2015 NHRA GATORNATIONALS - GAINESVILLE NOTEBOOK
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MASSEY'S TOP FUEL WIN A “CLUTCH” PERFORMANCE - Texan Spencer Massey made history at the 46th Annual Amalie Oil NHRA Gatornationals. His final round win over Tony Schumacher was his 18th career national event title, tying him with legendary racers Shirley Muldowney and Darryl Gwynn on NHRA’s all-time wins list.
The 32 year-old Don Schumacher Racing driver and his RedFuel team had a rough weekend, but were able to overcome everything that went wrong. It all started after the first round of eliminations, after the #2 qualifier powered past Chris Karamasines, matching the track speed record of 329.02 he set in Saturday qualifying.
“We went to warm the car up for the second round and found that we had some issues with the clutch,” Massey explained. “We ended up getting all of Matt Hagan’s Mopar Express team over and we all work well as a team. That’s how all of Don Schumacher Racing works…if someone has a problem there are going to be other teams coming over to help.
“We kept trying to figure it out. Phil and (crew chief) Todd (Okuhara) are over there trying to figure it out, to work out the bugs, and we couldn’t get it. It got to the point where everyone was in the staging lanes and we still hadn’t even fired up the race car yet.
“We kept trying and kept trying and it got to the point where we got it fixed, but weren’t really sure if it was going to be 100 percent. Todd told me he got it to where it wasn’t going to be exactly the same, but it was going to work. He told me to get ready for it to do whatever because you never know.”
Massey was able to defeat Brittany Force with a 3.911 pass to edge Force’s 3.926…but it wasn’t easy.
“When I got in the race car, our clutch pedal, which is usually in the normal position, was actually set way back. When I put my foot on it to push the clutch in I didn’t have the leverage to push the pedal. To be able to hold the clutch in I had to, literally, hold my leg with my hand.
“In these race cars, if you let the clutch out and let it dig, and try to stop the car with the brake, you’re going to heat the clutch up and make everything change. That changes the entire scenario for the race car.
“I was sitting there thinking I should be doing more squats or something or working out a little more. Everything was working properly…we had neutral and the tug was correct, which was a huge deal because we never warmed the car up to check any of the settings.
“I pre-staged, Brittany pre-staged and when I was able to take my foot off the clutch I was really thankful. I made the run and when I got out of the car at the top end my leg was in such a cramp because I had to use muscles I’m usually not using. I almost fell over because I couldn’t hardly stand on it.”
It didn’t end there. The team had to scramble to get things ready for Massey’s semifinal run against Antron Brown.
“Mike Knudsen, who is Matt Hagan’s assistant crew chief, used to be my clutch guy when I started racing with Don. He knows the clutch on that car so well because that’s his baby,” Massey said. “He and Alex actually stayed back and rebuilt the thing where the problem was. When we came back, after we beat Brittany, we were able to put the correct parts in, make all the settings perfect.
“Then we ran Antron and had another problem. It was a culmination of things and was just non-stop today. We haven’t even been able to eat lunch today. It was just one of those days where when it rains, it pours. It was raining, it was pouring…but now it’s pouring Mello Yello on this Wally.”
In the final round, Massey took matters into his own hands…winning on a holeshot. His .020-induced 3.882 at 320.74 miles per hour was about a car length better than Tony Schumacher’s 3.873/319.29 with a .065 reaction time.
“Tony has been running extremely strong,” Massey said. “We’ve watched him in the first two races and know how well that car can run. I know Tony, when he needs to, can step his game up and can be deadly on the starting line, just like Antron and Shawn Langdon.”
It was Massey’s first win in his first final this season.
“The car went down the race track, it didn’t do anything funky and it did its job,” he said. “And my guys did their jobs. We have four new people on our crew this year and three of them had never won a race. They won the Gators. Hats off to all of them.” Mike Perry
CAPPS CAPTURES GATORNATIONALS WIN - In a wild day of nitro Funny Car eliminations, a savvy veteran found his way to the winner’s circle Sunday at the Gatornationals.
Ron Capps beat first time finalist John Hale with a 4.115-second lap at 311.05 mph in his Don Schumacher Racing NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger.
Hale, who is in his first year driving for Jim Dunn, clocked a 4.208-second lap at 289.32 mph.
“I have been blessed to really have some really great crew chiefs to work with Ed “the Ace” McCulloch, Roland Leong, Tim Richards, and Dale Armstrong, the best of the best,” Capps said. “That’s what is great getting to drive for the team I get to drive for. We always get the best equipment and the best people want to drive for Don and work for Don. This weekend, Rahn Tobler, my crew chief is trying to make our Funny Car teams all better for the future by working with the six-disc (clutch). Mike Green had it in the Army (dragster) last year and for a crew chief to change from a five-disc to a six-disc is tough, and he did it in a middle of a weekend. We made the first qualifying run on Friday and he wasn’t comfortable with it and he put the five-disc back in. We ended up qualifying ninth and won close races all day. We are going to go back and test it (six-disc clutch) again and it is the future. With the five-disc a couple of years ago, we set the world’s quickest run at Englishtown, and we are capable of doing that again very easily.”
This was Capps’ third career Gatornationals win – 2006, 2007 and 2015 and 44th of his career, 43rd in Funny Car. Those 43 wins tied him for second place on the all-time career list with Tony Pedregon.
Capps ousted Courtney Force, on a holeshot in round 1, and then eliminated No. 1 qualifier Cruz Pedregon. Capps, with another holeshot, defeated Tim Wilkerson and then edged Hale in the finals.
“When you have a race car like (Sunday), you almost wait for something to go wrong,” Capps said. “I have driven for 18 years now and I find myself driving the car as if I’m driving something that is just so far behind the other cars. In other words, I feel like I really have to be up on the wheel every time. I think that really helped me this weekend. Rahn Tobler, you talk about NAPA know how, and I always brag about that term, he is that.”
Capps also acknowledged how much he enjoys driving his Funny Car which is equipped with the new Dodge Charger body.
“I was happy for my teammate, Matt (Hagan) got to win Pomona and Phoenix, but I wanted to get him (Schumacher) the first win with the new body,” Capps said. “When I came to work for Don, with the Brut car in 2005, we had the Dodge Stratus and then the Charger and it was so hard to see out of these bodies, but you never wanted to complain because it is a Funny Car. We had to just deal with it and it was so tough to see out of those things, but they built this car (the 2015 Dodge Charger) and the first time I got in I felt like the old Dunn and Reid car that was a rear motor Funny Car. I felt like I was right up against the windshield all of a sudden, it was a strange feeling. They really did their homework. The only bad thing came (Sunday). Now that I can look out a side window and I can see the car next to me at 320 mph and see how close it was against Wilkerson, it is scary. I looked over like a video game and thought this was going to be close. I never could see that before.”
While Capps was marching to the finals, the other side of the ladder was full of upsets. Blake Alexander, the No. 15 qualifier who was making his season debut, derailed Del Worsham, and Tommy Johnson Jr. before losing to Hale in the semifinals.
Meanwhile, Hale, the No. 14 qualifier, shocked John Force, and Alexis DeJoria in first and second round.
“This race is like that, look back in history,” Capps said about the crazy upsets. “There are so many neat and weird things that happened in the past. People have won for the first time here, a lot of them. I was bummed because they had that semifinal going on and I look over in ours and there is Wilkerson. I thought it was going to be one of these days. We were trying not to look, but we could tell what was going on in the other side.”
Hale is a two-time lottery winner, but someone who doesn’t get excited.
