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EVENT GALLERY

 

SUNDAY RANDOM NOTES

TORRENCE’S TABLES-TURNING TOP FUEL TRIUMPH - Top Fuel pilot Steve Torrence picked a great time to win his first NHRA Top Fuel Wally in two years.

Coming into the Mopar NHRA Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway, Torrence was sitting squarely on the Countdown to the Championship bump spot, just 16 points from being pushed to the wrong side of the cut line by Clay Millican.

“You think about points and coming into this weekend we were going to try to focus on every lap during qualifying and during eliminations because we need those extra points,” Torrence said. “We need the bonus points for qualifying and we need to go rounds.

“Number 10 is not a comfortable spot. I don’t know where we’re at right now but we’re definitely better off than we were coming into this weekend.”

Torrence qualified fourth and was able to knock off Jenna Haddock in the first round. He then handled Richie Crampton in the second round to set up a semifinal match-up against Larry Dixon.

With his car running consistently, Torrence and his team kept things pretty much the same all day. After his worst run of eliminations against Crampton, a 3.946 at 303.64, he came on strong against Dixon by running a 3.902 at 318.09 with a .058 light to top Dixon’s .081-induced 3.948 at 312.57.

This set up a final against Tony Schumacher, the driver Torrence defeated the only other time he raced him in the final which, coincidently, gave him his first career win.

The run for the Wally was tight, but Torrence was able to emerge victorious by about six inches. His razor-thin margin of victory was one one-thousandth of a second. Torrence clocked a 3.925 at 319.37 with an .061 reaction time to top Schumacher’s 3.940 at 305.03 with a .047 reaction time.

“That final round was tough,” Torrence said. “I could see him out there for a little bit driving back around him and when the light came on I was thanking the Good Lord because we needed that win.

“It was a tough day all day and it’s been way too long since we’ve gotten to the winner's circle. We have a great team and what we’ve been doing is not representative of the team we’ve got. We’re coming back around, digging deep and keeping our heads in the game.

“I’m getting confidence in myself getting back in the car, driving well.”

Torrence knew he couldn’t afford to make any mistakes in the final.

“You’ve got to bring your ‘A’ game when you’re racing any of those DSR cars,” he said. “They are tough competitors. I like Tony and have watched him race for years. I got my first win against Tony and to do it here on the mountain is unbelievable.”

Torrence said one of the biggest reasons his team was able to come out on top was because they didn’t over-think things.

“We ran really well here last year. We put that tune-up on the shelf, brought it back out here and it did well again,” he said. “I think that’s what we’re going to stick with in the future.

“As a driver I tried to focus and get my head in the game. I haven’t been doing my job as well as I should and this is a big confidence booster for me and my team.” Mike Perry

BECKMAN TAKES NITRO FC MILE-HIGH NATIONALS TITLE - Jack Beckman knows what it takes to win an NHRA nitro Funny Car world championship. He did exactly that in 2012.

After failing to qualify for the season-opening Winternationals, Beckman and his Don Schumacher Racing team have definitely found their groove.

They proved that again Sunday at the Mile-High Nationals in Morrison, Colo.

Beckman clocked a 4.190-second time at 293.92 mph in the finals to edge legendary racer John Force, who crossed the line at 4.291 seconds at 258.96 at Bandimere Speedway.

“We go to Pomona and DNQ and I was fine with that because I knew we were going to be OK this year,” said Beckman, who now has Mile-High Nationals titles in 2007, 2012 and 2015. “This is just the fruits.”

This was Beckman’s career-best fourth win of the season. He also won the title at the Four-Wide Nationals March 29 at zMax Dragway, breaking a 54-race winless drought. He also has titles this season at Topeka, Kan., and Norwalk, Ohio.

This was Beckman’s 19th career victory and he leaves Denver in his Don Schumacher Racing Infinite Hero Dodge Charger second in the points, behind teammate Matt Hagan.

Beckman defeated Todd Simpson, Hagan, Alexis DeJoria and Force in his march to the winner’s circle.

This season, championship tuner Jimmy Prock became Beckman’s crew chief and he was joined by stalwart assistants John Medlen and Chris Cunningham, and the team’s hard work finally paid dividends in Charlotte.

Prock, a longtime tuner for John Force Racing and Force himself, is now 2-0 aganst Force in 2015 final rounds as Beckman also beat him in Topeka. What’s more, Prock has an 11-0 record against all JFR Funny Cars this season.

“To do it in the final round, and to do it when they really have the better car (means a lot),” Beckman said. “Throughout the weekend, they were just a little bit better than everybody else, so to go out there and beat the No. 1 qualifier, winningest guy of all time and do it at the Mopar race, this was a perfect weekend. You know what Jimmy is capable of and you know John Medlen’s reputation, and I hope this starts to put Chris Cunningham on the map. I wish you could see the way they interact up there. Chris is so much more than an assistant up there.”

Beckman acknowledged beating Force has extra meaning for him.

“I have all the respect in the world for John Force,” Beckman said. “I signed Robert Hight’s license and I signed Courtney Force’s license, and there were a lot of times I wish I had not, they beat me a lot. From my seat, there’s an immense amount of respect there, but maybe because of that you want to beat him even more than an average Funny Car driver out there. When Force is in the other lane, it’s just a little bit more special.”

Schumacher also took a moment to address his rivalry with Force.

