2016 SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT NHRA NATIONALS - NORWALK NOTEBOOK
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SUNDAY NOTEBOOK
LANGDON MAKES IT TWO IN A ROW WITH NORWALK VICTORY - It has taken a while, but Shawn Langdon appears to finally found his groove at Don Schumacher Racing.
Langdon, who joined DSR during the 2015 Countdown to the Championship, won his second race in a row, his latest victory came Sunday at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.
Langdon clocked a 3.846-second elapsed time at 319.75 mph to edge Todd’s 3.937-second lap at 285.05 mph.
“This is unbelievable,” Langdon said. “From where we started in the beginning of the year with this team all the changes that we made through the first couple of races, the test sessions, this is what we worked for. Phil (Shuler) and Todd (Okuhara) (Langdon’s crew chiefs), they kind of had to take a step back and we started to progress the car, but we just weren’t getting the luck on Sunday. We kept the mentality that we have got to ride the waves. Drag racing is very streaky, you’re going to have the highs and the lows, but you have to not get down from the lows and not just soak in all the highs. You have to continue to work and that’s just what these guys did and it’s paying off now. They’re reaping the benefits of all their hard work. Two straight wins is a great way to end a four-race swing.”
Langdon, who pilots the Red Fuel Powered dragster, won the Thunder Valley Nationals June 19 in Bristol, Tenn. This was Langdon’s 13th career NHRA Top Fuel national event win and second this season.
“This definitely gives us confidence and when you have a good car like what we have right now, I think it puts a little pressure on the other teams where they have to start pushing their cars,” said Langdon, who was the 2013 NHRA Top Fuel world champion. “Rather than see a good drag race at the finish line, we’re starting to see some teams smoke the tires and take some chances against us. It’s just a good feeling and I’m happy to be a part of the team. This is good, the thing with Todd and Phil and I and all the crew guys is nobody over there has a big ego. Everybody is there to win and we work well together. If I make a little mistake inside the car, they’re very quick to pull me inside and show me where my mistake was, and I’m willing to accept that. I told them if there are any mistakes, tell me, I want to learn, I want to be better and continue to improve as a driver. They are also very good as far as if I have any changes I want to make, they are right on it. It’s a good working relationship and that’s why we’re able to have a little bit of success like we are right now, but because of continuous hard work.”
Langdon beat Troy Buff, Antron Brown, Brittany Force and then J.R. Todd in the finals.
“I think now we’re starting to see a little bit of luck go our way,” Langdon said. “Really we should’ve been out first round (with an 8.819-second run) and we were fortunate Troy Buff red lit first round. We went back and we looked at everything and we couldn’t really figure why it did what it did. We just kind of shrugged our shoulders and threw it out and the window and said let’s go back to what we did in qualifying Saturday with the hot weather tuneup. We were able to put together three straight good runs and I felt like we had a very strong car (Sunday).” Tracy Renck
CAPPS GETS FIRST CAREER NORWALK WIN - Ron Capps has won a lot of races in a lot of different places.
He is the second-winningest Funny Car driver in NHRA history, he has nearly 600 round wins to his credit, he has contended in nearly 100 finals. But of all of those wins, Summit Motorsports Park in northern Ohio was not on that list.
On Sunday, Capps finally broke that barrier, collecting his first-ever win at Summit Motorsports Park at the 10th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, besting Courtney Force in the final by four-thousandths of a second. It was a thrilling finish to a wild day as Capps earned his third win in the last four races and extended his points lead to 130 points clear of Force.
“It feels awesome. We were talking down at the other end, this is one of the few tracks I haven’t won at on the circuit, and I thought this one was going to elude me again,” Capps said. “Every year we come here and it is just a great place to race. I was here all week doing media, got to do the parade downtown with the Cavaliers, got to throw out the first pitch, I felt like I belonged in Cleveland.
“It was a whole week of fun leading up to this race. And, lo-and-behold, it led to a win.”
Every single run by Capps in the NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger R/T dipped into the three-second zone over the three-day event, an improbable feat considering the high temperatures and greasy conditions. But Capps, led by crew chief Rahn Tobler, navigated the tricky track to collect the win, his fourth of the season.
“What Rahn Tobler is doing right now is just old-fashioned hard work,” Capps said. “It is not bolt-on, this guy has been working his tail off. Eric, his assistant crew chief, and these NAPA guys, they give him a perfect car. It is so much fun to race with him and I love it when he points at me through the windshield before a run. It gives me all the confidence in the world.”
After posting bracket-like numbers most of the afternoon, Capps saved his best for last, running a 3.956 at 317.49 mph to hold off Force in the final with the track temperatures approaching 130 degrees. Force, who finished runner-up at Norwalk for the second year in a row, finished with a 4.010 at 314.17 mph.
“In the final I tried to roll it in and do the same thing I had done every time,” Capps said. “The most important thing to me was trying to go shallow because I wanted Tobler to have the recognition of eight runs in the three-second zone. If you think about it, four qualifying runs and four runs in eliminations, all three seconds, considering how hot it was today, I didn’t want to roll in deep and have it be a four-flat and lose that distinction.
“In that last run, I never heard her. I never saw her. My win light came on, and that is all that counts.”
Capps, who qualified second Friday night behind Del Worsham’s track record run, added wins over Robert Hight, Cruz Pedregon and Jeff Diehl to reach his fourth final in a row and fifth total in 2016. The win was the 49th of his career, tying him with Don “The Snake” Prudhomme for second-most in Funny Car history.
“This is by far the best race car I have had. This is one you dream of,” Capps said. “When you have a car where you go to the starting line and everyone is just shaking their head saying, ‘my gosh, what are they doing over there.’ That is what it feels like right now.
“I’ve never had one of my teammates ever apologize for whipping us in the past, or having a car that runs this good. Look at Jimmy Prock’s car and the streak they went on last year. I have been around this long enough to know it is not going to last forever, but it sure is fun right now.”
The only bump in an otherwise perfect weekend for Capps came in the third round of qualifying when Capps’ session-best 3.977-second pass was disallowed by NHRA for having an “unapproved aerodynamic device.” No matter the result, Capps’ car was fast in all conditions and in all setups, something he is very excited about as he approaches the second half of the season.
“The good thing for us is that we have all these runs in our computer,” Capps said. “Later in the year, everybody might catch up to where we are at, but we have a lot of data and that is going to help us. That is the real exciting part for me.” Larry Crum
RELAXED LINE BESTS TEAMMATE IN EIGHTH ALL-KB RACING FINAL OF THE YEAR - Jason Line is one calm, cool guy.