“He’s low key, he doesn’t get excited about anything,” Capps said. “I’m curious when he won the lotteries if he even got excited. We were on the same golf cart driving back and we were both at the March Meet (last weekend) and there he was. He was running his car and I was watching cars and having a blast, and I said 'dude we were at Famoso last weekend and here we are in the final round', and I had to shake him and I was pumping him up.” Tracy Renck
ANDERSON BREAKS DROUGHT WITH PS WIN - Driving a new/used Camaro, four-time NHRA Pro Stock world champion Greg Anderson won his first national event since 2012.
Anderson, piloting a Summit Racing Equipment entry for Ken Black, finally sealed the deal by beating his teammate Jason Line in the finals Sunday at the Gatornationals.
Anderson clocked a 6.538-second lap at 213.43 mph to edge Line’s 6.554 run.
“It is kind of funny because obviously when we build new race cars in this class, we build new race cars,” said Anderson, who won world titles in 2003-2005 and 2010. “But this is the second time in our career, we have done this, we bought a used car from another racer and refurbished it and put a shiny paint job on it and it has gone right to victory circle. It is kind of ironic because I grew up in a used car business. My father was a used car dealer and I worked the used car lot until I was 25 years old, until I moved to the South and went professional drag racing. It is kind of funny deal and sometimes when you do things out of the box they work out for you and that’s the second time it has worked for us. Also, the last time I brought a new red race car I won the first time out and that was the last time I won an event at Englishtown (in 2012). This is a special day and a special weekend. (Saturday) was my birthday, so it is pretty darn cool. A year ago, I couldn’t even come to this race, I was trying to recover from heart surgery and I couldn’t even attend the race let alone drive the race car. I’m a very lucky man to even be here, but I feel great and there’s no reason I can’t do this.”
Anderson’s last win – at Englishtown – also came against Line. That was 60 races ago. Anderson now has 75 career national event wins.
“I had to prove I could still win, and I would take it any way I could get it,” Anderson said. “It took a while, but we finally got that job done. It was a great day for Greg Anderson and a great day for KB Racing and everybody involved with us. I don’t want to sound like a crybaby, a whiner because some people only win one time in their career. I’m going to treat this like my first win of my new life, new career. Hopefully there is many more to come.”
Anderson also took a moment to address having his former rival Mike Edwards, the 2009 Pro Stock world champ, work for him this weekend.
“It is a long story,” Anderson said. “We have a lot of history together and I have been beaten so many times by that man. Ever since the day I started racing when I didn’t know what I was doing, I had no equipment and I had no talent and no reason to even be out there, I would find a way to qualify for a race. I would run up against Mike Edwards and he would just clean my clock and I respected that man, I think more than anybody since the day I started racing, so it is kind of ironic how it all turns out and I just feel very fortunate that’s he is trying to help us. He stood back and watched for the last year and apparently he feels sorry for me, and he wanted to see me win a race again. I can’t thank him enough. He has come in and helped out a tremendous amount and I have a great race team, but we are trying to run three and even four race cars at some events and it is just too much for one guy, Rob Downing, to handle. I needed to get him some help and I looked around and we needed to get the best we could get because this class is that tough. When that name (Edwards) popped up everybody was thinking are you crazy? He’s not going to come help us. We chiseled on him for several months and it took a long time to convince him to even step foot in our pit area. We were fierce competitors for a lot of years, and it took a lot to get it down and he is still not fully committed and he’s still probably not going admit he is in the KB pit area helping Greg Anderson and Jason Line win races, but he is. It will be our little secret until he decides it is time to tell the world that he is helping us and we hope and pray it goes on for a long time." Tracy Renck
EARLY START, EARLY WIN FOR KAREN STOFFER - Karen Stoffer really didn’t expect to be at Auto-Plus Raceway at Gainesville this weekend, but a phone call led to a fortunate change in plans.
Stoffer and her husband, Gary, have been bracket racing all over the West Coast with Karen serving as Gary’s crew chief.
She was looking for a deal that would allow her to race as much of the 2015 Mello Yello NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle schedule as possible, hoping to be able to compete in at least eight races this season.
Then, last week, her phone rang. On the other end was Greg Underdahl, veteran driver and crew chief on his son Jim’s bike. He thought Stoffer should come to Gainesville.
“Greg Underdall called us. He knew we had the equipment and he told me we had to get out here now…that he knew I love Gainesville and he wanted to help me out,” Stoffer explained. “He told me I would ride with them, that they would help get me ready.
“The boys worked really hard. They flew to Indy, to our shop in Indy, and worked on two bikes. They built a whole new bike for Jimmy and, in the meantime, got my bike ready for me to come out here. We loaded everything up and I actually made two hits in Bradenton. It was my first time on the bike in a year-and-a-half. It seemed to be pretty good.
“We only had one engine so we didn’t want to wear it out before we got here. We buttoned it up and brought it to Gainesville.”
The one-race deal turned into a bonanza as Stoffer drove to the #8 qualifying position, then zipped through the field to earn her second-career Gainesville Wally.
Stoffer topped Eddie Krawiec, who held a 13-4 all-time advantage over her, including a 2-0 mark in final rounds, in the final. Krawiec had the lead at half-track before losing power while Stoffer made a clean 6.900/195.11 pass.
It was her seventh career NHRA national event win.
“We weren’t going to actually race until somewhere in the middle of the season,” Stoffer explained. “We had been working on getting some support. We acquired our equipment, which is the same equipment we’ve had for the last nine years, but we wanted to put a good package together and come out sometime in the middle of the year.”
It was a busy weekend for Stoffer’s crew.
“We actually did okay on our first hit, but then we had to show our passion and our heart because we had some transmission issues,” she said. “We had to take it apart, tear it down, put it back together and put it back in the bike. Then we found more transmission issues the next night.
“We don’t have a big budget but we certainly have big hearts. We tried to get some high performance out of it today and were able to do it. The boys worked hard, worked to about midnight every night and gave us a great bike on Sunday.”
Stoffer, who had not made a pass in competition for a year-and-a-half prior to Gainesville, never expected to be hoisting the trophy at the end of the weekend.
“I was just hoping to do well,” she said. “As a competitor of course you want to win and you never rule that out. Honestly, under the situation we came out under just getting in the show and getting past the first round would have been awesome.
“To actually get here and go round after round…luck is always part of it, driving is part of it and we had a little combination of everything. I’ll take it.”
Stoffer is still looking for a deal that will allow her to race the rest of the schedule. She was pleased to have been able to succeed this weekend on her own terms.
“We’ve been wanting to put our own team together for a long time,” Stoffer said. “It has been part of my dream and one of our goals. It was really cool to come out here under Stoffer Enterprises and put the bike in the winners circle.” Mike Perry
RACE DAY RANDOM NOTEBOOK
By Bobby Bennett
CLOSE SHAVE – Just how close did Ron Capps’ Gainesville victory come to not happening? His margin of victory over Tim Wilkerson was .0001 of a second.
A NEW WAY TO LOSE - No. 1 Pro Stock bike qualifier Matt Smith found a new way to lose a race in his race day debut with new sponsor Victory Motorcycles. When his crew fired the bike, fabric began to fly out of the engine. Apparently the engine was assembled prior to the first round with a shop rag inside the gearbox.
The loss wasn't all bad for Smith, as the beneficiary of his misfortune was wife and teammate Angie.