“The battle between DSR and John Force Racing is real,” Schumacher said. “The emotional part of it between John and I, there are days that it is real real. There’s other days that we just have to work together to continue going on forward in this sport. John and I have a special relationship and at times it’s wonderful and at times it’s tough. Bringing Jimmy Prock onboard, bringing John Medlen onboard it got John’s dander up. Him bringing Mike Neff onboard, Todd Smith onboard got my dander up. Those things happen. This is a very emotional business out here. I have the utmost respect for John Force. He’s the winningest Funny Car driver of all time and always will be, and he’s the guy who has carried this sport for many, many years, and I love being able to beat him out there. That’s the bottom line.” Tracy Renck

MORGAN DETHRONES PS MOUNTAIN KING JOHNSON - No one saw this coming – except Larry Morgan.

The veteran driver upset Allen Johnson in the finals at the Mile High Nationals Sunday at Bandimere Speedway.

The two drivers had a 1 minute 45-second staging duel, and then on a holeshot Morgan captured the surprising win over Johnson. Morgan clocked a 6.944-second time at 199.02 mph and edged Johnson’s 6.930-second effort at 199.23 mph.

The difference was at the starting line. Morgan had a .014 reaction time compared to Johnson’s .035 reaction time.

“What a wonderful race,” said Morgan, who uses Gray Motorsports engines.

The burn down at the starting line isn’t something Morgan had planned.

“I don’t even what I’m going to do when I go up there,” Morgan said. “I had no idea until I went up there and I thought it sounds like he doesn’t want to stage first so I think I am going to make him stage first. After about a minute into the staging battle, I guess you would call it, I got on my radio and I said to my guys I don’t think he wants to stage and nobody said anything. Then Justin (Elkes, Morgan’s crew chief) got on the radio and said I think he wants to now and you could hear his engine. It was good for the fans. Our class needed something. It’s getting boring, but with the new rule changes and a little bit of that, they are going to want us to do that every race, and I don’t know if that will happen, but it was a lot of fun for us.”

This win was Morgan’s second of the season, he also won at the Four-Wide Nationals March 29, in Charlotte, N.C., but this was his first traditional two-wide victory since Las Vegas’ fall race in 2009 when he beat Rickie Jones in the finals.

Morgan, who has been competing in Pro Stock since 1987, now has 12 career national event wins. Morgan is now sixth in the point standings, three behind fifth-place Johnson.

“This probably was my best win all year,” Morgan said. “The Four-Wide was cool because it was Four-Wide and you got to kick three guy’s (as***) at one time. Coming up here and racing Allen, I give those guys all the respect in the world, those guys have been in the finals I don’t know how many times (in Denver) and nobody will ever do what he’s done up here, and I commend him for that. I came up here (and tested) and Justin (Elkes) wanted to do well on the hill and everything we did fell into place. We couldn’t make a bad run, and I was excited to get back up here and I’m just happy for everybody who is involved with us.”

Morgan beat Joey Grose, Jason Line, reigning world champion Erica Enders-Stevens, and Johnson in consecutive rounds Sunday.

Johnson was trying to win his fourth Mile-High Nationals title in a row, and his seventh in nine years. Johnson, the 2012 Pro Stock world champ, also saw his 15-round win streak at the Mile-High Nationals end with his loss to Morgan.

Before Sunday, Johnson last lost at Bandimere when he was beat in 2011 finals by Mike Edwards.

The match-up between Morgan and Johnson was a repeat of the finals at Chicago July 12, which Johnson won. Tracy Renck

KRAWIEC PASSES THE TEST AT BANDIMERE - A few days before Eddie Krawiec and his team pulled through the gates at Bandimere Speedway they took a detour.

Though Krawiec was leading the NHRA Mello Yello Pro Stock Motorcycle points chase he was not happy about the way the year was unfolding. Krawiec wanted to find something, so his team went to look for it.

“It all started out on Monday for us,” he said. “We went testing before we came here because we felt we had to. We made so many changes on our motorcycle coming up here. It wasn’t because we were coming to Denver, it was because we needed to.”

The team certainly found something. Krawiec set a Bandimere Speedway ET record in qualifying No. 1, then reeled off four wins during eliminations to win his first Wally of the year and become the sixth racer in seven events to finish on top.

He defeated Hector Arana Jr. on a holeshot in the final round. Arana Jr. didn’t cut a terrible light with a .038, Krawiec’s .025 was just better. Arana Jr. ran a 7.230 at 186.43 but Krawiec reached the stripe first with a 7.238 at 185.51.

“It’s been kind of a humbling year and winning the way I had to this weekend took a lot of hard work and a lot of digging,” Krawiec said. “We’ve always had dominant motorcycles, but we’ve struggled. This year it hasn’t really gone the way we expected it to but it’s starting to turn around and it couldn’t be at a better time.”

According to Krawiec, what needed to be turned around was one of the most important things a driver could hope for.

“We were lacking a lot of race day consistency,” he said. “We had a fast motorcycle and would qualify well and were doing well in the points but we were struggling on race day when you had to have consecutive runs and be consistent.

“We were able to put some good runs together in testing and felt very confident. We came up here, threw in a tune-up, and right off the truck my motorcycle has been fast and consistent. As a racer if you don’t have a consistent motorcycle it’s hard to race. I’m excited where we’re at and looking forward to the rest of the season.”

As for becoming the sixth different driver in seven races to come out on top, Krawiec praised his fellow drivers.

“That says a lot for our class and where it’s at right now,” he said. “I don’t think we’ve had better racing in the Pro Stock Motorcycle category ever. I’m excited to be a part of it.” Mike Perry

TOP RACEDAY TAKEAWAYS

EASY AS 1,2, 3, 4 – It was that simple in NHRA’s Top Fuel class at the Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colo.
The top four qualifiers in Top Fuel – Larry Dixon, Tony Schumacher, Brittany Force and Steve Torrence – all advanced to the semifinals.
In the Final Four, the only upset came when Torrence upset Larry Dixon. Torrence had a 3.902-second run and Dixon was at 3.948 seconds. Schumacher, meanwhile, edged Force with his 3.896-second run, compared to Force’s 3.916-second effort.
Torrence took the win, his first since Bristol, Tenn., 2013 when he beat Schumacher in the finals.

