2011 NHRA MILE HIGH NATIONALS - EVENT NOTEBOOK
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SUNDAY NOTEBOOK - AND THE WINNERS ARE ...
John Force couldn’t let it get to 250.
On day No. 249, the amount of days since he last hoisted a Wally in the winner’s circle, the 15-time champion, drag racing’s iconic driver, proved he still had the fire in the belly. It didn’t matter if he had a sponsor meet and greet in Oshkosh, Wisconsin; or a display to do in Portland, Ore., Force was in tune with his life’s calling.
At the Mopar NHRA Mile High Nationals, John Force did what he knew best. He drove a race car and won.
And, he focused.
Credit team President and John Force Racing driver Robert Hight for inspiring the boss to get his act together. Force was in the midst of a pity party of monstrous proportions.
“I was saying, ‘I said I don’t know what is wrong. My luck is bad. It’s probably me. My race car is off. And then Robert stopped me, ‘No, it’s you.
“Robert said, ‘You have to get back in the game. Your head’s in Oshkosh at the air show, the Indy 500 and every place you’re going. You’re not in your race car.”
Force asked Hight how he could be sure.
Force and Hight are scheduled to compete at that event along with Jeff Arend and Jim Head.
Force will unveil a special commemorative car at the event for the 10th anniversary of 9/11. The car is going to have a paint scheme honoring the memory of those who gave their lives on 9/11. Force also will run the paint scheme in Charlotte Sept. 15-18, the first race of the Countdown Playoffs.
Force also plans a special paint scheme at the U.S. Nationals Aug. 31-Sept. 5 celebrating his 15th world championship last season.
“It was an eye opener. He was right,” Force said.
For the first time since the whirlwind season began, Force returned to his car during the middle of the week. He was in the meetings. For the first time this year, he was an honest-to-goodness member of the inner team.
“I promised my team they would have me this week,” Force explained. “There were things about the tires I found out. It was teamwork. We did some damage, but we came back.”
During Saturday’s final qualifying session, Force backfired the supercharger and the concussion lifted his Ford Mustang body off of the chassis and into the air. The body was damanaged to the point an older and heavier body was forced into action.
Force refused to let the incident be a crutch. His teammates wouldn’t allow it either.
Point leader and his former crew chief Mike Neff said to him on raceday, “Get out there and fight like you want it.”
Force wanted it; as Tony Pedregon, Jeff Arend and eventually, Neff found out.
Hagen would later find out how much the cagey veteran wanted it.
Moments before the final round, Force went over and spoke to Hagan.
“You and I were the champs last year, we fought to the wire when no one else could,” Force said to Hagan. “Now we’re back in the finals, back where we belong. I got this big ‘ole grin on his face and he agreed.”
Hagan was disappointed with his second final round loss of the season.
“That’s inexcusable,” said Hagan of the redlight. “I guess I was in a little deeper than what I should have been. I was a little too jacked up on the final. I felt like I saw yellow, but I was obviously a little too early. There’s no excuse for it and congratulations to John Force on his first win. We should have had two wins this season and don’t because of me.”
With the victory Force increased his career total to 131.
HE'S A THREE-TIMER - When Spencer Massey replaced Cory McClenathan in the Fram Top Fuel 
dragster at Don Schumacher this season, it turned some heads.
After all, McClenathan was an established NHRA star. Massey has not succumbed to the pressure.
The young driver is carving out his own successful path in 2011 as he has won three national events, the latest being the Mopar NHRA Mile-High Nationals Sunday at Bandimere Speedway.
Massey beat his teammate Tony Schumacher, a seven-time world champ, with a 4.150-second lap at 269.67 mph. Schumacher came in at 4.255 seconds at 266.95 mph. Both drivers smoked the tires just past half track.
“I’m just ecstatic,” said Massey, who now has five career NHRA Top Fuel wins. “The final round was just kind of crazy because it went out just past the eighth-mile and it started smoking the tires. I was sitting there going through my head, do I pedal it? Do I grab the brake? I thought no, I will just keep my foot in it, and hopefully that belt will stay on and that Gates belt did. It must have put out a cylinder or two, but it actually started hooking back up and I never saw Tony and the win light came on and I started going crazy.”
This was Massey’s third win of the season as he also scored victories at Topeka, Kan., and Englishtown.
“He’s Tony Schumacher, he is the Sarge,” said Massey about defeating his teammate. “So, it is unbelievable to beat him. When you want to be the best, you have to beat the best and that’s what I’m out here doing, trying to be the best. I have a long way to go, but I’m competing and we are having fun and beating the guys who are the best.”
Massey remains in second place in the point standings with a 989 total. Del Worsham, who lost in the second round to Antron Brown, is atop the standings with 1,057 points. Massey clinched a spot in the Countdown Playoffs with his Sunday performance.
“Knowing that we are clinched in for the Countdown is great,” Massey said. “In my mind, I want to be No. 1 going into the Countdown or at least No. 2. We are No. 2 right now and I think we are catching up to Del (Worsham) a little bit. This Fram team is hungry for the championship.”
EDWARDS IS KING FOR A YEAR - High upon Mount Olympus, there was a throwdown.
By his own admission, Pro Stock racer Mike Edwards said the starting line staging duel between himself and Allen Johnson at the Mopar NHRA Mile-High Nationals wasn't a battle of Pro Stock gods. His assessment was that it was nothing more than “an old redneck” and “a hillbilly” having fun.
Regardless of how Edwards categorizes the final round combatants, those who know Pro Stock considered the match to be a battle of the titans. In the final round, Johnson flinched, and fouled, handing the Edwards his second Pro Stock victory at Bandimere Speedway.
“We might walk away with the Wally but Allen Johnson is still the king of this mountain,” Edwards said. “It’s so sweet to race up here. The Bandimere Family does such a great job with this track and the Mopar people do just a great job with this race.”
Edwards seemed unbeatable on Friday, storming to the top of the provisional qualifying list.
Then Johnson, in what could be considered an incredible display of Mopar horsepower, flexed his muscles en route to a No. 1 qualifying position in the midst of unenviable atmospheric conditions.
Race day opened and Johnson stormed to the low elapsed time of the first round [6.962] and a round later established a track elapsed time record [6.955].
At this point, it looked like the rest of the field was jockeying for second place.
Not Edwards. He toiled away with a consistent run to the final round, posting consistent runs of 6.966, 6.974 and another 6.974. The 6.974 might as well have been the stone the biblical figure David selected to slay the giant Goliath.
“I was really shocked,” Edwards said of earning lane choice.
Biblical stories aside, Edwards, just like his sponsor Penhall Construction knows how to take the seemingly insurmountable odds and make stuff happen. On Friday, Penhall led a team that dismantled a bridge on the 405 Freeway outside of Los Angeles and replaced it with a new one by Sunday morning. The project ended 12 hours ahead of schedule.
“I’m so proud of them,” Edwards said. “I’m so proud to be associated with such a great company. All the employees, everybody … I am so proud to be associated with them.”
At the end of the day, Edwards heaped praise on his driving force.
“I give the praise and glory to my God, because it’s all about him,” Edwards said.
STOFFER WINS RACE, POINT LEAD - This has been a breakout season for Pro Stock Motorcycle 
rider Karen Stoffer.
The only thing missing was a national event victory.
Not anymore.
Stoffer captured the win at the Mopar NHRA Mile-High Nationals by defeating Michael Phillips in the final round.
Stoffer clocked a 7.283-second time at 182.58 mph to get past Phillips’ 7.394-second effort at 182.01 mph.
This was Stoffer’s fourth appearance in the finals this season. She lost in the finals at the Gatornationals, Atlanta and Englishtown (N.J.). Stoffer now has six career NHRA national event wins, but she hasn’t won since she beat Matt Smith in the finals at Atlanta in 2007.
“I was counting the days (since her last win), and I was hoping everybody would forget that count because it kept coming up over and over again,” Stoffer said. “You know what it’s about patience and fortitude. This is an awesome sport and there are awesome teams out there. We knew we had a good team, and we just had to work through a lot of issues. So yeah, patience and strength and tenacity are what the Geico team is all about.”
Stoffer’s win on her Geico Powersports Suzuki was even more important because it moved her into first place in the season point standings. Stoffer passed Eddie Krawiec, who she beat in the semifinals. Krawiec trails Stoffer by one point. Stoffer finished a career best sixth in the final points standings in 2006.