FOILED FAMILY AFFAIR – Father and son teammates, Troy Coughlin Sr. and Jr., were on a collision course for a monumental Pro Modified final. However Bob Rahaim spoiled the show by knocking off Troy Sr. in the semis. In the next pair, parts breakage ended Troy Jr.’s professional debut.
OH HALE TO THE YES - Jim Dunn's new driver John Hale won the lottery twice. And after beating Alexis DeJoria in the second round, team owner Jim Dunn proclaimed, "That's why I hired him. The guy has won the lottery twice."
Hale's impressive win came in a race where DeJoria double-bulbed him in the staging process and smoked the tires at mid-track.
"I couldn't tell if the crew member was standing in the beams," Hale said of the starting line snafu. "I just went up there and did what we needed to do."
Hale then beat surprising semifinalist Blake Alexander, and the victory vaulted him into fifth in the points.
SOLO EFFORT - Antron Brown opened Sunday's eliminations with a bye run. Brown was scheduled to face Larry Dixon, who was sidelined after his horrific Saturday crash. The most pain for Dixon could have been not from the crash, but the fact Brown went up in smoke just past the 60-foot mark.
MILLICAN GETS FIRST 2015 ROUND WIN - After two early exits, the third time was the charm for Clay Millican. Millican scored his first round win of the season over a tire-smoking Leah Pruett.
"Consistency is our game plan, and for Doug Stringer, team owner, this is his first Top Fuel round win,"
THIRD TIME IS THE CHARM - Vegas oddsmakers might have given good odds Jack Beckman would have plenty of round wins in his favor given his assignment of former John Force crew chiefs Jimmy Prock and John Medlen.
"I think Bush was in office the last time we won a round," Beckman quipped.
TEAMMATES TUSSLE - JR Todd took out teammate Doug Kalitta in a race where he crossed the centerline past the finish line.
"It was a wild one, looks like I am back to driving like a donkey," Todd admitted.
STILL LOOKING - John Force is still winless in 2015. He lost to Jim Dunn Racing driver John Hale "They are all tough," said Hale, when asked about beating Force.
FORCE FUNNY CARS OH-FOR-THREE - Good thing John Force Racing has a Top Fuel car. In the first round, all three team cars were sent packing. First Force lost to Hale, then Tommy Johnson Jr. eliminated Robert Hight. Ron Capps finished off the Force floppers by taking out Courtney Force. The triple elimination was the first for JFR since Reading 2014.
FIGHTING LIKE A GIRL - Let the record reflect a lady driver knocked out the Hulk. Alexis DeJoria defeated Matt Hagan to end his winning streak that dated back to November 2014.
REMEMBER ME? - Shawn Langdon and Morgan Lucas are friends and used to be teammates. Lucas provided Langdon with his first driving job. Langdon scored the victory when Lucas went up in smoke.
TRADE YA - The Mac Tools team was joined by Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander on Sunday. Verlander, who is in town for spring training, and Kalitta conducted a jersey trade on the the starting line.
FINALLY GETS TO PLAY - Ever since Amalie Oil signed on as title sponsor of the NHRA Gatornationals, team driver Terry McMillen has watched the event from the sidelines. Thanks to a 3.87 elapsed time, McMillen made the show. The good news/bad news scenario was McMillen ran his quickest run of the weekend against first round opponent Tony Schumacher. The bad news was Schumacher ran a 3.775.
“Amalie has been sponsoring this race for three years now, so to make it to the race on Sunday is a big accomplishment for us. We've had this race circled since we left here last year and to be able to get that goal crossed off feels good,” McMillen said.
DEBUT ROUND WIN - Blake Alexander made his 2015 season debut and did so with a round win as Del Worsham smoked the tires. Adding insult to injury, the DHL team made a last minute lane swap and jumped over into the right lane
"I don't know that it makes any sense, but we just went up there to do what we do," said Alexander.
ALEXANDER THE BLAKE - Alexander's second round win was one for the highlight reel.
When Tommy Johnson Jr.'s Funny Car broke at the hit, Alexander pedaled and smoked his way to the finish line. Of course, he rode the centerline through.
"Obviously I haven't done this a lot," Alexander said of his pedaling expertise.
Tuner Paul Smith's sage advice? Don't cross the center-line.
SATURDAY NOTEBOOK
TOP FUEL
DIXON NOT RACING SUNDAY – Larry Dixon will not race in Sunday’s final eliminations.
"I don't know that it makes sense," said Vandergriff. "He is sore and will be sore tomorrow. For him to try and race tomorrow, he would have to do so in a car he's unfamiliar with and in being beaten up, not sure it makes sense."
Dixon, during the Q-3 session, was involved in a high-speed crash when the Bob Vandergriff Racing dragster he was driving apparently broke at the footbox. The car then broke into pieces, with the back-half where Dixon was, flying high into the air before crashing down to the track, and impacting the left retaining wall.
Dixon was extracted by NHRA Safety Personnel, where he walked under his own power to a nearby ambulance. He waved towards the grandstands as he entered the emergency vehicle.
Dixon was checked and released by medical officials.
Sources indicated the track underwent repair at the point where the car impacted in its descent.
Dixon was unavailable for comment following the accident.
BVR crew members were still seeking answers for what caused the accident nearly an hour later.
"It's just something that happens," said crew chief Mike Guger. "The car gets thoroughly inspected. And we had just inspected it, two runs ago. The first thought that comes to mind is, 'did we overlook something?"
"You second guess yourself."
The NHRA has impounded the car, and at the time of this posting has not yet released the vehicle to the team. An NHRA official confirmed with CompetitionPlus.com the team has access to the impounded car.
"We really cannot draw any conclusions what happened without the car," Guger added.
Joe Barlam, Guger's assistant who joined the team this season, shared in the pain of the initial moments.
"Excruciating, is the only way I can describe it," Barlam said. "But the best thing is [Dixon's] okay, and we can build race cars anytime."
Guger admits he stood on the starting line in shock before he could react to the horror he witnessed.
"You cannot even process something like this," said Guger. "It happens and you immediately enter a state of shock. The inclination is to wonder if Larry is okay. Nothing else matters. It just takes a while to process."
Vandergriff, in his first season as a retired driver and holding the exclusive role as team owner, said in the preseason watching his cars provided nervous moments. Today accident provided a level of anxiety he hadn't experienced.
"In 20 years of driving you don't get the perspective of watching the race car from the rear," said Vandergriff. "It has been hard the first couple of races, just in watching and realizing you have no control of the car. Then to see something like that happen as a team owner, I count myself as fully responsible to both Larry Dixon and Dave Connolly to keep them as safe as possible.
"It's hard to see this, because of the obligation to keep them safe. My team and my guys do a great job of inspecting these cars and taking every precaution in the name of safety. Even at that, you can still have a failure. The car didn't have that many runs on it, and to have a catastrophic failure like this is surprising."
In incidents such as this one, Vandergriff believes the lines get blurred between team owner and friend.
"Those guys are part of my family," Vandergriff said. "As a team owner, I provide the equipment and the crew. These guys have families and kids, and in the end I bear the responsibility for their safety. We didn't do it that time. All that matters is Dixon is okay. He's beaten up and is going to be sore. The bottom line is we have more race cars, and a shop, and we can provide another race car when he is ready."
ANOTHER KNUCKLE SANDWICH - Shawn Langdon claimed his second straight No. 1 qualifier at this event with a run at 3.765 at 325.45 in his Knuckle Sandwich/AJPE dragster. Langdon, the 2013 Top Fuel world champion, has had a successful start to 2015, winning the season-opening event in Pomona from the No. 1 starting spot and reaching the semifinals at Phoenix. It is Langdon’s second straight top qualifier at Gainesville and 18th of his career. He will open eliminations against Morgan Lucas.