SEEING RED – When Courtney Force and Alexis DeJoria met up in the first round of nitro Funny Car eliminations Sunday, plenty was at stake. Force was 11th in the point standings and DeJoria was in the No. 10 spot – 10 points in front of Force.

The top 10 drivers in the points qualify for the six race Countdown to the Championship, beginning Sept. 18-20 in Charlotte, N.C.
The meaningful race ended early as Force recorded a red light off the starting line, handing DeJoria the victory.

DEJORIA MAKES MOST OF OPPORTUNITY – After DeJoria’s huge win over Courtney Force, she kept her momentum going.
DeJoria, with a 4.248-second run at 292.84 mph, beat veteran Tim Wilkerson (4.427) in second round. This was the first time DeJoria beat Wilkerson in her career. Before that meeting she was 0-3 in eliminations against Wilkerson.

With her victory over Wikerson, DeJoria advanced to the semis where she met Jack Beckman, which is where her day ended immediately when she had a red light start.

DeJoria has made it one final round this year, losing to Matt Hagan at Bristol.

DeJoria has three career national event wins. All coming last season at Phoenix, Las Vegas and Indianapolis.

DeJoria left Denver in ninth place with 731 points – 28 in front of 10th Robert Hight.

“There’s absolutely nothing good about losing, but I’d much rather lose by trying too hard than by practically being asleep at the wheel and cutting a bad light,” said DeJoria, who climbed up to ninth-place with today’s showing. “We were on our game this weekend. It was a tough track- it was hot, it was rainy, it was everything. The good news is, I feel like I’m back on my game. The next race is Sonoma and we do really well in Sonoma. This is the best I’ve done in Denver, so I’m happy about that, but bummed out we couldn’t take it all the way (Sunday).”
 
TONY THE TIGER – In the not-so-distant past, nitro Funny Car driver Tony Pedregon was the class of the class. Predregon was the 2003 and 2007 world champion.

Since 2009, Pedregon hasn’t had a lot of success – he won that season at Brainerd, Minn., and was made one final appearance in 2010 at the Las Vegas spring race, losing to John Force in the finals.

Pedregon has made it to the semis at Las Vegas and Chicago (2011), St. Louis (2012), and Bristol (2014), and now made it to the semis twice in the last four races.

Pedegron had upsets of Robert Hight and Tommy Johnson Jr. In the semis, with solid (4.316) and (4.216) runs. He met former boss John Force in the semis and came up short. Force had a 4.107-second lap and Pedregon came across at 4.281 seconds.
 
“I wake up in the morning and I’m motivated to fix my business and we have some some gaps in it right now, but, I know what it takes,” said Pedregon. “It’s a great challenge, but I think we do a great job with as little as we currently have to work with. Give a team like ours a little funding and we could be dangerous. This was another good showing for us to get to the semifinals and we’re not backing into it, we’re earning it. We ran well here this weekend, but truthfully, I’m excited to get back to sea level at Sonoma with some of the recent gains we’ve made. The Toyota support with the aerodynamics, as well as the engineering feedback in reading the track and conditions and telling us how much wing we need to put in it has really helped. It’s really a good team effort with a pretty modest crew. My father told me as a kid ‘surround yourself with good people’ and I’ve managed to do that.”
 
BAD TIMING – Ron Capps posted a solid 4.205-second time in the first round in his Don Schumacher Racing NAPA Dodge.

That elapsed time would have beaten any nitro Funny Car driver in the opening round, except his opponent Cruz Pedregon. Pedregon defeated Capps with the low ET of the first round 4.157 seconds.

The early exit dropped the NAPA team from second to fourth in points after the 14th event of the 24-race season.

"We just simply have to do a better job of qualifying," said Capps, a 45-time NHRA winner including this year in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing season. "If you end up No. 8 like we did you're going to have to race another very good car in the first round. Our luck today was that we had to race Cruz Pedregon and he's been one of the three quickest cars out here all year. You never want to see that car in the first round."

HAGAN EXITS IN SECOND ROUND – The DSR Mopar Express Lane/Rocky Boots team with driver Matt Hagan really wanted to conquer Thunder Mountain for sponsor Mopar and all of its guests attending the race at the picturesque Bandimere facility. Hagan’s day ended when he lost to his teammate Jack Beckman in round two.

"That's how it goes out here on the mountain in Denver," Matt said. "We got out of first round which was good for the guys. This is a tough race, you have to change so much stuff to come up here that you just have to hope for the best. We want to win this race because it's a Mopar sponsored race and there's a lot of Mopar folks here. It's drag racing, you put nitro in the tank and you never know what's going to happen."
 
ANOTHER EARLY MASSEY EXIT – This is rare territory for Top Fuel driver Spencer Massey.

Massey, who drives for Don Schumacher Racing and has been a championship contender every season since 2011, but things haven’t been going for the Texas native.

Massey (3.920) lost a close first-round battle with Shawn Langdon (3.906) in the first round at the Mile-High Nationals, and this was the fourth race in a row he lost in the first round of eliminations. The streak Massey wants to forget consists of early losses at Bristol. Norwalk, Chicago and Denver.

