EVENT RESULTS EVENT NOTEBOOK POINTS AFTER EVENT ROUND-BY-ROUND RESULTS SPORTSMAN RESULTS

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SUNDAY NOTEBOOK

BRITTANY FORCE DELIVERS UNDER PRESSURE TO EARN SECOND CAREER WIN  - Brittany Force loves a challenge.

In 2013, she became the first member of her famed family to compete in a Top Fuel dragster. And after 75 races, Force earned her first career victory last month at Gainesville Raceway.

Force cleared another extreme hurdle Sunday by winning the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMax Dragway with a final round pass of 3.764 seconds at 319.98 mph. It was Force's third 3.7-second run of the day and fifth of the event.

“Everyone always told me that the first win is definitely tough to get, and it came in my fourth season,” Force said. “It wasn’t easy, but it made all those years and all that hard work worth it. For my second win to come this quickly is just amazing. But my team is bad-ass and I know they are capable of doing anything. They put together a car that just runs consistently every single run.”

With the victory, Force added to her first place standing in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing series point standings.

“I’m still trying to get over this,” Force said. “Four-wide is not easy, and I struggled in qualifying. The fact that I won is huge because it was a challenge. And then to be points leader … it’s just too much.”

Force admitted that it took a valiant effort from her crew to simply get belted into the car before the final run to glory. That’s impressive considering that she posted a .042 reaction time.

“We thrashed to get up here,” Force said. “I was coming to the starting line and I didn’t have any belts. Obviously you can’t go down the race track like that, but my team unbolted the car and we figured it out.

“Sometimes drivers do better under pressure, and I’ve always wondered what type I was.”

Brittany, who has a degree in education from Cal-State Fullerton, prepared for her Top Fuel adventure by honing her skills for three years in the Super Comp ranks followed by another three-year apprenticeship in an Alcohol dragster.

It was the third final round of the season for Force, who made a strong statement in the first round of eliminations by posting the lowest elapsed time of weekend at 3.734.

“I got lost (Saturday),” Force said. “My crew chief, Brian Husen, gave me some words of confidence, and I needed it.”

The Force operation also includes tuning wizard Alan Johnson and new assistant crew chief Jason McCulloch

Force said that the addition of Johnson has been invaluable, especially over the past four races.

“Bringing Alan on board with Brian Husen and our whole Monster Energy team, we’ve been very successful,” Force said. “This is our second win. I can’t get over that. I’m still trying to recover from the first one. This is huge, but I can’t let that get to my head. When we pull up to the next race, I try not to think about it because there are so many tough competitors out there. I don’t want to get distracted.”

Antron Brown earned runner-up honors with a pass of 3.779 at 316.75,  while the cars driven Clay Millican and Doug Kalitta both went up in tire smoke.
Millican is still searching for his career victory after 199 career starts and 10 finals.

With the track temperature rising to 122 degrees, No. 1 qualifier Steve Torrence and eight-time world champion Tony Schumacher were both eliminated in the second round when their rides experienced tire problems.

J.R. Todd made some first round noise by setting top speed at 328.06 mph. Allen Gregory

VETERAN WILKERSON GETS SECOND FC WIN OF SEASON  - The powerhouse NHRA Funny Car teams – John Force Racing and Don Schumacher Racing - best not sleep on savvy veteran Tim Wilkerson in 2016.

Wilkerson has shown a resurgence this season – most lately Sunday won he won his first career Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte, N.C.

Wilkerson clocked a 3.967-second time at 315.56 mph to defeat Cruz Pedregon (3.995), Ron Capps (4.055), and Matt Hagan (4.069) in the finals at zMax Dragway.

This is Wilkerson’s second win this season in five races as he also was victorious at Phoenix, the second race of the year. Wilkerson, who made his nitro Funny Car debut in 1996, finished a career-best second in the points in 2008 when he won a career-best six races that season.

Wikerson has now won two or more races in six seasons (2003, 2004, 2008, 2009 and 2010, 2016). Wilkerson won one race a year ago at Atlanta.

“Just hard work,” Wilkerson said about the key to his team’s success this year. “They can out spend us, but they are not going to outwork us. We have a great group of kids and they were belly aching about not having days off a couple of weeks ago. One of them told me, we talked to Schumacher’s guys and they are all playing golf today and I’m going to go down there and ask him if he would rather play golf last Saturday instead of did what we did today.”

This was Wilkerson’s 20th career nitro Funny Car win and he improved his career final round to 20-16.

“I got this (winning the Four-Wide Nationals) off my bucket list,” Wilkerson said. “I’ve been in the finals here twice and never get even second. I’m just excited about it to tell you the truth. The whole year has really been exciting with the new TV package and the way everything is going. And, my buddy Brittany (Force), she has won twice now as well, so that’s really a cool thing for me. Her and I have a little bet going to see who can win more races during the year, but she has Alan Johnson, so I think I should get a couple of trumps, but I don’t think I’m going to get that.”
It also wasn’t lost on Wilkerson that when he won at Phoenix, Leah Pritchett was the Top Fuel winner, and at the Four-Wide Brittany Force was the Top Fuel champ.

“I think I’m making them win,” Wilkerson said with a laugh. “Them girls are going to want me to go the finals all of the time.”

The first round of the unique four-wide format – the only race of its kind on the NHRA circuit - had plenty of drama for Richard Hartman, Wilkerson’s assistant crew chief, because of all the lane swapping that was going on.

Wilkerson was racing against Jeff Diehl, Alexis DeJoria and Robert Hight.

