EVENT NEWS EVENT NOTEBOOK POINTS AFTER EVENT ROUND-BY-ROUND RESULTS FINAL ROUND RESULTS			EVENT GALLERY

SUNDAY FINAL NOTEBOOK - THE STORIES BEHIND THE WINS

KEY TO VICTORY: ANIMAL CRACKERS AND WINE - Ron Capps admits he had the wrong impression initially of his tuner, Tim Richards. Now, every evening after enjoying fine wine and animal crackers, he realizes how wrong he was.
 
Unlike the notion of animal crackers and wine, Capps and Richards, along with Kim Richards made for a winning combination at the Fram Autolite NHRA Nationals in Sonoma, Ca.
 
“I always thought he was a crotchety old grumpy guy,” admitted Capps, who on Sunday captured his first win of the 2011 season. “When he was with [Joe] Amato and [Kenny] Bernstein, that’s the perfect example of judging a book by the wrong cover. He always had that intense look of someone who won championships.
 
“Even the first time when he rolled me up to the staging beams, each crew chief usually does their high-profile thing. Not him, he pointed forward, and walked away. The first time I wondered where he was going. That’s just the way he is.”
 
Little did Capps know when Richards motioned towards the finish line his action was an indicator of what the future would hold. He wanted his driver to go to the finish line with confidence the car would make it there.
 
Capps ran strong all day, beating Bob Tasca III, Johnny Gray, and Cruz Pedregon before beating Tim Wilkerson in the final round.
 
There was, in the back of his mind, a measure of uncertainty all day.
 
“I was so sure something was going to go wrong because we had such a great car,” Capps admitted. “As a driver, you are the last line that can make anything go wrong. I struggled so early through those tough times early in the season. I got down on myself but because I have such good teammates to pep me up, I made it through. When you finally get a good car, you just hope you can get back in that mode. I was nervous about Tim Wilkerson in the final round.”
 
In the end, Capps let go of the uncertainty and just drove the car for Richards.
 
“He brings confidence,” Capps said of his crew chief. “Tim is like a businessman. I know at the end of the day, if he hasn’t said something to me, then I have done a good job. He’s just that kind of guy and it’s expected [for me to do well]. We hardly talk all day.
 
“He hasn’t said anything to me since he came on board … thank God. When he does give you a compliment, ‘Good on you’ like they say up in Pennsylvania, stand back because it’s a big deal. He expects the best and I have to get up every race morning prepared to give him the best.”
 
There was a time earlier in the season when Capps wondered if he’d ever win another race. Even with winning Sonoma, Capps admits he’ll still wonder the same thing on Monday as the team prepares for Seattle.
 
“I’ll wonder that tomorrow morning,” confirmed Capps. “The competition here is so tough. Luckily we have great sponsors and a great team owner who says yes to what the crew chiefs need to win. Every win I still wonder if I am going to win again. It’s so tough to do. I knew, when I worked with Ed McCulloch, you just get in a comfort zone.
 
“Tim Richards is just the same. He is cut from the same cloth.”
 
And for Capps, how could you not give your best to a guy who introduced you to animal crackers and wine?
 
With the victory, Capps now has 32 national event wins in 67 finals rounds.

I HAVE TO CATCH UP - Tony Schumacher has proven by several measures that his U.S. Army Dragster is one of the most powerful in the National Hot Rod Association's Top Fuel class.

He is tied with points leader Del Worsham for the most No. 1 qualifying positions (four, including at this  FRAM-Autolite Nationals), has posted top speed a Top Fuel-best six times, and has run low E.T. of the meet three times. Moreover, he was making his second final-round appearance in as many Sundays.

However, he wanted at least that first victory to quiet any critics -- and to shake him from an uncharacteristic fifth-place rut as the Countdown to  the Championship nears.

Antron Brown wouldn't give it to him Sunday in the all-Don Schumacher Racing final at Infineon Raceway at Sonoma, Calif.

Brown defeated Schumacher with a 3.883-second pass at 314.61 mph on the 1,000-foot course in the Matco Tools / Toyota Dragster. His second victory at Sonoma in three years moved him past Larry Dixon into third place in the standings.

Schumacher countered with a 3.919, 311.41 mph in his fourth final-round appearance but got the same result as when he met Brown May 15 in the Atlanta final.

"We just can't seem to close the deal," Schumacher said. "It's truly unbelievable. We are getting so close to getting that first win of the season. The good news is that I know we will get it before too long. The Army car is really performing the way we want it to."

With it he earned a spot in the Countdown this weekend. "I guess that sort of takes away the sting a bit. We were confident all along we would qualify for the playoffs, but it is nice to get the official confirmation," he said.

Meanwhile, Brown earned his third victory in four final rounds for the $50,000 winners share of the purse and took over third place in the standings behind Worsham and Massey. Schumacher remained fifth.

"I've been energized ever since I got here," Brown, who completed his sweep of the Western Swing at Infineon Raceway in 2009, said. "I woke up this morning and had that feeling. In '09 it felt the same way. The Lord looked down and it was our day."

With Ron Capps repeating his 2010 Sonoma victory in the Funny Car class, Brown's feat meant that for the 25th time and second time this season DSR has had winners in at least two pro classes (23 times it has landed two winners, twice three winners). This marked the second straight weekend in which DSR had two Top Fuel finalists. Spencer Massey won against Schumacher at Denver.

Of Schumacher, Brown said, "He's my teammate, but deep down in his heart he wants to kinck my butt. And I want to kick his butt. We went out there like, 'This is going to be a duel.' Tree came down and we hit it and it was agreat drag race. We stepped it up. The car stuck, and we snuck away with that win."

He beat earnest Ron August, well-funded and Countdown-motivated Dave Grubnic, and tough-customer-of-the-season Worsham to reach the final. Brown was especially jazzed that Schumacher beat Dixon in the semifinals to become his last opponent of the day.

Schumacher beat Steve Chrisman and two of his keenest rivals -- Doug Kalitta and Larry Dixon -- to storm to the final round, where he earned the team another $22,000.

"Dixon's a great driver. Del's a great driver. Alan Johnson is the winningest driver in Top Fuel. They have an incredible team," Brown said. "We show them respect, but they're our rivals. We go after each other. There's no love lost. When you beat them, you've done something. You've really done something. I've had my butt kicked all over the place by those Al-Anabi cars. For two years I could not beat Dixon. I could not win against Del. I've lost every way you can to 'em, and now it’s on the other foot.

"Now we're sneaking away with some wins. We're getting wins. And all of our Schumacher cars are peaking at the right time," he said, referring to the 1-2-3 order of the DSR trio in qualifying. (Schumacher was first, Massey second, and Brown third.)

Brown didn't pity Schumacher. Instead he said, "Tony and that Army team, they've been on mean lately. In Denver, they had the car to beat. Spencer got around because (Tony) smoked the tires. They came out here and they've been mean every round."

"The Countdown's around the corner, and this momentum is so important going into the Countdown," he said, keying on the confidence factor.

"You can't say everything' went to plan,' because nothing's expected in this sport," Brown said.

But for at least one evening, it all was perfect for Antron Brown.

THE NUMBERS - Greg Anderson didn’t know the numbers but when added together, they computed nicely.

Anderson, the four-time NHRA Pro Stock series champion, was making his 200th consecutive start and raced his way to final round No. 100. In the end, 200 plus 100 equaled 68, his number of national event victories.

Anderson scored No. 68 during the Fram Autolite NHRA Nationals beating Mike Edwards by .0024 of a second in the final round by a 6.562 to 6.576 margin.

“I didn’t know the numbers but it’s so cool,” Anderson said. “I’m just having a blast. It’s a lot of fun to compete in this class. Every class is killer right now. When you look at our class it’s just a knock-down, drag out brawl. Anyone who qualifies can win the race. I’m not talking by luck or backing into it, I’m talking that everyone is qualified to win this race. To come out on top is a great, great feeling.”

By winning Sonoma, Anderson eliminated the last remaining professional competitor capable of sweeping the NHRA’s Western Swing. Spencer Massey lost in the second round of Top Fuel, John Force in the semis of Funny Car and Pro Stock Bike's Karen Stoffer in the second round.

“I did think of that, because he’s hotter than fire,” Anderson said. “He could have swept. You kind of wish he could have done it. But, it’s my job to make sure he didn’t.”

Anderson was the quickest Pro Stock driver in three of Sunday’s four rounds. In that one round, he was only .003 behind Edwards.

“I was concerned with every round, you never feel like a favorite in any of them,” Anderson said. “I had lane choice every round which meant somehow I managed to run quicker than my opponent. It was by an inch every time. You can get sent packing any time.

“Mike is a great competitor and I love racing him. He’s a tough racer and that’s how it should be. We will go back and forth many times and it is just an honor to get to race him.”

If Anderson had his druthers, he’d race Edwards in Sonoma as part of the Countdown.

“It’s just a great facility and this place works well for me and my time,” Anderson said. “If I had a wish, I’d love for this to be part of the Countdown.”

And for Anderson, those are numbers which would compute nicely.

GONNA NEED A BIGGER BOAT - Michael Phillips, hungry for a first National Hot Rod Association Pro Stock Motorcycle victory since he won this FRAM-Autolite Nationals last July 18th, said Sunday he was going to "catch me a fish."

He was referring to final-round opponent LE Tonglet and his Autolite/Nitro Fish Suzuki.

But Phillips couldn't hook Tonglet, who won at Sonoma, Calif.'s Infineon Raceway with a 7.001-second, 189.76-mph run to Phillips' 7.016, 192.63 -- for a victory margin of seven-thousandths of a second.

Tonglet, riding the bike Phillips sold him, avenged his first-round defeat by Phillips at Englishtown, N.J., in their only previous meeting this year. In doing so, the Atlanta and Joliet winner earned victory No. 3 this season and No. 8 overall and leads the Pro Stock Motorcycle contingent with three triumphs.

He joined Antron Brown (Top Fuel), repeat winner Ron Capps (Funny Car), and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) as he stood in the Infineon winners circle for the first time.

Phillips, on the The Edge Pain & Performance Chips  Suzuki, was making his second consecutive final round. He was runner-up to Karen Stoffer the previous weekend at Denver.

As soon as Phillips won his semifinal race against Andrew Hines, he hopped off his bike and was aware he'd be racing Tonglet for the $10,000 winners share of the Full Throttle purse. And he knew he'd have to be on top of his game if he were to score back-to-back victories at the California Wine Country drag strip and notch his seventh career  victory, because he said without hesitation, "The kid's good."