“We wanted to come out and make a strong run in that early session,” said Langdon, who is seeking his first career Gatornationals win. “We knew it was going to heat up for the later session today. We really felt that was the run to go after. Luckily it held and it was basically what we were trying to run.”
Langdon and his team are uncertain of their future without major sponsorship, and are racing this weekend to showcase their program.
“We’re doing the best job we can. All we can do show is what our team is capable of; we have a great product with the Knuckle Sandwich/AJPE Toyota car so we’ll just keep doing what we’re doing. Obviously, we want to contend for the championship at the end of the year. We’ll just do the best job that we can, go out there and win races and hopefully catch the eye of somebody that wants to sponsor a Top Fuel car.”
FRONT ROW SEAT - Saturday's headlines belonged to Larry Dixon, but for Spencer Massey, he had a front row seat to watch the horrific turn of events.
"I was sitting right there in the water box about to fire up when we saw Larry's crash and thankfully he walked away," Massey said. "I have total confidence in this Red Fuel/Sandvik crew giving me the safest car possible with the canopy and fresh air system and fire bottles. When I staged, it was like I didn't think of the crash. We went 3.79 at 329 mph and I'm excited and now I'm ready for race day."
ON THE CUSP OF HISTORY - The eight-time and reigning Top Fuel world champion Schumacher is tied with NHRA legend “Big Daddy” Don Garlits, Joe Amato and Larry Dixon for most career Gatornationals wins at four.
Schumacher, who is the all-time leading Top Fuel winner, reached his first Gainesville final in 2000 but lost to Doug Kalitta. He strung together three victories in four years starting in 2007. Schumacher won again in 2008 and defeated Brown in the 2010 final. Last March, Schumacher qualified seventh before losing to Brown in the second round.
FUNNY CAR
THE DON MAKES AN APPEARANCE – Team owner Don Schumacher returned to the playing field on Saturday.
"It was emotional to see Don back out here with us," said Don Schumacher Racing driver Ron Capps. "We all knew he was coming. I can't even tell you how tough he is. So the fans know, he didn't come to hang out with his seven teams, he came to the track to personally thank everyone for the support that he's gotten. The fans have been so gracious, too.
"I've never seen anything like it. He went into each competitors' trailer to thank them for the support and that goes to show why he's such an icon in our sport."
Schumacher completed radiation treatments and a successful surgery for Stage 1 Squamous cell carcinoma.
"To have Don not here for the first couple of races was tough, we knew we're missing something and it was a huge void in our pits," Spencer Massey said. "With Don back here, it brings a smile to my face and it was great to give him a huge hug today. Tomorrow we'll work on getting him a Wally trophy."
Antron Brown was more than happy to have the boss looking over his shoulder as he made a run.
"It's great to see the boss man back and in good spirits," Brown said after qualifying sixth for Sunday's championship eliminations. "He went through all his treatments, but this is the best therapy. You can see the smile on his face and the joy in his heart for being part of this sport of NHRA drag racing."
NO. 1 DON’T MEAN A THING ON SUNDAY - Cruz Pedregon registered the quickest times on both Friday and Saturday in his Snap-on Tools Toyota Camry on the way to his fourth consecutive number one qualifier in Gainesville. His 4.022-second run on Friday established a new track record. It’s his sixth overall pole at the famed track and he’ll be shooting for his second Gatornationals win tomorrow (1998 was the other).
"A number one qualifier is great, but it doesn’t guarantee you victories, but I’d much rather be here in this position,” said Pedregon, a two-time Funny Car world champion. "I think we have the car to beat. We’ll go as hard as we can tomorrow and hopefully go some rounds. Wait, to heck with ‘go some rounds’, let’s win!"
16X READY TO MAKE A RUN - John Force will start from the No. 3 qualifying position. The winningest driver in NHRA history will race John Hale in the first round and Hale will officially become the 138th different opponent Force has raced in his 38 year long career. This will also be the 38th consecutive year Force has raced at least one new opponent.
Force clocked the second quickest run of the first session today 4.068 seconds at 315.19 mph running beside his long-time nemesis Cruz Pedregon. It was a great side by side race to close out a tough first session that saw more than its fair share of tire smoke as many of the team battled with a tricky track.
“We started all over again this season with these Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Cars. The biggest issue is we are in the heat now and we have to adapt to it. I ran 4.08, then 4.07 then 4.06 and on that last run we tried to push it harder. It was still hot and the track wouldn’t take it. I think we have a 4.06 car and who knows if we will need that to win a round tomorrow. It is probably going to take a couple of those to win the race. That is where we are focused,” said Force, a seven-time Gatornationals winner.
In the final session Force was once again paired with Pedregon and the Funny Cars both launched hard before smoking the tires. Force was not worried about the less than stellar run since he knew that his team was pushing an aggressive tune-up.
“Going back to testing I have been real impressed with my team and Jon Schaffer. We smoked the tires in Pomona and then Robert took us out in Phoenix. It is early in the season and I see progress. We know how to win and we will get there. My team is starting to make the call and they are getting faster.”
PICKING AWAY - Two-time Funny Car champion Tony Pedregon is running the American Racing Wheels-themed Funny car this weekend.
Pedregon isn't deterred by his inability to win a round thus far, but inspired with the potential he's seen.
"Our efforts are finally showing an improvement and I look forward to keeping the momentum moving forward,” stated Pedregon. “Our team has worked very hard, we had a career best run in Pomona and we are now seeing results.”
PRO STOCK
HANGING ON - Chris McGaha held on to his Friday run of 6.507 at 213.73 to claim the top spot in his Harlow Sammons Chevy Camaro. It is McGaha’s first career No. 1 qualifier at Gainesville and third of his career. McGaha is seeking his first career victory in eliminations tomorrow.
“The Number one position is good,” McGaha said. “Those little points do get addicting after awhile. You can make up a round here or there. I’ve still got to win a race, I can’t lose focus here. It’s one round at a time.”
DRAGGING THE LINE - Jason Line raced his Summit Racing Chevy Camaro to the No. 2 qualifying position with a 6.522 at 212.69. Line, a two-time world champ, has four wins at this event and opens eliminations against John Alan Prusiensky as he seeks a fifth.
MARKED IMPROVEMENT - Points leader and Phoenix winner Rodger Brogdon qualified third in his RoofTec Chevy Camaro with a 6.526 at 212.93 and will face V Gaines in Sunday's eliminations.
Just to think, he almost didn't race this season.
Starting off 2015 unsure of his racing plans for the upcoming season, Brogdon quickly made a tentative plan to compete at a few races and see where his Rodger Brogdon Racing team's performance stacked up. He has already recording a win, a semifinal appearance, and two top-three qualifying efforts in two races, so the hard work and determination that was put into his Chevrolet Camaro has been evident.
"We only decided to race about three weeks before Pomona (Calif.), hoping that I would go out there and run well the first few races," Brogdon said. "I don't think it gets much better than going to the semifinals in Pomona and winning the race in Phoenix.
AJ PLUS ONE – Allen Johnson announced on Saturday afternoon he will have a teammate this later this season.
Richie Stevens will debut this April at the NHRA SpringNationals in Houston.
“I’m really excited and just can’t wait because my best times on track were racing with Allen [Johnson] as a teammate, and I’m really happy to get back to that,” said Stevens, whose last full season of NHRA competition was with Don Schumacher Racing in 2007 aboard a Dodge Stratus with Johnson as his Mopar teammate.