“He (Richard) was really getting upset up there,” Wilkerson said. “I got on the radio and said ‘hey, you walk around, if it takes you 15 minutes, I don’t care. We will stand back here until (NHRA’s) Graham (Light) starts screaming. Don’t worry about it. If you want to kick the other two guys out of the other two lanes, you just take your time.’ He was very vocal. He was upside down. He was back on the radio, yakking, yak, yak, and I was like it’s OK dude, don’t worry about it. We will whoop them. You put me where we need to be and you tell me what to do and I will do it. We were fortunate to get down that lane that quickly, but I had a very good car.”

According to Wilkerson, initially in the first round he started in lane 1, and then ended up in lane 2.

“That’s really fun part of this deal really,” Wilkerson said. “It kind of looks like a circus, but it is really cool. After the No. 2 guy wants my lane, then wants the other lane, and that guy is like I don’t like this lane, I want the other lane. It really makes it kind of fun. The No. 4 guy, he might as well come back against the tower and park and wait for us all to quit playing musical chairs. I think it makes it very interesting. That’s a really cool part of this and you see the emotions. Richard, he was all wound up, and I really wasn’t that wound up about it. I was not concerned one least bit. I knew we would make a good run, whatever lane they put us in.”

Wilkerson acknowledged he had full trust in Hartman.

“He knows what to do,” Wilkerson said. “He parked me about a tire and a half out of the groove. I was way off to the right and he came on the radio and told me to drive it back to the middle, and I got lucky and drove it right down through there.”

Wilkerson’s 3.934-second lap at 322.34 mph in round one was low ET of eliminations.
“You go up there and hit the gas and see what happens,” Wilkerson said. “I play this off a lot, but it’s not life or death, it’s just racing. You go home and get beat, you try again next week. We have a 24-hour rule, 24 hours from now I don’t care if I won this race. My bank account looks nice, but it’s really not that important. This is a marathon. We have 24 races and have to keep going and keep going and the next race is a different challenge.”

Hartman, a former nitro Funny Car driver, who was top 10 in NHRA’s point standings in 1990-91, joined Wilkerson’s team in January of 2015. He spent the four previous season as the crew chief of Terry McMillen’s Top Fuel dragster. And, Wilkerson is thrilled to have him in his fold.

“I think Richard brings so many things to the table, there’s a list, but I would say most of all, is good communication skills,” Wilkerson said. “He and I think alike and we have the same views and opinions on things that need to be done correctly. Track-wise, we made some mistakes last year and man, he beats himself up. He takes it to heart and like I’ve said before we don’t come here to chase girls or drink beer. We come here to kick somebody’s butt and go home. He has that same rhetoric and that’s what I really think has made him a great asset to our team.” Tracy Renck

LINE CONTINUES TEAM’S WINNING WAYS AT FOUR-WIDE - The winning streak continues for Ken Black’s NHRA Pro Stock team.

There have been five national events this season and KB drivers – Jason Line (3) and Greg Anderson (2) – have won all of them.

Line’s latest win came Sunday when he won the Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte, N.C.

Line clocked a 6.565-second lap at 211.33 mph to defeat fellow KB driver Bo Butner (6.591), Drew Skillman (6.620) and Chris McGaha (6.646) in the finals at zMax Dragway.

Line has been in the finals of all five national events this season, losing to Anderson at the Winternationals and Gatornationals. Line has won at Phoenix, Vegas and the Four-Wide.

“We take a lot of pride in it,” Line said about his team’s immense success so far this season. “We probably had more changes to make engine-wise than what everybody else did, so it feels very good and it is special. As I get older, you realize how difficult it’s to win these races and becomes more and more special. It’s a really big deal and it’s very exciting to win here at home.”

This also was Line’s 40th career NHRA Pro Stock national event – and his first at the Four-Wide Nationals - to go along with the world championships he won in 2006 and 2011. Line also is now tied Kurt Johnson and Mike Edwards for fifth all time on NHRA Pro Stock’s all-time career victory list.

“I will not say I don’t like it (the Four-Wide Nationals), but I’ve never been very successful at it. I consider myself a middle of the road driver, so this race has always been very tough for me, so to win here is pretty gratifying. It’s really special to be able to win one of these races and if don’t think it is then you’ve never raced.”

This past offseason marked wholesale changes for NHRA’s Pro Stock Class – changes KB Racing didn’t initially welcome.

As of Jan. 1, 2016, NHRA required 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 have been added to the fuel injection systems.

“Just good old-fashion effort,” said Line while thanking other people who helped out as well. “From there, it really come down to just effort and taking the time to make a lot of dyno pulls and understand the system. Fortunately for us, I think we had a reasonably good grasp of how an engine works and how a carburetor works and what the engine needs, so I think that has helped us a little bit.”

Counting the K&N Horsepower Challenge in Las Vegas earlier this season, won by Anderson, KB Racing has won every NHRA Pro Stock event this year. Tracy Renck

HINES AND THE HARLEY GANG CONTINUE DOMINANCE - The Harley boys have conquered zMax Dragway.

Andrew Hines executed a near-flawless final round pass Sunday in his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson to earn his third straight victory in the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals.

Hines delivered a reaction time of .002 en route to a time of 6.844 seconds at 194.42 mph. That was enough to defeat three other riders, including Harley teammate and top qualifier Eddie Krawiec, who ran 6.849 at 194.44.

While competitors in all classes fret and fuss over the unique format at zMax Dragway, Hines said he enjoys the brain-wracking puzzle of running against three other riders at once.

“I am very comfortable here,” Hines said. “Four-wide, two-wide or whatever it is, this race track just agrees with me. When I rolled up there for the first qualifying session, I felt very comfortable. I actually went back to the pit area and said that I wish we could run every race four-wide.”