And Tonglet was. Although he had a solo pass when Steve Johnson's bike got a push away from the starting line and benefited from top qualifier Hector Arana's mechanical malfunction in the quarterfinals, Tonglet said after eliminating semifinalist Angie Smith, "This bike's flyin'!"

After the final, Tonglet said, "We've been running really good. This season's been up and down. We're just trying to find a happy medium right before the Countdown so we can go rounds at every racetrack. That's our goal, and that's what it takes to win a championship."

Tonglet, from the New Orleans suburb of Metairie, clearly enjoyed racing Phillips, a fellow Louisiana native from Baton Rouge.

"I grew up with Mike," he said. "He lives an hour away from us. It would have been a lot easier to run the final an hour away from home instead of coming 2,000 miles out here. It was fun to do it and put on a show."

Comforting was the presence of older brother GT Tonglet, who gave up early this weekend in trying to make his own bike cooperate through ignition problems and instead focused on helping LE do his best.

"He's been a tremendous amount of help," LE Tonglet said. "He's been in this position before. He has won races, and he has been in championship battles with Andrew (GT's former Harley-Davidson teammate Andrew Hines). Just having him and my dad (team owner/crew chief Gary Tonglet) -- all their knowledge together -- it really gets the bike going fast."

He said GT "keeps me calm. He tells me before every run just to think of it as qualifying. You wouldn't believe how much those little words help."

Tonglet -- and possibly his brother, if GT can get his bike rewired and have a positive test session -- will be back at the next Pro Stock Motorcycle race, the Aug. 18-21 Lucas Oil Nationals at Brainerd, Minn.

---

 

a d v e r t i s e m e n t

Click to visit our sponsor's website

---

QUICK HITS - RACE DAY REPORTING IN RAPID FASHION

TOP FUEL

FIRST ROUND

KALITTA IN HIS GROOVE - Doug Kalitta, whose five victories make him the most successful Top Fuel driver at Infineon Raceway, handed Brandon Bernstein his second straight Round 1 loss.

WORSHAM MAKES MILLICAN WAIT - Clay Millican, the six-time International Hot Rod Association Top Fuel champion and that series' No. 1 all-time driver with 51 victories, will have to wait until his 120th NHRA start to try again for his first victory in the Full Throttle Series. Del Worsham advanced, beating Millican in the second pairing of the day.

TIMELY ROUND VICTORY - In their third straight meeting, Dave Grubnic took a 2-1 edge over Shawn Langdon and stood his ground in that No. 10 spot in the standings. After today, drivers have just the Brainerd, Minn., and Indianapolis races to make the 10-racer Countdown to the Championship field. Grubnic has Terry McMillen and Bob Vandergriff on his trail.

REMEMBERING SGT. BERGDAHL - Troy Buff might have lost his first-round match-up against Terry McMillen, but he and his Bill Miller Engineering/Okuma Dragster team made a strong statement in remembering captured U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Robert Bergdahl. The 25-year-old soldier from Idaho has been in the hands of the Taliban-supporting Haqqani network since June 30, 2009. He's assigned to the 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, based at Fort Richardson, Alaska

ON TASK - In eliminating Troy Buff, Terry McMillen advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time in six races, since May 22 at Topeka, and kept on track to move into the top 10. "It's crazy!" a wound-up McMillen said. "We've got to keep pace with Dave Grubnic. I'm not leaving here without being in 10th place!"

ON A ROLL - Denver winner Spencer Massey delivered a strong message from his FRAM-Prestone team and Don Schumacher Racing with his first-round triumph -- and dealt Bob Vandergriff a blow to his bid for a top-10 berth. Massey set low elapsed time and top speed of the round at 3.824 seconds, 321.65 mph and called that run "not bad." He even had a word of encouragement for anyone who wants to be "lovin' life" like Massey always says he is: "Keep after it. Keep working hard."

MAYBE THIS TIME - Tony Schumacher has started as the No. 1-seeded driver in the Top Fuel class three previous times and hasn't been able to cash in on that advantage. In this fourth attempt from the top position, he took the first step toward meeting his goal, beating Steve Chrisman in the opening round.

"We are paying tribute to the U.S. Army Medical Department this weekend, so it would be special if we can head into the winner's circle with them on race day. I can't tell you how hungry my team is to take home a trophy," Schumacher said. "I believe it's our time."

However, he said he was not taking Chrisman lightly. But he has his eyes on something even bigger than a third victory at Sonoma and first since 2007 and 2008.

"We would love to make up some ground here," Schumacher said. "There is no reason we can't move up a spot or two or more before we get to the Countdown to 1. We truly need to start our march forward right now."

LIKES SURFACE TODAY - After moving past Ron August Jr. and the freshly rolled out Dexter Tuttle-owned dragster, Antron Brown said the track "is a lot better than it was yesterday."

He said he had to hold up his end of the Don Schumacher Racing bargain, knowing that Spencer Massey and Tony Schumacher already had won. "We've got to keep it up," Brown said. "These fields are incredible in all classes."

He said he respected August and Tuttle, although they just hooked up for the first time at this event. "That's a strong team. They came out and qualified. Hat's off to them," Brown said.

BUT MINE'S BEST - Just as he did at Atlanta, Larry Dixon defeated Morgan Lucas in the first round, but he said Lucas' Dickie Venables-led team "is a really good team." But he was quick to say his Jason McCulloch-headed Al-Anabi crew is top-drawer: "I think I have the best team in the business."

He'll get to prove it once again, as he meets Terry McMillen in Round 2. Dixon was a first-round victim to McMillen in his opening round of the season, at Pomona, Calif. He paid McMillen back at the next race, the Gatornationals,and he won against the Hoosier Thunder Motorsports team owner in the first round at Englishtown in June.

'GOT TO PLAY ' - Steve Chrisman, the definite underdog against top-qualified and first-round winner Tony Schumacher, said just the same that he is "happy with the way the car ran this weekend. The car went down the track. It was a major accomplishment just to qualify here, because there were 20 cars entered. We qualified and got to play on Sunday. Now we are looking forward to going to Seattle for next week’s race."

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED (FOR MOST PART) - From an on-track and a marketing perspective, Ron August Jr. said his and the Dexter Tuttle team's showing at Sonoma was a success, despite his opening-round loss to Antron Brown. August, making his first appearance in the Tuttle dragster that Steve Torrence drove earlier in this year and took to the Countdown last season, was representing Synergyn Fuel Additives.

He qualified 14th but lost traction and pitched a blower belt to wind up with a 4.760-second clocking at 158.07 mph to Brown's winning 3.836, 318.77.

"We made it into the show, I was comfortable driving the car, and our sponsors got some great exposure," August said. "The free samples of Synergyn in the midway were very popular, and Mike Lescure had several of his customers at the race. This weekend was really about showing our sponsors how powerful NHRA drag racing is as a marketing tool, and I think we achieved that."

He said he meshed well with the crew: "These guys are really calm and it made me very comfortable in the car. Everyone is very professional, and I know everything is taken care of when we go to the starting line. Of course we also wanted to go rounds, but other than that this was the best time I've ever had driving a fuel car. I can't wait to do it again."


QUARTERFINALS

RIVALRY RENEWED - Tony Schumacher said after eliminating the King of Infineon, Doug Kalitta, that he and Kalitta "have a great rivalry. We'll always have a natural-born one because of '06." That's the season he edged Kalitta for the series championship by a mere 14 points with his final, national-record-setting pass on the final chance of the year. Kalitta smoked the tires down track, and that was a huge gift for Schumacher who won with a 3.909-second E.T. but said, "I felt like I was a day and a half late for that one" at the starting line.

DIFFERENT REACTIONS - While Larry Dixon giggled, Terry McMillen fidgeted at the top end of the racetrack following their Round 2 battle. Dixon wasn't giggling at McMillen. He was giddy because he found out he had lane choice against Tony Schumacher in the semifinals by three-thousandth of a second. He didn't know that right away and when he found out he said, "I do?! That's the nicest thing anybody's said to me all day!" Then, not sure what to say, he giggled and offered, "How about it?!"

Meanwhile, McMillen had his eye back on the starting line, knowing that his quest for the No. 10 spot was in Antron Brown's hands at the moment. Brown was lined up against Dave Grubnic, the driver he needs to push aside to get into the Countdown field. Brown beat Grubnic, so McMillen could breathe a small sigh of relief -- until his anxiety and point-counting starts all over again in a few days at Seattle's Pacific Raceways. It's the final leg of the Western Swing but more important to McMillen, it'll be the first of only three more events in which he has the chance to climb back into the top 10.

'RUNNING MEAN' - Dave Grubnic, fighting to stay in Countdown consideration and hold off McMillen and Bob Vandergriff, as well, smoked the tires on his so-called "Rocky Rocket" at about the same place on the 1,000-foot course that teammate Doug Kalitta did in his race against Tony Schumacher. Brown, who won with a 3.878-second pass at a strong 314.53 mph, said of himself and his Matco Tools Dragster team, 'We're feeling good right now. This Matco Tools car is running mean." He said, "It's not on a string" but said he's happy with how it’s performing as he headed into the semifinal round, against, as it turned out in the next race, Del Worsham rather than his DSR mate Spencer Massey.

EVENLY MATCHED - Del Worsham in the Al-Anabi/Toyota Dragster and Spencer Massey in the FRAM-Prestone Dragster had identical reaction times in their quarterfinal race, and nearly identical elapsed times, as well. Worsham prevailed by just two-thousandths of a second, 3.897 to 3.899. Said Worsham, "I knew before the round it was going to be huge. What a race! What a ride!'


SEMIFINALS

TWO IN A ROW – Tony Schumacher beat Larry Dixon for the second weekend in a row and for the U.S. Army-sponsored driver this race was just like all the others – a barnburner.

Schumacher ran a 3.914, 303.91 to beat out Dixon’s 3.934, 295.27.

“This race was all of the world championships for this decade,” said Schumacher. “There’s just a mutual respect between our two teams. Two great teams doing a great job. The fans just got their money’s worth. If you can’t rise to the moment for these kinds of races, you don’t belong in one of these cars.”

ALL DSR, ALL THE TIME - Antron Brown beat Del Worsham to ensure a second consecutive all-DSR Top Fuel final. Brown beat point leader Del Worsham with a 3.931, 285.72 elapsed time as Worsham smoked and slowed to a 4.301.


FINALS

MOVING UP THE LADDER – Antron Brown gained sole possession of third place in the championship standings by defeating teammate Tony Schumacher in the final round.