Adam Hornberger will perform double duty as crew chief for both Allen Johnson and Ritchie Stevens, while Tom Pierson will take on duties as car chief for the additional Dodge Dart entry.
“The last couple of years have been up and down racing-wise but I’m really looking forward to working with Allen again and with [crew chief] Adam Hornberger, who is talented and just as laid back as I am,” Stevens said. “The cars will be the same, but we’ll try different things and try to help AJ compete for another championship by running at as many events as we can. I’ll definitely be racing to win and I expect to have some fun out there.”
Stevens has six career Pro Stock wins (Pomona 1998, Englishtown 1999 and 2001, Seattle 2000, Dallas 2006, Las Vegas 2006), 11 final round appearances, three No.1 Qualifier honors, and a career round record of 117-139. He also competed in four Pro Stock events during the 2014 NHRA season (Indianapolis, Charlotte, St. Louis, Reading) posting his career best elapsed time run of 6.506 seconds and best speed of 212.25 miles per hour (mph) at Reading, Pennsylvania.
NOT ALL ME – Upstart Pro Stock driver Drew Skillman is not about to take much of the credit for his impressive start.
Skillman advanced to the final round in his very first Pro Stock race, the first time that’s happened in 41 years, and followed up with a semifinal performance in Phoenix. But despite bursting onto the scene in eye-opening fashion, Skillman pointed to teammate, and reigning Pro Stock world champion Erica Enders-Stevens, and team, led by crew chief Mark Ingersoll, as the reason for his rapid ascension.
“There’s absolutely no complaints on my side,” Skillman said. “I never thought I would get this far this quick, but the people behind me that’s the key. You need the right people and I’m lucky enough to have a great team. I’m privileged to be working with these guys. They’re hard-working and obviously they know what they’re doing. I think I’ll have an opportunity to win a lot of races with this team.”
It’s game on for Skillman this season.
“When you go to the professional ranks, you really have to step your game up,” Skillman said. “These are people who do this for a living and I have to try to learn as fast as possible. Erica and Richard have told me and helped me out a lot, but there’s definitely some pressure that comes along with this. You don’t want to be the one who screws it up for all these people.”
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
NO BLUFFIN’ HERE – Two-time NHRA Pro Stock bike champion Matt Smith understands he might have hurt his grounds for argument.
Smith, who this season made the switch from Buell to Victory Motorcycles, lobbied in the preseason for a rule change which would have helped to design a better intake scoop for his bike. Then he went out and rode to No. 1 with a 6.867 elapsed time at 194.02 miles per hour.
Smith said he found power over the winter and not necessarily aerodynamics.
“We are not outrunning people in speed and back-half, and that clearly shows,” said Smith, who was slower in speed than the following nine qualifiers.
“With no faring on the bike, there’s a lot of wind on the front of the bike,” Smith said. “If you want to know what it feels like, stick your arm out of your car at 70 miles per hour. It drags your arm back. We are just like the Harleys and you have to hold on to the bike tightly.”
Smith said the team’s biggest obstacle is the hood scoops, which are close to Harley-Davidson’s design. Victory Motorcycles submitted one design but Smith had them changed without resubmitting to NHRA.
NHRA quickly denied the redesign.
“They were too big,” Smith said. “In the windtunnel, we put our hood scoops on I had designed, and they are similar to the Harleys, and we picked up wind speed. If we struggle, the NHRA said they will give them to us. I just hope they look at the numbers. When you are outrunning everyone .03 to the eighth-mile and they are outrunning you in the back-half by that much – the numbers add up. We just need a better aero package.”
WELCOME BACK – Karen Stoffer made her return to competition this weekend, and with a No. 9 qualifying effort aboard her Suzuki, she’s excited about her team’s chances.
“It actually feels wonderful,” Stoffer said about racing at the Gators. “Truth be told, I was a little bit on the nervous/anxious side, but as soon as I got in the water box and looked around, I realized I felt pretty comfortable, kind of like I was at home and I got right back in the zone. It felt really good.”
Stoffer’s right, she clocked a 6.904-second time at 193.18 mph. That elapsed time was the second fastest of the first session behind Angelle Sampey’s 6.892-second lap.
Stoffer last raced in 2013, competing at Sonoma, Calif., and the U.S. Nationals.
“We had two test runs, and one test session day,” Stoffer said about her team’s preparation before it came to Gainesville. “We only have one motor in the bike right now and we are running under our own program, Stoffer Enterprises. We are kind of on a smaller budget. We only have one engine, so went out and tried to make the most of our test session. We made two hits, one to get me mostly comfortable and Gary (Karen’s husband/crew chief) close to the tune-up. We made two passes in a year-and-a-half and that was my third one (in the first session of qualifying Friday). I feel pretty comfortable and I feel good. There’s room for improvement on that (6.904) run, but it was good baseline run. I was excited that we could put the Stoffer Enterprise bike right near the top on the first hit.”
Despite her strong first qualifying run, Stoffer is keeping things in perspective.
“There is a lot of mixing up to do and there is a long weekend ahead of us,” Stoffer said.
Stoffer said she doesn’t have any long-term plans this season after the Gators.
“Right now we are coming out on our own and we are talking to a few people and they are looking more at the back half of the year,” Stoffer said. “We didn’t want to start in the middle of the year, we really love Gainesville a lot, it’s one of our good tracks. It tends to like us and we tend to do halfway decent here so we wanted to make sure we came out here. Right now, it is kind of a race-by-race thing. We are signed up for this one and Charlotte (March 25-27) right now, unless someone comes onboard for more. Then, it doesn’t look like we will back out until the West Coast.”
NEW BODY, NEW PIPE – Hector Arana built a new chassis for the 2015 season, and the two-bike Arana Racing team has a new body style.
"Yes, we are pumped," Arana said. "We worked hard over the off-season, and we've got a new body style this season. We were anxious to see what it's going to do for us, whether it provided a performance advantage."
Arana got in the field on Saturday with a 6.887 best as the sixth quickest.
PRO MODIFIED
SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST - Donnie Walsh saved his best for last and as a result went to the top of the NHRA Pro Modified field. Walsh’s 5.832 overtook Troy Coughlin Jr. as the qualifying leader.
"We hoped that it would be a quick pass," Walsh said. "We used the data from the run before, the 5.83, and while we weren't trying to go quicker, we were trying to fix a few things. We were fortunate that it picked the car up a bit."
Following his qualifying formula, Walsh stepped up to a 5.82 in the first round to beat Chip King.
SPRING CHICKEN - When a racer reaches 56 years old, they usually begin looking for a slower pace in life. Consider 87-year old Williard Kinzer to be outside of the norm.
Kinzer, at 87 years old, became the oldest drag racer to ever attempt qualifying for NHRA Pro Modified, and possibly in the sanctioning body.
At 56 years old, Kinzer became a drag racer. The thrill of uphill motorcycle racing just didn't excite him anymore.
"Well I really didn't have any plans to drag race," said Kinzer. "Pro Modified racing is altogether different from the hill-climbers."
Kinzer recorded his personal best, a 6.29, but missed the 6.005 bump in his turbocharged Camaro.
CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK – They are on opposite sides of the ladder, and this suits the Troy Coughlins – Senior and Junior. No. 2 qualifier and first time Pro Modified racer Troy Coughlin Jr. scored his first career Pro Modified round win as he beat Kenny Lang. Troy Sr., a past NHRA champion, beat Kevin Fiscus.