After all, what does the 46-year-old driver of the Summit Racing Equipment Chevy Camaro have to be stressed about?
He is leading the Pro Stock points. He just collected his seventh win in 12 races on the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour. His team, sponsored by parts supplier Summit Racing Equipment, just won the Summit race at the Summit track for the second year in a row.
It sure is nice being Jason Line.
“This is the most relaxed I have ever been in since I started racing,” Line said. “It is nice to be able to not be in a panic when you go back to the shop. You can think about things a little more.”
On Sunday, Line continued his dominating year in the Pro Stock ranks as he raced to his seventh win of the 2016 season and reached his 11th final in 12 races. It was also the seventh time this season that both Line and his teammate, Greg Anderson, have met in a final. But this time, it was Line emerging the victor, running a 6.678 at 208.42 mph in the heat to claim his second career Norwalk win. Anderson, who won this race last year, ran a 6.717 at 208.36 to finish in the runner-up spot.
“It sure sounds easy, what we are doing out here, but the execution usually proves to be difficult,” Line said. “But right now, our cars are so good. It certainly wasn’t an easy day, but it was a great day.
“Greg, he is tough. He is probably the person I want to race the most in the final, but he is also probably the person I want to race least in the final. I felt like we had a slight advantage having the lane, but usually when I race him I will do something to give that up. He is tough, very seldom do you catch him being .50 on the tree. We struggled on the tree as well, but it was good enough.
“To win at the Summit race with the Summit car at the Summit track, it is a huge deal. Somehow, we have been very fortunate to make that happen throughout our careers.”
Line added wins over Vincent Nobile, Erica Enders-Stevens and Curt Steinbach to reach the final, and he admitted he has noticed a considerable shrinking in the gap between he and his KB Racing teammate and the rest of the field.
“Some of the cars were very close to us. It was a little bit different than it has been in the past. They are obviously getting closer,” Line said. “That is good for them, but not good for us. We didn’t run as well as we would have liked today, but we are just going to have to work even harder to keep that advantage.”
In addition to extending his points lead to 115 points over Anderson and 593 points over third place Bo Butner, Line also learned that he and his teammate have already locked up a spot in the 2016 Countdown to the Championship, the earliest a driver has clinched a spot in the field since Tony Schumacher did the same in 2008.
“It is a little early. We haven’t really thought about that a whole lot, but we felt pretty secure that we were getting in one way or another,” Line said. “To clinch it that early is pretty crazy. But we will take it.”
After the race, Line was asked what drives him to be so successful on the track, and he joked that the reason for his seven wins and 11 finals so far this year is pretty simple. He has mouths to feed.
“The thing that fires me up every week, it is my wife and kids. They like to eat, so just keeping my job and doing the best I can,” Line said with a laugh. “It is easy to be happy when you are winning. It is not going to stay like this. We have been through bad times as well and obviously we are going to enjoy this while it lasts. I think we are going to win a few more before the year is out.” Larry Crum
KRAWIEC COMPLETES WILD DAY IN WINNER’S CIRCLE - Eddie Krawiec had quite the adventurous Sunday at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.
Krawiec ended his semifinal and final runs in the sand trap at the top end, but he could smile about the mishaps as he won the event.
Krawiec beat his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson teammate Andrew Hines in the finals.
Krawiec clocked a 6.926-second elapsed time at 194.72 mph to edge Hines’ 6.937-second lap at 193.29 mph.
“It’s been an interesting day for me to say the least,” Krawiec said. “I knew going into (Sunday) it was going to be some really good, tight racing. I had Chip Ellis first round and anytime you race Chip Ellis you can’t take that team lightly, because they can run up front. I just had to stay focused and do my job and focus on some win lights, and that’s what I tried to do. Second round, I got past there, and then going to the semis, I get the win light and go to grab my brakes and I realized quickly I don’t have any. I squeeze the lever a couple of times and I tried pumping the brakes and they just wouldn’t come back. So, the first thing I did was shut the engine off and squeeze my legs and arms as tight as I could to that motorcycle and sorta beached it. I figure if it’s about 95 degrees out here and we can’t go to the beach I will just bring the beach to me. I managed to get that win light and get it sorted out.”
This was Krawiec’s 34th career NHRA national event victory and third of the season in five races. He also had wins at Gainesville and Atlanta.
Krawiec ousted Chip Ellis, Hector Arana, Jerry Savoie – on a holeshot – and then Hines.
Once Krawiec made it to the finals it was a win-win situation because he was racing his teammate, but unfortunately his personal drama didn’t end.
“Win lose or draw it is still a great weekend,” Krawiec said. “We went back to the pits and had to take out 30 pounds of pea gravel because we weighed it on the scale just to see. We got all that out of there and I had a couple other racers come over and help clean up the bike and get everything sorted out and we put new brake pads on it, check the fluid, drained everything and we stopped fine going to the (staging) lanes. I saw my fourth round win light against my teammate and I go to squeeze the brakes and then I realized not again. All I did is let the clutch out because I won the race and it hurts the motor, now is the opportunity to hurt it. I threw the clutch out and let it come down on motor and I quickly realized it was still not enough to slow me down. I pulled the clutch in and held on for a ride, and it only went in (the sand trap) about 15 feet that time, it was a lot better than the last one. I tell you, I’ve never been in the sand in my career, but to do it twice in one weekend caps it all off.”
Krawiec acknowledged in the finals, he was prepared for the unexpected.
“It sounds kind of stupid, but I was ready for it in the final,” Krawiec said. “OK, I know what to do, let the clutch out and try to get thing to keep slowing down, and I will just hold on. As racers, we are kind of weird, put all that aside, and look for the win light first who cares about everything else, we will worry about that after we get the win light. I was fortunate enough to get by those four rounds (Sunday) and I drove really well and my crew chief gave me an awesome motorcycle.” Tracy Renck
SATURDAY NOTEBOOK
HOT SCOOP - During the afternoon on Saturday, Bill Bader Jr. unveiled the next generation of ice cream scoop awarded to winner of each class at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals.
Famously known for its ice cream, Norwalk’s latest ice cream scoop trophy was designed by Todd Shaw at TRS Engineering in Perrysburg, Ohio and will be presented to each class champion alongside their usual Wally. Bader joked that it is the “second biggest trophy to come to northern Ohio in the past 36 hours” since the Cleveland Cavaliers NBA championship.