Brown ran a 3.883, 314.61 to beat Schumacher, who recorded a 3.919, 311.41.

Brown was the 2009 champion in Sonoma and swept the Western Swing.

 

FUNNY CAR

FIRST ROUND

THE OLD DOG HAS WHEELS – Ron Capps saw an opportunity to mess with the champion John Force and took it. As Force was preparing for his interview following a win over Brian Thiel, Capps was pulling off after beating Tasca.

Capps took aim at Force. Force walked to the left and Capps turned the wheel to the left. Force went right, so did Capps. At the last minute Force got out of the way.

Capps was giving his post-run interview when Force interrupted.

“You’ve lost your frigging mind, I went left and you went left. I went right and you went right!” Force exclaimed. “I thought you were trying to run over me.”

Capps smiled and said, ““I was having fun with him. He moves pretty good for an old man.”

THE STREAK CONTINUES – Headed into their first round match, Capps had beaten Tasca three times in the first round this season. He made it four in a row with a 4.167, 303.98 to 4.178, 300.78 decision.

THE CHAMP ADVANCES – Prior to dancing an evasive jig at the finish line, Force stopped Brian Thiel in the first round with a 4.134. 305.01.

BACK ON TRACK – Ever since Cruz Pedregon ran a 4.095 in the high-altitude of Denver’s Bandimere Speedway, he has struggled to back the Snap-on Tools Toyota down to manageable power levels. Pedregon made the field on his round of qualifying and appears to have the machine in check once again.

In the first round, he beat Matt Hagan, who raced to a runner-up last weekend in Denver, 4.150, 305.08 to a 4.144, 301.07.

“Winning on a holeshot wasn’t as important as just winning was,” said Pedregon. “That team scares the hell out of us. We were nervous going into that round but I think we are going to be fine now.”

This marks the third time Pedregon has beaten Hagan this season.

DOWN GOES NEFF –Tire-smoke was all Gary Densham needed to take down point leader Mike Neff. Densham won with a 4.154, 289.86.

UP GOES LEE – It took 13 races but Paul Lee, the driver for “Big” Jim Dunn, finally got his first round win of 2011. Lee ran a 4.166, 305.49 to win as Melanie Troxel smoked the tires.

“We have to thank everyone who has stood by us all year long,” Lee said. “Rislone and everyone who helps us and for sticking with us, I can’t thank you enough.

THE GRAY AREA – If Johnny Gray is to advance to the latter stages of the Sonoma event, his success will come on the backs of his teammates. Gray beat teammate Jack Beckman in their first meeting of the season with a 4.148. 304.74.

Gray’s team has fallen on tough times this year, failing to qualify for three events. Team owner Don Schumacher reassigned Lee Beard and promoted Rob Wendland to crew chief. In the interim, it was Beckman’s crew chief Rahn Tobler and others within the team who helped right the ship.

“We had no choice but to go up there loaded for bear,” Gray said. “Rahn’s been helping us with our tune-up and this morning they told us, ‘school’s out boys, you’re on your own.”

The victory over Beckman paired gray with Capps in the second round.

FORDS WIN – Tim Wilkerson [Tony Pedregon] and Robert Hight [Brian Thiel] advance to the second round.

Hight’s 4.110, 310.77 was low elapsed time of the first round.


QUARTERFINALS

I LOVE YOU MAN – Kim Richards, who along with Tim Richards, tunes Ron Capps and the NAPA Funny Car, ought to be a little concerned. Capps has “man” crush for her husband.

"I may steal him from Kim,” said Capps, smiling. “She may have to give up her hubby, I hope he cooks good. He’s brought all the confidence back to this team. Thanks to Don Schumacher for bringing him off of the boat dock out of retirement.”

Capps was 0-1 versus Johnny Gray and won with a 4.132, 298.80.

ON THE RIGHT TRACK – Cruz Pedregon continued his return to consistency with a 4.170, 299.26 to beat Robert Hight.

LANE SWAPPIN’ – Tim Wilkerson had to do some trucking to beat Paul Lee, who led their race all the way until the eighth-mile mark. Wilkerson won the race 4.276 to 4.393.

“We shouldn’t get charged for oildowns if the lanes aren’t the same,” Wilkerson said. “I was spinning the tires when I hit those bumps.”

Wilkerson was docked 10 points and $1000 but had a freebie which prevented him from losing lane choice.

HE USED TO BABYSIT ME – There’s a large measure of John Force which hates to beat Gary Densham. And he barely did beat him with a 4.277, 262.77 which slowed enough to pull Densham’s 4.347, 277.93 to within .001.

“Ole Densham is smart and he’s out there running numbers with the big guys,” Force said. “He and I go way back. He babysat me in Australia because I was terrible. Before this is all over, in five years I will be real terrible. I won’t be able to see and be too old to drive and I am going to keep doing this until I drop because this is way too much fun.”


SEMIFINALS

DRAMA, DRAMA – Underdog Tim Wilkerson took a bite out of the No. 1 qualifier and defending series champion John Force in the semis. Wilkerson’s 4.237, 298.34 advanced him to his first final round of the season.

“I think we’re winning the battle but losing the financial war,” said Wilkerson. “John Force is a heck of a competitor and he sat and waited for me. God bless you John, I think you’re a class act. We are just trying the best we can for the sponsors.”

SECOND IN A ROW – Ron Capps advanced to his second consecutive Sonoma final when Cruz Pedregon fouled and wasted a 4.180, 299.60. Capps would have been tough to beat with a 4.168, 302.28.

“We knew Cruz was going to be tough,” said Capps. “He likes to deep stage, so that could have been a 4.17. I knew I had to be disciplined and run strong enough to give Tim [Richards] lane choice.”


FINALS

CAPPS COMPLETES RESURGENCE – Ron Capps successfully defended his NHRA Fram Autolite Nationals title by defeating Tim Wilkerson in a battle of drivers who have experienced a tough first part of the season.

Capps scored the win No. 32 of his career by running a 4.145, 303.57 to beat Tim Wilkerson, who ran a strong 4.175, 300.93.

The last victories for the two drivers came on the 2010 Western Swing. Wilkerson’s triumph came in Seattle, next weekend’s event.PRO STOCK

FIRST ROUND

MAKING A STATEMENT – Greg Anderson didn’t make lots of noise in qualifying. He was saving it for Sunday’s final eliminations.

Anderson ran a 6.546, 210.93 for low elapsed time of the first round in beating Gordie Rivera, making his first start since Sonoma 2000.

“We’re gaining on this thing,” Anderson said. “We were a little off on Friday and caught up yesterday. We’re going to get better today and this is a good start. I love Sonoma and love racing here. Lots of luck, lots of good karma.”

DRAGGING THE LINE – Just like his teammate Anderson, Jason Line save his bullets for Sunday. Line ran a 6.573, 210.37 to beat Larry Morgan.

AJ MOVES ON – Allen Johnson made easy work of V. Gaines in the first round with a 6.563, 210.50.

The victory advanced him into the second round where he will meet Line. Johnson and Line are in a quarter which includes Mike Edwards and Greg Stanfield.

TOP HALF ADVANCES – Greg Stanfield [Ron Krisher], Mike Edwards [Warren Johnson], and Erica Enders [Shane Gray] won as race favorites.

BOTTOM HALF ADVANCES – Rodger Brogdon stepped Kurt Johnson by the closest of margins, .002, with a 6.568 to 6.569 decision.

Vincent Nobile ran a 6.581, 210.24 to beat a higher qualified Ronnie Humphrey.


QUARTERFINALS

COMPARING NOTES? – If you didn’t have a 6.56 in the first round, you were destined for the hauler for a trip home.

All four second round winners used a 6.56 to advance to the semi-finals.

Erica Enders used a 6.568, 210.47 to outrun Vincent Nobile while Jason Line used a 6.564 to beat Allen Johnson’s 6.569 by .003.

Mike Edwards was the quickest of the quartet with a 6.561 to beat Greg Stanfield. Greg Anderson ran a 6.564, 210.34 to beat Rodger Brogdon.

MR. 200 – By qualifying for final eliminations, Greg Anderson extended his career consecutive Pro Stock starts mark to 200.


SEMIFINALS

SWEEP CANDIDATE – Mike Edwards beat Jason Line by .009 to remain the only professional racer still in contention for a sweep of the Western Swing. He used a quicker reaction and a 6.588, 209.72 to beat Line’s 6.577, 210.28.

100 – In his 200th career start, Greg Anderson reached his 100th career Pro Stock final round by running a 6.567, 209.92 to beat Erica Enders.


FINALS

GREG BEATS MIKE – Greg Anderson became Infineon Raceway’s winningest Pro Stock driver when beat Mike Edwards by .0024.

Edwards took .012 on the starting line but Anderson tracked him down with a 6.562, 210.28. Edwards lost with a 6.576, 210.14.

Anderson entered the event tied with Darrell Alderman and Warren Johnson with three wins apiece in Sonoma.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

FIRST ROUND

DONE BEFORE IT STARTS - The first two runs in Pro Stock Motorcycle eliminations were decided at the starting line. LE Tonglet made a solo pass at 6.936 seconds after Steve Johnson's Suzuki had a mechanical failure and was pushed off the starting line. Then, in the following pairing, Justin Finley red-lit by three-hundredths of a second, handing the higher-qualified Angie Smith the victory.

APPRECIATES THE BREAK - LE Tonglet and his Autolite/Nitro Fish Suzuki got a guaranteed place in the quarterfinals because of Steve Johnson's misfortune. And that was a real godsend for the reigning champion, for his crew chief dad, Gary Tonglet, said late Saturday after qualifying, "It's tough out there. We picked up the performance, but it wasn't what we wanted. We ran the 6.948, but we really wanted to run a 6.88." The number early Sunday afternoon in Round 1 was 6.936 seconds. LE Tonglet, though, saw the positives, saying Saturday, "The last run was fifth-quickest of the session. We need to find the setup. We are getting it . . . slowly."

GECKO VS. ALLIGATOR - Karen Stoffer pushed her modest round-win streak on the GEICO Suzuki to five with her victory over Louisiana alligator farmer Jerry Savoie and his Suzuki . She found some extra horsepower Sunday, clocking a 6.894-second E.T. (against her 6.938 qualifying time) and will battle in the quarterfinals Eddie Krawiec, whom she passed with the victory at Denver last Sunday to take the points lead.