“I get the double whammy here, we were able to take home the Wally and also get in front of the points,” said Stoffer following her inaugural victory at Bandimere Speedway. “Hat’s off to the Geico Powersports crew back there. We have been struggling with mechanical problems the last few races and this is a tough mountain to come to with mechanical problems. They did a great job and diagnosed everything and they gave me such a phenomenal bike for Saturday and Sunday.”
Stoffer’s win at Bandimere was even more special because she made her NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle debut at the track in 1996 along with Angelle Sampey and Stephanie Reaves.
“Not a lot of those people who are here (Bandimere) remember that,” Stoffer said. “It is like coming home. It’s not quite the West Coast, it is not quite my Division 7, but certainly it is the place we started and it certainly has a lot of memories for us and the whole Geico team.”
Although Stoffer ended her winning drought, she has a simple approach for the remainder of the year.
“We came out this season with our main goal being consistency, and to go as many rounds as available in the race event,” Stoffer said. “Normal goals are like turn on win lights and bring home Wallys and all that, but ours was to be consistent and let’s go down the race track as many times as available. If you do that, you are going to get the win lights and the Wallys.”
QUICK HITS: RACE DAY REPORTING IN RAPID FASHION
TOP FUEL
ROUND ONE
SCHUMACHER WINS HEAVYWEIGHT BATTLE – When Tony Schumacher pulled up to the line, he was very familiar with his first-round opponent, Larry Dixon.Schumacher and Dixon have combined to win 10 world championships, nine of which were claimed since 2002. Dixon’s current team is Schumacher’s old U.S. Army crew which captured titles from 2004 through 2008.
Schumacher won the latest battle over Dixon. Schumacher posted the best time of the round at 4.006-seconds to defeat Dixon’s 4.116-second time.
“Not only did we have to race them in round one, but we lost in the first round last week (at Chicago to Shawn Langdon),” Schumacher said. “So, it’s pretty gratifying to go out and win. We are a great race team and we are up here on the mountain. Denver is very hard place to win, but we have done it. I did it with this team and the team before. It is gratifying as it ever gets to run those guys first round.”
Schumacher has improved his season record against Dixon to 3-1. Schumacher won the Mile-High Nationals in 2005 and 2008.
FULLER GETS WINS FIRST ROUND WIN – Hot Rod Fuller made his third NHRA start of the season at the Mile-High Nationals and recorded his first round win of the year.
Fuller, in his Yas Marina Circuit/DiGiorino Pizza dragster, sped past Dominick Lagana in the first round with a 4.059-second run.
Fuller made his 2011 United States NHRA debut at Bristol, Tenn., in June and he lost to Larry Dixon in the first round. At the last NHRA event at Chicago, Fuller also lost in the opening round when he suffered a cut right front tire giving David Grubnic a bye.
“I have been over teaching school in the Middle East and I have made over 300 runs and we have a three-seat dragster over there,” Fuller said. “At least I got to make some runs in that. Up here on the mountain, we do not have any air up here and the car is real loose. You are talking about going against Dixon, (Tony) Schumacher and all those guys and they have been racing every week. I’m really proud of my crew and this (Bandimere) is one of my favorite places to go.”
Fuller won at Bandimere in 2007, beating Whit Bazemore in the finals. That season, Fuller finished a career-best second in the points chase.
LAGANA OILS TRACK - Dominick Lagana not only lost in the first round against Hot Rod Fuller, but his 4.331-second pass 229.78 mph was costly.
Lagana oiled down the left lane, and he had no free oildown credit, Thus Lagana’s team was fined $1000 and lost 10 points.
LAST-SECOND DECISION PAYS OFF - Moments before Spencer Massey raced against Brandon Bernstein in round one, his co-crew chief Todd Okuhara, switched the FRAM dragster into the right lane.
The move paid off for the Don Schumacher Racing entry as Massey beat Bernstein. Massey clocked a 4.007-second run compared to Bernstein’s 4.235-second effort.
“It was getting a little nervous watching everybody smoke the tires,” Massey said. “We were going to go in the left lane and at the last second Todd (Okuhara) said you know what let’s go to the right lane it looks to be better and he was right. The Fram car made it right down through there.”
KALITTA KEEPS REPEAT CHANCE ALIVE - Doug Kalitta, the defending champion at the Mile-High Nationals, still has a chance to win again at Bandimere Speedway.
Kalitta clocked a stout 4.018-second effort to roar past Morgan Lucas, who slowed to 4.61 seconds.
“My guys, Jim O (Oberhofer), and the whole Kalitta Air team we are just real happy to get by that round there,” Kalitta said. “It is a big relief. It should be a great day.”
Kalitta Motorsports has six Top Fuel victories at Bandimere, three by the late Scott Kalitta, two by Connie Kalitta and one by Doug Kalitta.
OTHER WINNERS - Del Worsham, the top qualifier and points leader, Antron Brown, Shawn Langdon and Bob Vandergriff also scored first-round wins.
QUARTER-FINALS
BROWN KNOCKS OUT WORSHAM – Antron Brown didn’t have the greatest qualifying effort at the Mile-High Nationals.
Brown qualified No. 8, but none of that mattered on Sunday.
After defeating Terry McMillen in round one, Brown scored a huge win over Del Worsham in round two.
Brown crossed the finish line in 3.961 seconds to get past Worsham’s 4.046-second effort.
That win over Worsham was Brown’s first career victory over an Al-Anabi Racing dragster.
“It feels good,” Brown said after the victory in his Don Schumacher Racing dragster. “We have lost every way you can imagine to those guys. My hat’s off to my crew chiefs Mark (Oswald) and Brian (Corradi). This mountain has been kicking our tail all weekend. The crew put it together and that run felt good. That was a tough round. Del (Worsham), Larry Dixon, Alan Johnson and Brian (Husen), and all those guys on the Al-Anabi car have a heck of a team. It is great to get past them and get a win.”
Although Brown had never beaten an Al-Anabi dragster before Sunday, but he wasn’t discouraged when he came to the line against Worsham.
“You get your tailed kicked enough and you just tougher and you rise to the occasion,” Brown said.
WORSHAM FINED, LOSES POINTS - Del Worsham did more than lose to Antron Brown in the second round. During his 4.046-second pass at 297.26 mph, Worsham’s dragster oiled down the right lane.
Worsham, who pilots the Al-Anabi Racing dragster, was fined $1000 and docked 10 points. Despite the deduction, Worsham still has clinched a spot in the Countdown Playoffs. The six-race Countdown begins Sept. 15-18 at Charlotte.
LANGDON SEES RED - Every time Shawn Langdon and Spencer Massey meet in Top Fuel eliminations it is a battle of two drivers who consistently have the best reaction times in the class.
Langdon gave Massey the latest victory at the line. Langdon registered his first redlight of the season by one thousandths of a second.
“When we both went in, it seemed like a long tree,” said Massey, who had a winning 3.988-second time. “We were both staged and it seemed like an extra second or two before the tree came down. Whenever I saw the tree, I left and about 200 feet I glanced up at the scoreboard and I saw the win light on. I said all right let’s go down there through there and see if we can get lane choice for the next round it is critical.”
With Massey’s win and Bob Vandergriff Jr.’s loss in the second round to Tony Schumacher, Massey clinched a spot in the Countdown Playoffs.
Massey joins points leader Del Worsham as the only two drivers so far to clinch Top Fuel Countdown spots. Worsham secured his spot Friday night after he won the pole position for the Mile-High Nationals.
FULLER KEEPS WINNING - Before Sunday, Hot Rod Fuller had not won one round in eliminations this season.
Now, he has two in a row.
Fuller clocked an impressive 4.116-second time in Abu Dhabi/Yas Marina Circuit dragster, to upset Doug Kalitta. Kalitta, the defending champion at the Mile-High Nationals, registered a 4.158-second time.
“I have to go back to work on Wednesday in Abu Dhabi,” Fuller said. “I’m an instructor there and it will be really hard to go back. I’m grateful for what they have done for me and let me come race here. Anytime you beat Doug Kalitta, he is the best. He beat me last year in the semis here.”
Fuller meets Tony Schumacher in the semifinals.
SEMI-FINALS
SARGE RUNNING FOR MONEY - It’s hard to believe, but seven-time Top Fuel world champion Tony Schumacher has yet to win a race in 2011.
Schumacher has lost in the finals at the Gatornationals in March to Del Worsham and to his teammate Antron Brown in Atlanta.