Matt Smith and Chip Ellis, finished as the semifinalists.  Smith was forced to shut his bile off early due to a mechanical gremlin.

While he savors the format, Hines admits that he has to be on high-alert for every pass. The mind game just intensifies in the finals.

“You’ve got three other guys up there that are really tough competition,” he said. “Those guys are tough on the tree and tough on the track.
“I just had to go out there and do something. I came in second in the first two quads today, but I was happy when I saw my light blinking at the end of the track in the finals.”

It was the fourth straight runner-up for Krawiec in the unique Four Wide event. Meanwhile, Hines has five wins in his last six races at z-Max Dragway
Even Hines seemed amazed by his run of success in the event.

“It’s a tough deal,” Hines said. “My guys come here with a will to win and we push forward every single race. To walk out of Charlotte with another Wally is absolutely stellar.”

With 43 career wins, Hines is closing on legendary six-time champion Dave Schultz who earned 45 national event wins and six championships before dying of colon cancer in 2001 at the age of 52.

“(Schultz) was struggling there at the end, but he fought through it and battled back,” Hines said. “(Schultz) was a heck of a competitor, and he obviously showed the way and paved for Pro Stock Motorcycles to still here.

“It’s a hard-fought battle to catch that number (45 wins), but that number will on forever in Pro Stock Motorcycle lore.”

Ellis and Smith advanced to the final round when Angelle Sampey and Hector Arana Sr. both experienced red-lights.

Smith, winner of the inaugural Four Wide Nationals, was coming off a rare DNQ in last month’s Gainesville race.

Hector Arana, Jr. was among the riders who  failed to qualify for eliminations. Allen Gregory

SATURDAY NOTEBOOK – SELLOUT CROWD WITNESSES STRONG SECOND DAY OF FOUR-WIDE RACING

TOP FUEL

REALLY? - Twice each year, the NHRA’s traveling horsepower show rolls into the Mecca of stock car racing at zMax Dragway located on the hallowed grounds of Charlotte Motor Speedway.

One of the best kept secrets in the drag racing pits focuses on how one of the most successful tuners ever to pick up a wrench thirty years ago almost went roundy-round racing.

Alan Johnson, who has won six series championship titles as a team owner with five different drivers and another eight as a tuner for Tony Schumacher, had the opportunity to walk from drag racing for what could have been a lucrative career.

Long before he established his name on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, he nearly ended up going to work for NASCAR legend Rick Hendrick.

"I had that choice back in the mid-1980s to go to work at Hendrick Motorsports as a cylinder head guy," revealed Johnson. "We just didn't come together on the money right away. It was dragging along, and finally, I said to myself, 'You know what, if it’s going to be this hard to get what I want, I’m just going to stay here and do my own thing.”

There was a courtship time where Johnson worked briefly in the Hendrick shop and traveled to Watkins Glen with the late Randy Dorton, Hendrick's Director of Engine Operations.

"They wanted to hire me," Johnson revealed.  "Eventually they agreed, [to terms] but by that time I had already made up my mind.”

Johnson focused on his drag racing career where he teamed with brother Blaine to win four NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster championships and together they finished fifth in their first full NHRA Top Fuel season. The next season he and Blaine won four races and were in a strong position to win the 1995 NHRA championship; when his brother died in a racing accident.

Johnson believes he would have done well if he had traveled the path of stock car racing, and admits he rarely thinks of what might have been. In fact, he adds, he rarely talks about it unless someone brings up the topic.

Johnson just smiles and offers, "I’m happy where I’m at.”

SNAFU? WHAT SNAFU? - Top Fuel driver Steve Torrence was timed out in his final qualifying attempt, but the miscue didn't create any ripples for the Pomona winner and provisional No. 1 qualifier.

"I really didn't realize I had messed up until I got to the finish line," Torrence admitted. "I'm just glad my run stayed No. 1. I feel confident we have a really good car for tomorrow's race."

Torrence's 3.736 elapsed time withstood a Saturday afternoon charge by JR Todd to gain the top seed headed into Sunday. Todd was second quickest with a 3.743.

Gainesville winner Brittany Force fell to third when she failed to improve on her 3.751. She will race in a quartet with two other 2016 race winners when she lines up against defending series champion Antron Brown and Phoenix titlist Leah Pritchett. Drag racing veteran Pat Dakin rounds out the group.

MS. FORCE RECOGNIZED -  Brittany Force was recognized as a “Crusader for the Day” by students and faculty from Belmont Abbey College’s Motorsports Management program. The group from Belmont Abbey College toured the John Force Racing pit area and talked with JFR staff members as well as representatives from Monster Energy.

“It was an honor that students from Belmont Abbey came out and gave me a nice certificate of recognition. More than that I think it is cool they are focusing their program project on John Force Racing and the Monster Energy Top Fuel team,” said Force. “I like it because even though I went to Cal State Fullerton and went to school to be a teacher I know where they are at as students. I enjoyed talking to them and hopefully motivating them,” said Brittany Force after the presentation.

The Belmont Abbey College Motorsports Management curriculum educates students to work in the highly complex environment with particular emphasis on the business, management, cultural and legal characteristics of the motorsports industry. The students in the Motorsports Management program integrate skills and knowledge of the industry with the values of the College’s liberal arts curriculum.

“Our program is really practical based. We have over 100 years of experience with the staff leading the Motorsports Management program. We are right in the middle of NASCAR country but the NHRA has such great access and the people involved in the sports are so wonderful to work with this was a great opportunity to highlight Brittany and her success. The students are learning all the skills from public relations to marketing to promotions so having them see those things in action is a big plus,” said Pat Wood, Executive Director of the Motorsports Management program.