LOVIN' INFINEON - Michael Phillips was last year's winner here at Infineon Raceway, and he hasn't won since, despite two runner-ups finishes this season (at Houston and Denver). But he began his day the same way he began his first appearance of 2100 at Houston: defeating David Hope in the first round. (For those who like esoteric statistics, Phillips ran a 6.922 against Hope at Houston and a 6.924 against him Sunday at Sonoma.) Phillips' next opponent will be Andrew Hines, who benefited from Hector Arana's red-light foul by two thousandths of a second.

GETTING THE HANG OF IT - Hector Arana III seems to have overcome his first-round jinx as the No. 1 qualifier. He lost to GT Tonglet at Norwalk in his first event as the top-seeded racer. And he has broken his jinx against Jim Underdahl, who spoiled his day at Joliet when he was the low qualifier. In Sunday's rematch against the fellow second-generation bike rider, Arana had a sleepy .091 reaction time but overtook Underdahl with a 6.843-second pass that was low E.T. of the round -- with what at the time was top speed 194.80 mph.

KRAWIEC THUNDERS - Eddie Krawiec showed that his Vance & Hines Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson V-Rod was dominant in his victory over Chip Ellis. The vanquished Ellis had to be especially disappointed, because he recorded a .001 reaction time against Krawiec. But Krawiec ran an 6.866-second time to Ellis' 6.979. But what was most impressive was Krawiec's booming 196.24-mph speed, by far best of the weekend.

ANOTHER SMITH - Mike Berry took Matt Smith out on a holeshot in the opening round, with a 6.953, 188.89 effort versus Smith's quicker and faster 6.940, 190.73. Now he has to face Smith's wife, Angie, in the next round.


QUARTER-FINALS

SEEING RED - Angie Smith certainly would second the theory that no win is a bad win. She advanced to the quarterfinals when Justin Finley fouled out, and she sailed right on into her first semifinal of the season (and first since last fall at her home-track at Concord, N.C.) as Mike Berry jumped the gun.

YOU'LL PAY - Michael Phillips followed by making Andrew Hines pay for his late reaction time. The Baton Rouge, La., competitor won on a holeshot, 6.947 seconds to Hines' 6.918. Perhaps ironically, Phillips beat Hines in the final round here last July 18.

'OFFSIDES' - Karen Stoffer kept the starting-line focus going when she squandered a 6.9245-second pass by being overly eager at the Christmas Tree against Eddie Krawiec. Krawiec used her red light and moved on with his slower 6.934-second E.T. He'll face Phillips for a chance to avenge his semifinal loss to him May 1 at Houston.

NO. 1 OUT - Top qualifier Hector Arana III couldn't keep his momentum going Sunday, as something broke in his Lucas Oil Buell and allowed LE Tonglet to ride his 6.999-second time into the semifinal against Angie Smith.


SEMIFINALS

DEFENDING CHAMPS BATTLE – L.E. Tonglet and Michael Phillips won their semifinal matches to establish a battle of past champions.

Tonglet, the defending series champion, ran a 6.995, 190 to beat Angie Smith whose bike lost traction and slowed.

Phillips, the defending event champion, needed only a 7.040 to advance to the finals when Eddie Krawiec fouled.


FINALS

TONGLET WINS – L.E. Tonglet, flying the colors of event sponsor Fram-Autolite, beat Michael Phillips to the finish line by .007 for his third national event victory of the season.

Phillips was first off of the line by .008 but Tonglet ran him down with a 7.001, 189.76. Phillips absorbed the loss with a 7.016, 192.63.

---

a d v e r t i s e m e n t

Click to visit our sponsor's website

---

SATURDAY NOTEBOOK - LEADERBOARD REMAINS THE SAME; HISTORY CHANGES ON SATURDAY

ANOTHER PIECE OF HISTORY - John Force got "Roushed."

Then he routed the rest of the NHRA Funny Car class in his Castrol GTX High-Mileage Ford Mustang at Infineon Raceway, grabbing the No. 1 qualifying position for the FRAM-Autolite Nationals.

With that, he became the NHRA's all-time leader in No. 1 qualifying positions with 139, breaking a tie with Pro Stock icon Warren Johnson. And he did it in style, with a track-record 4.060-second elapsed time at 311.99 mph -- and a sentimental tribute to wife Laurie.

Force, who will lead his field for the fifth time this year and the eighth time at Infineon Raceway, immediately credited his crew chiefs through the years.

"Steve Pluger was with me in Baton Rouge [the 1986 NHRA Cajun Nationals], way back in the very beginning. Of course, Austin Coil and Bernie Fedderly," he said. "Austin Coil led me down this road. Now he's not with me. He's on vacation somewhere. I wish he was with me. Dean Antonelli, Ron Douglas, Jimmy Prock, Mike Neff . . . these kids are the future."

He said he misses daughter Ashley Force Hood, who's downstate, awaiting the birth of her first child in a couple of weeks. "I just want her back so bad. I miss her. It makes me really kind of sad that she's not here with us. I'm just all about he next generation."

When you can be put in the books with Warren Johnson . . . and Bob Glidden . . . I'm still chasing them. I'm still chasing Don Prudhomme in my mind. He thinks I'm  just always telling stories. But it's what gets me up every day and keeps me going.  . . . "

NASCAR team owner Jack Roush, his longtime friend and Ford partner, got him going this past week at the EAA AirVenture Airshow at Oshkosh, Wis. Roush gave him a "lucky coin," which started out to be luck for Roush more so than Force. Nevertheless, Force is keeping it with him this weekend as he seeks a back-to-back winning performance.

"Got my lucky coin," Force said, almost childlike. "Robert (Hight) was given a coin by the Woods Brothers (of NASCAR notoriety) when they won Daytona, then he won the next race. [Jack] Roush gave me this coin from his team. He said everybody has to have a lucky coin.

"Then he made me buy drinks at the bar and it cost me about 400 bucks . . . Because whoever gets the coin buys the drinks," he said.

"I was like, 'Awesome!!! I've got the coin!!!' Roush said, 'Now you buy.' And I said, 'Oh.' What am I going to do? Tell him no?" Force said.

"So I'm going to carry this all weekend and see what happens."

Force, who has won seven times at this Sonoma, Calif., facility, paid a special tribute to one special person.

"You know what's really cool? I always congratulate everybody -- crew chiefs, sponsors, Castrol, Ford, Auto Club, Brand Source, Mac Tools, down the list, engineers at Ford. But there's really only been one person who's been with me through all the records, all the low qualifiers. (And the low qualifiers is the longest stretch, because I didn't win until 1990 with Austin Coil.) There was somebody before all of that, and that's my girls' mother, Laurie.

"Coming from Seattle, starving to death. We didn't have any kids. We were going to get another reverser transmission. She mixed the fuel. We saw this big sign on the side of the highway that said Wendy's is opening 24 stores in the Southern California area.

"I couldn't even spell Wendy's. I gave her the contract in my head and she wrote it, because she's educated, graduated from San Diego State. I went to college until noon," he said. "She's has been here for every low qualifier. She was like, 'Do you remember Baton Rouge?' I don't remember last week, let alone Baton Rouge.

"If there's any one individual next to Austin Coil, Laurie was the one person a little bit longer. Those two I give credit to for my career," Force said. "Otherwise it wouldn't have been pretty, because I'm not that smart, guys. Really. I just keep throwing s--- against the wall, and sooner or later you get the wall painted. But it's still s---, bull----."

Because he was rambling after promising to tone down his always-popular media-room monologues, Force asked rhetorically, "What am I? On drugs or what?"

No. He's on top of the qualifying list and on top of his game for the first time all season.

JUST EXPERIMENTING - Mike Green wasn't trying to play any games with the U.S. Army Dragster. He was trying to experiment with a couple of settings.

That's why Tony Schumacher smoked the tires Saturday and had to rely on his 3.814-second, 321.65-mph blast from Friday night's session to keep him at the head of the Top Fuel order for Sunday's FRAM-Autolite Nationals at Sonoma, Calif.

But  ... oh, yeah ... Green forgot one detail. He didn't mention to Schumacher that he might encounter some traction problems.

"We like to build a false sense of security for the other guys so they drop their guard," Schumacher joked after earning his fourth top qualifier of the season,  65th of his career, and his first at Infineon Raceway since back-to-back feats in 2005 and 2006.

"I wish they'd tell me. They don't always," Schumacher said. "Sometimes you get a little discouraged when you go out there and you're running so good, then all of a sudden you smoke [the tires]."

Green put his mind at ease, telling him, "I thought that may happen. We tried this and that."

"Oh, good," Schumacher replied, relieved.

Now he has something else to think about. Said Schumacher, "We've just got to go out there and win this race."

He has come close twice, at Atlanta and last Sunday at Denver, but has yet to gain his first NHRA 60th-Anniversary special pewter Wally trophy. He'll try first against Steve Chrisman and his all-volunteer crew in the opening round.

He and Green have proven to be as capable a combo as he and former crew chief Alan Johnson were, and Schumacher said of Green, "He's doing a great job. We don't guess at these guys. We had-pick each person for every team, including the drivers. If you're going to come over to our car, we're going to expect a lot. My dad gives you a great race car and expects you to do the task."

All the Don Schumacher Racing Top Fuel charges, including Spencer Massey and Antron Brown, are doing well. They're 1-2-3 on the grid. Massey will square off against Bob Vandergriff, his Topeka final-round opponent who's scrapping to stay in the top 10 with only two more races after this one before the Countdown field is set. Brown will meet Ron August Jr.

NO LOAFING - Pro Stock No. 1 qualifier Allen Johnson has his week after this FRAM-Autolite Nationals planned, and he said he's looking forward to having some time relaxing with wife Pam in the California Wine Country before heading to Seattle next weekend.

The Johnsons will lounge around at a resort hotel in the area Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, where they'll enjoy being pampered with spa treatments and, in Allen's words, "just lay on our tails."

But first the Team Mopar/J&J Dodge Avenger driver he'll have to get through Sunday. He'll start by facing the crafty and capable V Gaines in the first round of eliminations.

Johnson's 6.5378-second elapsed time and 211.56-mph speed, both track records, preserved his third top-qualifying effort of the season and second in a row on the Infineon Raceway quarter-mile.

But it wasn't effortless.

"We had to change motors from last night. We come in the morning and had a little problem, so we had to put the back-up motor," Johnson said. "So it felt really good to do that."

He said his father, Roy Johnson, "has got a handle on those Hemis. We've got about three or four we can put in there that'll do about the same thing. It's actually the engine we ran at Denver. We had a new one in for the first two runs that was even better. We carry about seven engines with us, and Vincent [Nobile] runs them, also. But just flip a coin which one you want to put in."

