EVENT RESULTS (Sun) EVENT NOTEBOOK (Sun) POINTS AFTER EVENT ROUND-BY-ROUND RESULTS SPORTSMAN RESULTS

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SUNDAY NOTEBOOK

LOAD OF BRICKS FALLS FROM LANGDON’S SHOULDERS WITH TOP FUEL VICTORY - Both Shawn Langdon and Tony Schumacher had been telling everyone for weeks that it was just a matter of time before he made it back into the NHRA winners circle.

So something had to give Sunday when the two champions from the Don Schumacher Racing organization faced each other in the Top Fuel final round of the Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.

Langdon relied on his trademark quickness at the Christmas tree to defeat Schumacher, winning for the first time since last year’s season finale in November at Pomona, Calif.

The Red Fuel Dragster racer earned his 12th Top Fuel trophy with a 3.838-second elapsed time at 322.19 mph on the East Tennessee 1,000-foot course. Schumacher clocked 3.924, 310.70 in the U.S. Army Dragster’s second consecutive final-round appearance.

The first sound from Langdon in his winner’s interview was a sigh, and that said it all. This victory, only the third in a year and a half from the 2013 series champion who underwent career-altering changes in 2015 because of an unexpected funding crisis, lifted a pile of bricks from his shoulders.

“It feels good in so many ways to get the win today. We beat some really good teams today,” he said, exhausted after advancing past Terry McMillen, Brittany Force, and Doug Kalitta.

“The pressure started rolling in a little bit,” Langdon said, after he began this season with five first-round defeats that mired him in as lowly a spot in the standings as 13th place. People were bombarding with questions about why he couldn’t get past the first or second round and what was wrong with his car.

But Langdon knew crew chiefs Todd Okuhara and Phil Shuler were inching closer and closer to having the car ready to mow down the competition. He had improved to the point he had reached two semifinals in the previous four races. So he knew he could get back to that stage where he was in 2013, when he won seven times in 10 finals, return to the driver who had 18 No. 1 qualifiers and 11 victories in 25 finals. He saw progress after defying odds last year to win the first and last events on the schedule, despite having his team’s funding whisked away abruptly just before the 2015 season began.

He knew how much Tony Schumacher wanted to step out of his Top Fuel funk, as well, and record a sixth Bristol victory.

“Tony, his record speaks for itself. I knew I had to step it up,” Langdon said.

So he turned to what he knew best. He had to leave the starting line first.

And he did, launching in .036 of a second to the equally capable Schumacher’s .065.

However, Langdon said “adrenaline and a little bit of luck” played a part of his second Bristol victory, which made him 4-1 against Schumacher in final rounds and earned him an automatic berth in the Traxxas Top Fuel Shootout that will take place in September at Indianapolis and pays $100,000 to win.

“It’s one of those things you really don’t concentrate on throughout the season,” Langdon said of the bonus race. “But as other teams were winning – and it’s not like it’s a do-or-die thing – you keep seeing these spots go away. You don’t want to take it down to a fan vote, because you never know what’s going to happen.”

Now he knows.

Now he’s going to be in the running for 100-grand.

Now he’s a 2016 winner.

Now he’s on his way to try to win again in this coming weekend’s conclusion to the four-race Eastern Swing, at Norwalk, Ohio.

Langdon took advantage of the fact Schumacher dropped a cylinder early in that final run.

Schumacher said, “That’s disappointing, for one thing because we really want that spot in the Shootout. We’re running out of spaces there. There’s only one spot left. But we’re running so well, consistent every week. It feels a little ridiculous to be in the finals and get beat. But, hey, it is what it is. With that hole out right away, it wasn’t  a fun race for a final. We’d been running better than them three or four hundredths every run, so we went up there thinking this would be a great race to win. It was a letdown by just the fact that we didn’t get it done. We’d  been running too darn well, machine-like, for the last two days. To get to the end and let it get away like that, it’s just frustrating.” Susan Wade

JOHNSON JR. TAKES FUNNY CAR WALLY AT BRISTOL - Nitro Funny Car driver Tommy Johnson Jr. seems to always being flying under the radar in his Don Schumacher Racing Dodge.

That wasn’t the case Sunday at the Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tenn., - Johnson Jr. was starring in the spotlight.

Johnson Jr., on a holeshot, beat his DSR teammate Matt Hagan in the finals when he clocked a 4.038-second elapsed time at 313.22 mph to beat Hagan’s quicker 4.030-second lap at 317.57 mph.