The Motorsports Marketing program started in 2006 as part of the Sports Management program, but there was so much interest it has grown into its own four-year undergraduate program at the College.

CHANGES - After a lackluster start to the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season that includes four opening-round losses, the Shawn Langdon team decided to make some changes and it has paid off for  this weekend.

The team qualified in the top half of the field, in eighth for Sunday's eliminations.

"We ended up eighth which is a good spot to be in because we will get second choice of lanes in our quad tomorrow," Langdon said of his quad that will feature No. 1 qualifier Steve Torrence, Don Schumacher Racing teammate Tony Schumacher and Terry Haddock.

"All in all, we were able to make two good runs today (Saturday). We made a lot of changes after Vegas. This is probably the most progress we've seen so we are really excited for tomorrow. We just want to be able to get this Red Fuel/Sandvik car going rounds tomorrow and get back in the winner's circle."

Langdon, the owner of 12 Top Fuel event titles and the 2013 world championship, is seeking his first Four-Wide event title.

FUNNY CAR

THE HOT HAND BURNS COMPETITION - Alexis DeJoria not only snatched away Matt Hagan's Funny Car track record in Saturday's opening qualifying session but also claimed her first top qualifier of the season. The recent Las Vegas winner thundered by for a 3.934 elapsed time at 321.04 when Hagan failed to improve on Friday's 3.941.

In her opening quartet, DeJoria will face two drivers who have won races this year. She will line up against Tim Wilkerson [Phoenix] and Robert Hight [Gainesville]. No. 16 qualifier Jeff Diehl rounds out the quartet.

"We needed this boost, and it feels incredible to go from not being able to make it down the track to winning in Vegas, and now a No. 1 qualifier under our belt," said DeJoria. "I really don't pay attention to who I race unless I get a driver who takes a longer time to stage, then I pay attention."

 

IF IT HAS WHEELS, HE'LL DRIVE IT - In some obscure dialect, the name Ron Capps could mean he who drives many kinds of race cars.

The popular driver of the NAPA Funny Car has piloted everything from a Top Fuel dragster to a winged sprint car to a late model dirt track car. Beyond those impressive examples are a few other styles of racing not mentioned.

Blame it on his childhood because Capps was born to race.

"I have to say it was a bit of a weird experience because our local sprint car champion had kids, and we used to hang out," recalled Capps. "I would go over to their shop during the day before they would load that car up on an open trailer. We’d be riding in the back of a pick-up truck on the way to the track."

Capps would stare intently at the winged sprint car daydreaming one day he'd have a car on the trailer behind the truck. But because his dad was a successful drag racer, Capps understood he might as well prepare for a future on the straight line.

"We'd play during the week, and all of us built those model cars except they'd build Buddy Baker and David Pearson," said Capps. "But I held true to my drag racing roots and would build the Don Prudhomme cars. I'd look strangely at their stock cars because growing up in California; you didn't have much exposure to NASCAR.

Then came time to race and Capps had no problem representing drag racing, even if the rules meant his car had to turn a curve. Capps learned quickly a Funny Car model cannot take a left turn as well as a stock car.

"They’d break, and we’d get the glue out and fix them," admitted Capps.

Capps admits even though John was a dyed-in-the-wool drag racer, he often ventured into working on alternate styles of race vehicles.

"He was kind of the guy that everybody went to whether it was engine problems or whatever," Capps said. "If they built a race car they wanted someone who was good at setting it up they'd call him.  He was the guy that all the sprint car guys would come to."

Capps recollects his first racing experiences were behind the wheel of a go-kart.

"I think it was a chainsaw motor, and that was my first feeling of driving something," Capps said. "It scared me when it got into the power band, but it excited me.  I thought, 'Oh this is what I want to do, I want to drive something."

Capps made a career of drag racing, first competing professionally as a Top Fuel driver before accepting a dream gig as a hired gun for Prudhomme, a driver he had idolized since building those crash and glue back models. He now drives for another legend in Don Schumacher.

On his off weekend, there's no telling where Capps could wind up.

"I’ve gotten to drive a World of Outlaws car several times, one of them was Tony Stewart's," Capps explained. "I’ve driven a dirt late model, dirt modified, still run go-karts and once even an iRoc car."

Capps' versatility over the years hasn't gone unnoticed. The trait even gained the 46-time NHRA winner a special nickname from Don "The Snake" Prudhomme, one of the most iconic drag racers ever.

"At one point when I was racing for Prudhomme we talked about me taking a shot at the Indy 500," Capps admitted. "He had brought it up because he’d go along with me when I’d race these other cars.  He nicknamed me Mario; he wouldn’t even call me by my first name.  

"Even now if I see Snake he’ll say, "Hey Mario."

Capps has been known to rub elbows with his NAPA teammates in other forms of motorsports. There's the temptation to sneak in a test run in their cars from time to time.

"Any driver is going to say that with enough practice they could be as good as anybody doing it," Capps said. " I think any driver would feel that way.  I raced the Chili Bowl a few years ago, and I felt that if I could spend four nights a week like those guys do, I could do okay, but I’m not going to run with the best in the world. I wouldn’t want to be out there and get in somebody’s way."

Give Capps four days in their cars each week and there's a good chance even Mario Andretti would be proud.

FLAIR FOR THE DRAMATIC - Tommy Johnson Jr. provided a dramatic moment in qualifying. He started the last session in the 16th spot for the 16-car elimination field but briefly was bumped out of the field until his last run of 3.992 (315.86) moved into up to the 11th spot.

PRO STOCK

NO MERCY - There is no mercy rule in drag racing; if one existed, NHRA Pro Stock team KB Racing would have already exercised it.