He said his day wasn't perfect and that he has some things to tweak before Sunday.

"That last run we were just a tick off of what we should have done there. We'll put it back like we did this morning and come back out," he said, as laid back as if he already had had a massage and three days of R & R.

The Denver finalist said his perennial success on the Western Swing must come simply from enjoying this three-weeks-in-three-races stretch in which his team looks forward to having fun. He explained it as "just that good vibe" and "not being iffy about things."

He certainly isn't iffy about his post-Sunday plans. And he's not iffy about what his race car can do, either.

ARANA CONTINUES FAMILY TRADITION - It looked for a few minutes like Eddie Krawiec and his Vance & Hines Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson was going to end the Arana family's streak of Pro Stock Motorcycle top qualifiers.

Krawiec had taken the early lead Friday at the FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals at Sonoma, Calif.'s Infineon Raceway, lost it to Arana that evening, then had a mechanical malfunction in the first of Saturday's two chances. But he rallied with a 6.882-second, 194.21-mph pass that set low elapsed time and top speed for the class.

However, his accomplishment was short-lived, as Hector Arana III outdid him by just a thousandth of a second with his 6.881 E.T. aboard his Lucas Oil Buell. Krawiec's consolation prize was a faster speed, as Arana clocked a 193.99 mph.

That didn't matter. All that mattered was that the Road to the Future Award candidate had recorded his third No. 1 position in the past four events. The only one to interrupt his streak was his own father, 2009 series champion, who led the field last week at Denver.

"I saw Eddie make his run and I was like, 'Oh no, he just took it from me,' " Arana Jr. said. "I felt sick to my stomach and my nerves really kicked in. I was shaking, but I knew if I made a perfect run we could take it back.

"I let the clutch out and it fishtailed a little. Then I went through the gears and tucked as tight as I ever have and we got it back by a thousandth of a second. That was about as  exciting as it gets, right there."

Dad Hector, looking past his own motor problems, rejoiced for his rookie son.

"I thought he was going to have the pressure. I told him, 'Just stay calm. I'm always here,' Just make a good run and you'll be there. He pulled through," Dad said.

Dad, on the other hand, has his own pressure-packed situation. He lost his motor during Friday night's qualifying session and didn’t have anything ready to go to the starting line in Saturday's first call. But he said he reverted to his best motor for the final session and ended up No. 14.

"We really didn't have any choice," Arana the elder said. "We had a brand-new motor to use this weekend and it had shown so much promise on the dyno, But we blew it up after two runs. I mean, that thing was destroyed, right down to the clutch.

"We can win with this. It was the one we qualified No. 1 with in Denver and we went to the semis there so it will do the job. I just didn't want to wear it out before we had a chance to go back home and freshen it up," he said. "We'll race hard and keep our fingers crossed."

Arana III will meet Jim Underdahl in the opening round, and his father will face No. 3 qualifier Andrew Hines.

SHAKE UP WILL DO YOU GOOD - Did you hear the rumor suggesting Pro Stock racer Shane Gray was purchasing his engines from KB Racing and Cagnazzi Racing?

“Yeah I heard all of those rumors,” Gray said, shaking his head as he adjusted the valves on his Service Central Pontiac GXP. “We didn’t come out and say anything, because it was so funny we didn’t even respond to them. I guess there are those who always have to have someone to talk about.”

Gray confirmed the team’s in-house engine program is forging ahead at a rapid rate, thanks to a new direction the team embarked on earlier this season. Veteran engine builder Joe Hornick was released from the team last December and replaced by former Dale Earnhart Jr. track tuner Tom Vigue.

As Gray put it, his team hasn’t changed parts and pieces. The personnel are another story.

“We have different people in our shop and some different guys at the track tuning. We have a different engine tuner and different crew chief. It’s just a different way of running the car. In turn this makes the motor look better. We’ve also got a new carburetor guy helping us with our carburetors and cylinder heads.”

Even Gray admits this is a lot of change for a team which finished fourth in the championship standings last season.

“It’s just a better way of running the car,” said Gray. “And, it makes the motor look better. We’re tuning our engines better at the track than we have in the past. That’s probably where the rumors got started.”

In addition to the changes back at their Denver, N.C., shop, they've also changed direction in the field. Former NHRA Pro Stock champion turned tuner Jim Yates was replaced with longtime Comp racer Ian Landies.

Surviving the purge was longtime car chief Craig Hankinson.

Gray will be the first to admit his team was initially nervous in stepping forward with these wholesale changes.

“In this class, you can stumble for a little bit and not qualify for a race or two,” Gray said. “So far, we’ve been able to qualify ever since we started.”

Gray won the NHRA Summernationals in Topeka last May, effectively validating the decision to shake the team's foundations.

“On a scale of 1 to 10, we are about a 5 on the success rate,” Gray said. “We will be a real competitive car in the near future.”

Gray said he believes the largest negative impact on the team was in losing who he considered one of the smartest people on his team, dad Johnny Gray, who left Pro Stock to race nitro again.

“My dad is a smart guy and knows how a car is supposed to be run,” said Gray. “He knows what he wants and that’s kind of hurt us there as well as not having the extra data. He’s not over here a lot of the time to see what we are doing and give us his advice. We not only lost a car, but also a key member of the team who brought a lot of valuable input. It’s hurt us some.”

As Gray contends, it hasn't hurt them bad enough to buy horsepower elsewhere.

GLAD TO BE BACK - Mike Strasburg has never been so happy to be in the first pair of Top Fuel dragsters to run on a Friday qualifying session.

Strasburg, of Lindon, Utah, is competing in this weekend’s Fram Autolite NHRA Nationals, his first event on the Full Throttle Series since the sanctioning body suspended in April for failing to provide an adequate urine sample as required for random drug testing.

Strasburg returned home following the suspension and submitted to other forms of substance abuse tests and passed.

A review panel heard Strasburg’s appeal and recommended the NHRA reduce the one-year suspension and seek only a fine for the drug testing infraction.

For Strasburg, firing the engine on Friday marked one of his greatest victories in drag racing.

“It really feels good to be back out here,” said Strasburg. “To be able to be here, and have all of that behind me, feels really good,” Strasburg said. “I really look forward to being able to race the rest of the year.”

Since April, Strasburg admits the days following his suspension have been anything but normal.

“It’s been crazy,” said Strasburg. “Just not being able to get the issue resolved and going through the regular channels takes a long time.”

Major victories like his are worth wait, according to Strasburg.

“I feel like we won,” Strasburg said. “I think for someone who is in the right, and in a similar situation, they can look at this outcome and know they have a chance, and it’s not always what they [sanctioning body] say.”

 

 

GRUBNIC AGAIN? - Lucas Oil/Speedco Dragster driver Shawn Langdon has to face Dave Grubnic in Top Fueleliminations for the third straight race. But if it’s any consolation, Langdon has a couple of new cheerleaders in fellow Top Fuel drivers Terry McMillen and Bob Vandergriff -- the two who are going after Grubnic's No. 10 place in the standings.

"We've been running Grubby a lot lately," Langdon said. "It's just kind of how it rolls sometimes."

He lost to the Australian int h Joliet semifinal round and paid him back the next week at Denver in the first round.

Said Langdon of Saturday's No. 11 performance, "We made a good pass on the last run. We see little areas to improve on here and there. It'll probably be the same conditions Sunday as it was today, so it's just a matter of going out there and making a good run tomorrow.

"It's a little tricky out here, because you have such good air and you make a lot of power," Langdon said. "It's a matter of figuring out how to apply it to the race track. That's the trickiest part about running this place, especially when it gets hot and the track gets a little slippery."

 

 

ODD MAN OUT – After matching last year’s round win total in Denver last week, Jeff Arend won’t have a chance to add to the total on Sunday. Arend missed the cut with a 4.439 best.

 

 

 

WAS ON TOP AGAIN, FOR AWHILE - Eddie Krawiec, who experienced some sort of mechanical malfunction in Saturday's opening session, rebounded with a 6.882-second, 194.21-mph pass which set low E.T. and top speed for the Pro Stock Motorcycle class. His No. 1 celebrating lasted about five minutes, for Hector Arana III came right back and trumped that by a mere thousandth of a second with his 6.881. Krawiec's consolation prize was a faster speed, as Arana clocked a 193.99.
 
MUSICAL MOTORS - Karen Stoffer wasn't looking to play games, but it turned out to be "Musical Motors" for the Pro Stock Motorcycle points leader. And that forced her to earn her No. 7 slot in the FRAM-Autolite Nationals lineup in the fourth and final opportunity.

Maybe her best news is that she clinched a berth in the 10-racer Countdown to the Championship field.

"In Chicago we blew up one of our motors and that changed our game plan for the rest of the season," Stoffer said. "We really don't have an 'A' motor per se. They're all about the same. But the one that blew up in Chicago had been particularly happy and had become a favorite child. We lost that motor, so we had to go back and regroup.

"We bought a brand-new motor because, while the one we blew up was repairable, it's not going to be considered our favorite motor again until we break it in, which takes about 10-12 runs. You have to loosen them up. That's kind of what we were doing this weekend, and that's where you saw the struggling with the E.T.s in the first three rounds. It's a bummer to throw away rounds, but when you have back-to-back races, you have no time to test," she said.

"After the third pass we put 'Maverick' back in. That's the motor we won with in Denver, so Gary (her husband and crew chief) made a few modifications and set it up for here. We put it in the bike for the last qualifying hit and it got us into the No. 7 position," she said. "We're pleased with that, especially because there's plenty more in it."

"We're comfortable with our position," Stoffer said. "A lot of what we're doing now is aimed at the races ahead. That's why we took the time to break in a motor during a national event. We want to be as prepared as possible when the playoffs start."

She'll go against Gerald Savoie in Round 1.

THRASHING - Hector Arana, who blew up the motor in his Lucas Oil Buell in Friday night's Pro Stock Motorcycle session, was unable to make the call Saturday for the third qualifying session. He had a choice of motors after the Denver event, in which he was No. 1 qualifier. He decided to go with "Charlotte," named after the race where he once set a national record. Despite the no-show, Arana was 11th after the third session. The happy news for the team from Milltown, Ind., was that son Hector Arana III kept his No. 1 position.

STILL SIXTH - Eddie Krawiec's effort to regain the bike lead he had after the first qualifying session Friday went nowhere Saturday morning, as something malfunctioned shortly after his launch. On the strength of that early run, the Vance & Hines Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson racer still was sixth with one more session to go.