HOT, HOT, HOT - No matter what weather website or program you prefer, they all have one thing in common. They all say it is going to be hot on Sunday.
All forecasts point to temperatures in the mid to upper 90s, meaning track temperatures will approach 130 degrees in the sun. If you think tuning a 10,000 horsepower machine is tough, those kinds of temperatures make it all that much tougher.
WALL BANGERS - A couple of different drivers were involved in accidents during Saturday’s afternoon session.
Top Alcohol Funny Car driver Steve Harker was involved in an incident during qualifying and made contact with the right side retaining wall.
Harker was alert, conscious and responding to commands from Safety Safari. He was transported via air to Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center in Toledo, Ohio for further evaluation.
Later in the day, Pro Mod racer Chris Juliano, lost control and struck the retaining wall in his ‘67 Mustang, coming to rest on his roof just past the finish line.
TOP FUEL
EVENTFUL DAY - Doug Kalitta had an eventful day on Saturday. In qualifying session three, he had a cylinder out during his run and then in round four, he lost a belt.
While neither run had any real effect on the qualifying order, it was an eventful day nonetheless. Now Kalitta is focused on putting those struggles behind him and focus on repeating as Norwalk champion on Sunday.
“It was an eventful day, but I think we are good shape for tomorrow,” Kalitta said. “It will be an interesting tune, it will be warmer and we will have to work that into our program, but it should be an exciting day.”
STEADY CLIMB - Over the last six races, no one has been hotter than Shawn Langdon.
Since losing in the first round in each of the first face races, Langdon has fired off 11 round wins, won his first race of the year last weekend in Bristol and has climbed from 12th all the way up to sixth. Not a bad rebound after a horrific start.
“It felt good to get that win,” Langdon said. “It kind of had that first time feel again. Just because of all the things we’ve been through this year, losing first round the first five races and just this steady but slow progression.
“I’ve just watched how hard this team has worked all year long. The crew guys, Todd (Okuhara) and Phil (Shuler). It’s been a little bit of a struggle, but when all the hard work pays off, it’s just a huge relief.
TOP THRILL DRAGSTER - Have you ever wanted to know what it is like to ride along in a Top Fuel dragster?
Well Cedar Point can get you close. Famous throughout the world as one of the fastest accelerating roller coasters in the world, the Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio is always a thrill for park goers and race fans alike. So what does the ride, which accelerates quickly from a standstill to 120 mph and takes thrill enthusiasts more than 400 feet in the air before quickly bringing them back down to earth, feel like to an actual Top Fuel driver?
“It accelerates hard, but it still isn’t anywhere close to a Top Fuel dragster,” said defending Top Fuel champion Antron Brown. “They did a great job trying to capture what it feels like. We pretty much go there and ride it every year. It gives all those that come to the amusement park a thrill that is like ours.”
Brown was one of a handful of drivers that participated in an NHRA Fan Fest during the week at the park, with all of the drivers taking a turn on the roller coaster. While the speed isn’t quite what a driver like Brown experiences, there is one simulated experience during the ride that is all too familiar to the two-time champ that he is not a fan of recreating.
“The only thing it does that is close is going up that steep hill, which is not something you want to feel in a Top Fuel car,” Brown said. “For those of us that have been in accidents before and upside down, that brings back flashbacks. And not good ones.”
MAKING A DIFFERENCE - Earlier this week, Clay Millican had a unique opportunity to raise some money and, most importantly, bring a smile to the faces of sick kids.
Millican teamed up with NASCAR star Kasey Kahne and World of Outlaws driver Daryn Pittman on behalf of Great Clips in visiting the Minnesota Children’s Hospital where he took part in a golf tournament and meet-and-greet with the children. It was a rewarding and eye opening experience for Millican and something that helped put a little perspective into his own life.
“That was a really cool event. Great Clips has been very involved in the Minnesota Children’s Hospital. This is the 20th anniversary of doing the golf tournament to raise money for the hospital and I don’t know how many millions they have raised for the hospital, but it was an awesome experience,” Millican said. “These kids were just so excited, and putting a smile on their faces knowing what a lot of them are going through, made me feel good.”
Kahne had his car on display and the trio welcomed kids out front of the hospital. Later that day, the drivers toured the hospital and greeted kids who weren’t able to make it outside.
And, in typical Millican fashion, he even found a way to bring smiles to the adults as well.
“Daryn and I put on our suits and helmets and event hit a few golf balls out on the course,” Millican said with a laugh. “It was a great time and rewarding knowing that we could make a difference, no matter how small.”
NEVER GIVE UP - Leah Pritchett has been on quite a ride this season.
From the high of winning her first career race in Phoenix, to the low of losing her ride shortly after when her BVR team disbanded, to the high of driving for Don Schumacher Racing, to the low of finding parts just to make more than one run, there is truly nothing Pritchett hasn’t seen this season.
“I think it was totally a shock for me. I think I skipped the whole 12-step program. There was no down in the dumps and going, oh my gosh, this sucks, my season is done. That part of my thinking was totally skipped over,” Pritchett said. “The thing that helped me stay strong is the fans. The messages I get from little girls to 40-year-old men telling me that I’m an inspiration to them, that means something.”
So this weekend, as an employee of DSR, but racing for the underfunded Lagana team in the Nitro Ninja dragster, Pritchett is just excited to be at the track, no matter the circumstances.
“I can’t let my fans down. I can’t let myself down. I can’t let my team down. I can’t let anyone that’s sacrificed with me to keep this going down,” Pritchett said. “I refuse to have failure.”
Pritchett qualified 13th on Saturday in her first runs of the weekend, running a 4.309 at 200.17. She will face Richie Crampton in round one.
STEALING AUTOGRAPHS - At first glance, there is nothing out of the ordinary in the pits of Top Fuel driver Terry McMillen.
There are crew members working on the car, marketing people setting up hospitality and a driver always willing to make time for fans. But upon closer inspection, you will find that it is not always for McMillen that the fans are lined up for.
Sometimes it is a much smaller guy signing the autographs - McMillen’s personable and extremely outgoing son, Cameron.
“He gets more press than I do anymore,” McMillen said with a laugh. “It is good for the sport because there is youth out there and we want families to come out and enjoy the family value. Drag racing today is not as it was perceived back in the 60s where it was a male dominated sport and kids really weren’t allowed. It’s changed so much.”
And that change has led to younger and younger fans stopping by to see the McMillen’s - both big and small.