Before a sellout crowd at zMax Dragway, located on the grounds of Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, NC, Greg Anderson extended his team's domination to five straight No. 1 qualifying efforts during final qualifications at the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals presented by Lowes Foods.

KB Racing's trio of drivers headlined by Anderson, Jason Line and Bo Butner have totally dominated the Pro Stock division since NHRA mandated all entries incorporate electronic fuel injection engine combinations.

Thus far the trio has won four races, qualified No. 1 four times and paced qualifying for 19 consecutive sessions. With the four-wide format, there is the potential all three could race in the final round.

"I'm not only wondering if this run of good fortune will end; but when it will," admitted Anderson. "I guess I am kind of a glass-half-empty kind of guy. I try to be positive but sometimes I look for the negative. I guess I am looking for everyone to catch us and beat us. When we do find a way to pull out ahead of everyone and win races, it's a wonderful feeling.

"The offseason work is paying off. The team has matched the horsepower to the track. I think our team did better than anyone with this today through changing conditions."

CHAMP READY FOR REBOUND -  After two years of running roughshod over the competition in winning back-to-back Pro Stock world championships, Erica Enders has come back to the pack this year in her Elite Motorsports/Mopar Dodge Dart.
 
"We just need to keep doing what we've been doing for the last few years," Enders said at the conclusion of qualifying for this weekend's seventh annual NHRA Four-Wide Nationals presented by Lowes Foods. "This is a pit full of multi-time champions and I wouldn't change a thing about this team. They have proven time and again to be the best in the sport. It's just not an easy thing to jump from one manufacturer to another. There's going to be hiccups and we knew that coming into the season.
 
"Sure, it's frustrating when you don't run well and we did expect to be a little better this weekend than what we've shown so far, but we will stick to the master plan (team owner) Richard Freeman drew up when we signed with Mopar and keep on marching forward."
 
Under the unique four-wide format, Enders -- who qualified 10th with a 6.644 at 207.08 mph -- will hope to be one of the two-quickest cars in her Round 1 foursome that will advance to the second round. She will be racing Elite Motorsports teammate Drew Skillman (No. 2 qualifier with a 6.583), Alex Laughlin (seventh with a 6.611), and John Gaydosh Jr. (15th with a 6.762).
 
"The biggest bummer is seeing my guys and how hard they're working and then not seeing positive results on the racetrack," Enders said. "I'm more proud of them now then I've ever been because the determination and perseverance they're showing is just incredible.
 
"Two cars out of each foursome advance, so our goal is to be one of those two cars. We know Drew has a great race car, so hopefully it will be him and I moving on, but I know it's going to be tough.

ON THE OTHER END - Jeg Coughlin Jr.'s bid for his first NHRA Four-Wide Nationals trophy will begin from the bottom half of the qualifying ladder after the five-time Pro Stock world champion posted a 12th-best 6.660 at 207.62.
 
The result was a bit of a disappointment for the 58-time national event winner, who was hoping for a loftier starting slot after seeing the progress the team made between races.
 
"Coming into the event we certainly felt like we were making more in the horsepower department, and Erica's car was tested and ran well last week in Tulsa (Okla.), but something still appears to be holding us back," said Coughlin, who won the fall race here in 2013. "We're not quite scratching our heads but we're close to that. We know we're capable of running within a few hundredths of the front teams, which would be a low 6.60 here, but we weren't able to do that this weekend.
 
"Typically, when you're as far off as we are here it's something pretty obvious, but that's not the case. The boys are already hard at it trying to find a way. It'll be a busy 18 hours until we run the first round of eliminations. Hopefully, we get some things figured out."
 
As the No. 12 qualifier, Coughlin will be the third of his foursome of drivers to select which lane he will race down. His opponents will be No. 4 qualifier Bo Butner (6.584), No. 5 qualifier Shane Gray (6.602), and No. 13 qualifier Deric Kramer (6.663). Under the rules of the Four-Wide Nationals, the two quickest cars in each foursome advance to the next round.

YATES MAKING DIFFERENCE - Multi-time Pro Stock champion Jim Yates' involvement has paid immediate dividends for Pro Stock driver Shane Gray,  who qualified with a season-best No. 5 qualifying position.
 
Gray's 6.602-second pass at 208.68 mph puts him in the foursome of Bo Butner (6.584), Jeg Coughlin Jr. (6.660), and Deric Kramer (6.663).
 
"There's a lot to be said for sleeping in your own bed and racing in your backyard," said Gray, who hails from nearby Mooresville, N.C. "And not just for the driver, but for all the crew guys and engine builders as well.
 
"It's very satisfying to see the car come around, especially in front of our friends and family and this weekend all the folks from IDG Racing, who are right here pitside with us. The pressure seems to have lifted a touch."
 
Gray brought Yates back to the team to work alongside Craig Hankinson, the tuner of Alex Laughlin's Gas Monkey Garage Camaro, which utilizes Gray Motorsports horsepower. The two were reunited just before the Las Vegas event, and Gray says things have really started clicking now that they've had a few weeks to all work together.
 
"Jim raced a lot of years and he was my crew chief when I first got into Pro Stock," Gray said. "He's seen a lot and experienced a bunch, and he's obviously very knowledgeable with the race car, front to back. It's very valuable to have an experienced set of eyes like his look over this race car.
 
"The thing with these Pro Stock cars is you can't make huge moves with any part of the tune-up or setup. You have to be very methodical. Jim is really wired that way to guide the car to the way he wants it to be. It's already starting to show."