The difference was at the starting line as Johnson Jr. had an .035 reaction time compared to Hagan’s .057 reaction time.

“You have to dig deep, man,” Johnson Jr. said. “Hagan is one of the best leavers out there and this team has been fighting all year, and I’ve been coming to the tree every time for them and trying to do my best. I knew we would get it lined out.”

This was Johnson Jr.’s 13th career national event win and his first of the season in his Make-A-Wish Dodge. This was Johnson Jr.’s second appearance in a 2016 final round as he lost in Epping, N.H., to his DSR teammate Ron Capps earlier this month.

The win also was beneficial for Johnson Jr. as it allowed him to secure the final spot in the NHRA Traxxas Nitro Shootout.

“To lock yourself into that, it’s in the back of your mind,” said Johnson Jr., who also won at Bristol in 2014. “We had a shot at it in Epping and we just lost to Ron Capps, who is already in, and I thought man, he didn’t cut me any slack, I need to get in there as well. I came in here against my teammate Hagan, who is already in, I thought we had to go get it and we did. The guys just stepped up to the plate and made great calls all day. It takes a lot of pressure off. I kept telling myself, don’t worry if we don’t get in the Traxxas Shootout because that’s not the big picture. The big picture is the championship, but at the same time you really want to get in that. That’s a big race at Indy that has a lot of money on the table.”

Johnson Jr. qualified No. 6, and proceeded to beat Cruz Pedregon, Robert Hight, and Alexis DeJoria before ousting Hagan.

“We had a great season last year and finished third and made a really good charge late,” Johnson Jr. said. “The guys just did a great job. We’re not an aggressive team. We race the race track and John (Collins, Johnson Jr.’s crew chief) makes some really great calls on what to do and he’s kind of feeling it out as the season begins and as the season gets going we get all that data and he starts to make some really great calls, and the team really starts to make a charge. (Sunday) the car drove flawless and it was a great way to celebrate Father’s Day.”

During NHRA Nitro Spring Training at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park near Phoenix, in early February, Johnson powered his Dodge Charger to the unofficial quickest run ever in Funny Car, a jaw-dropping 3.874 second run at 318.47 mph.

Now, Johnson Jr. is hoping he can capitalize on his Bristol momentum.

“I’m not going to lie, a little bit,” Johnson Jr. said about being disappointed that it took his team until the 11th race of the season to win. “It could’ve been better at the beginning. We has some issues and we had a problem with the car that we fortunately found. Unfortunately it took us three or four races to find it, but we found and things have been turning up since then. I’m really happy with the guys, they kept their chins up and kept working hard and these are the results you get from that. It was a great team effort all around.” Tracy Renck

LINE GETS SIXTH PRO STOCK SEASON VICTORY AT BRISTOL - Same story, different weekend.

For the 11th time in 11 NHRA national event races, team owner Ken Black saw one of his drivers reach the winner’s circle.

The latest champion was Jason Line.

Line, driving his Summit Racing Camaro, edged teammate Greg Anderson for the title at the Thunder Valley Nationals Sunday in Bristol, Tenn.

Line clocked a 6.668-second elapsed time at 207.59 mph to defeat Anderson’s 6.694-second lap.

“We were a little tardy (off the line) - neither one of us wanted to win,” Line said. “It was kind of crazy. When we staged, my light blinked and the auto start didn’t start when he (Anderson) thought it was going to and it really messed me up when that happened. Neither one of us did a great job, we were a little tardy, but we made a great run and we got the win and it feels very, very good.”

This was Line’s 43rd career Pro Stock national event win. He now has wins at Phoenix, Las Vegas, Charlotte, Atlanta, Topeka and Bristol this season and he has been in 10 of the 11 final rounds this year. Anderson has the other five wins on the circuit in 2016.

“This is unbelievable,” said Line, who also captured his second career Bristol win, the other coming in 2006. “I don’t know what to say. This is the best year I’ve ever had and it’s not done yet. I’m so excited.”

As good as things have been, Line knows this string of success could end at any time.

“We are,” said Line when asked if his team was ever going to get beat. “The longer it goes, the better the odds are. It’s going to happen, it’s just a matter of time. It’s crazy, but something is going to happen and someone is going to beat us. The fact that it has gone on this long is really unfathomable to me, but at the same time it’s very exciting for me to be a part of.” Tracy Renck

SATURDAY NOTEBOOK - LEADERS REMAIN UNCHANGED AS WE HEAD INTO RACE DAY.