Junior races Billy Glidden while dad meets Mike Janis.
DOWN GOES RICKIE – Defending series champion Rickie Smith was a last ditch qualifier, ascending to the No. 7 spot with a 5.909. This was the highlight of Smith’s weekend as Billy Glidden took him out on both ends of the track, 5.946 to 5.962.
Glidden’s father Bob was a former teammate to Smith when they ran under the Motorcraft sponsorship in the 1980s.
THE OTHER SHOE DROPS – Last year Smith and Mike Castellana met in the finals of the Gators. Thanks to a better reaction time and run, Bob Rahaim ensured they would both be Sunday spectators as he beat Castellana.
FRIDAY NOTEBOOK – HOT QUALIFYING BRINGS EAST COAST PRO RACING ALIVE
TOP FUEL
FIVE OUT OF SIX AIN’T BAD - Defending world champ Tony Schumacher now has five out of six low elapsed time sessions.
Schumacher had a great start to the weekend at Auto-Plus Raceway at Gainesville, leading both qualifying sessions and piloting his U.S. Army dragster to a performance of 3.796 seconds at 323.43 mph during the second session.
"We’ve got a great car,” said Schumacher, who is looking for his 77th career top qualifying start and third at Gainesville. “We’re not coming off a bad race either. We won in Phoenix and performed decent in Pomona. I think the changes we made early on, for once, really worked. It’s setting a good trend on a tune-up that we needed to find quicker than last year.”
WARRIORS AMONGST US - Two members of the Wounded Warriors Project have been called into action this weekend. James Rivera and Pablo Rosario, retired military veterans, are members of the Wounded Warriors Project (WWP) after serving several deployments throughout the world.
The Jacksonville, Fla. residents work in the local community outside of the military and will serve as special crew members for the Leah Pritchett-driven Gumout Top Fuel dragster from Dote Racing.
“We are extremely pleased to welcome James and Pablo to our Dote Racing pit crew this weekend at the NHRA Gatornationals,” said Pritchett. “Both WWP veterans are well decorated and it will be a thrill for our team to show them how the Gumout dragster competes at the highest level of drag racing.”
SGT Rivera deployed a third time as part of the 1st Marine Division to Iraq from May to November 2004. On August 22, 2004, while on combat patrol the Humvee he was driving was hit by an IED (improvised explosive device), wounding James and 2 other Marines. For his service in Iraq, he received the Purple Heart, Global War on Terrorism Medal and a Certificate of Commendation, for participating in 400 combat patrols during a 28-day period.
Rivera was discharged honorably in 2005, after obtaining the rank of Sergeant. He currently operates a recycling business and resides in Jacksonville Beach.
SGT Rosario joined the U.S. Army in 2004 and was assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat team in Fort Campbell, KY as an 11B20 - Infantryman. During his military service, SGT Rosario completed 3 deployments, two to Iraq and one to Afghanistan.
Rosario received the following awards and decorations during his military service: Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, Army Commendation Medal (2nd award), Army Achievement Medal (2nd award), Valorous Unit Award, Army Good Conduct Medal (2nd Award), National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Ribbon (2nd Award), NATO Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, Expert Marksmanship Badge with Carbine Bar.
Rosario was honorably discharged from the Army in 2012, after obtaining the rank of Sergeant. He currently resides in Jacksonville and is currently training to become a diesel mechanic.
FLORIDA MAGIC - Steve Torrence has been looking forward to this race since January. Several hours down the road in West Palm Beach, Fla, the 31-year old driver of the Capco Contractors dragster staged a highly successful test session.
Torrence hopes to channel his Sunshine State magic, having won only one round in the first two races of 2015.
“This year’s test session in West Palm was probably the most successful we’ve ever had and Pomona (the season-opening Circle K Winternationals) and Phoenix (the CARQUEST Nationals) did nothing to discourage us at all,” Torrence said. “The deal is, it’s just hard to win in this class, especially with all the multi-car teams. But we know we can compete.
“We had a really good race car (last year) but we stubbed our toe when we had five first round losses in the middle of the season,” he said. “We were there. We were consistent but sometimes you need a little racing luck, too, and we just didn’t have any. Still, that was by far the best season and the best race car I’ve ever had.”
Torrence finished as a semifinalist in last year.
A NEW WORLD FOR ANTRON - Antron Brown will be the lone drag racing representative during the upcoming 2015 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Pro/Celebrity Race. Brown will be competing against 16 other participants in the Long Beach, Ca.-based event.
“It is going to be a lot of fun, a lot of enjoyment," said Brown. "It’s going to be cool to mix in and mingle with a lot of other people and have some fun with some celebrities. It’ll be my first experience at the Long Beach Grand Prix, I’ve never been there so I’m excited to see what it’s all about.”
Brown would love to win, but believes in being selected to participate is a victory in itself.
“I’m just going to go out there and have a good time but when you’re in race mode, it’s all about winning," Brown said. "I’m going to go out there and have some good fun with the competition and go out there and throw down.”
FUNNY CAR
CRUZ IN CONTROL – For the last three seasons, Cruz Pedregon has been the king of the hill in Funny Car qualifying at Gainesville. The tradition continued on Friday with a 4.022 at 312.13 in the Snap-on Tools Toyota Camry to land No. 1.
“I wish I could tell you because I would do it at all the tracks,” said Pedregon about his qualifying luck in Florida. “It just works out that way. There’s been a few changes to the car mechanically even since last year. The four years in a row that we have managed to stay No. 1, all four of those were done with slightly different setups on the car.”
EMBRACE THE EDGE - Cruz has a plan for 2015 – to be edgier.
Seen on his evacuation or excess oil flow pipe is a quote from the movie Scarface, “Say good night to the bad guys.”
“We have developed the bad guy image when it comes to certain rivalries out here,” said Pedregon. “We just embrace our perceived reputation.”
In the first session, Pedregon made the competition say hello to his little friend, a 4.022 elapsed time at 312.13 mile per hour.
SOMETHING SPECIAL - Funny car point leader Matt Hagan’s round-win streak actually extends all the way back to include the final event of the 2014 season at Pomona, where he won both the title and the NHRA Funny Car World Championship.
“To be able to turn on 12 consecutive win lights on Sunday, to have the streak we've been on, be able to win a championship at the end of last year, win the race, come out here and win two more races to start the year off, it's been pretty phenomenal,” said Hagan. “It goes to show you why we are a championship team. Hopefully, it continues.”
Friday wasn't so spectacular for Hagan was eighth quickest Friday with a 4.132 elapsed time at 308.43 miles per hour.
MALFUNCTION JUNCTION - Friday the 13th lived up to the hype for at least one driver. Alexis DeJoria goes into Saturday as the 17th ranked driver amongst the 17 cars in attendance. An electrical malfunction activated the electri-motion shut-off device on the Patron-sponsored entry, and deployed the parachutes prior to the burnout. They returned to the pits, repacked the parachutes yet failed to diagnose the electrical issue immediately. The team did return for the Q-2 session but smoked the tires early and slowed to a 10.877.
NEW LOOK FOR OLD PRO - The Emperor has new clothes this weekend. For the first time in a long time, 16-time NHRA Funny Car champion John Force has a new identity with a Chevrolet Camaro SS and a new sponsor.
Force's Funny Car is adorned with new sponsors BlueDef and Peak Anti-Freeze and Coolants for this race.