The last time Massey won a round was at Epping, N.H., when he beat Leah Pritchett, and Dave Connolly, before losing to his teammate Tony Schumacher in the semifinals.

"That's just tough luck right there," Spencer said. "I got the starting line advantage and if we raced to 1,010 feet we probably would've gotten that one. It's just really disappointing."

Massey’s elapsed time was better than six of the eight first-round winners in NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel eliminations.

"We've always had a good car here and we did again this weekend," he said. "I think we had a car that would've gotten us a few round wins (Sunday) so that gives us confidence to get to the next one."
 
BROWN WOULD LIKE TO FORGET WEEKEND – Top Fuel world champion Antron Brown, who remained second in the Mello Yello Top Fuel standings, only made one full pass in four qualifying sessions, placing him eighth in the 16-car field. That positioned Brown against J.R. Todd in the first round as the final pair of dragsters to battle the hot Bandimere track on Thunder Mountain. And when Brown's Matco/Toyota dragster dropped an engine cylinder early in the run that was enough for Todd to score the win by about three-hundredths of a second.

"Denver didn't go the way we wanted to, but we learned a lot to take away for when we come back next year," Brown said. "The best thing is that we'll come back with a better game plan next year for the Mile-Highs. Now we're focused on Sonoma (Calif.). We have two more races on this Western Swing and we're hungry and determined. We're eager to get to Sonoma and to sea level and get back to running how we know we can.”
 
TOUGH WEEKEND FOR ARANA SR. – The first-round win by Hector Arana Sr. over Chip Ellis in Pro Stock Motorcycle, usually would cause joy for the veteran racer.

However, Arana Sr. wasn’t smiling at the top end of the track. Moments after his victory that he damaged his second motor or the weekend.

Arana did make the call for his second round race against Jim Underdahl, but came up short.

Underdahl clocked a 7.240-second elapsed time and Arana Sr., whose motor was smoking before the finish line, came in at 7.262 seconds.
 
NO BROTHER BATTLE – Shane Gray was supposed to race his younger brother Jonathan in the second round Sunday. They both made it to the starting line, but Jonathan never left.

Jonathan did a burnout in his Gray Motorsports Camaro, but then couldn’t get his car in reverse. His car did get pushed back to the starting line, but the motor then lost power and couldn’t get restarted. Thus, Shane received a bye run into the semis.
 
 

 

SATURDAY NOTEBOOK

SATURDAY'S TOP TAKEAWAYS

QUALIFYING – The day changed, but the qualifying leaders didn’t in any of the Pro classes at the Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colo. The records established all kept the respective drivers - Top Fuel’s Larry Dixon (3.791), Funny Car’s John Force (4.015), Pro Stock’s Allen Johnson (6.877) and Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Eddie Krawiec (7.169) atop their respective qualifying ladders heading into eliminations Sunday.

NHRA ANNOUNCES CHANGES TO PRO STOCK CLASS – As expected, NHRA officials announced Saturday a series of changes to the Pro Stock class to address the health of the class which has been on the decline the last several years.

The changes were announced at a meeting Saturday morning during the Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colo.

The changes will be mandated in two waves. Three changes will take effect at the NHRA Sonoma Nationals, July 31, 2015, while several others will not take effect until the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season.

At Sonoma, NHRA will require teams to back their Pro Stock cars into the pits and leave engines uncovered so that spectators have better accessibility to see the race cars and interact with the drivers and crew members.

A new rule also will discontinue the practice of crew members standing beside the cars to hold them in place as they begin their burnouts. Finally, NHRA will make it mandatory for teams to create automobile manufacturer identification headers visible on the racecars’ windshields up to a maximum of 4.5-inches high, but not smaller than 4.25-inches.

On Jan. 1, 2016, NHRA will require all Pro Stock teams to equip their cars with electronically-controlled throttle body fuel injection systems, making engines more relevant from a technology standpoint. In order to reduce and control costs for the race teams, an NHRA-controlled 10,500 Rev Limiter will be added to the fuel injection systems.

NHRA also will require Pro Stock teams to remove all hood scoops and reduce the length of the wheelie bars to a length specified by the NHRA Tech Department.

Veteran Larry Morgan, who has been running Pro Stock since 1987, respected NHRA for the way the sanctioning body explained the changes to the drivers and owners.

“They just told us how it was,” Morgan said. “They had the balls to stand up there and tell us how it was, and I thought that was good, but I can tell you it was like going to a funeral when we all left the room. They made a lot of things clear to us that it is going to be their way or the freeway and I respect them for that. They didn’t want to hear any bullsh** from anybody and they didn’t. You know what, it is for the better. Something needed to be done. It has gotten out of line, everybody hiding their sh**, I think it is wrong. When we were kids going to the race, we went to go look at cars, and these guys are hiding everything from them. The engine deal, most of what goes on that makes power, is underneath the valve covers. Who cares about all that? For the most part, I think NHRA probably did a good deal. I’m glad they didn’t come out and say we’re going to have to run new bodies next year and 358 cubic inches, that wouldn’t have been good. Ninety percent of the guys in there (at the meeting) believe that they are trying to run the class out, but I don’t believe that. I think they want to put on a good show is what I believe.”
 
TOP FUEL

SARGE TAKES CHARGE SATURDAY – Tony Schumacher, the reigning Top Fuel world champion, powered his Army-sponsored dragster to a 3.796-second elapsed time at 325.37 mph in Saturday’s final qualifying session to move up to second in the final qualifying ladder.

Schumacher meets Steve Chrisman in round one.