STATMAN CAPPS - The last driver to win four races in a row from the No. 1 qualifying position in Funny Car was John Force.

That's a serious stat, not that Ron Capps needed any more pressure.

Capps, who now has three consecutive No. 1 qualifiers, and back-to-back wins, welcomes the challenge.

"Honestly, we wipe the slate clean at the end of the day and at the end of every race," said Capps. "We are glad to go to each race, and each one has presented totally different weather conditions. It just shows the versatility of my crew chief Rahn Tobler and the team to continually give him a good race car without nuts or bolts loose. This is just a fun car to drive right now."

"If we can just keep up this momentum, we might not be the quickest but we can at least one of the top three headed into the Countdown."

Even more impressive Capps notes, is some of the Funny Cars are literally quick enough to qualify for Top Fuel.

"That's insane if you think about the performance of a Funny Car, wheelbase 125-inches of evil-handling race car running as good as the No. 8 or No. 9 Top Fueler, 300-inch wheelbase and very forgiving. Kudos to the Funny Car crew chiefs who make it happen."

If Capps can pull off the feat on Sunday, he'll tie former employer and mentor Don "The Snake" Prudhomme on the all-time wins list at 49.

"You think back, and I was once that kid at the Rancho Bakersfield Cafe, who got yelled at by him for asking for an autograph while he was eating his pancakes," Capps remembered. "I was just a six-year-old who idolized him, and it just feels unbelievable to be mentioned in this manner."

AMMUNITION AGAINST THE GIANTS - Steve Torrence is the rare success story for a family funded Top Fuel operation.

"CAPCO is our family's business, and Rio Ammunition has been a huge benefit to us, and we are proud to have them aboard," Torrence said. "For the most part, we are family funded. We are not racing with the budget some teams are, but I do believe we are holding our own. We are doing the best we can and making a statement we are here to race."

Torrence's Friday evening 3.745-second pass at 324.12 mph withstood the challenge of two qualifying sessions on Saturday. He will meet Terry Haddock in the opening round of Sunday’s eliminations scheduled to begin at noon.

"The competition level in Top Fuel is probably at an all-time high," said Torrence. "The class is so close that it's more on the drivers now than ever before. All the tuners are doing a great job. I'm not sure if we are on a hot streak or not right now but we are going to keep trying to do what we are doing, but if we are going to get on a winning streak, I'd rather it be in those last six races of the season."

PUTTING SOME STANK ON IT - Jason Line slapped the Pro Stock field on Saturday and made it hurt.

Line blasted out a 6.652 at 208.01 number to earn his fourth consecutive No. 1 qualifier and sixth of the year. Line, who has 47 top qualifiers in his career, won this event 10 years ago. The five-time 2016 winner and points leader will face Dave River in the first round.
 
“I wasn’t expecting to run that quick, so that was a really good run,” said Line, a two-time world champion. “I was pretty excited about that. It’s a lot of fun. This is not going to last forever and I’ll spare you the ‘They’re Gaining on Us’ speech, but that was a really good run. We were missing something on the previous runs and I think we figured out why. It feels good and we should have three really fast (Ken Black Racing) hot rods for tomorrow.”

 PARTNERS IN TIME - Line’s Ken Black Racing teammate Greg Anderson qualified second with a 6.675 at 206.95 in his Summit Racing Equipment Chevy Camaro. Anderson, a two-time Bristol winner, is second in points with five wins and two runners-up this season. He will meet John Gaydosh Jr. in the opening round of eliminations.

Bo Butner, the third and final member of the KB Racing team, is third and will battle V. Gaines in the first round. Drew Skillman is fourth and will race five-time world champ Jeg Coughlin Sunday morning while Vincent Nobile is fifth and will go heads-up with teammate and back-to-back world champ Erica Enders.

JAMIE'S COMING BACK IN NORWALK - Tim Wilkerson plans to kick Bessie back to the curb again after this weekend. His new Funny Car, nicknamed Jamie, will be back in action next week after a devastating Topeka crash.

“We’re going to have it at Norwalk," said Wilkerson. "[Chassis builder] Murf McKinney, he worked hard and front-halved it and got a body done for us and the two of us had gone back between Englishtown and Epping and spent three or four days working on it while the rest of the guys came and set it up. We have the car all back together and now all we have to do is get the body done; the painter was done with it yesterday."