Schumacher gets another chance to reach Victory Lane as he is in the finals against Spencer Massey, his other Top Fuel teammate at Don Schumacher Racing.
Schumacher advanced to the finals by defeating Hot Rod Fuller in the semi-finals. Schumacher clocked a 4.015-second lap at 305.98 mph to beat Fuller’s 4.032-second effort.
“It is fantastic,” Schumacher said. “It’s hot out and we are on the mountain, and Mike Green (Schumacher’s crew chief) and Neil Strausbaugh (Schumacher’s assistant crew chief) are just doing amazing things. This Army car is flawless right now. The guys who are working on under the conditions, 59 minutes it takes to service that thing that is Army strong. We are all complaining that we are sitting in the heat, and these guys are working in it. You have to give credit to them. It is their day; they are having a great performance.”
This is Schumacher’s 106th career final round. Schumacher has 67 career NHRA wins.
MASSEY KEEPS CHARGING - The Don Schumacher Racing dragsters were all flexing their muscles Sunday.
Spencer Massey knocked out Antron Brown in the semifinals. Massey zipped down the track at 4.068 seconds and Brown smoked the tires and slowed to 4.650 seconds.
This is Massey’s ninth career appearance in a final round and he has a 4-4 record. Massey has a 2-1 record against Schumacher this season. Massey lost to Schumacher in Atlanta and beat him in Topeka and Norwalk.
FINALS
IT’S MASSEY TIME, AGAIN! – Spencer Massey denied Tony Schumacher one of the special pewter trophies once again. On a day when both drivers reached the finals on the strength of their consistency, it was the DSR newbie Massey who took home his third thus far this season.
Massey ran his slowest elapsed time of the day, a 4.150, to get the best of Schumacher, who lost with a 4.255.
FUNNY CAR
NAPA KNOW-HOW – Ron Capps definitely has his swagger back. A first round win over Bob Tasca III was proof. He credits tuner Tim Richards with reinstalling the confidence.“I think Tim fits the Napa Know How perfectly,” said Capps. “I am so happy racing with him.”
Capps ran a 4.326, 291.57 to drive past Tasca.
THE TUNER TUNES AND DRIVES – Mike Neff couldn’t get his helmet off before preparing for his second round race. Neff’s 4.336, 274 victory wasn’t a victory of beauty as he crossed the stripe with smoke coming from the pipes.
“The cylinder went out and then it moved me to the inside,” Neff said. “I had it backed off so next time I will take some fuel out of it to keep it running on eight cylinders.”
YOU TOOK THE LEFT LANE? – While the right lane had the decided advantage, with lane choice Hight took the left lane.
A 4.286, 288 conformed the Auto Club team had made the right decision. The decision, Hight said, was clearly not his.
“That’s a Jimmy Prock call,” Hight said. “I was hopi9ng the thin air up here wasn’t getting to his brain. He does so well up here on the mountain, when we get to sea level, maybe we need to deprive him of oxygen. We always do well.”
Of course, Prock was tuned into track specialist Lanny Miglizzi
“Lanny says we can get down any lane,” Hight conveyed.
BACK ‘ER DOWN – No. 1 qualifier Cruz Pedregon spent much of Saturday’s qualifying trying to back down his Toyota flopper. On race day, he still hadn’t found a comfort zone, even in beating Jeff Diehl.
Pedregon ran a 4.570 with dropped cylinders and had to drive hard to keep the smoking Funny Car off of the centerline.
“We’ve just been trying to run faster than the track will allow,” confirmed Pedregon. “We need to keep backing it off. We don’t want to slow down too much because there are some good cars out here. We better slow it down some more because we can’t win racing like we did in the last round.”
HIS LUCKY BREAK – Matt Hagan knew his 4.373 to 4.392 win over Melanie Troxel was a break. Hagan’s Mopar-sponsored flopper lost a breather tube just shy of the finish line.
“It seems like that has been plaguing us lately,” Hagan admitted. “We got our first oildown penalties already so thank goodness we got off of the track before it put any down.
FOCUS IS THE KEY – Fifteen-time series champion John Force had a lot on his mind headed into the first round. Just one day after blowing the Ford Mustang off of the chassis, Force had to meet former team driver and rival Tony Pedregon in the first round.
Force rolled to the starting line with a replacement Funny Car body weighing 15 pounds more while Pedregon stood on the cusp of his 500th career round win.
Force denied T-Ped the opportunity to become the eighth driver in drag racing history with a 4.335, 286.56.
“You want to come out here fighting but you don’t want to have what happened yesterday in your head. I really don’t even like to focus on the fact I’m racing Tony Pedregon. That kid is the best. And, he’s been getting me a lot lately. At the end of the day, I needed the round win to get motivated. “
IT IS A ROUND WIN – Tim Wilkerson headed into Denver wondering if he continuously drew the lane with a burned out bulb on the finish line scoreboard. Not this time.
Wilkerson’s 4.390 was enough to take out Johnny Gray and ascend into the tenth place in points.
“I was pretty sure there was something wrong with my win light for the last 20 races. We’ve been picking away at it each weekend. I will tell you that wasn’t the run we were looking for. I don’t have anything for Robert’s 4.28.”
A NEW ATTITUDE – There was a time when Jeff Arend was considered a lame duck in the first round. This season he’s transformed into a predator.
Arend ran a 4.399, 275.45 to beat Jack Beckman.
“We’re doing so good that I am getting confident,” Arend said. “The car is going down the track. I think they are feeling weird about racing us now.
QUARTER-FINALS
GIANT KILLER – Jeff Arend continued to pick on the quicker cars and his impressive season continued with a win over No. 1 qualifier Cruz Pedregon. Last year Arend only made it past the first round seven times in 23 events. Just 12 races into the 2011 tour, Arend made it past the first round for the eighth time.
Arend won with a 4.596, 248.39 pass.
PROCKET ROCKET WORKS AT ALTITUDE – Robert Hight eliminated fellow Ford runner Tim Wilkerson in the second round. Just one round earlier, Wilkerson proclaimed that he didn’t have anything for Hight’s 4.28
Hight responded with a 4.289, 284.81.
“That was a nice run,” Hight said of tuner Jimmy Prock’s tune-up. “It’s a lot warmer and we dropped a cylinder on that run. When that happens, you get a feeling that’s maybe what saved you.”
THE ICON REMAINS ICONIC – It’s been 249 days since John Force won an NHRA Full Throttle event as a driver. In the second round, he moved one step closer by knocking off the point leader Mike Neff with a 4.290.
The victory ensured Force his second semi-final appearance of the season.
THE FLAGSHIP WINS – Only .006 of a second was what separated teammates Matt Hagan and Ron Capps at the finish line. Hagan won by a 4.299 to 4.319 margin.
SEMI-FINALS
FOCUSED – John Force has showed what he can do when his focus is on driving a race car. In the semi-finals, he took out Jeff Arend to reach the final round, his first of the season.
Force credited his team president and teammate John Force with the motivation to get back into the groove.
“Robert came up to me earlier in the weekend and said, “There’s nothing wrong with your race car. It’s you. I asked him how he could say that to me. I know this game better than anybody.
“He said, ‘No, your head is off at Oshkosh and the Indy 500. Get your s*** back in the game and you might win a race.”
A GET WELL WEEKEND – Matt Hagan rolled to the starting line, largely an underdog against Robert Hight. Hagan has hardly lived up to the title contender he displayed last season by going no further than the second round since March.
In the semis, Hight fired off a 4.285 elapsed time to not only beat Hight’s 4.31 but also score lane choice in the finals.
“I’m just glad to be going rounds,” Hagan admitted. “It will be a huge race if we can get this Mopar car in the finals.”
FINAL
WELCOME BACK – John Force was clearly armed with the same momentum which enabled him to win last year’s championship. The same could be said for final round opponent Matt Hagan.
What should have been an incredible race never materialized as Hagan rolled the beams drawing a foul.
Force ran a 4.361 en route to his first win since the 2010 AAA NHRA Finals in Pomona, Ca.
PRO STOCK
FREQUENT FLIERS – Four first round winners dipped into the sixes.
Erica Enders became the first win a 6.978 to beat Shane Gray. Two pairs later, Allen Johnson ran a 6.978 for low elapsed time of the round.
Mike Edwards [6.974] beat Warren Johnson and Jason Line [6.991] got around Greg Stanfield.
DOMINATION CONTINUES – Greg Anderson wasn’t at his best but it was enough to keep his first round winning streak intact against Greg Anderson.