“It was a helluva run,” Schumacher said of his final qualifying run. “With changes we made – you make changes hoping they make the car do exactly what you think it’s going to do – it did exactly what we thought it would do. When you make changes and the car does exactly the opposite and you think you’re way off, that’s when you get nervous. But we definitely got it right today. And that first run we made today, that was every bit as impressive as the one we just did. It’s at about the same time as the final round on Sunday. But we’ve got to get there, first. It’s going to be hot out tomorrow.

"Eleven o’clock will be OK for the first round. It’ll be hot, and it’s going to be hotter after that. We’ll just have to fight through it, Soldier up. Like I said yesterday, if I was going to pick a team to race with in hot conditions, it’d be these guys right here. This is the one track where we run once a year and the data we’ve got is from last year. Obviously, we’ve learned some things since last year here about how to make power and all those things. But it’s a more difficult place to win, to say the least. We’ve done it before, but it’s a tough place to win. It’s a great place to win. It’s a beautiful facility. We love everything about it. It’s just a different place from anywhere else we run. We saw our track record from last year get beat Friday night. I would’ve loved to have been the first to run a 79 (3.79 seconds) here but, in reality, you can’t have all the records and there are lots of others I’d choose over that one.”

BRITTANY SHOWS FORCE – The Mile-High Nationals have been a great stop so far for Brittany Force.

The driver of the Monster Energy-sponsored dragster qualified No. 3 (3.802) and will face off against Terry McMillen in first round. Force also set the new Bandimere Speedway mph record with her 326.95 mph run during Friday night qualifying.

“I feel very excited and confident for the Monster Energy team going into (Sunday),” Force said. “The biggest thing we have been working on is making the most of our four qualifying passes. We want to go down the track every single run. We were able to do that this weekend. We seem to like Denver we went to the final round last year. Our plan is to go all the way (Sunday) with this Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster.”

Force, a five-time Top Fuel finalist, is still searching for her first career national event win. Force made her Top Fuel debut in 2013 and finished a career-best 10th in the points last season.

NOT TOYOTA’S BEST EFFORT – There’s no question Toyota has some stellar Top Fuel drivers, but qualifying at Bandimere Speedway wasn’t actually memorable for the contingent.

Antron Brown, who is second in the point standings, qualified No. 8 (3.878), Shawn Langdon (3.900) was 11th and Richie Crampton (3.980) was 12th.
It is worth noting, Brown does have two career victories at the Mile-High Nationals in 2009 and 2012.

Brown is tied with active drivers Larry Dixon (2001, 2003), Spencer Massey (2011, 2013), Tony Schumacher (2005, 2008) and J.R. Todd (2006, 2014).
Either Brown or Todd will have their hopes dashed for a third career Mile-High Nationals victory as they meet in the first round.

"We're all right right now," said Brown, who has won twice at Denver in six championship rounds. "And Sunday's a whole different ballgame. In the semis, the sun's really going to be beating down and the track's going to be as hot as it's going to be all day and you'll be lucky to run a 3. 98 or a 4-flat. That's what Denver does.

Our main game is knowing how to keep improving on the car and to know how to run hard and good when the conditions are cool, like they are Friday and Saturday nights. It takes a little different mindset to work your way through the weekend here in Denver."

MASSEY LOOKS TO REVERSE HIS LUCK – Spencer Massey and the Red Fuel Powered by Schumacher/Sandvik Coromant team are prepared to become three-time winners at Bandimere Speedway near Denver during Sunday's eliminations.

A 3.846-second, 326.24-mph pass clocked in the fourth and final session of qualifying earned Spencer the No. 6 qualifying position in the 16-car field. 

"We just showed that this car has the power to go 326 mph up here on the mountain which is spectacular for our team," Spencer said. "We had a couple of good runs in qualifying but conditions are going to be totally different tomorrow. We haven't been having very good luck during the first round at the last few races so we are really hungry."

The team led by crew chiefs Todd Okuhara and Phil Shuler is looking for its first round win since the Epping, N.H. event in June. Three consecutive first-round losses dropped the Red Fuel team to sixth in NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel points standings.

Massey didn’t get a break in a first-round opponent as he meets 2013 world champion Shawn Langdon.

EVERBODY’S IN THE FIELD – There were 16 Top Fuel dragsters competing at Bandimere and all 16 are in the field for Sunday’s race. Scott Palmer holds down the No. 16 spot with a top time of 5.628-second elapsed time on Saturday.
 
FUNNY CAR

HIGHT LOOKS FOR NO. 4 – Getting in the field was step No. 1 for Robert Hight, who pilots a nitro Funny Car for John Force Racing. He qualified No. 5 in his Auto Club Camaro and he will meet Tony Pedregon in first round.

Hight has three career wins at the Mile-High Nationals – 2005, 2010, and 2014.

Hight has a career 12-15 record against Pedregon but he has won the last five meetings including two races this season.

“We had another good day today with the Auto Club Chevrolet. We were third quickest of the second session last night and we were third quickest of the last session. Those points are important but so are consistent runs,” said Robert Hight, a 34-time Funny Car winner. “I am confident about tomorrow and I think we have a good shot at defending our win from last season. I love racing here and we have had good luck. I won in my rookie season here and we have some momentum going into race day I think. You want to be in the top half of the field and we did that with the No. 5 qualifier.”

Last year Hight outran John Force in the final round to secure his third win at the MoparMile High NHRA Nationals.

INTERESTING MATCHUP – The first round in Funny Car is sure to be interesting. One matchup to watch is No. 8 qualifier Ron Capps of Don Schumacher Racing and No. 9 qualifier Cruz Pedregon.

Capps has one career at the Mile-High Nationals in 2009 and Pedregon has reached the winner’s circle twice in Denver – 1993 and 2013.