“The neat thing with Cameron, while he has a good personality and has fun doing what he does, he just gets to be part of it all. And that means a lot,” McMillen said.
So how long until Cameron, who turned two earlier this year, gets his feet wet in the family business? Not long.
“We already have a Junior Dragster ready for him that he can drive when he is five,” McMillen said. “It is going to be exciting when that time comes. I plan on still racing then, whether as a team owner or a driver, and I am looking forward to the time he is able to climb in the car and race if that is what he wants to do.”
FUNNY CAR
GOING LONG - Del Worsham went for quite a ride on Saturday.
During his final qualifying session of the weekend, Worsham’s chutes failed to a deploy during a very quick three-second run and the defending champ was just along for the ride, blasting through the sand and into the field just beyond the track. While Worsham was unhurt in the incident, attention quickly shifted to the status of the car entering Sunday.
“I am not sure what happened. We had a pretty good run, I hit the chutes, and there was nothing,” Worsham said. “I was on the brakes as hard as I could, but I couldn’t get it stopped in time.
“This is a brand new DHL Toyota body on the car and we had a malfunction in the wires and it just took a couple runs for it to fail. This is my 25th year, but it is only my second chute failure. Luckily, if it is going to happen, this is place for that to happen.”
Worsham is the top overall qualifier, running a 3.875 at 328.70 Friday night.
With the top qualifier award, Worsham earned the distinction of being the first driver in Summit Motorsports Park history to take the top spot in Top Fuel and Funny Car at the northern Ohio track. He will have a bye in round one on Sunday.
“Momentum is the last thing we have going for us, but thankfully the damage was minimal considering what could have been,” Worsham said.
IT’S A CIRCUS OUT THERE - In all of drag racing, there is perhaps no dynamic quite like the one that exists between 16-time Funny Car world champion John Force and the Bader family.
Some of Force’s earliest memories as a driver involve working with Bill Bader and his son, Bill Bader Jr. in some fashion through various events at Summit Motorsports Park. From the early days of the Night Under Fire, to the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, now in its 10th season, Force and Bader have combined to create one of the most exciting duos in all of motorsports.
“We are circus people. He is the PT Barnum of drag racing, just without the elephants,” Force said. “We are entertainers. That is what we do. And that is why people keep coming back, because we put on a show.”
Through it all, Force says he can still call on Bader for anything and looks forward to his yearly trips to Norwalk more than any other on the schedule.
“This place means a lot to me. I have won a lot and we have seen a lot through the years,” Force said. “We are hustlers, the two of us, but we have never lied and we do everything we do with integrity and respect. That is why this relationship has been what it has been through the years.”
Force will look for his first win at Norwalk since 2014 on Sunday, qualifying 11th and facing Matt Hagan in round one.
CLEVELAND ROCKS - Sunday night leading up to the race in Norwalk, the Cleveland Cavaliers clinched the NBA championship with a 93-89 victory over the Golden State Warriors.
On Monday, the Cavs returned to northeast Ohio to begin their championship celebration. And so did most of the NHRA drivers. With the race this weekend taking place just a short drive from downtown Cleveland, many of the NHRA teams were in town for pre-race media, including NHRA Funny Car points leader Ron Capps.
Capps’ hotel was located right smack dab in the middle of town, and provided a unique vantage point over the massive parade that was held for the Cavs Wednesday afternoon.
“It was unbelievable. I could not have picked a better time to be in a city. We were warned a little bit that it was going to be over 800,000 people in town for the parade, but nobody expected 1.3 million,” Capps said. “It was exciting. I don’t care who your favorite team is, being there, it made you a little bit of a Cleveland fan seeing how the whole state was uplifted for one championship.”
But the fun didn’t stop there. Later that day, Capps had an opportunity to revel in the festivities further when he threw out the first pitch at a Cleveland Indians baseball game, another neat experience for the veteran.
“I walked down the day before I threw the first pitch, looked at the stadium, and got a little nervous,” Capps said. “I was fine up until they told me to start walking on the field. I looked up on that big screen when they announced my name and I was larger than I ever wanted to see myself.”
So after a weekend surrounded by championships and celebration, has that provided any extra motivation for Capps to close the deal?
“We always have a championship caliber team,” Capps said. “We led the points when the season started. We are leading at at the halfway point. I think we can keep this up and if we can do this in October and November, we are going to be standing at the end of the year with a trophy.”
Capps qualified second this weekend, but faced a bit of a hiccup on Saturday when his third session time was disallowed by NHRA due to an approved aerodynamic device.
NEW CAR BLUES - There is nothing quite like that new car smell.
Well, most of the time. For Tim Wilkerson, his new car has been nothing but trouble, with a now-famous spin and fiery wall slap last month leading to a complete overhaul of the lightweight, state-of-the-art Murf McKinney Funny Car. This weekend, after a bit of messaging and a lot of love, Wilkerson is ready to bring the repaired ride back out for another go.
“We had a couple issues yesterday. It was just normal, just-put-the-car-back-together blues,” Wilkerson said. “We had a couple wires hooked up wrong, things that didn’t work, just the normal deal. It should be alright. We will see if we can get our stuff in a pile today.”
FEELING THE FORCE - John Force Racing is having quite a weekend - at least in qualifying. Robert Hight and Courtney Force qualified third and fourth in Funny Car, while Top Fuel teammate Brittany Force added a third place in the rail category. JFR is seeking their first national event win since Houston in April.
WE ARE LIVE - On Sunday, Fox Sports 1 will broadcast the first two rounds of the NHRA Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals live to the world.
While live finals have become the norm for the teams of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, a live opening two rounds will throw a bit of a curveball for teams used to having just a bit of extra time to get ready for the next round.
But in today’s TV-driven world, it is just something teams have had to learn to adapt to.
“A couple years ago, it was a really big deal. The teams have kind of adjusted to it and I don’t think we think twice about it now,” said Tommy Johnson Jr., the most recent race winner on the NHRA tour. “It is still pushing the limits of what we can do, but at the same time, I think the guys have done a good job of adapting. We go like it is normal routine and it only becomes an issue if there is a problem. It is actually pretty nice, as long as everything goes well.”
PRO STOCK
BACK ON TOP - Over the past six races, Greg Anderson and Jason Line have taken turns atop the Pro Stock field. First it was Anderson, taking the top spot three races in a row between Charlotte and Atlanta. Then it was Line with three in a row between Topeka and Englishtown.
