guidera.

After nearly nearly 14 months away from NHRA competition, Guidera is returning to action this weekend at the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals at The Strip.

On Sept. 5, 2009, Guidera’s world was turned upside down. Guidera, who was competing at the US Nationals in Indianapolis, was suspended by the NHRA for one year for failing to meet the requirements of the Substance Abuse Policy.

“We’re happy to be back racing again and we’re very excited for this weekend,” Guidera said Thursday in Vegas. “I have a little bit of nerves, but I’m also feeling pretty comfortable.”

Guidera says he’s going to race in Vegas and at the final event of the season, the Auto Club Finals in Pomona, Calif., Nov. 11-14.

Financially, these West Coast events make the most sense for Guidera because he lives in Loomis, Calif., just outside of Sacramento. Guidera’s motorcycle is being sponsored by the Mohegan Sun and Rum Bum Racing in Vegas and Pomona. Guidera also is riding his family-owned Rocklin Motorsports Buell.

“We’re getting ready for the 2011 season,” Guidera, 40, said. “The plan is for us to go full time next season. Our sponsors for next year should be the same as they are for these final two races. We’re putting together a program now, and we’re really excited about the support we have been receiving from Rum Bum.”

According to Guidera, in 2009 at Indy, he was issued the paperwork from the NHRA to take a drug test at 4 p.m. EDT Friday, Sept. 4. Guidera then had 24 hours to go take a drug test. Guidera did go take the drug test in time, but was unable to perform a specimen sample for them in his allotted 24-hour time frame and as a result, the NHRA suspended him.

“I wish it would not have happened, and I wish I would have made it there on time,” said Guidera, who did appeal the NHRA’s decision to suspend him last November, but he was denied. “That being said, I have kind of put it behind me and I hope it does not scar my reputation too badly.”

Guidera was eligible to come back at Indy this season, but in September he had not paid the $2500 fine imposed on him by the NHRA as a result of his suspension.

“I paid the fine about a month ago with the idea that I was going to race at Vegas and Pomona,” Guidera said. “These were the only two races I could logistically go to because I have a regular job that I work at to support my family.”

Guidera is working for Harley-Davidson of Folsom (Calif.). The Guidera family owns the business.

Guidera’s family life also has been keeping him plenty busy. Guidera and his fiancée Lindsey have two children, a 1-year-old girl, Gabriella and and 4 ½-month boy, Matthew.

Guidera did have Larry Cook ride his Buell at the Fram-Autolite NHRA Nationals in Sonoma, Calif., July 16-18. Cook qualified No. 10 with a career-best time of 6.957 seconds. Cook, however, lost to Eddie Krawiec in the first round.

Most recently, Guidera did some testing in Sacramento and was happy with his results.

“We were at Sacramento two weeks ago,” Guidera said. “It went really good. We were faster than we have ever been at Sacramento Raceway. We went like 7-flat and everything was just like we left off, if not a little faster.”

Guidera was seventh in the Pro Stock Motorcycle point chase in September of 2009 when he was suspended at Indy.

“We had to go through everything before we took our bike back to the race track,” Guidera said. “But, I think we have a fast enough bike that we can contend for the wins (at Vegas and Pomona). If we go out there and qualify in the top half of the field that will let me know we have a competitive bike and I will be going after the win every round.”

 

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THURSDAY NOTEBOOK - SPORTSMAN GET VEGAS ACTION UNDERWAY

GRECO TOPS THURSDAY SHOW - Charlie Greco made his long distance haul from Paoli, Pa., worthwhile, at least provisionally.

Greco’s L/Altered Automatic Chevrolet Cobalt led Thursday’s lone Comp eliminator qualifying session during the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. His 8.953 elapsed time was -.687 under his index.

Just .004 behind was Vinny Barone with a 7.837 in A/Street Roadster.

David Yedney (L/A, -676, 8.884), Clint Salee (B/D, -.671, 6.699) and Buddy Perkinson (B/A, -.660, 7.030) rounded out the top five qualifiers.

The bump spot is -.421 and the most notable driver outside looking in is Al Ackerman.

Pro Stock legend Roy Hill continues to live his career rebirth as he leads the Super Stock division into final eliminations.

Hill’s SS/BA Cobra Jet was -1.362 under his index with an 8.788 elapsed time.

Ron Roddel was the second quickest in Super Stock by running -1.238 under the GT/MA index.

Stock was led by the Drag Pak Challenger driven by Les Norton with a 10.102, -1.168 under the A/Stock Automatic index.

Sportsman qualifying resumes on Friday at 8 AM.

THURSDAY CRASH - Qualifying was less than an hour old Thursday morning for the Lucas Oil Series competitors at the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals before an accident occurred in the Super Stock class.

Bruce Lippstreu, in his 1998 Pontiac GT, was qualifying against Bob Earleywine who was driving a 1969 Camaro Super Stock H Automatic machine.

When Lippstreu’s Pontiac launched from the starting line in the left lane, the front wheels lifted up in the air. When the wheels came back down on the track, the right front wheel popped. Lippstreu’s car veered over the center line just past the 60-foot mark and he ran into Earleywine’s left rear quarter panel.
 
Neither Lippstreu or Earleywine was hurt in the wreck.
 
“It (the car) went higher than it has ever gone off the starting line,” Lippstreu said. “It is f****ed up. It cut the tire and blew the front end out. I’m done (for this weekend). Nothing like this has ever happened to me since I was racing a Funny Car. I’ve been driving this car (Pontiac) for four years and nothing like this has ever happened with this car. I’m not a body guy, so I can’t tell you how much damage there is.”
 
Lippstreu’s car had to be towed from the track, while Earleywine’s Camaro left the track under its own power.
 
“(Personal) pride and the cars were hurt,” Lippstreu said. “It’s fixable for both of us, but for this event we are gone.”

Lippstreu is from Fairfeid, Calif., and Earleywine resides in Winchester, Calif.

 

 

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