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

EDDIE STILL CRUISING - Eddie Krawiec, a multi-time champion in the Pro Stock Motorcycle division, will be the rider to beat on Sunday. His Friday run of 6.818 seconds withstood Saturday's two sessions to fend off a charge from Matt Smith, who turned in a 6.832 performance.

“I would definitely say this No. 1 qualifier came as a surprise," said Krawiec. "I know I have a great motorcycle and a great team behind me, but there are a lot of great motorcycles out there. For us right now, it’s a matter of hitting it on the right session. That’s the way it should be."

RICKIE'S BOY DOES WELL - Two-time world champ Matt Smith, and son of local legend Rickie Smith, made Saturday’s quickest run to qualify second on his NitroFish Victory Gunner with a 6.832 at 195.76. It is a nice rebound for Smith, who failed to qualify at the bike opener in Florida. His quad will also include veteran rider Steve Johnson, Chip Ellis and Scotty Pollacheck.
 
THE CHAMP LANDS FOURTH - Defending world champ Andrew Hines, who has claimed the past two Four-Wide Wally trophies, qualified fourth on his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson and will race Brian Pretzel, Louisiana alligator farmer Jerry Savoie and Jim Underdahl in his opening round quad.

 

FRIDAY NOTEBOOK - RAIN-SHORTENED DAY DELIVERS AT THE FOUR-WIDE

MOTHER NATURE RULES - NHRA teams were only able to get in one of the two scheduled qualifying sessions before persistent rain showers moved into the area late in the afternoon. Qualifying continues Saturday with sessions scheduled for 2 and 4 p.m. Sunday’s finals are set to begin at noon.

 

TOP FUEL

NO STUBBED TOES HERE - Steve Torrence, who won the season-opening NHRA Winternationals in Southern California but has struggled on race day at the last three events, paced the Top Fuel category with a 3.736 at 326.48 in his Capco Contractors dragster.
 
“We’ve had a really good car all season long but we’ve had three first round losses in a row and sort of stubbed our toe,” Torrence said. “The same thing happened in Las Vegas [two weeks ago], we had an awesome car in qualifying and the track conditions changed and it bit us in the first round.

The car has run unbelievable. That gives you a huge vote of confidence going into the next qualifying round and ultimately sets up the weekend for what you can build off of a lot better.”
 
GATOR, GATOR - Gatornationals runner-up Terry McMillen qualified third in his Amalie Xtermigator dragster with a 3.833 at 314.17.

BROWN LANDS FIFTH - Defending world champ Antron Brown rounded out the top five with a 3.838 at 315.49 in his Matco Tools dragster.

SHE'S THE REAL DEAL - Championship tuner Alan Johnson is quick to point out Brittany Force ranks near the top.

“Brittany of all my drivers that I've had in the past is probably near the top as far as her passion to want to do this, so she's fully committed to driving a dragster and winning," Johnson said. "So that part makes it easy. There's certain things that she's going to have to do and adapt to and buy into, but as long as she has that passion, which it appears that she does, it's going to be -- she's going to end up being a great driver,” said Johnson recently.

The second youngest daughter of NHRA legend John Force, Brittany raced to eight final rounds before getting her first win in Gainesville.  

“You know, there's still going to be challenges," she said. "That's not going to change. Really my focus is the same thing it always is: Doing my job as a driver, making sure I'm listening to the advice that Alan gives me, that Brian gives me, focusing on what we need to do together as a whole to get the car down the racetrack and turn those win lights on Sunday,

“You know, I've learned so much over the years from so many different teachers, so many different crew chiefs I've been involved with, so many other drivers, and I kind of just keep all of that. That's stuff I'll never forget, and I believe it got me -- it's definitely gotten me where I am today. But every round, every run you make down the racetrack, you learn something new.”

Series points leader Brittany Force was second in her Monster Energy dragster, posting a 3.771 at 319.90.

HONORING DALTON - NHRA Top Fuel driver Clay Millican’s tears of mourning were replaced with tears of joy.

Less than a year after his son, 22-year old son Dalton Millican, was killed in a tragic non-racing motorcycle racing accident, a new program will ensure his memory will be carried through aspiring college students.

Today in a press conference at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, Stringer Performance and University of Northwestern Ohio (UNOH) announced the creation of the Dalton Millican Scholarship Fund to benefit students in the University’s College of Applied Technologies, Automotive/ High Performance Degree Program.

“My little boy was wide open all the time,” Millican said. “He loved motorsports and loved working on things. It was a constant with him. The only thing he loved more than working on things was motivating people. He always had motivational quotes on his phone. I know he would be excited to know he will help a motivated young person to better themselves.”

The scholarship will award deserving students $2,500 to apply to their full academic year cost.  The yearly scholarship is open to incoming freshman and current students in the program.  

Up to two (2) scholarships may be awarded each year based on the yearly income of the scholarship fund.  

Donations to the Dalton Millican Scholarship Fund can be made by mailing them to the following:
 
The University of Northwestern Ohio
Attn: Stephen Farmer, VP Development
1441 N. Cable Rd., Lima, OH 45805
(All checks should be made out to Dalton Millican / UNOH Scholarship Fund).
 
UNOH President Dr. Jeffrey A. Jarvis is honored to be able to offer a scholarship like this to incoming and continuing UNOH students.

“UNOH is very proud to help continue the legacy of Dalton Millican by assisting a young man or young women with a scholarship that will enable them to continue their education and fulfill their dreams of having a career in motorsports. A career that Dalton and his family love and cherish.”

AN ACQUIRED TASTE - Last year's runner-up finish at the Four-Wide Nationals helped to ease Steve Torrence's distaste of the once-a-year four abreast drag race.  However, he's not completely in love with the concept.