HINES ROARS - Andrew Hines, by nature, is quiet. But it's uncharacteristic for the three-time Pro Stock Motorcycle champion to be silent on the track. He didn't make much noise in Friday qualifying, stuck in the ninth spot overnight. But he improved to No. 2 in the third overall session Saturday with the best run of the session at 6.915 seconds. That held off No. 3 Matt Smith, who ran after him, by one-thousandth of a second.

 

FOR A GOOD CAUSE - The 5th annual AutoTrader.com Eric Medlen Nitro Night Charity Dinner raised a record amount of $31,400 for the Sonoma Chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities on Thursday night at Stone Tree Golf Club in Novato.

The gala was held in honor of Medlen, a native of Oakdale in the San Joaquin Valley. He succumbed in March, 2007, to injuries sustained from a testing accident. Medlen, who called Infineon Raceway his home track, won the Funny Car title in Sonoma in 2006 and competed for John Force Racing.

More than 120 people attended the gala, including NHRA racers Jack Beckman, Ron Capps, Erica Enders, Morgan Lucas and Melanie Troxel.

“We love coming out and supporting Speedway Children’s Charities,” Beckman said. “This is a great event and I make it out every year I can.”

The total raised included $2,500 from a Texas Hold ‘Em Charity Poker Tournament held prior to the dinner. Coyote Valley Casino, located in Redwood Valley, hosted the tournament and presented the check to Speedway Children’s Charities in the name of Rob Geiger, a public relations representative on the NHRA circuit, who won the tournament.  He defeated Beckman in the finals.

Speedway Children’s Charities, the charitable arm of Infineon Raceway, has generated more than $3.7 million for qualified youth organizations in the Sonoma County since 2001.

---

a d v e r t i s e m e n t

Click to visit our sponsor's website

---

 

FRIDAY NOTEBOOK -

I'M JOHN FORCE, DO YOU KNOW ME? - Call TMZ because NHRA Funny Car racer John Force will reveal which actor won’t be playing his part in the forthcoming movie about his life.

John Force, the 15-time NHRA Funny Car series champion, recently met actor Harrison Ford this past week at an air show in Oshkosh, Wis.

  Force said the seasoned actor, known for his roles in Hollywood blockbusters Star Wars and Indiana Jones, was gracious in their first meeting. He was also brutally honest.

“It’s so nice to meet you Mr. Force but I don't have a clue who you are,” Force recalled of the actor’s exchange. "I said, ‘That’s it, I’m going back to drag racing where they know me. All these years, it’s amazing. My old ego can’t take it anymore. My PR guy looked at me and asked if I was alright. I told him I was but I was just going to go off and crawl in a hole.”

Force blasted out of the embarrassment hole in a big way during Friday evening’s qualifying at the Fram Autolite NHRA Nationals in Sonoma, Ca. He ran 4.060 seconds at 311.99 miles per hour during the final session of the day to claim the provisional pole position.

Force began the qualifying session as No. 1 but by the time he rolled to the starting line, he had dropped to 12th in the list. Force readily admits fellow Ford racer Tim Wilkerson played a pivotal role in procuring the top spot.

“I gotta be honest, Wilkerson helped,” Force said. “When he refused to run because the sun was in his eyes, which you can’t blame him, it allowed the track to cool down for us. Luck plays a big factor in this.”

And for Force, he walked away from the final run of the day fortunate just to walk away. As his car came through the traps, one of his parachutes failed to blossom and another tore completely off of the car. He stopped at the edge of the sand trap.

“She was trucking down through there and I reached up and hit the handles, the automatic stuff the NHRA has us running worked,” Force said. “I started thinking about how well that run was and then I passed the Safety Safari pretty fast and realized I had a problem. I was a little slow on the brakes and not leaning on them too much. The whole parachute pack fell off of the back for some reason. After I’ve been getting beat up all year, I deserve a little luck.”

Force also believes he deserved a better first meeting with Ford, the actor. He’ll certainly remember the exchange when it’s time for the movie’s casting call.

“I was standing up on the stage with Harrison Ford and them, and I told them, I’m going to low ET in Sonoma and then afterward, I’m going down to watch Cowboys and Aliens,” Force said. “I thought he was going to go, ‘Yeah thank you.’

“Instead he looked at me like, ‘Is this guy full of s*** or what?’

In the movie, John Force will be in a Ford but Harrison Ford, he won’t be John Force.

“I was going to let him play me, but I’m going back to Gary Busey,” Force said. “I’ll get me a real star.”

SCHUMACHER TO THE TOP - U.S. Army Dragster crew chief Mike Green looked over his shoulder at the drivers waiting to run behind his Don Schumacher-owned car Friday night.

His driver, Tony Schumacher had rocketed to the No. 1 qualifying spot for the Fram-Autolite Nationals with a 3.814-second, track-record 321.65-mph pass on the 1,000-foot Infineon Raceway course.

Green saw the star-studded lineup: Larry Dixon, Doug Kalitta, Del Worsham, Spencer Massey. And that made him say he didn't think Schumacher had a lock on low elapsed time of the day.

He said he was happy but reckoned that "there's some cars that can run better than that."

Maybe they could have. But they didn't.

Dixon and Kalitta, who had been second and fifth, respectively, after the first session, lost traction and shut off their engines early. Worsham, the early leader, struck the tires and crossed the finish line with a 4.67. And Massey, who spoiled Schumacher's bid for a first 2011 victory last weekend at Denver, came close but fell two-hundredths of a second short.

"We've needed that for a long time," Schumacher said of the early-weekend supremacy.

"What did we do special? We ran an .81with a  few cars that were fast behind us [still to run]," he said. "It screws up the cars that can also run an .81. It gives them an immediate sense of urgency to run a .79 or an .80 -- and it is not easy to run a .79. You give 'em that pressure and it’s perfect -- that's exactly what Mike needed to do."

He said the Sonoma, Calif., racetrack "is going to be quick or smoke the tires. It's not the kind of track you show up at and you try to be average. The conditions were perfect. Conditions are going to be hot tomorrow.

"It's the run," Schumacher said of the Friday night opportunity -- any Friday night opportunity -- to place well in the field for "insurance" purposes. He said, "You've got to be in the top half of the field," not struggling in the Nos. 13-16 slots or worse.

Searching for the elements to notch that first 2011 victory, the U.S. Army team tested at Route 66 Raceway following the Joliet event earlier this month. "And," Schumacher said, "it's really starting to pay off.

"What we had up to that point was not working and you got to make a change. We're trying new things. Our clutches were just messed up. We weren't getting the initial 60 foot (desirable 60-foot incremental times)."

If he can hold onto the No. 1 spot, the Sonoma, Calif., racetrack will be the fourth he has led the field into Sunday eliminations. He also was first at Gainesville, Houston, and Topeka.

Earning that first victory of the season, Schumacher said, is not putting pressure on him.

"I want to win a championship, do it any way we can," the seven-time titlist said. In 1999, I won the championship by winning one race at the end of the year. I'd like to win 20 races, but we're not having that season. It doesn’t mean we can't win a championship.

"That's how you win a championship. You take a team that's struggling and you build their confidence. You don't beat 'em down. You remind them that we've done this many different ways. You lead a team," Schumacher said.

"We work as hard if not harder than any team on the planet, and we will figure it out. We will get those wins. And we will go out and win a championship. We're in the middle of a huge battle. We haven't won a race all year and we're still aren't that far out. We could get on a streak good enough to put us in the top two or three.

"I've pulled off miracles crazier than     the one we're looking at right now. Mr. Robert Hight showed up in 10th two years ago and won a championship," he said.

Schumacher, carrying the logo of the U.S. Army Medical Department (AMEDD) on the side of his car this weekend, has two victories in five final-round appearances here.

The Don Schumacher Racing trio finished Friday 1-2-3, with Massey second at 3.834 seconds, 312.50 mph in the FRAM/Prestone Dragster and Antron Brown No. 3 in the  Matco Tools entry at a day's best of 3.841, 315.19.

"It's great to be a team that good that we can share data and bring our cars three in a row," Schumacher said.

Terry McMillen, fighting for every point to get his Amalie Oil/UNOH Dragster back into the top 10 by the end of the U.S. Nationals three races away, helped his chances immensely by grabbing the No. 4 spot. Kalitta is No. 5 overnight. Worsham and Dixon, at the top of the list after the first session, skid down to sixth and seventh.

FOUR! - The Buells rule.

Make that Lucas Oil Buells.

The Arana family is hogging all of the Pro Stock Motorcycle top qualifying positions lately. Hector Arana III, who had low elapsed time at Norwalk and Joliet and "let" his father in on the action at Denver last week, has the provisional No. 1 spot for the Fram-Autolite Nationals after two sessions Friday.

The 21-year-old shone in the evening session, jumped from No. 9 in the order after the first session, equaling his career-best E.T. of 6.887 seconds and an improving his career-best speed of 193.02 mph on the Infineon Raceway quarter-mile at Sonoma, Calif.

"We'll take these No. 1 qualifiers every race if we can," Arana said. "It's hard to do in this class, so to get four in a row, if this one holds, is really special. It's something to be proud of, for sure."

Arana, as always, expressed thanks to his father and the Forrest Lucas family.

"I've got to thank my dad and Lucas Oil for everything," he said. "If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't have anything. Forrest Lucas stuck by my dad all these years – he knew my dad could do it. Finally, we got one of these Buells, and from there, we skyrocketed up to the top. I've been fortunate enough to jump in at the top."

Arana said his second pass was "pretty much perfect. All we did was make one clutch adjustment and the track came to us.

"That was it," he said. "I rode a really good pass. It was amazing. I knew it was good as soon as a dropped the clutch, because it smacked me in the butt. I was like, 'Oh, man, that kind of hurt, but that's good.' I tucked really hard, and ran a 6.88."

He did it with the magic of "Gracie," the motor he named after his mother, Grace. It's the one that started the string of No. 1 qualifiers for the rookie rider.

"This new motor we built, it's amazing. She's 2-0 going for No. 1 qualifiers so far. Hopefully, we can keep the No. 1 spot, and she'll have one hell of a record going. Now, I just need to do my job of riding on Sunday and get a win."

He and his dad were sixth and seventh after the first session, but the elder Arana dropped to 11th -- still qualified but with a torn-up motor and more work for son Hector overnight.