On Saturday, Anderson took back the top spot. Anderson put the Summit Racing Equipment Chevy Camaro first on the charts with a 6.565 at 211.26 mph run made Friday night, as he held off Jason Line to take his fifth top qualifier award of the season.
“We are having a ball right now, living the life,” Anderson said.
With job number one out of the way, Anderson will now shift his focus to navigating the Pro Stock field, facing Charlie Westcott in round one on Sunday.
“Tomorrow is a different day. You can’t make the mistakes you made in qualifying. It is win or go home, sudden death,” Anderson said. “I have to get my head together and come out strong tomorrow.”
CLINCHED - It comes as no surprise, but Jason Line and Greg Anderson have officially secured their spot in the Countdown to the Championship with seven races to go. It ties the earliest a driver has clinched a spot in the Countdown since Tony Schumacher did the same at the 12th event in 2008.
PROVING THEM WRONG - Alex Laughlin was tired of hearing all the talk.
He isn’t good enough. Why are they sponsoring him. When is he going to get that first round win.
Eventually, enough was enough, and all that was left was to put all the talk behind him and let his performance do the talking.
“It is hard not to listen to some of the people say online. So and so has never own a round, why are they sponsoring him. I wanted to prove those people wrong,” Laughlin said.
In Gainesville, Laughlin finally showed what he could do, collecting that first career round win with a victory over Matt Hartford after qualifying a career-high fourth earlier that weekend. It was a big moment for Laughlin, and just another step toward his dream of becoming a regular threat on the tour.
“Some people have been out here racing for years and have never got a round win. We are just out here doing our own deal,” Laughlin said. “We skipped a lot of the growing pains. But to finally qualify in the top half of the field in Gainesville and have an opportunity to run one of the slower cars, it was great, but it was a lot of pressure. I knew that I didn’t have to be perfect, but I definitely wanted to win. I had 100 or so laps on the car, but that run was different. This was our time and I was sick to my stomach.
“After the run I got on the radio and told the guys that this was a huge weight off our shoulders. It was a big moment.”
Of course, while Laughlin continues to improve and find his place in the world of Pro Stock, he is having to do it in the midst of one of the more historic years in class history with the KB Racing team running away with the competition. But Laughlin feels that, just like his first round win, it is only a matter of time before one round turns into two and two turns into a win.
“We are all out here working our butts off. All of these guys, every day of the week, trying to find an edge,” Laughlin said. “Everyone is banging their heads against the wall thinking what do we have to do. But we are closing in on them. Are we going to do it this weekend? No. Next weekend? No. But we will get there.”
TOP FOUR SHOWDOWN - Two of the top four drivers in points coming into this weekend will square off in round one on Sunday. Bo Butner, currently third in points, qualified fourth with a 6.597, while the No. 4 man in points, Allen Johnson, qualified 13th with a 6.743.
GETTING THE HANG OF IT - The headlines say it all.
Greg Anderson. Jason Line. The Summit cars. KB Racing. That is pretty much the only thing fans have read about during a season of unprecedented dominance by one race team. But behind the scenes, teams are making up ground.
An elapsed time increase here, a small shot of speed there. While KB Racing has owned the headlines, other teams in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series are making slow, methodical gains. And before long, maybe in the Countdown, maybe before, maybe even this weekend, someone is going to knock them off their perch.
“We’ll be halfway through the year after Norwalk, so it’s time to make a big move,” said Shane Gray, who currently sits ninth in the Pro Stock standings. “I think most of us have been on a big learning curve this year, but we’ve been tireless in our approach and we’re really starting to see some positive results on a consistent basis.”
After choosing to take a race off earlier this year to help learn a little bit more about how these cars tick, Gray has seen that break payoff with two semifinal results and a quarterfinal finish in the last four races. Next up, take a swing at the champs.
“Bringing Dave Connolly onboard has made all the difference” Gray said. “Dave is like my brother, and when he lost his Top Fuel ride when (Bob) Vandergriff folded, I immediately invited him to join our team. He’s won a lot of NHRA races in a bunch of different classes, and his experience is our gain.”
And Gray got his Norwalk weekend off to a great start, qualifying fifth with a 6.603 at 209.43.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
NO. 1 AGAIN - Eddie Krawiec earned his fourth top qualifier award of the season Saturday at Summit Motorsports Park, posting a 6.822-second lap at 195.31 mph.
“Today was all about making good runs. Today we weren’t the greatest, but our main objective was to get the bike off the line and get some runs in,” Krawiec said. “This is probably the first race of the year for the bikes where we have had to race in the heat. Moving into tomorrow, we have a good baseline and enough hits where I feel our Vance and Hines team will get to the front and get the job done.”
Krawiec, who has won two of the previous four races and hasn’t qualified worse than second this year, will face the No. 5 man in points, Chip Ellis, in round one.
“That could be a final any given weekend,” Krawiec said. “You know the horsepower is there, everything is there for that team to go fast. This is one round you definitely don’t want to slack on.”
FATHER VS. SON - There will only be one Arana with a shot at winning on Sunday. That is because the father-son duo will square off in round one. Hector Arana Jr. qualified eighth with a 6.890, while Hector Arana Sr. qualified ninth with a 6.897.
CLOSE, BUT NO CIGAR - The last two races have been something else for Jerry Savoie.
Two finals and some extremely strong runs have helped the Louisiana native climb from fifth up to second in the Pro Stock Motorcycle standings, but it is the “what could have been” that leaves Savoie aching just a bit.
“In Atlanta we scuffed a piston, so we dropped off a little bit. We thought we could run an 82, 83, but Eddie (Krawiec) had a perfect run. Then against Angelle (Sampey), we made a decision in the third round to change something on the bike and we slowed up a little bit. We were the fastest in all sessions except Q1 that weekend, but we lost lane choice. When we lost lane choice, we knew right away we were done,” Savoie said.
Despite coming up just shy of two-straight wins, Savoie knows that the strength his team has shown entering the meat of the season means he is going to have a strong car capable of competing with the best heading into the Countdown.
“Those two races, some things happened and we didn’t win and we could have won,” Savoie said. “We have got a good program and we feel confident. We are still working on some things, but we feel like we will be pretty good.”
Savoie qualified fourth on Saturday with a 6.861 at 195.48.
MEMORIES - Norwalk is a special place for Hector Arana.