“Robert (Hight) and I have been working for almost two years on new sponsor deals," said Force. "I am excited to have BlueDef on the side of my Chevy hot rod this weekend. They are doing a national promotion with my team and have been followings us all the way from our Brownsburg shop to Gainesville. BlueDef is the lifeblood for these Freightliners and winning is my lifeblood,” said an excited Force.
Force has won at the Gatornationals seven times but not since 2001.
He was third quickest after two sessions.
LAST SESSION IMPROVEMENT - Courtney Force holds onto the No. 6 spot in a 16-car field at the end of the day. The 26-year-old and her Traxxas Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car team smoked the tires at the hit in the first session, but had a chance to improve on their qualifying efforts and did just that.
On the second attempt down the race track, the Traxxas Chevy Camaro team laid down a 4.104 ET at 312.13 mph and subsequently picked up one qualifying bonus point for being the third-quickest car in that session.
“Missed out on your first qualifying pass today. It went up in smoke immediately off the line. We went out there on the second pass and we were able to get the car down there and improve with a 4.10. We picked up a bonus point for being third-quickest. We ended up sixth which is in the top half right now so we’re looking forward to tomorrow. Hopefully we can continue to improve, but I’m just excited we got a solid pass down the race track,” said Force.
SO FAR, SO GOOD - Jack Beckman leads DSR's four Funny Cars with a best run of 4.081 (309.56) on his first run and holds the provisional No. 5 qualifying position.
"Coming out of the trailer with a good run is huge," said Beckman, who didn't qualify at Pomona, Calif., to start the season.
"You can win a race after struggling in qualifying but going into Saturday without a solid run will get you to start biting your nails. When you run strong straight out of the box like we did today, it gives us the chance to try some things and get more data without worrying about qualifying as much."
PRO STOCK
GUESS WHO'S BACK? - Chris McGaha admits he was a bit lost over the last year. The Pro Stock driver from Odessa, Texas, was found atop the field on Friday as he blasted to the top of the pack in the first session of qualifying and held on.
"I feel like we're just finding our way back," said McGaha of his back-to-back 6.50-second runs that both surpassed the 212-mph mark. "We had some issues in the engine department last year just after Norwalk and slowly overcame those. We started finding it at the end of the year, and this winter, we really found the mojo."
McGaha ran strong on Friday, first with a 6.507 at 212.73 mph, and later a 6.509, 212.76.
"Those runs were very good – we didn't leave a lot on the table," said McGaha. "There is a little here and there, but for the most part, we're swinging for the fences every time. I'm a little shocked and still trying to grasp it all. Maybe everyone else hasn't made a good run yet. You really can't ever tell. I say that jokingly, but it could be a real deal. We'll have to see tomorrow."
AJ FOR THREE? - Allen Johnson, the 2013-2014 NHRA Gatornationals champ, began his bid for a third consecutive event title with two strong qualifying runs, opening with a 6.539, 212.03 effort. The 2012 overall NHRA Pro Stock champion, in his 20th season behind the wheel of a Mopar-powered Dodge Pro Stock car, improved in his second qualifying attempt with a 6.534, 212.90 to hold on to the provisional sixth spot.
“I’d say that we were very conservative on both runs and that we expect to be a bit more aggressive with our final two qualifying sessions,” said Johnson, who enters Gainesville with 698 career elimination round appearances. “We got in some good testing this week just down the road in Bradenton, so we picked up today right where we left off in testing.
“Our new crew chief, Adam Hornberger, is very methodical and kind of eases into a set up instead of going for the jugular with his approach. As a team, we all agree this is a good way for us to work. I’m pretty happy with our progress today to make this Dodge Dart pretty raceable, so we’ll kick it up a notch tomorrow.”
WELCOME BACK - Jason Line made a comment in jest last season, thanking Mike Edwards for his help in righting a wrong racecar. The two downplayed the exchange as just something to make the community talk.
Friday afternoon there was no skirting the fact the two-time NHRA champion who sold his team to Chris McGaha at the end of 2013 was walking through the staging lanes wearing a Summit Racing Equipment crew shirt as a part of KB Racing.
"We are just seeing if I can shed some light on anything," said Edwards. "I'm excited to be back out here. I know one thing, the KB group has bent over backwards to make me feel welcomed. You kind of feel like a fish out of water when it's not your team and stuff. They made sure I didn't feel that way, and that means a lot. "
Edwards admits he was content to watch the drags from afar until he began getting regular phone calls from a persistent driver.
"I got tired of Jason [Line] calling me over and over, asking me to come back out here," admitted Edwards. "Hunting season is over; it's too cold to fish -- so I guess it's the perfect time to go racing again."
STEPPING UP - After racing a championship-proven Pontiac GXP during the first-time events, Norrkóping, Sweden's Jimmy Alund is racing a Camaro this weekend. The nine-time FIA European Pro Stock champion traded up to the white Chevrolet Camaro previously campaigned by Greg Anderson, who has a new car this weekend.
"The Camaro became available, and we feel that it should be a little bit better than the GXP," said Alund. "The white Camaro is actually pretty similar to the one we have back home; we also have a Jerry Haas Camaro. Plus, the KB Racing guys have more rounds and more recent data for this car compared to the GXP. We came to a mutual decision, and here we are."
Alund tested the car earlier this week in Valdosta, Ga., ahead of the NHRA Gatornationals with successful results. Those results transferred over to Friday in Gainesville as Alund was eighth-quickest with a 6.567.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
HOW SAMPEY FOUND HER GROOVE - Angelle Sampey hasn't forgotten how to ride fast.
Sampey went to the top of the qualifying list on Friday afternoon with a 6.892 elapsed time at 192.93 miles per hour.
“It’s amazing," said Angelle. "I was come becoming very discouraged [with her performance from last year]. I had expected more from myself, I don’t think I did a good job at all last year.”
“I think the ankle injury was actually a blessing in disguise, the injury made me work really hard in the off-season to improve not only physically but mentally.”
In the days prior to Gainesville, Sampey made a few laps at South Georgia Motorsports Park to knock the rust off.
“We went tested on Tuesday in Valdosta, Ga., and we made two really great hits, the bike went perfectly straight. So I felt really confident.” This is the first time I felt this comfortable on the bike ever, even when I was winning championships.”
OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT - Five months ago, Sampey was in a world of hurt. She was moving around equipment in the Star Racing hauler prior to qualifying at the NHRA Toyota Nationals when the team's wheeler starter rolled her ankle severing tendons in her foot.
Sampey returned to action this weekend aboard George Bryce's Star Racing Buell.
“My rehabilitation for my lacerated Achilles, lacerated Peroneus Brevis and Peroneus Longus tendons was just about the toughest thing I have ever done in my life,” said Sampey. “ My Brevis was 100% cut and Longus 75% which are responsible for my walking balance. I knew how important getting healthy for 2015 season meant to my team and my fans so I worked as hard as I ever have and I am ready to go.”
Friday, she battled through the injury, which isn’t 100-percent healed.
“Ankle is little swollen at the moment because I’ve been on it,” said Sampey. “Personally I feel about 70% healed, I have another month of therapy to go, it looks great, it feels good, after a while I start limping a little bit. I know that I’m not there yet (100%) but I’m definitely good enough to race.”
ONE, TWO PUNCH - Eddie Krawiec is wearing the No. 2 plate on his bike, and it's okay with him. Carrying the No. 1 is teammate Andrew Hines.