Anderson’s 7.021 wasn’t as quick in winning as he’d hoped to be.
“It wasn’t that bad of a run, but it wasn’t that fast either. There’s nothing wrong with it. We’ll tune up for the next one. There are sixes out there, and cars that can run them, we just don’t appear to be one of them.”
MORGAN WINS ON A HOLESHOT – Larry Morgan, who won Denver 21 years ago, beat Ron Krisher on a holeshot, 7.012 to 7.011.
GAINES VS LINE – Normally a 9.00 is only good enough to send a Pro Stock racer home. But for Lakewood, Co.-based V. Gaines, the 9.00 was a winning run when Ronnie Humphrey fouled.
Gaines had no idea what happened to his car.
“That win was a lot of luck, Ronnie gave us a gift,” Gaines said. “I burned the clutch up when I let it out. I have no clue what happened."
HANG ON KID – Kurt Johnson scored a first round victory when Vincent Nobile turned a .001 foul.
QUARTER-FINALS
A WEIRD ROUND – Unlike the first round, where a six-second run guaranteed victory, the quarter-finals sent the six second performers packing.
V. Gaines [6.975], Erica Enders [6.985], Jason Line [6.984] and Greg Anderson [6.986].
A TALE OF TWO LIGHTS – Larry Morgan and Kurt Johnson advanced to the semis on two ends of good fortune on the starting line.
Ford runner Larry Morgan holeshot his was to the semis. After beating Ron Krisher in the first round, the Ford racer knocked off V. Gaines by a 7.058 to 6.975 margin.
On the other side of the ladder, Johnson hasn’t had to be lightning quick. Vincent Nobile fouled by .001 in the first round and a heavily favored Erica Enders in the quarters.
“I promise you, it wasn’t because they were afraid of our GXP,” said Johnson.
SUPER BAD – Alan Johnson [Greg Anderson] ran a track record 6.955 and Mike Edwards [Jason Line] ran a 6.966.
SEMI-FINALS
HMMMMMMMMMM … - For the first time since eliminations since Friday evening, Allen Johnson’s Mopar Pro Stocker showed vulnerability. In knocking off Larry Morgan, Johnson slowed to a 6.988.
“I don’t know what caused it to slow down,” Johnson said. “I don’t know why because the car felt okay.”
The slowdown benefitted Mike Edwards, who ran a 6.974 to end Kurt Johnson’s surprising day.
“How about that?” Edwards said with a smile. “What do I do now?”
FINALS
EDWARDS WINS TITANIC BATTLE – The actual lane choice did little for Mike Edwards in the final round against Allen Johnson. It was the psychological stuff which made the most impact.
Johnson’s Mopar inexplicably fell from its torrid pace in the semis, handing Edwards lane choice. The final round never materialized as Johnson, after a staging battle, fouled out.
Edwards made his second best pass of the weekend with a 6.970 in victory.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
FIRST ROUND
LE SCORES BIG VICTORY - L.E. Tonglet, who won the Pro Stock Motorcycle championship as a rookie last season, proved again how good he is Sunday at the Mile-High National
After not qualifying for the race until the fourth and final qualifying session, Tonglet ran down Andrew Hines in the opening round for a win. Hine was the defending champ at the Mile-High Nationals.
Tonglet clocked a 7.285-second elapsed time at 181.11 mph to defeat Hines’ 7.316-second effort.
“This Nitro Fish Suzuki is coming around each pass,” Tonglet said. “I can’t thank my dad (Gary Tonglet) enough for spending all night looking at that graph and we made a good decision,” LE said. “It is tough running Andrew first round, that’s like a final round. I know it was close and we just need a couple more to go.”
Things will not get easier for Tonglet in round two. He meets Hines’ Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson teammate Eddie Krawiec.
Krawiec beat Jim Underdahl in the first round. Krawiec came in at 7.276 seconds, compared Underdahl’s 7.314-second run.
HOME COOKING - Mike Berry, who is from nearby Littleton, Colo., scored an upset win over Steve Johnson in the first round.
Berry clocked a 7.314-second run, compared to Johnson’s quicker7.308-second effort. The difference was at the starting line as Berry had an .008-second reaction time, while Johnson was at .022.
“We have been struggling and it seems like we have been getting beat first round every week by the winner,” Berry said.”I’m glad all my sponsors have been hanging in there with me.”
Berry faces Michael Phillips in round two. Phillips beat Chip Ellis in the first round. Phillips clocked a 7.268-second time run to edge Ellis, who came in at 7.285 seconds.
STOFFER BOUNCES BACK - The last couple races at Norwalk, Ohio and Chicago have not been memorable for Karen Stoffer.
Stoffer lost in the first round at Norwalk and Underdahl and in the second round to Matt Smith in Chicago.
Stoffer rebounded to defeat Shawn Gann in the opening round of the Mile-High Nationals.
“The gentleman who is happier is the one you see in that Geico uniform on the Kymco scooter coming to pick me up,” said Stoffer about Gary Stoffer, her husband and crew chief. “He had a rough day on Friday and now I want to give him a good day on Sunday.” MORE UPSETS - The biggest surprise in round one came when Jerry Savoie upended Matt Smith in the opening round.
Savoie clocked a smooth 7.272-secon run to get past Smith’s 7.360-second effort.
Savoie improved his season round to 6-6.
Hector Arana III, qualified No. 8, but had his day end earlier when David Hope captured a holeshot win. Arana III had a 7.275-second time, while Hope registered a 7.276 run. Hope had a .012 reaction time and Arana III was at .045 at the starting line.
Top qualifier Hector Arana Sr. did advance in the first round when Justin Finley registered a redlight.
QUARTER-FINALS
RED DOESN’T MEAN GO - The story of the second round in Pro Stock Motorcycle was red lights.
Three riders in a row, Mike Berry, Jerry Savoie, and LE Tonglet all lost via redlights.
Michael Phillips received the good fortune from Berry. Phillips clocked a 7.295-second run as Berry, who is from nearby Littleton was sent home.
Savoie’s redlight was his third of the season. Berry now has two redlights this season and Tonglet also has two redlights this year.
Tonglet lost to Eddie Krawiec in round two. Krawiec clocked a solid 7.324-second lap.
“It is hot out here, and hat's off to my whole crew and the NHRA because they are giving us an awesome facility to race at,” Krawiec said. “The Bandimere family has given us an awesome race track. The conditions out here have been all good on the race track all weekend. We are giving fans side-by-side runs down the track and Harley-Davidson up here on the mountain is going to the semis.”
Tonglet, who barely qualified, beat Krawiec’s teammate Andrew Hines in the first round.
ARANA SR. STAYS CONSISENT - This has been a roller-coaster year for Hector Arana Sr. the 2009 Pro Stock Motorcycle world champ, has had a decent run at the Mile-High Nationals.
Arana Sr. beat Justin Finley and then he roared past David Hope in the second round. Arana Sr. came in at 7.266 seconds, while Hope registered a 7.315 second-effort.
Arana meets Michael Phillips in the semis. On the other side of the ladder, Krawiec meets Karen Stoffer in the semifinals.
Arana has not raced against Phillips this season. Krawiec has a 1-0 season record against Stoffer. Krawiec beat Stoffer in the finals at the Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla., the season-opening race for the Pro Stock Motorcycle competitors.
SEMI-FINALS
STOFFER GETS BACK IN FINALS - Karen Stoffer has had a breakout season in the Pro Stock Motorcycle ranks this season.
Stoffer came to the Mile-High Nationals second in the season points standings, and she showed why this weekend.
Stoffer advanced to the finals at Bandimere Speedway by defeating Eddie Krawiec with a holeshot in the semifinals.
Stoffer clocked a 7.338-second pass, while Krawiec came in with a quicker 7.325-second time.
Stoffer claimed the win with a stout .002 reaction time, compared to Krawiec’s .049 light.
This is Stoffer’s fourth appearance in the finals this season. She lost in the finals at the Gatornationals, Atlanta and Englishtown (N.J.). Stoffer has five career NHRA national event wins, but she hasn’t won since she beat Matt Smith in the finals at Atlanta in 2007.
PHILLIPS SHOWS MUSCLE - Michael Phillips had a tough outing at the last NHRA event as he failed to qualify in Chicago.
Phillips made up for some lost points by making it to the finals at the Mile-High Nationals.