The year was 2008, and Arana had been toiling in the class since 1990 trying to get his first victory. After 19 years of blood, sweat, and tears, he finally broke through in Norwalk. He beat No. 4 qualifier Matt Guidera, No. 5 qualifier Matt Smith, and No. 1 qualifier Eddie Krawiec before outrunning No. 10 Craig Treble in the final round.
As he recalls the time immediately after the final round, Arana breaks out in a big laugh.
"The reason why I laugh is because it was 19 years, on and off, that I was going to the races but hadn't won," Arana said. "I finally won! They gave me this trophy, and I'm taking pictures, but (NHRA) says, 'Hector, we need the trophy.' "
Arana wasn't giving up the Wally that easily, however.
"Uh, uh," Arana told them. "This is my trophy."
Arana has since added six more victories and the 2009 championship to his résumé, but that day in Norwalk will always be special.
FRIDAY NOTEBOOK
TOP FUEL
KALITTA POWER - Doug Kalitta has been on quite a roll lately. And he is certainly not showing any signs of slowing down.
Kalitta raced to a track record 3.719-second elapsed time at 327.51 mph to qualify first Friday night in Norwalk, a run that should help the No. 1 man in points hold on for his third top qualifier award of the season.
“It was just one of those Friday night runs you dream about having,” Kalitta said. “I talked to Jim (Oberhofer) before the run and he said we are going for it. It was cool out, the track was in great condition, and it was a great opportunity. Halfway down the track, you could feel it grabbing hold. It was a cool ride.”
UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY - Tony Schumacher is used to winning.
Eight Top Fuel world championships, 80-career victories and 756 round wins speak to that. But this year, Schumacher is in a position he has only been in a few times in his career, and the first time since 2011. He hasn’t yet won a race.
For a man who typically has multiple wins by this point in the season, Schumacher is still seeking that elusive first victory of 2016, and it is not exactly something that is easy to accept for the winningest man in NHRA Top Fuel history.
“This is the ultimate exercise in patience for someone like me who wants to win every week. But our process is an incredible meticulous one - the improvements we make come in very small steps and it takes time,” Schumacher said. “But once we get to where we want to be, we then become almost unbeatable until we run out of parts and pieces. That’s the part I’m really looking forward to the most as we hit the summer season.”
Schumacher has been close, with runner-up finishes the past two weekends, but he is looking for that little something extra to finally push him over the edge.
“We’ve definitely been knocking on the door the last few weekends and we’re getting closer and closer,” Schumacher said. “When you get to the final and don’t come away with the win, it stings a little bit when you’re in the moment. But when you step away and look at where we are now compared to how we were running the first part of the season, it’s all good.”
READY, AIM, FIRE - In the U.S., guns are just a way of life.
If you don’t own one, you know someone who does. But what about those who have never been around firearms? Just ask Australian-born Richie Crampton.
“I grew up in a country where you can’t have guns and it’s a different dynamic,” Crampton said. “I definitely admire them. It’s kind of like a hot rod part. The machining and the stuff that goes into making these finely crafted pieces, I can see why a lot of enthusiasts get into guns like they do here in the U.S.”
Recently, Crampton got his first “shot” at firing a weapon during a charity outing with a few other drivers. So where does firing a gun for the first time compare to getting behind the wheel of a nitro-powered dragster?
“I definitely have to say getting into the driver’s seat of a Top Fuel car was more intimidating,” Crampton said. “I haven’t been around guns a lot, but I wasn’t totally green. They did have to show me how to load it and how to aim it, but it was a really fun day.
“I can see why Robert Hight, as good of a shooter as he is, turned into a great driver. That whole anticipation level of waiting for the trap to fly out in front of you when you say pull and then calmly following it, eying it with the sight, it’s very similar to that anticipation you get waiting for the tree to drop in one of these things.”
TODD TURNAROUND - J.R. Todd knows there is still time for his 10,000-horsepower SealMaster dragster to reach its stride during the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season.
But with the year hitting the halfway point at this weekend’s 10th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park, Todd is ready to take the next step for the first time in 2016.
Todd has been solid but he is hoping for spectacular and his first win of the season in Norwalk, just six races before the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship begins.
"One thing the SealMaster Toyota team is lacking right now is consistency,” said Todd, who is currently seventh in Top Fuel points following a first-round loss Sunday in Bristol, Tenn. “We need to qualify better and set ourselves up better for Sunday. Consistently going down the track will take care of that.
“I believe going to the final round in Atlanta was a big step for us and showed that our relatively new team was, and is, plenty capable of winning. The run we made first round in Englishtown showed that we are going in the right direction with the power level and that has me excited."
NOTICEABLE ABSENCE - After two rounds of qualifying Friday night in Norwalk, there was one noticeable absence at the track.
Six-time number one qualifier and two-time winner in 2016 Steve Torrence, currently the No. 3 man in points, was forced to withdraw from the event due to a medical issue on Wednesday.
Torrence says he didn’t feel well after a gym session earlier this week and checked himself into the hospital. He underwent a procedure and hopes to be back at the track when the series resumes in two weeks in Chicago.
“I’m good to go except for maybe driving a 10,000 horsepower race car. The doc didn’t think that was such a good idea,” Torrence said.
GOLDEN YEARS - You would think after 60 years behind the wheel, decades racing against the greatest drag racers this sport has ever seen, there might be some hidden motivation, a little something extra, keeping Chris Karamesines going.
As it turns out, there is one very simple answer as to why, at age 84, Karamesines still competes in a 10,000 horsepower nitro-powered dragster.
“I love drag racing. What else are you going to do at age 84,” Karamesines said. “I like it, otherwise I wouldn’t be here. I love the sport, love the people, and just love racing.”
Despite never earning a win in NHRA competition, Karamesines has accomplished so much in his decades-long career. So are there any plans to call it quits anytime soon?
“If something happens to me or I get sick, then I might pull the plug,” Karamesines said. “But if I feel good, I’m going to keep doing it.”
FUNNY CAR
WHAT A DIFFERENCE - Last year, exactly two cars ran in the three-second range, with Matt Hagan setting a new Norwalk track record at 3.973 seconds.
Exactly one year later, 10 cars ran in the three-second range with the top qualifier bettering the track record by a full tenth. What a difference a year makes.
And at the top of that list was Del Worsham, whose 3.875-second pass at 328.70 mph set a new track mark and placed the DHL Toyota Camry squarely in first after two sessions at Summit Motorsports Park.