Ron and the NAPA team posted their best lap under optimum conditions late Friday night with a time of 4.078 seconds at 312.24 mph and finished No. 8. The NAPA Dodge wasn't able to get to the finish line under full power on either of its runs Saturday.

"This is the best three weeks of the year for me," said Capps, who is second in the point standings. "I get to be with my family and friends and race at some of my favorite tracks."

HAGAN LOOKS TO CHECK DENVER OFF OF BUCKET LIST – Matt Hagan has had a memorable career since debuting in the nitro Funny Car ranks in 2008.

Hagan won world championships in 2011 and 2014, but he has never won at Bandimere Speedway. He will try and change that Sunday. Hagan qualified (4.065) and will meet veteran Del Worsham of Kalitta Motorsports in first round.

The team led by crew chief Dickie Venables and assistant Michael Knudsen posted the best lap of the first qualifying session on Saturday and followed that up with the second best elapsed time of the fourth session earning the team five bonus points on the final day of qualifying for the 14th event on the 2015 NHRA Mello Yello Series schedule.

"Up here on the mountain, anytime you can improve is a good day, especially running earlier than we did on Friday," Hagan said. "Dickie put together two great runs for this Mopar Charger. It is ridiculously pretty out here and what is especially cool and impressive was to see how many fans were in the stands these last two days. The stands were packed and I'm sure it will be packed again tomorrow. These fans here just love drag racing and its cool to see that and makes you feel even more excited to put on the helmet to put on a show for Mopar and the fans."

BECKMAN LOOKS TO MOVE UP CAREER LADDER – Jack Beckman and his Jimmy Prock-led Infinite Hero Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car team hope to make a bit of history on Sunday afternoon at Bandimere Speedway near Denver.

Beckman, with three NHRA Mello Yello Series wins to his credit this season, is tied with four other flopper pilots with 18 career wins, and he wants nothing more than to move ahead of the likes of legends Mark Oswald and Ed "Ace" McCulloch for sole possession of 10th place on the all-time NHRA Funny Car wins list. 

"It's a little bit surreal when you look at the wins table and you see your name next to Ed McCulloch and Mark Oswald, folks that I grew up watching and admiring more than I could put into words," Jack said after qualifying third for the second time this season. "Reality is there's more opportunities to win in this era. There are 24 races, not seven or 12. It's not quite apples to apples, but that being said we want to get as many trophies as we can this year and the one that means the most is the one at the end of the year. Every race counts and they give away 24 trophies and we want to get them."
Beckman’s journey begins with a first-round matchup against Todd Simpson.
 
PRO STOCK

ANDERSON STARTS AT NO. 11 –Greg Anderson was third-quickest during Saturday's first session with a pass of 6.930, 199.05. The time would prove to be his best of four sessions, and he ended qualifying on a 6.945, 199.52.

"We did get a bonus point, and that's great. Obviously, we did better when the sun was blaring on the racetrack [Saturday's first session] than we did with the runs on the first day," said Anderson. "We had cloud cover all day Friday, and the racetrack was great. It was killer, and we struggled. We came out today and had sun and much hotter temperatures, and some people had issues at the starting line – which played into our hands a little. We missed on that last run, and it's our fault, but the good news is that it's going to be hot and sunny tomorrow and it should come to us."

Anderson qualified in the No. 11 position and will race Chris McGaha in the first round of eliminations. The last time the pair met, Anderson knocked out McGaha in the semifinals on his way to the Norwalk win.

"Chris is hungry for his first win. He wants it bad, and he has a very fast race car so it will be a royal battle first round," said Anderson. "We'll treat that first round like a final, and may the best man win.”

NO FULL FIELD – There were only 15 Pro Stock drivers competing at Bandimere Speedway, thus top qualifier Allen Johnson will have a first-round bye. No. 2 qualifer Larry Morgan meets No. 15 Joey Grose in first round. 
 
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

VANCE & HINES LOVE THUNDER MOUNTAIN – Yes, Harley-Davidson rider Eddie Krawiec did qualifying No. 1 with his track record run, but don’t sleep on his teammate and reigning world champ Andrew Hines.

Hines is No. 3 on the ladder (7.201) and meets Karen Stoffer in the first round.

The Hines family has been dominant in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class at the Mile-High Nationals. It used to be the family’s home track as they lived in Trinidad, Colo., three hours south of Bandimere for several years before moving to Indianapolis.

Matt Hines has won four times at Bandimere - 1996, ’97. ’98, and 2002 annd Andrew has three victories (2006, 2010, 2014). Krawiec has two Mile-High Nationals wins in 2009 and 2012.

OUTSIDE LOOKING IN – Unlike the other Pro classes which were fighting numbers in Denver, the Pro Stock Motorcycle class had five riders not make the field for eliminations. The list consisted of Mike Berry, Katie Sullivan, Melissa Surber, Anthony Vanetti, and Lance Bonham.

FRIDAY NOTEBOOK

FRIDAY’S TOP TAKEAWAYS

QUALIFYING – It was a record-setting qualifying Friday at the Mile-High Nationals. Top Fuel’s Larry Dixon (3.791), Funny Car’s John Force (4.015), Pro Stock’s Allen Johnson (6.877) and Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Eddie Krawiec (7.169) all set new track record.

NHRA, PRO STOCK DRIVERS, OWNERS MEETING SATURDAY -  It’s no secret the state of the NHRA Pro Stock class isn’t good.
There have many rumors floating around about possible changes NHRA might make to the class, but the sanctioning body hasn’t announced any official changes that will be made to Pro Stock, but that likely will change Saturday.