“You work all year to try to get into a routine,” Torrence explained, “and then the four-wide tries to take you out of it.  It’s easy to get a little overwhelmed with all that’s going on around you.  You just have to remember that you’re still racing your lane.  You can’t control what’s happening anywhere else, whether it’s the next lane or the next three.”

To deal with the distractions, Torrence has a plan.  

“All we can do is try and control the things we can,” he said.  “We’ve got a hot rod that can go low every round and if we do that, we always get to pick the lane that gives us the best chance.”

ARMY OF NONE - Tony Schumacher is the winningest Top Fuel driver in NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series history with 80 event titles, but none have come here. He has won everywhere else on the NHRA schedule.
 
Schumacher scored back-to-back runner-up finishes at the Four-Wides in 2012 and 2013.  

FUNNY CAR

RIGHT THE FIRST TIME - Matt Hagan reset both ends of the track record in scoring Friday's provisonal No. 1 qualifier.
 
Hagan powered his Mopar Express Lane/ Rocky Boots Dodge Charger to the qualifying lead in Funny Car with a track-record performance of 3.941 seconds at 323.50 mph.
 
Hagan held off his old arch-rival, 16-time Funny Car world champion John Force, for the top spot. Force qualified second with a 3.946 at 323.50 in his Peak Antifreeze Chevy Camaro. Both drivers are past winners of the unique event.
 
“We needed that for our team, for [crew chief] Dickie Venables, for everybody that's been digging deep, working hard, trying to figure this stuff out,” said Hagan, who is off to a slow start this year with three first round losses in the first four events. “That was one good run. We're happy for this Mopar to run that well right off the trailer.”
 
HEAD GAMES - Past Four-Wide Nationals No. 1 qualifier and finalist Chad Head was third in his Head Racing Toyota Camry with a 3.967 at 315.49.

REBOUNDING - Ron Capps rebounded from his DNQ in Las Vegas by qualifying fourth in his NAPA Auto Parts Dodge with a 3.986 at 319.67.

MOMENTUM CARRIES OVER - Las Vegas winner Alexis DeJoria is fifth in her Tequila Patron Camry with a 4.005 at 310.98. Her Kalitta Motorsports teammate, defending world champ Del Worsham, anchors the 12th spot in his DHL Camry.

WELCOME TO MY WORLD - Many of NASCAR's stars openly admit they love drag racing.

Thursday afternoon, one of the stock car community's more colorful figures took a ride down a different kind of straightaway in Charlotte. One of drag racing's more iconic figures joined in the experience.

Sixteen-time Funny Car champion John Force met NASCAR driver and FOX Sports personality Michael Waltrip at zMAX Dragway for a ride in a Pure Speed Racing dragster.

“You feel that speed, and the emotion and the energy, and it’s just nuts,” Waltrip said. “There was just two of us, but when you come here for the 4-Wide Nationals, it’s an even more incredible show.”

“To get in there and see Waltrip’s excitement was great and after that, I got in there and I got excited,” Force said. “He saw what we do. It’s exciting. I want to tell the fans: come out here this weekend, see what we’re all about and have some fun.”

Force, the inaugural Funny Car winner at the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals presented by Lowes Foods, will chase his first victory of the season this weekend at zMAX Dragway

STRATEGY - Robert Hight has a strategy for winning an unprecedented third NHRA Four-Wide Nationals presented by Lowes Foods.

“The only strategy is to not let the Four-Wide affect you," said Hight. "You are paying attention to two other cars you normally don’t have to deal with. To me I don’t want to know who is in the other lanes. I don’t want to think about their tendencies whether they are usually slow and they are in lane three. I don’t want to think about that. You really want to eliminate thinking. I just want to roll up there and be ready to do my own thing.”

Hight picked up wins at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in 2012 and 2014. In both instances, he was joined by 16-time Funny Car champion John Force in the final quad. Hight’s first Four-Wide win came over a Who’s Who of drivers as he outran Force, Cruz Pedregon and Ron Capps to get the win. The unforgiving nature of drag racing is lessened slightly at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals and Hight is ready to use that to his advantage if necessary.

“You can’t overthink it. It is really no different if there are ten lanes or two lanes. You can only control what is in your lane. That is all you can ever do,” claims Hight, who currently sits in the No. 1 points position for Funny Car. “The outside lanes are probably the easiest to stage because you are looking at the outside bulbs on the tree. Lane two is the lane that is the most confusing.

“The Four-Wide gives you two second chances. Normally in drag racing, you never get a second chance. You lose and you are eliminated. You are going home. It is over. At the Four-Wide in the first and second round on Sunday, you get a second chance. You just need to be the first or second car to the finish line in either the first or second round. If you can do that twice, then you are in the last quad racing for the win. I look at the odds and if you can go up there and not get distracted, race your own race with a car that is running well you ought to be able to get to the final quad. I like the odds of that.”

THAT MANY? - Friday presented a huge career milestone for Courtney Force as she suited up for her 100th race as part of John Force Racing.

“It's amazing to think this is my 100th event. I've learned so much along the way from the start in my Traxxas Funny Car to now, and I hope we can make a great performance this weekend for our 100th race! I'm so thankful for all the support of my sponsors to have been able to make it to 100 events and especially Traxxas for being with me from the very beginning of my Funny Car career. It's so awesome to think they were with me for race number one and now we are going into 100! Really hoping to put this Traxxas team in the Winner’s Circle this weekend to show them our appreciation through all these years,” said Force.

Last year Force qualified No. 1 at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals with a 4.011 second pass at 312.35 mph. Force has since posted a career-best ET of 3.893 seconds (Gainesville 2016) and a career-best speed of 329.34 mph (Pomona1 2016).