“Tonight we prepared the car to go about what it ran and fortunately it did,” Worsham said. “Last year four flat would be the track record. Last year in Q1 I ran a 4.09. This year it was a 3.95. And the setup wasn’t that different. Headers, clutch discs, and a year of evolution and you can see how much faster these cars are.”
If Worsham’s career-best time holds, it will be his first top qualifier award of the season.
BIRTHDAY BOY - Shhhh. Don’t tell anyone.
But on Tuesday, Jack Beckman will turn 50.
Shocking, right? Beckman, who will turn the big 5-0 on June 28, certainly doesn’t look - or act - like your typical 50-year-old, but that is the reality for the 2012 NHRA Funny Car champion. And he hopes for nothing more than to break his winless streak in 2016 this weekend.
Now that would be one heck of a birthday present.
“This is when having another race the next weekend is a good thing because we are getting closer to figuring out what this car wants,” said Beckman.
Despit not hoisting a Wally yet this year, Beckman has visited the finals three times and currently sits second in the Funny Car championship standings. But a win this weekend would go a long way in making everyone forget about the slow start.
“We have 13 more chances to get as many trophies as we can before the year ends. And I’d like to start with Norwalk, especially because it is my 50th birthday weekend,” Beckman said.
MISSING THAT MAGIC - 2015 was a magical year for Del Worsham.
With exactly zero wins entering the Countdown to the Championship last year, Worsham hit his groove and proceeded to fire off four wins in the final six races to win the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Funny Car championship.
With such an amazing finish to the year, you would think the Kalitta Motorsports team would carry that momentum over to this year. But that hasn’t exactly proven the case.
Through 11 races, seven different drivers have visited the winner’s circle this year, but Worsham is not one of them. So what happened?
“We are probably running better this year than we were last year. The difference is the competition has all moved up. Everybody is running better than they were last year,” Worsham said. “You can see that in the amount of winners, the low ETs. We haven’t changed, everyone else has just gotten faster.”
But that is not to say they aren’t close.
“We had our opportunities, a couple of them,” Worsham said. “We let a few get away. Pomona was awful close, Vegas was a tough one too. Funny Car is wide open right now. The guy or girl you race in the first round this week might be the person you race in the final the next. It is pretty obvious it is going to be a tough season.”
FRANKENSTEIN’S MONSTER - It’s not your typical car body, but it is a fan-favorite nonetheless.
And Cruz Pedregon is hoping “Frankenstein” brings him a little luck this weekend.
The Snap-on Funny Car is returning to its “Frankenstein” body for Norwalk. This fan-favorite is half of Pedregon’s car that was wrecked at the Phoenix race in 2013, and the other half is his brother Tony’s car that had an engine explosion at the Winternationals that same year. The car has had both sides molded back together, creating a light, raceable, and very unique body.
LIKE FATHER, LIKE DAUGHTER - John Force and Norwalk just go hand-in-hand. Possessing a special bond with the Bader family, owners of Summit Motorsports Park in northern Ohio, it is only natural that some of that love for the track would rub off on his daugther.
And that is just the case.
After finishing runner-up at this race one year ago, Courtney Force comes into Norwalk third in points and confident that she can continue that momentum and walk away from the track her dad has come to call his own with a Wally.
“I love coming out to Norwalk. This is always a fun track for our team and we have had some pretty good luck here in the past,” Force said. “I raced on this track for the Night Under Fire events a few times and love being back here for the NHRA national event.
“We came so close to winning this event last year and hope we can seal the deal this time around. I think we’ve got a better race car than ever before and with the consistency the team and car has, I think it could be a great result for us.”
JUST KEEP SWIMMING - At this time last year, Funny Car rookie John Hale was riding high.
Coming off of his first career final round in only his third career start, Hale was thinking big about the year ahead and what he could accomplish. But after a successful first year, with handful or round wins and a solid points finish, 2016 has been far from the same story.
After 11 races, Hale has yet to win a round and hasn’t qualified higher than 12th. For most, that dip in performance would be a tough pill to swallow and leave some questioning why. But not Hale.
“These cars are such a challenge. The teams and drivers out here are the very best, and I want to be right there with them,” Hale said. “You have to never give up. You have to keep digging deep and trying to improve your game. Some of these guys have been driving these cars for 25 years. I have been driving them for six.
“There is always room for improvement. When I committed myself to running again this year, I knew it was going to be tough. But I love the challenge. Sometimes the drag racing gods will give you just enough of a scrap to keep you going.”
PRO STOCK
DISNEYLAND AND ICE CREAM - With a world famous Summit Motorsports Park ice cream in one hand and a spoonful of the delicious treat in the other, Greg Anderson took the podium in the media center moments after taking the provisional top spot Friday in Pro Stock and just smiled.
After all, it sure is fun being a KB Racing driver at the moment.
“We accomplished our mission tonight. Now it is time to move on to plan B - and that is to win the race,” Anderson said.
Sitting two runs away from his fifth top qualifier award of the season and the 12th in 12 races for KB Racing as a team, Anderson now shifts his focus to preparing for Sunday as he and teammate Jason Line try to remain perfect in 2016.
“We set the bar low in our first run, but this evening there was a big difference in the track and we were able to rectify that,” Anderson said. “The track was killer tonight and we made the most of it. When you have Disneyland conditions, you just have to get after it.”
But Friday’s qualifying session wasn’t without drama. After round one, a KB Racing car wasn’t first on the charts for the first time all season. While it didn’t last long, it proved something Anderson has been saying all season long - that the other teams are making up ground.
“I keep telling everyone, they are absolutely gaining. If you make a mistake, they are going to pounce on it. Hats off to those guys,” Anderson said.
ONE STREAK ENDS - In a scene reminiscent of the Rocky V movie, where Sylvester Stallone's character, boxer Rocky Balboa landed a punch on a seemingly invincible opponent, Pro Stock racer Vincent Nobile landed a solid blow during the first session of Pro Stock at the NHRA Summit Racing Equipment Nationals.
KB Racing had led all 43 qualifying sessions of 2016, until Friday afternoon when Nobile's 6.613 eclipsed the best effort of the three-car Summit Racing Equipment-sponsored team. Jason Line was second quickest with a 6.618. In 11 events, only Nobile had come within striking distance of them at .006 behind, and in claiming the most qualifying bonus points for a non-KB Racing team.
Nobile was quick to put the accomplishment into perspective.
"It’s only one run, don’t get me wrong we made a great run," Nobile said. "I went up there thinking .63, .62 maybe. When Lump [Brian Self] got on the radio and said 6.613, I was like okay, that’s a pretty good run. Those guys might be able to go 6.60, and we’d be right in the ballpark."