Graham Light, NHRA senior vice president of racing operations, confirmed to CompetitionPlus.com a meeting is scheduled for 11 a.m. Mountain Time Saturday to discuss the state of Pro Stock. All Pro Stock drivers and owners competing at the Mile-High Nationals are invited to attend the meeting as well as any other Pro Stock owners or drivers who want to fly in an attend the meeting.

“We all remember the days of 30 cars in Pro Stock, but what we are seeing, we have charted out year-by-year, race-by-race we are seeing the numbers diminish,” Light said. “We know it’s costly and we know it’s a huge time commitment to run 24 events, but we can’t sit around idle and not address the health of the category when we see it on the decline. Because if we do, one day we are going to wake up and say there’s not enough cars here for this to continue as a professional category. The only consistent comment from everybody is we need change. They are all not going to like the change, some of them are going to like parts of it and others aren’t, but that’s the way life is.”

According to Light, some of the changes to the Pro Stock class will be immediate.

RAIN, RAIN GO AWAY – For a while Friday, Mother Nature took center stage. Combined, there were 4 hours and 10 minutes of rain delays. Racing finally resumed at 6:50 p.m., and there were no more rain delays.

TOP SPORTSMAN CRASH - At just before 8:45 p.m. Friday, racing action was halted again when Top Sportsman driver Wade Kiefer crashed his 1963 Corvette just past the quarter-mile finish line.

Moments after finish his run, Kiefer’s car, which was in the left lane, started moving toward the left wall, and got loose and crossed over into the right lane and backed it into the wall. The hard hit did damage the car, but Kiefer did get out of the car and walked away from the crash.

Kiefer clocked a 8.16-second time at 134.55 mph. He was racing against Greg Lair. Lair’s car crossed the center line and he let off the gas. Fortunately, Lair was far enough behind Kiefer that his car didn’t get hit when Kiefer came over in the right lane. Lair actually finished the run in the left lane to avoid Kiefer.

JOHNSON REMEMBERS HISTORIC 1,000-FOOT PASS – Tommy Johnson Jr. has had a solid NHRA professional career.

Since 1989, Johnson has garnered 11 career national event victories – nine in nitro Funny Car and two in Top Fuel.

Johnson’s latest victory came when he drove the Don Schumacher Racing Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger to the title at NHRA’s Lucas Oil Nationals July 12 in Chicago.

No matter what Johnson Jr. accomplishes the rest of his career, he will have a footnote in the sport that will never be erased.

Back on July 11, 2008, Johnson, piloting the Monster-sponsored Kenny Bernstein Funny Car, made the inaugural 1,000-foot run in NHRA history during qualifying at Bandimere Speedway at the Mile-High Nationals in Morrison, Colo. On the bye run, Johnson clocked a 4.433-second time. Johnson’s is at Bandimere Speedway this weekend for the Mile-High Nationals which conclude Sunday.

NHRA’s first race took place in 1953 and the racing distance was a quarter-mile (1,320 feet) until July 11, 2008.

“It was different,” said Johnson thinking back about that historic lap. “I know a lot of eyes were watching to see what the outcome was. I know I was looking for the finish line a lot trying to figure out where it was. It’s kind of funny now-a-days I don’t even think about it. My internal clock is set now. That was the biggest thing, the internal clock. You kind of know where the finish line is at and we had to re-adjust to that.”

DRIVERS DISCUSS STATE OF 1,000-FOOT RACING –Back on July 11, 2008, at the Mile-High Nationals in Morrison, Colo., NHRA made a historic change.

For the first time, Top Fuel dragsters and nitro Funny Cars raced to 1,000 feet reduced from the traditional quarter-mile (1,320 feet).

According to NHRA officials at the time, the 1,000-foot finish line was an interim safety measure and was subject to change at the remaining 11 races after the Mile-High Nationals, but it has remained in place ever since.

The NHRA’s actions were enacted while the investigation continued into the on-track death of Scott Kalitta, a two-time NHRA world champion, June 21, 2008 in Englishtown (N.J.).

Now, seven years later, a handful drivers discussed the state of 1,000-foot racing at the place where it started – Bandimere Speedway.

“I don’t even know why we are talking about it (1,000-foot racing),” said Chad Head, whose been driving a nitro Funny Car since 2013. “I’m tired of listening to it. I’m tired of hearing about it. I think the sanctioning body made an excellent call when they did it in 2008. I wasn’t involved in the sport at the time, but it was an excellent call and I support it 100 percent. Whether I’m a driver or a guy making hot dogs. I’ve been around the sport all my life and I guess the guy who doesn’t like it needs to get in one of these things and go 350 mph at 1,320 feet at an Englishtown or a real short shutdown. I guess it’s easy to say let’s not race at those places, but I don’t think that’s right at all. I think what is right is 1,000 foot. I think our sport is more competitive than it ever, ever, ever, ever has been.”

The only time Head has raced to a quarter-mile is in a Nostalgia Funny Car, but he has been around the sport forever. Jim Head, his father, is one of NHRA’s legendary innovators and he was a standout driver in both Top Fuel and Funny Car. He has been a fixture on the NHRA national circuit since 1980. Jim began his racing career in 1964 and is his son’s crew chief.

“When I raced that 320 feet to the quarter-mile nothing happened,” Chad said. “Guys were dropping cylinders, guys were blowing up. Now we are racing so hard to 1,000 foot. I’m tired hearing about it (quarter-mile racing). I’m tired of people writing about it. I’m tired of people talking about it. What we have now is better than it has ever been.”
 