“It’s great having the ‘1’ and ‘2’ on both bikes,” Krawiec said. “It’s only the second time we’ve done that and it’s a good thing. We’re going to do the best we can and see if we can defend our position. If you have a chance in Pomona, you know you’ve had a good season.”
Krawiec had a productive offseason, as his team continued to refine a bike that was incredibly consistent for all of 2014. Just starting the season has him excited but there’s always added incentive when the first race comes at a track with so much history.
“Gainesville has always been a good race to kick off the season for the bikes,” Krawiec said. “It has great fan support and it’s one of those races you always want to win. It’s always good to kick off the season with some momentum, especially since we’re racing again in Charlotte in a couple weeks.”
STILL CELEBRATING - Steve Johnson has no problem exhibiting his glee in winning last year's Gators crown.
“When this is your career, you cherish winning a race,” Johnson said. “I took that trophy wherever I went for a long time so it meant a lot. I’m excited to go racing again. We’ve got some new pistons and hopefully the new configuration will be exactly what we need. I’m sure the Suzukis are going to do a good job this year and I think that will make it more exciting. We’re not really worried about championships right now. We just want to win races.”
Johnson was No. 10 after two sessions on Friday.
NEW YEAR, NEW APPROACH - Hector Arana Jr. would love to pick up where he left off IN 2014 - winning. The second-generation Pro Stock Motorcycle rider is happy to be back racing after an off-season of adjustment.
"It's been an interesting off-season for me," Arana said, "but I'm glad to finally be able to get back on my bike. I've had to adjust to moving to New York and my job at Curtiss-Wright, but I've loved it so far.
"I have been counting down the days until I leave for Gainesville. Winning the last race of the season in Pomona has me even more excited to get this season started already. I feel like we will have momentum on our side going into this weekend after our win at the season finale in Pomona."
Because of his life's changes, Arana Jr. must now rely on his crew to prepare his bike for the weekend's races. Previously he did the work himself.
"It's been weird for me not working at the shop getting the bikes ready for this weekend," Arana said. "I've never been in a situation like this since I started my career riding.
Arana was sixth quickest after two sessions with a 6.957.
PRO MOD
YOUTH AND ENTHUSIASM - So much for a learning curve.
Third-generation Coughlin Family drag racer, Troy Coughlin Jr., raced to the provisional No. 1 qualifying position behind the wheel of the same Corvette his father Troy drove to the 2012 series championship.
Coughlin stopped the timers with a 5.876 elapsed time at 251.49 miles per hour. Troy Sr. held top speed with a 252.43 mile per hour blast.
"Racing with Dad is the whole reason I ever started racing," Coughlin said. "I always wanted to race so I could be with my dad. Being in the same class is going to be a lot of fun, and a lot of good memories are going to be created, that's for sure."
Coughlin has proven to be a superb Sportsman racer, winning the NHRA Division 3 Super Gas championship and numerous races during his young career.
THE ELDER STATEMAN – At 87 years old, Williard Kinzer became the oldest Pro Modified driver to ever attempt qualifying at an NHRA Pro Modified event. Unfortunately his 6.478 elapsed time was only good enough for No. 22.
THE BEAR NECESSITIES - Once upon a time, Rickie Smith planned to retire. Then the fairy tale ended.
After winning back-to-back NHRA titles, one of drag racing's most successful doorslammer racers plans to make a run at yet another title.
Smith, a 12-time series champion in both NHRA and IHRA competition, has won crowns in Pro Stock, Pro Modified and Super Modified.
“I’ve been doing this for 41 years, and it’s kind of been my life,” Smith said. “I love racing and competing and I’ve been fortunate enough to win a championship. To pull off two in a row gives you that drive to still know you can do it. Can I pull a third one off? I don’t see any reason why I can’t compete for another championship.”
Smith knows the competition will be loaded for bear in 2015, and is feeling a bit grizzly in his title season. The cagey Smith might be the favorite in the class, but he certainly knows that is no reason to get comfortable.
“There’s a lot of good cars out there,” Smith said. “A lot of teams have stepped up their program and it’s going to be tough. We’ll have to work our butts off but we’ll be competitive.”
Friday was not a typical Smith dominating effort as he heads into the final session unqualified.
BACK FOR MORE - Mickey Thompson Tires & Wheels will once again by represented by Billy Glidden in NHRA Pro Mod.
“We’re so proud to have Mickey Thompson’s support again this year,” said Glidden. “The season is off to a fast start, and we can’t wait to see what our Mustang can do on our new Mickey Thompson tires and wheels.”
Glidden is running the 10-race NHRA Pro Modified tour and will compete this season using Mickey Thompson’s ET Drag tires, part number 3195, along with the Pro 5 Drag Wheels.
“It was incredible to see Billy move into Pro Mod competition last year, and we know 2015 is going to be great year,” said Tom Kundrik, Motorsports Manager for Mickey Thompson. “Pro Mod Drag Racing has evolved to include some of the fastest and most diverse machines and some of most competitive racing talent across the circuit, and it’s a fan favorite.”
Glidden is the son of multi-time Pro Stock Bob Glidden, and is regarded as one of the legends from the now defunct American Drag Racing League where he won multiple titles in the Outlaw 10.5 division. He raced to his best finish in NHRA Pro Mod competition by reaching the semi-finals of the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.
Glidden was ninth after two sessions with a 5.941.
SECOND YEAR MOMENTUM - Last season, Danny Rowe expanded his brand to include Steve Matusek, a dyed-in-the-wool turbocharged racer. The move paid dividends for both, and they are looking for more of the same in 2015. The key is, and they know it, gaining momentum early in the ten-race tour.
“I think it’s important for us to get off on the right foot,” said Rowe. “We’re always battling it out toward the end of the season when the points get tight, but you really want to set the tone early; you want to build some momentum and try to ride it out.
The team tested in the days prior to Gainesville in nearby Bradenton. Earlier in the year there was a week-long test in Palm Beach, Fla.
“These two test sessions were easily amongst the best I’ve ever been a part of, and a great confidence builder heading into what is guaranteed to be an extremely competitive race season,” said Matusek. “We learned a lot, made a string of very good eighth-mile passes with both cars and feel good that we’ll be able to translate that success into a strong outing in Gainesville.”
Matusek and Rowe were second and third after the first day qualifying.
THIS WEEKEND'S SPONSORS - The Real Pro Mod (RPM) Association and Jerry Bickel Race Cars, Inc. (JBRC), will serve as co-presenting sponsors for the NHRA J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series portion of the AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals, March 12-15, at Auto-Plus Raceway at Gainesville. The race is the season-opener in the 10-race NHRA J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series.
“This is going to be an exciting year for RPM,” said Danny Rowe, RPM executive board member. “There has been a lot of effort from a lot of people and it definitely shows in the car counts. Only two years ago we had a hard time filling a 16 car field and now we have a waiting list. I'm looking forward to seeing the RPM program continue to grow this year and would like to thank all of the people and sponsors whom have supported us.”
JBRC, “The One Stop Chassis Shop,” offers a variety of services to racers looking to improve their race cars. The JBRC facility in Moscow Mills, Mo. houses just about every race part and component a driver could dream of, along with a temperature controlled manufacturing area and a temperature controlled paint booth. Jerry Bickel Race Cars, Inc. prides itself on its commitment to customer satisfaction and is committed to NHRA as a major sponsor.
“A lot of my customers run Pro Mod and I wanted to show my support for them,” said Jerry Bickel, owner of Jerry Bickel Race Cars, Inc. “I’m proud of all the guys getting together and creating the Real Pro Mod association; they’ve really put together a great program.”