Phillips used a holeshot to defeat top qualifier Hector Arana Sr. Phillips came across the finish line at 7.357 seconds, while Arana Sr. had a quicker 7.313 second effort. The difference was at the starting line. Phillips had a .008 reaction time and Arana was caught sleeping with a .105 reaction time.
FINALS
AND YOUR WINNER AND NEW POINT LEADER IS … - After consecutive events where her breakage ended her races prematurely, Karen Stoffer reached the pinnacle of success high atop the mountain in Denver.
Stoffer ran a 7.283, 182.58 to easily pull away from Michael Phillips’ 7.394, 182.07 effort.
Her victory moved her into the Pro Stock Motorcycle lead ahead of E ddie Krawiec by one point.
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SATURDAY NOTEBOOK - THE STORIES UP ON THE MOUNTAIN
THE MOUNTAIN MAN ROCKS TO THE TOP - Drag racing has its share of traditions.
Allen Johnson and Bandimere Raceway located outside of Denver, Co., is one of them.
The four-time Mopar NHRA Mile High Nationals finalist from Greeneville, Tenn., added yet another accolade in the event’s history by qualifying No. 1 during the final day of qualifying. This marks the second time this season he’s qualified No. 1 at a high-altitude event and his second in a row at this event.
“We’d really like to copy this Mopar event and take it to every where this year,” said Johnson. “Being here with Mopar and all of the executives of Mopar and doing it in front of them is very, very special. We’ve come up here and tested our butts off over the last six to ten years to develop a combination with the Hemi.”
Johnson’s 6.978 second pass in the final pair of Pro Stock qualifying surpassed the 6.982 by V. Gaines and the 6.986 from Friday’s leader Mike Edwards.
There was no magic for Johnson in the final session. According to him, the run to the top was nothing more than momentum.
“You get better with every run. Hopefully you improve with every run. Dad tunes these Hemi engines better with every run. It’s a progression. It isn’t that we are pulling a rabbit out of the hat, we’re just getting better.”
Johnson believes Saturday’s second session is almost exactly what his team figures race day will present. This might not bode well for the rest of the Pro Stock field.
“We left a little on the table after that run,” Johnson admitted. “We just didn’t get it all.”
If there was a victim in Johnson’s run to the top, it was the local favorite Gaines, who resides in nearby Lakewood. Gaines was in the pair before Edwards and Johnson and had his run have held up, it would have been a career first for the Kendall-sponsored driver.
“V. has been fast all weekend,” Johnson said of his fellow Mopar racer. “He’s a fellow Mopar racer who runs a Mopar, so if he would have taken it, that would have been great too. But, when we saw his run we might have gone up another 100 rpm on the leave to get just a little more.”
Brand fraternity or not, Johnson wasn’t going down without a fight.
“We take it personal up here,” Johnson said.
ALL ABOUT THE MOJO - This season has been a struggle for Hector Arana Sr.
The 2009 Pro Stock Motorcycle world champ, has lost in the first round at three races and he came to the Mile-High Nationals this weekend sixth in the championship points.
Saturday, Arana Sr. gave his season a much-needed jolt by capturing the pole position with a 7.240-second lap at 185.69 mph at Bandimere Speedway.
“I started well at the beginning of the year and I was plagued with some electrical problems,” Arana Sr. said. “At first, I didn’t think it was electrical and I kept checking the engine and it made me look really bad. Then, I had my son (Hector) tuning on it and he is qualifying on the pole. Everyone was saying dad was getting old, but today I showed you dad still has it.”
This is Arana’s second pole of the season as he also qualified No. 1 at the Gatornationals in March in Gainesville, Fla., which was the season-opening race for the Pro Stock Motorcycle riders. Arana now has 17 career pole positions and this is his second in Denver as he also was the top qualifier at the Mile-High Nationals in 2009.
Karen Stoffer qualified second in Pro Stock Motorcycle, while Arana’s son, Hector, qualified No. 8 at 7.284 seconds.
“Both lanes are great here at this track, so (Sunday) having lane choice doesn’t matter, it is a matter of having the perfect tune-up,” the elder Arana said. “I believe in general we have a good tune-up. (Sunday) it is going to be who can leave the starting line. That is what we need to focus on. We have to play close attention to the first 60 feet.”
Arana faces No. 16 qualifier Justin Finley today in the first round. Arana’s best two race-day performances this season came at Gainesville and Norwalk when he lost in the semifinals.
BACK TO REALITY - Cruz Pedregon had no visions of grandeur when he woke up Saturday morning, the final day of 
qualifying at the Mopar NHRA Mile High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway. The two-time series champion had laid down the run of all runs which towered over any previous run he'd ever made, about 9,800 feet above sea level to be exact.
The final day of qualifications would be about finding a race day combination.
"We know what not to do," said Pedregon, who retained the No. 1 seed headed into final eliminations despite running off pace all day. "We're pulling it [horsepower] back and just trying to go down the track. It just goes to show how much power it took to make that run."
Pedregon ran a 4.095, 307.51 to secure both ends of the Bandimere track record and claim his third pole position of 2011.
"We're still excited about it but know that set-up isn't going to work on race day," Pedregon said. "This is a great track. It's just a bit warm. Hopefully we will get it right for tomorrow. We're not known for big changes, so we might be slow to bring it back."
Pedregon headed into Saturday with a good measure of afterglow from Friday's incredible performance.
"The run meant so much to everybody," Pedregon said. "The fans were just great. The attention we've received has been overwhelming. This isn't my first rodeo. The real game is to do well on Sunday."
DARKNESS DESCENDS UPON DENVER - No one could knock Del Worsham off his Top Fuel qualifying throne Saturday.
Thanks to a 3.933-second run Friday night, Worsham won the Top Fuel pole at the the 32nd Mopar Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colo.
Worsham clocked a 3.933-second time at 314.53 mph in his Al-Anabi dragster, to edge Bob Vandergriff Jr. off the pole. Vandergriff came in at 3.937 seconds. Both Worsham and Vandergriff Jr.’s run came on Friday night with better track conditions.
“Any time you qualify No. 1, you feel good about it,” Worsham said. “This season just continues to be amazing. The job that Brian (Husen) (Worsham’s crew chief) and the entire Al-Anabi racing team and Alan Johnson did to get me here, I got to thank them again.”
Worsham’s pole is his fourth of the season, ninth of his career and his first at the Mile-High Nationals.
“We just went out (Saturday) and just kind of felt our way around,” Worsham said. “I thought we may smoke the tires and it might do some things (Saturday), and it did. I have total confidence that Brian and Alan were just kind of feeling their way around out there.”
Worsham actually clinched a spot in the Countdown Playoffs on Friday, but he has bigger goals in mind.
“I would really like to talk about it if we ever clinched the No. 1 spot in the Countdown, that would really be exciting,” Worsham said. “That is our goal now to try and clinch the first spot in the Countdown. If we can do that, that would be amazing.”
AND WE HAVE LIFT OFF - John Force has had many memorable and scary moments during his racing career.
Saturday evening in the final Funny Car session at the Mile-High Nationals, the legendary Force added another line to his storybook career.
Moments after his Castrol GTX High-Mileage Ford left the line in the left lane, the blower appeared to explode, and the body of his Mustang flew off the car. The body did one full revolution in the air with a twist before landing in the left lane. Force, with no body on his car, kept his car in the center of the lane.
Force stopped his car and jumped out and was uninjured in the wild run. He immediately went down to look at the damage to the car’s body. The windshield was cracked. The body was lifted off the track by five NHRA workers and then put on a flatbed truck and taken back to Force’s pits.
According to a Force spokesman, valve train failure caused the blower to backfire. Force will have another body in place for eliminations Sunday.
“They killed my body years ago,” Force told NHRA’s Alan Reinhart moments after his run.
Reinart then asked Force if had spares of these things (bodies)?
Force responded quickly.
“I have lots of them, but haven’t you noticed we are in an economy budget deal here, and I need all my sh*t in one piece,” Force said.
Cruz Pedregron, who won the Funny Car pole, was the next car to go in the right lane and he had a front-row seat to see Force’s run.
“I looked at that and John is the only guy out here who has been running Funny Cars longer than I have,” Pedregon said. “He and I have been through those. Luckily, the car speed wasn’t a high-speed thing. I knew John, the veteran that he is, was under control. I’m sure he just wanted to get out of the car and stop it. Once I knew John was OK and (his) parachutes were out I went on to thinking about my run.”
TONGLET SQUEAKS INTO FIELD - This is the kind of drama LE Tonglet would like to avoid.