TOP FUEL

BRITTANY FORCE FASTEST MPH EVER AT BANDIMERE – Brittany Force was the top qualifier in Friday’s first qualifying session, but she did turn heads when she clocked a 322.74-mph run, which was a new track mph record at Bandimere Speedway. The previous mph record was held by Torrence at 322.96 mph set July 19, 2014.

“We were waiting the rain out, but we went straight down there and hopefully we will do it again,” Force said.

She did.

On her final qualifying pass, Force clocked a new track record of 3.802 seconds at (326.95 mph). Both were Bandimere Speedway track records. The ET, however, was only a track record for two minutes. The next driver down the track, Larry Dixon clocked a new track record of 3.791 seconds, but Force did keep the track mph record.

“The air conditions are better than normal here right now and the track is always awesome, and we just had to get everything lined up, and fire a shot and we’re good,” said Todd Smith, Brittany’s crew chief.

FORTUNES CHANGING? - Two years and 51 races, that's how long it has been since Steve Torrence has visited an NHRA Winner's Circle.  Torrence last won a race at Bristol, Tenn., in 2013.

Torrence is hoping to change his luck and took a great step in the right direction Friday during the first session of qualifying at the Mile-High Nationals.

Torrence, who came to Bandimere Speedway 10th in the season point standings, made a big statement with his track record 3.822-second elapsed time at 322.88 mph. The old record was 3.823 seconds by Tony Schumacher July 19, 2014.

“We may be down, but we ain’t out,” Torrence said. “These Capco boys are going to work their a** off to get us there. “Richard Hogan (Torrence’s crew chief) that one-eyed sucker he’s doing good (Friday night) and this ol’ hillbilly is driving this car. Maybe we can have some fun on the mountain.”

Torrence ran an identical 3.822-second lap in the second qualifying session, which left him No. 3 on the ladder.

 

OUTSIDE LOOKING IN – There were only 14 drivers who made qualifying passes Friday, J.R. Todd (7.947) and Steve Chrisman (8.216) were the two drivers sitting outside the top 12.
 
FUNNY CAR

GOT WILK?– Tim Wilkerson is a driver who can’t be overlooked in the nitro Funny Car ranks.

He proved that again Friday.

Wilkerson clocked a 4.026-second time at 317.27 mph which left him first in qualifying after the first session. It actually was a track record until John Force broke with his 4.015-second run in the second qualifying session Friday night.

“I would be lying to you if I told you I thought I was going to run that fast,” Wilkerson said. “I figured it would go 07 or 08, but I piled some clutch on after the sunshine wasn’t here all day long, and hoped for the best. I think that shows we have a tremendous amount of power.”

Wilkerson didn’t improve on his final qualifying run, but stayed No. 2 in qualifying.

PRO STOCK

GRAY POWER FLEXES MUSCLES – The Gray Motorsports Pro Stock team of Shane Gray and Jonathan Gray had a strong test session last week – as did Larry Morgon who is running Gray Motorsports engines.

That test session translated to success in qualifying Friday at Bandimere Speedway.

Morgan qualified second with a 6.878-second run at 200.20 mph and Jonathan (6.887) and Shane (6.894) were fourth and fifth. Shane Gray also did establish a new track mph record at 201.01 mph on his first qualifying run.

The old mph record was 198.70 set by Allen Johnson at 198.70 mph July 20, 2014.

Before Friday, no Pro Stock car had run over 200 mph during the Mile-High Nationals and on Friday Shane Gray, Johnson, Morgan, Erica Enders-Stevens, Chris McGaha, and Drew Skillman all broke into the 200-mph club.
 
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

FLASH GORDON IN HOUSE – Veteran Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Shawn Gann has been known for wearing flamboyant firesuits. That trend has continued in the 2015 season for the Stoneville, N.C., driver.

This season at the six races he has attended he’s been sporting a Flash Gordon firesuit.

“I’m going to wear Flash this season until Indy (U.S. Nationals Sept. 2-7),” Gann said. “At Indy, I’m going to do the Green Lantern, and I’m real excited about that. From Indy on I will wear the Green Lantern firesuit.”

A year ago, Gann wore a Batman firesuit for the entire season.

“The whole essence of the comic book character at all is change and become whatever you can,” Gann said. “So, I just decided to become a comic book character.”

Gann’s 7.244-second lap at 184.25 mph in the first qualifying session left him No. 6 on the ladder after the second session. Gann actually opted out of making his second qualifying run.

Gann has five career Pro Stock Motorcycle national event wins, his last two at Denver in 2004 and 2013. At the 2013 Mile-High Nationals, Gann upset Hector Arana Jr. in the finals.

“I love this place (the Mile-High Nationals),” Gann said. “I won on both brands, I won a Suzuki and a Buell. I’m running a Buell now and I’m hoping everything will go good this weekend.”

SURPRISE SPECTATOR – Angelle Sampey, the three-time Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion, is at Bandimere Speedway this weekend, but as a fan.
From 1996-2010, Sampey won three world championships - 2000-2002 - and won 41 races, the most wins for any female in both NHRA competition and professional motorsports as a whole.

Sampey returned drive last season for Star Racing, competing in four races. This season Sampey has gone to all six races so far and she is fifth in the point standings while piloting the Star Racing Buell. The George Bryce-owned team is skipping races at Denver and Sonoma (July 31-Aug. 2).

“It looks like we will be at Indy and we are trying to get to Brainerd, Minn. (Aug. 20-23),” Sampey said. “I had bought tickets for my mom (Gail), and my little girl (Ava, 4). I could’ve used the tickets for another race, but my mom had never been here and this is such a beautiful place so we decided to come.”