Wilkerson plans to stay the course with the Shelby Cobra Mustang bodies, thanks to bodies formerly used by John Force, who now races Camaros.

“Force is going to keep supplying us with bodies," Wilkerson explained. "Since we started out with Ford and we started out with Mustangs, he’s not going to let us fall by the wayside and die. I have three new bodies and thanks to John, one of them is his. It’s really going to help us keep going.”   

POWER FAILURE - Pro Stock racer Allen Johnson let out the clutch during his Q-3 qualifying attempt, only to have his Dodge Dart shut off after the 60-foot cone. The hometown racer coasted to a stop; with no time was posted for his efforts. The team regrouped and came back with a stout 6.709, 206.51.
 
“We consistently did what we meant to do in qualifying,” Johnson said. “We made a mistake in the third qualifying session which was pretty big but I think we have a great racecar for tomorrow. The track is going to be a little grimy because we go behind the fuel cars but hopefully the track will come to us tomorrow.”

The snafu was blamed on "electrical gremlins."

MR. SPEED - Del Worsham drove his DHL Toyota Camry to a new Bristol Dragway Funny Car record speed of 329.42 mph to qualify second.
 
The reigning Funny Car world champion ran his 3.888 at 329.42 mph pass in Friday evening’s second session and then followed that up by topping Saturday’s first session with a 3.998 as track temps climbed in excess of 130 degrees. He also likely would have been in the top-three in Friday’s first session only to have a timing and scoring malfunction that left him with no time.
 
"Great to run those numbers today in the conditions that we are going to see tomorrow,” said Worsham. “The DHL Toyota is running strong. We have Andy Graves and Kevin Kuchta here this weekend from Toyota, and they said we could run a 3.98 and it ran pretty darn close. This team is running really well and that gives me a ton of confidence going into raceday."
 

 

CAN SUPERMAN FLY AGAIN? - John Force ended up in the No. 8 qualified spot and races Jack Beckman in the first round. Force and Beckman had similar numbers during both sessions today but Force will go into race day knowing he can pick his lane and control his own destiny.

“I know the drill over there," Force said. "I danced with those guys (crew chiefs) Jimmy Prock and John Medlen. They are really good. It is exciting and it is great for the fans. I am ready to get back in this fight and we aren’t where we want to be but we are getting better. I have a young team and we are getting better and I am having a great time out here. The fans are great and I love Bristol Dragway. I want to get out here and entertain all the fathers that are coming out to the track tomorrow,” exclaimed Force from the top end after his final qualifying run.

Force’s day will start with the Legends of Thunder Valley induction ceremony.

“I am honored to be named a Legend of Thunder Valley. I am not done making history yet with this hot rod. I look at those names up on that building, people like Bruton Smith, Connie Kalitta, Don Schumacher and Don Garlits, and I can’t believe my name will be up there. I have won a lot here and I want to keep on winning."

FRIDAY NOTEBOOK – LONG FRIDAY RESULTS IN IMPRESSIVE CONCLUSION

JUST ROLL WITH IT - When you have a hot hand, you just roll with it. This season Steve Torrence has been on a roll.

Torrence has five No. 1 qualifiers this season, and after somewhat of a slump, scoring only two wins in four finals, and one semi-final finish out of the first ten races. He enters this weekend's event third in the championship point standings. 

In the final run of Friday qualifying, Torrence uncorked a 3.745 elapsed time at 324.12 to snatch the provisional top spot from point leader Doug Kalitta, who ran a 3.767. Brittany Force was third with a 3.773.

“You know, the car has been exceptional. I say this week in and week out, but my team has given me the best car that I’ve ever had. So when you get in the seat and you know the thing is capable of outrunning anybody that you come up against and setting low e.t., any session is a huge confidence boost for me as a driver and just a true testament to how hard these guys work week in and week out. We’ve made 16 laps in two weeks, and they’re still ready to go, energetic and full of drive. That’s what it takes to have a caliber team that can go win a championship.”

HANG ON SLOOPY - Interaction with his fans is important to Ron Capps.

Sometimes though, Capps hears the mumblings and tries his best to block out the whispers outside of his pit area. There are times he wants to counsel race fans, but it isn't always easy practicing restraint. 