Tonglet, who won the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle world championship as a rookie, still was not qualified for the 32nd Mopar Mile-High Nationals heading into the fourth and final qualifying session Saturday evening.
Tonglet rose to the occasion and clocked a 7.302-second effort to get into the field.
Tonglet actually failed to qualify at Norwalk, Ohio in June and then won the next race at Chicago.
Tonglet qualified No. 11 and things will not get any easier Sunday as he faces No. 6 qualifier Andrew Hines in the first round. The same Hines who he beat by four points a year ago to capture the world title.
LAMBRIGHT BACK IN SEAT - Austin Lambright, the young car chief for Terry McMillen’s Top Fuel dragster, looks like he may compete in his second career NHRA Top Fuel race Aug. 5-7 in Seattle.
“Probably Seattle is the way it looks,” said McMillen, when asked when Lambright with make his next start. “I’m pretty sure we are going to try and do it in Seattle, and if Seattle doesn’t work out, then he will probably run at Indy (Aug. 31-Sept. 5).”
Lambright made his Top Fuel debut at Bristol, Tenn., in June. He qualified No. 16 and lost in the first round to Brandon Bernstein.
“The other that it depends on (Lambright racing) is that we are trying to get this car down the track and keep it together,” said McMillen, who came to the Mile-High Nationals 11th in the points. “We are going through a lot of parts right now, and if that becomes an issue we may not be able to do Seattle (with Lambright), but right now that looks like where we are going.”
McMillen qualified No. 8 at Bandimere and he will face No. 9 Antron Brown in the first round Sunday.
BROWN BELIEVES DRIVERS ARE REAL ATHLETES - There is the misconception out there that race 
car drivers are not “real” athletes.
True, some drivers look more like John Daly than John Elway.
However, labeling all race car drivers as non-athletic is a mistake.
Look no further than Antron Brown, who drives the Top Fuel dragster for Don Schumacher Racing.
Brown, 35, stands 5-foot-8 and weighs 145 pounds. In 1997, he was clocking 10.3-second times in the 100-meter dash that qualified him to participate in the U.S. Olympic Trials. Brown opted out of the trials to pursue a career in racing.
“It doesn’t make a difference what arena you go into, you are going to have people who are elite athletes,” Brown said. “It is the same thing in the NHRA; you have elite athlete drivers and then you just have some drivers. It’s just like in basketball where you have your elite athletes like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. Those guys are on a totally different level because of their work ethic.
It is the same thing in motorsports. You have some drivers who are just average and just drive and then you have some people like myself in drag racing and Jimmie Johnson in NASCAR who train really hard and work really hard and that is what it takes.”
PEDREGON MAKES SHOW - Tony Pedregron, the 2003 and 2007, Funny Car world champ, is having a difficult season.
Pedregron arrived at the Mile-High Nationals 12th in the points standings, and he didn’t qualifying at Bandimere until his fourth and final qualifying run Saturday evening.
Pedregon clocked a 4.360-second run at 244,69 mph to qualify No. 12 in the field. There were only 17 drivers entered in the Funny Car field and he knocked James Day out of the show. Pedregon meets John Force in round one.
Thanks to his clutch final qualifying run Pedregon extended his qualifying streak to 98 consecutive races. Ron Capps, who qualified No. 6, also has qualified for 98 consecutive Funny Car national events.
“I have been doing this for awhile and I have been through a lot in my career, and you would not believe the things that are going through your head,” Pedregon said moments after his lap.”Then, right when they get ready to start me, they said Jeff Diehl was pulling out and they started naming his sponsors and they said Mexicali Beer and I thought why does a gringo got a sponsor like that and I do not? I have been getting pumped with Mexican food all weekend because we have a lot of Hispanic fans out here. I appreciate them. I got heartburn and I do not know if it is from all the stress or just the food they have been bringing. It was a little drama for us, but I have a good group of guys and I do not know how they all landed here, but I would put them up against any team.”
Pedregron actually had a 4.47-second time in his third qualifying effort Saturday, but his elapsed time was thrown out after he oiled down the track during the pass.
ANDERSON BLOWS MOTOR - Greg Anderson, the reigning Pro Stock world champ, finished qualifying Saturday on a sour note.
Moments after Anderson clocked a 7.04-second time, the engine
“The engine expired before end, we will be all right we have a backup engine for (Sunday),” Anderson said.
OLD FOES RENEW RIVALRY - Schumacher’s 4.053-second pass at 294.37 mph in session four earned him a meeting with defending world champion and 10th-place qualifier, Larry Dixon, in the opening round of final eliminations beginning at 11 a.m. MT.
“Well, the fans are definitely going to get their money’s worth early on Sunday,” said Schumacher. “You are going to have two great teams battling it out. That is what makes this sport so exciting.”
Schumacher and Dixon have combined to win 10 world championships, nine of which were claimed since 2002. Dixon’s current team is Schumacher’s old U.S. Army crew which captured titles from 2004 through 2008.
“When Larry and I face each other – be it in qualifying or on race day – it’s always something to see,” added the Chicago-area resident. “You certainly don’t need to hype it up in any way. I know I’m going to get his best shot and he knows he’s going to get my best shot.”
Thus far this season, Schumacher has posted two race day wins over Dixon in three tries. One of those victories came in the second round at Atlanta Dragway in May, while Schumacher was en route to the finals.
RUNNING FOR SUNDAY - Mike Neff was racing for a Sunday tune-up. The altitude and warmer conditions kept the crew chief and driver of the Castrol GTX Mustang busy. Neff spent more time on the starting line discussing track conditions with track specialist Lanny Miglizzi than previous events. In the final run of the session Neff spun the tires and slowed to a 5.628 second pass.
“It is very tricky up here but we have been down the track two of the runs and right there I was trying to pick it up,” said Neff. “It went a little too far. I feel alright and tomorrow is a new day. You never know what is going to happen up here on this mountain that is for sure.”
IT'S A MONSTER OF A MOUNTAIN - The last several weeks a heat wave has socked almost all of America.
If the heat wasn’t enough to cope with, wrench bosses have to deal with the high altitude at the 32nd Mopar Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison this weekend.
“The air is so bad here, that you have to think completely out of the box,” said Chris Cunningham, who is the crew chief on Bob Tasca II’s Funny Car. “You not really taking into consideration that it went from 92 to 96 degrees, that is irrelevant because we are twice as bad as we were in Chicago (July 7-10) because of the elevation. The motor is so oxygen and air deprived that you are doing stuff so far out of the realm that a few degrees of temperature doesn’t really constitute into the tune-up. We basically add 25 or 30,000th compression and you put seven or eight percent of overdrive on the blower, and you add a few degrees of timing. Obviously, your motor is not going to rev up, so you have to adjust for counter weight and make the car move.”
Todd Okuhara, the co-crew chief for Spencer Massey’s Don Schumacher Racing Top Fueler, shared some of the same thoughts as Cunningham.
“As your tune-up changes, you have to come up here and make up the difference for the altitude, whether it be with compression or blower or both,” Okuhara said. “That’s why you do not see cars run real consistent up here. It is just a real challenge. Even up to the start of eliminations, you are still making adjustments to your tune-up to try and get it better and you never really get there.”
While most crew chief deal with elements at the Mile-High Nationals once a season, it is a like a home track for the Vance & Hines Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson Pro Stock Motorcycle team with drivers Andrew Hines and Eddie Krawiec.
“Basically we just kind of take the notes we have from the past and we got to test here (at Bandimere) last Wednesday and Thursday,” said Matt Hines, the crew chief for the Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson team. “We made a couple of adjustments, and everything went pretty smooth. Chicago (July 7-10) threw us for a total loop.”
Matt won three Pro Stock Motorcycle world championships from 1997-99 and he has the most Pro Stock Motorcycle victories, four, in 1996. ’97, ’98 and 2002. The Hines family lived in Trinidad, Colo., which is about three hours south of Bandimere, for nearly a decade during Matt’s Pro Stock Motorcycle career.
To Bandimere Speedway’s credit, it made major upgrades on its track surface to benefit the crew chiefs and drivers. In 2008, Bandimere debuted an all-concrete racing surface, newly paved shutdown area, new Musco lighting, and the first ever efficient track cooling system placed in the launch pad.
“They have done well with the cooling system in the first part of the track and that gives us the benefit of having a nice launch pad, but then you have to manipulate it where it gets 15 to 17 degrees hotter out there and treat it as such,” Cunningham said.