They plan to be ready to race again Saturday at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

REBOUND TIME - The best way to erase the memory of a stinging loss is to qualify No. 1 at the next race. After Friday night qualifying at the Fram Autolite NHRA Nationals, this was how Pro Stock racer Allen Johnson felt.

Johnson, of Greeneville, Tenn., ran 6.547 seconds at 210.50 to edge Chevrolet runner Erica Enders for the provisional qualifying lead.

“We made a good run, the air was about 1000-foot [corrected altitude] and last year it was about 400,” said Johnson, who qualified No. 1 at last weekend’s Mopar NHRA Mile High Nationals. “That just goes to show you how much power we have picked up in Pro Stock in a year. If it would have been 400, we might have gone a 6.49.”

Friday’s qualifying success was no doubt fueled by his failure to reel in a victory at his sponsor’s race just five days earlier.

“When I got out of the car after the final in Denver, my emotions were two-fold,” Johnson said. “I was mad because I didn’t get to celebrate and pose for the pictures with those Mopar girls and it inspired me to work hard to get the title back next year.”

Johnson led Friday's qualifying from start to finish, posting a 6.576 in the opening session. He attributed the first day’s success to a measure of confidence which was different than his final round meeting with Mike Edwards last weekend.

“What happened is my car missed just as a dumped the clutch,” Johnson explained. “We didn’t know why, but it caused the tire to stop. It knocked the clutch out of it. We didn’t know if it was real because we didn’t feel there was a difference in the lanes. It slipped the clutch all the way down the run and caused us to lose lane choice. We just didn’t know whether to put clutch in it because it slipped. Or was that miss real [and because of the track]. That was the decision we had to make and just split the difference.”

This time, there was no doubt the track was there. His car was too.

“The track is awesome,” Johnson said. “When the sun gets off of it, this Mopar Avenger will haul the mail.”

MUTUAL RESPECT - Drag-racing legend Shirley Muldowney, in Sonoma, Calif., for the Fram-Autolite Nationals, said she definitely is impressed Pro Stock driver Erica Enders -- so much so that she has invited the ZaZa Energy Chevy Cobalt driver to be part of a reality-TV deal she's discussing with a New York production company.

The show is a long way from becoming a signed deal, Muldowney said Friday. But the three-time NHRA Top Fuel champion knows for sure that she likes what she sees in Enders.

"I think she's good stuff behind the wheel, I'll tell you that right now. She's got style, poise, class. She speaks well, and most importantly -- most importantly -- she can drive that race car," Muldowney said.

What Muldowney did to pave the way for her and other female drivers is not lost on Enders.

"I just want to be treated like one of the guys," the Victor Cagnazzi Racing driver said. "Yes, it's a male-dominated sport, but women work just as hard. A lot went on before we got here, and sometimes we don't really think about it. But Shirley is someone I've looked up to my entire life."

Muldowney and Enders working together on a television program would be a pairing of  tough-minded, determined women. But both have had their lives featured in film, Muldowney with "Heart Like A Wheel" and Enders with the Disney's "Right On Track." But what Enders wants to do to follow in Muldowney's footsteps is win.

"I'd like to get that off my back," she said.

Enders has come close this season, finishing as runner-up at Bristol, Tenn., and at Joliet, Ill. She qualified first at Pomona and Norwalk and is seventh in the pre-Countdown order heading into this weekend's competition on the Infineon Raceway quarter-mile. She has qualified fifth or better in each of the past five races, winning eight rounds in that stretch.

"I've got a great race car this year," Enders said. "I'm really blessed to be in the position I'm in, driving for Victor Cagnazzi. We've having a really fun year and are doing well. I can't ask for a better team. I'm in love with my guys. They have a common goal, just like mine, and there are no ulterior motives there. I'm a firm believer that unity will make a team a success. I couldn't be in a better position this year."

When Enders wins her first race, don't look for Muldowney to run over and congratulate her at the top end.

"I probably would not do that," Muldowney said. "I probably would not dive into that camera shot. I will share with Erica, between her and I."

Saying Enders "is without a doubt living her dream," Muldowney called the 27-year-old racer "a dream" to speak with at Charlotte as she tried to broker the agreement for the TV show.

"I thought there was an opportunity in Charlotte for her to work with me and Doug Herbert on a project that seems to have fallen through," Muldowney said. She said the talk was about "a realty show that could have gone multiple seasons. It hasn't fallen apart yet, but it's not going together, I think because of their concept. It has nothing to do with any of us.

"But over the course of that one weekend, I found her and her dad to be very receptive, cooperative, very nice, professional. I was very happy with the results of the little bit of time that I did get with her. Then I started watching her closely, not only on the TV coverage but when I was at the racetrack."

Now, to be like her hero Muldowney. All Enders needs is that first victory for which she has been oh-so-close.

SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT - Larry Morgan spent most of his Friday afternoon prior to qualifying at the Fram/Autolite NHRA Nationals putting out fires. However, for Morgan, these weren’t real fires.

These were public relations fires, and they nearly burned up his cell phone. The source of the issue for Morgan was an Internet report which suggested he had had a falling out with Ford], and planning to pull their its support of NHRA Pro Stock.

Morgan couldn’t pinpoint how the rumor could have started and the straight-shooting Pro Stocker called the report a blatant lie.

“I have no idea how somebody could dream up something so ludicrous, much less print it,” Morgan said. “I have a good relationship with Ford. I have no problems at all. It irritates me. We still keep working on projects for them. So I am sure if they had a problem with me, they would have pulled it.”

Morgan drove his Mustang to a semifinal finish at the recently completed Mopar NHRA Mile-High Nationals in Denver and the site of his reported confrontation with Ford officials.

“Why on earth would I argue with those guys?” Morgan said of Ford’s reps Jamie Allison and Mose Nowland. “For goodness sakes, they were standing behind my car when I ran, clapping and high-fiving through the first two rounds.”

Morgan said the source of the report was alleged to have been within Ford. This is a claim he believes is highly unlikely.

“What knucklehead would have made a statement like that?” Morgan asked. “I will say this: if you’ve got the balls to say something like that, you ought to stand up and own up to your words. Whoever the third party, sixth party or the guy getting the Subway sandwich at the gas station is, who came up with this, ought to step up and take responsibility.”

Morgan paused for a moment and laughed at the irony of the situation.

A year earlier, Ford execs had parked the company’s Prevost coach alongside of his hauler at a race leading to rumors he was racing on a substantial budget and the high-end ride was his.

“I remember they started the rumor with the Prevost,” said Morgan, smiling. “At the time, I didn’t even have enough money for the gas.”

Morgan said he can ill-afford these kinds of rumors when he’s working hard to convince the manufacturer to increase its involvement in the class.

“It just doesn’t do us any good, I can tell you that,” Morgan said.

LIKES IT OUT WEST - Antron Brown has fond memories of the Western Swing, considering he swept the three Denver-Seattle-Sonoma string in 2009.

"I actually like going west for these races," the Matco Tools driver said, even before positioning himself well Friday for Saturday's final two qualifying sessions at Infineon Raceway.  "We swept the swing in 2009 and made it the final round many other times, both on the bike and in the hot rod."

Brown, who's third in the order overnight, twice was runner-up here, in 2004 and 2006, aboard the U.S. Army bike for Don Schumacher Racing. He also owns the track's Top Fuel 1,000-foot elapsed-time record: 3.805 seconds in 2008.

"I may be a long way from where I grew up and learned how to drive, but I obviously feel really comfortable here. It's a nice, relaxing atmosphere and one of the great tracks on tour," he said.

Brown also said his late Friday run, a tribute to tuners Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald, was no surprise.

"We came back strong in that second session," he said. "Frankly, I expected it to happen. It's nice to see DSR filling the top three positions in the order. That's the way it should be."

 

 

 

 

 

 
SLIGHT CONSOLATION - Points leader Karen Stoffer made some improvement, but going from No. 24 to No. 15 wasn't as much improvement as she might have liked.

COPYCATS - Just as Eddie Krawiec and Steve Johnson led the field after one session with identical E.T.s, Jerry Savoie and LE Tonglet had the same times in the second session. They ended up seventh and eight in the lineup with 6.976-second efforts. Tonglet scored the higher spot with a 189.87-mph speed to Savoie's 188.28. Krawiec and Johnson slid down to fifth and sixth, respectively.

 

OSHKOSH - AND FOCUSING - BY GOSH - The advertising-spawned tag line for big winners in sports is "I'm going to Disneyland."

But Funny Car champion John Force isn't traditional. Never mind that he hasn't been asked much where he's going lately because he hasn't been winning much. But when he did win for the first time this season, ending an 11-race drought, he let everyone know he was going to Oshkosh, by gosh.

At the established EAA AirVenture Airshow in Oshkosh, Wis., where Ford is a major sponsor and auctioned its made a unique Blue Angels Mustang, Force preached the drag-racing gospel to a whole new congregation that included actor and longtime pilot Harrison Ford.

While his Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang crew celebrated his 132nd victory at Denver, Force -- in his words -- "went back to work. didn’t party. Didn't do nothing' (to bask in the achievement). I took my road show up there.

"Got to meet Harrison Ford," Force said Friday at Infineon Raceway. "It was Woodstock up there.

"There were people camping under their planes, and then there were big ol' motor coaches like you see at our NHRA races. I love my Castrol Funny Car -- everybody knows that -- but seeing all those airplanes and fighter jets, that gets your blood pumping, too," he said.

Force rubbed elbows with Edsel Ford and his son Calvin, along with NASCAR team owner Jack Roush, but seemed even more intrigued by a robot inside the Ford tent.

"I couldn't get over that robot. I went up and talked with him after the VIP reception. He knew everything about me and NHRA," Force said. "He even knew I won Denver. It was a trip.  I loved being with all the Ford fans and all the fans at the air show. It was a brand new crowd for me and to show off NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing was pretty cool."

Force said he hasn't been home in a month because of races and other business-related travel, is just as busy this weekend as he has been on the road.

"We just shot the (TV) commercial for Charlotte. We're finishing our pilot. We've got film crews out there, announcing Courtney's new deal. I've got a lot on my plate," he said.

He had won at Denver, because he focused, he claimed. He said teammate and John Force Racing President Robert Hight had called his hand on being too busy with peripheral matters to concentrate on his race car and winning.

Yet he said he had been in the staging lanes, suiting up this past Sunday, calling out for one of the employees to remember to send photos overnight to Oshkosh.

"My mind's not in the race car," he confessed Friday. "I'm getting stuff done, but I wasn't winning." He said before the Mopar Mile-High Nationals victory that he "feel like I let my guys down."