“I had to stop fans today that were coming up and saying, ‘Come on! Three-peat," admitted Capps. "And I want to stop them mid-sentence and just say, ‘It’s been great, but let’s not get carried away."

With Friday's provisional No. 1 qualifying effort at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, Capps stands on the verge of qualifying No. 1 at three of the four stops on the NHRA's Eastern Swing. 

Joining Capps atop the leaderboard in first-day qualifying at Bristol Dragway were Steve Torrence (Top Fuel) and Jason Line (Pro Stock).

Capps continued his vise grip on the Funny Car division as he and crew chief Rahn Tobler blistered the competition as he led Friday qualifying for the third event in a row with a track record 3.884 elapsed time at 323.66 miles per hour. 

"You’re going to a different track; you hope you can keep it up," Capps admitted. "You know, as a driver, you hope that your crew chief and your crew can keep up with what we’ve been doing because it’s been so much fun, it really has. We had an issue the first run today, and it pushed back a little bit; it dropped a cylinder at the hit of the throttle basically and did a little damage down there. I shut it off a little early; it could have been worse, but they bounced back.”

Defending series champion Del Worsham was second with a 3.888-second pass while Robert Hight ended a quick Q-2 session as third quickest. 

 

DRAGGING THE LINE, BRISTOL EDITION - Jason Line was the class of the field in yet another KB Racing dominated qualifying day. His 6.680 was more than a .01 quicker than teammate Greg Anderson, who was second with a 6.692. Bo Butner was third.

“We weren’t as dominant tonight; obviously, a lot of cars were fast tonight, and I guess that’s good, it’ makes everybody else happy," Torrence said. "Maybe not us, but a lot of cars ran really good. I’m fortunate enough and was fast enough to be up here; I feel good about that.”

THE STRUGGLE IS REAL - Pro Stock racer and hometown Bristol favorite Allen Johnson can feel JR Todd's pain.

Johnson, along with Todd, are the only professional drivers in modern NHRA history to lose a tie drag race.

Todd lost to teammate Doug Kalitta by less than an inch last month during the NHRA Southern Nationals in Commerce, Ga., with a .0000 margin of victory.

Johnson's moment happened on Father's Day 2012 when Mike Edwards snatched away a monumental victory by less than an inch at the finish line.

“You know, that was right in our grasp that day," Johnson said. "We had run really well all day but Mike had done a little better job than I did on the tree. It was exciting to be able to have the hype all day. That really was a big disappointment, I have to be honest.”

Disappointment is the best way to describe Johnson's experiences at the closest NHRA national event venue to his Greeneville, Tenn., home. The seasoned Pro Stock veteran has only won once, back in 1981, while racing in IHRA Super Stock eliminator. Even then, he lost in the second round but was reinstated when his opponent turned up light at the scales.

“I’m telling you, we’d like to have a little bit of luck here this weekend," admitted Johnson. "I want to accomplish two things: win the first race here for my dad on Father’s Day and to take down those guys at KB Racing for the first time this year.”

Nothing would break the Bristol jinx like beating the seemingly unbeatable.

“You know, in the beginning, I would say it’s disheartening watching those guys dominate the way they have, but now it’s a freaking challenge," Johnson said.  

READ 'EM AND WEEP - The stats are disheartening if you're a Pro Stock racer.

Since the NHRA mandated electronic fuel injected Pro Stock, the three-car team of KB Racing have won ten events, qualified ten times and led qualifying in all 39 sessions of qualifying.

The key to their success has been a simple procedure.

“Put in the work,” said Jason Line, current point leader. “After every race we go back to the shop and fix what we broke and try to find more power.”

When the NHRA announced the sweeping transformation of Pro Stock last July, the most vocal opponents to the changes were Line and Anderson. Now they are intent on keeping their lion's share of the performance market.

“Obviously, you have to get better,” Anderson said. “If we don’t get better each week, we will get passed by. The other teams are doing a great job and they are gaining. There is still a lot to be learned about fuel injection, but we are absolutely not going to quit because the other guys want to beat us.”

Anderson and Line have each claimed victory at Thunder Valley Dragway in Bristol. Anderson won the Bristol in 2004 and 2001, and Line won in 2006.

LIMITING ATTENTION - When you run 335.57, the fastest speed in the history of 1,000-foot drag racing, it tends to get people's attention. Matt Hagan's accomplishment during the NHRA Kansas Nationals came under scrutiny from the NHRA's technical department, who less than a week later adjusted the rules to ensure no other Funny Car comes close to running as fast.