Bandimere Speedway is a daunting challenge for Top Fuel driver/tuner Scott Palmer.
“I only ran here once before in Top Fuel and that was about four years ago,” Palmer said. “It is really new to me. Because we are here Donnie Bender (Brandon Bernstein’s assistant crew chief) and Todd Smith (Brandon Bernstein’s crew chief) have given me pointers. If you are a team like me and you do not have experience running at this altitude, the best thing to do is go get some advice from some of the big teams. I asked for advice because I do not want to go out there and do anything really stupid.”
WHAT'S COOKIN'? - Chefs at the race track? Really?
Many teams employ the use of a Chef to feed their guests in the various hospitality centers. CPTV's video reporter Matthew Brammer discusses the art of drag strip cuisine with Al-Anabi Racing chef Dustin Gagna.
1000-FT., THREE YEARS LATER - There’s no question safety is a top priority for the NHRA.
The move to 1,000 feet by the NHRA came shortly after Scott Kalitta, the legendary Connie Kalitta’s son, and a two-time NHRA world champion, died on June 21, 2008, during qualifying at Englistown, N.J.
Scott Kalitta's Funny Car, traveling about 300 mph, burst into flames and crashed at the end of the track during final qualifying for the Lucas Oil SuperNationals Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.
Kalitta, 46, was pronounced dead a short time after being taken to the Old Bridge Division of Raritan Bay Medical Center in Englishtown, N.J.
The majority of nitro racers support the NHRA's decision to shorten the racing distance.
Bob Tasca III, who pilots the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford, still supports the NHRA's decision.
"At the end of the day, it is about bringing the drivers home. No fans that I know want to see drivers get killed, and when everything goes wrong there’s no greater gift you can give the driver than that 320 feet on these short tracks and there are a lot of short tracks out there. I think it is a mute point. You look forward and not back and at the end of the day I do not see a scenario other than dramatically slowing these cars down to ever go back to a quarter-mile and I do not see that scenario happening.”
The NHRA performed a number of tests in the last two seasons in an attempt to slow the nitro cars. The objective was to apparently return nitro racing to 1320 feet. Testing was suspended last season and hasn't resumed as of July of this season.
A fair amount of traditionalists still aren't keen on the shortened distance. Tony Pedregon considers himself part of this fraternity.
“Normal is a quarter-mile for me,” said Pedregon, who won Funny Car world championships in 2003 and 2007. “I’m not going to argue with 1,000 feet because it sure makes a lot of sense when we have a limited shutdown area. The way that I thought three years ago and the way I think now hasn’t changed. I would still love to see quarter-mile racing where we have adequate shutdown areas. I think the biggest problem that existed then and now is trying to regulate fuel volume, just the power across the board. They really haven’t done anything to pull power away from these cars. At 1,000-feet in good conditions, Top Fuel cars 325 mph and Funny Cars are running 315 mph. Some of the drivers are still shutting the cars off at 1100 or 1200 feet. I would just go back and say I do not think they have fixed much other than give us a little additional shutdown area. By all means, we do need it, especially at some of those tracks. If I viewed this strictly to benefit me, I would say 1,000 feet is good, better yet how about 600 feet? Because that is going to save us a little bit of money and parts.”
At the onset of 1,000 foot racing, many race fans threatened to boycott until 1320 foot racing returned. Many took their arguments to various message boards.
The bottom line, Pedregron admitted, the 1,000-foot racing hasn’t had an impact on spectator numbers.
“It doesn’t seem to deter the fans,” Pedregon said. “They still stand up and they still come. I think long-term it would still be better for us to look at maybe having both quarter-mile racing and 1,000-foot racing. I’m not saying going back to quarter-mile everywhere because you just can’t do it. They did make a lot of upgrades to shutdown areas and safety nets, but that was one of the issues. Somehow it just seems like they (NHRA) wait for something to happen. I know they (NHRA) are testing restrictor plates, but the proof is in the pudding. They haven’t done much.”
WHEN LIFE HANDS YOU LEMONS ... - Johnny Gray has had more than his share of problems with the Service Central Funny Car lately. However, when he compares his racing issues with those of
children affected by cancer, he believes his woes aren’t really woes.
Gray is racing the Lemonator Funny Car and this isn’t a nickname for a car which has acted lately like a lemon. The Lemonator theme is geared to bring awareness to the childhood cancer through a charity named Alex’s Lemonade Stand.
The charity’s namesake, Alexandria “Alex” Scott, was diagnosed with cancer just before she was a year old. When she reached four, she told her parents she wanted to set up a lemonade stand in the front yard to earn money to donate towards finding a cure for childhood cancer.
Gray believes the interaction with the charity has enabled him to see issues in a different light.
“We went to the children’s hospital last night,” said Gray on Friday afternoon. “We went up to the cancer ward and you can hang out up there for about an hour and a half and then come out here and all of my big problems about where my car is qualified gets pretty insignificant in a hurry.”
Alex lost her battle with cancer in 2004 when she was eight.
If you would like to support Alex’s Lemonade Stand, you can make a $5 donation by texting CANCER TBC to 85944.
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FRIDAY NOTEBOOK - THERE'S HEAT UP ON THE MOUNTAIN
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN - In baseball terms, Cruz Pedregon’s 4.095 during Friday Funny Car qualifying at the Mopar NHRA Mile High Nationals would have been
Pedregon coupled his incredible elapsed time with a 307.51 mile per hour speed to grab both ends of the track record head into Saturday’s final two sessions .070 quicker than No. 2 Robert Hight.
Not a bad feat when Pedregon’s team had a strikeout in their first at-bat.
“That is a statement run,” Pedregon said of the track record. “As much as we thought we had our act together on the first run, we went out there and had a great sixty-foot time. We broke traction just past there. We were a little discouraged.
“Then we realized we had the best sixty-foot by a few ticks, and then started to believe our motor wasn’t that far off. We went back to the pits knowing it would cool off and that John Bandimere had put the cooling system in on the starting line.”
Bandimere’s investment of installing a cooling system which channels chilled water through coils buried in the first sixty feet of the concrete starting pad paid huge dividends for the two-time series champion.
“To be honest, we were relying on that thing to do its job,” Pedregon said. “Cause we were getting after it pretty hard. The Snap-on car was loaded for bear. At half track, it started to pick the front end up, and started to go left. I thought, ‘Oh gosh, I’m going to run over the cones.”
Then the 4.09 popped up on the boards.
“It exceeded my expectations,” admitted Pedregon. “This 4.09, 307 is really the run of my career. I’ve been doing this for about 20 or so years, and that is THE run … bar none. If you factor in everything, this was probably a 3.97. It’s better than any run I’ve ever made before.”
Friday’s run has made Pedregon cautious headed into Saturday and Sunday.
“What we have to be careful of is to not think we have a 4.07 race track on every run,” Pedregon said. “What we’re going to do is make some changes to slow it down. Now we have to go out and focus on being consistent. Our main objective now is to go out and win the race on Sunday. We’ve come close this year, have a good car, just haven’t been able to close the deal. Our next goal is to make sure we can make four good runs on Sunday.”
And for Pedregon, base-hitting on Sunday, yields a higher batting average than upper deck shots.
If Pedregon’s run holds, it will mark the Snap-on Tools-sponsored driver’s third No. 1 of the season.
HE'S IN THE PLAYOFFS - This season has been magical for Del Worsham.
The journey continued Friday night for Worsham as he snared the Top Fuel provisional pole at the 32nd Mopar NHRA Mile High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colo. By qualifying, Worsham qualifies for the Top Fuel portion of the Countdown to 1.
Worsham clocked a 3.933-second time at 314.53 mph in his Al-Anabi dragster, to knock Bob Vandergriff Jr. off the pole. Vandergriff came in at 3.937 seconds.
“It was definitely the perfect time to get that run,” said Worsham, who is leading the Top Fuel season points chase. “The sun was down and it was the latest we were going to run in the coolest conditions to go out and get the most grip. It is just the way the season has been going. I can’t say enough about the job the whole entire Al-Anabi team has done. Both Larry (Dixon’s) guys and my guys. The work and effort they have put into it is pretty amazing. When a car is prepared that well a tuner like Alan Johnson will just go out there and make the engine do those kind of things.”
If Worsham’s pole holds it would be his fourth of the season and ninth of his career and it would be his first at the Mile-High Nationals.