The 27-year-old newlywed has come a long way since first stepping in her 10,000 horsepower Traxxas Camaro. She raced to four victories in 2014 alone and became the first female Funny Car driver to record four wins in a season. She also won the 100th race by a female driver in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series at Topeka and passed sister Ashley Force Hood as the winningest female Funny Car driver.

“Some of my favorite highlights throughout my first 100 races would be the 3-second passes and the speed records we've had, but mostly the wins I’ve shared with my team and Traxxas. On the top of that list was becoming the winningest female in Funny Car with seven wins and getting that 100th win for women in Topeka while qualifying No. 1 the same weekend as my sister Brittany,” said Force.

PRO STOCK

HOMETOWN FAVORITE - Local favorite Greg Anderson, who lives in nearby Mooresville, kept his early season momentum going by racing to the top of the order with a 6.577 at 209.65 in his Summit Racing Equipment Chevy Camaro.

The four-time world champ has won two races this season in the new-look Pro Stock class, which features electronic fuel injection, flat hoods, shorter wheelie-bars and a 10,500 RPM rev-limiter.
 
“Honestly it looked bleak today with the forecast and we were thankful to get in one round,” said Anderson, a two-time winner of the Four-Wide Nationals. “We got some intel today. It has become very clear that the pack has made some gains. Now it’s time to get back to work and find some more performance for tomorrow to try and hang on to No. 1. The good news is we have great weather for the rest of the weekend.  The track is perfect and we can tune ‘em up and try to run better tomorrow.”
 

 

SHE IS THE CHAMP - Defending world champ Erica Enders sits eighth in her Elite Motorsports Dodge Dart with a 6.644 at 207.08.

DRAGGING THE LINE - The KB Racing team was anything but positive of the NHRA's announcement changing the rules and format of the Pro Stock division. Five races into the new Pro Stock, they are loving the new pathway.

"We have embraced (the changes to the car) and are going forward," said Jason Line. "All our (crew) guys did a great job over the winter to learn and adopt these changes. It's a learning curve for all of us, and we're not where we need to be by any means. We'll continue to work to learn as fast as we can. There's still a lot to learn, a lot of development left in the car. With the help of partners like Chevrolet, we know where we’re going. It’s just a question of how fast we get there. So far, it's been good for our team; we've had a good run through the first four races. This weekend, we'd like to keep that going."
 
The competition would prefer Line and his teammate Greg Anderson and Bo Butner take a break. The trio has combined to not only win every race, but also qualifying No. 1 and lead every session.

"It would be hard to say that I'm not happy with the start of the season. If you’re not happy now, you’ll never be," admitted Line. "We've ran in every round of eliminations; we've been in four finals and won two of them. I would have liked to win all four but it didn't work out that way. I lost to my teammate (Greg Anderson) in the final twice. But our team as a whole I would give us an 'A' because we've pretty much done about all you can do. It's very satisfying. That being said, there's still a lot left to do. We want the rest of the season to continue on this way so we’re working hard."

LAST MINUTE REPRIEVE - Aussie Shane Tucker had already posted on his Facebook account regret he'd miss what was to be his first of a limited schedule in 2016.

Tucker put his new fuel injected engine on the dyno Tuesday night, and it broke a valve spring which spread mayhem throughout the 500-inch unit. After making a few phone calls, Tucker and his Auzmet Architectural team were able to repair the motor and put it back on the dyno late last night.

The last minute reprieve enabled the Auzmet Architectural Pro Stocker to roll to the starting line in Friday's qualifying albeit with no testing of a "foreign" combination from what he is accustomed.

“I don’t have any real expectations; I’m just happy to be out there racing again," Tucker said. "It’s all gonna be quite the learning curve and I guess I’d be a little naive to think we could come out and be competitive with the short amount of time that we’ve had to prepare.
 
“Come Indy, I want to be able to challenge to win the race,” added Tucker. “I don’t want to turn up if we aren’t competitive enough to win the race.”
 
NOT A BANNER YEAR - Shane Gray hasn't enjoyed the kind of season he'd prefer.
 
"The way I grew up taught me one thing: When things don't go your way, roll up your sleeves and work harder," Gray said. "No one is going to feel sorry for you. If you want to change the situation you're in, you better bear down and fix it."
 
In three starts this year, Gray has logged just one round-win.
 
"We've burned plenty of midnight oil working on this Chevy, and we've run the wheels off of it during the day with several test sessions," Gray said. "There is no quit in this group. We are very motivated to get this thing running at the top of the charts.
 
"I love racing, but I have no interest in being a sideshow. If we're not rolling through the gates knowing we have a chance to win, there's no point in showing up. We certainly feel like we have a great chance this weekend, and I think we're all very anxious to line up and race."

 
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

EDDIE WAS CRUISING - Three-time Pro Stock Motorcycle world champ Eddie Krawiec was quickest in the two-wheel category, riding his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson to a 6.818 at 192.85.
 
“It made an awesome run,” Krawiec said. “Crew chief Matt [Hines] made all the right decisions and it ran killer to the first 60-foot and the track was good. In our quad we had four guys all go 80s. It’s really neat when you have that and it worked out with all the reaction times being close. So it probably was some neat finish line stuff for a picture. The end result was my Harley went 6.81. It was an awesome lap, and I am looking forward to tomorrow.”
 
THE OTHER GATOR - Louisiana alligator farmer Jerry Savoie is second on his White Alligator Racing Suzuki with a 6.841 at 197.62.

HINES IN THE TOP THREE - Two-time defending Four-Wide Nationals winner Andrew Hines is third on his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson with a 6.851 at 192.77.