He said beating Matt Hagan was a gift, considering the Don Schumacher Racing driver's foul start.

"I got a little help in the final. I'll take a win any way I can get it," Force said. Referring to Hagan, he said, "He's a real good kid. He ain't the first guy ever to red-light. I'm trying to show my daughters, Courtney and Brittany, that I'm still in the game. I don't want to be left behind."

He insisted that uppermost in his mind is "getting another win."

Force has won more than any other pro driver at Infineon Racewya. He has seven victories here, each against a different opponent.

ASHLEY’S A NO-SHOW IN SONOMA – Ashley Force Hood, the NHRA’s only Full Throttle Funny Car racer on maternity leave, was a no-show for Friday’s qualifying in Sonoma.

Ashley and husband Danny Hood are expecting their first child in two weeks.

“She was on her way and then told me she wasn’t coming,” her father John Force explained. “My belly … it dropped. I said, ‘honey, my belly’s been dropping for the last six years.”

John is driving Ashley’s car this season and dad drove it to the top of the qualifying list.

“She’s just absolutely beautiful,” John said.

WELCOME TO SALINAS - With Wayne Dupuy making the tuning calls, Mike Salinas made his long-planned Top Fuel debut in the Scrappers Racing Dragster in Friday's first session. His car lost traction and left him in 17th place temporarily with a 6.196-second elapsed time at 101.54 mph.

But the Gilroy, Calif., garbage-removal company owner who has lots of experience in vintage dragster racing, has a full crew in wife Monica and daughters Jasmine, Jacqueline, Jeana, and Jann.

Salinas, whose dad Mike also raced and introduced him to the sport, earned his license about 21 months ago and has spent the interim preparing a professional-looking pit, complete with hospitality, a hauler as cool-looking as his flame-adorned dragster body, pinstriped toolboxes, and custom-fabricated and polished equipment.

When Don Prudhomme is inducted into Infineon Raceway's Wall of Fame during pre-event ceremonies Sunday, Salinas will get another thrill. As a youngster, he got the privilege of sitting in The Snake's fueler at the old Baylands Raceway. He went on to field Jr. Dragsters and a blown alcohol front-engine dragster.

"I wanted to bring my own style to the mix," the 47-year-old Salinas said, "and I'm looking forward to competing with the best and fastest in the world."

LOOK OUT! HE'S BACK! - After sitting out four races, Clay Millican made a strong showing in his Hadman-built Parts Plus Dragster, taking the early No. 3 spot with a 3.931-second blast at 305.15 mph. This is his first appearance since the Englishtown, N.J., event.

SAME FACES AT TOP - If this is starting to sound familiar, it is. Del Worsham raced to the top of the order in Friday's first session, nudging Al-Anabi/Toyota teammate Larry Dixon to No. 2. Worsham has qualified first or second at seven of the last nine races, including six of the last seven. He has four No. 1 qualifiers this season, including last week's Mopar Mile-High Nationals at Denver.

The Al-Anabi tandem has won the three of the last four events, with Dixon taking Bristol and Worsham winning at Norwalk, and Joliet. Worsham, a lifelong Californian who has a huge cheering section this weekend, has more victories than any other Top Fuel driver this season (five), equaling his career-best in the Funny Car class.

Worhsam has a 68-point lead in the standings over No. 2 Spencer Massey but said, "Any points lead can go away in a hurry. So we have to really stay on our game and keep improving our race team to get ready for the Countdown. The top five in points have gotten tighter. All of the DSR cars are running really well, but so is the Al-Anabi team. It's going to be a battle all the way to the end of the season, and it should be a great show for the fans."

WANTS IT BAD - Dave Grubnic means business in his quest to secure that 10th and final Countdown position. He stormed to sixth place in the qualifying order Friday afternoon. Bob Vandergriff and Terry McMillen, the two drivers he needs to fend off, struggled and after one session Friday were 15th and 16th, respectively.

 

 

DRAMATIC, ALL RIGHT - Karen Stoffer called the shift from Denver's Bandimere Speedway to Sonoma's Infineon Raceway "an especially dramatic change for the riders." She was referring to altitude, conditions, and the dilemmas they have with their tune-up changes. But no one could have experienced a more powerfully different set of circumstances from Denver's eliminations to Sonoma's opening session of qualifying than Stoffer.

The GEICO Suzuki veteran regained the points lead from Eddie Krawiec with her victory at the Mopar Mile-High Nationals. And she said she especially was pleased to have capitalized on every opportunity to make a pass down the quarter-mile all weekend long.

But in her first chance to keep the momentum going, she experienced some mechanical trouble as soon as she took the green light. She started the second session from the 24th and final spot. Meanwhile, Krawiec, on the Vance & Hines Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson, blasted to the No. 1 spot.

She had to be especially disappointed, for she had said, "Infineon Raceway can be one of the quickest and fastest tracks we race on each year" and "This is the biggest race of the year for our class. There's nothing better than looking up from the pits and seeing row after row of motorcycles lined up on the hillsides. People who ride motorcycles like to be around other people that ride motorcycles. It's amazing to see the support we get here, and as a competitor I can speak to the fact that it's very motivating to race in front of people that are so enthusiastic."

The Reno, Nev., resident said she considers this track home: "I'm a Division 7 racer and love all these race tracks out west. Sonoma is one of two tracks I consider as a home track, along with The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. We live near Reno, so it's close enough where we can drive over, and it's easier all our friends and family to come out. That adds to the fun."

IDENTICAL TIMES - Eddie Krawiec and Steve Johnson had identical elapsed times in the opening session. Both had  6.971-second passes and were the only racers in the 6.97-second range. But Krawiec took the early lead  with his 191.38-mph speed on his Harley-Davidson V-Rod, as Johnson  posted a 191.38 with his Suzuki.

AIMING HIGH - LE Tonglet said his goal is to finish in the top four for the so-called "regular season." So far so good and he kept himself on track with a No. 3 spot in the tentative lineup after the first session Friday. He was .013 seconds off the pace of Eddie Krawiec and Steve Johnson, who led the field with 6.971 E.T.s. "We have a good motor that ran well last week," the current champion said, adding "Our team is working together a lot better."

HELLO AGAIN - Matt Guidera made his 2011 debut in the first session Friday but didn't make the top 12 -- or the top 16. The Loomis, Calif., rider's 7.257-second, 180.48-mph effort left him 18th among the 24 who made passes.

BACK TO THE FUTURE - Time's running out. Pressure's on. And Terry McMillen has taken drastic measures in the scramble to make the Countdown to the Championship Top Fuel field. He needs to beat the clock, beat his opponents, and, frankly, beat his own performance of late. After this weekend's FRAM/Autolite Nationals at Infineon Raceway near Sonoma, Calif., drivers have only three more until the Countdown to the Championship begins at Charlotte.

"We're stripping the car to the frame," McMillen said after his fifth consecutive Round 1 defeat at Denver. "It's like going back to Square One, to the preseason test session at West Palm Beach, Fla., where his brand-new McKinney-built Amalie Oil/UNOH Dragster gave him a career best elapsed time of 3.823 seconds, despite his shutting the engine off early. There it ran the best incremental times he ever had clocked, but lately it has turned fickle. And he reacted as if he discovered a virus in his PC or caught sight of a mouse in the closet. He and his crew have cleared out everything in an effort to find the problem.

"There's a bug in there somewhere, and we're going to find it," he said. "We've got sea-level conditions in Sonoma – similar to what we had in preseason testing in West Palm Beach. We're pulling out all the stops. We're going to put our car back like it was in Florida testing and make a run at the Countdown."

With fresh funding from All Star Performance and Motor State Distributing, McMillen is better able to refresh the necessary parts and pieces on his car. And that extra support came just in time.

"We hurt more than our fair share of parts in Denver, so we have to make sure we have enough pieces and parts to get this dragster back to Indiana," McMillen said, trying to calculate his inventory through the Sonoma and Seattle races before returning to the shop in Elkhart, Ind., in preparation for the Brainerd, Minn., race and the U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis.

He needs to outpace Bob Vandergriff and Dave Grubnic. McMillen entered this weekend's event 11 points out of the top 10, once again battling Grubnic. The Kalitta Motorsorts driver vaulted from 12th place to 10th with a runner-up finish July 10 at Joliet.The Hoosier Thunder Motorsports team owner is just three points behind Vandergriff, who made noise by qualifying No. 2 and lasting one more round than McMillen at Denver. Vandergriff accumulated extra points, as well, by reaching the final round at Topeka.

Rather than make himself crazy fretting about his task, McMillen and the crew took a break and had some R&R at Lake Berryessa, north of Napa and Vacaville.

"It was good to get-away from the grind for a few days and play on the water," he said. "Plus when we were in the Napa area, I had a chance to meet Jimmy Vasser, Sr. and visit with him for awhile. He's a wealth of racing knowledge, even in drag racing. Having him around our pit is an asset." Jimmy Vasser Toyota and Chevrolet will support McMillen's team this weekend with team transportation and a tow vehicle. "The folks up there at Jimmy Vasser Toyota are laid back and fun to talk with," McMillen said.

McMillen will be anything but laid back this weekend. He has a chore. He has little time before his deadline. He'll be all business.

 

 

---

a d v e r t i s e m e n t

Click to visit our sponsor's website

---

THURSDAY NOTEBOOK - 

CALLING IN THE MEDICS - U.S. Army Top Fuel driver Tony Schumacher will help pay tribute to the U.S. Army Medical Department (AMEDD) in Sonoma during the FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals at Infineon Raceway.

Schumacher’s world championship-winning U.S. Army Top Fuel dragster will sport AMEDD decals throughout two days of qualifying and on race day.

“I’m excited about the opportunity to recognize the dedicated men and women of the Army Health Care Team and to help raise awareness of the more than 80 medical career specialties available in the U.S. Army,” said Schumacher.

The U.S. Army Health Care Team is made up of six corps, each with a specific function – Dental Corps, Medical Corps, Medical Service Corps, Medical Specialist Corps, Nurse Corps and Veterinary Corps.

“This is a terrific organization which provides plenty of incentive (through financial assistance and educational benefits) for medical-career students to join the Army Health Care Team,” offered Schumacher.

 

 

 

 

 

---

 

a d v e r t i s e m e n t

---

 

 

---

a d v e r t i s e m e n t

Click to visit our sponsor's website

---

---

a d v e r t i s e m e n t

Click to visit our sponsor's website

---