“I thought we had a 3.93 in the car and I thought maybe they were trying to run a little bit better than that,” Worsham said. “Running up here in Denver, I’m not tuning so I do not know what they are doing, but I know from my past experiences it takes a lot and you have to make some big moves to really get anywhere up here. The altitude seems to eat up anything you do. My guys did a great job. Down track it cooled off and that is where we were able to make all the gains.”
Worsham actually set the tone with his first qualifying pass Friday at 4.000 seconds, which was No. 1 until he topped in the night session.
“From what I have noticed and what I have experienced from racing with Alan (Johnson), especially this season and Brian (Husen), I’m sure (Saturday) they are going to be finding boundaries and limits to see how far they can take this on Sunday.”
KING OF THE HILL - Mike Edwards made sure the darling of Denver, Allen Johnson, wasn’t the king of this hill on Friday.
Edwards, in the second qualifying session at the Mopar NHRA Mile High Nationals, reclaimed the top spot from the event sponsor’s flagship.
“We made a great run … sure did,” said Edwards on Friday evening before the gathered media at Bandimere Speedway. “For today, we are No. 1, but it could possibly change tomorrow.”
Edwards’ 6.989, 196.50 numbers were impressive in an adjusted altitude which exceeded 9,800 feet. He also led the first session with a 7.018.
“We’ll have to come out here tomorrow and race the track and hopefully, we’ll make two good runs,” Edwards said. “I love coming here. I’ve been racing here for 30 years. It’s one of my favorite tracks. It’s so different and so many changes you have to make to the car. It’s just so fun to race here.”
Edwards did well to repel a two-headed Mopar attack during Friday’s evening session mounted by defending event champion Johnson and V. Gaines. Johnson temporarily took over the top spot with a 6.992, 196.96 while Gaines tucked in at second with a Gaines 7.011, 195.25.
In the last pair of the evening qualifications, Edwards passed them both.
“It’s a challenge to come out here and run fast,” Edwards admitted. “I really enjoy it and it’s been fun.”
If the run holds, this will be Edwards’ fourth No. 1 of the season.
GETTING HIS LAPS IN - Practice made perfect for Eddie Krawiec Friday night.
Krawiec, who drives for the Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson team, parlayed a test session at Bandimere Speedway last week into capturing the provisional Pro Stock Motorcycle pole at the 32nd Mopar NHRA Mile High Nationals.
Krawiec clocked a 7.311-second time at 181.96 mph to edge David Hope for the No. 1 spot. Hope came in at 7.312 seconds, followed by Hector Arana who came in at 7.313 seconds.
“We came up here last week and we did some testing,” said Krawiec, who is leading the season points. “I was fortunate enough to make 12 laps down the track here. Obviously, it showed in the first qualifier and we knew it was only a matter of one or two runs for the other guys to catch up and get their baseline set-up. We just sort of take one lap at a time. I like this track and it is a place where I feel very comfortable.”
If Krawiec’s pole stands it would be his second of the season and eighth of his career and second in Denver. Krawiec, who won the world championship in 2008, took the Mile-High Nationals pole that same year. Krawiec’s teammate, Andrew Hines qualified eighth at 7.360 seconds.
“We have been struggling with consistency with our motorcycles,” Krawiec said. “We got Andrew’s running pretty close to mine, but unfortunately he had shifting issues in the second qualifier. Consistency has been our major issue. Until we have that, it is going to plague us all through eliminations. It just seems like out of nowhere our bikes just lose a tenth. That is something we need to get figured out before the Countdown. The key thing is you want to have a good, consistent motorcycle going into race day.”
Bandimere has been a track full of history for the Hines family.
Matt Hines won three Pro Stock Motorcycle world championships from 1997-99 and he has the most Mile-High Nationals Pro Stock Motorcycle victories with four coming in 1996, ’97, ’98 and 2002. The Hines family lived in Trinidad, Colo., which is about three hours south of Bandimere, for nearly a decade during Matt’s Pro Stock Motorcycle career. Andrew Hines, Matt’s younger brother, won in Denver in 2006 and last year. Krawiec won at Bandimere in 2009.
“I think it is a confidence boost when we come here,” Krawiec said. “Vance & Hines spent a lot of years in Colorado, so definitely there are advantages there. Unfortunately, when the Harley program was created, is when they came off the mountain and moved to Indy. For the Suzuki stuff it was an awesome program. For us, our main game plan is to come here and do well.”
Hight recorded the quickest qualifying time of the first session and was second quickest of the night. His 4.172 seconds was second only to Cruz Pedregon’s track record 4.095 second pass. All total, Hight earned five qualifying bonus points for his efforts and moved closer to No. 2 Jack Beckman in the Full Throttle point standings.
Though he ran quick enough to pick up the extra points, he lost his oildown freebie on the second run.
“Getting five bonus points is definitely a good way to start the race. That is what you want to do. When you look at what Cruz ran we are not in the same ballpark unfortunately,” said the four-time 2011 event winner. “He ran well here last year too. What really hurts for us is we used an oildown penalty on that last run. That was our first oildown of the year. We had our freebie plus two more we earned and we were real close to earning a third one. That killed it. You hate to waste an oildown anywhere.” Hight had made 68 passes without problems so far this season and his Auto Club Ford Mustang was only seven passes away from earning another free pass before the Q2 mishap.
“It is tricky the No. 5 piston was cold on the first run and Jimmy was afraid it would drop so he leaned it down. Tonight it burned it early and when I lifted it pitched that rod out. It is touchy, touchy up here. You are spinning the blower and everything so fast if everything isn’t perfect you have trouble. I’ll take the No. 2 spot.”
TONGLET ON OUTSIDE LOOKING IN - LE Tonglet’s roller-coaster season continued Friday at the Mile-High Nationals.
Tonglet, the reigning Pro Stock Motorcycle world champ, is fourth in the points, but he has had a crazy month.
Tonglet didn’t qualify for the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals last month in Norwalk, Ohio. He rebounded two weeks later at the next event in Chicago to win.
At Bandimere Friday, ran consecutive qualifying passes at 7.575 seconds and 7.529 seconds, which left him 18th in the field.
Tonglet’s brother GT is 20th at 7.578 seconds. Karen Stoffer, who is second in the season points, is 15th on the qualifying ladder at 7.477 seconds.
HANG ON SLOOPY - Tim Wilkerson recorded the 3rd-best run of the first session and picked up a bonus point in the process. His 4.315 from the first session had to stand for the day, and it slipped from the No. 3 spot down to the 10th position by the end of the evening session.
"Robert Hight paced the class by a bunch in the first session, running a 4.22 when the best the rest of us could do was low 4.30s," Wilkerson said. "Taking that as our baseline, we figured it was a lot better out there but a high teen, maybe a 4.18, would be about as good as you could do. Looking at the times, I guess a lot of other crew chiefs saw it that way too, and there were also a lot low 4.20s in the mix, but when Cruz (Pedregon) put that 4.09 on the board, I knew we had didn't have the right tune up for the track. It just didn't like the clutch set-up and we couldn't quite get it through that rough spot early, as it grabbed and tugged at the tires. The good news is, we have to run this thing in the heat on Sunday, so we'll come out and try to get it right tomorrow and then get ready for what we hope is a hot race day."
Worsham is running the black car because the previous maroon body had reached its safe limit of runs. According to a team spokeperson, the Al-Anabi team chose to go with a black base instead of the maroon that was on the old body. All decals are identical to the previous body, and it is the same chassis Worsham ran during the season’s first 11 races. It is possible that the team will go back to maroon later in the season, but that decision has not yet been made. [Ron Lewis]
MO MONEY - NHRA Top Fuel driver Terry McMillen the team’s quest to make the NHRA Countdown to the
Championship will have added support from Lane Automotive subsidiaries Motor State Distributing and Allstar Performance. McMillen’s Amalie Oil / UNOH team has been a Top 10 contender all season long.“We’re extremely excited about our partnership with Motor State Distributing and Allstar Performance,” McMillen said. “From Street Rods to Hot Rods and from drag strips to circle tracks, they have the parts we all need to go fast.”
“Terry McMillen is a perfect for for our companies,” said Scott Whalstrom, Marketing Manager at Motor State Distributing. “This gives us a great opportunity to expand our brand in the NHRA Drag Racing Series.”
“I had the opportunity to visit with George Lane recently,” McMillen said. “His office is full of cool photos of dragsters he built and raced back in the day. It was awesome to share stories with one of the great innovators of our sport. Plus we met a lot of UNOH graduates working there. It was pretty cool to say the least.”
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