Right now, when a class has been dominated the way KB Racing has dominated, any victory, no matter how small is a victory.
"Any victory is a good victory," Nobile concluded.
REACHING FOR THE SUMMIT AT SUMMIT - If Friday’s times hold up as is, it will be the seventh time this season the Summit Motorsports cars of Greg Anderson and Jason Line have qualified first and second. Currently, Anderson is first with a 6.613 and Line is second with a 6.618.
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE? NOT EXACTLY - There is nothing better than home field advantage.
Or so you would think.
Statistics say that teams and players typically win more and generally have more much more success when playing in close proximity to home, but for Jeg Coughlin, that simply hasn’t been the case.
Coughlin, a five-time Pro Stock champion, who calls nearby Delaware, Ohio home, has won 58 times in his illustrious career, but Norwalk is not one of those wins. In fact, Norwalk is one of only two tracks on the tour where he has yet to win a national event.
But if the Cleveland Cavaliers - one of Coughlin’s favorite sports teams - can win a championship after a 52-year drought, Coughlin feels why not him at Norwalk?
“Racing in Ohio, in the Buckeye state, is always fun,” Coughlin said. “Especially now with everyone in the state on such a high with Cavaliers’ success. The mood is palpable among true Ohioans. It’s something I’ve never quite experienced before and it’s very cool. We’re looking forward to adding to it if we can.
“Our Elite Performance crew has really come a long way. Our results did improve a little bit this past weekend with us racing to the semifinals, and that gave us some more direction that will help us to continue to get better. I think we definitely have some more positive things coming along in time for this weekend.”
FRUSTRATION MOUNTING - For two years, Erica Enders-Stevens was Pro Stock racing.
Week after week, race after race, Enders was “that person.” 15 wins, dozens of top qualifier awards and two championships, Enders was the person everyone was chasing in Pro Stock.
Then, it all changed. A new Pro Stock rules package. A change in manufacturer. A new engine program. Now, Enders is just another driver in a field filled with struggling teams just trying to keep pace with the near-perfect KB Racing team.
Needless to say, it hasn’t been an easy transition for the two-time champ.
“The past two years have been a huge blessing. But this is a very humbling sport,” Enders said. “Pro Stock goes in waves and cycles. And this is one of those deals. We by no means expected to come out there and set the world on fire. We knew we were going to have some challenges ahead of us. And where we are at this point, it is extremely frustrating. When it is off, it is all off.”
But through it all, Enders has remained confident and believes, just as it happened for her the last two years, that things will eventually turn around.
“I keep telling God, okay, I get it. But his plan is bigger than me,” Enders said. “We are not quitters. We are going to figure it out.”
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
A LITTLE BOOST - Moments before firing up his Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson for session two of Pro Stock Motorcycle, Eddie Krawiec’s teammate Andrew Hines walked over, gave him a fist bump, and told him, “get to the pole.”
Six seconds later, Krawiec obliged his longtime friend.
“That was a pretty good, lean run down Norwalk Raceway. That is pretty much what you have to do with the competition level,” Krawiec said. “We struggled with the track during the first session, but we were able to get enough data and go out there move to the top.”
Krawiec shot to the top in session two after struggling to get down the track in his first run. His 6.822 at 195.31 mph Friday night set a new track elapsed time record and, hopefully for Krawiec, results in his fourth top qualifier award of the season in five races.
SO, WHAT DID SHE SAY? - Two weeks ago at the NHRA Summernationals at Englishtown, N.J., Angelle Sampey had, what she calls, the biggest victory of her career.
Despite multiple championships, more than 40 wins and dozens of milestones, Sampey’s first win since returning to racing following the birth of her child means more to her than all of the others. Why? Because this is the first win Ava, now five, has got to see her mommy win in person.
“When that light came on in the final round, I don’t know how I didn’t crash the motorcycle. I was literally jumping up and down on it, screaming and hitting the tank,” Sampey said. “I just couldn’t contain the emotions.”
While Sampey’s daughter wasn’t at the track that day, she said moments after her win that she couldn’t wait to hear what her daughter had to say now that mommy finally had a Wally for her. So, what did she have to say?
“She was thrilled,” Sampey said. “She has got it in her playroom, on a little bookshelf. When her friends come over, she says ‘come see my Wally.’ It is hers now.”
A LITTLE PIPPIN POWER - Chip Ellis has ridden a lot of sweet bikes in his long motorcycle drag racing career, but none as smooth as Junior Pippin’s PiranaZ EBR1190RX. “As long as I’ve been racing Pro Stock Motorcycle, this is the best motorcycle I’ve ever had,” said Ellis. And that says a lot, since Ellis was the development rider for G2 when they ignited the Buell revolution.
A whole lot of horsepower at the flick of his wrist surely helps make this bike one of Ellis’ best. With the help of engine builder Brad Moore and crew chief/tuner Lon Moyer of Competition Engine Services, Pippin has been steadily developing a better bullet for years now.
“We’re trying stuff that nobody’s trying,” said Ellis. “I don’t really care to discuss what that is, but I can tell you it’s some cool stuff that we’re working on, and we’re struggling with it a little bit. But our bike is still fast, so once we get it figured out it’s really gonna be fast.”
TRIAL AND ERROR - A year ago, Karen Stoffer was in a different place when the NHRA tour rolled into Norwalk. She was solidly fifth in the championship point standings on the strength of a victory. However, she was falling quickly after three consecutive first-round losses.
Norwalk put her Stoffer on the winning track at least momentarily. However, she struggled down the stretch, advancing past the second round just once and finishing seventh overall in points.
This season has been one of significant trial and error for Stoffer and her team. Stoffer's Suzuki struggled out of the gate, failing to qualify at the opener in Gainesville, but advanced to the semifinals in Atlanta.
“We’ve got a new gameplan for Norwalk, and it will be a good test for us,” said Stoffer. “It’s a fine line you have to walk at this point in the season. You can’t be complacent, or you’ll fall behind in this class, and you have to try new things. But you also can’t make too many mistakes because the Countdown is coming up. You have to put together a good strategy.”
“We’ve been spending a lot of times focusing on the little things. We’ve been trying some out of the box things to improve our 60-foot times, and we have to keep continuing to try to make improvements and get better. We’re coming into the real hot part of the year, and it’s not a very comfortable place usually for Suzukis, so it’s going to be an even greater challenge.”