Funny Cars now have an 8,100 rpm limit, and Hagan's crew chief Dickie Venables isn't the least bit perturbed. In fact, he's had very little challenge in adjusting.

“It hasn’t been very hard at all, just that it’s not going to run 335 mph anymore," said Venables. "You can run 330 - I think that’s been proven. Haven’t really changed anything we do, just doesn’t rev up as much down there. Hasn’t caused any problems or anything that we can see.”

“I’m okay with it. I think there’s places that 335 is safe to run that fast and there’s places it’s not. That’s our job to make these cars go fast, but also safety is a big thing too. You have to be safe. 335 is pretty fast like at Englishtown where it’s short and Atlanta; some of the older tracks that aren’t long. I’m all about safety; 335 is probably too fast.”

PERFECT OPPORTUNITY - Never let it be said that Funny Car racer Chad Head will let the opportunity to let a quality wisecrack pass by. Head ran a 3.955 and held the track record for about 5 minutes before it was bettered four times in the Q2 session.

"You are always on the edge when dad gets on top of it; we are all chasing Del Worsham's 1.48, the quickest run in drag racing history.

HE’S A LEGEND, REALLY – During Sunday’s pre-race ceremonies, 16-time NHRA champion John Force will be inducted into Bristol Dragway’s exclusive club of legends.

"I thought you had to be dead to be a legend," Force said with a smile. "This is a huge honor for me. In so many ways, I am still trying to prove I am worthy. When you look at the guys in this group, just to be recognized in this group of drag racers is an honor. This is a very humbling experience."

With four career wins, Force is the winningest NHRA Funny Car driver at Thunder Valley. In addition, he has one runner-up finish, one No. 1 qualifier, and a visit to the Bristol winner's circle as a team owner. He also is the current Funny Car track record holder in elapsed time (3.978 seconds) and speed (323.43 mph).

YES, I DO OWN THE ROAD - Between this weekend's visit to Bristol and last weekend's Englishtown, NJ. home race, Brown officially had a street named after him.

Brown was honored by his hometown of Chesterfield, NJ., when Mayor Jeremy Leidtka presented Brown with an "Antron Brown Way" sign that will adorn a street in a new development in his real hometown.

"No award could compare to the honor of having a street named after you," said Brown, a standout athlete and student at Northern Burlington High School and later at Mercer County Community College in the Chesterfield area.

"Whenever I think about having a street named after me, I'm like, 'Am I worthy?' I'm honored and humbled at the same time. Presidents get streets named after them, and I'm not a president."

FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME - John Gaydosh finally got his first round win last weekend at the NHRA Summernationals. The milestone only took eight years to accomplish.

"It has been an uphill battle from the beginning," said Gaydosh who races Pro Stock with an ex-Gray Motorsports Camaro. "It was the greatest moment in my racing career as it trumps all of the other wins I have because this is the hardest class I have ever raced."

Driving to a victory is one thing, but doing an interview with Fox Sports is another.

“I didn’t want to mess up the interview, so I was nervous about that," Gaydosh said. "The last thing you want to do in a big moment like that is leave a sponsor or someone out. It was a great moment with my wife, Tina by my side, my brother, and the whole crew who has stuck with me thru all the trials and tribulations.”

WELCOME BACK - A year layoff from drag racing did little to quench Von Smith's thirst for drag racing.
 
Smith picked up his first round win since returning last weekend at the Summernationals in Englishtown, N.J.
 
“It is exciting,” said Smith, currently ninth in points, “For the first three races, we were just trying to get a round win and we just struggled to get everything going. We’re going to try to build off whatever we can this year. Everybody is on the same page and when we find what’s going to work, watch out.”
 
Smith holds a win at Bristol in 2010, the same year he claimed the NHRA J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series championship.
 
Racing at Bristol Dragway also provides an extra thrill for Smith, who lives less than two hours from the picturesque track. It’s been home to plenty of special memories and Smith would love to create one more in front of a big crowd of family and friends.
 
“We’ll probably have 50 family and friends here,” Smith said. “That always means some added pressure, but it also makes you rise to the occasion as well. We just don’t want to beat ourselves. I look forward to being close to home. You want to always do well at home, but I just look forward to get back to racing.”